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Tag: los angeles
Summer Salad: Creamy Mango Vinaigrette
There was this local market I used to go to all last summer that was next to my old work called Elements Natural Foods out in Covina. They have the best Acai bowls and smoothie bowls hands down. They also served loaded salads and my favorite was the Mayan salad which was topped with ingredients such as quinoa, avocado, and a creamy mango vinaigrette. That dressing is so delicious and recently I have been craving it!
I decided to make my own superfood version and it was delicious! It also gave me the chance to test out my “avocado rose” skills which has been a trend on Instagram lately. Lets just say I still need some practice!
I know that the original dressing had to contain fresh mangos and lime juice so I looked on google to see what else I might want to add. After experimenting this is what I came up with:
Ingredients:
2 tb
s. olive oil (I ran out so I used coconut oil)
- 1/2 cup chopped mango (about 1 mango’s worth_
- 1 tbs. white wine vinegar
- 2 tsp. raw honey
- 1/2 tsp. pink Himalayan salt (any salt will do)
- 1/2 lime juice
Directions:
- In your NutriBullet or blender combine all the ingredients and blend until smooth
- Transfer into a container and chill until ready to serve the salad. You can store up to 3 days in the fridge.
Salad mix:
- I mixed 1 parts chopped Kale 1 parts cabbage kale slaw bag, strawberries, mango, avocado, onion, and quinoa.
Ingredient Ideas for Salads:
- Fruit
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Blueberries
- mango
- pineapple
- cherries
- dried coconut
- oranges
- Pomegranate seeds
- apple
- pear
- Protein
- Chicken
- Tofu
- salmon
- ahi tuna
- black beans
- soy beans
- Black Eyed Peas
- hard boiled eggs
- Greens
- sprouts
- broccoli
- tomatoes
- cucumber
- bell peppers
- Nuts
- sunflower seeds
- walnuts
- pecans
- pistachios
- Other
- Garbanzo beans
- sweet potatoes
Power Breakfast: Eggs and Hash
As I’ve mentioned several times on my blog I am a huge breakfast fan! I can eat breakfast at anytime of the day. Making breakfast taste good without getting boring can be difficult! I recently made some zucchini hash and eggs and it was so delicious!
I was scrolling through my Instagram one day and I saw someone had added nutritional yeast to their zoodles (zucchini noodles) so I thought why not do the same to in a breakfast hash!
A perfect addition to any meal — providing nutrition while saving calories — nutritional yeast is one source of complete protein and vitamins, in particular B-complex vitamins. It contains folates, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, selenium and zinc, making it a great superfood! – Dr.AXE.com
Ingredients for 1 serving:
– 1 Zucchini
-1/2 tsp nutritional yeast
– Meats2u House Blend Seasoning
If you don’t have their seasonings, you can use your favorite spices! Some ideas are garlic powder, pepper, and red pepper flakes
- Using a course cheese grader, grade your zucchini into a small bowl
- Add your seasoning and toss with a fork to incoperate
- Add to a warmed electric skillet ( I have a Oster Skillet and it’s my favorite appliance in my kitchen, other then their Waffle maker! You don’t need ANY oil!)
- Let it cook for 3-4 min and then turn into the other side for an additional few minutes!
- Serve with a side of scrambled egg whites and enjoy!
Chill out: CryoSpot Cryotherapy
I recently injured my shoulder and I had to take a break from working out at The Camp Transformation Center for a couple week which was really difficulty because I have been making so much progress!
Recently I discovered The CryoSpot Whole Body Cryotherapy in OC which is owned by Vic and his sister in law Aida. Here they have been helping me speed up my recovery and work to prevent future injuries.
Aida and Vic started their business in October 2015 after they tried Cryotherapy and felt the difference and realized all the benefits it offered. They bought a machine and now help people everyday at their office!
So what is cryotherapy you may ask?
“Whole Body Cryotherapy(WBC) is a revolutionary method of cold therapy involving exposure to subzero temperatures for a controlled period of time. WBC is a non-medical, non-invasive procedure for people seeking superior health, beauty, and athletic performance”
Essentially, when your body goes into shock from the cold (which is painless) your body naturally goes into fight or flight mode and your blood rushes to your core. This process flushes toxins and picks up nutrients and now your blood is now enriched and oxygenated.
As the blood flows back, your vessels start to expand and warm up with the nutrient and oxygen rich blood back into your tissue.
