Sandcastle workout

There was a time once in my life where seeing this fish on my kitchen surface would have scared me "Eeewww it still has its head on!!" I would have said. I'm not sure what happened to my phobia of seeing a dead whole fish but thank goodness its gone! T bought this yesterday at the Chapel Market fish monger. Two whole seabass to be prepped for dinner.

As he was prepping for dinner, I got started on lunch.

Stuffed peppers for lunch yum!

Shallots, coriander, garlic powder, salt, and pepper sauteed in EVOO.

with some shrimp and brown rice mixed in

Stuffed the rice mixture in the peppers and popped them in a 200 degree celsius oven for 45 minutes. They turned out soft and delicious!

I love healthy lunches that leave me full and satisfied :)

T prepared a miso coated seabass dinner with brown rice, avocado, and japanese rice seasoning. It was quite tasty although my stomach didn't really agree with the miso :(

Roasted some broccoli on the side

Breakfast then gym time:

I had an awesome workout today. I did Tone it Up's Sandcastle and Bikini strap workout. I like switching my workout routine so I don't get bored by only being in the weights room.

Here are the workouts that left me sweating!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFfHhRi4dpI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2tzsjVfiz0

veggies and chicken sauteed in soy sauce for lunch

Song of the day: Paramore "Ignorance"

Women's Health tip of the day: Get Flat Abs
1.) Work on those hidden core muscles such as your transversus abdominus, multifidus, and internal obliques. You can't just do a million crunches and expect to see flat abs (although I'm sure some people that are predisposed to a flat belly could be like this). Incorporate different ab exercises to see quicker results.
2.) Don't neglect your bum. Do exercises to work and lift your butt. A neglected butt can create a small stomach bulge. Sort of what I have, eww I must. get. rid. of. it . asap!
3.) Eat flat belly foods:  try and eliminate unnecessary sugar (think sugar in coffee, fruit juices, soda, flavored yogurts- try eating plain yogurt with agave nectar mixed in and some fruit). Substitute more protein for less carbs, eat good for you monounsaturated fats such as olives, nuts, avocados, avoid foods that make you look bloated like soda, broccoli and beans (especially if you plan on being at the beach in Yo bikini!), and keep your sodium intake low.
4.) Try not to stress out because anxiety causes your cortisol levels to rise which then in turn tells your body to store fat. 
5.) Work your abs less often. Like any muscle group, you should rest your abs at least once every other day, if not more. This article says you only need to work your abs 3 times a week. Good news for me because I find ab work to be a chore!
Here's the article:
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/get-flat-abs

Just a kiss

more celery sticks: one with peanut butter and the other with almond butter. I think this is my new go to snack. I decided against M&M's this time even though chocolate usually wins the snack attack craving. :)

I made a Bigham's ready made Sweet and Sour chicken meal and added courgettes for an extra vegetable serving.

I always try to get 3-5 servings of vegetables and 2-4 servings of fruit per day. I tend to stick to the higher end of the serving size. Vegetables that take up a bigger portion of the plate can also help you feel fuller; plus you're eating more for less calories and getting more nutrients in your body.

My friend hosted a very tasty dinner last night.

We started with a puff pastry stick with dijon mustard inside.

Crab and avocado on gem lettuce leaves.

similar to a Spanish omelette. This was by far my favorite. Tasted similar to the ones I had in Barcelona. Delicious!

Prawns and coconut. I honestly thought from the texture that there was rice in there but it was coconut. It was so flavorful.

tender chicken bites. I'm not sure what the marinade was but it was extremely tasty. I had two :-D

Cheesecake for dessert

This cheesecake was perfectly sweet and savory. It was perfect with the strawberries on top and not overly sweet or sugarly like I find most cheesecakes. Yum!! Big ups to the Chef :)

Breakfast time then Zumba:

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/coffee-new-health-food

Have I told you how much I'm glad I drink coffee again? It's definitely got its perks!

Song of the day: Lady Antebellum "Just a kiss"
I'm looking forward to watching Water for Elephants tonight! Let's see how it stacks up with the book.

To Market to Market

a mini snack before heading off to Zumba. I don't know why I don't buy cut up vegetables more often. This makes healthy eating so much easier! A heading tablespoon and 1/2 of all natural chunky peanut butter on celery sticks. Yum!

My first zumba class was a success.The class was very small with about 10 people but I really enjoyed the experience. I was nervous of course but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. A little bit of good stress is always good. :) Here's to more classes in the future!!

After class, the hubby took me out to celebrate. We went to a modern British cuisine restaurant in Camden called Market.

http://www.marketrestaurant.co.uk/

hehe.. I liked the pitcher that our tap water came in. I also got a glass of pinot grigio to start!

6 maldon rock oysters. These slippery guys are delicious with a squeeze of lemon, shallot dip, and some tabasco if you like it spicy.

We were trying to get rid of that shadow but it seemed to follow us everywhere! Gratuitous shot! :-P

lamb sweetbreads on a bed of lentils and chicory. The combination of the tender sweetbread and lightly seasoned lentils melded so well together. Mmm mmm!!

T ordered the plaice. I took a bite out of it and it was very good! I wasn't really in the mood for fish though so I only took a small bite.

buttery cabbage on the side

I ordered the onglet with fries. The onglet was kind of tough to chew but the flavor was spot on.  The fries were garlicy and salty... yummmmmm!!

We ordered the apple crumble with vanilla custard. WOW is all I have to say!! What a great ending to a fantastic meal. I would definitely go to Market if you're in the Camden neighborhood.

Breakfast this morning:

We finally tried the Irish bread that T brought back. It tasted a bit cinnamon-y and sweet from the raisins. It was nice lightly toasted and w. some butter.

Purple hues

T made us another delicious omelet with American cheese... time to work out!

Song of the day: Chris Brown "Yea 3x"

California King Bed

Lunch: Leftover quinoa and salmon with some courgettes mixed in.

T came back from Ireland last night and brought me back some treats. I love goodies!! :-D I haven't tried the bread yet but it looks amazing.

I had a feeling he was going to bring me back something that said the Luck of the Irish! I haven't had such great luck these past few months. In fact, its been pretty shitty! lol.. but hopefully things will turn around.. I'm feeling more positive about it.

I requested T make us grilled cheese sandwiches upon his return. His are the best! He used American, blue cheese, and truffle oil.. yuuumm!!

Quick bowl of cereal before heading off to the gym

added sliced bananas and seeds on top

mmm fresh coffee in my new cup!!

Workout today was back and chest: 12 reps per exercise. I was going to do three sets but I haven't lifted in a while so I decided to stick with two today.

• Wide grip pulldown
• flat bench dumbbell press up
• one arm row
• machine chest press
• Rest and repeat once more
• Seated row
• Incline dumbbell fly
• bent over bent arm row
• calf press
• Rest and repeat once more
• Stretch and go home

Protein smoothie to aid in muscle recovery:

• skim milk
• greek yogurt
• pineapple
• mango
• frozen fruit
• agave nectar
• ice 
• scoop of protein powder

I sauteed some roasted broccoli in my leftover zucchini and quinoa mix. I also added in some sauteed shrimp. The shrimp was overly coated in salt, pepper, garlic powder, and chili powder. I might have forgotten there wasn't a lid on top of the chili powder. Oops!! It was still tasty though :)

Song of the day: Rihanna "California King Bed"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhBorPm6JjQTeaching my first small Zumba class today!!