Foodie finds.

It has been quite some time since the last edition of foodie finds...and lately, I have been finding some great stuff. Without further ado, let's get to it!

We can't have a foodie finds post without some gems from Trader Joe's. I think the frozen veggies are seriously underrated - when I go I always stock up on old favorites and pick up something new to try. I am so happy I picked this up a couple of months ago! This mushroom medley has quickly become a favorite:

I like to sauté it with other veggies, or eat it taco style with a corn tortilla and egg.

The last time I went on a TJs run, I picked up this zucchini and eggplant combo, and oh my. It is awesome.

One more TJs find - trail mix, which has become my new favorite snack. Nevermind the fact that this one shown here is how I found out I am allergic to cashews.

I found this at a regular grocery store the other day, and I bought it since I've heard so much about these juices. It definitely tasted like a green juice! But it was of course refreshing and energizing, and a super convenient way to get in some green juice action.

More snacks - I am always looking for snacks. I found these chips at Costco! They are gluten-free, and the first ingredient was beans, so I was sold. They tasted pretty good with some guacamole as well, so I am definitely a fan.

Yesterday, I really, really wanted some noodles, Asian-style. Today, my goal was to find some gluten-free oriental noodles. Lo and behold! I found some buckwheat and rice vermicelli. So exciting.

I had a vision about these noodles and prepared them as closely to this vision as I could. I cooked the noodles and added to them some napa cabbage, mushrooms, and tofu stir-fried in sesame oil and tamari (gluten-free soy sauce). I had also pan-fried the cooked noodles in some coconut oil to try to crisp them up a bit before combining them with the veggies. This will be my lunch for the week, so I will definitely be looking forward to lunch time tomorrow!

Have a nice week!

Sunday.

The worst part about long weekends is that they feel like a vacation. And when you're on vacation, you eat like you're on vacation. And then you wonder why you just did that (or is that just me?).

Either way, I'm sure all of us are feeling the long weekend Sunday blues! Usually I beat those with my usual Sunday cooking session. The past couple of weeks I've discovered the gluten-free beauty of polenta. And baked polenta is even better! I just slice the pre-made polenta and drizzle with olive oil before baking until slightly browned.

Pictured below: baked polenta rounds topped with sautéed veggies, black beans, and salsa.

And then I decided to get a bit fancier and try some polenta "fries" which I also baked. This polenta was basil garlic flavored, and I dipped these in marinara sauce. So good!

Otherwise, I am still obsessed with weekend green smoothies. And now I am topping them with all kinds of stuff! Including this chia/hemp seed/buckwheat cereal.

So, it's been a while since we discussed fitness. I know I mentioned a video for this post, but in my opinion, this is even better.

As I'm sure you already know, I currently teach my two favorite forms of fitness: kickboxing and zumba. Recently, I obtained an indoor cycling certification as well. The irony of this is that cycle is not one of my top workout classes. 

Even more ironically, my teaching schedule is soon changing, and I will be teaching my own cycle class! I've been recently doing a lot of research for cycle class ideas, and I super appreciate when I see song ideas and routines posted online. The more classes I attend and the more ideas I see, I will admit, the more exciting cycle becomes. Yesterday, I subbed a cycle class and below are the songs/routines I used. I thought it was a fun one - and I think the class thought so, too :).

80s Themed Cycle Class:

1. "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"//Warm-up 

2. "Beat It"//Seated with moderate resistance, standing during chorus
3. "I Wanna Dance With Somebody"//Fast pace with sprints during chorus
4. "Don't Stop Believing"//Seated climb
5. "Bust a Move"//Downhill, gradually decrease resistance from previous song
6. "Living On a Prayer"//Seated with medium-high resistance, alternate between standing and hovering during chorus
7. "Vogue"//Seated climb
8. "You Spin Me"//Fast pace with sprints during chorus
9. "Love Shack"//Jumps during chorus; alternate between standing and seated for counts of 8, 4, or 2
10. "Holiday"//Moderate pace and moderate resistance
11. "I Love Rock & Roll"//Cool down and stretch

This can even be done on a stationary bike (although I do caution trying the standing position on those bikes - some of them are not meant for that). If you give this a try, let me know!