TASTY TUESDAY! etc...

PUMPKIN, LEEK, SPINACH & BASIL QUICHE...super yum!

I got the recipe out of a grocery good mag from last year....However I added tofu & mushrooms and used low fat cottage cheese instead of ricotta-yummo and chock full of protein!

700g butternut pumpkin-peeled and cubed
1 leek-chopped (white only)
2 garlic cloves (or 2 tsp of garlic mince)
1/2 cup mushrooms-chopped (I use the swiss brown kind)
100g baby spinach
6 egg whites-1 yolk
1/4 cup low fat milk
1/3 low fat cottage cheese
1/3 cup basil leaves
1 small block of firm tofu
Oh-and I threw on some left over goat cheese too!

Preheat over to 200C. Spray large baking/casserole dish with non-stick (I use olive oil spray). Spread chopped pumpkin in dish..bake for 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook leek, garlic, then mushroom in non-stick pan until mushrooms just soft...add spinach and cook until it just wilts.
When pumpkin has baked for 25 minutes-pour leek, spinach, mushroom mix over it.
Whisk the eggs and mix cottage cheese in with it...then pour mix over the pumpkin leek mix in the casserole dish. Toss on the basil leaves and goat cheese if desired.
Bake for 20 minutes (until puffed & golden).

This has at least 16 g of protein per serve (but more with the tofu!), around 7g of fat, and 15g of carbs (roughly!)

This is a great vegetarian dish-with or without the tofu...but you could also use minced chicken instead of tofu-if you don't want to do vegetarian. Either way-very tasty and easy!

In other news...(hehehe)..
I'm into the 4th week of the 6 week PUSH UP CHALLENGE. I really struggled with last weeks program-so I had to go down a level (from 3 to 2)...which is still ok....Yesterday I did the following sets before my normal chest, shoulder & bi workout...

set1- 18
set2- 22
set3- 16
set4- 16
set5- 25 (barely!)
that is with a one minute rest in between each set. I'm beginning to have my doubts about doing 100 non-stop...these were soooo hard!
I hate, and know this is normal in any kind of training program....how some weeks I'm just way weaker than other weeks. Usually it's due to PMS...but-there are those times when the strength just isn't there-But at least I know it will be there again-maybe next training session or next week! What's funny is we can have a really good nights sleep, and really feel ready to go -but then get to the gym and just fizzle...then other days feel like we got run over by a truck during the night and then have PB's happening! Funny how sometimes the bod just doesn't care what the mind says-hey!

OK-I've blabbed quite enough about not much at all!
Hope you are having a great week-and keep challenging yourself-whether your body wants to or not-LOL!