Janie Brooke Fonda

We hosted a Halloween Zumbathon last night and it was a costume party!  My mind started racing for a costume that I could look good exercising in and that I wouldn't have to spend a lot of money on.    

First of all let me explain my key ingredients for a good costume.  

1. You have to have good hair and makeup. 

2. Go big or go home! 

3. Use your own clothes. 

4. Make sure you can become the character 

 So I finally came up with Jane Fonda!  Of course!  I am a workout instructor and I can totally pull this off.   So I went to work.  Well, of course I procrastinated and didn't actually put the costume together until the day before....  Whoops.  But it all came together so no big deal!  

Well, I HAD to have a leotard and I've realized I didn't have one so I called the local dance studio and luckily they had one in my size!  So I got that.   

I already had the pants.  They are a wonderful pair of Zumba pants that I normally wear to class.  If I didn't have those I would have just worn a pair of tights either nude or another color. 

I had the gold belt in my drawer but any big belt would work, although the gold really popped! The headband was a seam off of a t-shirt I had cut up a few weeks ago.   

 Then there were the leg warmers.  I had no leg warmers and it was 7:00 the night before and I had to have leg warmers.  I had vaguely remembered seeing a pin on Pinterest that showed cutting off the sleeves of a sweater to make leg warmers and I knew that was my best bet.  So I drove to goodwill and found the  pink sweater and the gold sweater.  I didn't know if the pink would work, so I got the gold too.   We got back so late I didn't have time to see if they worked until I was getting dressed.  When I finally got to cut them off they had to work because I was running out of time.  I cut them off at the seam and then made them even.  I put the arms upside down on my leg and they worked!!   I had to safety pin the bottoms but they worked!  

Then it was time for my hair so I TEASED and teased, and teased.  I started on one side and went all the way through my head.  Until I looked like this:

Then I tamed it as much as possible and made a poof in the front and then a second proof behind that.  Then I took the rest and gathered it into a ponytail.   I took the t-shirt band and put it under the pony tail around my head.   And then sprayed until the hairspray and tease formed a wonderful helmet around my head. 

For the makeup I did a really thick foundation with a lot of powder so it would last all night (and it did).  I did a lot of contour and a lot of rouge.  Then I did a ton of this amazing hot pink eyeshadow with black eyeliner topped with silver eyeliner to make it pop!  

I put on my gaudiest ear rings and I was ready to go power my way through the Zumbathon as Janie Brooke Fonda! 

How I decorated my tiny apartment kitchen

When I moved in, this is what my kitchen looked like.  Yes it is actually that small.  Yes the cabinets are made out of particle board and cheap vinyl coating.  I thought to myself, at least the cabinets are white, there is a window, and that I have a dishwasher but where am I going to put everything?

As soon as I found the time and got the color semi-approved by my landlord, I painted it pink!  Why pink?  I have had this color scheme for a room in my mind forever.  Pink is my favorite color, and the kitchen is where I spend all of my time.

The inspiration really came from this awesome barbie calendar that I have been obsessed with since I got one about 3 years ago.  I have had to have one every year since then.  They are sketches of the classic barbies and they are just so classic!  I love them.  I have always wanted to frame the pictures and put them on a pink wall.  So I did. 

Here are a few more pictures of some of the details in our tiny little kitchen.  =)

I replaced the door nobs with black ones from ACE

My favorite knife block!

I LOVE my pink Kitchen Aid

My grandmother crocheted this for me

We painted that at a wine and canvas event

Painted the spice rack to be black

This is our menu 

Beer Can Chicken

For as hillbilly as Beer Can Chicken sounds it has become a staple meal in our recipe box.  It's easy, super yummy, and pretty cheap and here is how you do it!  

You have to have one of these Beer Can Chicken stands like this.  If you don't have this you can try to be creative, but I've always used one of these.  They are fairly cheap. 

You take a can of beer, any kind of beer, as long as it's beer. You only need half of the can for the chicken, so I poured the other half in the bottom of my amazing Pampered Chef stone.  

Put the can of beer 1/2 full in the hole in the middle of the stand and then just set the chicken on top of the stand.  It's kind of funny because it looks like he is just sitting there!  

