Bring It!

This is my 2nd exciting post in 2 weeks!  Whoa, someone get me under control!  So, what is so exciting in the lives of Jeremy, Diesel and Sara, you might ask?  Well…

Jeremy and I have started P90X!  For those of you who do not know what that is…

“P90X® is a revolutionary system of 12 sweat-inducing, muscle-pumping workouts, designed to transform your body from regular to ripped in just 90 days. You'll also receive a comprehensive 3-phase nutrition plan, specially designed supplement options, a detailed fitness guide, a calendar to track your progress, online peer support, and much more. Your personal trainer, Tony Horton, will keep you engaged every step of the way, and you won't believe your results!”

That’s right!  In 90 days, Jeremy and I are going to go from this…

To this…

 

Ha ha ha!  Yea…we’ll see about that!

We are currently only on day three of the program, but I’m not gonna lie…the workouts are intense.  Especially for me and Jeremy who haven’t workout consistently in about a year (yikes!).  So far, we’d done the following workouts: Chest/Back, which was basically an hour of chin ups and push ups; Plyometrics, which means we jumped around for an hour, and Arms/Shoulders, where we worked our biceps and triceps for an hour.  We’re sore.  Very, very sore.

Diesel get to participate in P90X too!  Yep…whenever Jeremy and I start to work out, Diesel starts jumping all over us, gets in our way and barking at us.  Needless to say, for the hour of our workouts we have to put up a gate to block Diesel from getting to us.

But I just want to work out with you…

Not only does the P90X system consists of a workout , but it also has a nutrition plan to follow.  The nutrition plan is basically a high protein diet and we are enjoying it so far!  For some yummy P90X recipes, be sure to jump on over to “my other blog” sporadically. 

Speaking of recipes and Diesel, our little guy had a bit of tummy trouble over the weekend.  Now, I know what you’re thinking…”Gee, what did he eat now!?,” and I’ll admit, I thought that too, but it turns out that he has an overgrowth of bacteria in his tummy/intestines.  Basically, he just got sick!  Anyway, to ummm, “firm up” his stools, the vet told me to put some canned pumpkin in his food.  And this is the weirdest thing, but apparently Diesel LOVES canned pumpkin!  This morning after he ate breakfast, he literally went back to his bowl about ten times to lick it clean.  Then, this evening while I was opening a new can, he was going crazy and was even more excited to get his dinner than normal.  Weird, huh?

Feed me already!

I love when mommy lets me lick the spoon!

Anyway, that’s all for now.  Cross your fingers that we survive P90X.  We started our workout on Monday, May 3rd, so by early August, look out because we’ll be heading to a beach near you. :)

Delicious Thanksgiving Recipes!

Per my previous post, you'll see that we had a delicious Thanksgiving.  Since cooking and baking are my hobbies, I wanted to pass on a few of my favorite recipes from this Thanksgiving.  They are all awesome recipes and I hope that you enjoy them as much as we do.  Below are the recipes for my Sugar and Spiced Nuts, my mom's Pumpkin Squares and my mother-in-law's Strawberry Jello Pretzel Salad.  I only took pictures of the nuts, so you'll have to use your imagination for the other two. :)

 

Sugar and Spiced Nuts ingredients.

 

Mixing it all together.

 

Finished!

Sugar and Spice Nuts

by Recipezaar

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 egg white

1 cup salted cashews (*I used 3 cups of Mixed Nuts, which included almonds, cashews, Brazilian Nuts, etc.*)

1 cup pecan halves

1 cup dry roasted peanuts

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1. In a small bowl, combine he brown sugar, cinnamon and cayenne; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk egg white; add nuts and cranberries.
2. Sprinkle with sugar mixture and toss to coat.
3. Spread in a single layer on a greased baking sheet.
4. Bake at 300° for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown, stirring once.
5. Cool before storing.

Gretchen's Pumpkin Squares

*This dessert is the reason I look forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas!  I have loved it since I was a kid.  It's a delicious combination of pumpkin pie and buttery cake.  YUM!

1 (29 oz.) can solid pack pumpkin

4 eggs

1 c. sugar

1 (13 oz.) can evaporated milk

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp.salt

1 box yellow cake mix

1/2 c.(1 stick) butter, melted

1 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Grease and lightly flour a 9 x 13 inch cake pan.
2. Mix pumpkin and eggs together on medium speed with mixer.  Add  in sugar, milk, and spices.  Pour into pan.
3. Mix together cake mix and butter to form crumb mixture.  Spread over pumpkin. Top with nuts and press down gently.
4. Bake at 375 for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool and serve with Cool Whip or vanilla ice cream.

