Rain on the workout parade

Rain on the windows,

patio2

snow on the mountains

snow (2)

a lovely, dreary Tucson day. It decided to jump down 30 degrees for a little wintery chill.. as long as it doesn’t stick around, I don’t mind 😉 Plus, we could use the rain… especially my cilantro that I haven’t watered in at least 4 months. It continues to defy nature.

Liv and I spent the morning together so the Pilot could catch up on some much-needed zzzzz’s, and I enjoyed an oatmeal bfast:

jem raw oats

featuring this new-to-me almond butter:

jem raw

Cinnamon red maca almond butter by Jem Raw.

OpenSky sent it to me to see if I’d like to add it to my store, and it’s something I never would have found otherwise. The almond butter is much more drippy than the usual ones I purchase, and very sweet- a little goes a long way. A giant blob goes an even longer way 😉

I always love Sundays because it’s a family day and a fresh start to a new week- clean linens,

grocery haul

groceries3

and meal prep.

kale salad2

That’s the kale salad from Dreena Burton’s new cookbook– I can’t wait to try it! All I have to do is make the dressing and enjoy premade salad beasts for the next couple of lunches. I loved that this one included fennel- it’s of my fave, but often forgotten, salad ingredients.

Shrimp spring roll snack:

spring rolls 

The Sunday storm definitely rained on our workout parade. We were going to do a Sabino Canyon trip so the Pilot could run, and I’d hit up the gym at work later that night, but it was too cold and snuggly. So we stayed in, and it was awesome.

This week I have a little something new to try, rain or shine:

new turbo

The advanced classes! I’ll be sure to add them to my review when I’ve tried them a couple of times.

Hope you’re having a great morning <3

See ya later with a Family post!

xoxo

Gina

Found this on Facebook:

image Source

“My students know I love numbers. So…
So, let’s look at the cost/benefit ratio of processed to organic food:
TLC reported organic food costs 10-30% more than processed. (Source: http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/how-much-more-does-organic-food-cost-and-why.htm).
This photograph depicts a chart of research conducted by Rutgers University (Dr. Firman E. Bear) published in the Natural Gardener’s Catalog. The research demonstrates that organic food contains an average of TWELVE TIMES more nutrient density across all of the items and minerals, but in extreme cases thousands of times more.
Let’s just do the best case scenario for processed food corporations: At 1/3 the cost, and 1/12 the nutrients, it will require you to PAY FOUR TIMES MORE of processed foods to equal what you get when you buy organic.
Processed food, when factoring it to best serve their corporations, is still FOUR TIMES MORE EXPENSIVE than organic. Plus you’ll need to consume 12 times more of the same food to get those nutrients leading to wear and tear on your digestive system, load your tissue toxins, hormones, pesticides and genetically modified substances, as well as be required to burn off the empty calories from 12X the ingested biomass.
Eat better, save money, prevent disease and illness, feel great, be leaner and live longer.”

Source

Today’s tip: To make your lunges more dynamic, try adding in a step or Bosu balance trainer. The additional height from the step can add emphasis to the glutes, and the instability of the balance trainer forces you to engage your core to maintain balance.

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36 Comments

  1. Cat @ Breakfast to Bed on March 19, 2012 at 11:54 am

    buh-nanas on the organic. buh-nanas. organic ones.

  2. Kaila@ Healthyhelper on March 19, 2012 at 11:58 am

    Wow I never knew the nutritional content varied so much between conventional and organic produce!! Those are some crazy stats!

  3. Stephanie @ Legally Blinde on March 19, 2012 at 12:03 pm

    Wow, I can’t believe the temperature dropped so much in Arizona, and it’s sunny and in the 70s here in Ohio – very rare!! That salad looks amazing – I never think to add apples to my salad, but I always love the unexpected sweetness when I order salads that contain fruit.

  4. Molly on March 19, 2012 at 12:06 pm

    That salad looks so good!

