W.O.D 8/29

3 mile run
Jog Sprints

• Jog at 4.5 for 1 minute
• Sprint at 8.2 for 1 minute
• Repeat 6x

Repeat 3x
20 kettle bell swings (20lbs)
20 alternating lunge jumps 

Repeat 3x
20 weighted cross lunges
20 weighted step ups with knee raise

WOD 8/28

Normally, most of my cardio is dedicated to running. Since I've been doing A LOT of running lately, I decided to incorporate different variations of cardio in this workout. Since I went with metal dumbbells for lifting today, I sported my lifting gloves. The dumbbells at the gym tend to irritate to my hands so these definitely help with both grip and comfort. 

If you don't know what the workouts are, don't worry, just click on the workout and I've directed it to a guide for you!

I. Repeat TWICE

10 Dumbbell bench press

10 Dumbbell flyes

10 Incline dumbbell bench press

10 Shoulder press

20 Tricep dips

Run ½ mile (7.5 mph)

II. Repeat TWICE

10 Burpees

60 second Mountain Climbers

50 Jumping Jack Boxing Jabs

STRETCH

Phillo Berry Cups

I don't know about you guys but I love any dessert made with Phillo Dough. These extremely thin sheets of dough turn to such a crispy, flaky, melt in your mouth, decadency after they're layered and baked so I knew I couldn't go wrong with this dish. I've actually never seen this dessert anywhere and kind of just made it up but let me tell you, they were so easy to make and better yet they taste just heavenly.

Here's what you'll need...

• 1 package of Phillo Dough Sheets (you can purchase the ready made Phillo cups if your in a time crunch)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 Package of strawberries and 1 package of raspberries (any fruit will work)
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 cup Nutella
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• Nuts to top

Step by step

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray cupcake pans with non stick spray.
• 2. Melt butter and brush onto one single sheet of Phillo Dough. Layer three more sheets of Phillo Dough on top of the first, for a total of 4 layers, and brush butter in between each. Cut your 4 layered dough into 12 squares (4x3).
• 3. Take three of the prepared Phillo Dough squares and create a shell within one cupcake mold. Repeat until 4 shells are created.
• 4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you're desired amount of shells are created or until all of the Phillo Dough sheets are used.
• 5. Bake shells for about 10 minutes or until they are golden brown.
• 6. In a medium bowl whip together Nutella and heavy whipping cream on high speed for about 3 minutes. Refrigerate for 4 hours.
• 7. Cut up fruit and mix with sugar. Refrigerate for 4 hours.
• 8. Fill Phillo Dough shells with a dollop of Nutella cream, spoonful of fruit, and top with toasted nuts.

Enjoy!

 Tips

·         By using the premade Phillo Dough Shells you can skip steps 2 and 3. However, the premade shells are smaller, more expensive, and only come in a quantity of 15.

·         Phillo Dough Shells can even make great or d'oeuvres... fill with taco ingredients, spinach or artichoke dip, etc.

·         These Phillo Dough shells can be filled with anything so let your imagination run wild!

Fit Inspiration

Why do we keep fighting? Keep pushing?

Because we can.
Because we're able.

That is the gift we were given.

Appreciate it and KEEP GOING


As I felt that I could push it no further, this is what popped into my head during my workout today. I was ABLE. So I broke through that mental barrier. I appreciated the capability I was given and in return my body kept going. 

You too are able. You too have it in you. 

ABOUT ME

Hi guys! My name is Tulin and I'm so excited to get this blog up and running. You'll find that much of this blog is going to consist of food and fitness, my two favorite things! 

My passion for food definitely derives from my family. EVERYONE in my family loves to cook and, I have to admit, they are all pretty darn good at it. If I had to pick just one place to eat for the rest of my life it would, no doubt about it, be mom's house. I was born in Connecticut but my parents and grandparents came over from Turkey so I grew up with a lot of Middle Eastern flavor profiles. That being said, my culinary interests go far beyond one area of the world. I often indulge in Italian dishes however, I love experimenting with Thai and other Asian flavors. 

I'm a fitness fanatic that truly appreciates good food... that can be difficult. I deliver recipes that have the same fantastic taste without the stomach pit of guilt. For example, you can get the same crisp of buffalo wings, mozzarella sticks, and french fries without the deep fry. You can get the same warmth and comfort from chili without all that fat content. Think of baking instead of frying, ground turkey for ground beef, whole grains and oats instead of bleached carbohydrates. Whenever possible, I show you those easy, waist line friendly, alterations. 

Hate doing dishes? Yep me too. I do my best to make cooking simple and use as little pots, pans, and bowls as possible. I don't make things more difficult than they need to be. Days are short, time is crammed, and that's why I bring workouts and meals that the every day "busy bees" can fit into their schedule. 

