Monday, May 30, 2016

Homemade Taco Seasoning Recipe

     Taco seasoning is a delicious add-in for a variety of foods.  Sadly, store bought seasonings are full of unhealthy junk like MSG and loads of sodium.  Making your own seasonings is much more nutritious than using the store bought ones.
     My mom has made this seasoning for years.  Whenever we run low, I just make another batch and we're good for a few months.  I usually double the recipe that I'm putting down below but feel free to make as little or as much as you wish.

Mix the following ingredients in a small container and enjoy:

  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp crush red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1tsp black pepper

Thursday, May 26, 2016

Healthy Taco Salad Recipe

     I just made this taco salad for my family the other night and they loved it!  The best part?  It's SUPER cheap.  I made this while in school and we had leftovers for the next day or two.
     This recipe served my family of seven comfortably with a small amount left over and we only spent SEVENTEEN dollars at the grocery store.  It costs double that amount for my family to eat fast food.  So not only will this feed you family delicious, healthy food, but will also fit just about anyone's budget.  I hope you try this out for yourselves and love it as much as I do!

Needed ingredients:
  • 2-3 frozen large chicken breasts (or 4-5 small ones)
  • 1 white onion
  • 2 cans of whole kernel corn
  • 2 cans of black beans
  • 2 cans of diced tomatoes with chilis
  • approx. 3 tablespoons of homemade or store bought taco seasoning (post with seasoning recipe coming soon)
  • fresh spinach
What to do:

  1. Thoroughly cook the chicken in a skillet with olive oil. (optional: season chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic salt)
  2. Chop the onion and brown in a large pot with olive oil.
  3. Once browned, turn heat down and slowly heat corn, beans, and tomatoes. (sometimes I add fresh lime juice here)
  4. Mix in taco seasoning.
  5. Once chicken is cooked, shred and add to the large pot.
  6. Serve on top of fresh spinach and top with fresh lime juice, shredded cheese, and sour cream.

Monday, May 9, 2016

High School Volleyball Agility Drills

If you don't already know, I am the assistant varsity volleyball coach to my old high school team.  For the past few weeks the girls have been working hard and getting back into shape for the upcoming season.  We had one session where I wanted to focus on speed, agility, and hand-eye coordination. I recorded a few of the girls performing the exercises and compiled the clips into a YouTube video. So, check that out and then keep reading for a in-depth description!






LADDER DRILLS
Before these workouts were performed, the team goes through a special warm up routine that takes about 10 minutes.  After the warmup, I like to work on their speed and agility while their bodies are nice and warm.  I use an agility ladder from Troy University's KHP department.  I was not able to get a video of these ladder drills, but hopefully a few pictures will help you understand.

-Hopscotch
The first exercise I like the girls to do is "Hopscotch".  Two feet go in a square, then out, then in the next square, and so on.  I have the girls do this exercise two times through.
-Lateral Single Leg Hops
Pick a side of the ladder (let's use the right side for example).  Standing on your left leg only, hop in and out of each square all the way down the ladder.  Repeat on the left side, with your right leg.

-Plank Walks
Get in a GOOD plank position (body flat, butt down) and put two hands into each square down the length of the ladder.  Repeat on the other side.


TENNIS BALL THROWS
I had all of the girls grab a partner and a tennis ball and simply throw the ball back and forth.  I wanted to girls to create a good movement and have their muscles memorize the moves.  Throwing a tennis ball uses similar moves to a simple volleyball serve.  Have the girls hold their arm up in a "bow & arrow" stance and turn their hips during the release of the ball.
I had the girls simply throwing back and forth with their partner for several minutes while they took turns doing the reaction ball and playing card catches.

REACTION BALL CATCHES


This is a reaction ball, you can buy one at Walmart for less than 8 dollars.  The bumps on the ball causes it to bounce in a random direction.  It's pretty difficult to catch, and not fun to chase around.  But as seen in the video, A.B. did an AMAZING job!  I would bounce the ball a few feet in front of them and let the girls catch it about 15 times each.


PLAYING CARD CATCHES
This is probably the most difficult exercise out of the rest I've mentioned.  I don't expect the girls to catch the cards, even a touch is a good way to view hand-eye coordination and reflex speeds.   I would throw about 15 cards to each girl.  It takes some practice for the coach/exercise leader to learn how to throw the cards close enough to the girl's body for them to make a good attempt at catching the card.  I learned this drill from watching an Instagram video on @usavolleyball's page.

I really enjoyed these agility workouts and I believe the girls did, too!  As always, leave any questions below.