Good morning to you!
On Tuesday night, I made Kath’s Know Your Roots Salad which features golden beets, wheatberries, sunflower seeds, beet greens, and sweet potato. Eric and I both went crazy over it. Golden beets are one of my favourite vegetables! If you have not tried them I highly encourage you too. They are sweeter and milder than red beets and even Eric who is not a red beet fan, just loves golden beets.
I made a few modifications based on what I had in my kitchen, but for the most part I stuck to the original recipe.
- I didn’t have any sweet potato, so I used a butternut squash. It went quite well flavour-wise, but I think I would have preferred the sweet potato as it firms up a bit more when roasting and the butternut was mushy.
- I also used kale instead of the beet greens because my beets were in the fridge for over a week and the greens wilted on me (whoops). The kale was a great sub in a pinch!
- I added some Navy Beans for some extra protein. Navy beans are great because they blend in well to the flavours in most dishes.
- I used speltberries instead of wheatberries
The delicious recipe can be found here.
June Goals
Thanks for sharing your goals in yesterday’s post! I enjoyed reading them. I’ve come up with a few goals myself.
Goal #1: Core Work via Whittle My Middle, TWICE a week
I’m bringing back Whittle My Middle core work into my workout routine on a regular basis. I’ve been doing it on and off all Spring, but I really want to get consistent and stick with it.
My goal is to do Whittle my Middle twice a week. Each session takes about 7 minutes of actual core work. I like to rest about 30 seconds in between exercises if necessary. I grab my Garmin and time each exercise.
Here are the exercises I will be doing twice a week:
1) Front Plank with fully extended arms: 60 seconds
[source]
2) Side plank with bent arm: 60 seconds per side
[source]
3) Torso Twists (see here for instructions) 60 seconds
Note. Instead of a medicine ball you can use hand weights or a large soup can/other heavy object.
4) Plank-Ups: 60 seconds
Start in plank position on forearms, legs extended behind you, resting on toes; raise right leg a few inches off ground, toes out (as shown). Keeping leg lifted, straighten right arm, then left, coming into a raised push-up position. Reverse motion to return to plank. Repeat, alternating lead arms.
Note: If this exercise is too difficult for you, try keeping you leg on the ground and just focus on raising and lowering your arms.
[Source]
5) Boat Pose: 60 seconds
Begin in a seated position with your knees bent and your feet resting lightly on the ground as you balance on your sit bones. With your core engaged, lengthen through your torso and recline slightly, avoiding any rounding of your back. Extend your arms straight out in front of you, then extend your legs, creating a V-shape with your torso and legs. Breathe comfortably throughout the move.
Note: Instead of just staying still the whole time, I prefer to bring my knees in to my chest and extending them back into boat pose (one rep, hold for 1-2 secs), all while keeping my feet off the ground. I find this challenges the abs more as you have to stay balanced while moving.
[Source]
6) Bicycle Crunches: 60 seconds
I did this workout after my cardio this morning and my abs wept! I admit, I couldn’t do the full 60 seconds for a couple of the exercises, but I hope to get stronger as I go. As long as my abs are weeping, I will be improving. :)
Be sure to always consult your doctor before beginning any workout routine to make sure it is right for you!
Goal #2: Hot Yoga 1-2 times per week
My $40 unlimited monthly pass is almost up at my Moksha studio, which unfortunately means that I won’t be able to go to yoga as frequently as I have been going because it is so expensive! When the intro pass runs out, I hope to go 1-2 times per week, as my budget allows.
Goal #3: Try Spinning Again
In university, I took a couple 3-month spinning classes and I just loved them! My current gym offers spinning so I really want to try it out again and see if it’s something I’d like to add into my routine. I would love to do spinning once a week if I still enjoy it.
Goal #4: Structured meals and Limit snacking
As I mentioned yesterday, I did not accomplish this goal in May. I snack a lot and I really want to break this habit and focus on having larger structured meals, instead of smaller ones that leave me hungry in an hour or two! Along the same line, I need to make the time for proper sit down meals. I often eat lunch in a matter of minutes, or even while standing up when I’m busy (so bad!), and I really need to break this habit. Has anyone transitioned from several smaller meals & snacks to 3 squares a day + 1 snack? I’d love to hear your tips!
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Well, those are my goals for June…I hope it is a great month! It’s such a love-hate relationship, but I feel so strong when I’m rocking out the core work. A strong core also helps with everyday activities and will help prevent lower back pain that I sometimes get from sitting at my desk. Let me know if you’d like to join me!
