Over the last month and a half, I have been teaching Aqua Aerobics in… PARADISE. It’s ok, be jealous… but guess what, you can join in too!
I decided that it was time to share two little clips from classes, just so everyone can see what we are doing over here!
The first two video are from our afternoon class, which is at 4pm on Tuesdays and Fridays. The third video is from our newly added morning class at 10am on Thursdays. The schedule is still tentative, so as always, keep an eye on my Facebook page, Fitness With Kayla, for the weekly schedule. (Link to my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/fitnesswithkayla ) At anytime, feel free to drop me an email at FitnessWithKayla@gmail.com for any questions, comments, or concerns!
I hope that everyone back home enjoys these little clips. I wanted you all to see what I’ve been up to lately… And for everyone here in Mexico, I hope to be able to inspire you. Push yourself, and take a step out of your comfort zone. Come and join us for class, and see for yourself the fun we are having being active and healthy!
Ok here you go… Check it out these videos, and enjoy the VIEW!
This is the afternoon class warm up clip.
This is a little conditioning clip from the afternoon class:
I’m starting to believe I have an addiction to Cauliflower. As I have been trying to continue with lots of healthy recipes, I keep going back to using Cauliflower as or in my main dishes. I came across a recipe similar to this on Pinterest, so I had to try it out… but of course I added a few of my own touches. This recipe is quick and easy to prepare, and it bakes in one dish, for less mess and clean up. Its hard to go wrong when combining cauliflower with cheese and chicken, and when you throw in a few other veggies, it makes a delightful casserole for everyone to enjoy.
So here you have it:
Ingredients:
1 1/2 breasts Chicken, cooked and diced
1 head Cauliflower, steamed and chopped
6 ounces Cheddar Cheese, shredded
6 ounces Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
1 Egg
1/2 Onion, diced ( You can also substitute Green Onions)
4 slices Turkey Bacon, crumbled
1 clove Garlic, minced
1/2 Jalapeño, diced (optional)
Salt & pepper
Instructions:
1- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2- Steam cauliflower until tender. In a separate sauce pan, place uncooked chicken breasts, 2 cups of water, and 1 cube of chicken bouillon. Bring to a boil, and simmer until cooked through.Â
3- Meanwhile, combine cheeses in a large bowl. Remove ÂĽ of cheese and set aside. (*I use a pre-packaged cheese blend to save time.)
4-Once chicken is cooked, remove from water, and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Once cooled, dice chicken, then mix chicken, onion, bacon, garlic, and jalapeño together with remaining cheese.
5- Stir cauliflower into cheese mixture, and add the egg. Mix all ingredients well, and season with salt & pepper. Pour into a 8×8 or larger glass baking dish sprayed well with non stick cooking spray.
6- Bake for 25 minutes, or until cheese is well melted and casserole starts to bubble. Remove from oven and top with additional cheese.
7- Return to oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Serve immediately!
So this recipe is super simple to prepare, as you mix it all together and bake it. You can omit the 1 egg, but the casserole will not stay together as well. I prefer it with the egg, as it made the flavor better. I hope you enjoy this simple casserole with cauliflower and chicken… It really is YUMMY! In the next weeks, I am going to (well, try to) branch out and bring you some healthy recipes with Spinach, Broccoli, and much more! Stay Tuned, but for now, ENJOY! 🙂
Craving Mexican tonight, but want something low calorie?? Give my Layered Taco Dip a try. We had this last night for dinner, and it was GREAT! This dish is great because you can use it as an appetizer, as a meal, or even a great dish to bring to a party! My favorite part is it can be low carb, and vegetarian… OR you can add in some hamburger or chicken meat and serve it with tortilla chips!
So for the Vegetarian Version:
Omit the meat. Instead of cooking the meat with the Taco Seasoning, mix the Taco seasoning in with the Light or Low Fat Sour Cream.
For Low Carb:
Serve the Taco Dip on a Lettuce Leaf or just eat it as is!
Other options:
Instead of using Hamburger meat, try using either Ground Turkey meat, or diced Chicken. If you do not like particularly spicy food, either cut the amount of jalapeños in half, or omit completely. Use your favorite salsa on the side to add even more yummy flavor to this simple Mexican dish!
Here is the full recipe:
Ingredients:
1 lb Ground Hamburger or Turkey Meat
1 envelope Taco Seasoning (I use Old El Paso)
8oz Light Sour Cream
1 16oz can Refried beans
1/2- 1 cup sliced pickled JalapeñosÂ
1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 cup Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
1 cup Lettuce, shredded
1 Large Tomato, diced
1/2 cup Onion, diced
Instructions:
1- Cook hamburger meat in a skillet until cooked through. Add taco seasoning and 2/3 cup water, and cook on low for another 10 minutes.Â
2- On a large plate, spread refried beans, topped with a layer of sour cream. Add cooked hamburger meat followed by a layer of jalapeños.
