Hotocado Tortilla Lunch

Avocado + chili pepper sauce + corn tortilla = hotocado tortilla. Sometimes I'm so clever I don't know what to do with myself. Anyways, that's what I had for lunch today! It's a creation that was born about two weeks ago when I got my first mini food processor and wanted to put EVERYTHING (and I really mean everything...I've made some other great discoveries that I'll share with you later on) I ate into the food processor. So I had an avocado sitting around and was trying to think of what would be a good/interesting combination, and this happened...and it's totally awesome! It's the perfect combination of mushy-salty-spice-ness there ever was.  Here's what it looked like:

Spice-alicious

Then I blended it together and threw it on a corn tortilla, sprinkled some shredded cheddah cheese on top, and nuked it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Here's the end product:

Delish and healthy!

Wow, that looks totally unappetizing.  But it's delicious!  Kinda like guacamole, only spicier.  Also, the original creation went between two pieces of whole wheat toast, but this week I've been trying a gluten-free diet for fun (let me tell you...it's not actually fun at all) to understand what kind of choices Claire has to make on a daily basis for her Celiac diet. So I stuck it on a corn tortilla instead.

I also had a giant banana and a couple slices of granny smith apple dipped in some PB on the side to end the meal with some sweetness.  Plus I had some company for lunch:

"Whatcha eatin' up here??"

This is Alfonzo (affectionately known as "Fonz" around the house)! He's my roommate's crazy kitty, and I love him to death.  I think he loves me, too, but his nails aren't ever clipped, so when we hug he rips me apart. It's ok...he has good intentions (I think).

Also, this morning I went to the gym and did 45 minutes of sweaty elliptical cardio, an abs/back workout, and a few exercises to work my shoulders.  Saturdays are my "cross training" days (according to Hal Higdon's training schedule that I'm following) since I'm training for my very first half-marathon!  Tomorrow my first five mile run is on the schedule...I'll let you know how that goes.

I'm out for now...Fonz is crying for some attention! Have a sizzlin' Saturday!  -Anna

Good and Green

I'm surprisingly awake and energized today, considering I had to wake up at 7:15 today! This might seem wimpy to anybody with a normal sleep schedule or a real job, but I can gladly and easily sleep through entire days at a time- no joke. I had to sign up online for a time to tutor kids this semester for a class, and apparently we had to do it super early! It kept telling me there were errors, and finally I just gave up and went to my Health and Nutrition class. I just got an email saying nobody was able to make it work and they re-opened the site, just in time for me to miss all the spots I needed! Dang.
Otherwise, the day has been good, and I had an awesome, hard workout at the gym after class. The treadmill is usually just too hard for me to do for long periods of time, but using Beyonce's music interval training really helped. I did a junkload of weights too, which I know I will be feeling tomorrow.
I'm not usually super hungry after rough workouts, so I made a smoothie to enjoy before I had an actual lunch.

Greeny goodness

  

Yeah, it's not an optical illusion, it really is green. I threw in some spinach at the end because it doesn't taste like anything and I have to get rid of it before it goes bad...

Jezzy offered company yesterday, but she's giving me entertainment today!

Caught in the act - and look at that tail!

 I dunno what to say about this other than I hope it doesn't give you nightmares!

Hope everybody is having a good day and staying active even with this nasty mcnast weather these days. -Claire

It's a Loungin' Day

Good Afternoon! The weather here is barfadelic, and I barely made it out of bed today. The sound of rain can be so great to fall asleep to, but in the mornings it has the same affect- puts me straight to sleep! I did make it to my 9:30 class and we ended up watching a movie- woop woop! I was soaked by the time I got back home and finally got a chance to check out my new cookbook, Cook Yourself Thin Faster! It's the first one I've ever had, and since we aren't famous bloggers who get free stuff (...yet), I bought it pretty cheap off Amazon. For lunch I decided to try their creamy spinach, but I turned it into a sauce to eat with my red quinoa. If you aren't familiar with quinoa, I highly suggest checking this grain out (actually, it's technically a seed). I use it in place of pasta all the time. It's got tons of nutritional benefits including loads of fiber and protein, and it's gluten-free.

Kinda looks like Christmas-themed barf...sorry, but it tasted fantastic!

I had some company too!

Jezzy the meowster being thankful she's inside

The spinach was yummy and now I'm almost out of my gino-sized container! Lately, I have been using any excuse to use my blender, and turning this dip into a sauce gave me just that! I ended the meal with some yogurt covered almonds and my third (yes...third, not including the one I just made!) cup of tea.

Now, my roomie, Lindsey, and I are just loungin' on the couch daydreaming about what we would do if it didn't rain/snow here half of the school year. Not watch Bravo TV marathons probably...

Later, I'm gonna hit the gym and check out the swimming pool the school has. It's been a while since I have swam, but I figure it is good cardio that's easy on the joints. Leftover cauliflower soup for dinner, probably! Have a fabulous day and stay warm!
  -Claire

Anna's Introduction

Hi there! I'm super pumped about trying this blogging thing.  Claire and I have both made a lot of resolutions to be awesome in various ways for 2010, so we figured a blog would be an interesting way for us to share our progress with each other (since we live a couple hours apart) and a great way to hold us accountable since you all will be on the edges of your seats dying to know if we can keep up with our goals! (Ok, maybe you won't be that attached...but you never know) Anyways, first I want to give you a few tiddly bits about myself so we can get to know each other a little better:

• I am on a competitive jump rope team. That's right. Jump rope. I've been a part of the team, called the  Bouncing Bulldogs, since I was 9, too, so it's a big part of my life and who I am.  In fact, I've traveled all over the world with my team performing for various events, competing (I'm a two-time world champ and my team is currently the six-time national champ team, woop woop!), and teaching workshops to all types of people of all ages.  Being so involved and active at such a high level growing up really instilled in me how important it is (and how fun it can be!) to be physically fit. So go jump rope!