    That is an interesting chart- thanks for sharing. Just a note of caution, though, that in some cases you might not NEED 12x the nutrients you get from organic (can your body even absorb it all) and you are just paying for something unnecessary. It is definitely a cool analysis but I don’t think it’s that scientifically rigorous..

    • Fitnessista on March 19, 2012 at 12:59 pm

      that’s an excellent point

  5. Emily @ Glitz Glam Granola on March 19, 2012 at 12:11 pm

    Hope the rain is just passing through over there and the sun comes out soon! But spending a cuddly Sunday inside the house is always nice too! That salad looks great- I love the apples and different types of nuts! And speaking of nuts, I’ve never heard of that almond butter before but it sounds yummy!!

  6. Destini on March 19, 2012 at 12:13 pm

    Oh the Bosu….we have a love hate relationship. First time I ever used it….I had problems. But now when I rock it…best feeling!!

    Turbo Fire Advanced? I haven’t even tried the first yet! I will do Turbo Fire after I finish Insanity and Insanity Asylum.

  7. Lauren @ Sassy Molassy on March 19, 2012 at 12:43 pm

    Those stats are so interesting!! It makes me feel better about buying organic 75% of the time. More bang for your buck!

    PS – If you ever get any discount codes for Turbo Fire or Insanity, just let us know! I would be interested in buying them, but would love a little discount if you’re able to snag one for your readers. 🙂

  8. Sana on March 19, 2012 at 12:48 pm

    I am here for the cute baby pics! I demand more!

    • Fitnessista on March 19, 2012 at 12:59 pm

      hahah! family page today 🙂 i’m hoping to get a little video up

  9. julia on March 19, 2012 at 12:55 pm

    this is very interesting, although i certainly question the validity of it. there is no information on who ran these tests, how they were run, or anything like that. i also don’t know who this Simon guy is. Is he a scientific researcher or a full professor at an accredited school? I just don’t know enough about this to believe it. I admit, I’m very cynical!

    • Fitnessista on March 19, 2012 at 12:58 pm

      he mentions a study conducted by rutgers, but wish he would have linked to it. the tlc article that’s linked contains the rest of the info regarding price of organic foods

  10. Claire @ Live and Love to Eat on March 19, 2012 at 1:08 pm

    Is that Trader Joe’s spring roll? Looks amazing!

    • Fitnessista on March 19, 2012 at 2:42 pm

      Yes- love them!

  11. Moni Meals on March 19, 2012 at 1:27 pm

    Have a good day, hope the rain clears up but I am happy you have your turbo Fire as I know you love it. 🙂

  12. Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat on March 19, 2012 at 1:28 pm

    Firstly, those spring rolls sound awesome! I can’t wait to hear what you think of the Turbo Fire Advanced Classes. And maca nut butter sounds like something i need in my life right this second!! 🙂 Have a great afternoon Gina!

  13. Catherine on March 19, 2012 at 1:53 pm

    How is that almond butter sweetened? It sounds amazing, I hope it’s a healthy sweetener! I have been off of refined sugar for about a year, and recently I’ve had it a few times (family celebrations and I didn’t want to be rude and high maintenance) and have gotten REALLY lightheaded. Like, almost to the point of passing out so I had to sit down on the floor of WalMart. Any ideas?

    Also does eating less refined things lower your tolerance for alcohol? Because that would explain my Saturday night…

    • Sara on March 20, 2012 at 8:36 am

      May I ask how your life is off refined sugar? and how you did it? I have been wanting to do it, but can’t seem to find the willpower. As soon as I say lets do it, all I want are cookies! And buying raw sugar/agave is expensive and I can’t justify it right now. Any tips?

      Also thank you for posting about the organics, as I now have something I can go to my husband about to justify the cost!:)

    • Fitnessista on March 20, 2012 at 12:05 pm

      it’s sweetened with coconut palm sugar- a really pleasant and unique taste!
      i was off sugar for a long time, too, and then passed out on thanksgiving, haha. and i definitely think it lowers alcohol tolerance 😉

  14. Kelly @ Vegolosophy on March 19, 2012 at 2:12 pm

    mmmmm that nut-butter looks super yummy!!!!!!!!

