Spinning Playlist July 2013

It’s a weee bit late, but that’s okay, right? I used this playlist in one of my July classes and it was so much fun to ride. There are some fun old school songs and some great newbies in there too. This is a tough ride, with a fun upbeat rhythm. It of course, has my favourite tabata workout snuck into the middle.  There is no active recovery built in, however if you want to use track #9 as recovery then go for it.

I hope you enjoy this ride as much as I do!

1. Love rollercoaster, Ohio Players – Warmup 4:50
2. Let’s Go – Calvin Harris – to the beat, hills on chorus 3:54
3. Blurred Lines – Robin Thicke – (happy) standing climb to rhythm entire song 4:23
4. Sweet Nothing – Calvin Harris- Alternate every 30 seconds between seated flat and standing flat.  Keep HR up! 3:25
5. Get Lucky – Daft Punk – seated climb increase 1/4 turn resistance every 1 min 6:10
6. The Fighter (feat. Ryan Tedder)—Gym Class Heroes (3:49) Start in a seated Climb.  At 1:30 turn it into a standing climb
7. Don’t Stop the Party (feat. TJR)—Pitbull (3:26)  Standing flat with jumps on the chorus
8. TABATA TIME! 4:20
9. Atlas Genius – Trojans – ride to the beat, you pick the resistance 3:36
10. Thrift Shop – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – hard climb to the beat ¼ increase every 30 seconds 3:56
11. Steamworks – 2 min seated climb, finish 2:36 standing climb: 4:36
12. Dog Days are Over – Seated Flat to flush out the legs 4:13
13. Hold On – Cool Down on the bike 3:45
14. Master Blaster – Cool Down Stretch off the Bike 4:50
15. You are the sunshine of my life – cool down stretch off the bike 2:55

Alfalfa, Spinach and Avocado Green Smoothie

Alfalfa smoothie? Okay…

If you have stopped by my blog in the last few months, you’ll know that I’ve been having a lot of fun sprouting seeds lately. One of my favourite seeds to sprout is alfalfa.  Alfalfa is quick to sprout (3-6 days) and are big time nutritious. I love throwing the sprouts in salads and on sandwiches, but I was determined to find another way to consume these tasty little sprouts.

For those of you who are new to the green smoothie, this one may take awhile to get accustomed to.  If you are used to these awesome power smoothies then I think you’ll like this one. You will notice the spinach and alfalfa flavours the most. The banana and apple provide a nice sweetness that’s not overpowering. Don’t forget to add ice if you like it really cold! This is a super thick smoothie (thanks to the avocado) that is satisfying and if you’re looking for a new slow sipping breakfast or lunch smoothie, give it a try.

• 1/2 ripe avocado
• 1 frozen banana, cut into chunks
• 1 small apple, deseeded and cut into small chunks (peel if you don’t want the skin)
• handful of alfalfa sprouts
• handful of fresh spinach
• 4-5 cubes of ice
• 1/2 cup water (more if you want it less thick)

Combine all ingredients in your Vitamix (or other blending device if you’re using a sad blender like me). Blend until smooth. Pause blending to scrape sides if needed. Add additional water if you want it less thick. Pour into a glass and ENJOY!

Don’t worry. I won’t forget how douche you were.

Great post.

Kc's Diary

Wait, I don’t want you back. Just saying.

This isn’t regret. We had reasons fro ending it, and they’re valid as ever.

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Stuffed peppers with nut-free purple pesto rice and baked eggs

Last week I experimented with a fun dish: stuffed peppers.  I had a vision for this dish, and it came together beautifully.

I was able to incorporate the awesome nut-free purple pesto I made last week, some left-over pulled pork that was in the freezer and the last of the home-made tomato sauce. The resulting dish was an awesome combination, and everyone cleaned their plates at dinner. There’s nothing more satisfying as a cook, to see your guests almost lick the plate, right?

You can adapt this recipe to be vegan, vegetarian or full on meat-lover. Whatever you choose, I promise you’ll love it to bits.

Ingredients

• 4 peppers cut in half (red, orange, yellow or a combo of all three!)
• 1.5 cups basmati rice, cooked
• 2 tbsp of nut-free purple pesto, or whatever pesto you have on hand
• 2.5 cups homemade tomato sauce, or canned tomato sauce, heated
• 4-5 eggs (depending on how many you’re feeding that night)
• 1 cup of chopped/shredded cooked meat (your choice or none at all)
• 1 cup Shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 green onions or chives, finely chopped
• 6-10 leaves of finely chopped basil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cut peppers in half length-wise, from stem to bottom. Remove seeds and white parts, wash and dry.
3. Place cut peppers on a plate and microwave until cooked. About 5 mins depending on how many you have). You want them to be soft, but not mushy. They will continue to cook when stuffed and baked in the oven.
4. In a medium bowl, combine basmati rice and pesto. Mix until combined. Taste for seasoning, adjust as needed (add salt, pepper or even some parmesan cheese).
5. Place halved peppers in the bottom of a deep baking dish.
6. Take 1-2 tbsp of rice and layer on the bottom of each half of pepper.
7. Take cooked meat and make another layer on top of the rice on each half of each pepper.
8. Crack one egg into each half of each pepper.
9. Cover and bake stuffed peppers in oven for 10-12 minutes until whites of eggs are cooked and the yolk is semi-firm.
10. Remove from oven and finish eggs with shredded mozzarella cheese, chopped basil and chopped green onions,

To plate: pour heated tomato sauce on a plate. If you have leftover rice, add some on top of the tomato sauce.

Place the stuffed peppers on top of the tomato sauce/rice.

Finish with cracked black pepper.

Raw Power (Breakfast) Bar Recipe (For those of us who don’t like to be hangry)

Have you ever been hangry? I have.  It’s not fun for me or anyone around me.  That’s how and why I make these RAW power bars! 1-2 bars keeps me full for HOURS.  When I’m pressed for time or on the go, I have one in the AM with a banana and am good until lunch. I also eat these before or after a workout, or when I get the 3pm junk food craving at the office.  They have SAVED my hungry tummy more times than I can count over the past few weeks.

For those raw vegan foodies out there, this recipe should please you and your tummy. For those of you who don’t like to bake, this is definitely the recipe for you.  For those of you who just want something healthy and filling so you don’t grab a bag of chips in the afternoon before dinner, this will satisfy you.

Ingredients:

• 1 cups almonds
• 1 cup almonds
• 1 cup oats
• ¼ cup flax seeds
• ¼ cup chia seeds
• ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
• ½  cup dried prunes, dates, raisins or cranberries  (I like ½ cup dried prunes and ½ cup dried cranberry mix)
• ½ cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
• ½ cup peanut or almond butter
• ½ cup coconut oil (vegan) or butter (whatever you choose, melted)
• 1/4 cup honey (Use stevia or maple syrup for vegan)
• 2-3 teaspoons vanilla or almond extract
• A few squares dark chocolate, less than half a bar needed for thin layer (optional) – I melted about 1/4 bag of chocolate chips in a small saucepan for the topping

Directions:

1. Combine flax seeds, chia seeds and pumpkin seeds in a coffee grinder or blender and grind.  You want them ground up but don’t need them into powder.
2. Add ground seeds, dried fruit, shredded coconut, almond or peanut butter in a food processor and pulse briefly for about 10 seconds.
3. In a small sauce pan, melt coconut oil over very low heat. Remove coconut oil from stove, stir sweeteners and vanilla into oil.
4. Add coconut oil mixture to food processor and pulse until ingredients form a coarse paste. Press mixture firmly into an 9 x 13 baking dish.
5. In a small saucepan, melt chocolate over very low heat, stirring continuously. Spread melted chocolate over bars and refrigerate until chocolate hardens.  I like to cool overnight in the fridge. Remove from refrigerator, cut into bars and serve.

 Makes about 20-25 bars. Store in refrigerator or freeze for later enjoyment!