A few campers get weekly produce bags from a local farmer through C.S.A. (Community Supported Agriculture) bags. It was mentioned in the RSBC Fit & Healthy Group on Facebook (join if you haven't yet!) that in the upcoming bag expect Artichoke. I've eaten Artichoke maybe twice in my life so I would have NO idea what to do with them. I've done some searching on The Googles to find some clean, healthy, (and delicious looking) recipes. If you have more, please post them in the comments below.

Pan Roasted Baby Artichokes With Pistachios, Lemon And Black Quinoa

Ingredients:

• 1 lb small artichokes
• 1 half medium shallot
• 1/4 c. shelled pistachio nuts
• Juice and zest of 1 Meyer lemon
• 1/2 c. black quinoa cooked
• 1/4 c. + 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper

 Read More>>

 

Artichoke, Tuna, and Mushroom Salad With Thyme Vinaigrette

 

Ingredients
For dressing
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 clove of roasted garlic, minced
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 dashes hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco
1 pinch sugar (SKIP, OR REPLACE WITH YOUR FAVORITE ALTERNATIVE)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
Pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil

For salad
3 ounces baby spinach or baby spinach/lettuce mix
7 ounces artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
3 ounces brown or white mushrooms, ends trimmed and thinly sliced
5 medium sun-dried tomatoes, drained of oil and cut into strips
3 ounces chunk white or albacore tuna in water, drained
1/2 cup nicoise olives
1/2 carrot

Read More>>

Roasted Artichokes

What you'll need . . .

• 2 large artichokes (whole)
• 1 lime, halved
• 2 large cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Read More>>




These are just the few I found doing a quick search. They look yummy and I might just get some Artichoke at the farmers market (I missed the C.S.A this time, but next time) tomorrow. What's your favorite way to prepare artichoke? Post below in the comments!

There are quite a few things going on here at RSBC and we want to make sure every stays up to date and informed.

Pillows With A Purpose

Cartwright School Fun Run Assembly

Students getting their obstacle race training on!

Great workout Cartwright Cougars!

Curtis in action with Fox 10's Kristin Anderson

Wow so much to cover in this blog post! Today marked the day of an amazing opportunity at Rock Star Boot Camp. We were on Fox 10 News!!! As in the TV channel! CLICK HERE to see the clip of the action! It's so amazing how many people came out to support what we do, how hard we all work, and salute our trainers; Curtis, Rachelle, and Debbie for always taking us to the next level. Are you ready for the Spartan Race next week? It's going to be so awesome, I can hardly contain myself. RSBC is the leader in obstacle race training, get in on that action with Spartan Workout Info HERE. Check out some of our training walls, where else can you get these? NOWHERE!








More good news, if you've been keeping up with updates on the Rock Star Facebook page (make sure you LIKE the page to get news, updates, recipes, workout tips.. etc) you'll know that tomorrow, Saturday 2/4/12 is the beginning of yet another new chapter, Kid's Camp. What does it involve? A little teaser from Rachelle:


"Agility hurdles, hop scotch, ladder jacks, sand-bell toss and run, football scrimmage, scavenger hunt and Simon says...what do these things have in common?? Kids Camp at Rock Star Boot Camp 9am Saturday (Desert Ridge location). Don't let your kids be left out. Fun and Fitness all in one place. We've set the age range at 8-13, but we're flexible if your young teen wants to work it out like a true Rock Star or your mature 7 year old needs to burn off some calories along with some energy, this is the camp for them. We will modify the workouts, just like we do for all our campers (from Spartan Racers to Grandma Jean at 75 years young) no matter the age! All the kids will get a great workout, modified to their level, while having tons of fun."






For all the information on Kid's Camp and how to sign up CLICK HERE, don't miss out on this one!


A lot of info huh? Now on to the yummy stuff. Personally I find it a little challenging some (most) days to get in good snacks and food throughout the day. Having little ones at home, sometimes taking care of ourselves gets pushed to the back burner while we care for them. Still, we NEED to eat to fuel our bodies for day to day activities and overall health. My favorite go-to snack is Greek yogurt dip (my preference is Ranch, although I've never had the ones from Costco that look amazing) and every kind of veggie there is. Great source of protein, and really you can eat as many veggies as you want, all day long! I make about a cup at a time and snack on that throughout the day. It's easy, fast, delicious, healthy... the total package.

1 cup of Greek yogurt with a Ranch dip packet.

Cucumber salad is also a quick, 10 minute or less, snack idea. It's pretty filling too because all of the water in the ingredients. I snack on this all day long, a few bites here and there: 1 large cucumber, 2 roma tomatoes, half a bunch of cilantro, half small red onion, a few tbls of lemon juice (one big lemon will be enough juice for normal people, but I like a lot), salt to taste. It's best to sprinkle the salt on top and let it marinate for about 30 minutes (totally optional) so the flavors are really drawn out by the salt. Or if you can't wait to dive in, eat it right away!


Of course munching on raw almonds, apples/bananas and peanut butter, hard-boiled eggs are always a staple snack too but I can never get enough fresh cucumbers. I need a cucumber garden.


