Hot Chicken Recipe: The healthy alternative to Chicken Wings

Morning everyone! I thought I would share a super yummy recipe thats been one of my favorites for years {{courtesy of my late aunt Qui...we miss you!}} For lack of a better name we call it "Hot Chicken." 

So Yummy......

When I was a kid I LOVED chicken wings. I mean, ate them by the bucket. literally. When I got older I realized they weren't the healthiest for you so I stopped eating them cold turkey. Haven't had a wing in about 20 years. I haven't stopped my *love* of chicken wing TASTE though. This recipe can fill this void and is a lot healthier {{read: #guiltfree }} Warning: You must like spicy/hot food to like this. I would recommend this dish to anyone who like medium, hot, or extra hot wings! I am so obsessed with hot sauce that I add Franks to my plate as well ha ha! 

What I love most about this recipe is that it is only 4 ingredients! And you can pop it in the oven and is low on prep time which is key when you have kiddies {{or you're just super busy. which is everyone!}} running around. Also, even though you do use flour, there is only 26 Carbs in the entire recipe which is a keeper for me! Divide that up between 3-4 breasts and you're looking at about 10 g carbs per breast of chicken and tons of flavor! 

Hot Chicken

1/4 cup flour (I use Arrowhead Mills enriched unbleached white flour)
3/4 cup Franks Red Hot Sauce
1 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon butter, melted
3-4 breasts of chicken

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter in microwave in glass bowl. Mix in hot sauce and juiced lemon to melted butter. Put 1/4 cup of flour in different bowl and place next to hot sauce mixture. Line a pyrex dish with foil. (I find that foil works better than parchment paper). You can cut the chicken breasts into tenders or leave them as breasts-up to you (I do both-below they are in tenders and the above photo is just breasts). Dip chicken in flour, then into hot sauce mixture and place in pyrex dish. Repeat with all breasts of chicken. When complete, if you have extra sauce leftover, you can dish the rest on spots that may have not been covered with the hot sauce mixture.  In this photo I show using parchment paper but like I said I find it works better with foil. 

Bake for 30-40 mins. I like to broil mine the last 3-5 mins to get a little crisp on them. This is served great with mixed veggies & salad! 

Next time you have a hankering for some chicken wings...try this recipe! Have a great day everyone....

xo

Alex
 

Pregnancy Workouts/Update: Weeks 8-12

Hi everyone! Hope you are all enjoying your weekend! Here is a little Pregnancy update of weeks 8, 9, 10 & 11. The struggle. was. so. real. So tired. But now so HAPPY to be out of that first trimester. Trying to catch up a little bit blogging as I didn't share with everyone until week 12 that we were expecting. Coming next week will be week 12, 13, 14, 15. I'll be 16 weeks on Sunday. Below you will see a photo collage. I promised myself that I would do a weekly photo. I saw a pregnant {{fit}} woman do hers in her bathing suit and it really was incredible watching how the female body transforms. Not just the stomach area-she was so lean to start and her legs, arms, stomach all gained to support the life growing inside of her.

And as amazing {{and hard}} as the whole process is, I wanted to do this to show that these changes happen to everyone, even fit mommies like me who eat pretty well and work out during pregnancy! So I'm embracing it this time around because I'm creating something special :) Please keep any comments positive especially as this mama gets bigger! 

Also coming next week is an awesome healthier option to CHICKEN WINGS..yes. Wings. Pretty sure I bleed Frank's Red hot sauce and am obsessed with it --even more so than normal during this pregnancy. So keep an eye out for next weeks posts! So yummy!! 

Enjoy and thanks for joining me on this journey...

xo

Alex

                 From top left to bottom right starting with week 5 and ending with week 12. Can definitely see a difference everywhere! 

Week 8:

How have you been feeling? So. stinking. Tired. I mean you guys. I feel like I can’t even move in the morning.

Do you have morning sickness? No

Do you have any cravings? I’m really enjoying cheese and bread at the moment. Those are two thijngs I didn’t really eat a lot of when I was leaning out …so just living a little :)

Do you have any food aversions? YES. I cannot believe that my go- to breakfast item of oatmeal mixed with peanut butter is totally turning me off! It is crazy! The smell of it makes me want to vom.

Weight gain so far? +3 pound

Any mood swings? Ask my husband. Ha ha!

 Sleep: has been amazing! Can’t get enough.

