Lunch Time: Veggie Quinoa

I wanted to share with you a healthy, nutritious lunch that I made the other day. It's super easy & doesn't take too much time to make, either.

Everyday, I strive to make healthy choices for my body. For me, I notice that my body does not do well with carbs... at all. So, I try to make meals that are carb-free (for the most part).

Well... here it is: Veggie Quinoa.

Ingredients:

* 1 cup of Quinoa (This is something I always have in my cupboard... and you should, too!)

* Spinach (about a handful)

* 1/2 a Tomato

* Onion (Take a whole onion & slice once - which should give you 5-6 rings)

* Roasted Cauliflower, Pinenuts & Garlic (This was leftover from a previous dinner.)

Directions:

1. Fill a pot with 1 1/4 cup of water. When the water gets to a boil - add 1 cup of quinoa. Cook for 10 minutes.

2. While the quinoa is cooking - grab a pan, add olive oil and bring it to a medium heat. Grab a handful of spinach & toss it in the pan until it is wilted.

3. Chop up half a tomato & dice.

4. Take an onion & slice once. This will give you 5-6 rings. I love whole onion rings - but if you would rather chop it up... go for it.

5. For the roasted cauliflower (pine nuts & garlic) - this was from the night before & I wanted to use it up. So - if you don't have roasted cauliflower laying around in your fridge (haha) use some leftover veggies from the night before.

6. Once the quinoa is ready (the water will be gone & it will be light and fluffy) - just add all the veggies in with the quinoa.

7. EAT!!

This may not sound like a lot of food - but trust me, it filled me up! I find that when you put the right foods in your body - you stay full longer.

Thanks for reading & Happy Tuesday!!

Elisabeth's Veggie Quinoa

...xox...

Liz

Healthy AM

Wow.

Has it really been a year since I've written on my blog?

Life lesson: Year 25 is the fastest one, yet. Seriously.

Ok, So nothing super interesting - but, I wanted to share what I have been eating for breakfast. Lots of yummy ingredients to make an incredible smoothie:

1. Strawberries
2. 1 Banana
3. Chia Seeds
4. 2 Gallops of Peanut Butter
5. Almond Milk (1/2 a cup)
6. 10 Spinach Leaves
7. A few ice cubes (if you choose - to make it more smoothy-like)

I love my Magic Bullet - I squish all of this into my Bullet and out comes yumminess - and it does keep me full (hence the peanut butter).

EAT CLEAN!

((I swear it tastes better than it looks!!!))

...xox...

Liz

Excercise of the Week

I know it's been a while since I've posted. Life has been completely insane! But, I thrive in staying busy ;)

I wanted to show you a simple exercise - which should be added to your work-outs this week. It's effective and the benefits are amazing.

The exercise is called "Roll-Up" & it's from Mat Pilates.

Here is what you do:

• Lie flat on your back with your arms elongated by your sides.
• Inhale (lift your arms over your head at a 90 degree angle), then exhale and lift your head, neck & shoulders.
• Start peeling your upper, middle & then lower back off the mat. (slowly - it's all about control)
• Keep your abs tight as you reach past your toes.
• Then, roll down slowly - articulating your lower, middle & upper back onto the mat - with your head being last.
• Repeat. (6-10x)

Roll-Up

Here is some interesting information:

Did you know that ONE Roll-Up is equal to SIX sit-ups? Yea... And, it's great for achieving flat abs!

...xox...

Liz



Flat Ab Series

I'm a huge fan of all ab exercises. When you are exercising it's very important to target all areas - which is why I love running. It tones your arms, legs, abs & butt. But, it's always important to add other exercises in the mix - to give your muscles definition. 

So, today I want to share with you the ab series from Mat Pilates. Pilates targets core strength in all its exercises - but the ab series is where you really feel the burn.

There are a total of five exercises in the series:

1. Single Leg Stretch

• Lie on your back with your knees tucked to your chest. Draw your belly in & flatten your spine against the mat. Place both hands on your right knee and press your left leg out to a 45 degree angle. Then, switch your legs back and forth until you reach about 10 kicks on each leg. 

2. Double Leg Stretch

• Lie on your back with your knees tucked against your chest. Place both hands on your shins. Inhale as you raise your arms back by your ears. Simultaneously extend your legs at a 45-degree angle. Exhale as you tuck your knees in and sweep your arms out to the sides and in to your knees. Repeat 5-10 times.

