Terre Pruitt's Blog

In the realm of health, wellness, fitness, and the like, or whatever inspires me.

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Posts Tagged ‘Nia friend’

Smashed Banana Eggs

Posted by terrepruitt on July 18, 2013

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba, PiYoI first saw this recipe via a post on Facebook.  A Nia friend had shared it from a group on Facebook.  Neither my friend nor the person on the group had made them.  I was not planning on posting about them.  I know I say that all the time, but this recipe looked so quick and easy I didn’t really think there would be much to say about it.  But I found that I needed to make some adjustments to the recipe in order for it to work for me.  The directions in the post just baffled me because they instructed to cook the “pancake” for 20 to 30 seconds.  As mine were cooking and I was standing there diligently waiting to flip then, I wondered what type of stove the person had.  I wondered what type of pan.  I wondered if they liked raw eggs.  The food in my pan was no where near cooked much less in a state that could be flipped at 20 to 30 seconds.  Because I often think I will not post about something, but then I end up wanting to, I did actually take pictures from the beginning.  But then near the end of the cooking process I was more convinced I would NOT post so I didn’t get any good shots.  But as my hubby was eating them I decided to share.  I don’t want to call these pancakes because they are not “cakey” at all.  To me when I hear banana pancakes I picture pancakes with bananas in them.  So I am calling them Smashed Banana Eggs, because that is exactly what they are.

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Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba, PiYoSmashed Banana Eggs

Ingredients:

1 banana
2 eggs
salt
butter/oil

Smash the banana in a bowl.  Smash it so much that it is soupy.  Then add the eggs.  Mix it all up like a scramble, including the tiniest sprinkle of salt.  Heat the butter or oil in the pan.  When it is hot pour the smashed banana and eggs into the pan forming small circles.  Wait until the circle can be moved around the pan.  When you are able to slide it then you can flip it.*  Flip and cook on that side.  When you think it is ready.  Serve it with your choice of topping.

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Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba, PiYo*So for me, I just let them cook until they looked like they would survive being flipped and guess what?  That didn’t always do it.  Some of them broke apart.  But that is ok.

I like mine browned.  I cooked them for a long time.  I kept flipping them back and forth.  As I have mentioned many times before the great thing about a recipe and cooking is you get to decide how to do it.  A recipe is a guide but you know how you like your eggs and/or pancakes cooked so you decide how long to do it.  With me, since some of the circle didn’t survive the flip intact, I had little pieces that which I could taste so while I was cooking I was able to decide how cooked I wanted them.

As with all of my experiments with food I am a little nervous getting my husband to try it.  So I asked if he wanted to try something new.  He said ok but asked what it was.  At the time I didn’t have my new name figured out so I just said it was kind of like a pancake but not really.  So then he asked WHAT was in it and I said eggs and bananas that is all.

He was eating his while mine were still cooking.  And he was saying that he had them before.  He said his aunt in Hawaii made them for him.  Sounds right to me.  He really liked them.  I think he likes them because they are tasty, but I also think that they are something from his childhood so that makes them even yummier.

I just served them to him with butter.  But I was trying to figure out another way, so on one of mine I sprinkled some cinnamon.  That was really good too.  As I mentioned in the “recipe” serve them with whatever you want.

I am going to say that they are a bit rubbery, but that could be because I cooked them so long.  I don’t mind rubbery, I just mention it because I want you to understand these are not pancakes.  They are not bready.  They are eggs with smashed bananas in them.  I will be making them again.  They were really good.

Just so you know, the recipe above ended up making about 4 thin 5 inch “circles”.

Thanks to Jason for posting the idea on his Facebook page.  My hubby is happy to have a taste from his childhood.

(October 6, 2013 . . . . I posted some things I have learned about making these at My Perfect Smashed Banana Eggs)

So what will you top your Smashed Banana Eggs with?

Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Chai Tea Latte For Me

Posted by terrepruitt on April 2, 2013

So in my post Venting Gets Me Good I explain how my complaint about Starbucks’ Chai Tea Latte landed me a great Chai Tea recipe AND cardamom, one of the spices used to make it.  Well, the original recipe calls for “pinches’ which didn’t seem like enough to me and is difficult to translate in a recipe.  So I decided that a pinch would be about an 1/8 of a teaspoon.  I felt that made a bit of a weak tea.  So I have increased the measurements and changed the water to milk ratio.  Also, lately when I have been in the mood to make this tea and have actually had the time and the milk I have not had fresh ginger so I have been using ground ginger.  It works for me and I am not left chewing on ginger.  While my fabulous Nia friend who gave me the recipe pointed out I could use a tea strainer to get out the ginger and the cloves, one reason I like to drink the tea is to drink the ginger and get the benefits from it.

Like many recipes SOMEONE has to have created it.  Then others morph it into what works for them.  I keep telling one of my friends about this recipe and that I made adjustments.  She seems excited to try it so she says, “And you put the adjustments on your blog?”  I had not so that makes it difficult for her to make the tea with my adjustments when I have not noted them.  So I decided to do it.  Plus it helps me.  I use my blog as my recipe book and when I have to keep remember to adjust it is not as helpful as when the measurements are just documented accurately.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, ZumbaHere is the recipe I have been using and I think it is very lovely.

Terre’s Favorite Chai Tea Latte:

2 cups of water
2 tea green bags
10 cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 (heaping) tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 cups milk

Boil the water then add the tea bags.  Let simmer for a few minutes.  (Here is where you decide how long according to how strong you like your tea).  Squeeze out the tea bags and remove them from sauce pan (or whatever you are using to make the tea). Then add all the spices.  Allow it to sit and simmer a bit.  Then add the milk and let it simmer gently.  Add sweetener of your choice. Serve and enjoy!

The original recipe said to use “2 tea bags (black, green, redbush, etc.)” so I it seems you can use whatever you like.  If green does not agree with you, then don’t use it.

I think this makes a very yummy tea.  And I call it Chai because that is what the recipe said when I first got it.  One thing I do like to do while drinking this tea is stir often.  I want to drink the spices and get their flavor.  When all the spices end up at the bottom of the mug it is not as flavorful a cup of tea.  Plus in order to get the benefits from the spices you need to drink them.

One day when I tweeted out that I was making Chai someone responded that she makes it every day and she adds fennel.  I have yet to try that.  I don’t see why you can’t add anything you want.  This is just a starting place . . . .

So . . . . . tell me what you think?  Do you like it?  What changes did YOU make to make it “Chai Tea Latte For You”?

Posted in "Recipes" | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments »

Are You Happy – It’s Your Choice

Posted by terrepruitt on March 9, 2013

Have you seen tDance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumbahis simple flow chart?  What do you think?  Do you think it is this easy?  I first saw this awhile ago on FaceBook when a Nia friend posted this picture on her page.  I googled it to find out where it came from.  I found this to be the creative work of Alex Kopblin.  You too might have seen this poster because it seems to get around.  It makes sense.  Are you happy?  If not do something about it right?  Sometimes that is easy.  Sometimes it is not.  Are you happy?  To me this is a huge defining life question.

I know that many of us have things in our lives that can make us sad.  We could all probably sit down and focus on those things and become sad, if not downright depressed.  I believe that is what some people do.  I also believe that the people who are happy choose not to do that.  It is not that their lives are perfect and they have nothing to feel sad about, it is that they choose not to focus on that.  So this flow chart graphic could just be a reminder not to focus on those things.  It could also be a reminder to actually make some changes.

This easy to follow chart could just be a reminder to do something that makes you happy.  The “thing” does not have to be time consuming, costly, or difficult, just something that makes you smile.  Maybe take a walk at lunch.  Maybe stop to smell a flower.  Maybe go to the ocean.  Maybe get all the errands done that you had planned.  Whatever . . . . just do SOMETHING that makes you happy, something that fills you with joy and that is a step in a good direction.  Those feelings can carry you to the next place.

If you can, if you have the opportunity . . . . if you MAKE the chance do something like that EVERY DAY!  If you do just one thing that makes you happy EVERY DAY that can help a lot on the path to happiness.

Please try to realize that if you are happy that does not mean that you are not affected by the things that are going on in your life.  There could be situations that are difficult and sad.  Maybe you think that being happy is something you shouldn’t do.  Maybe you feel guilty because someone else is suffering.  I don’t think you should.  I also don’t think that someone has to be happy and up all the time.  I know that we all have moments and situations that can be sad.  This is just me trying to remind you to take sometime for yourself and do something that makes you happy.  I like this poster and I believe it, I just also believe that sometimes the “change something” can be a difficult thing to do.  So maybe what I am trying to say is start small.  Work your way into “happy” if you need to.

Are you happy?  Is there something you like to do that makes you happy?  Can you do it?

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Toes In, Out, and Parallel in Nia

Posted by terrepruitt on May 1, 2012

Dance Exercies, Nia, Nia Campbell, Campbell Nia, Nia classes in Campbell, evening Nia, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia,At this point you might have noticed that I only have a post for 9 of the 52 Moves of Nia.  I am going to work on that.  I have a Nia friend who is posting about the 52 Moves of Nia on her blog and she has inspired me to continue on.  I have the list of the moves on my website.  I link the blog post from there so people on my site can click to see a description and possibly a picture.  With only 9 post I only have 9 links.  This is ten and moving forward.

Nia is a unique cardio dance exercise that combines nine movement forms into a fun and energizing workout.  Nia has moves we call the 52 Moves.  Many of them are common to other dances.  I am posting here about Toes In, Out, and Parallel.  I know I have seen these moves in other dances if not done together at least done separately.

Dance Exercies, Nia, Nia Campbell, Campbell Nia, Nia classes in Campbell, evening Nia, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia,To do the move as one move you start with your feet parallel to each other.  They can be hip (joint) width apart.  Then turn your toes in to face each other.  Turn them in as far as you comfortably can.  Then swivel your feet out so the toes are pointing in opposite directions.  Again, only do it as far as you can — comfortably.

This is the whole move.  There is a routine where we are in A Stance and I have the participants dance toes in then toes out.  Which I consider a lot of fun.  You can play with this move by trying to walk with toes facing in, then with toes facing out.

I like to play with the move by doing one foot toes in and out.  Sometimes just letting one foot do a dance all of its own; in, out, in, out, tapping my toe to the ground with each twist of my leg.  I also like to do this move with varying stances.  My instructions here say to start in open stance, but it can easily be done in A Stance  (as I mentioned I do in my Nia class).  You’ll notice that different muscles are used when you change the width of your stance.

Moving the feet in this manner allows for all the bones in the leg to rotate which gets the thigh bones moving in the hip socket.  Movement is a way to keep the joints health.  Movement helps fluid into the joints.  I say “juicy joints.”  We move to have juicy joints.

Dance Exercies, Nia, Nia Campbell, Campbell Nia, Nia classes in Campbell, evening Nia, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia,In addition to helping the hip joint this move helps keep the ankles mobile and the knees flexible.

With healthy hip joints, ankle joints, and knee joints the enables walking and moving in general to be done with ease. So even though this is one of the moves we use in our dance exercise routines that does not mean the use of it is limited to that.

You can decide to walk with toes in for a bit during your day, then with toes out.  While standing you can stand with toes in, then out, then parallel.  It is an easy exercise to play with and incorporate into your day.  And it really does help with the health of your joints.

Are you gonna do it?  On your trip from your desk to the coffee pot?  While you are going about your day with the kids?  Which on in your favorite, in or out?

Posted in 52 Moves (of Nia), Nia | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »