Workout of the Day

30 Jumping Jacks

30 Body weight squats (Take a wider stance with feet pointing at 45 degree angles to target the glutes more)

30 Leg lifts

30 push-ups (Do as many normal push-ups as you can and then switch to knees)

Repeat without compromising form until you have completed 30 minutes of workout!

 

*Working out is not always about fancy exercises. If you are not sweating, then you are not working hard enough. Be honest with your body. Push yourself to the edge, but know your limits. Always remember to fuel and refuel!

Focus Your Training with Group Ninja Body Training

With the holidays coming up, it is easy to indulge to the tasty food and to skip workouts. After two months of overindulgence, most of us are left with 4-6 months of hard work and lifestyle changes to get back to where we were before the holidays. 

This year, I am trying something new. I am creating a goal that will hold me accountable over the holiday season.  I have signed up for a Spartan Race. The Spartan Race will be taking place on February 25th and 26th in Pheonix. I have committed to the super, which is a 10 Km race with 25-30 obstacles. Running is not my forte by any means, so accountability will be key. If the super seems too scary to commit to, then there is a shorter race called the sprint the same weekend. Check out spartan.com for more information.

If anyone wants to join me for the race or just wants an intense workout, I will be holding group ninja body training 2 times a month until the spartan race. Training will be donation based and will consist of cardio, incline training, and upper body strength training. Date is to be determined.

Banana Bedtime Tea

 

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Going to sleep after a long stressful day is hard for me. For a long time, I have suffered from nightmares and calming my mind enough to fall asleep. Medications help me fall asleep but they make the nightmares worse. I have found that most herbal medications such as valerian root or melatonin also make my sleep less restful. So I started doing a little research. I found that there are two minerals that can improve your sleep: potassium and magnesium. In particular, magnesium deficiency has been correlated to insomnia, depression, and other mental illnesses.

These minerals inspired this banana bedtime tea. The peel is boiled with the banana since the peel contains the majority of the magnesium and potassium. Make sure that you wash the peel really well with soap and water. It is important that you remove all dirt and pesticides. This tea is simple to make and delicious!

 

Ingredients:

Filtered water

Washed banana with peel, diced

Tsp Cinnamon

Tsp Cardamon (optional)

Tsp Coconut oil (optional)

Dash of salt

 

Directions:

Boil the diced banana with the peel and the spices for 10 minutes. Strain and drink up!

 

Roasted Kabocha Squash, Carrot, and Ginger Soap With Meatballs and Caramelized Onions

Ingredients

Soup:

  • 2 tbs coconut oil, melted
  • 1 medium kabocha squash, seeded and sliced into chunks
  • 5 medium orange carrots, quartered
  • 1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole
  • Salt & pepper (to taste)
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp ground cloves
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1 13.5 oz can of full fat coconut milk
  • 1 inch ginger root, peeled and grated

Meatballs:

  • 1 lb grass fed ground beef
  • 1 egg
  • 1 4 cloves minced garlic
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 2 sprigs of basil minced
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1 tbs coconut oil (for frying)

Caramelized Onions:

  • 1 yellow onion

Garnish

  • Fresh basil
  • lime

 

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Line two baking sheets with tin foil and set aside. Cut up your carrots, onions, and seeded kabocha squash into large chunks. Toss with melted coconut oil, salt, pepper, ginger, and cloves. Make sure all of the veggies are coasted evenly. Lay out the veggies onto the baking sheets along with the whole cloves or garlic and allow to roast in the oven for 45-60 minutes or until the veggies are fork tender. You should be able to scoop the squash away from the skin easily. Once the veggies are done take them out and allow them to cool until they are no longer too hot to handle with your hands.
  3. Add the carrots, onions and garlic to a heavy bottomed soup pot. Scoop out the meat of the kabocha squash, discarding the skins. Add the scooped out cooked flesh of the squash to the soup pot with the other roasted veggies. Add the chicken broth, coconut milk and freshly grated ginger to the pot with the veggies. Allow to simmer over a medium heat for 20 minutes or so in order to allow the flavors to marry.
  4. While the soup is simmering, start on your beef meatballs. Add the ground beef and spices to a bowl and combine well with clean hands. Once the beef and spices are well combined, portion the beef into 12 equal portions and roll them into small meatballs. Place a pan on the stove and heat a tbs of coconut oil over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the meatballs to the pan. Allow them to brown on all sides. Turn the heat to medium low and add the onions. Caramelized onions take at least 30 min so allow them to start cooking with the meatballs once the heat is lowered.
  5. Once your soup has simmered for 20 minutes, lower heat to keep warm. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until it is completely smooth and creamy.
  6. After the meatballs are cooked through, set them aside and leave the onions in the pan to finish caramelizing.
  7. Fill a bowl with soup, add a couple of meatballs and some caramelized onions to your bowl of soup and garnish with fresh basil and the juice of half a lime. Enjoy!

 

Note:

This soup freezes great! Don’t be shy about making a huge batch and saving it for a later date. This makes for a quick and easy dinner that is healthy and guilt free on nights that you are short on time!