tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81917313164508669162024-03-13T05:40:26.427-07:00The Fitness GourmetThoughts on a healthy, happy lifestyle.Tulikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05309866085705620521noreply@blogger.comBlogger314125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8191731316450866916.post-42001022046064250172015-05-13T17:53:00.001-07:002015-05-13T18:18:11.842-07:00Healthy on-the-go.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I promised you a recap of my adventures and here they are...but in TFG style!<br />
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I got the chance to go to Washington DC for several days last week. I hit up the main attractions of course but I was mostly interested in getting some good food, obviously. </div>
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Unfortunately, it is difficult to travel with so many food restrictions, but fortunately, it forces me to get creative!</div>
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Exhibit A: my life saver for the long days I spent in training when I needed a quick and satisfying snack.</div>
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I love my nut butters in pretty much any form... So I ate them straight from the packet of course.</div>
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I also kept a box of nut thins and a few Lara bars in my purse at all times. Have I mentioned my appetite is a little out of control?</div>
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Luckily, salads are available in pretty much any restaurant so I was always able to get in my daily serving of vegetables! And sometimes the salads were even exciting:</div>
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This was a random assortment of already prepared veggies (including fried eggplant and pickled cauliflower!). The restaurant was similar to a Mediterranean-style Chipotle, so I made myself a delicious veggie bowl.</div>
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The star of the weekend was this beauty:</div>
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A gluten-free waffle sandwich!!! With mozzarella, tomato, and arugula. I can't even describe how happy I was to eat this.</div>
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Apart from the eating and training and sight-seeing I was also able to squeeze in a couple of quick workouts, including a hotel room HIIT. It took some extra motivation for me to workout while traveling but it was definitely worth it afterwards, plus I felt more like myself! </div>
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What are your healthy on-the-go tips? I would love to hear them for the next time I travel!</div>
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Tulikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05309866085705620521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8191731316450866916.post-71262361130433545672015-05-06T20:02:00.004-07:002015-05-06T20:05:41.169-07:00Adventures.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Friends!</div>
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I haven't abandoned you again, don't worry! I've been having lots of adventures lately (including the one I am on now, which is why I am posting this from my phone - apologies for the formatting! But that adventure will be a story for the next post). Let's do a recap of the food-related ones, shall we?</div>
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<div>And of course we cannot forget the massive amounts of cheese consumed yesterday since it was Cinco de Mayo and all. But really, who needs an excuse to eat cheese in the form of queso?!</div><div><br></div><div>Let's segue to last week's workouts. Last week was nuts, as you will see below, as I taught much more than usual. But it makes life interesting!</div>
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Sunday - Teach Cycle<div>
Monday - One hour stretch/yoga plus teach kickboxing</div>
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Tuesday - Total body barbell workout </div>
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Wednesday - 21-minute HIIT! with the following exercises:</div>
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Burpees</div>
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Tuck jumps</div>
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Plank jacks</div>
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Side to side hops</div>
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Squat jumps with floor touch</div>
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Mountain climbers</div>
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High knees</div>
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Thursday - Teach Zumba</div>
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Friday - rest day!</div>
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Saturday - Teach Zumba</div><div><br></div><div>Whew! So much cardio in so little time. What was your favorite workout this week? While I do love my Zumba, Monday's kickboxing class was such a blast!!</div>
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Tulikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05309866085705620521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8191731316450866916.post-65770130791090898302015-04-20T17:15:00.000-07:002015-04-20T17:15:04.743-07:00Veg Out!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Happy Monday!</div>
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This weekend was super packed with fun activities and I feel like I am not yet ready to tackle this week after all the excitement!</div>
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One such fun activity was something called Veggie Riot. It was right up my alley – a cooking competition featuring chefs from top restaurants in the area. The chefs were competing for the people’s choice award, which meant lots of delicious food samples. The best part was that the theme of the competition was veggies, and each chef was to showcase one particular vegetable in the dish. Seven out of eight of the dishes were vegetarian and gluten-free – it was amazing! There were also veggie-themed games, free samples of kombucha, and all-natural popsicles. Perfect for a humid day. </div>
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To continue with the veggie theme, I prepared a gigantic quinoa salad for lunches this week. And when I say gigantic, I mean really gigantic.<br />
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It took 20 minutes, max. It contained the following: chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, and spinach, cooked quinoa, sliced olives, feta cheese, and banana peppers. I squeezed juice from half a lemon and sprinkled some salt and pepper for the dressing. Super easy, super healthy, and the best part is that it also tastes super delicious!</div>
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And the moment you’ve all been waiting for: last week’s workout schedule. Last week was absolutely insane, even by my standards. By Wednesday, my body was yelling at me to just calm down. Seriously.</div>
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Sunday - Teach Cycle </div>
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Monday - Strength training for chest, back, and shoulders (12-15 reps for 6-7 sets per muscle group); teach Cycle</div>
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Tuesday - Strength training for biceps and triceps (12-15 reps for 5-6 sets per muscle group) plus an abs circuit; attend kickboxing class</div>
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Wednesday - Warm up: walk/run/walk for 10 minutes, followed by a 20 minute HIIT (45 seconds ON/15 seconds REST) with exercises such as wide squat jumps, lunge + one-legged hop, burpees, high knees, and mountain climbers. </div>
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Thursday - Teach Zumba</div>
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Friday - Strength training day for legs (squats, plié squats, dead lifts), back, and shoulders</div>
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Saturday - REST!</div>
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A coworker asked me why I exercise. I only do workouts that I enjoy, and as a result, it is actually just fun for me. I was definitely not trying to torture myself with double workouts...but this week will definitely be a different story!</div>
