Dig Deeper

The name says it all. It is quite literally the most insane workout I've ever done. I originally started the program last fall, after finishing round 2 of P90X-2. Probably 2 weeks into it, I was bored and made the unfortunate decision to do the splits without being warmed up. Let me tell you, when you can hear and feel something inside of you literally tearing, it's a horrible feeling. Bad choice #2: I thought I could just work it off. Yes, I tried to continue doing Insanity for another week doing modifications (ex. one-legged burpees). I finally decided that wasn't going to work well, so I got it checked out, and I surely had a 2nd-degree tear. AKA "it's not bad enough to be surgical, but it's going to take some time to heal, and will probably never be the same." So I was banned from running, jumping, lunging, squatting to just upper body and a stationary bike. (Also PT.) It was a great day when I got permission to hit the elliptical (which I would normally hate). Probably the first week of January (the injury occurred during Thanksgiving break), I decided I could handle Chalean Extreme. I did some modifications at first...but I started having problems again. So I tried something crazy. I went to see a friend who does "healing touch" therapy. I will be completely honest. It is totally weird. It also totally works. I have no idea how or why, but it's amazing. My hamstring has been doing GREAT since then!

I ended Chalean Extreme right before heading to Mexico for Spring Break. The day I got back, I restarted Insanity. The first month was definitely challenging, but generally the workouts were just about 40 minutes (and probably 10 of that was stretching). I was like, "Yeah, I can hang. I got this." The program's "Rest Week" happened to be my graduation week, which was excellent timing. I had gotten into Zumba a couple of nights a week as well at that point (which is REALLY crazy). Then I started phase 2. Let's just say it's a really good thing I could not make it to Zumba during phase 2 (just too much going on). The first workout, you realize that now your workouts are 60 minutes long, and there's less stretching time. I was like, "What have I done?" If I wasn't such a 'stick-to-the-schedule' person, I may have actually quit. However, by the end of the week, I was feeling a lot better about it. By the time it was over, I was actually kind of sad about it.

Breakdown. It is INSANE. If you don't like working out or haven't worked out, I wouldn't recommend starting here. You must ENGAGE YOUR CORE in every workout, which I love. Seriously, you only do an "ab" workout 1-2 days a week, but you most definitely work your core every single day. On that note, on ab days, I liked to do the ab workout before the big one. Because after cardio conditioning, my first thought is not, "Hey, wouldn't it be great to do insane abs right now?" Don't feel like you have to keep up with them. They take breaks. Modify to keep moving. You'll get there. Know that the workouts are longer in phase 2. Be prepared to sweat like never before. Wear a heart rate monitor! Doesn't have to be super fancy, but I do recommend one with a chest strap for accuracy. I liked doing X2-Yoga on my rest days. Totally optional. Just always #DigDeeper

BSN, RN

What a week it has been! I don't even know where to begin. I guess the biggest news is that I am officially Catherine Crowder, BSN, RN!!! I am a little bit excited about this, in case you couldn't tell. It is very encouraging that everyone I graduated with has been able to pass the NCLEX (so far). I know I couldn't have done it without them, some pretty great professors and clinical instructors, and, of course, the mother (who is also a nurse). It is pretty ironic that I've ended up where I have. If you had asked me in middle school if I was going to be a nurse like my mom, I would've laughed in your face. But here I am! And I'm so excited about doing pediatric nursing! Love those kiddos. 

Now, that I know I have for sure passed the NCLEX, I will tell you that I was a complete wreck on Tuesday when I took the test. There's really no words to describe it. I pretty much always very calm and collected. I don't get nervous about tests. That morning, I woke up, worked out, showered, painted my nails, got ready, and then it hit me. This is it. Like I have no plan B if this doesn't work. (Although the mother thinks I could be a trainer because "you like working out and telling other people what to do"...uh, thanks?) I made it to the testing center with time to spare (I don't recommend that), got all checked in, got to my station, and started the test. I think the first couple were easy. But I got to one point, and was like, "I have no idea what is happening anymore." Thank goodness I was able to start back at Zumba that night!  

My advice on taking the NCLEX would be to do LOTS of practice questions. I wouldn't worry about content. There's literally no way to know what you're going to get. 

In other news, I finished up Insanity and have started Combat, complimented by Zumba. Party. Because the only thing better than one workout a day...is more than one! The brother ran off to Maui for his senior trip without me. Joke is on him...I cleaned out his room...you don't even want to know. Let's just say he's no longer allowed to take food back there. Today, I finally got the chance to head down to Moore, OK and help with some of the cleanup. The video coverage and the pictures don't do it justice. It's just incredible. 

So...coming soon:

• {Workout Review} Insanity
• Banana Bread Bars
• Spicy Italian Chicken 

Portobello Flatbread Panini

I'm initiating "Meatless Monday" at our house. I know it's Memorial Day, and we should be eating lots of meat and other things. But, in all honesty, I don't know how being thankful for those who've died serving and protecting our country equates to having a grill fest. I'm pretty sure that is not what this holiday is about. So, I made some super delicious portobello flatbread panini. (Which, I guess, did technically involve a "grill"...but it's still not your typical Memorial Day cheeseburger or hotdog.) The mother and I thought they were great. The brother went out with a friend tonight...I asked him if he was going out because he found out about Meatless Monday. He said, "Are you kidding me right now? What is with all the obscenity in this house?" Lucky for me though, since I now have, what would've been his dinner, for my lunch tomorrow. 


Portobello Flatbread Panini

Ingredients (for two):
2 large portobello mushrooms
1 sweet bell pepper (red, orange or yellow)
1/4 medium-large white onion
1 oz goat cheese
2 Lavash whole grain flatbreads 
Seasoning to taste--sea salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and basic
EVOO and balsamic for drizzling    

Directions:

• Heat up your George Foreman grill.
• Slice onion and bell pepper and place on grill, drizzling with EVOO and sprinkling with seasons. Grill for about 10 minutes, making sure they don't get too soft and lose their crunch. Set aside.
• Place the whole mushrooms on the grill, drizzling with EVOO and sprinkling with seasons. About 5-7 minutes in, drizzle the balsamic over the mushrooms and continue to grill until done. 
• Meanwhile, get out your flatbread and crumble up the goat cheese onto one side. 
• Once the mushrooms are done, slice them and place them on the flatbread along with the pepper/onion mix. 
• Fold the flatbread in half and place on the grill for about 3-5 minutes.

Enjoy!

(Note: you could do the peppers, onions and mushrooms on the grill at the same time, if you have one that's big enough...)

Blueberry Oatmeal Bars

I made these sweet things for breakfast on Saturday. They can be relatively healthy, though lacking considerably in protein. They are pretty tasty, and the recipe is really versatile. Lots of options. The original is from Shopgirl. I did change some things up, making it a lower calorie version. Swapping oil for applesauce, "real" brown sugar for Ideal brown sugar, and "real" fruit syrup for Torani sugar-free raspberry syrup. Terribly processed, I know... You could just as easily make the recipe more natural by using coconut oil, pure cane sugar, and agave, respectively. Adding a little flax would probably be nice as well. If you don't have homemade fruit preserves handy (which I don't), I recommend Bonne Maman or something similar. 

Bottom line: these are really easy to make and very tasty. Everyone liked them. They would also be great as a sweet little snack. Take the basic recipe and run with it wherever you want!


Blueberry Oatmeal Bars

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup light brown sugar (or substitute of choice)
1 egg
1/4 cup honey
5 TBSP oil (or substitute of choice)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup fruit preserves
1 TBSP fruit syrup (or substitute of choice)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a 9x9 baking dish with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
• In a smaller bowl, whisk together the egg, honey and oil. Add to the dry mixture and mix well.
• In a small bowl, mix the fruit preserves and syrup.
• Place about 2/3 of the granola mixture in the prepared baking pan, making sure to press it into the corners and patting it down so it bakes evenly. Spread the preserves over it evenly. Top it with the remaining granola mixture.
• Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until you can see the preserves bubbling and the topping is golden.

Enjoy!

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Along with everything else happening on Monday, the brother informed me that I should make something for him to share with his jazz band class. He decided on lemon poppy seed muffins, which are his favorite kind. I probably should've just done the processed box kind. It would've been easier, and I knew the homemade kind wouldn't be the brother's favorite...but I don't really count that as baking. And, I needed to legitimately bake something. That or workout again. And considering it hurt to move my arms and laugh and move, baking seemed like the better option. 