That salad looks so good! I’ve been wanting to try golden beets, but I can’t seem to find them anywhere.
My goals for June are: (1) cut out after dinner snacking; (2) start my outdoor running program so I can run a 5K in September; (3) make weekly meal plans and stick to them; and most importantly (4) start brainstorming about what my “passion” is and how I’m going to incorporate that into a new career path. I always start out well, but the tough part is sticking to these goals for the WHOLE month!
I’ve been doing this recently and it seems to keep me from being hungry at night:
lg breakfast, med snack, large lunch, med snack, smaller dinner
I find by dinner time I’m not as hungry as usually and am pretty satisfied with having a light dinner…with a small treat! :)
I do almost the same thing as Amy above. I try to really pack up breakfast when I can, and progressively get lighter through the day. It’s scary because you feel like without a big dinner to look forward to you’ll end up hungry at the end of the day, but I’ve found the opposite to be true.
I do this also!!! Having two large meals for breakfast and lunch and then having a snack at around mid-afternoon seems to help with dinner=time hunger pangs. I gain weight easily when I eat after dinner so I have been sticking to this for the past month or so. It worked for me before so I’m sure it will again!
That salad looks absolutely divine! The colors are amazing. I’m happy you pointed it out, I must have missed it on Kath’s blog. I’ve looked for golden beets in the past and have been so ridiculously unsuccessful. I actually had a couple of grocery clerks tell me they didn’t exist :|
Way to go on your goals! You’ve got some heavy core work, way to go! Those twists are one of my favorites.
I got mine at whole foods but cant find them anywhere else!
Man, we really need a Whole Foods in Alberta. I’ve been to the one in Vancouver a bunch of times. It’s so much better than Planet Organic. One day, one day. Thanks Angela :)
I’d like to do planks where ever she is in that picture!
I don’t remember that salad either from Kath’s blog, looks delicious though.
mm golden beets! i never think to buy them, but that’s a great idea! my roommates and i were discussing our love of beets yesterday! that salad looks awesome, thanks for the inspiration!
i think i’m going to join you on the ‘whittle my middle’ challenge for june! i’ve got a bunch of other stuff going on so i think i’ll try to do it just once a week! but again, good inspiration!
now here’s some for you – i just started spinning again this week! i went to a class on monday and again yesterday! i too used to go in university and loved it but found it really tough to get back to a class. DO IT!!! Oh my gosh it’s AMAZING! And it’s such a nice change from running (don’t get me wrong, i adore my runs) and such an incredible workout. DO IT!! I swear once you get to your first class you’ll be smiling and wondering why you’d been away for so long!
Hope you have a great month, your goals are awesome!
That makes me excited! I used to crave spinning when I was taking the courses…it was a great way to start the day. And oh do I love to sweat.
Great goals for June. I’m definitely going to try some of those exercises — thanks for sharing!
This root salad looks great – the other great thing about yellow beets is it keeps the kitchen, clothes & hands from looking like a massacre hit ;)
That workout looks awesome – love core- centric exercises.
xo
That version of the salad looks delicious! I also love golden beets but so rarely find them.
Salad looks delicious–I’ve never tried golden beets before!
Good luck with your goals! That is a lot of core work–you are going to have some awesome abs when you are done!
I’m struggling with getting back on track too. My goals are:
1. Run more. Been sidelined with some hip issues and getting back to running SLOWLY like I’m supposed to is killing me slowly instead. I want to run 6+ miles, not the 1-2 I need to. Baby steps.
2. Yoga. I bought a yoga for runners DVD that should get here today. Yoga, from what I’ve been researching, will help me with my hip issues and strengthen my body.
3. Strength training. I’m going to do more of the Nike Fit (Free iPod/iPhone app!) routines and I think I’ll integrate your ab routine into my running days too!
4. Food. I had my very first VOO for breakfast today and I made the lightened up protein goddess bowl last night for lunch/dinner today. With the VOO, I think I might halve the recipe, because I end up with a LOT of breakfast! I too have been snacking WAY too much and now my pants don’t fit. Reading that you’re struggling too helps me get through it – we’re all human! I also think I’m going to eliminate dairy from my diet and see if that helps with my energy levels. I suppose that’ll help my snacking too (I LOVE cheese!)…lol.
Thanks for all you do, Angela!