  15. Lisa on March 19, 2012 at 2:20 pm

    Wow, I can’t believe the dramatic difference in those numbers for organic foods! Makes me want to switch over to buying exclusively organic.

  16. Averie @ Averie Cooks on March 19, 2012 at 2:30 pm

    Lovely looking spring rolls and the Cinnamon red maca almond butter that’s very sweet, NOW we’re talking. Right up my alley 🙂

  17. Jennifer on March 19, 2012 at 2:40 pm

    Hi,

    I’m a huge fan of your blog, but just a quick FYI:

    This link http://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/bearreport/misquotes.asp has information on the actual Rutgers study which had very little to do with organic vs. conventional vegetables. Rather, the study describes the variation in nutrients based on where (north versus south) vegetables are grown.

  18. Laury on March 19, 2012 at 2:50 pm

    Bummer about the weather! You should come East..it’s gorgeous here 😉

    I love that chart! I love stuff like that and visuals to show friends!! Thanks for sharing it.

  19. Kerry @ Totes My Oats on March 19, 2012 at 3:04 pm

    That salad looks yummy and what a great chart!

  20. Lisa @ Fresh Spinach on March 19, 2012 at 4:02 pm

    Isn’t that snow beautiful? We got tons covering our mountains and foothills here in the LA area. But the sun is back today and it feels so clean and fresh outside. I love it!

  21. Talia @ Bite Size Wellness on March 19, 2012 at 5:35 pm

    I love fennel too and just wrote a post about all of its glory…check it out: http://www.bitesizewellness.com/2012/03/discover-fennel-a-touch-of-green/
    Another new almond butter to try. Thanks for sharing!

  22. Jessica on March 19, 2012 at 5:42 pm

    Your oatmeal breakfast looks amazing! What do you use to make your oatmeal? It looks so much heartier than mine! And the PB looks yummy too!

  23. Amanda on March 19, 2012 at 6:29 pm

    That’s an interesting chart, but I’d be interested in the source. I’ve never found conclusive scientific evidence that organic produce has significantly more nutrients than non-organic. I’ve seen a few studies suggesting that they’re about the same. Not that I’d mind though, I’d like to think that eating organic has extra benefits besides avoiding the chemicals.

  24. Negar M on March 19, 2012 at 8:15 pm

    I hope my TJ’s has those rolls!

    This is completely off topic, but have you ever done a juice cleanse? I am on day one of my first one, and I don’t have the dizziness or shakes that accompany hunger, but my stomach feels damn hungry.

    If you have tried one, did you get hungry?

  25. Ellie @ healthy belly ellie on March 19, 2012 at 10:14 pm

    I’m on the almond butter train these days as well. I am loving it! On everything! Do you prefer this almond butter to the regular almond butter? Maybe I’ll try adding some maca and cinammon to my raw almond butter and see it where it takes me!

    • Fitnessista on March 20, 2012 at 1:44 am

      i like having almond butter options – can’t choose one over the other 😉

  26. kari on March 19, 2012 at 10:22 pm

    Gina that salad looks so delicious and the almond butter must have an interesting taste with the maca powder in it. stay warm…

  27. Nancy on March 20, 2012 at 8:41 am

    That organic vs. conventional picture is awesome!!! It makes me feel better about spending the extra bucks to buy organic fruits and veggies.

  28. Jessica on March 21, 2012 at 12:11 pm

    Fire 60 is my favorite! Hope you enjoy!

  29. Vincent on March 27, 2012 at 6:37 pm

    the nutrients chart is very dangerous, not to say complete BS. All those mentioned minerals/ nutrients allways go accompenied by their heavy metal brothers and sisters, soort organic vegetables are actually dangerous to eat.

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