Regular Crossfitter

I officially passed my Crossfitter foundations classes and am now free to go to any class I choose, yay!!!! I have loved all of the classes so far and can't wait to continue to improve my strength and endurance. I'll post the WODs as I attend the classes just as a reference point. Anyone else new to the Crossfit scene?

First Crossfit class

Last night I took my first Crossfit class and I loved it. I had been looking for something to shake up my routine for a while and I have a feeling that this it it. The only downside is that I have to take the class at the 7 pm time slot, which is a little late for me. When I was younger, I loved working out at 9 or 10 pm, now around that time I like to be in my pajamas plopped on the couch.

** Anyway, the 1st day was a lot of fun and I look forward to my 2nd class this evening.

I decided that I'm going to give it a try for a few months to see what I think. We will only be living in NY for another 14 months, so I won't be at this box forever anyway.

Wish me luck with it!!!

Have any of you ever tried Crossfit? If so, what did you think?

Blackberry Coffee Cake

I woke up craving something sweet this morning. I was surfing the Internet last night and stumbled upon these recipes for healthier coffee cake on health.com.
http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20392855_4,00.html
 I made a few changes to the recipes by decreasing the butter by 2 Tbs. and replacing it with 1/4 c. no-sugar added applesauce. I also used 3/4 c. whole wheat pastry flour and 3/4 c. all-purpose flour as opposed to all white flour. We didn't have any blueberries in the house, so I used a carton of blackberries instead. 


The cake turned out moist and delicious and my craving was perfectly satisfied.


Do you have a go-to sweet breakfast treat?

Hot and Spicy Nachos

I have been on a Mexican kick this week and since we are very far from my hometown of San Antonio that has tons of delicious Mexican restaurants, I have been making the dishes here at the house.

Wednesday: low fat chicken enchiladas
Thursday: chicken taco soup (the high here was in the low 60s)

Tonight: chicken nachos

Here's what happened tonight with the nachos.

can of chunk chicken
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Corn tortillas(10, cut up)
Mexican cheese
Refried beans
Tomatoes
Marinated jalapeños

I didn't have any actual
chips on hand, so I made my own by cutting the corn tortillas into eighths and baking them on a baking sheet for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. I drizzled a little olive oil and put some sea salt on top before popping them into the oven.

Once those were baked, I topped them with refried beans, a dash of cheese, some lettuce, tomatoes, jalapeños, and the chunk chicken. I also topped it our homemade salsa which I talked about in my last post.

There is no precise measurement for the amount of ingredients, it just depends on how much topping you like.

Here is the final result:

Some Like It Spicy

We are huge salsa fanatics in this house and I'm very picky about my salsa. I have not really found any grocery store salsa that can hold a candle to homemade. San Antonio, TX grocery stores such as HEB do carry La Fogata's salsa (a Mexican restaurant in San Antonio) which is absolutely delicious, even in the jarred form. 

Our homemade salsa left us with a full container, but within 2 days, this was the amount that was left. What can I say? We love salsa on everything.

Here's how we did it:

5-6 vine-ripened tomatoes

1/2 cup white onion, chopped

4 jalapenos (include ribs and seeds if you like it spicy)

handful of cilantro

lime juice (to taste)

Roughly chop all ingredients and throw into food processor until desired consistency. Season with garlic salt and fajita seasoning. My favorite seasonings are the Bolner's brand which can be found here: https://www.fiestaspices.com/index.asp?page=fajita,, https://www.fiestaspices.com/index.asp?page=salts.

What are your favorite seasonings? Do you have a favorite store brand hot sauce?

She's a Crawler

If you want to know what has been going on around our house, here is a video clip :

Just two days beforehand, she went forward just a little as you can see here, she progressed rather quickly to making it all of the way across the floor. Part of me is very excited and surprised that she is crawling at 6 months, but nervous because she is progressing so quickly. Does this mean that walking is not too far off?

When did your little one start crawling and how long after did they start walking? 

Tired Run

Our daughter is now 6 months old and is still not sleeping completely through the night. Normally I can push through the day and be fine, but the past few days I have been dragging like no other. We are implementing a new strategy tonight and hopefully it works, fingers crossed :).

On another note, my training plan had me running 3 miles today. For long distance runners, 3 miles is a piece of cake, except when you are super tired and can hardly drag yourself out of bed.

I forced myself to just go because I wanted to stick with the plan and was just out to complete it. Admittedly, I had to walk twice, but still completed it at a 10:48 pace which is good for me.

So, lesson learned, regardless of the situation, buck up and get out there. It will be over before you know it.

Sweet Cravings

Is it just me or has it been since I've started a scheduled training plan for running a half-marathon again that sweets are always on my mind?

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies I made last Fall while pregnant, during that time I was absolutely obsessed with EVERYTHING pumpkin. 

I try to tame the savage beast with proper ratios of fat, carbs, and protein, but sometimes I can't help but day dream about cookies.

Does anyone else have this problem? If so, what do you do to tame the sweets monster?

Hearty Breakfast

Today started out with a 3 mile run and our first family run. Sydney and Aspen both thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm currently training for another half-marathon in September, so I have training runs 3 days a week in preparation for the race. 

I was starving when we got back from our run and I knew exactly what I wanted. This is a recipe I originally found on carrotsncake, but I add chia seeds as well. 

In the mix:

3 egg whites

1 banana

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 c. unsweetened almond milk

2 Tbs. flax meal

1 Tbs. chia seeds

Combine all ingredients and cook on the stove until desired consistency. Make sure that you spray the pot before you put the mixture in because it will stick otherwise. I stir in a Tablespoon of natural peanut butter once it is done cooking, but you can add any nut butter you wish.

What is your favorite nut butter?

Cookie Concoction

One of my favorite ways to indulge a sweet craving is to turn a traditional dessert into something a little healthier in which I can feel good about eating and putting into my body. My concoctions are not a free-for-all, calorie-free dessert, but they give me the sweetness I crave in a short amount of time.

Here's what happened tonight:

Whole Wheat Almond Chip Cookies

1/4 c. butter or butter substitute
1/4 c. no sugar added applesauce
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1/2 c. almond flour
1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
2 Tbs. Nuts (optional)
2 Tbs. dark chocolate chips


Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cream together the butter, applesauce, and brown sugar. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract; mix well. Add the flours and mix until combined. Stir in the nuts and chocolate chips, if desired. Bake for 8-10 minutes, depending on your oven. Makes about 10 cookies. Serve and Enjoy!!!

**These aren't your typical super chewy, moist cookie. They tend to be a bit on the drier side and don't brown as much as a typical cookie. Adjust the oven temperature if they brown too much on the bottom.

Do you have any desserts that you like to healthify?

Favorite Condiments

I'm a girl who loves flavorful dishes and sweet treats. I absolutely love dark chocolate and found this tasty bar on sale the other day and decided to give it a try. Holy Delish!!!

I had never tried almond butter before and picked this little treasure up at the store. Let's just say that I finished my first jar within 5 days. I am now on jar #3 within 3 weeks. If you are out there, Justin's Nut Butter, your stuff is delicious and I would love to try other flavors. 

Mmmmm, SPICY, my absolute favorite hot sauce to add to eggs, quesadillas, beans and rice, etc. I LOVE La Sabrozita!!! Not the best sauce for dipping chips into salsa, but definitely a fantastic topper and super spicy, not for the faint of heart.

My favorite chocolate chips to add to oatmeal, cookie "concoctions", or just to drop a handful in my mouth if I'm having a rough day :).