Monthly Archives: February 2014

Homemade Scones and Cream Recipe

This recipe is perfect for Valentine’s Day if you want to create a treat for the special day! Some of my favorite Valentine’s Day memories involve my dad putting those little candy hearts allll over the house and me getting to look and find them. Onto the yummy stuff. I have watched my mum make her scones year after year growing up throughout my childhood, but I never actually made them myself. Sure, I helped her put on the jam or whip the cream, but I was just helping, not creating. I was thinking of what I wanted to bring to work for Valentine’s Day (I’m not a huge proponent of this day because it’s normally too gushy, but I always like an excuse to make something yummy), and then it came to me! Mum’s scones! Simple, delicious, and not too sweet. Looking back, I have to laugh, because when I asked mum for the recipe, and then when we were FaceTiming while I was making it at 6:30am (5:30am her time–sorry, Mum!), the way she actually did it was completely different. Here is a family recipe, rooting back in New Zealand that promises to not be too heavy or sweet but a definite crowd-pleaser.

The finished product

The finished product

Scones

  • Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
  • Baking Time: 10 minutes
  • Makes: 20 scones (40 halves)

Ingredients

  • 3 cups unbleached white flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 5 level tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 stick butter
  • 1 1/4 cup milk

Directions

  • Pre-heat oven to 450 degree F
  • Mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in a big bowl
  • Heat the butter in the microwave for 5 seconds and then chop up into itty bitty pieces. Throw those pieces into the flour mixture and start rubbing it in until it gets gritty similar to bread crumbs
IMG_6534

Pre-rubbed

  • Now slowly pour the milk in, mixing as you pour. It should end in a dough-like consistency

IMG_6535

  • Put a dusting of flour on a large cutting board and knead it out, but not a lot. You want them an inch, inch and a half thick

IMG_6536

  • Now cut them all at once, vertical lines and then horizontal lines into two inch pieces. Place on the baking sheet, no greasing needed

IMG_6538

  • Check on it after 8 minutes and until 10 minutes. Check the bottom of them, don’t let them burn. After you take them out of the oven, they should cool for at least 10 minutes before you put the toppings on them
All cooked!

All cooked!

Okay, so while they are cooling….let’s make some cream! Super easy.

Cream

  • Creation Time: …1 minute 

Ingredients

  • 1 pint heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp sugar

Directions

  • Put ingredients into bowl and beat them until it turns into the whipped cream you know and love

IMG_6539

NOW to put it all together! This is what you’re going to need to finish these puppies up…

  • jam (any kind you like)
  • chocolate 

Directions

  • Cut open the scones into halves and lay them out
  • Spread jam on each one (yes, takes some time)
  • Dollop the cream on each one (you can make it pretty by spreading it out, I didn’t)

IMG_6541

  • Use a grater that can grate super finely and grate chocolate over the scones. I added some red sprinkles to make it more Valentine-y

IMG_6544

And you’re done. I know this was a long post, but it actually doesn’t take that long and is worth it ten times over. These were a HUGE hit at work and they don’t leave you feeling guilty because they are certainly not heavy nor are they too sweet. That’s why Americans sometimes don’t like these kind! I am very proud to have successfully produced these, they taste very close to my mum’s. Whip these up for this lovey-dovey weekend and make people happy! You can thank my mum, not me! And as always…stay hungry and fit!

BONUS KITTY PIC

Sleeepy baby

Sleeepy baby

spacer

What’s in Your Gym Bag? Part 1

This is labeled “Part 1” because you will get Fit’s gym bag in a few posts later! There is no definitive answer to this one since I have so many gym bags for different gyms and types of workouts. I stock different bags depending on what and where I plan on working out. We have a huge amount of our own workout equipment and once again, depending on my goals and plans, this can change greatly. I will, however, say what I always have in my gym bag… 90% of the time.

Creepy picture of my gym bag!

Creepy picture of my gym bag!

Tiger Balm. A lot of it. Ultra Strength tins and Muscle Rub tubes. Whenever I am sore or stiff, I like to apply some muscle rub to my muscles and/or ultra strength to my joints. I have a pocket that holds about two of each.

