Favorite Past Time & Spinach Artichoke Recipe!

New Project
This has been the object of my affection lately...

Day 1: After 1.5 hours

Day 2: After 3 hours

Doing puzzles is a favorite past time of mine! Can you tell what it is?  My dad is the one who taught me how to do puzzles.... 1.) Separate the outside pieces (flat edge) from the inside pieces; 2.) Put the border together; 3.) Put the inside together.  My dad is the pro at puzzles, he is the type who will not touch a piece until he has studied all the edges and knows it is the correct piece that goes in a given spot... yeah, he's good.  Anyway, I did not do this puzzle with my dad unfortunately, I actually did this puzzle with my friend Carrie.  I am hoping to glue this puzzle together so I can hang it in the bathroom of my next apartment :)  What was one of your favorite things to do as a kid?  Do you still do it? We are getting together tonight to finish it up, I'll be sure to post the final product :)

Meals

Lunch was a quesadilla stuffed with cheddar cheese, black beans, onions, and artichoke on a Flat Out.  I had these exact ingredients last night (plus garlic and green peppers) on a home made pizza.  

With a side of leftover pizza sauce and a glass of chocolate milk (great post workout meal!). 

For a snack I had grapes.  I always feel terrible when I buy grapes because I am very particular about them... they MUST be firm.  And by firm I mean they splash you (or your neighbor) in the face with grape juices.  If they don't live up to that standard, they get thrown in the garbage... such a waste.  Why can't they all just be nice and firm? Anyone else particular with any food?

Dinner was "carby", but small since I had a wonderful dip to eat in the oven!

English muffin with red and white sauces and black beans

My latest kitchen adventure was spinach artichoke dip! I Googled "spinach artichoke dips" and got millions of recipes so I did a matrix recipe and here's what I came up with...

Spinach Artichoke Dip

10 oz canned spinach, drained

10-14 oz canned artichoke hearts, drained & roughly chopped

1 c mozzarella cheese 

~1/4 c Parmesan Alfredo sauce 

1 tsp minced garlic 

4 oz sour cream

pepper, to taste 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine ingredients thoroughly in a bowl and spread mixture into a small baking dish (I used a bread tin because I didn't have a 8 x8).  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheeses are bubbling and melted. Serve with chips or bread and enjoy!

Final product!

The final product was pretty good!  I wasn't exactly sure what to expect since it was a hybrid recipe, but it wasn't too shabby.  The only two things I would modify a little are adding more artichoke (which is why there's a range on the recipe, go for the higher end) and possibly reducing the Alfredo since it was a little runny, but I guess it depends on how you like it! 

Workout
Interval Run 
(Inspired by Lizzy)
.5 miles warm up (easy jog)
1200 m (faster than normal pace)
400 m rest
1000 m (faster than normal pace)
400 m rest
800 m (faster than normal pace)
400 m rest
600 m (faster than normal pace)
200 m rest
200 m (faster than normal pace)


I had to cut the original workout on Lizzy's blog a little due to time.  The only things I changed was I rested 200 m (should've been 400), I ran 200 m (should've been 400 m faster than normal pace), and I skipped the .5 mile cool down since I was going to meet my friend at the weight room to lift.  I am hoping to do the whole thing next week.

Lift
Dead lift 3 x 5 (90 lbs)
Rows 3 x 8 (bar)
Single arm SB bench press 3 x 8 (20 lbs) <-- works the core/stabilizer muscles too!
SB overhead press 3 x 8 (20 lbs)
Resistance band pull ups (2)/chin ups (2) 4 x 3 (medium resistance)
Med ball partner twist pyramid (2 through 10 and back down)
Partner leg lift circles (10 each direction)


Be sure to check out Knack For Nutrition for the greatest giveaway EVER!