Life Update

  I am going to try to start blogging again once a week.  I'll see how it goes.  I just started a new job that makes me have to wake up at 5 am every day!  The morning and me have always always hated each other.  I guess I'm going to have to learn to go to bed at 9.  This past week we found out that we are having a little girl!  I am so excited.  I am getting anxious and still have a long ways to go.  In one week I will be five months pregnant.  I made two new recipes this past week that were really good!

The first one I found on pinterest.  Sweet and sour chicken with rice and broccoli!  I have been craving orange chicken but I won't eat it at any restaurant because who knows what they are putting in it.  I used organic chicken and cut the recipe in half.  I am going to make it again this week and instead of using sugar for the sauce I am going to try truvia/stevia sugar.  You can find the recipe here.

The second recipe I loved is white chicken chilli soup.  Here is the recipe.  My cousin Alex seriously has some good recipes on her blog.  I probably use her blog for new recipes once a week.  It was my favorite soup recipe that I have made.  I usually make chicken tortilla soup but this soup definitely wins.

More exciting things....

The dark knight rises came out on dvd!  Best movie ever!  We bought it Friday and watched it and then we decided to watch it again on Saturday night.  Its that good.  I have always loved batman movies.  I'm also really excited for superman to come out.  During Christmas break I'm going to have to have a batman marathon and watch all three.

Since I have been feeling better I have been trying to ride my stationary bike and do yoga.  This DVD is actually pretty good.  There isn't really anything on it that a pregnant person can't do.  They don't really use a lot of weights, some light dumbbells.  I was so sore after doing the work out.  I don't think I would really call this a yoga workout.  Bob Harper always has good workout dvds so it is definitely worth trying.  I don't think I can do real yoga, or meditate.  I like to sweat and get my heart rate up.  I relax when I watch tv.

The ACSM guidelines for exercising during pregnancy is that you should exercise  3-7 days per week moderate intensity 15-30 minutes per day.  I definitely need to start exercising more.  I have been so lazy.

Here is another workout dvd I want to try

Its a kettlebell workout with Bob Harper.  Not sure I can use a kettlebell when I'm pregnant.  I'll have to look into that.  If I can I will have to be a lighter one.  If you have never used a kettlebell before it is definitely time for you to buy one.  It is such a good arm and cardio work out.  I had never used one before cross fit but I will probably never do a workout with out using one now.  I told Jordan that after I have this baby I am for sure going to do cross fit for at least a couple months.


These are my top picks for decorating the baby's room.  I will probably end up going with coral and light blue.  Yellow and gray is a close second.  Our baby room is currently an office work room jam packed full of bike stuff we are selling.  Who knows how we are going to organize that into a work/baby room. 

Kind of a random post, but I haven't posted in a while so there was a lot on my mind.  Hope everyone has a good week! 

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

What I've been up to....

I am finally starting to feel a little better.  I get to find out what the baby is in just three weeks.  I was in a complete panic the other day because I have only gained three pounds and am 15 weeks pregnant, I thought something was wrong.  Luckily my doctor said that was completely normal.   I am not trying to brag, I seriously was on a get fat diet because I thought the baby wasn't growing, I may or may not have made myself feel sick a couple times because I was trying to eat a ton.   I also found a new hobby, genealogy!  I always thought family history was a little boring until I started reading stories online about the pioneers in my family line.  I also found out that through my Grandma Leora I am related to the same person my husband is.  So technically we are fourth cousins twice removed.  The reason why family history is so fun is because its kind of like a mystery you are trying to solve.  I found eight kids that were not even linked to their parents through different documents I searched through online. We are actually going to take a trip to Safford soon because tons of my relatives are buried there.  I'm not going to talk about the election because it's just too sad.  I think we all know who the smart people in this country voted for. 

I started watching the cooking channel the other day and decided to actually write down the recipe and try it.  It turned out really good.  But I decided it was too much work for my lazy cooking self.  I only like meals that take thirty minutes or less haha.  This chicken lasted us all week.  So it was worth it.  I used the left over chicken to make a big pan of chicken enchiladas. 

Chicken marinated with herbs/butter:

Chicken marinated with herbs/butter:

I was at costco the other week and usually buy chicken once a month because its so expensive to buy it organic.  I usually buy the normal chicken breasts that I can quickly make on the stove or put in the oven.  Next to the usual chicken I buy were two whole chickens.  They were the same price as the other chicken I normally buy and were three times as much chicken.  So I guess for a little more work it was worth it.  You definitely get more for your money.

Here is the recipe:
-thaw out your chicken and place it in a pan wing side down.  (The opposite of how you normally cook a chicken).  Then combine half a stick of room temperature butter in a bowl with some chopped up rosemary and thyme.  Mix the herb butter and spread half of it all over the chicken.  Try to get the butter underneath the skin.

-In a separate bowl cut small potatoes in half and mix with olive oil and salt.  

- Bake the chicken (wing side down) at 425 degrees for about fifteen minutes.  Then take the chicken out and set the oven to 350.  Move the chicken to a different pan and put all of the potatoes in the pan you are cooking the chicken in.  Then move the chicken and put it on top of the potatoes.  Put the chicken back in the oven at 350 degrees (wing side up) or the normal way you cook a chicken.  Let the chicken cook for about an hour and ten minutes.  Make sure to buy a thermometer so you can check the temperature of your chicken to make sure it is cooked enough.  Stick the thermometer in your chicken and make sure it is at least 170 degrees. 

New Recipes

  My cute cousin Alex has a new blog and I love all of her recipes she posts.  I bought ingredients to try three of her recipes.  They were so delicious!  I have been eating taco bell ( can't believe I am admitting this) because I haven't been feeling good and for some reason it doesn't make me want to barf.  I would never ever go to taco bell before I was pregnant.  But now I will pretty much eat anything that doesn't gross me out.  Having a baby takes forever....I am the least patient person alive.  I haven't even gained any weight yet!  I just want to wear cute maternity clothes all the time.  I guess it will come soon enough.  I am trying to be as healthy as I can for the baby.  I have been swimming and riding a stationary bike on the days I don't feel sick.  I'm trying to drink a spinach smoothie at least once a day for some vegetables.  Its crazy how strict I was on what I would eat before I was pregnant.  You could not pay me to eat at a fast food place.  I just don't care as much now, when you are sick you kind of stop caring a little.  Here are the recipes I made last week:
                                 

Tomato Basil Mozzarella Pasta

Orzo pasta

Pumpkin chocolate chip bread

Recipes:

Tomato Basil Motz Pasta
Angel Hair Pasta
Tomatoes - diced the size you like
Mozzarella cheese - diced
Basil - chopped
Chicken - cut up
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Olive Oil
SALT! and pepper

Once the pasta is done I add the ingredients right away so the cheese will get melty.

Orzo Pasta

Orzo Pasta

Olive Oil

Tomato 

Basil

Feta

Garlic

Onion Powder 

Salt & Pepper

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
By Alex
3 cups white sugar

• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup water
• 4 eggs
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I put more because this is clearly not enough chocolate) 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 9x5 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, oil, water, and eggs. Beat until smooth. Blend in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Fold in chocolate chips.
3. Bake for 1 hour, or until an inserted knife comes out clean. 

I have way too many shows that I am watching right now.  There are so many good ones on!

Favorite Dinner!

Last night I tried this delicious recipe I found on pinterest  What in the World did I make for dinner before pinterest?  I think it was the best recipe I have ever made in my life.  It was the best thing I have eaten in weeks.  I am definitely making it again in a couple days.  Or maybe tomorrow!  It was so fresh tasting, lemony garlic pasta with lemon and herb chicken.  Delicious!  It is definitely a recipe worth trying.  Don't be overwhelmed by the directions, I almost didn't make it because there were too many steps and ingredients.  It really didn't cost that much to make and was worth the hour in the kitchen.  Just make a ton so you can eat it the rest of the week.  

Spaghetti in Garlic Gravy with Herbs and Lemon Marinated Chicken and Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients:

500 grams spaghetti pasta (cooked al dente)

1 pound chicken breast fillets (skinless and boneless, sliced into 1 inch chunks)

For the chicken marinade:

2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped

2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped (if using dried, use half of the amount)

Zest of 1 lemon

Juice of ½ a lemon

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon coarse salt (not table salt)

½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (to sauté the marinated chicken)

-  Add all the marinade ingredients into the chicken and marinate for 20 minutes (if making this dish in pronto) or over night (if making this dish the next day… much better).