This might be too intermediary for your tastes, but for lunch I tend to bring a lunch and if I’m having trouble taking time out for myself, I break it down into mini meals. That way I know what I’m eating and am eating somewhat mindfully a square meal, but I don’t eat the whole meal at once.
Love this salad! It looks so colorful and full of delicious flavor:)
Some of my goals for this month are: 1) eat better lunches! I always do very well at eating a good breakfast and good dinner, but for some reason, lunch never fares as well. I’ve really been wanting to get into eating leftovers, or salads, but for some reason, I never want the leftovers or salads! And then I find myself starving before dinner and then snacking, on not to healthful snacks. Ugh. Any suggestions?
2) More writing/blogging: I’m a writer a heart and can’t go a day without it, but sometimes I find myself rushed to enjoy writing and blogging. I’m going to try and carve out more time for it:)
3) I work from home, so most of the day consists of me sitting in my desk chair in front of my computer. I find myself much to sedentary, so my goal for June is to get outside, and to exercise more:) My boyfriend and I are going to St. George, Utah to housesit for 3 weeks this month, so we’re planning on doing lots of outdoorsy stuff, including hiking in Zion:)
Your goals sound great! Thanks for sharing them with us:)
I need to work on my core as well – I have the worst posture! I go to the gym but am not working specifically on my core when I’m there, just arms and legs. Maybe I’ll put these exercises on some notecards and do them while I’m watching TV!
Angela, your goals sound great! I will be joining you in the Whittle My Middle, aiming for 2x/week. I’ve also committed to yoga classes this month and purchased a package at my local studio.
Re: going from snacking to meals, I have actually done this! I never felt satisfied eating 4-6 small meals, as some people recommend, so I decided to take on my own agenda. For me, the key was increasing the density of my meals, so I wouldn’t feel the physical need to snack, and making sure to *schedule* my meals. At this point, I have things down to a routine: breakfast around 8:30, lunch a little before 1, PM snack around 4, and then dinner between 7 and 8. Is it sometimes a pain to be that structured? Absolutely! But the benefits for me are that I don’t think about food as often, and if I get the urge to snack, I’m usually not actually hungry, so I can ask myself what the motivation is behind it (emotional, mental, etc.). Good luck!! :)
I totally agree that time frames are needed sometimes! Its hard for me to have structure working from home, but I think I can create it!
I love the addition of the beans to that dish – I wish my grocery store had yellow beets in stock more often! Ab work and spinning are two mainstays in my normal workout routine! :)
Angela, I was religiously doing your Whittle My Middle workout this winter and LOVED it. It really helped as I was getting “back on track.” Right now I’m working my to 100 pushups. I’m up to 75!
My biggest hold up right now is eating habits. I’m working to gain weight in a healthy way after breaking my jaw and it is a struggle. Today I’m making a commitment to give up fried foods and give IN to more avocados. :)
I do hot moshka too! And I absolutely love it.
Those are some really great ambitions and goals for the month. I love setting goals so I can feel really accomplished when I meet them but I always have to remember to live my yoga and be patient with myself!
A few of my goals:
Drink more water
More real meals and less unstructured snaking
Eat when I’m hungry and not feel guilty. I gotta listen to my body!
Ditch my scale!
Start running more and for longer distances.
That salad looks delicious!
This is terrific timing!! I’ve been doing your Whittle My Middle as a personal abs challenge for the last five weeks! :D I set out to do it five days a week for six weeks, so 30 times total. (Increasing time/reps each week.) I have four more to do this week. :) I’m going to keep doing it 2-3 times a week. It’s intense!!
Though, I’m having trouble with boat pose now. My tailbone has hurt when pressure is on it for the last couple of days–presumably from how I’m sitting and possibly from doing the pose for so long (on carpet)? Do you think I’m doing the pose wrong?
i love setting monthly goals and also reading other people’s goals – thanks for sharing yours, angela!
i made a concerted effort a few months ago to strengthen my core (using many of the exercises you noted, above) and man, it’s made a real difference in my running. no more achy hips! you’ll see the payoff very quickly, i bet!
too bad you cannot get that super-great yoga deal permanently!
enjoy today’s sunshine! and no humidity!
This beet salad post is perfect timing- I just received some fresh garden beets from a friend and hadn’t been inspired to do anything with them yet. This will be perfect (I think I even already have all the ingredients in my pantry/fridge- even more perfect!) Thanks!
