Dear diary I have a confession to make…

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Malin

This year so far I have met so many new people who have touch me in so many different ways. Some I have lived near by for years, others I got to know better and some I have randomly met because our paths has crossed. What they all have in common is that they are all unique, I think if we are open to the fact we are all different from one another because of our upbringing, experience, religion or what ever it might we have one thing in common. We do all share that we are “peculiar” to one another and if you can embrace that and listen to their stories I think we become a happier person.

So one of my sweet, sweet Swedish friends and her family are moving back to Sweden so last night we had a girls night out and we had a blast. With great food and a lot of laughters the girls was ready for a sleep in this morning so we canceled this morning class which also meant a sleep in for me, yeah right!

Although I had the house to myself (I think for the first time ever) I still woke up bright and early and made it out for a 3 mile run just before the thunder rolled in over us. It was really humid and I had decided in my head not to go all out because I was going to an “invasion” yoga class afterwards but that was not happening. You know when you start and you feel pretty good and you push it, it is hard to stop! It was far from my greatest run but yet I fought all the way and as I walked trough the door the rain started pouring down as did the sweat at the back of my back.

I hurried to change clothes and ran off to the yoga studio for an 1 1/2 prep for handstands. I thought I knew how to get on to my hands but not so much, I guess because when my teacher Jodi Ryan told me what to do it totally made sense. She told me to lift my shoulders through the ribs and engage my core (she probably would describe it in a different way) it was like a “aha” moment and I became an addict. There you go, I am and addict! It is an amazing feeling when you figure out your body and you are able to take it to a new level, you just want more and more. So when I got home I was doing stuff around the house I kept on practicing handstand just so I could get that rush again. I guess this is what yoga does to you…haha. So to sum my day up I have had a great day and I am absolutely knackered and looking forward to get my family back!

Jodi and I playing around after the evening class…like i said I am an addict 😉

Did you dream about a burger?

Posted on June 17, 2014 by Malin

Whenever we are grilling burgers I always skip the bread as I am not really doing so good with it and t that’s ok but to be perfectly honest I do miss to be able to hold it and the texture of the bread. So I have finally been introduced to unmodified Potato Starch that apparently have been proven to improved insulin sensitivity, lower blood sugar levels, reduced appetite and various benefits for digestion just to mention a few. So I decided to try a recipe making burger buns and it was healthy and heavenly!

2 Eggs
1 pinch of salt
1/2 tablespoon unflavored coconut oil
1/2 dl water
1/2 dl coconut flour
0,5 dl unmodified potato starch
2 tablespoons psyllium husk
1 teaspoon baking powered
sesame seeds

How to:

Whisk the eggs until it’s fluffy. Add the coconut oil and the water and keep on wishing. Mix the rest of the ingredients and add to the eggs and keep on mixing. Let the “dough” rest for a few minutes before you wet your hands in water (so the dough don’t get stuck to your hands) and make small buns. Before placing in the over for 10 minutes at 300-350 F sprinkle sesame seed over them.

Patties

1 pound minced beef or your preferred protein

1 egg

garlic

oregano

Paprika powder

chili sauce

salt and pepper

chopped olives

Mix it all together and make patties, before placing them on the grill add your “grilling seasoning” and top off with your favorite toppings.

Kids were running wild while I made Low carb Chicken Burritos

Posted on June 12, 2014 by Malin

Freddie is out of town this week so it is just me and the kids finish this last week of school before the summer vacation kicks in. With no homework and mild summer afternoons the kids are running wild on the block just the way it should be when you are young.

So after I’ve manage to track them down (thank god for cell phones) we enjoyed some Chicken Burritos before it was time to call it a day.

Burrito Wrap (made 2 servings)

1 egg

2 tbs Psyllium Husk

1 deciliter Unmodified potato starch

1 deciliter milk

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 deciliter grated cheese

salt

Mix all the ingredients together and let it “rest” for 5-10 minutes so it becomes a thick paste before it is spread out on top of parchment paper and bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes at 350 F.

I used 2 chicken tender that I chopped into small pieces and marinated in a homemade taco rub….

a splash of Unflavored coconut Oil

Coriander

Cumin

Paprika powder

Oregano

Chopped garlic

Salt and pepper

…before I threw it on the grill

I am going to admit that I was a little lazy yesterday and had bought spicy guacamole from whole foods that I think is amazing that I added together with some spinach, cheese, cucumber, tomato and onion.

