Fit Mom's Blog

One of my favorite things to read are cookbooks! I’m fascinated. Especially when it comes to vegan and or vegetarian cooking- being a non-vegetarian- but, always looking for ways to decrease our household budget, I’m very interested in incorporating some vegetarian dishes into our weekly menu. {Would also like to design ways to have a weekly menu that includes daily lunches that are quick, easy and in my hand when I hit the grocery store, ha ha ha…in the works for me}.

Tal’s book makes vegan eating look glamorous and delicious! Each recipe had at least three things in the title alone!! Pine-nut and basil seared gardein “chicken” with lobster mushroom beurre blanc, braised kale, and roasted fingerling potatoes; Or free-form ravioli with tofu ricotta and arugula pesto; or tempeh creole over brown rice. Those are just one each (which seems complicated to me) and yet, each could be considered a whole meal.

Yes, he has put Gardein products on the map for those of us non-vegetarian! Anybody tried these products yet? They look great, but, how do they taste? Would a big meat eater like my husband like it?

The simpler recipes are the ones I’m more inclined to try- such as agave-lime grilled tofu with asian slaw and mashed sweet potatoes or the split pea soup with tempeh bacon crumbles or even the celery root soup with granny smith apples. Although, for me, most of these recipes require ingredients that I don’t have on hand normally- like different types of seaweed or whole black peppercorns or Earth Balance. Trying new recipes is about hunting for new ingredients though, isn’t it?

So, would I recommend it?

I bet these recipes and meals would taste awesome- but, the work involved will be lengthy. This is a gourmet cookbook for those of you with the time and patience to work on cooking vegan meals. I found this cookbook to be a “holy grail” of sorts for vegan cooking- not really for the work full time, mother who likes to whip dinner together in 30 minutes or less!

You can see him on Amazon preparing the “chicken” scallapini here. He makes it look really easy, but, this kind of work I’d save for really special guests!!!

P.S.  I received this book for purposes of review!

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How many of you are tired of hearing about how you can lose 2 dress sizes in 2 weeks? Believe the crap about eating cereal twice a day will help you lose weight? Eating this or that will bring the changes you want to see in your body? Or how about lifting weights? Interval work, blah blah blah…You’ve heard it all before and so have I. I’ve also tried many of the current fitness rages and blogged about them here. I’m here to tell you that I’ve thrown all those damn rules out the door!

Kettlebell swing, kettlebell squats, one arm leg lunges, abdominal work with a kettlebell; all been done here.

Marathoning. Check.

Bike Racing. Check.

Basic Weight Training on the Shawn Phillips philosophy. Check.

David Kirsh’s methods of training via his book (2 weeks to Ultimate Body). Ok, book read, exercises tried, but did not follow plan.

Interval work on bike or feet. Check.

People, I could send you links to evidence to all of the above posts. In the last two years, I’ve tried MANY MANY methods in which to stay fit and healthy and lose body fat. At this point, finally, my youngest is 3 and 1/2 and my weight is lighter than I’ve ever been in my life. My food is fairly intuitive in that I eat a green smoothie, a salad, mostly fish diet, that includes dark chocolate, lots of NUMI tea, occasional beers and sometimes, crap. But, for the most part, I am leaner and lighter than I’ve ever been in my life.

Guess what?!

I AM NOT LIFTING WEIGHTS. AT ALL. That 35 pound kettlebell is sitting in my garage collecting dust. My stability ball is my desk chair. The elastic bands are used as jump ropes for my kids. The weight bench is used for all kinds of imaginary adventures for the boys but I’ve not lifted, pulled or flexed on that thing in almost a year.

Honestly, I still do something physical daily. But, the fact of the matter is that I am not specifically training with any particular plan. I simply run or do yoga. Once a week, I will do Graeme’s CORE AB-Blaster DVD that takes 14 minutes. That sounds simple enough right? The thing with the yoga is that it has made me stronger and leaner than I ever got lifting weights. When I was lifting weights 3 times a week, I was QUADZILLA!! Biggest legs of a girl you’ve ever seen, really. Take one yoga pose like Warrior 2. Hold it for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Feel the burn. Where do you feel it first? If it’s done correctly, you will feel it everywhere!! Take any yoga pose and hold it for even 5 breathes and you get tired. Because it is working your entire body at once!

Learning yoga has been the best gift I ever could have gotten for my body, for my mental health and for my sports. When people ask me about their various running related injuries, I send them to yoga.

It can only benefit you.