The other side pocket has a few locks. I usually keep a combination lock and a key lock, with the key in it. I workout at a few facilities and most of them provide lockers but no locks. I don’t typically bring a wallet to the gym and I keep my phone on me for music and recording my workouts but I would rather someone not steal my clothes while I am swimming so I have to drive home in my towel.

The front section, in my normal gym bag that I have been using lately (one of Alana’s old soccer bags), holds my staple swimming gear for my post-workout recovery swims. I have my towel from Korea, a size 30 Dolfin ugliezzzzz drag suit, Speedo contoured paddles, and prescription Speedo vanquishers with a bungee.

In the big section, I usually keep my Flexsports elastic wrist straps, an old leather belt, a heavy resistance band, two utility jump-ropes, a clean gym towel, my Big & Little’s snapback/trucker hat, some knee wraps, two Captains of Crush (right now a Trainer and Level 1), a Lacrosse ball, ProGryp circle grips, 3B Kinesio tape, an Aylio heavy hand extensor band, and a pair of Madgrip utility gloves.

photo (33)

Those are the staples. Clothes change, supplements change, footwear changes, and additional gear changes, again, depending on the workout. I might bring a weight vest, ankle weights, wrist weights, different grips, fins… who knows… we have a lot of stuff.

I didn’t include all the details such as color, brands, sizes, etc but there is a lot of information here. I usually try to workout with as little equipment as possible, but it is nice having it available if I decide to use it. So there you have it, that is my current staple gym bag.

If you are looking for something specific but you are unsure, feel free to ask and we can point you in the right direction! Remember any additional equipment should be used a tool but never a crutch! Use it to improve but use it in moderation and don’t let it use you! And as always…stay hungry and fit!

  • Question of the Day: What do you have in your gym bag?

BONUS KITTY PIC

photo (34)

spacer

New Zealand Candy Deliciousness

I’ve been aware of the unique flavors that New Zealand candy brings to the table since I’ve been getting them from my Kiwi relatives since I was little. Many of them you will find in the UK as New Zealand is still part of the Commonwealth, but all the same, it’s just darn tasty. If you ever get the chance to try Kiwi candy, don’t pass it up! And if you’re worried about calories, it’s all in kilojewels, so it doesn’t count right?! (Wrong…but we don’t have to think about that) Let’s list some favorites.

"Perky Nana"...one I haven't tried before but it's my nickname!

“Perky Nana”…one I haven’t tried before but it’s my nickname!

Chokito

This is Chris’ personal favorite along with one of my aunts, Raewyn’s. I must admit that it’s pretty delicious. I only discovered them during this trip and I’m glad I did! It’s like a softer chewier 100 Grand bar…yeah it’s that good. Chocolate-y goodness!

(Image source)

Pineapple Lumps

Now these are my favorite, perhaps of all Kiwi candy. It’s pineapple-flavored chewy piece covered in chocolate. I will literally eat an entire bag and look for another. I think this one is a love or hate type of deal. They make me happy

pineapple lumps

Crunchie Bar

Now this goes across all the Commonwealth, but for me, it’s a Kiwi candy. Oh, the crunchie bar. Growing up, this was probably my favorite candy from NZ. It’s basically like honeycomb covered in chocolate. This one is really hard to hate. Delicious crunch followed by that sweet chocolate melting in your mouth…well now I’m drooling.

Moro

Ooh, another favorite of mine. This is kind of like a crunchier milky way bar. You get that decadence of the chocolate and caramel on the inside but also a little crunch of the bits. We bought a huge mini bag of these for our drive from Auckland to Wellington and they didn’t last long.

Licorice Allsorts

Ohhhh, allsorts. They have gotten so much worse over the years, but we still know where to find them. Of course, licorice allsorts aren’t exclusively Kiwi, but they are for me! If you don’t like black licorice, it’d be a good thing to stay away from them. But since I’m a weird American with a Kiwi mother, I love them! It’s basically black licorice compiled with different flavors like chocolate, fruity, and vanilla. They are divine. Especially beside a glass of milk.

