Stuffed Breakfast Peppers

by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 3, 2015

Stuffed Breakfast Peppers

CALORIES

GRAMS PROTEIN

GRAMS CARBS

GRAMS FAT

Servings 3

Ingredients:
1/2 lb ground turkey
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 eggs
1/4 cup low-fat milk
1/2 cup low-fat shredded mozzarella cheese
Handful of fresh parsley, chopped
3 bell peppers, tops cut and seeded
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350°F.

Cook ground turkey in a large skillet until it starts to brown.

Add onion and garlic and mix very well. Cook for about 3 minutes.

In a bowl whisk eggs, milk, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper.

Add turkey to the bowl and mix well.

Pour mixture in the bell peppers and place them in a shallow baking dish.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the eggs are thoroughly cooked.

Spicy Mustard Chicken

by Cori Lefkowith | Nov 25, 2015

Spicy Mustard Chicken

CALORIES

GRAMS PROTEIN

GRAMS CARBS

GRAMS FAT

Servings 8

Ingredients:
2 lb chicken breasts
Marinade:
1/3 cup coarse ground mustard
¼ cup honey
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
½ tablespoon smoked paprika
1.5 teaspoon garlic (minced or paste)
1 teaspoon cayenne (optional for extra spice)
1 teaspoon cumin
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Set the heat on your grill (or oven) to 400F.

Mix all of the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl. In a plastic bag, add the chicken breasts and then pour about 2/3 of the marinade in the bag with the chicken. Seal and shake, covering the chicken in the marinade. Allow the chicken breasts to marinate in the bag for about 15 to 20 minutes at least.

Next place the chicken breasts on the grill – or a baking sheet for the oven – and cook for about 10 minutes on one side, then flip. Coat the chicken with the remaining marinade and cook on the other side for another 8 to 10 minutes. Depending on the size and thickness of your chicken, you may need to cook a bit longer or shorter.

Allow the chicken to cool to room temperature then freeze it or refrigerate. Defrost it in the refrigerator the night before you are going to eat it. You can also put uncooked chicken and marinade in the freezer and cook just prior to eating.

Serve with a side salad or veggies.

Back And Butt Superset Workout

by Cori Lefkowith | Nov 25, 2015

WARM UP
Stretch and Roll Out:
Calves
Hamstrings
Quads
Hips/Glutes
Chest
Back

ACTIVATION

Complete 1 round of the following activation series.

CIRCUIT:
10 reps per side Glute Bridge with Alternating Overhead Reach
15 reps Scapular Push Ups
5 reps per side Sit Thru to Thoracic Bridge

WORKOUT
Complete 3-5 rounds of each superset. Do the exercises back to back and rest 45-90 seconds. This isn’t meant as a fast cardio workout. It is about choosing heavier weights and harder variations. Rest enough between rounds to go hard each and every time. If you are working out with a partner, you can each alternate who goes to pace each other.

SUPERSET #1:
8-12 reps per side Unilaterally-Loaded Slider Reverse Lunge
8-12 reps per side Single-Arm Dumbbell Row

SUPERSET #2:
8-12 reps per side Duck Under Lunge
10-15 reps Back Flyes

SUPERSET #3:
10-15 reps Glute Bridge and Curl
6-10 reps per side Plank Pull Thrus

COOL DOWN
Stretch and Roll Out:
Calves
Hamstrings
Quads
Hips/Glutes
Chest
Back

NOTES:

Again you are not trying to rush through this but instead add weight and try more challenging variations while getting enough rest in between rounds to keep working at a high intensity.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Glute Bridge with Alternating Overhead Reach – To do the Glute Bridge With Alternating Overhead Reach, set up as if you are doing the Basic Glute Bridge. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Your feet should be about hip-width apart and your knees should be in line with your feet and hips. Your feet should be just beyond your fingertips when you stretch your arms down by your sides. For this variation, you can leave your arms down by your sides; however, bending your elbows can help you get a little more leverage for the bridge and reach. Then driving through your heels and upper back bridge up, bracing your abs and squeezing your glutes to extend your hips. As you bridge up, reach one arm up and across your body to try and touch the ground on the opposite side just above your shoulder. Stretch your back and feel your spine twisting and extending to reach, but do not hyperextend your low back to reach overhead. You want to get the mobility out of your mid and upper back not your low back. Hold for a second or two then bring your arm back across and down to the ground as you lower down out of the bridge. Then bridge back up and reach the opposite hand across and overhead. You should feel your glutes working to help you bridge up and may even feel one side slightly take over as you reach overhead. This move will force each side to work slightly independently.

