Roasted Potatoes with Arugula, 

Tomatoes, and Mozzarella

Oh my goodness you guys! This dish is sooooo delicious. For sure a must try. There are some steps involved but it is so so worth it and is just as good reheated. So make a huge batch and eat it with EVERYTHING throughout the week.

Ingredients-

2-2.5 lbs baby potatoes quartered

1 onion thinly sliced

6 garlic cloves smashed and peeled

1 16oz can of artichoke hearts strained 

1 pint of grape tomatoes

4 cups baby arugula

1/2 cup chopped basil

1/2  cupextra virgin olive oil
1tsp garlic powder

2 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp red chili flakes

1 lemon

Instructions- 
pre heat oven to 450
Put the thinly sliced onions on a baking sheet with 1/2 tsp salt,  1/4 tsp pepper, and 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. bake in the pre heated oven until golden brown.

Move the onions to the corner of the pan put the crushed garlic on top with 1 tsp of olive oil. Put all the quartered potatoes on the sheet pan along with 1 tbsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, and 1/2 tsp of garlic powder.

Put back in the oven for 15-20 min or until golden brown.

On a separate sheet pan  put the artichoke hearts and tomatoes along with chili flakes, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes or until tomatoes are blistered.

Combine the potatoes, onions, garlic, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, basil, arugula, mozzarella, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Enjoy

Ab Workout

20 sit up twists

30 heel taps 

15 hip raise leg lowers

30 criss cross flutter kicks

15 each side opposite arm to leg v-ups

30 Russian twists

30 ninjas

30 Spider Man tri taps

Sun B Beach Yoga Sesh!!!

1 time slow hold each pose for 3 to 4 breaths. Then 2 times one breath one movement 

Down dog

Inhale right leg high

Exhale right knee right elbow

Inhale right leg high

Exhale right knee left tricep 

Inhale right leg high 

Exhale low lunge

Inhale cow lunge

Exhale cat lunge

Inhale crescent lunge 

Exhale flying lunge

Inhale warrior 2

Exhale extended side angle

Inhale reverse warrior 

Exhale chaturanga

Inhale upward facing dog

Exhale downward dog 

Inhale bend your knees look forward 

Exhale travel to the top of your mat

Inhale halfway lift

Exhale forward fold 

Inhale chair pose 

Exhale hands to heart center 

20 hop squats 

Inhale chair pose 

Exhale forward fold 

Inhale Halfway lift 

Exhale chaturanga

Inhale upward facing dog 

Exhale downward facing dog 

Inhale left leg high

Exhale left knee left tricep 

Inhale left leg high

Exhale left knee right tricep 

Inhale left leg high 

Exhale low lunge

Inhale cow lunge

Exhale cat lunge

Inhale crescent lunge 

Exhale flying lunge

Inhale warrior 2

Exhale extended side angle

Inhale reverse warrior 

Exhale chaturanga

Inhale upward facing dog

Exhale downward dog

Sun A Warmup 

Sun A-

Downward dog

Inhale bend knees and walk to the top of your mat

Exhale rag doll

Bring fingertips to the mat toe heel your feet to touch 

Inhale halfway lift 

Exhale forward fold

Inhale mountain pose

Exhale drop right arm for side body stretch 

Inhale mountain pose 

Exhale drop the left arm for side body stretch

Inhale mountain pose

 
Exhale cactus your arms for a baby backbend

Inhale mountain pose

Exhale forward fold

Inhale halfway lift

Exhale Chaturanga

Inhale upward facing dog

Exhale down dog

Inhale bend your knees look forward

Exhale travel to the top of your mat

Inhale halfway lift

Exhale forward fold

Inhale mountain pose 

Exhale forward fold

Inhale halfway lift

Exhale Chaturanga

Inhale upward facing dog

Exhale downward facing dog

Add this sun a warmup to a sun b, along with one of my #hiit or #cardio workouts and top it off with my #8minuteab routine for an awesome workout. They are designed to be interchangeable. 

