Hello. I'm Liz, a FORMER Couch Potato! I'm a wife and mom, full-time educator, and a Zumba instructor. And I'm working on helping my family to be healthy and active! Here you will find recipes, exercise adventures, food and gadget finds, and a confession or two! Join me on my journey!
I’ve got some random pictures to post. Usually, when that happens, I try to think about a way to tie them all together, so that my post can have a sort-of theme to it. As I was going back through the pictures on my camera, I was thinking, “What fun. What a great day.” And that sort-of became the theme for today.
First of all… dance.
You guys all know how much I love Zumba. It’s like therapy. There’s nothing like it! I had so much fun at a class today!
Second… family. I have so much fun with these two!
Third… days at Carowinds. Seriously—there is not much that is better than seeing your child make this face. You know what this expression says? I think it says, “Mom, this is pure joy!”
Fourth… getting to try our the newest ride with no waiting. I tried out the new Windseeker ride today. We went at the perfect time and I didn’t have to wait more than 5 minutes to get on this ride.
That’s me giving the thumbs-up. (On the way back down.)
So… those are just a few things that have made me happy lately. And I must mention that SPRING BREAK makes me pretty happy, too. It means that we can go on another fun little outing tomorrow.
What intimidates you? This is something that intimidates me.
Meet The Intimidator. This is Carowinds’s newest ride. It opened just last year and people… it was aptly named. I am not scared of roller coasters. I’ll do them all over and over. But even though I rode this ride last year… it’s still completely… well… intimidating. Yesterday we had our weekly Carowinds trip to meet some friends and their kids, and I decided it was time to get back on this ride.
They say this is the tallest, longest, fastest roller coaster in the southeast, and I believe it. This is the only roller coaster that truly makes my heart race. As we were climbing the first big hill, there was a guy behind me who was giggling at the fact that I was holding on for dear life.
“Hey, look over there,” he said, and pointed off to our left, where you could clearly see the skyline of uptown Charlotte.
“Are you crazy?!!?” I asked. “I can’t look out there!”
He laughed. “I work at the front gate,” he said. “And every day when I get off work, I have to ride this ride. It’s the best.”
And then we took the plunge. And there were about thirty seconds of sheer terror, exhilaration, and screams.
As we rounded the corner at the end, he said, “Never gets old.”
I think he’s probably right.
Here’s a video if you want to get a feel for The Intimidator.
This video is good… but it really doesn’t do it justice.
So, what intimidates you?
Something that has always intimidated me is meat with bones in it. I don’t know why… but it always has. I only ever bought chicken when it was boneless and skinless. I wasn’t really sure what to do with non-boneless chicken.
If you have never bought split chicken breasts, you’re in for a great surprise. They’re sooooo inexpensive! I have noticed that a pack of boneless, skinless chicken breasts can cost $8.00 to even $10.00 for a package of 3. Well, if you buy split chicken breasts, you get more meat for your money… and the pack of 3 that I bought this week cost me $3.00. Now, that’s a bargain.
Select a skillet that is oven-safe. You can start your chicken on the stove and then finish it up in the oven. I use a Cuisinart Stainless-Steel Skillet. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
First, season both sides of the chicken. I use salt and pepper always. Then feel free to add other seasoning mixes. Coat the skillet with a light mist of cooking spray and then heat until hot on the stove. When the pan is hot, add the chicken, skin-side down. Cook for about 5-7 minutes, until the skin is golden and crispy. Then, flip the chicken over and cook the other side for another 5-7 minutes.
Place the lid on the skillet and pop it into the oven. Allow it to cook for 30-40 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. (And a secret… because you seared the meat… you’re probably not going to overcook it. Taking that step at the beginning locks in the juices and the flavor!)
When the chicken is cooked, allow it to cool. And then you can remove the bones and slice it up. The bones will just slide right out, leaving you with lots of meat, and each breast will have enough meat to serve at least 2 people. So for $3.00… you get enough meat for 6 people!
I served ours with a little creamy broccoli-pasta side dish.
Chicken sizzling in the skillet… pre-oven
Dinner is served.
Don’t be intimidated by bone-in chicken. Or roller coasters.
Ryan and I have been working on a little home improvement project over the past 2 days.
(I don’t get fixed up for DIY Days!)
Yes, we’ve been painting! We have been needing to repaint both of our upstairs bathrooms for quite a while, and we decided to get started yesterday! We finished a bathroom yesterday and another one today. Go us! I always think it is really fun to paint… I just wish that someone would do all the cleaning up afterwards! Ha! Now that the bathrooms are both painted, I’m having this urge to go to Target and get new bath mats, shower curtains, and other fun things. Yay for DIY Days!
And then after our productive morning, we had a fun outing planned.
Ryan and I met up with Mandy and Owen, and Jenn and Cara at Carowinds! We had been looking forward to getting the kids together for a water park day.
Unfortunately, the weather was cloudier than we expected. Fortunately, there is PLENTY of other stuff to do at Carowinds!
And now… now it is time to rest!!!
Oh, by the way, my new fitness adventure had to be postponed until Friday. Details soon! Promise!
How was your weekend? Ours was full of food and family time. Two of my favorite things!
Remember the big storm from last week? Well, yesterday ended up being “clean-up day.” Ryan had borrowed a chain saw and was ready to be cutting limbs all day, but during the midmorning hours, my neighbor texted me that she was sending “her tree man” over when he finished with her yard. Talk about an unexpected present! Unfortunately, our tree in the front yard was too damaged to save, so we had to cut it down. But our trees in the back yard only needed pruning. Take a look at the pile of branches/leaves in front of our house!
Wild, huh? Boy, does the city have their work cut out for them! Every house on our street has a pile of branches as big as this one!
Last night we enjoyed noodle bowls with edamame, broccoli, and chicken.
I love making this. It’s just as good as ordering Chinese takeout, but way healthier!
Today, we decided the weather was perfect for a quick afternoon trip to Carowinds.
No big Roller Coasters for us today… just the kiddie rides. Ryan and I are planning an “adult day” at Carowinds soon, though. It’s fun to go ride all the scary rides!
I’m really looking forward to summer vacation starting soon. I am looking forward to having more time to cook (and clean!). Tonight I was able to cook one of my favorite meals: chili. I made a nice big pot so that we could have leftovers this week. :) I used a version of this recipe, but I used fresh onion tonight, and I added extra Cayenne Pepper.
I know soups and chilis are more “winter meals,” but I love them just as much in the summer! I’m weird, I know!
