Evolve With Mary

Happy Valentines Day Eve!!!

So sorry for the delay in posting, but I dropped my iphone in the potty and that delayed my entire day. My iphone is chillin in a bag of rice right now, everyone please cross your fingers that it will turn on within 24 hours!

Low Fat
Red Velvet Bottom Cup Cakes

Ingredients

Cream Cheese Filling

8 oz package 1/3 less fat cream cheese

8oz cream cheese 800 calories,

1 egg

1/3 cup splenda/sugar mix

Substitution for sugar

3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1 teaspoon vanilla

Red Velvet Cake Batter

1-2/3 cups unbleached flour

8oz cream cheese 800 calories,

1 cup splenda/sugar mix

Substitution for sugar

4 teaspoons cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup water

1/3 cup canola oil

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon Red food coloring

Preparation

Cream Cheese Filling

In small bowl mix cheese, egg, sugar and vanilla until smooth
Stir in chocolate chips. Set aside

Cup Cake batter

In mixing bowl whisk together all dry ingredients
Add water, oil, vinegar and vanilla, then beat until smooth
Stir in red food coloring
Fill cupcake liners 1/3 full with red velvet cake batter
Spoon cheese mixture on top
Bake at 350 degrees 30-35 minutes
DO NOT OVER COOK!!!
Let cook completely before serving. Makes 24 cupcakes

I followed the recipe, i did overfill the cupcake cups so I would have large cupcakes, but doesn't everybody do that???

I love baking but a lot of people find it challenging. I like this recipe because you don't need mixer, a whisk does the job just as well. The cup cakes turned out great!!! Very moist and creamy. I hope you enjoy them .

Original recipe by: Sweet Simple Stuff

Adjusted with Love by: Me!

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

Calories: 130

Total Fat: 4.7g

Protein: 3.1g

Carbohydrate: 21.1g

Fiber: 0.7g

Cholesterol: 28.1mg

Sodium: 118.3mg

Challenge Tuesdays

Every Tuesday I challenge you to do an exercise for the next 7 days straight. Last week I challenged everyone to complete 50 squats a day. How did it work for you? Did you complete the challenge or was it too hard? I need some feed back, please let me know. Today I'm challenging you to an age old cardio exercise that has withstood the test of time.

I officially challenge you to complete 50 jumping jacks a day

for the next 7 days

You can break it down into 2 sets of 25 or you can just bust out all 50 at one time.

Personal Reflection

I have never been a jumping person. I'm top heavy so it's hard for me to jump around and shake "things" up. Last week I decided I was going back to the basics to try to find different ways to get my heart rate elevated without having to get on a piece of exercise equipment. I tried jumping jacks and jumping rope. I enjoyed both, but I enjoyed jumping jacks the most. It is truly a full-bodied cardio exercise that activates legs, butt, arms, core, chest, and challenges the cardiovascular system. I come from a military family and I have alway envied military bodies. Yummmmmmmy! Our sexy soldiers get their ripped bodies by training with no equipment, just a lot of running, jumping jacks, pull ups, push ups, and pretty much all the basic exercises that most people feel are out dated. If it's good for "A Few Good Men" then it's good enough for me.

The challenge is to push yourself everyday by adding 50 Jumping Jacks to your existing or non-existing work out routine.

Jumping jacks are showing up in numerous workouts. I spoted them on the biggest looser, in bootcamp training workshop, and even in some new age yoga classes.

Aerobic Benefits

The number one benefit from doing jumping jacks is that it elevates your heart rate. While breathing deeply during jumping you deliver oxygen to your blood stream and your muscles. You burn fat at a rapid rate and promote weight loss.

Strengthening Benefits

Jumping jacks are a full-body workout. By moving all of your large muscle groups you are actively challenging yourself with your own body weight.

Proper Way to a Jumping Jack

1. Start with feet together and arms at your thighs

2. Jump out landing your feet shoulder-width apart and heels off ground

3. Simultaneously swing arms straight out to the side until they meet around your head

4. Push off the balls of your feet, bringing them back together again, while swinging your arms down to against your thighs.

