Shepard's Pie + XFit 2

Today Jon is working a 24h day! He's sleeping at NAPS tonight. We're going to head up to New Hampshire tomorrow morning to spend the long weekend with his family.

My mom and grandfather are coming down to Newport to visit while Jon is at work. My grandfather is also going to be taking two beds that we have set up in our guest room to use in one of his two cottages. The story as to how Jon and I acquired the two wooden beds is actually a good one.

I was out walking our dog Colby one morning and there they were- two gorgeous, full of potential, bed frames leaning up against a rusty green, smelly industrial sized garbage bin. "Well now, those shouldn't be going to the dump", I thought to myself (ha!). So Colby and I quickly ran home. I grabbed the car keys from my sleeping husbands nightstand and set off on my "rescue mission".

Soon after I left, I returned home with my treasures. I carried them up the stairs, past the door to the master bedroom and into our first guestroom. Like a little kid on Christmas morning, I crept back down stairs on my tiptoes, not to wake Jon, to fetch some of his working tools.

An hour later, after some sweat and tears, the room was complete with two new beds! I awoke Jon and led him into the room. He was speechless. He looked over at me, opened his mouth, and all that came out was " Uh?.. Wha... How did you..". "He loves them! Perfect." I thought to myself.

"One person's trash is another person's treasure" definitely holds truth in this household. Refurbishing is a passion of mine, as you will surely realize if you read this blog.

They are two great beds! I swear! But since we're going to be moving a lot in the next couple years, we thought they would be better off in a more sedentary setting until we have kiddos old enough to use them!

Yesterday Jon and I had another great cross fit workout.

Cross Fit #2

1. Pull ups x5
2. Squats x 20 hold for 10 seconds
3. Push ups x 10
4. Cones x 2 (sprint, shuffle, backwards, karaoke)

Repeat set 5 times
If pull ups are too difficult start by hanging, then with time you will be able to pull yourself up.

Finish off with a 5 minute cool down jog.

*A note for cross fit training* It is always important to warm up and cool down before and after a workout. Also, between sets, take a 1-2 minute break so that you can really push it when you're doing the combinations.

Dinner yesterday was an easy Shepard's pie. I try to keep it healthy by replacing ground beef with ground turkey, keeping salt to a minimum and by keeping the potato skins on the potatoes when I mash them.

To add flavor to the ground turkey without using salt I use Mrs. Dash. This is a blend of spices without salt that you can add to many dishes.

Shepard's Pie

What you will need:

• 2 lbs ground turkey
• 2 15oz cans of corn ( I use whole kernel corn)
• 5 golden potatoes (the thin skin allows you to keep it on while mashing)
• 1 whole onion
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 2 tbsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
• 1 tsp of Mrs. Dash Original Blend
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup of milk
• 1 tsp margarine or butter
• cheddar cheese, shredded (optional)
• panko bread crumbs (optional)

1. Cut potatoes into smaller pieces to speed up cooking process. Drop them in boiling water. Cook until soft.
2. Chop onion. Chop garlic.
3. Heat 2 tbsp of EVOO in pan/ wok. Add onion and garlic. Cook until golden.
4. Add ground turkey to onion and garlic. Cook turkey until brown.
5. Add spices (Mrs. Dash) to turkey and mix.
6. Remove potatoes from heat. Stain out water. Return potatoes to pot.
7. Add milk and margarine or butter to potatoes. Mash until smooth.
8. In a rectangular baking dish, layer ground turkey, canned corn, mashed potatoes.
9. Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese and panko bread crumbs on top of mashed potatoes.
10. When ready to serve, place baking dish in oven at 350F until cheese is golden brown.

Let me know what you think if you get a chance to try it out!

Make healthy choices! Bon Appetit!

- Kimmie