FitFeat

Archive for January, 2012

Keeping the Treadmill Interesting

Jan 23

Posted by Shari B. in FitFeature, Keeping Fit | 7 Comments

Good morning blog buds!

I posted this to the FitFeat FB page this morning but the mobile app thinks I was posting as a fan of the page and not as the admin, so it won’t hit your news feeds. Hopefully the WordPress mobile app I’m trying now for the first time works a little better!

I came across this article for treadmill workouts and the tips were almost identical to how I keep myself from getting bored when I have to do indoor cardio, so I thought I’d share it. Another trick I utilize is when I am watching recorded TV programs on the treadmill, I’ll walk on a high incline during the show to keep my heart rate high but then kick it up to running or sprint intervals during the commercial breaks.

Treadmill workouts

Have a great Monday & a FIT week!

– Shari B. =)

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FitFeat on Facebook

Jan 21

Posted by Shari B. in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Hi blog buds!

I’ve got my hands full in the kitchen for the next couple of day but wanted to let you know that I finally got around to giving FitFeat its own page on Facebook so if you are on FB and want to like the page for extra fit living tips, food photos (and maybe an occasional giveaway!) feel free to swing on by and give it the ol’ thumbs up.  (And if you made your way here from FB, WELCOME!)


Things have been hopping on this end, per usual.  You’ll notice that if you used to use the www.fitfeat.com address to access this blog, it now routes over to my personal chef page.  So you’ll want to update your bookmark for the blog to http://fitfeat.com/blog.  Rather than continue to run two separate entities (FitFeat for training and Chef Shari for personal cheffing) it is all under one ‘roof’ now with FitFeat, LLC.  Over time, you’ll see some small changes to the blog that reflect the new structure.  But not just yet, because I haven’t figured out how to chop vegetables and type at the same time.  ;)

Hope you are having a fabulous day so far!  See you soon!

– Shari B. =)

P.S. => Who’s making MOCHI waffles tomorrow for breakfast??

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Mochi, the Adult Version of Sea Monkeys!

Jan 18

Posted by Shari B. in Cooking | 13 Comments

Well hello blog world!  My how quickly a week flies by when one is immersed in all sorts of recipe testing and business related stuff!

Fortunately I did take some time out to relax a bit over the weekend and make a fun Sunday breakfast. Have you ever had MOCHI before?

mochi

I knew it existed, I had read recipes for things to make with it (muffins, pizza crusts, waffles), but I’d just never picked any up at the store.  Cory loves waffles and so I decided to see what this mochi was all about.

One thing I love about the original flavor is the ingredient list:  Organic sweet brown rice, filtered water.

That’s it!

I cannot take credit for this fun idea – I learned the technique from Alicia Silverstone in her book The Kind Diet.  She has kindly included the recipe on her website as well for those of you who want to give it a try.   I didn’t make the syrup in the recipe – I just used a little raw honey and sprinkled it with chopped almonds.

This is my kind of cooking.  You cut the mochi into strips, lay it on your waffle iron, and VOILA – it grows into a waffle like those crazy sea monkeys we used to add to water as kids.

They were pretty good!  Definitely chewy and you want to add flavor with some sort of topping because alone they taste like, well… rice.

I even had some strips of tempeh bacon that I’d made the day before.  It was a fun and FAST breakfast for a lazy Sunday morning.

Next time I’ll have to try the Raisin-Cinnamon flavor!

Have you ever made mochi?  How do you like to prepare it? 

– Shari B. =)

 

 

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Bouquet of Greens

Jan 11

Posted by Shari B. in Cooking | 6 Comments

Oh summer sunshine, how I miss you so.  Please hurry back!

Since greens remind me of warmer days, I thought I’d share another kitchen tip with you today.  Treat your greens like freshly cut flowers and they will last longer.  I do this with kale, parsley and cilantro regularly.

Grab a heavy glass jar (this is where my leftover almond butter jars come in handy) and fill with enough filtered water that the cut end of the stems sit are just dipped in.

Cover very lightly with a plastic bag to create its own little greenhouse.

Place in your refrigerator.

Change the water every few days as you would with a bouquet of flowers.

Fresh herbs elevate the flavor of just about every dish and they can be pretty pricey!  So making sure they last longer is important to me because I really hate to throw money into my garbage disposal.

Organic kale is no bargain either at $3 a bunch.  If your kale does start to get ‘wilty’ before you get a chance to use it all, make some kale chips with it, juice it or toss some into a green smoothie.

