Yes, There Were a Few Skeptics!

Skeptics? Yes.  But everyone walked away a fan of at least one Quinoa recipe.

Quinoa? Never heard of it!

Quinoa is a versatile grain (well technically it is a seed) that can be eaten hot or cold, served as a side dish or part of the main course. The crew at 6PM wasn’t sure what they had asked for when they wanted to know if quinoa was good. We had a taste testing after training to let them decide.

Quinoa Chili

• 2 cup uncooked Quinoa, rinsed
• 4 cups of water
• 2 Tablespoon of peanut oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 3 Tablespoon of chili powder
• 2 Tablespoon of cumin
• 3 (28 ounce) can of crushed tomatoes
• 3 (15.5 ounce) can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 jalapeno peppers, diced
• 3 zucchini, chopped
• 2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 4 links of precooked chicken sausage- your favorite flavor

Rinsing the quinoa is key to this dish. If you do not take the time to rinse this grain until the water runs clear, it will taste extremely bitter. Once rinsed, bring the quinoa and water to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to  medium, simmer until tender about 20 minutes. Set aside.

While the quinoa is cooking, heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Saute the onion until it is translucent. Add the garlic, chili powder, and cumin. Stir in the tomatoes, black beans, peppers, zucchini, oregano, and chicken sausage. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low and simmer 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, stir in the quinoa and corn. Cook to reheat. Garnish with cilantro.

“Thank you Coach Sarah for pointing me to this delicious recipe. Everyone loved it!”

Blueberry Lemon Breakfast Quinoa

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups nonfat milk
• 3 Tablespoons of honey
• ½ lemon, zested
• 1 cup blueberries

Rinse the quinoa in a sieve until the water runs clear. Make sure you do not skip this step. You will not be able to eat this if you do not rinse this grain.

Heat milk in a saucepan over medium heat until warm. Stir quinoa into the milk. Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes until much of the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in the honey and lemon zest. Gently fold in the blueberries. Top with flax seed for added nutrients.

“This is a great dish for right after training.”

Quinoa, Apple, Walnut Salad

• ½ cup quinoa, rinsed
• 1 cup water
• 1 pound of turkey kielbasa
• 2 apples, sliced
• ½ cup walnuts
• 6 cups of fresh spinach

Don’t forget to rinse the quinoa. You’ll be an unhappy camper if you spend time fixing a meal that you can’t eat. Quinoa has a coating that is easily rinsed off right before cooking that taste bitter. Rinse until the water runs clear before going to the stovetop.

Bring water and quinoa to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for 12 minutes. Set aside. Cook kielbasa on a grill over medium heat. Set aside to cool. Then slice into ½ moon shapes. Combine all the ingredients in a large salad bowl. Drizzle with your favorite dressing.

“If you have leftover quinoa from another meal, use that in this salad and save yourself the cooking time.”

Everyone at 6pm Epsom now knows what quinoa is, and that they like it! You will never know until you try it.

The Two Tastes of Fall In A Glass is Just A Taste of What’s To Come

If you come to Coach Nancy’s smoothie workshop that is!

Spots are filling up fast, so don’t delay signing up or you will  miss out, and these things don’t come around every day you know. 🙂

Register for the smoothie workshop here

Just to get those taste buds warmed up at the possibilities. we thought we would give you just a little idea of what’s in store with these two terrific fall-flavored smoothie recipes. These are SOOOOO good!

Pumpkin Pecan Shake

1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 scoop vanilla Ultimate Muscle Protein
1/8 cup pecans
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 cup of ice
1 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons ground flax seed

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

1/3 cup pure pumpkin, canned
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Stevia
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
2/3 cup water
Ice

Put the ingredients in a blender and blend for one minute. If you like a thinner consistency, feel free to add water a tablespoon at a time. Sprinkle with a dash of pumpkin pie spice for an added garnish. This shake is great anytime during the day for a super quick meal on the go or a great mid day snack.

Enjoy!

A Smooth Way To Eat 2.0 – Register Today

There’s no doubt there are many mixed messages on the food labels, fad diets, and in the media about how to eat healthy. Combine that with today’s hectic lifestyle that makes “grab and go” a lot more likely than “sit and relax” and you’ve got a mess.