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How many of you have a Trader Joe’s near you? How many of you use that store as your first choice for groceries? This is basically my store of choice -most of the time. The three things I love most about my Trader joes is- their Hummus, their ready made salads, and their PRICE. I’d say it’s usually twenty to fifty cents cheaper than your standard grocery store. So, when offered the chance to review a cookbook with all things Trader Joe’s, that was an easy, YES.

This cookbook is a must if you shop at Trader Joe’s! Each recipe has only 4-8 ingredients- it’s easy to prepare and fast. It was designed for us busy moms who need shortcuts for healthy dinners! Yes. Some of the recipes are based on the ready made products that they sell in the store- such as Seafood Soiree- which is basically a bag of frozen Cioppino Seafood Stew. But, most, are recipes for quick, healthy meals. I would love to try Dairy-Free Creamy Cashew Smoothie! Ingredients include banana, frozen tropical fruit, almond milk, cashew butter, 2 very soft dates. That sounds delicious. The book is broken down into your usual categories of appetizers, main meals, side dishes, drinks, breakfast, bachelor quickies and deserts. There are a few designated vegetarian recipes- but many could be substituted with tofu or tempeh.

So, if you’re a Trader Joe’s shopper and looking for quick, easy meals, this is a good buy! It’s $20 on Amazon.

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Here’s what’s on my nightstand (not read):

Molokai

Food Matters

Light on Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar

Dorothea Benton Frank

Here’s the suggestions I got via Twitter and Facebook:

Still Alice

Janet Evanovich

US Weekly for smut

What is your favorite book for some light (or not) summer reading?

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David Kirsch answers my questions!

After my recent review of his book, The Ultimate Total Body Makeover, I was left with lots of questions on how to use his plan in a more reasonable way- I’m not one to promote a 2 week fat loss program ever- however, his workout plan is really creative. We all know I like to have strong muscles and will lift as heavy as I have in my garage (at the moment that means a 35 pound k-bell or 20 pound hand weights). But, I know some of you don’t want to lift heavy- you’d rather have a toned, yoga like body and his plans are more designed for you. So, here are his answers.

Q Which celebrity do you think really works their butts off and wants a lean body for themselves and not for the media?

A While the initial motivation may be media-driven, I truly believe that all of the celebrity clients that I have worked with consider their transformation an honoring process. We focus on achieving their wellness from the inside out. And in turn, they have strength, confidence and beauty that they never had before.

Q Do you train with kettlebells and if so what’s your favorite exercise to do with them?

A I love doing Plie Toe Squats and Assymetric Lunges with Kettle Bells

Q l love all your stability ball exercises that I have posted in my garage-
but I don’t have time to do them all in one session and I don’t think most
moms do either. What do you think is the best way to burn fat for those of
us who have a GRAND total of 45 minutes to exercise?

A You need to engage in intense and continuous movement. A combination of cardio with light weights is best. Attached is an example of a 20-minute fat-burning cardio + cardiosculpting workout from my book, The Ultimate New York Body Plan. This would be a great circuit to do twice leaving you a few minutes to stretch. All you need is a pair of dumbbells, a medicine ball and a jump rope (optional).

And, do you have any questions for David? Also, he sent me a workout that I’d be happy to email to any of you. Please email me at fitnessformommies (at) gmail (dot) com.

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How many of you remember this article in Outside Magazine (Oct.99)?

Putting the pieces together (FOR ME & YOU:)

Davis Phinney, Professional Cyclist (what a hunk!!) has a sister named Alice who was one of Jennifer’s first climbing friends! {And, I’ve ridden with him!!} Alice taught Jennifer how to ice climb. Amazing.

In 1999, I devoured this article (and am still fascinated by the mystery). How did George Mallory and Andrew Irvine die? Did they actually summit Mt. Everest or not? Conrad Anker was one of the climbers who discovered Mallory almost completely preserved on Mt. Everest. Jennifer eventually finds love and marriage with Conrad Anker who was Alex’s best climbing partner.

Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea, was a good friend of Jennifer’s and together they have formed the Alex Lowe Charitable Foundation.

BOOK REVIEW:

Ok, so now you have some points of reference, I’d like to share my thoughts about the book. I read a review of it in Women’s Adventure Magazine and knew that if they loved it, then I’d like it. Alex Lowe considered one of the best mountain climbers ever (read tribute article here). Forget Me Knot traces the lives of Alex and Jennifer from the time they meet in 1980 until 1999 when he dies. From the beginning, you know he’s going to die in an avalanche but what you find out through detailed letters, notes and events, is of how their lives fit together. Personally, at times I felt like I was watching a train wreck happen. Alex was an obsessive compulsive athlete who’s main goal in life was to climb. Period. Jennifer climbed with him for a number of years, but, grew tired of it. Eventually, she was able to turn him loose to his love of climbing (FIRST) and to her (SECOND). In her credit, she was also passionate, independent and created a life of her own as an artist. By the end of their 18 years together, she had made three kids with him. Alex was gone six months a year leading a life of climbing and guiding for North Face and she offers a real life glimpse of being married to someone who’s love of climbing (and possibly risking his life) at times seemed more important than her and their three boys.

