Your Healthista

The Top 7 Myths about Crossfit and Why They're Totally FALSE

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 15:37:00 -0500

I understand that Crossfit isn’t for everyone. I GET IT. But don’t let the myths about Crossfit give you an excuse not to try it, okay? If you’re even a little bit interested, I would highly recommend trying it at least 4-5 times (once isn’t really enough to get a good feel for it). It’s literally changed my life.

Myth #1: Crossfit is only for super-fit people.

Entirely untrue. One of the best and most amazing things about Crossfit is that it’s scalable to any level. I think people hear that and don’t believe it, but it’s true. We have people of all ages, shapes, and abilities at my box, and the most wonderful thing is that everyone cheers everyone else on. I’m genuinely happy when my friends get PRs or push themselves to new heights. Warm and fuzzy feelings abound in Crossfit!

So obviously, Camille is super-fit. But you don’t have to be to get a LOT out of Crossfit!

Myth #2: Crossfit is expensive.

Crossfit is only expensive if you compare it to regular gyms. It’s CHEAP when you compare it to the cost of personal training, which to me, is a more apt comparison. I paid around $700 for three months of personal training at one 60-minute session per week. Crossfit costs anywhere between $150-300/month, depending on where you live, but you can go as many times as you want. Since each session is like a group personal training session, it actually costs about half as much as you’d get charged at a standard gym!

Myth #3: Crossfit is a cult.

GAHHHHH, I’m so sick of hearing this. Crossfit is a cult as much as any group of people interested in the same thing is a cult! We all like talking about Crossfit when we’re together because we all DO Crossfit. If you got together with a bunch of coworkers outside of work, isn’t it likely that you’d spend at least part of the time inadvertently talking about work? Same concept. It’s what we all have in common, so it’s easy to talk about!

Keep reading for Myths #4-7!

Myth #4: If you do Crossfit, you’ll end up looking like a crazy gym rat.

Not that there’s anything wrong with being your own personal gun show, but I get that some people just don’t want to look like they spend every waking minute in the gym. I promise that if you do Crossfit regularly, you’ll just look like you — only fitter!

Me (on top) and a few CF friends (Sara & Hillary) — only fitter! I’ll admit, Hills is a little bit of a beast, but she’s a coach!

Myth #5: You have to eat Paleo if you do Crossfit.

While most Crossfit boxes might encourage Paleo or Whole30 eating, you certainly don’t have to eat that way. Just eat in the way that fuels you well and makes you feel good! I would say our box is about 50/50 Paleo vs. non-Paleo eaters. As long as you’re eating whole foods that don’t slow you down, your coach probably won’t take much issue with it!

Myth #6: You can’t mix other workouts with Crossfit.

Not at all! I have Crossfit friends that run, do jazzercise, take yoga, etc. I even throw in the occasional Zumba class along with my Crossfit regimen. As long as you’re careful, you can absolutely mix Crossfit into a varied workout routine.

Myth #7: Crossfit encourages puking.

Yes, some people pride themselves on getting to that pukey point in a workout, but that’s certainly not everyone. But it’s easy to scale the workout so you never reach that point. The important thing is to make sure you’re not feeling comfortable all the time — push yourself just outside your comfort zone to the point where you’re reaping the benefits but not feeling ill. You can always ask your coach to help you find the right way to scale, too. If your coach is pushing you too hard and you feel uncomfortable, you’re at the wrong box. The best coaches know when to push and when to lay off.

If you do Crossfit, what other myths drive you nuts?

Potlucking Out

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 10:00:19 -0500

I told you guys that I’m doing a January Whole30 with my dad, my sister, and a few people from my Crossfit box. Well, we all got smart and decided to throw a Whole30 potluck. Let me tell you — that was ageniusidea, for a few reasons:

It reminded me of all the delicious Whole30 food out there, because sometimes, it’s all too easy to get stuck in a rut.
It’s a fun, food-related event we could all participate in without feeling at all guilty or pressured to compromise our goals.
It was an opportunity to trade Whole30 tips, tricks, raves, and woes.