Good Luck!

P.S. Try to continue your 50 squats a day. That's my super duper challenge.

REFERENCES:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/460979-benefits-of-jumping-jacks/#ixzz2Ki1GU1AO

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/alissa8.com

http://www.livestrong.com/article/506283-ways-to-do-jumping-jacks/

Abdominal Mondays!

My goal is to have a 6 pack by summer. Maybe not a ripped, super defined 6 pack; but I want to get rid of my belly fat and tone up my abdominal muscles.

I was told by a very wise woman that abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym. You must to have a very clean diet to truly see the results from all the sit-ups, crunches, and reverse crunches you complete. This sounds great, but I can't follow a strict diet. I will try my best to avoid fried foods, most kinds of bread, and late night snacking, yet I'm still not sure if I really have what it takes to get where I want to go. Regardless of my downfalls and vices, food, I am going to try extra hard, and see what happens.

I promise to post pictures of my abdominals every Monday, share a some of my favorite abdominal exercises, and my food intake that week. The plan is to keep a clean diet, and truly push myself towards my goals.

Wish me luck! I need your support.

Ab roller

I swear by this thing. It is only $20 and it keeps my stomach flat!!!! I try to complete 1000 crunches a day, 2 sets of 500. It takes about 30 minutes. I can see and feel the results.

If you're a beginner don't try to complete 1000 crunches a day. I would suggest 50 crunches, or if you are feeling aggressive, 100 crunches a day. Stay there for a week or two, then increase your number of crunches when you feel comfortable.

This piece of exercise equipment is perfect to use while watching TV.

You can find an Ab Roller at Walmart, Target, and most sporting good stores.

*Disclaimer: this piece of equipment will not shed belly fat and create stunning abdominals for you, you must watch your food intake and do your cardio, to get results you can see.

--> I never was a big calorie counter. I always wanted to be the girl that didn’t have to count calories and stayed thin. After lots of struggling, I finally realized I’m just not that girl. I can’t eat meat and potatoes every night and stay slim, it's not in my DNA. I have hips, thighs and a butt that will expand if I’m not careful. I have to keep a watchful eye on how many calories I consume.

At first calorie counting was annoying and frustrating. Tracking, and making a mental note of every bite that I put into my mouth became torture; but now I don’t even think I about it. I found obsessing over food doesn’t work for me. I discovered keeping a loose tally, and try to eat as healthy as possible everyday is the only way to keep me on track.

Eat good 80% of the time,

Eat what you want the other 20%

Here are some tips I use to monitor my calorie intake

Read Food Labels

Food labels will tell you how many calories, carbohydrate, protein and fat are in the foods you’re eating.

Keep your eyes on the portion size at the top of the food label.

If you look at the food label on Top Ramen, the portion size for a package is 1.5, but servings per container is 2. Which means you must double the calories listed on the label if you consume the entire Top Ramen package.

Start a Food Diary

Writing down the food you consume everyday helps control what you are eating. Most people will eat less just so they don’t have to record their terrible eating habits. Once you have a full week recorded go back and figure out how many calories you consumed each day. There are many online calorie counting websites that you can use for free. By tracking your calories you become aware of how much you are consuming on a daily bases. You can also identify where you can improve, and when and where you display the most restraint.

-->I am an eater! I love to consume food, all kinds of food, Mexican, Italian, Southern Cuisine, Thai, you name it, I like it. I don’t have a problem with eating at all. I do have a problem with finding tasty low calorie recipes to make at home.

I am on a mission to cook, edit, and consume low calorie recipes at least two to three times a week. Eating in is cheaper, and cooking can be an adventure.