Feel free to comment or drop me an email anytime! I can be contacted at t.karasay@gmail.com

Triple Chocolate Cake

Yes... there are a million different chocolate cake recipes but this one... oh this one... is probably the most moist, most rich, and enjoyable I've come across. My sister is a chocolate fanatic so she insisted that we make a triple chocolate cake for dessert last week. She came across this recipe and, to be honest, I was a bit apprehensive because it started off with a boxed cake mix. However, after we added the additional ingredients, I have to bow down to her for her incredible chocolate intuition.

What you'll need

• 1 box devil's food cake mix
• 1 small package instant jello chocolate pudding mix
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs beaten
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups mini chocolate chips

Let's whip it up!

• Preheat oven to 350
• In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients minus the chocolate chips. (Batter will be very thick)

• Once ingredients are blended and smooth, fold in chocolate chips

• Grease baking pan of choice and pour batter in
• Since the batter is quite thick, baking time will need about 10 minutes additional to the baking time listed on the back of the cake mix box. To test, insert a toothpick and when it comes out clean that is when your cake should be taken out.

We used a 9 x 13 cake pan and it took over 50 minutes.

The cake had a slight mound on top when we first took it out of the oven but, once we let the cake cool, the mound actually flattened itself out which ( if you were using two separate pans) would make it great for layering. 

Now you can frost this cake with pretty much anything and it would still be the best chocolate cake out there. Like I said, my sister is a chocolate fanatic so naturally we went with more chocolate. Chocolate mousse!

Chocolate Mousse

• 3 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 1/2 sifted confectioners sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• Dash of salt

Whip ingredients together in a chilled bowl until mixture holds a peak. Frost and enjoy!

There you have it! Maybe I should call it Easy Peasy Chocolate Cake. Call it what you may but at the end of the day, do yourself a favor and whip this baby up!

Lasagna

My family loves to cook which is, no doubt about it, where I've adapted and inherited that "the kitchen is the heart of the home." For me, being with family is like being on vacation... this is the time where we all indulge in a little comfort food. That being said, last night I got together with my dad and two sisters and what did we make? Lasagna and Triple Chocolate Cake...yum. I normally might feel a little guilty about digging into this ooey gooey cheesy delight but not when my sister and I put so much love into making it.

This lasagna starts with the most delicious home made meat sauce. Now I'm a huge fan of sauces and refuse to use a jarred sauce when I can easily make a sauce of my own... especially when I can utilize all the fresh herbs and vegetables from my dad's garden.

Meat Sauce

1. Brown 1 llb. ground beef, drain fat, and set aside.

2. In a food processor- chop 5 large tomatoes, one large yellow onion, 4 cloves of fresh garlic, handful of fresh parsley, and a handful of fresh basil.

3. To your vegetable puree- add salt and pepper to taste as well as a pinch of red pepper flakes.

4. Add vegetable mix to your sauteed ground beef, as well as a small can of tomato paste, and simmer for about an hour (the longer you simmer the more complex the flavor profiles will become.

Lasagna

1. Boil lasagna pasta sheets, in salted water, for 4 minutes. Lasagna sheets will only be half cooked because we want them to continue cooking in the oven to absorb the sauce.

2. Shred about 2-3 cups of mozzarella cheese.

3. Mix 8 oz ricotta cheese with one egg yolk and a hand full of fresh parsley until nice and creamy.

4. Now begin layering in a casserole dish. Some sauce on the bottom, pasta sheets, ricotta cheese, mozzarella, sauce, pasta, ricotta cheese, mozzarella, sauce, pasta, ricotta cheese, sauce, mozzarella and some more fresh parsley to top it off!

5. Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 for about an hour.

6. Uncover the lasagna and broil for about five minutes until cheese bubbles and becomes a golden brown.

7. Let the lasagna rest out of the oven for about 10-15 minutes so it can firm up and set.

8. Serve and enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 llb lasagna pasta sheets
• 8 oz ricotta cheese
• one egg
• block of mozzarella cheese (I use part skim)
• bundle of fresh parsely
• hand full of fresh basil
• 1 llb ground beef
• 5 ripe large tomatoes
• 1 yellow onion
• 4 cloves fresh garlic
• 1 can tomato paste
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper to taste

Guapo the Dog

So today I came down to my dad's house to spend some good ole quality time with my sister and dad. On the agenda; grocery shopping, baking, cooking, and... giving Guapo, the Mulit-poodle, a nice bath. As we're all reminiscing around the kitchen table, my dad tells my sister and I that it's time for Guapo's bath and asks if we'd like to wash. Haha, now I'm thinking "um sure?" My sister and I find my dad in the bathroom and oh my goodness... right then and there I realized why this bath was so entertaining to watch. I have NEVER seen a dog LOVE his bath SO much! He was drenched, full of suds, and yet stood there completely content.

How freaking cute is that?! Not only did he take his bath like a pro but he then continued to thoroughly enjoy his nice towel dry!

Just ADORABLE!

Anyways, I know, totally random but I had to share. Soon to come are the recipes for our Meat Lasagna and The Best Triple Chocolate Cake.

Hi from Guapo!

