Mashed Cauliflower

photo (7)

Easy to make. Tastes Delicious. What more could you want?

My friend Liz sent me an awesome cauliflower recipe from Linda Wanger's blog. I read through the ingredient list and realized I had everything but my Almond milk had gone bad... gross! So I nixed the almond milk and changed up the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower

water - I did not measure but I would say it was about 1 cup  (while you are blending the cauliflower if it still feels too thick add more water)

2 oz of goat cheese (Linda's recipe asked for 4 oz but I did not have 4 oz)

pepper and garlic powder to taste

Directions:

I followed Linda's suggestion and cooked my cauliflower her way and it worked out great:

"I’m all about speed and ease so this is my shortcut to steaming veggies. Fill a pot or saucepan with water about 1 inch deep. Add 1/2tsp sea salt and bring to a boil. Add chopped vegetables and cook until soft, about 3-6 mins depending on the vegetable. Drain the excess water and you’re done!"

After the Cauliflower was steamed I let it sit in a strainer for about 4 minutes just to cool off a bit. I then placed the cooked cauliflower in a blender, added some water and blended away. I added the goat cheese, pepper and garlic powder and blended some more. The goat cheese melted nicely because the cauliflower was still a little hot!

The end result was yummy, but I do have to say the cauliflower has a strong taste. The taste was not a  cauliflower taste, it is hard to explain. More like a garlic taste that you can't get our of your mouth. I am not sure if this taste was so strong because I did not put much dairy? Next time I will try it with the almond milk to see if it dulls the strength of the cauliflower.

*If I were to make this again I would add something to make it a bit more creamy, whether it be almond milk or a cheese wedge!

How do you make mashed cauliflower?

The best baby.... food

"Hey! I am Mason. I am ready to eat!"

I do NOT have a baby. But above is my friends baby, Mason.  She is also a trainer and into healthy living so it is only natural for her to give her child the best and the most clean food she can. She told me how her little man is starting to eat real food, and she is making it from scratch. Not only is it healthier but it actually SAVES money!

I recently bought her a  Solids Started Kit. This kit is a BPA free ice-cube like tray. After making her puree of whatever vegetable or fruit she desires she places the puree in the kit and freezes. She said the frozen items last up to 3 months! I assume she transfers the frozen food cubes into a plastic bag of some type to free up the starter kit so she can freeze more. GO PATS!

I asked her last night about what she was making. One tray of zucchini and one tray of sweet potato (both from her moms garden)! Here is her set up all ready to go!

      After steaming her zucchini (and baking her sweet potato)

she put the zucchini into her blender (or food processor) and mixed it to a puree.

Into the trays they go!

The trays make food easy to portion out, freeze, and pop out when ready.

Even if you do not have kids, what can you take from this post? Mason could be one of the cutest babies and these BPA free trays work as a great gift item for your friends or family members who do have kids!  :)

Best food combinations & my new online studio!

We know what to eat. We know what is good for us. But eating certain foods together can benefit us that much more. Here are a few foods that compliment each other when eaten together.

• Broccoli and mustard. After cooking vegetables they lose a bit of their nutrients.  Next time you cook broccoli add some mustard to it! The mustard contains an enzyme that is destroyed during the cooking process.
• Turmeric and salmon. My mom always told me to season things with turmeric due to its many health benefits, but now I know what to pair it with...salmon!
• Grilled steak and brussels sprouts.
• Tomato and olive oil or tomato and avocado. Does not seem too crazy or odd, but may help your body absorb more lycopene. Lycopene (found in tomatoes and other red foods, think grapefruit and guava) protect your cells from the damaging effects of free radicals.
• Beans and greens (or any food high in vitamin C like spinach and oranges) - for better iron absorption.

If you are interested in learning more behind the science of these food parings check out the sources below (also my inspiration for this blog):

REAL SIMPLE

lifehacker

AND I am also super excited to announce that I will be starting an online studio! What does this mean for you? YOU can take class WITH ME, anywhere around the world... LIVE!  Check my out my schedule, and see what times and days work for you- sign up and BAM its done!  If you have any time/day requests I would love to hear them.

