From My Kitchen To Yours - Dessert

Happy Wednesday! It is highly unusual that you can find desserts that are both delicious and guilt free. Today I am going to prove that you can have both! This recipe was inspired by something I saw on pinterest. 

Chocolate Banana Bites 

Picture courtesy of Pinterest! 

Ingredients 

Banana's - 2

Nut Butter - 1/4 cup

Dark/Semisweet Chocolate 3/4 cup

Coconut Oil - 1 1/2 tsp

Parchment paper 

Cookie Sheet

To begin, prepare cookie sheet by laying parchment paper down evenly. Slice bananas to preferred width. Take nut butter (I used almond butter) and spread evenly on half of the banana slices. Sandwich nut butter between banana slices and lay on cookie sheet. Place in freezer for about an hour or until frozen. Melt preferred chocolate in microwave safe dish with coconut oil until smooth. Make sure to stir every 10 to 15 seconds so it doesn't burn. Take banana sandwiches out of freezer and dip individually in chocolate until coated evenly. Lay back on cookie sheet to dry and place in freezer until ready to serve! 

I hope you all enjoy the dessert of the day! I know I did! 

Until next time, 

Janelle 

Recovering From An Injury

Recently I injured myself while working out. Let me tell you this - no one enjoys suffering from an injury. It's painful, miserable, frustrating, and annoying. It happens suddenly and unexpectedly so where do you start? Here are a few tips I have for you from when I have experienced an injury. 

1. Visit Your Dr. 

It never hurts to take a quick trip to your Dr. to find out what is really going on with your body. In some cases the Dr. isn't always necessary. But if the problem doesn't get better or gets worse ask your Dr. whats going on!

2. Slow Down 

Sometimes it can be very difficult to take a break from working out. Especially when it is a part of your everyday life. But would you rather take a few weeks off and be healed? Or would you rather be permanently injured? 

3. Find Something to keep yourself preoccupied.  

It can be very difficult if you are like me and working out is the majority of where you spend your free time. Find something else you enjoy doing to take your mind off of the gym. Go to the movies, binge watch netflix, bake your favorite gourmet dinner, or just enjoy having a little more time to relax. 

Also random I know but here is one of my gorgeous flowers to brighten your day! 

I hope these tips helped you! 

Until next time,

Janelle 

Future Friday!

Did you ever dream as a child of all the things you would do in the future? I use to do it all the time. I made a bucket list when I was younger and I realized recently that I haven't been able to do even half of those things yet! So today I decided to make a bucket list of things I wanted to do this year. I will share a few of those with you. 

1. Run a marathon 

2. Visit the Beach 

3. Go to the Drive-in-theater   

Try and think of three things that you want to mark off your bucket list this year. A bucket list is all about making fun obtainable goals. When you mark them off your list you will feel confident knowing that you can do anything you put your mind to!

Just remember when making your list to ask yourself is this realistic? There is nothing worse than making goals that you know you will never achieve.

What are your bucket list goals? Is there anything you have always wanted to do but never have? 

Until next time,

Janelle 

From My Kitchen To Yours

One of my favorite ways to cook is quick and easy! I love the pop in the crock-pot, oven, and microwave meals. So today I made for you Easy Cheesy Broccoli and Grilled Chicken Breast. This is one of the easiest meals to make and so many different ways to make it! 

Easy Cheesy Broccoli & Grilled Chicken

Ingredients 

Frozen Cheesy Broccoli 

Tyson Grilled Chicken Breast 

Favorite healthy Starch 

Take the frozen cheesy broccoli out of the freezer and follow cooking instructions. Take frozen chicken breast out of freezer and follow cooking instructions. Combine chicken and broccoli in dish and serve hot. Enjoy with your favorite healthy starch! 

Until next time,

Janelle 

Monday Funday!

Can we all agree that Mondays are the worst? Yeah, I use to believe that too. Until I began changing my perspective on how I saw Mondays. This is how I sum up Monday now. 

1. Start fresh. 

You can begin a new week without any negativity or stress from the week before. It is kind of like the start of a new year but just within a shorter period of time. 

2. Make a plan

You can make a new plan of the goals that you want to achieve for that week specifically. This allows you to be focused mentally if you have something to look forward to. 

3.Keep Busy

Now busy means something different for everyone. But for me it means working 8 hours and having things planned up until I crawl in bed exhausted. 

So instead of waking up on Monday morning feeling depressed think of it positively. Tell yourself you will conquer the Monday morning blues! Don't forget that Monday is a Fun Day! 

Here are some of my spring flowers to brighten your day!

Until next time, 

Janelle 

Fitness Friday!

This blog post is going to be a little bit different than my typical fast food Friday blog posts. I felt like it was time for a change, so today I am doing Fitness Friday! 

Today I will share my favorite work outs to do. The cool thing about finding work outs you enjoy is that it makes it fun so you don't even feel like you are working out! 

Here are my top three favorite work outs. 

1. Running

The reason I enjoy running is because it gives me time to ponder my thoughts. It is an anxiety reliever and helps me relax after a long day at work. I would recommend running to anyone who has stress in their lives. Trust me, it works miracles!

2. KickFit

This is more of a fun work out and it is a good one to take with friends! I love it because it is a mixture of dance and kickboxing and it works muscles in every area. If you have trouble finding the motivation to work out grab a friend and take this class!

3. CrossFit 

I just recently began taking CrossFit and I absolutely love it! It is so challenging for me and pushes me to my limits. I have done things I never thought I could do. I would definitely recommend CrossFit to any of those people that are up for a challenge.

What are your favorite work outs and why do you enjoy them? 

If you haven't ever taken a class what are you waiting for? Now is the time! So grab a friend and start today! 

Until next time, 

Janelle 

From My Kitchen To Yours

Congratulations you have officially made it halfway through the week! Welcome to my kitchen on this dreary Wednesday. 

Recently my refrigerator broke and everything froze inside. I was very discouraged at first and tried to save what I could. I ended up throwing away a lot of fruits and vegetables but surprisingly many of the vegetables froze nicely. Because of this I have been forced to cook outside the box lately. 

So today I have for you Baked Chicken With Brussel Sprouts & Carrots.

I didn't get a very good picture but here it is without the chicken. 

 

INGREDIENTS  

Frozen Brussel Sprouts

Frozen Carrots 

Frozen Chicken 

Olive Oil 

Your Favorite Seasonings 

INSTRUCTIONS 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Put a layer of foil on a cookie sheet. Take your chicken and veggies and distribute evenly on the pan. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the top of your mix and sprinkle seasonings on top. Place in preheated oven for 30 - 45 minutes tossing gently every 15 minutes. I generally bake mine longer because I like my veggies crispy. When fully cooked take out of oven and enjoy with your favorite starch! 

Until next time, 

Janelle 

My Marathon Shoes

This week I decided to make the first step towards running my marathon and go out and purchase my marathon shoes! I can't believe my marathon is just 6 short months away! 

Here they are! 

I believe good shoes are the most important necessity when it comes to running. These are the top three reasons I believe this. 

1. No blisters

Blisters are the worst. I use to get blisters all the time but since I have began purchasing my shoes from gorunwichita I haven't had any issues! I highly suggest you go there if you are a new runner. They are very helpful and will make sure you are 100% satisfied with their product. 

2. Confidence

Because who doesn't love a cute new pair of shoes? Knowing that your shoes are going to hold up while running long distance gives you the confidence you need to keep going! 

3. Give your feet the structure they need.

This is a pretty obvious one right? This way your feet don't fall apart while you are running! You never want to stop running because your shoes are not giving you the support that they need.

Don't forget to take good care of your running shoes. They are expensive and should be treated like they are. If at all possible avoid running in the rain. This brings up bigger possibilities of getting them dirty and wet which may damage the shoes. 

I highly suggest having a pair of outdoor running shoes and a pair of indoor running shoes. This makes your shoes last much longer! Then on the race day you can choose which pair of shoes you want to wear.

I am so excited to take you all through my marathon training journey. If you are interested in training for a marathon let me know. Maybe we can even sneak in a few runs together! 

Until next time, 

Janelle 

Fast Food Friday - Arbys

It's that time again! Fast Food Friday! Today I researched Arby's menu to find the healthiest choices! Here is what I came up with. Just remember you can save a lot of calories with my Fast Food Friday rules! 

