Fearless Fitness Weekly Update 3/14: THE GREEN EDITION :)
Hello!
Hope you have all had a WONDERFUL weekend and had a chance to enjoy the sweet San Francisco sunshine 🙂 This week’s e-mail has a “green theme” in honor of one of my favorite holidays…. Saint Patrick’s Day! Irish or not – celebrate this wednesday, March 17th with some green! Below are a few helpful hints to get you started….
1. NEXT FEARLESS FITNESS WORKOUT: TUESDAY APRIL 6th AT 7:15PM!! Looking for community events to keep you busy this month? Check out Lululemon’s “Run Club” Thursday nights at 6pm and FREE Dailey Method classes Sunday morning at 930am. Feel free to keep me posted on your progress – I love hearing your strong success stories! Have any of you been to Run Club yet? SO FUN!
2. FEARLESS FITNESS TIP OF THE WEEK: LUCKY GREENS!!
The more we know about good nutrition and how important it is to eat fresh veggies, the more attention we give to leafy greens. In fact, you can’t find a list of the “most powerful foods” that doesn’t mention kale, spinach or collards. That’s because dark leafy greens contain such an abundant source of nutrients and powerful antioxidants, packing plenty of iron, calcium and fiber! They also contain chlorophyll, the pigment that turns the leaf green. Some people think of this as the plant’s blood and that makes sense when you also consider that leafy greens contain vitamin K, which helps our bodies with blood clotting abilities.
If you are a greens lover like me, chances are you don’t need any encouragement to add these to your meal plan. For those who are a wee bit reluctant, I suggest you start out with some of the milder flavored greens and work your way up. A quick reference on some of the most popular greens…..
*** Arugula: peppery flavor – try raw in salads or sandwiches
*** Bok Choy: sweet, mild flavor – perfect for stir-fries or soups
*** Collards: mild, sweet flavor – steam, braise or sauté until tender
*** Escarole; mildly bitter – eat raw in salads and steam or braise
*** Kale: mildly peppery – boil, steam or sauté
*** Mizuna: tender and spicy – mix with other greens in salads
*** Spinach; soft, sweet flavor – multi-purpose! Raw or cooked in many dishes
*** Swiss Chard: tender, sweet – sauté, braise or add to soups and other dishes
3. FEARLESS FITNESS CHALLENGE of the week: Get your greens! Make an effort to include more GREEN into your meals this week. It’s time to FEARLESSLY feast on something new, exciting, and gorgeously green!
Here are some creative cooking ideas to get you started….
*** For just about any soup, greens are a perfect match. Just chop and stir in, letting cook until tender. Spinach and chard are super quick options.
*** Mix it up in your salad bowl by adding baby spinach, tender young spring greens and baby arugula.
*** Add chopped greens to a stir fry – try collards, bok choy and broccoli rabe.
*** Make a simple side dish by sautéing onions and garlic in a bit of olive oil, add some greens, a little broth and steam until tender. Great with kale because it doesn’t cook down as much as other greens.
*** When making a sandwich or wrap, top it off with baby spinach, arugula or any baby field greens.
*** Want to experiment? In recipes that call for cooked spinach, substitute half the amount with cooked chard.
*** Never have time for prep? Freeze greens for quick and easy use. Remove and discard the tough stem from mature leaves. Wash, dry and chop the leaves. Then freeze in serving-size freezer bags and add frozen leaves directly to soups, stews, pasta sauces, etc.
*** Serve your favorite soup, beans or chili over a bowl of baby spinach. The heat from the broth will gently wilt the spinach and add great flavor to your meal.
Have fun! And if you need someone to join you for a “lucky” dinner or two…. you know where to find me 🙂 Keep your eyes posted for next week’s update…. SODA sabatoge!
Thanks again for being an amazing FEARLESS fitness family! As always, if you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me. Looking forward to our next workout in April and all the fearless fitness fun in-between!
Leaving you with a “lucky Leprechaun” quote 🙂
“I’m a great believer in luck and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.” ~Thomas Jefferson
Caroline