Eat Clean Fajitas ~Martha 8.30.10

These Chicken Fajitas will keep you coming back for more.....and I mean it!

Eat Clean Fajitas

2lb Chicken Breasts
juice of 2 limes
juice of 1 lemon
juice of 1 orange
4TBS pineapple juice
5TBS Extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 C purple onion, cut into thin slices
1 each, red and green bell pepper, cut into thin slices
pinch of black pepper
whole-grain tortillas

Combine all juices in medium mixing bowl. Add 1 TBS olive oil, garlic, pinch of sea salt and black pepper, chili powder and mix well. Preheat over 200 degrees. wrap tortillas in foil and place in oven while you prepare the meat.

Prepare meat by placing it in a ziploc bag and rolling it with a rolling pin. Meat should be about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into strips.

Place meat in half the marinade and let stand for 30min. Reserve remaining marinade for the onions and peppers.

Meanwhile, prepare the onions and peppers. Place these veggies in a mixing bowl and toss gently with reserved marinade.

Place 2 TBS olive oil in a large skillet and heat over medium/high heat. Saute meat the place on a platter and place it in the oven to keep warm.

Add the rest of the olive oil to the skillet and saute the veggies. Place veggies on top of the meat in the oven.

When all is done, place items on table and serve with guacamole (homemade) and black beans.

This will be the best thing that ever touched your lips! Enjoy!
~Martha

Cereal Bars ~Martha 8.30.10

I've told a few of you about this recipe. It reminds me of a healthy version of rice crispies. You must keep these frozen because once they reach room temperature, they begin to fall apart.

Cereal Bars

2 C puffed wheat or rice
1/3 C ground almonds or walnuts
2 TBS ground flaxseed
1C vanilla whey protein powder
1/3 C dried fruit (cranberries, blueberries or raisins)
1/3 C pure maple syrup
1 TBS coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 TBS Naturally More Peanut Butter

In a bowl, combine dry ingredients. Set aside.

In a pot, combine syrup and coconut oil. Heat to a simmer only. Add vanilla extract and peanut butter and remove from heat. Stir with a fork to blend ingredients.

Add liquid mixture to cereal mixture and mix with a spoon.

Press evenly into an oiled 8x8 pan. Let cool in the fridge until solid. Cut into 8 squares. Wrap individually and keep frozen for best results.

Nutrition:
1 square = 1 serving
Calories: 200, total fats: 7g, saturated fat: 2g, trans fat: 0g, cholesterol: 0mg, sodium: 2mg, total carbs: 19g, dietary fiber: 2g, sugars: 14g, protein: 15g, iron: 2mg

Tuna Melt...YUUUM! ~Martha 8.30.10

Need something fast and packed with protein that tastes delish? Here it is!

Tuna Melt

1 Can of tuna (in water)
dash of salt and pepper
lemon juice to taste
pinch of mozzarella cheese
1 100% whole wheat sandwich thin

Toast your sandwich thin.
While toasting, mix all other ingredients together and saute on a skillet or place in the oven until cheese melts and it is heated through.
Put on sandwich thin and enjoy!
~Martha

Cocoa Muffins...you can thank me later! -Cali

OK, so it's the weekend and our schedules are a little more relaxed therefore sometimes our eating becomes too relaxed and all our hard work all week can fly out of the window. I thought I'd be prepared to have a healthy treat for the up coming couple of days. Just think, a muffin that won't give you a muffin top! Love it!

Ready in 30 minutes Makes 12 muffins

Nonstick oil spray
1 1/4 cups oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbsp whey protein powder (vanilla or chocolate)
1 tsp baking soda
1 large eggs
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 cup low-fat milk + 1/2 tsp white vinegar)
3 tbsp agave syrup
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly pray a 12-cup muffin pan with oil and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine oats and the nest five ingredients.
3. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together egg, applesauce, buttermilk, syrup and oil
4. Make a well in the enter of the dry ingredients and pour in egg mixture. Stir just until all dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in raisins.
5. Portion batter evenly in to the prepared muffin cups. Bake for 20 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool muffins on a wire rack.

Enjoy! I did and loved them! My husband loved them too and he is super picky when it comes to me making "clean desserts." Try freezing them so they don't go bad, then pull them out when needed. You can use them for a preworkout, for breakfast, snack or for that all to common sweet tooth that haunts us all.
I will be trying lots of new clean recipes in the coming weeks and I'll share the good ones with you. Happy Muffin eating!

