Today will be a recipe post! I have 2 great recipes you can make either together or separate that will include veggies! These are both very simple recipes and can be pre-made at the start of the week. I like to get all of my vegetables cleaned and cut during meal prep. I portion them out and that way I just dump it into the pan at cooking time. I prepare the 2nd dish during meal prep as well then store it and just warm in the oven before dinner. As a busy mom of 2 active boys preparing dinners for the week is key to helping me stay on schedule and well sane. :) I hope you enjoy these as much as we do! These recipes also include (optional) two great spices that I LOVE - garlic and cayenne! Both have great health benefits* and taste pretty good too. Veggie and Quinoa Stir Fry Vegetables LOTS of them – pick your favorites but here are the ones I use and I recommend trying! - Brussel Sprouts 5 medium halved and washed (hint soak sprouts in a vinegar solution for a little white to get all the grit and hiding bugs out of the crevasses) - Spinach – 2 large cups - White mushrooms – 3 to 4 mediums - Colored carrots – 1 large peeled and diced - Sugar snap peas – ½ cup - Fresh broccoli (frozen works too) – ½ cup - Mini sweet peppers – 1 to 2 sliced - Olive oil (1 tsp) - 2 garlic cloves crushed/minced* - ¼ to ½ tsp of cayenne pepper* Slice and dice up vegetables and toss with olive oil and seasons. Cook in pan until tender or sprouts are slightly brown and spinach is cooked down Quinoa If it is not pre-rinsed be sure to rinse quinoa before cooking. Measure out ½ cup of quinoa and 1 cup of liquid (this can be water or a low sodium broth) cook per directions. Add quinoa to pan with vegetables and stir. This recipe makes one to two portions you can double, triple, or quadruple it to make more servings and portion out or serve for family. Now you can mix it up, add in grilled chicken, beans, ground turkey meat or any protein for variety each week and viola multiple meals! Keep the quinoa out and eat the veggies separate with eggs or egg whites. *Recipe may be overwhelming for some with sensory but it is still worth trying for yourself and anyone in your household! Turkey Meatloaf Muffins (great for hiding those veggies for kiddos) 1 lb of lean ground turkey 1 tsp black pepper ½ tsp sea salt Veggie Puree* 1 shredded cooked carrot 1 garlic clove* ¼ cup yellow or white onion chopped 1 tbs mustard 1 tsp tomato You can either puree the veggie mixture or use it as is. I puree it to make a smoother texture and more palatable for sensory(texture) issues. When making puree cook carrots until soft and combine with chopped onion, minced garlic mustard and ketchup into blender and blend until smooth or semi chunky Combine ground turkey, spices and veggie puree and mix well. Spoon into greased muffin tins and bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes until fully cooked. Place muffin tin on top of a cookie sheet in case of overflow *Cayenne Benefits Cayenne pepper is a wonderful digestion aid and can help stimulate the digestive tract. It aids the body’s ability to metabolize food and toxins. Some Cayenne Resources from Universities Health Libraries https://healthcare.utah.edu/healthlibrary/related/doc.php?type=19&id=Cayenne http://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/hn-2065009 Cayenne is super spicy so air on the side of caution when using adding only a little at a time. Garlic Benefits Not only is garlic tasty (yes smelly but so good and good for you!) it is also an immune booster. Garlic has anti-microbial properties to help fight off cold symptoms. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3074326/ http://www.umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/garlic You can also get a lot more recipes when you register for one of my virtual Tabata Bootcamps!
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Starting today I will be doing a small blog post each Monday. I am not much of a writer so you can imagine these will be short but informative! They are going to vary in topic but will stick to the theme of healthy living. This week I am featuring a past blog of mine on my favorite BOSU exercises! I absolutely love the BOSU® balance trainer! I mean it's such a versatile piece of equipment; you can work on balance, strength, agility, flexibility and even cardio! What's not to love! This is a tool I use weekly in my Kids Movement classes and at home. My kids not only get sensory input but are able to work on balance and coordination. Here I am showing you my Top 4 favorites, though it was hard to pick just 4 from my past blog. So without further ado here you go.... Burpee: Call me crazy but I love burpees, I really do! They target everything; lower and upper body, core and cardio. The exercise shown below shows two progressions, both lifting the BOSU® up on the UP part. Now you DO NOT have to lift the BOSU®, you can simply leave it down on your up portion of the burpee. Things to Remember:: Core is engaged and head is aligned with our spine (nice line.) Dome Side Down Push Up: Another great strength exercise for you, a simple push up adding a little challenge with the BOSU®! Doing the push up dome side down adds the challenge of keeping that BOSU® stable. In order to maintain form and stability your core and upper body muscles are going to be nicely engaged. Love this exercises. Things to Remember: As always core is engaged and head aligned with your spine. Supine Hip Lift/Supine Hip Lift with Tilts This is a great lower body and core exercise. You are working your gluteal and hamstring muscles all while stabilizing the core to maintain balance. This exercise shown here is done dome side down making it a bit more challenging. Lying on your back feet/heels are placed on top of the platform and arms are down at sides. You will slowly raise your hips until a nice line is formed from shoulders to knees. Hold and then slowly lower to your start position. Things to Remember: Keep core muscles engaged to keep the platform from tipping. DO NOT put any weight on your head or neck. Keep movements slow and smooth. Variation: Add tilts - Same starting position and movement except on the up you will hold and slowly until the BOSU® towards you and back center. Slowly lower body and repeat. You can also stay up in the bridge position and tilt the BOSU® back and forth for a count of 10 seconds and then lower, repeat. Things to Remember: Keep core muscles engaged to help stabilize your pelvis and trunk. DO NOT put any weight on your head or neck. Keep movements slow and smooth. Downward Facing Dog/Cobra Stretch Downward facing dog is a great stretch for your back and legs. I like to pair it with the cobra stretch, which allows for a core, back and chest stretch. I love both stretches especially after a strong core workout. Kids Movement: This is also a stretch I also do in my kids class and it became dubbed at “silly hair.” We pair it with the cobra stretch (see video) and “hiss”. Things to Remember: Downward Dog: Place hands on dome and keep them shoulder width apart. Relax your chest and heels. Cobra: Move hands a little forward and extend chest upwards while pushing hips towards the floor
If you would like to see the full blog post(s) click HERE and you can go through each week within the archives. *With any new exercise or exercise program please be sure to consult with your physician
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AuthorLisa McNett is an ACE Certified Group Fitness Instructor, ACE Certified Youth Fitness Instructor, Licensed Zumba Fitness Instructor and Certified Tabata Bootcamp Instructor Archives
July 2022
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