My first class is tomorrow at 6:45-7:15am (eastern time). It is going to be a good introduction to this new online class thing. A 30 minute quick and effective mat work out. Wake up, get on your mat, and get on with your life! See you tomorrow morning on the mat and on the inter-web!! All you need is a camera (that most computers have built in already) or a webcam. It is super easy and fool-proof!

If you have any Q's do not hesitate to email me or comment below!

Check out my studio and sign up here.

Starving for a photo shoot

I recently had a photo shoot with Eric Levin, from Elevin Studios. The photos are for a composite card, which is like a portfolio/business card combo. This will be a really useful tool for me as I am trying to get into fitness modeling and/or commercial modeling. When I say fitness modeling I do not mean that my goal is to do muscle posing on the cover of Oxygen, I mean I want to display exercises in a spread in SHAPE magazine!

After my shoot someone asked me if I went on "some crazy diet" before the shoot.  Legit question. I can totally understand wanting to look your best for photos that will be in the public eye, but here is my answer… NO!  This was my second photo shoot, the first being with Lucie Wicker Photography, and before that one I DID restrict my food intake more. After that experience, I told myself I would not do it again for the following reasons:

1. I hate restrictions! I like to eat what my body needs.

2. I was so grumpy and all I thought about was food.

3. I ate even worse AFTER the shoot that I did before I started my “diet." I had an “I am free” feeling and thought “let me eat the world!”

4. I eat clean enough that there was no noticeable difference in my body, even with the restrictions.

5. Who  am I trying to fool? I know what my body looks like and the photos should be a strong representation of that. It would not be good business practice to advertise myself a certain way on my comp card and show up to a photo shoot with my body looking different.

I guess my restrictive diet before my first photo shoot was kind of a test. Would I still feel good for a photo shoot without restrictions before? Would I be bloated?  Would I look my best? For my most recent shoot with Elevin I ate my PB, almond butter, oatmeal, quinoa, nuts, mango (dried no sugar added), and mini dark chocolate chips, which are all the things I did not allow myself to have before that first shoot.

While I didn't completely restrict, I DID do things differently for the three days before the shoot:

1. I LOVE broccoli and brussels sprouts, but they can make me bloated and, errr, gassy so I stayed away from them! Yes, they are great foods for a healthy diet when you're trying to lose weight, but I was more concerned with avoiding bloat than dropping pounds.

2. I traded in my daily apples for grapefruit. I chose grapefruit thinking that the fiber pectin would help cleanse my body. I'm not sure if it did anything, but mentally it made me feel better.

How did I feel at this shoot with Eric, you're wondering? AMAZING! I felt better than I did during my first shoot. I felt I had more energy, I was stronger, and I was ready to conquer!

On the morning of the shoot I ate oatmeal, half a banana, and PB. During the day,though, I was only able to scarf down an apple and Asian pear in between shots. My body is used to eating every 2-3 hours, so eating nothing that day wasn't a great idea. But my energy was so high and I was so excited to be doing what I was doing I didn't feel hungry or shaky. It's weird how your body can go in to a ZONE and just GO.

I can’t wait to share more about the shoot with you, tips from the makeup artist, advice from the photographer, and all the other things I learned during the shoot! Stay tuned!

"how did you get your abs?"

After my photoshoot with Lucie Wicker Photography, my abs were all over facebook.  A lot of people, a lot, were asking me how I got my abs into the shape they are in. I really DON'T have a "to-do" list or a simple method to achieve a six-pack, but I can share with you what I think has really made a difference for me.

I am not a dietitian so all of the things below are just my opinion or things I have read, learned, heard, or tried along the way. Here's what I do:

1. EAT CLEAN. The end.

But seriously, clean foods, fresh foods, homemade foods are the bulk of my diet. I do not count calories and I eat about every 3 hours. I also eat an apple a day, I drink a lot of water, and I rarely drink alcohol.

2. Every morning, within an hour of waking, I eat a bowl of old-fashioned oats. I add chia seeds, ground flax seeds, cinnamon, and  a fresh fruit on top (i.e. sliced apples or blueberries). If I do not eat oat meal I have toasted Sesame Ezekiel bread with almond butter. My favorite almond butter is unsalted crunchy from Trader Joes.

