Bro-ing it up in Vegas.

Um, where the eff did June go? I guess I shouldn't complain about summer going by so fast because I hate the heat, but having time to breathe and y'know, remember what day it is would be kinda nice.

Anywho, Monday, I got back from a long weekend in Vegas to celebrate my sister's 21st birthday. And also kinda celebrating 5 years with Doug:



Ignore the red eye.

It was a great trip, filled with public drunkenness and drag queens, but of course, the main thing I want to talk about is THE FOOD!

My mom treated us all to a buffet at the Paris hotel the first night, but after that, Doug and I quickly decided that we didn't want to do the buffet thing during the whole trip. We stuck to cheaper, non-buffet eats (thank you Panda Express for supplying us with veggies!).

We did however make not one, but two special trips to a new favorite joint, Hash House a Go Go. I originally saw them featured on Man vs. Food and wrote the name in case we got the chance to actually visit. Turns out, they were located in our hotel (stayed at the Imperial Palace), so we made plans to eat there for breakfast. The dish that beckoned? Sage Fried Chicken & Bacon Waffles, topped with fried leeks and a maple reduction:



Ultimate food porn. I wanted to get a better picture, but I was also eager to try my first bite, so I threw down the camera in a hurry, attacking the poor dish like a lion on a gazelle.

Definitely a chorus-of-angels-worthy dish. My only regret is that we didn't think to share one plate; this place serves up H-U-G-E portions. Oh well. We munched on the leftovers during the day, so we could skip snacks and lunch. This method came in handy for balancing my walk-around-vodka munchies.

Since we enjoyed breakfast so much, we decided to go back for dinner. Complimentary buttermilk biscuits, topped with a warm honey glaze:



Sometimes, there just aren't enough calories in day... I would've loved to tried these babies with some sausage gravy!

Next, we ordered an appetizer; Tiger Prawns, fried in cornmeal:



Served with a creamy chipotle sauce and garnished with fried angel hair pasta. I must admit, I haven't been to too many places that focus on presentation, so this made the trip so much more enjoyable!

Next, we decided to SPLIT a burger. We learned our lesson from the Chicken 'n' Waffles incident and knew that one burger would be plenty for the two of us. And it was. This is the #5 burger, stuffed with cheddar, applewood bacon and avocado:





Hot damn. Another winner! So, next time you're in Vegas and looking to splurge, pleasepleaseplease don't pass this place up! Aside from their location in the Imperial Palace, they also have a stand-alone location near the Sahara. Oh, and their original location is in San Diego as well.

Lots of calories consumed, but we also walked everywhere, so everything balanced out pretty well. We had a blast, but it's great to be home. I've had my share of excess for the year, haha. Hope everyone's having a great week!

Great minds think alike.

Not that I needed more proof that Randal is a great fit for our household, but the places he falls asleep crack me up:

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Got a busy couple of weeks ahead of me, followed by some much-needed R&R in Vegas. How's your summer going? Busy? Cool travel plans? Work? 

Hows & Whats.

Time for another edition of Hows & Whats.

HOW I'm currently eating:
DISCLAIMER: As with any nutritional plan, always seek guidance from a professional first; this way of eating is what currently works for *me* and may not be the best option for you.

Oh, food. You and I always seem to be at odds, depending on the week and where my head is at. For the time being, I'm aiming for higher protein and less sugar, using Jackie Warner's book as a guide:



I actually bought this book shortly after it was released, just never got around to doing a proper review. I know it probably comes across as just another fad, but it's actually a pretty decent read when it comes to food. And nothing is banned; the main goal is to eat less refined sugar and processed foods, which pretty much every one can benefit from. I'm fond of this plan because it works best for my current way of eating (eat clean for 5 days, then allow for some treats on the weekends), but also forces me to improve my meal composition (less sugar, more protein, more veggies and focusing on whole grains & fruits for carb sources). Each day, I aim to eat 4 servings of lean protein, 3 servings of veggies (though I allow myself more if I want), 2 servings of fruit, 2 servings of healthy carbs (oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, pasta, wheat bread or wraps, etc.) and 1 serving of healthy fat (olive oil, nuts, avocado).

It's not rocket science by any means, but since my fitness goals include improving my sprinting speeds and increasing my lean muscle mass, Jackie's nutrition plan is pretty much spot-on for properly fueling my workouts. Before following her plan, I was eating healthy (for the most part), but had cut back on protein and found myself eating more carbs, in addition to drinking more alcohol and overeating on the weekends. Doing so was starting to affect my athletic performance; I just always seemed sluggish whether I was running or lifting and was taking longer to recover, thus bailing on more workouts. Getting back into my protein groove has already kept me from half-assing a session and has kept debilitating muscle soreness in the backseat.

I'm into my second week of following the plan and have noticed a dive in my junk food cravings and my appetite is starting to subside as well. First week, I dropped 3 pounds, so I can't complain. And because there's no counting calories or tracking involved, it's keeping my anxiety and binges at bay. I'm not hungry either, which is kind of a big deal. As with any healthy eating plan, there is some more prep involved (taking time to cut up veggies for snacks & lunch; boiling eggs and mixing protein shakes the night before, etc.), but nothing I haven't had to do before.

HOW I'm currently sweating:
Right now, my routine is pretty basic: 2 days of cardio, 3 days of strength/weights, 2 days of rest. For cardio, I head to the gym and do some sort of mix of the following, for about 45 minutes or so: sprint intervals, incline walking, stairmaster, elliptical or spinning. I try not to do any single activity for more than 20 minutes because I have a confession to make: I'm officially bored with cardio.

Back when I first started to lose weight, I adored cardio and despised strength training. Anyone who's followed me from my LiveJournal days knows this is true. It seems after getting into Jari Love and Jackie Warner workouts, I finally learned to love lifting and compound strength exercises. They just always seem to give me that edge when trying to meet a goal, be it improved definition or fat loss. I STILL meet women to this day who shy away from weights or believe they shouldn't start lifting until they're closer to their weight goal. For any ladies reading this, please, please, please- don't put off this type of training any longer. You will NOT get big and bulky (unless you're getting testosterone injections, lifting 300+ pounds AND eating a steady diet of chicken & creatine supplements). Study after study has proven time and time again that weight training boosts fat-loss efforts, improves performance in other fitness activities and improves bone density. You can scarf down all the milk and calcium supplements you want (*raises hand*), but adding some extra resistance in your workouts will ward off osteoporosis and fractures even more. Running, yoga and Zumba are all great, but don't be afraid to pick up some dumbbells a couple times a week.

Ok, stepping off of my soapbox now.

WHAT I'm currently reading:
Well, technically, all I should be reading is my ACE Personal Trainer Manual, but I need a break from that every once in a while. Right now, I'm pretty much obsessed with Oxygen Magazine. 

I'm letting my subscriptions to Shape, Self and Fitness all expire because I relate to less and less of their content every month. I don't identify with flavor-of-the-month celebs or the numerous underweight models featured on every other page, parading as fitness role models. And when I'm in the mood to read about exercise, I want to read about just that; not flip through dozens of pages featuring beauty products and $500 boots. Can you feel the rage?

Well, Oxygen is not like the others. Forget the anti-aging moisturizers and bring on the butt-kicking workouts! I've gotten 2 issues so far and just reading them makes me feel like a strong, healthy bad-ass. They cover a variety of workout types, share great clean recipes, tell inspiring success stories and feature models who truly do exemplify what eating healthy and working out should look like, without any fluff.

Don't get me wrong; those other women's health mags deserve some credit, but they just seem so shallow to me now. And honestly, if I see another Kardashian being played up to be a source of health/fitness inspiration, I'm gonna need corrective surgery to pull my eyes from the back of my head.

Bonus: You can score a subscription from Magazine Deals Now for a more than reasonable price. (I've used this site tons in the past; it's legit. If you sign up for their mailing list, you get sweet discount codes too.)

What are some of your current Hows & Whats?

Q-Q-Q-Q-Quinoa.

I'm pretty terrible at post titles. Whatevs...

