The 10 Healthiest Foods on the Planet: #2

Broccoli

Why It's Healthy:
• One medium stalk of broccoli contains more than 100 percent of your daily vitamin K requirement and almost 200 percent of your recommended daily dose of vitamin C
• Broccoli has two essential bone-building nutrients.
• The same serving also helps stave off numerous cancers.

Quick Tip:
Zap it! Preserve up to 90 percent of broccoli's vitamin C by microwaving. (Steaming or boiling holds on to just 66 percent of the nutrient.)

from fitness magazine

The 10 Healthiest Foods on the Planet: #1

These 10 superfoods are proven, expert-beloved disease fighters and energy boosters. Add them to your meals and get on the fast track to a super-healthy body. Every week I'll feature a new food.

Lemons

Why They're Healthy:
• Just one lemon has more than 100 percent of your daily intake of vitamin C, which may help increase "good" HDL cholesterol levels and strengthen bones.
• Citrus flavonoids found in lemons may help inhibit the growth of cancer cells and act as an anti-inflammatory.

Quick Tip:
Add a slice of lemon to your green tea. One study found that citrus increases your body's ability to absorb the antioxidants in the tea by about 80 percent.

from fitness magazine

WHERE DOES THE TME GO?

I'm back from my wedding break, but half of September is gone! Where does the time go?

Well I'm going to be working on adding some new ZUMBA routines and making some CDs of the remixes I use.

There was a GREAT turnout at Wednesday's and Saturday's class! I appreciate all of the continued support and excitement.

See you this week!

P.S. I'm Mrs. Jeanee Duval now!

Wednesday's ZUMBA @ SF 3.0

HEY! We're finally moving to the new bigger and better Scott's Fitness 3.0 location starting TODAY 9/10!

It's just off of the Southwest Blvd and Broadway area. Kinda around the corner from Lu Lu's.


This is where we'll be having ZUMBA. Looks cool huh?!?

SF 3.0
2020 Washington
Kansas City, MO

See you @ 5:30p!

CLASS UPDATE!

KC Metropolitan Dance Theatre
• No class 8/30
• Fall session begins 9/5 - owner, Kim Jones will sub that day. I'll be in Vegas getting married.

Scott Fitness
• All classes will continue on. No holiday or wedding break (I'll be here on Wednesdays).

I'm taking a blog break as I go off and get married. I'll be back posting on 9/15.

Black Forest Banana Split Recipe

This banana split recipe proves that you can eat healthy and still enjoy it. Top banana halves with ricotta cheese, cocoa powder, and a cherry for a delicious dessert. Tip: Get fresh ricotta cheese from your local Italian deli for a special occasion.

Nutrition facts per serving:
377 calories
23g protein
40g carbohydrate
11g fat (1.5g saturated)
3.5g fiber

RECPIE:
makes 2 servings

INGREDIENTS
2 cups nonfat ricotta cheese
2 bananas, split lengthwise
16 halves walnut halves
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons cherry concentrate

DIRECTIONS
Spoon ricotta into a dessert dish and place a banana half on each side of the cheese. Put the walnut halves on top and dust with the cocoa powder. Drizzle the cherry concentrate on top.

from fitness magazine

MUSIC

Since last summer I've been using Calabria 2007 - Enur feat. Natasja, and remixes, as the "party song" before the cool down in my Zumba classes. So it was cool to see the song used in a Target commercial.


This is the original video. Natasja died June 2007 in a car crash in Jamaica.

YAY JOSHUA!

He won he won!!!!

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE

PERFORMANCE NIGHT

I totally think Joshua should win! I hope Joshua and Katee and standing together in the end. I LOVED the routine they did that my chorographer Wade Robson did.

He slammed Twitch in the Russian dance-off! Twitch just did some dumb floor work. But Joshua was jumping so high with those toe touches and he was doing those pirouettes!

And then when the judges were giving their feedback Joshua challenged Twitch with that back flip and Twitch backed down. 'CAUSE HE CAN’T DO IT!!!!

I felt sorry for Courtney. She was at the beginning of the show and then it seemed like they forgot about her until the end.

And what was the routine the girls did together? Nothing like Sabra and Lacey’s cool fox dance from last year.

I wish I could see the finale tonight! I won’t be home until 9p. And my dumb butt don’t have a DVR or a VCR. I guess I’ll have to catch it on YouTube!

