my may month exercise in review

at the beginning of this month, may, i decided i would take on another exercise challenge or two in addition to my regular running schedule (i'm sort of training for the sf half marathon next month). yes, the mommy tummy fix (abs workout) and that 6-weeks arms challenge in addition to the add-on challenge, the planks, were all sculpting exercise i said i would do this month. well, i'm afraid i didn't really stick with any of them. a little disappointed in myself, i know. but what i did do was do some of the exercises. maybe not all of them regularly, but enough. for example, most nights out of the week, say 5-6 nights in a week, i would do at least 20 pushups, 20 dips, 1 minute of elbow plank, and 30-seconds of side planks (both sides) and all in that order. if i felt like it, i would add in 30 lunges on both sides and 50 squats – but those are rare because most times i don't feel like it. plus, squats are too easy. they're not challenging enough. maybe i'll add in 2-minute wall sits or something, that should be somewhat challenging, then go up from there. i should be able to hit 5 minutes if i keep at it. yeah, my quads are pretty crazy. i can hold a 3-minute wall sit just like that and 4-5 minutes if i have to. but nothing to praise about because i still suck everywhere else. i didn't even do that arms exercises i said i would. actually, i didn't even look at it once this entire month! okay, maybe once when i thought i would do it. yup, pretty bad, i know.

now, all isn't lost this entire month. i am happy to say that since joining one of fitbit's community groups and vowing to myself that i will be better, i did manage to lose 4 pounds. pretty awesome eh? actually, almost 5 pounds. when i joined the group challenge (it's called independence day challenge because it's set to end on july 4th), i was at 106. i know, that's nothing for some of you, but for a petite girl like me, it's a lot. so i set out to get down to 101 lb come memorial day. well, i'm happy to tell you that memorial day has come and gone and i'm down to 101.2 lb! whoooo hoooooo!! ;) now, i just need to get down to my 97 lb goal weight come july 4. yes, 97 lb, i know. and no, again… it's not a small number. it's still pretty decent considering i am only 4 feet 10 inches. actually, i think i'd be pretty happy if i can just drop below 100. it's been forever it seems. but 97 would be nice. that was my pre-baby #2 weight and i have yet to get there. i know, almost 2 whole years since miss v. i did really well last year around this time, but then my weight ballooned and i've been trying very hard the last few months to get it back down. i think i'm about where i was last year around this time. now, i just need it to stick and go a tad lower then i should be good. of course, do all those strength training exercises too and keep running.

okay, we'll see what's in store next month. i think i need to be better at getting myself to do the exercises i said i would do. :)

here are a few stats i'm throwing out there:

• miles ran this year as of today: 205.78 miles
• lifetime steps with fitbit as of today (member since feb 24, 2013): 1,497,755 steps
• weight lost since january 1 of this year: 7 lb (from 108.6 lb)

and this is what i keep telling myself. so, so true. i gotta keep at it. just stick with it and the results will come. :)

tartine's bread pudding

happy memorial day everyone and thank you to all of you who have put your lives out there (and/or still are) to serve and protect our beautiful country of u-s-a!

i love 3-day weekends. nothing particular about it, just the fact that i get one extra "weekend" day or two sundays as m calls it. now, with the weather being gloomy and all today, it was the perfect day to bake something delicious this morning. yesterday during one of my outings, i needed to stop at trader joe's to pick up some of their naan bread for m's chicken tikka masala he's making tonight for dinner. yes, someday we'll make our own naan bread to go with m's indian cooking, just not today. while i was there i noticed that they had some challah bread in stock. usually i always end up going to trader joe's at the end of the day and almost always they are out of challah bread. but nope, not yesterday. actually, that was probably because i went early enough in the day!

anyway, i bought the challah bread. why challah and not brioche? well, that's because they don't sell brioche anymore – i asked a while back and they said they're still trying to work out a deal w/ their bread vendor for brioche breads. i decided that it was finally about time i make tartine's famous bread pudding. and hopefully that it would turn out okay if not as good as the actual one from tartine itself?! well, sure enough i did make it this morning and i have to say, it was delicious! just as good as i remembered it, eating their bread pudding at the bakery. so, so good! i made the entire recipe (minus the making your own brioche bread of course!), from the bread pudding itself to the caramel sauce and even caramelized fruit toppings to add to it. oh, i have to say, it was seriously that good! even m was impressed and he said he doesn't care for bread pudding (hehehe.. that's because he grew up having to so much eat bread pudding as a kid and somewhat despises it these days). well, he said this bread pudding was quite good and if all bread puddings were like this, he wouldn't have a problem eating it. it's sort of like a yummy french toast. very rich and buttery – just yum, period.

below's the recipe if you want to make it yourself. i say it's totally worth a try. someday when i'm up to making bread (i can't be bothered because i don't have enough patient for it, waiting for the dough to rise, etc), i will make my own brioche and make this bread pudding again. otherwise, i'll stick to my store-bought or bakery-bought brioche or challah bread. yes, you can make tartine's brioche bread pudding with challah or croissant, and that's exactly what i did, using challah because brioche wasn't available. it's just as good.


i had been eyeing this recipe for the longest time ever. and finally, i've made it! too bad no one else in my family likes bread pudding. i may have to share it with my coworkers.


a close-up of all this yummy goodness.

tartine's bread pudding
recipes from tartine cookbook

bread pudding:

• 6 brioche slices*, cut 1-inch thick
• 8 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 4 cups whole milk
• 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. salt

caramel sauce (for topping):

• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 of one vanilla bean
• 1-1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 3/4 tsp lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

directions for bread pudding:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°f. Butter a 9×5-inch glass loaf dish (i used an 8x8 glass dish and that works fine too!). Arrange the brioche slices on a baking sheet. Place in the oven until lightly toasted, 4 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
2. Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk until blended. Add the sugar and whisk until smooth. Add the milk, vanilla and salt and whisk until fully incorporated. Pour the custard through a fine-mesh sieve.
3. Place the toasted bread slices in the prepared loaf pan, cutting the slices to fit as needed. Pour the custard evenly over the bread, filling the dish to the top. You may not be able to add all of the custard at this point. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes, so that the bread can absorb the custard.
4. Just before baking, top off the dish with more of the custard if the previous addition has been completely absorbed. Cover the dish with aluminum foil, place in the oven, and bake the pudding for about 1 hour. To test for doneness, uncover the dish, slip a knife into the center, and push the bread aside. If the custard is still very liquid, re-cover the dish and return the pudding to the oven for another 10 minutes. If only a little liquid remains, the pudding is ready to come out of the oven. The custard will continue to cook after it is removed from the oven and it will set up as it cools.
5. Let the pudding cool for about 10 minutes before serving. You can serve the bread pudding by slicing it and removing each slice with an offset spatula, or by scooping it out with a serving spoon.
6. Serve with fresh or sautéed fruit and caramel sauce (directions below). Makes 6-8 servings.

*note: you can use challah bread (which is what i did) or croissants if you can't find or have brioche available. both alternative bread options should yield a very satisfactory result. :)

directions for caramel sauce:

1. Pour the cream into a small, heavy saucepan. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and use the tip of a sharp knife to scrape the seeds from the pod halves into the cream. Place over medium-high heat and bring to just under a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low to keep the cream warm.
2. In a medium, heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, water, salt and corn syrup. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Then cook, without stirring, until the mixture is amber colored, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat.
3. The mixture will continue to cook off the heat and become darker, so make sure to have your cream close by. Carefully and slowly add the cream to the sugar syrup. The mixture will boil vigorously at first. Let the mixture simmer down, and then whisk until smooth. Add the lemon juice. Let cool for about 10 minutes.
4. Cut the butter into 1-inch chunks and add them to the caramel one at a time, whisking constantly after each addition. Then whisk the caramel periodically as it continues to cool.
5. The caramel will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one month.
6. Makes 1-1/2 cups.

*note: Use a good-sized pan when preparing this caramel. When the hot cream is added, the caramel will boil furiously at first, increasing dramatically in volume. Have ice water nearby in case of burns.

for photos of the step-by-step, you can visit Jun-blog or Alexandra's Kitchen. they've got great photos. ;)

browned butter vanilla yogurt cake

in my previous posts i mentioned how i had baked all these cakes for my uncle's funeral service. well, i came upon this lemon rosemary cake on pinterest and actually made that recipe. anyway, the cake turned out delicious (and unfortunately i don't have any pictures to show for here). m was actually quite a fan of the cake (he's always such a tough critic with my baked goods). because of his rave review i decided i would make it again. except for this time when i went to make it, i didn't have my butter ready at room temperature like the first time and the microwave wasn't cooperating when i went to use it (to soften the butter) so i ended up having to brown my butter – therefore leading to this new cake recipe i came up with, adapted from the lemon rosemary cake of course!

this browned butter vanilla yogurt cake is just right. i haven't cared too much for frosted cakes lately so yogurt cakes, cake loaves, cakes with simple powdered sugar dusting or glaze icing was right up my alley. plus, it doesn't hurt that i still have all those ingredients in the fridge. so yes, i know… even after that 12-hour marathon baking expedition, i went ahead and baked this cake a few days after. i have to say, this yogurt cake is delicious. it's nice and simple with nothing too extravagant, but elegant enough that you know you're eating something good. the browned butter really enhances the vanilla flavor. and the yogurt in the cake really keeps it nice and moist. of course, not to mention the added lemon glaze on top that gives it that nice sweet and sour kick. oh, it's good!

below's the recipe should you want to make one yourself. i did mine in a 9-inch cake pan, but of course, you can use whatever pan you like. enjoy and happy baking! :)


this browned butter vanilla yogurt cake is really the perfect treat. i love it with a nice cup of coffee -- when i do drink coffee (because i don't drink tea) in the morning or afternoon as a mini sweet treat. ;)

browned butter vanilla yogurt cake
recipe adapted from baked bree

ingredients:

• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt (i used plain because that was all i had)
• 3 eggs
• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

lemon glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3 to 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

directions:

1. preheat oven to 350° F.
2. in a small saucepan, melt the butter on medium heat until it turns into a nice, sweet and delicious golden brown. note: you'll know when you've got browned butter when your whole kitchen starts to smell or smells like a nice toffee butterscotch candy. otherwise, i say anywhere from 3-5 minutes is pretty good. then pour it in a medium bowl and let it cool for a few minutes.
3. while the butter is cooling, sift the flour, baking powder and salt. set aside.
4. now, add the vanilla to the bowl with the butter. mix to blend. then add yogurt, and add eggs one at a time. again, mix all the ingredients until blended.
5. add in the dry ingredients and mix for an additional minute, scrapping the bowl, until everything is smooth and combined.
6. pour batter into an 9-in cake pan (or you can use a loaf pan) that has been sprayed with cooking spray (i used olive oil instead).
7. bake for 45 to 50 minutes. cool in pan for 10 minutes. take the cake out of the pan, and cool completely on a rack.
8. to make the lemon glaze: whisk powdered sugar and lemon juice together. then add more sugar and lemon juice as needed. drizzle over cake. let glaze stand until completely set.
9. serve right away once the glaze has set. enjoy! :)

makes 8-12 servings depending on how you slice it. this yogurt cake is best enjoy within the same day it's made. otherwise, it can keep up to two days if nicely wrapped.

banana nut bread

as mentioned in my cranberry scones post, i also made a bunch of banana bread for my uncle's funeral service. below is one of the recipes i used. i think i tried at least 3 different ones, some with nuts and some without. how did they all taste? i'm afraid i can't really tell you because i didn't try all three. but what i can say is, banana bread is banana bread. okay, actually, that's no true. some banana bread could be pretty dry out. this one here isn't too bad actually. i love how it stayed nice and moist even overnight (i made it friday, served it saturday morning).