From someone (me) who’s married to a cyclist, I understand my husbands need to ride on Sundays. And I can accept that 2-3 Sundays a month (spring and summer) he will be racing his bike. There are times when I resent it- he is out having fun and I am here caring for the children, but, he is MUCH happier when he comes back. He’s a better daddy when he had his saddle time. However, I depend on him heavily to come home at night and be there to tuck the kids in every single night. So, when I read of Jennifer having three boys with a man who’s gone 50% of the year, I have to question it. At times, I felt like maybe she glossed over the difficulties of her daily life with THREE boys and raising them alone. Perhaps the focus was more on Alex’s climbing career than her-but, I was more interested in her and how she managed to raise those guys by herself.

It is a love story. It’s a story of how they were able to love each other while each pursuing their dreams of either being an artist or a professional athlete. It’s incredibly well-written and interesting from the first page. Both Jennifer and Alex have a gift of writing which I thoroughly enjoyed.

How far would you go to follow your dreams?

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My fascination with Kettlebell’s continues with this book by Pavel Tsatsouline. In fact, I’m ready for a 35 pound (funnily referred to as a “1-pood” in the book) Kettlebell! (hurry up tax return!) The exercises that I am currently using it for include the 2 arm swing, the 1 arm swing, squats, side squats, and lateral lunges. I found this book on Amazon for $23 and I am so glad I bought it. Not only is Pavel funny- he’s blunt about what kettlebells can do for you. But there is a step by step guide to the proper technique for each and every exercise that he recommends for women (like 4 pages per exercise!!)

Love this quote: “Shed cellulite, get a hard butt, and enjoy the cardio workout of a lifetime with the SNATCH!” What I’m finding with the k-bell is that I can jack my heart rate to 170 just by swinging it around! For me, the options to build muscular strength and get a heart busting cardio workout in a short amount of time is really WHY I LOVE IT. I believe once you master the basics, you can totally design your own workout.

Pavel’s philosophy about lifting is completely opposite of what every personal trainer has ever told me or that I’ve read. He believes in “greasing the groove”. That is you work out 6 days a week but you alternate your hard and easy days- but he does NOT believe that you can’t work the same muscle on back to back days. He is from Russia and uses lots of Russian analogies about how the successful weight lifters and gymnasts worked the same muscles day in and day out. The difference is that on Monday you do two sets of your repetition maximum and on Tuesday you do two sets of half that number. Honestly, this sits well with me. I’m happier if I do something almost daily- I just don’t go hard everyday. And kettlebells are fun to play around with and on the easy days– it’s fun to experiment with the harder techniques so that I can go hard when it’s TIME.

The Plan:

It is very well thought out and easy to follow. I also like that he starts you off on week 1 with 2 exercises to do. Box Squats and Power Breathing daily. Week 2, he adds one exercise; the one -legged deadlift. Week 3, there is nothing new added except the number of sets or repetitions changes. And, week 4 is a “rest week” and the workouts are scaled back to Box Squats and Angled Power Breathing Crunches. From week 5-8, things get noticeably harder. But, there is still only 4 exercises to do!

As for the food?

He says “yours truly does not have the knowledge to write on the subject!” And, he says as long as you follow a reasonable diet, you will lose plenty of fat! For added testimony, he interviewed the two women who are featured in the book D.C. and Andrea. Andrea (dark haired model) takes a bazillian supplements and focuses on protein and a healthy dinner. D.C. on the other hand offers her advice from the perspective of the mother who is always carrying a 10 pound load in a 5 pound bag. She works out HARD 2-3 times a week and is cut like a body builder and she says nothing about her diet!

I highly recommend this book. His no nonsense approach is hilarious. He doesn’t make any crazy statements like eating 2 egg whites for breakfast and a protein shake for dinner. The plan is simple and it’s very achievable for a woman to start a program with just one kettlebell. In fact, it’s taken me weeks to read and reread/highlight.  I love the detailed descriptions of each exercise. Man or woman, this book will take you where you want to go- low body fat, fast effective workouts, ability for TONS of choices..the list goes on and on…

On a side note:

There are two types of kettlebells- the kind GO FIT makes and the REAL THING offered by Russian Dragon Door. The difference is in the slick handle that the Russian Dragon Door bells have. They are a little more expensive which is why I don’t have one (yet). The problem with my Go Fit bell is that it has a rough handle that is causing some ugly blister like calluses on my hands. But, for $30 to start, I’m okay with that!

