Top 10 VenusCrossing Articles of 2014

Here is a round up of the top 10 most read articles on VenusCrossing this year:

1. Lower Calorie Hawaiian Dream Cake

Recipe HERE

This recipe went viral on Pinterest this year. Hawaiian Dream Cake- does not even taste like you are taking some calorie shortcuts! 4 weight watchers points for 1/12th of a 9x13 dish! 

Follow me on Pinterest HERE

2. My Story

Article HERE

I went from that to this in 12 weeks! (and I have even improved in the last 2 years since then!) How I did it using the Venus system.

3. Weekly Healthy Dinner Menus for the Whole Family

Article HERE   

Easy quick dinner menu ideas that will please the whole family and your diet plan!

4. Healthy Crockpot Peach Cobbler Oatmeal

Recipe HERE 

This is another one of my recipes that took off on Pinterest this year! Healthy Crockpot Peach Cobbler Oatmeal #sugarfree #highprotein Dessert for breakfast, sign me up!

5. Sweet Balsamic Pork Loin

Recipe HERE

Another recipe that took off on Pinterest this year! Sweet Balsamic Pork Loin in the crockpot- one of my all time favorite meals. FULL flavor, low cal, and high protein- 130 calories and 22 g protein per 4 oz serving!

6. A Week in the Life of Liss: Planning your deficit

Article HERE

A week in the life of Liss- Planning your deficit What does a week of eating look like for me when I am cutting? What are my weekly goals?

7. Commitment and Starbucks Blendicano -How to order a blendicano

Article HERE

Blendicanos were big this year on social media. And brought a lot of new visitors to the site! 20 cal sugar free- and carb-free frozen treat from Starbucks#competition #onplan #sbux #cleanfastfood

8. Controlling Your Calories

Article HERE

How many calories a day should I eat to lose weight?

9. Planning Your Deficit Part 2: A Week in the Life of Liss

Article HERE

I see a trend here, haha! I guess it is interesting to see what my week of eating and workouts look like! So here it is, again. What does my week of meals and workouts look like?

10. Exercise Progressions and Modifications: push ups, planks, and dips

Article HERE

What to do when you cannot do a push up from your toes, hold a plan, or do a body weight dip. I will walk you through building strength in all these exercises.

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So what do YOU want to hear about in 2015? Let me know in the comments below, and I will make it happen!

Thanks for all the love in 2014 :) I appreciate the love!

X- Liss

Squat Progressions

I get clients who are new to lifting, recovering from an injury, or who need to perfect their form. Progressions are here to save the day!

You should master form at each level before moving onto the next progression.

General Squat Form Reminders-

*Head stays in neutral position
*Keep shoulders square, no hunching
*Neutral spine and upright torso
*Knees tracking over (but not beyond) ankles
*Weight onto heels

Golden Nuggets of Form Wisdom from Coach Jenny

"Remember that we are all different and that you should pay attention to where you feel the movement and/or where you feel sore after on YOUR body.  Women are typically more quad dominant, so make sure you are feeling it where you want to feel it.  Sometimes all it takes to get the glutes involved is hitting it with body weight exercises BEFORE you squat.  Big breath, brace your core, down, up, exhale." -Coach Jenny

Here is a video with each progression:

Progression #1-
Sitting and holding a chair (or other sturdy object) to counterbalance

*Choose a seat height that you can comfortably sit and rise from. The idea is to just tap the seat, not completely relax between reps.
*The counterbalance chair (or other object) will be held onto lightly.

Progression #2-
High seat

*Choose a seat height that you can comfortably sit and rise from. The idea is to just tap the seat, not completely relax between reps.

Progression #3-
Lower seat

*The lower the seat, the more challenging the squat.
*Choose a seat height that you can comfortably sit and rise from. The idea is to just tap the seat, not completely relax between reps.

Progression #4-
Bodyweight

*The lower you go, the more challenging. Always aim for thighs parallel to ground at minimum range.

Progression #5-
Weighted - dumbbells or barbell

*The lower you go, the more challenging. Always aim for thighs parallel to ground at minimum range.
*If a weight causes you to shorten your range of motion, then you need to back off the weight.

X- Coach Liss

Is there room for lifting when you are training for a half marathon?

This past weekend, I met up in Memphis with Coach Jenny to run the St. Jude Half Marathon. The run was really an excuse to go see her, meet her family, and vacation. And by vacation, I mean eat at all the great places in Memphis!