so if you have some brown bananas you'd like to use up, i say go ahead and make some banana bread today. the recipe below is so easy to make and whips up in a flash. the only time consuming thing is waiting for it to finish baking in the oven. but it's kind of like, you set it and forget it (well, not totally, but while it's baking you can do other stuff).

below's the recipe should you want to make some. and if you do, let me know what you think. enjoy and happy baking!


i love my banana bread lightly toasted with a little butter spread on. so good.


banana breads are so easy to make. i love how they really put all those browning bananas to good use.

banana nut bread
adapted from my baking addiction

ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 overripe bananas
• 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup walnuts

directions:

1. preheat oven to 350°F. lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan – i used olive oil, but you can use butter or any oil of your choice.
2. in a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and cake spice. in another large bowl, using an electric hand mixer on medium speed, cream together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy – about 3 minutes. stir in eggs, vanilla and mashed bananas until well blended. using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, gently stir banana mixture and walnuts into flour mixture – stirring until ingredients are just combined. pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
3. bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then carefully turn out onto a wire rack.

notes:

• you can add 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon to your batter if you like. i personally don't care for it so i skipped it.
• banana bread is better served after it has had time to sit overnight at room temperature.
• banana bread will keep wrapped in plastic wrap and aluminum foil for up to 3 days.
• this banana bread is amazing toasted with a pat of butter.

cranberry scones

i know i haven't posted too many new entries lately, regardless if it was food related or exercise or whatever. this last week has been really tough. i think i averaged about 4-5 hours of sleep each night. yeah, pretty brutal. i'm not sure how i made it through though, but somehow i managed.

almost two weeks ago one of my uncles passed away. in doing my part or pitching in, i volunteered to bake some goodies for the funeral service this past weekend. my volunteering to make some cookies as snacks to pass out throughout the day during the weekend service turned into baking enough goodies for one morning breakfast (there are 3 mornings, i ended up with one morning). not knowing how many people i would be serving, i just knew there would be a lot of people. i asked my mom how many cakes and other goodies i should make and she said at least 10 breakfast cakes. and so with that number i spent literally the entire friday last week (from 11am to 11pm) baking a bunch of lemon loaves, fruit cakes (apple, strawberry, raspberry, lemon), and banana breads. in all, i think i had about 11 or 12 different cake-like goodies. in addition to all the cakes there were also a bunch of cranberry and raisin scones for the non-sweet eaters, blueberry muffins for the muffin fans and over 100 chocolate chip cookies. i think there was about 125 cookies or more in all. i lost count after so many dozens. in all, there were probably about at least 300-400 pieces of baked goods once all the cakes and loaves were sliced/cut. by friday evening i think my entire family was annoyed at me for being in the kitchen all day and taking up every counter space in the house, plus the dining room table. but i am glad and very pleased to say that m was so impressed with all my goodies that next morning (saturday) when i served all the goodies at the funeral service. he couldn't stop eating the toffee apple cake and rosemary lemon cake i made. he's such a tough critic, i couldn't believe he loved them. i will have to make those two again, take some pics and write a blog about it.

i have to say, that 12-hour baking marathon last friday in addition to the previous two nights of baking for the event was so worth it. it felt really good knowing i could contribute/give something to my uncle who has passed. everyone in my family: mom, dad, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles and cousins all wanted to make sure we gave my uncle the best send off we possibly could, especially since he never had a family of his own. he lived a tough life, but i'm sure in a way it was a very happy life. i know everyone loved him and will miss him dearly.

i'm terrible at taking pictures and i was so tired after all the baking i couldn't be bothered to take pictures of most of the goodies. what i did manage to take was the cranberry scones and banana bread. as for the others, i only took a few and those i posted them onto my instagram. below are the pictures and recipes for the cranberry scones if you'd like to make some for your next event or just because. i say these scones were quite the hit and i love how flaky they turned out. yummy! :)


this was only part of the kitchen that was captured on instagram. the dining table was a giant mess as well with baked goodies cooling, cakes waiting to be bake, ingredients and lots of miscellaneous baking items.