You can also do this with your asparagus when it comes into season.

Have a super day friends!  :D

– Shari B. =)

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Two Quick Kitchen Tips

Jan 7

Posted by Shari B. in Cooking, Natural Chef Culinary School | 4 Comments

Good morning friends!  Welcome to the weekend!

I added a fun new book to my cooking library last night – Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom:  Essential Techniques and Recipes from a Lifetime of Cooking.

Julia Child

Just in flipping through it I learned an interesting tip that I wanted to share with you.  (I’m sure those of you out there who are bakers already know this but since I don’t work much with pastries and doughs, it was news to me.)  Baking powder can go bad around the 6 month mark after being opened.  Fortunately you can test whether it is still usable by putting a teaspoon or so into hot water.  If it fizzes up, it’s still good.  I tried it this morning because coincidentally I will be cooking a recipe for a client next week that includes a baking powder biscuit and what do you know – it FIZZED!  Just like an Alka-Seltzer tablet would.

Not sure how it is that I never knew that…!  But thank you Julia for teaching me.  :)

Now here’s a tip of my own to share with you:  keep a Sharpie marker in your kitchen and always label things with the date that you opened them (on a piece of masking tape, if the containers aren’t disposable).  I do this in my own kitchen as well as clients’.  Things have a way of getting opened, then getting ‘lost’ in a pantry or the back of the fridge.  Time flies by and it’s hard to remember how old it is.  I write on everything:  veggie broth, bags of dried goods (beans, rices, pastas, flours, etc.), spices, capers, salad dressing, tamari, you name it.  And when you mark your baking powder upon opening, you’ll know when it might be needing to be tested with Julia’s tip above!

Have a fabulous weekend, friends!

– Shari B. =)

 

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Review: OrangeTheory Fitness

Jan 4

Posted by Shari B. in Keeping Fit, Product Review | 2 Comments

Hi blog buds!

How is 2012 starting off for you?  I still can’t believe it’s January already. It feels like it was just yesterday that Cory and I were at the Haunted Forest for Halloween!

On the workout front, the year is off to a great start and my “no slacker tracker” is all filled in so far!  I’ve kicked up the intensity for the start of this year as I need to build back some of my missing fitness.  I let some of it get away last year (in both strength and cardiovascular endurance ability) so I’m currently splitting out the body parts in a more traditional bodybuilding fashion, rather than a full body Tabata workout as I’d done a lot of last year.  I plan to continue this for the first quarter and assess my progress.  It looks like this for now:

  • Chest/Shoulders/Biceps
  • Cardio (some intervals, some steady state)
  • Legs
  • Back/Triceps/Core
  • Cardio Legs (hi rep routine w/ lots of lunges, squats and light plyometrics)

I’ll fill in the other days with yoga/hiking/walking/social-cizing, whatever feels fun in the moment.

And maybe some more classes like this:  last week, I had the fun opportunity to workout at a new OrangeTheory Fitness location that will be opening for business next week.   I was invited to attend one of their free mock classes prior to their Grand Opening and I was excited to do something different (and truth be told, have someone tell ME what exercises to do for a change).  It’s a group fitness session that incorporates cardio intervals and circuit training.

It was a really fun workout and the hour flew by.  They provide you with a heart rate monitor and your heart rate is posted on big screen monitors, along with all of your fellow exercisers’ heart rates.  We started out on cardio equipment to warm-up:  half on rowers, half on treadmills.  Then the rowing group moved to the gym where were did giant sets of exercises.  For example, 10 reps each of weighted squats, then dumbbell rows, then chest presses, then lunges, then back extensions and repeat a few times.  We went through three different giant sets along those lines, and it gets your heart pumping.  Next thing you know, 30 minutes has flown by and it’s time to trade with the peeps on the treadmill.  The instructor then led us through a running interval session (or power walking at an incline if you prefer) for the remainder of the class.  Then we cooled down and did a quick round of stretches.  The energy was great and the staff was really friendly and supportive. They also had a lot of fun fitness toys, like BOSU balls and TRX suspension trainers.

If you have one in your area and you are looking to switch things up, give it a try!  I haven’t found any info yet on what the cost is for membership or whether they offer drop-ins.  I’ll update this post when I get that info.

Have you been to an OrangeTheory class?  Or do you have one nearby but haven’t yet tried it?

Have a GREAT day friends!

– Shari B. =)

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