Herbed Mediterranean Salad

Hi everyone!

     This was part of the weekend of new salads.  A new salad a day!!  This salad can make it onto your fast weeknight menu.  You can serve this salad with a side of chicken breast!

    
{I hope you enjoy the salad}


Enjoy!

  

Let's get started!!

.:: INGREDIENTS ::.

2 tbl EVOO

1 tbl fresh lemon juice

1 tsp fresh oregano

¼ tsp crushed red pepper

4 cups salad greens

1 cup fresh parsley leaves

½ cup halved cherry tomatoes

½ cup sliced peeled cucumber {I left this out}

¼ cup fresh basil leaves

2 tbl halved, pitted kalamata olives.

Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, oregano and crushed red pepper in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk.  Add the rest of the ingredients, toss gently and serve.

SERVES :: 4 {serving size 3/4 cup}

CALORIES :: 103

FAT :: 8.8g

SODIUM :: 146mg

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.:: FOOD ::.

RECIPE :: COOKING LIGHT

ISSUE :: August 2012

Beet and Marinated Goat Cheese Salad

Hi everyone!

     This past weekend was the weekend of new salads.  A new salad a day!!  The theme was inspired with this particular salad.  NomNomNom to come … keep reading ……. 

    
{I hope you enjoy the salads}


Enjoy!

Roasted Garlic Brussels Sprouts and Asparagus

Hi everyone!


     I drove over to Fresh&Easy after my hair appointment today.  I wanted to purchase a few items I could prepare the night before for my lunches as well as something that could double as a dinner dish for work.  I saw some brussels sprouts and asparagus.  Roasting it will be - yum!  I have wanted to try some brussels sprouts topped with hemp seeds for a while now; I was extremely excited to roast these brussels!!


{you can find Hemp Seeds at Whole Foods}



Enjoy!

Week 3 Day 2

Hi everyone!

     Didn't it feel great to see some progress yesterday?  Let's take that motivation and put it into our workout for today.  Here we go!

{During these workouts I used a 4 pound weighted ball I purchased from Target.  I do not have the Ugi ball}

{Purchase HERE}

{Week 3 Day 2 HERE}

.:: Teeny Bikini Workout ::.

.:: Rock That Ass! Workout ::.

Let’s BodyRock!

Week 3 Day 1

Hi everyone!

     This day is the day we compare our progress to Week 1 Day 1!! I will have the Week 1 Day 1 # before the Week 3 Day 1 # so you can easily see my progress.

{Week 1 Day 1 HERE}

{Week 3 Day 1 HERE}

.:: MY PROGRESS - BODYROCK ::.

1) Squat & Press - Using the Pink Sandbag {with 12 pound sand insert}

      Circuit 1: 20 - 21

      Circuit 2: 13 - 21

      Circuit 3: 14 - 22

2) Push-Up & Clean & Press - Using the Pink Sandbag

      Circuit 1: 7 - 13

      Circuit 2: 9 - 11

      Circuit 3: 9 - 6   

3) Tricep Dips

      Circuit 1: 19 - 25

      Circuit 2: 19 - 25

      Circuit 3: 20 - 26  

4) Abs

      Circuit 1: 23 - 33

      Circuit 2: 29 - 29

      Circuit 3: 25 - 31

{1 Circuit: Squat & Press, Push-up & Clean & Press, Tricep Dips, Abs}

.:: MY PROGRESS - BODYROCK FLOW ::.

Pose 1: Downward Dog

      *Heels on the ground now!!!

Pose 2: Pigeon

      *No Change

Pose 3: Dangling

      *No Change

Pose 4: Standing Back Bend

      *No Change

{click HERE to see a full explanation of each pose}

.:: WORKOUTS ::.

BODYROCK :: BodyRock.tv HERE

EQUIPMENT :: Purchase HERE

*I took most of the links from the BodyRock main page to make it easier for you to navigate

Quote

Blueberry Maple Oat and Flax Muffins

Hi everyone!


     Sunday turned out to be a bake day!  A friend of mine {same one who encouraged me to start this blog} and I tried out a recipe she found.  I do know she found this online but I do not know where.  I will not be able to give the person credit for the yummy muffins. 

