Bell Peppers are more than a colorful and crunchy addition to meals – they offered tons of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that help fight against heart disease, diabetes and cancer! Check out the yummy recipe below! Take a picture and share it with us!
Serving: 2
Ingredients:
Stuffed Peppers:
2 Bell Peppers – halved and seeded
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1/2 cup of low sodium vegetable broth
7 oz diced tomatoes, no salt added
5 oz spinach
1 Tbsp pine nuts
Pesto:
2 cups basil or spinach
1/2 clove garlic
1 Tbsp pine nuts
1 1/2 Tbsp EVOO
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 pinch fresh ground black pepper
Instructions:
Prepare peppers: Preheat broiler to high. Place bell pepper skin side up on a baking sheet covered in foil. Broil until peppers start to soften, approx 10 min
Meanwhile combine quinoa, broth and tomatoes in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil on high, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 12 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Add handfuls of spinach to mixture and stir to combine. Fill bell pepper halves with quinoa-spinach mixture – dividing equally.
Prepare pesto. Add basil, garlic, pine nuts, oil, salt and pepper to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add 2 to 3 Tbsp water as needed to thin.
Top stuffed bell peppers with pesto dividing evenly or serve on side.
Recipe from: The Best of Clean Eating 2
Flexibility is a vital component to fitness and many women struggle with flexibility. Flexibility requires both dedication and time. Stretching will increase flexibility and range of motion, increase circulation to your muscles, help you to maintain good posture, aid in stress relief and improve coordination.
Five minutes of stretching is not enough to make huge improvements. You will need to dedicate 10-15 minutes in order to increase flexibility.
There are two types of stretching, static and dynamic. Dynamic stretching is important for increasing range of motion and is performed during warm-ups for Kaia. Dynamic stretching warms up the muscles and allows the joints to start moving in a way they will during the workout. Examples of dynamic stretching include monster kicks, boot slappers, and arm circles. Dynamic stretching will drastically reduce your risk and chance of injury during the workout. Static stretching is done after the workout while you are still warm! It is when you are stationary and holding one position for 90-120 seconds. According to current research, the stretch must be held for at least 90 seconds in order to have lasting affects. If you don’t hold the stretch for 90 seconds, you won’t see much of an improvement in flexibility. An example of static stretching is forward fold or down-dog. The 5 minutes of stretching we do at the end of Kaia is not enough to really increase flexibility. After class is a great time to spend 10 minutes to really stretch while you are still warm.
Self Myofascial release may be performed using your own body weight and a foam roller. Foam rollers are inexpensive, and a great investment! Foam rollers will aid in getting rid of muscle tightness, injury prevention, increasing flexibility, increasing range of motion, and they may help with breaking up scar tissue. The gentle and sustained pressure on the soft tissue will result in softening, lengthening and breaking down of scar tissue or adhesions between skin, muscles and bones. There are different types of foam rollers with different densities; some are very soft, while others are very firm. If you struggle with flexibility and muscle tightness start with one in the middle, and then when you see improvements, you may want to invest in one with a higher density. If you do decide to invest in a foam roller, please bring it in to class, and we would be more than happy to show you how to use it correctly.
Use stretching and foam rolling as an opportunity to slow down and take time for you. If you give yourself 10-15 minutes a day to stretch, you will thank yourself for years to come.
Love,
Coach Nicole
Kaia Is..
