Back on Track

If you've been reading for a while, you might have noticed it's been quite a while since I posted a workout on here. Ever since I went back to work in April, I've found it really difficult to make time for exercise. There are always dishes to be done, laundry to be folded, floors to be swept and a mobile 8-month old baby to chase after.

I work fairly long hours and have a really long commute into the city, so waking up extra early to squeeze in a workout before Riker wakes up has not been first on my list of things to do. The problem is, that little bit of extra sleep I'm hanging onto doesn't make me feel more relaxed, and it certainly doesn't make me feel any healthier than a good run would. Over the last few months I've slowly slipped into one of those workout ruts, and I'm reminded by it every time I look in the mirror.

A few weeks ago I was contacted by someone at Beachbody.com, the makers of my beloved P90X videos. She let me know of a few new Beachbody workout series she thought all of you might like to check out. After taking a look at them, that old inspiration started to creep back in.

Check out these awesome new series:

Body Beast Workout 
Ultimate Reset
RevAbs
P90X for iPhones (finally!)
P90Xx2 Workouts
  
The Body Beast looks a little intense for me, but the P90X for iPhones is right up my alley (would be great for traveling!), and the Ultimate Reset looks great for when you need a kick start. This fall they're also launching an Asylum Volume 2 workout, which shares advanced training techniques top athletes use. Check it out here.

Today I forced myself to realize that the dishes and laundry will always be there, and the house could always be a little cleaner. My to-do list will really never be finished, no matter how many errands I run or chores I do. No matter what my work schedule is, I've realized I really need to make time for myself and take care of my body. The residual effects of having a solid exercise routine - other than feeling and looking better - is that my eating habits also tend to improve. When I'm committed to working out, I tend to not want to indulge my sweet tooth as often and actually find myself craving fruits and veggies more often. A win-win!

So, starting this morning, I'm getting back on track. I popped in a P90X video and got to work right when I woke up so I wouldn't have a chance to lose my motivation. It felt so good to sweat again! Thankfully I'm starting a new schedule at work next week and will now be working from home 4 days a week, thanks to a wonderfully understanding boss, so now I really have no excuse. In the words of Tony Horton, bring it! ;-)

What do you do to get yourself motivated and out of a workout rut? Share your tips and inspiration!

Asian Salmon Burgers with Wasabi Mayo

On my last trip to Vermont a few months ago before my maternity leave ended - sadness how long ago that was already - I picked up a bottle of ginger lime marinade by The Ginger People at my favorite health food store. Totally on a whim, since I rarely use marinades. It's been hanging out in the fridge since April waiting to be opened, and a few nights ago I finally figured out how to use it.

I had bought a nice piece of salmon I fully planned on grilling to eat over a salad (my summer obsession!), but just wasn't feeling it night after night. After two days of staring at that pink filet every time I opened the fridge and knowing it was *this close* to going past my threshold of how fresh a piece of fish simply must be before I get squirmy and refuse to use it, the thought of burgers popped into my head.

Enter a quick whirl in the food processor and few typical Asian ingredients I had in the fridge, plus my new marinade, and we had some seriously tasty salmon burgers. They had a great punch of flavor - a bit spicy, a bit tangy from the lime, and a nice saltiness. I served them on low carb sandwich thins with a quick wasabi mayo and thickly sliced, ruby red tomatoes from the garden. I had a long lost bag of edamame in the freezer I remembered at the last minute, which made a perfect side.

Eaten on TV trays while watching Breaking Bad, this was a perfect little summer dinner and twist on the old grilled salmon. Speaking of Breaking Bad, off to watch last week's episode, which is still waiting patiently on the DVR. It's getting crazy!

Asian Salmon Burgers with Wasabi Mayo

Serves 4

Ingredients
3/4 pound salmon
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. fish sauce
2 Tbsp. Asian style marinade (I used The Ginger People's ginger lime)
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
Salt & pepper to taste
Dash of garlic powder

Wasabi Mayo Ingredients
1 Tbsp. wasabi powder
2 Tbsp. olive oil mayo

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a food processor, combine salmon, soy sauce, fish sauce and marinade. Once combined, transfer to a bowl and fold in egg, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and garlic powder (using your hands works best). Form into 4 patties, and let rest on wax paper for about a half hour. Patties will be sticky.

Heat an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat and spray with cooking spray. Add burgers to pan and sear on both sides until golden brown. Transfer the pan to the oven to finish cooking, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine wasabi powder and mayo and mix well; set aside.

Serve on buns or sandwich thins spread with wasabi mayo.

Baked Zucchini Parmesan

Dinner tonight was a snap since I had two of these in the freezer just waiting to be baked and devoured.

Zucchinis are plentiful this time of year, and I usually eat them grilled or in couscous salads, but my fridge was starting to overflow with them since they grow like weeds in our garden, and I just needed to do something different. 

I lightly coated the zucchini slices with Italian breadcrumbs, then baked them until they were tender on the inside and slightly crisp on the outside. While they were baking, I cooked down red and yellow cherry tomatoes with garlic, onions, a little olive oil and fresh basil.

Then I layered the zucchini with the tomato mixture and low fat mozzarella cheese into individual baking dishes.

I wrapped them up and froze them, then tonight I microwaved them uncovered for 5 minutes each and then finished them under the broiler for a few minutes until they were brown and bubbly. If you want to eat them on the night of, just stick them under the broiler right after they're made.

When it's not a 800 degrees outside, a baked dish is good even in the summertime, and these are perfect to make ahead and then pull out on a busy weeknight. The zucchini holds up really well to baking, and I loved the use of plump cherry tomatoes here rather than a smooth tomato sauce. I liked these even better than eggplant parm. No spongy! 

And oh yes, scraping the crispy cheese off the side of the dish is quite obviously the best part. And to top it off, each mini casserole has less than 350 calories and over 21 grams of protein. Can't beat that!

Baked Zucchini Parmesan

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 medium zucchini, sliced

1 egg white, beaten

1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs

1 tsp. olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1 cup fresh basil

4 oz. part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

3 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Dip zucchini slices in egg and then breadcrumbs, and sprinkle with 1 tsp. salt and the cayenne pepper. Place on cookie sheet coated with cooking spray, and bake for about 20 minutes, turning halfway through. Zucchini should be cooked through, golden brown and crisp.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in saucepan over medium-low heat, and add onions, garlic, salt and pepper. Sweat until onions are translucent. Add tomatoes and cook for about 10-15 minutes, until tomatoes burst and break down. Add basil, stir through and set aside.

In a baking dish coated with cooking spray, layer cooked zucchini rounds with tomato sauce and cheese. Bake for about 10 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and golden.