So, I'm a new fangirl of Oxygen Magazine. I was about to give up on women's health/fitness magazines, but Oxygen seems to know what's up. It's great to see ripped, fit women doing tough workouts as opposed to the usual underweight bikini model pretending to be disappointed by what she sees on the scale in an article about weight-loss. ANYWHO, rant aside, I found a great Spanish-style quinoa recipe on the Oxygen site and decided to give it a try last night.

I opted for the version that used pinto beans instead of peas. I also left out the green onion because we were out.



Turned out great! I sometimes (well, all of the time) find myself stuck when thinking of new ways to jazz up quinoa and this recipe was just what I was looking for. It reminded me of really well-seasoned, hearty Spanish rice.

To boost up my protein intake, I served it with some salmon:



I seasoned the salmon with taco seasoning (we likes to keeps it classy like dat) and topped it with my new obsession:



There are only a billion different jarred salsas out there, so I don't usually buy it, but I'm officially a whore for Frontera. One of my new goals in life is to eat at a Rick Bayless restaurant, based on this salsa alone. There's also a red pepper-garlic variety that's pretty great too.

Turned out to be a tasty meal, no thanks to my lazy sous chef:



Oh well. Being cute does give one a lot of free passes in life.

This dish would also great with grilled chicken, pork, ground beef or turkey. And to keep it meatless, add more beans (black or kidney, perhaps?) and/or tofu. Looking forward to trying the leftovers with cheese & sour cream.

Hope everyone's having a great week!

Catching up with the times...

Hello, readers! Just a quick post to let you know I finally created a Facebook page for this blog.

My goal is to offer a more interactive, supportive place for readers. I'll also post food/fitness tips that don't always make it to the blog.

Thanks!

A new partner in crime...

Hope everyone had a safe & fun weekend! Things were a little busy at our house, but for good reason; we finally got a dog!!!











His name is Randal (a nod to the movie "Clerks"), he's one and a half years old and so far, he's the best beagle ever. Sure, he's misbehaved a few times, but I mean, look at that face! We're quick to forgive him once he goes back to being a goofy sweetheart.

I've been looking at dogs for over 3 years now and Randal is proof that patience is a virtue. The local Humane Society was having a really good deal on dogs over the holiday weekend, so I twisted Doug's arm to go look after I left work on Friday. I figured if we didn't see/meet any that we liked, we could leave, but I think I knew better; visiting a shelter is pretty heartbreaking, so leaving empty-handed is a challenge.

I saw Randal on the website earlier in the day and he was definitely one of my top choices. He was a stray who had already been there a week; can't believe he lasted that long! He had just been neutered, had a clean bill of health and no behavioral problems. When we went to a visitation room to meet him, he immediately went to Doug and put his paw's on Doug's knees. It's almost as if Randal planned that move, since Doug was being really resistant to the idea of getting a dog that day and I was already won over from the beginning.

About an hour after the visit, we were new dog parents and taking Randal to his new home. It's been like the Summer of Love ever since, but without the psychoactive drugs and, y'know, hippies. For $100, his adoption included getting neutered, shots, license tags, a free first vet visit, microchip and a free month of pet insurance. He was originally $200, so aside from being the coolest dog ever, his adoption process was a pretty rad value too.

But not everyone was happy about Randal joining our family...





This is my sister's Shih-Tzu, Chato. Chato has stayed at our house a few times in the past and was kind of a "practice" dog for me and Doug. He's usually cheerful and energetic, but when he stayed the night this weekend with Randal, he quickly became super-jealous and would go into our bedroom by himself because he thought he'd been replaced. He's not used to being around other dogs, but hopefully he'll eventually warm up to his new cousin.

So that was this weekend's excitement! Once Randal heals up from his neuter surgery, we're looking forward to taking him hiking and to the dog park. He's already a bit spoiled and I expect that will only get worse as time goes on.

Boot camp, baby!

It's been a while since I've blabbed about a fitness DVD, but I couldn't seem to go another day without praising my new favorite: Jeanette Jenkins' Bikini Boot Camp!



I first learned about Jeanette through the Nike Training Club App after unlocking her bonus ab workout. After that, I got curious and started to browse her DVD releases. After reading some reviews, I decided to give Bikini Boot Camp a try.

