I Can Finally Breathe!

Last night was my first dance recital as the owner of my studio. It was spectacular! A little frantic at times, but overall went incredibly smoothly considering it was my first time. Taking this weekend for myself, then I’ll get back to blogging about my fitness routines and healthy recipes next week. Enjoy!

Root Vegetable Salad

So I am obsessed with my CSA. I had some beets left over from last week’s share, and yesterday in my share I received the most beautiful carrots I have ever seen. Here’s the recipe:

4-5 small beets

4-5 small carrots

1 can organic chick peas (garbanzo beans)

1 small fennel bulb

1-2 scallions

Handful of chopped cilantro and parsley

Lemon juice

Olive oil

First, preheat the oven to 375. Cut the tops off the beets and carrots and wash well. You can save the beet greens for a salad, but mine were getting kind of old. Wrap each beet individually in aluminum foil and wrap all of the carrots together in one piece of foil.

The beets and carrots need to roast in the oven until they are tender enough to be pierced by a fork. Mine took approximately 40 minutes.

While the beets and carrots are in the oven, I rinsed the chick peas, gave the cilantro and parsley a rough chop, and diced the scallion and fennel. I tossed them together in a bowl and let them marinate for a few minutes in some lemon juice (2-3 tablespoons).

Once the carrots and beets are ready, remove them from the oven and let them cool. When they’re cool enough to handle, dice the carrots and add to them to the bowl. Then, remove the ends of the beets and cut in half – this makes it easier to remove the skins. If the beets are cooked enough, the skins will peel right off. Your hands will also turn a lovely shade of purple 🙂

Toss all of the ingredients together in the bowl. Then, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil for some extra flavor – I used italian herb infused oil.

Enjoy 🙂

Breakfast of Champions

Before I started committing to eating better, my weekday morning breakfasts usually consisted of a granola bar as I was running out the door to work (maybe whole wheat toast and peanut butter if I was feeling ambitious), a small yogurt once I got to work, and maybe some fruit an hour or two later. Needless to say, by lunch I was starving. I also love breakfast food, like pancakes and waffles, but all of that flour and sugar is just plain unhealthy.  Here is a snapshot of my current breakfasts. At first I was concerned they’d be very bland, but I’ll also tell you some tricks to jazz it up a bit!

1/4 cup oat bran (similar in consistency to oatmeal but smaller grains)

1 cup fruit (I used strawberries and raspberries today, but you can also use blueberries, bananas, etc)

2 hardboiled eggs (or whichever style eggs you prefer – hard-boiling eggs ahead of time for the week is easy for me)

I also like to add some things into my oat bran for more flavor. I usually add a partial scoop of vanilla protein powder, a tablespoon of chia seeds (I will write more in another post about my new-found love of chia seeds), and some cinnamon. The fruit adds some more flavor, too. With this breakfast, you’re getting a serving of fruit (which aside from the vitamins is natural sugar instead of processed), gluten free carbs, and protein.  

Preparing the oat bran is easy. Boil 3/4 cup of water on the stove. Once the water boils, add in the 1/4 cup oat bran (with whatever you chose to add in to it). It will cook pretty quickly, so don’t walk away. Be sure to stir the oat bran consistently for a minute or two until the mixture thickens. Not stirring it enough will likely result in it sticking to the bottom of your pot – a lesson I’ve learned the hard way! Give it a try and see how you like it 🙂 I also do something similar with gluten free steel-cut oatmeal, too!

Remember, breakfast is the most important meal of the day! It jump-starts your metabolism and gets your body going for the day. And healthy carbs nourishes your brain and gives you energy. Choose the right carbs; don’t shy away from them completely! Enjoy 🙂

 

Good Things Come to Those Who Work Their Asses Off and Never Give Up…

Sometimes life events are sheer good luck or being in the right place at the right time. I’ve come to realize, though, that it’s actually a lot of hard work that goes into the good things that are really worth it.

Last July, I purchased a dance studio. Not just any dance studio, but the one in which I was trained as a dancer, so it has a special place in my heart. Owning my own studio was a dream of mine someday – not when I was twenty-four years old. However, the opportunity presented itself (Sheer luck? Right place at the right time?) and I went for it.  It has been a successful but trying year. There were moments where I felt like my dream was being ripped out from under me, and there were moments were I knew this is what I was born to do. But in the end, I know that it’s taken a lot of very hard work to get to where I am today.

I’ve also applied this notion to the fitness transformation journey I’ve been on, too. In the fall, with working as a teacher full-time and getting my bearings as a small business owner, I still worked out when I could but definitely was not training as far as I could. I felt exhausted and overworked all the time, and frankly I was drinking too much wine on the weekends. In January, I decided that I needed to do something for myself and get back on track. I began working with a trainer at my gym. On New Year’s Day I got a call from Marianela, and I was immediately thrilled that I was paired with her. I had seen her around the gym and knew that she was hardcore – aka just what I needed.

During my consultation, Marianela asked what my goals were for my sessions. I knew I wanted to build more muscle (not in a creepy body builder kind of way) and develop a more intense, consistent strength training routine. In order to build more muscle, I also needed to alter my diet. The word diet, to me, has always been a four-letter word. I always told myself that because I worked out, I could eat whatever I wanted. I also knew that someday that mindset would catch up to me. 