Stretch marks: no

Clothing: Still wearing my normal gear

Rings: ON

Movement: none yet

Strarting to show? No..just looks like I have a beer gut after dinner.

Boy or girl: I’m thinking team blue right now!

Random thought of the week: Everyone at my OB coulden’t stop talking about how surprised they were to see me back again - ha ha! I was a tough nugget that first 6 months when I was pregnant with M... Ha

Weekly Workout schedule:

Sunday: Had a great run. 7:57, 7:38, 7:23 and 7:18 were my mile splits.

Monday: Lower Lift

Tuesday: Soccer workout –about 45 minutes. Mostly stop and go, agility but everything at about 75-80% maximum effort. I just cruise J

Wednesday: Upper Lift

Thursday: 4.5 miles in central park.. I’m in love with that place. 8:10, 7:54, 8:04, 8:09 and 8:26 splits.

Friday: Off—tons of walking …like over 20k steps in the city

Saturday: off

 9 weeks

How have you been feeling?And the fatigue continues. Starting to get really tempted to have a nap.  And work has been super stressful so that has made it tough.

 Do you have morning sickness? No

Do you have any cravings? CARBS.  

Do you have any food aversions? Totally made a crockpot meal for the two of us this week and the smell of it…I just could not eat it. I had to make something else for myself.

Weight gain so far? +3 pounds  (same as last week)

Any mood swings? I think I’ve been pretty cool.  

Sleep: Has been great other than the fact that I wake at 4 or 5 am STARVING and need to go down stairs and eat. For those of you who have been pregnant, you know the type of hunger I’m talking about. This isn’t the kind you can brush off. This is like a never -going -back -to -sleep till I eat again.  

Stretch marks: no

Clothing: Still wearing my normal gear

Rings: ON

Movement: none yet

Starting to show? Starting to get thicker but only changes I would notice

Boy or girl: I’m thinking team blue right now!

Random thoughts this week: The pasta that I had when I went out to eat was divine. :P See above in cravings

Workouts:

Sunday: FELT AWESOME. 3 mile run and just felt so good. Like I was just cruising. 7:15, 7;20 and the last mile I totally tanked. Was breathing too hard, going uphill for almost a whole ½ mile and had to slow myself down. But I was still stoked about how I felt for a majority of the run.

Monday: Lower Lift

Tuesday: 3.34 miles with Max in the stroller. Let me just tell you how much harder of a workout this is with the running stroller!! 8:39, 8:20, 8:34, 8:26 splits. I felt tired, fatigued. Usually the day after a lower lift is pretty tough. But I got it in.

Wednesday: off

Thursday: 30 min elliptical

Friday: Lower Lift

Saturday: 3.4 mile run again with Max in the stroller. 8:36, 8:28, 8:28, 8:20 splits

10 weeks

How have you been feeling? I final caved for a minimum of 2 naps this week. When M went to sleep, so did I. Unfortunately I am only home 2-3 times a week when he naps- if I was home every day, I would probably have napped every day. Motivation this week to exercise was tough but I ALWAYS felt better after the fact {{read:more energy}} and never regret getting out there.

Do you have morning sickness?No

Do you have any cravings? Fruits and can I tell you how much I love siggis yogurt right now?

Do you have any food aversions? This week it was the crockpot rotisserie chicken that literally I had to force feed myself. Even salads I’ve had to get really creative with just to get them in my system

Weight gain so far? +2 (5 total)

Any mood swings? Feeling ok emotionally

Sleep:  Naps, night time sleep..give me more! 

Stretch marks: no

Clothing: Still wearing my normal gear

Rings: ON

Movement: none yet

Starting to show? Starting to pop out a little bit more now but definitely not “showing” 

Boy or girl: I’m thinking team blue right now!

Random thoughts: Another dr apt…does anyone else hate how they bring up “birth plans” and child labor at like week 10? C’mon Doc. Give me a little time. Legit have PTSD thinking about that ish.

Weekly Workouts:

Sunday: 6 x400m , 90 seconds each. 2 minute rest in between. (Normally I would do these at about 80-84 and at my best 72-76.)

Monday- lower lift

Tuesday- off

Wednesday-Upper lift. 15 minute interval bike ride 30 seconds “fast”, 1 min recovery/slow

Thursday:  soccer workout – 45 mins

Friday: lower lift

Saturday: 8:16, 8:20, 8:41, 8:45. Felt tired.

Week 11:

How have you been feeling? Starting to feel less tired! Hallelujah! 

