2009 October 06

Archive for October 6th, 2009

Sippin' for the Cure

Oct 6

Posted by in Keeping Fit | 6 Comments

Ahhh I’m soaking up the sunshine today after a very dreary Monday. The sky is SO blue today!

Monday started with a solid upper body workout that I’m definitely feeling today!

Weight Training (Chest/Back/Shoulders):

TM Warmup 5 minutes, arm circles for some blood flow
DB Chest Press/Flye Combo (incline) 4 working sets of 12+12, 12+12, 10+8, 12+12 reps per set
DB Row (face down on incline bench) 4 working sets of 15, 15, 15, 12 reps
DB Pullovers on Ball 4 working sets of 15, 8, 15, 12 reps
Overhead Shoulder Press 4 working sets of 15, 14, 8, 7 reps
Rear Delt DB Flyes on Ball 3 sets of 15, 15, 12 reps
Chest Stretching for a few minutes at the end

My bis and tris got some love on Sunday so I didn’t work them again this time.

Then I had to run to the kitchen to take care of my craving! Green smoothie time!! First the basics: water, spinach, cucumber, celery, sprouts. Then the accessories: pineapple & cantaloupe, plus some hemp oil and vanilla rice protein powder. I usually buy flaxseed oil, but decided to switch it up this time and try the hemp oil. It’s pretty darn good! And a very pretty green!

I bought some pineapple to add in to my smoothies for this week because I’ve been quite the klutz lately and have little bruises to show for it! When that happens I bust out the pineapple juice and chunks for some extra BROMELAIN.

Mid-morning and it was still chilly, so some tea was in order with my Pecan Pie Larabar. And in honor of it being October, Breast Cancer Awareness month, I used my “Sip for the Cure” Pink Grapefruit Green Tea.

Lunchtime was quite the assortment of veggies! Greek-ish salad (spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, zucchini ribbons, Greek vinaigrette) with a few slivers of goat cheese and Mary’s Gone Crackers on the side. Then in the Mickey-Mouse ears of this photo, we have leftover mashed fauxtatoes (mmmm warm and comforty on a cold day) and the rest of my tasty kale chips! It was GREAT lunch!

By mid-afternoon, I was chilled to the bone. It was in the 40s and raining (brrr.) I decided to warm up with some heaven-in-a-bowl (oatmeal!) topped with raisins, almond milk and slivered almonds.

For some reason that didn’t fill me up (I really think I’m hungrier when I am cold…) so I sliced half a banana into my bowl with a small smear of almond butter and a squeeze of raw local honey.

Adding the banana definitely worked because then when dinnertime came around, I just wasn’t that hungry. MSP had a grilled white cheddar cheese sandwich dipped in tomato soup, and I had to have another pita pizza because it totally rocks!!

A few pieces of candy corn for dessert and that was the end of the Monday eats!

So today’s question, since it is Breast Cancer Awareness month: Have you ever participated in a Race for the Cure or an Avon Walk for the Cure? I have been lucky enough to participate in both. Denver has a great turnout for the Race for the Cure, which just took place this past Sunday. There were almost 54,000 participants! (Go Denver!) A few years back, a good friend and I also did the 39 mile Avon Walk for the Cure. What an empowering and uplifting event! It was so well-organized and you just felt an overwhelming sense of camaraderie with everyone! Tell us about YOUR race or walk experience in the comments section!

Have a great rest of your Tuesday friends! See you next time!

– Shari B. =)

Tags: Green Smoothie, Larabar, oatmeal, pizza, Vegetarian, Weight training

Kale Yeah!

Oct 6

Posted by Shari B. in Cooking, Recipes | 4 Comments

Making kale into chips is my favorite way to get people started on adding kale to their diets. The taste is AWESOME and it’s an EXCELLENT way to get even more greens into your day. Rather than digging into a bag of potato chips, try this guilt-free snack (one that’s even OK to eat the whole batch!).

Baked Kale Chips

1 bunch of kale (Tuscan or curly, whichever you prefer), washed, dried and stems removed (save the stems for the juicer!)

1 to 1½ tablespoons oil of your choice (grapeseed, macadamia, almond, etc.)

Splash of either balsamic vinegar or lemon juice

Airtight container (such as a 1-gallon Ziploc bag or large Tupperware with lid)

Nutritional Yeast (optional)

Sea Salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a couple of large baking sheets with unbleached parchment. Tear the kale into bite-size pieces (or larger if you prefer big ‘chips’).

Add the oil and the vinegar (or lemon juice) to the airtight container, then add in kale pieces. Seal the container and toss well to coat. Unseal and then, using your hands, gently “squeeze” the kale to massage the pieces. This will break down some of the fibers and also allow for it to be coated well. Arrange the kale pieces in a single layer on the baking sheets. Then sprinkle with nutritional yeast and very lightly with sea salt.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes – but be sure to start watching them at the 10 minute mark because the kale chips go from crispy to burnt in the blink of an eye!

Variations: you can use soy-free coconut aminos in place of the balsamic for a “soy sauce” flavor (or use soy sauce if you don’t have any soy issues). You can sprinkle with your favorite spices/seasonings: garlic powder, chipotle powder, nutmeg, ginger, etc. I like to use lime juice and chile powder sometimes, and also sesame oil with Sriracha sauce to change things up. I also like to mix chipotle powder and a little agave into the oil to make a “BBQ” style chip.