Blueberry Empanadas

After trying to stomach a dairy-based soup the other night and nearly vomiting all over the place, I lamented yet again that I cannot eat dairy or gluten products. I don’t really care about soups; the real kicker is that I get to pass by the breads and pastries in the store and can’t get any.

My husband has a potluck coming up soon and there are a few people like me (except worse) so I wanted to make something tasty that we could eat. It’s usually pretty difficult to find safe things to eat at a potluck because most people don’t think about the allergens they’re putting into their food. Let’s face it – why think about it if it doesn’t affect you?

I found a simple recipe for Blueberry Hand Pies (empanadas) posted by Carol Kicinski at Simply Gluten-Free and tested it out the other day. Here’s what I learned:

• don’t bake wax paper at 400 degrees – it burns and sets off the smoke alarm
• lightly flour your work surface when rolling out the dough
• don’t over-fill your pie – it will explode

Blueberry Empanadas:

Ingredients:

2c blueberries

1/4c sugar

1/2 lemon – juiced and zest finely grated

2tsp cornstarch (or tapioca starch)

1 box (7.5oz) Chebe Original or All-Purpose Bread Mix

3 large eggs

2tbsp melted butter or vegetable oil

Directions:

In a saucepan combine 1 1/2c blueberries with 1/4c sugar, lemon juice and zest. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes or until blueberries are very soft and start to burst. Combine cornstarch with 2tbsp water and stir into blueberries. Bring back to a boil and let boil until mixture thickens (about 30 seconds). Add remaining 1/2c blueberries and let cool completely.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.

Stir together bread mix with 2 eggs, 2tbsp oil/melted butter, and 1/4c water. Knead until smooth (about 1 minute). Divide dough into 6 equal portions and roll into balls. Sandwiched between wax or parchment paper, flatten a dough ball into a disk and roll into a 6″ circle. Spread 2 heaping tbsp of cooled blueberry mixture on one half of dough, leaving a 1/2″ border at edge. Fold dough over to form a half circle. Pinch dough edges together, fold over to crimp, and place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining balls.

Using a fork, poke holes in the top of each of the pies several times. Whisk the last egg with a splash of water and brush on top of each pie. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 minutes or until crusts are lightly browned. Let cool.

Servings: 6

This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free. Those are the only allergens I can remember right now. I used cornstarch because I had some and didn’t want to spend extra money just for tapioca starch. I also used Arrowhead All-Purpose Baking Mix instead of the suggested Chebe Original or Bread Mix. The “butter” I used is a buttery spread so it’s really a fake butter made with vegetable oil. Tastes the same to me. At least, I don’t remember how real butter tastes so I assume it tastes the same. hehe

I got to use my grater for the first time since I bought it about 2 years ago. Yay! This recipe also allowed me to finally buy a rolling pin. I was super excited to try it out! My husband was impressed that I made the dough all by myself instead of it being premade. He missed seeing me look all house-wifey with a rolling pin and kneading dough.

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“Stacked” Cardio

Oh. My. Holy. Cow!

I just got my butt handed to me on a platter!

Today’s Challenge: Angela Leigh’s 13-Minute Fat Melt – cardio portion.

Cardio Moves:

1. Tap That (30 sec)
2. On Thin Ice (alt sides 30 sec)
3. Bottoms Up (30 sec)
4. Sprinter (15 sec each side)
5. Superstar (30 sec)
6. Bring It In (30 sec)

Quick reminder of how to do this kind of stacking workout: do move #1 then rest 30sec; move #1, #2 then rest 30sec; #1, #2, #3 then rest; etc till you reach the end. Move #6 should only be done once because it’s the last move of the last set.

At first I thought Tap That was too easy. 30sec of butt kicking and then I rest for 30sec? pfft! Whatever. But then the 2nd set where I add in On Thin Ice had my heartrate racing. I think I should’ve done a better warm-up because it felt like going from walking to running. By the end of the 3rd set I felt like I had been sprinting. 4th set my heart/lungs felt like they were going to pop! I haven’t been in pain like that since I was really fat and trying to jog for the first time in college.

If people listen to their bodies, they can tell when pain is good and should be accepted and when pain is bad and they should be backing off. This was the bad kind of pain. So I quit after that 4th set (ending with Sprinter) and walked around to cool down. There’s still a shadow of pain there now but it’s as if I had been sprinting and pushing myself really hard. My legs are super tired and my butt is so sore!

