Healthy Habits: Spaghetti Squash with Black Beans!

Everyone here at DumBell Fitness is a HUGE fan of spaghetti squash. It's such a wonderful and delicious alternative to pasta! We were thrilled when trainer Alicia Palmer shared this recipe with us--it's a nice alternative to serving it with a marinara sauce. The best part is that this is made with ingredients most of us have in our house all the time. We hope you'll try it and love it, too!

Spaghetti Squash with Black Beans 

Half an onion, chopped

Half a jalapeno, finely chopped

One red pepper, chopped

1/2 spaghetti squash, shredded

One cup or so of black beans, drained

Half a large tomato, chopped

Handful of cilantro, chopped

Cheese, to taste 

Dash of salt

Sauté onion, jalapeno and red pepper until soft, add black beans and squash (shredded so it looks like spaghetti), and sauté until hot. Add salt (I added salt because I used homemade black beans that didn't have much in them already, may not have if they were canned). Take off heat, then add in chopped cilantro and tomato. Add cheese to the top!

Thanks Alicia for a tasty new spin on spaghetti squash! 

Clean Eating: Laurie's Favorite Recipes!

Today's post features DumBell Trainer Laurie Weber's favorite clean-eating recipes! We can't wait to try them out! 

The first recipe I want to share with you is my Gazpacho recipe. Laurie LOVES Gazpacho! I make it differently every time, but here's my "base" recipe. It makes a HUGE batch! 


Gazpacho: 

4 containers grape tomatoes (I personally find these the most flavorful) 

1 cucumber, peeled and diced 

1/2 of a red pepper, seeded and chopped 

1/2 of a small red onion, peeled and chopped 

1/2 of a zucchini, chopped 

2 large garlic cloves, chopped 

1/4 bunch fresh parsley

1 tablespoon fresh basil 

1/4 cup red wine vinegar 
1/4 cup EVOO
Sea salt and pepper to taste


Combine all ingredients in food processor and blend. Store in airtight container and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. 

Here's where my husband thinks I get a little crazy with my Gazpacho obsession. I use this wonderful soup for a variety of snacks. Sometimes, I...

--Use it as a snack with pita chips

--Put it in a toasted whole wheat pita with feta or hummus on top

--Serve it over pre-grilled chicken chunks (that I make in advance and keep in the fridge for the week)

--Scoop over quinoa, whole wheat pasta, or brown rice

--Top with black olives and/or Fage Greek yogurt and eat with pita chips

--Take Triscuit and Kashi chips, spread with cream cheese, then dip in Gazpacho for an appetizer! 

Did I mention that Laurie loves Gazpacho? :-) 

Another staple in my house is this Quinoa salad. It's packed with protein and veggies, and has been adapted from a Clean Eating recipe. This recipe is very versatile. Use whatever ingredients you have on hand, or that sound good at the time!

Quinoa Salad

2 cups cooked quinoa (cooked with 50% water and 50% vegetable broth) 

1/2 cup edamame

2 handfuls of halved cherry tomatoes

1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped 

1/4 cup crumbled feta 

2 tablespoons EVOO

Seasoned white rice vinegar (I use the Star brand) 

Squirt of lime juice 

Chopped fresh parsley 

Healthy Habits: Clean Eating Recipes

My family has re-committed to living a clean lifestyle. We recently cleaned out all of our cabinets, ridding ourselves of all processed food. This transition inspired us to try out some new recipes: Waldorf Salad with Homemade Mayo, Chocolate Cranberry Pie, and Cookie Sandwiches with Coconut Whipped Cream. My family loved them! Try them out this weekend and let us know what you think!

Waldorf Salad with Homemade Mayo

Chocolate Cranberry Pie (Note: we used extra coconut oil in the crust)

Waldorf Salad

Homemade Mayonnaise
Grain-free Chocolate Chips Cookies
Coconut Whipped Cream 

Assembling the cookie ingredients

Cookie sandwich complete! 

Trinity enjoying the finished product! See, kids can enjoy healthy treats and love them, too! 

Quick Tips: Staying Hydrated

Everyone knows how important it is to drink plenty of water while working out, but not everyone continues the habit of staying hydrated throughout the day. Staying hydrated allows your body to function more efficiently, flushes toxins from your system, improves the look and feel of your skin, and helps ward off hunger.

When should you drink water?

--When you start and end the day.

--Before, after, and during a workout.

--When you feel hungry. Often dehydration is mistaken for hunger.

Drinking plain ‘ole water can be boring. But there are plenty of healthy ways to jazz up that water bottle. Check out some of the recipes below, found at NancyCreative.

Citrus Cucumber Water 

• 1 large lemon, sliced
• 1 large lime, sliced 
• 1 large orange, sliced 
• 1 large cucumber, sliced 
• 1 half-gallon of water 

 Herb and Berry-flavored Water 

• 1 cup fresh blueberries, lightly crushed 
• 2 4-inch sprigs of fresh rosemary, lightly bruised (to release more flavor)
• 1 half-gallon of water 

Fruit Water 

• One each of the following fruits: apple, lemon, orange, pear
• 4 large strawberries
• Handful of raspberries
• Handful of mint leaves
• 1 half gallon of water 

Another great way to rehydrate is coconut water. Vita Coco Pineapple Coconut water is my favorite. It has slightly more sugar, but it’s much less bitter than plain coconut water. As an added bonus, coconut water is high in potassium. Some swear it can even cure a hangover! (Not that I would know anything about that!)

Happy hydrating! 

