in the spirit

In the spirit of Valentines day, (my favorite holiday) I am dying to share what made our day so special! Some of you may despise this “love” day, others swoon, but I’m a romantic so I couldn’t help myself! I spent the evening with my love.  He has been so supportive with my fitness passions, life and journeys, I can’t thank him enough. Jeff, you are the most amazing spirit and I am so lucky to call you my best friend, boyfriend and true love. I am a big believer that a girl should receive flowers and love everyday of the year, and he makes this happen! Spoiled and very lucky I am!  And can’t forget my Dad…he always has and always will be my #1 Valentine. 🙂

Here is a recap of a few special moments:the dress (from Asos, on sale!)

The beautiful roses and phenomenal food at Fleur de Lys in San Francisco. A Hubert Keller Restaurant, this place is 5 star, and the food IS all that it’s cracked up to be!

Among other wonderful gifts, I decided to make this cute fruit bowl, instead of your average heart chocolates. Thank you Pinterest for this idea! Corny, I know…but he loved it! Did I tell you, that I am giving up chocolate, cheese and alcohol for Lent?! Yes, you heard that right! I am giving up ALL 3…they are my biggest weakness and I decided to do it big this year for a healthier 2013! Wish me luck. 🙂

My brand new Nike pants that he surprised me with! Can you tell that we LOVE health and fitness?! Can’t wait to hit the gym with these babies today!

Leaving you with this cute little saying that I found via Instagram. 🙂

 I hope you all had a fabulous Valentine’s Day and thanks for reading!

Garlic Shrimp Stew Recipe

This recipe is to die for! My mom found it in Runners World Magazine, and we both gave it a shot. Needless to say, it is a keeper. Shrimp is full of protein and selenium, a mineral that aids in recovery. Perfect recipe post exercise.

I posted this picture on the Facebook page and Instagram, which led to many questions so here is the full recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound medium peeled and deveined shrimp (I used 1 bag of frozen shrimp from Trader Joes)
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
  • 1 bay leaf, broken into pieces
  • 1 14.5 ounce can petite diced tomatoes, drained
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 15 ounce cans white beans, drained
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Toss shrimp with 1 tablespoon oil and pimenton. Add shrimp to skillet; sauté 1 to 2 minutes; add half the garlic the last few seconds of cooking. Spoon shrimp into a bowl and set aside. Return skillet to heat; add 2 tablespoons oil, pepper flakes, bay leaf, and remaining garlic. Cook till garlic is golden, a few seconds. Add tomatoes; cook till most of the liquid evaporates, 2 minutes. Add tomato paste; cook till tomato mixture darkens. Add beans and broth; simmer till it’s a thick stew, 5 minutes. Stir in shrimp and parsley; cook till heated through. Drizzle with remaining oil. Serves 4.

You can also experiment with any seafood you like, it doesn’t have to be shrimp! I would imagine it would taste phenomenal with chicken as well. This recipe is full of flavor, a little spice, so simple and a perfect meal post exercise.

Calories per serving: 436; Carbs: 37 G; Fiber: 9 G; Protein: 35 G; Fat: 17 G

Enjoy!

Easy Protein Ball Recipe

This is the easiest no bake “baking” ever! So delicious and the perfect snack! Thank you Megan Trafton – I heart muscle for sharing this recipe! So here you have it… PROTEIN BALLS:

Ingredients:

  • whey protein (I used both vanilla and chocolate)
  • oats
  • water

Yep……thats it! Um, can you say easy? Oh, and not to mention, the fewer the ingredients the fewer the calories. Perfecto!

Step one: Blend the oats and protein in a blender to get a fine consistency. I used a 50/50 ratio and that seemed to taste great.

Step two: put the blended oats and protein in a bowl and dribble a little water into the bowl. It is tough to get the right amount of water, but be sure to start off with only a drip and add more as you need. The purpose of the water is to get the mixture to stick in a ball, but if you use too much water it will be a sticky mess! Trust me, it is hard to get the right consistency so start with very little water.

