Wellness
Fresh Harvest Vegetable Marinara Sauce
This is the FIRST OFFICIAL recipe I have cooked in my new kitchen!!!!
We still have a few little repairs that need to be finished before it is completely done, but I can start creating new recipes and get back into my love of cooking now that I don’t have to cook in my laundry room anymore. It has been a LONG 8 months.
One of my distractions while waiting on the kitchen to be finished has been tending my vegetable garden…..Having a vegetable garden is fun and rewarding. The challenge is to use up the produce as it fills up the kitchen. So I decided to be creative and see how many of the vegetables from our garden I could use up in one recipe. I combined our garden veggies with a few things added from our local farmer’s market and cooked up a batch of vegetarian pasta sauce.
Ingredients
2 Tbs olive oil
2 onions
5 cloves garlic
6 carrots
5 stalks celery
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup fresh basil
1 cup fresh parsley
3 cups spinach
10 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
2 tsp sea salt
1 Tbs sugar
2 (28 oz) cans organic crushed tomatoes
I washed all the vegetables and starting with the onions, I cut them each into chunks and used my Cuisinart to finely chop each vegetable one type at a time. I put a large pot on medium heat and added 2-3 tablespoons olive oil. Add the onions, garlic, celery, carrots and saute until vegetables are soft, 5-10 minutes. Stir regularly so vegetables do not stick. Chop the basil, parsley and spinach and add to the large pot and stir another 5 minutes. Add 2 cans of organic crushed tomatoes and fresh tomatoes that have been chopped into chunks in the cuisinart. …
Read MoreLet’s Get Motivated!
“You can’t expect NEW results with the same habits.” – Susan Sly
Are you looking for motivation? Trying to get moving?
You have to do something different. You have to START.
Here are a few ways to get going:
- Get into action!
- Get accountability – tell some friends what you are doing. Better yet, encourage them to get going with YOU!
- Clear away distractions – clean up your workspace, make a nice workout area at home, turn off the TV, whatever is distracting you. MOVE IT AWAY!
- Stop Complaining. START DOING!
- Find inspiration. Put on uplifting music, read a good book, or listen to a podcast. Better yet, call a friend that makes you feel AMAZING!
- Exercise. It is good for your mind, body and soul!
- BELIEVE it will happen. Visualize yourself at your goal. Think about the way you feel and let that feeling motivate you!
If you are looking for more ways to get motivated, feel better and more energized, or start a healthier routine please contact us! We would love to help you get started or be your accountability partners!
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Easter EGG-ercise – Get Your Bunny Tails Moving
There are so many fun ways to incorporate fun and fitness into your family life. My sister sent me this idea from The Seasoned Mom, and you know me and exercise – I HAD TO TRY IT!
My girls are obsessed with Easter egg hunts. Do you follow us on Instagram @growingweisser? I shared one of our favorite Easter activities is the Egg Hunt at Disneyland Resort. You find character eggs all over the parks or even Downtown Disney and get a cute collectable egg to take home (when you purchase a map!)
What you need:
plastic eggs
buckets
paper and pen
First I wrote out fun exercises in paper. Then I folded the paper up in the eggs.
Since the girls like egg hunts so much I hid the eggs first for extra “egg-ercising.”
Then I let loose the fun! I told the girls how many eggs they could each find. After they found the eggs we opened them one at a time and did the exercises! (super cute video on our Instagram!!)
The girls loved this so much we played for HOURS!! And they have pretty much asked to do it every day since. So this activity is definitely mom-approved!
Let me know if you try it!
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Freekeh Salad-A New Taste in an Easter Picnic or Brunch side dish
Easter Brunch or Picnic Fun—-Freekah Salad
Easter is a fun day to gather with friends and family. There are many traditions that make that day extra special. Being outdoors and celebrating resurrection Sunday with a picnic and time together is part of the way we like to remember the true meaning of Easter. New life, new beginnings and the opportunity to experience God in a fresh new way was made possible when Jesus died on the cross and came to life again on resurrection day!
Here is a new recipe that I tried last week and will make for our Resurrection Sunday/Easter picnic. It is made out of a grain called Freekeh. Freekeh (or farik) is ancient food made from green durum wheat that has been harvested early, while the grains are still tender and green. The kernels are then parched, roasted, dried and rubbed to create its unique flavor. It is a healthy whole grain food, much like bulgur wheat and often mentioned right alongside other superfood heroes like quinoa, spelt, amaranth and farro. 
