Boigas

Today Rebecca hosted a fabulous Memorial Day cookout. We ate. We drank. We sucked it up at croquet (well, I did anyway). As my potluck item, I brought fixings for my cajun burgers, which are Nawlins-inspired burgers packed with juicy vegetables and spicy andouille sausage. I serve them with a red pepper aioli (props to Steph for the classy-sounding term).
Burgers are one of those great foods with endless possibilities. Like pizza or pasta, you can work all kinds of magic around a very simple frame - in this case, a meat patty on a bun. Sure, there's the classic beef patty with ketchup, lettuce and tomato. Or you mix it up by using different meats, and then throw in some unique ingredients and special spices. Restaurants have made an art of this, after all. Ever had the Yokahoma Mama at The Vortex, with it's thick pineapple slice and teriyaki sauce? Or one of the artful mini burgers from Flip, such the Southern burger smothered in curried pickles and pimento cheese? Even Houston's has a veggie burger that will blow your mind.
Admittedly, I'm not a big fan of the $40 over-the-top, classy burger, probably made from the tenderest bits of cows who drink out of golden troughs and are given deep tissue massages twice daily. It's a burger, for Pete's sake. A summertime staple. Meat on a bun. Juicy, flavorful, and totally unpretentious. That said, I wanted to share a few of my favorite non-traditional burgers.

CAJUN BURGERS- Here it is, kids. Remember that this recipe has pork in it, so cook your patties thoroughly. If you like your burger medium-rare, then replace the ground pork with just beef. The patties are also a little fragile, so don't push them around on the grill or skillet too much.
- 1 lb andouille sausage, removed from casings
- 1/2 lb ground pork
- 1/2 lb ground chuck
- 1 rib celery
- 1/2 green bell, pepper
- 1 small white onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1-2 tsp hot sauce, or to your liking
- salt and pepper to taste

1. Pulse sausage into crumbles in a food processor.
2. Pulse celery, bell pepper, and onion in a food processor until finely chopped (about 1/4" pieces).
3. Combine all ingredients. Form into 5-6 thick patties, with a slight indentation in the middle of each patty.
4. If cooking in a skillet, heat 1-2 Tb vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Cook 6-7 min per side, indented side first. Don't move them around the pan too much, or they may fall apart.
If cooking on the grill, you may want to line the rack with foil, because the patties may fall apart. Cook 6" from coals or over medium-high heat, covered, for 6 minutes per side.
5. Serve with a generous dollop of red pepper aioli.

RED PEPPER AIOLI- mix all ingredients together
- 1/4 C mayonnaise
- 2-3 TB red pepper relish
- dash hot sauce (skip if using hot red pepper relish)

SALMON BURGERS - I've looked for a good salmon patty recipe for years, and I finally found this one in the latiest issue of Food Network Magazine (which has a whole section of unique burgers - buy it!). It has a wonderful salmon flavor, which is enhanced with a little lemon and dijon mustard, without being too fishy or dry. It's absolutely delicious with some baby arugula and some Old Bay aioli on a toasted bun.
- 1 1/4 center-cut salmon fillet, skin and bones removed
- 2 Tb dijon mustard
- 1 Tb mayonnaise
- 1 Tb fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 2 scallions, chopped fine
- 1 C + 2 Tb panko or white bread crumbs
- 2 Tb olive oil

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and brush with olive oil.
2. Cut three quarters of the salmon into 1/4" pieces. Set aside in a large bowl.
3. Cut the remaining salmon into chunks and put in a food processor with the mustard, mayo, lemon juice, lemson zest and cayenne. Pulse to make a paste.
4. Add the paste mixture to the diced salmon. Add the scallions, 2 Tb bread crumbs, 1/2 tsp salt and pepper to taste. Gently mixed until just combined.
5. Divide the salmon mix into 4 mounds on the parchment paper. Pat into 1" thick patties. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator at least 30 minutes to set.
6. Spread the bread crumbs in a pie plate or shallow bowl. Press both side of the patties into the crumbs.
7. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the patties. Cook until browned on the bottom, 3-4 minutes. Turn and cook the other side until browned and centers feel springy, 3-4 minutes more. Remove from pan and pat with paper towels to remove excess oil.