Low-Calorie Summer Drink Recipe

A few rounds of beer can add up, and a few cocktails can tip the scale even farther. Indulge in smarter choices at the bar or backyard barbecue -- these tasty low-calorie drink recipes will fit the festive mood, and will have you still fitting into your skinny jeans.

Mojito Fresco
The popular Cuban cocktail's combination of sweetness, citrus, and refreshing mint is the best way to fend off the summer heat wave.

Prep: 20 minutes  |  Chill: 1 hour  |  Makes: 8 servings

2 large limes, cut into pieces (reserve one piece)
2 cups water
2/3 cup sugar
2 cups water
1/4 to 1/2 cup light rum
Sugar
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
Ice cubes
Quartered limes and/or mint leaves (optional)

1. In a blender combine lime pieces, 2 cups water, and 2/3 cup sugar. Cover and blend about 30 seconds or until limes are chopped; do not puree. Strain through a sieve into a large pitcher. Mix in 2 cups additional water. Cover and chill for 1 to 12 hours.

2. Stir rum into lime mixture. Moisten the rims of 8 glasses with the reserved lime piece; dip rims in sugar. Divide mint among glasses. Use a wooden spoon to press mint into the bottom of each glass; press firmly to release flavor. Fill glasses with ice cubes. Pour chilled lime mixture over ice and mint leaves. If desired, add extra quartered limes and/or mint leaves.

Nutrition Information per serving: 95 calories, 0g protein, 21g carbohydrate, 0g fat (0g saturated), 1g fiber

from "fitness" magazine

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE

PERFORMANCE NIGHT

I came home from teaching ZUMBA right at 7p. I turned to SYTYCD and I saw Will. I was like, "what the heck?" So I called my friend to get the 411 and she told me that the performances were to air an hour later. That worked out for me because I missed last week's kick off.

I am sad that Will is gone. Oh well, he can go start is career now. I'm glad Comfort is gone FOR GOOD!!! She's like a monster in a horror movie that just won't die!

Ok, Twitch has gotten on my last nerve. That fake boo-hoo, back turned and down on one knee when he found out he was in the botton two. WHAT EV! His eyes weren't even misty! MAN UP DAWG!

And Twitch's performance's last night weren't great. Dance with your feet and not with your face man!

I love Mark and Courtney together!

And Katee and Joshua are back together again!!! I love everything they do together. I think they are going to go head to head in the finale.

I think Twitch is going to go. I doubt Mark, but it's a possibility if superhero Twitch fans call like crazy tonight (I hate that damn super T logo Twitch wears!).

For a girl to go. I'm not sure. I wouldn't mind if Chelsie goes. (Wow I think that is the 1st time I typed her name!) I don't think she's all that and a bag of chips. Maybe just a handful of chips.

oatmeal muffins

This is my 2nd batch of oatmeal muffins. The first time I put 1 tsp. of baking powder instead of 1 tbsp.! So the 1st batch didn't rise. These came out WAY better! So yummy... 10 seconds in the microwave for a quick breakfast.

recipe from 500 Cupcakes (with some edits from me...)

. 2 cups all-purpose flour
. 1 cup packed brown sugar
. 1 tbsp baking powder
. 1 tsp cinnamon
. 1/3 cup wheat bran
. 1/3 cup rolled oats
. pinch of salt
. 2 cups buttermilk (I used soy)
. 2 lightly beaten eggs
. 3/4 cup vegetable oil
. 1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan (I used cups).

In a med bowl, combine the dry ingredients with a spoon. In a large bowl, beat the milk, eggs, and oil with an electric mixer until combined. I added a squirt of agave nectar to make it a little sweeter.

Add the dry ingredients and stir until almost blended. Fold in the raisins.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 20 min. Remove pan from the oven and cool for 5 min. Then remove the muffins and cool on a rack.

Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Makes 1 dozen.

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE

PERFORMANCE NIGHT

Seems like I'm impressed with the performances only every other week. Last week I was super excited. And this week... uh, not so much. Anywho, here is my quick run down.

• Courtney had the best solo.

• Why didn't any judges say anything about Twitch and Katee's kiss? I thought that routines was pretty cool. I can say that's the 1st domestic violence routine I ever saw :|

• Mark and Comfort's hip hop wasn't as great as the judges thought. WHAT EV! I'm not even going to comment on the fox trot. GEEZ!

• Please stop putting Joshua in tight pants.

Who's to go? Comfort and my man Mark. Any hey... since Jessica made it to the top 10, but Comfort came back in her place with they have 11 dancers on tour?