-  Saute the marinated chicken in extra virgin olive oil until cooked (about 4-5 minutes) then set aside.

For the garlic gravy:

½ stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 large cloves garlic, finely minced

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 ½ cups chicken stock

1 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup parsley, chopped (to sprinkle/finish the pasta)

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

2 cups whole cherry tomatoes

-  Place sauté pan over medium heat and add butter and olive oil.

-  Saute garlic until fragrant and soft.

-  Add the flour and cook for a minute.

-  Add chicken stock and simmer gravy until thickened then add the chopped basil.

-  Season with salt and pepper.

-  Add the sauteed chicken in the gravy then toss the cooked spaghetti into this  sauce.

-  Add the cherry tomatoes and finish the dish with the chopped parsley and grated parmesan cheese (serve extra on the side).

Makes 5-6 servings

what I have been up to....

I haven't been able to blog at all lately because I have been really sick.  Yep I'm pregnant.  This baby better be the cutest baby in the World because I have never felt so sick and tired in my life.  I haven't had much inspiration to write about anything because honestly I can't eat a lot of foods right now.  Pretty much cereal, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and lots of fruit.  And I haven't worked out in a couple weeks.  I'm going to try to start swimming and elliptical more.  Does anyone know of any good pilates/yoga dvds?  Its hard to be excited about this baby when all I can talk about is how crappy I feel.  Hopefully it will pass and I will start feeling better soon.  I guess one good thing about this pregnancy right now is I have zero desire to have any chocolate.  It grosses me out so bad.  I haven't had it in weeks.  This is crazy for me.  Usually I have to at least have one piece of chocolate a day. 

 Lately...my dog eats more vegetables than me!  I gave him rice and broccoli left overs one time to see if he would actually eat broccoli.  Yep, ate all of it.

I discovered a fun blog last week on pinterest( http://www.funcheaporfree.com/ )  It has some good ideas for saving money.  On the how i grocery shop link there is a website called deals to meals.  Its a website where you type in your zip code and click on all the stores that you shop at and it will tell you the best deals that week.  The website compares the prices to costco and walmart.  I just signed up for it.  It is free for the first two weeks and then it is around 4 dollars a month.  Much better than clipping coupons in my opinion.  I am so over coupons.  It takes way too much time.  And I don't really care for having a year supply of mustard.

Update

Life has been so busy lately and I haven't had any motivation to blog.  This past weekend my best friends sister passed away.  And then the next day we found out a friend of my husband died in a bike race.  He has worked on his bike for the past year and a half.   He died in the  Lotoja bike race from Logan, Utah to Wyoming.  You can read two articles here and here.  I feel so bad for both families that lost loved ones this past weekend.  We have two funerals to go to this weekend.  It really made me think about how short life really is. So I think I have a pretty good excuse for taking a break from blogging.  Hopefully I'll get back into it after this crazy week passes.  

Here is something a little happier!  Here is a  good recipe I made from http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/.  I love this blog, it has a lot of good ideas and tons of recipes.  


Make your own ranch dip

Ingredients:
2 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried dill
1.5 tsp garlic powder
1.5 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp pepper
sour cream

Directions:
Mix all of the dry ingredients and store in a container until ready to eat dip.  Stir 1 1/2 tablespoons of the mixture with 1/2 cup sour cream

I doubled this recipe so I could have extra and use some to season tilapia with.

Snack ideas:
carrots and ranch dip
cucumbers and ranch dip
squash and ranch dip

side note: I am disgusted by school cafeteria lunches that the kids eat.  I work in an elementary school now and I can't believe the amount of ranch kids consume.  5 giant bottles each day I swear!  The kids ate a giant piece of fried chicken the other day, what on Earth are we feeding our kids??  My kids are always going to bring their lunch to school.  Hopefully they won't try to eat their friends lunches or trade with friends like my husband tried to do all the time.  

I think my goal should be to start a petition for a 7th grade nutrition class!  Nutrition should be taught in the schools.  I don't even understand why it isn't being done already.  They should make it a one semester required class for 7th grade or they could even do it as an elective.  