Delicious Baked Chicken Thighs

Now if you want delicious, tender, fall off the bone chicken, then this dish is for you! I can't even express to you how mouth watering good this chicken dish is and honestly it's easy enough for any at-home chef to make. Many people hate chicken on the bone because it can be messy to eat. My boyfriend, Dave, sums it up... he doesn't like to work for his food. I promise to you that you don't have to work to get your chicken off the bone. If I can get Dave to like this then I pretty much guarantee anyone will haha.

Since chicken thighs were on sale this week, .99 cents a llb, I decided to buy a family pack and, despite the heat, bake up my "fall off the bone" chicken. 

1. Wash your chicken thighs and pull off all the skin and fat. I pull this off under running water because it's not the most appealing job. 

2. Lye all your thighs in a metal casserole dish. You can definitely use glass if that's all you have. 

3. Drizzle olive oil over chicken and season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. The following will also go on chicken; 2 cans diced or stewed tomatoes, one chopped yellow onion, 3 cloves minced or crushed fresh garlic, handful of fresh parsley and basil, and a couple stems of rosemary.

5. Cover with tin foil and cook at 375 for 90 minutes.

This is what it looks like going in (before I covered it)...

Cooking it for 90 minutes is what will result in the chicken to fall off the bone. Here it is coming out...

Yum... Now just pick off and discard the rosemary stems.

I served my chicken over brown rice but it would be delicious with pretty much any side.

I debated about showing you my half eaten food but I just had to show you how easy this chicken falls off it's bone. So tender and so... well... delicious. Delicious seems to be the "word" of the day.

Try it, taste it, let me know what you think!

Veggie Spring Rolls

So during my time at News 8 I got to see many, many, Connecticut Style segments. Now, naturally, the cooking segments were really the only segment I paid attention to and that is where I learned how to make these delicious little spring rolls. These aren't the heavy deep fried, Chinese style, spring rolls (which are delicious in their own way) but instead they are raw rice paper spring rolls. Yes... no cooking!

It all starts with the ever so fantastic rice paper for spring rolls. I think I almost jumped up and down when I found these in the international aisle at Shop Rite. Then the second most important ingredient... broccoli or rainbow slaw. From here, you can pretty much put anything in these little suckers. My favorite addition are pumpkin and sunflower seeds. However, I have a few variations... sometimes I'll put honey in with my ingredients, my favorite is putting crumbled feta and a bit of Parmesan peppercorn dressing, and today I even put Thai chili sauce with my veggie and seed mix.

Making these spring rolls couldn't be any easier, which is why I make them pretty much every day for lunch now. I first take a plate and pour enough water so it fills the bottom.I then take my rice paper, which is actually hard and crispy, and let it sit in the water until it becomes soft and translucent. You'll see in the picture below that you can barely even see the paper. After it becomes translucent, just hold the paper onto the plate and let the remaining water drip into the sink or trash.

Now you fill! I place all my ingredients on one half of the paper and then I fold the shallow side to cover my veggies, fold the two sides in, and continue rolling until you have a nice spring roll.

Tada! Now I don't deep fry, but if you wanted to saute your rolls in a pan (I use coconut oil spray) you can definitely do that as well.

Deep in whichever sauce you please or enjoy it alone. Either way they are absolutely delicious and a guilt-free treat!

The Blog Begins!

Hi all!

So today is the day... the day I FINALLY get my blog up and running! If your a Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest follower of mine you'll already know that I'm constantly uploading pictures of my food, my workouts, DIY (do it yourself) projects, and so much more. A couple nights ago I had my sister over for dinner and she witnessed, as every guest does, that I had to take a picture of my prepared meal before I actually let everyone dig in. So she asked, "why don't you just start a blog?" Ah genius right? I already subject all my followers to my pictures, and many are always asking me for my recipes, so why not create a sole site for all these goodies? And thus, the blog of Tulin Karasay begins!

Your going to get pictures and recipes of all my meals and I do meals the way you WANT to do meals. I make delicious food that can feed the whole family without making a huge mess in the kitchen. I stick to one pan whenever possible and find solutions to make cooking a little less complicated. I have too! I cook for a hungry boyfriend who has absolutely no desire to step in the kitchen and honestly, I'm not convinced he wouldn't burn the house down! A little secret... he tried to toast cheez-its to make every cracker that perfect burnt and he actually caught the toaster on fire... yes that happened. So since I take the reigns in the kitchen, I'm always trying new dishes to switch things up. Meals with flavors that even the pickiest person would enjoy as well as the person with a most sophisticated  pallet.

But let's not forget, I'm kind of a fitness freak too. My day is not complete without a good sweat and burn! So that too will be apart of my little blog :) Tying my two passions together, you get food and fitness! Now, not all of my meals are super duper healthy (I love cheese)  but if your working out there's no reason you can't treat yourself. Then again, I do have a lot of healthy meals and tips to make your favorite meals a little more guilt-free. So stay posted as I post and let me know what you think!