happy new year, charlie brown.

2011 is off to a promising start...I think! I got an internship today at a personal training studio exclusively for women and I start tomorrow morning! I am so excited and I really think I'm going to dig this place. This week I'm just going to be doing a lot of observing and next week I might be teaching a class...uh yikes!

I rang in the new year at a smallish, but nothing short of rowdy party at Steve's house.

Steve and I.

Boys gone wild and homemade chicken wings.

How did Charlie Brown's Christmas tree end up here?

The rest of my pictures from the night came out all wierd and grainy. Like this:

I'm not a big drinker, so I had to find various other ways to entertain myself, such as balancing objects on my head.  Not that watching everyone else get sloppy and goofy isn't entertaining enough ;).

 2011's eats have been full of yum...I'm trying to get out my routine of eating the same stuff...

Green Monster (I prefer to call these Swamp Thangs, though) and a chicken, feta and balsamic salad.

Raw dark chocolate balls.

Protein pancakes topped with peanut butter, bananers and SF syrup.

Protein dessert "soup" with the raw chocolate balls, half of a cinnamon raisin muffin top and sprinkled with cocoa powder.

How ballin' are my heart plates?! Target had their Valentine's day stuff out and I couldn't resist :) The real business is what's on the plate though..

Bacon Wrapped, Spinach and Feta Stuffed Chicken

(woooh take a breath after saying that..!)

Ingredients; (for 1 serving)

• 4-5oz. chicken breast
• 1-2 slices of bacon
• 1-2 tbsp. feta cheese
• handful of spinach
• Seasonings, whichever you prefer. (I went the lazy route and used Mrs. Dash italian blend)

(The measurements aren't exact because really you can use however much you want, but that's about how much I used)

Directions;

Preheat oven to 400F.  Season the outside of the chicken and carefully butterfly it without slicing all the way through. Fill the inside with feta and spinach, fold in half and wrap the bacon around it. Use toothpicks (or in my case skewers) to hold the chicken together and cook for about 30-40 mins/until the internal temp of the chicken reaches 170F.

I topped it with Annie's Cowgirl Ranch and scarfed it down. I frickin' love feta cheese.

In other news, an update on the snazzy BodyMedia I've been using..I've been burning a little over 2000 calories on workout days and a little over 1900 on my rest day.  This blows my mind, I had no idea I was crankin' out that much...which is probably why my progess has been so slow! My back workout yesterday burned 440 calories. I was helping Steve in between sets though.
(I don't mean to focus on and gab so much about calories, but since I have a specific goal in mind it's important to keep an eye on 'em because if I'm not eating enough my gym time is mostly a waste! Plus playing around with the bodymedia is so intriguing.)

And just for fun..my "resolution" last year was to start lifting more and get stronger...

Before;

These were my arms in...May I think.
So scrawny!! :(
I hadn't gotten too serious about lifting yet and I was still focusing on cardio.










After;

My arms now. Heavy lifting and no cardio.
Muccchh better looking, I think :) and I want to quote this lady's comment on my last post, "it doesn't take any talent at all to starve down to a size zero. building strength and breaking maxes? that takes serious skills." Damn right.

I'm going to make a mini follow up post to my last post with tips for ladies in the weight room..because I know the intimidation of it is what holds a lot of girlies back. :) xoxo