I feel more and more like the days are blurring together. I have my home routine pretty set in stone now, but it's still real weird. I miss my gym friends and I definitely miss being able to workout there. I miss driving my car, going shopping, and having the ability to go to a restaurant or the theater with my husband. At this time, I no longer feel comfortable even going to get Starbucks, so I've really been feeling out of sorts to that degree. Y'all know how much of an addict I am. When will I feel like this again???
Truthfully, I've been enjoying my coffee at home. I just make two of them now :):
As more and more states are putting the stay-at-home orders in place, it becomes more of a reality that that is the direction the entire country is headed in, and I want to do my part to stay away from public areas as much as possible. I haven't even been to the grocery store in over a week and I used to go every other day!
I really can't believe how crazy this has all gotten. I really have so much respect and gratitude for the health care workers and first responders that are experiencing this first hand. I cannot imagine how terrifying it can be to be in the heat of all of this madness. I see the pictures and videos coming out of New York and it truly looks like a war zone in some places there. I truly hope that all of you reading this now are paying respect to the people that are working hard to combat this disease by staying home and not going out to see other people. I mean how many times are you going to be told, "Look, all we need you to do is absolutely nothing and we can stop this thing." Yet people are STILL going out in crowds. It blows my mind. We've been told over and over by the experts that by staying away from each other, we will be able to flatten the curve, and thereby save countless lives. Can we please just all do our parts and stay home? The quicker we all make the decision to remain at home and away from each other, the quicker we can all go back to living our normal lives again. I don't know about y'all, but I'd like to do some fun things this summer, so let's get our shit together, ok??
Today, I am feeling super productive, because I already filmed and edited a workout demo, did the workout, started my daily studying in my nutrition course, and planned out my activities for the rest of the day. It's always a good idea to write out a daily schedule or a to-do list to keep yourself on track. Pro-tip: for added satisfaction, check off your activities as you complete them, and leave yourself feeling like a boss once you check off all the items from your list.
If you want to get a solid workout in at home today, but have limited time, give this one a try. If you do the entire thing, it will take you just under 30 minutes and requires absolutely zero equipment. If you don't have 30 minutes to spare, you can shorten the workout by doing 3 or 4 rounds instead of the 5 that it calls for. Make sure you give it your all for each 40 second interval. If you are confused, it works like this: you will complete the lungesters for 40 seconds, rest for 20 seconds, do 40 seconds of mountain climbers/pushups, rest for 20, and so on until you finish all 5 movements. Then you will rest a full minute before beginning the next round. Complete it just like that for your desired number of rounds or time. It's a fun, sweaty workout that will get your heart rate up high! Get after it!
Our second box for Hunt a Killer arrives tonight, so we'll be working on that when Shawn gets home from work tonight. We're having a mini date night to do that, and I'll make up a bunch of healthy snacks to munch on while we investigate our murder case. I feel sure my zucchini chips will make an appearance at the table later tonight.
Without further ado, let's talk about the delicious recipe you came here for. I made this dish last night for dinner, mainly because I was sick of doing the same old thing with our chicken breasts week after week. Listen, I love a good grilled chicken breast, but sometimes, that shit is just boring. I mixed it up by cubing the chicken and sautéing the pieces in my cast iron skillet with butter and spices. Then, I used that same skillet to cook some asparagus to go with it. Simple, easy, and not a lot of cleanup, this recipe is everything you could ask for in a weeknight meal. If you are tired of your boring chicken breast recipe, give this one a try next time you pull them out of the freezer. It's super versatile, too, in the sense that you could pair it with any veggie that you have on hand or prefer. For my starch, I made a baked sweet potato, while Shawn had yellow rice. Either works great!
Skillet Garlic Butter Chicken Bites and Asparagus
Ingredients:
1.5 pounds chicken breast (cubed)
1 pound asparagus
3 tablespoons butter (separated into 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp thyme
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant.
2. Add cubed chicken breast to skillet and sprinkle with salt and pepper, along with all other spices. Allow to cook for 5-6 minutes.
3. Flip chicken pieces and cook an additional 5-6 minutes on the other side. Continue to flip and simmer until chicken is cooked through.
4. Remove chicken from skillet, taking care to leave some garlic and spices in the pan.
5. Add remaining tablespoon of butter to skillet and allow to melt.
6. Add asparagus to the skillet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, stir to mix into the spices remaining in the skillet.
7. Cover the skillet and allow the asparagus to cook for 7 minutes or until they reach your desired doneness.
8. Return chicken to skillet and mix in with asparagus.
9. Serve and enjoy!