Easy Salmon Dinner

I was not ready to go back to work today.  I wish I had every single Monday off.  That would be glorious!  I dream of the days when I will be a stay at home mom.  Who knows when that will be.  On Monday I went on a 55 mile bike ride.  The furthest I have ever gone on my bike!  I am trying to train for the tour de st. george bike race right now.  Jordan is really excited that I have been biking a lot and just came home with a prize for me today.  It's a new garmin for my bike.  I have a really old one and the battery keeps dying when I go on rides.  If I ever want new bike stuff Jordan will always get it for me.  Its great being married to a bike mechanic who is obsessed with bike crap.

Easy Salmon Dinner Over Rice

This recipe only took me about 20 minutes to make.

Ingredients:
salmon
brown rice
pesto sauce
2 carrots
2 sweet potatoes
2 cups broccoli
1 avocado

Directions:
I put 1/2 cup brown rice in a bowl and topped with salmon, 1 cup of sweet potatoes, 1 cup broccoli, a couple teaspoons of pesto, 1/4 cup of shredded carrots, and a couple slices of avocado.

for the salmon I seasoned it with salt/pepper/lemon pepper/garlic salt.  I baked it in the oven at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes.  I made a big thing of brown rice at the beginning of the week so I didn't have to prepare it for the meal.  For the sweet potatoes and broccoli I used the steamable bags and cooked them both in the microwave.


Fast fun work out

Run/bike for 10 minutes

set timer for 20 minutes and complete as many rounds as possible:
-20 push ups
-20 lunges each leg (in place)
-30 sit ups
-10 burpees

after you complete the 30 minute workout set a timer for 4 minutes and do any butt exercise.

total workout time: 34 minutes and then you are done!

Light Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

I am on a mission to not get sick!  I work at an elementary school now and half of the kids are sick and won't stop touching me/high fiving me.  I have been washing my hands like every ten minutes.  Or pretty much every time a kid touches me.  Today I had to go to cpr training and they only had five mannequins for a class of 20 to share.  And 6 of those people were coughing a ton and were sick and the only thing we were doing was taking an alcohol swab to clean the mouth that we had to blow in!  The teacher must be crazy if she thinks that I will put my mouth on something when just an alcohol swab was used and then share it with another sick person, ya right!  Especially since I just learned in microbiology that alcohol swabs don't do anything and that the rubbing action does more than the actual alcohol does.  Same with hand sanitizer.  So pretty much I didn't blow into the dummys mouth and people were looking at me.  I really don't care though, who knows what kind of bronchitis crap i could have caught from everyone else. That was my day.  On to the cupcakes.

I love cupcakes.  I wish that they were healthy.  I don't really make them that much because I don't love baking just eating.  Instead I go to the coffee shop, they have the best cupcakes.  A lot better than sprinkles in my opinion.  If you haven't been there you need to check it out.  It is right next to Joe's Farm grill.  I found a recipe for healthier cupcakes in Alicia Silverstone's book, "The Kind Diet."  I changed mine up a little bit from hers.

Ingredients
Cupcakes:
2/3 cup vanilla soy milk or vanilla coconut milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup agave
1/3 cup canola oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt

Fudge frosting:
1/2 cup earth balance butter
1/2 cup agave
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup soy milk powder (I didn't use this but the recipe says if you use this your frosting will be thicker)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 F
Combine the milk and vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for five minutes then add the agave, oil, and vanilla and stir.  In a separate bowl combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry until it is completely mixed.

Bake for 18-22 minutes

Frosting directions:
after mixing all of the ingredients let sit in the fridge while the cupcakes bake.

If you make about 16 cupcakes it should be around 150 calories per cupcake.  I want to get a mini cupcake pan.  Mini cupcakes are the best.

West Nile Virus

The west nile virus is on the news a lot right now and I wanted to know the statistics of how many people were actually infected and where most of it was coming from.

About west nile virus:
The virus is transmitted through various species of mosquitos.  It can cause fever, headaches, fatigue, muscle pain or aches, malaise, nausea, vomiting and rash.  More severe cases are a neurologic disease when the central nervous system is affected.  West nile encephalitis causes inflammation of the brain and west nile meningitis causes inflammation of the meninges (protective membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord) or you can get west nile meningoencephalitis which causes inflammation of the brain and also the meninges surrounding it.