I tried to make Paleo banana bread from this recipe (yes, totally SWYPO, but we all agreed that SWYPO was okay for this potluck!). Unfortunately, as I tried to flip it out of the pan as instructed, it completely broke in half. Though my kind friends tried to persuade me to bring it anyway, I just couldn’t serve a crumbled mess of a dish. So I made fruit salad instead.

Everyone else had better luck. Check out my plate!

There was eggplant parmesan without the parmesan (breaded in almond meal), veggies and guac, egg muffins, roasted veggies, delicious salad, a unique potato and venison dish with egg that would make a really yummy breakfast, and of course, my boring fruit salad.

We also had a drink that will go down as my favorite Whole30-compliant drink EVER:

It’s Peach-Pear LaCroix (apparently a new-to-2012 flavor!) with lime and pomegranate seeds. AWESOME and so festive!

There was plenty of good company too…

My Crossfit coach Jarrod is on the left and bad-ass Crossfitter Jen is on the right. She’s a quiet beast! If you live in the Detroit area, please don’t sleep on Crossfit Benchmark Workouts. It’s the best box around!

More CF friends: Terri and Becks.

So if you’re on a healthy eating/living mission in 2013, please don’t be afraid to get your friends involved. Having a healthy potluck is probably one of the best ways to share recipes, ideas, and dang good food.

Happy potlucking!

Celebrating Others Healthfully

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 15:02:00 -0500

I think one of the most difficult things about being on Whole30 is participating in the celebrations of loved ones. Saying no to non-Whole30 foods is just half the battle. The other half of the battle is trying to explain why you can’t partake in birthday cake, drinks, etc.

Since I’m now on my third Whole30, I feel like I have a little bit of experience with this. Just last night, I celebrated my man’s birthday without indulging in anything non-Whole30. Of course, it’s easy with him since he knows what I’m doing and gets why it’s important to me. It’s trickier if you’re around people who aren’t as close or don’t really understand why you eat the way you do.

Here are the things I’ve learned about celebrating others healthfully along the way:

It’s okay — I mean really OKAY —to say no to food.
We’ve all been in situations where we feel really guilty about turning down food, mostly because of who’s offering it to us. But you really CAN say no to food and not offer any explanation!

Sometimes no explanation is better than the truth.
People have a harder time arguing with no explanation than trying to explain that your eating plan doesn’t allow a certain food. “No, thanks,” is absolutely acceptable in almost all situations!

You can still participate in your own way.
Whether that means bringing your own special food, deciding to celebrate without food in a special way, or promising you’ll treat yourself after the event, make sure you do something special or different. Otherwise, you’ll feel deprived all around.

Your loved ones will never remember what you did or didn’t eat.
I promise you, they’re not the food police. Even if it becomes a little awkward to say no to food you’re offered, no one will remember who ate in no time at all. It’s not worth caving just to avoid a slightly awkward situation because it won’t matter at all soon enough.

You can celebrate without food.
I promise, you can! For my birthday this past year, I hosted a big Zumba class. Tons of fun, no food involved.

What other tips do you have for celebrating others healthfully?

Wedding Dress Shopping: Health for a Wedding vs. a Marriage

Sun, 06 Jan 2013 15:50:00 -0500

As I mentioned in this post, I’m getting married in the spring at two separate ceremonies (one in Mexico over Memorial Day weekend and one in my hometown three weeks later).

You can ask any of my friends to verify this, but I’ve never been a wedding person. I’ve never fantasized about my own wedding, never gotten addicted to any of the seemingly omnipresent wedding shows on TLC, never read wedding blogs, and to be honest, never really saw myself having a wedding in the conventional sense. I always said, “If my husband-to-be wants to have a wedding, we can have one. But I don’t need one.”