Do you have morning sickness?No

Do you have any cravings?  Judging by the disgusting amount of candy I eat on Easter Sunday, I would have to say sweets? LOL.

Do you have any food aversions? None other than the usuals I’ve mentioned

Weight gain so far? +1 (6 total)

Any mood swings? Other than my eaters remorse..I think I was a happy camper

Sleep: sleeping good

Stretch marks: no

Clothing: Still wearing my normal gear

Rings: ON

Movement: none yet

Starting to show? Getting there..

Boy or girl: I’m thinking team blue right now!

Weekly workout:

Sunday: off

Monday: 4 X800s : 3:25, 3:27, 3:30, 3:30. Normally I would do these in 3-3;3:10 and at top fitness level 2:50-3 minutes. 3 min rest in between each

Tuesday:Soccer workout

Wednesday: Soccer Workout

Thursday: Upper lift

Friday: lower lift

Saturday: 4 mile run *;34, 8:35, 8:05, 8:00 and 7:58 splits. Got a second wind halfway through somehow!

Sunday: 5 mile run –should have been a day off but easter Sunday was so gorgeous. 68 and sunny…in March! So I went for it. 8:07, 8:02, 7:55, 8:05, 8:23 splits.

Until next time...

Another time around the sun: Pregnancy #2

Little nuggets first scan...Hello world!

Well here we go again! Sometimes I still can’t believe that we went through with having another after that first year with Max…I am sure some of you can relate. But somehow you forget ..well not forget…but seem to block out the child labor, 9 months of pregnancy, sleep deprivation, leaking boobs, fussy moments. And all of those really tough moments are outweighed by the smiles, giggles, hugs, kisses and first steps your baby takes. I know it sounds so cliché, but it is so true that they are so worth it! ha. 

My first pregnancy was really tough because at that point in my life it wasn’t exactly what I wanted or planned for. But I think I never really would have been “ready”. I loved my life as a pro athlete, I loved having the freedom and flexibility to do what I wanted, when I wanted, to travel, and to spend what I pleased on myself or anyone else for that matter.

And while I do miss certain parts of that life, I sit here and wonder to myself what I did with my time. Life is so much more meaningful as a parent and I think that that purpose does not necessarily take away from your work, social life and other passions, but makes you whole.

What really hit me the hardest was how I had dedicated my life, especially the last 12 years, to fulfilling my dream of becoming a pro soccer player. To see my successful season end in a injury was tough, but to find out I was pregnant just 8 weeks after that was devastating to my passion and what I had lived for up until that point.

I had planned on playing for another year and I think deep down inside I knew once I saw the line on the stick that it was the end of my playing career. I was 32, not young for a pro athlete. My responsibilities outside of what I did as an athlete I knew would probably make it virtually impossible for me to get back to the level I was at and competing day in day out.

I was a player that needed an off season of 2 training sessions per day (2-4 hours/day) of preparation to compete. I am so blessed to have played with some of the best players in the world and really cherish those moments. I think at the time you are so caught up in the moment, in performing at the top level, living your whole life based around training, under pressure, that sometimes you can’t even really enjoy it.

Max has no doubt come into our lives and changed it for the better. We are so blessed to have our healthy 22 month old and another on the way. Being a mom is definitely a big challenge, but its also the most rewarding, amazing thing you can do in life. So here's to our future family of four! 

Me, on Max's due date (June 9, 2014) after my last pregnancy run!! 

How did you find out you were pregnant?

Well..I was actually in New York the last weekend of January. I was originally supposed to fly back home on Friday night, but Philly had a huge snowstorm the week before causing my college roommates baby shower to be postponed. So I jumped at the chance to take the train from NYC to Philly and head to surprise Kacy at her sprinkle! I ended up totally surprising her (it was super hard to keep it a secret ..ha) and spent the night with her. Sunday morning I woke up and started to feel sick after breakfast. I had already taken one test and it had said negative but it was a few days before my period was due. Friday morning I had also felt sick but put that down to the stress of that days meetings in the city. When I started to to feel sick on Sunday, my period was officially 2 days late..and I thought. Ok. This is it. I could not believe it..Max was a “surprise” and this time it happened after one cycle. Honestly, I wasn’t super excited about being preggo over the summer but I kept hearing about people having difficulty getting pregnant which is why we started trying right away. 

When did you officially find out?

I took a test that Monday morning and it said pregnant!

How far along were you?

