Since it’s a NYE, obviously it needs to involve some sort of countdown… but repeat 5-10 times for a solid workout!
Happy New Year friends- please enjoy and be safe!!
Get in some exercise before heading for the night! My NYE typically consists of dinner with my love and then hitting up a party or bar which leads to a decent amount of alcohol. Since I know this is my plan, I can prepare for my day in advance…. With lots of water, veggies, and a quick workout. Everything in moderation!! Don’t forget to review my holiday tips especially drinking water and fitting in some exercise. Also it helps to remember the everything in moderation rule- including booze!
Since it’s a NYE, obviously it needs to involve some sort of countdown… but repeat 5-10 times for a solid workout! Happy New Year friends- please enjoy and be safe!!
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1. Philly Half Marathon Recap 2. Stretching Pre and Post Workout 3. Coconut Orange Gluten Free Muffins 4. Crunchy Festive Salad with Tangy Vinaigrette 5. Vegan and Gluten Free Greek Quinoa Salad 6. WIAW in Greece Hope you enjoy looking back on these posts and kick off 2015 with lots of love and happiness <3
I hope everyone enjoyed the 12 Days of Fit-mas workout! This is completely the opposite, low intensity and more stretching/relaxing. If you’re caught up in the holiday madness or spending a lot of time traveling- this is a good workout for you…. Not too overwhelming and will help relax your muscles (and your mind). Also great if you’re not having an active “holiday break”? This is a great way to ease your way back into your workout routine. It’s tough to stay active during the holidays but it’s even harder to get back on track after time off. This is just a simple workout to be down a slow relaxing pace to stretch and get your body moving again. I love doing this after a long drive or before starting an intense workout after taking an exercise hiatus. Try to hold each exercise for 30 seconds, breathing in and out. Enjoy and Hope everyone is having an amazing Holiday <3
Okay so this recipe was created out of mere curiosity and I wasn’t very neat while making these…. So the photos are pretty terrible, however these cups are delicious! All you need to do to make them look prettier is to spread the chocolate evenly and smoothly, see note in directions. I love chocolate and peppermint together- and alone! I actually love brushing my teeth because I like the taste of toothpaste- is that weird? Well that and I have an obsession with food not being stuck in my teeth. Anyways… has the holiday chaos hit you? I spent part of my Saturday wrapping Christmas presents which makes me super exciting to give my friends and family awesome gifts. And then I spend Sunday making gifts for my coworkers- homemade Chex mix and chocolate covered Oreos and pretzels. Oreo’s sort of gross me out because they are vegan- the cream isn’t real cream, basically it’s just lard. Gross, right!? But throw a little chocolate on them and they are delicious! Although if I was making them for myself I totally would’ve spent $6 on “healthy” oreos, but my co-workers are the overly healthy type, so I saved the $3. Cheap, I know, but it’s that time of year! Hopefully posting another time in the next few days, if I get too crazed at work sorry in advance and I'll see you back here next week! Happy Holidays Friends :) Ingredients:
1 cup coconut crème (refrigerated) 1 TBSP peppermint extract ¼ cup agave 12 oz dark chocolate Directions: 1. Make sure coconut crème is refrigerated, preferably overnight, scoop out 1 cup of the solid part (if there is any liquid don’t use that) 2. Mix in agave and peppermint extract (you can add more or less peppermint flavor or sweetener depending on your preferences- taste as you go) 3. Put that mixture in the fridge while you work with the chocolate. 4. Melt chocolate on stovetop or microwave, check frequently and make sure it does no burn 5. Using a cupcake tin, drop a spoonful, just enough to coat the bottom of each cupcake hole, freeze for 10-15 minutes 6. Once frozen, bring out coconut peppermint mixture and cupcake pan and spoon as much as desired onto the chocolate, freeze for 15-30 minutes 7. Again take out the cupcake tin and top with remaining chocolate, should be evenly coated- NOTE: the chocolate will set veryyyy quickly, this is why mine didn’t turn out so pretty, I didn’t realize and was sloppy, if you are serving these at a party you want to be especially careful and neat here, if you are eating them yourself, don’t worry about it, they are delicious no matter what they look like! Do you like peppermint flavored treats!? Peppermint patties used to be one of my favorites! This post is not sponsored or compensated in any way… I just tried Blue Apron recently and some people asked me about it, so I thought I would share my thoughts. Blue Apron is a meal delivery service that provides with the exact portion of fresh ingredients included with a detailed