How would you like to support Wisconsin Public Television and get a great rate on personal training at the same time? The 6-day WPT Auction begins on Wednesday June 2nd with the Sports Category. Balance Personal Training has donated three packages of 3 personal training sessions. You can bid online or over the phone. Check out http://auction.wpt.org for more info.
Hi Everyone. It’s Heather here. Let me begin by saying “I love to garden!” My children learn where food comes from, produce is affordable and organic, and most importantly, we eat delicious foods! Freshly harvested produce has superior flavor and vitamin content versus produce that has traveled hundreds of miles to reach your table. I’m always amazed at how long my home-grown produce lasts in our refrigerator compared to the produce we purchase at the grocery store. How long has that store produce been in storage? Hmm.
As an additional way to promote healthy living, Balance Personal Training is proud to announce Organic Gardening Consulting Services! Services include: siting your garden, helping you decide the scope of the garden (I specialize in low-maintenance gardening), which plants to plant, assessing and amending your soil if needed, and basic gardening skills training. I can construct raised beds, make your garden blend in aesthetically with existing landscaping, and I can consult for organic landscaping techniques. A basic one hour consultation at your home, including site selection is $75. Please call Balance Personal Training 608-798-0081 to set up an appointment and for pricing on custom packages.
Below is my vegetable garden in our back yard. Over the years it has grown and grown. For beginning gardeners I recommend starting with a few raised beds. Even pots on a patio can be a perfect way to start turning that thumb green!
Banana peels, orange rinds, egg shells, apple cores, onion skins, tea leaves, and most kitchen wastes inevitably find their way into our compost bin (see above pic: looks like a BBQ).
Composting is a great way to reduce landfills, prevent erosion, regenerate poor soil, and have an organic garden.
Planting peas with Bruce!
The varieties and types of produce you can grow are endless!
Container gardening is a great way to get started.
Behind the tomato harvest is a pot of lettuce – grown right on the deck!
Cinco de Mayo is just two days away. So let’s celebrate with one of my favorite dishes, Chicken Enchiladas. In one hour you can create a traditional, healthy, and fun meal for your friends and family.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons cumin powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon Mexican Spice Blend
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
5 canned whole green chiles, seeded and coarsely chopped
4 canned chipotle chiles, seeded and minced
1 (28-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
16 corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce, canned
1 cup shredded Cheddar and Jack cheeses
Garnish: chopped cilantro leaves, chopped scallions, sour cream, chopped tomatoes
Directions
Coat large saute pan with oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken over medium heat, allow 7 minutes each side or until no longer pink. Sprinkle chicken with cumin, garlic powder and Mexican spices before turning. Remove chicken to a platter, allow to cool.
Saute onion and garlic in pan until tender. Add corn and chiles. Stir well to combine. Add canned tomatoes, saute 1 minute.
Pull chicken breasts apart by hand into shredded strips. Add shredded chicken to saute pan, combine with vegetables. Dust the mixture with flour to help set.
Microwave tortillas on high for 30 seconds. This softens them and makes them more pliable. Coat the bottom of 2 (13 by 9-inch) pans with a ladle of enchilada sauce. Using a large shallow bowl, dip each tortilla in enchilada sauce to lightly coat. Spoon 1/4 cup chicken mixture in each tortilla. Fold over filling, place 8 enchiladas in each pan with seam side down. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.
Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 350 degree F oven until cheese melts.
Garnish with cilantro, scallion, sour cream (or yogurt) and chopped tomatoes before serving. Serve with Spanish rice and beans.
— recipe from Foodnetwork.com
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MBT5GjZyIE[/youtube]
Ingredients
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/4 cup organic peanut butter
3 garlic cloves
1 piece (1/2″) ginger root, chopped
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
2 green onions, thinly sliced
Directions
Place peanut butter, garlic, ginger root, honey, vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce and cayenne pepper in a food processor or blender. Process until finely ground. Place chicken thighs in baking pan and pour peanut pesto over. Bake in 375 degrees F oven about 35 minutes. Remove to serving platter and sprinkle with peanuts and green onions. Makes 4 servings.
Recipe from The Chicken Book: the 43rd national chicken cooking contest.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIi_Qi-H4_M[/youtube]
Do you feel like you’re not making any progress with your current workout program? Do you feel bored doing the same things? Follow these ten tips to break through your workout plateaus:
1. Change the sequence of exercises. Let’s say your weight training workout consists of 7 different exercises: lat pulldowns, squats, knee raises, dumbbell chest press, lunges, EZ bar bicep curl, and back extensions. Depending on your intensity, you might be slowing down by the time you get to biceps and low back. How about doing it in the reverse order? Or you can mix n match. This way you’re not over-prioritizing certain body parts, and you’ll keep your muscles guessing “What’s next?”
2. Adjust your rep scheme. 10 seems like the number of repetitions that we always aim for. How about 12 reps? Or 8? Or how about lifting based on time. For example, see how many reps you can complete in 30 seconds while maintaining good form.
3. Shorten the duration of your workout. Some of my best workouts are only 30 minutes long. I keep a quick pace while giving myself little rest between sets. When I’m finished, I feel energized versus in need of a nap.
4. Change your weight scheme. There are days when you have more energy than others, so adjust your weights to match. After a 10-hour workday, it’s okay to train a little lighter. As I tell my clients, train by intuition. Your body will thank you for it.
5. Try circuit training. Circuit training is a combination of high-intensity aerobics plus resistance training. A “circuit” is one completion of all exercises in the program. When one circuit is complete, you can start at the beginning again for another circuit.
6. Exercise at a different time of day. Look at your schedule and see when is another time to exercise. Before work, during lunch, after work? Changing just one workout time a week can help break through plateaus.
7. Change locations. Get out of the gym and do something different. Go for a walk, take a dance class, exercise to a video at home. A change of scenery is always helpful.
8. Take a break. Workout plateaus may be a sign of overtraining which can lead to injury. So give your body a rest. A few days break and you’ll come back refreshed.
9. Focus on food. I often run into people who exercise several hours a week and don’t see any progress. Instead of working out harder, work smarter. Take a look at what you eat. Just a slight change in your diet can lead to big results.
10. Revisit your WHY. Remember WHY you’re waking up at 5AM to workout. Remember WHY you’re preparing healthy meals for the week. You have goals. Spend more time with your goals and less time on the process. You’ll enjoy the journey and achieve your goals faster.
Ingredients
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
kosher salt to taste
1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes, with liquid
1 lb lentils (brown or beluga), washed and picked over
2 1/2 quarts water
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs parsley
1/2 lb Swiss chard, mustard greens or kale, stemmed, washed and roughly chopped (~6 cups)
freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup elbow macaroni or other soup pasta (optional)
freshly grated Parmesan for serving
Directions
1. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat, and add the onion and carrot. Cook, stirring, until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add half the garlic and 1/2 tsp salt. Stir together for a minute, just until the garlic is fragrant, and add the tomatoes and their liquid. Turn up the heat slightly and cook, stirring often, until tomatoes have cooked down and smell fragrant, about 10 minutes.
2. Stir in lentils, water, bay leaf, sprigs of thyme and parsley, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Add the remaining garlic, salt to taste and add the greens. Continue to simmer, covered, for another 15 minutes. Add freshly ground pepper, taste and adjust seasoning. Stir in pasta, and continue to simmer until the pasta is tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Serve. Yields 6 to 8.
(recipe from nytimes.com)
Heather recently bought me The Complete Asian Cookbook by Charmaine Solomon. Last week I tried this recipe and it turned out great!
Ingredients
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, chopped
2 cups coconut milk (I used low-fat)
1-2 tbsp green curry paste
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 tbsp fish sauce
4 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil or coriander leaves
4 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
Directions
Cook chicken pieces in 2 tbsp peanut oil. Once lightly browned, add coconut milk and curry paste. Cook for approx 15 minutes. Add fish sauce. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add basil simmer for 5 more minutes. Serve over rice.
When I visit family and friends in Southern California, I enjoy reconnecting with former clients. Hey, I was a personal trainer there for nine years. Here’s some fun pictures: Susan and me with my two boys at Redondo Beach, Jennifer and me at The Coffee Bean, and Ted and Cynthia at their home.