OLD BAY AIOLI- mix all ingredients together.
- 3/4 C mayonnaise
- zest and juice of 1 small lemon
- 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- 1 scallion, minced

Marathon Day

Friday is my long day. I roll out of bed at 5:30am, have a quick bite to eat, and ramble over to the CRC to teach the 6:30 Indoor Cycling class. I had 8 students this morning, and I think we all had a good time. I enjoy watching their faces go from glazed-over, sleepy stares to energized "woo-hoo" faces. Plus it's a great feeling to watch the sun come up, and know that you've already done your work out for the day. And since there isn't another class until 8am, I have 30 minutes to pull out a mat and do my abs workout. After that, I go to class. Then I grab a little lunch and study for a bit. And I finish the day teaching lessons at Chastain. Today I got home around 7, wolfed down some Cambell's soup and a salad, and totally crashed! Going to bed tired, but thoroughly fulfilled.

I'm still alive! A talking now too.

It's been quite a week, and p90x didn't survive it. I wound up with a bit of a summer cold last week, which I then exacerbated by hollering at my horseback riding lessons all day Saturday. Consequently, I didn't have a voice on Sunday (the Sewing Party gals can attest). Even by Tuesday, it was still in bad shape, and my cold had settled into a painless, but incessant cough. So basically, today was the first day I've worked out since last week. I am such a bum!

To make up for last week, I decided to really bring it today. I got to the gym early and knocked out my p90x "Arms & Shoulders" workout. Then I taught my Cycle Abs class, so I got a solid 45 minutes of cardio exercise and 10 minutes of core strengthening. Arms, legs, cardio, and abs. Huzzah!

I'm also putting together a new schedule. Between classes, teaching at the barn, teaching at the gym, and looking for a job (ew), I'm pretty booked. I have to squeeze in my workouts when they're convenient, such as when I'm already at the gym. This is my plan:

Mon: Either Boot Camp class or p90x Legs & Back
Tue: Cardio X
Wed: Cycle Abs class, p90x Shoulders & Arms
Thu: Yoga
Fri: Indoor Cycling class, Ab Ripper X
Saturday: Rest or Stretch X
Sun: Core Synergistics

Sunday may end up being a rest day, because Saturday really isn't - I teach all day at the barn, which is kinda sorta exhausting, but in a good way. However, I think my weekday schedule is locked in stone.

Week 6, Day 1 - Fighting Boredom

So it's week 6, although technically week 7 because I repeated. I got home at 9:30 and still had Core Synergistics to do. I gotta admit: I was really unenthusiastic about it.
Was it because it was 10pm?
Was it because of my lackluster meal at Five Seasons?
Was it because my left knee still hurts?
Or...am I getting bored?

Ok, it was probably everything combined. However, I have begun to view these p90x workouts as a bit of a chore. Working out alone at home certainly has its charms, but I really miss the gym, my workout buddies, and my spin classes. There's a saying, "You can take the girl out of the gym, but not the gym out of the girl". I believe Oscar Wilde said that. Or maybe Lincoln.
The good news is that I start teaching gym classes next week. My academic classes started today and I'm now teaching horseback riding lessons about 20-30 hours a week. The bad news: I'm booked solid every day except Sunday. At best, I'm scheduled from 10am to 8pm. At worst, I'm scheduled from 6:30am to 8pm. I have to sleep and eat too, supposedly. Which begs the question, when am I going to fit in these p90x workouts?

I have to reorganize.

• Kenpo X and Yoga X are the first to go. They're both really hard on my knees. I love the Kenpo, but I'm definitely getting enough cardio. And we all know how I feel about Yoga X.

• I will keep all the weights sessions: Legs & Back, Arms & Shoulders, Chest Shoulders & Triceps, and Ab Ripper X. They must stay.

So there ya go. After this week, I'm going to concoct a new schedule. I'll be removing 2 p90x workouts, but adding 3 gym classes and long days at the barn. Lol. Hardly an even trade, but I think it makes the whole thing more manageable.

Week 5, Day 4 - Making Yoga Work

I don't hate Yoga X, but nor do I love Yoga X. And as Mary pointed out tonight, it isn't really yoga. When Tony Horton starts yelling at me to get my legs straighter, well, that's not yoga, is it? To me, yoga should be a mind-body workout, one from which you walk away feeling an all-too-brief sense of strength and peace. Do I sound too "granola"? Basically, yoga should be like having a perfect cup of tea and then going on a moderately difficult nature hike - challenging, but peaceful. It's about the balance of pushing your body while maintaining tranquility in your thoughts.
Believe me, there are no tranquil thoughts going through my head during Yoga X. Mostly, it's some variation of "omigod thisuxsobad" or "I hate you, Tony Horton". Forty five minutes of warrior poses (like the advanced Leg Warmer Reverse Warrior), where your legs are shaking and your back hurts and you're cursing in an unladylike fashion....well, I don't think that's yoga. It's "Yoga-inspired Body Toning". Let's say "Yogatone X", because that sounds more hard core.
Yesterday, I flat-out decided to take a stand. My left knee has been getting better, and I wanted to do some yoga that wouldn't undo that. Yoga X was out.