My last favorite is a smoothie. My husband actually found the recipe online one night and made it for me for my post workout drink. I LOVE IT. He has one ready for me every night when I come home from camp. It kind of reminds me of a strawberry milkshake from Burger King, except WAY better.


Mangoberry Smoothie
1 cup Silk Pure Coconut Original coconut milk
½ cup fresh or frozen mango pieces
½ cup fresh or frozen strawberries
½ tsp freshly grated ginger 
1 tablespoon honey or agave

Recipe found at http://www.silkpurecoconut.com/

½ cup ice


Blend until smooth. Sip with a bendy straw ;)


The nutrition info for the recipe above is:


Calories 125; Fat 3g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 18mg; Carbohydrates 26g; Fiber 2g; Sugars 21g; Protein 1g; Vitamin A 12% DV; Vitamin C 70% DV; Calcium 24% DV; Iron 6% DV


My protein powder added 28g.


This smoothie is great for a snack, light in between meal, breakfast... It will definitely fill you up!


If you would like more info on recipes and nutrition tips join the Rock Star Fit & Healthy Group. There is LOTS of great information shared between campers.


Lastly, don't forget to read this week's camper testimonial ----------------->


If you have any questions, would like to join us at RSBC for the madness that we all love, check out the Rock Star Boot Camp website.

**HOLD UP!** 





Before you read the blog post... Check out our latest feature/testimonial from our camper Andrew or "Tomlinson" as you've heard Curtis yell over the loud speaker. It's right there, to the right. 

See it?
READ IT!!------------------------------->

That was awesome huh?  Okay, you can read the rest now :)

Ever walk down the meat and deli departments of Whole Foods and Spouts and see "NITRATE FREE" written big like that all over the packaged meats? Lunch meat, hot dogs, bacon etc? Then have you heard the Rock Star trainers preaching "NO NITRATES" over and over when talking about nutrition? There's a good reason...

Nitrates and Nitrites are compounds found that have been linked to cancer in both lab animals and humans. There are many studies, some that show the link between certain cancers in adults, and some that don't. You'll see nitrates mostly on packages of cured meats. It helps to retard the growth of bacteria and preserve flavor and color. Shockingly though, unless you eat cured me with every single meal, every single day of the week, vegetables have the highest source of nitrates. Say WHAAA?? Vegetables??? Yes, don't fret though.

Nitrates and Nitrates occur naturally in foods and water and are produced by living cells. They're important for many different chemical reactions in the body and actually you could argue that nitrates and nitrites are essential to your health. However vital in natural form, they can react with other compounds in your body or other food to form cancer-causing substances. These reactions are most likely to occur in the presence of protein... Meat is obviously mostly protein. Still worried that your veggies have nitrates? Studies also show that these cancer-causing compound-forming reactions are most likely to occur less when accompanied with Vitamin C and other anti-oxidants...


With all that said, don't panic. There are ways to reduce your cancer risk and still eat healthy, nutritious, delicious food:

Buy nitrate/nitrate free hotdogs: If you can't do with out hot dogs, make sure to purchase them nitrate free. They will taste the same (maybe better!) but they wont be the same pink color.. if you think about it, bright pink meat is just weird anyway! Nitrates help out with the pink color, so without them, they'll be a tan or even brown. It'll take some time getting use to, but it's all for the better.

Reduce the amount of cured food you eat in general. That includes baloney, bacon, ham. Try sliced turkey or roast beef. Just don't eat cured meats every single day.

Give your bacon TLC and cook it slowly! cook your bacon on low heat and DON'T burn it. Cooking bacon (or any cured meat) quickly on high heat greatly increases the reaction of nitrates and produces TONS more nitrosamines (the bad stuff). Also, buy nitrate free bacon.

EAT YOUR VEGETABLES!!!  This is a cardinal rule for Rock Stars so I'm sure you already are eating a steady amount of veggies right? RIGHT?? Right. The more vegetables you eat, the more antioxidants and Vitamin C your body will have to inhibit the conversion of nitrates into harmful compounds.

For the parents or parents to be: Infants and children are at highest risk of exposure to nitrates. Of all the testing and studies done, this age group was affected the greatest with the most significant side effects. Ever heard of Blue Baby Syndrome? Make special effort to feed your children nitrate/nitrite free food and water. Especially when pregnant, avoid eating cured meats and other nitrate preserved food. Fetuses are THE most vulnerable to nitrate poisoning. If you live near a farm, make sure to have your water tested for nitrates as well.

You want to eat bacon? Do it, but the healthiest that you can, and enjoy it.
It's all about doing what you can to make yourself healthier and hold yourself accountable.

Who is participating in the Spartan Race, Tough Mudder, or any other obstacle race coming up? Cheers and more power to you, I'm envious and look forward to my turn!