Family Matters: Exercising as a Family

Childhood obesity is a serious epidemic in the United States. Due to budget cuts, more and more schools are cutting physical education classes and school-made lunches consist of processed foods heavy in additives. Every child owns a video gaming system and spends entirely too much time inside. What can you do? Teach your children fitness as a lifestyle! Kids tend to emulate their parents’ actions: if they see you being active, they are more likely to make activity a habit, too.

With Spring Break upon us, DumBell Fitness wanted to focus today’s post on ways to exercise as a family. Hawaii offers us so many ways to have fun and get fit at the same time that there really aren’t any excuses for being inactive!

The good news is that these activities are enjoyable and have the added bonus of making you closer as family.

Here are our suggestions for active family fun this Spring Break:

Family sports:

• Set up a volleyball or badminton net in your backyard. Play tournament-style--whichever team loses has to do the dishes after dinner! 
• Kick around a soccer ball. 
• Partner up with a few more families and host a softball tournament! 
• A good, old-fashioned game of tag or hide-and-seek. 
• Ride your bikes! 

Family-friendly hikes:

•        Diamond Head
•            Makapu'u Lighthouse Trail
•            Manoa Falls

Beach day, active style!

• Buy or rent some boogie boards and see who can catch the best waves! 
• Break out your snorkels and flippers and visit Hanauma Bay. 
• If your kids are old enough, rent a Kayak and paddle out to the Moku'lua Islands. 

       

For even more ideas on becoming an active family, visit First Lady Michelle Obama's Let’s Move Campaign page.

Looking for some healthy snacks to pack for your Spring Break activities? Check these out!

Fruit and Cheese Kabobs

Cranberry Nut Snack Mix

Watermelon Pop Stars

Homemade Granola Bars

Healthy Habits: Rainy Day Recipes

The rain has been pouring here in Hawaii and it finally seems there may be an end in sight. Normally, a big bowl of chili or piping hot soup doesn’t jive with 85-degree weather, but these dreary days inspired us to search the Internet for some yummy (and healthy!) rainy day recipes.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Turkey Chili Taco Soup *

White Chicken Chili

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Beef and Vegetable Soup

Potato and Leek Soup *

Healthy Minestrone

*DumBell Staff Favorites

What’s your family cooking up this week? Share your healthy recipes in our comments section! 

Favorite Products: Vitamix

Those of you that know me know how much I love my Vitamix! This amazing machine creates whole food juice, which is the combination of the juice and fiber from fruits and vegetables. You get all the vitamins and enzymes that are often left behind in the pulp of the produce. I have owned my machine for five months and use it nearly every morning. The great thing about the Vitamix is that it's not only great for juicing and smoothies, it can also make soups, dips, and even bread dough!

My kids love it. It's a fabulous way to let your children not only use their imagination but also explore and try new fruits and vegetables in a fun way.  To make things even easier, I pre-wash, cut, and bag my favorite fruit and veggie combinations in individual serving sizes and place in the freezer. Perhaps the best feature is the easy clean-up: just add a drop of soap and some warm water, hit blend, and it's clean as a whistle. 

Here's one of our family's favorite recipes:
 
It's Easy Being Green Smoothie 

Preparation: 5 minutes
Processing: 1 minute
Yield: 8 cups 

Ingredients:

1 cup grapes, red or green
1 medium orange, peeled, halved
1/2 cup fresh pineapple chunks (core included)
1 medium banana, peeled
1 carrot, peeled, halved
2 cups fresh spinach, washed
1 medium apple, quartered, seeded
6 cups ice cubes

Instructions:

1. Place all ingredients into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure lid.
2. Select Variable 1.
3. Turn machine on and quickly increase speed to Variable 10, then to High.
4. Blend for 1 minute or until desired consistency is reached.

Nutritional Information: (per 1 cup serving) 52 calories, 1 gram protein, 0 grams fat, 13 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 9 grams sugar, 0 milligrams cholesterol

Vitamix machines can be found at the NEX and start at $449. Although the initial investment isn't cheap, the nutritional benefits for you and your family far outweigh the costs. I strongly suggest that you attend a Vitamix demonstration and see for yourself what all the fuss is about! Demos are being held at the Honolulu Costco from March 16th-March 29th. You can also get more information about the Vitamix family of products at www.vitamix.com. 

Family Matters: Starting Healthy Habits at Home

This isn't a new topic, but it bears repeating: don't feed your family junk. Seems like a simple thing, right? However, I constantly run into mom's that are eating a salad but feeding their children chicken nuggets and french fries. This makes zero sense to me. While happy that you're taking care of yourself, I'm appalled that you let your children consume such horrible food. Children start out in the world with perfect, untainted bodies. It's us adults that junk up their systems! Healthy habits are learned, and it starts at home. According to First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move Campaign, nearly one in three children in America are overweight or obese. Don't let your kids fall into the same trap!

Pleasing children's palates can definitely be challenging, and you may be faced with a four-year-old that refuses to eat anything but chicken nuggets or macaroni and cheese. The good news is that these foods are so easy to make in a healthy way! Consider making homemade chicken nuggets with chicken breast (preferably organic) coated with bread crumbs and baked in the oven. Macaroni and cheese can be made-over with reduced-fat cheese, whole grain pasta, and veggies. Try nutritious no-bake cookies for a sweet snack on the run. You might need to get a little creative and be patient as your introduce new and wholesome foods, but in the long run, it will pay off when you've created lasting, healthy habits in your children. 

Stay tuned for next week's post on introducing exercise to your kiddos!