Total Body 10-Minute Workouts

Hello out there!  I’m super excited to have a free moment and finally make a new blog post!  It’s been awhile – I hope all of you had a terrific holiday, New Years and a great start to 2015 thus far.  Like most people, one of my goals in the new year is to be healthier.  So far, I’ve been trying to make better food choices, cut back on sugar and alcohol, and be more active.

One struggle I’ve had in the past is trying to fit a workout into a busy schedule.  I’m sure many of you can relate with that!  I started seeing a lot of articles with research showing it’s not necessarily the length of time, but the intensity of a workout that’s beneficial.  That’s when I started to hunt for high intensity, 10-minute workouts.  While I try to exercise a little longer than that (when I have the time), if I can at least get in a 10-minute workout, I feel much better at the end of the day.

I’ve been waiting to make this post until I felt like I found the perfect videos to share with you all.  I’m so happy the day is finally here!  So, without further ado…

Victoria's Secret Model 10-Minute Workout

This is the very first video I found, and it’s still my favorite!  I love that it’s a full body workout, and how high the intensity level is.

When I first started, I couldn’t even finish the routine all the way through without pausing several times!  I can do the whole workout now, but I’m still out of breath by the end of it.

10-Minute Tush-Toning Pilates WorkoutThis butt workout is killer!  My legs burn and shake throughout, and I’m still working on being able to do the whole routine without pausing!

I like how many different parts of the butt and thigh area are targeted.  I especially love the moves that focus on the hip flexors!  For just 10-minutes out of my day, I really feel like my butt and inner thighs are getting an awesome workout!  

Barre3 Arms and Leg WorkoutNot only does this video work out your arms and legs, but you’ll also get your heart rate up and a full body workout!

This video is great for adding some strength training into your routine.  I have to put my weights down from time-to-time, but it’s fun to know I have something to work up to!  I love the barre3 techniques used in this workout.  There’s a focus on keeping your spine upright, and evening out your lower body by working your glutes more than your quads.

Tone Abs Without Crunches in 5 MinutesI have yet to find a 10-minute, high intensity ab workout that doesn’t hurt my back.  If anyone has a favorite ab workout, please share in the comments section below!

Although this video is only 5 minutes, you can definitely tell how each move is working to define your abs.  I really love how this routine is standing and crunchless, and it’s short enough to add at the end of any workout.  Once you get the hang of all the moves, you could also do more reps to make the workout last longer!

You’ll notice that all of these videos are from Popsugar Fitness.  Out of all the videos I’ve tried, I always go back to Popsugar.  I’ve found that their instructors are the most personable and very encouraging.  They’re also really great about explaining proper form, and what areas each move is targeting.  And while each video has a specific target area, they all work out your entire body, so you really feel like you’re getting a great workout in only 10 minutes!

These 10-minute workouts have helped me sneak exercise into my busy schedule, and I hope they will help you as well!  They are great on their own, but also fun to combine when you have the extra time.  I hope you all continue to have a wonderful year and achieve your goals, whatever they may be!


Apple Recipes Perfect for the Fall

As promised, here is the 2nd round of apple recipes we tried after apple picking.  If you missed my first batch of apple recipes, be sure to check it out!  Lots of tasty meals to try!

The first recipe we tried this time was Momma Pritchett’s Grilled Pork Chops and Apple-Pear Topping.  If you eat pork, you must try this recipe.  The pork chops turned out so juicy and tender, and the marinade added delicious flavor.  Based on reviews, we didn’t change anything except the serving size (we reduced the recipe to 4 servings).

Grilled Porkchops

 For the apples and pears, I did not bring the sugar mixture to a boil as suggested.  I simply whisked the sugar until it dissolved, and then added the fruit to the pan.  We also placed the fruit directly on the grill rather than use a grill basket.

