The Kid and I were out for Friday Night Dinner last week and we went to a restaurant where you can sit and watch the chefs cook everyone’s dinner. I always love watching so I asked if we could sit within viewing distance. The woman was incredible with how she managed to make all the dishes and stay calm at the same time.

Halfway through dinner, The Kid looked at me and said “Why don’t you quit your job and do what you love?” Oh, if only it were that simple. I’d love to! It’s funny though that I didn’t even say anything, but she picked up on my excitement at watching.

I love cooking and can only think of a few things I find as exciting. So needless to say, I was thrilled to go through a bunch of cookbooks to find a recipe that would be out of the ordinary for us to meet the Fancy Sunday Dinner tradition.

This week I decided to go with a chicken recipe and found one that would use some more of the bottle of white wine that I had leftover from last week’s dinner. I plan to freeze the rest so that it won’t go bad before being used. The chicken smelled wonderful as it was cooking.

I changed things up a bit from the original to cut the fat, flour and a few other changes to meet the contest prep criteria. Adding a little bit of flour makes it taste more special and decadent than just plain grilled chicken, but it doesn’t add effort or many calories.

Chicken Piccata

• 16 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts
• salt and pepper, optional
• 1/4 cup flour, divided
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions, green and white parts
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3/4 cup chicken broth, divided
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice, fresh squeezed if possible
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 1/2 Tbsp capers, drained

Cut the chicken breasts into 4 pieces that are approximately the same size. Place chicken between two pieces of heavy plastic wrap and pound with a mallet or tenderizer to 1/2 inch thickness. I got creative and used the back of a ladle since I don’t have an official mallet to use. Salt and pepper each piece, if desired. Reserve 1 tsp of the flour and place the remainder of the 1/4 cup flour into a shallow dish.

Spray a skillet with non-stick spray and heat over medium high heat. Coat both sides of each chicken piece with the flour and place in the hot pan. Cook approximately 4 minutes on each side until cooked thoroughly and golden brown. Remove chicken from pan and put aside to keep warm.

Lower heat to medium and add the sliced green onions to the pan. Cook, stirring often for 2 – 3 minutes. Add the 1/2 cup of white wine and bring to a boil. Scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan to add flavor to the sauce. Add the garlic and 1/2 cup of chicken broth to the pan and boil for about 2 minutes. Meanwhile mix the 1 tsp of flour with 1/4 cup of the chicken broth.

Add the flour and broth mixture to the pan, stirring constantly until the sauce starts to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice, butter and capers until mixed. Place 1 chicken breast piece on each plate and top with the sauce. Makes 4 servings at approximately 214 calories each.

I served our chicken piccata with a side of jasmine rice and steamed cabbage. Yes, the cabbage is an odd choice but it’s what I had on hand from our produce share so I wanted to use it up. I loved that the recipe made 4 servings so I got to put 2 servings into plastic containers for lunches later. The sauce got even better the next day!

I can’t wait to pick the next recipe. Do you have a go to chicken recipe?

After last week’s discovery regarding the success of my squats, I decided to change things up a little bit with my workouts this month. I finished out 2 months using the same exercises each workout so it was perfect timing to make some modifications. I’m going to be focusing for a few months on hamstrings and glutes.

Typically if you aren’t genetically strong in this area (raising my hand here), your butt pretty much falls off when you cut down to contest levels of body fat. This is not a good look on anyone but especially not for someone in their 40s. Trust me on this one. I figured I need all the help I can get here and if my backside is actually responding to these workouts, let’s go with it! Strike while the iron is hot, eh?

I took out the front squats as my core lift since those tend to hit the quads harder than the glutes and hamstrings. I replaced them with ATG (a$$ to grass) back squats. These are squats where you drop your hips below your knees at the bottom, as if you’re going to sit down almost. Let me tell you, getting back up takes some effort. I have some new exercises this month that I’ve never done before.

If you’re looking to change up your own workouts, I really recommend adding in some new exercises.  Yes, there is the obvious reason of challenging your muscles in new ways. It’s also good to push yourself mentally out of your comfort zone. I’ve got barbell hip thrusts in there that is great for this purpose. If you don’t know what they are, google them and try not to laugh.

I was really apprehensive about doing these in the middle of Man Land, but I forced myself. And it turned out to not be as bad as I expected. Well, doing them wasn’t as humiliating as I was expecting, but walking afterwards out of the weight area was a bit awkward. My new mantra is Grow, butt, grow!

I’ve got just over 5 months to do this. What’s the most awkward exercise you’ve ever attempted?

Squat Day
Core Lift – BB Back Squat 1RM Testing

• 3 warm up sets
• 3 sets to figure out my 1RM

DB Deficit Lunge – 2 sets of 20 reps
Romanian Deadlift – 2 sets of 20 reps
Seated Leg Curl – 2 sets of 20 reps
Decline Situp – 2 sets of 20 reps
Hanging Leg Raise – 2 sets of 20 reps

Pull Day
Seated Dip – 2 sets of 20 reps
Tricep Pressdown with Rope – 2 sets of 20 reps

Core Lift – Chin Grip Pulldown at 60% of 1RM

• 3 Warm Up Sets
• 2 sets of 8 reps
• 1 set to failure – I got 17.

Bent BB Row – 2 sets of 20 reps
Flat DB Row – 2 sets of 20 reps
Standing BB Curls – 2 sets of 20 reps

Lift Day
Core Lift – BB Deadlift at 60% of 1RM

• 3 Warm Up Sets
• 2 sets of 8 reps
• 1 set to failure – I got 19.

Cable Face Pull – 2 sets of 20 reps
BB Hip Thrusts – 2 sets of 20 reps
Lying Leg Curl – 2 sets of 20 reps
Plank – 2 sets for 90 seconds each

Press Day
Standing DB Hammer – 2 sets of 20 reps
Standing Cable Curl – 2 sets of 20 reps

Core Lift – Decline BB Press at 60% of 1RM

• 3 Warm Up Sets
• 2 sets of 8 reps
• 1 set to failure – I got 15.

Incline DB Press – 2 sets of 20 reps
Decline Skullcrusher – 2 sets of 20 reps
BB Upright Row – 2 sets of 20 reps

Things always happen for a reason. You might not realize it at the time, but later it may eventually become clear. My house for some reason had white carpeting throughout. Not by my choice. It was like that when I bought it. Or at least the carpet was white at one time. I’ve no idea what the original owners were thinking when they picked it out. They had dogs and two young kids. Who chooses white carpeting with all that?!

I’ve wanted wood floors for years. I saved for what seemed like forever. In the summer of 2008, I decided to bite the bullet. I called a flooring company and had their rep come out with all kinds of samples. They measured and showed me options. I picked out a gorgeous cherry wood to do downstairs. I confirmed the installation and was all set to fork over $7800 for my dream floors.

The contractor agreed to move the big things like the bed and sofa, but I had to move everything else out of the rooms for the installation. I started a few days ahead of time since there was tons of stuff to cram into all the other rooms of the house. I had crap shoved everywhere to clear out the downstairs. I was all set and ready for their arrival. Until I freaked out.

It wasn’t even about the money like a normal person. If there’s one thing I hate, it’s having my stuff all in disarray. I’m extremely averse to change and having my stuff spread all around was more than I could handle. I called the contractor and cancelled the day before. I just couldn’t stand the upheaval. Yes, believe it or not I couldn’t deal with it for another 48 hours. I pretty much slammed down the phone and put every last thing back in its place immediately.

Ever since I’ve wistfully thought about the floors that never were. My missed opportunity. I grumbled every time I had to get out the carpet cleaner. I even thought about just replacing the horrid carpeting with new clean carpets but I figured I wouldn’t be able to deal with the same process of installation. A few weekends ago, I was poking around the hardware store looking at tile and all kinds of upgrades. Basically dreaming of things to do in my To Do of Redoing a Room.

I rounded a corner and came face to face with a screaming good deal on cherry flooring. Such a good deal that I even gasped. I already knew the square footage from the previous flooring attempt so I worked up the numbers. I raced home and googled to see if I could actually attempt this myself. Seemed reasonable. I made the purchase and spent a pretty good chunk of last week, tearing out the nasty old carpet and tack strips.

Afterwards I installed my beautiful new floors in the dining room, living room and master bedroom. After almost 5 years, I finally have my new flooring and the best part is that it only cost me $1500! So my panic paid off. I got my floors, learned how to put in new ones myself for a great sense of accomplishment, and saved over $6,000. Seems like a pretty good deal to me.

I did have to get a new fuzzy blue vaccuum cleaner to go with the floors. It’s so much quieter than the old one. Things always happen for a reason. Sometimes it just takes a while to figure it out.

As you know, yesterday was Mother’s Day. Being the single mom of an unemployed young teen, I don’t typically get taken out to dinner on Mother’s Day. I’m not complaining because 1) I can always take us out if I wanted to and 2) I hate the thought of eating out with huge crowds and long lines just because it’s Mother’s Day. Seriously, I’d rather just celebrate on a different day.

I was hanging out enjoying my coffee when I was hit with a brilliant idea. I could make my very own fancy schmancy dinner to celebrate. Plus I’d get to have a quiet dinner at home with the one person that I’d want to spend the day with – The Kid! I perused the internets and checked out quite a few recipes. I love to cook but I wanted something that wasn’t hugely difficult but also wasn’t something that I’d make all the time.

I decided pretty quickly that I wanted scallops and found the perfect recipe to modify to fit a contest prep diet. Don’t let recipes scare you into thinking you can’t change them up to suit your needs. Typically you can cut butter and fat here and cheese and sauces there. That’s exactly what I ended up doing. The dinner was so freaking amazing and fun to do that we decided to find a recipe each Sunday and start a new tradition of Fancy Sunday Dinner!