After I put the chicken on his pedestal, I was ready to oil him up!  I usually use olive oil but upon buying 3 big tubs of coconut oil in bulk, I decided to give it a shot.  The coconut oil was in solid state so it was kind of tricky rubbing it in, but it worked.  I think the coconut oil paid off because the skin was a lot more crispy this time.  I let some of the coconut oil fall into the vegetables too. 

I then chopped up 3 potatoes, 3 carrots, and 1/2 of an onion and put them in the beer in the bottom of my pan.  I kind of stirred them up and let them get coated in the beer.  

For the seasonings I just went crazy.  I love cooking with a lot of seasoning, I mean a lot!  But, hey it tastes good!  So anyway, I first took my amazing Celtic sea salt that makes everything taste magical and I started rubbing it into my coconut oil all over my chicken and into my vegetables.  Then I took some oregano and was very generous with it.  I covered my bird and the veggies in it.  After that I did garlic salt, but not too much because I already used my celtic sea salt.  Finally, I ground up some pepper and rubbed that all over.  I was then ready for the oven!  

I put it in the oven at 375 degrees for an hour.  My oven is awful so I have to rotate it to make sure it gets cooked all the way through evenly.  Make sure it is cooked fully by taking the temperature of the bird in the thigh.  

Then we took the bird off of the stand, be very careful it is very hot with beer and other juices!   When we got it out, we put it on a separate platter, carved it, and devoured it.  

But the veggies... ooooohhhhhh... those veggies were AMAZING.  I wish I had done twice as many!  I served them in the stone so we could have all of the juices with them.  

It was a crowd pleaser and super easy and cheap! 

Here is the recipe broken down: 

What you need: 

• Some sort of pan for the chicken to sit on with the veggies in the bottom like a pie pan. I use a circular Pampered Chef stone.
• Beer can chicken stand

Ingredients:

• 1 Can of beer
• 1 whole chicken
• 3 russet potatoes 
• 3 carrots 
• 1/2 an onion
• Celtic Sea Salt (regular salt will work too)
• Oregano
• Garlic Salt
• Ground Pepper
• Coconut oil (Olive oil will work too)

What to do: 

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Empty half of the can of beer into the bottom of your pan and keep the other half of the beer in your can.
3. Place the can into the beer can chicken stand
4. Put the chicken over the top of the beer can and situate him so he is sitting up 
5. Chop up your potatoes, carrots, and onion and put them in the bottom of your pan with the beer. 
6. Rub down your chicken with the coconut oil or whatever you are using until it is thoroughly covered.  Let some of the oil fall into the veggies.  
7. Rub the salt, oregano, garlic salt, and ground pepper liberally all over the chicken and veggies.  
8. Bake at 375 for 1 hour or until the chicken reaches 165.  
9. Take out of oven and carefully take the bird off of the stand.  This is easiest when done with two people and tongs. 
10. Place chicken on a platter, carve, and serve!
11. Keep veggies in the pan or place into a separate bowl but make sure to keep the juices and serve! 

9 ways to not gain a hundred pounds on vacation

Eric and I LOVE traveling, but what I don't love is noticing that I gained a ton of weight when we get back. This past year I have managed to stay out of that weight gaining rut after a handful of vacations and here are some things I did! Hopefully they can help you too!   

1. Long walks

Are you vacationing  in a city?  Walk around the city instead of taking a cab or train. Some of my most fun times on vacation have been just wondering around with no other objective than to meet amazing people and find cool things that aren't in the tourist books.  Don't be afraid to get lost and try some crazy things!  

Vacation on a beach? WALK IT. It's a great exercise and even better way to connect with a loved one or friend. Also, it's a good way to get a tan and to do some exploring.  

Safety tip: always have a "way out" i.e. When we were in Puerto Vallarta the taxis were always really cheap to take us back home, even if we didn't know how to get there!  When in NYC or Chicago, the rail systems were really easy to figure out and if worse comes to worse we could pay an arm and a leg for a taxi. 