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Tulikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05309866085705620521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8191731316450866916.post-41349726889758469282015-04-14T18:17:00.001-07:002015-04-14T18:17:55.143-07:00Breakfast for dinner!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I totally wrote this post yesterday and had it all centered around gloomy Mondays. But now I’m posting it on Tuesday and the Monday humor would not make any sense. Hence! Time to write something new.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But really, it has actually been quite a gloomy Tuesday, too. Rain, rain, please go away? Luckily, this week, I have packed my schedule full of evening workouts (spoiler alert: cycle overload!) so the rain shall not bring me down. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My favorite part about evening workouts is my post-workout dinner. Actually, who am I kidding? This is my dinner of choice for any evening, really. Breakfast for dinner!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Usually it involves some form of potato or sweet potato along with a one or two egg omelette with a sprinkling of cheese and something green (spinach, green onion, etc). Although the one pictured above was just cheese...so good.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since this was originally supposed to be posted on Monday, here is last week’s workout schedule. Can you tell I kind of love <a href="http://fitnessista.com/" target="_blank">The Fitnessista’s</a> workouts? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Sunday</b> – Teach cycle</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Monday</b> – Low-ish impact body weight workout:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Warm up: Brisk 0.5 mile treadmill walk.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 minute of each of the following exercises:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Push-ups</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Plank</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Squats</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jumping Jacks</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Leg raises (Left leg only)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bicycle crunches</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Leg raises (Right leg only)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bridge (Static hold for 30 seconds, Pulse for 30 seconds)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jumping Jacks</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pulse Lunges (Right side for 30 seconds, Left side for 30 seconds)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wall sit</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mountain climbers</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jumping Jacks</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Inchworm to plank, hop in and out, inchworm back to standing</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Warrior 3 tap and lift (single leg balance, one leg comes all the way back, tap floor with same arm and come back up; 30 seconds for each side)</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Tuesday</b> – This <a href="http://fitnessista.com/2014/01/all-new-tabata-circuit-video/" target="_blank">Tabata workout</a>, which I did twice for some extra sweaty workout action!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Wednesday</b> – A mish mash of cardio/strength:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Warm up: Walk 0.25 miles</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cardio: Run 1 mile</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Strength: Repeated the following sequence twice.</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">12 reps of one back exercise of choice</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">12 reps of one shoulder exercise of choice</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The below beastly leg circuit from The Fitnessista </span></li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVMSs0ze8a_ClJXyS117M_NkAVyj3WBXk48uPpOo2TsUQxeoxj1r1ClAFFCiSZNCKgiu6jMgH5kuTgHqu3fYzakNEFTqFw3UW1SSwtrhHl39Djoq6hCiH9AALA_Sp5YHlEjph2Ic3vTyM/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVMSs0ze8a_ClJXyS117M_NkAVyj3WBXk48uPpOo2TsUQxeoxj1r1ClAFFCiSZNCKgiu6jMgH5kuTgHqu3fYzakNEFTqFw3UW1SSwtrhHl39Djoq6hCiH9AALA_Sp5YHlEjph2Ic3vTyM/s1600/photo+1.JPG" height="400" width="145" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Thursday</b> – Teach Zumba</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Friday</b> – Much needed rest day!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Saturday</b> - This <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4itjPGJlZYQ" target="_blank">upper body strength video</a> followed by a 20 minute HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) of 45 sec ON/15 sec rest with a random combination of the following exercises:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Squat jumps</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jumping jacks</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">High knees</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Burpees</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Plank jacks</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jumping lunges</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Side lunges with hop</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I like workouts that are short, yet pack a big punch… except when I teach Zumba and the 55 minute class somehow extends to 1 hour and 10 minutes. Time flies when you’re having fun?! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To conclude, I wanted to share with you <a href="http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/lose-weight/build-strength/exercises-tips/?socsrc=fitfb15popsugar" target="_blank">this interesting article</a> I stumbled across. I would love to hear your thoughts! </span></div>
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Tulikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05309866085705620521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8191731316450866916.post-82437382553157641922015-04-09T19:41:00.001-07:002015-04-09T20:27:34.886-07:00Tales of a fitness instructor.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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When it rains, it pours…I did warn you I had lots to say lately!</div>
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But first, can I please inform you of my new favorite weekend breakfast? Pancakes. Not only are they gluten-free, they are also grain-free with only TWO ingredients! Well, unless you want to get fancy…which I always do. </div>
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All you need is one banana and two eggs. I like to add cinnamon and ground flax seeds to the batter for fun. To make the batter, mash the banana, beat in the two eggs, pour into a coconut oiled skillet, and cook them just like normal pancakes. They are obviously flatter than your typical flour pancakes; they remind me more of crepes, but regardless, they are PANCAKES! And the topping possibilities are endless! My favorite topping combination was the one shown above: almond butter, a drizzle of coconut butter, and “strawberry sauce” (frozen strawberries that I warmed up in the microwave. Fancy). </div>
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<span style="background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 14.566667556762695px;">So, I have been teaching fitness classes for many years now, and one of the best parts about it is that one class is never the same as the next. It seems like I always have some entertaining stories (if I say so myself) about various occurrences during my classes. My Zumba class last week, though, was unlike any other that I have ever had. </span></div>
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<span style="background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 14.566667556762695px;">I decided to switch up the usual pace of the class and allow some of the participants to help me lead different songs. I warned them before class started that I would pick on them randomly if I had no volunteers. I saw some mixed emotions on their faces when I announced this, but decided to proceed anyway. Luckily, I had volunteers for the first few songs. After that, I had no other volunteers and when I picked on others, they politely declined.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK7c2K4ZJNjHs10w0aoFEcmnfzCPfjLCDXOGVwrzYuupuWvt6pErK2BNCXOrwlX6fkqPr_XwB24nKiefS6yXFcr7tsoTs0G00Qvdjr0GttjsqxlErEh6qb2Lf6W1wQuDkS83_ekltL6T0/s640/blogger-image-435216755.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK7c2K4ZJNjHs10w0aoFEcmnfzCPfjLCDXOGVwrzYuupuWvt6pErK2BNCXOrwlX6fkqPr_XwB24nKiefS6yXFcr7tsoTs0G00Qvdjr0GttjsqxlErEh6qb2Lf6W1wQuDkS83_ekltL6T0/s640/blogger-image-435216755.jpg"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post-Zumba selfie...very necessary</td></tr>
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<span style="background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 14.566667556762695px;">The ridiculously extroverted aerobics instructor in me did not understand this. If I were participating in a class like this, I would have run up to the front immediately. But afterwards, I realized that it takes a lot of courage for most people to even attend a class, let alone stand way up front next to the instructor for an entire song. There have been numerous occasions during which people have told me they are interested in attending a class but are too nervous or scared of others staring at them or judging them. But what I can tell you very confidently (because I always glance at where other people are looking when I’m teaching), is that the new people are looking at the instructor and the experienced people are looking at themselves. And this is also true at the gym outside of the group fitness classes!</span></div>
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<span style="background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 14.566667556762695px;">So if you’ve been eying a new class or a new machine at the gym that you are too nervous to try, just do it! It makes me so excited when I get brand new attendees in my classes, and I try to make them feel as warm and welcome as possible, until my crazy instructor persona comes out in the middle of class (just kidding).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 14.566667556762695px;">Have you ever experienced this? Are you too nervous to step outside the gym box? </span></div>
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Tulikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05309866085705620521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8191731316450866916.post-58525147323747168232015-04-06T16:05:00.001-07:002015-04-06T16:05:46.173-07:00What motivates you?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: inherit;">Hi TFG friends!!</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: inherit;">I know it has been quite some time since you last heard from me (I know, my past 100 updates say the same thing). But strangely enough, I’ve had more requests for a new post in the past few weeks than I have had in the past few months! So I thought it was finally time to oblige. And coincidentally, I actually have lots to discuss, which means that I’m obviously going to spread it over multiple posts! Hooray for more updates.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwCvxmkrQJYYaUuXHyC8vcQApkBsp_J7MelODtgFOvKHZSJK_RTTUeUvg3BdBRSq56nigJ9r7SBYlTCtxMT-xdyHh_1ITaSDB-DqrXpd7iabL4xw0MUr8O211ZCOd984IKPBs5-ZTKH5U/s640/blogger-image--277051079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwCvxmkrQJYYaUuXHyC8vcQApkBsp_J7MelODtgFOvKHZSJK_RTTUeUvg3BdBRSq56nigJ9r7SBYlTCtxMT-xdyHh_1ITaSDB-DqrXpd7iabL4xw0MUr8O211ZCOd984IKPBs5-ZTKH5U/s640/blogger-image--277051079.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">(Vegetable crudités from True Food Kitchen - pretty and delicious!).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Just a heads up: my next few posts are going to focus less on recipes and more on fitness. But of course, there will be some delicious food pictures sandwiched in between! The reason for this is because I have shifted my focus away the crazy recipe development I used to do. As I had mentioned in a <a href="http://thefitnessgourmet.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-gf-tfg.html">previous post</a>, </span>due to some digestive issues, my diet had to change quite a bit. I still experience these and it is a tricky job trying to figure out my complicated GI system! As a result, I repeat a lot of meals, so the blog will show less of my same old meals, but will instead show some more random snacks and food finds, and will definitely show more fitness related topics.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: inherit;">Speaking of random food finds…one of my favorite desserts at the moment is a large spoonful of almond butter sprinkled with chocolate chips. And then I found THIS!</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: inherit;">So much excitement. Although it’s more chocolatey and less almond buttery but I really have no problem with more chocolate.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: inherit;">I get asked a lot of workout related questions, one of which is how I motivate myself to do so. I think embedding it into the day’s schedule makes it a bit easier, rather than trying to fit it in on the fly. That way, it becomes a routine. And if you have a workout plan, that makes it even better! The plan could be attending a fitness class, or planning on following a workout video online, or just running outside when the sun is still out.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: inherit;">I’m going to start again with something that I used to do – post my workouts from the past week. I plan to do this every Monday. I tend to switch up my workouts every single day (except for teaching days), so hopefully this will give you some motivation, or maybe some new ideas in case you are in a fitness rut!</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: inherit;"><b>Sunday – </b>Teach Cycle class</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Monday</b> – This <a href="http://www.bodyrock.tv/2014/11/24/bodyrock-hiitmax-workout-46/">HIIT workout</a> (I modified it to 45 sec ON/15 sec OFF and did the whole workout twice).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Tuesday</b> – A spontaneous cardio and strength circuit:</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: inherit;">5 minute warm-up</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: inherit;">Cardio: Run 0.5 miles</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: inherit;">Strength: 3 sets of 12-15 reps of the following:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dumbbell rows</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Repeat cardio/strength portion</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: inherit;"><b>Wednesday</b> – At-home barre workout, with <a href="http://fitnessista.com/2014/11/barre-blast-hiit-combo-workout-video/">these</a> <a href="http://fitnessista.com/2014/10/barrehiit-combo-video/">three</a> KILLER <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuPfY-CsdFw">videos</a> focusing on just legs. Thigh quiver for days (but seriously, for an hour or so afterwards, legs were still shaking!).</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: inherit;"><b>Thursday – </b>Teach Zumba (My favorite workout of the week!)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: inherit;"><b>Friday </b>– Upper body barbell strength training (chest, back, triceps, biceps, shoulders)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: inherit;"><b>Saturday</b> – Yoga class</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">(My nice friend took pictures during our yoga class and I was too focused to even notice).</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: inherit;">It was a pretty tough week of workouts! But fun nonetheless. It’s nice to look forward to something different every day.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: inherit;">So talk to me! What are your current favorite workouts? Any new ideas to share? What motivates you to get your workout in each day?</span></div>
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Tulikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05309866085705620521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8191731316450866916.post-15598329582030814952014-08-30T10:15:00.002-07:002014-08-30T10:15:54.466-07:00Thoughts of a fitness instructor.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello! I've been gathering some thoughts that I wanted to share with you. But first, let's check out the outcome of my latest Trader Joes adventure:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXX6kDhFHMtecpucsiYK_D748gMAopYW0ApceIB9zXDP7q5CVT55E0sSeeHUcPIGTeJsozebq_wKyWtKSQ3UMUH8yNsnFYIFiFRpMQEiS5JuK4_9o5qjSFV30Yg1pQPvDvFSXfKebvttQ/s640/blogger-image--2035867890.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXX6kDhFHMtecpucsiYK_D748gMAopYW0ApceIB9zXDP7q5CVT55E0sSeeHUcPIGTeJsozebq_wKyWtKSQ3UMUH8yNsnFYIFiFRpMQEiS5JuK4_9o5qjSFV30Yg1pQPvDvFSXfKebvttQ/s640/blogger-image--2035867890.jpg" /></a></div>
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Notable items include: rice pudding, frozen tamales, spinach and kale Greek yogurt dip, and coconut body butter. Also, if you can't tell, I really like melons.</div>
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I also got some gluten-free granola which is a winner because it reminds me more of cereal than actual granola. I like to use it as a topping for things like chia seed pudding in fancy glasses:</div>
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This particular chia seed pudding included chia seeds, plain full-fat yogurt, and vanilla coconut milk, all mixed together and left in the fridge to set overnight. If you're wondering, yes, that is sunflower seed butter drizzled atop it all. </div>
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I'm trying to be more cognizant of chemicals and such in my everyday items, which is why I am a fan of the coconut body butter. I also picked up some natural shampoo and conditioner at TJs (I have yet to try it but I will keep you posted on that!). One other item I'm a huge fan is this natural deodorant which I got at Whole Foods:</div>
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It is made of mineral salt and it works well - even for sweaty workouts!</div>
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So, I wanted to discuss some observations I have had the past several weeks in some of my fitness classes. I was used to teaching only aerobic-style classes until recently when cycle became one of my weekly classes. And I quickly realized that cycle is a whole different culture of group fitness! </div>
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I've found that people feel more comfortable in a cycle class versus an aerobics class, because there is no pressure to do everything exactly right. However, I've noticed that some people come into the cycle class, only to not actually participate in the class (listen to their own music/do their own routine). And they might even use a bike in the front row. It is definitely a bit odd to me to see this, especially because this is something that typically doesn't happen in aerobics classes, since most of the class is too focused on just doing the movements properly.</div>
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The other thing I have noticed is chatting in the middle of class. This is something I've observed in any fitness class, and this basically means one thing to me: the people in class are not getting a hard enough workout! In cycle class, this is an indication to me that the resistance is too low. In aerobics, it is an indicator to me that maybe the movements are too fast or confusing. Either way, while you should be able to still talk (maybe just a little) while you're working out, but not so much that it comes in the way of the workout. </div>
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What do you think? Have you experienced any of these, even if just participating in a fitness class? </div>
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Tulikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05309866085705620521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8191731316450866916.post-4233631711833507372014-07-20T20:13:00.001-07:002014-07-20T20:13:14.879-07:00Foodie finds.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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!<br />
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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!<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> This mushroom medley has quickly become a favorite:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieunW0-6dJloCvZIoAsv3b6prmpGPoOGdk1d38yGul38CCzEjwyo790GedYD-UgINejgncmvMnnJCP9Hl_AvCPe3W0okueLqZCkN2FHh4wECGo7PV008AYF04-u7w_OoN6VMMsy4D5ZwA/s640/blogger-image-289349838.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieunW0-6dJloCvZIoAsv3b6prmpGPoOGdk1d38yGul38CCzEjwyo790GedYD-UgINejgncmvMnnJCP9Hl_AvCPe3W0okueLqZCkN2FHh4wECGo7PV008AYF04-u7w_OoN6VMMsy4D5ZwA/s640/blogger-image-289349838.jpg" /></a></div>
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I like to sauté it with other veggies, or eat it taco style with a corn tortilla and egg.</div>
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The last time I went on a TJs run, I picked up this zucchini and eggplant combo, and oh my. It is awesome.</div>
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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.</div>
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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.</div>
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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.</div>
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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.</div>
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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!</div>
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Have a nice week!</div>
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Tulikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05309866085705620521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8191731316450866916.post-60822368435651061202014-07-06T20:41:00.000-07:002015-05-13T18:15:04.949-07:00Sunday.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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?).<br>
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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.</div>
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Pictured below: baked polenta rounds topped with sautéed veggies, black beans, and salsa.</div>
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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!</div>
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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.</div>
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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.</div>
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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. </div>
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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 :).<br>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">80s Themed Cycle Class:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1. "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"//Warm-up </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2. "Beat It"//Seated with moderate resistance, standing during chorus</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3. "I Wanna Dance With Somebody"//Fast pace with sprints during chorus</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4. "Don't Stop Believing"//Seated climb</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5. "Bust a Move"//Downhill, gradually decrease resistance from previous song</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">6. "Living On a Prayer"//Seated with medium-high resistance, alternate between standing and hovering during chorus</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">7. "Vogue"//Seated climb</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">8. "You Spin Me"//Fast pace with sprints during chorus</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">9. "Love Shack"//Jumps during chorus; alternate between standing and seated for counts of 8, 4, or 2</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">10. "Holiday"//Moderate pace and moderate resistance</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">11. "I Love Rock & Roll"//Cool down and stretch</span><br>
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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!</span><br>
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Tulikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05309866085705620521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8191731316450866916.post-53135770397493382182014-06-22T19:41:00.001-07:002014-06-22T19:58:08.755-07:00Veggie LoveIf you didn't already know, I love food. The past several weeks have involved coming up with ways to still love food even if it doesn't include gluten! It gets better each day, but it definitely has taken some work.<div><br></div><div>I found it particularly difficult to come up with office-friendly snacks. Of course, raw veggies are always a great option, but I like being a bit more creative. Also, I'll get to the veggies in a second! </div><div><br></div><div>Enter: homemade popcorn. With some nutritional yeast for bonus taste/nutrition!</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQzJBRQbYHtl_ibbU-TDiW9QDilIWiU6TJtvMhi1LnhtcfBFOcyPaEialuTDCC5t1jLbdjNUcQCg_ZlN7eEC77F57hG741v6Q59dCV76XHEyK_oiRACFb6pGSa7ZdCJRAYeLSnAcbADbo/s640/blogger-image--361740912.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQzJBRQbYHtl_ibbU-TDiW9QDilIWiU6TJtvMhi1LnhtcfBFOcyPaEialuTDCC5t1jLbdjNUcQCg_ZlN7eEC77F57hG741v6Q59dCV76XHEyK_oiRACFb6pGSa7ZdCJRAYeLSnAcbADbo/s640/blogger-image--361740912.jpg"></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Trailmix was my favorite snack last week. I will definitely be going to TJs for lots more of this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixm9ROGkyWmzrVZqJ7XUjID2L6eR4rbWjzKgMpvVekZ2MCBZULdbaJIhs5hgJbX6JMlUsBZ1Czs3-wmAnzaUQ3Dk9ABJIOhhsf-x8-ZnEicaQPPyy10fWWFob0kSVyppjW_ziHse32Tnk/s640/blogger-image-1547853881.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixm9ROGkyWmzrVZqJ7XUjID2L6eR4rbWjzKgMpvVekZ2MCBZULdbaJIhs5hgJbX6JMlUsBZ1Czs3-wmAnzaUQ3Dk9ABJIOhhsf-x8-ZnEicaQPPyy10fWWFob0kSVyppjW_ziHse32Tnk/s640/blogger-image-1547853881.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">About those veggies! Apparently my body has no problem with those, so my meals have been full of a variety of vegetables. One can never have too many veggies, right?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This was a green lettuce salad along with an egg, red peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, and cauliflower cooked with coconut oil and seasoned with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4CGl1d-CP0pPVKZBK4XmxlZB8sHPjdHwrLIezsaj95MzXIruH1RPtStwZl8fQWNJ70NwMD3CVjqTTESJrDX1Ud5SdxzgyPOOmXfVCglCRVW1aQDCUaOZuv3NEs18wdFul8T8IATQzNmU/s640/blogger-image-1675484214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4CGl1d-CP0pPVKZBK4XmxlZB8sHPjdHwrLIezsaj95MzXIruH1RPtStwZl8fQWNJ70NwMD3CVjqTTESJrDX1Ud5SdxzgyPOOmXfVCglCRVW1aQDCUaOZuv3NEs18wdFul8T8IATQzNmU/s640/blogger-image-1675484214.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">My new favorite weekend breakfast food: green smoothies. The below included almond milk, mango, frozen banana, frozen spinach, and mint leaves. Delish!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi43zyGLBIZT_XUGpIyyx38yyDEuNjb_Z4xg7eX-BszWzh9HZgm4fi7P9Pxf1_mPHjl0qQDgtq94JPD8VbQNAgAkkQK0ZsND1xDfzUTS1T8WDh61NzFjmmAwxQSHHfl0vuKOjBSu1_MXbk/s640/blogger-image--527110998.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi43zyGLBIZT_XUGpIyyx38yyDEuNjb_Z4xg7eX-BszWzh9HZgm4fi7P9Pxf1_mPHjl0qQDgtq94JPD8VbQNAgAkkQK0ZsND1xDfzUTS1T8WDh61NzFjmmAwxQSHHfl0vuKOjBSu1_MXbk/s640/blogger-image--527110998.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">And lastly, I found a new way to enjoy noodles. Tofu noodles! They take two minutes to cook, and I enjoyed them with marinara sauce with added vegetables (of course). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeHhace_t4hNvYDsBT0bhxmC1teqZ5uO6NU-1F1_vQlnI3vwJzK02ouxYCPzxsM2pbnWzfTvICkYU6VVkjFjHjymjT3uEIR-qFenbh6xx_02wGHEjE4ZghJGzM6xscGdK4bi0_k5KxlWU/s640/blogger-image--1406077347.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeHhace_t4hNvYDsBT0bhxmC1teqZ5uO6NU-1F1_vQlnI3vwJzK02ouxYCPzxsM2pbnWzfTvICkYU6VVkjFjHjymjT3uEIR-qFenbh6xx_02wGHEjE4ZghJGzM6xscGdK4bi0_k5KxlWU/s640/blogger-image--1406077347.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This picture is the worst. It was late and post-kickboxing. But it was a great post-kickboxing meal.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">No fitness videos for you today, but there will likely be one on the next post! </div><br></div></div></div>Tulikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05309866085705620521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8191731316450866916.post-38305668235120280652014-06-08T15:26:00.000-07:002014-06-08T15:26:04.564-07:00The GF TFG<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Don't mind the cryptic acronyms...I will explain shortly!<br />
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Hi friends! It has been a while, and a lot has happened since we last met, which is actually the reason I am providing you with this update today. So, let's get to it!<br />
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As I'm sure most of you know - I am not much of a fan of "fad diets," one of which happens to be the gluten-free diet. Obviously, for those people who are diagnosed with Celiac disease, that is a different story altogether. What I mean is going gluten-free for the sake of weight loss, etc.<br />
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And then, the craziest thing happened. Due to stomach issues and blood tests and doctor advice (which I could not bear to believe!), I am now on a gluten-free diet.<br />
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What?!?! No. It can't be.<br />
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At first, it was a tough adjustment, but when I began doing more research, I realized that I just had to bring out my inner creative cook! And I will admit, it has been fun coming up with new GF recipes.<br />
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My favorite weekend breakfast usually involves pancakes. This weekend, I experimented with cornmeal and came up with this recipe which is a little reminiscent of cornbread.<br />
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<b>Cornmeal Pancakes</b><br />
<i>(Makes four medium-sized pancakes)</i><br />
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Ingredients:</div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>1/2 cup cornmeal</li>
<li>1/2 cup almond milk (or regular milk)</li>
<li>1 tbsp ground flaxseed</li>
<li>1 egg</li>
<li>1/2 tsp ground cinnamon </li>
<li>1/4 tsp baking soda</li>
<li>2-3 tsp coconut oil for cooking</li>
</ul>
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Directions:<br />
In a bowl, combine all ingredients except for coconut oil. Add the oil to a non-stick pan, and place on the stove over medium heat. Spoon batter onto pan and cook evenly on both sides until slightly browned.<br />
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Serve with honey, maple syrup, or nut butter.<br />
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And to conclude, I have a new Zumba choreography video to share with you - one of my originals. Hope you enjoy!<br />
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Tulikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05309866085705620521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8191731316450866916.post-14816274717444500972014-02-01T13:33:00.001-08:002014-02-01T13:35:52.897-08:00TFG Speaks<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi friends!<br />
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TFG is coming back to life (again). Mostly because I had to make a little recipe video and I figured...I might as well share it with all of you.<br />
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First and foremost, can I just announce my love of sweet potatoes? I think I've been eating some form of sweet potatoes every single day for the past couple of months. Quite excessive, I know. But if you know me, I do love my winter root vegetables. Usually it is winter squash. This year, it is sweet potatoes.<br />
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The best part about sweet potatoes is that they are extremely versatile. They can be baked (or twice baked!), fried, microwaved, mashed...and combined with pretty much any ingredient ever. The possibilities are endless.<br />
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Without further ado, here is my recipe for sweet potato fries. I've been making these for the past few weeks and I never fail to eat the entire batch all at once. The written recipe is below the video. Enjoy!<br />
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<b>Sweet Potato Fries</b><br />
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Ingredients:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 large sweet potato </span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">2-3 tablespoons olive oil</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 tsp garlic powder </span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Salt/pepper to taste </span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px;">Directions: </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px;">Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px;">. Slice sweet potato into thin wedges, and mix in a bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Place the wedges on a lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Flip the slices over and bake for 15 more minutes or until the slices are crispy on the outside. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Serve with condiment of choice. My favorite way to eat these is to arrange them on a place and top with some shredded cheese and jalapeno slices!</span></span></div>
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Tulikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05309866085705620521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8191731316450866916.post-84429091851048185662013-08-27T20:01:00.000-07:002013-08-27T20:01:44.100-07:00Killer tofu<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Remember the time two weeks ago I promised you a super exciting recipe? Well here it is...a recipe I came up with three weeks ago. I promise it was delicious. And I promise only half of it involved the steamer aka my favorite new cooking apparatus.<br />
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<b>Chili Lime Tofu</b><br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>1 block firm tofu</li>
<li>3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce</li>
<li>Juice of one large lime</li>
<li>1 clove garlic</li>
<li>1 tablespoon chili paste (or more depending on desired spice level</li>
<li>A small handful of cilantro</li>
<li>3-4 teaspoons coconut oil</li>
</ul>
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Cut the block of tofu into desired shape (I cut mine into triangles). Set aside.<br />
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In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients minus the coconut oil.<br />
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Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat, and drizzle the coconut oil over the pan. Place as many tofu triangles over the pan as can fit. Allow the tofu to cook for a minute until slightly browned, and add the chili lime sauce.<br />
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Flip the tofu and keep on the pan until both sides are fully browned.<br />
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I served this along with some steamed eggplant and collards (seasoned with soy sauce and hoisin sauce) and quinoa.<br />
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I have to tell you about <a href="http://www.dailyhiit.com/videos/burn-those-calories-away-all-day-hiitreps-18">the crazy workout</a> I decided to do today during my lunch break. If you feel like getting a short burst of cardio in, I would definitely recommend this. But I'm warning you...it is painful. In a good way of course.<br />
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And it made it so much better that I was in an almost empty gym. I was so close to quitting, but pushed through and boy did I feel sweaty after that. Too bad I had to go back to work after that...<br />
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Tulikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05309866085705620521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8191731316450866916.post-78372882027426008952013-08-13T18:42:00.001-07:002013-08-13T18:45:03.230-07:00Jelly arms<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<strike>Monday</strike> Tuesday, we meet again.<br />
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Thankfully I got a decent amount of rest this weekend to make up for the severe lack of sleep that I endured last week. Not only that, but I had a weekend full of food, fun, and productivity, too!<br />
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Let's rewind back to last week's workouts. It wasn't as organized as the previous week had been, but even the spontaneity did not hinder me in completing my one exercise per day goal.<br />
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Sunday - rest day<br />
Monday - HIIT<br />
Tuesday - weights<br />
Wednesday - 1 mile run/<a href="http://www.dailyhiit.com/videos/max-out-cardio-workout-hiittabata-4">crazy tabata workout</a><br />
Thursday - Zumba<br />
Friday - weights "ladder" routine (see below)<br />
Saturday - yoga<br />
<br />
So the Friday evening weights routine that my friend Deepa and I did was pretty intense...especially for a Friday evening. But I would recommend it - it is short and sweet and will leave your arms feeling like jelly. And your body craving Thai food (or was that just us?).<br />
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There are 5 exercises:<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><b>Bent over row</b></li>
<li><b>Dead lift</b></li>
<li><b>Shoulder press</b></li>
<li><b>Squat</b></li>
<li><b>Bicep curl </b></li>
</ol>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
Do 7 reps of each exercise, and after the last one, take a 30 second break. Then do 6 reps of each, 5, 4, 3, and then go back up to 4, 5, 6, and lastly 7. During the 30 second rest, we sometimes did high knees to make it even more interesting :). Make sure to get some heavy weights for these exercises to make it count!</div>
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Let's move on and talk about how I am still loving my steamer. I've been mostly using it to cook vegetables but am thinking I should branch out into eggs and grains soon.<br />
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The best part about it is that you can just chop the vegetables and let them do their thing in the steamer while you prepare the rest of the meal, so it does save quite a bit of time. Last week, I steamed tomatoes and spinach, and added them to some cooked brown rice with herbed feta cheese and TJs cooked lentils.<br />