Statistics: according to the CDC (center of disease control)  from Jan 2012 as of August 21, 2012

total cases of west nile virus: 1,118 total deaths: 41

Arizona:  12 cases, 1 death
I looked up where most of these cases happened and they are all in Maricopa county!
California: 34 cases, 1 death
Utah: 0

highest states:
Texas: 537 cases, 19 deaths
298 of the 537 cases were neuroinvasive ( it affected their nervous system)
Oklahoma: 68 cases, 3 deaths
Mississippi: 79 cases, 1 death
Louisiana: 73 cases, 6 deaths
Michican: 30 cases, 1 death
South Dakota: 72 cases, 1 death

How to prevent:
Wear repellent.  The more you are outside the greater chance you have at getting bit.  Click here to find out more information on the west nile virus and to find out where most of the cases are happening in your state.

Pretty much if you live in Texas don't go outside!  Yikes.

shark attack deaths vs. cyclist deaths

I love watching shark week. I surfed all day last Monday and Tuesday in California and don't really think about sharks that much in the water.  I have seen one before in the water but just swam as fast as I could in.  It was in Hawaii when I was going to school/trying to be a pro surfer.  I looked up the stats about shark attacks because I know they are pretty uncommon.  I just try not to  think about sharks when I'm surfing because surfing is the funnest thing in the World!!!  

Here are the stats on sharks attacks:

Confirmed Unprovoked Shark Attacks, 1580–2011
Region	Total Attacks	Fatal Attacks	Last Fatality
United States (Excluding Hawaii)	980	36	2010
Australia	877	217	2012
Africa	314	85	2012
Asia	124	51	2011
Pacific Islands / Oceania (Excluding Hawaii)	124	50	2011
South America	105	23	2011
Hawaii	105	8	2004
Antilles and Bahamas	67	15	2010
Middle America	56	27	2011
New Zealand	47	8	2009
Europe	35	17	2011
Bermuda	3	0	—
Unspecified / Open Ocean	14	7	2006
Total:	5,213	1,333	2012
Source: -International Shark Attack File -Australian Shark Attack File —July 2012

Ok only 44 deaths from a shark attack since 1580!  I think I'll take my chances in the water.  On shark week it said that there have been 52 attacks in southern California from 2000-2010.

I wanted to compare shark attack deaths to cyclist deaths per year to show Jordan.  I guess I am screwed because I like to bike and surf haha oh well.

Stats on deaths from cyclist accidents in US:
Year   Deaths
2001  732 1.7
2002  665 1.5
2003  629 1.5
2004  727 1.7
2005  786 1.8
2006  772 1.8
2007  701 1.7
2008  718 1.9
2009  628 1.9
2010  618 1.9

So on average around 600-700 cyclists die each year just in the US from accidents.  And only 52 people have died since the 1500s from shark attacks.  CRAZY!  Hopefully my husband knows what he's doing.  I would definitely rather take my chances surfing over biking.

Enough depressing stuff.  On to my new favorite drink!  I am such a drink person.  I love making/trying new drinks.  This one is super easy and delicious!  It is inspired from true food kitchen.  We went there on our vacation, definitely overpriced food and it was just ok in my opinion.  They had a list of all natural drinks and they had one kind of similar to this.  

Coconuty Juice Delight:

What you will need:

coconut water

your favorite juice

Directions: Add 2/3 cup coconut water to 1/3 cup juice

Here is my at home work out for the day:

total time: 35 minutes

warm up:

-200 jump rope

-50 sit ups

-100 jump rope

work out:

set timer for 25 minutes and complete as many rounds as possible

-30 kb swings (see video)

-20 leg lifts (lay on back lift legs all the way up and all the way down)

-20 pus ups (on knees, chest touches the ground)

-50 air squats

-20 swimmers (lay on stomach, keep legs up and chest up while moving hands like you are doing the breast stroke)

I just bought a kettle ball at walmart for $35!  They are pretty expensive everywhere else.  I got a discount on mine because it had a small hole in the fabric around it, score!  I got a 25 pound one.  I think anywhere from 15-25 is a good amount of weight.  25 is perfect for kb swings.

Also please click here to read the funniest thing I have read in a long time!  You will laugh out loud, trust me!!!

