Day 81 - OUCHIE!!!!!

Ok, I'm only posting because everything hurts like crazy right now. Apparently my most awesome workout ever comes with a price.

For those of you who are self-destructive, I'm taking a page out of your book the last few days.

Nicole has great workout = pigs out on Indian food, doesn't drink any water, and stays up too late.

Yikes.

However, I am somewhat setting myself up for success this weekend. We will be headed to the beautiful Jersey shore where I have made a very healthy and Zone happy menu. Unfortunately, I'm sure I'll be surrounded by chips, sandwiches, and basically every delicious carb known to man that I will have to be good about. I did also bring workout clothes and shoes for both days.

We are taking pictures of ourselves in a bikini next week as both our coach and the master coach are putting together customized nutrition plans for us to take pictures as we progress. I'm really excited about this because I'm already starting to see more definition in my arms and stomach even without major nutrition changes. This will give a good plan to be more focused on these items and see quicker change.

Depending on how brave I am...we'll see if these pictures get posted. I might be that ballsy.

However, I'll let you in on a little secret. Most smart people would try to watch their diet for the first few days before taking the pictures so that they look a little better. My twisted mind tells me to have at it and go for the glory and eat everything in sight so that the pictures look the worst that they could....and then I'll have a better before and after pic. Does that make sense to anyone else?

In more sobering news, I found out that a few of my cousins have been having health problems lately related to their heart and circulatory system...and at a young age. This makes me want to be more serious and really stick to a plan that includes anerobic workouts, strength training, some aerobic workouts (sorry Andrea), and a strong nutrition foundation.

Day 80 - Awesome workout!

This week has been going pretty well so far....I've kept the food intake fairly in-check and Zone friendly.....my only lapse was Tria on Tuesday with Stephen, but I'm allowed to have fun every once in awhile :) The bad news is that I've been craving Indian food lately.....so at some point, I'm going to cave and have some...and let's be realistic....I can give up the naan, but not basmati rice!

Anyways, enough about how I'm food obsessed.

Workout yesterday was AWESOME.

Squats:
45 lbs x 5 reps x 1 set
65 lbs x 5 reps x 1 set
85 lbs x 3 reps x 1 set
105 lbs x 5 reps x 3 sets

Presses:
45 lbs x 5 reps x 1 set
52 lbs x 3 reps x 1 set
52 lbs x 5 reps x 2 sets

Situps:
15 lbs on chest x 10 sit-ups x 3 sets

Pullups:
5 really GOOD negatives...and 1 where I almost jerked my arms out of their sockets...oops.

Met-Con:
100 m walk with either 45 lb bar held above head or 60 lb carry at waist + 5 burpees x 3 sets
Completed in 5:08

Day 77 - Detox :)

Last week, I was on-point for eating every day! The weekend was a bit more free-flowing, but in general, it was a great week. A ton of phenomenal recipes were tried and will be posted later.

This week's plan - DETOX!

In keeping with the theme, as delicious as wine is, last week was a bit much as far as wine was concerned because my friends want to have a glass or two every day of the week. So, there will be no wine tonight, Weds, or Thurs. We will be headed off to the shore this weekend and that's always a challenge...but we'll see how it goes.

Either way, I have a ton of amazing fresh fruit and vegetables in the fridge for consumption this week. Let's go, antioxidants!!!!!

Workouts for this week are TBD as Andrea is out of time and I am swamped with "being a good friend" duties over the next few days. Plus a delicious date with Steve at Tria tomorrow!

Day 71 - Not bad...

no workout....bad Nicole.

Breakfast: none
Lunch: Turkey wrap & some potato chips
Snack: 1 chocolate kiss
Dinner: Antipasto salad, 1 cup of fruit salad, spiced apple wine with Sera

My problem is that too many people want to drink wine with me on a daily basis. That's what I'm blaming it on...for sure!

Day 70 - Back in the groove

Food:
Breakfast: none
Lunch: Turkey & cheese rollups, sugar free jello cup
Snack: One Milky-Way mini and 4 potato chips
Dinner: Creamy Dijon Salmon & Mango salad, glass of red wine

We won't talk about yesterday....let's just say it was ugly. Very ugly.

Recipe: Creamy Dijon Salmon

Easy, but tastes very complex and difficult to make. A fantastic dish for having company over.

Creamy Dijon Salmon
2 salmon fillets (6-8 oz each)
3 tbps dijon mustard
3 tbps light sour cream
2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp dried dillweed
8 crackers (whole wheat Ritz or regular Ritz), crumbled

Preheat the oven to 400. Place rinsed salmon on a baking sheet covered in tin foil. In a small bowl, mix the mustard, sour cream, honey, and dill. Spread the mixture over the fish. Place the crumbled crackers over top of the mustard mixture. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until done. If a crispier finish on the crackers is desired, broil for 2-3 minutes at end (but watch to make sure crackers don't overbrown).

Recipe: Mango Salad with Mint-Mustard Vinaigrette

Sounds super weird...I promise, it's amazing! Qamara wants me to make this every day and she HATES mango...but this is ridiculous.

Mango Salad with Mint-Mustard Vinaigrette
1 mango, chopped
1 bag red/green butter lettuce mixture
1/3 cup chopped macadamia nuts (roasted & salted)
1/4 cup cheese (any or a mixture of crumbled feta, goat cheese, or shaved parmesan)
1/4 cup chopped scallion

Dressing
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp honey
Dash of kosher salt

To make the dressing, add the olive oil & mint in a blender. Puree lightly, then add rest of ingredients. Pulse lightly to mix. **NOTE - this makes double the dressing needed for this salad, so you can save some for another night or just to serve over lettuce as the dressing is incredibly flavorful.

Add all salad ingredients in bowl and toss well. Add 3 or so spoonfuls of dressing to salad and mix. Leaves should be lightly coated.

If you wanted to make this an entree salad, adding a skewer of grilled shrimp or a filet of fish would be perfect over top.