There is nothing wrong with quirky!

Posted on June 5, 2014 by Malin

It’s been a while since I did spinning but now when the “half” is over and done with I thought I’m going to change it up a bit to make it a bit easier on my body. So I with all this ambition that I was going to do great in this spinning class I entered into the room which was cold and dark and all of sudden all my motivation went out the window and all I wanted to do was to get out in the sun and lie by the pool.

But I pulled myself together and adjusted the bike to my liking as the instructor started with some light stretches before we got going. And as the first song was playing out load in the speakers this woman, slightly in front of me started cheering and clapping her hands and saying “I am Stephanie and I can do this, yay”. It was the most quirky moment I have ever experience in a dark room filled with strangers, that together was going the sweat their guts out for an hour. But you know what I used her energy and cranked the speed and resistance and gave everything I had as she kept on doing her “yays” throughout the class…so I guess there is nothing wrong with quirky 😉

After rain there is sunshine so lets make dinner outside!

Posted on June 4, 2014 by Malin

I think this is honestly the roughest winter I ever experienced, even for a swede! So when I woke up to a coldish gloomy day I never thought I would make dinner outside but I guess behind the clouds the sun is always lurking. So the I whipped the together some delicious beef patties filled with sundered tomatoes served with a basil and feta cheese spread.

I think Gary-Taser was the happiest of all not being stuck inside 😉

Beef Patties

1 pound of organic minced beef

1 chopped garlic clove

1-2 tablespoons of chopped sun dried tomatoes in oil

1/4 cup chopped basil

1 egg

salt and pepper

Mix everything together and make small patties ready to put on the grill

Grilled Vegetables

Asparagus

Mushrooms

Bell pepper

Red onion

Squash

Unflavored coconut oil

salt

I used whatever vegetables I had in the fridge and I am so happy that Heinen’s, our new grocery store has unflavored coconut oil as it is so good for you.

Basil and feta cheese Spread

1/2 cup sour cream or greek yogurt

1 Crushed Garlic clove

feta cheese (to you liking)

1/4 cup chopped basil

chopped sun dried tomatoes

salt and pepper

Mix everything together and store in a cool place until it is time to serve dinner and when you do…I guess the summer is back!

Hickory BBQ salmon with Horseradish infused vegetables

Posted on June 1, 2014 by Malin

This spring has been crazy hectic but yet full of fun and excitements but one thing that has been suffering is how I eat. I normally don’t eat anything with sugar or any vegetables that grows from under ground. The thing is that with all the guest we have had I have indulged in Swedish chocolate, homemade cinnamon rolls and much more that my body don’t do so well with (nor my weight). Anyhow now it’s time to clean up and get back on track so tonight I made an amazing salmon on the grill that for sure will enjoy more than once this summer.

Before I got started I soaked the hickory smoked wood chips in water and started the grill and was letting the chips get real hot so they would emit as much flavor as possible.

1 pound of salmon

salt and lemon pepper

Vegetables

Asparagus

Zucchini

Red onion

Red bell pepper

1 tablespoon of horseradish

2-3 tablespoons of butter.

Chop up the vegetables and melt the butter together with the horseradish and mix in a little salt and pepper. Brush the vegetables with the mix and grill together with the salmon.

Shrimp and fish roe farrago

1/2-1 cup of sour cream

1 crushed garlic clove

Dill

Fish Roe (I get this at my local sushi joint)

10-15 Shrimps

1 Red chili

Salt and white pepper

Mix all the ingredients together and let it “rest” in the fridge for half hour to an hour…Enjoy

The core is everything

Posted on April 22, 2014 by Malin

Being strong is one of the most wonderful feeling that I know and even if the journey can be painful there is few things that beats the feeling when you realize you can push your body to new limits. And as a house needs a strong foundation so does your body and therefore is he core one of the most important areas to strengthen (not only because you will look good in a bikini).

This is a few moves I did yesterday to strengthen my abs so I can do even more fun things at my yoga practice 😉

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I started out doing a slow pull in followed by as equal slow hip adductor and then finish off with a pushup. I did not have to do a crazy amount before I started feeling the nice familiar burn 😉

I kept on working my abs but did a different variation to get deeper into my shoulders and upper back. This was a pike from a shoulder stand…

From there I popped up to my hands and did another 10 pikes from the hands

To finish the series off I oblique crunches…from a push up position you swing your knees to the outside of your triceps alternating the sides.