First, I'll cut to the chase and say: This workout is NOT for beginners! In fact, I think even intermediate and advanced exercisers will find this one tough to keep up with.

The basic format of the workout is a warm-up, a cardio camp (about 27 minutes), a strength/toning camp (about 25 minutes), an ab camp (about 10 minutes) and finally, stretching & cool down. You can do each camp individually or all together.

Don't let the girlishness of the word "bikini" fool you- the cardio camp is no joke! It's very athlete-driven, starting with some basic moves (jumping jacks, high knees, etc.), but then quickly transitions ("quickly" being a key word here) to kick boxing, plyometrics and sport drills one might do in volleyball, basketball and football (shuffling, overhead spikes, mixed jump rope routines, etc.)

While the cardio camp is under 30 minutes, Jeanette does not let up for a single second; there are 5 circuits, all of them repeated about 2-3 times with no breaks. While her cuing and pace are both steady, she doesn't really pause to show you how to perform the move, so it's up to the viewer to really pay attention and keep up. None of the moves are terribly complicated, but if you're expecting a lot of explanation beforehand, it simply isn't there.

The strength/toning camp moves at a slightly slower pace with a couple of breaks, but because most of the moves are compound exercises (working more than one muscle group at the same time), your heart rate will stay up and you'll definitely start to feel the burn all over.

This routine starts off with push-ups and plank exercises and then moves on to using dumbbells with lots of variations on lunges, squats, arm curls and extensions. One move that was new to me was plie squats performed while standing on the tips of the toes- hello calf muscles! Many of the moves also involve balancing on one leg, which I found really challenged my core muscles.

Finally, there's the ab camp. Nothing particularly spectacular here; just a lot of crunches (with the added weight from a dumbbell), bicyles and leg raises that will set your stomach on fire for almost 10 minutes. Y'know, the usual.

I've done this DVD twice now and I think I may be addicted, despite how incredibly tough it is. The first time, I did the entire DVD, all of the camps in order. This morning, I skipped the ab camp and changed up the order, doing the strength camp first, then the cardio camp. I'm sure it depends on the person, but I found doing the strength camp first was a little bit easier to get through. The cardio is just so tough that trying to get through resistance training immediately afterward was a little too much of an ass-kicker for me. Plus, I think my form was better in the strength camp since my muscles were still fresh and not completely spent from all of the plyometric work in cardio camp.

This DVD was a little pricier than what I usually spend on fitness DVDs (Collage Video actually has the cheaper price; Amazon wants almost $40- yeah right!), but so far, it's proven to be worth every penny. It's provided the type of muscle confusion I've needed lately and goes by pretty fast. Plus, the only equipment you need is some dumbbells (I used a set of 5's and a set of 8's). If you're looking for a great total body workout, Bikini Boot Camp delivers a solid challenge that will leave you soaked and sore (in a good way, of course). You've got a new fan, Jeanette!

Vegetable Curry, New Belgium-Style.

Yesterday's Meatless Monday dish combined two things that I enjoy: Curry and beer. But last night was the first time I enjoyed the two together. It was quite the tasty experiment.

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received a stipend to purchase New Belgium Brewery products and ingredients for a meal made with and/or paired with the beer.

I chose the Trippel Belgian Style Ale.



Since the main spice is coriander, Doug suggested a curry of some sort.

And so, New Belgium Vegetable Curry was born:



Ingredients:

• 1 bottle of New Belgium Trippel style beer
• 1 head cauliflower, chopped
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 can diced tomatoes (14 or 15 oz, I believe)
• 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 bag of frozen peas & carrots (12 oz)
• 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• 1-2 tsp of garam masala
• dash of cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 cup basmati rice, uncooked

Add the oil to a large pot, set to medium heat. Add the onions and allow them to sweat for about 10-15 minutes. You're not trying to caramelize them, but rather slowly sweat and tenderize them. Add curry powder and stir for a minute or two.

Add the garlic and ginger and stir for a couple of minutes. Stir in tomatoes, salt then the beer. Let simmer for about 10 minutes.

While the base is simmering, prepare the basmati rice according to the package instructions (to save some time, we did the microwave option; place rice in a 2 quart microwaveable dish, add 2 cups water, cover and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Remove, stir and microwave for an additional 15 minutes on 50% power. Let sit for 5 minutes.)

