It’s finally Friday!! I am actually really excited to not have any plans for the weekend. Not even a set run planned. It’s definitely a nice feeling after how busy things have been for the past month.
I just wanted to pop in this morning and share two great things I discovered this week. They’re pretty much unrelated, but both worth trying this weekend if you are looking for a new glute burner or a warm, hearty recipe.
First we work out, then we eat.
I learned this exercise from one of the barre workouts I did earlier this week. We did this move for close to 5 minutes on each side and my butt was on fire by the end!
1. Lay on one side, propping yourself up on your elbow and bend your bottom leg behind you. Form a straight line from head to toes and keep your hips facing forward.
2. Lift your top leg a few inches up and flex your foot.
(this is just a screenshot, not the actual video, but this is the barre3 website)
3.Lift leg up an inch or two and pulse here for up to 1 minute. Make sure you’re squeezing your glutes while you do this.
4. Hold leg in starting position and pull knee into chest and then push back out. Straighten leg and reach slightly behind you. Repeat for 30 seconds.
5. Repeat this sequence two more times and then switch sides.
Ok so now for the recipe. This isn’t something I created on my own, but I kind of came up with my own way to cook it. Here is the original recipe: Super Easy Butternut Squash with Ground Beef and Onions.
You should head over and check out the recipe but it’s really as easy as it sounds. Here is how I cooked it: I melted coconut oil in a larger frying pan, added cubed butternut squash with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, cooked it until very soft. Moved to a crock pot set on low. Added chopped onion to the same frying pan with a little more oil, sautéed for a minute or two then added beef and cooked until no longer pink. Seasoned with more salt, pepper, garlic, powder. Added beef/onion mixture to squash in crock pot and mixed it all up. I added a spinach/kale mix which wilted as it mixed with other warm ingredients. It was probably ready to be eaten at this point but I let it sit for about 45 minutes on low and his really allowed the flavors to come out I think. I served it with greens beans, but it’s probably enough on its own or you could do any other veggie you want!
Sidenote: Rob typically doesn’t like when I cook meals in the crock pot (after I made like 5 meals in a row in there one week) so when he saw the crock pot on he made a face. But once he started eating it he admitted it was good and wanted seconds!
I can’t believe I forgot to take a picture! However, it probably wasn’t very photo worthy- just a big blob of squash and beef! Instead, let’s look at a picture to remind us of warmer days…
What do you have planned for the weekend?
Do you ever modify recipes to make them work for you?
What’s the hardest workout you’ve tried lately?
My husband is also not a big fan of the crock pot so I have to be careful about what I make in there 🙂 sounds really good!
What is it with guys not liking the crock pot? I don’t understand. I wonder if they would notice if they didn’t know we used it to cook the meal:)
I still don’t own a crock pot. Sometimes I think I want one and then I realize I don’t have another inch of room in my cabinets to store it! Yes, to that workout — I was doing a move very similar in one of the barre routines through Gigabody. It’s funny how things don’t look like they will burn as much as they really do! Have a great weekend.
We store our crock pot on top of the refrigerator! And I think that Rob’s mom gave it to us at one point, it wasn’t something we ever bought so I don’t know if we would have ever gotten our own otherwise.
As for the move, it was very humbling! I kept thinking we would be done and we just kept going! My whole body was shaking by the end.
Crockpots save my life around here with so many frigging people! I’ll have to try your recipe. My birthday was on Wednesday and it was a pretty brutal day (one of the kids was in the hospital) so I plan on carving out some birthday moments for myself one day this weekend.
Wow happy belated birthday and so sorry that it was a stressful one! I hope that everything is ok and you can celebrate this weekend!
Thanks! Yes, I’m heading out right now with friends for ganache torte and red wine. YEAHHHH!!!! Woo. HOO. I’m pumped. Aaaaand, I don’t get out much.
I modify all recipes! Mostly because I am cheap and don’t want to buy the things that are asked of me.
I tell you what–my legs are acting like every workout is the hardest workout ever. Even when they are easy. It is going to make for a very interesting long run tomorrow! Have a great weekend!
I think part of it is that I am also cheap/picky about ingredients and also nervous to try things that I have never cooked with before. It usually works out ok and if not, it’s a learning experience!
I hope your legs get themselves together and give you an awesome long run tomorrow!
I did an exercise in PT similar to this to get my glutes firing! It is deceptively glute tiring!
Good to know that it is a PT-approved exercise!:)
Ohh, I’ve done that exercise and such a butt burner…but doesn’t it hurt so good? 🙂
Yes definitely! I couldn’t believe it was so hard that I had to stop and take breaks!