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(Image Taken from Heidi’s website)

Years ago, I heard Heidi Klum in an interview answering the question, “how do you stay so slim?” and her answer was “eat right and exercise”. That’s it.  She said it wasn’t easy, and that she really doesn’t enjoy exercise very much but she is willing to do it because of her modeling career.  David Kirsch is her trainer in New York and she says she regularly works out with him.

How many of you have heard of David Kirsch?  I (live under a rock) had never heard of him until I received a press release about his new book, the Ultimate New York Body Plan.  I love reading these types of books because I always learn new things.

Kirsch wrote this book with some of his clients in mind, who, really wanted to lose a lot of weight fast.  He has another book called Sound Mind, Sound Body that is more of a six week plan (anybody read?)- this one is strictly a TWO WEEK PLAN.  One and a half hours of exercise per day, followed by a strict diet of mostly protein and veggies.  No bread, no pasta, no rice, no carrots, no sweet potatos,  no fruits, no alcohol, no dairy, no sugar, no egg yolks.  Gee, if I dropped all those foods, I probably would lose ten pounds too.  This plan is for somebody who NEEDS something to get them to do this.  Such as a wedding, a family reunion, a high school reunion, a photo shoot.

The Training Portion

His program, I believe is designed more for women than men, but, I read some reviews of men who followed the program.  They just modified it with extra weights.   His plan is based on his philosophy that some women want to look sexy and sculpted but not bulky.  So, his entire weight circuit uses a medicine ball, light hand weights and a stability ball.   The book comes with a pull-out poster for all of his exercises.  There is a Cardio Sculpting Routine, an abs and core toning routine,  and a legs and butt routine.  Day 1 is the cardio sculpting routine plus 45 minutes of additional cardio.  For the cardio portion, he says, it must be heart pumping such as the gauntlet.  No intervals are required- just 45 minutes every single day.

The Nutrition Portion

Day 2 calls for an AM Protein Shake, Spinach and Brocoli Egg White Frittata and Turkey Sausage, Asian BBQ Chicken Kabob with Thai Salsa, Tuna Salad and Broccoli, Protein Shake or a Salmon Burger with Spinach for dinner.   There are at least 25 recipes included in this section.  It doesn’t look like you’d be starving yourself- just depriving yourself of anything fun at all.  And he says if you fall of the wagon – by eating a cookie – then you must punish yourself with 30 minutes of additional cardio.  The recipes are inventive and reasonable.  For sure, I’d try the Salmon Burgers or the Tuna Salad.  In fact, I was impressed with the number of creative recipes included in this book.

What’s your opinion?

I have mixed feelings on this plan for several reasons.  This kind of strict diet would lead me straight to the pantry for something to cheat on daily and I’m quite certain that I would not go two weeks without any sugar.  I liked some of the cardio sculpting exercises which I can incorporate into my current plan.  I also loved some of the more challenging stability ball or medicine ball exercises- but there are like 40 exercises!  For the abs and core, there are only 8 and 14 for the legs and butt.  That is too many in my humble opinion.  As a mom, just looking at this list overwelms me.  Since this is Fitness for Mommies, I have to put it out there that I don’t think this plan as written would be easy to fit into your daily life.   Also, I like lifting heavy.  I like having strong muscles.  I’m not after the super model lean look.  Who is?  However, what I can take away from this book are the concepts – to reduce the amounts of bread, pasta, rice, whole grains that I eat, reduce the number of yolks I put in my frittata’s, swap out one iced coffee for green tea…And, add some of the exercises into my routine -but 45 minutes TOTAL is generally what I give myself in the mornings before work – so, one or two per day, maybe.

How many of you would be willing to follow this plan?  Heard of David Kirsch? Followed the modeling careers of Liv Tyler or Linda Evangilista? Curious as to YOUR opinion.

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First up, Fudgy Peanut Butter and Chocolate Protein Bars!

Mix 4 scoops of your favorite chocolate protein powder (I used 100% Whey Gold Standard because it was cheap and available- not because it’s the best on the market.  Protein powder needs to have very FEW ingredients – see old post), 4 Tablespoons of Natural PB, 1/4 cup of water, 2/3 Flax Meal, and a sweetener.  Recipe was found in Clean Eating Magazine but, of course, I didn’t follow the recipe.  I used oat bran instead of flax meal and used Agave Nectar to sweeten.  They taste pretty darn good!  Great for sack lunches as a midday snack.  Hubby says that they are “chewy and look like dog poop, but not bad though.”

