• Asparagus – This asparagus salad  recipe is so delicious, even if you’re at a point in your diet where you have to skip the cheese. It’s paired with a quiche recipe, so you’ll just have to scroll to the salad specific parts.
• Avocado
• Beets
• Bok Choy -This stir fried bok choy recipe is our favorite fast way to prepare bok choy. It’s the best with baby bok choy, but it’s not always available in conventional grocery stores so I’ve made it with regular and it’s just as yummy.
• Broccoli
• Brussels Sprouts – We are huge fans of brussels sprouts at On Track! This roasted brussels sprouts recipe is a great way to add extra flavor if you or someone you’re cooking for is skeptical of sprouts.
• Butternut Squash
• Cabbage – This roasted cabbage recipe is a favorite of Christine’s because it gives you a flavorful, crispy wedge of cabbage.
• Carrots – You really can’t go wrong with roasting or grilling carrots with a little olive oil and salt, but if you’re feeling adventurous, try this roasted cumin-lime carrots recipe. It’s simple and flavor packed.
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Collards
• Cucumber
• Eggplant – The easiest way to prepare eggplant is to slice it into rounds, add olive oil and salt and then roast or grill. One tip: Once you slice the eggplant, set it on a pan, salt it and let it sit for 20-30 minutes. This will release water from the eggplant, so just dab it off with a paper towel, flip the eggplant and repeat on the other side. Also super simple to do under the broiler!
• Green Beans
• Green Peas
• Kale
• Kohlrabi
• Leeks – This braised leeks in a creamy lemon sauce recipe is delish. When in a time pinch (or when feeling lazy), I’ve modified by just sautéing the leeks with olive oil, salt and pepper and then just adding lemon juice and fennel fronds at the end and feel it’s just as good.
• Lettuce
• Mushrooms
• Patty Pan Squash – I discovered this roasted patty pan w/ herbed beans recipe last summer and both Christine and I have given it our stamp of approval. It’s delicious with the beans, but you could make it without if you prefer —just pour the dressing over the squash. If making both the beans and squash, I recommend storing separately so that you can microwave the squash without heating the beans.
• Snap Peas
• Spinach
• Sweet Peppers
• Swiss Chard – I love this sautéed swiss chard with parmesan recipe, while Christine prefers this savory swiss chard recipe. Both are great but the first recipe has a milder taste, so if you’re not sure about swiss chard you might want to start there.
• Zucchini – Zucchini is another vegetable that’s perfect for roasting or grilling, just slice into rounds and add some olive oil and salt. I also love this braised zucchini with basil and sun gold cherry tomatos recipe because it’s different, easy and yummy.

With produce, it’s often a matter of what’s available at the moment. Eat Seasonably has a fabulous interactive “What to Eat Now” calendar on their website (or if you prefer, you can print it off and keep it with your meal planning things) that will help you determine what vegetables and fruits are in season. The only downside is that it’s a UK website so you’ll have to do some translating —hint: courgette is zucchini and marrow refers to a variety of summer squashes. Another good way to go is to look at the displays in the grocery store, often they’ll place in season items in a special end stand.

What are some of your favorite vegetables and how do you prepare them?

I find there is typically two groups of extremes when it comes to getting sick and the gym. There is the group that starts getting a runny nose or a tickle in their throat and will use this as an excuse to stay away from the gym. Then there’s the group, you know who you are, who come a warm place or high water, they’re going to get that workout in.

What SHOULD you do when you get sick?

If you have what I would call a “head” cold; the headache, sore throat, runny nose kind of cold with no fever, then there’s no reason not to train. Turn down the intensity a bit, bring some Kleenex, wash your hands frequently and when you start to feel your normal self again then turn the intensity back up.

