Back in March, I returned to in-person kickboxing at the ILoveKickboxing Studio. It was time to get back on the big red mat and kick it in person and be held accountable.
Since then, I’ve been going rather erratically, because life sometimes gets in the way. Happy hour sometimes gets in the way, too. And patio cocktails.
Anywho, way back in February of 2020 I joined a 21-day challenge at the studio. We weighed in, had a meal plan and had to commit to going to class at least 3x a week. The challenge started around Presidents’ Day and lasted until the first week of March. And we all know what happened the second week of March 2020…
Surprisingly, I was able to keep at that healthier meal plan and working out at home (the studio did Facebook Live kickboxing classes). This was before we adopted Bruno, our high-maintenance puppy, who cannot be left unattended. This was also when the Little Mister had no daycare and was sleeping until 10am everyday. I found myself with more free time. I ended up losing over 20 pounds during 2020, which I felt was a win during a time when all I wanted to do was eat my weight in brie.
Apparently those 20 pounds really missed me over the last 2 years because they slowly started coming back.
Now, the kickboxing studio is doing another 21-Day Challenge called “Fit 2 Feast” where you start on November 1 and end right before Thanksgiving. I personally refer to this challenge as “Starve Yourself Before You Stuff Yo’Self”.
Let’s be real: this is the HARDEST time of year to try and be healthier. There are parties and dinners and Christmas cookies and fires and wine and cheese and cocktails and parties and wine.
This time around, however, they have upped the game a bit. Not only is it eating healthier (and likely a lot less food) but also removing bad foods and toxins from your life. No eggs. No dairy. No processed sugar. No alcohol. No tasty carbs like pasta. Did I mention no alcohol? So…no fun?
Despite all of that, I am dedicated to making this work! I bought tons of healthy foods, I have gone to kickboxing 3 times this week so far and I have been drinking lots of water. And, since this is a competition to lose the most % body fat, I was sure to eat a delicious steak, potato and wine dinner Sunday night before my 6:45am weigh in on Monday morning. All’s fair in love, war and scales.
Being someone who loves food, flavor and cooking, I had to ensure that I was eating dinners that tasted good.
I’d like to share with you my “Baked Mexican Sweet Potatoes” which are delicious (even Mr. KK loves them) and meet the strict food requirements of this challenge.
Baked Mexican Sweet Potatoes
This recipe is entirely made up by me to follow the rules of my challenge. Please, by all means, inject all the fat and flavor you’d like in your own version (like cheese and sour cream).
First, I baked 2 sweet potatoes until they were soft inside. I actually cheated and microwaved them until they were soft, then popped them into a 450 degree oven for 20 mins for the skin to crisp (it’s just faster).
While they were in the over, I browned a pound of ground turkey in a little bit of olive oil, breaking it up into small pieces. Once browned, I added a little bit of salt (sorry, had to be done), some garlic powder and a healthy dose of chili powder. I mixed it all together, added about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup water and reduced the heat to let it simmer until some of the liquid evaporated.
How to prepare:
Split open the sweet potatoes and then mash them up a bit in their skins. Top with:
- 6 oz of your taco turkey
- 1/2 cup rinsed black beans
- Slices of fresh jalapeno
- Lots of fresh salsa (not the Tostitos kind, but the fresh kind sold refrigerated near the vegetables)
- 1/2 of avocado
And that’s it. It is actually really delicious and filling!
Poor Mr. KK has to deal with me trying to blog every day while I am hungry and denying myself potato chips and ice cream. Rough month for him.
Life of kk 