25 straight arm weighted crunches 

30 Russian twists with weights

15 each side dumbbell cross over reach up sit-ups 

15 bicycle crunches

Hold left elbow right knee and pulse extended leg for 10 seconds 

15 bicycle crunches 

Hold right elbow to left knee and pulse the extended leg for a 10 seconds

20 plank opposite knee to tricep

20 plank knee to tricep 

25 butterfly 🦋 crunches

8 Minutes of ABS

Sweet Potato Tostadas

So we have been living in Costa Rica for about 3 months now and one of the hardest things for me has been figuring out how to eat healthy. I know you may be thinking that is crazy, you live in a place where fresh fruits and vegetables grow abundantly all year. While this is true it is different. It is also something that I wasn't expecting to have to overcome. Before we moved I was exercising daily and eating super clean.  I had everything dialed in and was feeling amazing. When we moved I thought how could I ever fall out of this routine? It will be so easy to just pick up where I left off. Right? Well I was wrong. This  happens at times in our fitness journey. The biggest thing is to realize that is has happened then to figure out what your goals are.  Ask yourself the question "What is it going to take to reach them?" and set a reasonable time frame. For me, I moved down here with the intentions of teaching fitness classes and from there to slowly move towards health coaching. But how was I going to do that only working out a few days per week and eating like crap? First I had to be patient with myself, and let me tell you being patient isn't my strong suit! I then had to figure out what vegetables were available to me that might be similar to what I was eating at home. That was my biggest obstacle. Things are different here.  So instead of trying new things or just buying the darn "not orange sweet potatoes".  I chose tortillas, banana bread, sweets, fried chicken, and whatever else the kids wanted. These things are fine as treats or for cheat days. I am a big fan of cheat days BTW. But for daily consumption I do not recommend. So I bought the camote (Yellowish Sweet potatoes), found kale, the odd colored squash and started to make these things fit my old eating habits and cooking style. The other great thing I did was bring an Instant pot back from the States when I visited in October. This has been great for making beans, and shredded meats that I can have on hand in the fridge at all times. Making healthy meals fast and accessible. I also prep cabbage slaw and kale weekly so that I have healthy salad options on hand as well.  The second thing I had to tackle was fitness. I just kept putting off starting to teach for whatever reasons presented. Finally I went on a women's retreat with our local church here and offered to teach yoga the 2 mornings we were there. That was It I just needed to START and COMMIT. Weird how that works! I then was motivated to make a schedule and just started showing up. We are now 1 month in and growing weekly! I feel way better and am more motivated daily. I am sure their will be more hiccups, there always are but I am glad it only took me 2 months to get back on track instead of 6 or 12 like it has in the past. Never give up and always have a goal! We all start somewhere or even start over somewhere. YOU GOT THIS! Lets do it together!!!!

Ingredients-

Meat-

2 pounds chuck roast

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon cumin 

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon salt 

1 teaspoon pepper

18 oz of canned tomatoes

1 onion chopped

2 cloves garlic minced

Cabbage Slaw-

1 head purple cabbage

1 carrot

3 green onion stalks

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1 lime

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Sweet potatoes
1 small sweet potato per person
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 teaspoon salt 
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Pickled Onions
1 large red onion
2 cups white vinegar
2 teaspoons salt 
1 teaspoon black pepper

Extras 
1 avocado 
queso fresco
cilantro 

black beans

Instructions-

Meat-

Combine all the spices and Extra virgin olive oil in the instant pot or crock pot. 

Cut the meat into roughly into 3inX3in cubes. Next put the meat into the spice mixture. Add the tomatoes onions and garlic. Make sure it is all mixed together. close the instant pot and and turn the vent to sealing.  Cook on manual for 45 minutes. then use quick release, release method. If using a crock pot cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. Shred the meat with a fork.

