Homemade and Delicious 5 Layer Dip

The other day I had a craving for a 5 layer dip with tostitos. It was a Friday night and I wanted to treat myself while watching a movie. So off I go to the grocery store and close to half an hour later I left the store frustrated and empty handed. I discovered that every pre made dip I picked up had a million ingredients that I couldn't even begin to pronounce! I thought "Why is that necessary!?!?" It's not that hard to make and there are only a few ingredients needed, so I decided to make my own. Here's my recipe! 

Ingredients: 

-sour cream (I mixed a little taco seasoning in it) 

- guacamole (1 avacado, I clove crushed garlic, lime juice, salt and pepper) 

- salsa ( I mixed 2 tbsp of store bought salsa with 2 chopped tomatoes and red onion) 

-grated low fat old cheddar cheese 

Layer in the order listed above, serve with whole wheat tostitos, and enjoy! Would also be delicious with black beans (to make the fifth layer!) 

Who needs store bought 5 layer dip anyway!?!? This one was FAR superior!! 

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Trainer Training Trainer: Week 4

Welcome back!!! It's officially ONE WEEK until I leave for Jamaica and I am super excited! I have not only been working hard in the gym but I have been making a conscious effort to eat clean, nutritious, and whole foods. I have lost 7 lbs so far in just 4 weeks and can now do 3 FULL pull ups (huge progress for me!!) More importantly, I feel better and stronger with each day that passes!

Last Tuesday my trainer came and once again kicked my ass. Being New Years Eve and knowing I was going out that evening, I made sure I pushed myself extra hard. Did I enjoy every minute of the sweat pouring off of me and my muscles feeling like they were being ripped right off my bones? Absolutely not. But did I feel it was all worth it afterwards? YES!!! I can't even begin to describe the feeling of accomplishment and success I have after every workout. 

Wednesday: Took New Years Day off. We need these once and a while! 


Thursday: Trainer came again and although I was a little tired and low on energy from my busy and social New Years, he showed no sympathy. Another tough workout was mastered.

Friday: In the morning I was sure to get some cardio in before heading to IKEA and Mapleview Mall in Burlington to do some shopping for our upcoming trip. I killed three birds with one stone which you can read about here.

Saturday I woke up with a bit of a head cold and though I did not feel like going to the gym I persevered and did a two hour cardio and chest/back/abs workout at Goodlife Fitness. This combined with a sauna session and tan left me feeling great afterwards!!

Sunday: Did not feel well :( Day off to rest and get better! 

Monday: Woke up again not feeling great and debated going to the gym. After cancelling my clients in Stratford due to crappy road conditions and having one other client cancel, I figured I would hit the gym to fill my extra time. I braved the slippery roads and blowing snow and met my sister at Goodlife Fitness. Despite my runny nose and congested sinuses, I took us through a challenging plyo-type workout combined with lots of running and core training. Am I glad I went? Absolutely! 



Tuesday I pleaded with my trainer to take it easy on me as I was still not feeling 100% and thankfully he listened. I ate this nutritious and filling breakfast an hour before he showed up and after an hour of low intensity weight training and core I was ready for a nap! 

Today (Wednesday): Cardio day!! 40 minutes of interval training (2 minutes hard/fast, followed by 1 minute recovery). All the while writing this blog post! 

Tomorrow I will meet with my trainer again and I think its an understatement to say it will be a challenging workout! I'm sure you will hear all about it on my final "Trainer Training Trainer" blog post next week. Until then, be happy, eat healthy, and stay fit!! 

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Meal Prep Made Easy

Exercising in my 'hot yoga' studio

Hello again!!! I'm writing this post while riding my stationary bike at home and walking Molly on the treadmill beside me...thought i'd kill three birds with one stone! Blogging is proving to be a little more time consuming that I had initially figured and as much as I love doing it I also have to save time for my exercise so why not do them together!? And FYI it's currently 32 degrees in my apartment...not sure why my Landlord has it set this high or perhaps it has something to do with the bitterly cold -24 degree weather outside right now!?? Regardless...I had broke a sweat before I even hopped on the bike and I feel some hot yoga coming on very soon :P

Also FYI I did NOT feel like exercising today :( I'm sure many of you can relate that sometimes you just don't have the energy. BUT, I know this is important to me, and realize that there is only one way to get the results I want, and so I conquered the hardest part (getting started) and here I am! If I can do it, you can too.

New Years Eve was great fun and after the excitement of Christmas and New Years I am totally ready to get back on track with my clean eating and intense regular exercise! Jamaica is less than 2 weeks away!!!

I began the process with a trip to Dutchies Fresh Market in Waterloo. There I spent $40 on vegetables and $10 on hormone and antibiotic free boneless/skinless chicken breast ($2.99 per lb!!)


Here is what I bought for under $50!!
- 3 lbs chicken, 2 heads broccoli, celery, parsley, cilantro, 2 bags carrots, 3 avocados, a dozen farm eggs, 2 large bell peppers, spinach, box of leaf lettuce, 2 large navel oranges, snap peas, green beans, large bunch kale, zucchini, large sweet potato, 4 tomatoes!!

Not too shabby!! My fridge is stocked to the max and contains all necessary ingredients for the green smoothies I will be making every day for the next two weeks! (Recipe to follow on a later blog post!)











I spent the evening last night chopping, boiling and peeling eggs, and making crockpot Mexican Chicken Chili (will post the recipe soon!! Turned out amazing!!)







I plan on eating a lot of these in the next two weeks....

Mixed greens salad with peppers, cucumbers, olives, feta cheese and homemade dressing 

 And having one of these every day for breakfast with a yogurt and piece of fruit....

Very handy to have as breakfast on the go or as a quick snack!

I am super pumped to eat all of these veggies, keep working hard in the gym, and continue to feel AWESOME :)

Thanks for stopping by today and be sure to check out my blog regularly! Here is a list of topics I will be posting about over the next few weeks:
- Mexican Chicken Chili recipe
- Training The Trainer: Week 4
- Super yummy chocolate banana protein shake recipe
- GREEN SMOOTHIES!! Looking for more energy? These will surely do the trick!

Have a great day and stay warm out there!!! I am off to IKEA in a few hours...how exciting is that!?

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