Wheat-free Green Bean Casserole

I made this dish for the second time this weekend, and yet again I loved it!  It tastes so rich and decadent, but that's just because the ingredients are higher quality then the version you might normally have at a holiday dinner, which often uses condensed cream of mushroom soup.  This version is wheat-free as well...give it a whirl soon!

http://www.prevention.com/food/food-remedies/gluten-free-recipes-wheat-belly-cookbook/green-bean-casserole-and-onion-rings

Green Bean Casserole

PREP TIME: 25 MINUTES
TOTAL TIME: 50 MINUTES

Makes 6 servings

4 tablespoons butter or coconut oil, divided
1 large yellow onion, cut into rings
1/4 cup ground golden flaxseeds
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
1 bag (16 ounces) French-cut green beans, thawed
1 cup chicken broth
8 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Grease a 1 1/2-to 2-quart shallow baking dish.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, HEAT 2 tablespoons of the butter or oil. Add the onion rings and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.

PLACE the flaxseeds on a large plate. Add the browned onion rings and toss with the flaxseeds to coat. Set aside.

In the same skillet over medium-high heat, HEAT the remaining 2 tablespoons butter or oil. Cook the chopped onion and mushrooms for 8 minutes, or until most of the liquid has absorbed. Add the green beans and broth and bring to a simmer. Stir in the cream cheese until melted. Stir in the Parmesan and red pepper. Pour into the baking dish. Arrange the onion rings over the top.

BAKE for 25 minutes, or until hot and bubbling.

Reverse Tower on the Cadillac

Reverse tower, performed here on the cadillac, targets deep core stabilizers and really fires up the entire back side of your body as well.  Keep your ribs interlaced (no backbend!) and it's a true full body exercise. Think of it as a shoulder bridge taken up a few notches....add the single leg lift when that core is ready to support the movement!

How to Get a Bodacious Booty! (VIDEO)

Check out my at-home workout that shows you 3 simple exercises for sculpting a bodacious booty.  All you need is a 5-10 lb. weight and a resistance band with handles.

Leg extension and abduction with weight - 15x each side

Leg extension with resistance band - 15x each side

Monster Walk with resistance band - 8 walks each side x 3

REPEAT CIRCUIT 2-3 TIMES

Kriss Kross will make you - Jump Jump....

The jumpboard class is waking up their abdominals and hamstrings before getting their jump on.

Jumpboard is a great way to work some cardio into your exercise routine without significant impact on your joints.  It is especially useful for those who are recovering from injuries or athletic setbacks, or for those just heading back into a cardio routine after some time off.  

The emphasis we have here at Urbancore on proper form - head to toe - and integrating body and mind will help ensure that your workout is not isolated in the calves and quads!

Come check it out - times are on our website.

urbancorechicago.com

Mat Class Teaser

Monday night mat class has been working up to performing a teaser.  It's a hard move and I've been putting it at the end of our sequence so muscles are warmed up and a little fatigued!  In class I've talked about using the eccentric portion of an exercise, for example, tricep push ups, to build strength more efficiently.  Same thing with the teaser.  Scooping your body into this position while balancing on your sit bones is challenging but if you focus on the "down" part of the move (returning to the mat) you will get strong and have success.  Join us for a Monday night class.  You might be a little sore the next day...I was today!

Thursdays on the Chair

Check out Lisa and her side pelvic push-ups/pikes on the Chair.  She's showing how a full body integrated movement should work - stable shoulders, active core and glute muscles.  Even her feet are aligned properly.  This is an advanced Pilates move that she has been working toward mastering....and on Thursday she did her best one yet!

Wheat-free tabbouleh

I have always loved tabbouleh.  One of my favorites is from Taste of Lebanon on Foster Ave.  Over the last year, however, I have been adapting many recipes to exclude wheat (my daughter and several of her friends stick to a gluten free diet).  This recipe replaces bulgar wheat with quinoa and it's fast and easy.  The longer it rests in the refrigerator, the better it tastes.