2. Try to go on a hike or 2 ... or 20!

This is a little harder if you go to a huge city, but Eric and I were able to find some amazing hikes in Puerto Vallarta. Find somebody that looks active or has dogs and ask them if they know of any good hikes!  If you smile and be very thankful, people generally like helping other people and feeling smart. You can also ask the visitors center. 

Safety tip: If you don't have a guide or a local with you make sure you have a map of the hike. Woods are scary places to be lost because most of the time phones don't work to call for help (but that adds to the adventure ;)) 

If you are going to a more rural area, hikes are a breeze to find! Do a little internet searching before leaving or ask around!  It's a great way to see the landscape of the place you are visiting.  It is never "just woods."

3. SWIM in the ocean or pool 

Going somewhere that has an ocean or a pool?  Actually swim in it!  Get your hair wet, do some hand stands, try to do some flips, or just simply do laps!  

If you have an ocean you don't have to do much in it to burn some calories.  Those beautiful waves are acting as resistance and helping you even if you are just staying in one spot.  

Not to mention if you are in the pool you will still get a beautiful tan!  

4. Rent bikes 

On a recent mini-vacation to Indianapolis Eric and I did the Bike Share thing and rented bikes!  I guess a lot of cities are adapting this new trend.  

For those of you would have no idea what I'm talking about, let me explain.  Basically there are these bike racks all around the city that have these bikes that lock into them.  In Indy we put our credit card into the machine and basically bought a day pass for a bike.  You get 30min on a bike whenever you want it, you just have to get it back to another rack before 30min is up and get a new one.  It was $8 per bike!  Cheap, fun, and burning calories for transportation.  Can't beat that! 

5. Take the stairs any chance you get 

It's easy to just pop on the elevator to the 50th floor of a fancy building, but wouldn't it be awesome to be able to say that you conquered that building!?  Challenge yourself!  If you get too tired you can always switch to the elevator.  

6. Eat good food 

I know what you're thinking, "No way!  I'm on vacation!"  Well, I feel the same way so let me explain. Eat food that you love but chose your restaurants wisely.  

Big rule of thumb: don't eat fast food.  

Schedule your meals wisely and pick good restaurants that use good ingredients.  You don't have to always eat salad but when you eat that cheeseburger make sure it is actually meat on that bun and not some processed piece of who knows what! 

Try local restaurants.  Why would you eat at Applebee's if you can eat at Applebee's in your hometown? Branch out!  Try something new and it might be a

better health choice! 

Don't always eat out either, if you are camping, cook over the fire!  If you are staying some place with a kitchen, plan a night in.  

Pack snacks and lunches!  This is good for the budget and for your waistline.  I always take a box of protein bars when we vacation because you never know when you are going to be without a meal or in a weird place and you need something substantial.   

Ex.  When we were in Mexico we ate a lot of Mexican food that has so many fresh ingredients!  My favorite was buying the fresh coconuts off of the street.  They gave you a straw and you drank the water (a personal favorite of mine) and then you gave it back to them and they chopped up the juicy coconut meat, seasoned it, and handed it back!  My mouth is watering now.  WHY DON'T WE SELL FRESH COCONUTS IN AMERICA!?!?  

 

7. Try an active excursion 

I just love Mexico.  We were on this pretty secluded beach and this teenage boy was riding his body board.  In town you could rent them for like 20-30 dollars, so we asked him if we could rent it from him and he said yes, and for $8!  So we did that!  What a great core workout but also super fun!  

If you are at a resort and picking excursions, try to find ones where you are doing something.  We went swimming with the sea turtles and cave diving on our honeymoon in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.  

Chances are the more active you are, the more fun you are going to have without the guilt.  Not to mention all those endorphins that you are releasing by being active!  And how proud you will

be of yourself for being active. 

8.  Be creative

 

Keep an eye out for ways to be active.  You never know what might come up! I found some Zumba classes to attend in Puerto Vallarta that were a BLAST and a very a good cultural experience! 

9. Don't forget to still splurge, it's vacation for Pete's sake.  

Staying in shape and having less of the post vacation recovery are good things but enjoying food and relaxing are also very important to your health. It's ok to splurge on some bad foods, but try to monitor it.