I regret that it’s been a whole week since I’ve made time for any blog action. Well, that’s not entirely true. My nose has been stuck reading a lot of blogs actually; I just haven’t contributed to my own. I have however, been contributing to society. This week has been all about getting into the groove of 4:00am wake-up calls, followed by steamy Kona coffee, 5:00am workouts with the hubby, and then work! It’s fun to be on a schedule and making strides toward training my first client … coming on Monday!

Since my work days have had me home by about three or so each day, I can’t justify my lack of posting on work itself. Rather, my “free time” has been spent getting my priorities in line by indulging in some not-so-light reading on the mysteries of the Holy Rosary. If you are Catholic and have never contemplated these mysteries, trust me, it’s no small task. However, if the 15 Promises are the reward, then no task is too great right?

Since we’re talking about priorities, the new job is also high on the list. And, like a good employee, I’ve been putting in a little overtime by enjoying a bunch of science-based fitness articles (link provided at the end!) and coming up with new workouts for Daniel’s and my early bird special. Here’s one we did on Friday morning:

CHEST, BACK, CORE, SORE (:

In addition to reading and practicing my new trade (ha!) I, of course, made time to relax. And what better way to take a load off than with a beach blanket and a blank crossword puzzle.

Sorry Charlie, I don’t know where that pup came from. Can’t blame him though – it was a comfy spot!

Seriously, this is my happy place

Oh and we also made time to celebrate dinner together, as usual. A couple of highlights were 1) Hawaiian Spiced Chicken on Arugula and Cabbage Salad, 2) Hawaiian Loco Moco platter (no gravy, sub soy sauce!), and 3) Lemon Rosemary Chicken with Fresh Tomato Vegetable Gnocchi.

iI you are bored of romaine, you need an arugula makeover. Spicy and delicious.

Japanese sushi rice, oversized burger, and fried eggs – no wonder there is an obesity problem on the island…

fake-it-till-you-make-it meal

So the gnocchi was a new experiment for me. I’ve heard a lot about it, and I see it on the menu in Italian restaurants, but I’ve never tasted it and certainly haven’t made it before. I didn’t technically make it tonight either, but I did boil some water for the pre-made potato morsels. I call this the ‘fake-it-till-you-make-it-meal’ because Daniel asked me what I was making, and I played it off like I’d made/eaten gnocchi tons of times … I told him it was like a mix between a pasta and dumpling and he’d definitely like it. Mind you, I had no idea if I would even like it. I was surprised by it’s gumminess and thought it would totally throw Daniel off, but I played it cool, served it up, and put on my poker face for his first bite … all the way till his plate was clean. Phew, he liked it! The lemon rosemary chicken was a first too, but lemon and rosemary are two of my favorite flavors so I wasn’t too concerned with putting them together on the best protein canvas ever.

Lemon Rosemary Chicken

1-2 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Filets (these are just thinner than the full breasts)
1 1/2 lemons, juiced
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, separated
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon pepper seasoning
1 1/2 cups wheat flour (or regular all purpose flour)
2 Tbsp butter for cooking
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

In a shallow dish combine wheat flour, lemon pepper seasoning, and 1 sprig of rosemary (unstemmed). In a small bowl combine the juice of 1 lemon, salt, pepper, and remaining 2 sprigs of unstemmed rosemary. Rinse and pat dry the chicken then coat with flour mixture. Heat medium/large saute pan to medium-high heat. Melt 1 pad of butter in pan and add 2-3 pieces of chicken. You should work in batches as not to sweat or steam the chicken. Giving the chicken room in the pan will allow you to achieve the nice golden brown color. (Cook the chicken about 4-6 minutes per side or until the chicken is white on the inside and juices run clear.) After you flip the chicken, spoon half of the rosemary lemon juice over the chicken. Repeat with rest of the chicken.

Fresh Tomato Vegetable Gnocchi

1 tsp olive oil
1 medium white onion, diced
2 medium Roma tomatos, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms, chopped
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2/3 cup store bought pasta sauce (I used Prego)
enough gnocchi for 2 servings
feta cheese for topping

Bring water to boil and add gnocchi. When they float to the top, wait two more minutes and remove. Simple enough. In a separate saute pan, sweat the onions for 5 minutes on medium heat. Add remaining ingredients except the store bought sauce to the pan and cook until vegetables have cooked down and onions have become slightly sweet (about 10 minutes). Finally, stir in pasta sauce, bring to a simmer then remove from heat. Ladle over gnocchi and top with crumbled feta cheese.

To wrap it up tonight, I mentioned that I’ve been reading up on lots of interesting health-related stuff so I want to share with you one of my new favorite blog/websites: lifetime weightloss. The reason I like the blog so much is that there is a plethora of information on just about any topic from fasting to weight training to hormone imbalances. It’s sort of sciency so put your education hat on and prepare to have your mind blown with fun facts. The most interesting post I read today was one about estrogen’s effects on both women and men. Did you know excess weight causes men to produce excess estrogen?! If I did it properly, if you click the above link, it should take you directly to the complete discussion. Our bodies are so fascinating!!