When I first walked into the door for my first session I have to admit I was excited but also a bit nervous. Aida greeted me at the front desk and was so friendly. She taught me everything I needed to know and patiently answered all my questions.
Step 1 – Get dressed for the “chamber”
In the changing rooms, you remove all jewelry and metal items before you treatment. Men, I believe you wear bottoms and ladies I wore panties ( I decided not to wear anything on top! If you want to wear a sports bra make sure there are not metal components!) . You then put on a pair of socks, a robe, gloves, and rubber shoes to protect your toes!
Step 2-Get in the Chamber
The booth was taller than me but once you step inside, the platform raises up so you can peek your head out the top. After you step inside and close the door, you remove your robe and hand it out to a staff member.
Step 3- Chill
They turn on the chamber and a refreshing light cloud of cold air surrounds your body. Is it cold? YES! But is it tolerable? Absolutely! The chamber gets to about -250 degrees F but I started out at -130. The second time I really enjoyed the treatment after seeing what to expect!
For your first time you target 2min and 30sec. My first time I went for 2min 45sec and the second visit I stayed the whole 3 maximum minutes with no problem! Once you master those 3 min
utes each treatment you bring down the temperature a little bit more each time!
During your treatment time, you slowly step in place/ rotate in a circle. FYI I also overly smile during this time period and I have absolutely no idea why but its a thing that I just do! The only part that started to get cold was my knees, but the second treatment I raised my knees a bit higher in what I like to call my “penguin march” which made the feeling cold feeling go away!
Step 4- Warm up
After you are done, you put your robe back on and exit the booth and warm back up. This part feels so refreshing, I love it!
Step 5- Add on treatments
I decided to do a Cryo Facial my first time after my chamber treatment and the 2nd time I spot treated my shoulder injury. These are all separate charges! This is done in a separate part of the room with a hand held machine. These treatments are extremely relaxing and can be used to treat issues like arthritis on your hands, skin inflammation, psoriasis, and much more! You can also spot treat any pain areas that need more attention than the whole body chamber! The facial left my skin feeling tight, minimized my pores, and any blemishes I had on my face were significantly less inflamed by the end of the day.
Benefits of Cryotherapy
So your probably wondering, why do people do WBC?
- Reduces Pain and inflammation
- Decreases muscle soreness (new Campers, I know your hurting right now! This helps So much!)
- Faster muscle recovery
- Boots metabolism and immune system
- Reduces stress
- Improves blood circulation
- Improves sleep pattern
- Releases serotonin and endorphins (same feeling as that post workout happiness)
- Improves skin elasticity/ reduces appearance of cellulite
Also, just a little FYI ..1 session can burn anywhere from 400-800 calories…. #yourwelcome
What do I think about Cryotherapy?
I slept like a baby the nights that I did a treatment. I felt refreshed and my soreness significantly subsided. Before I started my treatments I didn’t take any glutamine and still have not taking that mean for the past couple days just to see how my body reacts to the soreness with the treatments and I have to say I am impressed! After my second treatment decided to go back to the camp taking a break for two weeks and I kept up with the class a lot more than I expected! I decided to add this to my wholebody wellness treatment plan and signed up for a monthly treatment plan and some spot treatment sessions!
So stop by Cryospot and mention KELSEY and your first Whole body Cryo therapy treatment is only 20$
Don’t forget to let me know how it goes! And thanks again to Aida and Vic you guys are amazing!
Power Breakfast: Hot Quinoa Bowl
Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, and its usually the one we all have the least amount of time to prep for. Before my lifestyle change I used to get my coffee and breakfast at Starbucks but the $ and high fat breakfast sandwiches caught up to me!
I recently got my hands on the Julie Morris cookbook that not only shows you how to incorporate superfoods, it also helps you understand them which is why I am in love with this book! the first part of the book is dedicated to technique, nutritional breakdown, and overall understanding of superfoods! You can find here on Navitas Naturals Website!
The first recipe I cooked was the Hot Quinoa Bowl in which I discovered what “quinoa flakes”. This is a game changer for me!Like the concept of rolled oats, they are
flattened/rolled quinoa. They cook extremely
fast and taste great, I wish I would have
found them sooner! I stopped by my local Sprouts
Market and picked up some Ancient Harvest Quinoa
Flakes (you can find where to by locally here).