My new goal should be to practice, practice, practice and get stronger so that I can finish those cards! I don’t usually give up on something. If I think I can’t do it, I modify the moves or I take a bit of a longer rest so that I can but I didn’t think I had it in me this time to finish.

This will be one of those workouts where I’ll need to go at it a little at a time, bit by bit until I can finish. So I’ll try to do these cardio moves twice a week and try to get a little farther each time. Maybe I’ll have made it by the New Year.

*DISCLAIMER: I will not be held responsible for any injuries incured while trying these workouts. Always consult your doctor before starting any new exercise. If you’d like personalized help reaching your fitness/health goals or are merely looking for new ideas, consider making an appt with a personal trainer or trying out a group exercise class at your local gym. Always listen to your body and be careful not to push yourself beyond your limits. Injuries suck!*

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“Stacked” Strengthening

Angela Leigh’s The 13-Minute Fat Melt was featured in the February 2013 issue of Self and I’m testing it out this week. It’s cut into two sections that can be done separately or together – strengthening and cardio. Each section should take about 13 minutes to do.

Strengthening moves:

1. Prisoner Squat (alt sides 30 sec)
2. Fly Away (30 sec)
3. On Strike (15 sec each side)
4. Kick-Starter (alt sides 30 sec)
5. Grab and Go (alt sides 30 sec)
6. Walk It Out (30 sec)

Start with #1 for the given amount of time then rest for 30 sec. Start over with #1 and add #2. Rest for 30 sec. Start again #1, #2, #3. Rest. Etc. You’ll end with a climbing staircase of 6 sets with the 6th move being done only once as it’s the last move in the last set.

My legs and arms are all wobbly and feel like they’re going to fall off. However, the rest of me? hmmm….That remains to be seen.

*EDIT: Next day my legs and arms are sore. There’s some lower back soreness but not much. Some side oblique soreness but pretty negligible. For the most part I feel like I’ve really neglected my core and that I should do a routine that’s geared toward it.*

I messed up and did that Prisoner Squat 30 sec each side instead of alternating each side for 30 sec. My legs got pretty tired by the end. I also did twice as many On Strikes on the first go because I took it for granted that it would be 30 seconds like the other moves. Honestly though, I think I probably would’ve been better off sticking with 30 sec each side. Still, the increase of squats got me all wobbly as it turned out so that’s that.

It’s a fun workout and goes by super quickly but I wonder at its thoroughness. My arms and legs are feeling it (lots of full push-ups from plank position and superman position in the Fly Away move) but not my core. Maybe I messed up the Grab and Go move. I should’ve kept my butt higher but my arms were so tired so I was concentrating on them. People with wrist problems (and shoulder problems perhaps) should probably stay away from the Grab and Go move.

*DISCLAIMER: I will not be held responsible for any injuries incurred during this or any other workout I post on this blog. Always consult your doctor before starting any new exercises. If you want more suggestions on ways to get fit and healthy, you might consider making an appointment with a personal trainer or trying out a group exercise class at your local gym. Remember to always listen to your body and hold back or rest when you need it. Injuries suck.*

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Angela Leigh’s “Stacked” Routine

The routine I’m testing out this week was from the February 2013 issue of Self and can, of course, be found on Self.com under the title The 13-Minute Fat Melt. It was created by Angela Leigh and served as a sneak peak for her new Stacked class. However, as that was about half a year ago, I’m sure the class is most likely old news by now.

There are two routines here – 1 for strengthening and 1 for cardio. They’re only supposed to take about 13 minutes for each routine and can be done separately or together.

Strengthening moves:

1. Prisoner Squat (alt sides 30 sec)
2. Fly Away (30 sec)
3. On Strike (15 sec each side)
4. Kick-Starter (alt sides 30 sec)
5. Grab and Go (alt sides 30 sec)
6. Walk It Out (30 sec)

Cardio moves:

1. Tap That (30 sec)
2. On Thin Ice (30 sec)
3. Bottoms Up (30 sec)
4. Sprinter (15 sec each side)
5. Superstar (30 sec)
6. Bring It In (30 sec)

The names used for these moves are pretty deceptive. Why don’t trainers ever use the same names? They’re using the same moves so why not the same names? Like the “Bring It In” move is really just a burpee with a tuck jump instead of a hop at the end. True, this burpee doesn’t have a push-up in the middle but not every kind of burpee does. “Tap That” is really just butt kicks. Kick your butt while you jog in place. “On Thin Ice” is skater squats while you also tap the floor to get you to squat/bend further down. A “Prisoner Squat” is just a squat with an added side crunch or side bend. “On Strike” is a reverse lunge with an added knee raise. “Kick-Starter” is just scissor legs/kicks…There’s not even a modification to that one. Just scissor kicks.