It turned out to be a little experiment to see what would happen if I did the bare minimum training for  the race while continuing my Venus workouts. I did not want to:

• run more than I had to
• experience the hunger that comes with all that cardio
• give up any of my normal 5 days a week of lifting

 

The plan

So my plan was to...

Continue reading here - http://www.venusindex.com/is-there-room-for-lifting-when-you-are-training-for-a-half-marathon/

A week in the life of Liss: Maintenance

So I have been quietly maintaining for a while now, since my Vegas trip in August. I realized today that I have never shared what a week in my life looks like at maintenance. So what better time to share than during a holiday week as we all know that social eating events can be tricky.

SUNDAY

Sunday is normally a rest day for me exercise-wise. I make breakfast for the family, then we go to church, and out to eat afterwards. We lounge around during the afternoon and I do laundry. Dinner was a light plate of leftover Texas Oven Brisket to balance out the high calorie Mexican food from lunch!

MONDAY

Mondays is leg day; I am currently doing the Venus Index Focused Shape Leg series for legs. I had coffee and cream on my way out of the door that morning along with a spoon of peanut butter.

At lunch, I had an appointment which meant a little fast that day. I had a protein bar while I taught that afternoon. For dinner, I made spaghetti and meatballs in the crockpot. I baked a cake for a client and drank and glass of wine. I had plain Greek yogurt and strawberries for dessert which I like to call Greek Cheesecake.

TUESDAY

Tuesdays is shoulders & glutes; I am currently doing Venus Index Focused Shape Shoulders supersetted with Venus Factor Advanced Growth Series Glutes.

For breakfast, I had a VenusCrossing protein pancake with nut butter and coffee on my way out the door. I make these up for a week at a time and freeze them so they are easy to grab and go.

 At lunch, I went with co-workers to my favorite local burrito joint where I had a chicken taco salad with some chips. While I was at work all day, I had some VenusCrossing Chicken Enchilada Soup cooking in the crockpot.

WEDNESDAY

Wednesday we were on holiday for the Thanksgiving break so we lounged around until we were ready to go eat out. The family chose Red Robin. Normally I get a salad but the "holiday burger" with turkey, cranberry sauce, and sweet potato fries was calling. It was delish! For dinner, we picked through leftovers while I tried to cook some cornbread to get ready for the festivities the next day!

Normally I work out on Wednesdays but I took the day off to be with the family :)

THURSDAY

Thanksgiving day! I made the fam some cinnmaon rolls and bacon to celebrate that morning while I finished prepping the items I was to bring to the family feast. No workouts on this special holiday :) Lunch was a traditional US thanksgiving meal. Dinner was leftover brisket and sweet potato souffle with wine.

FRIDAY

I did my normal Wednesday workout of Arms and Abs on Friday since I took the two days prior off. I am currently doing Venus Index Focused Shape Arms and Abs.

Breakfast was a pumpkin twist on protein pancakes which I topped with Greek yogurt, walnuts, and shredded coconut. Yummm! Lunch was leftover Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup.  Dinner was a little leftover meat and sweet potato souffle. Dessert was sliced apples and some incredible homemade caramel dip the neighbor brought over.

SATURDAY

Saturday I did my normal Thursday workout - back and biceps. I am currently doing Venus Index Focused Shape Back and Biceps.

For breakfast, I had a protein pancake with nut butter which I had made the day before for the whole week. All I had to do was warm it up- easy peasy! For lunch, I had leftover Chicken Enchilada Soup (finally finished it all haha!) For dinner, I made hamburgers and the BEST Sweet Potato Fries EVER while I drank a glass of wine. Dessert was some plain Greek yogurt and strawberries.


So that is a week in the life of Liss in maintenance land. Some weeks are a little higher than others. But this is a pretty normal excerpt all in all :)

X - Liss

Healthy Hibachi Stir Fried Rice and Vegetables

My family loves to go to our local Hibachi restaurant. But there is always a wait. And it costs a small fortune. Their kids meal prices are equal other local restaurant adult entree prices! Yikes! Not to mention that I can easily put away my whole day's worth of calories in one sitting.

So a few weeks ago, I decided to remake the fried rice at home and balance the meal with a large vegetable stir fry. It was a hit!!! I have since made it at least weekly.

I have to admit, I love it too. It is easy to make, only takes a few ingredients that I have on hand, and is quick. My kind of meal.

All the stuff!