What you will need:
Mix for Cereal:
1 c unsweetened hemp or almond milk
1/2 c quinoa flakes
optional:
cinnamon
pink Himalayan salt
Optional Topping ideas:
Cacao Nibs – I use Navtias Naturals
Maca Powder – Navitas Naturals
Berries/ fruit of your choice – I used raspberries and blueberries
Flax seeds
Chia Seeds- Navitas Naturals
Dried goji berries – Navtias Naturals
Directions:
- In a medium saucepan, heat your milk to a boil
- add the quinoa flakes, turn of heat immediately and stir to mix. Le it rest for 2 min to finish cooking. Add your salt and cinnamon if desired!
- serve with your toppings of choice ( I used blueberries, raspberries, cacao nibs, and Maca powder)
MACA Benefits:
“The maca root was prized throughout the
Inca empire for its adaptogenic-like qualities
that enable it to nourish and balance the body’s delicate endocrine system, and to help cope with stress. It also energizes naturally, without the jitters and crashes of caffeine, and it can aid in reproductive function by helping to balance hormones”
Cacao Nibs Benefits:
One of nature’s richest dietary sources of magnesium, cacao nibs are also an excellent source of iron and dietary fiber. You’ll feel really great about eating cacao nibs, due to the alkaloids theobromine, phenylethylamine and anandamine, which boost your mood and can make you feel like you’re in love!
Disclaimer/ Source: Navitas naturals.com – these are a healthy food, not a miracle drug. These statements herein have not been reviewed by the FDA. Navitas Naturals products are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease.
Leave Your Excuses Behind: Get Right Fitness Apparel
I came across Get Right Apparel on Instagram one night and decided to learn more about them for a couple reasons. One being they are based locally out of OC California and another reason being what they represent and the story behind it.
“Get Right is a brand who’s goal is to help remind people to leave those excuses behind that life can fill in your heard and stay focused on achieving your goals”
They represent those who are dedicated to work hard whether its at work or the gym and don’t care about about the little things that don’t matter. They are a brand for people who wake up everyday and know they need to get things done! Whether it be in a gym or going to school or work etc. Get Right is a brand who’s goal is to help remind people to leave those excuses behind that life can fill in your head and stay focused on achieving your goals
David Eufracio is the founder and owner of the brand which he started after he decided to overcome a challenge in his life. David used to weigh 330 lbs and he started waking up everyday with pain in his chest and struggled to get through his daily activities without feeling exhausted. This was a real low point for him in his life and he decided it was time for a change! He started eating right going to the gym daily and now he is at 265 lbs! He suffers from a disc disease so everyday is a struggle with weight training and running but he gets it gets it done!
Get Right came as result from his days as a football and track coach at Burn Park High School. They would get kids complain all the time about little things like “I can’t do this or that or I’m messing up in class for these reasons” and it was something he started telling them “to get right”. My favorite quote from David was “people always put excuses in front of themselves and that’s the main reasons their goals fail!”.
“Our main goal is to motivate people to live a better life in fitness, health, and overall we want to build a community of followers who want to get better each be everyday! Some people think that motivational videos or pictures can make some one get up and move but my belief is you don’t always need those if you build a lifestyle of motivation and by that I mean living the motto Get Right not just talking about it actually being about it and that’s pretty much all I have I hope it’s good enough.”– David Eufracio, Founder
I will work only with brands who represent the same core values as me. I believe that there is this stigma around fitness brands for the everyday person and a lot of people see all these other brands and feel that intimidation how they feel like they can’t go into a gym without feeling pressure to look and act a certain way. They feel they can’t just workout and build on their goals without being judged. That’s where Get right feels they are different they want to work to build a community around the focus that all that matters is you working hard to achieve your goals.
I am excited to watch them grow and wish David the best of health and strength as he continues on his fitness journey! As they expand they will also continue to post recipes, expand product offering, share motivation info , and fitness tips here on their website!
Week 2 Results – The Camp Transformation
Today was the start of week 3 of my 6 week challenge at The Camp Transformation Center
I AM DOWN 8.3 lbs total! I am definitely starting to feel my body get stronger and the burpees are getting easier!
Tonight was a killer upper body workout! mMy roommate tagged along with and we were DYING! My triceps felt like they were going to fall off ..but I love it!
The workout started off with a high intensity warm up was a circuit upper-body/core work out:
-In between each exercise alternate between mountain climbers, jumping jacks, and burpees .
-Do all the exercises for 1 min and repeat x 2
- Squatted cable row
- Bicep curls
- battle rope- This one is a killer check out some killer workout here for that
- Bent over row (pulling to the chest)
- pushups and bear crawls back and forth across the room
- Overhead shoulder press
- TRX band pushups
selfiesandsunshine 