My Beets N’ Brussels Sprouts’ Journey

The other day I meandered into Marshall’s Fenway Farm Stand—near Boston’s  beloved Fenway Park … if ya couldn’t already tell by the name. Here, the food is locally grown, locally produced, FRESH and SOOO GOOD! Folks—in this gem of a farm stand behold the best gosh darn grapes to grace your palate and inspire your taste buds. The red are wonderful, but I—of course—prefer the quenching, succulent crunch of the green grape, which leaves your mouth full of sweet natural goodness and the perfect hint of cheerful sourness on the tongue.

BUT … Marshall’s Farm Stand doesn’t only sell grapes my friend—they have everything from organic apples to local meats to BEETS and BRUSSELS SPROUTS. Hence, I whipped out my wallet and delightedly forked over some beets n’ Brussels sprouts’ dollars so they could journey on home with me.

If you’re in the Boston area, pay Marshall’s Fenway Farm Stand a visit! Your body, taste buds, and local farmers will be sayin’ THANK YOU!

The Healthifying Nature of these Two “Bs”

I’ll spare ya any long rants here. Just know that these two foods are quite possibly some of the healthiest foods sprouting from Mother Earth.

Brussels sprouts are chock full of natural detoxifying enzymes, they strengthen the body’s natural defense system, and help protect against cancer. Mainly due to sulforaphaneone, a crazy powerful phytonutrient, which is also found in other cruciferous veggies—like cabbage, kale, and broccoli. GO cruciferous veggies!

NOW, beets‘  time to shine! Not only do these rooty suckers, stain your stovetop and counters crimson red—they keep your heart healthy n’ bright-pumpin’ red, protect against colon cancer, and overall keep your system running smooth and free of disease.

Moreover, both these two “Bs” will keep you a lean, green, mean, disease-fighting machine! Beets are only 78 calories per cup and have 3.3 grams of  filling fiber per cup! Woo-Hoo! And Brussels sprouts are 60 calories per cup and pop 4.8 grams of fiber per cup! LOVE it!!! ‘

As Joan Salge-Blake, my former professor and nutrition guru always states, “These will FILL YOU UP before they FILL YOU OUT,” plus they’ll keep you full n’ satisfied. But, more importantly, they taste AWESOME!

Finally—the Easy Peazy Recipe!!!

Royally Roasted Beets n’ Brussles Sprouts

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 35-45  minutes or until tender (smaller beet pieces will decrease cook time. The more beets and Brussels sprouts you have, the more your cook time will increase).

Ingredients:

• About 1.5 cups Brussels sprouts (or as many as your heart desires)
• 4 medium-large chopped beets (or as many as you please)
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil or olive oil cooking spray
• Sea salt to taste

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
• Layer chopped beets and Brussels Sprouts on cookie sheet or roasting pan (if desired, place on top of foil for easier clean up)
• Drizzle or spray olive oil atop beets n’ Brussels sprouts
• Adorn the soon-to-be mouth watering veggies with sea salt to taste
• Place in oven
• Wait about 35-45 minutes or until tender and remove. Beets n’ Brussels sprouts may appear slightly browned … this is A-okay!
• ENJOY!

Honestly, this dish is so delish!  I can’t get enough. For a complete meal, serve with a white fish, veggie crumbles, chicken, beans, or shrimp … let the imagination soar! YUM!

Let me know what ya think!

Happy Healthifying!

What’s your favorite roasted veggie?

And, if you live in Boston, have you ever been to Marshall’s Fenway Farm Stand?!?

So, why was I up? To venture to the 2009 Ultimate Bootcamp Turkey BLAST, of course!!! I mean, what else would I be doing Thanksgiving morning?

One of my best girlfriends, Elena, was coming down to Boston for the weekend and signed up for this class. Immediately, when she informed me of her crazed Turkey Day destination, I was intrigued… Then, I went to their website and read the following in the FAQ section:

I just finished a class and 3 days later, I’m sore! Is this normal?

Your muscles don’t care whether you’ve run marathons, climbed mountains, or haven’t worked out in 6 months, Ultimate Bootcamp workouts are simply an activity your body is not accustomed to. Soreness can last up to 10 days after you complete a Blast class. If this is your first Blast class, you might want to work at 60% of your total effort as 90 minutes of exercise is definitely a challenge.

That FAQ Did Me In!

I happen to LOVE being sore … it’s my body’s way of saying, “You really kicked a** today, challenged yourself, and did something new. Way to go girl, keep it up!” The hope of challenging myself and feeling that twinge of muscle achy-breakiness the next day makes me keep at it! Hence, I vary my workouts—one day I’ll do Jillian, the next an hour on the Precor, then free weights (total body) and some cardio on my machine of choice–you get my point??? I switch up my sweat sessions so I work harder and don’t get BORED! Because if I’m bored, I won’t keep at it, which in turn means my healthifying ways will decline, hence, my body will not thank me.