Nutrients per muffin: Calories 182, Total Fat 4g, Saturated Fat 1g, Cholesterol 20mg, Sodium 122mg, Total Carbs 30g, Fiber 4g, Sugar 9g, Protein 8g, Iron 2g

Yummy Sweet & Sour Chicken! -Cali

I got this recipe out of Clean Eating Magazine by Oxygen. It is simple, flavorful, clean, and my kids even loved it. You can eat eat it over rice or my favorite, quinoa, or throw it in a wrap or just plain. It is a keeper in our house. Here it goes....

Serves: 6

1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp raw honey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4) chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks (about 1 cup)
1 medium green bell pepper, cut the same as red pepper
1 small yellow onion, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
1/2 fresh pineapple, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1 3/4 cup)
12 sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped
1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice or quinoa

One: In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger and pepper flakes. Place chicken in a large shallow dish. Pour soy sauce mixture over chicken, tossing gently. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.

Two: Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and marinade ad saute for 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Add bell peppers and onion and cook for 5 minutes or until vegetables are slightly tender. Add pineapple and cook for 2 more minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve immediately over rice for a complete meal.

I hope you all try this because I promise you will love it! I am in the process of making some Cocoa Muffins right now so keep watch and I'll post them soon with a pic. They smell delicous and they are clean too! Thanks!

Protein Shake You Can Try 8.21.10

This is one of my favorite protein shakes that I have a few times a week. Here is the recipe...

Peanut Butter Banana Shake

1 banana
2 TBS Naturally More Peanut Butter
1/4 C Oats (uncooked)
6 Ice Cubes
1 1/2 Scoops Vanilla Protein Powder

Put in blender until ice cubes are crushed finely.
This will make a tall glass, the photo is a short glass because I forgot to take a picture until I was almost done with it! Sorry!
~Martha

Oat Pizza 8.20.10

I had this pizza for lunch today and it took me all of about 15min from start to finish. Here is the recipe...

Oat Pizza

Preheat oven 350 degrees
1/2 C Oats
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground flaxseed
4 oz extra-lean ground turkey

Mix these ingredients with your hands until wet.
Flatten this oatmeal dough into a disc shape onto a baking sheet. Bake for 5minutes, flip over and bake for 5 more minutes.

While baking...Combine in a bowl:
1 C chopped fresh spinach leaves
1/4 C unsalted tomato paste
1/4 C low-fat cottage cheese (I used feta cheese since I was out of the other kind)
2 TBS onion, chopped (I may have done a little more)
2 TBS chopped pepper (any color)
1/4 C sliced mushrooms (I used canned ones)

Spread this mixture on top of the oatmeal cake. Bake until cheese melts.

How easy is that? SO yummy too!

Nutrients per serving:
Calories: 360, Total Fats: 5g, Sat Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 30mg, Sodium: 450mg, Total Carbs: 47g, Dietary Fiber: 8g, Sugars: 13g, Protein: 45g, Iron: 4mg

Enjoy!
~Martha

Workouts In a Little More Detail...

Alright, so here is a general breakdown of my Plyometric workouts.

It will generally look something like this:

3-5min warmup on a bike
I will then do circuit training of about 2-3 exercises per circuit. I will always do my circuits 3 times through.
So say one circuit is:
11 Box Jumps
50 quick step ups
75-100 Air Squats
I will do this 3 times with very little breaks. I generally only break to catch my breath and get a drink so I don't pass out...LOL I am trying to keep my heartrate up the entire hour to one and a half hours.

Another circuit could be:
16 Plie Lunges with a Hop
13 Burpees
9 Rollups with a Hop
I'll do this 3x's as well.

Notice how my reps are always an inconsistent number? That creates muscle confusion and I LOVE it! You can get a deck of face cards and create your own reps that way. What you would do is flip over 3 cards and add up the numbers. That will be the amount you will have to crank out for that particular exercise. For example if I was doing squats and flipped over a King, a 2 of Hearts and a Jack, that would mean I am doing 22reps of Squats (Because a King and Jack are each worth 10 and 2 of Hearts is worth it's face value...make sense?).