Quinoa Tabbouleh

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes Ready In: 30 Minutes Servings: 4

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups water 1 cup quinoa 1 pinch salt 1/4 cup olive oil 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1/4 cup lemon juice

3 tomatoes, diced 1 cucumber, diced 2 bunches green onions, diced 2 carrots, grated 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a saucepan bring water to a boil. Add quinoa and a pinch of salt. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature; fluff with a fork.
2.	Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine olive oil, sea salt, lemon juice, tomatoes, cucumber, green onions, carrots and parsley. Stir in cooled quinoa.

9:30 PM

It's time for the evening 3-dog walk and it is 47 degrees outside.  Winter coat, hat, mittens, and fuzzy pants to keep my legs warm.  Spring is out there somewhere!  Our cat follows the entourage dodging cars, pedestrians, and enemy dogs.  Occasionally his attention gets pulled away by a bird in a bush that he must stalk.  He doesn't stay out long after we return...it's too cold even for him.  Spring is out there somewhere!

It is warm in our house.  It is warm in the pilates studio.  Come on inside and take a class.  You may receive an invitation to take a mat class during your anniversary week.  The mat classes are fun and can be challenging.  Monday's class worked on the teaser prep and we were all feeling its effects!  Join us.

See you next week.  Maybe Spring will arrive by then!

Jerry

Take a trip down memory lane

Remember back in the day when we used to wear this to work out?  I can't say I miss those french-cut leotards, not to mention contorting myself into positions that feel awkward and bad for my body.  Take a trip down memory lane with this Jane Fonda video from the early 1980s!

The music is hilarious too..... :)

Try not to take yourself too SERIOUSLY!

Life can be serious enough.  Try not to take yourself too seriously :)

Are you cheating on yourself?

It's now four months after January 1st; are your New Year's resolutions a distant memory?  Maybe you are thinking of trying something new this spring to really get into shape before the summer?

Before you head out and try the next new studio or exercise program, check in with yourself.  If you didn't meet your New Year's goals, ask yourself why?  Not enough time?  It wasn't hard enough?  It was too hard?  Before you jump into a new endeavor, make sure you know what your goals are, and make sure you set realistic expectations about how to meet them.  If you didn't have enough time to get to the gym/treadmill/studio the last few months, what is different now?

I have found that "losing five pounds" or "toning up" isn't a realistic goal; what does that mean?  And how does it motivate me to get to the gym/treadmill/studio?  I am currently picturing an exercise I want to master -- all the "warm up" and core strengthening is getting me closer to that mastery.  And along the way I have found other smaller goals I've achieved, which makes me more enthusiastic about getting to the studio!

So don't cheat yourself; set a realistic goal and go out and make it happen!  You are the only one who can!!

A pop of color...

Outside the studio, one small daff breaks through the earth. Spring brings opportunity for new growth. Try something new for your body to wake it up this spring!

Take me out to the ball game!

I went to the White Sox game on Saturday.  Nice day, not too chilly, and I soaked up a little Vitamin D sitting on the third base side of the park.  I walked into the park ready for lunch which is not a good thing.  It's akin to going to the grocery store before dinner!

I decided to use my search for healthy ball park food as the fodder for this post.  Well, healthy and ball park food is an oxymoron.  It really isn't possible to eat well and watch the game.  The best I could find was the soft pretzel (~450 cal), the veggie burger (~200 cal without bun), or the red ropes (~200 cal).  My suggestion is when you go to the game either don't worry about what you're consuming for that event or eat before you go and a money saving tip: take a bottle with you to refill with water.

As summer approaches you will likely have more opportunity to eat ball park-like food at family gatherings or backyard bar-b-ques.  Keep your commitment to your health by coming to pilates and you won't have to worry about consuming the usual party fare that's available.

Go, go, go, go White Sox!!

Conquer your burnout!

