March 11, 2014

that's amore - homemade whole wheat pizza crust + med ball moves

March 11, 2014/ leah.egwuatu@6packusa.com

what.a.morning.

i woke up at 2:30am randomly and just couldn't get comfy again nor could i go back to sleep! daylight savings time + a kickboxing 27 week fetus = one tired mama. praying & hoping this doesn't become a normal occurrence.

getting to 5:30am class was something like pulling teeth but we made it! smiling up there in the pic cause my workout was finally over after that :lol: . i taught Total Conditioning for 1 hr as usual and then did these exercises with the med ball and bands afterwards (listed clockwise):

[wpvideo IxeR5xi2]

medicine ball squat throws against the wall: 4 x 25
med ball squats w/ explosive jack - band is optional but come ooooon! USE IT! 4 x 25
burpees with overhead dumbbell presses. modify where needed! walk back if you are preggo or nursing an injury if you do not wish to jump. it's your workout. 3 x 12
90 degree wall sits with extended med ball (see top pic). hold this guy for as long as you can. your arms will most likely give out before your legs, so let them drop but stay up until you can't take it anymore. HOLD until it burns ;)

i owe you a pizza crust recipe, don't i!

this was Chiso's cheese pie hot outta the oven.

the sauce is homemade too!!! i'll share that recipe in a future post.

and here's the pie i made Sonny and i for dinner that night looooaded with goodies!

extra lean ground chicken, red onion, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, grape tomatoes, fresh cilantro, homemade pizza sauce, and plenty of shredded provolone.

i'm saving my very special crust recipe for my homemade pizza cooking class so you'll have to join me on March 25th to get that one!

homemade whole wheat pizza crust

the stuff:

1 cup white whole wheat bread flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2-3 tbsp coconut sugar (or agave nectar or honey or pure maple syrup)
1 cup warm water
dash sea salt
1/4th tsp fresh minced garlic
2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
2 1/4 tsp yeast (1 envelope)

do this:

ok, i actually had steps listed out for the beginning part ( :shock: i know) but SEEING it done is the easiest way to actually get it. i don't want to scare you guys from making it and i haven't created my own video yet, so i'm going to use a popular youtube vid that is very similar to what i did. also, i added the dry seasonings and garlic in with the wet ingredients.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvIF81APkj8&w=560&h=315]

NOW you're ready! let the dough rise for at least 2 hours minimum. (whip up a ball right after breakfast)
preheat your oven to 500 degrees and put your pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven NOW.
on a flat, clean, floured surface, drop your round dough ball in to the center.
use your fingers to press the dough out as wide/thin as you'd like it. my Sur la table instructor advised against using a rolling-pin.
sprinkle your pizza paddle (or a pan/cookie sheet with no edges) generously with dry, yellow corn meal
pick up your dough and place it on top of the corn meal bed. is it slide-able? rock the pan back and forth and see.
top your pizza however you'd like. (sauce, cheese, veggies, meat, cheese...but remember less is more! that doesn't apply to cheese though)
do a slide check one more time, then open your oven and transfer (rock vigorously back and forth til you've successfully moved it over) the pizza paddle onto the already HOT HOT HOT pizza stone or baking pan.
needs to bake about 7-9 minutes at most. cooks super fast!

nutritional stats ONLY IF you use the entire dough ball and make a gigantic pizza cut into 8 slices:

i find that cutting the ball in half first makes the perfect size pie for 2 people. in that instance, stats for 1 slice when cut into 8:

you can refrigerate the other half for 2-3 days and even longer in the freezer.

yummmmmmmmmmmmmy!

make your own pizza at home, take a pic, and tag me @fitfoodiele on IG! also, if you send your pics to le@fitfoodiele.com, i will feature them on my Facebook Fan Page, blog, or IG. can't wait to see the deliciousness you create!

Q: what do you do when you can't go back to sleep? read? watch TV? stare at your significant other in the dark? :shock:

March 11, 2014

that's amore: homemade whole wheat pizza crust + med ball moves

March 11, 2014/ leah.egwuatu@6packusa.com

what.a.morning.

