**WHAT'S COOKING WEDNESDAY - HARVEST QUINOA SALAD**

Yummy Fall Dish. I love fall inspired food. You can add some grilled chicken or fish to make this a protein packed meal!

Ingredients:

Salad:

1 ½ cups Quinoa
3 cups baby Spinach
½ cup dried Cranberries
½ cup toasted Pecans
2 Apples (diced) (I recommend Honey Crisp!!!)
Salt and Pepper (to taste)
(OPTIONAL) ½ cup shredded smoked Gouda (or smoked cheese of your choice)

Dressing:

¼ cup Sherry Vinegar
5 tablespoons EV Olive Oil (1/4 cup plus a tablespoon)
¼ teaspoon Dijon Mustard (you can find this fat free)

Instructions:

1) Cook the quinoa with 1 ¾ cups water (bring water to boil, add quinoa, lid the pot, turn heat to low and cook for 15 minutes)
Place cooked quinoa in a large bowl
2) Add the spinach, cranberries, pecans, apples, and dressing (the spinach may wilt a little which is perfect)
3)Season with salt and pepper to taste
4)Once the mixture has cooled off slightly, add the gouda
5) Dish up and serve!!

Tip from the M.D. Thursday . . .

Here is another medical tip from Jason. This one pertains to exercising while pregnant. How many of you ladies out there have or plan to exercise while pregnant?

10/24/13:

It’s almost the end of the week, woo hoo! This week we will talk about something a little more controversial. There is quite a bit of misinformation on the internet in regards to health and wellness during pregnancy. Much of the controversy here, and in many other areas, stems from the overwhelming number of opinions generated when such a large group of people experience the same thing. In medicine we generally shy away from things that haven’t been studied in an effort to practice in an ‘evidence-based’ manner. This means that while we certainly consider anecdotes from other scientists we respect, as professionals we place much more emphasis on things that have been studied, the highest level of which would be randomized controlled trials, which some of you may be familiar with. Exercise in pregnancy is certainly one of those things that has been studied and, with rare exception; it is great for you and your baby! The general rule is that you can continue to work out at the same intensity you did before you were pregnant. If you are just starting out now while pregnant, it would be wise to ease into it. For example, the T25 workouts are relatively short in duration and have modifiers for many of the exercises. If you haven’t been doing these kinds of things in the past a great way to start would be doing this routine with modifiers for everything. As you get through the workouts and improve you fitness you can do more and more of the movements as shown by Shaun T. Here’s a little more information from the Mayo Clinic: 

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pregnancy-and-exercise/PR00096

These opinions are mine alone and do not necessarily represent those of the United States Army, Eisenhower Army Medical Center or Georgia Regents University Hospital.

What's Cooking Wednesday:  Butternut Squash and Chickpea Stew

Serves 4, Total prep/cook time:  35 min.

Ingredients:

• 1 chopped onion
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 2 zucchinis (cut into 1 1/2 in. pieces)
• 1 butternut squash (cut into 1/2 in. pieces)
• 1 15.5 oz can diced tomatoes (use liquid/juice too)
• 1 15.5 oz. can chickpeas (rinsed)
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cilantro (diced to garnish)
• Can serve over cooked quinoa for extra protein!

Directions

1. Cook onion in olive oil in large pot over medium heat until tender (6-8 min,).  
2. Add zucchini and cook until browned (3-5 min.).
3. Add butternut squash, tomatoes, chickpeas, ginger, and coriander.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Cover and cook until squash is tender (15-18 min.).  Stir occasionally to avoid sticking.
4. Serve over quinoa (if desired).  Garnish/top with cilantro.  Enjoy!

I'm fifteen weeks!  What do you think?  A boy or a girl?  Loving doing the T25 workouts during pregnancy.  And Shakeology really helps me avoid all of those unhealthy pregnancy cravings . . .

Join my 10 Day Shakeology Challenge!

Go to my facebook page:  

www.facebook.com/jbarterfitness

Message me if you are interested!  You won't regret it!  It is nutrition simplified!  

***TIP FROM THE M.D THURSDAYS***

Here is the first health tip from Jason, my hubby. And a picture of him climbing (well, bouldering). One of his favorite activities .

Hey everyone! I’m Jason Barter, Jennifer’s husband. I started out as an Infantry Officer in the Army and ended up as an Emergency Medicine Physician doing residency training in Georgia right now. I’ve always had a passion for helping folks live fit, healthy lifestyles so once a week I’ll try to put out some information about how Jennifer and BeachBody can help you reach your goals. Along the way we will try and reinforce some facts and dispel some myths about exercise.

This week I’ll touch briefly on how moderate to vigorous exercise impacts your blood pressure. High blood pressure or Hypertension is anything > 140/90 and people end up with hypertension for a host of reasons. Genetics, diet and level of fitness can all play a role. For those of you just starting out on your fitness journey you will likely see the biggest gains in blood pressure reduction. In some studies systolic blood pressure (the high number) was reduced by as much as 10 mm Hg with 150 minutes a week of moderate to vigorous exercise. So, we will say something like the Shaun T’s T25 program would put you at 150 minutes a week of vigorous exercise. Voila! For those of you in the gray area right around 140/90 this could help bring your blood pressure down enough that you may be able to stay off blood pressure medication or, if you already require it, could help you reduce the amount over time. As a side note, only change your medication regimen in conjunction with your personal physician.

Here’s a little more info from the Mayo Clinic:http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-blood-pressure/HI00024/NSECTIONGROUP=2

Hope you all stay motivated this week and keep a long term view on your fitness!

GREAT AT-HOME WORKOUT PROGRAM =FOCUS T25

Did T25 Alpha Lower Focus (and Alpha Cardio). Great leg workout! Some leg close ups to show the muscles these workouts are developing. My T25 challenge group is still open, but starts soon so let's get you signed up! Checkout my website for more info on challenge packs and groups:

 www.beachbodycoach.com/jenniferbarter

  I am now enjoying a "Salted Caramel Mocha" Shakeology concoction that I made up as my reward for doing 2 workouts!