Not only did Marianela whip me into the best physical shape of my life in 16 sessions together, but my new and improved eating habits (fewer carbs, more protein, low sugar, low salt) have given me tons of energy (downside- now I sleep even less than before) and allowed me to achieve my goals. I lost about 10 pounds, one entire dress size, and about 6.5% body fat from January to May. May 7 was my last session with Marianela. I chose for the time being not to continue so I could save money for my big move this summer. Kevin’s going to get me on a strict budget, so I wanted to wait and see if it would fit into my budget. BUT, in the month and a half since I stopped working with her, my snacking habits haven’t been so good and some old injuries have been flaring up again…

…So tonight is my first session training with her again! This time I am doing a small group format instead of private training, so it should be interesting to have other people to help push me. More to come on my renewed fitness transformation!

Green Salad

I mentioned my CSA (community shared agriculture – it’s a weekly farm share) in another post and said I’d start to post some recipes from veggies I get in my share. Since it was late spring/early summer, I’ve been getting tons of greens, so I’ve been eating a ton of great salads. Here is the one I’ve been enjoying this week.

 

Romaine lettuce- chopped (a few leaves if it’s just you, or adjust for a crowd)

1/4 of a kohlrabi bulb (mentioned in a previous post, too…similar to coleslaw) – diced

Chopped cilantro (however much you like)

2-3 chopped green onions

Possible add-in – handful of edamame for some protein

Lemon juice and/or balsamic vinegar to taste

 

Five Reasons I’m Glad It’s Summer

Aside from the current heat wave we are having in New York, I’m thrilled we are finally getting some nice weather and that my favorite season has officially arrived. Five healthy reasons why I’m just so glad it’s here:

1. My CSA

CSA stands for Community Shared Agriculture. It’s a little costly, but a friend and I are splitting it. It started the first week of June and goes approximately to Thanksgiving. Each week we pick up our vegetables at the designated pick-up spot, and I’m always glad I’m sharing the box with someone because there are SO many vegetables that come each week! This year, I’m doing the CSA through Golden Earthwork Organic Farm, and they’ve been really great. Each week they send out a newsletter with what vegetables come in the share, information about the vegetables and how to prepare them, and some great recipe suggestions. I truly feel like it is Christmas once a week but in vegetable form. But to me, summer is about fresh food and trying new things, and my CSA allows me to do just that.  Every week I’m left with a bunch of vegetables and herbs that I need to use up, and I find that I’m getting a lot more creative in my cooking to figure out how I can use all of these different things. Who has truly heard of, let alone eaten, kohlrabi? Well, it came in my share last week, and it’s fantastic! (PS- try using it like coleslaw or dicing it up in a salad). I feel like I’m getting some great nutrients from all of these different vegetables, too. More to come on the CSA – I’ll be sure to post some recipes as I continue to try new things!

2. Outdoor exercise opportunities

I tried to take up a running career. I tried to start training for a 10K this summer. Then I ended up with tendonitis in my foot, so there goes that. Because life is all about impeccable timing, the tendonitis came a week before my big dance recital (I own a dance studio – more to come about that down the line, too). Nonetheless, the warm, beautiful weather means more outdoor exercise opportunities in general – whether you prefer walking, running, biking, etc. To me, there is nothing as peaceful as going for an early morning bike ride during the warm-weather months! It’s a great time to get moving because it also allows you to enjoy the sun, too!

 3. Warm weather = warm muscles

As a dancer and athlete, I have (and have had) a lot of injuries.  Like the tendonitis I’m currently nursing in my foot. And my chronic back and hip problems. Not only do I just hate being cold, but this is another reason why I hate the winter months – my muscles just seize up and are so tight that the chronic issues I deal with daily usually become worse. But you know that feeling in April when you start to get a couple of warm weather days and it feels as though your entire body thaws from a long winter? That’s why I love spring and summer. It takes less time for my body to warm up when I’m dancing or working out, and everything feels a whole lot better. Not to mention that cold muscles make you far more prone to injury!

 4. Time to refocus

As a teacher, the beginning of summer is such a relief. We can escape dealing with kids for a little while and recharge. To me, it also means that I can relax a little and catch up on some reading that I didn’t have time to do during the year.  This year is going to require some more refocusing and readjusting, though.  I just successfully completed my first year as a dance studio owner (pending the recital this week), and while we have a summer session running, I can take a little break from the constant every day craziness. My boyfriend, Kevin, and I are moving in together in a few weeks – I am very excited but also know it will take a little adjusting at first.  Prior to buying the dance studio, my first career choice was social studies teacher, which I have been trying my hand at for the last 3 years. However, the New York teacher job market sucks, and every year I’m left wondering what I’m doing in September. This year I have some home tutoring lined up for September, but I feel as though I’ve reached a cross roads in my yet-to-blossom career. Time to recharge, refocus, and figure out exactly what direction I’d like my life to go.

 5. Beach Time!

Speaking of enjoying the sun, I am so glad that Long Island beaches are up and running again after being devastated by Hurricane Sandy. I am always very careful with my skin at the beach, though. I recently came across a new sunscreen product that I am in LOVE with. I am a Birchbox subscriber, and every month I get a box full of sample size makeup/beauty/health products to try. Last month I received a sample size of Coola moisturizer with SPF 30. It’s an organic sun care line, and the cucumber moisturizer literally feels like a tall drink of water for my face. I would highly recommend checking it out!