Well, guess what? My husband-to-be wants a wedding. Don’t get me wrong: he would be completely fine eloping or just taking our families to a nice dinner after a courthouse ceremony, but he’d definitely rather have a wedding. Okay, cool. I can do that.

Once I dipped a toe into the wild, wild world of weddings, I realized I didn’t know anything about them. Not having been a “wedding person” growing up was actually kind of a disadvantage. Suddenly not only did I need to find a venue, a caterer, a florist, etc., etc., etc., but I also had to find THE dress — and look the best I’ve ever looked in it. Talk about pressure, right?

My goal so far while planning two weddings has been to keep things as simple, streamlined, and comfortable as possible (“as possible” being the key phrase). That doesn’t include taking several days out of my life to find the “perfect” dress that would set me back a month’s paycheck. Uh uh. I hopped online and thanks to recommendations from friends, ordered two dresses — one for each ceremony — that I thought would do just fine. And guess what? They both were lovely, and they both fit. I thought I had the perfect story to tell (because aren’t weddings at least in part about the stories that make up the wedding?): I bought the first two dresses I liked online and they fit, so I’m wearing them! I’m so low-maintenance!”

But my story didn’t end there. I ended up shopping around a bit (just to be sure!) and finding a better dress that I might just wear to both ceremonies.

Anyway, the point of all this wedding dress shopping talk is that it’s pretty tough to shop for a wedding dress without hearing a little voice in the back of your head that says, “Don’t worry, you’re going to lose lots of weight for the wedding! This will look much nicer on you in a few months.” It’s really hard. But I really tried to find a dress that looked flattering on me just as I am now, even after a couple months of not treating my body in the best way.

All that to say, over the next five months, my goal is to become healthy for my wedding, but also for my marriage. I want to start my marriage having equipped myself with the tools I know I need to feel energetic, confident, and happy. Which for me equals eating the foods I know work with my body and exercising in the way that boosts my self-esteem and generally BAMF-ness as much as possible (right now, that’s Crossfit).

That’s not to say I don’t want to look like a total knock out. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t! But what I really want to look like is myself. Not “the best version of myself”; just the “myself” that I want to be forever (or at the very least, the “myself” that I can accomplish in an hour or two). Even though it’s tempting, I probably won’t get a spray tan or eyelash extensions. And you know what, I may not even wear Spanx. Where you draw the line between looking like yourself and starting to look like the long-lost cousin of yourself is totally your call. I think I know where my line is, and it may or may not include shaping undergarments. It will most definitely include a mani/pedi, though.

But back to being healthy for my marriage. I really want to take the next five months to focus on building and reinforcing my healthy habits and phasing out my not-so-healthy ones. That’s not to say I’m going to go into my marriage with zero bad habits. Ah, not at all! Just that I want to go into it feeling confident that I’m starting from a place of contentment with my choices.

Anyway, I’d love to hear what you all have to say on these topics (feeling pressure to look YOURVERYBEST! on your wedding day, wedding dress shopping when you’re not at your peak health, etc.).

New Year Egg Drop Soup with Pork

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 11:32:00 -0500

This is, hands down, my new favorite recipe. I’ve already made it three times and I’m not sick of it. That’s saying a lot because usually I have a hard time eating something more than two or three times in a row.

It’s an easy recipe, but one ingredient you really can’t skimp on is this one:

Sesame oil makes this recipe, so please don’t try to make it without some!

You’ll need (makes 4-6 servings):

2 boxes chicken broth (organic, free range is best if you can swing it)
4-5 Tbsp sesame oil, divided
5-6 heads baby bok choy
1 cup green onion, diced
1-2 lbs ground pork
2-3 Tbsp coconut aminos (or substitute with soy sauce)
4-5 eggs, whisked together
crushed red pepper to taste
salt to taste

Make it:

Begin by sauteing the ground pork in 1-2 Tbsp sesame oil in a large soup pot. When the pork is around 75-80% cooked, add the broth, coconut aminos, and crushed red pepper. The pork should look kinda like this before you add the additional ingredients:

Bring everything to a boil, then add the bok choy and green onion. Cook for about 5-10 minutes, then remove the pot from the heat source. Wait until the soup has cooled just a bit (1-2 minutes). Then, add the eggs by stirring the pot consistently while you slowly pour in the egg mixture. Turn the heat back on to low/simmer, and cook for another 5-10 minutes to help marry all the flavors. Add salt if necessary.