3. Scissors

• Lie on your back with your knees tucked against your chest. Extend one leg toward the ceiling, and grab as close to your ankle as possible. Extend your other leg forward, about 12 inches above the floor. Pull the higher leg toward you in two tiny pulses, and then switch your legs. Repeat this exercise 10 times on each leg. 

4. Lower-Lift

• Begin on your back with your legs pressed together and extended toward the ceiling. Place your hands behind your head with your elbows wide. Flatten your spine to the floor. Lower both legs about 12 inches. Do not allow your back to arch off the floor. Exhale as you pull your belly in and raise both legs to upright. Repeat 10 times. I think this one is the hardest! 

 

5. Cross-Cross 

• Lie on your back with your knees tucked against your chest. Bring your hands behind your head with your elbows wide. Flatten your spine against the floor and draw your belly in. Extend your right leg out at a 45-degree angle. Twist your torso to the left, slowly peeling your shoulder blade off the floor. Inhale and then exhale as you switch your legs and your torso twists. Repeat 10 times on each side. This one is great for those love handles! 

After you finish your cardio at the gym OR if you are at home - these are FABULOUS ab exercises you can do anywhere. 

...xox...

Liz

Stubborn Abs

Your lower abs can be the hardest and most stubborn part of your body to get in shape. When it comes to your abs, it really does matter what exercises you do along with what you're eating!

Personally, I think the lower ab exercises are the hardest - but they are the most rewarding, as well!

Here are a few lower ab exercises that I frequently do in my weekly work-out routine: 

1. Lower & Lift

• This exercise I learned from years of Pilates. It's super simple - but will have your abs sore the next day.
•  First, lie on your back. Keep your back long and imagine that you are sucking your belly button to the floor.
• Lift both legs straight to the ceiling. Flex your feet. Then, lower your legs as one unit until you are several inches above the ground (if your lower back lifts up, then you have gone too far down). 
• Finally, lift your legs back up to the starting position.
• Reps: 12, Sets: 3 

2. Cross-Legged Lift

•  First, lie on your back. Keep your arms at your sides.
• Bend right knee, crossing right foot over left thigh. Keeping left leg straight, use your abs to lift hips off the ground.
• Lower hips, then take legs down to 45 degrees. 
• Switch, crossing the left leg over the right thigh.
• Reps: 12 (each leg), Sets: 3 (each leg) 

Picture from Shape.com

3. Reverse Crunch

•  First, lie on your back. Keep your arms at your sides.
  
• Bring the knees in towards the chest until they're bent to 90 degrees. Keep your feet together.
• Contract the abs to curl the hips off the floor, reaching the legs up towards the ceiling.  
• This is a very small movement - so make sure your lower abs are doing ALL the work!
• Extra: Rumor has it this is how Jessica Simpson got her sexy abs back when she was filming Dukes of Hazzard.
  
• Reps: 15-20, Sets: 3

Try this lower ab work-out the next time you make it to the gym! Also, these exercises are simple enough to where you can do them right at home!

Be a Fitness Queen!

...xox...

Liz

Catch Me If You Can

Before I share with you some of my favorite exercises and routines that I use on a weekly basis - I want to go over one basic fact:

Cardio is your best friend.

I don't know about you - but I think the most beautiful, healthy & fit body is: toned, long & lean. (This DOES include curves.) How do you get this type of body? Step #1 - add cardio to your workout. 

What is considered cardio?

• Running (my personal favorite)
• Swimming
• Biking/Cycling
• Dancing
• At the gym, you can use the elliptical & treadmill.

Cardio is an entire body workout. If you do the proper amount of cardio each week, you will notice your body changing and becoming more and more toned.

Sometimes people don't realize that if you do 500 crunches a day - you will never see results unless you add cardio to your fitness routine.

Cardio, actually, is a fantastic ab workout. Have you ever been in a cycling class and the instructor told you to "suck your stomach in to your spine"? That is because your abs are powering you through the workout.

Other than my daily runs every week - I probably only work on my abs 2x a week. It's all I need with all the cardio I do!

So, how much cardio do I do in one week? I run 5x a week and try to do a cycling class 1x a week - which makes a total of 6x per week. 

That can be a lot to some people - but I do recommend that you do cardio 4x per week for at least 45 minutes. When I run outside or at the gym, I usually run anywhere from 45 minutes to one hour. I rarely have a cardio session that's less than 45 minutes.

Try adding cardio 4x a week - and let me know what happens! ;)

Princess Running Shoes

...xox...

Liz