Anyway, the way it’s done is you do the 1st move for the recommended time then rest 30 sec. Then you do the 1st move again and add in the 2nd move for the recommended time. Rest 30 sec. Then 1st, 2nd, 3rd moves. Rest 30 sec. Etc. You should end up with a climbing staircase of moves. Move #6 is done only once because it’s the last of the last set. No matter which routine chosen, it should take about 13 minutes.

*DISCLAIMER: I will not be held responsible for any injuries incurred during this or any other workout I post on this blog. Always consult your doctor before starting any new exercises. If you want more suggestions on ways to get fit and healthy, you might consider making an appointment with a personal trainer or trying out a group exercise class at your local gym. Remember to always listen to your body and hold back or rest when you need it. Injuries suck.*

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Life Happens

Did I do any exercise last week? Nope. Why not? Because I’m a lazy butt.

Among other things.

My son got a fever last Sunday and I hate to leave him when he’s sick so I didn’t get to the gym. I could’ve exercised at home. I should have exercised at home. But I didn’t. Being lazy can be okay but it’s not in this instance because I’ve been lazy off and on for too long and am losing muscle and gaining fat. And I need to get ready to teach a demo class…which I won’t be able to do if I can’t get my fat butt in gear.

And staying at home due to my son’s sickness has had its consequences as well. I try to get out of the house for hours every day because when I don’t I tend to eat…and eat…and eat. So I’m all bloated with carbs as well. Have I at least been eating good things? They’ve been tasty but I wouldn’t call them very good for me. I need my daily salad and I haven’t been getting it. ugh. My body hates me right now.

To top that off, I stumbled off the flagstone path near my apartment on Wednesday because I was being a dork and trying to read interesting mail while I walked on a narrow path. OUCH!!! I iced my ankle off and on that afternoon but didn’t elevate it because I couldn’t conveniently do so. I knew it wasn’t a sprain so I figured the RICE treatment wasn’t that big a deal. I can’t remember if it’s a tendon or a muscle that’s been hurt but it felt like a rubberband that has been stretched out really quickly and then been allowed to snap back. It’s above my ankle on the outside of my leg and it’s still sore but I try to stretch it every now and then during the day. Nothing serious. Just vaguely annoying. Feels like a muscle that’s been worked a lot and is sore now.

Tomorrow I get back into the swing of things…again. Life has been crazy lately and not just with me falling off flagstone paths.

Holy cow! Outside the window where I’m sitting is a woman whose thighs are literally the size of my biceps!! My arms are about 12″ in circumference. That is one skinny woman!! She looks to be about 5’7″ or 5’8″ too. Jeez…I’d worry about her legs snapping like toothpicks under the weight of her purse. The world really is populated with every kind of body type imaginable. Sometimes it’s really amazing. I’m not saying any of that with negativity. Just an observation.

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Treadmill Workouts – Sprint-Ladder

Today’s tested out treadmill routine from Self.com’s list of 10 Boredom-Busting Treadmill Workouts is: Sprint-Ladder. The routine itself is below in bold italics; my times for the first go and the repeat follow in italics.

Sprint-Ladder Workout:

5-10min warm-up: walk/jog at comfortable pace (5min @ 3.5-4mph, 5min @ 4.5mph)

• 60sec @ 7mph (7mph) (7mph)
• 60sec @ 5mph (5mph) (5mph)
• 45sec @ 8mph (8mph) (7.5-8mph)
• 60sec @ 4mph (4mph) (4mph)
• 30sec @ 9mph (8mph) (7-7.5mph)
• 60sec @ 3mph (3mph) (3mph)
• 30sec @ 10mph (8-8.5mph) (8mph)
• 90sec @ 3mph (3mph) (3mph)

Repeat entire program
5min cooldown: walk/jog at comfortable, gradually slowing pace

Oh. My. Holy. Cow.