Jaffas

These are basically thumb-nail sized chocolate balls covered in an orange coating. These are so so good. Perfect alongside a cup of tea. If you serve them to others, they won’t last long. It has that wonderful crunch of the coating and then the creaminess of the milk chocolate inside.

Minties

These are what they sound like…mint-flavored chewies. Kind of like a minty taffy. Lovely to chew on and enjoy, especially after a meal or after other sweets!

Milkybar

I nearly forgot this one because I didn’t eat it on our last trip there. It’s basically just delicious white chocolate. I know some people aren’t white chocolate fans, but my mum and I sure am. We love this bar. Wishing I had one next to me right now!

Flake

I usually get these in the form of minis, but you can get them in chocolate-bar-size as well too. They are basically little bits of chocolate stuck together, creating a “flake”-like texture once you bite into it. It all falls apart in your mouth. It’s super good chocolate because it’s Cadbury and we all know they make the best. Great to crumble over ice cream!

I obviously can go on and on, but I will stop. I found a great website that lists all the NZ candy (or lollies, I should have been saying this whole time) here. Check it out if you want to find out more about Kiwi candy. It really is the best! Make sure you pick up and try each one of these when you visit New Zealand! Any of my Kiwi relatives can totally send me some right now!! And as always…stay hungry and fit!

  • Question of the Day: Do you have a favorite international candy?
spacer

Monday Meditation

I teach a Meditation every Monday and I believe it’s a good way to set up and shape the week ahead. I can’t think of a better thing to do on a Mondaybefore the madness and stress of the week totally grabs you. You can either let the week rule you, or you take control of the week. It’s the difference between stress and happiness. And it can only take 5 minutes. When I wake up to face the day, I either go for a morning walk or I do three sun salutations and meditate for a few minutes. It leaves me refreshed, calm, and ready to take on the week with a smile. Here’s the meditation I did today, very simple:

Beautiful nature always helps for meditation!

Beautiful nature always helps for meditation!

  • Start by sitting upright in a comfortable position
  • Then begin your active breathing…using the counting method, inhale for four counts, hold at the top for four counts, and exhale for four counts. Do this for a few minutes until your mind and body calms down
  • To move to the focus of this meditation, I want you to think of kindness and inhale the kindness, and exhale entitlement. Inhale kindness, exhale entitlement. Do this for a few minutes until you have a smile on your face.
  • Finish with three big stress relief breaths. Use your body and raise your shoulders as you inhale, and exhale with a loud breath (as if sighing), slumping forward. Do this three times.

And that’s it. Only takes a few minutes and really sets a beautiful tone for the day. I focused on breathing in kindness (because we all need more of that) and exhaling entitlement because I believe entitlement always leads to other problems like greed, anger, frustration, and so forth. I hope you do this meditation sometime this week! I promise it will be worth it. And as always…stay hungry and fit!

spacer

Maple Orange Butter Recipe

If you’re looking for a super simple, delicious recipe, then you’ve come to the right place! This post directly follows yesterday’s post as the two go together perfectly! This maple orange butter goes great on tons of things: muffins, pancakes, toast, waffles, scones–you name it! I took this right out of the Cuisinart mixer cookbook and it was so good, I wanted to share. Easy as 1-2-3!

photo 2 (35)

  • Creation Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • zest of 1 orange (I did two clementines)

Directions

1. Beat the butter in a bowl until nice and light

photo 1 (15)

2. Grate the orange into zest and mix that in along with the maple syrup

3. Refrigerate until ready to serve

Yeah, I was serious…1-2-3! Whip this up in five minutes to make another baked product have some shazaam! It’s easy, it’s delicious, it’s butter! Use this recipe to stay hungry and fit!

  • Question of the Day: Do you ever used flavored butters?

BONUS KITTY PIC

photo (30)

spacer

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Muffins

A muffin we don’t have to regret eating! Hurray! Ever since I got my new hand mixer (thanks, mum), I’ve been wanting to try out the recipes that came with it in a little booklet. This muffin recipe is from that booklet (Cuisinart), but I changed it to what I wanted it to be. These muffins are perfect to me because it’s a good ball of energy when I don’t have a lot of time to eat (mostly between clients). They are tasty, without being overly sweet, and leave you feeling great (rather than the sugar-coated, fat-loaded ones you will find elsewhere). I also made a maple orange butter to go along with it, but let’s save that for another post. This recipe is super easy too! I always value that.

Yum yum yum

Yum yum yum

  • Prep Time: 5-7 minutes
  • Bake Time: 18-20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups whole-wheat flour
  • 3 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup evaporated milk
  • 1/4 cup whipped butter
  • 1/2 cup raisins

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 F. Grease up your muffin tin. I made 12 muffins, but you can make 24 mini muffins and it will take less time to bake

2. Put the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder into a big bowl and mix

photo 1 (28)

3. Put the eggs in a smaller bowl and beat them until they become foamy.

4. Add the evaporated milk and butter into the egg mixture

5. Pour the small bowl of wet ingredients into the large bowl of dry ingredients. Mix everything together

6. Fold in your raisins, can be any type, I chose golden raisins

photo 2 (29)

7. Spread your mixture evenly into the muffin tins. Bake for 18-20 minutes for 12 muffins, 14-16 minutes for 24 mini muffins.

photo 3 (21)

And that’s it! Really simple, huh? My favorite pair is simple and healthy. It can’t get much better than that, at least in my opinion. Use this recipe to stay hungry and fit!

  • Question of the Day: What’s your favorite type of muffin?
BONUS KITTY PIC

 

Sajah loves the sheepskin from New Zealand!

Sajah loves the sheepskin from New Zealand!

spacer

At-Home Abs!

Alright, folks, no excuses here! Let’s get a core workout out on the table so we can beast our way to the health we want! This workout is designed to be done at home, though you can obviously do it anywhere. The world is in need for more home workouts to prevent excuses of time, lack of gym, or lack of energy. Whenever I’m feeling meh, I know that I can motivate myself enough for a home workout whether it be arms, shoulders, core or so forth. So let’s get going! (My apologies for the absolutely terrible lighting!)

1. 3 sets of weighted crunches. Hold a weight, lift up your feet, and reach for the sky. Until failure (until you can’t complete another rep)

photo 1 (26)

2. 3 sets of weighted russian twists. If these are too hard with a weight, drop it. Sit on your bum, lift your feet so you’re balancing, and twist from side to side, turning your shoulders completely. 12 reps on both sides.

photo 2 (27)

3. 3 sets of jackknife. Use a stability ball for this one. Place your shins on the ball and get into a push-up position. Using your feet, bring the ball in towards your chest and then back out. This one is one of my favorites. Until failure.

photo 3 (20)

4. 3 sets of stability ball crunches. Put the small of your back on the ball and simply do a small crunching motion up. Keep your abs activated. Until failure.

photo 4 (17)

5. 3 sets of side touches. Stand up tall and reach side to side, creating resistance for your obliques (or love handles)20 reps on each side.

6. 3 sets of Spider Man planks. Get into a typical plank position (forearms and toes on the floor). Now bring your knee up near your arm and then the other. It looks like Spider Man crawling up a wall. Until failure.

7. 3 sets of 6 inches. Lay on your back, put your hands under your bum and raise your legs six inches off the floor and hold for 30 seconds.

photo 5 (6)

8. 1 set of plank. Forearms on the ground, core strong, back straight, and toes touching the ground. Go for 1 minute.

photo 2 (28)

For me, I threw on some “timed abs” on at the end, but even without it, the above is an incredible workout for your core! If this seems too long for you, just reduce the number of sets. I usually like to do them in supersets, meaning pairing two exercises together and do them back to back. No excuses! Do this workout to stay hungry and fit!

*Question of the Day: What’s your favorite core workout?