[wpvideo IxeR5xi2]

medicine ball squat throws against the wall: 4 x 25
med ball squats w/ explosive jack - band is optional but come ooooon! USE IT! 4 x 25
burpees with overhead dumbbell presses. modify where needed! walk back if you are preggo or nursing an injury if you do not wish to jump. it's your workout. 3 x 12
90 degree wall sits with extended med ball (see top pic). hold this guy for as long as you can. your arms will most likely give out before your legs, so let them drop but stay up until you can't take it anymore. HOLD until it burns ;)

i owe you a pizza crust recipe, don't i!

this was Chiso's cheese pie hot outta the oven.

the sauce is homemade too!!! i'll share that recipe in a future post.

and here's the pie i made Sonny and i for dinner that night looooaded with goodies!

extra lean ground chicken, red onion, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, grape tomatoes, fresh cilantro, homemade pizza sauce, and plenty of shredded provolone.

i'm saving my very special crust recipe for my homemade pizza cooking class so you'll have to join me on March 25th to get that one!

homemade whole wheat pizza crust

the stuff:

1 cup white whole wheat bread flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2-3 tbsp coconut sugar (or agave nectar or honey or pure maple syrup)
1 cup warm water
dash sea salt
1/4th tsp fresh minced garlic
2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
2 1/4 tsp yeast (1 envelope)

do this:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvIF81APkj8&w=560&h=315]

NOW you're ready! let the dough rise for at least 2 hours minimum. (whip up a ball right after breakfast)
preheat your oven to 500 degrees and put your pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven NOW.
on a flat, clean, floured surface, drop your round dough ball in to the center.
use your fingers to press the dough out as wide/thin as you'd like it. my Sur la table instructor advised against using a rolling-pin.
sprinkle your pizza paddle (or a pan/cookie sheet with no edges) generously with dry, yellow corn meal
pick up your dough and place it on top of the corn meal bed. is it slide-able? rock the pan back and forth and see.
top your pizza however you'd like. (sauce, cheese, veggies, meat, cheese...but remember less is more! that doesn't apply to cheese though)
do a slide check one more time, then open your oven and transfer (rock vigorously back and forth til you've successfully moved it over) the pizza paddle onto the already HOT HOT HOT pizza stone or baking pan.
needs to bake about 7-9 minutes at most. cooks super fast!

nutritional stats ONLY IF you use the entire dough ball and make a gigantic pizza cut into 8 slices:

i find that cutting the ball in half first makes the perfect size pie for 2 people. in that instance, stats for 1 slice when cut into 8:

you can refrigerate the other half for 2-3 days and even longer in the freezer.

yummmmmmmmmmmmmy!

Q: what do you do when you can't go back to sleep? read? watch TV? stare at your significant other in the dark? :shock:

April 16, 2013

fit eggplant parm

April 16, 2013/ leah.egwuatu@6packusa.com

same concept when you apply it to your body, aka, your temple. put great stuff in, get great results right on out!

yesterday i had vanilla oat bran with banana slices, Walden Farms syrup, and Trader Joes cinnamon sugar,

and this morning it was rolled oats cooked in unsweetened vanilla almond milk, pure vanilla extract, and some cinnamon and granulated stevia stirred in. some days i flip a coin! they are both great starts to the day. this bowl was sooooo creamy. i topped it with one strawberry cause that's all i needed since they are so dang GIANT this season. and a small tsp of Justin's chocolate hazelnut butter. so, so good.

today's eggs weren't pretty at ALL so i didn't take a pic. these were from yesterday and were topped with some alfalfa sprouts and pineapple salsa from Sprouts. i love getting a little bit of charr mixed in with my eggs from the skillet- gives them extra flavor.

who's got some core exercises for you? I DO! did'em this morning after teaching my total conditioning class!

i'm sure you're familiar with the basic high plank on your palms and toes. right? yeah you can do that one in your sleep.

but when you mount up on a medicine ball (any solid ball will work really) then you really put that core to work. this is one of those exercises that looks uuuuber easy until you do it yourself. so, grab yoself a medicine ball and do these semi-advanced core exercises that promote core strength and stability!