Garnish with more green onion if desired.

It doesn’t look like much, but it is completely and utterly delicious.

For vegetarians: use diced tofu instead of pork and add rice noddles if desired. You could also add pre-made veggie wontons.

One Month at a Time: January

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 11:31:00 -0500

I feel like I can hear all the new year’s resolutions being made (or already broken) as I type this, both in the blog world and in real life. But here I sit, on the second day of 2013, without having made a single resolution, goal, or intention for the year. While I usually love the opportunity for a fresh start — and am definitely in favor of setting SMART goals — I think I’m going to take it one month at a time this year.

After I stepped away from the blog earlier this month, I pretty much immediately stepped into a haze of holiday goodies, abandoning all of my Here and Now principles. I only made it to Crossfit a couple times. Of course, I paid the price. I spent the holidays feeling sluggish, bloated, and not myself. I’m glad I took the pressure off — I certainly didn’t miss out on any time with family or friends because I just had to get to Crossfit — but I’m not too happy with my holiday health performance. I didn’t practice what I preach, which is disappointing.

But my policy is not to dwell, just move forward the best I can. So I’m taking it one month at a time. January will be devoted to my third Whole30. The Whole9 crew is hosting a HUGE Whole30, so it seems like a great time to jump on board. Lots of other bloggers are joining in, but my main motivation is supporting my sister, who’s trying Whole30 for the first time. My dad is also taking part in his second one. A few Crossfitters from my box are also Whole30-ing this month. It’s always better to do the Whole30 with partners!

When I eat Whole30, I truly feel like my body thanks me. And honestly, sometimes it’s a relief to not have to think about if I should indulge in this or that. The decisions are made for me, and that’s what I need right now. To read about my last Whole30, check out these posts. I also sketched out a month of Whole30 eats (complete with recipes and grocery lists) that I might just post.

We’ll see what February brings, but for now, January will be all about Whole30 and getting back to Crossfit. I’m sure I lost a lot of strength, endurance, and flexibility, which is sad, but I’ll get it back!

The other good reason I need to focus on one month at a time is that otherwise, this year would be totally overwhelming. With planning two weddings, a possible cross-country move, and almost inevitable time away from my boo, I just need to focus on putting one foot in front of the other.

I did, however, have a wonderful new year — which I rang in with my two besties (and my man, not pictured).

I hope all of you rung in 2013 in a happy, happy way — and that you’ll follow me on my month-to-month journey. I’m going to try to be as honest as I can about the next few months as I try to get back to a place where I feel comfortable with my choices. You can still expect the normal recipes, workouts, and general fitness advice, but I’m hoping I can be more candid about what I’m doing, and what I’m struggling with.

Come along for the ride, won’t you?

Happy Happy

Sun, 16 Dec 2012 16:04:17 -0500

Dear Healthisa Readers,

In the spirit of rest, rejuvenation, and yes, health, I’m officially signing off for the rest of 2012.

At the time of year when things might normally be winding down, my life seems to be picking up.

Work has been ramping up thanks to some new and exciting programs — definitely relevant to the Healthista crowd, so I’ll be sure to share next year after we launch!

Your Healthista Consulting has also been revving up, since a lot of people have goals for the new year they need help accomplishing.

And remember this guy? (Also mentioned in this post, this post, and this post.) After almost six years of love, we’re now engaged! This is a fairly recent development, but I can already tell it will make the next six months of my life a lot more interesting (we’re planning on a spring 2013 wedding. Two, actually. But more on that another time!).