Over the last few years, I've collected quite a few yoga videos. Some are good. Most are awful. I wanted to share a few favorites with you.

1) Trudy Styler's Warrior Yoga
For an intermediate yoga practicer, this video is wonderful. It features Trudy Styler (wife of notorious rockstar, Sting) and her insanely flexible Indian friend who wears really tight shorts as they make pretzels of themselves in a gorgeous Italian villa, all the while playing acoustic renditions of Sting's music in the background. It's good to be Sting's wife. Anyway, there's very little in the way of difficult strength-building poses. However, it provides a fantastic stretch (literally, you will stretch everything on your body), and offers a relaxing but motivating practice. If you want to improve your flexibility, I highly recommend this DVD. There is a full 50-minute practice, as well as a 20 minute one, which I love. My only critiques are, again, that you won't be building much strength and also that the Indian guy doesn't provide many variations on poses.
Another thought on the Indian guy in his no-imagination-required shorts: I'm not sure how to open my head like a "thousand petaled lotus", but maybe if my shorts were that tight, I'd be thinking crazy thoughts too.

2) Rodney Yee's Yoga for Beginners
This was where I started! This DVD has a really great introductory section that teaches you the basic poses (downward facing dog, cobra, mountain, staff, the warrior poses, etc.) and how you should compose your body as you move through them. It's simple and clear. There are also two short practices that just about anybody can do, and you'll walk away feeling relaxed and like you accomplished something. I still do this video! My only criticism is I simply wish there was more. While perusing Amazon, I discovered "Rodney Yee: Abs Yoga for Beginners" and "Rodney Yee Intermediate Yoga"...might need those.


3) Rodney Yee's Power Yoga
OK. I'm a fan of Rodney Yee. He's the man. Also, his body is exquisite. Just sayin'. This video is challenging, and not for the yoga newbie. Also not for someone who is disturbed by the use of the term "pubic bone". In any case, this DVD will make you break a sweat! He provides much more detailed descriptions of how to arrange your body (that's where the "pubic bone" comes into play), and the poses require much more physical strength. Next week, I will be replacing my Yoga X video with this one!



4) Hot Nude Yoga
OK, just kidding. I don't own this. But seriously, a "2 Disc Strengthening Set"? He he. Right.

What's the deal, yo?

Dear Editors of Cooking Light Magazine,
I have been a a long-time admirer of your delicious, expeditious and coherent recipes. Ever since I joined Maghound, an online distributor of hundreds of fine periodicals, Cooking Light has consistently been a personal favorite. Your culinary creations have been invariably wonderful, and I have praised your work and spread the good word to my peers at every opportunity. I cherish the glossy, luxurious photographs of your glistening pork roasts, blushing fruits, and immaculately arranged salads and casseroles that your staff has so painstakinlgy concocted in your enchanted culinary castle. Oh, what exquisite edible alchemy!
But, my friends at Cooking Light, I fear that a shadow has fallen across the formerly blessed fields of your Kingdom of Cuisine. I fear the worst.
I methodically perused your latest publication and found only one recipe that caught my discerning eye. One. Upon making said recipe (Stir Fried Rice Noodles), I could not deign myself to swallow it. It was utterly abhorrent! I forced myself to pluck out and consume the over-seasoned spinach, and the remaining dross faced its fate in the trash bin.
Yes, I concede that one bad issue is nothing to be concerned about. That is, unless it hadn't happened last month too! Your BBQ pulled chicken was equally inedible. How does one blunder something so fundamentally simple as BBQ chicken?! Your culinary castle is rapidly degenerating into a foodie fortress of doooooooooooom!
All of this leads to me ask one question, a question which I hope you take to heart as you construct future issues of Cooking Light. And that question is...YOUR FOOD SUCKS, SO WHAT'S THE DEAL, YO?!

Most Sincerely,
K Lizzle Strizzle

Pizza! Pizza!

After today's Cardio X, I decided to play a game of Pull-Stuff-Outta-the-Fridge-and-Make-Something. There were slow roasted tomatoes I'd made a few days before, and lots of deli cheeses. As for greens, I had a big tub of arugula as well as a cute wittle basil plant. Let's make some magic!

These slow roasted tomatoes absolutely burst with flavor. I thought they'd taste great with some creamy goat cheese and provolone, and the peppery taste of arugula. I had chicken on hand, but some capicola, salami, or other deli meat of your choosing would taste even better. Spinach could be subbed for arugula if you have it on hand. The resulting pizza was very flavorful, with none of the grease or watery tomato sauce. Don't be intimidated by the long grocery list - you could easily leave some things out or make substitutions. Best of all, this is a 15 minute dish if you have the tomatoes ready ahead of time. Enjoy!

