maui + oahu, hawaii

This year the boyfriend and I went off to Hawaii for Thankgiving. It's relaxing and lovely and the weather is just perfect. In Maui, we relaxed on the beach and drank mai tais by the pool at our resort hotel, and went to a traditional Hawaiian luau (all-you-can-eat-and-drink - dangerous!) It was a lot of fun. Then we jetted off (shortest flight of my life) to Honolulu and stayed with family who had recently moved there. We hit Pearl Harbor in the wee hours of the morning (fortunately it felt much later to us, still feeling 4 hours ahead), which was sobering and sad and pretty awesome at the same time. We stayed near Chinatown, where we ate delicious foods - the garlic shrimp was to die for - and walked around the markets. We took a day to tour the north side of the island, driving through the mountains, and making a pit stop at the Valley of the Temples to see the Byodo-In Temple, a replica of the world heritage temple in Uji, Japan. It was really beautiful, and probably the prettiest cemetary I've ever seen. We drove around to a shrimp shack on the side of the road for the most delicious, gigantic shrimp with rice & corn on the cob. (The corn in no way compares to Iowa sweet corn, btw). On our last night, we hung out by Waikiki, had drinks at a dive bar and then a hoppin' bar inside the mall - seemed to be the place to be! We had a lovely Thanksgiving meal before heading to the airport to catch our flight back home.

watching the windsurfers in the ocean on northwest shore of Oahu

chicken chili

This is my favorite recipe to make in cold, winter months.

chili ingredients
- 1 rotisserie chicken or 4 cups chopped chicken breasts & thighs
- 3 cans white beans (northern or cannellini) 
- 1 can pinto or kidney beans
- 2 onions, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped or 1 tbsp minced garlic from jar
- 2 cans green chiles
- 1 japaleno, chopped
- 2 tbsp cumin
- 1 tsp oregano or italian seasoning
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 6 cups chicken broth 

toppings
- Monterrey jack cheese
- non-fat Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
- green onion or parsley

1. Combine all chili ingredients in slow cooker for 3-4 hours, or low simmer on stovetop for 40 minutes to an hour, depending on how much of a hurry you are in. Cook onions first to speed up cooking.

2. Ladel into bowls and top with grated cheese and/or greek yogurt, and green onion.

3. Enjoy! 
 

northern india

I've been to India twice now - once for a winter trip to Delhi, Rishikesh, Haridwar, and Agra, and another for a wedding in Delhi. Once I got over the jet lag (not easy!) I was able to enjoy the beauty that I saw. 

Highlights of the trip...
Old Delhi & markets
Bring your negotiating skills. Bring back pashminas, scarves and jewelry (bangles are my fav),and maybe a sari or two for yourself. Taste the street food, but be careful not to drink any water.

lots of beautiful fabric to be found in the markets

try the tasty parathas in street markets

January 2015

My January plan is to incorporate high intensity interval training (HIIT) into my workouts as well as stick to an abs & yoga routine. I have incorporated these into my workouts in the past, but I haven't regularly scheduled them until now.


January workout plan

Monday - legs/butt + HIIT stairmaster (15-20 mins)

Tuesday - shoulders

Wednesday - back/biceps + HIIT treadmill (15-20 mins)

Thursday - chest / triceps + abs (Fitcore class)

Friday - rest day

Saturday - HIIT treadmill (15-20 mins), yoga class

Sunday - rest day

HIIT: 
- 30 seconds: high-intensity (sprinting/running, high elliptical or stairmaster level)
- 60 seconds: low-intensity exercise / rest
Repeat 10 times, followed by a final 30-second high-intensity blast. 

Chest / tricep workout

Chest & triceps workout

1.Barbell bench press

Alternate 2-3

2. Incline dumbbell bench press

3. Push-ups 

Alternate 4-5

4. Cable lunge + chest press

5. Plank + alternating shoulder touch

6. Cable fly

1. Barbell bench press

Leg/butt workout

Leg workout 

Alternate exercises 1-4, 3 sets each

1. Trx bands: One leg pull ups

2. Trx bands: side lunges 

3. Step ups - front 

4. Step ups - side / lateral

Alternate exercises 5-6, 3 sets each

5. Bench lunge

6. Sit to stand (one leg)

1. TRX bands: one leg pull-ups