Some like it hot!

Thinking about this is making me hungry so I had to grab some food as I write this. I figured since we are hopefully heading into warmer weather that we are inching closer to grilling season. These would be great for backyard parties!  This recipes incorporates all of my favorites: wings, chili and peaches, so it's automatically a win-win.Wings are great, but sometimes the fried part of them can be too heavy or filling.

Grilled Chicken Wings with Sweet Red Chili and Peach Glaze

12oz jar of Peach Preserves 

1 cup Thai sweet red chili sauce

1 tsp. lime juice

1 tbsp. minced fresh cilantro

Crisco Cooking Spray (no, not a whole can)

2 1/2 lb. bag chicken wings

1. Combine peach and apricot preserves, sweet red chili sauce, lime juice and cilantro in a medium bowl. Place half sweet red chili and peach glaze in a serving bowl.
2. Spray grill grates with no-stick cooking spray. Heat grill with medium heat. Grill wings about 20 to 25 minutes turning several times until juices run clear. Dip wings in remaining glaze. Grill wings an additional 3 to 5 minutes turning once. Serve warm with additional reserved glaze on the side.

Getting the ball rolling

With finishing my class projects and finalizing everyone during the last little bit of college I'm beyond stressed. Wow, it just hit me that I will leave Bradley in a month, I'm actually really sad about this. Any who, with so much going I have had no me time. I feel like I have been going non-stop for the past two-weeks. Whether its work to school or to projects, events, meetings, there is always something going on. I usually get home around 9:00 lately and then start on homework. You can imagine how crazy I'm going because I haven't be able to go to the gym. It sounds ridiculous I'm sure, but working out is one of the few chances I get to relax by myself and not worry about anything. I enjoy working out with my friends sometimes, but I usually prefer to be alone. I always thought my friends were rude when they wanted to work out alone, but now I get it! I get to be in my own little world for an hour and it's awesome! I try to justify not working out lately. It's not like I had the time and decided not to go, I just couldn't. On a more positive note, all this work is paying off, job search is going well and I'm making the most of my last little bit at Bradley.

I just sent this quote in a flower bouquet (from All In Bloom) to a friend and thought I'd share:
"Remember that you're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think"- Christopher Robin

High-ho, High-ho

The past week and the next couple are going to be pretty crazy. I haven't had a lot of time to relax, let alone visit the gym. As hard as it sometimes to get myself to go, I'm so happy once I get there. I decided I needed to do a full-body and get a little bit of everything in to start back up a routine. When I miss some days, I try to do one full body to get back in the mode. I waited till 9 tonight to go the gym since it's usually less busy.

To get warmed up I did some box jumps. The box was probably 2 feet-ish high. I did 3 sets of 10 and wanted to be done right then and there. After I finished, I was hoping that I could just count that as my workout and leave; I was beat. Who would think that jumping up onto a box would be tiring?! These would be great if you want a quick cardio session and lower body workout. I'm guessing you know what a box jump is, but just in case.

Fruit Salsa

It's hard to beat the great fruit in Florida. I ate fruit with at least every meal and anytime in between. This makes me excited for Spring and Summer up here in the Midwest. Fruit salsa is a little time consuming but is super easy to make. It serves a lot, lasts awhile and everyone usually likes it. This recipe is also easy to adjust depending on how much you want to make. I sometimes change what fruit I use, but for the most part I stick to the following:

1 red apple, 1 yellow apple, 1 green apple- dice the apples into small pieces.
About a bag of red grapes- cut these in half
A can of mandarin oranges- drain the syrup
Strawberries- 1 container, cut and diced
any type of berry- I like blueberrys for their smaller size
2-3 kiwi depending on size of batch- cut and diced
Jar of Orange Marmalade or Preserves

Cut and mix all of the fruit together. Mix in a spoonful of marmalde.

Serve with graham crackers

If you must ask..

Thank goodness for Spring Break, right? It is almost as good as Christmas break except warmer. It is crazy to think that during school I actually eat better than when I'm on break. You would think that with all this extra time I had I could really focus on eating good, wrong. I have been going down to Florida for the past umpteenth years and it never fails; Grandma's cooking always sucks me in, not literally of course. First of all, her food is amazing. How can you say no to a home cooked meal three times a day?! Secondly, she is so sweet, so even if I'm not hungry, I still eat it! Lastly, I do the ultimate no no and say, "You're on break, who cares?!"

Luckily while I'm here I have found a way to still stay some what level-headed with my food obsession. I try to eat fruit every morning, which isn't hard when it is AMAZING here in FL. I got my carb heavy breakfasts out of the way earlier in the week: casserole, waffles, french toast. Since I know that I won't make time to hit up a local gym, I walk a couple times a day around the subdivision, which is about a mile. There is also a clubhouse that offers some lack luster weights, the 12 in 1 combo deals.

Another great thing about FL heat is that you sweat like crazy! Since people will sometimes put on a lot of water weight, the FL heat takes it right out. For someone with a small bladder, that is a match made in heaven. Drink all you want and you don't have to excuse yourself to use the restroom near as much. Secondly, not that I condone this, but drinking fluids tends to help curb your appetite. Enjoy your break and happy eating!

A little bit of everything

I don't know about you guys, but this week has been crazy. I feel like I have had every major project, test or mid-term happening. This is the part of the semester where we all start to panic. We push to get stuff done before we head to break, forget everything during break, then come back to freak out about what we have left to complete. Senior projects are some of the best experiences I will get, but the most time consuming. I have stayed up later this entire week studying then I ever have. To give an example, I'm writing this post at midnight and struggling to stay up. I have been trying to stay organized but tend to break down and lose sight of my to-do list. This makes it hard to turn that into a to-done list. I try to stay positive and think of the reward that i will have on break. I'm grateful for not having a lot of classes, but the 9am one I have tomorrow I couldn't dread more. I'm hoping to somehow get a lot accomplished while I lay on the beach and come back relaxed and ready to finish the semester strong.

Work.It.Out

Well, everyone including myself is starting to go crazy since spring break is nearing. People are eating next to nothing and spending more time in the gym than they do in class. I will exclude myself from that category :) Anyways, due to school work I have had to keep pushing my workouts back. I hit the gym a few nights ago and did some sprints. Even though I hate them, they are a great stress reliever. Tonight I'm actually going in to do a leg workout at my favorite local gym, Five Points. On the docket tonight I have squats, deadlifts, rack chins and curls. Since I started this new plan, I have fewer exercises and harder weight. It makes going to the gym seem that much better because you have less to do. I'm a big believer that you can still have a great workout and get a lot accomplished without sweating like crazy. If you are looking for a good break to get your mind of mid-terms, head to the gym.

Cheers!

Danielle