SLOW ROASTED TOMATOES
-2Tb + 4Tb extra virgin olive oil
-4 medium garlic cloves, sliced thin
-2 lb ripe tomatoes (about 4-5 medium), cored and cut crosswise into 1/2" thick slices
-salt and black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Adjust oven rack to middle position.
2. Grease the bottom of a 13x9" baking dish or jelly roll pan with 2 Tb olive oil. Sprinkle half of the garlic slices across the bottom of the dish. Arrange the tomato slices in the pan, overlapping if necessary. Pour 4 Tb olive oil over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and the remaining garlic slivers.
3. Roast the tomatoes until they are slightly shriveled and most of their juices have been replaced with oil, 1 to 1.5 hours. Let cool. Can be stored in the fridge in oil for up to 3 days.

SLOW ROASTED TOMATO & OTHER STUFF PIZZA
-1 can Pillsbury thin crust pizza dough
-2 Tb oil
-1 garlic clove, minced
-1 handful fresh basil leaves, torn into 1/2" pieces
-1 recipe slow roasted tomatoes (above), drained of oil
-6 thin slices Provolone cheese
-1/3 C crumbled goat cheese
-1/3 C grated Parmesan cheese
-1 C cooked chicken, cut into bite-size chunks (or your favorite deli meat)
-1 C baby arugula leaves

1. Preheat oven to 400. Spread out pizza dough on a cookie sheet. Bake 5 minutes. Remove from oven.
2. Meanwhile, mix together garlic, basil, and olive oil in a small bowl. Brush this mixture over the partly cooked pizza dough.
3. Arrange slow-roasted tomatoes over pizza dough. Arrange provolone slices over pizza dough. Sprinkle with goat cheese and Parmesan. Scatter with chicken or deli meat. Scatter with arugula.
4. Return pizza to oven. Bake an additional 6-10 minutes, until crust is golden brown and cheese is melty and yummy.

Week 5, Day 1 - Core Synergistics with a Buddy

Today began Week 5, Part Duex. This time I had a workout buddy, the beautiful, brilliant, badass ANDREA! And it was so great having some on to exercise with, because it motivates me to do my best (or risk looking like a sissy). Andrea is a long time fitness friend, and I've practiced many of my spin or boot camp classes on her before teaching them. She might be joining me for a lot of my future p90x workouts. Hooray!
On the plus side, I could almost do the isometric plank-chaturangas all the way through. I have to take a break at 40 seconds, but I think I can do the full minute in the coming weeks. Hooray! When I started, I couldn't even do the chaturanga pose at all.

Hangovers, Night Terrors, and Other Excuses

So Week 5 was a fail. I will be repeating week 5 starting tomorrow. Let me explain myself. I will provide photographic evidence.

I took Thursday off because my left knee has been hurting, and I didn't want to subject it to the rigors of Yoga X. That doesn't mean I actually took it easy on Thursday. Oh, no. First I went out to Chastain and taught a little girl named Olivia. Olivia is such a sweetie, has a really natural seat in the saddle and is a fantastic learner. However, I had to run around the ring, leading her pony - it's a moderately physical activity, this teaching thing. Then I raced home and cleaned myself up for my "Cinco de Mayo de Casa de Kelly" party. We started out with some margaritas. Little known fact: Matt is a black belt lime juicer...








Then we went to East Andrews, like we live OTP and wear Ed Hardy...







And then we went to Lava Lounge, where there was, well, no one. So we decided to make our own party...






























You're welcome. Needless to say, Seis de Mayo was a little rough. Between the hangover, my torn up feet, and the enormous bruise on my hip - oh yeah, I had a nightmare that morning, bolted out of bed to run for the door, and faceplanted - I was in no shape to exercise.
I still felt bad on Saturday afternoon, although really just sore from my face plant. That night I went to trivia with the wine club girls (won Braves tix, yay!), and today I went home for Mother's Day.

Long story short, I haven't worked out since Wednesday. EPIC FAIL. Time to stop partying and start bringing it!

Week 5, Day 3 - How to Make Your Pectorals Quiver

Ok, this is probably too much information, but if I lay down on my back and raise my hands into the air...my pectorals start shaking uncontrollably. Lol, that was how intense today's "Chest, Shoulders & Triceps" workout was. So many push-ups! I couldn't even come close to the number of push-ups the people in the video were doing, and the pike push-ups were terrifying - I was sure that my arms were going to give out and I was going to smash my forehead into the floor! See that girl? She's gunna break her nose!
Even so, I'm happy the video was as intense as it was. I really enjoyed the "Arms & Shoulders" workout, but didn't think it was too hard. This one is very hard. And I have four weeks of it. Oh yay!