Did you see those speeds of 9 and 10mph?! Yeah, that should be a tip-off that this routine is 1) not for the faint-hearted, and 2) not for the beginning runner. It’s actually said to be for experienced runners. I believe I’m an intermediate runner and I was no match for those speeds. Luckily, they encourage people not to try those speeds if people are unable to do them safely.

I love how they termed it too.

“Huffing and puffing is a good thing, but flying off the treadmill is not!”

I have a healthy desire not to fall on my face, maybe break my teeth/nose, get blood everywhere and all in public…how embarrassing! Not to mention painful and messy. So with that in mind, I chose speeds I knew I could handle but that would push me as far as I could push myself without falling.

One would think 30min of this would kill me but the time flew by because of the tiny increments. As a safety precaution, I hooked up the emergency stop magnet to my shirt so that if I fell it would pull the magnet off the machine and the machine would stop. Maybe in my attempts to push myself harder and farther, I push myself too hard or too far and my legs give out. If I don’t test my limits, I’ll never know what they are. Hence the safety measures.

I think today I reached really close to my sprinting limits. I’m afraid if I inched the speed up any higher I might’ve been down on the ground.

Conclusion:

Definitely not for beginners. Doable for intermediate and experienced runners. Speeds should be changed for the individual’s needs. I would take safety precautions (like hooking the emergency stop magnet to your clothes) before starting. Routine was quick and enjoyable; the small increments staved off boredom because I was constantly thinking of what I’d be doing next or concentrating on what my body was doing. Awesome sprinting workout. Not hellishly difficult but definitely not easy.

Other Treadmill Routines:

Want a treadmill routine but don’t want to run? Walk in this Sidewinder workout!

*DISCLAIMER: I will not be held responsible for any injury that might occur during this or any other exercise/routine that I mention in my blog. You should always consult your doctor before trying any new exercise/routine. Always listen to your body so you know when to stop and how hard to push yourself. Consider meeting with a personal trainer if you want personalized help with your fitness endeavors or possibly try a group fitness class – there are numerous different kinds of classes out there and can be rather enjoyable.*

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Treadmill Workouts – Sidewinder

I’m not bored with my treadmill routines but I always enjoy trying new things and I found some new routines on Self.com. The article was written by Amanda Macmillan and is entitled “10 Boredom-Busting Treadmill Workouts.” I’ve decided I’ll try each of them and give a review on how I like them and what I think of them.

10 Treadmill Routines:

1. Get-Back-On-Track
2. Sidewinder
3. Speed-Endurance
4. Pressed-for-Time
5. 5-4-3-2-1
6. Sprint/Interval
7. Never-a-Flat-Moment
8. Sprint-Ladder
9. Around-the-World
10. Gauntlet

I should probably start with the first one but it’s too similar to my usual routines (minus the walking part) to be interesting right now so I’ll try the Sidewinder which was created by Katina Brock, a personal trainer at the Biggest Loser Resort and fitness advisor for Motility Training, a mobile fitness app. It’s a walker. Here it is:

• 5-min warm-up (gradually increase speed from 2.4-3.5mph)
• 2-min sideways walking – 2.2mph (1-min left, 1-min right)
• 2-min sideways walking – 2.4mph (1-min left, 1-min right)
• 1-min forward walking – 4.5mph
• 1-min forward walking – 3.5mph
• 2-min sideways walking – 2.6mph (1-min left, 1-min right)
• 2-min sideways walking – 2.8mph (1-min left, 1-min right)
• 1-min forward walking – 4.2mph
• 1-min forward walking – 3.5mph
• 2-min sideways walking – 2mph 5% incline (1-min left, 1-min right)
• 5-min cooldown (gradually decrease speed from 3-1.8mph)

With all the sideways walking done it’s pretty obvious that this routine focuses on your hips. There’s a note toward the bottom of the page on the website that says,

While walking sideways, use a light touch on the rails for stability but do not support with arms. Keep feet pointed to the side of the treadmill, not forward. You can shuffle feet together and apart or, at slower speeds, cross one foot behind or in front of the other.