I think it was 5 weeks

How did family/friends react?
I think some were surprised..some weren’t because I had said that we were going to have another. The best reactions were from the receptionists and nurses at my OB..ha! Let's just say they were pretty surprised after seeing me throughout Max's pregnancy. 

First pregnancy symptom:

To be honest with you I did feel nauseous twice in that weekend that I found out I was pregnant but literally have not had any sickness since. So I would really say the fatigue. That was new for me. I had sleep insomnia basically my whole first trimester with Max so this all encompassing fatigue was crazy! 

What is your due date:

October 9, 2016 

Any names:

A few for girls..boys I am stumped!

For all you mama's to be to, check out some of these articles I've found: 

NY Times Article about Exercising while pregnant

Injury prevention for mother runners

And a funny..(but true) article to finish the blog off: 8 similarities of between a zombie apocalypse and having a newborn baby! 

Coming next week: Weeks 8-12! 

xo,

Alex

Burrito Bowl...made at home!

Happy Weekend Everyone! 

I wanted to share one of my most FAVORITE recipes ever. Please do not think that eating clean means tupperware containers with plain chicken, fish, egg whites, raw veggies and brown rice every day all day. There are so MANY tasty recipes that you can have with tons of flavor. This recipe is on our weekly rotation. When I started the 24 Day Challenge, I asked my coach Ben if I could have burrito bowls from Chipotle. He responded yes ..just of course no cheese or sour cream which is no problem for me. I wasn't super comfortable hitting up Chipotle more than once though as I knew eating out just is not as healthy. I wanted the absolutel best results and in order for that to happen, I had to be making food in my own kitchen. This got me thinking...how can I make these exact burrito bowls at home??

Well, my friends, here is how: 

Ingredients:

 Olive oil
Your choice of 2 peppers-green, yellow, red, etc
White onion cut
Green Leaf Lettuce chopped
Homemade Guacamole or "Wholly Guacamole"
Cooked brown rice (I usually do 1 cup, depends on how many pple you are cooking for)
1 packet of simply organic fajita seasoning ( ** I get this at Wegmans; I do know Whole foods carries it as well as available online from various companies)
2 cloves of garlic (optional)
Chopped Cilantro (optional)
Chopped tomatoes (optional)

Directions: 

Begin process of cooking rice. Dice chicken breasts. Follow instructions of simply organic package. Marinate chicken in seasoning. Next slice onion and pepper. Heat olive oil in pan. Once oil is warm sautee onion and peppers until soft and then add marinated chicken. While meat and rice are finishing cooking, cut up green leaf lettuce, cilantro, and tomato to garnish. 

Once chicken and rice have completed their cooking, place cooked rice in bottom of bowl. Add desired amount of chicken/pepper mixture on top. Place chopped green leaf lettuce on top of chicken. Garnish with cilantro, tomatoes, or guacamole. 

I have never added cheese or sour cream but you definitely can for those looking for a little splurge or who are not on the 24 Day Challenge. We have added corn and black beans to this meal and it has been tasty as well. There are so many different variations that you can add it never gets old!

I will be sure to add our family guacamole recipe in the next few weeks. We absolutely love a "rustic" guac to start our meal off! Hope you guys enjoy your healthy {{24 DC approved}}  home made burrito bowl! 

xo

Alex

The finished product: 

All chopped up and ready to go!

 

Below, rice brewing, chicken marinating and veggies cooking! 
Note: I only placed the rice and chicken on stove for photo purpose

The chicken and veggie mixture completed! Let's dig in! 

No Gym Necessary Workout

Sometimes all I've got is 30 minutes to get a great sweat in. Sometimes that means a distance run, other times I go for a HIIT workout to really raise my heart rate for the rest of the day {{hello, increased fat burn}}!! 

Here is a great workout that I did at a soccer field, on the grass. I also always have 3 bands with me whether I am at home or travelling (in this case I was in florida) this way I could get a little strength training in during my "active" recovery. 

Running/speed work:  

10, 20, 30 yard shuttle--SPRINT -- as fast as you can. Mark off 10, 20 and 30 yard markers and sprint to the 10, and back, the 20 and back, and the 30 and back!

Active recovery: 

8 Pushups

15 band spread aparts (red bands)

10 curls (black band)

10 upright row (red band)

8 broad jumps (4 down, 4 back to where you started)

Wait 30 seconds and repeat!! I usually aim for 8 sets but workout can be adjusted to your strength and endurance levels including amount of reps and rest time. 

Good luck!