BONUS KITTY PIC

Can't get over the adorable-ness of this picture...and yes they did that by themselves

Can’t get over the adorable-ness of this picture…and yes they did that by themselves

spacer

Healthy, Delicious Kale Dip Recipe

This past week, I bought way too much kale. Chris was so nice, he didn’t say anything, but seriously–there’s only two of us! The Super Bowl was nearing and you’ve got to have dips while watching football, can’t get much more American. I do love spinach artichoke dip, but neither were in my fridge and I believe in using what you’ve got! So I grab my enormous bag of kale and set to work on a dip! It was adapted from this recipe. This dip recipe is simple and, more importantly, delicious! It tastes like spinach and artichoke dip, but with more of a sharp flavor mixed in with that garlic creaminess. Oh, did I mention that it’s healthy too?! Read on.

photo 5 (5)

  • Total Prep & Cook Time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3-4 big fistfuls of chopped kale
  • 6 oz of nonfat greek yogurt
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • small pinch of red pepper flakes
  • 1 garlic clove
  • salt to taste

Directions

  • First, chop up your kale and garlic into very thin pieces. Try to get all the stems of your kale out.
  • Heat up a pan with some olive oil in it and then toss all your kale and garlic in. You can put the salt over it now. Cook until kale turns its dark color, about 4-5 minutes, stir now and then.

photo (41)

  • Pour the kale garlic mixture into a food processor if you have one, or if you don’t (or don’t know how to use yours yet–cough, not me at all) then just put it in a bowl and get ready to use a beater! Before you start beating, blending, or mixing, put in the greek yogurt, lemon juice, and pepper flakes! Stir up that mixture as much as you can until it’s relatively smooth!
photo 4 (16)

Beat it! (Thanks, mum, for the hand mixer!)

photo 1 (25)

 

  • And…serve. Yeah, it’s that simple. Once you get a hang of the chopping, then it’s a breeze.

photo 2 (26)

I would serve warm or luke warm, although you can refrigerate for a few days if you aren’t going to be using it right away. I liked this dish so much I made two batches! The garlic creaminess mixed with the sharp flavor of the kale is a winner in my book. And unlike with other dips, there’s no sense feeling guilty about it because it has all great ingredients! This one will come up again, I can assure you. Try this recipe out to stay hungry and fit!

*Question of the Day: What’s your favorite dip?

photo 3 (19)

spacer

Workout Challenge and Weekly Round-Up

Happy Monday all! Well…not if you’re a Broncos fan. That game was painful to watch. Anyways, onto the good stuff. Another week has gone by (happy February!), and we are hungry for more workouts! First, let’s see how we did last week. You can see in this post, what our plan was for this past week. May not actually match up completely, but maybe we didn’t do so badly.

Hungry

Chris and Piper (a dog we babysit)

Chris and Piper (a dog we babysit)

  • Monday: Rest day (stress and rescue scuba class)
  • Tuesday: Rest day (stress and rescue scuba class)
  • Wednesday: hour long lower body strength workout, hour long lower body circuits focusing on box jumps and jump rope
  • Thursday: filmed two hours of swimming instructional videos, arm strength workout using circle grips to increase forearm strength
  • Friday: 75-90 minute shoulder strength workout focusing on pre-exhaustion and the shoulder support system (hurt right shoulder, somehow, and couldn’t lift arm rest of day!)
  • Saturday: Was Hangry & Fat (lots of video games, pizza, soda, and cookies)
  • Sunday: 60 minute chest and triceps strength workout

Fit

Getting ready to chow down at our favorite gourmet pizza place

Getting ready to chow down at our favorite gourmet pizza place

  • Monday: Legs and Elliptical
  • Tuesday: Arms/Shoulders (at home) and long walk
  • Wednesday: Core (at home) and elliptical
  • Thursday: 1 mile run
  • Friday: Chest/Back and 20 min elliptical
  • Saturday: Rest day (being Hangry and Fat, lots of pizza and video games)
  • Sunday: 2.75mi walk

So maybe we didn’t hit our mark exactly on the dot, but we didn’t fare too poorly either. I’ll let Chris write his workout plan for the week, but I’m going to be doing something a little different this week.  This is the Workout Challenge. My friend, Jamie (you can see pics of her in this post), sent me this link of various workouts in “Superhero” formats. At my job, I’ve been creating a Superhero workout program, so it definitely interested me. Before I can critique or properly review it, I must try it. It’s 8 workouts so I’ll be doing it Monday to Monday. It slightly screws up my own workout split, but I’m okay with it because I’m still going to add separate cardio and do certain exercises (like squats, bench press, and pull-ups) when I would have anyways. I’m excited to tell you guys all about it at the end! Do it with me!

Hungry here…Last week didn’t work out so well because of a nagging cold, with lots of congestion, some shoulder issues, and being attacked by a dog, so I won’t set the bar so high this week. Maybe I’ll just try to get better, get rid of my cold, rest my shoulder and knee, etc.

Hungry

photo 1 (13)

  •  Monday – Back and biceps workout, using circle grips to activate forearms more in every exercise
  • Tuesday – Isolated core workout focusing on all the abdominals, lower back, and hips.
  • Wednesday – Recovery day, easy swim, hot tub, sauna, eat a lot
  • Thursday – Shoulders and arms, working on strengthening those shoulder as always
  • Friday – Lower body, lots of hamstring work and pickup basketball, if the knee is feeling better
  • Saturday – Chest and core, lots of planks and pushups
  • Sunday – Back attack!!!

Fit

During a morning at-home core workout!

During a morning at-home core workout!

  • Monday: the “Flash” workout, heavy squats, and elliptical
  • Tuesday: the “Jedi” workout and run
  • Wednesday: the “Batman” workout, pull-ups and swim
  • Thursday: the “Thor” workout, bench press, and run/elliptical
  • Friday: the “Spiderman” workout and swim
  • Saturday: the “Stormtrooper” workout
  • Sunday: the “Arrow” workout and elliptical

So that’s the plan for us, I’m betting we will stick to it pretty well. Mine is perfectly prescribed which makes it easy to stick to and Chris’ week isn’t as crazy as last week. Remember that making a workout schedule for the week really helps keep you on track. Is anyone with me to try the week of these “themed” workouts? It’ll be fun! Make a workout schedule to stay hungry and fit!

  • Question of the Week: Do you ever do themed workouts?

BONUS…SNAKE PIC!

Dovah wants to be brass knuckles

Dovah wants to be brass knuckles

spacer

Seriously Guilt-Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Seriously. We all want to get our yummy cookie fix but without all the grams of fat and sugar that weigh us down, especially around the Super Bowl where we are already going to be stuffing our face! I felt super experiment-y in the kitchen today between playing bouts of video games. This recipe is based off one of my previous ones, but it’s more healthified (yes, that’s a word) and still tasty!

photo 5 (4)

It’s as good as it looks

  • Prep Time: 5-7 minutes
  • Baking Time: 10-12 minutes
  • Makesbetween 12-18 cookies, I didn’t count 

Ingredients

  • one half of avocado
  • 1/4 cup applesauce
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/4 cup oats
  • 1/2 cup raisins

Directions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease up a baking sheet

2. Mix together the avocado, applesauce, sugar and egg 

I know it doesn't look appetizing... but it turns out great

I know it doesn’t look appetizing… but it turns out great

3. Literally just mix the rest of the ingredients of the above list

Before I added the raisins...can't say that I didn't eat some of the dough

Before I added the raisins…can’t say that I didn’t eat some of the dough

4. Scoop them out with a spoon and place them apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes

photo 4 (15)

No sense feeling bad about eating these..

And that’s it. Yeah–four steps. Four steps of guilt-free cookie munching. Yes, please! Perfect for last minute party ideas, whip them up in under twenty minutes and wow your friends with how yummy they taste and how guilt-free they are! Try this recipe out to stay hungry and fit!

  • Question of the Day: What’s your favorite kind of cookie?

BONUS KITTY PIC

^.^

^.^

spacer