40, 50, Fit & Fabulous

This is the first week of my very own fitness program. Come join me.

40, 50, Fit & Fabulous

Here is my plan:



1 - 5 minutes of stretching....more if I want, the goal is to get my body moving, get rid of the aches & pains, and become more limber.

2 - There are four areas I'm unhappy with right now...arms, legs, hips, and waist so I will try to do an extra toning exercise in one of those areas each day.

3 - Funfilled activties, is really something I'm looking forward to - I would like to try a brisk walk Monday morning with my toddler after I take my prek'er to the bus. Just to take a deep breathe of fresh air, clear my mind for the week....let it go from there. Wednesday I would like to commit to playing raquet ball with my girls down the street at the local basketball courts...even just for 1/2hr, and Friday I would like to walk down to the library with my young children. 2 miles. I also walk to any afterschool sports, which during spring will be maybe once a week for my 2 oldest. I would love to find someone to walk with, so I will see if I can find a willing partner.

4 - My plan of healthier eating is to try and eat at least 2 salads for lunch, fruit in the mornings, start making fresh juices, and we're already eating a lot more vegetables with dinner eat week, and being warmer weather, I'm making a salad niscious once a week, and salad as a side at lease once. My pitfall right now is just eating cereal or bread or toast all day...so it's just carbs with little nutrition. I think for this week I will make the fruit and juices the priority.

Thai Red Curry Paste

Ingredients

1 shallot OR 1/4 cup purple onion, chopped
1 stalk lemongrass, minced ( see instructions below) OR 2 Tbsp. frozen prepared lemongrass (available at Asian stores)
1-2 red chilies, OR 1/2 to 1 tsp. cayenne pepper, OR 1-2 tsp. Thai chili sauce
4 cloves garlic
1 thumb-size piece galangal OR ginger, sliced
2 Tbsp. tomato ketchup (OR 2 Tbsp. tomato paste + 1/2 tsp sugar)
1/2 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. ground white pepper (available at your supermarket or Asian food store)
3 Tbsp. fish sauce (OR 4 Tbsp. soy sauce if vegetarian)
1-2 tsp. shrimp paste (omit if vegetarian), available by the jar at Asian stores
1 tsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. regular chili powder
1/4 can good-quality coconut milk (or just enough to keep the blades turning), reserve remaining for the curry
2 Tbsp. fresh-squeezed lime juice
Optional: 1/2 tsp. cinnamon (OR add 1 cinnamon stick to your curry pot)

Recipe
Photo

Spicy Asian Noodle and Chicken Salad

Ingredients

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter (do not use old-fashioned style or freshly ground)
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons chili-garlic sauce
1 tablespoon (packed) golden brown sugar
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
3 tablespoons (or more) low-salt chicken broth

3/4 pound linguine or dried chow mein udon noodles
4 cups thinly sliced cooked chicken, cut into strips
2 large carrots, coarsely grated (about 1 1/4 cups)
6 green onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, cut into matchstick-size strips
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves


Preparation


Combine peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili-garlic sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and 3 tablespoons broth in processor; blend until smooth. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta; rinse with cold water to cool and drain again. Transfer pasta to large bowl. Add chicken, carrots, green onions, bell pepper, and cilantro; toss to blend. Pour dressing over and toss to coat, adding more broth by tablespoonfuls if dressing is too thick. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes 4 main-course or 8 side-dish servings


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