Healthy Hibachi Stir Fry

Serves 6

Stir Fried Rice

• 2 cups of rice of choice, cooked and cooled (I used white Minute rice, not ideal but what I have on hand)
• 1 cup green peas, corn, and carrots (I buy the frozen bag)
• 16 oz meat of choice (I used shrimp, cubed chicken breast is good too!)
• 6 tbsp soy sauce, divided
• 3 tbsp butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp sesame oil

Vegetable Stir Fry

• 4 cups frozen stir fry vegetables
• 2 tbsp sauce from packet of sauce that comes in the bag of vegetables
• optional, 16 oz meat of choice (I used cubed chicken breast, shrimp is good too!)

In a large wok, heat sesame oil and butter over high heat until butter melts. Add meat of choice, then juice lemon over the top. Then add 3 tbsp soy sauce. Stir fry until meat is cooked all the way through. Pull the meat out and put to the side, leaving the juice. Add rice and remaining soy sauce over the top. Once the rice absorbs the liquid, push to the side and scramble the eggs. Incorporate them into the rice. Add in the pea mix. Brown in chunks, turning over carefully every few minutes until to desired level of crispiness. Add in the meat.

In other wok over high heat, brown the veggies according to the bag, Add the sauce near the end of the cooking time and the cooked meat, if desired, from above. Serve and enjoy!

Though it is not nutritionally ideal (or the perfect stir fry rice texture) this stuff is ready in the microwave in 10 minutes. I just start it before I leave for work so I can finish my stir fry when I get home!

Nutrition Stats

Hibachi Stir Fried Rice with Shrimp (1/6th recipe)

12 weight watchers plus points
6 weight waters points

Hibachi Stir Fried Vegetables with Chicken (1/6th recipe)

3 weight watchers points plus

3 weight watchers points

Healthy German Hash

This recipe goes way back. Growing up, my mom used to make it.


After my husband and I first got married, he made a similar version. Except he likes yellow squash instead of broccoli in his. Did I ever tell you that I did not cook when we got married? Haha! Yep. 11 years is a long time, things have changed! I have learned a few things in the kitchen since then.

German Hash

Serves 6

The Stuff-

• 1 skinless turkey kielbasa, halved and sliced into crescents
• 3 medium red potatoes, halved and sliced into crescents
• 1 head broccoli - chopped into bite-size florets 
• 1 medium onion - diced
• 1 tbsp oil of choice, I used olive oil
• salt and pepper

*You can also sub 2 yellow squash halved and sliced into crescents for the broccoli. Prepare as below.

What you do-

In a large skillet or wok over high heat, saute the kielbasa until browned, approx 5 minutes. Then remove the kielbasa and put aside. Add in the olive oil and potatoes. Brown for 10 minutes or until starting to get tender. Add in the onion and broccoli until they are soft, approx 5 minutes. Add back in the kielbasa until warmed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Nutritional Stats

per serving (1/6th of recipe)

• 315 cals 
• 16 g fat
• 29 g carbs
• 17 g protein
• 8 g fiber

7 weight watcher points 

8 weight watcher points plus

Healthy Dinner Menus for the Whole Family 2014

I make breakfast and dinner for my family most every day. I have a full time job, and work another half time job. Both of my littles play sports and my husband works a crazy shift which means he is only there to help about 25% of the time. If I can cook most of the time, I bet anyone can if they plan accordingly.

Why do I cook most nights? There are actually several reasons for this:

• My husband is in law enforcement, so when you go out to eat in a small town- chances are the he has arrested someone along the food line... trust no person. Sad but true.
• I can control what goes into what I am eating so it is easier to manage calories and contents.
• It is cheaper than eating out, and actually faster most of the time.

I have two littles that are somewhat picky- but the older they are getting, the more accustomed they are to eating what my husband and I eat.

Get ready for a tangent here....I think that is a HUGE mistake that many parents do- thinking young children need to eat something different that the rest of the family because they will not eat what you serve. I will admit that I am guilty in the past! My husband and I would have chicken breasts, sweet potatoes, and broccoli at dinner for example, and I would cook my kids chicken nuggets and fries. WHY DID I DO THAT?! They need to eat healthy too! But instead of getting their palates accustomed to what we were eating- nutritious whole foods, I got their palates used to eating junk! And now it has taken several years to get them accustomed to a better diet. Kids will come around though, just continue having them take a "no, thank you" bite and eating what they like on their plate. They do not have to eat it all. Rant over.

I plan out my menu for the week, then shop on Sunday afternoon for the whole week.

Breakfast

Most mornings the kids have-

• a frozen breakfast sandwich or
• a PB sandwich

I have my morning coffee and a protein pancake topped with nut butter. Recipe HERE. I cook enough for the week on Sunday afternoon so that all I have to do is warm them up and go.