I’d love to try some Whittle My Middle exercises. My problem is that I have the back of a 90-year-old lady. I’ll need to start out just doing a little and build up from there, but I’m definitely all for strengthening my core, so I’m going to give it a go. :-)
I love spin! I just started doing it a couple months ago and it has helped me tremendously with running. I am totally feelin’ ya with the snacks.. I don’t think I eat enough and then I just end up snacking which is not what I wanna do. ;) I love doing ab work ..it’s weird lol. I recently started doing booty exercises and THAT is what I have a love-hate relationship with.. owwww
I think I bookmarked Kath’s recipe and forgot about it…so thankful you brought it back to my recipe priority! I’m actually starting a 21-day detox this weekend (similar to the one Ashley from Edible Perspective did) and this salad will be perfect for it! The detox is through my yoga studio, so I am also planning a 21-day yoga challenge to go along with it (Baptiste Power Vinyasa based studio…but less cheese than his videos). I’ve never practiced more than 6 days in a row, so this should be a fun challenge!
Ps…maybe you can work out a deal with your yoga studio as a karma yogi. Most studios offer this program where you exchange service for yoga…whether it be cleaning the studio a couple times per week…or maybe you can offer to write a blog for their website 1x per week?
Yes, this is definitely a program that Moksha offers! I take part in it at the studio in Halifax, and it’s great! In exchange for a 4 hour cleaning shift, you get all the yoga you can do!
Oh cool! I didnt know that…will look into it. Thanks!
This month, I want to focus on maintaining some level of fitness because I’m taking a break from running until July when I start training for marathon #10 in November. I need a psychological break from training, and I’m sure my body would appreciate it, too. I think I also want to give blood again while I’m on this break, so keeping myself healthy is also a goal.
I am VERY excited about this post and will be joining you for the whittling :) I had actually gone back into your archives and looked for previous ones a couple of weeks ago to start doing something for a few minutes in the evening, if I happen to be watching some TV. I agree with the strong core and have never really reached the goal I wanted with this, so it’s a timely reminder!
That salad looks delicious! I love the gold colors.
Goals for June: finish strong at my marathon on June 18th, continue to run and work my core (I’m doing something similar to what you’re doing!), and just ENJOY life more. I tend to rush around so much and I am trying to focus more on creating time to just BE.
Not sure where you live in Canada, but if your gym has BodyPump which I think it does, you should ask if they are going to get CX30! it’s Les Mills new core conditioning class. I am an a CX30 instructor (just launched here in the US) and it’s just awesome!
thanks I will ask!
That salad looks perfect for welcoming summer :)
I loved reading about your June goals. Makes me feel more motivated to set and achieve my own goals too!
I’ve gone back and forth between smaller meals and three square meals. Currently I’m doing three meals + 1 snack in the afternoon, just before I workout after work. Making my meals more substantial and making sure stay well hydrated really helps me cut back on snacking. This might mean actually doing some calorie counting to make sure you’re eating enough or just adding one more thing to your meal that you wouldn’t normally eat.
Hadn’t heard of golden beets before. I’ll look for them on my next trip to the grocery store.
Boat pose: any time I have done this one in yoga class we didn’t extend the legs – looks like I would have to work up to that ;)
Abs: For core work I try to keep them engaged during my bus commute. Don’t always succeed, but it is a good challenge since the bus tends to take sharp curves and banks.
I would do just about anything to get my hands on a $40 unlimited pass! 2 times a week is definitely great for hot yoga though :)
Hmmm, I have 3 meals but I also have snacks.. which I think is ok! I get hungry at 10 and have an apple, and I have my bedtime snack/ dessert an hour or two after dinner..
That salad sounds amazing!!
I agree that core work is a love-hate relationship – but I need to get back on the love side so that I’m feeling strong! :)
Great goals Ange! I posted mine today as well. If you want some more core workouts, check out the Workouts page on my blog. I agree with you, I feel so much better when my core is good and strong!
In terms of meal eating, I eat 6 meals per day: Breakfast around 8, snack at 11, lunch at 1, snack at 4, dinner at 6ish, and pre-bed snack at about 8:30 (to prep me for my early morning workout). It’s taken a while for me to make the switch from 3 square meals but I far prefer it this way!
Ooh and PS – you’re ALWAYS welcome at my spin classes!
