Interval Playlists: February!

I apologize that February is almost over.  What a crazy, short month!  But you get an extra day of February this month, so why don't we combine some of this month's playlist with March's?  Sound good?


Great :)

The theme of this playlist is STRONG.  You'll notice three of the song titles are "Stronger" and that's because I have been pushing myself more than usual in interval training and cross training this February.  I've been spinning, doing lots of HIIT (high intensity interval training), and much more strength training than I have been doing in the recent past and have liked hearing the word "stronger" as I workout. 

 So with that being said, enjoy February's playlist!

1. Turn Me On (Feat. Nicki Minaj) - David Guetta - Nicki Minaj
2. Domino - Jessie J
3. Young, Wild & Free (Feat. Bruno Mars) - Snoop Dogg & WizKhalifa
4. Stronger - Kanye West
5. International Love - Pitbull Featuring Chris Brown
6. Stronger - Britney Spears
7. Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) - Kelly Clarkson


Y'all know that usually I just keep my playlist on shuffle. While the order is ultimately up to you, here are a few suggestions I have for when to listen to the songs:

• I think that "Young, Wild & Free" should be either a warm up or cool down song - or definitely when you are on the slower side of your interval training. 
• "Turn Me On" and "Domino" are faster songs and better for a faster pace.
• "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" is a great song for the end of your workout because I think the message works well when you're trying to push through and stay strong as you finish your run.

Have a happy and fun workout!

Spectacular, Scrumptious Super Bowl Recipes

Hey everybody!


What, to you, is most important about the Super Bowl?  For me, it's the the 5 Fs:  Football, Family, Friends, Fun, and Food.  The 5 Fs are often implemented in many of my favorite activities (and probably yours, too!)  With a recipe like that, how could you go wrong?  Today I'll share some of the recipes I used for this year's game. (See below for recipes).

This year's Super Bowl involved every one of those aspects, but let's talk about the food!  This was by far the healthiest Super Bowl I've had yet.  While in preparation for planning this year's feast, I ran into some friends at the grocery store.  They asked what I was getting and I said just some things for the game.  They looked at my cart and then back up at me with confused expressions. "Tofu?" they asked. Yes.  My cart was filled with vegetables and other healthy items.  Everyone loves soy at a Super Bowl party, RIGHT?


In all seriousness, my party didn't involve tofu.  That was for another day.  But I did use Gardein brand meatless chicken tenders (per Tone It Up's suggestion) and boy were they good!  I also made mango salsa, hummus, sauteed mushrooms, low-fat guacamole, and carob balls that I'll provide the recipes to.  On top of that, I set out low-carb tortillas from La Tortilla Factory, cut up some red, yellow, and green bell peppers and some celery, and made some kale chips (because what's a party without chips?)  ;)

I thought I'd also include last year's Super Sandwich for the Super Bowl.  It weighed 10.0 lbs on the dot and stood about one foot tall.  Thank you to my boyfriend for baking bread in my football-shaped cake pan and getting 3 kinds of meats, 3 kinds of cheeses, and different greens and bell peppers to make this edible monstrosity.  It took an army to eat it, but it was a well-fed, happy army :)

I hope your Super Bowl was as great as mine was and for those of you reading in future Februaries, I hope these recipes and ideas help you create a fabulous football feast!  Enjoy!  xxo

Mango Salsa
1 mango, peeled, pitted, and diced (about 1.5 cup)
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno chile, minced 
1 small cucumber, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)
3 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
3 tbsp fresh lime juice 
Salt and pepper to taste
(mix together in bowl and enjoy!)


Low-Fat Guacamole (From Womens Health)
1.5 cups frozen green beans, thawed
1 small avocado, cubed
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
3 tbs lemon juice
1 tbsp jalapeno, chopped
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
(Put all but the last two ingredients in a food processer until smooth, then stir in peppers and cilantro)


Hummus
 Lots of flexibility with this one---I threw it together how I saw fit at that moment ;)
Garbanzo beans (amount is dependent on how much you want! Shoot for 1 cup)
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 shakes paprika
1 shake garlic powder
QUICK shake onion powder
(Put everything in a food processor)


Carob Balls on a Time Crunch
Another flexible recipe, and one of my favorites!
1/2 cup carob chips (or however. many. you. want...within reason).
1/4 cup walnuts
1/8 cup almonds
(Put everything in food processor until you make a dough that you can roll balls out of, then stick in refrigerator until ready to eat!)
(There are many variations of this recipe but since I was out of some other normal ingredients for this kind of dessert, like dates, this was the best I could do.  And it's still delicious!)


Kale Chips
1 bunch kale
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
(Preheat oven to 350.  Rip kale into chip-sized pieces in a bowl.  Add salt and olive oil and mix with kale.  Put kale on baking sheet and cook for 8-12 minutes).