Saturday, September 4, 2010

The Weekend Mix

Oh so lovely, you know that feeling. The feeling of Saturday....the endless opportunities to MIX THINGS UP. You see, I think thats why God (okay really man) created weekends, to get us out of our ROUTINE. Don't get me wrong, its nice to have a routine during the week, it helps me get through it productively, but when the weekend calls, I love mix up my workouts, my meals, and my time well spent. Heck, they didn't create Sunday Brunch for nothin! Anyway, today I thought I'd leave you with 2 mix ups. The first up is an outdoor workout that you can do a track or just with big ol' open space. The second is a fun recipe you can make from any vegetable you find a the farmers market.

Weekend Warrior Workout
find a track or 50m field, yard, etc. Make sure there is at least one bench or a curb.
Warm-up: I like to warm up with a mile run. If you can't run, find a hill and power walk up it. This should last around 10 min.
Circuit #1: (perform each exercise for 45 sec with 10 seconds rest between. Do this circuit 3-4x)
- decline push ups with a tuck. Feet are on the curb/bench, hands on ground. Do a regular push up then tuck or hop your feet to your chest and then back on the curb.
-traveling dips on curb or bench
-jump rope or fast hops up and down the curb
-forward/backward lunges with med ball or weight held overhead with straight arms
Circuit # 2 (these exercises are measure by the distance)
-starting at your track or field, do walking lunges with a curls half way down the track or 25m in the field. Drop the weights and do 3 suicides. If you don't know what a suicide is, click here or see here. Do this 3x.
-starting at your track or field, do 12-15 squat presses then do high knees down 25m and then run or sprint back to your weight. Do this 3x.
Core: (this circuit alternates between 2 exercises)
- 45 seconds of mt. climbers then 45 seconds of bicycle crunches
-45 seconds of Russian twists (with or without weights/medball) then 45 seconds v-ups or lower leg raises
- 45 seconds plank then 45 seconds of planks with knee to elbow reaches
Do this 1-2x.
Cool down with a light jog, power walk, or just go jump in the lake, pool, etc. to cool off! That's what I do!! haha.
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And now for the other mix-up.....FOOD! I love trying out new recipes on the weekend because if you screw it up, you still can go grab a late dinner and not worry about getting up early the next day. Perfect! This week I decided to grab a Japanese eggplant and try my hand at "garlic and dill eggplant fries." They were pretty good, in fact, the hubs thought they were potatoes or parsnips the whole time until told him. haha.


Garlic & Dill Eggplant Fries
(super easy)
-slice the eggplant into thin strips (like your going to make sweet potato fries)
- put them in a bowl and pour in your seasoning to mix. I used a little coconut oil, garlic, and dill. Mix thoroughly until they are lightly coated. Make sure they are not too coated in oil otherwise they will get soggy.
- place onto baking pan and bake at 400F for about 25 minutes. I then broiled mine the last 2 minutes to get them a little crispiness. My oven actually works quite fast so you might try baking them at 425F as well and just checking them until done. They are not as crispy as real "potato" fries, but oh they were GOOD!


all I need is some ketchup!
Well, Saturday night movie calls my name...along with a big comfy couch.
Cheers,
LC

18 comments:

NYgirl@heart said...

Wow that workout brought me back to my college soccer pre-season days! Brutal but kick-ass!

Heather (Where's the Beach) said...

I think that's one of the best things about the weekend - no regular schedule. I get so tired of the daily grind of the same thing same time. I love Japanese eggplants actually. I prefer them over regular eggplants. And I'm still trying to wrap my head around the decline pushup with tuck...

Eden said...

I love the fries! I would change it up and make it sweet buy using cinnamon and nutmeg, maybe even a dusting of peanut flour. Man that workout made me tired just reading it!

Chuck said...

That workout soudns like a lot of fun actually- I might have to implement parts of it!

And yup, you'll definitely need some ketchup; those fries look like they came out really good!

Bre said...

oh I can't wait to start doing some different workouts in the gym---those look like way too much fun in that circut! :) bet all those mountain climbers and plyos are perfect for cycling too!
eggplant fries- yummy. might have to try those out tonight!

Lauren @ WWoB said...

Hi! I heard about you from Dorry! I also live in Austin, compete in triathlons, and have a healthy living blog! Im excited to have found yours and have added yall to my reader :)

Unknown said...

usually i cube my eggplant and roast it, but i should mix it up every once in awhile and make fries :) need to mix up the spices, too!

Averie @ Averie Cooks said...

what a great use of eggplant! i suck at eggplant, i ruin them...over done or underdone, never can really get it right...and this recipe looks foolproof! thanks!

April said...

I've only had eggplant parmesan and it's been years ago. These look tasty!

Lisa (bakebikeblog) said...

"Heck, they didn't create Sunday Brunch for nothin!" >> I could not agree more! Mr BBB and I have just rediscovered the sheer wonder and delight that is Sunday brunch :)

Nichole said...

After that workout a couch is definitely necessary:)

Those fries look amazing, I have heard of Yucca fries but this def tops those in terms of creativity.

Marci said...

Just found your blog. I'm in Houston but went to UT and love Austin! Nice to find other Texas bloggers.

Mo said...

Oh yes, thanks for the workout! Those fries look fantastic!

Maggie said...

Mmmmm fries. I am going to try your recipe with parsnips.

Kelly said...

I have never thought about making fries out of eggplants before! Going on my list of things to make right now. You should be called the no-potato fry queen. ;)

Mo said...

Oh yes, thanks for the workout! Those fries look fantastic!

Nichole said...

After that workout a couch is definitely necessary:)

Those fries look amazing, I have heard of Yucca fries but this def tops those in terms of creativity.

Lauren @ WWoB said...

Hi! I heard about you from Dorry! I also live in Austin, compete in triathlons, and have a healthy living blog! Im excited to have found yours and have added yall to my reader :)