If you have a full body type cold; achy muscles, tight/congested chest, nausea, diarrhea, tight neck/lymph nodes with a possible fever then it may be time to take a rest. Either stay home and rest, maybe do a light workout at home or possibly a low intensity workout at the gym. Beware of increasing workout intensity too fast when going back to the gym, give yourself a couple of weeks to get back to your regular insane intensity workouts lest you end up right back in bed.

A few things to abide by:

• Fever – do NOT workout if you have a fever, period. A fever indicates that your body is working to fight off something, adding stress by working out will inhibit this process, prolonging the illness or allowing it to develop into something much worse.
• Are you contagious? Your fellow gym members will appreciate it if you stick to a home or outdoor workout during this time.
• Don’t start back at the gym right where you left off, allow your immune system to get fully recovered before you start setting personal records.
• Use your downtime wisely, maybe a meditative yoga, slow stretching and/or a slow walk would be beneficial. Use the time for some reflection.
• Listen to your body! If you workout and things just get worse take some time off, you’ll be amazed at how your body will feel when you get back into your workouts.

What do you do when your body is not feeling well? Power through or take a break?

I thought a post on roasted cabbage would be appropriate since it’s a vegetable that is less perishable than many others so I feel like it’s more of a “winter” vegetable. I think you’ll enjoy this recipe, I love cabbage done like this, I got this recipe originally from Katlyn’s Kitchen and have changed it to my liking:

1 medium to large size cabbage, green or purple

2 T olive oil

4 T freshly squeezed lemon

Course ground pepper and sea salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees, I have a convection oven so I put mine on roast and 425 degrees.

Peel off the outer leaves of your cabbage, discard. Cut off the stem end so that you have a fresh end. Cut the cabbage in half and then each half into quarters. I like to keep the core attached to the wedges so that the leaves stay together making the pieces easier to turn, you can cut it out if you’d like.

Place a piece of parchment paper on a roasting pan or a jelly roll pan (cookie type sheet with a 1 inch rim) and place your wedges on the paper, spacing an inch or so apart.

Whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice and use a pastry brush to apply the dressing to the top side of your wedges. Sprinkle with your salt and pepper, then flip each wedge over and repeat.

Roast for 15 minutes or so on each side depending on how browned you want your cabbage.

I love this fresh out of the oven but it also keeps well as a left-over to be warmed up for another meal.

Another great winter veggie is brussel sprouts, check out our recipe!

1. Pay for their entry fee: If you know which show your favorite competitor is planning on doing in 2013, this should be pretty simple. Go to the website for that show, find out how much the entry fee is (make sure you find out which classes he or she is planning on doing, multiple classes costs more money than just one class) and write out a check or money order. I’d suggest printing out the entry form and putting the check and blank entry form in a stamped envelope addressed to the promoter of the show and wrapping it that way. Then, not only are you paying for their entry fee, but also saving them some time and providing motivation to get that entry form in!
2. Purchase their NPC Membership card: If you know that your competitor will be doing an NPC show (local shows include the NPC Upper Midwest, NPC Gopher State Classic, NPC Iron Viking of the North, NPC Minnesota State Championships, NPC North Star), he or she will need to renew or purchase for the first time an NPC membership. Memberships end at the beginning of the new year regardless of when you pay for it (paying for a membership now will get you a 2013 membership, and your competitor would be good until next year). Many competitors wait until just before the competition to pay for their membership, but the benefit of paying for it early in the year is that the competitor will get a whole year’s worth of NPC magazines.
3. Buy them some training sessions: A lot of competitors have a personal trainer or someone who does their diet and it can get expensive to see them regularly! Find out who the competitor in your life goes to for these sessions and buy a few! Right now, On Track Training has a Contest Prep Package special going on if she or he is a part of Team On Track, or wants to be in the future. If you don’t know who your competitor trains with, you could always find out what gym he or she trains at and renew that membership!
4. An On Track Training Journal: Even though there are some great phone apps out there for keeping track of workouts and diets, a lot of physique competitors prefer to keep it all in an actual journal. Everyone that has bought an On Track training journal seems to love it. With 60 pages to record information such as weight, meals, movements & reps in your weight workout, cardio workouts and extra comments for the day, it’s the perfect place to record progress. These are shipped priority mail and usually arrive within 1-3 business days, or if you live nearby (we’re located in Bloomington) you can always arrange to stop by and pick it up yourself!
5. An On Track Training Gift Certificate: If you’re not sure about any of the specifics above, an On Track Training gift certificate is a great choice. Your competitor can use it towards the entry fee of any On Track Training promoted show (NPC Gopher State Classic, NPC Minnesota State Championships, NPC North Star), any On Track Training seminars which will guide competitors in contest prep, one on one consultations with Christine Bongiovanni for diet, training or posing help and any On Track Training merchandise, from clothing to training journals. Gift certificates never expire, so even if your competitor decides to take a year or two off the gift certificate will still be good when he or she is ready to get back in the game!