The verdict? The mother said they were the best real lemon poppy seed muffins ever. The brother said he (and most of his friends) prefers the processed junk (which really doesn't taste much like the real version), and "they're a little dry." I thought they were decent. They have more of a "real" lemon flavor and a heavier texture than the boxed variety. You can easily separate the top from the bottom without crumbs going everywhere. (This is important to me because I like to eat the bottom first...same goes for cupcakes.) 

Alterations...I used plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. I did keep the refined sugar and white flour because I didn't want to totally freak the kids out. Honestly, next time, I would go half-and-half on the flours and do 1/3 cup of honey instead of 2/3 cups sugar. I could get really crazy and switch out the butter for a fruit puree (ex. banana or apple). Maybe add a little coconut oil.


Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Inspiration from Luscious Confections

Ingredients:
2/3 cup sugar (try 1/3 cup honey)
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (try 1 all-purpose and 1 whole wheat)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla
1 tsp lemon extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled (try fruit puree) 
2 TBSP poppy seeds 
Organic milk (if needed to get desired consistency)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a 12-cup muffin pan with liners. (If you spray the liners with non-stick cooking spray, they will peel off the muffins beautifully.)
• Add the sugar to a large bowl. Grate the zest of the lemon into the sugar. Mix until it's evenly distributed. Add the rest of the dry ingredients. Mix together.
• In a separate bowl, mix the lemon juice, yogurt, eggs, vanilla, lemon and butter. 
• Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir gently to combine (don't over mix). The batter will be pretty thick and a little lumpy. You may add a little milk to the mixture if you like. 
• Divide the batter into the prepared muffin pan.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the tops are slightly golden.

Enjoy!  

{Ranch} Greek Yogurt Baked Chicken

What we had for dinner last night certainly isn't big news. In fact, I don't know that I would've made dinner if I hadn't already had the chicken out, thawing. Yesterday afternoon, I was glued to the news. I felt so helpless as I watched what is being called "the largest tornado in the history of the United States" destroy the town of Moore, OK, just 24 miles south of our house. It has been heartbreaking to watch the coverage and see the devastation and loss. It has been especially hard for me to not be in the middle of it helping. I am so thankful for the way Okies come together in times like these to take care of each other. It's truly something special. I am amazed by the outpouring of support and prayers from people across the nation, across the world.

Back to dinner... This has to be one of the easiest meals I have ever made. It was also delicious. The brother loved it, which says a lot...he seems to be really picky these days. I thought teenage boys just ate anything, but apparently not. Anyways, the chicken would be great for those times when you need to take a meal to someone else, have last-minute company, or just something quick and easy! Seriously, it's great. And healthy. 


{Ranch} Greek Yogurt Baked Chicken

Ingredients:
4 skinless, boneless natural chicken breasts (thawed)
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan 
1 TBSP Ranch dressing mix (click the link for a homemade version)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
Spray your baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
Place chicken breasts in dish.
Combine yogurt, parmesan, and ranch dressing mix.
Spread the yogurt mixture over the chicken breasts.
Bake for 45 minutes or until chicken in cooked through.
Enjoy!

Apple Baked Oatmeal

I made this delightful baked oatmeal one morning when we had a surplus of apples around. I believe my mom got the recipe from one of her cousins. It is really easy and tasty. The sweetness comes from the pure, natural maple syrup. No processed white or brown sugars! The downside is that you have to get up early and make it before you actually want to serve/eat it. This is problematic for me because I pretty much want to have my coffee and eat breakfast the minute I wake up. For this reason (and because I forgot to do it the night before) the nuts didn't get toasted before going in. Still tasted great. It does reheat, so theoretically you could make it ahead... However, I think it's better fresh out of the oven. The recipe serves about four people...or three really hungry people!


Apple Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients:
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup nuts, lightly toasted (optional) and divided (I used pecans)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 cup organic milk (I used 1%)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 TBSP coconut oil, melted
1 tsp natural vanilla
2-3 cored, sliced apples 

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish.
• In a medium bowl, combine oats, half the nuts, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Stir with fork to combine.
• In a liquid measuring cup, combine maple syrup, milk, egg, melted coconut oil and vanilla. 
• Spread 1/2 of the apples in a single layer over bottom of baking dish. Sprinkle dry oat mixture over. Pour over the liquid ingredients. Sprinkle remaining nuts and fruit over the top. Push fruit into liquid. 
• Baked 35-45 minutes. Let cool a couple minutes so you don't burn your mouth. Enjoy! 