Also remember that we're always looking for more stories like Andrew's so email them to me at erika.staten@gmail.com

**NOTE: This is formation is purely my finding and interpretations of the information I've read. I'm not a doctor and if any of the information is inaccurate or you disagree, I'd love to know about it so I can correct it.**

 By doing a simple Google search you'll find that the most popular New Year's resolutions revolve around a health related topic. Stop eating junk food, eat more veggies, start exercising or exercise more, lose x-pounds quit smoking, go hiking... you get the picture. How many of these resolutions are actually successful? Not many. That's why year after year the same promise is made, "THIS year, I'm really going to lose weight, THIS time I'll stick to my exercise program." Are you guilty of this? I am. A resolution is nothing more than a goal you want to reach. Most failed goals are those not planned out or given serious thought toward the execution on attaining such goal. So year after year, we pledge to do better starting January 1st.

Lets end the vicious cycle of failure and make this YOUR year. What is it that you want? It can be anything. Complete the Spartan Race, tighten and tone up your muscles, lose 5/20/50 lbs, move toward cleaner eating? Whatever it may be, there is a way to make it happen. Plan, prepare, set mini-goals. There will always be a bad day, you might slip up on your program, miss a day of exercise... eat a juicy cheeseburger. But that doesn't mean you get to give up. Many times we'll be so extreme in what we allow ourselves to have, and when we succumb to our human nature and make a mistake, our willingness to continue to work towards the goal goes right down the toilet (along with that delicious cheesy burger you just scarfed down too quickly).


What will make us all successful, no matter what we're trying to accomplish, is to accept that there will hiccups along the way. Pledge to do your best one day at a time, and you're almost guaranteed to succeed.

Resolutions are usually permanent... You're not going to quit smoking just to start back up the next year, most people don't plan to lose 5 pounds just to gain it back on purpose. So look at these changes as a positive new beginning to a new life. The new you. Each day think of how you can make your life better, healthier, and take a step in that direction.

Above are my own reflections and opinions based off of personal experience and some research of the interwebs. I'm no life coach though, so take what I say at your own risk! 

2012 is the year of NO EXCUSES. Rock Stars don't give up. Show up at boot camp and Curtis will help with the rest. YOU are the only one that can make your life better. What do you plan to do differently this year? What resolutions have you made that you've kept and are proud of? Any tips? Leave your comment below, don't be shy!

Each week we are going to feature a camper's testimonial here on the blog. We want to hear whatever it is you have to say, and the campers want to read it, so SHARE! It can be funny, sad, happy... full of success AND failures, tips that help you get fit, RECIPES!, we want it all. Email erika.staten@gmail.com to be featured. Our first submission and all future stories will be posted under the Featured Testimonial segment in the side bar here on the blog. Just look to the right of this screen and you'll see it. Please take a minute to read Jen's story, she was so kind to share it with us!

............*reading Jen's story*..............
    
Wasn't that refreshing? Look forward to weekly installments of the new Rock Star Blog! If you have any questions, comments, tip, ANYTHING, please leave it in the comments below or email erika.staten@gmail.com

CHEERS!

Ever see a pregnant MAN workout? You're about to, thanks to the
Chris & Amy Show, mornings on 98.7 The Peak radio.

Homemade Fresh Salsa

Ingredients:

One large tomato (about 8 ounces), seeded and chopped

Three green onions with green tops, chopped

½ red pepper, diced

½ green pepper, diced

1/3 cup packed chopped fresh cilantro

Dried oregano and basil, dash of each

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon seeded and chopped jalapeno

Two cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Optional: add some chopped mango or peach for a different taste

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl; mix well. Leave about 30-60 minutes to set in all the flavors.

(Offer organic blue chips with it)


Homemade Grass-fed Beef BBQ Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 lb. of grass-fed beef

½ cup of ground flax seeds

¼ cup wheat germ

5 cloves of garlic

½ onion, finely chopped

2 cage free eggs, beaten

1 cage free egg white, beaten

Sea salt & pepper for seasoning

8 ounces of Organic BBQ Sauce (no HFCS in the ingredients)

½ cup organic grape jelly

Directions:

Mix all the meatball ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Roll into 2-inch meatballs and place on a cooking sheet coated with olive oil spray. Bake at 375-degrees for 25-30 minutes. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the BBQ and grape jelly. Pour the BBQ mix into the slow cooker and add cooked meatballs to the cooker and keep it on low. Let the BBQ mixer absorb into the meatballs.

Have toothpicks handy for easy eating. This is a hit!


Homemade Red Pepper Hummus

Ingredients:

2 cans of chickpeas – drain and rinse

6 cloves garlic, minced

4 tbs. of tahini

3 tbs. of fresh lemon juice

2 tbs. fresh parsley

1 red pepper, finely chopped

¼ cup of olive oil

¼ tsp. sea salt

¼ cup of water

1 Tbs. of Olive oil for heating and browning the garlic


Directions:

Place the garlic in a skillet with the tbs. of olive oil and brown over medium heat, about 3-5 minutes. In your food processor or blender add all the ingredients except only add 1-cup of a time of the chickpeas (add the next cup once the first cup is mashed). Process until the hummus is creamy and smooth. Great for vegetable trays.