TGIF!

Hello there, and happy Friday to everyone!
Sorry about the lack of post yesterday, I was working from home while also watching sweet Nora.. and sweet Nora is a busy Nora.. so I didn't have time to post!
I ended up not doing Zumba last night, it's 'that time of the month' and my lower back was cramping pretty seriously and I really wasn't feeling up to it.  In addition to not doing Zumba, I didn't make it to the gym this morning either!  Nora kept mommy awake for a good portion of the night and I 'snoozed' right through all of my alarms!  I plan to go tomorrow morning to make up for it, though :)
I did a good arm workout yesterday morning and I'm sore from it today!  I love being sore, then I know I've really done something.  OH! and I made my new workouts!  All on my own!  I'm so proud of myself lol.  I'll be starting these workouts on Monday and I can't wait!  The schedule is as follows:
Monday: Legs
Tuesday: Shoulders & Back
Wednesday: Cardio Only
Thursday: Abs & Butt
Friday: Arms & Chest
Each of the weight-training days have a little cardio at the beginning and end of each session as well.  I think it's going to be good!!  I'm also going to continue doing Zumba and Spinning so that's an additional 120 minutes of cardio per week. 

Wednesday night I mentioned that I was cooking Turkey Burgers, Sweet Potato Fries and a Veggie for dinner.  It was totally yummy and here's the recipe:
Turkey Burgers:
I keep frozen turkey burgers in my freezer as regular inventory so I used those and seasoned with Cumin, Granulated Garlic and Chili Powder, but if you want to make yours fresh, here's the recipe that I had (which sounds delicious!)
1lb Thawed Ground Turkey
1 small can Diced Green Chiles
1/2 tbs Diced Garlic
Low Fat Pepperjack Cheese
Romaine Lettuce
Tomato
Avacado
Whole Wheat Buns
Sweet Potato Fries:
2 Sweet Potatoes
1tbs EVOO
1tsp Ground Cumin
1tsp Chili Powder
1tsp Granulated Garlic
Salt & Pepper
For the Potatoes:
Pre-heat oven to 425
Cut your potatoes in 1/2" rounds and then slice the rounds into 'fingers'.  Put in a big bowl then add EVOO and the seasonings.  Toss to coat.  Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray w/ cooking spray.  Spread potatoes on cookie sheet in an even layer and bake for 30-35 minutes, stirring frequently (important step, they will burn!) Remove from the oven, squeeze a little lime juice over them and enjoy!
For the Burgers:
Combine turkey, cumin and garlic.  Shape into 4 patties and grill (I used George Forman).
Toast the buns under the broiler for a couple of minutes (keep an eye- they burn easily!) or directly on the grill.
Build:
On bottom of bun, put your patty, a slice of LF cheese (optional, I skipped the cheese to save calories/fat), a couple slices of avacado, slice of tomato and lettuce. Top with the top of your bun!
*I served this meal with Green Beans and chopped Bell Pepper sauteed in a little EVOO, garlic and worcestershire sauce. 

Yummy, right?!  And easy :)
So last night I made Shrimp Tacos with Pineapple Mango Salso and Black Beans.  Again, yummy!
Shrimp Tacos:
1lb Medium Shrimp, deveined, shell and tail OFF (I couldn't find tail off so I had to pull it off of each shrimp!)
1tbs EVOO
2tbs Minced Garlic
1tbs Ground Cumin
1tsp Cayanne Pepper
1/4c Cilantro, chopped
1 tbs Lime Juice
4 Whole Wheat Tortillas
Pineapple Mango Salsa:
1 ripe Mango, peeled and diced
1 8oz can of Pineapple Tidbits in JUICE (not syrup!), diced
1/2 Red bell pepper, diced
1/4c Red Onion, diced
2tbs Cilantro, chopped
Lime Juice
Salt and Pepper
Black Beans:
1 can Black Beans
2tbs EVOO
1tsp Ground Cumin
2tbs Red Onion, diced
1tsp Minced Garlic
For the Tacos:
In a skillet over medium heat, add EVOO and garlic.  Cook for 1 minute then add Cumin and Cayanne. Cook for 2 minutes then add Shrimp.  Toss and cook until shrimp cooked through (opaque).  Once cooked, squeeze lime juice and add Cilantro, toss and remove from heat.
For the Salsa:
Dice the mango, pineapple, red bell pepper and red onion and add to a bowl.  Squeeze in a bit of lime juice, add cilantro, season with salt and pepper and mix, set aside.
For the Beans:
In a saucepan, cook EVOO and onion and garlic for about 2 minutes.  Add the cumin and beans and simmer for about 5 minutes.
To serve:
In a WW tortilla, scoop 1/4 of shrimp and top with a couple spoons of the salsa.  Wrap and serve beans on the side. 
This was really yummy and I plan to try it again with chicken to lower cholesterol and calories!

Okay, moving on to today! My menu for the day is pretty whack because I didn't have much time to pack anything this morning :(
Food for today:
Breakfast:
LF Vanilla yogurt w/ strawberries and crushed grahams

Snack:
Pineapple and a few natural raw almonds

Lunch:
TBD - I'm going to meet my parents and Nora :)  Something healthy!!

Snack:
More pineapple and almonds

Dinner:
TBD!  I'll update tomorrow :)

I'm kind of excited to weigh-in tonight.  Although I skipped the gym 2 days this week, I feel as if I've done well with my nutrition and the time I spent in the gym I did some pretty good work :)

I have made a decision that if I am going to commit myself to this I need to commit myself fully.. SO tomorrow I am going to finally post my before pictures and my current weight to track.  This makes me nervous.  Very nervous.  I never tell anyone how much I weigh.. so why not start with the whole internet, right?!
Oh well I just keep telling myself not to be embarrassed because it's only a starting point.. and at some point I'll be proud to tell people how much I weigh :)

So, until tomorrow..... :)