{Grain & Refined Sugar Free} PB Cookies

These are the other (somewhat healthier) peanut butter cookies I made this past weekend. First of all, the dough is incredible. Seriously, seriously incredible. The texture is like a fluffy frosting. Really, if you wanted, you could omit the egg and baking soda and use it as a peanut butter frosting. Or fruit dip. Or just eat it with a spoon... However, the cookies themselves have a really weird texture. They don't taste bad, in fact, they're kind of addicting. It's difficult to describe. They're moist and have this amazing peanut butter flavor. I have found that the texture is better if the cookies are frozen. (The cookies are still soft when frozen.) A little Nutella adds a nice touch. 


PB Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup natural peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
8 oz plain Greek yogurt (I used Fage 2%)
1/2 cup local honey
1 tsp natural vanilla
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 egg 

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and your choice of grease.
• Mix everything up in a bowl or use your stand mixer. Like I said, the texture will resemble a fluffy frosting. 
• Use a cookie scoop (about 2 tsp), placing the drops of dough about 2" apart on the cookie sheet--they will spread!
• Bake for about 10 minutes or until the edges are slightly golden.
• Let cool for a couple minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Makes about 36 cookies. Enjoy!

PB Nutella Cookies

Peanut Butter. Nutella. What more does a person need? Kidding! Kind of... I pinned this recipe a while back. Probably during class sometime... I was excited to have a reason to finally make them! I'm kind of loving all of the brother's senior festivities because I am getting to bake a lot. I like it when I can bake it, try it, and give the rest away. The dough for these babies was great. The cookies themselves were also pretty great. The brother said, "These are the best peanut butter cookies you've made." A big deal, considering he doesn't generally like peanut butter. Shame. Although, he claims, "It's not that I don't like peanut butter. It's just overused." I don't believe that it's possible to overuse peanut butter, but I'm kind of an addict. Either way, the cookies were tasty! They're pretty soft, not too dry like some PB cookies. And the Nutella is a great touch. 

I didn't mess with these, so you can click here to get the recipe from The Sisters Cafe.

Giant Gooey Cinnamon Biscuits

I made some giant gooey cinnamon biscuits for Mother's Day breakfast yesterday. My inspiration for these tasty treats came from The Kitchn, via Pinterest. However, I couldn't get over putting two cups of heavy cream in what was going to be four biscuits. Then, I discovered what all went into cinnamon chips. I did some serious revamping. I swapped ingredients and eliminated some steps. The result was great! They were delicious, and everyone enjoyed them. I'll admit that I did go ahead and pour on a mixture of organic milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Live a little, right? However, I think that the biscuits would still be tasty without that. Maybe some homemade jam instead? You could probably also make eight smaller biscuits. Here's the recipe---


Giant Gooey Cinnamon Biscuits
Original recipe from The Kitchn, with modification help from Alaska from Scratch

Ingredients:
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBSP baking powder
1/4 tsp cream of tartar 
1 TBSP natural honey
1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt (I used Fage 2%)
1/4 cup reduced fat organic milk
4 TBSP cinnamon chips (see recipe below)

Topping (optional):
Reduced fat organic milk and powdered sugar to desired consistency. I went with more of a "soak-y"glaze than icing. Add vanilla to taste. 

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease an 8x8 baking dish. 
• Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together. Add honey, yogurt, and just enough milk to make a fairly sticky dough. Mix until combined.
• Dump the dough onto a floured surface and pat or roll out into a square. Cut into quarters. 
• Place about 1 TBSP on cinnamon chips in the middle of each square. Fold the edges over, making sure the cinnamon chips are covered and there are no holes. 
• Place the biscuits into the baking dish. Bake for about 16 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. 
• Pour glaze/icing on and serve warm. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Chips

Ingredients:
3 TBSP ground cinnamon
2 TBSP unrefined coconut oil (in place of vegetable shortening)
2 TBSP honey (in place of corn syrup)
1/4 tsp vanilla

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet and grease well. 
• Mix everything together.
• Dump the mixture onto the parchment paper and flatten it out to a 1/4" thick or so. 
• Bake until the mixture has completely melted and is somewhat bubbly.
• Cool completely before cutting.

Store what is leftover in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. Coconut oil has a lower melting point than vegetable shortening so the cinnamon chips will soften quickly if you leave them out.