     We did not want to use the all-purpose flour in this recipe so after some quick internet searching we found a replacement ratio of flour to oats.  We figured if the muffins did not bake correctly we could use another ratio and try it out again BUT the muffins turned out delicious!!  

Someone online used the ration of 1/3 cup oats for every ¼ cup flour 

{we used rolled oats}.

     We were not sure if the replacement would make the muffin dry or hard or if the oats needed to be ground or not … oh geesh … so we ground half of the oat replacement and kept the other half as whole rolled oats.  There was no other reasoning for this other than “let’s try it.”  The recipe called for ¾ cup all purpose flour so we used 1 cup oats {½ cup ground, ½ cup whole}.  We omitted the sugar and replaced it with a banana {this will end up being used to spread on the tops of the muffins before baking}, however; we did use some coconut palm sugar on 4 of the muffins for her son. 

{I hope you enjoy the muffins}


     Alright, let’s get started on this modified muffin recipe.  Let me know if you make changes, what changes you make and if you will make the muffins again!


Enjoy!

Coconut Water

Hi everyone!


    While I was in Costa Rica I had my first coconut!!  When I came home to the states I was hoping I would find a company that makes yummy coconut water!  {During the US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach I tried some coconut water, yuck!! They almost had me to the point of never trying it again} 

Have you ever had a fresh coconut? 

     Coconut Water contains electrolytes such as Na, K, Ca, Ph and Mg.  I like the fact that coconut water contains natural sugars and no refined sugars.  I am not telling you to drink coconut water as an alternative to plain old water.  It is smart to drink water throughout the day BUT {in my opinion} coconut water is a very good alternative to juices and sports drinks! 

What coconut water brands do you drink?

I like ZICO :)

  

{Hydrate with ZICO Coconut Water}

     Coconut Water Action: May aid in digestion and metabolism. 

     Coconut Water Uses: May naturally help to prevent intestinal gas, ease digestive upsets, ease nausea, remove toxins, enhance absorption of nutrients in the digestive tract,  balance acid levels in the system {ZICO pH of 5}, alleviate symptoms of kidney stones, alleviate urinary tract infections and dysentery.

     Buying & Storing ZICO: “ZICO bottle is recyclable and in fact, 30% of the bottle is made from recycled content. Currently almost 40% of HDPE bottles are recycled in America today.  {High Density Polyethylene - BPA is not used in HDPE bottles}.  Although cartons are made from paperboard, a completely renewable and stable source of materials, only 20% of recycling centers can process cartons in the US.”

{ZICO FAQS HERE}

Enjoy!

Week 2 Day 5

Hi everyone!

     Keep it up!

{Week 2 Day 5 HERE}

.:: The Avengers Workout! - Get ripped Fast !! ::.

.:: Sexy Bikini Body ::.

.:: Bikini Ready Yoga ::.

Let’s BodyRock!

Blazing Beets

Hi everyone!


    Today I decided that I needed to start adding juice back into my diet.  After my pilates workout I headed over to whole foods to pick up a couple things.  Lucky me - I saw a friend and planned a hike for tomorrow {early in the morning to beat the summer heat}.  Back to the juice … I love juicing beets and ginger!!  I decided I would purchase a few beets and see what I could juice with them. 


{follow me on Instagram @nikoliepolie }


     Beet Action: Antibacterial, antioxidant, tonic, cleansing and laxative. 

     Beet Uses: Vitamin A, enzyme betaine {nourishes and strengthens the liver and gallbladder}, and potassium.

     Buying & Storing Beets: Choose firm unblemished beets.  If beet greens are attached choose bright, glossy and crisp tops.  Store unwashed in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to one and a half weeks {cut off the tops when storing and treat tops as a leafy green}.

     For Juicing: Scrub under running water and leave skin on.  When juicing beets with the tops intact feed tops through the juicer first. 

Enjoy!

Week 2 Day 4

Hi everyone!

     How do you feel today?

{Week 2 Day 4 HERE}

.:: Burn ::.

.:: Killer Booty Sculpt Workout ::.

Let’s BodyRock!

Week 2 Day 3

Hi everyone!

     Still keeping up with your exercise?

{Week 2 Day 3 HERE}

.:: Wicked Flexibility ::.

Let’s BodyRock!

Week 2 Day 2

Hi everyone!

     Workout, workout & workout!

{Week 2 Day 2 HERE}

.:: Knockout Summer Body Diet Workout ::.

.:: Hot Girl Six Pack Abs Workout ::.

Let’s BodyRock!

PowerCakes Chia Jam

Hi everyone!

     I found a fun, healthy and easy way to incorporate chia seeds into your diet.  I bought chia seeds a long long time ago and have been randomly sprinkling them on random foods.  I did not really know a “yummy” way of using them until {Guess What} I found PowerCakes!! She uses her chia seeds on just about everything.  I am really happy I stumbled upon her blog and her healthy power recipes!   

{you can see POWERCAKES Chia Jam HERE}

     I put a little bit of my yummy chia jam on top of cooked steel cut oats.  I also put non hydrogenated peanut butter, flax seeds and  cinnamon on my oats. {I tried coconut on my oats once :/ and I was not a fan}  Please stay posted for my new blog adventure!  I will try to post once or every other week.

Enjoy!

PowerBlock

Hi everyone!

     What do you use for weighted exercises?  I am recently no longer using my gym membership.  I was debating about purchasing some weights.  After a little research I realized I would be spending a lot of money for a handful of weights and a stand! Yikes!  I noticed that BodyRock uses a product called PowerBlock.  I figured it was a smart investment and I opted for these.  I did not want to pay for shipping so I researched some local retail stores inventories.  Luckily I found some close by!!

I ended up purchasing the U-33 Stage 1

.:: EQUIPMENT ::.

POWERBLOCK :: Purchase HERE

Week 2 Day 1

Hi everyone!

     Here we go …

{Week 2 Day 1 HERE}

.:: Steamy Sweat Workout ::.

.:: Fitness Is Sexy ::.

.:: Sexy Yoga Body ::.

Let’s BodyRock!

Week 1 Day 4

Hi everyone!

     Still keeping up with your exercise?

{Week 1 Day 4 HERE}

.:: My Body Rocks Workout! ::.

.:: Sculpt ::.

.:: Super Hot Yoga ::.

Let’s BodyRock!

Week 1 Day 3

Hi everyone!

     What did you do to workout today?

{Week 1 Day 3 HERE}

.:: Sexy Booty Curves Weighted Interval Workout! ::.

.:: Busting It Out Workout ::.

Let’s BodyRock!

Week 1 Day 2

Hi everyone!!

     I have been M.I.A.!!  I am here now.  I am going to do a mass update about my BodyRock adventure.  I must admit that I only completed up to Week 3 Day 2.  I have irritable knees from playing water polo, so sometimes they seem to act up.  I did not finish because my knees started to act up… BUT I am going to continue with working out to BodyRock.  I love it!!

{Week 1 Day 2 HERE}

     This flow consists of a 3 part Bikram Yoga Posture.

.:: Seriously Hot Yoga ::.

Let’s BodyRock!

May 30 Day Challenge

Hi everyone!!


     I just finished Week 1 Day 1 of the May 30 Day BodyRock Challenge!!  It feels sooo good!!  


{Week 1 Day 1 HERE}


     The issues I seemed to face were writing my scores down and transitioning from one workout to the next within the 10 seconds rest.  I felt as if I was aimlessly jumping around during the first circuit.  Once I found where I liked to do each move the following circuits went more smoothly.  


     I mixed the Intermediate Level Bodyweight Only Fit Test Video with the Intermediate Level with Equipment Fit Test Video.  I completed the 4 exercises with 50 seconds on and 10 seconds off 3 times through or 3 circuits.  {A circuit is 1 set of the 4 exercises.} Be sure to set the timer to allow 12 intervals, if you set less the gymboss will turn off and you will have to stop working out to turn it on again.  I followed the workout with BodyRock Flow.  

{Purchase Gymboss HERE}

{As you can see I initially set 3 intervals, what was I thinking ... ughh}

TIP: Set 10 seconds rest FIRST to allow time to situate yourself for the first workout.

.:: Intermediate Level Bodyweight Only Fit Test Video ::.

.:: Intermediate Level with Equipment Fit Test Video ::.

.:: BodyRock Flow Workout Video ::.

Let's BodyRock!