blueberry-lime muffins



Blueberry-lime muffins I made from the 500 cupcakes book. They turned out yummy! The lime gives it a different twist. I like to have them for breakfast. Pop them in the microwave for 20 sec. is just like they came out of the oven!

RECIPE
1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine, softened (I used butter)
1 cup superfine sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup fat-free milk (I use soy milk)
2 cups self-rising flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 tbsp. grated lime zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 18 paper baking cups in muffin pans.

Combine the margarine and sugar with an electric mixer until soft and creamy. Add the eggs slowly and mix well. Beat in the vanilla and milk.

Sift the flour and baking powder and stir into the batter until just combined. Fold in blueberries and lime zest.

Spoon the mixture into the cups. Bake for 20 min. Remove pans from the oven and cool for 5 min. Then remove cupcakes and cool on a rack.

Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

CLASSES

All classes are on the normal schedule this week.

Hallmark Class
REMINDER: This Thursday, 4/24, is the last day of the spring session. We'll have 1-week break. The summer 8-week session begins May 8th.

Love Your Summer Workout

Summer is almost here! The only problem with hot weather is that, well, it's so darn hot outside. Here are five tips on working out in hot weather.

1. Adjust your body temperature
Hop into a cold shower before your workout. A German study this year found that a pre-exercise cooldown improves performance in the heat -- probably because it lowers your heart rate as well as core and skin temperatures. Too chicken to try it? Even just cooling your neck or head with an ice pack may make a difference.

2. Cool down with essential oils
Dabbing a few drops of peppermint or eucalyptus oil on the back of your neck and at your temples just before your workout provides a cooling effect and also opens up your nasal passages, so you can breathe a little easier when the air is humid, says Minna Lessig, creator of the Tank Top Arms, Bikini Belly, Boy Shorts Bottom DVD. In fact, research has found that athletes who sniffed peppermint during their workout ran faster, had greater grip strength, and could do more push-ups than those who didn't.

3. Practice random acts of fitness
Sneak in little bits of exercise with some summer-friendly activities. For example: Washing the car for 30 minutes burns about 100 calories for a 140-pound woman; gardening burns 128. Other options: throwing a Frisbee, walking the dog, playing a game of volleyball (all about 100 calories), mowing the lawn (176 calories), biking around the neighborhood (192 calories), or hula-hooping, which burns about 50 calories in just 10 minutes.

4. Protect your head
A mesh visor is a great way to shield your face from the sun while still allowing excess heat to escape from your head. One good option: the Nike Feather Light Visor ($18, nike.com), which has a Dri-Fit terry sweatband to move moisture away from the skin and mesh insets to keep cool breezes flowing. If you're biking, consider one of the new helmets that have deep vents to provide breezy airflow, such as Specialized's new Decibel bike helmet ($170, specialized.com) and Giro Pneumo ($145, giro.com).

5. Refuel with fruit
They're more than 80 percent water, so fruits such as grapes, watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew are a tasty way to replenish fluids and boost your energy post-workout, says Leslie Bonci, RD, director of sports medicine nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Keep 'em frozen for a refreshing treat. Other good options: Smoothies, frozen yogurt, or Jell-O with fruit chunks. "They provide the perfect mix of carbs and fluid and they're easily digestible in the summer heat," explains Bonci. If you've lost a lot of salt (hint: your clothes have white sweat stains after a workout), replace sodium by drinking V8 or a sports drink.

from "fitness" magazine

CLASS CHANGES THIS WEEK!

Hallmark ZUMBA
No class this Thursday. We're having class Tuesday 4/15 @ 5:30pm.

On Thursday I'll be participating in the RedLine benefit fashion show.


KC Metropolitan Dance Theatre
There will be a sub this Saturday, 4/19.

I'll be getting all four of my wisdom teeth out on Friday. So I'll be in bed with a swollen face :(

Relay For Life® of UMKC, MO

The event was cancelled due to the awful weather. It's April already... why is it still cold and snowy?

I was looking forward to it. But relieved when I got the call that it was cancelled. Doing ZUMBA @ 2:30am in 40 degree weather was going to be, uh... interesting.

Relay For Life® of UMKC, MO

April 11th-12th (6:00 PM - 6:00 AM)
at UMKC Swinney

Relay For Life®, the American Cancer Society's signature event, is a fun-filled overnight experience designed to bring together those who have been touched by cancer. Relay participants help raise money and awareness to support the American Cancer Society in its lifesaving mission to eliminate cancer as a major health issue. During Relay For Life ® events, teams of people gather at parks and take turns walking or running laps. The events are held overnight to represent the fact that cancer never sleeps.

At 2:30am on Saturday the 12th I'll be having a ZUMBA session to keep participants motivated to continue the relay until 6am. I'm super excited to be involved in this community event.

If you want to be a part of the fight against cancer, please donate or sign up today for the Relay For Life of UMKC, MO.

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: