Great Ab Exercises

January 31, 2011 at 12:25 PM | Posted in Abs+Back, Exercise Tips | 6 Comments

If you want to tone up your abs, it is a good idea to work out the back as well.  Having a healthy back and abdomen is very important for various things.  One of them is so that we can have a good posture well into our latter years.

And besides, who doesn’t want to be healthy and strong, right? 😀

The first exercise shown below isn’t a DIRECT AB EXERCISE, but it indirectly forces the abdominals to contract and remain tense while lifting the weights.

Any set of dumbbells can be used.  But of course, it should be adjusted to your own strength level.  I use the 8 lb. dumbbells, and sometimes 10 lb.  But please do be careful and have proper form! 🙂

Delt Back Rows

1.)  Stand with  your feet hip-width apart and while grabbing the weights, slowly bend at your hips.  *Do not bend your back though.*  Keep your back very straight as you contract your stomach.  The key is to tense up the front and back–therefore, the abdominals and the back muscles.

2.)  While smiling :), bring the weights up to your hip level as you squeeze the muscles in your back.  This will automatically happen as a result of bringing up the weights.

Front view

Front View 2

On-the-Ball Crunches

1.)  Sit on the ball with your tail bone area towards the edge of the ball.  Keep your feet about a hip-width distance.  Remember, keep the back straight.

2.)  ( I think I was laughing here)  Don’t use momentum, and bring yourself down until you’re almost parallel to the ground–still tensing the stomach area.

3.)  Slowly bring yourself up while still tensing the upper body, and make sure the back stays straight.

Oh man I felt so awkward and cheesy taking these shots! Hahaha.  But it’s nice to be able to share these tips with others. 😀  And please be careful with these moves!

 

Yammy Veggie Frittata *VG*

January 31, 2011 at 12:00 AM | Posted in Breakfast, Recipes | 3 Comments

Are yams and sweet potatoes essentially the same thing?!  This was a question I had for quite a while  until I decided to finally research it.  😛

Mmmm these are Yams…

The difference goes beyond the skin and flesh color to be exact.  There is a simple and concise explanation right here.  I’m sure it does a better job explaining than I can hehe.

I never really knew the difference between these two beautiful vegetables because in the Korean market, you typically only find the yam variety.  Sometimes, you’ll see sweet potatoes that are PURPLE!!! They are quite interesting and sweet; perhaps sometime I’ll show you what they look like.

So why am I going in depth about yams and sweet ‘taters?  Well…because when life throws you yams, make “Yammy Veggie Frittata”!!! ^.~*v

This is a simple recipe that I really enjoyed making with what I had in the fridge.  We always have yams in the pantry.  I think most Korean families do as a matter of fact.

This breakfast dish is perfectly savory and sweet, and you can adjust it to your own taste of course.

Yammy Veggie Frittata *VG*

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1 medium yam

1/2 C soymilk

1/4 tsp dry mustard (or regular mustard)

pinch salt+pepper

1/2 TBSP Nutritional yeast

1 TBSP buckwheat flour (or any flour)

1 C Brussel sprouts chopped

1/4 C green onions chopped

1/3 C chopped pecans

Cheese as desired

Directions:

First, get a medium yam and after it’s thoroughly washed and scrubbed, cut it into 1/4 inch slices.  Preheat the oven to 400 F.  In the meanwhile, lay the yam slices down along with the chopped brussel sprouts in a PAMmed pie pan.  Put it in the oven for approximately 15 minutes.   Next, grab a medium bowl (not small, I spilled everywhere) and mix the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, mustard, nutritional yeast, pecans, and flour.  After the 15 min. take out the pan and distribute the egg mixture all over the veggies.  Bake it for 10 minutes more.  Afterwards, take the pan out and sprinkle the cheese and bake until the top is slightly browned.  Plate, and enjoy!!

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I know it seems like a lot of taking in and out during the process, but I assure you it’s not complicated at all.  It will go extra fast if you prepare the veggies the night before.  And instead, you can even use mushrooms, or anything else if you don’t fancy brussel sprouts.

If you like some kind of meat in your frittata, I’m sure you can substitute the pecans with sausage.

I really liked the addition of nutritional yeast because it gives it a slight cheese flavor with a nutritive twist.

It is researched and known to have the essential vitamin B12.  It is an important component to our arteries’ health and  red blood cells.  Instead of taking vitamins, this would be a great way of getting the most we can from natural foods, in my opinion.

By the way, this recipe make a whole 9″ pan and would serve about 6 people.  😀

Mmmm yummmm yammm…

L.E. <33

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