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It kept me full after lunch every day! The herbed feta made the dish, I think. This week I used my steamer to make some eggplant...and I must say it exceeded my expectations - recipe to come!<br />
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Tulikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05309866085705620521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8191731316450866916.post-20716572255867054042013-08-05T18:58:00.002-07:002013-08-05T18:58:21.801-07:00The most important meal of the day.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today's topic is breakfast.<br />
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It may not seem like an exciting topic, but it is. Because I have an announcement. After approximately two years of eating the exact same breakfast every day, I have decided to make a change. Who would have thought I would outgrow overnight oats?!<br />
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It just happened one day two weeks ago, when all I wanted for breakfast was some toast and sunflower seed butter. With a little drizzle of honey.<br />
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This week I have stepped it up and am adding bananas instead of the honey. Also quite delicious.<br />
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So during this strange time of breakfast transition, I was thinking about other quick breakfast ideas that could work for busy weekdays. <br />
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Eggs? Probably too much effort to cook in the morning, but that did not stop me from eating them for dinner a few nights last week! <br />
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Cereal is always an option, but a little too high maintenance for an on-the-go meal. I have decided to do a bit more research on breakfast ideas...clearly I am a rookie at this! <br />
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In other news, last week, I wrote down my workout schedule, not only for organization purposes, but also to keep me on track.<br />
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And guess what? It worked like a charm. In fact, I only strayed from it slightly. No yoga on Wednesday, Friday was Zumba, and Saturday was yoga. Rest day came on Sunday instead. I strongly believe in making lists, it really helps me feel more accountable.<br />
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So, opinions please, friends! What is your breakfast item of choice? Especially for those who are on-the-go breakfasters like myself?<br />
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Tulikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05309866085705620521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8191731316450866916.post-89024621352802336292013-07-28T20:15:00.001-07:002013-07-28T20:25:41.861-07:00New beginnings<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello friends!<br />
<br />
I apologize for the lack of posts over the last seven months... I would like to say I have been all around the world and back. But actually, I have been!<br />
<br />
I recently made some new goals and wanted to share them with you. For a while, I got so caught up with minute details of life that health and fitness took a back seat. Unfortunately, it's hard to get back into the swing of things after taking a break. I decided to transition gradually which has worked well so far! <br />
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Let's first start with the eats. I decided to get back into juicing...hooray for that one, because vegetable juice makes me feel so much healthier on the inside and so energetic. So, I began juicing last week and I am still on the juice train.<br />
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Last year, I got a steamer and I never used it because it had so many parts and it was overwhelming to figure it out. (Strange I know). I decided that I would take it out of the box this weekend and do some steaming.<br />
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Of course, I had to start my first steaming experience with a fancy recipe. I made some vegetable dumplings with a side of baked brown rice. Yes, baked brown rice. The verdict? Delicious.<br />
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<b>Baked brown rice</b><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>1 cup uncooked brown rice</li>
<li>1 2/3 cups water</li>
<li>1 tsp salt</li>
</ul>
Combine all ingredients in a baking pan. Cover with two layers of aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for one hour.<br />
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<b>Vegetable dumplings</b><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>1 bag broccoli slaw</li>
<li>1 egg</li>
<li>1/2 block firm tofu, chopped into thin slices</li>
<li>1 1/4 tbsp soy sauce</li>
<li>1 tbsp hoisin sauce</li>
<li>1/2 tbsp sesame oil</li>
<li>2 cloves garlic</li>
<li>1/4 inch ginger</li>
<li>1 1/2 tbsp chopped cilantro</li>
<li>Salt and pepper to taste</li>
<li>1 package wonton wrappers</li>
</ul>
<br />
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except for the wonton wrappers. Gently mix. Spoon the mixture into the wonton wrappers and seal the wrappers by brushing the corners with water.<br />
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Place the sealed wrappers into a steamer and steam for 12 minutes. I steamed them in batches of 6-7 to ensure that there was enough space between each one in the steamer.<br />
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Serve with brown rice, more soy sauce, or chili sauce.<br />
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I am quite excited to eat these for lunch all week!<br />
<br />
On the workout front, I have been fascinated by <a href="http://tabatatraining.org/">tabata</a> recently. Tabata workouts are the definition of short and sweet -- extremely short and extremely sweaty! I have also been doing more yoga, which has been my goal for quite sometime. Last week, I opened up <a href="http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/olympic-upper-body-workout">this upper body workout</a> I found in Women's Health. Don't let it deceive you! It was harder than I thought it was, and I was sore for a couple of days afterwards. That's what I like to call success!<br />
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Anyone have any new workouts to recommend? How about any recipes that use a steamer? </div>
Tulikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05309866085705620521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8191731316450866916.post-42887245472660369412013-01-20T18:01:00.003-08:002013-01-20T18:02:28.438-08:00Happy new year!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
20 days late.<br />
<br />
It's January, and everyone is all up on new year's resolutions, but I am that lone person who never even comes up with a new year's resolution. In fact, this year, for the first two weeks of the new year, I hardly even worked out and definitely did not eat as well as I should have been.<br />
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I know, I know. What kind of fitness gourmet am I?! Well, here are my thoughts. When on vacation, or eating out, or for special occasions in general, I try not to stress out about these things. When my usual daily routine consists of a one hour workout and healthy eats (sometimes to the extreme), I think my body will allow me some leeway every now and then.<br />
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This is another reason why I don't do the resolution thing. I hate feeling pressured, and I obviously would have failed instantly this year! So I guess it did work out for the best.<br />
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And now let's talk about my latest food obsessions! <br />
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New favorite snack: edamame. I buy it frozen, and put some in a bag to defrost in the fridge, after adding a little salt and garlic powder. <br />
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New favorite quesadilla (since we all know by now that quesadillas are one of my favorite food groups!): whole wheat tortilla, grated cheese, and meatless crumbles. With a side of some spicy salsa, as always.<br />
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New breakfast discovery: chia pudding with banana. For the one below, I used 3 tablespoons of chia seeds, about 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, sliced banana, and almond milk. For the almond milk, I added enough to give it a liquidy consistency prior to putting it in the fridge. I left it in there for about 15 minutes and it gelled up nicely! More almond milk can be added afterwards if necessary, but consistency should be pudding-like. Oh, don't forget the sunflower seed butter on top :).<br />
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Other than that, today I made <a href="http://fitnessista.com/2013/01/kale-salad-mountain/">The Fitnessista's kale and goat cheese salad</a> as part of my lunch for tomorrow! Definitely still loving the good ol' kale.<br />
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Last week's workout recap:<br />
Sunday: Run (3 miles)<br />
Monday: TurboKick (still my most favorite workout ever!)<br />
Tuesday: Body pump<br />
Wednesday: Elliptical and foam roll<br />
Thursday: Rest day<br />
Friday: Run (3 miles)<br />
Saturday: Yoga and salsa dancing :)</div>
Tulikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05309866085705620521noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8191731316450866916.post-24184283964071810062012-12-26T19:36:00.000-08:002012-12-26T19:36:04.905-08:00Holidaying.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My pictures are piling up and it is getting out of control. But I cannot neglect to show you something I received recently.<br />