Me (on the right) and 4 of my best friends and teammates practicing a routine to perform at the Apollo Theater in NYC.

• I am in the longest relationship ever. Ok...not ever. But for how young I am, I'd say that having a relationship that's going on six years is a doozy.  My crazy and awesome boyfriend, Joseph, is also a jump roper, and we grew up jumping together on the same team (which means we've known each other for a loooong time).  We've been through a ton and grown a lot together, and he puts up with my psycho cat obsession and giant, crazy family, so I guess I'll keep him around for a while longer ;)

Me and mah boo in Hawaiiiii!

• Food is the bomb.com. Seriously, I love it (who doesn't??).  And I am on a total health kick right now, too, which has been great because I don't feel bad about what I'm eating!  I'm also really into trying new recipes and creating cool concoctions (how's that for alliteration?), which has been fun. My favorite foods are peanut butter, roasted brussel sprouts (I know, who likes brussel sprouts?! But you are seriously going to have to try them the way Claire and I make them) and more peanut butter. All together. Alright, maybe not all together, but it could be interesting...
• I am definitely a neat freak, possibly on the verge of OCD-ness (quite the opposite of Claire, I might point out...)  I like everything in its place and never lose anything (except my regard for socially acceptable behavior when I am around cats).
• Finally, I love constantly trying new things. It's so addicting! New foods, ways of exercising, traveling to new places and cultures - I get such a thrill from it all.  Wouldn't life be boring if everything was the same and predictable??  I want to jump out of planes (skydiving is amazing!) and swim with sharks dolphins and go EVERYWHERE! (donations to Anna's Traveling Fund are greatly appreciated and accepted at any time)

Kayaking on a weekend camping trip = awesome

So there you have it.  A little peek into the exhilarating life of Anna! Now I want you to share with us things about you! What kinds of food do you like? Send us recipes! What cool things have you tried that totally changed your life? I wanna do it too! Do you have a cat? Send it to me Awesome! Let's be friends!


I'm totally stoked to get this going. After all, it's something new to try!
-Anna

Alfonzo (my roommate's kit kat trying to escape...but he loves me) and me!

Claire's Introduction

Aloha! I have been wanting an outlet to talk about fun things and find great ways to stay motivated, so I (and Anna, too) am so excited to blog with you all! First, I want to let you know a little about me, so here are some highlights:

• I love to cook (and eat!). I always have, but only really began experimenting this year, since I moved into my first apartment. I will eat any vegetable or fruit you give me, but have never liked chocolate.
• I HATE don't love to workout! ...sorry, but it's true! I DO, however, enjoy finding interesting ways to stay active and in shape (hiking, swimming, kayaking- fun!). Though I find the gym dull, it's important to me to keep my body healthy, so you gotta do what ya gotta do, right?
• I have Celiac disease, which cuts wheat, barley, and rye out from my diet (that means no pasta, bread, and cake...I'm not lyin'!). I take this responsibility to my health and well-being very seriously. Once I was diagnosed in 2008, I immediately eliminated these and now love to find alternatives and try new things I might have overlooked otherwise.
• I'm a student at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. I love it here, but the weather can be frigid and I'm not so sure I will ever get used to it! It's in the mountains which means we have fabulous hiking and b-e-a-u-tiful scenery. My major is Elementary Education, a choice I am so happy to have settled on.
• I'm outrageously in love with my cat, Jezebel. In turn, Jezzy is totally crazy about my fish, Sushi. Kind of a love triangle thing going on since I bet Sushi likes me because I feed him...
• I'm a tea, peanut butter, and oatmeal addict (oh no, now I'm hungry...), and there's nothing anybody can do about it!
• I'm a goal oriented person that loves to dream big and thrive off the satisfaction I get when I'm successful. I always have a bagillion (buh-jill-yon) goals about getting more in shape, getting average awesome grades, and even getting more sleep.
• My friends and (big) family mean the world to me, and I would be lost without them! They always support me and I'm eternally grateful to every last one of them. Music and singing have also played a big part in my life.

I really look forward to posting recipes, motivating ideas, exercising tips, everything Jezebel does, and my everyday life in general! -Claire

Me!

It's a Pleasure to Meet You

Hey all! Welcome to our blog - our online exchanges about food, exercise, humor, and pretty much our life as sisters.  We decided to jump on the blog-bandwagon when we realized we emailed each other stuff almost every day that other people might appreciate, too...like yum-tastic new recipes, tips for keeping each other motivated to be active, jokes, and hilarious pictures (mostly of cats...tons of cats).  We're pumped to share our lives with you, and would love to hear about yours as well, so please email us at sizzlinsistas@gmail.com with questions, comments, or anything awesome you'd like to share! -Claire & Anna