So, just a lil’ advice from me to you—find something you look forward to doing and just do it! Everyone has their own thing. Some are gym rats. Others wouldn’t step within 10 feet of a gym if you paid them, but would happily spend  a couple hours hiking, biking, or mountain climbing … or walking! Don’t forget the basics of the basics … our own 2 feet! They serve as free built in exercise equipment … along with the ground, of course. Simply, find YOUR OWN heart-pumping, sweat-dripping way to get your body movin’ and groovin’ and go out and shake it or as some would day, HOOF IT!

The Start to My Venture

On Thursday AM, I was mentally preparing for bootcamp. But, instead of envisioning  myself gracefully “movin’ and groovin’ it,” I was preppin’ for an all out throwdown—Bobby Flay style! Just kidding … that was for after the dirt-covering, mud-loving bootcamp!

Before I left my humble abode, I downed a caffeine workout-empowering cup of joe, ate a banana for some brain and muscle fueling carbs, and chomped on a slice of low-fat sharp cheddar for longer lasting energy. Perhaps a strange combo, but I got the two pre-workout necessities in there: good carbs (the banana, yup, fruit is a carbohydrate) and protein (from the low-fat cheese).

Upon my arrival we ran around the Boston Common, swiveled, pivoted, high-kneed, butt-kicked, and I don’t even know what else across the field. Squats, bear crawls, tricep dips, bicep curls, sprints, push-ups, bicycle crunches, toe-taps, lunges, high-jumps, and more running consequently followed. Then, more sprints, more lunges, and more feet shakin’ fancy footwork ensued, leaving me quite sweaty and rather an unfriendly site. But, hey, no pain … no gain!

Then, miraculously, Margot, Elena, and I triumphantly finished the class! We were sweaty, grimy, dirty, and muddy. BUT, we finished. AND, I LOVED it!!! I left energized and perhaps a lil’ ahead of myself because I was feeling pretty good … almost too good. I thought, “Hey, this really wasn’t that bad. All that soreness was just mumbo jumbo hype!”

So Much for Mumbo Jumbo Hype

And, then … I woke up the next day to a tight, sore, touch-me-and-I’ll-scream aching back. Oh  yes, we’re talking delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) folks. Now, DOMS is not totally understood—what’s new in the science world?—but, what is known is that it results a day or two after a heavy bout of exercise, particularly when a new routine is performed or if the length and/or intensity of a workout is increased. Also, DOMS results from microscopic muscle fiber damage. But, wait, don’t fret … this is actually good. Once the fibers repair, your muscles will be sleeker and stronger—so now YOU can do a pull-up or 10 “boy” push-ups … yay! … and your bones will smile in strengthening surprise!

Furthermore, DOMS mainly occurs as a result of eccentric contractions? Wha, Wha??? All this means is that the muscle lengthens while exerting force. Examples of eccentric contractions include:

• Running downhill
• Going Down Stairs
• Downward motion of squats
• Down-phase of the push-up
• Landing on the ground after a jump

Humm … well let me think. Yes, I did all of those and then some! Explaining my DOMS. Now, there is no “cure” for DOMS, except time. But, these may help:

• Work it out! Yup–this may sound torturous, but doing some cardio to get your blood pumpin’ may help lessen your achy muscles
• Stretching
• Gentle massaging
• Yoga

A Simple Message from Me to You

Find ways to get your sweat on that YOU actually LOVE, so you’ll keep at it. If you’re sitting there whispering this chick  is crazy … I’ll never look forward to exercise! Please, I beg of you, just do me a favor–break a sweat for 45 minutes at least 5 days this week and dare to tell me that it doesn’t make you feel good!

Also, don’t be afraid to try something new or push yourself! You never know what you can do until you actually try. And, once you see yourself getting stronger and feeling better, you might even look in the mirror and think, “Hey, good lookin’, how you doin’?”

Lastly, ladies don’t be afraid of the weight room! Just walk in there like you own it and buff it out! If you don’t hit the gym, that’s A-okay. Go out and buy some weights or start squatting and push-upping to get those muscles and bones strong. And, hey—if you’re sore, that’s a good thing! Your muscles will get stronger faster. But, if the wrath of soreness does not ensue that’s okay, your muscles and bones can still get stronger … perhaps just not as quickly.  But, let’s be real—if you’re feeling as if you’re lifting up a can of Campbell’s, you may want to up it a tad in the weight department.

P.S. I am no longer sore! And, if you’re in Boston you must check out Ultimate Bootcamp! The classes are awesome workouts and the instructors are fabulous … you’ll fall in workout LOVE!

Happy Healthifying!

What activity makes you most sore? And, how do you “cure” it?