i never got to try these blueberry muffins or the strawberry cakes in the background. but from what i gathered on saturday, everyone liked it. i hope to make it again one of these days and actually eat one myself.


my instagram photo of the scones


this is only my second attempt at making scones and i have to say i've fallen in love with these delicious english biscuit-like treat. they are buttery and perfectly flaky when done right. add some butter or jam on them and you've got quite a treat for tea time or any time of day!


noticed all those layers in the scones? omg! so flaky and good.


i can't wait to make this recipe again. i know that from now on when i make scones, i will think of my 12-hour baking marathon for my uncle's funeral; and how special that feeling felt knowing i was part of the celebration of his life.

cranberry scones
adapted from cooking light

ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg white
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 2 teaspoons milk
• 2 teaspoons turbinado or granulated sugar

directions:

1. preheat oven to 425°F.
2. lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. combine flour, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; stir with a whisk.
3. cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal.
4. combine 1/2 cup milk, vanilla, and egg white in a bowl. add milk mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist (dough will be soft).
5. turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. sprinkle surface of dough with dried cranberries. with floured hands, knead 4 times or just until the cranberries are incorporated.
6. pat dough into an 8-inch circle on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. cut dough into 12 wedges, cutting into, but not through, dough. note: at this point, i like to chill my shaped dough in the freezer for at least 30 minutes (okay, 15 minutes if you can't really wait the whole 30). see tip notes as to why below.
7. just before baking, brush 2 teaspoons milk over surface of dough; sprinkle with 2 teaspoons turbinado sugar. bake at 425°F for 17 minutes or until golden.
8. serve warm, or cool on a wire rack. optional: if you like you can even dip the slightly cooled scones with some icing glaze (i like my glaze w/ a hint of lemon so i add a little bit of lemon juice to mine for a lemon glaze to dip them in) or drizzle the glaze over the scones for an added touch of sweetness. oh so good!

makes 8-12 wedges depending on how you cut your dough. enjoy! :)

tips to making and eating delicious scones:

• freezing scone dough for 30 minutes in the freezer relaxes the gluten in the flour, which makes the scones more tender and allows them to rise higher. it also chills the fat, which will make the scones a bit flakier.
• scones are best served warm. they're delicious as is, but add butter and/or jam (or clotted cream as they do in england), if you like. to reheat room-temperature scones, place on a baking sheet, tent lightly with foil, and warm in a preheated 350°F oven for about 10 minutes.

meyer lemon curd

in my last food blog post, the angel food cake cupcakes with strawberries and cream one, i mentioned that i still had these egg yolks i need to put to use or throw away. well, i'm glad to say i did not throw them away. i actually got around to making some lemon curd with them. meyer lemon curd actually. okay, i guess it doesn't make a whole lot of a difference whether you use the regular lemons or meyer lemons. it'll still turn out pretty tart-y delicious. either that or my tastebuds aren't that great and can't taste the difference.

i think lemon curd is actually one of the easiest things to make and there's just no way one can mess up while making it. i mean, you just throw everything together in a saucepan on medium heat and stir until it comes together. then strain it through a sieve. easy peasy, right?! i think so. not only is it easy to make, it's super versatile. i mean, you can use your curd and spread it on a nice piece of toast in the morning for breakfast (like i did in the pics), use it as a cupcake or macaron filling, as mini tarts or add in some butter and make it a cream tart or even as a twist to your good old classic s'mores. i've actually seen pinterest pins of lemon curd s'mores. they look really tasty and i cannot wait to try it when i get around to having a s'mores craving. actually, come to think of it, i should definitely try it out since i do have a bag of open marshmallows hanging around my pantry. might as well use that up before it goes bad.