“A Smooth Way to Eat – Smoothies 101” is being hosted by Coach Nancy at Get Fit NH Concord on Tuesday October 15th from 6:45 to 8:00pm.

This “hands on” ‘Smoothie workshop’ will introduce you to the basic points of nutrition and what key elements our bodies need. We’ll be sampling a wide variety of your favorite recipes, from “Melissa’s Mean Green”  to “Chocolate Peanut Butter in a Cup” to “Almond Joy”.

You’ll walk away with enough smoothie information and recipes to fuel your body properly, plus all participants will get a choice of a 2 pound container of UMP or SFH Vanilla or Chocolate, so you can start creating your own quality smoothies right away. (Make sure you check out the bonus recipes below)

A Smooth Way To Eat 2.0

Location: Get Fit NH Bootcamp Concord
Date: Tuesday, October 15th
Time: 6:45pm to 8:00pm
Cost: Just $47 (includes your choice of Ultimate Muscle Protein or  Stronger Faster Healthier Pure Whey in either chocolate or vanilla flavors.)

Workshop Is Full And Registration Closed – Don’t Worry, We Will Do It Again!

Bonus Recipes

Post Workout: Chocolate Cherry Bliss 
Serves 1

• 8 ounces unsweetened chocolate almond milk
• 1 scoop chocolate protein
• 1 cup frozen dark sweet cherries
• 1 Tablespoon milled flax seeds
• 1 Tablespoon cacao nibs
• 2 Tablespoon walnuts

Mix all ingredients in blender until smooth and creamy. Pour immediately into a large cup. Eat with a spoon or a large straw.

420 calories, 26.5 g protein, 19 g fat, 36.5 g carbs

Anytime: Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
Serves 1

• 1/3 cup pure pumpkin, canned
• 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil1/2 teaspoon Stevia
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
• 2/3 cup water
• Ice

Mix all ingredients in blender until smooth and creamy. Pour immediately into a large cup. Eat with a spoon or a large straw.

271 calories; 22 grams protein; 12 grams carbs; 15 grams fat (3 grams saturated)

Glazed Carrots that Kids Love

My kids love carrots!

What kid doesn’t like carrots? Those delicious nuggets of orange satisfy whether you eat them hot or cold. This recipe is delicious this time of year as the nights get colder and a warm side dish hits the spot.

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 pounds of carrots, peel and tops trimmed
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add carrots, orange juice, and thyme. Cook, stir occasionally until carrots are tender. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm.

 Enjoy!

Spinach Avocado Salad

The last days of grilling for the year are on our horizon. Take advantage of the few days of warm weather to enjoy this salad. Your favorite grilled chicken right on top is incredible!

Not able to get to the grill today? Open a can or a bag of tuna and add it crumbled on top.

I can’t wait to cook up some extra shrimp and add those chilled to this salad.

• 1 Orange
• 1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 5 cups Spinach
• 1 Avocado, sliced
• 2 Tablespoons of pinenuts, sunflowers seeds, or pepitas (optional)

Peel and open up the segments of orange. Squeeze 1 Tablespoon of juice from part of the orange. This orange juice is added to the olive oil, salt and pepper to form a dressing. Put the spinach in a large bowl, add the avocado on top, along with the rest of the orange segments. sprinkle with seeds and toss with dressing. Your grilled foods can be served alongside this salad or right on top. (On top is my favorite way!)

Enjoy this salad and let me know what you think,

Coach Nancy

Shopping in the Garden

Veggie -rific!

Our gardens are overflowing with veggies. Often I go out to see what is going to top off my dinner’s salad by shopping through my garden each afternoon. These Veggie packed recipes are delicious and easy. Thank you Jenn and Helen for sharing them with Get Fit NH.

Zucchini Bake is what Jenn has been hooked on for lunch. 30 minutes at 350. Delicious! Her creation is normally filled with turkey but she has substituted cottage cheese as the protein.  Jenn says, “I usually have a container of it (made up ahead) in the fridge ready to go at all times.”

