Pumps & Iron

Apple Feta Quinoa Salad with Cranberries and Walnuts

September 24, 2012 by Nicole 21 Comments

This delicious quinoa salad is one of my favorites. The summery citrus flavors mix wonderfully with the classic autumn combo of dried cranberries, walnuts and cheese. Perfect for this time of year (or any). Oh, and it’s healthy.

This apple quinoa salad is ridiculously easy to make (even if your only kitchen skill is boiling mac and cheese, you can pull this off), and it stores in the refrigerator really well. I’ll usually make a big batch, eat it for dinner, and then eat the leftovers for lunch the next couple days.

I eat it as-is but this also makes a great side if you’re cooking fish or chicken for dinner. Another way I like to eat it is in lettuce-wrap form.

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:96]

I reshot the pictures for this recipe in 2016, but as a look back on how far my skills have come since it was first published in 2012, wanted to keep one of the originals (woof):

#TransformationTuesday 😉

Filed Under: Dinner, Gluten-Free, Lunch, Recipes

Plank Workout – Quick Challenge

May 23, 2012 by Nicole 46 Comments

Plank Workout - 2 minutes on, 1 minute off plank challenge. This quick workout video makes for a great finisher! #plankchallenge #plankworkout #workoutvideo

Post updated May 2020. This plank workout was the first ever fitness-related post on this blog. Back then, I thought all my pictures needed to have a scenic background, so I’d make my mom come with me to the beach to photograph my workouts (proof at the end of this post). My how times have changed!

When I can, I try to go back to my older workouts and revamp them. I have years and years more training experience and education now, so I find it worthwhile to tweak the sequencing of exercises to make them more effective. And of course filming a video to go along with the old workouts is a major upgrade!

Plank Workout Challenge

This plank workout challenge is two minutes on, one minute off. During the two-minute plank, you’ll go through six plank variations. Do each of the six moves for 20 seconds. Repeat entire two-minute circuit 2-3 times (I do three in the video). Also, depending on your level of fitness, you can decrease or increase the interval length. Maybe start out doing each variation for only 15 seconds.

As with all workouts, you want to make sure you’re properly warmed up before, and always listen to your body, modifying or stopping as needed. I have two guided warm ups:

5-Min Warm Up
7-Min Gentle Warm Up (no jumping)

Workout Breakdown

See 1:24 in the above video for a preview of the exercises.

Forearm Plank
Alternating Knee Bends
Marching Plank
High Plank
Alternating Elbow to Knee Crunch
Plank Jack

The plank jacks at the end are quite the challenge—woof! 😉

Similar Workouts

If you enjoyed this quick plank workout challenge, check these out:

Slider Plank Challenge – You’ll use sliders to build plank exercise combos. This one mixes plank and side plank variations.
Tabata Plank Challenges – A few years ago I did a series of 4-minute plank tabatas. Four plank variations, 20 seconds on / 10 seconds off x8.

xo Nicole

Filed Under: Abs, Bodyweight, Interval Training, Video, Workouts Tagged With: plank workout

The Bean Dip

March 22, 2012 by Nicole 9 Comments

Emphasis on “the.” My college roommate introduced me to this amazing bean dip and it’s been a favorite of mine ever since—partly because it reminds me of my best friends, but mostly because it’s effing delicious. A bean dip to end all bean dips, I give you the bean dip.

The serving size of this recipe is a shit load (that’s a technical term). You will literally be eating it for breakfast, lunch and dinner for a solid week. And you’ll love every second of it. I made it this year for the Super Bowl, and thank the lo’ because it was the only good thing to come out of that disappointment (I’m a Pats fan).

INGREDIENTS

2 cans black beans, rinsed
2 cans black eyed peas, rinsed
2 cans mexicorn, drained
1 can of rotell
4 roma tomatos
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 red onion
1 bunch of cilantro
1 lime, juiced
¼ cup pickled jalapenos, diced
½ cup olive oil
1/3 cup sugar
½ cup red wine
½ tspn garlic powder

DIRECTIONS

Chop everything up and mix it together in a bowl. It’s not rocket science.
Stir olive oil, sugar, red wine and garlic powder in a separate bowl. Mix into the rest of the ingredients. Optional: Chug the remaining wine left in the bottle.
Serve with chips or eat it with your hands (it’s that good).