I hope this list helps you check somebody off of your list! Competitors, what else should be on this list? Leave us your thoughts and feedback in the comments!

I think you get my point, it’s a love/hate relationship. I do feel it’s important to have some outdoor activities that you commit to in the winter otherwise you’re setting yourself up for a long, depressing season. Making yourself get out for even just 15 minutes every day helps get you a bit more acclimated to the temperatures outside and makes it seem so much warmer inside! My best tip for getting outside and doing some sort of activity is to wear the proper clothing to protect you against the elements, don’t go outside when the wind is blowing without a scarf or gator covering your face!

I’d love to challenge everyone to dedicate 15 minutes everyday to some sort of outdoor activity, a few suggestions:

• Make yourself shovel for 15 minutes when it snows, use the snow blower to finish the job.
• Go for a 15 minute walk, even if it’s dark when you get home, you’ll find it very peaceful and refreshing.
• Have a pair of dusty old skates? Take them to your local park’s skating rink and have fun!
• If you have a sled, take it to the local park hill and go sliding — great exercise and guaranteed ab workout (laughing).
• Most county parks rent cross country skis and snow shoes and have beautiful, groomed trails, some even offer special events like candle-lit trails.
• Don’t downhill ski or snowboard? Take a lesson anyway, I’ll guarantee a good time even if you never go again.
• Go hiking, the park systems have a lot of trails that are accessible even in the winter months.
• Snowmobiling, a winter sport enjoyed by many.
• Go on a trip with a sled dog outfitter.

What outdoor activities do you enjoy to help with your sanity during these long cold months?

Now that the weather has cooled down again, I have re-acquainted myself with Epsom salt baths. Not only are these relaxing after a long hard day when the rooms are a bit chilly, but they are a dream come true for my stiff, achy legs.

Epsom salt bath remedy: pour yourself the hottest bath water you can stand, I usually skip any cold water and just let the water cool enough that I can slowly accept the heat. Add about a pound of Epsom salts and soak for a good 10 minutes or so. Let your legs soak for the first 5 minutes and then slink down and get those upper body muscles to join the party.

Give this a try and let me know how those legs feel in the morning. Don’t be surprised if you jump out of bed and completely forget that you had a successful leg workout, just in time for you to give it your all again today!

Today’s post is just a simple squash recipe. I absolutely love squash but when I searched squash recipes on my blog, I found that I’ve actually only posted a few recipes: three. I guess I can add that to my to blogging list.

I’ve always loved the taste of squash but tended not to make it too often because I always thought it took too much time, if you have the same suspicion then this recipe will make you as happy as it did me.

Baked (in the microwave) Squash

First just rinse off your squash and puncture the outside several times with a sharp knife tip, place in the microwave and cook on high for 5 minutes. Let it cool a bit so you don’t burn your fingers, then cut the squash into quarters, remove pulp and seeds.

Return to plate, cut side down, cover with wax paper and microwave for 7 minutes then turn over and bake another 6-8 minutes or until soft.

You’ll need to let it sit a while so it cools down before you can scoop out the goodness but that’s it! I told you it was easy.

While we’re on the subject, what exactly is squash? In seminars, I’ve had people ask if it should be counted as a vegetable or as a starch when logging your food and planning out your meals. Well, technically squash is a fruit because it has seeds in it but gets categorized as a vegetable because it isn’t sweet like a fruit. It’s kind of like a tomato in that sense. But, for our purposes, you should count winter squash as a vegetable/carbohydrate. 1 C cooked has about 20 gms of carbohydrates and is a moderately anti-inflammatory food.

Last weekend the Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota NPC district closed out its competition season with the 2012 On Track Training NPC North Star. With 122 registered competitors, this year’s NPC North Star was the largest yet. Congratulations to all competitors, we know how much hard work and dedication it takes to step out on that stage! And thank you to all of our backstage staff, sponsors, district NPC judges and spectators for making this another successful show.

Here is a highlight of our overall winners, photos courtesy of the official event photographer & videographer Strength Media:

Steve Polsfuss, winner of the Men’s Light Heavyweight class, took home the Men’s Bodybuilding Overall title. Polsfuss, 46, from Burnsville, MN works as an underground utilities contractor and trains at LA Fitness. He also took home the NPC North Star Men’s Bodybuilding Overall in 2008.

Paul Jandro, winner of the Men’s Bodybuilding Masters 40+ class, won the Men’s Bodybuilding Masters Overall title. Jandro is 46 from Faribault, MN and works in construction. He is self trained and works out at Anytime Fitness.

Joshua Henkemeyer, Men’s Physique Class A winner, won the Men’s Physique Overall. Henkemeyer, 25, is a student from Lakeville, MN who trains at Lifetime Fitness. He took second place in Men’s Physique Class A at the 2012 NPC Minnesota State Championships.

Melissa Shuster, Women’s Physique Class B winner, took home the Women’s Physique Overall title. Shuster, 33, is a mom from Minneapolis Minnesota. She works out at LA Fitness and is trained by Christine Bongiovanni. Previously, Shuster won 1st place in her figure class at the 2012 NPC Minnesota State.

Sara Arbach, Figure class E winner, won the Figure Overall title. Arbach, 24, is self employed and lives in Aberdeen, SD. She works out at the YMCA and is trained by Julia Korfhage. She previously placed 2nd in Figure E at the 2012 NPC Minnesota State Championships.

Wyntress Pennington, winner of the Figure Masters 45+ class, won the Figure Masters Overall. Pennington is 46 from St. Cloud, MN. She works out at Fitness Evolution and is trained by Bud.

Angela Okon, winner of the Bikini D class, won the Bikini Overall title. Okon, 24, is from Mankato, MN where she is a student and aerobics instructor. She placed 3rd in her class at the 2012 NPC Minnesota State Championships.

Sarah Moxness, winner of the Bikini 35+ class, won the Bikini Masters Overall. Moxness, 36, is a diabetes instructor from La Crosse, WI. She works out at Iron Physique and is trained by Ben Lasche. She also won the Bikini Overall at the 2012 Wisconsin State.

This post came to me while using a new skincare product that I am currently in love with and felt like I should share it with everyone! Quite a while back, I purchased Groupons to Massage Retreat & Spa for facials for Shandi and me which we finally used last week. Corissa, the skin therapist that did my facial, used all Dermalogica products and I purchased their Precleanse that she used on me. The reason I want to share it with all of you is not just because I am loving this product, but because of one of the reasons I love this product. When we workout our faces get grimy and it should be cleaned right after a workout. My dermatologist has reinforced this to me many times so, I’ve always packed cleansing wipes in my gym bag. I don’t mind the cleansing wipes, but I always feel like they leave a sticky feel to my face, even when I rinse off with a wash cloth. Dermalogica’s precleanse has been my new post workout cleansing product. Both the feel and scent is very refreshing and after rinsing with a washcloth my face feels brand new! This product does have oil in but don’t be afraid if you have oily skin, like myself, it will do amazing things to your skin! This product is a bit pricey, but I feel my face is worth every penny.

The second product I am loving right now is SkinCeuticals Physical Fusion UV Defense. I have been searching for a facial sunscreen that isn’t heavy or chalky and won’t make my skin breakout. I believe my search is over, this product is super lightweight, not one bit chalky and hasn’t made my skin scream. This sunscreen is a physical sunscreen instead of chemical so it’s better for your skin and on top of all of that: it has a universal tint! I can actually put it on without any other type of foundation and it gives me a little bit of color evening coverage, what’s not to love about that?

Third new love is Simply Sprouted Way Better Snack’s, Simply Sweeet Potato Tortilla Chips. What can I say besides YUM! I found them last Saturday at Lund’s, bought them because I was intrigued by the ingredient list: Corn (ok, so this one didn’t thrill me), Sunflower and/or Safflower oil, Sweet Potato, Organic Sprouted Quinoa, Organic Sprouted Chia Seed and Sea Salt…not a bad list…so I bought them, ate them, loved them. I actually soaked and cooked some white beans so I could make hummus to enjoy with these chips —the chips never got the chance to meet the hummus!

Fourth is a supplement that I started using this past winter when I decided to cut ties with my caffeine habit. Yes, sad as it may sound, I quit drinking my 2-4 cups of coffee a day, oh how I miss thee, that I had been drinking on a daily basis since my college days. I must admit to all of you that I have not COMPLETELY quit, I do still typically savor one on the weekend. To help ease the adrenal crash that I would have from years of caffeine stimulation, I took Gaia’s Adrenal Health. I took it for 3-4 months and believe that it really helped get me through. Now, besides the comfort craving that coffee still gives me, I can say that I feel awesome and don’t miss the jolt of coffee because I usually feel pretty up and ready to go! I think this supplement would be awesome for athletes to take during contest prep to help keep their adrenal system from crashing and then post contest to get them healthy.

Last but certainly not least is another supplement that I started using this past Winter, Synergy’s ProArgi-9+, it is now one of those supplements I plan on taking every day, just like my calcium, omega’s and vitamin D. This l-arginine supplement is like no other in that it has l-citrilline in it to help yield more l-arginine as well as Vitamin D3 and Resveratrol which is high in antioxidants. Need to know how to get your hands on some? Ask me!

What are you enjoying during these hot days of summer?

Last week while visiting my mother-in-law up at her lake home for the 4th of July she made this light, refreshing vegetable dip that I decided to make myself when we got home. I did glance at her recipe because she asked me about it and all I can remember is that it had yogurt, sour cream, cucumber and cilantro in it. Here is my version of the dip:

2 C Greek Yogurt
1 large cucumber
3 T cilantro
1/2 lime
1 t salt (optional)
1/2 t cumin (optional and to taste)

I peeled my cucumber and then grated it on one of the finer sides of my grater (you don’t really want shreds but more of a puree) and then place in a strainer for a bit to drain out the liquid. As a side note, I drank the liquid that drained off, it’ss very refreshing, though you could also add it to a gallon of water to give that a nice refreshing flavor. Then just chop up your cilantro and add it, along with your cucumber, to the yogurt.

Your other cucumber option would be to cut it into chunkier pieces, let them drain and then throw it and your cilantro into your food processor to puree.

Now squeeze in the juice of your lime, add salt to taste and that’s really all you need to do. If you want to try the cumin just add a sprinkle to a little of the dip and see if you like it!

Round up any fresh vegetables you can find, stop by any local farmer’s market for the field fresh: cucumber, zucchini, celery, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, grape tomatoes, whatever you can think of!

This is a protein packed snack, 1 cup has 22 gms protein, that won’t leave you bogged down!