On a sad note, I think I have to skip tomorrow's Yoga X. As much as I love Yoga X (sense the sarcasm?), I've been having trouble with my left knee. It's been hurting ever since I went on a run last week. I'm going to give it a break, because Yoga X is pretty hard on your knees, what with all those long, painful warrior poses.

On the happy note, tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo! I'm having a few buddies over for margs and fajitas. Maybe we'll go out dancing. Maybe I'll make some bad decisions. We can only hope.

Xtina gets her meal report card

So part of joining the gym and getting a personal trainer is that I am given access to a meal planning and nutrition tracking system. I go online and can create mealplans for the days ahead and get rated on their nutritional value. They offer suggestions for meals or snacks to meet my goals as well.

So far I haven't been doing this in advance and printing a shopping list the way they intend, but I have been logging what I eat each day just to get a visual on everything and help keep me accountable and motivated.

This is Monday's report card. Monday was a bad day. I REALLY wanted to get chinese food at lunch and so I did that but it does reflect in the report card and that afternoon I had no energy. Might have been better if I had not also had a bacon, egg, and cheese bagel for breakfast but I decided to stop having those from now on after that meal too. I now do a plain bagel and a strawberry banana smoothie and its way more satisfying!

This is Tuesday's report card. Tuesday was a good day. Still need to improve in a couple of areas, especially sodium since I am supposed to be cutting that anyways.

Xtina finds her OM

First off, apologies on the lack of posts these past two weeks. Working with my trainer and cardio at the gym got sidetracked by work demands exploding and me needing to go do testing at a super secret underground facility LOL

But by the end of last week I got back on track. Monday I worked with my trainer on arms, abs, and thighs. Today I hit the gym on my own to do 40 min of cardio (bike and treadmill). My gym offers free group fitness classes and I saw that Kundalini Yoga was starting at 6:30 so I thought I would give it a go.

I knew this class would be just a little different when I met the instructor who was wearing a head turban. She was very excited to have a new student in the class and handed me a piece of paper with our opening mantra on it:

ONG NAMO

GURU DEV NAMO

I bow to the creator

I bow to that infinite wisdom

that brings me from darkness to light

How inspiring is that! The class incorporated yoga poses but was really focused on breathing and chanting and mostly sitting down and moving arms and torso which was perfect for me. I admit that this class is not for everyone and you have to go in with an open mind and a penchant for drum music, but I had a good time and liked learning how to chant the mantra so that my whole body vibrates to the core!

Week 5, Day 1 - Back on Track

On Friday afternoon, Donovan and I took off for a relaxing weekend getaway in Asheville, NC. Needless to say, I ate what I wanted, drank what I wanted (which was a lot), and enjoyed a leisurely good time with no thoughts of exercise. I wasn't all bad; On Saturday afternoon, we went for a little hike up Chimney Rock, but we quickly negated those health benefits by having absolutely divine BBQ pork sandwiches on the river at Duncan's BBQ. North Carolina BBQ is one of my favorite foods...Mmmm, melt-in-your-mouth pork shoulder in a vinegary, runny sauce. Definitely worth it!

We also cleaned up and went into downtown Asheville for some upscale dining. On Friday we ate at The Marketplace, where I had an old-fashioned and a grouper filet in a pool of green curry sauce with spring rolls. Donovan got local trout over yummy beluga lentils. We then shared a beautiful dessert of layered red velvet cake (wish I'd taken a picture of it). I highly recommend The Marketplace. On Saturday we went to Carmel's, which was also yummy, albeit more casual. I got meatloaf, Donovan got a new York Strip, and we shared a trout dip and bottle of Haraszthy zinfandel.
And of course there was our cute little cabin. It had everything we needed, plus a little deck, fire pit, and even a waterfall in the back yard! I could have stayed there forever - it was just so peaceful.

Which, of course, made it difficult to face Core Synergistics this morning. I actually missed Friday's Cardio X and Saturday's Yoga X. But heck, it was a much needed vacay, and I'm going to work twice as hard during my workouts this week and be twice as vigilant on my diet. The good news is that my fridge is empty and therefore ready to accept healthy food! Notice that my schedule is also a little different too. Arms and Shoulders has been replaced with Chest, Shoulders, & Biceps, but my schedule is otherwise the same as the first 3 weeks.