Scapular Push Ups – To do the Scapular Push Up, set up in a high plank position with your hands under your shoulders and your feet together. Your body should be in a nice straight line from head to your heels. Without bending your elbows or dropping your hips, pinch your shoulder blades together and press your chest out. Do not tuck your chin or jut your head forward. Also do not let your core wiggle or your elbows bend to try to increase your range of motion. You are not doing a push up. This is a very small range of motion where you are simply focused on pinching your shoulder blades together. Just pinch your shoulder blades together and then relax or even round your back up out of it (rounding your back at the top is another variation but can be very useful for correcting certain push up problems). Keep your core tight as you pinch your shoulder blades together. As you get stronger and build the mind-body connection you will find your range of motion increases. If you struggle to pinch your shoulder blades together without wiggling your core or bending your elbows, go down to your knees as if doing a push up from your knees. If you still struggle, bring your knees under your hips. Do not get caught up on doing this from your toes. Just focus on pinching the shoulder blades together.

Sit Thru to Thoracic Bridge – To do Sit Thru to Thoracic Bridge, set up on your hands and knees with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Flex your feet and lift up onto your hands and toes. Then lift your right hand and bring your left leg through and place your left foot flat on the ground. Rotate your hips up toward the ceiling, squeezing your glutes to lift them up as high as you can. While your lift your hips, reach your right hand down toward the ground, rotating your chest toward the floor. Feel your glutes working to keep BOTH hips up, while you reach your hand down. We have a tendency when we rotate to drop the hip on the side we are rotating toward. Make sure both hips stay up as high as possible. You should feel a nice rotation and stretch through your spine. You are twisting almost like someone wringing out a towel. Then drop your hips and step your foot back through while placing your hand back down on the ground. Step through and rotate to the other side, bridging your hips up as high as you can as you reach toward the ground.

Unilaterally-Loaded Slider Reverse Lunge – To do the Unilaterally-Loaded Slider Reverse Lunge, place the sandbag over one shoulder and the slider under the ball of one foot. Stand up nice and tall and do not lean away or toward the side holding the sandbag. Then slide the foot on the slider back and sink into a deep lunge, dropping your back knee down as close to the ground as possible. Keep your chest up as you lunge back and make sure to sit back in the heel of your front leg as you lunge back. You want to make sure to load the glute of the front leg. Drive through the standing heel and pull the foot on the slider back forward as you come up to standing. Make sure you keep your chest up nice and tall and do not lean or round forward as you come back up to standing. Squeeze your glute at the top and then repeat, lunging back. Do not lean to either side because of the unilateral load. Complete all reps on one side before switching. You can also use a kettlebell racked on one side or a dumbbell on one side if you don’t have a sandbag. Also, you can put the weight on your standing leg to make it easier or on the moving leg to make it harder.

Single-Arm Dumbbell Row – To do the Single-Arm Dumbbell Row, set up with one knee and hand on a bench or box. If you are going to be rowing on your right side, your left knee and hand will be on the bench. Press your chest out and feel the muscles of your back activate. You want your back to stay nice and flat as you row. Hold the dumbbell in your right hand with your right foot on the ground. Keeping your back flat, row the dumbbell up to your side. Drive your elbow up and back as you row and do not let your shoulder shrug. Feel the right side of your back working to row the dumbbell up. Do not row the weight up to your neck. Bring it in to your side at, or just below, chest height. Do not rotate a lot or swing to lift the weight. Once you’ve rowed the weight up, extend your arm all the way back down. Do not reach past full extension to try to drop the weight closer to the ground. You do not want to relax your back at the bottom of the row. Complete all reps on one side before switching. Slow down the tempo or add more weight to make the move more challenging.