Technically, the term freekeh is actually the name of a process used to prepare grains, and not the name of a specific grain variety. According to food lore, freekeh’s fiery story dates back thousands of years, possibly as far back as 2,300 BC. Allegedly, a Middle Eastern village came under enemy attack and their crops of young, green wheat caught fire during the siege. The villagers ingeniously found they were able to salvage their food supply by rubbing away the burned chaff to reveal the roasted wheat kernels inside. This is what we know today as freekeh, which means “to rub” or “the rubbed one. However, it typically refers to wheat, and generally to durum wheat. So, although the freekeh process can be applied …
Get Into Action
As our March comes to a close, we hope that you have enjoyed our focus on health and nutrition! Please let us know what you liked best so we can be sure to give you more of what benefits you!
Summer will be here before you know it, so NOW is the time to build up your habits and get into action towards your goals. Don’t get overwhelmed by how far you have to go. Every day is a chance to take a step forward toward that end results.
How?
GET INTO ACTION.
Do something toward your goal every day. Not some days. EVERY DAY! Even a small step forward is a step. Pretty soon you’ll be taking leaps! And before you know it you’ll be closing in on your goals, looking back at how far you’ve come!
I want to leave you with that challenge, to get into action, and ALSO with one more workout to get you moving! The workout will be on our Instagram @growingweisser.
If you like the HIIT workouts, let us know, or you can follow me (Rachel) on Instagram @princessesandprotein where I post them regularly.
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The Benefits of Barre
After my first Barre class, I was sold. I loved the concept of getting deeper into the moves while using the ballet barre for balance. With the focus of tone and on muscles you didn’t even know you had, you will definitely feel these workouts. In a Fitness Magazine article, Sadie Lincoln, the founder of barre3 fitness says,
“Most barre-based classes use a combination of postures inspired by ballet and other disciplines like yoga and Pilates. The barre is used as a prop to balance while doing exercises that focus on isometric strength training (holding your body still while you contract a specific set of muscles) combined with high reps of small range-of-motion movements.”
The article continued with the many benefits of barre…
- Improved Posture
- Muscle Definition
- Weight Loss
- Increased Flexibility
- Reduced Stress
- Low Impact making these workouts doable during pregnancy
- May help with Imbalance and Stability during pregnancy
- Combines Strength Training and Cardio
Some added benefits…
- You don’t need any special gear – just a yoga mat, chair (use as your barre), and sometimes light hand weights and resistance bands
- *You don’t need any dance experience*
I have loved adding Barre workouts to my weekly routine. Unfortunately, barre studios can be pretty costly. However, I discovered that you can find quite a few options of Barre workouts on Youtube to do at home. Last week, I tried out these At home Barre workouts from Brit + Co. Each video is a different style of barre so it really shows you the variety that each class can have. Also, take advantage of your local studios that give a free class to try!
What are your favorite workouts or most recent workout trends to do at home?
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Chili Chicken Stew-Creative Meals that Multiply for Busy Families
Spring is in the air and families are beginning the frenzy of evenings filled with sports practices, games, spring music concerts and all sorts of activities. As a mom who prefers not to grab fast food for her family on the way to or from all the evening activities….we have to have a strategy. When we were in the flow of 4 girls doing multiple activities and I felt like I was driving circles around our community, I came up with a creative strategy of “meals that multiply“. This is the first installment of some of the meals I made regularly that literally lasted for a week and the family never knew that our dinners came from the same big pot of stew.
Chili Chicken Stew (Crockpot or stovetop)
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into pieces if cooking in a pot on stove)
1 large onion chopped
1 yellow, orange or red pepper chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped or pressed
2 Tbs oil
2 (15oz) cans stewed tomatoes
2 (15 oz) cans pinto beans
1-2 cups pace picante sauce
1 tsp chili powder
1-2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
Place whole chicken breasts, fresh or frozen, in the crockpot. Put all remaining ingredients in the order listed in crock pot and cook on low 6 hours. Remove chicken from stew and shred. Place back into crock pot, mix and serve. 
To make on stovetop, cut chicken into bite sized pieces and cook chicken, onion, pepper, and garlic in oil in a large pot until chicken is white and no longer pink. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 2-3 hours. This chili chicken stew can be made the day before and freezes well.
Now here is where the magic begins……This one pot of chili chicken stew can be …
AMRAP Workout
HIIT workouts continued!
This week let’s talk about AMRAP, which stands for “as many rounds as possible.”