recipe card to make chef inspired meals at home. I wish I would’ve taken more pictures of the package when it arrived; all the ingredients are individually packaged and labeled very neatly. (Since I didn't I included pictures from Blue Apron's website- AboveI put most of the ingredients into the fridge and actually waited a couple days to make any meals. The 3 meals I was supposed to get were: Shrimp & Mustard Green Laing with Jasmine Rice, Chicken Schnitzel with Watercress, Apple & Beet Salad, and Orecchiette Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower & Capers. Unfortunately there must have been a mix up because instead of the shrimp meal I ended up getting a beef one. I don’t like beef but the hubs does, so I made it anyways and he enjoyed it. Sad I didn’t get to try the shrimp one though, it sounded soooo good. Note: when I called Blue Apron they did offer me 50% of my next box for the mix up. These are both leftovers pictures with poor light quality because I took them at work during lunch but you get the basic idea. The meals took longer to cook than I normally spending during the week in the kitchen. But they were all very very tasty and different than most of the meals I usually cook. I can’t remember the last time I breaded any sort of meat, but that chicken tasted awesome fresh off the stove. I loved the beet salad too. When I was making the pasta I thought there wouldn’t be enough butter or cheese to give the pasta a good flavor but it was actually perfect (I did add extra garlic because well, I add garlic to everything). I really loved the combo of the onions and cauliflower and capers. These meals definitely inspired some future recipes I think!
Would I buy it again? Well yes because I have 50% off… but this is definitely something I would do for a special occasion or as a gift. It was definitely a little expensive for what I think I spend on a weeknight meal and wasn’t exactly a quick meal to prepare…. I think it would be good for someone learning to cook because you get colored step by step directions that I thought were very easy to follow. Good for husbands that aren’t super savvy in the kitchen. Or good for a last minute Christmas gift for family members that like good food! What do you think? Have you tried a meal delivery service before? Would you be interested in trying one?? This is a great recipe for the holidays… it’s sort of a pasta salad sans pasta but you could add in any grain to make it more hearty and filling. It’s a super easy dish and you can make it a day in advance or even do all the prep to save time. For the holidays I’m all about these kinds of easy dishes. Although the veggies are slightly Mexican the dressing creates a mesh with Italian basically making it a crowd pleaser! The McCormick Salad Supreme is an awesome combo of herbs and spice that gives an awesome flavor… it’s probably good on anything but I really enjoy it in pasta salads and the like… you can omit and I believe it does have Romano cheese in it so it is not vegan. Also the red pepper flakes are optional because I don’t really like things too spicy, if your group likes spicy feel free to add as much as you want. Same with other seasonings. I took this dish last Saturday to a friend’s gift exchange/Christmas party… I’m notorious for bringing something healthy and veggie based to our friends gatherings and this was no exception. I think more people tried in when I shared it was a homemade Italian dressing coating the veggies. Sometimes a veggie based dish scares people always but I think this one was a winner!! Ingredients:
For the dressing: ¼ cup olive oil 2½ TBSP red wine vinegar ½ TBSP agave or honey 1 TBSP garlic powder 1 tsp oregano 1 tsp basil 1 tsp parsley ¼ tsp salt 1-2 TBSP McCormick Perfect Pinch Salad Supreme- optional 1 tsp red pepper flakes- optional Veggies: 2 green bell peppers 16 oz cherry tomatoes 15 oz can black beans Directions: 1. Prepare the dressing first: measure and mix all ingredients into large bowl/container with a lid 2. Clean and chop veggies adding to marinade as you go- quarter cherry tomatoes and dice green peppers 3. Drain and rinse black beans and add to bowl 4. Put on lid, make sure it’s on tight and shake to thoroughly combine dressing and veggies 5. Allow to marinate at least 1 hour, up to overnight 6. Serve chilled Any delicious veggie based dishes for your holiday parties!?! Who’s ready for the holidays!? Actually I have most of Christmas shopping done for once (thank you online shopping) and some great recipes to share (and eat!) December is kind of a cool down month for me fitness-wise… after two triathlons in September and the Philly Half Marathon last month my body needed some less intense workouts. My plan was to focus more on cross training and strength training and lay off high impact running (and do yoga once/week!). Right now I’m only running once a week and I’ve added spinning, swimming, and some more frequent HIIT back into my weekly workouts.
Here’s what this week looks like: Mon- Yoga class Tues- morning Spin Class Wed- 3 mile treadmill run, lower body lifting Thurs- Swim, upper body lifting Fri- HIIT workout Sat- KICK off 12 days of Fit-mas!!! ** If you’re following along each day, feel free to tag me (@dietitianjess) in your workouts on instagram!! Disclosure: I was given samples of Phenoh 7.4 and compensated for this post through my partnership with Fit Approach as a Sweat Pink Ambassador. As always, all opinions are my own. Today I’m reviewing PHenOH 7.4, one of the newest (and healthiest) sports drinks to hit the market! I’m super excited to introduce this unique product to my readers since there are so many things I like about it. First things first, if you’re anything like me you don’t like to consume anything with artificial ingredients (including dyes), preservatives, chemical additives or anything with tons of added sugars. PHenOH has none of the above!! Secondly… I’m all about the balance. Everything in moderation, right friends?? Right! The cool thing about Phenoh is that unlike most sports drinks that are acidic, it is the first alkaline sports drink on the market. Research shows that the 7 natural ingredients in 7.4 can enhance athletic performance, and help the body balance pH levels. Phenoh is naturally sweetened with organic agave nectar which is lower in the glycemic index than conventional sugar, and sucrose syrups used in most sports drinks. As a certified organic product, made with just 7 ingredients including aloe vera, which can help with digestion, inflammation, and improve the immune system. Phenoh 7.4 is also paleo friendly and is only 60 calories in each resealable container. The flavor is lightly sweet, I mostly taste the agave. I dislike Gatorade and similar products so this is definitely my new go to for hydrating pre or post workout. It would be awesome during a run or long bike ride (if you’re lucky enough to be somewhere that you can still ride outside). Recommending it to my runner and triathlete friends, as well as to you guys! Time for Christmas recipes! Let’s try to make them less traditional though… and extra healthy. This salad is a perfect example of a festive holiday healthy but delicious treat! Different textures and colors coming together make a perfect bite! I think it’s really all in the dressing… sweet and citrusy with a tang! Plus ginger and Dijon mustard make everything taste better. Consider making this salad for your family or friends (even if they aren’t big plant eaters) it combines the right amount of nutrition and indulgence! Crunch crunch crunch… this salad is even Grinch approved, ha.