Step three: roll the dough in a circular motion with your hands to form a ball. I then rolled it in more protein powder to stop them from sticking to each other. This takes patience, but the results are worth it.

Step four: Refrigerate and enjoy!

And that’s all there is to it! I love bringing these to work to munch on every so often. They are the perfect protein snack and often curve my craving for sweets.

Be sure to check out Fit & Fierce on Facebook for more recipes, motivation and fitness tips!

Another great Facebook page for some fitness inspiration, is Megan Trafton-I heart muscle. Go check her out!

Have a great weekend! -Jenna

Fit Gal: Tiffany!

 Tiffany and I frequently see each other at the gym and she is such an inspiration that I had to get her on the blog! She just got Zumba certified and is working to become a personal trainer! Ah, I love this girl! Here she is….

1. Tell us about yourself and your “fitness lifestyle and journey”

I grew up in San Diego which is a very fit and active city.  I tried many sports in elementary & middle school but running was always my favorite.  In high school I ran track, Cross Country and played Soccer for the school and a competitive Soccer team.  I went on to play College Soccer for Sonoma State University.  After I graduated college I continued to play soccer for Club Soccer teams and started to compete in half marathons.  I currently play for the SF nighthawks (a women’s Soccer team in the city) and I am hoping to sign up for a couple of new races starting in the New Year.  Staying fit is very important to me and I always make time to incorporate some fitness into my schedule.

2. What are your goals and how are you working for them?

I have a lot of fitness goals that I am hoping to accomplish by this year.  I just signed up for my first full marathon in March so I am hoping to get less than 4 hours for my time.  Physically, I would like to be a little bit leaner and not have so much mass.  I have always had a really athletic build because I felt I needed it for soccer.  I feel like I could be just as strong without having so much mass.   I am going to start taking Pilate’s classes and I am trying to be more disciplined with my eating regimen. My ultimate goal is to become a Personal Trainer by the end of 2013.

3. Do you “eat clean”?

I am lucky that I grew up in a home with a very health conscious family.  I grew up always eating fresh fruit and vegetables and we were not big “meat eaters.” About 7 years ago I decided to become a vegetarian and I have noticed a big change since that time.  I try not to eat any junk food and very careful of what I am putting into my body.  I don’t drink soda and rarely eat fast food.  I make sure to take certain vitamins to make up for the lack of dairy & protein in my diet.  I feel better when I eat healthy and I definitely see the difference.

4. In what ways do you stay active? 

I like to work out 6 days a week and rest on the 7th day.  I adapted this workout schedule from soccer practice schedule in College and it just works for me. I just got my Zumba certification and I am very excited to begin teaching some classes.  I try to switch up my workouts a lot so that I don’t get bored.  I alternate between running outside, yoga, classes at the gym and soccer practice/games.  When I am at the gym I usually do 45 minutes of cardio and 15 minutes of weights.  I can honestly say that I LOVE to work out and always make it a priority.

5. What inspires you to live this lifestyle? 

I love to live this lifestyle because it makes me happy.  After I get done with a workout my skin has a healthy glow and I just feel so much better!

Thank you so much for sharing your story Tiffany! I am positive you will inspire many by your active lifestyle. Good luck with your marathon, teaching, coaching and all of your goals! See ya at the gym. =)

If you are interested to be a Fit Gal along with Tiffany, feel free to contact me! I would love to have you.

xo,Jenna

Super Bowl Clean Eats

Happy almost Super Bowl Sunday!!! The 49’rs are in it to win it! Woohoo! Luckily, a friend of ours is having a party with tons of delicious food. But what is there for me and other healthy eaters to feast on? I’m sure it won’t be healthy in the least bit, so I compiled some clean eating appetizer recipes to accompany a Niners win. 😉 (Hopefully I didn’t jinx it!!)

For more wonderfully clean recipes visit my friends at:

1. Chips and Guacamole 2. Baked Turkey Burgers 3. Baked Kale Chips 4. Spinach Dip 5. Spicy Buffalo Wings 6. (not pictured) but another fave Skinny Layered Pizza Dip

xo,Jenna

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