Zucchini Bake

• 2 Cups Zucchini, about 2 large
• 1 cup mushrooms sliced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 3/4 cup cottage cheese
• 1/8 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon basil
• salt and pepper to taste

Slice the zucchini with a mandolin or into very thin slices. Place these along the bottom of a 8×8 pan. Top with sliced mushrooms, the cherry tomatoes, cottage cheese and parmesan cheese. (In that order) Sprinkle with basil, salt and pepper. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Don’t forget to make this a whole new recipe by adding cooked, browned hamburger or ground turkey in place of the cottage cheese.

Jenn trains at 5am in Concord. She is doing something most of us would consider crazy – Reach the Beach, a 205 mile relay run with 11 others Get Fit NH team members.

Helen can be seen showing off her newly earned 4 Year Forged Get Fit NH shirt on Facebook. She is not a quitter when it comes to training or her nutrition. It is almost soup weather but this cold treat will work great when Indian Summer hits us.

Gazpacho Soup

• 4 cups tomato juice (or a few fresh tomatoes, if you don’t mind it thicker).
• 1 large cucumber, peeled and seeded
• 1 large green pepper
• 1 large red pepper
• 1 rib celery
• 1 large carrot
• ¼ cup chopped red onion
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• 3 scallions
• 1 or 2 jalapenos (I, Helen, usually use 1 unless I’m feeling sneaky and then I add the second)
• 1 Tbsp. fresh garlic
• 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• ½ tsp. salt
• Fresh ground pepper to taste

Coarsely chop veggies and add to blender:Depending upon the size of your blender, you may need to do this in two batches. Refrigerate.  Enjoy!

Thank you ladies for sharing these delightful recipes. You are taking action in the gym and in your kitchen!

To your best health,

Coach Nancy

Ya Learn Something Everyday

Now I’ve heard that learning something everyday will keep you young, so why not? 🙂

Recently one of our 30 Challenges in 30 Days was to plan a menu for a week. For some that seems like a daunting challenge, but once you build the habit it does get easier, I promise.

While reading some of the posts on Facebook after completing that day’s challenge I learned some new things and I know you will too.

The Challenge: Day 14 – Plan one weeks menu. And we asked you to tell us how this will help you eat better during the week.

So lets hear what some action takers found:

Scott said “Planning helps you to shop more efficiently and you don’t end up buying stuff you don’t need (or is unhealthy for you!)

Rebecca shares “This has helped me budget and eat better!”

According to Stephanie “This helps me stay more true to my nutritional (fat loss) goals when I plan.”

Deb said “It will definitely help me to stay on track the whole week.

Stacey found “Now I’m much better prepared, feel less anxiety over “what’s for dinner” and have started making a larger variety of healthy dinner choices.”

Here’s Mary “It will help me to stay on track, and I won’t be inclined to “just pick something up”.

Melissa added “It will keep me from running to the store and just grabbing something that probably wouldn’t be good for me.”

I could go on and on. But my point is that many of you have found that planning meals for the week will;

• Save time at the store and at meal time
• Planning saves you money
• Planning a menu means less stress
• A menu plan equals a happier family. They know what the plan is and for some families they get to help with the planning.
• A menu will provide you with healthier meals
• Your plan will make life easier for you.
• You will not have to think on the fly.

Nadine offers her family the option to help plan their weekly menu. She has created a card system for the planning and shopping. All of her family’s dinner meals are listed on an index card. The card contains the meal, the recipe for the meal, and all the items needed from the store. Each family member picks a card for the week and Nadine fills in the days as needed. Her family is happy because they choose the meals. In Nadine’s words, “This routine that I have been doing for awhile now makes for healthy at home meals, frees up a ton of time with only one trip to the grocery store & happy bellies.”

So I learned I can save time, save money, save my sanity, and make my family happy all with a little well spent time at the beginning of each week. And all this thinking keeps me young…..

And you?

To your best health,

Coach Nancy

30 Challenge Update – Days 8 thru 14

Ok guys, by the time you read this you should be three or four days into the 30 day challenge.

Don’t forget to check out our Facebook page here for daily updates and to tell us how you are doing.

By the way, how are you doing so far?

In order to prepare you for next week, check out the challenges for days 8 through 14, and prepare to win!

30 Challenges in 30 Days, 8 – 14

Day 8-    No artificial sweeteners in your drinks. What did you drink instead?