Love workouts that burn so good 🙂 I have some some barre workouts and they definitely use muscles you are surprised you haven’t worked! The hardest workout I have done lately was my long run last weekend- it was MUCH longer than I have run in a long time. Felt SO good. This weekend we have fun stuff- rv show, my son’s first basketball game of the season, my long run- and who knows what else 🙂
I feel like as I have started doing barre I am constantly feeling the burn in new places!
Sounds like a busy weekend but I hope its a great one! And I hope that this weekend’s long run is as good as your last one!
With some upcoming schedule changes with my new job I think I will be using the crock pot more. It is such a huge time saver. No big plans for the weekend. It’s going to be cold in Austin so I am probably going to want to hibernate a little bit. 🙂 Happy Friday!
Isn’t it so nice to come home to a meal that’s ready to go? And the clean up is easier too…and there are usually leftovers!
I have a feeling I will be hibernating this weekend too:) Enjoy!
I am really excited about having a laid back weekend too. We need to find and buy a new couch, but as soon as it’s in the house I plan to park myself on it and just watch football all weekend long! Enjoy your days off!!!
ooh couch shopping should be fun- make sure you find a super comfy one!! Have a great weekend!
Love a good glute burner! I have several in my regular routine but I’m always open to new/different ones.
That dish sounds great–will definitely try it.
I find that I stop feeling glute exercises when I do them all the time so I love to change them up. Hope you like the meal!
I modify recipes all the time. I’m picky about what I eat and what the flavors are.
Yes me too…I’ll frequently leave out certain things in recipes if I know I don’t like them!
That recipe sounds great! And the exercise – my main focus is strengthening my glutes. We both have problems in that area 🙂
I am going to wineries tomorrow in Michigan. Don’t worry I will take very detailed notes on all the wine I try.
I don’t know about you but I have a really hard time finding exercises that make me feel like I am really working my glutes properly. This one seemed to do the trick!
Oh wow have so much fun at the wineries!! I’m very jealous!:)
I know that move! My physical therapist had me doing it. It buurrrrrns! I think I pushed it out of my memory, but thanks for the reminder. It’s a good one for sure.
Happy Friday! Enjoy your relaxed weekend.
It’s good to know that PTs think its a good move…I especially think its a great one for runners!
Both of these are SO awesome! Happy Friday, friend!
Glad you think so! Have a great weekend!
Oh man I can’t WAIT to do nothing this weekend. I’ve had a really busy week at work and afterward (I’m never this social, I don’t know what’s going on), so I can’t wait to catch up on my shows and get some good down time in.
Weekends like that are the best!! Not sure how the weather is there, but here it is so cold that I don’t want to leave the apartment at all!
That recipe sounds good. My husband is not a fan of the crockpot either–hmmm. I am cooking chili to be served over sweet potatoes for supper tonight (and hopefully leftovers!)–chili in the crock pot is OK in his book!
That sounds really good! I love that there are usually leftovers with crock pot meals. I’m not sure what it is that guys have against the crock pot?! Maybe they just like knowing that we slaved away in the kitchen or something:)
I love glute exercises like this!
Have a great, relaxing weekend!!
Thanks Nicole, you do the same!:)
Oh man – I’ve done similar exercises in barre class, and I can never make it through the whole thing without resting! Hurts so good. Cheers to having no weekend plans!
I couldn’t make it through the whole thing either! I kept thinking we were done but we kept going!
Have a great weekend!
Ooo that looks like a burner. I’ll have to try it! I think squashes are my favorite veggie. I always add a bunch of stuff to sweet potatoes and make one big dish, but I’ll have to try it with the butternut squash!
I have only recently started eating squash but I am so glad I did! Sweet potatoes are one of my favorites as well.
oooo, love moves and workouts where you literally feel burning in your muscles! What is it with husbands and crock pots? My husband ALWAYS makes a face when he sees it out on the counter!
I have no idea why guys dislike it so much! Its such a time saver and I think the meals come out pretty well too!
You know what’s weird is that I am like Rob-I never use the crock pot myself, but when Greg cooks dinner, that’s typically what he uses to cook in..I don’t know why I’m not a fan of it! I love all the ingredients in your recipe though and I think I would like to try it out! Kale gets me every time!
Thanks for the awesome workout, I love a good butt workout! Especially when it kills me at the end!
I wouldn’t say I love the crock pot but I find it so much easier! And the recipe I shared doesn’t even really need a crock pot, just a place to mix it all together:)