Sweet Tea… in Italia!

Italy, Amazing Food, Love and Wine Y'all!

I start back to real life today… I have to present to my office and see patients…..  I wish I was still on vacation.. although this vacation has pretty much sucked.. except for a few good days..

Mainly, because my travel plans got smashed by the nor’easter that went through the north.. but, the south wasn’t out of it’s reach.. it has been so cold here I may have saw chickens lined up outside KFC waiting for their turn in the deep fryer… seriously.. and we have had no hot water for like 2 days… but while washing dishes this morning the hot water came back.. Thank God for small blessings..

I started watching Stranger things last night… very very interesting show… Netflix has been my friend through this winter hostage situation.

So, I have been doing a lot of research on food and diets lately… and I’ve figured out I just don’t eat the right amount of good stuff… I either eat all protein and veggies with no carbs.. which is unhealthy.. or the wrong carbs and low fat everything.. which is bad for you too…  So I’ve changed things up a bit with this Betty Rocker lady… 🙂 I was also in an exercise rut..

So this morning..  my HIIT workout was this:

Warm Up:
1- Air Jump Rope (30 seconds)
2- Jumping Jacks (30 seconds)

Workout:
3 rounds; do each move for 0:30, taking little rest between moves and rounds

1- Sumo Squats (0:30)
2- Superman Extensions (0:30)
3- Burpees (0:30)
4- Floor Wipers (0:30)
5- Star Plank Walk Outs (0:30)
6- Single Leg Deadlift to Lunge (0:15 each side)
7- Alternating Crescent Kicks (0:30)

I did do about 15 minutes on the exercise bike before that..

Here is breakfast… all from Betty Rocker’s 30 day plan

breakfast egg muffins
Yield: 6 servings (12 muffins)
You will need: muffin tin, cooking oil spray, whisk, mixing bowl, skillet, spatula
8 eggs
1 cup egg whites
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
2 cups baby spinach (or other leafy green), roughly chopped
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray a muffin tin with cooking oil.
2. In a bowl, whisk the eggs, egg whites, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add the veggies and stir.
3. Pour the egg mixture into the 12 muffin tins and bake 15-20 minutes, until cooked through.

sweet potato discs
Yield: 4 servings
You will need: knife, cutting board, baking sheet, parchment paper, measuring spoons
2 sweet potatoes
1 T olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Slice the sweet potatoes (skin on or off) into 1/4 inch discs and place on the baking sheet.
3. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle on the salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes, until easily pierced with a fork.

I made these and Chocolate protein muffins yesterday..

Then Snack:

pineapple squared green smoothie
Yield: 1 serving
You will need: blender, measuring cups and spoons
1 cup/handfuls spinach – or any other
dark, leafy green like kale, baby kale, Swiss
chard, etc
1 cup coconut water
¾ cup frozen pineapple
½ apple
3 T hemp seeds (use 1 serving vanilla protein powder if you don’t have hemp seeds)
1. Add the spinach and coconut water to a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Add the fruit and blend well again.
3. Finally, add in the hemp seeds and blend until no chunks remain.

Lunch will be:

Turkey Burgers:
Yield: 4 servings
You will need: mixing bowl, skillet, spatula, cooking oil spray
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1. Add the turkey, salt and pepper to a mixing bowl. Use your hands to combine everything.
2. Form into 4 patties and heat a skillet on medium and spray with cooking oil.
3. Cook the patties evenly on both sides until completely cooked through.

And wild rice, but I’m just going to use this ancient grain mix I have purchased from Costco.

Then Another Snack:

chocolate protein muffins
Yield: 12 muffins
You will need: blender, measuring cups and spoons, muffin tin, cooking oil spray, rubber
spatula, cooling rack
1-15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
5 eggs
1 T vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
4 T coconut oil
½ cup maple syrup
1/4 cup chocolate protein powder
2 T cacao powder
3 T unsweetened shredded coconut (optional garnish)
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray a muffin tin with cooking oil.
2. Place everything except the shredded coconut into a blender or food processor and run until smooth. Scrape down the sides as necessary.
3. Pour into the muffin tins evenly (batter will be thin).
4. Top each muffin with shredded coconut (if using).
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
6. Let cool 5 minutes and then remove to a cooling rack.

And then for Dinner:

meat-less alternative: chickpea nuggets
Yield: 4 servings
You will need: baking sheet, parchment paper, food processor, shallow baking dish
Nuggets:
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 tsp paprika
2 tsp Dijon mustard
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Coating:
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup almond flour
1/2 tsp paprika
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Blend the chickpeas in the food processor until half are pureed. Mix it will the rest of the nugget ingredients.
3. Mold them into evenly sized nuggets (12-16 total).
4. Pulse sunflower seeds in a food processor until they are a coarse crumb. Mix together the coating ingredients. Roll the nuggets in the coating.
5. Bake on a baking sheet lined with parchment for 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned.

With Baked Zucchini 🙂

And that will be end of Day 1