I have decided to give up the "ZUMBA" name

My 5 year anniversary of becoming a ZUMBA instructor is approaching. As a teacher and a dancer I am continuously developing, learning and growing.  My main goal as an instructor is to offer the best of me, 100% of me, to my students.

It is time for me to hand off the ZUMBA instructor name.  I am thankful for ZUMBA and where it has taken me but what once was my ZUMBA class has now developed into my own "dance cardio fusion" class. I no longer follow the required ZUMBA class format, and most of the dances in my class I create on my own. At first I felt it was necessary to use the ZUMBA name because people are familiar with it and are more likely to try something that they have heard of before. But now, I am confident that people will come for me, and my class, and not for the ZUMBA name.

So starting in December I will no longer be calling my classes ZUMBA- I will transition in to a dance cardio type name. BUT do not fret. If you have been taking my class for the past 6 months, not much will change. I will still be creating awesome dances that get you sweaty and make you want to jump all night long. AND I will still add in some Latin flair (Aviva, I know you love that hip shaking).

I am excited to see where this takes us. Thank you for following, and for your support! This change will allow me to be more creative and cater to what YOU want and desire in a class. Song requests are my favorite. Some please keep them coming!!!

XO

Chalk fight!

All Photos are by Lorenz Photography! She is amazing!!

This post has nothing to do with fitness or health or food. But I wanted to share because I had a hard time finding a blog or any information on how to make color chalk like they have  for the color run.

I once came across an image on pinterst of a couple that had a color chalk fight for their engagement photos. A week later my friend sent more images saying that "I had to do this". It looked like so much fun, and the images always came out awesome... so I thought what the heck.

I thought the hard part would be conving my fiance that this would be a good idea, but rather it was  finding directions on how to actually make the chalk.  All I knew was that it consisted of food coloring, corn starch and water. The actual measurements I had no idea, and I actually still have no idea. I played around with it and I knew from a little reading that you had to let the cornstarch dry for a couple of days after you made the water color cornstarch mixture.

DIRECTIONS:

1.  USE A LOT of food coloring and mix with a little water. Slowly add to cornstarch. The cornstarch will start to create this weird consistency. It is hard to explain but it is super cool. It kind of turns solid when you mix it, then when you let it rest it turns almost in to a slimy liquid.

2. Keep  adding more color water as needed. If you feel you have too much water and the corstach is not forming a crumbled mud consistency then add more cornstach.

3. In the end you pretty much want the consistency to be a powder again. This new mixture will take a day or two to dry. I put it on a flat pan and put it in the oven at 17o degrees in order to speed up the drying process. It stayed in there  for an hour and I  mixed and mashed it every 20 minutes.

This whole process is kind of trial and error. I still do not know how the guys at color run got their chalk paint so BOLD! But in the end I happy with what we produced, and it was SO MUCH FUN!

Pret A Manger coming to BOSTON! And I am not afraid of brownies...

My first encounter with Pret A Manger was in London. I was roaming the city while my fiance was at work.  I was  hungry  and so I began to search for a place to eat. I came across what I thought was a little unique cafe to London. I grabbed an already prepared salad that had some type of lentils and vegetables.  I can not remember exactly which one, but I remember being so excited about how fresh and delicious the already prepared salad was.  I started taking pictures of my food and the store so I could remember this cafe and we could revisit. When my fiance got out of work I told him I discovered the BEST cafe, "Pret A Manger"!! He laughed and informed me that this "one of a kind cafe" is actually a fast food chain that can be found on every corner in London and NYC. I was shocked and a little embarrassed. But the food has my approval, and I am so excited for its entrance to Boston. I only noticed two locations opening in Boston one on Franklin St., (right near Equinox) and one on Boylston Street, across from Marshalls.