Grilled Apples and Pears

We don’t have an outdoor grill, so we just used our grill pan.  As you can see from the photos, both the pork chops and the fruit turned out picture perfect.  If you’re in the market for a grill pan, this is the one we have.  We are more than satisfied with it, and I highly recommend it!

Apple and Sausage StuffingWe paired our entree with a Sausage and Apple Stuffing.  If you recall from my first apple recipe post, I used apple smoked bacon in a turkey dish.  I also used chicken breakfast sausage in our Apple and Sausage Penne recipe.

Well, we used the rest of those ingredients in this stuffing recipe!  What was great about the recipes we decided on was that a lot of them used the same ingredients, so we really got the most bang for our buck!

The recipe did not call for bacon, but other recipes we saw did, so we decided why not add it in!  I mean, who doesn’t love bacon?  I diced the bacon and cooked it with the sausage.  We used a cornbread stuffing mix, and we used water instead of chicken broth since the recipe only called for 1 tbsp.

The stuffing turned out really well and paired beautifully with the pork chops.  We chose this recipe specifically because it was quicker than most.  I must say, even though we used a stuffing mix, there were so many fresh ingredients added in that it didn’t taste like a mix AT ALL.  This would definitely be an easy and fast stuffing for Thanksgiving, not to mention impressive!  And no one needs to know it was semi-homemade… If you make it for a large group, I suggest doubling or tripling the recipe.  Maybe we just like heaping helpings, but this didn’t last 12 servings, probably only 5-6 between the two of us.

The entire meal was SO good, and a lot quicker to make than we thought it would be.  I would highly suggest trying these recipes out!

Spaghetti Squash

The next recipe I tried was a pin I saw on Pinterest.  I’ve been wanting to cook a faux pasta dish for awhile now, so when I saw this Gluten-Free Cheesy Veggie “Pasta” Bake, I knew I had to try it!

While grocery shopping, we were trying to figure out other ways to use up our apples.  So when I saw this gorgeous spaghetti squash at Trader Joes, I immediately thought of the “pasta” bake.  I mean, apples and spaghetti squash are both typical fall flavors, so adding apples to the recipe seemed logical.

If you’re not familiar with the spaghetti squash phenomenon, it’s a great alternative to pasta if you are gluten intolerant, trying to cut back on carbs, or just want to try something different.

Spaghetti Squash Noodles

After cooking the squash (fastest and easiest method would be microwaving) and removing the seeds, you use a fork to scrape the flesh out.  You eventually end up with a big pile of spaghetti-like strands like this picture.

We followed the recipe pretty exact, but we replaced the zucchini with about 4 cups of chopped apple.  We also cooked the dish about 15-20 minutes longer than the recipe indicated, as the spaghetti squash wasn’t as soft as we wanted.

Here is the finished “pasta” bake!

Spaghetti Squash Bake

So tasty and a very healthy meal!

Apple SalsaNow, I think we’d be pretty crazy if we had all these apples and we didn’t make caramel apples!  So we invited a couple of friends over for a caramel apple making/board game party.  We made this Apple Salsa for a snack!

A very unique salsa compared to a typical tomato based salsa.  We followed the recipe exactly, and it turned out really nice.  Fresh, tart, and sweet!  There wasn’t a whole lot of spice, despite the two peppers, but you could always skip deseeding them if you want more heat.

And now for the caramel apples!  We melted the caramel according to the directions on the package, we also melted some white chocolate for double dipping.  As you can see, we had quite the topping spread.  Our toppings included:  toffee bits, Nerds, cinnamon chips, crushed Butterfinger, peanut butter chips, and chopped pecans.

Caramel Apple Toppings

Here are a few pictures of some finished apples!

Caramel Apples

White Chocolate Caramel Apple

The apples Daniel and I made were:  Nerd covered, half Butterfinger covered, peanut butter chip and pecan covered, and the one pictured above…  Double dipped in white chocolate, and covered in cinnamon chips and toffee bits (which was by far the best apple).  This was the first time we made caramel apples, and they turned out pretty good for being novices!  The only trouble we had was the caramel and toppings sinking to the bottom.  If any of you have any tips to prevent that from happening, let me know!

