Posts Tagged ‘Nia’
Posted by terrepruitt on July 22, 2014
When a body moves it expends energy. The bigger the movements the more energy expended. The faster the movements the more energy expended. The longer the body is in motion the more energy it expends. I teach Nia. It is not a boot camp where the higher ranked officer is yelling at you to move more, to more bigger to move longer. It is a cardio dance workout where you get to move your body in your own body’s way. You move to your level of movement. You move to the level you want to move at the time you are in the class. The more you move, the more energy you will use up. For some of us, the more we move the more we sweat. Honestly, if you don’t move you will not sweat. A lot of people equate a “good workout” with sweat. Not everyone sweats, but most people do sweat when they move. In Nia we don’t yell at participants to run faster, to reach higher, to go lower, to do more. We use words to help you move in a way that you want to move. Some people cannot move their bodies without being told exactly how to move. Some people just need the time and space and they either know exactly what to do OR they are able to just let go and let their bodies move. I have experienced the type of person that tells me they don’t sweat in Nia and the type that does.
One time, after teaching a class, I was walking out and mopping my face and neck with a towel. I was dripping wet. And a woman approached me and said, “You don’t sweat in Nia, do you?” I just looked at her and said, “No, YOU don’t.” She was the one that stood behind me the entire class and I never saw her body. I never saw her limbs and I never saw her. Now, I am not the smallest of people so it is perfectly feasible that she could hide behind me and me not see her. But it is NOT feasible to MOVE and not be seen standing behind me. If she would have lifted her arm once, I would have seen it. If she would have lifted her leg once, I would have seen it. If she would have MOVED, her body MIGHT have produced some sweat. I cannot tell you why she didn’t move her body except to stand behind me, but I can tell you since she did not she did not get a “good workout.”
Once a woman walked by me and a student talking after Nia class and she asked where the pool was. We were confused. Then we realized we were so wet with sweat we looked as if we had been swimming.
Then more recently, I experienced at participant in a class who, when we were done said, “Wow! I got sweaty.” And I said, “Yes, yes you did.” And that was because she moved. She participated. While she was not standing behind me, I did see her move in her own body’s way to the suggestions such as “dancing big”, “drumming the sky”, “body drum”. She moved in her own way to all of the suggestions even though she had no idea what Nia was when she entered the dance studio. But it was obvious she was there to get a “good workout” so she participated. She moved. She expended energy. She got sweaty.
In Nia, as with ALL workouts, you get out of it what you put in. If you don’t move, you are not going to expend energy. If you don’t expend energy, you probably are not going to sweat. You need to MOVE to get a workout. It is not accurate to say that Nia is not a “good workout” when you do move. If you don’t actually try it you can’t actually say whether it is good or not.
This is what I experience a lot. Remember I am a substitute for other classes besides Nia. So they are not always looking for something new and different. Some are excellent sports and try it. Some are not and so they don’t participate. Again . . . . they get out of of it what they put in.
Have you noticed that you get less of a workout when you move less? Do you agree that you get out of it what you put into it?
Posted in Nia | Tagged: body drum, Boot Camp, cardio dance, cardio workout, dance exercise, dance studio, Dance Workout, expending energy, good workout, Nia, Nia class, sweaty workout | 6 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 15, 2014
I teach Nia at Community Centers in San Jose. One of the things about community centers is they are for the community. During the summer that means that they are kid central. It is amazing all of the programs they have for kids during the summer. It is so great to see the centers doing so much to keep the kids learning and active during the summer. What a full community center sometimes translates to is regularly scheduled classes get shuffled around. I was given about six months notice for this summer’s shuffle. So our Nia class was prepared. I had been telling them since January. Then I put up a notice in June. So we were aware. It is a huge blessing that we just get moved to another room and not to a different time or cancelled altogether. I am grateful that we still get to have a class while all these summer camps and kid fun is going on. It is working out to be one week a month. Last month the room we were moved to had the portable mirrors in the closet so we were able to roll them out and use them. Today the closet was full of tables and chairs. The mirrors were nowhere to be found. The center is on what used to be a high school campus. So it is very large and spread out. I wasn’t certain that 25 minutes would be enough time to let someone know about the situation, find the mirrors, and move them all the way across the campus. So we did Nia without mirrors today, using the opportunity to focus inward.