Yesterday, outside Pret A Manger, there was a man giving out "chocolate brownie bites". I talked to him for a little and at the end he offered me a brownie. So I took it...YES! I ate a brownie, well half of one. I ate half of the brownie not out of deprivation but because I was satisfied and did not need more.  It was delicious. Rich, fudgy and just oooooh so yummy. People often ask if I eat anything other than vegetables and grains. YES I do. Before I ate the brownie I read the ingredients. My rules: if the brownie has anything artificial in it, or if I can not make this brownie myself from the ingredient written, I will have NOT eat the brownie.  And that my friends is the truth.

I could understand and read every ingredient, so I joyfully ate half the brownie. I drooled over every bite. I did not have any regrets while I ate the brownie, do not have any regrets today and I will not tomorrow. I do not eat a brownie every day, but I say if you are going to eat the brownie... eat the brownie! Meaning: do not worry about it, embrace all its goodness... you are eating a brownie so enjoy it and don't ruin its yummy-ness with your regret!

OH one more thing! Pret A Manger is going to be giving away 1,000 FREE lunches on the 15th and 16th of November! OR Maybe its the 16th and 17th?! I forget but keep your eyes open and try this place out!

Butternut Squash.. DELISH!

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OK. Go buy butternut squash and bake it. It is so good!!!  Squash  is also rich in calcium, magnesium, potassium, and vitamins B6! My cousin from a far away land emailed me a salad recipe. One of the ingredients in the salad is baked butternut squash. I had intentions of making this salad and blogging about it, but could not get past step one in the directions! I could not stop myself  from  eating the warm, baked, butternut squash. It was SO GOOD! I put NOTHING on it. Just baked it at 375 degrees for about 30 min- to an hour (or until a fork will easily go through it). Do not rush the baking process.

I tried the butternut squash plain, and then I dipped it in my favorite ketchup. YUM!  Below is a comparison of sweet potato and butternut squash. They are both delicious and  healthy but have their differences!

                         Butternut squash 1 cup                   Sweet potato 1 cup

calories                        63                                                                         130

carbs                          16.4                                                                         33

fiber                              2.8                                                                          4

sugar                            3.1                                                                          7

protein                        1.4                                                                           2

fat                                   0.1                                                                       0.0

Turkey Meatloaf Recipe Via Sarah Dussault Via Jamie Eason

Most people work a 9-5pm job, or something in that range. My job hours are "I work when most people don't". My day starts at 6am and then my last class usually ends around 730pm. This makes dinner challenging. As much as I would love to make hot meals for me and my fiance, timing is everything. So if I get home at 8pm preparing dinner and cooking it would put dinner on the table at 9pm best. http://youtu.be/SZ1pR5AzF9I

Anytime I find a recipe that allows me to prep before and cook later, I LOVE. I was searching through Sarah Dussualt's blog and found this clean turkey meatloaf recipe. This recipe allows me to prep everything before, have it all ready in the fridge and then  just pop it in the oven when I get home. It is easy and delicious. If you find that timing is an issue when cooking, check this recipe out out and try it!

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I was at Trader Joe's yesterday and was looking at spices for my turkey meatloaf and found this! I know it is marketed as a taco  mix, but who cares! I love that it has so many spices in one packet. Normally I do not add a lot of salt to anything and sometimes I totally avoid it.  So, at first I was hesitant to buy this mix because salt was the #1 ingredient.  I called my friend, who is on her way to getting her Masters of Science in Nutrition Communications, and asked her what she thought of this mix considering the sodium level is at 260mg.  She said that 260mg for pre packaged spices is great, and is still considered moderately low. Just make sure to pay attention to the serving size. In this package you will also find paprika, garlic, red pepper, cayenne pepper, sugar (less than 1g), oregano, black pepper and chili pepper.

The taco mix spices worked great in my turkey meatloaf! I only put one table spoon for 2 lbs of turkey and then I followed the rest of the spices that are in the video above, minus the salt! OH, I also added a HUGE squirt of ketchup to the turkey loaf and mixed it in before cooking.

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ENJOY!