Healthy Banana Bread

We literally had a bunch of bananas go from green to overripe. There was no yellow. Seriously. It's kind of like how Oklahoma usually goes from winter to summer without any spring. I have several recipes pinned that call for overripe bananas. I REALLY wanted to make these banana bread brownies, but I didn't think I really needed a pan of those sitting around the house. The brother had mentioned he wanted banana bread, so I decided to make that instead. I got my recipe from "8 Weeks to a Better You" via Pinterest. First of all, this was WAY simple and fast to whip together. Just 7 ingredients. Secondly, I think it tastes great (and the mother agrees). It does have the whole wheat "healthy" texture. In the brother's words, "Oh, banana bread....Ah, it's healthy! What have you done?!" I guess the healthy taste doesn't bother me anymore. At this point, I have a harder time with the more processed, not-so-healthy taste. Judge me. If the whole wheat texture really bothers you, you could easily do a half-and-half mixture of whole wheat and all-purpose flour. Bottom line, I definitely recommend this recipe for a healthier, more natural banana bread! It's good plain and with natural peanut butter. 


Healthy Banana Bread

Ingredients:
3 overripe bananas
1/2 cup unsweetened natural applesauce
3/4 cup natural honey
2 eggs
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x5 loaf pan.
• Put bananas in a large bowl and beat/mash (I used a KitchenAid stand mixer). Add applesauce and honey, mix well. Add eggs, beat until combined. Combine dry ingredients in another bowl, whisk together. Pour dry mixture into the wet mixture, mix just until combined. 
• Pour batter into loaf pan and bake for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 
• Let cool for 10 minutes in pan before turning it out onto a wire cooling rack. Enjoy!

Leftover Oatmeal Muffins

When we had family in for graduation, I made some slow cooker overnight oatmeal. I got that recipe from The Gracious Pantry, which is probably my new favorite place to find "clean" recipes. The oatmeal wasn't too bad, and it was nice having something ready to eat in the morning. I would recommend not adding the raisins in until the morning though. The definitely soaked up a lot of the liquid, so they looked pretty funky...and the brother couldn't handle it. Anyways, we had a little over 2 cups left, so I went on a quest to find a recipe for leftover oatmeal muffins. I found a recipe that I liked the basic concept of from Full Tummies. As I was reading comments, someone else had made some suggestions...so I took things I liked from both recipes and made my own! The muffins turned out really well. They kind of remind me of a very moist bran muffin. (You could probably add more flour, if you want a dryer texture. I like things pretty moist. Then, I don't need condiments.) They got eaten up pretty quickly, and even the brother liked them! (Little did he know I had used the oatmeal he didn't like to make them.) 


Leftover Oatmeal Muffins

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups cooked oatmeal
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
2 TBSP coconut oil (melted)
2 TBSP unsweetened applesauce
2 TBSP honey
1 tsp baking soda
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

(If your leftover oatmeal is plain, you may consider adding cinnamon, vanilla, or whatever you like!)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease your muffin pan (the recipe makes 12 good sized muffins). I pretty much just threw it all in our KitchenAid stand mixer and mixed it up. Then, divide the batter between each muffin cup. Bake for 25-ish minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy! 

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

I have basically taken over dinner since coming back home from school. The last week has been fairly simple though. I did a venison roast in the slow cooker on Sunday, and it has reappeared as pot pie and soup. I did a really basic "brinner" one night. This particular night, all I had to do was roast some cherry tomatoes that we had leftover from my graduation party and heat up this couscous stuff and leftover porketta. As a general rule, I try to eat pretty fresh and pretty clean. Granted, I bake a lot...but from "scratch" so it's still pretty decent. Anyways, I don't like to eat a whole lot of preprepared/prepackaged stuff. However, I am pretty impressed with Birds Eye and their "Steam Fresh Lightly Sauced Couscous Pasta and Spinach." It's super easy, tasty, and preservative free! Now, "porketta" is a special kind of pork roast that we get when we go to Minnesota. It's delicious and not available in Oklahoma. Mom had cooked one in the slow cooker last week, so I shredded what was left (it's very juicy and tender) and used it in this meal. Now, roasting cherry tomatoes is really simple:

• Preheat the oven to about 375
• Mix up your tomatoes with some EVOO (enough to coat) and season to taste. I used garlic and parsley here, but you could easily use basil, Italian seasoning, really whatever you like.
• Place in a single layer in your baking dish
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until done

It's a really easy way to make them a little fancier and super tasty!