A, B, C My Abs Dying (2/28)

Ab-solutely.

Woo hoo! I've completed day two of the Blogilates Beginner's Calendar. I'm super pumped! (It's been a few hours and my abs are still working.)

So I thought I was fine until I did the plank first thing this morning--my abs started crying. But I was on my forearms and pushed myself for a minute and a half.


Today's workout consisted of two videos: Ab Time! and ABC Abs. Holy mackerel, my abs! No tensing, but for real. The videos are under twenty-five minutes combined, so you can plan ahead.

Ab Time, worked on a few moves. And this time, I did the plank on my palms. W00t! But those obliques were just not happening today. :( But I'm not going to beat myself up too much because I will do them full out by the end of this month--it's all about improvements.

And I totally collected stickers when I was younger. I even had a sticker book. Yeah, nerdom. And you can still collect Lisa Frank stickers.

ABC Abs, oh boy, was that killer or what? Did as full out as I could, but it was hard and I had to slack a little to get through some parts. Again, I'll be doing it soon. To work the upper abs, letters of the alphabet are traced, and healthy foods are said. For the lower abs, it's YOLO/cheat foods while writing the letters.

So I've decided to make my own list. Some of the foods are questionable, so I'm putting all the foods together, and you can decide.



A Apple Cider Vinegar, Avocado, Aero Bar (Bubbled chocolate.)
B Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Burrito
C Cucumber, Croissant
D Dates, Dolmad (Stuffed grape leaves.), Dumpling
E Eggs, Escarole, Elephant Ears (Those flaky pastries.), Empanadas

Hair mussed up from POP Pilates.

F Fage (My favorite Greek yogurt.), Falafel, Feta Cheese, Fettucine Alfredo
G Grapes, Guacamole, Gyro, Gummies
H Hokkaido (Squash), Huevos Rancheros
I Injera (Ethiopian bread.), Iced Cakes
J JJigae (Korean stew), Jello, Jelly Beans
K Kohl Rabi, Kale, Kimchi, Kumquat
L Limes, Lemons, Lady Grey Tea, Lollipops
M Mango, Mung Beans, Mandu (Korean dumplings of varying size/type, I want a bun version.)
N Nut Butter, Naan, Noodle Pizza
O Okra, Olives, Orzo (Rice-shaped pasta.)
P Papaya, Pomegranate, Pita, Pasta, Pirozhki (Russian Stuffed Buns)
Q Quiche, Queso (Cheese dip..)
R Radish, Ribs (Slathered in sauce!)
S Spinach, Salmon, Soda
T Tilapia, Tofu, Tang
U Unagi (Eel) Sushi
V Vegtables, Venison, Vermicelli
W Watercress, Wheatgrass, Wonton Soup, Waffles
X Xigua (Tasty melon), [That chile], Xavier Soup, Xavier Steak (So much cheese!)
Y Yogurt, Yellow Cake
Z Zucchini Lasagna, Zwieback, Zabaglione

Now that I've worked up an appetite, I'm going to make some lunch.

Satisfying the Beef & Broccoli Cravings

I'm still a little shaky after doing the first day of Blogilates this morning, but I feel a lot better. It's actually helped me concentrate on writing this term paper I've got due. Fifteen pages due on Monday. Yikes.

Anywho, taking a break from the paper, I couldn't decide what to eat for lunch. It needed to be something easy and delicious, not to mention quick--I've got this draft calling my name.

I really wanted to make some beef & broccoli, but I don't have any beef around. No delicious beef for me. I did, however, have the broccoli. Looking around gave me two suitable options: chicken and shrimp. The chicken, while individually frozen, needs to defrost before I can do anything with it. So that's defrosting for another meal. Already cooked, the shrimp was the perfect option, taking out a step.

Now, to tie everything together, I needed something with which to dress the duo. I immediately thought of seasoned rice vinegar, but it's no more. It broke when I recently cleaned the fridge. :(  (Need to get some next time I'm shopping.) Then it hit me, Newman's Own Sesame Ginger Dressing would be fabulous! I love this stuff: it's got a nice tangy flavor, with a pretty decent ingredients list. Plus, it's low calorie (35 calories per serving of two tablespoons), which is great for those of you tracking your numbers.

Ingredients for beef & broccoli substitute.

Speaking of, here are the numbers.

Frozen, cooked shrimp, 6oz. (Kirkland Brand, a serving is 3oz.)
     100 kcal, 18g of protein (x2)
Frozen broccoli, 16oz. (Wegman's, a serving is a cup or a fifth of the bag.)
     25kcal, 2g of protein (x5)
Newman's Own Sesame Ginger Dressing, 4 tbsp. (A serving is 2 tbsp.)
     35 kcal, 0g of protein (x2)
Total: 395 kcal, 46g of protein

Om nom nom. Delicious.

It's a huuuuge amount for just under 400 calories! I ended up eating it throughout the afternoon. Any did anyone else know that broccoli has protein? I sure didn't, but what a pleasant surprise. I didn't even mean to make it so protein-loaded, but I suppose it's good for muscle building. Something to note.

So for this super filling dish, I left the shrimp in the bowl with the dressing, while I cooked the broccoli. (If you cook shrimp for too long, it shrinks, becoming tough and rubbery. MMmm. Not.) Once the broccoli started warm, I added the shrimp and dressing, cooking everything until it was warm and ready.

If you decide to make this, I suggest adding the dressing once everything is almost ready. Cooking it changed the taste a bit--while it wasn't bad, I think it would be better if it were less cooked. Also, if you wanted to thicken it so it was more like the beef & broccoli sauce, there are a few options. Before adding it, you could whisk it with some potato starch/flour, cornstarch, ground flax or chia seeds, or possibly even some psyllium husks. It would give it a nice consistency reminiscent of good Chinese food.

Anyway, I'm going to munch on some kimchi while I get back to work.

(Realized I should mention that I didn't get compensated in any way to do this post. I was just hungry and wanted to share.)