Belinda's Strawberry Jello Pretzel Salad

*This dessert is probably the reason Jeremy looks forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I HATE Jello!  I can't stand the way it jiggles, but I love this dessert and it is the only way, shape or form that I'll eat Jello!  It's a delicious combination of sweet Jello and cream cheese, with a salty pretzel crust.  YUM!

3/4 cup melted butter

2 cups crushed pretzels

2 tbs sugar

8 oz. cream cheese

1 cup sugar

8 oz. Cool Whip

1 large package of Sugar Free Strawberry Jello

2 cups boiling water

2 10 oz. packs of frozen strawberries

1/2 cup cold water

1. Combine butter, pretzels and 2 tbs. sugar.  Press into a greased 13x9 inch baking dish.  Bake at 250 for 15 minutes.  Let cool.
2. Mix cream cheese and cup of sugar.  Add Cool Whip.  Spread on top of crust.  Cover and chill.
3. Mix Jello and boiling water.  Add cold water and frozen strawberries.  Mix together on and off for 30-40 minutes, until it has a jelly consistency.  Pour onto previous layers.
4. Cover and refrigerate over night.

I hope you enjoy these delicious recipes as much as my family does!

Pumpkin Butter

I've discovered a new recipe that I'm totally obsessed with...pumpkin butter!  I had some leftover canned pumpkin from when I made my Pumpkin Gingerbread, and this past weekend, I decided to do something about it. In my recipe search on Recipezaar, I came across this wonderful recipe for Warp-Speed Pumpkin Butter.  I had all the ingredients, so I thought, "Why not?"  Boy am I glad that I did because this stuff is absolutely amazing and I'm eating it any chance I get!

The recipe is so easy and takes less than 10 minutes to cook in the microwave.  Oh my, the spices and the pumpkin are such a delicious combo!  Plus, while it was cooking, the whole house smelled like fall deliciousness!!  So far, I've had this pumpkin butter on toast and sliced apples, but the possibilities are endless.  If you like pumpkin, this recipe is a must-try!  Enjoy! :)

Ingredients, except the pumpkin cause I was already measuring it.

All mixed up and hot out of the microwave.

Yummy!  Spread on apple slices.

 

Yum!  Spread on toast.

Warp-Speed Pumpkin Butter

by Recipezaar

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon clove
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling mix)

Directions

1. Combine everything except the canned pumpkin in a microwaveable one quart bowl.  Mix well.
2. Microwave on high for 3 minutes, then stir.
3. Mix in the pumpkin well, and microwave on high 5 minutes longer.  It should be bubbly.
4. Put into clean, sterilized jars for gift-giving, or into other clean, airtight containers for home use.
5. Let cool slightly, then refrigerate.
6. This will keep several weeks in refrigerator or can be frozen for longer storage.  This cannot be kept in your pantry- must be refrigerated or frozen.

I Love Pumpkin!

 Ever since the first day of Fall last week, a lot of the foodie blogs that I read have been posting pumpkin recipes.  I LOVE pumpkin!  So, I was inspired to jump on the pumpkin bandwagon and bake something scrumptious. 

This afternoon I baked this incredible Pumpkin-Gingerbread Loaf.  I've always loved regular pumpkin bread (thanks to my mom at Christmas time) and this bread adds the ginger element, which just makes it outstanding.  It's moist and comforting with the pumpkin flavor and then it's got a slight ginger kick.  YUM!  I could easily eat half a loaf or 3-4 muffins...it is THAT good.

I found the recipe a few years ago on Recipezaar.  Since I'm always trying to make recipes a bit healthier, I cut back on the sugar by 1/2 a cup, used whole wheat flour and subbed half egg whites for the eggs.  It's not much of a "healthy" modification, but I figured even a little bit could make it more figure friendly.  The recipe makes 2 big loafs (9-inch pans).  I like to make 1 loaf and 12 muffins, so that I can have somewhat of portion control. :)  It also freezes really well.  If you decide to do muffins, they'll take about 22 minutes to bake.  Seriously, you have to make this bread...it is AMAZING and a wonderful Fall treat!

  

Ingredients.

12 muffins - 1 due to Quality Assurance. :)

Pumpkin Gingerbread Loaf

by Recipezaar

• 1 cup margarine
• 3 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 3 1/3 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 4 teaspoons ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon clove
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 cups canned pumpkin
• 1 cup nuts (optional)

Directions

1. Cream together margarine, sugar, and eggs.

2. Combine all dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture alternately with water and pumpkin.

3. Beat well.

4. Pour into 3 well greased loaf pans.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minute or until toothpick comes out clean.