Duck Under Lunge – To do the Duck Under Lunge, hold the sandbag up at your chest with your arms wrapped around it. You will then squat down, sitting your butt back while keeping your chest up. As you come back up out of the squat, you will rotate toward the right, pivoting your left foot. Stand up nice and tall, facing to the right with your back leg in triple extension. Do not let your foot stay put and your knee cave in. Then rotate and sink back down into a squat and then pivot and rotate up toward the left side, pivoting your right foot. Keep your chest up the entire time. Do not let your back round toward the ground. Also do not lean forward to try to get lower to the ground. Sink as low as you can in the squat without your form breaking down then quickly pivot up to each side. As you get comfortable with the move, try to make it as fluid as possible. The move should look like a “U” shape. Beginners may need to make it look more like a “V” until their hips open up more. Beginners may also need to drop the weight or not go as low.

Back Flyes – To do Back Flyes using dumbbells, hold a light dumbbell in each hand. Start light so that you can focus on your upper back and the backs of your shoulder’s working without engaging your upper traps, neck or lower back. Hinge over at the hips holding the weights with your arms hanging straight down toward the ground. Keep your back flat and slightly bend your knees. Make sure to drop your chest to about parallel to the ground. If you start to stand back up, you could start to overuse your upper traps instead of using your upper back. You do not want to turn this into an upright row. Then, bracing your abs, fly your arms out to the side. Keep your elbows soft as you lift your arms out to the sides and back toward the ceiling at about, or just below, shoulder height. Pinch your shoulder blades together as you fly your arms open and really feel your upper back and the backs of your shoulders working. Keep your neck relaxed as you fly. Lower back down and repeat the fly. Try not to swing, but really focus on using your back to lift. Also, make sure to keep your elbows soft as you fly your arms up and out. If you feel your neck and upper traps engaging, you can place your head against the wall or on top of a bench. Also, make sure your low back doesn’t engaged as you keep your back flat. You may need to brace your abs more or bend your knees slightly, especially if your hamstrings are tight.

Glute Bridge and Curl –
To do the Single-Leg Glute Bridge and Curl using a Valslide, slider or towel, place a slider under each foot and bring your feet in close to your butt. Then bridge up, engaging your abs and squeezing your glutes to extend your hips. Make sure to drive your elbows and upper arms down into the ground so that you don’t push yourself backward. Keeping your hips up and glutes and abs engaged, slide out one leg fully extending it. Then drag your foot back in, pulling the slider back in with your hamstring. As you curl your heel back in, extend the other leg out. Move in a controlled fashion and feel your hamstring work to pull the slider back in. If the Single-Leg move is easy, do the Two-Leg Bridge and Curl.

To do the Two-Leg Bridge and Curl, start in the glute bridge position with a foot on each slider like you did for the Single-Leg Variation. Make sure to engage your glutes and your abs as you drive down through your upper arms and back. Keeping your glutes engaged, slide your feet out away from your butt. Straighten your legs out in front of you as far as you can, keeping your hips up and your abs engaged. Your glutes may touch the ground, but you shouldn’t let your hips sag. They should lower because your legs are extending. Once you straighten your legs out fully, curl your heels back in, bringing your hips back up again into a glute bridge. Really pull your heels back in with your hamstrings by driving your heels into the sliders and dragging them back in. Do not let the hips sag toward the ground as you slide out or come back in. Your hips will lower as you extend and bridge back up as you curl back in. Make sure your abs stay tight to protect your low back with both variations. You want to feel your hamstrings, and even your glutes, working not your low back.