below's the recipe for this yummy meyer lemon curd. i grabbed it from one of my MIL's cookbooks. it's an ancient looking one with just all text, but i have to say, some of the recipes in there are delicious. maybe one of these days i'll go through it and pick certain ones out and make them and take (gorgeous) photos of the outcome. i bet they would look scrumptious. hehe ;) yeah, we'll see about that. one of these days, maybe.

okay, so i love my lemon curd pretty sour. the more tart it is, the better. the original recipe actually calls for 6 oz of sugar but i only put in half of it. of course, if you like yours sweet, then maybe add more sugar than i did or go all the way up to the 6 oz. personally, i would just hang out at 2-3 oz. up to you anyway. let me know what you think if you do make this. enjoy! :)


who doesn't love lemon curd? these meyer lemons make the perfect curd for morning toasts, afternoon tea sandwich cookies or yummy cupcake fillings.

meyer lemon curd

ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3-6 oz granulated sugar (about 1/4 cup to 3/4 cup, use the higher amount if you like your lemon curd sweet, less if you're like me and prefer it more on the tart side)
• 1/3 cup meyer lemon juice (it took me 2-1/2 good size meyer lemons, you may need more or less depending on yours)
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 egg white

directions:
combine all ingredients in a saucepan and put it over medium heat. stir the mixture until it reaches a honey-like consistency. turn off the heat and strain the lemon curd using a sieve. store in an airtight container. keep refrigerated.

makes about a cup. enjoy and happy eating! :)

another new month, another set of exercise challenges

i cannot believe april came and went! and with that i successfully finished my 30-day exercise challenge. okay, i will have to admit i did take off more days than i had intended to (maybe 3-4 more rest days than the scheduled). but for the most part, i did do almost everything i had set out to do. i successfully did 250 squats in a row, on both days 29 and 30. the most seconds i could hold an elbow plank for was 90 seconds and 60 seconds for the side planks (i never attempted beyond that – i'm sure on a good day if i wanted to try, i probably could?!). as far the pushups in a row and dips, oh man... those were tough. i only managed 50 (modified) pushups in a row and did 60 dips in a row until my arms gave out. yeah, you can say i had some pretty ambitious goals and i didn't quite meet them. but overall, it's not a disappointment either. i think i did pretty good. who knew i could do 250 squats in a row without resting? yeah, it was tough, but it felt good once i did it. i think it helped that i broke them up into mini increments of 10's or 20's, and adding those up bit by bit helps. i'm just so proud of myself for sticking to something for a whole 30 days! now, the next challenge is doing it longer! six weeks maybe?!

here are a few stats i'm throwing out there:

• miles ran this year as of today: 171 miles
• lifetime steps with fitbit as of this morning (member since feb 24, 2013): 1,30,696 steps
• weight lost since january 1 of this year: 5.6 lb (from 108.6 lb)
• today's weight: 103 lb (lost 4.6 lb since april 1 -- not bad?! i can't believe i was 107.6 at the start of april!!)

this is the new workout i plan to do this month. i need to do something about my mommy tummy. i figure i really should make an effort and try to do the best i can to see if i can at least get rid of some flab. for anyone who's a mommy, you should know what i'm talking about. tummy after baby (or babies in my case) isn't so great. for sure, not the same as pre-baby. and it's creeping up on 2 years after baby #1, so seriously... no more excuses here! the workout below says to do it for 12-weeks and combine it with some cardio, etc, but i'm taking baby steps here. i'm approaching it 4 weeks at a time and with my usual 4x a week running. we'll see where i am at the end of may. i'm excited to get started.

this month's goal: do the workout below 3x a week, for 4 straight week! good luck to me.

i also plan to add in a 6-week arm toning workout too to go with the mommy tummy makeover workout. i don't have the graphic for that workout at the moment, but when i do, i will be sure to update it. so stay tune! :)

*** UPDATE 5/3/13 ***

i saw this on pinterest and so i think i'm going to join in and do it too! 30-day plank exercise challenge? sure, why not?!! let's get those abs into shape! :)