3-Add a layer of mixed cheese (1 1/2 cup total), followed by a layer of each lettuce, tomato, and onions. Top off with final 1/2 cup of cheese, and any leftover jalapeños.Â
4- Serve immediately, or refrigerate for 30 minutes to cool, depending on preference!
*Amount of jalapeños will vary depending on your spice preference. **If not using meat, mix taco seasoning into sour cream!
Check out a printable recipe card of the full Layered Taco Dip Recipe here:Â Layered Taco Dip
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. Give it a try and let me know what you think! Feel free to submit your comments here on the blog or on my Facebook page, Fitness With Kayla. Enjoy 🙂
Today, I am moving on from main dishes, and going to give you 2 side dish recipes for Cauliflower. The first one is very simple and the second is a new twist on the Broccoli Bites that I posted last week!
Side Dish 1:
Cauliflower Melt
1/2- Head Cauliflower, boiled, drained, and cut into florets
1/4- cup Cheese of your choice. I use cheddar and parmesan
1- tsp Garlic Salt (or to taste)
1- tsp Ground Pepper (or to taste)
Place the Cauliflower florets in a microwave safe bowl. Cover the cauliflower with 1/2 of the cheese, salt and pepper, and mix through. Place in microwave for 30 seconds, and slightly melt the cheese. Remove cauliflower from microwave and stir, so cheese is blended well through the cauliflower. Top the cauliflower with the remaining cheese, and return to microwave for 45 seconds to 1 minute (until cheese is fully melted.) Serve immediately, as a quick, easy, and healthy side dish to any meal! Goes great with Chicken and Fish!
Side Dish 2:
Cauliflower Balls
1- head of Cauliflower, steamed and finely chopped
1 cup- Grated Cheddar or Monterey Jack Cheese
3 egg whites
Garlic Salt and Pepper (about 1 tsp each)
1/4-1/2 diced Jalapeño – omit for less spicy option
1/2 cup Italian Breadcrumbs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix all ingredients together in a medium sized mixing bowl. With the mixed ingredients, form 1 inch sized balls, making sure all ingredients are well combined. Place cauliflower balls on cookie sheet sprayed with non stick cooking spray.
Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and flip. Return to the oven for a remaining 8-10 minutes. Serve immediately!
Well I hope you enjoy these two very simple recipes to use Cauliflower as a side dish. Share with me your comments and feedback, as well as any questions or concerns. Hope you enjoyed this series on Cauliflower. Coming soon, I will have a series on Spinach, as well as Broccoli! Enjoy 🙂
Today, my recipe for you is Cauliflower Chowder. This chowder is low carb and satisfying, yet still has the hearty, creamy aspects of other chowders. This is actually whats for dinner at my house tonight… I’m excited.
This recipe is fairly simple to make, and reheats well! I have a hard time when it comes to using leftovers, so when I find a dish that reheats and tastes exactly the same as the first day, I’m happy.
Ingredients:
4 slices Turkey Bacon, diced
2 tbsp Butter
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 Onion, diced
2 Carrots, peeled and diced
3 stalks Celery, diced
1/4 cup Flour
4 cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth
1 cup 2% Milk
1 head Cauliflower, roughly chopped
1 Bay Leaf
Garlic Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste
Instructions:
1- Heat a large stockpot over medium high heat. Add turkey bacon and cook until crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; set aside.
3- Stir in cauliflower and bay leaf. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes.
4- Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in chicken broth and milk, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 6-8 minutes.
5- Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to medium and simmer until cauliflower is cooked, about 45 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. If the chowder is too thick, add more milk/stock as needed until desired consistency is reached.
6- Serve immediately, garnished with bacon and shredded cheese if desired. Serve with a slice of garlic bread or croutons, if desired.
I know, I know… Cauliflower… Blah, boring… Well guess what?!? I’ve got 3 recipes to change your perspective on Cauliflower. Over the next 3 days, I am going to share with you a series of blogs using Cauliflower! My family has always been a huge fan of Cauliflower as an easy side dish to cook along with a meal, but I’ve come up with 2 recipes that turn Cauliflower INTO THE MEAL and 1 side dish Recipe using Cauliflower.
Are you ready???
The first way to change up Cauliflower … PIZZA.
Yup, that’s right… Cauliflower Pizza. No, the cauliflower is not the topping. The dough of the pizza is made from Cauliflower!
Ingredients:
1 large head Cauliflower, separated into florets
3 egg whites
1/2 cup + 3/4 cup (for topping) Mozzarella/Tex Mex cheese, shredded
1 tsp Italian herb seasoning
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of salt
Marinara sauce for dipping
Any additional toppings such as pepperoni, mushrooms, onion, pepper, etc.
Instructions:
1-Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place cauliflower florets in a food processor (I used a cheese grater, as I do not have a food processor down here in Mexico) and process until “rice” texture.
2- Bake for 20 mins in an oven proof baking dish. (Spray the dish lightly with non stick cooking spray to avoid burning and sticking)
3- Remove cooked cauliflower from the oven and transfer to a bowl lined with a dish towel (you can use paper towels also, but they do not absorb as well). Cool cauliflower for about 15 minutes. Fold the towel holding by the ends and squeeze the liquid out of the cauliflower “ball” as hard as you can.
4- Increase oven 400 degrees F. Transfer cauliflower to a mixing bowl along with 1/2 cup cheese, and remaining ingredients.
5- Transfer cauliflower mixture onto the baking sheet sprayed with non stick cooking spray. Flatten with your hands into a 1/4” thick rectangle.
6- Bake for 18 minutes, and then top with remaining 3/4 cup cheese (and desired optional toppings). Bake for another 10 minutes or until cheese is golden brown. Cut into breadstick sized slices and serve hot with warm marinara sauce.
Note: The photo above is a Cauliflower Pizza where half is only veggie toppings, and the other half is meat and veggies!
So, what do you think? Want to give this a try next time you are wanting pizza? I’ve made this for my family and friends, and everyone has loved it. I made this dish for a little get together for some friends, and had I not told them it was cauliflower, they would never have known. All of the kids loved it as well! Give this a try and let me know what you think! Enjoy! 🙂
As I have been doing much research on Essential Oils, and I have found such a strong passion for them, I decided I should share with you what Essential Oils I have been using in my daily life. I have been using Essential Oils to compliment my daily workouts, in addition to complimenting other aspects of my life.
Health and Wellness is a lifestyle, and I truly believe that being a healthy person means being healthy in all aspects of your life. Essential Oils can be a great aid in your journey for a healthy life, especially when used to compliment healthy eating habits and fitness. Essential Oils can be very beneficial, and can be taken orally, used topically, or diffused directly in to the air. I personally use doTERRA Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils.
When using Essential Oils, please do so in moderation, as each person will react differently. When using Essential Oils directly on the skin, test the oils on a small area of your skin to check for sensitivity, or use with a Carrier Oil, such as Coconut Oil. Also, when using Citrus oils, avoid direct sunlight if used directly on the skin to prevent burning.
I want to first share with you how I, personally, have been using certain doTERRA Essential Oils to aid my workouts. There are many other uses to these oils and other oils that you can use, but these are the ones I have been using on a daily basis! I do not use all of these oils everyday, but I do like to change it up and use different combinations.Â
Pre-Workout:
Breathe- Helps to open up the sinuses and lungs. Helps invigorate you.
Peppermint- Inhale directly or diffuse before your workout to help you get in the zone, and feel pumped up for your workout.
Citrus Bliss- I inhale or diffuse before a workout to help with oxygen flow and to energize before a workout
Wild Orange and/or Lemon- I add 1-2 drops to my water before or during a workout. Just helps me feel happy and more energized.
I make my own Citrus Blend with 1 drop of Lemon, Lime, Grapefruit, and Wild Orange in a 1 liter bottle of very cold mineral water. I drink this in the mornings to get me started with my day, and feeling extra happy. (You can use regular Purified Water, as well.)
During Workout:
Peppermint In Water or Inhale- Helps with focus, energize, and increases alertness. Peppermint has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects, which help boost performance, exercise recovery and general health. Studies have proven that Peppermint oil can help increase exercise performance, respiratory function, and respiratory gas exchange, while reducing resting blood pressure and heart rate.
Lemon or Lime In Water- Helps to keep you hydrated and adds a nice flavor to your water, making you want to drink more!
Grapefruit In Water or Inhale- Grapefruit helps suppress appetite and helps with weight loss
Post Workout:
Deep Blue- Use Deep Blue on Sore Muscles, or areas where you will potentially be sore in the morning after a successful workout. Replace Bengay or Icy Hot with Deep Blue. Use 1 drop of Deep Blue with 1 tsp of Coconut Oil and massage the sore area, or use 1 drop of Deep Blue directly on the skin!
Peppermint- Rub 1 drop of Peppermint Oil over Sore Muscles… Doesn’t work quite the same as Deep Blue, but its a close substitute.