Reading over the recipe, it sounds complicated but it was really easy and took only about 30 minutes total. I set the oven to preheat while I whipped up the sauce and chopped the veggies. Once the oven was hot, the veggies were ready to pop in and I started the pan for the scallops. The veggies were ready for their final heating while I cooked the scallops, and voila everything was done at the same time.

Seared Sea Scallops with Grilled Summer Veggies and Beurre Blanc

• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/4 green onions, white and green parts chopped
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 tsp orange zest
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 medium zucchini
• 1 medium yellow squash
• 1 orange bell pepper
• 1 red onion
• 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 cup grape tomatoes
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 lb sea scallops
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 500 degrees and place a large cookie sheet in the oven while preheating. Combine the wine and green onions in a small pot and bring to a boil. Cook the wine mixture for about 5 minutes to reduce to approximately 2 tablespoons. Add butter to the mixture and whisk until creamy. Note: I used a soy free, dairy free butter substitute for this since The Kid has a dairy allergy. You can use faux butter or the real thing. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the orange zest and 1/4 tsp salt. Set aside for later.

Slice the zucchini, squash, pepper and onion into strips. Toss them with 1 Tbsp of olive oil and salt and pepper them, if desired. Carefully remove the preheated cookie sheet from the oven and spread the veggies onto the sheet. Bake at 500 degrees for 3 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the minced garlic. Add the tomatoes and return to the oven. Bake for another 4 – 5 minutes until the veggies start to brown. Remove from oven.

While the veggies are cooking, rinse the scallops and pat them dry. Salt and pepper to taste. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a skillet, swirling the pan to coat it with the oil. Add the scallops to the hot oil and cook for about 90 seconds on each side until done. Serve the scallops topped with the wine sauce (AKA beurre blanc) and the veggies on the side. Makes 4 servings at approximately 275 calories each.

I ate the leftovers today for lunch and they were still delish. Do you have a fancy Sunday dinner at your house?

I have officially finished my second month on my new workout program. This week was at 90% of my one rep max on the core lifts. It was pretty challenging but I was really excited to see how I did. My contest prep is going well and I’m down about 8 pounds now.

An interesting thing happened. About 3 months ago, I decided to get some new pants since all of mine had been worn at least a bazillion times and no longer really fit well. I got a couple new pairs of dress pants that fit like a glove and spiffed up my wardrobe a bit.

The last couple weeks I noticed that the pants were strangely getting tight. What WHAT?! I just bought them and they fit. I lose 8 pounds and they’re tight. Made no sense so I got out the trusty measuring tape to get more details on what was going on. I lost an inch in my chest, a half inch in my waist, and a half inch in each thigh. Makes sense. Eight pounds down will do that for you. But then I measured my butt. UP AN ENTIRE INCH!

Please do not miss the fact that I am shouting at you here. All those heavy squats the past 2 months. All the teeth grinding and barbell hating I’ve been doing. Yep, they paid off. I am getting a squat butt!!!!! If you’ve been reading here for a while, you know just how impossible that has been for me. Much like unicorns and leprechauns. A squat butt on me did not exist, but I’m getting one now!

I’m changing up a few things in the workouts the next couple months to hit the glutes and hamstrings even harder. Miraculously my 1RMs again went up this month 5 – 10 pounds each. I’m not sure what the heck is powering my chest press but that’s the biggest gain for me this month. Needless to say, I’m thrilled and amazed at the progress I’ve made. I hope this keeps up. I’ve got my eye on a trophy.

Squat Day
Core Lift – BB Front Squat at 90% of 1RM

• 3 Warm Up Sets
• 1 set to failure – I got 4.
• 2 sets of 1 rep

DB Walking Lunge – 4 sets of 5 reps
BB Back Squat – 4 sets of 5 reps
Seated Leg Curl – 4 sets of 5 reps
Decline Situp – 4 sets of 5 reps
Hanging Leg Raise – 4 sets of 5 reps

Pull Day
Seated Dip – 4 sets of 5 reps
Tricep Pressdown with Rope – 4 sets of 5 reps

Core Lift – Chin Grip Pulldown at 90% of 1RM

• 3 Warm Up Sets
• 1 set to failure – I got 5.
• 2 sets of 1 rep

Bent BB Row – 4 sets of 5 reps
Flat DB Row – 4 sets of 5 reps
Standing BB Curls – 4 sets of 5 reps

Lift Day
Core Lift – BB Deadlift at 90% of 1RM

• 3 Warm Up Sets
• 1 set to failure – I got 4.
• 2 sets of 1 rep

Cable Face Pull – 4 sets of 5 reps
Romanian Deadlift – 4 sets of 5 reps
Lying Leg Curl – 4 sets of 5 reps
Plank – 4 sets for 30 seconds each

Press Day
Standing DB Hammer – 4 sets of 5 reps
Standing Cable Curl – 4 sets of 5 reps

Core Lift – Decline BB Press at 90% of 1RM

• 3 Warm Up Sets
• 1 set to failure – I got 8.
• 2 sets of 1 rep

Incline DB Press – 4 sets of 5 reps
Decline Skullcrusher – 4 sets of 5 reps
BB Upright Row – 4 sets of 5 reps