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Monday, 27 February 2017

ZUCCHINI MUFFINS



These zucchini muffins were loosely adapted from a Coles magazine. Whilst these babies may not photograph so well, myself and my husband can testify that they are ah-mazing! Once baked these muffins are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, perhaps due to the fact that you do not squeeze the water out of the zucchini prior to baking (as you so often do). You can add extra vegetables to these muffins such as grated carrot and/or beetroot, finely chopped baby spinach and/or capsicum, which I'm definitely going to do next time. You can also try different herbs to me; basil would work lovely. My oven may not be working 100% effectively as these muffins took 45 minutes to cook, so perhaps check your muffins after 30 minutes. Store in the fridge as it is mighty humid in Brisbane right now! Eat as a snack on the run or as a light breakfast, lunch or dinner with salad. Once cooled I place each muffin in a plastic bag so that we have healthy snacks for the week. 


INGREDIENTS

  • 1 tablespoon rice bran oil 
  • 2 bacon rashers, fat trimmed, finely chopped
  • 3 zucchini, roughly grated
  • 2 cups self-raising flour (or gluten-free if allergic or intolerant)
  • 1/2 cup reduced-fat grated cheddar cheese
  • 40g reduced-fat feta, crumbled
  • 2-3 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, finely chopped
  • 2 eggs, preferably free-range, beaten
  • 3/4 cup reduced-fat cows milk (or lactose-free, soy or unsweetened almond milk if allergic or intolerant)
  • 60g nutalex, melted 

COOKING 

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 180 degrees celsius. Lightly grease a 12-hole muffin tin with the oil. 

2. Dry-fry the bacon pieces over low-heat in a medium frying pan. 

3. In a large bowl combine the zucchini, flour, two types of cheese, herbs and a pinch of sea salt & pepper and stir well. Whisk the eggs, milk and nutalex in a medium bowl, then pour into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. 

4. Use a 1/2 cup to spoon the mixture into each individual muffin hole. Bake in the oven for 30-45 minutes (see above for more details) or until the tops are lightly golden and a skewer inserted in the centre of the muffins comes out clean. 

Makes / 12
Total Prep time / 15 minutes 
Total Cooking time / 30-45 minutes 


x Premium Pilates & Fitness 





Wednesday, 22 February 2017

COMEDIAN CHELSEA HANDLER DOES PILATES EVERYWHERE!



American comedian Chelsea Handler loves Pilates so much that she practises it everywhere she can, even on the beach! The 41 year old has started to look after herself in recent years, resulting in a healthier, slim body and a better outlook on life. 

Handler recently shared with Shape magazine, “It took me a long time to deprogram myself, to get rid of my unhealthy weight loss diet plans and flaky commitment to any kind of fitness exercise program.” When Chelsea decided it was time to get healthy, Pilates was there for her. 

“I can honestly say [Pilates] changed my body – and my life...I’m longer and leaner and much more graceful.” Handler says that she prefers doing Pilates than yoga or going to the gym, which she does as well. The toned comedian also has a personal trainer, who pushes her with sprint training. Chelsea feels that Pilates is a great low impact form of gentle exercise that gives her results without putting strain on her joints. 

In addition to exercise, Chelsea completely overhauled her eating several years ago. Handler admits that for years she did not how to eat healthy. Nowadays, she avoids fast food and processed food and sticks to a very simple, whole foods eating plan. Except for her one vice: alcohol. Chelsea reveals that she told her nutritionist she was not willing to cut out alcohol from her diet, so they both compromised. "He (her nutritionist) explained that calorie-wise, vodka isn’t so bad, as long as you drink it with soda so knowing I could still have a drink made it easier to stick to my weight loss program.” Good to know that not everything one loves has to be cut out to stay healthy! 

Want to slim down and tone up like Chelsea Handler without giving up all your vices? Come try Premium Pilates & Fitness, where we have a class for you! (and for burning off your alcohol!). Call 0402 680 724, book online by clicking HERE or by downloading our App from the iTunes store or by emailing hi@premiumpilates.com.au. OR if you live elsewhere, click HERE to try our online classes! 

x Premium Pilates & Fitness 



Images by http://www.foods4betterhealth.com/chelsea-handler-height-age-weight-body-statistics-28596, http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Picture-Chelsea-Handler-Doing-Pilates-Twitter-7910197, https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=0ahUKEwjV14meuuHRAhXMn5QKHQkzCvoQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.justjared.com%2Fphoto-gallery%2F2961680%2Fchelsea-handler-bares-bikini-beach-body-in-hawaii-03%2F&bvm=bv.145063293,d.dGc&psig=AF, http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0259/2109/t/2/assets/blog_metchelsea.jpg?1703QjCNGbfVt4Hl_e1u__-bPONzCxDa_WJg&ust=1485576580508790

Saturday, 18 February 2017

JUNGLE BLISS BALLS


A good friend gave me a recipe similar to this a few years ago for maca & tahini bliss balls. I just happened to come across in a few weeks ago when I was switching phones and recalled how much I love making bliss balls with a wealth of ingredients in them. Jungle bliss balls is how I describe them. You can use whatever nuts you have on hand for this recipe and if you do not have / like goji berries or cranberries, substitute for something else, such as chia seeds, pepitas, sunflower seeds. Because these bliss balls have nuts as their base, they need to be chopped quite finely (I suggest pulsing them in the food processor first). Also, rolling the balls is a little more challenging (but still fun) as it requires the use of water and a firm hand. Hope you like them as much as me! And if you don't feel like making them, they are in the studio all this week for only $2 each! 