I will post photos on this entry tomorrow as I have time. Maybe that can give you a better idea of what some of these exercises look like.
Feel free to try it out and let me know what you think! It's pretty intense, I'm not gonna lie. An hour and a half of plyometrics is pretty insane....but so am I so I really enjoy it! :) Happy Sweating!
~Martha

Fat-Burning Cookies 8.18.10

I found these in Oxygen from this month's issue and decided they are WAY better for you than my recipe I tried to revise a little while back. Try them and let me know if thy taste just as good too!


Fat-Burning Cookies

1 1/2 C whole wheat flour
2 C whey protein powder
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 C low-fat small-curd cottage cheese
1/2 C honey
1/4 C canola oil
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 C rolled oats
1/2 C semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 C walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven 350degress
Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl and blend with a fork.
In a separate bowl, combine next 5 ingredients and whisk together with a fork, or use an electric mixer or food processor.
Add wet ingredients to dry and mix with a fork. Mix in oats, chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an oiled or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake 12 minutes until the cookies are slightly brown on top.

Nutrients per serving (2 cookies):
Calories: 99, Total Fats: 3g, Sat Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 6mg, Sodium: 72mg, Total Carbs: 11g, Dietary Fiber: 2g, Sugars: 5g, Protein: 7g, Iron: 0mg

Hope you love'm!
~Martha

My New Training Schedule

As a lot of you know, I have decided to compete again in another figure competition. So my workouts have changed a smidge and I am LOVING it! I was just starting to feel like my workouts needed a change anyway, so this was perfect timing for me! Here is what I look at every morning to tell me what to focus on for the day.

Monday:
Plyo-Metrics

Tues:
Full Upper Body

Wed:
Plyo-Metrics

Thurs:
Full Lower Body

Fri:
Plyo-Metrics

Sat:
Full Body Workout

Now if you are trying to lose some poundage, it is wise to do cardio within 8-10 hours of your heavy lifting days. I will probably do this 2 days a week for a few weeks and see if it is really necessary. My body-type might be fine with just sticking with the schedule I have written out above. Tweeking things is always a good idea until you find what works best for your body-type. Anyway, that's my plan for the next 2 months! Wish me luck!
~Martha

Boosting Your Metabolism and Losing Weight 8.11.10

So I've been learning a lot about certain foods and spices and how they help aid our bodies in increased metabolism (how fast you digest foods) and fat-loss. I thought you all might be interested in some of the things I've learned. I'll try to keep it short and sweet, but I'll warn you that I get really excited about stuff like this and it's hard to sum up! So bare with me.

Did you know that spices like cayenne, dried mustard, and ginger can accelerate your metabolism? And that dill, garlic, anise and fennel will assist you with digestion? Also, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, and coriander will improve your insulin and glucose levels (that's for you ANGIE!). Parsley, cilantro, fennel, anise and apple cider vinegar will remove water weight and we all HATE excess water weight, right? I use apple cider vinegar all the time as my dressing on my salads and it's so delicious! Parsley and cilantro are so easy to grow in your very own gardens. I have some in mine this year and they make the perfect spice for my chicken wraps or tomato toasts or my homemade salsa. Something to be aware of is that hot spices can trigger water retention, so be careful of the chili peppers (note, cayenne is not a chili pepper).

If you are really trying to lose weight, you will want to stay away from dairy products of all kinds (with the exception of whey). Don't worry, you will still get your calcium from your greens like kale, collards, escarole, watercress, broccoli, and mustard and turnip greens.

I've always been a fan of protein because of the building and repairing factor after my intense workouts. I also learned that protein will raise your metabolism by 25% and will help aid the liver in activating it's detoxifying enzymes!

There is much more I would like to share, but I will stop here and post more as I have time. It's amazing what God has provided for us to keep our bodies functioning at their very best levels! It's always been right there in front of us and we can grow most of it right in our backyards! So the next time I'm looking for something to eat, I think I'll be choosing something God has provided us.....not man.
-Martha

Toasted Snack 8.10.10

Oh my! I found such a tasty quick snack that my mouth is watering just thinking about it! Here it is. I will post a picture of it tomorrow when I'm not so tired :)

Tomato Toasted Snack

1 sandwich thin
diced tomato
diced onion

Toast the sandwich thin. While it is toasting, dice the tomato and onion. Place them in a bowl with a tsp or so of extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and fresh basil.

When toast comes out, mince a garlic clove and smear on the toast. Place the tomato mixture on top and enjoy! This is packed with flavor and has all the spices and veggies you need to boost your fat-burning cells! Great to have between lunch and dinner as a snack!

Hope you like it!
Martha