I have done Nia without mirrors before. In fact I posted about it in my post Nia In The Mirror when I was teaching in San Carlos. That is one reason when I started working at the San Jose Community Centers I was so impressed with their portable mirrors. In fact I thought I did a post about them because they are sooooo cool. (Well, I don’t see one, so that will probably be my next post!)
In a Nia class the teacher stands with her/his back to the students. One way we connect with our students is eye contact in the mirror. A Nia teacher can turn and face the students. In fact, it is recommended at times to do so to change things up and to connect in another way to the students. We even practiced it in the Blue Belt Intensive. So it is up to the teacher to teach facing whichever way s/he wants. Generally though we face away from the students.
Facing away makes it easier for some people to follow since we are moving the same side of the body and going in the same direction as opposed to the mirror image as was (and possibly still is) done in Jazzercise. What I find is that I learn the routine SAYING it as if I am teaching with my back towards the students so for me to turn around I would be saying go left as I move left and we would not be dancing in mirror image. So to turn and face the students while we are doing a dance that moves front or back or laterally is a challenge for me. Especially when it is a new routine. And right now, I am somewhat learning a routine. In a routine there is usually a song or two where we are not moving left or right so we often face each other than. I was able to do that today, but some I did with my back to them.
I think dancing without a mirror every once in a while is a good thing. It helps the students dance with themselves. The moment I found out we didn’t have mirrors I knew our intent and focus. I set the focus to be the Conscious Personal Trainer, with the intent of being fully aware of and sensing your own body’s movements. Without the mirror to distract us I thought it would be a great opportunity to focus more on one’s own body. Without the mirror we don’t see ourselves nor the other people. Without a mirror the possibility to draw ones attention in and keep it in seems better.
So, of course, I was very happy when one of my students said that dancing without the mirrors made it different. It did allow her to focus more on her movements. She said she was less distracted with the other students. Yay! I like that it worked for her. I like that we were able to do it different, but we still danced and had fun. I am very blessed to have such great students that can just go with the flow and DO Nia! It is nice to have “no mirrors” give us the opportunity for something different.
When you take a lead-follow exercise class do you prefer the instructor FACE your or face away from you?
Posted in Nia | Tagged: Conscious Personal Trainer, dance exercise, Dance Workout, focus and intent, Jazzercise, kids camps, Nia, Nia Classes, Nia dancing, Nia in San Jose, Nia students, Nia Teacher, portable mirrors, San Jose City Community Centers, San Jose Nia, summer camps | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 1, 2014
I once briefly wrote about the Downward Facing Dog yoga pose in my post Down Dog. This is considered a resting pose. For many; those starting out or those wanting a gentle type of workout, it is not extremely restful. There are many muscles that are being used so it is a very active pose. This pose could be qualified as a “push exercise” or using the muscles that are used for pushing. Muscles on the back of the body are considered the “push muscles”. There are many benefits to this pose.
The lower body gets the biggest stretch. If you are able to straighten your legs and place your heels on the ground the back of your legs get the stretch. The hamstrings get a good stretch along with the calves. If your heels are up there is still a nice stretch going on. With many people working in office chairs and having the posture of bent legs, tight hamstrings is a very common situation. So having heels up and bent knees is a widely used modification.
No matter how your legs are (straight or bent) your arms are holding you up. This pose does require your arms to do some work. It is considered an arm supported pose. In conjunction with latissimus dorsi, the muscles by the ribs, and your deltoids the triceps are working. So for some their arms might feel fatigued. So even though this pose is allowing for a very big stretch in the back of the legs there are muscles working on the top half of the body.
Even though the focus is in pressing the tailbone to the sky we don’t ignore the front. The front of the legs get a bit of attention, as we are lifting the knee caps. We also have a sense of our spine lengthening.
In addition to increasing flexibility in your legs, hips, and ankles. And strengthening arms and wrist, this pose relieves depression and helps calm the mind. Additional benefits include:
-Energizing the body
-Increasing circulation
-Improving digestion
-Relieving headache, insomnia, back pain, and fatigue
And it can be therapeutic for high blood pressure, asthma, flat feet, sciatica, sinusitis
I have learned to like this pose a bit more. I was reminded of what I tell my students and what we practice in Nia. Find the Joy in the movement, if you cannot tweak it until you do. I believe a portion of my dislike of this pose back when I first wrote about it, was that I was forcing it. I was doing it in away that did not feel good for my back. Once I stopped the complete loose action of my spine, the pose became more comfortable. As it became easier there was room to move into the pose better and relax into it.