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My friends know me so well!!! <br />
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I obviously couldn't wait to open this book and made a pumpkin black bean soup inspired by a recipe from the book.<br />
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This is all I did - I blended a can of black beans and two chopped tomatoes, sautéed this mixture with some olive oil, garlic, and cumin seeds, added a can of pumpkin purée, and a few cups of vegetable broth, and cooked all of this in a large pot. I added some salt and pepper at the end, along with some pumpkin seeds for garnish.<br />
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What else have I been up to? Well, I discovered purple sweet potatoes and I think they are beautiful.<br />
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Especially when topped with butter and jalapeños. <br />
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I also like making fancy weekend brunches. <br />
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This was something like an open-faced taco with a couple of sunny side up eggs, spinach/broccoli/bell peppers, and lots of cheese. And of course topped with some salsa. It was messy to eat but so worth the mess.<br />
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Last week's workout recap:<br />
<br />
Sunday: Zumba<br />
Monday: Step<br />
Tuesday: Body Pump<br />
Wednesday: Run<br />
Thursday: Rest day<br />
Friday: Run<br />
Saturday: Kickboxing<br />
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Quite the productive workout week, I'd say! And so full of cardio. I like to stay active even during holidays as it helps to keep the momentum into the new year. What are your thoughts? Do you wait until the new year to start again or do you like to be one of the few in the gym during the holidays?</div>
Tulikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05309866085705620521noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8191731316450866916.post-49441301980291214802012-12-12T18:49:00.003-08:002012-12-12T18:49:52.815-08:00Squash lady.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi.<br />
<br />
I'd like to take a moment and tell you about my newest food obsession. It's a bit unexpected, and might I say, a bit common; but nonetheless... a lot delicious.<br />
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FETA!!!<br />
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I don't know why, but of all cheeses I was never really that drawn to feta. I usually head straight for the Swiss, mozzarella, or cheddar. But last week, I had this great plan to make stuffed acorn squash and include some feta in the mix. I then decided to skip the fanciness and just combine the roasted squash with some wild rice and feta cheese.<br />
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If it is any indication about how awesome this dish was... I made enough for five days, and finished it in three. Success?<br />
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Since it is still winter squash season, I highly recommend giving this recipe a spin. Plus, winter squash is just awesome. (Hence the title of this post. My mom called me the squash lady once. I thought it was pretty funny).<br />
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This is what you do: cut the acorn squash in half, drizzle some olive oil into the fleshy side, and place each half face down on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.<br />
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While the squash is roasting, cook the wild rice. When the squash is ready, let cool, and then peel and chop into cubes. Add this to the rice, along with crumbled feta, and season with salt and oregano. You can also add some crushed red pepper for good measure :). <br />
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My favorite part of this is that when I re-heated it in the microwave, the feta bubbled. So good.<br />
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Let's re-cap last week's workouts, shall we?<br />
<br />
Sunday: Zumba<br />
Monday: Step + abs<br />
Tuesday: Body pump<br />
Wednesday: Run (2 miles)<br />
Thursday: Rest<br />
Friday: Active rest day (I say active because I didn't do a planned workout, but I did walk about 2 miles!)<br />
Saturday: 25 minutes elliptical, 1 mile sprint, weights, + walk ~4 miles (it was a tiring day, to say the least).<br />
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Tulikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05309866085705620521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8191731316450866916.post-15742785901675895752012-11-25T20:10:00.001-08:002012-11-25T20:15:34.999-08:00Faux-giving.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I hosted my first Thanksgiving dinner this year. And it involved very little "typical" thanksgiving food. Details.<br />
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I obviously Tulika-fied some things. For example, I made some wild rice stuffing:<br />
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How to prepare: cook a combination of wild rice and brown rice in vegetable broth. While doing so, sauté 1/2 chopped onion and a few chopped garlic cloves in olive oil. Add chopped carrots and celery, cook for several more minutes, and season with salt, pepper, basil, and oregano. Once the rice is finished cooking, add the veggies and add a bit more broth.<br />
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It obviously was different from regular stuffing but I think my guests enjoyed it!<br />
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I also made a broccoli and spinach casserole instead of green been casserole. <br />
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The sauce I made was a roux, with butter, flour, and milk (and seasonings). I added this to a big dish of cooked whole wheat pasta, broccoli, and spinach, and topped with lots of shredded cheese.<br />
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We of course had some lovely sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie courtesy of my attendees :). I also made some salad and corn bread. Overall a successful dinner!<br />
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And on a completely unrelated note, please take a look at my Trader Joe's purchases of the day...<br />
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I can't help myself sometimes! <br />
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I have a new blog idea. Since it has been a seriously long while since I've done a fitness post, I am thinking of posting my workout schedule for each week. Since this week has not been figured out yet, this is what my schedule was like last week:<br />
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Sunday: abs/strength training<br />
Monday: foam roll/yoga<br />
Tuesday: weights (Body Pump)<br />
Wednesday: Zumba<br />
Thursday: rest day<br />
Friday: run (3.6 miles)<br />
Saturday: rest day<br />
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Tulikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05309866085705620521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8191731316450866916.post-69291989753217921312012-11-11T20:18:00.002-08:002012-11-11T20:20:37.928-08:00Pumpkin this and pumpkin that.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
You may have been wondering where all the pumpkin was on this blog. Never fear, my friends. Never fear. While I may have neglected to discuss my pumpkin consumption, I have been pumpkin crazy for the past month or so. <br />
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The strange part about this is that I have only cut one butternut squash so far. Why am I failing so much in the squash department?! Let me tell you. It's because one really does work for that squash. And despite the fact that I do love my winter squash... I have not found it in me to want to make the effort. This needs to be remedied ASAP.<br />
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Anyway, back to the pumpkin. I am sure you have gathered by now that I have been cheating and buying canned pumpkin purée (NOT pumpkin pie mix). <br />
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My favorite way to use it is also the easiest way: pumpkin pie oatmeal. Here are my ingredients of choice: uncooked oats, 1 large spoonful of pumpkin purée, chia seeds and/or ground flax seeds, pumpkin pie spice, and milk. All nicely mixed together the night before, topped with some almond butter, and chilled in the fridge. Pumpkin pie in a bowl!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMeDWAdn4UgezKt462eZvxwY3QdLqredND5gsw-kuh0g1GIrT6cQHcj8vh7ra1Kt5QqFbi1RabJ07oX-7XZrxLELXukwZ0fLAlp11pVns917HInydisOEZ6ZdA-woonjHcqnmxWm9m3g/s1600/IMG_4013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMeDWAdn4UgezKt462eZvxwY3QdLqredND5gsw-kuh0g1GIrT6cQHcj8vh7ra1Kt5QqFbi1RabJ07oX-7XZrxLELXukwZ0fLAlp11pVns917HInydisOEZ6ZdA-woonjHcqnmxWm9m3g/s400/IMG_4013.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Recycled picture from last year...obviously this shows how long I have been eating this).</td></tr>
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Last weekend, I made <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CDEQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.howsweeteats.com%2F2012%2F10%2Fbaked-pumpkin-fettuccine-alfredo%2F&ei=j3egUMlch8mtAcmngLAH&usg=AFQjCNFTEMh48u79hZwvtNM1JZw9_f0BXg">this pumpkin alfredo</a>, but with brown rice penne pasta. This was so so good, even more so than the pictures would suggest. Highly recommend. And it made five-six LARGE lunch portions for me, which was perfect.<br />
