This is my new personal trainer. His name is TRX and he gives me a total body workout through suspension training, without all the yelling! Never heard of suspension training? The TRX leverages gravity and your bodyweight to perform fun and different resistant challenging exercises. Best part is- you can take this guy anywhere with you… I’m going to hang mine from my huge avocado tree out back!

I was first introduced to TRX by Amy, my friend who I circuit train with. She has showed me all the exercises I know on this guy, but today I took it to a whole new level and attended a one-hour TRX class at The Edge, a cute nearby fitness studio. Can you say hooked?!

The class was a fast-paced workout incorporating every muscle in the body. From bicep curls and peck flys to chest presses and pike pushups, (pictured above) you can say I’m a tired girl now! I highly recommend TRX and if, and when, you do purchase it, it comes with a training DVD to get you started. You will NOT get bored. I promise!

I earned my breakfast this morning, Flour-less Coconut and Banana Pancakes, using three ingredients, coconut milk, an egg and a banana. Easy peesy. I took my favorite pancake recipe and just substituted one egg for a 1/4 cup of coconut milk. Gotta keep it fresh!

After breakfast, I headed to the LIBRARY!!!!!!! Tons of exclamation marks here because it’s been years since I’ve stepped foot in one, never mind had my own library card and borrowed books! I happened to mention on this blog, and on Facebook, that I wanted to start a book club and the response has been fantastic. I have more than 10 girls interested in a book club, and we’ll use that as an umbrella title for wine, snacks, gossip and fun. My friend Bernadette’s mom started one 15 years ago and it still meets today! I love that!

Our first book is going to be “Wild,” by Cheryl Strayed. It’s about one woman’s journey/hike on the Pacific Crest Trail where she finds out that wilderness is the preservation for her soul. It looks great, I know tons of people who have read and loved it, and the cover is kinda cute too!

After the library, I did some gardening and replanting since I’ve used almost all of my herbs and veggies. Amy’s husband Ben gave me a bunch of potato plants and I also picked up strawberry plants for my Topsy Turvy’s, and some cauliflower, squash, Boston lettuce, cilantro, rosemary and Italian parsley.

When the Yukon Gold potatoes come in, Andy will make us his famous potato salad. We served this on Sunday at our BBQ and it was a hit.

Po-Tater Salad- makes a huge party bowl’s worth!

Ingredients:

– 5 lb bag of red potatoes

-1 bunch scallion

-1/2 cup cornichon pickles

-1 cup baby carrots

-1 cup celery 

-1 cup red onion 

-2 cups mayo (New Frontier’s carries a dairy free brand too!)  

-1 cup mustard 

-1/4 cup of Sambal 

-3/4 cup apple cider vinegar

-1 red Bell pepper 

-1 green Bell pepper

-salt and pepper 

Directions:

1. Chop and quarter the potatoes, putting them in a large pot with water. Bring to a boil. 

2. Chop up the veggies and place them in a separate bowl. 

3. Add the liquids together and place in separate bowl too. 

4. When the potatoes come to a boil, take off heat and let cool, running cold water over them to blanche. Add everything together and mix throughly. Refrigerate for two hours. Best served cold. 

   

I like to cook all my recipes with fresh herbs and I have a great way for you to preserve the herbs from your garden that either need to be picked or that you have to much of. All you’ll need is an ice tray, some olive oil, and your extra herbs. You can use these cubes to cook with, boil water wit or toss in a stir-fry. And best of all, you’re saving money and “stretching your budget,” as Andy and I like to say.

Ice-Cube Herb Trays- makes 12 cubes

Ingredients:

-ice cube tray

-fresh herbs (I used parsley, scallions and sage)

-olive oil

-water

Directions:

1. Fill ice-cube trays halfway with water.

2. Chop up the herbs and place in the trays, in the water.

3. Add about a 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil over each cube and freeze. Easy peesy! 

Tonight for dinner, I’m making Brussels Sprouts roasted in balsamic vinegar and cranberries. I just picked up this gigantic stalk at Trader Joe’s and am still thinking about what to serve it with… any ideas out there? Help a Yummy Yogini out!