Plank Pull Thrus – To do Sandbag Plank Pulls, set up in a plank position from your hands and toes or hands and knees and place the sandbag on the ground to one side of your body just outside and below your shoulder. Make sure your hands are under your shoulders and then place your feet or knees wider apart to give you more stability. The closer together your feet are, the harder the move will be because you won’t have as wide or stable a base. If you feel your hips rocking side to side, widen your feet out. If the move is too easy, bring your feet closer together. Then reach your hand under your body and across to grab the sandbag. Squeeze your glutes and, without rotating your hips, pull the sandbag through and across to the other side of your body. Make sure your body stays in a nice straight line with your abs engaged as you reach through and pull. Do not let your hips go up in the air or sag toward the ground. You want to pull the sandbag all the way across and outside the other shoulder. If you can’t pull the sandbag all the way across or need to rotate your hips a lot to do so, it may be too heavy. Then reach through with the other hand to pull it back. To fight your body’s desire to rotate, you will need to engage your core and really squeeze your glutes. You do not want to feel this move in your low back. Keep alternating reaches until all reps are complete. Your goal is to keep a nice straight line from your head to your heels the entire time.

The 20-Second Metabolic Workout

by Cori Lefkowith | Nov 23, 2015

WARM UP
Stretch and Roll Out:
Calves
Quads
Hamstrings
Adductors
Hips/Glutes
Back/Chest/Shoulders

WORKOUT

Set a timer for 20 second intervals with a few seconds of transition time. You will move from one exercise to the next without resting and then rest 20 seconds after both moves are complete. Complete 5 rounds of each circuit before resting 1-2 minutes. Then move on to the next circuit. Do not rest during the 20 seconds of work!

CIRCUIT #1:
20 seconds Burpee Sit Thru
20 seconds Snowboard Hops
20 seconds Rest

CIRCUIT #2:
20 seconds Plyo Jacks
20 seconds Climber Push Ups
20 seconds Rest

CIRCUIT #3:
20 seconds Split Squat Jumps
20 seconds Plank Skier Hops
20 seconds Rest

COOL DOWN
Stretch and Roll Out:
Calves
Hamstrings
Quads
Hips/Glutes
Chest
Back

NOTES:

