HUMP DAYYY!  Oh my gosh, you guys, we're half way there. I can't wait. Once it's the weekend I'm only 1 and a half work days away from going home to Florida! I think what I love the most about these #workoutwednesday posts is the fact that I get to hype myself up for the weekend...I truly never realized how amazing the weekends were until I graduated college!

Also this weekend, I'm meeting up with two awesome Philly bloggers - Cristin & Brittany! We're meeting up in Manayunk for dinner & drinks - can't wait to meet them (in real life)! It's so strange how the interwebz can bring together like minded people so easily. We met through through Instagram...what is life?

#WorkoutWednesday

Okay and now getting onto the fun part for today...this CRAZY 7 workout! Why 7, you ask? No clue. Honestly when I was programming this workout, I knew I wanted to include burpees, and for some reason  7 burpees sounded a lot nicer than 10 burpees. And then I got fixated on the number 7 so I created the workout of 7 exercises, 7 reps, 7 rounds. 7-7-7.

This workout has an equal balance of some push, pull, strength and cardiovascular movements - just the way I like it. See the video below for the demos of each exercise! P.S. anything can be modified i.e. step outs for the burpees, take the jump out of the squat, sit up instead of V-up, jumping jack instead of high knees, TRX rows instead of single arm archer rows...there are ALWAYS options! So don't ever do away with a workout if the exercises look intimidating - just ask for the options! 

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQtWn3bobLI[/embed]

And finally, I'll share a current playlist that's rocking my world. Do Or Die by Childish Gambino and Flux Pavillion is my new jam plus anything by Saint Motel!

Have a great day, everyone! 

XO- Rach  

Happy Monday! I'm especially chipper this morning. I taught my 6 a.m. spin class this morning and I'm off to work (for a very long day) but this is my last full week of work before I get to go home to Florida for a much needed little break. I cannot wait to get back to the sunny 85 degree weather (although this weekend in Philly was warm!!) and spend a lot of time with the family. 

This past weekend was great - I didn't get home until around 7:30 on Friday night and had zero energy to do anything, but I woke up refreshed on Saturday morning. I taught a great Super Circuits class at Sweat Fitness, ran some errands, baked and relaxed. My ideal Saturday. Saturday night Michael and I went to a Christmas party with a lot of his Men's Health co-workers. A little too much alcohol, pizza and chips called for a very lazy Sunday, which I had no problem with :)

So Rachel from athleticavocado.com put together an Epic Roundup of Healthy Gingerbread Recipes where I found this amazing Pear Gingerbread recipe made by Lindsay from theleangreenbean.com! I just had to make it. I used Lindsay's recipe as a guide, but I did have to adapt it because I do not have a loaf pan in my new apartment yet, I didn't have any white whole wheat flour on hand (aka Lindsay's recipe is a tad healthier) and I didn't have any pears. SO, I worked with what I had to create these Apple Gingerbread Muffins. They came out incredible, so I bet that Lindsay's Pear Gingerbread recipe is out of this world. 

[yumprint-recipe id='10'] I LOVE these. I've never been one to use ginger a whole lot in my baking  and cooking, but it adds SO much flavor. It will definitely become a staple from now on! This recipe is very easy to throw together, and the yogurt icing is so delicious! I used plain greek yogurt, some powdered sugar and some vanilla extract. 

Have a wonderful day! Thank you, Lindsay for the awesome recipe inspiration!

XO- Rach

This Sweet Potato, Kale & Chicken Stew is an Indian-inspired stew that packs in tons of veggies and protein from the chicken, peas & black beans. All the flavors are brought together with the aromatic Garam Massala spice.  

I've really been into Indian food lately. There's a tiny little place right next to my apartment called Jyoti that has a different menu every day. I've only tried a couple of dishes, but I love love love how Indian food combines such wonderful flavors that are both sweet and spicy. So far my favorite dish included chicken & peas in a tomato sauce - just had to recreate it!

I wanted to make a big batch of something that can be easily reheated and eaten throughout the week, but last week I got real sick of plain old chicken and rice. On Sunday morning Michael made us a delicious breakfast with a sweet potato and kale hash - SUCH a good combination. So sweet potato and kale were the stars of this recipe. 

[yumprint-recipe id='9']Now I'm getting ready to leave for work - could not be looking forward to this weekend more!! It's been a super busy, crazy, hectic etc. couple weeks at work. Very excited to have a couple days off!

And on another note, I just got news that I was hired at Body Cycle Studio! BCS is a boutique cycling studio here in Philly. I'm SO pumped about this new teaching job. It will be a bit different than my other teaching jobs because it's so niche. So if you're in the Philadelphia area and love to cycle - check out Body Cycle Studio. Seriously ALL of the instructors are amazing. 

And that's a wrap! Have a GREAT Friday, everyone! 

XO- Rach

Let's Chat:

What are you looking forward to this weekend?

Do you like cycling?

Do you like Indian food?