“Upgrade”

“..Let me upgrade you…” am I the only one with a Beyonce song in my head now because of that title?  Oh, I am?….err…

Anyway…Hey Everyone!

How has the week been going for you?  I know it’s only Tuesday, but good I hope.

My day has been filled with studying for lab practicals + searching for a house to live in next year = stressful!  Good thing I got in a good workout this morning to alleviate the stress.  It went something like this:

• 10 minutes on the treadmill @ 1.0% incline/6.5 mph
• 10 minutes on the elliptical @ resistance of 6
• 15 minutes on the treadmill @ 1.0% incline/6.5 mph

Then I moved onto the weights for an upper body workout:

• Lat pull-down 3x 10 reps @ 85lbs
• Chest press 3x 10 reps @ 50 lbs
• Back extension 3x 10 reps @ 70 lbs
• Dumbbell fly 3x 12 reps @ 15 lbs each hand
• Skull crusher 3x 12 reps @ 30 lbs
• Triceps press 3x 12 reps @ 20 lbs

I’m still getting back into the swing of things when it comes to lifting.  When I left the gym my arms felt like jell-o!

Healthy food helps alleviate my stress as well, here’s some of what I have been eating….

My favorite breakfast…of course

Berrylicious Protein Cakes

Bedtime snack: Quaker Oatmeal Squares, Kashi GoLean, Erin Baker’s Power Crunch granola & almond milk

Tofu “stir-fry” with the best rice ever.

This was Soy Boy baked tofu, carrots, broccoli, low-sodium soy sauce and Annie Chun’s sprouted brown rice.  I love this rice, it’s chewy and sticky– perfect for a stir-fry.  It’s kind of expensive though, so I only buy it every so often.

And lastly, my dinner for tonight.  It incorporated some of yesterday’s leftovers and was quick and easy!  Perfect for a gal living in a dorm with only a microwave!

Upgraded Taco Salad

• 3 oz. cooked ground turkey
• 1/2 cooked sweet potato, diced into bite-sized chunks
• Handful of baby spinach
• ~1 tsp olive oil
• Favorite Mexican spices
• Favorite taco salad toppings: I chose salsa, Frank’s red hot sauce and plain greek yogurt.  I’d imagine shredded cheese, avocado, tortilla chips or jalapenos would be lovely as well.

• Massage spinach with olive oil and your favorite spices.
• 
• Heat ground turkey and diced sweet potato in microwave for ~ 2 minutes, or until heated through.
• 
• Top spinach with turkey and sweet potato.
• Finish with your favorite toppings and voila!  A quick and healthy dinner!

Whenever I make it home to my parents’ house for the weekend, I make sure to buy and prepare plenty servings of protein that I can bring back to campus with me for the following weeks.  This past trip home, it was smoked chicken and ground turkey.  I froze the turkey last week and used up the chicken and now I’m using up the turkey before I go home this weekend.  The fact that the proteins are already prepared make for easy meals that I can make with just the microwave.  I supplement them with things like brown rice, sweet potatoes and vegetables with a decent fridge life– like baby carrots and broccoli– and I’m always guaranteed a healthy meal!

Well it’s back to studying for my lab practicals…wish me luck!

What are your favorite quick & easy dinners?

Amy