3. Throughout the day I eat a lot of vegetables. I love spinach, balsamic vinegar, sliced pear, and walnuts as a salad. If I need an extra oomph I'll add a hard boiled egg. I never let myself get hungry.

4. DRESSINGS!  I do not use a lot of dressings or sauces and I always make my own. Here's a great recipe for dressing:

Balsamic vinegar

Dijon or spicy mustard

mix and done!

5. I always steam (or blanch). You would be amazed how delicious a steamed vegetable tastes!! SO GOOD! If you want to add a little extra crisp you could broil your veggie after you blanch it. Do not be afraid to drizzle a little (emphasis on the little) EVOO on top before placing in the oven and then add some pepper and garlic powder after cooking.

6. If I go out to eat I always look at the fish, vegetation, or salad options. If anything says butter, cream, or pasta I steer away. DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK, "can you please steam my vegetables instead of the regular preparation?"

7. Humus and veggies make a great snack.

8. I cannot remember the last time I ate a bowl pasta.

9. I drink water and herbal tea every day and I have decaf coffee about once a week, if at all. I stay away from fruit juices and "power"drinks.

10. My favorite sweet treat is a LARA bar (peanut butter chocolate chip or chocolate chip brownie). LARA bar is made from only about 5 ingredients. I like it like that.

11. I enjoy greek yogurt. I like to add fresh fruit because I am not a fan of fruit that is already inside the yogurt.

12. I walk A LOT. I know this is hard for most of you, since you might have a desk job, but every minute you can... WALK! It gets your blood flowing, limbs moving, and muscles and organs working. And remember to engage your abs  and pull your shoulders back when you walk. It will make a difference!

13. I think if you are eating whole, fresh, clean foods, then killing  yourself with cardio is not necessary.  I'd rather focus on a good strength training routine.

14. PLANKS , SIDE PLANKS, FOREARM PLANKS :) pull that stomach in and make it burn!

15. The more flexible your lumbar spine is, the better your abs will be. Do some cat cow stretching and when you are in the cat position really exhale and pull that stomach in!!

16. For a starchy carb I would go for a sweet potato or brown rice.

People often ask if I wish I ate more cookies and ice cream, if I ever have cravings, or if I ever feel deprived. The answer: If I feel like a cookie I will have one, but my cravings for cookies are not often and I definitely do NOT eat them every day. Am I depriving myself? No. What I eat makes me feel amazing, strong, healthy, and clean. Just so you know, I DO eat chocolate and I enjoy homemade sweets far more than store bought.

Now aside from diet comes working out, right? I think diet is number one, but I do think that working out makes a real difference in getting those sexy abs. I think that going beyond doing a million crunches a day is what is going to make a difference. Engage your abs... all the time. Walking down the street, picking up a box from the floor, punching during a kick boxing class are great opportunities. It's quite awesome how much power you can find in your CORE! We have heard it all before, but it's true. In my barre class when we do leg lifts, people focus so much on their legs that their whole upper body collapses. If you focus on your upper body, pull in your stomach, and keep everything tight, things will change.

A typical food shopping list for me (mostly at Trader Joes):

1. unsalted almond butter
2. walnuts
3. almond milk (vanilla unsweetened)
4. organic Fuji apples,bananas, asian pears (EXCELLENT!), blueberries
5.  oatmeal OLD FASHIONED
6. Brussel sprouts, broccoli,Kale, carrot sticks
7. tomatoes, mini seedless cucumbers
8. humus
9. all natural salsa
10. ak-mak (cracker that I sometimes order through Amazon)
11. LARA bars (favorite is chocolate chip brownie!) OR you can make your own!
12. eggs/ sometimes egg white carton
13. canned black beans (nice to add to salads)
14. quinoa (I like the red one the best, has more protein)
15. trader joes organic ketchup! ( A MUST if you eat ketchup)
16. organic sweet potato
17. brown rice ( I get the Organic precooked ones that you store in the freezer, quick and easy to prepare)
18. organic spinach
19. balsamic vinegar (for dressing)

Exercises I do for my abs:

I love this one for abs!!! [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfiOlOygCeM&w=560&h=315]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgpfJJs03ns&list=UUTmAxqt83Eg-20ZUe8bfY3Q&index=27&feature=plcp [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JO8cLBrLNZI&w=560&h=315]