day 42: jambalaya

Today was leg day at the gym. I hate leg day.

Barbell Squat: 135 lb x 8 reps
Deadlift: 135 lb x 7 reps
Leg Extensions: 125 lb x 8 reps
Lying Leg Curls: 60lb x 8 reps
Standing Calf Raises: 345lb x 8 reps
Leg Climb (a la P90X): 10 reps per leg

I followed up my weights with 40 minutes on the stairclimber. So Pooped.
… and hungry.

Matt and I had planned on making lentils and rice. But neither of us remembered to soak the lentils so that idea went out the window. Luckily we had some shrimp in the freezer to I decided to whip up my favourite Jambalaya instead. Oooooh was it good! On the side we had a romaine and arugula salad with a honey mustard dressing.

Meatless Jambalaya

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped into 1″ pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped into 1″ pieces
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3/4 c. basmati rice
• 1 14oz can of diced tomatoes
• 2 c. water
• 1 cube of mushroom bouillon
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 1 tsp dried basil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 18 large cooked shrimp, peeled

Directions
Heat up the oil in a large pot. Add the onion, celery, pepper, and garlic and cook until soft.
Add everything else to the pot except for the shrimp. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer uncovered until the rice is cooked and the liquid is absorbed.
Add in the shrimp at the end just to heat them through.

Matt and I topped ours with some tien-tsin chili pepper flakes for some extra heat.

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Jessie at The Happiness in Health passed on this chain award to me today and made my day! Thanks Jessie!

The idea behind the award is this: Below there are seven statements about myself, six are lies and only one is true. Guess the TRUTH.

1. I have changed at least three flat tires.
2. I’ve never read any of the Twilight books.
3. I played on my grade school volleyball team.
4. I have never won an award for athletics.
5. I can recite New Testament passages.
6. I love ice fishing.
7. I have a copy of an Abbey Road record signed by Ringo Starr.

***So, which statement is true?***

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I’d like to pass this on to the following blogs:

• Laura @Home Veganomics
• Kenzie @Healthy Purpose
• Tricia @Endurance Isn’t Only Physical
• Beth @Dining and Dishing
• Jasmine @Eat Move Write

Once nominated, here is what you have to do:

1. Thank the person who gave this to you.
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you.
4. Tell up to six outrageous lies about yourself, and one outrageous truth.
5. Nominate up to seven “Creative Writers” who might have fun coming up with outrageous lies.
6. Post links to the blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know you nominated them.

Thanks for all the positive feedback about the Apple Pie Green Smoothie! I think I should just give all my smoothies dessert names and see what kind of reactions I get.
… and speaking of smoothies I scoped out this stuff in the natural food section at Zehrs and thought I’d try it this read on ..

I was lazy this weekend and didn’t get around to posting all my green smoothies. My favourite favourite favourite so far was this little ditty:

Apple Pie Smoothie!!

I’m trying my hardest to remember exactly what was in it. I was too busy enjoying it to write down the ingredients. Here’s a rough estimate:
Apple Pie Smoothie:
2 apples
3 read on ..

Today was Lower Body day at the gym. Last Friday I bought new gloves because my hands were so sore after this workout, but this week I didn’t feel a thing! Awesome. The new gloves are especially helpful for holding the barbell for deadlifts and the dumbbells for shrugs.
Straight-legged deadlifts:    135lb for 3 sets of read on ..

Thanks everyone for all the great encouraging compliments today!! It made me so happy!
On the down side, I just got home from having dinner at my dad’s house which I followed with far too many raisins… now my stomach is not happy with me
Opening the bag of raisins. That was a terrible idea.
After every read on ..

Yahoo! I’m so stoked with my results this week. I practically leaped onto the scale this morning because I just KNEW I would have good results. I could feel it and I could see it.

No cringing or groaning necessary. I lost 2lb of fat! Last week I was 150.6lb and 31.7% body fat (=47.7lb of read on ..

Lately I’ve been eating a lot of these guys:

Parsnips! Oh so tasty, crunchy, and awesome. These bad boys have more potassium than carrots– good for keeping the workout cramps at bay.
Raw parsnips + hummus = great pre-workout snack.
I like the sweet and somewhat nutty taste of them. Last week I ate through a pound read on ..

This morning I made my prescribed smoothie based on the exact recipe provided to me by my naturopath: 1 c. fruit, 1 tbsp flax, 1 tsp Nutrasea, 4 tbsp hemp, and some almond milk. It was disgusting. Blech! I managed to chug it down, but I chased it with a fresh banana to end my read on ..

I must admit that yesterday I didn’t feel so great. I didn’t get around to working out, but I was tired for much of the day that I don’t think I would have made it through a workout anyway. Luckily today I’m feeling much better. I even breezed through an intense power yoga class this read on ..

Due to technical difficulties I wasn’t able to post my smoothies last night. Damn internet.
Breakfast Smoothie:

“Best foods you’re not eating smoothie”
4 c. swiss chard
1 banana
1/2 c. frozen blueberries
1 tbsp. hemp seeds
1 tbsp. chia seeds
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. cinnamon
Verdict: This smoothie was delicious. I really liked the addition of the spices. And this smoothie has 4 read on ..