Homemade Wheat Thins

I want to share an AWESOME recipe with you all :) I found this recipe on my favorite website, Pinterest, and put my own spin on it. I am a creature of habit and I eat almost the same thing every day for lunch. Cottage cheese & wheat thins or tuna & wheat thins. So you can imagine I was excited when I found this recipe....and the fact that it actually tasted good! Personally, I think these homemade wheat thins taste better than store bought. Plus, their pretty healthy-very little butter is used and then it's whole wheat flour instead of white. I usually end up making these every few weeks. The key is to roll these out very thin, the thinner the better. Try them out and tell me how it goes!

Instructions:
-Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
-In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. With a pastry blender (or 2 forks), cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Now mix together the water and vanilla and then pour into the flour mixture. Stir this mixture until it comes together. If it appears too dry and crumbly add a titch of water.
-On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough very thin (1/16th of an inch). Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into whatever shape you desire. With a spatula, place the crackers on a oiled cookie sheet. Don't let the crackers touch each other. Sprinkle salt on top.
-Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool completely. Makes around 60 crackers. Store in an air-tight container.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 C 100% whole wheat flour
1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 Teaspoon salt, plus extra for sprinkling on top
1/4 Teaspoon paprika
4 Tablespoons butter or margarine (still tastes just as good if you use 3- 3 1/2)
1/4 C + 2 Tablespoons water (or a tiny bit more if the dough is too dry)
1/4 Teaspoon vanilla

Instructions:
-Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
-In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. With a pastry blender (or 2 forks), cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Now mix together the water and vanilla and then pour into the flour mixture. Stir this mixture until it comes together. If it appears too dry and crumbly add a titch of water.
-On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough very thin (1/16th of an inch). Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into whatever shape you desire. With a spatula, place the crackers on a oiled cookie sheet. Don't let the crackers touch each other. Sprinkle salt on top.
-Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool completely. Makes around 60 crackers. Store in an air-tight container.

Workin' On My Fitness

Disclaimer: I am NOT the 'fittest' person around, or the skinniest, or the most knowledgeable, nor do I claim to be. This information is based off of my education, talking with knowledgeable people, and my own experiences.

So.....now that's out of the way:) Over the past few years I've had a bunch of people ask me what I do at the gym and how I eat, so I figured I'd do a post about it. First of all, I am very interested in the health/fitness world (I am a health/dance teacher and I love teaching others about how to live healthy). My mom is a dietitian and my dad is a fitness guru so it's sort of expected. I've always been fairly active growing up, mostly with dance. After I stopped dancing in college I put my energy into the gym. The following is a general fitness schedule I follow pretty religiously, but I do change it up when I am preparing for a race.

Exercise:
I go to the gym or work out 5-6 days a week for an hour. I prefer 6 days a week, but sometimes I let myself sleep in 1 day (if you call waking up at 6 sleeping in). I am a mom and do work full-time so you're probably wondering HOW I go to the gym 5-6 days/week. I do it because it is a priority and because I wake up and go at 5 a.m. You have to find what works for you. If you know you're not a morning person, don't plan on going to the gym at 5. You're setting yourself up to fail.

I usually do cardio & abs 3 days/week and lift or do a total body workout 2-3 days/week. If i'm training for a race or triathlon i'll increase the cardio days to 4 days and increase the length of the work out. I always take Sundays off.

Monday: Cardio & abs
     -Run 30 min + bike 15 min or
     -StairMaster 25 in + bike/run 20 min

Tuesday: Circuit Training Class (spend one minute per exercise for 60 minutes. Ex: lunges, tricep dips, sprints, bicep curls)

Wednesday: Cardio
     -Same as Monday or I might go to a spinning class

Thursday: Lift
     -I will pick 2-3 muscle groups to work out,  based on what I didn't get worked out good enough at the Tuesday class-you have to keep it even. Ex: 3 sets tricep exercises, 3 sets shoulders, 3 sets back)

Friday: Cardio
     -Same as Mon/Wed or I might take it easy and pop in a Pilate's video or take the day off.

Saturday: Boot camp Class (basically the same as an Insanity Workout-total body workout).

*The key is to always go as hard as you can, make each work out count. Also, it's good to switch up your routine every few months so that you're body doesn't get used to an exercise and plateau.

Nutrition:
I will be the FIRST to admit that eating is my weak end. I have all the will power in the world to get up and put a good workout in every day, but I have NO will power to say no to a brownie.

Generally, I try to eat as healthy as possible, all things in moderation. I try really hard to eat the correct portion sizes too. I figure, if i'm eating relatively healthy all the time, then there is no reason to cut out sweets or whatever the craving is all together.

Example Day:
-Breakfast: Protein Shake after I get home from the gym (1 C protein powder, 1 C milk, 1 C ice, 1 banana = 350 cals). OR a whole grain/fiber rich cereal (Great Grains, Raisin Bran, FiberOne).

Snack: String cheese or apple

Lunch: 1 C cottage cheese, handful of crackers, piece of fruit. OR Tuna & crackers, fruit (usually around 350 cals).

Snack: Granola bar or a piece of fruit

Dinner: This varies everyday, it's usually NOT that healthy because I try to make something my husband will actually like. I try to keep it around 500 cals.

Snack: I try not to snack before bed, but if I do i'll have a small bowl of cereal, a piece of fruit, or something else small....around 200 cals.

Now that is my IDEAL day. Typically, that is what I eat during the week....but I will snack on little things when I get home, that's my downfall. Like I said....all things in moderation :)

Melt In Your Mouth Chicken & Quinoa

This time of year I feel like it's especially important to eat as healthy as possible. With so many holidays that are surrounded with high calorie, fatty foods it is easy to gain some extra pounds. These recipes are healthy AND yummy, not to mention super easy!

Melt In Your Mouth Chicken

4 Chicken Breasts
1/2 C Parmesan
1 C Greek Yogurt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1 tsp pepper

Mix all the ingredients together. Spread over chicken, covering it evenly. Place in a baking pan, bake at 375 for 45 minutes. When cooked, I sprinkled some more fresh parmeson on top.

Quinoa & Black Beans

1 tsp Vegetable Oil
1 Onion
3 Cloves Garlic
3/4 C Quinoa
1 1/2 C Vegetable Broth
1 tsp Cumin
S&P to taste
1 C Frozen Corn
1 Can Black Beans

Heat oil in a saucepan, saute garlic and onion. Add Quinoa, spices, and broth. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Add corn and beans, cook 5 minutes longer.