Cabbage Slaw-

to a large bowl add 1/2 a head of chopped cabbage, 1 large carrot shredded, chopped green onions, cilantro, the juice of 1 lime, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss together and set aside until ready to serve.

Sweet Potatoes-

Cut the potatoes in half then slice into 1/4 inch thick slices. Lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt,  pepper,  garlic powder, and extra virgin olive oil. put in a 500 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until your desired crispiness.

Pickled onions-

Place thinly sliced onions into a container with vinegar, salt, and pepper. Let the onions pickle for at least 1 hour before using them. Will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

To assemble-

Start with putting the crispy sweet potato on the bottom. Then the beans, meat, cabbage slaw, avocado, and queso fresco. Enjoy!

-Cardio and Arms-

Jump Rope 30 seconds

45 seconds of each

Jump Switch

burpees

Tuck Jumps

Star Jacks

Football Runners

Jump rope 3o seconds

15 reps of each right leg forward

Arnold Press

Curl and Press

Row to Tricep kickback

Left Arm Cross Body Curl

Bow and Arrow Pullbacks 

Wide Arm Push ups

Jump Rope 30 seconds

45 seconds of each

Jump Switch

burpees

Tuck Jumps

Star Jacks

Football Runners

Jump Rope 30 seconds

15 reps of each left leg forward

Arnold Press

Curl and Press

Row to Tricep kickback

Right Arm Cross Body Curl

Bow and Arrow Pullbacks 

Wide Arm Push ups

Jump Rope 30 seconds

45 seconds of each

Jump Switch

burpees

Tuck Jumps

Star Jacks

Football Runners

Jump Rope 30 seconds

Chili Lime Red Snapper 

with Jalapeno Coconut Cream Sauce 

 Toasted Coconut Brown Rice 

and Mango Cabbage Slaw

Ingredients

Fish-

1 pound white fish (I used red snapper)

1 lime

1 tablespooncilantro

2 tablespoons coconut oil + 2 tablespoons for searing

! teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes

Jalapeno Coconut Cream Sauce-

1 cup full fat coconut milk

1 small yellow onion

1 clove garlic

1 jalapeno

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

1 lime

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Toasted Coconut Rice-

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 1/2 cups brown rice

1 cup shredded toasted coconut

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 cups water

Mango and Cabbage Slaw-

1 head purple cabbage

1 carrot

3 green onion stalks

1 mango

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1 lime

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Fish-

In a shallow bowl mix together the zest and juice of 1 lime along with cilantro, salt, pepper, red chili flakes, and garlic powder. Next add the fish and let it marinate for about 5 minutes.  I then pan seared the fish in 2 tablespoons of coconut oil for about 5 minutes per side you could also grill the fish for about the same amount of time on each side in a 400 degree grill. I have cooked it both ways and each is delicious just a little more smokey when cooked on the grill.

 Jalapeno Coconut cream sauce-

In a saute pan on médium/high heat add olive oil, chopped onion, and minced garlic. Let that cook until the garlic and onions begin to turn golden brown. Then add the jalapenos, salt, and pepper. Let that cook for 1 minute then add the zest and juice of 1 lime along with the coconut milk. Let that cook for another minute then transfer the sauce to a blender add in the cilantro and blend until smooth.

 Toasted Coconut Rice-

In a pot that is on high heat add rice and coconut oil. let that cook for a couple of minutes until rice gets toasted stirring frequently. Next add the salt and water. Turn the heat down to low and cover with a lid and let cook for 35 minutes. On a baking sheet spread the coconut out into an even layer. place the baking sheet into a preheated 350 degree oven. let the coconut bake until golden brown, about 5 minutes. When the rice is finished cooking mix in the coconut.

Mango Cabbage Slaw-

to a large bowl add 1/2 a head of chopped cabbage, 1 large carrot shredded, 1/2 large or 1 small diced mango, chopped green onions, cilantro, the juice of 1 lime, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss together and set aside until ready to serve.