Happy Fourth!

Last week's work outs went like this:
Monday: Off
Tuesday: Strength Boxing (I think I may be ready to move up a pound in weights-eep!)
Wednesday: Glee Camp (calisthenics, resistance band and dumbbell work set to Glee music)
Thursday: Off (I got two unexpected print ad look-sees
Friday: Resistance Band Pilates followed by Kwando Kick Boxing

On Wednesday there were only THREE of us in class (the masses were crammed into Turbo Kick-people seem to really love it-although I worry for those people who don't practice proper form.) It was like having a personal trainer for the hour. Kinda cool. At the very end of class, we used a foam roller to massage our muscles. I had been interested in learning how to do it. It was definitely a hurt so good feeling, like getting a rough but awesome Swedish massage. However, I am seriously bruised. I am full our good leafy greens and I take a multi-vitamin with iron in it everyday, but alas, it looks like I've broken my ankle. It's sooo bruised. Don't think I will be partaking again.

source

I wish I could find an image of the exercise that killed my ankle.It felt like a really intense massage in my calves but man oh man. I look like I've been beaten.

I'm wishing you all a SAFE and happy holiday today. On holiday weekends we have to remind ourselves that moderation is key and having some bites or sips of deliciousness isn't a crime! In honor of all the get-togethers going on across the country I present a test drive of The Kind Diet's Artichoke Dip that I did a few months ago.

Artichoke Dip
from The Kind Diet by (my pretend friend) Alicia Silverstone

Ingredients
• 2 8 1/2-oz. cans of quartered artichokes
• 1 cup vegan mayonnaise
• 1 cup soy Parmesan "cheese"
• 1 tsp. paprika
• Garlic powder to taste
The only vegan Parmesan they had at my Whole Foods was a chipotle one which would have probably been tasty but I wanted to stick as close to the recipe as possible, and well, it cost almost $6. No thanks. So, I substituted nutritional yeast flakes. Stop. Don’t freak out. When I first started reading about vegan cooking, I thought that nutritional yeast flakes sounded bizarre. They’re not scary. They are yeast flakes, exactly what they sound like. They have lots of protein in them and look and taste like Parmesan. You can find them in the bulk bins at Whole Foods. One cup of nutritional yeast flakes from the bulk bin costs about $1.40. CHEAP.

Directions
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Drain the liquid from the artichokes, mash, and combine with the other ingredients. Scoop into a casserole dish and bake for 1/2 hour. Sprinkle paprika on top before serving. Serve with chips, toasted and cut pita bread, or sliced fresh vegetables.
Makes 10 servings.
The paprika adds great color. I went light on it because the type I had on hand was really hot.
It took a mere 15 minutes to put the ingredients together and pop this in the oven. Major points for simplicity! I snuck a taste of the concoction before putting it in the oven, cheesy and yummy already. After I let it bake up a while I took a peak. It looked so bubbly and happy as it browned! Soon it was the moment of truth.

The verdict:
Me: “Ooh, tangy! It’s so creamy!”
Mr. BB30: “I hope you made enough for yourself.” (walks away carrying the whole pan)

This dip was so easy and delicious. It’s perfect for party. In the 30 minutes it takes for it to bake you have the perfect amount of time to clean up, arrange crackers on a tray, apply lipstick, sprinkle the dip with paprika and greet your guests at the door with a creamy steamy appetizer.

Next time (and I foresee several next times) I think I will add in some minced onions and maybe sprinkle the top with a little bit of Daiya cheese.
Now bust out your finest sparklers!