How to make your own wall ball

 When I was at my parent’s house I asked my mom if she had any old basketballs I could use to make something.  My sister and I got about five balls and headed to the park around the corner that has a ton of sand.  We made medicine balls and they turned out awesome! I just saved myself over fifty bucks easy.  Some of them cost up to $80.

What you will need:
Any size old basketballs/soccer balls
Use a water bottle for a filter.  Cut the end of the water bottle off. 

Instructions:
Make an X with scissors/knife in the ball
Use the water bottle as a filter to fill the ball up with sand.
Use duct tape to put over the hole in the ball

I'm probably going to cover my entire balls with duct tape.  One of the balls is 18 pounds and the other one is 12.  You will probably only need a medium size basketball/soccer ball.  I saw small ones at walmart for only $5.  A normal size one ends up being too heavy.  I didn't fill up the spalding basketball all the way. 

Click here for a work out by Anna Kournikova with a medicine ball

Or type in medicine ball into my fitness buddy app and 20 or more will come up 

Some of my favorite things right now

This week I was determined to only spend 30 dollars on groceries.  I usually do my grocery shopping on Mondays, so yesterday I went out and took 30 dollars cash with me and only spent 30 dollars!  It was a miracle.  I am trying to budget better so we can have more money for uhhhh vacations duh what else would we save for?  

this sun dried tomato pesto at walmart for about 2 dollars is so delicious and I add it to couscous.  

I found organic lettuce at the superstition farmers market today for $1 each.  I was so excited!  It made my day.  I love a good deal

I love making my own peanut butter.  It's so easy and a lot cheaper.  Just add honey roasted peanuts to a food processor/blender (blendtec or vitamix) and mix with desired amount of peanut oil depending on how creamy you want your peanut butter to be.  

I love these measuring cups I got from anthropologie

Walmart now sells organic eggs for only about 3.20 per dozen.  I am loving walmart lately.  I got this egg crate at anthropologie too

This ice cream is so delicious and dairy free.  I try to stay away from dairy as much as possible. 

I love trying new healthy cookbooks from the library.  This one was pretty good.  She has a couple of good recipes I tried.  She's a little bit too extreme vegan for me.  I didn't recognize a lot of the ingredients in her recipes.  

Healthier cupcakes.  I love finding new dessert recipes and making them my own.  These were really good.  I will put the recipe on my next post.  

Make Your Own Gym for $100

I love finding new workout equipment to add to my little gym I made for myself.  Craigslist is definitely the way to go with most workout equipment.  You can get weights for more than half off.  This is a list of my top 5 workout items for making your own gym.  It will cost you only 100 dollars to make your own gym.  

Resistance band: $10 walmart

apex workout bench: $39 walmart

Pull up bar: walmart $19

40 Pound Weight set: walmart $20

Stability ball: $10 

 These are a couple things that I want to get soon:

wall ball: I use this every day at cross fit.  I want one so I can start doing cross fit at home.  

Kettle ball: also used every day at cross fit.  I found one for 35 dollars at walmart

Power tower: I found one on craigslist for 80, but I'll have to save up for this and find somewhere to put it.

Resistance band that hooks in door.  Walmart: $20

Since I started doing cross fit I realized that you don't even need a gym membership, in fact I get a better work out without one.  At the gym I would never sweat as much as I would at cross fit.  I like to make my own workouts I can do at home.  When we were at Lake Powell last weekend I made my sisters do cross fit with me on top of the house boat.  They were sore the rest of the trip and hated me haha.  

Here is my work out for the day!

-cardio: 30 minutes (swim laps) since I am obsessed with watching swimming on the olympics right now

-cross fit: 30 minutes

Here is the cross fit at home work out:

Warm up: Complete 2 rounds of:

-20 push ups

-20 squats

30 sit ups

100 jump ropes

The Work out: Put a timer on for 20 minutes and complete as many rounds as possible

-20 pull ups

-50 lunges (25 on each leg)

-30 sit ups

-10 burpees

-10 knees to chest

-20 leg raises

Notes:

what you will need for the work out: A pull up bar (20 dollars at walmart) or do push ups instead of pull ups.  For the pull ups I get a jumping start so that I can actually do 20 of them.  

Here are some videos of the exercises:

Knees to chest exercise:

burpees: