October 26, 2011
Do you want to get/stay Hot Through The Holidays?
We all look forward to the holidays!
The parties
The champagne
The yummy appetizers, dinners, and desserts!
Unfortunately, when we start the holidays, we often stop all our healthy habits that we worked so hard for all year long!!! Nothing like undoing 10 months of hard work in two months!
I often find that if I work out on any given day, that I make better food and beverage choices. So, maybe we should all commit to ourselves that we’re just going to try to do a bit better this year! I’m not saying to skip that party. I’m not saying skip the glass of champagne, or the pumpkin cheesecake. I am saying make a commitment to yourself to make just one or two better decisions per day this holiday season to avoid or limit the holiday weight gain!
In order to provide encouragement, we would love to invite you to participate in our Hot Through The Holidays contest. It’s a two month contest, designed to provide points, and ultimately prizes to encourage you to stick to your goals this holiday season.
Please join us for the kick off events in each studio!
Xtend Barre Carlsbad – Saturday, October 29th at noon
Xtend Barre Carmel Valley – Tuesday, November 1st at 6:30 pm.
April 18, 2011
Healthy (And TASTY) Macaroni and Cheese
Do you LOVE a great bowl of macaroni and cheese, but feel guilty eating it? Me too!!!!
Until I found a great Cooking Light recipe that I modified quite a bit further to make it even healthier.
1/2 tbsp of butter
1/4 red onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic minced/pressed
1 1/2 c chicken broth
1 tbsp flour (can use gluten free if desired)
1/2 c fat free milk (I use almond milk)
2 c shredded sharp cheddar
1 c feta
1/3 c shredded parmesan
4 c dry pasta (elbow, rotini, penne – can be gluten free you wish)
4 tbsp of steak seasoning
1 c scallions
In a sauce pan (I use a Le Creuset small dutch oven), melt butter. Brown garlic and onion. Once it all browns, use chicken stock to deglaze the pan. Cook pasta according al dente (VERY important) to directions Add milk, flour, and steak seasoning, and whisk together. Add all cheeses but the parmesan and whisk till melted. Add the pasta into the cheese mixture. You can either continue to let it simmer slowly in the cheese sauce, or place in the oven to remain warm and help the cheese stick to the pasta. If you are using gluten free pasta, be sure to serve as quickly as possible – so it remains al dente. When you get ready to serve – place in bowls, and sprinkle scallions and parmesan cheese on the top. Serve hot. ENJOY! This has become an Xtend Barre Carlsbad and Xtend Barre Carmel Valley family favorite.
April 11, 2011
Get Your Best Body and Pictures – Bridal Barre Camp
When you look at your life – what are the most important days? Probably your wedding day and/or the day your children are born. I don’t know about you, but on the day I picked out my wedding dress, I stood there looking in the mirror and said to myself, “I need to lose a few pounds before I wear this dress.”
In many cases – we actually buy a dress SMALLER than we could currently wear as incentive to lose the weight. This day will include pictures that you will look at fondly for the rest of your life!
If you’re looking for a great way to tone up, lose weight, and get the body (and pictures) you’ve always dreamed of, try our Bridal Barre Camp – three months of unlimited barre classes for you (and your bridesmaids if you wish) for only $299! If you come 3-4 times a week – you will likely lose (at least) 2 dress sizes and feel better than you thought possible!
Also – if you purchase a Bridal Barre Camp package – you receive 10% off a beautiful wedding dress at Del Mar’s Bliss Bride. (Did I mention that they carry Vera Wang??????)
If you are interested in Xtend Barre Carlsbad or Xtend Barre Carmel Valley Bridal Barre Camp Package – please contact us for more information.
April 9, 2011
Quinoa Salad with Rainbow Carrots, Beets, Fennel, Basil, and Cinnamon Orange Vinaigrette
I recently attended the Third Annual Good Ol Gals Sweet Retreat. It was such a lovely day with so many amazing local business women! One of the highlights of the day was the nutritious lunch provided by Dining Details. One of the fabulous vegan entrees was a Quinoa Salad.
What most people don’t know about quinoa is that it fulfills your carb cravings like a starch, but has only 30 carbs vs 37 in rice, AND has 5 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber (with none in rice)! This will soon become one of your dinner staples – and is a GREAT item for events!
Quinoa Salad Recipe
Makes about 6 Servings
1.5 c quinoa- cooked according to package
2 beets, roasted at 375 in tin foil, cooled, peeled, and diced
3 large carrots, peeled, diced, and roasted in olive oil and sea salt
1 Fennel bulb, trimmed, diced and roasted in olive oil
1/4 c rough chopped basil
1/4 c olive oil
1 t cinnamon
1 t cumin
juice from 2-3 oranges
Sea Salt and Ground Pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients and toss well.
A big thank you to Dining Details for being the type of company that offers so many healthy options. They offer personal chef services, cooking classes, etc. – typically using foods from local San Diego CSA’s. If you have an event coming up – they may be able to provide a great menu – and even some entertainment if you want to do it as a cooking class!
March 23, 2011
OH MY GOODNESS – YUM! Cherry Tomato, Mozzarella and Zucchini Pie
I often sit in my bed in the morning with my laptop (which is what I’m doing right now) and watch The Today Show. Today, Martha Stewart was on showing her savory pies and quiches. In other words – pies and quiches that aren’t dessert – but could instead be a meal. I love this one because it’s vegetarian. I’ll also tell you that I have switched out the pie crust recipe because of all the from the original!