Today I’m featuring:

Shrimp With Creamy Orange-Chipotle Sauce

Ingredients

2/3 cup half and half

208 calories in 2/3 cup of half and half

1 large chipotle chile, canned in adobe sauce

The can I purchased had 10-15 small chilies, I used 3

1 teaspoon grated orange rind

I usually skip rinds, but the orange rind added dimensions of flavor

cooking spray

I used olive oil cooking spray

1 ½ pounds peeled and de-veined large shrimp

¾ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Hot Cooked Linguine

Regular linguine Vs wheat linguine,

-Regular linguine has 220 calories, 1.29g fat, and 42.95g carbs,

-Wheat linguine has 100 calories, .5g fat, 21g carbs.

I went with the wheat linguine, and it tasted like the real thing.

Preparation

Place first 3 ingredients in a blender, process until smooth
Heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray; add shrimp.
Coat shrimp with cooking spray, sprinkle with cumin and salt
Sauté 4 minutes or until shrimp are done stirring frequently
Transfer shrimp to your serving plate
Reduce heat to medium, add half and half mixture to pan and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly
Pour sauce over shrimp, sprinkle with cilantro
Server over linguine, if desired.

I followed the recipe until it came to number 7.

Instead of pouring the sauce over the shrimp and sprinkling it with cilantro, and added the cook linguine to the half and half mixture, making sure the pasta soaked up all that flavor.

Then I add the shrimp + cilantro and let it simmer on med-low for 3-5 minutes, mixing well, until sauce coated the linguine.

This turned into one of the easiest recipes I've tackled. The flavor is excellent, and the calorie count is low. Try it out and let me know what you think!

Original recipe by: Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast, Oxmoor House 2009

Adjusted with Love by: Me!

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

Calories: 186

Calories from fat: 30%

Fat: 6g

Saturated Fat: 3.3g

Monounsaturated fat: 0.3g

Polyunsaturated fat: 0.6g

Protein: 28.3g

Carbohydrate: 2.6g

Fiber: 0.5g

Cholesterol: 267mg

Iron: 4.3mg

Sodium: 494mg

Calcium: 97mg

Today I challenge you to do this exercise for the next 7 days straight. I am living proof that small changes can evolve into big changes, which, in turn, can change your life. The most frequently asked question is how do I get started? If you don’t exercise on a regular bases committing to 40-60 minutes a day (suggested by the FDA) seems impossible, outrageous, and obnoxious.

Start small, bigger things will come.

I officially challenge you to complete 50 squats a day. You can break it down into 5 sets of 10 or 10 sets of 5. I plan on doing 50 squats as soon as I jump out of the bed, or while brushing my teeth. Maybe you can fit them in waiting for the elevator, or while your computer is warm up. It doesn’t matter when or where you do them, the challenge is to push yourself everyday by adding 50 squats to your existing or non-existing work out routine.

Personal Reflection

I hated Squats!!! HATED HATED HATED HATED! My knees always felt shaky, I never understood why such a simple exercise always raised my heart rate, and triggered perspiration. I know squats are supposed to lift my butt, and tone my legs, so for the sake of my jeans, and my sex life, I decided to make squats part of my regular workout routine. I don’t love them, but I don’t hate them as much as I used to. My butt looks better then ever, it sits up like a happy bubble. My legs are a different story, they are much more shapely then they were; but my hips (and the Lawrence / Breedlove gene pool) let me know that I have a lot more squats to complete to truly tame these legs.

I feel like I have forever to get my body where I want it to be, so I’m going to keep pushing myself and start completing my squats everyday and hopefully my butt won’t drop anytime soon.

Benefits of Squats

Squats build Muscles in your entire body.

Squats help build quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves, when squats are done properly they can be so intense that it can improve muscle mass when you train other areas of your body aside from you legs.

Squat are functional exercises

Functional exercises help your body to perform real-life activities, as opposed to being able to complete gym equipment exercises. When you squat you build muscle and help your muscle work more efficiently. They also encourage mobility and balance.

Burn More FAT!!!