I made your red quinoa and bean salad yesterday for a potluck…It was amazing! I used garbanzo beans and parsley instead but it was a hit. Thank you for your creative and well-balanced meals!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I think that having 3 meals a day and sticking to it is more about planning than about satiety. Clients of mine who are habitual snackers are typically eating that way due to being busy and/or laziness! :-) However, if after the time is spent to making sure you have in the house the needed ingredients for good meals 3x/day and you STILL are not satiated, then I think it is important to look at WHAT you are eating because there should be satiety and energy after a meal, not hunger and/or cravings and fatigue. Often, I have found, smaller meals (even though only eating 3 in a day) help to maintain satiety more than larger meals in order to “stave off” hunger later on! :-) Again, it’s what the meal consists of…
I’d love to try your Whittle My Middle Exercises! I tend to avoid core work because I get discouraged when I feel like dying after five sit-ups, but I think it’s a weakness I’m willing to work on this month.
That core workout looks tough! I think I might try it :)!
Great goals again! I have to say that eating a big meal three times a day isn’t something that really works for me. I’m on this routine now but every time I’ve eaten lunch or dinner, I feel very tired… It’s no fun because it takes about an hour ’till I’m on my feet again. I just think you have to see what works best for you on that matter.
That salad looks good btw, I didn’t notice the recipe, so glad you shared;)
Hi Angela,
I’ve been a “secret” reader for quite some time now, and just wanted to say that I LOVE your blog :) I really enjoy every post and the combination of your day to day work/renos/etc along with all of the fabulous recipes! I know it must be a lot of work to post so regularly, and just want to say thank you! I’m getting married next Friday (AAAH – so excited!!), but am still going to try to join you throughout June to “Whittle My Middle” :)
Thanks again!
-Carissa
That salad looks delicious! I’ve never had golden beets before! Thanks for the new workout poses! I’m definitely looking to change up my routine recently! Good luck with your June goals!
That salad looks DELICIOUS!
I loved reading your June Goals!! :-) I am really trying to be a mindful eater and just really pay attention to the texture and taste of my foods. It’s hard but so helpful. I need to slow down when I eat too and need to not feel so rushed.
same here!!
That salad looks awesome! I’m a huge beet fan, but I’ve never had the golden variety. Definitely will have to try that out!
My goals for June are:
1) to complete a 30 day yoga challenge at my local Moksha studio! I’ve done one before and completed 30 classes in 30 days and I hope to do that again! It really helped me stay on track with my eating, and I found it very centering.
2) As part of the 30 day yoga challenge, a large group of us from the studio are completing a 21 day cleanse (guided by one of the teachers, who is also a holistic nutritionist). This involves us cutting out all animal products (I’m already vegan so this part wont’ be hard :) ), sugar (except maple syrup), gluten, alcohol, caffeine, food preservatives & colors, & MSG. Although I have a pretty healthy diet as is, my hope is that this cleanse will make me really aware of all the places that sugar and gluten can sneak into your diet!
3) Set up an easy to follow study plan for my GRE, that I’m writing at the beginning of July
4) because I’m going to be doing so much hot yoga this month, I need to really focus on staying hydrating and eating lots of water rich foods (like that cucumber salad you posted yesterday!)
Good luck meeting your goals :).
I like it! I’m trying to do more ab work too.
I want to do:
-Pilates 2x a week (about 10 minutes or so)
-Whittle My Middle 1x (I need to incorporate more planks into my life)
-Yoga 2x a week
-Run 2x a week
AND I want to at least try hot yoga. After reading about your experience, I’m so interested in trying it!
Sounds like a great plan for June! Good luck with your goals! :)
great goals, I need to focus on my core too… its much easier when you have a laid out workout…. I need to quit snacking too I always taste test everything I make for the blog a little too much!
That root salad sounds intense and looks amazing! I need to get me some beets:)
Also intense? Those plank get ups ;)
That root salad sounds yummy and those moves look so great – I remember being a PRO at V-ups when I was in my gymnastic days…and handstand pushups…god, I was a strong 11 year old.
I always bring a healthy, substantial lunch to work, but I found myself snacking a LOT out of pure boredom. What I started doing was bringing very low calorie snacks such as cucumber slices and celery to munch on instead of the peanut butter scoops and other high calorie snacks I normally had. Usually, this wouldn’t suffice as a regular snack, but because I knew I wasn’t actually hungry after my hearty lunch, these mostly water snacks helped me.
This salad is killer! I know it would fill me up. That is important for SALADS.
YOUR June goals are fabulous! I like how you put the pictures too. Since I am a trainer, I know what you are talking about, but it is nice for others to see a visual. :)
I love spinning and yoga too. but also weights…My fav. :)