So, like many things it is good to do it at your level. As you improve it can be done better. The benefits can be received throughout the practice. It is a practice.
How is your Downward Facing Dog?
Posted in Yoga/PiYo/Pilates | Tagged: calms the mind, calves, Down Dog, Downward-Facing Dog, exercise, flexibility, gentle yoga, Hamstrings, help with insomnia, Nia, push exercise, relieves depression, resting pose, workout, Yoga, Yoga Pose | 6 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 26, 2014
Here is a beautiful picture of a place I am lucky enough to visit. I was looking through my pictures and I thought I would share it. I taught a Nia class this morning and we went to coffee afterwards. It is so nice to have such a great group of students. I also taught a yoga class this evening. They are also a great group! We have not gathered for a visit after class. Not sure that will ever happen because I like to rush home to get dinner on the table. But there is a very tasty taqueria really close so maybe one of these days we will go out after class. Perhaps I can talk my husband into joining us, or at least promise him I’ll bring home a burrito! This post is really just a filler. I mentioned “stuff” in my last post. Well, it is taking up my thoughts so I didn’t come up with an educational post. I thought I would share some bright spots and remind you of your Goodie Jar.
If you are doing a Goodie Jar, I am using this post to do some checking in with you regarding it. My wonderful students are often notes in my Goodie Jar. Our current weather gets mentioned too. Our weather has been very nice the past few days considering it is summer. It has not been sweltering hot. Yesterday my husband and I sat outside most of the day. It wasn’t too hot to do so. It even rained a bit last night. We need rain so bad, it was nice to see the street wet this morning. Since we need rain so badly it is so great that our temperatures are not so hot.
Last week my niece visited us. She and I spent one afternoon making candles. You may have seen my post about when we did it the first time? Last time I made myself a candle. This time I made a candle for my hubby. A sun, because he is my sunshine. With kitties below. Hummingbirds because we love ours in our yard, along with our roses. And then the words because, well, I love him. The colors were just because my niece and I liked them. My niece is a bit of a Disney fanatic so she made one that looks like a symbol of Minnie Mouse. I did not take a good picture of it, but it was very cute.
I did mention two other bright spots in my last post. One was the return of a Nia student to my Nia class and another student bringing his own yoga mat. Well tonight I had another returning student. It was to my yoga class. There are many, many teachers around so it is so heart warming when a student returns to class. Something to put in the jar of Good Things.
I have many bright spots to acknowledge and be thankful for. How about you? Are you still making notes / documenting the good things in your daily life? Jotting down things that make you smile? Here it is open for sharing.
Posted in Misc | Tagged: Bright Spots, Disney, good things, Goodie Jar, making candles, Minnie Mouse, Nia, Nia class, Nia teachers, summer weather, taqueria, Yoga, Yoga class, yoga mat, yoga teachers | 14 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 24, 2014
Wow, you might not believe I have more “stuff” going on. More on that later. I am sure I will write a post or two. You know I always share, it just takes some time sometime. So, instead – highlights of my day: a student who has been away from my Nia classes for a bit came to class today. That was wonderful, unexpected and very timely. Another student in one of my yoga classes came to class with his own mat. That put a huge smile on my face. I took that as a sign that he is “into” it. Later when I told him I was so happy to see him have his own mat, he said, “Yeah, I got to stick with it!!!!” Thrilling! Yes, gotta keep looking at the bright spots. While perusing my cache of “topics to post about”, I came across one I found interesting. Could be something you are aware of, perhaps I had heard of it too, but forgot. I think the studies were done in 2009. Did you know caffeine could, possibly, help people with asthma breathe better?
There is an article about a small study showing caffeine worked as a bronchodilator. “A bronchodilator is a substance that dilates the bronchi and bronchioles, decreasing resistance in the respiratory airway and increasing airflow to the lungs.” per Wiki
The small study of 75 people with mild to moderate asthma was done. Six trails showed 55 people had improved lung function for up to fours hours after consuming caffeine.
