~Mexican Chicken Rice Bowl~

I was having a fit tonight trying to figure out what to have for supper.  Unlike me I left it to last minute, didn't have anything pulled out or planned for that matter.  I did have leftover chicken from dinner the night before and a couple of corn on the cob that were cooked but not ate.  So I decided to do a clean out the fridge night!  I hit Pinterest for some inspiration and saw several recipes for a Mexican Rice Bowl...usually I don't really care for rice that is flavored with tomatoes but I thought worse case we could do a drive thru!

So I bravely plowed ahead and assembled a cast of ingredients: 2 corn on the cob, a can of black beans, a 28oz can of diced tomatoes, rice, green chilies, cumin, leftover chicken, salt, chicken broth, onion, garlic.

I got the rice started first by sauteeing the onions and garlic in a little Ooil till they were soft.  I then added 2 cups of rice and cooked it, stirring frequently, until the rice began to brown a bit.  Then I added the can of diced tomatoes, 2 cups of Chicken stock and 2 tbslp of green chilies, 1 tsp of cumin, dash of sea salt. I brought it to a boil then turned off the heat and let it cook.

I cut the corn off the cob,rinsed the black beans and diced up the leftover chicken.  When the rice was almost done I started the corn in a pan with a bit of Ooil.  I then added the chicken and a tsp of cumin and a dash of sea salt.  I cooked it together for about 5 mins on medium heat until I added the black beans.  I left it on just to heat the beans through. 

To serve I put about 1/2 a cup of the rice mixture in a bowl and topped with about 1/2 of the chicken mixture.  I sprinkled some cheddar cheese and a tsp of sour cream on top with a couple tablespoons of diced fresh tomatoes from my garden.

I cleaned my plate!!!  This was so good and soon to be a new family favorite!  Everyone ate it, including my picky 5 year old!

I made some corn tortillas to go with dinner.  It was my first attempt and quite honestly it didn't go well.  I think my problem was I didn't let it rest long enough.  Making corn tortillas is super easy actually.  You simply mix 2 cups of Masa Harina to 1.25 cups of warm water and a tsp of lime juice.  Mix until its a play dough consistency.  Let it sit for 20 mins.  Roll into small ping pong sized balls and press in tortilla press lined with parchment paper (or use a rolling pin).  Place on med-high heat flat grill or fry pan.  Let them cook for a minute then flip for 30 sec then flip for another 30 sec.  Keep warm in tea towel. 

I really think it was timing that made my tortillas less than tasty!  I will try again.

Anyhow I will put the recipe here with ingredients and amounts so it can easily be copied!

Mexican Chicken Rice Bowl

2 cups chopped chicken breast
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
2 cobs of corn (corn removed) or 1.25 cups of corn kernels
1 can of Black Beans (rinsed and drained)
1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
2 tblsp green chilis
2 cups chicken broth
1 small onion - diced
2-3 garlic cloves - diced
2 cups rice
2 tbsp Olive Oil

Sautee onions and garlic in olive oil in large pot until soft.  Add rice and cook, stirring frequently until rice starts to brown.  Add canned tomatoes, green chilies, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 2 cups chicken broth.  Stir and cover to bring to boil then shut off to cook rice.

After rice has cooked for about 10 minutes heat up olive oil in pan.  Add corn and cook, stirring often.  Add chicken and 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp sea salt.  Cook for about 3 minutes and add black beans, and let cook until beans are warmed through.

Put rice in bowl, top with chicken topping, some fresh diced tomatoes, cheddar cheese and sour cream!  You have a home run!  So tasty you will want seconds!

~Getting Fit~

Well I have this crazy goal...I think I've talked about it here...I want to get fit, get healthy, get active!  I want to change my body and energy level.  So I've been on it.  And I mean on it since I had Carter.  I have this year to lose some weight and create a plan I can live with when I return to work.  So I got started right away after having Carter and we started walking at the Multiplex when he was just 4 weeks old.  I walked consistently for 2 weeks then got derailed by snow so I used my Elliptical at home.  That lasted for a couple of weeks then everything fell off the rails.  I pushed it to the back of my mind so I didn't think about it and get disappointed with myself but it kept seeping back in...so I got back on track again.

So where am I now?  Well it's May 1st.  In just over 9 weeks I will be doing my first marathon, the Color me Rad in Edmonton with some friends.  I'm super excited to do it and know that it will spurn a passion to continue on this path.  So today I did a 3km walk at the Multiplex with Carter but I decided to add some more exercise to my day.  I started 2 challenges:

So for the next 30 days I will be doing these two challenges as well as my walking/Elliptical.  The beauty of them is that I can do them anywhere!  So tonight I hopped up off the computer and did my Day 1 in the living room!  I saw some pictures of butts before and after the squat challenge posted on The Fit Community and could only dream of seeing results like that!  So I'm on it.  Lord knows if I can actually get to a point where I could do 250 squats!  I did 50 tonight and they weren't very good ones...I can't go very deep on them with my knees yet...lord help me when I get to 250!  Abs were embarrassing... I used to be able to do sit-ups no problem.  Tonight I couldn't even do one full sit-up!  But I tried!