Best way to burn more calories is to gain more muscle. Every pound of additional muscle you gain, your body will burn an additional 50-70 calories per day. If you gain 10 pounds of muscle you will automatically burn 500-700 more calories per day then you did before.

Get that bubble butt and those abs in shape. Not many exercises work as many muscles as squats do, its also great for toning and tightening your booty, abs and legs. That’s enough reason for me to do squats every day.

Proper Way to Perform a Squat

1. Warm up by bending your knees a few times and squatting down as far as you can before starting. Get your blood flowing

2. Stand with your feet just over shoulder width apart

3. Keep arms extended straight in front of you, as if you a reaching for something

4. Keep your back in a neutral position, and keep your knees centered over your feet

5. Slowly bend your knees, hips and ankles, lowering until you reach a comfortable, but challenging angle. Do not push yourself into a deep squat until it feels safe. Controlled squats are safer and smarter

6. Breathe in as you lower, breathe out as you return to starting position

Good Luck!

REFERENCES:

Br J Sports Med

Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1989 Jun;21(3):299-303.

http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2012/05/25/darin-steen-demonstrates-the-perfect-squat.aspx

I'm sick and tried. Truth be told, I'm tired of refraining from most of my favorite foods and not having the perfect body that I desire. I don't eat meat, I hide from fried foods, and I haven't had a soda in the past 5 years; yet, I still don't have wash board abs, ripped arms and manageable thighs. I'm learning that the image of myself is different from everyone else's image of me. I'm always so surprise that people describe my body as amazing and perfect. Who are they looking at? I'm usually a lot more accepting of myself, but I'm human, and today I'm annoyed.

All these feeling could be from the fact that I have a 102 degree fever that keeps coming and going. Or the fact that I'm coughing up so much gross stuff it makes me want to throw up. Who enjoys being sick? I know I don't, but it is what it is, being sick is a part of life.

All this to say everyone has good and bad days. Today I looked at myself naked in the mirror and I was disappointed. Tomorrow I might look in the mirror and be proud and inspired. Even thought I eat, sleep, and breath fitness it doesn't make my journey any easier. We are all in this together. I need your support just as much as you need mine.

Let's inspire each other.

So sorry I have been out of touch for a week or so. I turned 30 on the 21st, then Thanksgiving came, and the next day I left for a weekend get away. All is well. I'm happy, healthy, and excited for life.

Surprisingly I didn't over eat on Thanksgiving, which is always a struggle for me. The fact that I have omitted meat from my diet helped curb the calorie count, but I did enjoy mash potatoes, gravy and all the fixings. Try not to be too hard on yourself this time of year. It's hard to refrain from all your favorite foods when family members and close friends are force feeding you. Try to control the other days. If you can find restrain on the other, non important, days leading up to the holidays it all evens out.

At work people are bringing in sweets, cookies, and pies that you "have" to try. At home a hearty meal during the winter season seems needed rather then a light salad. I myself wrestle with this every year. Staying on track for me consist of working out 5 to 6 days a week, eating a small breakfast, making sure to consume at least 1 apple day, and watching my calorie and sodium intake during dinner.

Take the time to figure out what staying on track looks like for you. Maybe it's exercising 2-3 days a week, or it's controlling your late night snacking. Whatever it is write it down and try to revisit it once a week. Hold your self accountable. You control what you consume. With a lot of effort, and an elevated sense self control you can stay on track during the holidays.

Don't beat yourself up when you fall of the healthy wagon. Just get back on. I used to beat myself up when I over ate. That's not what the holidays are about. Enjoy yourself, eat your favorite foods, reconnect with family, and hold yourself accountable.

Today I had a wonderful shopping day. Like a lot of people I have good shopping days and really really bad shopping days. For the past 3 months I have avoided the dressing room. The lighting never does anything for my complexion and that small 5 by 5 room always seems to add an extra 10 pounds.