A study at the Indiana University show that caffeine an hour before exercise can significantly reduce exercise induced asthma. I cannot find a link to the Indiana University study, but there are numerous articles about it that surface when a search is done. One article on ScienceDaily said that it was LARGE amounts of caffeine that were used in this study. The article stated “9 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight”. Ok check my figuring on this using the information from the Mayo Clinic regarding a regular brewed cup of coffee, which is 8 oz brewed coffee has 95-200 mg of caffeine. That is a big difference, but that is ok, it will still work in my “figuring”. Let’s use the top, 200 mg of caffeine in a cup of coffee. Well, lets say average man is 80 kilograms (176.37 pounds), that would be 720 mgs of caffeine. That is roughly 4.5 cups of strong coffee. Is that right? The article also said that smaller amounts – 3 mg – 6 mg per kilogram of body weight “also reduced the wheezing, coughing and other symptoms of” exercise induced asthma.
Interesting. I know many people who use caffeine to help fuel their workouts. I know many people who use caffeine to help fuel their day. So, while I am by NO MEANS saying to use caffeine instead of any physician prescribed medication for asthma . . . I just think it is interesting. Since it could be that many people with asthma are drinking coffee anyway. I just like when I come across tidbits of information.
What do you think?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: asthma, bronchodialator, caffeine and asthma, Coffee, Nia, Nia Classes, Nia students, Science Daily, Wiki, Yoga, yoga classes, yoga mat, yoga students | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 17, 2014
I teach Nia for the City of San Jose and the YMCA. I have been teaching Gentle Yoga too, but that is different. The Gentle Yoga classes are usually smaller both the actually room we are in and the number of people. And with yoga we don’t need the music loud so often times my iPhone in the middle of the yoga mats serves us just fine. But with Nia we need the music loud. Not “Zumba-loud” because I still need to be heard over the music, but loud enough that I can hear my music cues and people can get a sense of the music. With most of my classes the number of students is more than yoga and the venue is larger. I actually have taught at some places where the audio system did not work so I tried using my phone and it did not have enough volume. With Nia people follow my lead, but they also move their body in their own way so it helps them dance when there is music to dance too. So since I teach in all different places and the audio system is not always the same I have a variety of speakers. I had been looking at one for a couple of years, but never wanted to invest the money. But one day my hubby and I were at Costco and we saw a device I had been looking at. He wanted to get it. I hemmed and hawed, but we came home with a Block Rocker.
I had almost bought one before but with every model they came out with something different so I was trying to decide which one to purchase. Then they came out with a Bluetooth enabled version. I wanted to know that I could still use an Aux cable because Bluetooth can be spotty. I had not been able to determine that from my shopping online at first. And then I forgot about it until I saw it in Costco. We pulled it off the shelf and checked it out. Read the box to make sure it would play music both ways — via Bluetooth or a cable. And my hubby put it in the cart. All the way around the store I kept thinking, “Yes. No. Yes. No.” and on and on.
We came home with it. We plugged it in and hooked it up to our devices. It was pretty cool. Both my husband and I have used it around the house. It does GREAT house sound. Our house is an acoustical “weird-mare”, but it works great. Both of us have used it out in the yard. But none of that is in a big room with people in it. And I am not complaining that the rooms I have been teaching in have sound systems. That is GREAT. I am very fortunate. I have not had the opportunity to use my big speaker.
My Group Ex Nia Class with the City of San Jose on Tuesdays and Thursdays is normally held in the dance studio. But this summer there is Summer Camp in there for the kids one week every month. So at the beginning of the year my supervisor moved us from the dance studio to the Multipurpose room. I didn’t know if this room had an audio system. I have been telling my class for months that we were going to be in the MPR for a few classes this summer. Then for the past two weeks I have been reminding them of the actual dates. I would have been very upset with myself if I had shown up and not be prepared. Here I have been preparing them for months and then I didn’t have music. I am soooooooooo glad I thought about my Block Rocker. This is EXACTLY what it is for.
I even remembered to charge it the night before. Ya see it is a Bluetooth device and it has a rechargeable battery so it can be used totally cordless. Squeeeee!
So I used it today and it worked GREAT. I am super happy. I love it when things work out. I am so glad that Costco had it and it was such a good deal. As I said, I had been shopping for them for a couple of years and was happy this one was priced lowest of them all. Even though it was the newest model.
