Fatoush, Middle-Eastern Bread and Tomato Salad

I really like making this salad. It's light and refreshing.



serves 4-6
2 rounds whole-wheat pita bread
3 T olive oil, divided
2 T lemon juice
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp cracked pepper
1/ cup chopped fresh mint
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cucumber (about 14 ounces), quartered lengthwise & sliced into 1/4-inch thick pieces
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes halved

Preheat oven to 375. Brush both sides of pita bread into 1-inch pieces. Place on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 10 min Cool.

In a serving bowl, mix remaining olive oil w/ lemon juice, sea salt & pepper. Add mint and parsley and mix. Add cucumber & tomatoes and mix. Add pita pieces, toss & serve immediately.

Saturday class

Spring Dance Clinic

This Friday (7:30p) I'll be doing an 1-hour class for the Jireh Worship & Arts Spring Dance Clinic.

America's Best Dance Crew

The finale of America's Best Dance Crew airs on MTV this Thursday @ 10PM ET / 9PM CT.

I'm sad that my FAV team Kabba Modern went home last week :(
(Kaba is short for Kababayan, a philippine term meaning "countrymen").

I can't say I stole and moves for ZUMBA. But I really enjoyed watching the show.

One of my FAV Kabba Modern routines.

CLASS UPDATES!

the Hallmark Fitness Center
3/20 - Remember the women’s locker room is under construction. So change into your workout clothes BEFORE you come to class.

KC Metropolitan Dance Theatre
3/22 - The studio will be closed for Spring Break. NO CLASS.
Classes resume 3/29. NOTE: Class will be 1-hour. 11a-12p (no price change).

DON’T BE SORE
Fact or Fiction? Stretching after a tough workout will reduce how achy you feel the next day.

Giving your muscles a good stretch has no effect on soreness, according to a recent review of studies from the Cochrane Collaboration.

While stretching improves flexibility and prevents injury, it’s not the best way to dull post-workout pain.

Instead, try activities that increase blood flow to your muscles, says Rick Wright, M.D., of the department of orthopedic surgery at Washington University. “Do low-impact cardio, such as walking or the elliptical, for 30 minutes, or indulge in a deep-tissue massage.

from "fitness" magazine

Spring session @ Hallmark

Spring session begins March 6th and ends April 24th.
Please note: There will be no class April 17th. Makeup class will be April 15th 5:30p

::: DAYS + COST :::
Thursdays, $32 for 8 weeks
Make check payable to Jeanee Wallace.

::: TIME :::
5:30p - 6:30p = one full hour of dancing!

::: LOCATION :::
Hallmark Fitness Center (only open to Hallmark employees)

America's Best Dance Crew

I must say that the dance teams don't have me at the edge of my sofa. However my team Kabba Modern are still in the running!

Thursday the remaining crews will throw down to the hits from Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'. It'll be interesting to see how each team will keep their own style and not totally copy Michael Jackson's style.

America's Best Dance Crew airs on MTV every Thursday @ 10PM ET / 9PM CT.

Juicing

My fiancé and I have been juicing daily since December. With a little patience it's possible to make fresh juice a regular part of your daily diet.



Some Reasons to Juice
There are three main reasons why you will want to consider incorporating vegetable juicing into your health program:

1. Juicing helps you absorb all the nutrients from the vegetables. This is important because most of us have impaired digestion as a result of making less-than-optimal food choices over many years. This limits your body's ability to absorb all the nutrients from the vegetables. Juicing will help to "pre-digest" them for you, so you will receive most of the nutrition rather than having it go down the toilet.

2. Allows you to consume an optimal amount of vegetables in an efficient manner. Some people may find eating that many vegetables difficult, but it can be easily accomplished with a quick glass of vegetable juice.

3. You can add a wider variety of vegetables in your diet. Many people eat the same vegetable salads everyday. This violates the principle of regular food rotation and increases your chance of developing an allergy to a certain food. But with juicing, you can juice a wide variety of vegetables that you may not normally eat.

The juicer we have is the Jack LaLanne's Power Juicer. Our favorite juice is carrot-apple-ginger and strawberry-pineapple-mango. Grapefruit-orange-pineapple is tasty too.

vegan chocolate cookies


I got this recipe from an old friend from school. I've had it for a couple of years now and never made it. I'M SO MAD AT MYSELF FOR WAITING SO LONG! THEY ARE SO GOOD!

recipe
. 2 c flour
. 1 tsp baking powder (I'm changing it to 1/2 tsp because they were a little too poofy).
. 1/2 tsp baking soda
. 1/2 salt
. 5 T soy margerine
. 1/2 c sugar
. 1/2 c brown sugar
. 1 T vanilla
. 1/3 c soft tofu
. 4 T canola oil
. 3 T soy milk
. 1/2 c rolled oats (opt). (I didn't use oats this time).
. 1 c pecans
. 1 bag chocolate chips

Cream together margerine, sugars, tofu. Add vanilla, soy milk & canola oil. In seperate bowl. sift together flower, baking powder & soda, & salt. Gradually add to wet mix. Once combined add nuts, chips & oats.