I'm also doing the Jillian 30 Day Shred DVD when I want some more torture.  She's pure evil!  I also do Yoga 3 times a week.  So far I've gone from a pregnancy weight of around 233lbs down to 218 after having him to a current weight of 201lbs today.  So 12 weeks postpartum and down 32lbs...I'll take that!  I have a goal to get to 150 be the end of this year.  I know I can do it.  Baby steps.

So if you want to join me in this challenges drop me a line and let me know how it's going.  I'm going to bravely take before and after pictures so I can visually see the progress from these challenges.  I'm not sure I'll share a picture of my abs and butt but we'll see...it will be good for me to see the difference!

~Workout!~

I’m trying to stay healthy and active through the pregnancy!  I was very active when I was pregnant with Ethan as we were in Ft Nelson for most of it.  We lived on the 4th floor with no elevator and I was a rental agent for almost 300 apartments and none of the buildings had elevators.  I was always going up and down freaking stairs!  I also helped Randy grout around 75 bathtubs while I was there.  Lots of upper body work doing that!  I managed to walk away from giving birth at the exact weight I started at…the same day!  I was pleasantly surprised! 

So this time around I’m a little more then nervous about my weight gain.  I have a very sedentary job and not a lot of walking, stairs etc. in my day to day.  So I’m planning on keeping active throughout.  It’s not easy because I’m battling that fatigue you get in the first trimester…so I’m taking it easy.  I’ve got a whole nine months to go yet!  So I’m doing water aerobics twice a week.  There is a prenatal class on Monday’s and then deep water classes almost every other night of the week that I’ll just modify to what I can do.  My assistant and I are going walking as well twice a week to the Multiplex during our lunch breaks.  It serves a couple of purposes.  a. I get to walk and get some exercise, b. It makes me take a break from my desk and clear my head.  We also spend most of Sunday at the Multiplex as Ethan has swimming lessons and then we play for a bit.  I’m trying to get a Yoga class in on the weekends but haven’t managed to get it in yet.  I’m a huge ass chicken and want someone to go with me.  I have two buddies that will go with me but something keeps coming up to prevent us from going.  I’m not sweating it if it doesn’t happen but am hopeful I can do a few Yoga classes as they help so much with relaxation and stress release.

Once baby is here we will be at the Multiplex working out. They have some great Mommy and baby workout classes that I’ll take part in.  (Once I’m getting some normal sleep and feel human of course!) I’m so glad to have our membership there…it makes it easy to inject some activity into our life and for me to get out and workout!

~Body for Life~

So at work we started a 12 week challenge with www.bodyforlife.com There are around 25 of us that have signed up for it and have a great leader leading us to the finish line.  I have creeped back to the weight I lost and my clothes aren’t fitting anymore.  It is time to get off my ass and work out.  The problem is that with Reitmans I was on my feet for 8 hours a day non-stop.  At Home Depot I sit at my desk for 9-10 hours a day.  While I’m hoping to get out of my office more and get on to the floor it’s not going to happen any time soon.  So I need to work out at home and make other changes so it works.

I’ve set a goal of losing 25lbs in the 12 weeks.  Mostly I’m looking to lose weight in my hips and thighs.  So need to slim down there!!!

So I’m working out at home, the schedule is:

Mon, Wed, Fri – Weight Lifting/Yoga on the Wii Fit

Tues, Thurs, Sat – Aerobics on my Wii Fit and my Elliptical

I’m shooting for 30 minutes a day.  I’m on day 4 and feeling great.  I won’t lie, I had a cramp in my ass all day yesterday at work and could hardly walk but otherwise I’m not doing so bad.  Food wise I’m eating like a horse and supposed to be eating protein and more protein.  That is a pain and I’m struggling with it.  I know that I will lose more weight if I can get the level of protein daily that the diet calls for.  Mostly I’m trying to eat 6 times a day and drink lots of water.  I get one FREE day a week, whatever I want to eat and no workout.  Honestly I will probably just eat the same anyhow, but take the break from the workout.

I will try to let you know how I’m doing weekly with my challenge.  I can proudly say that in 4 days I am down 3.5lbs already.  I figure that I will lose weight fast off the start and then slow down as my body gets used to it.  Then I will change it up.  In a few months I might go get a membership to Curves or Snap Fitness.  We will be going to the pool on the weekends that we have off together and that will be good exercise.

Anyhow, wish me luck.  Its’ time to make some changes!  Can’t wait to show you the before and afters!

~Wii!!!!!!!!!!!!~

Yup, we broke down and bought a Wii this weekend. I wanted a gym membership instead of my scrapbook kit every month but we both know I don't have a great track record with going to a gym and I have no life. I needed something I could do with Ethan at home and at odd hours of the day. So we got the Wii and the Wii Fit. Not kidding you, we also got the Wii Mario kart. Fun, fun, fun.

Now I know people that have the Wii Fit that love it, and people that hate it. But I figured it would be fun at the least. So I got up this morning and did a 31 minute Wii workout. I sweated...not kidding you! So we'll see, I've got a few pounds I would like to see gone!

So we are going to have a Bowling tourney next weekend complete with a BBQ and have Mary over to play! Hopefully she'll remember her allergy meds...

Anyhow, pictures another day! Got lots to do tonight!