Add the cayenne (if using) and additional salt, if necessary to the base. Stir in cauliflower and peas/carrots. Cover and continue to simmer until cauliflower is tender, about another 10 minutes or so. Add garam masala during the last few minutes of cooking. Serve with rice.



Great, flavorful dish. We sipped the beer by itself in between bites and aside from cooling down the effect of the cayenne, it also had a crisp finish and a smooth aftertaste, thanks to the coriander and the complementing spices in the curry.

Living in Colorado, I've been familiar with New Belgium Brewery for quite some time and have had a few of their beers in the past, but never really considered myself a huge fan. It wasn't until this Foodbuzz opportunity that I decided to give New Belgium another shot. I was pleased to discover how much I enjoyed the Tripple variety and even more impressed with how well it worked with our recipe. Warm curry, cold beer… What more could I ask for on a Monday night?

Life Time Fitness Winners!

Well, the winners for the two 7-day passes are pretty much everyone who entered, haha. Congrats Bre, Amy, Claudia and Joel!

Please send an e-mail to stretchjean@gmail.com with your current mailing address and I'll get your passes mailed out a.s.a.p.!

Thanks for entering and enjoy your visit to Life Time!

Life Time Fitness Grand Opening- and a Giveaway!

This past Wednesday, I had the pleasure of going to the opening party for a new health center in town, Life Time Fitness. Prior to my invitation last week, I must admit, I had never heard of the place and hence, had no idea what to expect.





As I pulled up to the center and saw the insane amount of people and traffic, it became clear that Life Time Fitness isn't your typical gym.



I thought "This is crazy! What is it about this place that would attract thousands of people?" Well, after meeting up with one of LTF's reps, I went on a full tour and quickly became impressed, overwhelmed and excited. I'm not sure where to start with my photos, so let's just dive in, shall we?

Gorgeous indoor (and outdoor!) pool & sauna facilities:









Full spa and salon (you mean I can get my hair cut AND attend a spin class in the same building?):



The Life Cafe & Shop:


HUGE menu with healthy options for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a quick snack. And of course, everything on the menu is health-conscious and includes nutritional info. Their Kids menu even includes *baked* chicken strips! From the Life Cafe menu: "We're delighted to serve artisan bread made with unbleached flour and dressings and sauces made from scratch with all-natural ingredients... No artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, preservatives or trans fats."



Meeting all of your supplement needs!

[Multiple!] Tennis Courts:



Pilates (Mat Pilates is also offered):



Indoor Rock Climbing:



Full Basketball Court:



Boxing, Kickboxing and Mixed-Martial Arts (for adults and kids!):



[Insane amount of] Latest Cardio Equipment & Fully-Stocked Weight Room:







(not sure what this is, but I'm dying to try it- looks like a cross between an elliptical and a stair master!)



In addition to offering just about every piece of equipment you can imagine, they also include popular classes (Zumba, Spinning, Vinyasa Yoga, etc.), so your fitness routine will never get stale.

Life Time is also very much family-oriented, so of course there's a children's center with plenty of indoor and outdoor activities to keep them occupied while parents get their workout on.

And as if all of the above wasn't enough, Life Time kicks things up another notch and offers metabolic testing and other fitness assessments at their LifeLab, to help you better reach your health goals:



The cherry on top: Great view of Pikes Peak:



Now back to that whole "Giveaway" bit...

The folks at Life Time Fitness have given me several 7-Day passes to share with my readers, so you can experience the awesomeness for yourself. Four winners will receive two passes each (each pass is good for an individual, a couple or a family living at the same residence). The passes are valid at the new Colorado Springs location only and can be used anytime between now and May 2012.

To enter: Leave a comment on this post telling me what you're most excited to try at Life Time Fitness. Winners will be selected at random next Monday (May 9) at 9 am MST.

NOTE: You must be at least 21 years of age and a first-time visitor of Life Time in order to redeem the trial pass.

Good luck!

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Life Time Fitness is located at 4410 Royal Pine Dr, Colorado Springs, CO 80920