★1st things 1st- engage your core by sucking your belly button to your spine, but DON'T hold your breath!★

high plank (top pic) - start on your knees. grip the ball on either side and press your palms into it as you elevate your body up into a straight high plank balancing on your toes. maintain a neutral spine while keeping your head and chest lifted. even if you don't add the variations, you are still working to balance yourself without even moving! you'll see! hold for 30-60 secs or for as long as you can take it. ***you can also go down a level and perform this on your knees keeping your body flat and pushing your hips and glutes towards the floor***

****

high plank + leg lift (bottom pic) - keep your hips square, squeeze the heck outta your glute, and lift that leg up off the ground and hold it for 30-60 secs. repeat on the opp side.

****

high plank + pendulum leg lifts - while that one leg is in the air, take it out to the side from right to left in a controlled swinging motion going no wider than shoulder width. repeat on either side for 30-60 seconds or until burnout.

what a :shock: BURN :shock: !

this exercise works glutes, core, and your shoulders & back definitely feel the wrath of supporting your bodyweight the entire time. try'em at the gym or at home during commercial breaks.

well hello there, fit eggplant parm. i whipped up a crazy good fit chicken parm that will be going into the you-know-what! for now, enjoy this healthier classic, fit foodie le style.

fit egg plant parm

the stuff:

1 large raw eggplant, sliced into 1/2 in rounds (you can peel them if you'd like- i kept the skin on)
2 egg whites
3 tbsp Bragg liquid aminos
2 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, finely shredded
1 cup Lissanati almond cheese, shredded
3/4 - 1 cup homemade breadcrumbs*
28 oz Sprouts all natural low sodium crushed tomatoes with basil & garlic
1 tsp basil, dried
1 tsp oregano, dried
1 tsp thyme, dried
1/2 tsp parsely
1/2 tsp black pepper
olive oil cooking spray
5 baby portabella mushrooms (optional!)
fresh basil leaves for garnish

*homemade breadcrumbs: toast 4 slices of Sara Lee 45 Calories & Delightful Whole Wheat with Honey bread until crispy, and toss them in your food processor. pulse until breadcrumb-like consistency.*

do this: * important S/N* this can totally be dairy-free if you use only almond cheese, (or rice cheese, or your fave vegan cheese) throughout the recipe. but then you'd have to call it fit eggplant almond. or whatever. you know me- i needed some nutty, creamy parmesan in my dish cause cheese is my thing, so i added it. just a little. and you can too. if you want. also if you don't have the same brands i'm using and naming, no big deal!

1. lay the eggplant slices flat in a shallow baking dish and pour the liquid aminos all over them. let it soak in real good, about 10-15 minutes or so.

2. in a shallow dish, combine the egg whites and unsweetened almond milk; mix.

3. grab another shallow dish and pour in your breadcrumbs. add: the finely grated parmesan cheese, pepper, basil, thyme, oregano, and parsley; mix.

4. dip each eggplant slice into your egg mixture with one hand, then immediately drop it into your breadcrumb mixture. i only coated one side with breadcrumbs cause i was lazy and didn't want to have to flip them halfway through. lol. spray a flat baking pan with the olive oil spray and bake your slices for about 15-20 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

5. when the eggplant is almost done, go ahead and start the first layer of the dish by spooning some of the crushed tomatoes in the bottom of your olive oil coated baking pan. eyeball it.

6. when the eggplant is ready and cool enough to handle (surprise, i didn't wait), create the second layer. i know mushrooms are untraditional in this recipe, but so am i! and come on- melted cheese and mushrooms just go together. so i added a few sliced baby bellas for the 3rd layer,

7. top with 1/4 of the almond cheese. or more. way more.

8. and finally, top that with more sauce and repeat until you run outta ingredients. the last layer should be CHEESE! and lots of it. now don't put those fresh basil leaves on there yet cause you will torch them in the oven. i put them there cause it looked pretty.