Make sure to work as hard as you can during the 20 seconds. If you go easy or rest, you won’t get as much out of the workout. Regress movements as necessary to keep moving.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Burpee Sit Thrus – To do the Burpee Sit Thru, start standing with your feet together. Then bend down and place your hands on the ground as you jump your feet back into a Bull Dog position. Unlike the Basic Burpee, you won’t jump your feet back into a plank. You will want to jump your feet back so you are in more of a crawling position with your knees bent. From this bent-knee position, kick one leg under your body and through as you lift the opposite hand to “sit through.” Then bring the leg back under your body as you lower your hand back down and sit through on the other side. You will again kick the leg under your body and through as you lift your opposite hand. You want to rotate all the way through so you could actually sit if you lost your balance. Once you’ve performed a sit thru to both sides, jump your feet back into your hands and come to standing. Jump up off the ground at the top and then repeat the movement. Beginners may find they want to jump back into more of a plank position to make the sit thru easier. Advanced exercisers with more mobility will want to perform the sit thru from more of a bull dog hold starting position. AKA straighter legs makes the movement easier. Move quickly, rotating open and sitting all the way through on each sit thru.
Snowboard Hops – To do Snowboard Hops, start standing with your feet parallel and about shoulder-width apart. Face toward one foot, keeping your feet parallel and then step your back foot slightly forward so your stance is slightly staggered. Then squat down, pushing your butt back as you reach the same arm as the foot in front down outside your front toe. You can hinge over at the hips, but do not let your core collapse and simply lean forward. Then explode up off the ground, lifting your hand as you rotate forward and then to face the other way with your body. When you land, your back foot should be in front and your front foot should be in back, slightly staggered forward. Land and squat back down, dropping your front arm down to touch the ground outside your front toe. Then jump back up and rotate back to face the way you started. Beginners may not sink as low or jump as high. They may also do more of a “step” to switch than a full jump. Move quickly and make sure to bend your knees and sink down as you land. Also make sure your heels come down as you squat down. Keep your back flat even as you hinge over to touch the ground.
Plyo Jacks – To do the Plyo Jack, start standing tall with your feet together and your arms down by your sides. Then just slightly squat, pushing your butt back, to load your glutes so you can explode up off the ground. You will then perform the same movement as with the Basic Jumping Jack, but instead of jumping your feet out wide on the ground, you will want to explode up off the ground as you jump your feet out wide. As you jump up off the ground, raising your legs up to the sides as you jump, you will swing your arms out to the sides and up overhead. To land, bring your feet back together and sink back into a little squat. You want to squat a little as you land to help load your legs for the next jump while also landing softly to protect your knees. Bring your arms back down to your sides as you land and then repeat, jumping back up. The bigger your jump and the quicker you do the reps back to back, the harder this move will be. To make the move a little easier, pause between jumps.
Climber Push Ups – To do the Climber Push Up, start in a plank from your forearms. You can set your feet wider apart if needed to create a more stable base. Engage your abs and, keeping your body in a nice straight line, climb one hand at a time up to a plank position from your hands. Place your hands right below your shoulders, but outside your chest as you climb up. Then at the top perform a push up. Then climb back down and repeat. You can do the Push Ups from your knees if needed or even regress to just the Plank Climbers as you fatigue.
Split Squat Jumps – To do Split Squat Jumps, step one foot back and sink into a deep lunge, bending both knees as if kneeling down to the ground. Then from this lunge, explode up and as you jump, switch and land in a lunge on the other side. As you land, sink down into a deep lunge on the other side. Once again in the deep lunge, explode back up and jump back into a lunge on the first side. Beginners may need to do quick step back lunges instead of jumping to switch. The lower you go in the lunge and the quicker you jump to switch, the harder the move will be.
Plank Skier Hops – To do Plank Skier Hops, start in the plank position with your hands under your shoulders and your legs together. Your body should be in a nice straight line from your head to your heels. Then, with your legs together, jump your feet in toward your right elbow, rotating so that your knees come outside your elbow. Jump back into the plank position with your feet back center and your body in a nice straight line. Then jump your feet back in, but this time toward your opposite elbow. Rotate to bring your knees toward the outside of your elbow. Jump your feet back out center. Do not let your body shift backward as you perform the hops and jump back out. Try to keep your chest over your hands instead of letting your hands get way up by your head. Keep alternating hops toward each elbow.

Southwestern Quinoa and Turkey Stuffed Bell Peppers

by Cori Lefkowith | Nov 23, 2015

Southwestern Quinoa And Turkey Stuffed Peppers

CALORIES

GRAMS PROTEIN

GRAMS CARBS

GRAMS FAT

Servings 3

Ingredients:
3 large bell peppers, halved lengthwise and seeds removed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 ear of corn, kernels removed
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ of a onion, minced
½ fresh jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
¾ pound extra lean ground turkey
1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup cooked quinoa
½ 15oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes
\½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon Mexican chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
Pinch of salt
¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded
1/3 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
For garnish: (optional)
Freshly chopped cilantro
1 avocado, diced

Directions:
Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees.

Start by preparing your bell peppers. Slice each pepper in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Brush the inside of each pepper with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Set aside until ready to use.

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan. When hot, add the corn kernels and sauté for about 3 minutes until just tender. Add the onions, garlic and jalapenos and cook until the onions soften and the garlic becomes fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Add the ground turkey and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly with to break up the meat, until the meat is no longer pink.

Add the black beans, quinoa, fire roasted tomatoes, oregano, chili powder, cumin, and cayenne and cook for two more minutes. Taste and season with salt and a little more cayenne pepper if you want.

Stuff each bell pepper with the southwestern turkey and quinoa stuffing and place the peppers in an oven-proof skillet or baking dish. Pour the broth into the skillet or baking dish, and cover the dish with foil. Transfer your stuffed peppers to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until the peppers are tender.

Remove the foil from the baking dish and sprinkle a mixture of Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese on top of each stuffed pepper. Bake the peppers uncovered for another five minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

Garnish with avocado and cilantro if you want.