Though I haven’t been sharing a lot of personal details on the blog lately, I wanted to fill you all in on why I’m giving myself the next couple weeks to focus on work, family, and my fiance. In fact, my only free time last weekend was spent decorating the mini tree pictured above at my man’s house.

But, dear readers, I promise I’m not leaving you for good. I’m just getting reenergized to create lots of awesome content in 2013. I have some things cooking (pun 100% intended).

So please, in the next few weeks, have the happiest of happies, whatever those happies are. And if I can share one wish I have for you this holiday season, it’s this: soak up all the love around you, however you can, as much as you can. I think that’s the healthiest thing to do, don’t you agree?

Fit Yo Pants Result Highlights

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 10:00:24 -0500

I wanted to share some of your amazing Fit Yo Pants Challenge results, because they’re pretty amazing!

First up, here’s Elizabeth:

The last side profile is an amazing difference in just six weeks!

Next up, queenbliss:

To help her stay motivated, she says: “I kept the pants on the hanger and saw them every morning when I woke up and every time I went to bed. I knew I couldn’t let myself down as I had many times in the past.”

Here’s Alyssa:

Those are some crazy results! Here’s how she did it: “I worked out 6 days a week, for an hour most days. I would do 10-20 minutes of circuit training and yoga or barre style workouts for the rest. There were definitely more treats in my diet than you recommended, but I consider myself an intuitive eater, so I only ate when hungry and didn’t overindulge too much.”

Check out Nicole’s results:

Catrina’s progress:

Awesome work! Catrina says, “To fit my pants, I ate healthier foods and cut out all drinks except for water. I’ve been running four times a weeks since I started my fitness journey.”

Stacey was really excited to lose inches, though she says her pants are still a bit snug:

Stacey says, “How did I do it? Portion control and increased exercise. Portion control was the easy part. Along with the discipline to say ‘no thank you’ when offered sweets or carbs at work. Now that is dedication! As for exercise I kept track of my weekly minutes. To challenge myself by doing more but also not overdoing it either. Did I mention that I work in retail??? I am so proud that I was able to even loose anything during the hardest month out of the year. Let alone Black Friday!!! To be totally honest I wasn’t expecting to loose anything.”

Congrats and thanks to all on your fantastic work! It’s not the easiest time to decide to make healthier choices, so your progress is extra impressive. The randomly selected winner of the $100 gift card is…

Laura M.! Email me to claim your prize.

Thanks again to everyone who participated! Be proud of yourselves, fo reals.

Do You Fit Yo Pants?!

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 13:33:50 -0500

The Fit Yo Pants Challenge is officially over, and it’s time to pick a winner!

If you completed the challenge and now fit yo pants, first of all, CONGRATS! Amazing job, you. Way to dedicate yourself and meet your goal!

Second of all, if you want to be entered to win the $100 Amazon gift card, you’ll need to send me an “after” pic with you fitting yo pants by Wednesday, 12/5 at midnight EST. In your email, please also include:

If you’re okay with your pic going on the blog and if so,
a few sentences about how you were able to fit yo pants and…
a link to your blog, if you’d like!

I’ll randomly select a winner out of those who SEND ME AN EMAIL on Thursday, 12/6. Congrats again to all who participated!

Vesna of Fit Missy sent me a new video to share with you all!...

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 10:27:01 -0500

Vesna of Fit Missy sent me a new video to share with you all! She says:

“The outer thigh and butt (abductors) are one of those trouble areas most women always ask about. Here is an exercise that will isolate that area and help shape the glute. If you are a runner, this is a great exercise for you as weak abductors tend to lead to common running injuries.”

Hear that, runners?! These exercises will help prevent injuries!

Top Ten Food Words Worth Savoring

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 09:05:54 -0500

Top Ten Food Words Worth Savoring:

For all you foodie wordsmiths out there. Personal favorites? Ambrosial (“pleasing to the senses”) and Balthazar (“an oversize wine bottle”).

Broth for breakfast? I’m trying it out this week, and I...