Lavender (Evenings)- 1 drop of Lavender behind the ears to help calm and relax you after a nice workout. I use it to help me unwind from the day and helps me relax my muscles at bedtime.
I hope that this information will be helpful for you! I really enjoy using Essential Oils, as I hope you will! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. If you want even more information, please check out my friend, Amy’s website, A choice4you. www.achoice4you.com. Let me know how these suggestions work for you in regards to your workouts! Enjoy! 🙂
As promised, I will be blogging my favorite recipes (well, my family’s favorites, too) to share the yummy goodness with you! Today, I want to share these easy to make, healthy to eat,  satisfying treat.
Cheesy Broccoli Bites have been a huge hit at our house lately. We have tried them with just broccoli, with cauliflower, and with a bit of both. We really enjoy a tad bit of spice to our food, so to spice them up, I add one finely diced jalapeño to the bites.This is a very simple, and inexpensive side dish that kids and adults a like will love. Its a great way to spice up that plain head of broccoli, while keeping it healthy and simple.
Ingredients:
1 head- Fresh Broccoli
1 1/2 cup- Cheddar Cheese (or any type of cheese you prefer)
3- eggs
1 cup- Italian Breadcrumbs
Salt and Pepper (I use Sea Salt or Garlic Salt, as I prefer the flavor over plain Salt)
Optional: 1- jalapeñoÂ
Instructions:
1- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Boil the fresh broccoli in water on the stove with a sprinkle of salt & pepper. Once cooked until it is tender, drain and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
2-Finely chop broccoli, and mix in a bowl with remaining ingredients.Â
3-Once mixed completely, form small patties with your hands and place on a baking sheet sprayed lightly with non stick cooking spray (Pam).
4- Place bites into the preheated oven, and cook for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, flip and return to oven for 15 minutes more, or until cheese has slightly browned on both side
5-Once cooked, remove from oven and serve immediately.
Here is a link to a pdf Recipe card of this recipe for you to print out, and add to your recipe box! Cheesy Broccoli Bitespdf
Give these a try and let me know what you think! Enjoy! 🙂
We don’t always have the time to make it in to the gym, so I wanted to put together a 30 minute Boot Camp Workout that you can do at home, which is equipment free. This workout I have put together requires no weights, and is for an intermediate fitness level. I will be posting further workouts for various fitness levels. Make sure you have a bottle of water with you, and hydrate before, during, and after your workout! It is preferable to perform this workout inside or in a moderate climate. (I say this as I live in Mexico, where it is 90 degrees, so workouts outdoors can be more challenging.) I will be following this blog up with short videos of how to do these exercises!
Check out this workout below, and let me know what you think! Push yourself, and don’t give up. You can do it! Good Luck!
Lower Body Conditioning with Cardio Intervals Boot Camp
Warm Up:
Jogging In place for 1 minute
Deep Inhale In, Exhale Out
Stretch Side to Side
Quad Stretch
Knee to Chest Stretch
Grab a drink of water and…
Now to the workout:
30 Jumping Jacks
30 High Knees- alternating legs
30 Raised Toe Taps
20 Squats- Legs Shoulder width apart, toes pointed forward
You should be right around 15-20 minutes of workout time. You can choose to cool down, or repeat from the beginning for a more intense workout!
Cool Down:
Light Jog in Place for 30 seconds
Step Touch- 16 count
Heel Digs to the Front- 16 count
March in Place
If your heart rate is still very high, repeat the cool down exercises until your heart rate has leveled off.
Stretch:
Deep Inhale In, Exhale Out
Stretch Side to Side
Quad Stretch
Knee to Chest Stretch
Hamstring Stretch
Ankle Rolls
Deep Inhale In, Exhale Out
Flat Back Down, Roll Up
Deep Inhale In, Exhale Out
Flat Back Down, Roll Up
Final Time: Deep Inhale In, Exhale Out
And YOU DID IT!
How did it go?!? Remember to drink plenty of water post workout to help the body recover. To spice it up, follow up the cardio/conditioning with some ab work. I will be posting a great ab workout to use this week! Let me know how you liked the Boot Camp Workout! Leave your comments here on my blog, or on my Facebook Page, Fitness with Kayla.
It’s been quite rainy here in Puerto Aventuras, this past week… So I wanted to come up with a quick, at home Abs workout that you can do without having to get out in the rain!
To make this more difficult, increase repetitions to 30 for each set, and increase the plank to 1 minute. You can also do 3 sets for a longer workout!
Stay tuned for an At Home Lower Body Conditioning workout, coming this week!
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me here or on my Facebook page at Fitness With Kayla! Try out this Ab workout, and let me know what you think!