Bake @ 375 degrees for 10-12 min.

My new FAV dance show!

So You Think You Can Dance has been off the air since this summer, so a new dance show has taken it's place (for now).

America's Best Dance Crew airs on MTV every Thursday @ 10PM ET / 9PM CT.

My pick to win is Kaba Modern. They are the perfect example of how hip-hop has crossed all cultures. Their Filipino flava of fashion and their music selections sets them apart from the other teams.


I also REALLY like Status Quo.

Some of the dancers tried out for So You Think You Can Dance last season and almost made it to the show. B-boys only make it so far on So You Think You Can Dance. So I happy to see the team be able to express street dance on America's Best Dance Crew. Their theatrics and raw dancing makes them crazy sick to watch!

Do the Wiggle-Jiggle Test
If you've resolved to shed pounds this year, here's a bit of advice: Do NOT weigh yourself every day -- what torture! "When you work out, you burn fat but build muscle, so the needle on the scale may not waver more than a few ticks," says celeb trainer Kacy Duke. Instead, try:

1. The Wiggle Test
"How your clothing fits is the best indication of how effective your workouts are," Duke explains. When you no longer need a shoehorn to squeeze into your jeans, you've lost inches.

2. The Jiggle Test
Take a few moments to feel the muscles along your arms and legs -- are they getting a little firmer? Then so's the rest of you.

from "fitness" magazine

Smart Snack to Feed Your Cold

Ginger Tea with Gingersnaps
Ginger helps relieve congestion and has a soothing, spicy taste. To make a throat-calming, congestion-busting tea, steep chopped raw ginger in boiling water for about 10 minutes. Make your teatime a little sweeter by adding a teaspoon of honey to the brew and two crunchy gingersnap cookies on the side.

Recommended serving size: 1 cup of tea with 1 teaspoon honey and 2 gingersnaps
Calories: about 85

from "fitness" magazine

Introducing INDIAN BHANGRA!

Sometimes I catch Sarina Jain's Bhangra fitness dance on Fit TV's All Star Workout. I've been inspired to add this type of Indian music and dancing to my ZUMBA routines.

Bhangra is a traditional dance of celebration from the Indian state of Punjab. Bhangra dancing is also found in Bollywood movies. Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for Mumbai-based Hindi-language film industry in India. Bollywood films are mostly musicals.

Check out this video for a sneak preview of what we'll be doing in class:

black bean soup


This soup makes great lunch leftovers! The recipe makes 4 servings.

RECIPE
Saute 1 chopped onion, 1 tablespoon cumin, and 4 minced garlic cloves in 2 tablespoons olive oil.

Add 3 1/2 cups vegetable broth broth, 3 chopped tomatoes, one 15-ounce can black beans (I like to rinse and drain my canned black beans 1st) , 3/4 15-ounce can of corn or use fresh corn from the cob, and one 1.4-ounce can diced green chili peppers. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer 5 minutes.

Add 1 tablespoon snipped fresh cilantro. Garnish soup with crushed tortilla chips.

245 calories, 10g protein, 34g carbohydrate, 11g fat (1g saturated), 8g fiber.

from "fitness" magazine, Amy Kalyn Sims (some edits made by me)

ZUMBA birthday party

What a way to kick off 2008 other than having a ZUMBA birthday party?!?

The birthday girl and I getting the party stared!



Party people!

HAPPY 2008!

I will resume weekly Monday posts on the 7th.

Class Update

Holiday Schedule

Scott Fitness
classes will continue every Wednesday
NO CLASS: Wednesday, December 26

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

the Hallmark Fitness Center
last class: Thursday, December 27
ZUMBA classes resume: Thursday, January 10 (8-week session)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

KC Metropolitan Dance Theatre
classes will continue every Saturday
Studio closed for winter break: December 23- January 5
ZUMBA classes resume: Saturday, January 12


HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to me!

Today is my one-year anniversary of getting certified in ZUMBA!

I'd like to thank everyone that has attended my classes. And I especially like to thank my Hype-Man for all of her support!

May 2008 be just as fantastic!

Indian Spinach Dip


This raw food dip is really good!

RECIPE
4 cups baby spinach leaves
1 large avocado
1/2 Tbs. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. low-sodium seasond salt
1 small clove garlic, peeled
1/4 tsp. curry powder
1/8 tsp. minced fresh ginger
dash cayenne pepper
dash chili powder
dash cumin

Blend all ingredients in food processor until smoother, and serve.

makes 2 cups

per serving: 102 cal; 2 g prot; 8g total fat (1g sat fat); 8g carb; 0mg chol; 321mg sod; 5g fiber; 0g sugars