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 09:24:44 -0500

Broth for breakfast? I’m trying it out this week, and I have to say, I don’t hate it. This happens to be turkey broth made from Thanksgiving leftovers.

I tried it for the first time mostly due to lack of other breakfast options (and a stubbornness that’s telling me I shouldn’t buy more groceries until December 1, since my food budget for November is already blown!).

If you want the real deal, try making bone broth. Forget blueberries and salmon — bone broth is therealsuperfood from what I can tell. Even though it’s a little out of my box, I think I’ll give it a try soon. Of course, you’ll get the full scoop!

In the meantime, don’t be afraid to think outside the breakfast box!

A Post-Thanksgiving Workout to Help You Fit Yo Pants

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 10:00:15 -0500

So! Did we all survive Thanksgiving? Is it even worth repeating all the post-Thanksgiving cliches? (“I survived… Plus a couple pounds!” “Ugh, I ate more pumpkin pie than I should have,” “I must have gained 10 POUNDS this week!”).

Alright, alright. Let’s skip the Thanksgiving weight cliches and skip right to the part where we all get back on track — eating lots of whole foods, minimizing the sugar/processed carbs, and focusing on getting plenty of protein and healthy fat. Deal? Deal.

With just a week left of the Fit Yo Pants Challenge, I admit I’ve done a pretty bad job of providing inspirational workouts and recipes for you guys. I hope you’ve been focusing on fitting yo pants for the past month or so! Just a week or so left until I’ll be asking for your after pics.

To help you out this last week, here’s a toughie-but-goodie workout that will make you forget all about those silly Thanksgiving weight gain cliches. Oh, and it snowed for the first time here! Which means it’s too cold for me to work out outside. Luckily, you can do this one in the comfort of your own warm living room(but do enjoy the pretty winter-inspired background of the workout!).

Obligatory Thanksgiving Post Roundup

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 09:07:52 -0500

I’m taking a little blogging vacay this week, but I wanted to leave you with some resources for having a very tasty and thankful Thanksgiving.

My Dream Thanksgiving Menu

The Thanksgiving Recipe Database You NEED to Have

Stress-Free Thanksgiving Menu

Have a Healthista-Approved Holiday

The dish I’ll be contributing to our Thanksgiving dinner: roasted butternut squash with apples and pecans (no recipe — I’m gonna make it up on the fly! Risky, but I think it’ll be okay).

What are you making for your T-giving dinner?

Like Fit Missy on Facebook by Midnight EST for a Chance to WIN!

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 14:12:00 -0500

Like Fit Missy on Facebook by Midnight EST for a Chance to WIN!:

After you Like the page, just let me know you did on this post from 11/14.

All the deets here.

Win an Hour of Free Fitness Consultations & Workout Plan from Fit Missy!

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 10:00:00 -0500

In the hopes of helping you Fit Yo Pants (hope everyone is doing well with that!), I bring you an AWESOME giveaway, care of our friends at Fit Missy!

When my girl Vesna emailed me about a new workout program she developed called Fit Missy, I was pretty excited. She’s been creating workouts and sharing them with Your Healthista readers for several years now under the Trainerpack name, and she really knows her stuff.

Vesna describes Fit Missy as a p90x-style program designed just for women. Here’s what you get with the Fit Missy program:

Workouts designed to streamline your body, make you strong, and give you endurance all without any bulk.
Focus on losing inches, fat burn, and muscle tone using light weights, high reps, and moving fast between exercises.
A mix of compound exercises and cardio in order to optimize your workouts and burn the most calories per workout.
Workouts that feel personal training session.
A detailed daily breakdown of which workout to do when from week 1 to week 9.
A total of 37 workouts done over 9 weeks.
Full email support during the 9 weeks.
A full nutrition guide.

Fit Missy is partnering with Your Healthista for a pretty amazing giveaway. Here’s the scoop:

Like Fit Missy on Facebook.
Comment on this post letting me know you did by midnight EST on Friday, Nov. 16th.
That’s it! You’ll be entered for a chance to win an hour-long Skype or phone fitness consult with Vesna, the creator of Fit Missy, AND a customized workout plan! The winner will be announced on Saturday, Nov. 17th.