1. Little or no sauce 

2. Grilled not fried 

3. No bun please

Roast Turkey Farmhouse Salad - 230 Cal 

Turkey Gyro - 450 Cal 

Grand Turkey Club - 480 Cal 

Jr Roast Beef Sandwich - 210 Cal 

Jr Bacon Cheddar Melt - 280 Cal 

Mighty Mini's - Original - 380 Cal 

Jalapeno Bites - 5 Piece -  280 Cal 

Curly Fry - Small - 240 Cal 

Homemade Coleslaw - 140 Cal 

Go Go Squeeze Applesauce - 60 Cal 

Capri sun - 80 Cal 

A fun one I decided to add was Arby's Jalapeno Hush-puppies! They are here for a limited time and only  - 290 Cal 

If you would like to do more research on your own here is a link for you.

Let me know what your favorite thing about Fast Food Friday is! 

Until next time, 

Janelle 

From My Kitchen to Yours 101

People have been asking me a lot lately. "How do you stay so busy and still manage to eat healthy?" So I decided to start a new blog-post series called "From My Kitchen to Yours". Every Wednesday I will post one of my personal favorite recipes and reveal my secrets!

One of my favorite meals to cook is salmon and asparagus. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Place two fillets of salmon and About 15 sticks of asparagus. Drizzle with olive olive and seasonings. I used mrs dash lemon seasoning. Cover with foil and bake for about 30 minutes or until cooked! 

Here is the finished product! Serve with brown rice or just enjoy it by itself. 

Another tip is cook in bulk and place in fridge for the next day! 

Stay tuned for next weeks meal! 

Until next time, 

Janelle 

Quick & Easy Work outs

These Quick & easy work outs I have put together for the days that I am in a hurry and just don't have time to go to the gym. I call these "pre-shower" work outs because they are high intensity work outs and as soon as I am done I jump in the shower. They each last 10 minutes. If you can't finish the whole thing modify it so that it works for you! 

1. Circuit Phase 1 

    2 min jumping jacks 

    1 min push-ups 

    2 min mountain climbers

    1 min sit ups 

    2 min burpees

    2 min plank

2. Circuit Phase 2 

    1 min burpees

    2 min wall sit

    1 min jumping jacks 

    2 min side plank (1) min on each side

    1 min jump squats 

    2 min push ups 

    1 min mountain climbers  

3. The Abb Attack

    1 min sit ups 

    2 min bicycle

    1 min sit ups 

    2 min reverse crunches 

    1 min bicycle 

    2 min side planks 

    1 min plank 

I must remind you I am not a certified trainer so please consult your physician before doing any of these work outs. I put these work outs together based on the knowledge that I have learned from working out over the past few years!

I hope you enjoy! 

Until next time, 

Janelle 

Fast Food Friday - Chick Fila

I was so pumped to do a blog post on Chick Fila because it is one of my favorite fast food restaurants. I hadn't eaten there until a few years ago when one opened near me. Then just this year a Chick Fila opened in my home town just a few miles from my house! 

I hope you enjoy Chick Fila as much as I do and don't forget my Fast Food Friday rules! 

1. Little or no sauce 

2. Grilled not fried 

3. No bun please 

Here are a few healthier options you can try next time you are there.

Chicken Salad Cup - 360 Cal 

Grilled Chicken Sandwich - 320 Cal

Grilled nuggets 8 ct - 12 ct - 140 - 200 - Cal

Asian Salad - 330 Cal 

Cob Salad - 430 Cal 

Grilled Chicken Cool Wrap - 340 Cal

Grilled Market Salad - 200 Cal

If you would like to see their full menu click here.

Preparing For Race Day!

When preparing for your race day there are a lot of different things to think about. I am so excited to run in the Easter Sun Run this weekend! I have a check list that I go through each time I run a race. Whether it is a long race or a short race it is always good to come prepared! Here are some tips I use. 

1. Stay hydrated. 

2. Get lots of rest. 

3. Prepare all of your things out the night before.

1. Staying hydrated is so important especially during a long distance race. While you are training try out different sports drinks that help you have energy during your race. 

2. It is so important to get the perfect amount of rest the day before your race. Try sticking with your normal bed time routine. I have found that this works the best. If your body feels best rested after 6 hours of sleep try that. If your body feels more energized after 10 hours of sleep do that. You know your body best! Listen to it!

3. My favorite thing to do is gather all of my things and lay them out the night before. This gets me pumped up for my race and also gives me peace of mind before I go to sleep. 

Tried and true is what to do. Meaning don't try anything new on race day. 

 

I hope these tips are helpful to those of you planning on running a race in the future! What are your favorite race preparation tips?

Until next time, 

Janelle