Day 9-    Eat healthy fats, fish oil, avocado etc.

Day 10-    Take A Multivitamin. We recommend a good whole vitamin like Prograde VGF 25+ (Click Here for Details) but start anywhere

Day 11-    Log your food for the day. Did you do it? Find it helpful?

Day 12-    No cheese of any kind today, just because! What did you eat instead?

Day 13-     Post a recipe to our Facebook page here: http://facebook.com/getfitnh, or in the comment section of this post if you are not on Facebook.

Day 14-    Plan one weeks menu. Tell us how this will help you eat better during week 3.

Make It Happen!

Asparagus Salad

I love asparagus, but you have to be gentle and cook it right. Too many of us tried the waterlogged soggy and just plain nasty version and said “never again”.  But when done right asparagus is really, really good, so I urge you to give it another try.

Dawn sent in this recipe that hits the mark – thanks Dawn!

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/8 cup lemon juice
• 12 fresh asparagus spears
• 6 cups fresh spinach leaves
• 1/8 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon seasoned slivered almonds

Preheat a grill for low heat. Combine the lemon juice and olive oil on a plate. Place asparagus on the plate, and roll around to coat.

Grill asparagus for about 5 minutes, turning at least once, and brushing with the olive oil mixture. Remove from the grill, and place back onto the plate with the oil.

In a large bowl, combine the spinach, Parmesan cheese, and slivered almonds. Cut asparagus into bite size pieces, and add to the salad along with the lemon juice and oil from the plate. Toss to blend, then serve.

New “Ninja” Summer Smoothie Recipes Are Here!

Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie Tastes GOOD!

For all those Ninja users, check out the recipes below, and if you don’t currently have a Ninja or a Vitamix – What are you waiting for? Read what Nadine of 8:30am fame has to say.

“I recently purchased a Kitchen Ninja! Awesome tool!

It is a food processor, juicer & blender all in one!! It also comes with 3 processor cups & travel lids (perfect for smoothies!!) Purchase price was around $80 but you could go through several cheaper versions & spend just as much or even more in the long run.

Would definitely gives this gadget a whirl!! No pun intended!!! Lol!” – Nadine J.

The recipes below are wonderful additions as a recovery drink post training. Nadine has wonderful tasting recipes and they also contain veggies alongside the protein. Thank you Nadine for these delicious recipes.

Most of my smoothie recipes are the same basic ingredients & then I change up the fruits with the season. Also you can add ice if you like your smoothie thicker (“frozen” like).

My daughters will sometimes use organic 0% fat plain Greek yogurt (that we’ve frozen in 1/2 cup portions) instead of the protein powder.

I try to keep my recipes simple so that the ingredients can be easily switched around & all the ingredients’ flavors can be tasted.”

The basics:

• one cup of either unsweetened almond coconut milk, unsweetened vanilla or chocolate almond milk, or unsweetened coconut milk
• one scoop of vanilla or chocolate whey protein powder (I am hooked on the SFH brand because it is from local, grass fed, free range animals; thanks for finding this brand!!!
• a cup of frozen fruit of your choice (I always use what is in season, organic, & local; well except for pineapple, bananas & mango; can’t find local for those) 🙂
• 2 handfuls of organic spinach or kale
•  Then more almond/coconut milk if needed for thinness if desired.

My favorites:

 “That’s Just Peachy”

• unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• vanilla whey protein
• Dash of real organic vanilla extract
• frozen peaches
• Spinach

“Pineapple Colada “

• Unsweetened coconut milk
• Vanilla Whey protein powder
• Frozen pineapple
• Spinach
• Throw in some unsweetened shredded coconut if you want a “pulpy” taste

“Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter”

• Chocolate Almond milk
• Chocolate Whey protein powder
• 1 tsp of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 frozen banana (if it was a large banana)
• 1-2 tbsp of organic peanut butter
• Spinach or kale

“Chocolate Almond Cherry”

• Chocolate Almond milk
• Chocolate Whey Protein powder
• 1/2 tsp chocolate cocoa
• Frozen cherries
• Spinach or kale
• Dash organic almond extract

I am currently trying to experiment with a “Cucumber Mojito” smoothie. I will send you that one when I “get it right”.

Hope you enjoy these!