Farm Box Food Prep
- By Meg White
- •
- 06 Jan, 2017
- •
These last few years I’ve really made a commitment to eating local and organic more often. I only get this one body, and I want to put in the most premium fuel. In an effort to help the studio get in the same habit I started getting farm boxes delivered once a week from Shared Abundance Organic Farm. The main feedback I got was that some produce goes to waste either due to not knowing what it is, or not eating it in time. I get it. We’re use to have everything come prepackaged and ready to go. Eating local and organic requires a little more elbow grease. But it’s worth it, and once you make the shift your body won’t want you to go back.
In order to help us all make better use of our veggies I’ve decided to start renting a local kitchen once a month to prep our boxes. We had a great time at our inaugural Farm Box Food Prep Group.
Below is a review of what we did – and a little more about what you got in our farm box
Curly Kale: This is one of the most nutritious greens around-
quite literally pound for pound kale is among the most nutrient dense
foods on the planet – which is why it’s so popular right now. But with
lots of nutrient density comes well…density. We marinated the kale
in canola oil then added onion and garlic so when it’s cooked it will be
more tender. Add other veggies to the mix or a stir fry, or try
covering in the eggs, and making a breakfast burrito. Curly Kale is
also great for baking kale chips – a tasty winter treat. Rip your kale
into bite size pieces and massage to cover with your favorite oil –
choose one or a few spices (Chili, Lemon, Lime, Salt, Vinegar, Etc) then
bake on 350 for 20-30 min , rotating regularly, until crispy.
Salad Greens: Cooked Kale is great, but raw kale offers many benefits than it’s more processed cooked counterpart cannot. When raw greens isn’t your thing getting raw kale down is best done by mixing it with other greens, nuts, dried fruit, and your favorite dressing (A few squeezes Citrus, oil and vinegar, or flaxseed oil are some of my favorites.) It’s also makes a great green smoothie. Because kale is so dense I always add a banana to my kale fruit smoothies. We started our salad base from the farm box, add veggies, your favorite nut, and dried fruit – and dressing to complete.
Sprouts: Each week I try to highlight another benefit of sprouts. Check out 10 great reasons to incorporate sprouts into your day here:http://www.care2.com/greenliving/10-reasons-to-eat-sprouts.html
We washed and cleaned our sprouts so they would be ready to grab and go for salads, stir fry’s, sandwiches, and wraps.
Garlic: While dried garlic is pretty powerful, fresh garlic is how nature intended. It takes a little work to get to this nutrient powerhouse, but with flu season around the corner it’s well worth it. We pre-cleaned and chopped some of our garlic so it would be ready for scrambles, stir frys, salads, meats, and grains. We also put it in the kale marinade and salad.
Tomato: Many local farms have green houses that allow them to continue to grow tomatoes in the winter. We threw our tomato’s in our salad and salsa.
Tomatillos:
It might take some time to get used to
incorporating these little guys into your diet. They’re great for your
digestive system, cancer fighters, immune system, and energy booster,
did I mention they also are a heart healthy food that helps control
blood pressure? I add them to my weekly crock pot of beans or Spanish
rice, and to my homemade salsa’s. You can also roast them.
We mixed our with tomato, cilantro, garlic and onion. You can eat this as a salsa, or add it to taco meat, scrambles, etc.
Check out this cooked Tomatillo recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/salsa-verde-green-tomatillo-salsa-recipe.html
Or this Raw One: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/fresh-tomatillo-salsa-239984
Strawberry: One up side of this warm weather is the late strawberry season! Last night we all tried eating a strawberry with the stem on – and nobody really noticed. Don’t let cleaning these fast fermenting berries go to waste over the time it takes to clean them. Wash, pull off the leaves and enjoy a handful. They’re also great in smoothies, (fruit or veggie) salads, with nuts, or oatmeal.