I recently read an article from the Huffington Post about the experience of burnout and felt that it really hit home for me personally.  In my former career as a nonprofit fundraiser, I felt overworked, unmotivated, and exhausted for so long that I started to loose interest in not only my job, but also in the things outside of work that usually kept me happy.  Sound familiar?  It even got to the point that I started to have chronic lower back pain that was basically with me at all times, but got particularly worse when I was in the office.

10 Signs You're Burnt Out

How did I get rid of the burnout?  I got fed up with being in constant pain, being exhausted, and being cranky all the time.  I started taking Pilates and began to get rid of my back pain and to take time for myself.  In fact I was so excited by the results that I trained to be an instructor and left the job that burned me out!  I call that a win-win!

If you're experiencing signs of burnout stop by the studio and take some time for yourself.  Meditate while on the reformer.  Jump out your frustration in Cardio-Sculpt, Cardio-Reformer, or Jumpboard class.  Conquer your burnout!

Preggers & Pilates!

Check out Holly and Laura, a respective 8 and 6 months pregnant, rocking out standing side splits on the reformer.  Yes, you can do Pilates until the day you have that baby!

You are 60 minutes away from AWESOMENESS

Let's be honest for a moment.  Who really FEELS like working out?  It's hard, I'm gonna get sweaty, I'm tired....the endless litany of thoughts AGAINST working out can be overwhelming.  If we think about it realistically though its only 30-60 minutes of being uncomfortable to receive the following benefits.

1.  Look better
2.  Feel better
3.  More energy
4.  Increased confidence

When we look objectively at what we have to gain by PUSHING OURSELVES into that discomfort the benefits outweigh the consequences of not doing it!  The consequences are:

1.  Look the same or worse
2.  Feel OK or bad
3.  Less Energy
4.  Decreased confidence

What happened to my flexibility??

I was watching my kids play in the park last weekend, and I noticed my daughter demonstrating crazy shoulder flexibility!! So if she (and presumably we) can do it at 5 years old, why not now?

I think life just gets in the way - work, stress, other athletic endeavors. But the stronger and better aligned I get, the closer I get to finding that flexibility again! Another way my kids inspire me!

The anti-desk/sitting/computer/smartphone/driving/toddler-carrying exercise!

If you do any, some or all of the above on a daily basis, you are definitely adding to a potential forward shoulder or caved-in chest situation in your upper body.  I can speak from the experience of sitting at a desk for 14 years, traveling for work and carrying 2 children around in high heels.  I'm not sure how I would look without 8 years of pilates to correct the distress my spine endured, but I can promise that it wouldn't be pretty.

If you are currently practicing pilates, most likely you have done this exercise....The Swan (or some version of it -- swan-dive, cobra, up-dog, pulling straps, breaststroke, swimming).  However, do you practice it at home in between your private sessions or classes?  Back extension is lovely practiced everyday whenever, wherever.  I often give it to my clients as homework.  You can do it standing, sitting or laying prone on your stomach.  Just remember to avoid back-bending in the lumbar spine (low back). Concentrate on the upper back or thoracic spine doing the work. You'll notice in the photo, she begins and ends in a neutral low back which protects the lumbar from compression. Use that low belly to keep your tailbone tucking towards the mat, not reaching for the ceiling!

 

Party in My Joints

Joint Health+Pilates

It has been said that I frequently comment about how happy my joints feel when I am practicing pilates both as a student and as an instructor.  Annie gets to listen to my exclamations during my private sessions with her!  But really, they feel fantastic!  Pay attention next time you are practicing short spine or legs in straps or swan on the chair...just thinking about it gets my joints to giggling!

Of course, you know what to do to take care of your joints no matter your age.  Eat right, get plenty of rest, and exercise, exercise, exercise.  Pilates can be your path to healthy, aging joints.  I believe I will practice it until I'm in the grave (many years from now!).  The flexibility and strength you get with pilates will assuage the pain from inevitable degenerative changes.  The movement from pilates helps the joint nutrients flow and might make them giggle!  Enjoy!

Healthy-Joints.jpg