What’s your favorite Chocolate Protein Powder?

Secondly, you can check me out over on Tammy’s blog today.  She has the celebrity stylists doing surgery on my head and the inspiration photos…

Sadly, my knees are pissed off again.  I thought I had kicked the inflammation off to the curb, but they are killing me today and yesterday.   Last week, post bike race, I ran hard on pavement Tuesday, did killer hills on dirt Thursday, then some serious sprint work on my bike on Sunday, and today is Monday and they ache.  And, naturally, I was still sprinting and demonstrating with my students as we are in the track and field unit right now.   Annoying, people.  I have a hard time resting, if you can’t tell by the above.

The plan for the week:

LAY the HECK off running Tuesday and do Shiva Rea’s hip opening yoga poses instead, plus some other strength work, and attempt an easy run on Thursday.  There is another bike race on Sunday which I will for sure do.   Fast cadence work on my bike doesn’t hurt.  So, I may require another gear on my bike so that I can “spin up” more with less effort.

Sure wish I could have a celebrity make-over to fix my knees!

Fat Blasting Boot Camp:

I’ve got one more week in Workout #1 and I still love it.  I continually challenge the number of repetitions and the time for cardio work is up to three minutes between sets.  Stoked that I can do 3 sets of 15 sumo squats with a 25 pound kettlebell. Whoo Hoo.  One problem, though, is that my IT band is easily irritated and overly tight.  And, I’m learning that I need to do the OPPOSITE upon completion of the workout in the form of stretching and/ or yoga poses to balance my body out.  The good news is that I know I’ve lost 1/2 of an inch in my waist.

BOOKS:

Currently reading, David Kirsch’s, The Ultimate New York Body Plan. Anybody read it? Thoughts? He’s worked with Heidi Klum, Faith Hill, Liv Tyler.

Tour of California!!

Any of you cycling fans out there? This is going to be an awesome race.  Just so you know, I love Floyd Landis and George Hincapie. Think they are class acts.

That’s it.

What’s new with you all?

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1. If you ever read the Poisonwood Bible, this is the same author. This book follows Barbara and her family for one year in Virginia who have committed to eating only locally grown foods. Their primary reasons for this were to see if it could be done (and it can), to demonstrate and document to the world how one can live a more real food life, reduce the carbon foot print on the earth…. on and on…

2. Gardening. Tons of it. I learned more in this book than from any other gardening book, ever. I’ve been encouraged by the book to grow MORE of my own vegetables. I’ve always had a garden just never really done a lot with it. Even got permission to plant veggies in the front yard! Ha Ha Ha…Can’t wait to hear the comments from the neighbors on that one. I really should be able to have produce year round from my own garden since this is sunny S. California.

3. Meat. I now have issues buying red meat unless I know where’s it’s come from. Has anyone else worried about what the cow has been fed or how it was treated while in it’s last months of “fat camp”? Who here buys organic, grass fed, locally grown meat?

4. Turkey Sex. I learned about turkey’s have sex and it was hilarious. Most turkey’s are artificially inseminated and have almost lost their instincts to do what is natural.

5. FOOD. Kingsolver’s take on food is REAL FOOD. It’s a way of life to eat fresh fruits (when available) and veggies at every meal. I loved how she turned the “clean eating” diet into this is better for the planet argument. Particularly for store bought items. Buy items with the fewest ingredients- because the fewer ingredients that are in a product means fewer fossil fuel miles each item has to travel to get in that food.

6. Recipes. Below is my attempt at the Sweet Potato Quesadillas. I used Parmesean Cheese instead of Brie cheese since I’m a huge Sweet Potato fan! Kids and I loved it.

7. Potatoes. Must plant them this year. Anybody ever grown potatoes before? It sounds like they’d be a blast to plant and grow in big piles with a dozen potatoes attached to the first seeder…

8. Encouragement to change the way we think about food and how it gets to YOU. Encouragement to eat locally grown everything- if you can and live in a good climate for growing foods. San Francisco apparently can get any and all things within 100 miles.

9. What to do when your heavily loaded down with too much fruit or vegetables. Ever considered going to a farmer’s market and buying everything they have of one thing and going home and canning it for the following winter?

Ok, well, I don’t want to giveaway the whole book, but it is definitely one that I will continue to read and reference and I highly recommend it.

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