Lunch

Lunch is leftovers from the night before. The kids eat at school or take a lunch.

Snack

The kids usually have a granola bar and fruit of some type. My husband and I usually have a Pure Protein Bar (I like Chocolate Deluxe and he likes the Chocolate Peanut Butter). I also like Quest bars a lot. My favorite flavors are coconut cashew, banana nut, or white chocolate raspberry.

Dinner

Here are some ideas of what I cook on a weekly rotating basis for dinner.

Monday: Healthified hamburgers and sweet potato fries - Recipe HERE

Tuesday: Chicken Enchilada Soup - Recipe HERE

Wednesday:  Spaghetti 

I make mine with broccoli slaw - Recipe HERE  or with zucchini (sauce in the crockpot) - Recipe HERE

I make regular spaghetti noodles for the fam :)

Thursday: Crockpot shredded pork and pineapple coleslaw - Recipe HERE

Friday: Southwestern Slowcooker Chicken Cups - Recipe HERE

Saturday: Cabbage and Turkey Stir Fry - Recipe HERE

Sunday: Texas Oven Brisket - Recipe HERE with a side of Bacon Broccoli Salad - Recipe HERE

Other meals that rotate in:

• Mango Chicken Avocado Cups - Recipe HERE
  
• Jenny's Asian Broccoli Slaw Stir Fry - Recipe HERE
  
• Jenny's Tex Mex Beefy Broccoli Slaw - Recipe HERE

Dessert

Yep I have it almost every night. The key for me is to choose something that is sweet, high in protein, and moderate calorie-wise. I try to keep it below 200 calories which is how much I allocate in my daily calorie budget.

I have two current go to recipes that I keep the stuff for on hand.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Protein Fluff (or another flavor variation)  - Recipe HERE

Greek Cheesecake with strawberries (sometimes I sub cocoa powder for the pudding) - Recipe HERE

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Protein Fluff

I have been on a Greek yogurt mixed with a little stevia and cocoa powder topped with fresh berries kick for a WHILE now. It is a high protein and simple dessert.

My friend Naomi mentioned on Facebook that I need to give protein fluff a try. I admit that I had heard of it before, but thought the name alone sounded gross haha! Then I got to looking up the macros and they were about the same as my Greek yogurt, FANTASTIC.

So I gave it a go. And I am glad I did, it is YUMMY! My new go-to high protein dessert.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Protein Fluff

Makes 1 serving

The Stuff:

*1/4 cup whey of choice (I used Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey in Milk Chocolate)
*1/4 cup milk of choice (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
*1 cup frozen fruit of choice (I used frozen strawberries)

What you do:

In a food processor (or Magic Bullet, or Vitamix, or Ninja), whip all the ingredients until mixed and fluffy. Took about 1 minute for me. Enjoy!

Other fun combos I will be trying ASAP:

• Chocolate PB Banana - frozen banana with chocolate PB whey
• Pina colada- tropical frozen fruit with vanilla whey
• Chocolate covered cherry - frozen cherries with chocolate whey
• Peaches and cream - frozen peaches with vanilla whey
• Dreamsicle - frozen oranges with vanilla whey
• Pumpkin spice - frozen pumpkin with vanilla whey

P,S. I think some frozen spinach could be added and you would never know, going to try that soon too!

Nutrition Stats:

(as made in recipe)

• 204 cals
• 1.9 g fat
• 15.9 g carbs
• 30.9 g protein
• 275 g sodium
• 2.2 g fiber
• 9.2 g sugars

The BEST Sweet Potato Fries EVER

I have discovered the secret to the best sweet potato fries of your life. Yep.


I like to serve them along side a burger, re-made in a bit more healthy way. I do a turkey burger patty (200 cals) with melted extra thin provolone cheese (40 cals) with mustard and veggies on a sandwich thin (100 cals). So you can do a burger and large helping of these fries for 440 cals!

The Best Sweet Potato Fries Ever

Serves 3

The stuff

3 medium sweet potatoes, sliced into fries
1 tbsp corn starch
1/2 tbsp paprika
1/2 tbsp cinnamon

What you do

Preheat oven to 400*F and spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray. Toss fries in corn starch and spices in a Ziploc baggy or bowl. Spread out into a single layer on the cookie sheet. Bake for 45 minutes, tossing them halfway though.

Nutrition Stats

Per serving

• Cals- 119
• Carbs- 27g
• Fiber- 5 g
• Fat- 0g
• Protein- 3g