Got it? Good. Even better: you can try one of the Fit Missy workouts right now to get a taste of what the program is like!

squaremeal: My version of a PSA. (via Food & Drink / Guide...

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 13:03:04 -0500

squaremeal:

My version of a PSA.

(via Food & Drink / Guide to Winter squash.)

I love squash always.

Green Soup with Ham (Meatballs)

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 10:00:13 -0500

This recipe will officially help you Fit Yo Pants!

Whoa! I feel like I haven’t been here in a while. How’s are all the Fit Yo Pantsers doing? We have a little less than a month to go, so I hope you’re making some progress and committing to all the things I asked you to.

I’m coming to you with a rich, hearty soup that will fill you up as it helps you fit yo pants!It’s full of green veggies, satisfying pork, and warming broth. Yeah, yeah, there’s no actual ham in it, but I couldn’t resist the title!

You’ll need (makes 6-8 servings):

2 boxes chicken broth or stock (or you can use 1.5 boxes + water to make up the rest of the liquid)
1 bunch kale*, torn into bite-sized pieces
1-2 large leeks*, washed thoroughly and chopped
1-2 lbs green beans*, cut into thirds or fourths
1 lb ground pork
salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste
1-2 tbsp olive oil

*You can sub in ANY green veggie if you don’t have these on hand! Broccoli, spinach, zucchini — whatever you got.

Make it:

Add the olive oil to a large sauce pan. Start sauteing the leaks over medium heat, then add the green beans.
As your veggies cook, roll your pork into bite-sized meatballs and then add to the pot.
Cook everything together for 5-10 minutes, being careful not to smush the meatballs.
Add the chicken broth and kale, then bring to a simmer.
Simmer soup until the kale softens and the meatballs are cooked through.
Season with LOTS of salt, pepper, crushed red pepper (for spice), and any other spice that strikes your fancy!

Weird? A little bit. Delicious? You bet.

The Fit Yo Pants Workout You Can Do with a Friend!

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 12:48:23 -0400

Last week, I asked you to commit to moving your body for 20-45 minutes, four times a week. I don’t care what you do, you just have to move! But if you need some inspiration for that movement, I’m here for you. This is a workout you can do with a friend, so you should have some extra motivation/encouragement! You also won’t need any extra equipment for this workout, so you have no excuse not to try it out.

The Fit Yo Pants Friend Workout

Here’s how it works: You’ll do each of the below movements for a total of five minutes (set a timer on your phone or use a stopwatch). You can break up the five minutes however you want with your friend. You can switch off every minute or every certain number of reps (10 or 20). See what works best! Just make sure you’re working for about the same amount of time as each other. Make sure to cheer each other on and don’t let each other give up! When you’re done, you’ll have worked out for about 20 minutes each, but I bet it won’t feel like that long.

The moves:

5 minutes of mountain climbers

5 minutes of pushups

5 minutes of squats

5 minutes of burpees

5 minutes of situps

5 minutes of lunges (make sure to work evenly on both sides)

5 minutes of running quickly (not quite a sprint). If you don’t have somewhere to run, do jumping jacks instead.

5 minutes of plank

If you try it, let me know how it goes!

thehonestpalate: Hey guys, did you know Yale University has a...

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 13:41:07 -0400

thehonestpalate:

Hey guys, did you know Yale University has a tumblr and they make cool and helpful infographics like this one?

Neither did I, but we do now. Phew.

yaleuniversity:

Continuing our celebration of National Food Day, here’s another question: how much sugar does your favorite drink contain?

For more fascinating food facts, visit the ongoing Big Food Exhibit at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History.

Illustration: Emmanuel Quartey. See more Yale data visualizations »

Nothing new here, but definitely smart to keep this info in mind next time you feel like a Snapple…