Ingredients: For the salad: 8-10 oz mixed greens 2 apples (I used honeycrisp) 1 cup walnuts 1½ TBSP coconut oil 1 TBSP coconut sugar 1 cup pistachios ¼ cup blue cheese (optional) For the Dressing: 1 TBSP orange zest 2 TBSP apple cider vinegar 3 TBSP olive oil 1 TBSP Dijon mustard 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp real ginger 1 TBSP agave nectar Directions: 1. Heat pan on stove and add coconut oil and coconut sugar 2. Add walnuts and mix frequently for 6-8 minutes until coated evenly 3. Transfer to parchment or wax paper to cool, spread out the nuts on the paper 4. While the walnuts are cooling, chop apples into bite sized pieces, deshell pistachios 5. Combine all dressing ingredients into mason jar or dressing shaker, shake thoroughly 6. Once walnuts are cooled add all toppings and dressing to salad to serve immediately **If you’re going to have leftovers don’t add all toppings, leave separate and top before serving Any classic Christmas dishes your family has planned? Any you plan to give a healthy makeover to!? Happy 1 year of blogging to the Dietitian Jess blog :) Super excited to have more readers every day and see the blog grow. I love helping inspire people through recipes and workouts to lead a more healthful lifestyle. I am growing my social media contact as well by recently adding a Twitter Account (follow me @dietitian_jess) and a Facebook Page: Dietitian Jess. My Pinterest Page is still lackluster but it's a work in progress (sorry I suck at technology). Please reach out to me on these accounts as well as my instagram (dietitianjess) if you have any questions or comments. I have lot of upcoming goals for the blog in the next year. I’m hoping to upgrade my webpage, improve my photography and food styling, start providing nutrition counseling online (or in person if you’re local), incorporate more nutrition advice/info into posts, more products reviews, create a recipe page, and consistently post 3x/week! That’s a lot but hopefully slowly but surely they can be reached !! Thanks for reading and all of your support, if there is ever a recipe, workout, or post you like please share with others to help grow our healthy blogosphere community. Also leave me a comment from time to time- I feel weird the first time I comment on someones blog because I'm a stranger, but bloggers love hearing from their readers!! Now… COOKIES!
Garbanzo Bean Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients: 1 15 oz can garbanzo beans/chickpeas ½ cup peanut butter ¼ cup maple syrup ¼ cup applesauce 1 tsp vanilla extract ½ tsp butter extract (optional) 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt 1/3 cup chocolate chips Directions: 1. Drain and rinse beans, mash with fork 2. Measure and combine all ingredients except chocolate chips 3. Once ingredients thoroughly combined mix in chips 4. Spoon cookies onto tray 5. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, cookies will be very soft texture What's your favorite cookie?? Cookies or cake/cupcakes? If your December is anything like mine you are super busy busy busy! People are traveling, cooking, and shopping more than they usually do making things extra chaotic. Weekends are packed with all the aforementioned plus actually the actual getting together with friends and family to celebrate the holidays. For me things are a little extra crazy this month: I’m getting my wisdom teeth removed Friday (yikes-any words of wisdom or foods to stock up on?!)and my husband and I have two weddings in December also. This is a super quick workout to fit in that saves on time but works super efficiently. A compound exercise are the biggest muscle builders and combine more than 1 muscle group. Do each exercise 10-15 reps before moving onto the next one, repeat 3-4x.
Just wanted to pop and quickly share what I’m crushing on for Cyber Monday: (click title to link to page) Vegan Cuts Snack Box: I received my first snack box last week and I’m IN LOVE with so many of the foods I’ve tried so far. Everything is vegan and has been tested by Vegan Cuts plant loving team. Check out my instagram @dietitianjess to see everything I received in my box. The products are delicious and high quality so you are really getting a deal. For Cyber Monday you can save up to 20% off! **Full Disclosure: I am a Vegan Cuts ambassador and eligible to receive commission from products purchased using my affiliate links. I was not compensated for my time and my opinions are my own. Also don’t forget about the beauty box: Vegan Cuts: Beauty Box I'm really loving boxes like this because you get to try some awesome products to see what you like and what works for you before committing to buying a large size. The beauty box products are also vegan and cruelty free brands that do not test on animals. I can’t wait to try one! Phenoh 7.4 The World’s First Alkaline Sports drink! Delicious and so many great and wholesome attributes to this beverage- Full review coming soon! Nourish Snacks:
Made by RD Joy Bauer from NBC Today Show. I first sampled these at FNCE and recently ordered a sampler box for my husband and myself. We are constantly on the go so the individually packaged snacks are perfect for us. Plus they are GMO free, no artificial anything, gluten and dairy free, and no more than 200 calories. I can’t wait to try all the unique flavors! **All photos taken from companiews websites and are not my own |
I'm Jess- a Philly based Registered Dietitian who loves to share healthy recipes, evidence based nutrition information, fun workouts, and race recaps! Click the social media icons at the top of the page to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! Archives
February 2016
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