Recipe: Cherry tomato, mozzarella and zucchini pie
“Martha Stewart’s New Pies and Tarts: 150 Recipes for Old-Fashioned and Modern Favorites”
Ingredients
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. olive oil
3 tbsp. skim milk
- For the filling:
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/2 inch-thick half-moons
- 1 1/2 pounds cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 ounces bocconcini (fresh mozzarella balls) or fresh mozzarella (1-inch pieces)
- 3 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, chopped
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Preparation
1. Make the crust: Combine flour and salt in bowl. Blend oil and milk in bowl. Add to flour mixture. Stir with fork until forms large clumps. Press into ball. Flatten to form 5-6 inch “pancake”. Roll between sheets of wax paper. Peel off top sheet. Flip into 9 inch pie pan. Remove other sheet. Press dough into pie plate. Trim and flute.
2. Make the filling: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium. Add shallot; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add zucchini; cook, stirring occasionally, until light golden and liquid has been released, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
3. Halve one-third of the tomatoes. Stir halved and whole tomatoes, both cheeses, basil and flour into shallot-zucchini mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Transfer filling to shell. Fold in flaps of dough, slightly overlapping. Refrigerate until dough is firm, about 30 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Brush 1 tbsp melted butter or one egg yolk over crust. Bake pie on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling, 70 to 80 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm.
March 22, 2011
Are YOU ready for swimsuit season?
Looking for that long, lean, dancer’s body? Try Xtend Barre Carlsbad or Xtend Barre Carmel Valley! There are many new bar method’s popping up. One of the differences of Xtend is that with the cardio component and a full range of motion, not just the small movements, we are working on Xtending those muscles – to create those longer, leaner muscles, rather than shorter, more contracted muscles.
Xtend Barre was featured on recently on Ivillage.com as one of those workouts to get that body you’ve always desired. Natalie Portman used this extended bar method to lose weight and tone up for The Black Swan. This type of workout is also one of the popular workouts used by Madonna, Kelly Osborne, Kelly Ripa, Anna Paquin, and it has absolutely TRANSFORMED Drew Barrymore’s body!
One of the great things about the boutique barre studios is that most limit class sizes (most are 25 people or less) – providing you with a more individualized and safe workout experience. So, if you’re looking for individualized attention, and to get that bikini body you’ve always wanted, try a FREE class at Xtend Barre Carlsbad or Xtend Barre Carmel Valley. First class always free with a local ID!
March 17, 2011
How Is Xtend Barre Different Than The Other Bar Methods?
We get this question quite frequently! 
1. Cardio and Calorie Burning
All Xtend Barre classes are meant to provide your resistance training, as well as your cardio all in less than one hour. Many of our Xtend Barre Carlsbad & Xtend Barre Carmel Valley clients wear heart rate monitors when they come into class. The average client burns about 600 calories per hour – PLUS their FULL BODY resistance training!
2. Neutral Spine vs. Tuck
Most other bar methods operate in a posterior tilt (or a pelvic tuck). They do this to help create additional resistance during movements. Xtend focuses on using just creating your own resistance. I often say to treat your body as if you are moving through quicksand – create that resistance with your own muscles. Xtend operates with a more pilates based, neutral spine, believing that this is the most safe and stable spinal position.
3. Dance Inspired
Xtend incorporates large movements (think cardio) in with our small, isometric movements. It seems that just as you can’t do any more of those small movements – we’re ready to move you to the larger movements. This helps give you a break, without over developing any one muscle group. It helps remove the lactic acid from the muscles (reducing muscle soreness). It helps with the extension of the muscles, vs just the contraction. It also serves as your interval – increasing the calorie burn. But most of all – it hopefully just makes class MORE FUN!
Remember – your first class is FREE!!!! If you’ve taken another bar method and want to know how Xtend is different – come try a class on us! Xtend Barre Carlsbad and Xtend Barre Carmel Valley look forward to seeing you soon!
September 26, 2010
Three Easy Food Changes to Lose Weight
You don’t have to make wholesale changes to lose a little bit of weight. Often it’s about making some of the little changes.
Here’s five little things you can do to cut out as much as 300 calories a day.
1. Replace mayo on sandwiches with real ground mustard or even mashed avocado with lime.
2. Start every meal with at least one (ideally two) glass of water before you start eating. Often, I think I’m hungry, when really I’m just thirsty or dehydrated. I often find that when I start with a big glass of water, I don’t eat as much – and sometimes am not even hungry! Read the rest of this entry »
September 13, 2010
Why Gluten Free?
I am often asked about my diet. The biggest thing that I probably do differently in my diet than the average American woman is that I eat as little wheat/gluten as possible.
A couple of years ago, I had a number of digestive issues, and found that when I ate certain foods (that just happened to be my favorites) – pasta, bread, pizza, etc. – that my digestive issues got worse!
So, I started researching gluten. Unfortunately, gluten is in everything – it’s a compound of wheat, so it’s in flour, breads, pastas, cookies, cakes, crackers – and even the things you wouldn’t expect – like vodka and soy sauce. Fortunately, my problems aren’t so bad that I have to be perfect about a gluten free diet, but I certainly have cut out the big stuff.
If you find that you are having problems losing weight, you often feel bloated, often have diarrhea and/or constipation, etc – maybe you should keep a food diary and see if you can determine the things that make the problems worse. If you are interested in learning more about a gluten free lifestyle, you can look up some of the popular blogs, or books.
