Tag Archives: healthy

Lincoln Park for Thrifty Types

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Although Lincoln Park has that uppercrusty feel, there a hidden diamonds for anyone, including those with empty pockets, to enjoy.  Soooo come and check out some of the LP hood spots for fitness, food, and good times.

Where to tone

Lululemon on Halsted: Join the Lulu staff for a free one hour yoga class every Sunday at 10am at their Sunday Salutations series. Different instructors from various LP studios are featured each month.  All levels are welcome and they share their mats.

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Flirty Girl Fitness: The most recent addition to the Flirty Girl family is still just as pink and flirty. Even if you aren’t the pink purse dog carrying type, Flirty Girl offers not only pole dancing but hardcore strength workouts, Zumba and stretch classes.

i.d. gym: We desperately want to go back and try Fly Yoga with Brent Holten again.  The freeing feeling of being wrapped in a stretchy hammock while you practice your asanas a few feet above the ground can’t be replicated anywhere else.

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Where to taste

Peeled: Take a short jaunt down the sunny streets of LP after your downward facing dogs and try a freshly pressed juice or smoothie.  Try a seasonal smoothie flavor, like Girl and the Fig, while you can. Our recent rave was raw organic truffles! We keep dreaming about the smooth cocoa dusted flavors.

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Dawali Kitchen: is Kate’s go to for fresh creamy hummus (Mon is sadly allergic to the chickpea) and crispy falafels.  Their falafels are one of the best in Chicago area!  Non chickpea offerings include shwarma, spinach and feta pies, and other middle eastern inspired dishes.

All that working out makes us hungry anddd you probably noticed we like sweets (in moderation, of course).

Molly’s Cupcakes: lies in a people watching and shopping strip on Clark street.  Molly’s distinguishes itself with filled cupcakes (how about a Chocolate Lava Cupcake with a dark rich pudding center), aptly named cupcakes (Ron Bennington anyone?) and whimsical swings at the front counter.

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Molly’s Cupcakes Peanut Butter Nutella and Mixed Berry

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Where to explore

With the Lakefront as LP’s backyard, you couldn’t ask for a better location.  A bevy of fitness enthusiasts head to the lakefront path daily for biking, running, skating and relaxed meandering.  Bike rental options abound with a Divvy station right by the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Bike and Roll at North Ave Beach and Lakeshore bikes further north on the path.  For your more animal nature, walk through Lincoln Park Zoo for free and stop by their nature path to the south for a gorgeous Chi skyline view.

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Lincoln Park Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool

Go Kale Power!

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One Salad to Rule them All (AKA Fiesta Quinoa)

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Did we ever admit sometimes we are terribly lazy? When it came time to prepare for the opening credits of our “Lord of the Rings” Ravinia park movie picnic, Kat, predictably, was poking about. With a nudge and some coaxing, she whipped up the easy peasy quinoa even Gollum would approve of…

Fiesta Quinoa

Ingredients

  • 2-3 cups Quinoa
  • Vegetarian broth
  • 1 can of black beans
  • 1 can of corn
  • 1 cup of fire roasted salsa
  • 3/4 cup red bell peppers
  • Scallions (green onions), chopped
  • Cilantro, chopped
  • 1 tbsp, chopped jalapeno
  • 1 tbsp, chopped garlic
  • 1/2 tsp grounded cumin
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • Black pepper, to taste
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Lime

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Instructions

Cook quinoa in vegetarian broth as per instruction on quinoa package.  Rinse and drain black beans and corn and mix together with quinoa and bell peppers.  Add the mixture of fire roasted salsa, chopped scallions, cilantro and jalapeño pepper with cumin, salt, black pepper, olive oil and lime juice.

Modified recipe from savvyvegetarian.

Mmmm our precioussss quinoa was a success. We are sure it will make a return for the Return of the King movie next summer at Ravinia. Maybe you will brave the fires of Mordor and join us next time. Enjoy!

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Zucchini Picnic Nachos

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After the opening credits, the scene begins with the Chi Organic Girls running around trying to figure out what to bring to the outdoor movie in the park. A cartoon light bulb pops over Mon’s head. “I have 20 Godzilla sized Zucchinis from my garden. What to make?”

Grilled Zucchini Nachos

modified from here.

  • 1 medium zucchini or 2 small zucchini sliced about 1/4 inch thick rounds
  • Olive oil
  • pinch of Black pepper and salt
  • 2 plum tomatoes, chopped
  • 3/4 can of black beans, rinsed and drain
  • 1 large avocado, chopped
  • 1/2 medium red onion, chopped
  • 1 green onion, chopped
  • handful cilantro, chopped
  • Garlic, sea salt, black pepper
  • Tajin spice (Mexican spice found at any Mexican grocery store)
  • 1/2 fresh lime
  • shredded sharp cheddar, optional garnish

Slice zucchini into a bowl.  Add olive oil to coat the zucchini and sprinkle salt and black pepper.  Arrange zucchini on a grill pan over medium heat.  Grill until zucchini is tender as seen in picture.

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Remove zucchini from grill and place two layers on a platter or flat container to take for a picnic.  Top with black beans, tomatoes, red onions, avocado, green onion, cilantro, sprinkle garlic, sea salt, black pepper and squeeze fresh lime juice. Recipe will feed about 6 people.

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Wondering what other picnic goodies the gals will bring to the blanket? Coming after the intermission: Fiesta Quinoa!

Fit Trip: Regina, SK

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We know you’re looking at the title and thinking one of three things.

1) Where the bleep is Regina, SK?

2) What would anyone be doing in Regina, SK?

3) I’m from Regina, SK and I love it! Keep our location a secret please.

Or maybe some of you had to keep reading the word Regina to make sure this post was child friendly…

Regina, SK is a city in our lovely neighbor to the north (eh), Canada!  The capital city of Saskatchewan sits above North Dakota in between Manitoba and Alberta.  It has a small town feel yet still a plethora of fitness (there’s even a Lulu Lemon) and healthy food options, making it a fit trip destination.

Victoria Square is one major area of activity. Every Wednesday and Saturday, local vendors come out to the weekly farmers’ markets in the square.  Fresh saskatoons (little dark berries akin to blueberries) and alpaca yarn gloves abound as well as food trucks with up north delicacies like bison poutine (definitely not healthy, but worth a try!) and stands with green tea mint ice cream sandwiches.

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Zero calorie poutine…fruitless wishes

Victoria Square also hosts free yoga classes on their meticulously lady scaped lawn.  As I snooped around the market, I noticed that there was Bollywood Yoga the next day.  The experience pushed me out of my comfort zone.

Sponsored by Bodhi Tree Yoga, Bollywood Yoga Groove was led by teacher, Colin Hall with beats provided by DJ Dev.  The best and worst part was the mix of yoga and bollywood dancing. In between poses, the class would bust out some dance moves and my sometimes shy self was made to prance around the park with fellow yogis in a free style dance session (shudder!).  When you do let yourself go, it can be quite freeing or…it can be like the painful look I saw in a pale Canadian man wearing a flannel.

To this I say: “Yoga isn’t meant for the weak, flannel man.  Buck up and prance like everyone else.”

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Oh yoga bottoms…not even aware of what will come next.

For you non-prancers, Regina also hosts a series of pathways at Wascana Lake.  Visitors can kayak, canoe, run, walk or skip if they so choose throughout the 9.3 square kilometer park (darn metric system).  There is also an island that can be rented for private partying, P. Diddy style.

For more information on the wonders of Regina, check out http://www.sasktourism.com/places-to-go/regions/regina.