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I also made some rosemary pumpkin quinoa, which was really easy, and also worked well for some pre-portioned lunches. Here is what I did: <br />
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1. Sauté veggies of choice in some olive oil. I chose garlic, red bell peppers, and mushrooms.<br />
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2. In another small pot, cook the quinoa. Once cooked, stir in 1/4-1/2 cup pumpkin purée. The amount really depends upon how pumpkin-y you'd like it to be. <br />
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3. Add the sautéed veggies to the pumpkin quinoa, and season with salt, pepper, oregano, and rosemary.<br />
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I have opened yet another can of pumpkin as of today, so we shall see what happens to that this week!</div>
Tulikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05309866085705620521noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8191731316450866916.post-68426400745669270702012-10-21T19:49:00.002-07:002012-10-25T20:51:28.228-07:00Please excuse...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So...pardon my absence. I have been busy participating in Zumba events for basketball games!<br />
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Well, I was last weekend. Somehow this month has just been full of big weekend events back to back. But that was definitely a huge one!<br />
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But today, I am so sad. I spent the morning recording not one, but TWO videos to post on here today.<br />
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I played them back a while ago and found that due to technical difficulties (audio and video not synchronized), this will not be happening today. So sad!!<br />
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And now I am forced to provide to you an impromptu post with a bunch of random meals I have eaten in the recent past.<br />
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Ready...go!<br />
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Protein pancakes. I made these with half whole wheat pancake mix, half protein powder. I prepared the batter otherwise just as usual with milk and eggs, cooked with coconut oil. The toppings helped mask the protein powder chalky taste :)<br />
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Tortilla soup. Pinto beans and black beans, chipotle diced tomatoes, spinach, corn, garlic, and seasoned with cumin, and a pinch of salt and pepper. The chipotle diced tomatoes provided most of the flavor which was really nice.<br />
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A Trader Joe's inspired salad (literally - every ingredient came from there) with kale, pre-cooked beets, avocados, and a pear and Gorgonzola vinaigrette. The dressing made all the difference. <br />
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A veggie burger quesadilla in corn tortillas. The veggie burger was also a TJs item, and I was a fan of the consistency because it was smashable to make it more quesadilla-esque.<br />
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Hopefully this gives you a few easy ideas for the week... And hopefully we can resolve these technical issues soon!!</div>
Tulikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05309866085705620521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8191731316450866916.post-65696698036759842662012-10-07T20:06:00.001-07:002012-10-07T20:06:02.934-07:00What I Ate...all week.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
If I had to choose a favorite dish to make, it would be enchiladas. Definitely enchiladas. <br />
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Last week, I wanted to make enchiladas, but a bit different from the usual. Of course. I get bored with same old same old (surprisingly since I eat the same lunches for five days in a row).<br />
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Long story short, I made enchilada casserole. Here is the step-by-step.<br />
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Make a filling. I used black beans, corn, and spinach, sautéed with some vegetable oil and cumin seeds, seasoned with salt and smoked paprika.<br />
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Lightly grease a baking pan and then line with tortillas of choice.<br />
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Add a layer of filling atop the tortillas, and top with cheese.<br />
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Then add another later of tortillas, filling, and cheese.<br />
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Bake at 350* for 15 minutes. <br />
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Serve with a side of spicy salsa and enjoy!<br />
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Side note #1: I did not use enchilada sauce but it would definitely make a good addition to the dish.<br />
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Side note #2: I did eat this for 6 days in a row and even on the 6th day I enjoyed it just as much as the first. Delish!<br />
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Tulikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05309866085705620521noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8191731316450866916.post-80395767091891176832012-09-30T19:42:00.001-07:002012-09-30T19:42:15.615-07:00My favorite trader.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have to admit something. I have been buying way too many exotic desserts lately. There's only one person to blame. Joe the Trader.<br />
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I got mochi ice cream and forgot how much I love it. And ginger chews. And chocolate chip cookies that are much more crunchy and crispy than the average chocolate chip cookie. <br />
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And TJs has only been open for a week... This is a problem.<br />
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Last week, I had one of the easiest and best dinners. Courtesy of Joe and this lovely find:<br />
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I stuffed whole wheat pitas with the red pepper spread and some homemade jalapeño hummus, along with lots of fresh spinach and broccoli slaw!<br />
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I also prepared some pseudo-Indian food. Some rajma and rice:<br />
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I made the rajma by first heating some garlic and mustard seeds in oil. <br />
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Then, I added a can of kidney beans, and a can of diced tomatoes, along with 1 teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon cumin-coriander powder, salt, and pepper.<br />
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I actually preferred this with quinoa rather than brown rice, of course :).<br />
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Now excuse me while I waste away watching tv until the work week starts again!</div>
Tulikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05309866085705620521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8191731316450866916.post-7007580084187342262012-09-23T20:08:00.005-07:002012-09-23T20:08:59.143-07:00It's here!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have been waiting for far too long.<br />
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It opened two days ago, and when I went today the line to check out went all the way around the store. Apparently everyone else is just as excited about TJs as I am!<br />
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I came across some awesome items such as coconut water popsicles and red pepper and eggplant spread. I was too excited about everything to even think about taking pictures. Woops.<br />
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So remember how last week I got to see Giada? I was inspired after seeing one of her recipes. Funnily enough, the recipe included chicken. I changed it a little and substituted tofu for the chicken.<br />
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<b>Tofu Nuggets</b><br />
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<u>Ingredients:</u><br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>1 block extra firm tofu</li>
<li>1/4 cup (scant) corn meal</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon rosemary</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon thyme</li>
<li>Olive oil</li>
<li>Salt and pepper to taste</li>
</ul>
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Dry and press the tofu. I did a quick manual press using paper towels and some arm strength. Otherwise, the best way to press tofu is to leave it for an hour or more, in between lots f paper towels and with a weight on top. That is, if you don't have a tofu press on hand.<br />
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Once pressed, slice the tofu and place in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil. Then, add the corn meal, rosemary, thyme, and salt/pepper.<br />
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Stir gently to cost the tofu well. Then, transfer the coated cubes to a baking sheet. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. <br />
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Bake at 350*. After 10 minutes, flip the cubes and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until the tofu is crispy.<br />
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Enjoy dipped in ketchup! Or in a stir fry or salad...get creative!</div>
Tulikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05309866085705620521noreply@blogger.com0