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 brimming cups finely chopped unsalted nuts (I used a mixture of raw almonds, cashews and shelled pistachios)
  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 4 tablespoons water
  • 1 cup desiccated coconut, plus 3/4 cup extra, to coat 
  • 1/2 cup cacao nibs or small dark chocolate buttons
  • 1/2 cup tahini
  • 1/2 cup goji berries
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup honey 

METHOD

1. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and stir very well to mix, adding more water at a splash a time if needed. To chop the nuts I like to pulse them in the food processor for just a few seconds. 

2. Have a small bowl of tap water handy, a medium plate with the extra desiccated coconut spread out on it and a spare large plate. Dip your hands in the water, then roll one bliss ball at a time, coating with the coconut and then placing on the spare plate. You may need to dip your hands in the water before rolling each bliss ball. 

Makes approximately 30 bliss balls, depending on the size you want to make. Store in the fridge for up to two weeks and enjoy! 

x Premium Pilates & Fitness 

Thursday, 2 February 2017

KATE HUDSON ISN'T SHY ABOUT HER LOVE OF PILATES







37-year-old actress Kate Hudson cannot get enough of Pilates. When she's not raving about the exercise regime she has been dedicated to since she was 19, she's posting videos of her Pilates' classes on social media or posing for magazines with a Pilates theme shoot. 

Devoted to Pilates for the past 18 years, Hudson has worked hard on her flexibility, strength and agility. As a result she has an incredibly toned body and can perform some very advanced Pilates exercises (see above!). The mother-of-two also likes to attend dance and exercise classes as well as workout outdoors but at the end of the day her love and heart is with Pilates. 

"Nothing, literally nothing, makes me feel like I'm back to my body more than pilates," she confessed. "I'll travel, and I’ll go for a run or I'll Spin. But when I go home and get on the reformer or the Cadillac, my body immediately goes back. I can see an instant shift."
The slender star works very hard for her body and says that she forces herself to get in any incident exercise that she possibly can. "I'm one of those people who, it'll be early in the morning and I'll be in a robe getting my hair done, and I'll use my Hot5 app (a fitness app) -- and do push-ups for five minutes!" Hudson reveals.
Kate knows that to maintain her toned body she needs to eat very healthily. She eats five small meals a day, eating mainly unprocessed and plant-based foods. Hudson has a post-workout protein shake after breakfast, a salad for lunch, and a late-afternoon snack before dinner. Kate reveals that she used to never eat breakfast but started to when she realised how vital it was to her health. "The hardest thing for me is eating right when I get up, because I don't like to. I'm not one of those people who wakes up hungry," she explains. "I wake up and I want coffee and even a green juice, but everybody says you've got to eat something, even if it's little. So that's sort of the hardest, but I realise that when I do, I eat less during the day or late at night." 
Saying all thisHudson is a fan of treating herself and thinks that life needs to include some indulgence. "If I want to go out and eat at a restaurant with amazing food, I'll do that, like, once a week, where I’m not thinking about it," she says. "I want to indulge! I want to do things that are not necessarily healthy sometimes."
If you are dedicated and motivated to work out as Kate, why not splash out and indulge?!
Want to try our equipment classes to see why Kate Hudson loves the reformer machine? Keen to do a range of Pilates such as Boxilates, Barre, Mat or Stretch classes? Visit us online by clicking here to book online, email hi@premiumpilates.com.au or call us on 0402 680 724. 


images by http://www.etonline.com/news/208753_kate_hudson_shows_off_intense_pilates_workout_see_the_pic/, https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/cf/98/d6/cf98d6b2dc2635f676b7e551760cb1d1.jpg, https://pmchollywoodlife.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/kate-hudson-self-magazine-lead-1.jpg?w=600, http://www.gotceleb.com/wp-content/uploads/photos/kate-hudson/self-magazine-march-2016/Kate-Hudson:-Self-Magazine-2016--10-662x901.jpg, http://keyassets-p2.timeincuk.net/wp/prod/wp-content/uploads/sites/57/2015/08/kate_hudson-1.jpg, http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/08/25/14/3790729E00000578-3758272-image-a-1_1472132462052.jpg, http://www.etonline.com/news/181449_kate_hudson_shows_off_her_jaw_dropping_bod_a_white_bikini/.