And finally, the very last recipe… Apple Brownies!  Now, I will warn you, these are not technically brownies and do not have the texture of a brownie.  I’d say it’s more of an apple cake, and we knew this from reading the reviews beforehand.  Most reviewers said it was delicious despite the misleading name, so we still wanted to try it out!

Apple Brownie Batter

We did change a few things after reading several reviews.  We added 1 tbsp of vanilla extract to the wet ingredients, and 1/2 tsp of nutmeg to the dry ingredients.  We creamed the butter with the sugar instead of melting it first.  We also diced the apples instead of slicing, and sprinkled the top generously with cinnamon sugar.

Not sure if you can tell by this picture, but after you’ve combined the ingredients the batter will be very thick.  It will look like only apples and barely any batter.  Totally fine!  The apples cook down and the batter surrounds them perfectly!

They came out incredibly moist and with a nice crust on the top.  Unfortunately, they’ve gotten a bit mushier with storage, but still very tasty.  Again, it’s more of a cake, so I’d say the best way to serve this would be warm and with a scoop of ice cream!  We started heating bars in the toaster oven to crisp them back up!

Apple Brownies

Whew!  I can’t believe how many recipes we tried in such a short timespan, and I seriously can’t believe how many apples we’ve eaten!  All in all, it was a fun experience.  It gave us the opportunity to try out new recipes, create our own, and cook with ingredients we don’t normally use.  So I hope you all enjoyed both part 1 and part 2 of our apple recipe adventure, found some new favorite recipes, and inspiration for your own everyday cooking!  Happy Eating!


Chili Mac Dinner Recipe

We always keep ingredients for Chili Mac in our cupboard, and it’s often our go to dinner recipe!  Not only is it delicious, but on a busy night it’s a super quick and easy meal to get onto the table.  It’s great if you have a bunch of veggies you need to use up before they spoil.  And there are so many ways to vary the basic recipe it never gets old!

Here’s what you need:

  • 2 boxes of mac and cheese
  • 3/4 large white onion, diced
  • 3/4 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 1/2 cup sliced black olives
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp cilantro
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 3-5 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 can turkey or chicken chili

Here’s what you do:

Prepare the mac and cheese according to the instructions on the box.  In a large skillet, saute onion and pepper in olive oil for about 3 minutes (or until slightly softened).

Onions and Peppers

Sauted VeggiesIf you have any softer veggies, you can add them to the pan and cook for another 3 minutes.  For this batch of chili mac, we had some mushrooms we needed to use up, so in they went!  Add frozen corn and black olives, and cook for another 3 minutes or until the corn has defrosted.

Add spices, garlic, and chili into the pan and cook until heated through.  Add the chili to your prepared mac and cheese, and you’re done!

Ordinary mac and cheese…

Mac and Cheese

Chili mac!

Chili Mac Dinner Recipe

For Daniel and I, this usually lasts about 4-5 dinners if we don’t have a side dish.  We often pair it with a salad though, so it ends up yielding A LOT more.  Bonus:  Chili mac freezes extremely well!  We always have too much to eat and end up freezing about half the pot, which is great for nights we don’t feel like cooking!

Chili MacWe prefer to use either turkey or chicken chili, but you can certainly use any chili you like.  We’ve seen a tofu chili at Trader Joes, which would easily turn this meal into a vegetarian friendly dish!  Some other ingredients we’ve added in the past:  beer, diced canned tomatoes, canned green chilies, extra shredded cheddar cheese, and we’ve substituted regular mac and cheese with white cheddar shells.

We have topped it with bread crumbs and parmesan, and popped it in the oven to turn it into Baked Chili Mac!

Baked Chili Mac

We’ve also added it on top of a hotdog with jalapenos to make a Chili Mac Dog!

Chili Mac Dog

Trust me, you’ve got to try it!