Day 1 Fail

Well, my motivation didn't last long. Last night I did not do my intended workout.  Instead I went on a hike for an hour.  I know that is better than sitting at home on my badonk and watching TV, but that is definitely not what my blog post said I was going to do last night.  Sadly, my motivation has just not been there to work out hard.  I am, however, determined to get myself to kickboxing tonight.  I have not been in the mood lately for anything high impact or strenuous, but I really need to get myself working out again. Not only is that the only way to get beach body ready, but it's also going to help me feel better all around.


Even though I know my workout for tonight (tentative), I am still going to post a picture of a workout that I think is good. And the good thing about this one is that it doesn't require getting my butt to a gym.  Sometimes leaving the house is the hardest part, so luckily something like this can be done at home. No excuses there then, right?

It's too bad I don't have more followers of my blog. Sadly, I think being held accountable by people via the internet may be the only reason I will work out some days.  Maybe I should post a "before" shot. I bet if my almost bare body is out there for the world to see, I'll be VERY determined to change it.


Speaking of change it, I did lay out for an hour and a half yesterday.  Between that and my hike, that counts as a perfectly decent day one of beach body challenge...yes?

Summer Snuck Up On Me

It's time to get crackalackin on my workouts and diets.  I don't know how it happened, but it's already almost May.  So I think to help motivate me, I'm going to post about workout attire/workouts/anything health related I come across that inspires me. If I am blogging about it, maybe I'll actually do it.


I came across this and liked it because it's easy and fast.  To lose weight my workout doesn't have to be super long and intense. Any activity helps.

I also like this one because it outlines exactly what to do on what days.  I tend to go into a gym and just wander around and look at machines since I can't figure out what to do so this really helps.

Ok, let's see if blogging about working out helps me to actually work out.  Let's count this as day 1 of my summer body challenge.

Apple Pie Bites

I've been really having a sweet tooth lately.  Could be because I gave up candy for lent, could be because I started cracking down on my diet about a week ago...who knows the reason.  Well today I decided to give in to my sweet craving and make some miniature apple pie bites.  They're like apple pies, but in moderation! I guess they're the cupcakes of the pie world.  I adapted the recipe from one I found online.  They are absolutely delicious. The hardest part about this whole recipe is just eating one!

What You Need

• 1/2 cup sugar ( I used Splenda)
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 package refrigerated pie pastry (by package I mean the entire box, not one roll)
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 medium tart apples(I used Fuji) – peeled – I cut about 16 slices

What To Do

1. Combine sugar and cinnamon
2. Set Aside 1 Tablespoon of the mixture
3. Unroll Pastry, both rolls, and brush on 1 Tablespoon of Butter and sprinkle sugar mixture.
4. Place Apple Slices into the bowl with the rest of the sugar mixture – and mix.  You can also put the sugar mixture into a bag with the apples, seal, and shake. Why not workout while you bake?
5. Cut the pastry into strips — about 1 inch wide and 5 inches long. I got about 8 strips out of each of the two pastries.
6. Wrap one strip around each apple wedge, placing sugared side of pastry against the apple.
7. Place “pies” on parchment paper lined baking sheet. (You can grease the parchment to prevent from sticking.)  Brush on the remaining butter and sprinkles with the rest of the sugar mixture.
8. Bake at 425 for 10 – 13 minutes or till golden brown.
9. Enjoy!!

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

I made Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes for St. Patty's Day.  They turned out AMAZING!  The beer really helped to make the cake very moist.  I mean how could they turn out bad? Irish whiskey, Bailey's, and Guinness? YES PLEASE!  Mind you, these cupcakes are not for kids.  The only alcohol that bakes out is in the cupcake.  The ganache and icing does not bake.  Since I brought these to a party, I made sure to bring a "kid friendly" cupcake as well so that everyone could partake in the deliciousness.  I'll do a post on my other cupcakes at a later time.

Yield: 24 cupcakes

Prep Time: 40 minutes | Bake Time: 17 minutes

For the Cupcakes:
1 cup Guinness stout
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder (I used Hershey's dark cocoa)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoons salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

For the Whiskey Ganache Filling:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons Irish whiskey

For the Baileys Frosting:
2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream

1. To Make the Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring the Guinness and butter to a simmer in a heavy, medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl to combine. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sour cream on medium speed until combined. Add the Guinness-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat just to combine. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat briefly. Using a rubber spatula, fold the batter until completely combined. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners. Bake until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 17-25 minutes. (Mine took closer to 25 to cook, but everybody's oven is different so I recommend starting at 17 and going up from there.) Cool the cupcakes on a rack.

3. To Make the Whiskey Ganache Filling: Finely chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then, using a rubber spatula, stir it from the center outward until smooth. Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined. Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped.

4. Adding Ganache to Cupcakess: Once the ganache is cool, spread about one teaspoon onto each cupcake.  You can use more or less depending on taste. You can also fill the cupcakes with the ganache by using an icing tip to dig out a hole in the cupcake.  I chose to spread it on top rather than fill it because I like flavors to be evenly distributed in my desserts.  Another easy way would be to just dip the cupcakes in the ganache.  This works if your cupcakes are filled enough to flow over the top just a little.

5. To Make the Baileys Frosting: Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually add the powdered sugar until all of it is incorporated. Add the Baileys, increase the speed to medium-high and whip for another 2 to 3 minutes, until it is light and fluffy.

6. Using your favorite decorating tip, or an offset spatula, frost the cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Store the cupcakes in an airtight container.

I had a lot of fun making these cupcakes.  They were fairly easy, smelled amazing, and tasted great.  I am now motivated to try making cupcakes out of other famous shots.  Perhaps Vegas bomb cupcakes?  That might have to be my next endeavor.

Look how moist this is!