Craving a Pizza?

Ok, this is what we had for dinner tonight and I had to share the actual picture of it.  We used a whole wheat Boboli crust with spinach, mozzarella and feta cheeses.  And yes, it is another Weight Watcher recipe.   



Two-Cheese Spinach Pizza



Here are the full ingredients:

1 (8-ounce) bag baby spinach leaves

1/2 c. marinated artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained, and chopped

1 10-oz thin prebaked pizza crust

1/2 c. shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/2 c. crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat broiler. Microwave spinach according to package directions. Coarsely chop the spinach, place in a medium bowl and stir in the artichokes.

2.  place pizza crust on a pizza pan or baking sheet. Broil 4-5 inches from the heat until golden, 30-60 seconds on each side.

3. Spread spinach mixture over crust to within 1 inch of edge. Sprinkle mozzarella and feta cheeses evenly over the spinach.  Broil until the mozzarella melts and the feta partially melts, 50-70 seconds. Cut into 6 wedges and serve at once. 

Share a Recipe

Day 19 is over.  One more workout until recovery week. I'm feeling like I finally have this whole P90X nutrition plan down by now.  I've been using my good old Weight Watcher's cook books and getting creative with things.  I wanted to share a picture of what we had for dinner tonight;  grilled shrimp with mango salsa, and brown rice (we added the rice). It was very tasty and satisfying. This week I've been posting recipes that sound good, but haven't yet made, and others that have tasted great.  If you've tried a recipe that you loved while on this program, please share it!  Damien and I love trying new things.

Grilled shrimp w/mango salsa and brown rice

How to Choose Wisely

Does being on the P90X exercise and nutrition plan mean you have to give up everything you love?  Absolutely not!  Don't feel that just because you are following a strict nutrition plan and exercise regimen that you can't have a nice evening out every now and then.  After all, P90X is not a diet, it's a lifestyle change.  It's a good way to achieve a healthier lifestyle, and hopefully after you have completed the 90 day program, you will keep some of these new found skills and turn them into part of your daily routine.  So, reward yourself every once in a while with a night out and eat at your favorite restaurant. Remember, there are options everywhere you go and here are some suggestions for how to choose wisely when you aren't making your meals at home.

8-Step Plan for Dining Out

The 5 Best and 5 Worst Cocktails

Some recipes to try:

Pizza Margherita - We've made this before and it is delicious.  AND Boboli sells whole wheat pizza crust to make it that much more healthy for you! Here's a tip, slice the crust in half with a very sharp knife so that you get 2 super thin crusts and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Chili - We've made this recipe before too, and it is also very tasty.  We added lean ground turkey to it to get in a protein.  Yum!

Some Helpful Reads

Here are some more interesting and helpful articles.  Check them out.

Give Yourself a Hand! A "Handy" Portion-Control Guide - if you need help figuring out how much a portion is.

8 Foods to Boost Your Metabolism

Tony Horton's Words of Wisdom on Energy

Now for a recipe:

Turkey and Wild Rice - This one sounded good.  I might try to make it next week. If anyone tries it before then, let me know how it tastes.

Push Week, Part One!

So I am back from a long weekend and ready for the first of what I call a “Push Week”. The last week of each phase before the recovery week is the last chance to push yourself and get ready for your photos. By now we have done the workouts twice. We know what is coming, we know what we did last week, we know how hard to push ourselves, NO EXCUSES! You know you can do it, so bring it!

The same goes for the diet. Your results start in the kitchen. Have you cheated a little? I did. 1 beer last weekend & maybe over indulged at our dinner party. But now it’s time to get back on track time to push for results. If you are thinking, “ I am working out hard so the diet doesn’t matter.” You are wrong! Again, your results start in the kitchen! Picture day is coming! If you want to see results, if you want to see noticeable changes in your body get back on track. The way I see it, we are all sprinting towards our first goal.

Yesterday was Chest and Back and although I didn’t do as many pushups and pull-ups as I had hoped, I concentrated on my form. When I did pushups I maxed out my reps every time and when it got tough I went to my knees. I still did 25-30 “regular”reps, but added about 10 more from my knees with good form. This was my way of pushing myself.

Plyometrics tonight, (sigh) the toughest of them all. But my motivation is knowing that next week I will not have to do it. So I will do my best to do every jump and every squat with Tony and the gang.

Good luck everyone! Push yourself! Trust me when picture day comes you will be happy you did!

Damien

Week 3- Keep Bringin' It!

We have made it past the first two weeks and have begun the 3rd week of Phase 1.  This will be the last week of these workouts and then onto recovery week and more muscle confusion.  Tonight was the third time I did Core Synergistics and shocked myself when I was able to keep up with the push ups (girl-style of course... I'm just not there yet with the regular style)  But for me, that was huge progress! I can now do the previously dreaded Dreya rolls without pushing myself up with my hands AND I am finishing every meal, and hungry for it when it is time to eat.  But the thing that made me feel the best tonight was after the workout when I tried to sit up from a laying down position without using my hands to get up and I could actually do it!  Now I know my stomach is getting stronger and my core tighter.  I have not seen dramatic weight loss on the scale, but I'm not discouraged yet.  My weight fluctuates from day to day, but I can say that I have not gained any weight.  I'm beginning to feel the difference in the way my clothes fit and I'm LOVING IT!   I'm anxious to take my measurements again after next week to see just how much I have lost.  I hope all of you are having positive experiences with this, as grueling as it is sometimes, and are remaining committed to finishing the program.  This week I will try post some more articles to help inspire and keep you motivated.  Whatever you do, don't stop bringing it!