I anticipate a fair share of you have heard of Jenn’s “What I Ate Wednesday” phenomenon where bloggers share…well, what they ate in a post that publishes on a Wednesday.

 

The posts always intrigue me because, you know, I love food. I don’t often share my food, but I have a recipe too good to keep to myself and figure a “What I Ate Tuesday, but you can eat today aka Wednesday” post fits perfectly. Say “aloha” to my food. <—It makes sense later, I promise.

My morning started per any regular Tuesday morning with a mad rush getting the kids all situated and fed before heading out the door to the gym. I do the quick and easy route of munching an apple for some pre-workout fuel. I have to get something in my belly, but since I end up eating so close to my workout that means something light and simple to digest. Hooray for fruit!

Do you want to hear about yesterday’s workout? I think you do. Trust me. A little piece of me died and went to heaven in pure “I owned that workout” bliss.

First up, intervals on the elliptical using a workout from Fitness Magazine. Like this:

Minutes	Resistance / Level	Intensity / Pace
0-3	5	Easy
3-5	10	Moderate
5-7	10	Fast
7-8	5	Easy
8-29	* see below*	* see below*
29-30	10	Moderate
30-31	10	Supah Dupah FAST
31-43	**see below**	**see below**
43-45	5	Easy

*For minutes 8-29, repeat the moderate to fast to easy combo. Each round increase your time spent at the fast pace by a minute: 3 minutes the second time through, then 4 minutes, then end with 5 minutes as the last round.
**For minutes 31-43, continue alternating one minute each at the moderate pace and challenging sprint for a total of 6 more intervals.

I followed that sweaty session up with a full body workout. I love completing circuits and super sets to help me get through my workout faster. I switched it up today and worked my entire body going through 3 mini circuits in 30 minutes.

Mini Circuit One	Mini Circuit Two	Mini Circuit Three
push - ups	squat	lying hamstring curl
v – sit crunches	incline barbell bench press	cable row
side lateral raises	kettlebell swings	burpees
	overhead triceps extension	barbell biceps curl

Any guesses how I refueled? You will likely only need one.

You’re so smart! I simply adore my strawberry, raisins, and peanut butter oats combo these days. It helps that I have a plethora of Skippy Natural Honey PB at my disposal.

Thank you Amazon for giving me this much peanut butter for about $1.60 per jar! I promise to share the deal with you when it comes around again. I know at least two gals who will want in on that action.

Ay! We’re only at breakfast? Someone *cough cough* is feeling rather chatty this morning. Let’s progress to lunch shall we?

I thought of creating a fun, inventive, more exciting lunch to share with you – but I don’t pressure myself to eat things just for the sake of the blog. My belly wanted my sandwich, fruit, and veggie combo so that’s what my belly got.

Ham sandwich with avocado, spinach, tomato, mustard, and laughing cow swiss cheese (because I’m obsessed with its creamy, flavorful spreadability). Plus grapes that were like candy. Plus carrots all by their sad lonesome with no hummus dippage. Hummus = one of the items axed at the end of the month, lower on the budget grocery trip. Money scores again in our never ceasing battle. 😉

We shall now whizz right on by my snack because I have a recipe to get to!

I wasn’t in the mood for anything particular or a one-bowl-wonder yogurt concoction…so a happy face mix of sliced sharp cheddar, a ginger snap larabar, and a banana. Making happy faces with my food? Can you tell I’m a mother?

And now we say ALOHA! Thank you for sticking with me. I promise this recipe will be the Hawaiian vacation your taste buds hope for after the previous 689 words. Yes, I used the handy word count tool counted.

Hawaiian Tofu

• 1 block extra firm tofu
• 1 jar pineapple tidbits in juice
• soy sauce
• grated ginger
• minced garlic

Press the water out of your tofu per normal preparation. Cut the tofu into even 1 to 2 inch slices/cubes. Place in a large ziploc bag. Strain the juice from the pineapple can into a bowl. Add soy sauce, grated ginger, and minced garlic to taste. I used about 2 or 3 tablespoons soy sauce, a bit over a teaspoon of ginger, and a tablespoon of minced garlic. Pour the marinade into the ziploc bag with the tofu.

Let marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 2 hours. Remove tofu and place on a baking sheet. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.

We used our Hawaiian tofu atop romaine, pineapple tidbits, onion, cucumber, and feta cheese with a sesame ginger dressings. Sweet and tangy. An interesting twist on the traditional ‘fu. Deee-licious! And with those 862 words – I’m out!

• Do you enjoy tofu? What’s your favorite way? I love my BBQ tofu wraps!
• Do you ever use workout ideas from magazines?

While living it up on vacation, I have still found time to fit in regular workouts. I actually enjoy starting my day with some action. It gives me energy, leaves me feeling strong, and sets a positive tone for the day. Plus, beach workouts are fun!

After Peter & I completed his second Couch to 5K workout, we ran through a quick lower body circuit that included some cardio drills and bodyweight resistance training. The ten moves added up to really work the lower body. Welcome to the Lower Body Beach Blast!

Warm-up for at least 5 minutes before beginning. You will do each exercise for one full minute. Complete each move for a minute, then move right to the next move for the next minute. Rest 2 to 3 minutes at the end of the circuit, then go through the moves again. If you’re up for it, you can complete the circuit a third time through after that. Make sure to challenge yourself, while still focusing on good form. Use this workout on vacation, for an at-home blast, or even at the gym to mix it up.

Frog Jumps

Squat down low to the ground in a wide stance. Jump forward as far as possible, landing back in the same low, wide squat. Complete for reps.

Walking Squat

Lower yourself into a standard squat position. Walk forward about 15-20 steps, turn, and walk back to where you started. Aim to remain in a squat position the full minute.

High Knees

Jog in place, pulling your knees up to at least hip level or higher.

Walking Lunge with Front Kick

Step forward into a lunge. Continuing in a forward motion, pull your back leg up to a knee and then kick forward with a powerful front kick. Tap your foot down and then bring it forward to your next lunge. You should alternate legs.

Suicides

Sprint forward about 25 yards, then tap the ground as you stop and reverse directions. Continue sprinting back and forth between the two points.

Plie Curtsy Lunges with a Lift

Begin in a wide stance plie-squat. Move your right leg back behind your left for a curtsy lunge. Then, pull your left leg back and up into a leg lift. Return back to the curtsy lunge and then back to the plie squat. Repeat the motion on the other side – doing a curtsy lunge back with your left leg and then raising your right leg. Alternate between the two sides for the full minute.

Side Shuffles

Once again get in a squat position. Shuffle quickly about 25 yards down, then shuffle back to where you started. Continue shuffling back and forth in a squat position for the full minute.

Pulsing Lunge

Get in a lunge position and pulse low for 30 seconds. Switch sides and finish the last 30 seconds pulsing in a low lunge on the other leg.

High Bounding Skips

Skip high and long with a bounding movement for 25 yards. Turn and return to start. Continue with the bounding skips for your minute.

Glute Kickbacks

Go ahead and get on all fours. Straighten your leg behind you while keeping hips level. Raise and lower your leg slowly for 30 seconds, squeezing tightly through the movement. Switch legs at 30 seconds.

Reminder: I am not a certified trainer and simply strive to share workouts I enjoy. If you choose to do any of these moves, do so at your own discretion.

And don’t worry about bystanders looking. They will only be jealous of your hardcore ways. You will deserve to rule the beach after that butt-kicking! 😉

• Do you like working out on vacation? What types of exercise do you do?