Acorn Squash:
These do require a little muscle to open, but
don’t be shy, you all workout enough to break into this nutrient
powerhouse – 1 Cup of cubed acorn squash provides 40% of your daily
Vitamin C needs and is one of the richest sources of the plant based
anti-inflammatory nutrients omega 3s and beta-carotene . We roasted
them face down with a little oil and salt for 30min. Next you can stuff
them either sweet or savory, then cook for another 15-20min. BELIEVE OR
NOT you can eat the skin, and it’s packed with fiber. Sweet: Try Maple
Syrup and cinnamon, Savory: Try Olive Oil, Salt, and Garlic. Check out
the recipe for stuffing them below.
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/southwestern_stuffed_acorn_squash.html
Lime: Add a twist of antioxidants to your water, salsa, and salad’s.
Large Box:
Cilantro: Cilantro is a natural internal cleanser, Its great in salads, salsa’s, and stir fry’s
Oat Straw: This tea does take some effort to make. Ruthann swears by it, and now I do too. I make at least one crock pot per week, and have started putting peppermint most batches.
Alpha sprouts: Contain calcium, potassium, vitamin K and C, these sprouts are great for salads, stir fry’s, sandwiches, and wraps.
Pomegranate:
Pomegranate are packed with antioxidants. Katie
swears by cutting these guys in 1/2 and pulling the seeds out under
water. Check out this youtube video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvC0iIfTVPA
Can you imagine doing jumping jacks while holding your breath? Breathing impacts our external movement, our digestive system, our sleep, and our nervous system’s communication. When breathing is inefficient, the brain perceives this as a threat to life, and normal functioning is disrupted. The “fight or flight” mechanism gets turned on, posture muscles get recruited (compensate) to do the job of the breathing muscles, and so begins the injury cycle. For these reasons, restorative breathing exercises are a foundational component of all our exercise programs.
Office, car, computer, and cell phone postures have played a huge role in the dysfunctional breathing epidemic in our culture. Whether you’re training for sports or everyday life, your training demands efficient breathing. My favorite strategy to improve this critical movement: balloon breathing.
There are several techniques, but a great start is 90/90 balloon breathing. Balloon breathing trains the “core”, and by “core” I mean the diaphragm, which is the true core. The diaphragm is our primary breathing muscle. When we help the diaphragm do its job, we release tension in all the muscles of the torso that were compensating for the weak and poorly positioned diaphragm. Blow the balloon up with 4-6 breaths in a row, always inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth into the balloon. Then hold the breath at the end of the exhale for 3-5 seconds, empty the balloon and begin again.
Why does breathing matter so much? Well Neil Rampe the Head Athletic Trainer for the Los Angeles Dodgers put it this way "It's like driving with your alignment off, you can compensate by over-steering, but if you don't correct it, your tires wear out after 30,000 miles instead of 60,000". Efficient breathing is one of the best gifts you can give to yourself. Try balloon breathing 3-4 times a day to start reaping the benefits of efficient breathing.
For more techniques on how to build a strong foundation come to our next free workshop on Feb3rd from 12pm-1 pm at Action Fitness Community in East Sacramento.
Most of us know we could add some more vegetables to our daily menu.
Vegetables provide vital water, vitamins, and minerals to our diets. Starting off with a serving of vegetables is a great way to kick off a nutrient packed day!
Here are a few ideas on how to add more veggies to your daily routine:
1) Fruit and Veggie Smoothies
And some moves to help you get there…
Click here for the Sac and Company segment that inspired this blog
Every January 1st (or the first Monday of a new year) gyms, parks, and fitness trainers are swarmed with people hoping to make this year different from the last. The reality of the matter is 1/3 of the people who make New Year’s resolutions are give-up before February 1st , 73% give up before meeting their goal, and only 8% are successful.
So why make resolutions at all? If you don’t make them you can’t break them right? The flip side is if you don’t make them, you can’t achieve them either.