Like HIIT, AMRAP workouts are done at a high intensity. The difference being HIIT workouts have a fixed number of reps and sets, AMRAP workouts have a fixed time frame.
AMRAP workouts have many benefits, one of my favorite (similar to HIIT) is they are for a fixed time, so you know exactly how long your workout is going to last, thus how long you need to push yourself!
Here are other benefits of AMRAP workouts:
- They accommodate all levels of fitness. You workout at YOUR max intensity or effort.
- Fixed time (had to mention this one again because it is so great!) is great motivation for working hard during the time frame.
- Focus is on form, rather than reps, allowing you to improve your technique under pressure and fatigue.
- Great for fat loss
- Builds your confidence and metal toughness
- Easy to track your progress. You know how many rounds you can do so when you do the workout again you can try to match or beat your initial number.
For a great 15 minute AMRAP workout, checkout our Instagram @growingweisser.
Let us know how many rounds you did!
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Anti-Inflammatory Foods and a Guide to Help YOU Get Started
Many of the foods on the anti-inflammation list are vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts and non-animal based foods. Anti-inflammatory foods reduce the levels of inflammation in the body. When you eat anti-inflammatory foods at each meal, you can help protect your body one meal at a time.
“All disease is rooted in chronic inflammation in the body. Diabetes and obesity are now linked with chronic inflammation. Researchers have long known heart disease and inflammation were intrinsically tied and even cancers are perpetuated by chronic inflammation. Eliminate inflammation in the body, and disease begins to improve.” says Julie Daniluk, R.H.N.
Here is my list: (the anti-inflammatory nutrient is listed when available)
VEGETABLES
Kale (Omega 3)
Spinach (magnesium, calcium, folate, Vit A,B2,B6,C,K, iron)
Broccoli (sulforaphane)
Cauliflower (sulforaphane)
Brussel sprouts (sulforaphane)
Sweet potato (beta carotene, managanese, Vit B6,C)
Shitake mushrooms
Purple cabbage
Squash (carotenoids)
Tomatoes
FRUITS
Blueberries (phytonutrients)
Strawberries (phytonutrients)
Cranberries (phytonutrients)
Blackberries (phytonutrients)
Grapes
Papaya (papain)
Pineapple (bromelain)
SPICES/SEEDS/NUTS
Tumeric (cucurumin)
Ginger
Garlic
Flax seed
Chia seed (omega 3, protein and fiber)
Sesame seeds (plant sterols, Vit B1,B3,E calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese)
Hemp seeds (plant sterols, Vit B1,B3,E, calcium, Omega 3 and 6, iron, magnesium, manganese)
Walnuts
Sprouted sunflower seeds (omega 6, potassium, magnesium, iron)
OTHERS
Wild Salmon (EPA, DHA, Omega 3)
Olive oil
Avocado oil (polyphenols)
Green Tea (flavinoids)
Kelp (fucoidan)
Dark Chocolate (antioxidants, potassium, copper, magnesium, iron)
A few of the things I am going to make a commitment to cutting down on or removing totally from my diet are as follows:
Refined sugar
Transfat
Polyunsturated fats
Hydrogenated fats (including vegetable shortening)
Feed lot meat
Processed meat
Refined grains
Food additives
Here is a guide to help you with transforming your eating habits. Take one step at a time. Change what is logical for your lifestyle. This information is key to …
Read MoreBenefits of HIIT workouts
I’ve recently fallen in love with HIIT workouts. As a busy mom, these short, but effective workouts have been a lifesaver to help me maximize my time and effort for fitness.
High intensity interval training a.k.a. HIIT, is used to describe any workout that combines high intensity burst of activity with slow periods of rest and recovery.
What are the benefits of HIIT workouts?
- Builds endurance
- Burns calories and fat in less time
- Effective use of your body’s energy system
- Boosts metabolism
- Promotes calorie and fat burn up to 24 hrs after
- Little to no equipment needed
- Can be done anywhere
- Targets fat loss, not muscle loss
- Great for heart health
- Challenging
I like to find HIIT routines on Pinterest, use workouts I find and add or change exercises, or come up with my own! I also really enjoy the workout routines by Kayla Itsines and Sugary Six Pack. I follow them on Instagram and bought and completed both of their programs. I currently do HIIT cardio and or strength once or twice a week along with my strength training at home and Fit4Mom classes of course!
Check out my latest HIIT routine on our Instagram @growingweisser!
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