That’s all well and good for people who have excellent muscle control, coordination, and balance but the rest of us are going to need to hold on to that rail a little more than a mere “light touch” if we don’t want to end up flat on our face. I had to hold on to the rails with both hands and was quite often fighting not to almost fully support myself. It was difficult not to lean into whatever arm was closest to the front of the machine because my legs are definitely not used to the ground moving beneath them in a sideways manner. I learned today that I have near 0 coordination as I had to seriously concentrate on my feet so I didn’t trip. I tripped a few times anyway but luckily I was holding onto the rails so all was fine.

I thought the speeds would be too slow – that was not the case. The warm-up and cooldown drifted into super slow speeds that brought my heartrate dooooooown…which is really boring on a treadmill. However, this also allowed me to start grooving to my iPod so I managed to keep myself entertained. On the higher sideways speeds I found I could get a little core work in there by keeping my core engaged and twisting while I crossed my feet in front and behind each other. This, however, took some work away from my hips as I had to point my toes forward during half of the twists. It gave me more coordination and balance though with the faster footwork so I was able to let go of one rail and not lean on the other.

The incline I kept to 1% the whole way through except for when it said to raise the incline to 5% on the last 2-min bout of sideways walking.

Conclusion:

If you’re coordinated and strong, this will be a good workout for your hips. If you’re not very coordinated or have poor balance, this could very well be a challenging routine. I think I’m average with coordination and pretty good with balance but I never managed to perform well enough to let go of the rail. My heartrate got up to the 130s but it quickly lowered back to a resting heartrate. I certainly was panting but that’s because my hips aren’t used to so much focus.

People with poor coordination/balance – I’d recommend this routine ONLY if the speeds were greatly reduced and the rails held onto for support.

*DISCLAIMER: I will not be held responsible for any injuries sustained while performing this routine. The routine was created by Katina Brock – I’m only trying it for fun to see what it’s like. You can find this routine and more at Self.com. Always consult your doctor before trying any new exercise or routine and always listen to your body. If it’s telling you to stop, then stop. It’s okay to go at your own pace. Don’t push yourself into an injury. Consider seeing a personal trainer for individualized help if you need/want it or try a group fitness class – they’re varied and can be highly enjoyable.*

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Success!

I did it! After weeks of studying and months of the teacher postponing the class, I finally took my Foundations class to become a group fitness instructor! And I passed! Most of the questions I got wrong were because I second-guessed myself or forgot the technical jargon. I don’t believe telling the participants in class that the next move will work our iliopsoas will make any impact on them whatsoever. If loud music wasn’t playing in class I’d probably hear crickets chirping.

Or maybe the crickets would be silent as well.

Probably telling people that we’ll do some knee raises would be a more successful route.

By the way, basically the iliopsoas is the strongest muscle of the hip flexors. It’s located along the top of the thigh where it meets the torso. So where your leg bends at the hip when you raise your leg. Don’t ask for more information because I don’t have it memorized. You can see more information at wikipedia.

Anyway, I had a solid B because of those jargon questions or because I second-guessed myself. I got to look over the corrected test afterwards and I’m pretty sure I will not make those mistakes again. Nor will I use technical words in class. Best to stick with normal speech when I’m about ready to die from nervousness and counting in the middle of class. I have a difficult enough time speaking as it is without having to remember words like anterior and posterior. No thank you.

When I was in college I was never good at the technical portion of classes. It was always the labs I excelled in. Let me get in and do it and I’ll show you I’m capable, but test me on technical stuff and I’ll probably look like a moron.

Anyway, the next step is to teach a demo class to prove that I’m ready to teach real classes. I’ve been practicing and preparing for, literally, a year to do this. The class was supposed to be back in February of 2013 but the teacher was too busy and too busy and too busy. Just as well. I had plenty of time to develop confidence in myself and reform my body with exercise and diet. I believe now that I’m ready to do this whereas I seriously lacked in self-confidence and body image before.

I have about 6-8 different routines that I can choose from that I created early in the year but I think only 3 of them would be good enough to do. I’ll try all 3 and see which one best fits me for the current purpose. Then I’ll use this week to practice it so I know it well enough by heart to do the demo. I’ll make the appt asap so I can get it in sooner rather than later. It’ll probably take Hillary at least a week (I assume) to work it into her schedule. And I’m sure Kelly will have to be there too considering it’s her class I’m demo-ing. She’s been training me to be her sub. Woo!

Am I a certified instructor now? I think so but I haven’t done the demo yet so maybe not. I’ll hold off on saying I’m certified until after the demo is done. Then there’s nothing holding me back!!

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