Making a plan means you’ll likely do better than you would if you had made no plan at all. So how do you get into that elite group of 8%? Bottom Line – don’t stress about it.
Here are some tips on how to make this year a healthier one:
1. Having a plan is better than none at all. In the words of Bruce Lee:
This year Small Business Saturday coincided with Shop East Sac. Shop East Sac is a passport program put on by the East Sac Chamber. Participants visit at least 10 small local businesses to receive a stamp, which makes them eligible to win a $1,000 Shopping Spree.
To support small local businesses, work off some holiday calories, and get some activity we decided to do a Holiday Fun Walk/Run.
Everyone was all smiles at the start of the walk/run
When race cars speed around the track they burn rubber, loosen screws, and use gas. Any car that doesn’t stop for the pit crew isn’t going to last very long on the track, or in the race circuit. It’s surprising how cars resemble the human body. And how much our lifestyles have changed our bodies from luxury sedans to race cars. Our high paced life style leave some bodies in the dust.
It’s always interesting to see the 70 year old in the assisted living facility, who needs help tying their shoes- and the 70 year old still completing 5K’s, and out running the 30 year olds. You have to ask yourself how you want to age, and what you can do to accomplish your goals.
We treat our bodies like race cars, and rarely stop by to see the pit crew. To reach and maintain your fitness goals, and get the most miles out of your ride it’s important to take the time for regular tune ups. After all your body is the only vehicle you get.
Check out my 4 Tips to A Speedy Recovery and a Long Ride
1) Sleep- A recent study showed that dieters that got 7.5+ hours of sleep regularly, lost twice as much fat as their sleepy counter parts. [1] Not sleeping enough can cause your body to store fat, increase your blood pressure, decrease your ability to perform regular tasks, and have negative effects on your immune system. The average adult should regularly get 7.5-8.5 hours of sleep.
2) Hydration- In spite of the fact that about 75% of the body and lean muscle tissue is water, many still load up on sugary sodas and caffeinated drinks to quench their thirst. Studies regularly prove water’s ability to speed up the metabolism. Being properly hydrated ensures you’ll be able to work your hardest during your work-out, and recover faster by transporting nutrients where they’re needed. Proper hydration can also increase energy and ward off chronic disease and pain. Hydration is more than water. Electrolytes are also key to staying hydrated. Check out the TrainHardOrGoHome blog or Facebook fan page for an easy homemade Electrolyte recipe, or try coconut water. Exercising adults need 80-96 ounces of water per day. Caffeine, intense exercise, and a weight loss goals means more H2O.
3) Post Work-Out Nutrition – After your work-out you’ve depleted your body of glycogen, and torn down your muscles. The next step is to rebuild them. Your body uses carbs to replenish energy and aid in the distribution of protein to repair muscles. You have a 30-45min window when your body is best able to absorb nutrients. Eating you largest meal and being sure to include both protein and carbs are vital for the most efficient recovery. For maximum recovery shoot for between 0.15-0.25 grams of protein per pound of your body weight and between 0.25-0.4 grams of carbs per pound of body weight. If you’re very overweight, use your goal weight when calculating how many carbs/protein to eat.
4) Flexibility Training- Flexibility has to do with the ability of your body parts to use their full range of motion. Limited range of motion can lead to chronic injury, pain, permanent joint damage, and decreased strength potential. Keeping all your muscles flexible puts less stress on your joints and back. A regular flexibility routine is vital to reaching your full fitness potential, and maintaining it. After warming up, stretching should be performed before and after work-outs, and daily for maximum benefits. Yoga is also a great way to increase flexibility.
As you speed through your daily tasks, and work-outs be sure to take the time to rest and recover. Remember you can’t trade your body in.
If you’re ready to live BALANCED, healthy and fit, enjoy the support of a fitness community geared at realistic lifestyle changes with Action Boot Camps! Not sure if a Fitness Community is for you? Mention this article for a free work-out and come see for yourself.