Here is some information copied from the ION website:
•Streams music wirelessly from any Bluetooth music-playing device or phone
•Works with iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Android devices, and more
•Input for a microphone (came with a microphone), instruments and other audio sources
•High-quality microphone included
•Built-in digital AM/FM radio and retractable antenna
•USB port for charging iPad, iPhone, or other devices
•Built-in battery provides up to 50 hours of use
•Bluetooth range of up to 50 feet
•High-output powered 2-way speaker
•1/8-inch auxiliary input for amplifying other audio devices
•Recessed wheels and telescoping handle for portability
•Rugged design to withstand heavy use
•Projects high-fidelity sound up to 150 feet away
•Built-in cradle for your smartphone, iPad, or other device
It does not have an equalizer so it will not be “perfect” sound. It is what it is. It is great . . . in my opinon . . . for exercise classes. Oooo, I am so excited. You know me, I like to share when I am excited about things. When I learn of something that helps make MY life easier I like to share. I like to let you know so perhaps it can help one of you.
Can you see yourself owning one? Do you think you could use one? Do you like to have people over for outside grilling and/or BBQing?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: AM/FM radio, Android devices, Block Rocker, bluetooth, City of San Jose Nia Classes, Costco, dance exercise, exercise classes, gentle yoga, ION audio, iPad, iphone, iPod touch, Nia, Nia Classes, Nia classes at the City of San Jose, Nia Music, Nia people, smartphone, wireless speaker, wirelessly, Yoga, Zumba, Zumba classes, Zumba music | 6 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 14, 2014
Everyone is so different. We all have different ways of doing a lot of things. Sometimes we can see things the same way in order to function. We can get along or just go along with ideas and customs to just have peace. Or we can do it for a loved one. But it seems like when it comes to death and our beliefs around it there is sometimes a huge separation. You can be going along in life completely meshing up with everyone around you and then someone dies and BAM! You suddenly don’t agree on anything. The way we all handle death is so different. I understand the five stages of grief*, “popularly known by the acronym DABDA”, (although, I have never heard it called that). I am not saying that I understand each stage in the sense that I have experienced them, I am saying I understand that someone has identified these as stages people grieving might go through. But what people do during these stages and after is still very individualized. Everyone deals with grief differently, I understand that, although I do not agree with how everyone deals with it as you might have guessed if you read Grief Is a Very Personal Thing, where I say people grieve differently and as long as they aren’t mean or causing harm I don’t like to label their behavior unacceptable. This post is not so much about behavior, I don’t think. I know that many people want their loved ones near or they want to be able to visit their loved ones, but I am not one of those people. I think of my loved ones as being gone . . . so having their remains near by is just odd to me.
Today I was trying to concentrate on learning a Nia routine and it is one that has the Nia participant turning to face all four walls. So that means I turn to each four walls in the room. I found myself facing the ashes of loved ones at two of the walls. The first and second wall, so by the time I got to the third and fourth wall I was lost in other thoughts. I had been avoiding the room upon my travels through the house. Normally I walk into this room to get to the back rooms because it is the softer path, but I had been avoiding it. But this is the best, the largest room to practice in so I was doing my Nia practice in it. But it just happens to have three of my relatives in it. I don’t care for that.
As I type all three of them are at my back. I bet I would not be as conscious of it had I not seen a post on Facebook from a friend who is pretty confident she did not receive the correct ashes of her pet. She posted a picture of the paw print of what she received compared to the pet she had. She has similarly sized pets still so she compared paws. The mold she received was at LEAST four times larger. And she went onto say that she has about three cups of ash. She said she thought her pet would be about one. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
It got me thinking. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! How many cups of people are in this house. WHAT???????????? Sigh. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.
Whew. People are so different. Many people have loved one’s ashes. In fact, they sell beautiful urns to contain these ashes. We’ve (probably) all seen those horrendous comedy TV shows where someone has accidentally spilled the ashes all over. Breathe.
I just don’t know what to think about that. I am working on letting people do what they need to do. But, I personally don’t need to do it. I think that tomorrow I will workout in another room — and probably from here on out. I — don’t care to have THAT kind of reminder of my loved ones around. To each their own. And let everyone be . . .
Donna, thanks for always making me laugh, even if it is particularly in horror.
Thoughts? What are your thoughts about this? Are you an ashes and urn type of person? Please feel free to share your feelings. I’ve shared mine.
*The five stages of grief (according to Wiki):
- Denial — As the reality of loss is hard to face, one of the first reactions to follow the loss is Denial.
- Anger — “Why me? It’s not fair!”; “How can this happen to me?”; ‘”Who is to blame?”; “Why would God let this happen?”
- Bargaining — “I’ll do anything for a few more years.”; “I will give my life savings if…”
- Depression — “I’m so sad, why bother with anything?”; “I’m going to die soon so what’s the point?”; “I miss my loved one, why go on?”
- Acceptance — “It’s going to be okay.”; “I can’t fight it, I may as well prepare for it.”
Posted in Diane Bacho | Tagged: ashes, DABA, DABDA, death, Facebook, five stages of grief, four wall dance, how many cups of ashes is a person, how many cups of ashes is a pet, Nia, Nia Classes, Nia participant, Nia Practice, Nia routine, paw print, pet ashes, urns | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 10, 2014
We have sounding in Nia . . . where we make sounds as we are dancing. Plus people are always invited and . . . in my class . . . encouraged to sing. I’ve written several posts about sounding and put them in their own category under Nia. (Click here for the link to those posts) Although I do not think of making sounds as being regulated to Nia, I just have them as a sub-category under the category Nia. I think sounds are appropriate to make during other exercises and workouts. One that always comes to mind when people seem to need convincing of making noises and exercising is martial arts. Once I remind them that “Hi-Ya!” is a common sound, they seem to relax into the idea a bit. As I probably have mentioned before, I remember it being an unspoken rule that you didn’t make noise while you are doing Jazzercise, lifting weights, or working out at the Lady Spa. Could have been ideal that it was unladylike to make noise. I don’t know, because I never remember being told NOT to make a sound, I just know that no one did it. It was almost as if even breathing heavy was taboo! One reason I love Nia: breathing and making sounds are encouraged. But I think of these sounds as helping with the flow of oxygen and energy. I think of them as stress relieving and joy bringing. So when I was flipping through Yoga Journal and came across an article titled “How To Be Fearless” I thought, “Huh? Interesting.” Mark Moliterno, an opera singer and yoga instructor has paired yoga with voice to create YogaVoice.
This reminded me of one of Nia’s instructors who created Kivo® The Kinetic Voice . . . which is – according to her website – “a vocal practice that uses the whole body. It is designed to harness the power of vocal vibration and movement as transformational tools that unlock energy, activate your true radiance and empower you to go out and create the life you were born to live.” So . . . back to the article when I looked at the chart within the article I realized that the pairings were for more than just overcoming public speaking jitters as the subtitle read. It was for a list of different areas.
Just as we know certain sounds to be related to certain chakras and feelings, you probably also know poses are related to certain chakras and feelings. When sounds and asanas are paired up they can be very beneficial. I would bet many of you are familiar with “OM” as a yoga chant. Different sounds and different mantras can be used. The information on the YogaVoice websites leads me to believe this is different from chanting while doing yoga, there are indications that it goes beyond that.
I just love that more sounding is coming into the workout. Since I believe there is a lot more to sounding — a lot more benefits can be reaped than just breathing — I love movement forms that stem from sounding or that incorporate it.
Do you believe the is benefits to making noises while working out? Do you make noises while exercising?
Posted in Nia, Sounding, Yoga/PiYo/Pilates | Tagged: Jazzercise, Kivo, Lady Spa, Lifting Weights, Mark Moliterno, martial arts, moving sound, Nia, Nia class, Nia instructor, Nia sounding, Nia Teacher, sound and movement, working out noises, Yoga, yoga asanas, Yoga Journal, yoga magazine, yoga poses, YogaVoice | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 7, 2014
Another quick post. I often have a vague idea of what I am going to cook for dinner then I forget as the day goes on. Either I am teaching Nia, learning a Nia routine, or at the moment going through my mom’s stuff. So I find myself walking into the kitchen and not knowing what to cook. Yesterday I was on the phone with my husband and it was already past starting-dinner-time and I didn’t even know what to make. I had purchased some ground beef but had no plan as to what to do with it and I had forgotten about it. When I looked in the fridge I saw it and the butternut squash I bought. Ooo! Stuffed squash. Actually it is more like Topped Squash. It is somewhat easy . . . except for making space in squash. I was trying to do it in a manner that saved the squash innards for roasting (perhaps you will notice the cut up pieces of squash in the picture). That was the difficult part. Needing so much concentration I forgot to take pictures. I emptied out the small portion where the seeds are (easy), but I wanted more room for meat (not so easy). So I cooked then cut (I would not recommend that). I would recommend just skipping that part and making room using a spoon before baking it.
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Beef Topped Butternut Squash
1 butternut squash
olive oil
1/4 of an onion, chopped
1 lb of beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt
pepper
1 cup of shredded cheese
Preheat oven to 450° F. Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and enough of the insides to make a “boat” in which to place the beef. Coat both sides of each half in olive oil. Salt both sides of each half. Place each half face down on parchment paper on pan. Bake for 15 minutes.
While the squash is roasting, heat the oil and onion. Once the onion is translucent, add the beef. Add the salt and garlic. Cook the beef until it is almost completely cooked. Add the pepper.
When the first 15 minutes are done, turn the squash over and bake for another 15 minutes, salting again, at this time, if that is your preference. After the second 15 minutes of cooking . . . . check the squash. If it seems cooked all the way through, salt it again and then fill each half with the beef and top with shredded cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted.
This is very rich and very filling.
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I didn’t think about how much this was like the stuffed pumpkin I once cooked. Although the stuffed pumpkin was much more “complicated”, as in it had more ingredients and a bit more complex flavors. This was very good, I thought. And since we usually eat ground turkey and not ground beef that much this was very rich. I feel that beef is more “rich” than turkey. It was very good. And, had I not been trying to save the portion of squash that needs to come out to make room for the meat it would have been easy. So if you are not interested in making nice chunks of squash to roast along side the halves this is an easy recipe. And very yummy and rich. Good dietary fiber!
Do you like stuff/topped squash? What would you top yours with?
Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: baked squash, beef for dinner, Butternut squash, complicated dinner, Diane Bacho, dinner idea, dinner recipe, easy dinner, filling dinner, good fiber, ground beef, ground turkey, melted cheese, Nia, Nia routines, rich dinner, stuffed pumpking, stuffed squash, teaching Nia | 10 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on May 31, 2014
Ahhh, so sometimes I DO keep track of who posts what. Sometimes when it is a picture or a meme I take a picture of it on my iPad or my iPhone. That way I can go back and give credit to who posted and supply any other details. I didn’t think I would be posting that Nia video that I used in my last post, so I didn’t think to document who originally posted it to Facebook. Tonight I was looking through my pictures trying to find some inspiration for a post. I found a picture with a quote that touched my heart when I read it . . . .that is why I took a picture of it. My friend Michelle Casey had liked it or commented on it or something that caused it to show on my newsfeed under her name. When I read it again just now I wanted to post it so I looked more closely to see who it was from. I Googled the name in the watermark. All that came up was a Facebook page. I went to the “About” page of that Facebook page, it disclosed that nothing posted on that Facebook page was from the owner of the page. She just found things on the internet and posted them on her page. She said IF she knew who they were from she gave credit. But every picture on her Facebook page had HER information. And since it took me about 60 seconds to find the actual person who said the quote she posted on her page, I think that perhaps she doesn’t actually TRY to find the original author of the things she posts . . . but whatever . . . that is part what the internet has created. Even me, I am going to use someone else’s words as a post on my blog because they spoke to me when I first saw them. They are wonderful and I knew that I would want to come back to them and probably need to know who said them so I saved the picture to my device. They spoke to me now when I re-read them. They are the words of Iain Thomas.
My initial “Google” showed they were words from Kurt Vonnegut which caused my head to spin. That seemed a little out of character even with my limited knowledge of Kurt Vonnegut . . . so I dug a little deeper. I mean, one more “Google” and I found something that said “Be soft is NOT Kurt Vonnegut but Iain Thomas”. A search of Mr. Thomas showed it was him.
So thank you Iain Thomas for saying something that resonates with so many. Thank you for being so kind about how we just post your words about. I first read your words when my mom was sick or dying and so they meant a lot. And now that I am dealing with her death they are even more important.
I will strive to stay soft, especially when there is such a strong push for women to be hard. I will work to not let the world make me so. I will strive to not let pain be a catalyst for hate. And I will continue to struggle against bitterness stealing my sweetness. And I will stand tall and recognize the beauty of the world even when others try to dictate how I should feel, how I should act, and what I should see. Thank you, Mr. Thomas. I will strive to your quote.
Does this quote speak to you? What do you think about it?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: Be soft, beautiful quote, Facebook, Googled, Iain Thomas, inspiring quote, iPad, iphone, Kurt Vonnegut, life quote, meme, Michelle Casey, Nia, Nia video, picture, Spot the cat | 10 Comments »
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