My 30th birthday is coming up and I have been working hard exercising and watching my diet. Today was my day of reason. I grabbed a pair of jeans, and headed to the dressing room. I was nervous. I know what a bad shopping trip can and will do to my confidence, so I made sure to get dressed turned away from the mirror, just in case something didn't fit. To my surprise the jeans slipped on like they were made for me. I couldn't my believe it. I was so flabbergasted that I slipped them off to make sure they were a size 10. Once I confirmed the size, I again expected the jeans to not fit, but just like the first time, they slip up my thighs like butter! When I finally turned around to admired myself in the mirror and I still couldn't believe my eyes. I had no muffin top, my butt looked great and I could breath freely!

I'm happy that all my hard work is paying off. I'm proud of my body and of myself. I can't believe I'm going to be 30 and I can still fit into a size 10! I can't wait to see what's next. Watch out world, here comes Mary!

Petrale Sole dipped in egg covered in panko bread crumbs. I covered a cookie sheet with olive oil spray, then placed the fish, touching each other, but not overlapping. I sprayed more olive oil on top of fish and placed it in the oven on the top rack at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or until panko crust browns and fish is cooked.

The salad has yellow and orange sweet bell peppers, radishes, slices mushrooms, a boiled egg, marinated feta cheese, and mixed greens.

I opted out on dressing, but that doesn't mean you have too.

Yesterday I played a part in making a dying wish come true. A friend of a friend has a terminal illness, he is so special and brave and grateful. He changed my life. Everyday I strive to be a better person and to help as many people as possible. After yesterday I realized I am on the right track and will continue to give back, helping anyone, and everyone that I can.

Our health is important. It gets a little taxing watching every bite you put in your mouth and trying to work up a sweat at least 4-5 days a week; but it's worth it. Our health is something not to be taken for granted.

When you run out of energy to stay healthy and you just want to stop and consume any and everything you desire think of your family and all the people that would be effectived if something happen to you.

Living healthy isn't a chore or a daily annoyance, it's a necessary evil that must be taken seriously. Not just for you but for you love ones.

Blessings my friends

Ms. Mary

Most people I come in contact with, on a daily bases, assume that I have been this fit and firm size all my life. I have actually been a lot bigger and about 10 pound smaller. People’s opinion of me doesn’t factor into to my goals or aspirations. When I was smaller many people told me I was too small. When I was bigger numerous people told me I was just right, or way to fat. I had to look deep inside and ask myself what I wanted, and where was I comfortable.

I discovered the number on the scale didn’t and still doesn’t mean that much to me. I am a strong, solid woman, so the scale always seems to surprise me. I’m also not stuck on a certain dress size. I like my hips when I can fill out a size 9-10 compared to a size 7-8, but I truly don’t care about the number on the tags I just want to be comfortable in my skin while in compromising positions. Compromising positions like bending over to pick up a piece of paper, if I can’t bend over without taking a deep breath, holding my stomach in, and re-adjusting my clothes before and after I bend I know I’m not where I want to be.

Of course I would love to look like some of the women on TV. Soft smooth skin, no stretch marks, no back fat, a flat stomach with hints of strong abdominals behind it. I don’t hate those women, or even envy them. When it comes down to it I know will always have stretch marks, I will always have attention grabbing childbearing hips, and there is nothing wrong with that. I sweat everyday to obtain the goals that are obtainable for me. I can have a flat stomach with hints of abs behind it, and I can tighten my butt into a perfectly round bubble. I can even slim my waistline with certain exercise correctly executed.

There is nothing wrong with admiring other people’s body, but you have to live in your own. You have to accept the fact that you might not naturally have a 22-inch waist, ripped arms, or a perfectly flat stomach, but you can work for those things. Once you are honest with yourself you can figure out what your true goals are. Once you figure out your true goals you can start making the necessary changes in the right direction. Everyone deserves the body they want, and everyone can access their dream body. Aggressive goals aren’t bad goals, but give yourself time and put the energy into seeing real results. Real change doesn’t happen over night, but it does happen. When you believe in yourself anything is possible and any goal is obtainable.

Blessings My Friends!!!

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