9. back into the oven on 400 degrees for about 20 more minutes, or until the cheese is nice and melty and brown and stuff.

this made about 6 servings; stats are for 1:

we killed the pan but there are certainly a couple things i'll be doing differently from here on: take note!

NOT burning the breadcrumbs in the toaster smh - it made the eggplant darker and harder on the eyes. i didn't want to waste it and used it anyway
using the small side of the grater for the parmesan cheese cause the large shreds don't stick to the eggplant as easily
pan frying the egg plant instead of baking (however i'm not sure the cheese in the breadcrumb mixture would hold up in the hot skillet...i'll just have to see)
OR, roast the eggplant solo first, assemble the dish, and save the breadcrumb mixture for the topping only. <------i really like that idea!!!!! if you try it this way, upload a pic to the Fan Page or tag me on IG (#fitfoodiele #fitclean2013). i'd LOVE to see your creations.

cooking is ALL about having fun and trial & error for me. get in there and make your own masterpiece!

i'd like to give a big THANK YOU to Bragg for sending me a few samples of their seasonings recently! i'll be testing the nutritional yeast, the sea kelp delight seasoning, and the 24 herbs and spices seasoning this week.

ooooh the joys, blessings, and lessons of good ol' parenthood :lol: it was just one of those days.

thank God for electronic devices!!!!!

p.s., if you haven't entered to win some FREE FOOD, then click there and go see what's up! contest ends this saturday.

July 23, 2012

core work - part I

July 23, 2012/ leah.egwuatu@6packusa.com

because breaking the post up into parts means NO, i am totally not done!!

i had no idea how popular TRX was/is. your gym may or may not have it, no biggie. there are two main pieces of equipment:

the suspension belt:

and it's connected to this contraption:

i'm just now catching up with it, and you guessed it, i hate it :lol: i had my first taste of TRX about 3 weeks ago while working out with a competitor friend of mine at 24 hour fitness. it's hardcore suspension training using your own body weight. just after 3 sets of 10 'pushups/peaks/tucks' (that's what i'll call it for now), i felt soreness in my entire torso for the rest of the week. every laugh, cough, twist and turn was a swift reminder of my 1st TRX date.

try them:

facing downward, put your feet in the straps and get into a pushup position.

complete the pushup, (both arms come to a 90 deg angle) and go immediately into a 'peak' by lifting your glutes into the air and keeping your legs straight and your back as flat as possible.

then, go right back to starting/plank position by lowering your glutes and complete the 'tuck' by pulling your knees super close to your chest. keep your knees and feet close together.

that's one! do 10 in a row for starters, and add on the stronger you become. you will get stronger... just keep doing them, i promise.

don't have one of these fancy contraptions at home? me neither!

use a yoga ball.

here are a couple exercises i have added to my routine recently to get this 6 pack going!

peaks and tucks w/ the ball:

(start in a high plank)

you don't have to do the pushup if ya don't want to, IMO. i'm such a slacker.

peak (remember, keep your back flat, not rounded- clearly i need to work on that)

aaaand tuck. 3 sets of 10

twist ups:

( yoga ball or a medicine ball will do.) start out with your body flat, legs out into a V, and the ball overhead btw your hands.

engage your core and sit up nice and tall keep the ball directly in front of you.

keep sucking it in!! now, twist the ball to the left or right,

then back to the center, and back to starting position. repeat, and hit up the other side.

make sure you get a nice, deep, significant twist.

v sit ups w/ yoga ball:

start on your back and stretch your arms over head while clutching the yoga ball in btw your feet/ankles.

form the 'v' by bringing your limbs up toward the ceiling, and passing the ball to your hands from your feet. pull your bellybutton into your spine and keep your limbs straight the entire time.

take the ball in your hands and extend your body back to the starting position. on the next one, pass the ball back to your feet and repeat.

elbow rolls:

up on your toes, elbows on ball, plank position.

extend your elbows out as far as possible- this IS a tough one, it's not just you!! then, using your core, pull the ball back to you and keep that nice solid plank. i fell multiple times- you gotta fight to keep your balance.