Beetroot soup with ginger, lemon and chili

Posted on March 27, 2014 by Malin

It seems like everyone is escaping this never-ending winter and traveling south. At the same time we are receiving letters regarding strep throat, infections and stuffy noses so what else can you do than trying to stay healthy by eating food that boosts your immune system. Not only is beetroot good for defeat colds but it also enhance physical activities because it improves the oxygen uptake…so I guess more beetroot for the people!

3 big beetroot
1 yellow onion (i used a red onion)
2 chopped garlic cloves
1 tablespoon Ginger
Chili Flakes (depends how spicy you like it)
6dl /3 cups water
3 tablespoons beef fond or 2 cubes vegetable stock
salt and pepper
1 lemon (juice and peel)
Sour cream
Direction: Chop the beetroot, onion, garlic and grate the ginger. Fry the beetroot and the onion for a couple of minutes before adding the ginger, chili and garlic and sauté for another couple of minutes.

Add water, bouillon, season with salt and pepper. Let it simmer for 15 minutes, mix the soup until it is smooth and serve with a splash of sour cream.

Original recipe by Linnea Sward

What is your goal!

Posted on March 27, 2014 by Malin

I can be your fairy godmother!

Posted on March 26, 2014 by Malin

The person who knows your body the best will always be yourself and therefore I think it is important to communicate with my clients to meet their requests. So this sunny Wednesday morning with me as their fairy godmother their wish was about to come true…

…but not until I had tried the intensity of the workout myself 😉

The first circuit was just for warming up and making the heart pound a few extra beats before getting into the fun part. We did it twice through with 30 sec plank to push up and 30 sec plank followed by 10 push ups.

With that done we did a variation between a wood chop and russian twist apparently called “crazy Ivan”. Sitting down with the feet either on the floor or off the floor depending on the desired intensity lifting a medicine ball from one hip up through to the opposite side. This should be a challenging move and it may not be the core that gives in first as the shoulder has to do a fair bit of work as well.

To finish this series off we did another variation of burpees but instead of a push up we twisted both knee to the opposite elbow before we jumped back up into a squat jump. And I can promise after two sets the warm up was completed.

Giving the abs a small rest we got into the lats. I have a few goals of my own in mind this spring and being able to do pull ups is one of them. For some reason I am really weak or my body is to heavy for my arms, you choose which one you think it is…haha

So first out was cable pulldown, this is not a favorite move of mind but like I always say you will seldom like anything you’re not good at so you just hang in there and keep pushing.

Next up was TRX “lateral trunk twist”, this move will not only work the lats but also the shoulders and biceps. Hold on to one strap, reach for the floor behind you and pull yourself up and reach along the strap.

At this point I had a nice burn going and with one more exercise before the grand finale it had to be single arm rows.

And here they were, the pull ups! I am not ready to do it without assistance and the first couple of reps felt so easy but coming into the last few I had the shiver!

I did said I was the fairy godmother today and I didn’t want to disappoint nobody so we went back to the old TRX to hit the core. The first exercise was really two in one, almost like a bargain, right! Put the feet through the straps in a push up position, pull your knees in to your chest and out again. From there you will pike your hips up into the air as high as your can using your abs…that is one rep. Normally your abs should be burning by 10 but if not by all means keep on going to 15 or 20, it’s your choice and it’s your workout 😉

With the rectus abdominis out of the way next up was to hit the obliques. This move can be done from the floor as a regular “spiderman” or with one foot through the strap and the other one reaching for the shoulder and back into a plank position without the foot touching the floor. Again it is not only the core that is working, it is a lot of tension on the shoulders as well.

Someone recently told me the summer is around the corner although I have a hard time believing them but one thing I know is that few of us likes that “muffin top” sticking out. This is a great move to work on the love handles. Again, you can make it easier by keeping your feet on the floor but using the TRX, creating an unstable environment will make you recruit more muscles to stabilize the entire exercise. You can stay here or you can shoot the hip up in the air pretending you are rolling a ball underneath you to take it to the next level…

…and that is how you make dreams come true for some 😉