MIXED SALAD with POMEGRANATE and SUMAC DRESSING

An oldie but a goodie: I posted this recipe on November 24th last year, whilst in the middle of a violent Brisbane storm! It's a salad that I go back to time after time. 

Thank goodness for the Brisbane storms, as I had no choice but to hang up my renovators' hat this afternoon and come home and cook. We all have something in our lives that helps us relax, that rejuvenates us and makes us feel like US again. For some people it is sex, for some it is reading, for some it may even be playing Playstation (oh my Chris you fall straight into this category). For me my way to unwind is cooking (and exercise). But when you can’t run or walk outside or drive to your Pilates studio, cooking quickly becomes the best option. I have sorely missed blogging about my daily dishes over the past few months and I will try my hardest to continue with at least a few dishes a week as my life continues to spin in crazy circles. Hope you enjoy this vibrant salad as much as I truly enjoyed creating and eating it. 

INGREDIENTS

Salad

• 2 generous handfuls of mixed 4 leaf lettuce
• 1 large tomato, finely diced
• 1/2 heaped cup red cabbage, roughly shredded
• 1 x 400ml tin of brown lentils, washed & drained
• 1 medium ripe avocado, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 large pomegranate, little jewels removed and insides discarded 
• 2 teaspoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 lime, cut into quarters

Dressing

• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped or 1 teaspoon crushed garlic granules
• 1 teaspoon sumac
• juice of 1/4 of a lemon 
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1-2 tablespoons water 
• sea salt 

COOKING / PREPARATION 

1. Combine the lettuce, tomato, cabbage, lentils, avocado and pomegranate in a large bowl and toss well to combine. 

2. To make the dressing combine all ingredients in a small screw-top jar and shake well. Depending on how runny you want your dressing you can chose to add either 1 or 2 tablespoons of water (I used two). 

3. Pour the dressing over the salad, sprinkle the parsley and squeeze lime juice over the vegetables. Toss well. 

Serves / 2 as a main / 4 as a side 

Total Preparation / Cooking time / 15 minutes 

x Emily 

ACTRESS EMMA ROBERTS TAKES PILATES VERY SERIOUSLY

Cheeky actress Emma Roberts loves to have a laugh whilst working out. The 23-year-old posted a hilarious photo of herself on social media just last week holding up a pair of Pilates balls to her breasts. Roberts wrote "obviously we take Pilates very seriously around here" under the photo. Funnily enough, the movie-star, who once said that her favourite workout was eating pizza, is actually a huge fan of Pilates! 

As you may have guessed, the American Horror Story actress is not a big lover of exercise. The pizza-loving niece of Julia Roberts admits that she had trouble in the past committing to an exercise regime, until she discovered Pilates. "My favourite workout is definitely Pilates. That's kind of the only thing I've tried and stuck with". Emma went on to reveal that before Pilates, she could not seem to master exercise of any sort! "Everything else... I'm not the most athletic person, so it's too difficult, so I stick to Pilates and try to do it three to four times a week."

The slim youngster loves to chow down on some unhealthy food, in moderation, of course. Just last week before her funny Pilates photo, Roberts shared a favourite indulgence of hers on social media; beignets, a pastry covered in powdered sugar found in New Orleans. Good thing she does Pilates three to four times a week so she can burn it off! 

Are you someone who really does not enjoy exercise but knows how good it is for you? Have you tried numerous fitness regimes and cannot find one you stick to? Come to Premium Pilates Studio for an exercise experience like no other! We offer Matwork (Floor Pilates), Total Barre Pilates and Reformer Pilates. Call 0402 680 724, visit us online at premiumpilatesstudio.com or email us at inquiries@premiumpilatesstudio.com today! 

The PPS team 

Images by http://www.dailymail.co.uk/ and http://image-cdn.zap2it.com/images. 

FIVE NUTRITION MYTHS BUSTED

With so much new information being released each week about what is healthy and what is not, it is incredibly hard to keep up! What was a superfood last week is suddenly not as good for us as this new fangled product today. In a recent 'Eat this, Not that' magazine article they break down some very interesting nutrition myths. Have a read as some of these may surprise you! 

1. The yolk in eggs increases your cholesterol. 

I was super excited when I read this, as I am a huge fan of eating whole eggs, not just egg whites! Egg yolks contain dietary cholesterol, which has next to nothing to do with serum cholesterol, the cholesterol present in your blood. Over 30 recent egg studies could not find one link between egg consumption and heart disease and on top of that, a Saint Louis study revealed that consuming eggs for breakfast can actually lower your daily calorie intake! So eat your yolks people! 

2. The healthiest green vegetable is kale

I remember the massive hype that the green leafy vegetable caused a few years ago when it became super popular. It was hailed as one of the best superfood and I often saw Kale in print as the 'best green vegetable'. Now we all know not to believe everything we read. A 2014 university study rated vegetables and fruits according to their nutrient density, by testing their levels of 17 different nutrients that have been linked to boosting cardiovascular health. Surprisingly, Kale did not even make the top 10! Less surprisingly however was the fact that the top 16 were all leafy green vegetables. Spinach, romaine lettuce, parsley, chives and the greens atop beetroot were some of more nutritiously dense vegetables that beat out kale for the prime top spots. 

3. Low-fat foods are better for you than foods that have naturally occurring fat

What does the marketing term low-fat refer to in board rooms? Food filled with salt, cheap carbohydrates and lots of sugar. I grew up eating a lot of low-fat food in the 90's, as there was no education on what these products were actually made with. As a teenager, I greatly struggled with my weight, even though I was exercising up to 5 hours a day! Now I am my lowest and most healthy weight, with the help of eating lots of naturally fatty foods, including avocados, coconut oil, nuts, eggs, etc and no low-fat foods. 

4. Sea salt is healthier than regular salt

This myth surprised me! Regular old table salt is found in mines and contains around 2,300 milligrams of sodium per teaspoon. Sea salt is extracted from vaporised seawater, and it also contains approximately 2,300 milligrams of sodium. Avid supporters like to argue that sea salt contains different compounds to table salt including iron and magnesium, however these minerals are present in extremely minuscule amounts per average dose of salt. Iodine is also regularly added to table salt, which plays a big role in balancing your body's hormones, whilst sea salt contains basically no iodine. The bottom line here: cut down on salt full stop and save a few dollars by not purchasing expensive sea salt! 

5. The words "natural" and "healthy" don't carry much (and sometimes no) weight 

The food packaging words "natural" and "healthy" are considered "weasel words", as they have no legal or formal meaning. Whilst the Australian New Zealand Food Standards Code does monitor the use of specific health and nutrient content claims, it does nothing to control, manage and/or explain these looser terms. As these words are not regulated in the food standards code, these words then rely on their dictionary meanings, of which there are numerous interpretations! What to do: carefully read all the ingredients in a product that calls itself "natural" and/or "healthy". And always remember that the most healthy foods do not come out of a package! 

x The Premium Pilates Team 

Image by http://www.fitnessrepublic.com.