Cheesy Shrimp and Quinoa

I was not a morning person today.

I had an 8 AM and I was planning on getting up early to go to the gym before class……

With only 2 classes on Tuesday I decided to work out in the afternoon. I had plenty of time to get in an upper body workout and half a spin class. My legs still feel like Jell-O.

I am calling this workout “The Bench and Bar Workout” because I only used one bar and one bench the whole time. I didn’t have to run around trying to find dumbbells or go into the other room to find a machine. Simple, yet effective.

I used a 35 lb. bar and the bench to do 3 sets of 12 reps on each move:

• Chest Press
• Tricep Dip (bodyweight)
• Bicep Curl
• Wide Grip Bent Over Row
• Under-hand Bent Over Row
• Shoulder Press

Beside the Bench, I also did a few planks and crunches.

Dinner

Dinner tonight was amazing! Last week, I found this recipe from Little Yellow Kitchen for a remake on shrimp and grits! The recipe replaces grits with quinoa making the health factor a lot higher.

The quinoa was creamy, garlicky and cheesy and provided a lovely little bed for the sautéed kale and shrimp. This will certainly be made again.

Cheesy Shrimp and Quinoa

• 1 lb. shrimp peeled and deveined
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp. powdered garlic
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 small bunch of kale, chopped
• 2 cups of water or broth
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• 1 cup quinoa

Bring water and quinoa up to a boil. Lower the heat, simmer, covered for 15 minutes. Stir in cheese and milk. Add in powdered garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

In a pan, add the olive oil. Sautee the shrimp for until pink (3-4 min). Add in the minced garlic, green onions and lemon juice. Sautee another 2 or 3 minutes. Set shrimp aside on a plate.

In the same pan, add the chopped kale. Sautee until slightly tender.

Serve the kale and shrimp over the quinoa.

Stick to the Plan

When traveling, or not, it is important to plan for things. Things like how many pairs of jeans you are going to need, or what kind of snacks you want for the airport, or where you want to go out to eat while you’re out of town.

All of these components are important and I always remember to do them. I also think it’s important to plan out how I’m going to stay active. Now, before I dive into this post, I want to say that I NEVER used to plan workouts into trips away from home. Leaving home meant vacation and vacation meant a bi-week for me and the gym. But, listen, the tides have changed. This whole “lifestyle thing” means that I plan workout while away. It’s not always easy and I certainly don’t always stick to the workouts I set, but mostly I try to go with the flow. It’s all according to the plan.

In my suitcase, I packed my Garmin running watch, my Ipod, a resistance band, p90x plyometrics dvd. See? All the tools I need to stay on track.

Jot it down!

Today, I decided to give my upper body some attention, so I followed a resistance band superset that I created before my trip! See, jot it down and just do it!

I always thought resistance bands were for wimpy rehab people who weren’t allowed to lift weights. Well, these little guys may look wimpy, but they pack some power!

Looks aren't everything...

 My arms were screaming!!! I guess my red band was either medium or hard level because after one set of tricep pull-downs (using my boyfriend’s chin-up bar thing) I was amazed. They really worked! I loved the ease of packing the little band in my suitcase. I felt like I got a pretty good little workout in even if I am “on vacation.”

Resistance Band SuperSet

Set 1: Tricep Pulldown/Lateral Raise

Set 2: Bicep Curl/ Bent Over Row with a wide grip

Set 3: Standing upright row/ 3 minutes of planks and crunches (without band)

Do each move in each set back to back performing 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions. When you have completed one set, move on to the next.

I have spent a day at Michael’s apartment by myself so now I’m going to plan for our trip to the store when he gets home from work!

At least I can tell him I wasn’t completely lazy today 🙂