Thursday, April 14, 2011

You Gotta Try This Awesome Tasting And Very Healthy Chicken Taco Chili

Hello everyone I hope your all having a great and very healthy week taking care of your body because it's the only one you have!!!  I came across an excellent recipe for Chicken Taco Chili that not only tastes great but is very healthy and filling as well.  I've had it at home over a cup of rice and also at work by itself so I thought I would share this great recipe with everyone... I'm sure you will enjoy it as much as I do ;)

Ingredients:

1 onion,chopped

1 16 oz can black beans

1 16 oz can kidney beans

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

10 oz package frozen corn kernels

2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes w/chilies

1 packet taco seasoning

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp chili powder

24 oz (3-4) boneless skinless chicken breasts

chili peppers, chopped (optional)

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro


Combine beans, onion, chili peppers, corn, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder, and taco seasoning in a slow cooker.  Place chicken on top and cover.  Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours.  Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred.  Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in.  Top with cilantro.  Also try it with low fat cheese and sour cream which would be extra weight watcher points for those of you on weight watchers.


Makes 10 servings
Serving size 1 1/4 cups
5 weight watcher points plus
Calories: 203.7 per serving, Fat: 1.4 g, Carb: 33.3 g, Fiber 10 g, Protein: 16.9 g

ENJOY  :)


Monday, April 11, 2011

Boot Camp Training Class I'm Taking On Saturday Mornings!!!

So I thought I was in pretty good shape and then decided to try out a great bootcamp class that they have at 24 hour fitness where I workout.  They have 2 trainers that run the class one of which is my personal trainer who suggested that I take the class.  I have gone to 4 classes so far which lasts for 1 hour and after that my body is completely exhausted.

The class begins with everyone getting in teams of 5 and we warm up by running the length of the basketball court where the class takes place. We each run at 50% to the end of the court and back until everyone is done on all teams. We then to proceed to run at 60%,70%,80%,90%, and finally at 100%.  After this we do relay races which really gets our hearts pumping. Several of them that we do which change from week to week are run to mid court do 10 pushups then run to the end of the court and do 10 jumping jacks then sprint back to tag the next person on our team until everyone is done.  Another race we do is shuffle facing the left to the end of the court then return to tag our next team member.  We usually do this one more time but facing the right.  Another one we do is the bear crawl where we are on our hands and feet to one end of the court then run backwards.  Other ones we also do is hopping on both feet from one end of the court to the other, hopping on one leg then the other to the end of the court then back, and a reverse bear crawl which is very tough from one end of the court to the end. This is our warm up which usually takes  about 15 minutes and definitely gets us warmed up.

After this we break up into groups of 2 or 3 people depending on how many people are in the class for the day and do 2 rounds of circuit training with about 10 different stations.  We do get a break in between circuits to somewhat catch our breath and get some water or gatoraid which is what I bring to the class along with my workout towel. Each group begins at a workout station and then we move clockwise to the next station when the trainers blow the whistle which is about every 2 minutes. The second circuit is usually only about a minute at each station due to the fact that we are all physically wearing out.

A few of the workout stations include the following exercises which change from week to week and also the 2nd circuit is often changed up a bit than the first circuit. Here are a few examples: 45 lb. plates in each hand squats, jump rope, burpees, squat jumps with dumbells, upside down wall pushups, plank to pushup position, jumping jacks, bike riding standing up both forward and backwards, walking with 45 lb. plates in each hand from one end of the court to the end, sitting dumbell twists with feet barely off ground, dumbell shoulder presses while squatting against wall, lunges with dumbell presses when low, pushups, both legs jump ups to stool, jogging around exterior of court, plus many other exercises that workout the entire body.

After we finish both circuits we then get a water break and by this time we are pretty much wore out.  We then are told to grab an exercise mat and find a spot on the court to do abdominal exercises that the trainers tell us to do and when we can rest.  Some examples of the abdominal exercises we do are: flutter kicks, side planks, side planks with one leg up,  planks with arms wide and feet together, bicycle crunches, and a few others.

This is what I do on saturday mornings from 11 am til noon which pushes me to the limit
So a tip I would give out is that if you have the opportunity try taking an exercise group class either at your local gym or wherever you can.  It's also a great way to meet other people that have similar exercising interests. 

Have a Very Healthy Upcoming Week And Weekend  :o)