Raspberries

More summer fruit!

Fresh red raspberries should look dry, plump, and bright; stems mean they were picked too soon. These berries spoil quickly so eat them as fast as you can. To preserve, rinse gently, place berries in waxed paper in a single layer, freeze until solid, and transfer to zip-top bags.

FOOD TIPS
Stir fresh or frozen raspberries into muffin or quick-bread batters. When making ice cubes, drop raspberries into the trays for a color and flavor boost.

Add raspberries to a salad of arugula, slivered radicchio, and butter lettuce. Toss with balsamic vinaigrette and top with chopped walnuts.

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE

PERFORMANCE NIGHT

OHMIGOSH! Comfort comes back because Jessica busted her ribs! WOW! The judges were so hard on Jessica. I don't think she could have taken another critique. And Comfort... she'll never point those toes right. But that chick has 9 lives!

However I must say Comfort worked it with Twitch on the hip hop routine. I'm so glad they performed that together! No other couple could have pulled that off. The same with Katee and will. No one could of performed that last routine that they did together. What was it called? P-what? Anywho, it was absolutely breathtaking. I so see Will with Alivn Ailey or some other contemporary ballet dance theatre. I also think Katee and WIll's solos were the BEST.

I think Comfort may actually have one more week. Kherington's solo was WEAK and she hasn't been doing anything impressive lately.

ZUMBA this Saturday!

Summer break is OVER!

Classes start again on Saturdays KC Metropolitan Dance Theatre. See you this Saturday (7/19) @ 11am!

Blueberries

Baked in a pie or sprinkled over cereal, or simply eaten like candy, a pint of blueberries brightens just about any recipe. Blueberries are good for you because is a great antioxidant.



Anthocyanins have been shown to help prevent heart disease, and many inhibit the growth of cancer cells. Studies suggest blueberry anthocyanins also protect against neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, and can slow and even reverse age-related memory loss and decline in cognitive function.

BABY SPINACH with BLUEBERRIES and WALNUTS
serves 4

4 cups baby spinach leaves
1 small red onion. thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

Toss together baby spinach, red onion, and chopped walnuts in a medium bowl. Add blueberries and feta cheese. Whisk together olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl. Drizzle over salad and toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE

PERFORMANCE NIGHT

Kourtni and Matt went home last week. Kinda unexpected for me. I thought Comfort and Thayne were going to go home instead. But they’ll go home tomorrow because that contemporary routine they did was painful to watch.

There seemed to be SO MANY performances tonight. At 1.5 hours in I was getting tired of watching. But when Joshua and Katee came out at the end with Bollywood I was SO EXCITED (especially since I’ve recently added a Bollywood routine of my own in my Zumba class). It was GREAT! I was grinning from ear to ear watching them. I think there waltz was fine also. All of the technical speak of them going up and down… WHAT EV. I think the performance wasn’t their strongest as a couple, but it was still good.

I think many of the technical comments judges made on the ballroom were fallen of deaf ears for the audience (and myself). I think that the majority performances were fair – nothing mind blowing – but it seemed like they were trying to bring down the performances by some of their technical comments. I’d be all day commenting on all of the performances so I’ll leave it at that.

Big Fudgy Bittersweet Brownies

What's not to love about these rich, chocolate treats? They're ready to eat in 25 minutes and healthy ingredients like nonfat yogurt and whole wheat flour will be sure to satisfy dieters and chocolate lovers alike.

Nutrition facts per serving:
250 calories
35g carbohydrate
4g protein
3g fiber
14g fat (4g saturated)

9 servings, 1 brownie each

INGREDIENTS
1 large egg
1 egg white
3 tablespoons plain nonfat yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 ounces high-quality unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup buckwheat or presifted whole wheat flour

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly coat an 8-inch-square nonstick baking pan with cooking spray. In a small bowl, whisk together egg, egg white, yogurt, and vanilla extract; set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine sugar, oil, salt, and 3 tablespoons water, stirring constantly for 3 minutes on medium-high heat. Remove from heat; stir in cocoa and chocolate until chocolate melts, then add egg mixture. Add all flour, stirring until batter is smooth.

Pour batter into baking pan. Bake 25 minutes, or until top is firm. Cool completely in pan on rack. Cut into squares.

from "fitness" magazine

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE

PERFORMANCE NIGHT
Ok.. I could hardly watch the show since there was a thunderstorm warning in Kansas City and the weather reports kept interrupting the performances! UGH!