Wellness Wednesday: Volume 2

It’s time for my 2nd volume of Wellness Wednesday. Last week I shared my gym bag essentials & today I’m sharing a recipe & a workout.

RECIPE:

Over the weekend Greyson was helping me make buffalo cauliflower bites & I had requests for the recipe. It’s a great side to prepare heading into the weekend. The buffalo flavor is very satisfying (if you like spicy) and adding it to cauliflower makes for a healthier side option. We grilled chicken, corn on the cob and had the spicy buffalo cauliflower bites.

I got the recipe from here and then made a few changes. Below is how I made them.

Buffalo Sauce: Frank’s Red Hot Sauce + Butter // it depends on how much you’re making, but the ratio is 2 to 1. So how much ever hot sauce you use, use 1/2 of that amount of butter. You can play around with the ratio, but I’d always err to more buffalo sauce than butter. After whisking together the hot sauce & butter, add about a tsp. of Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning.

Buffalo Cauliflower: Preheat oven to 375* & line a large baking sheet. Toss cauliflower florets in the buffalo sauce and transfer to baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the inside is tender & outside is crispy.

It is super easy to make, and tastes so good! You get the buffalo flavor, ranch flavor & a veggie all baked into bites. Serve alone as a side like we did, or with celery & ranch dip — and it’s a veggie alternative to buffalo wings!

WORKOUT:

When the kids are home on the weekends and I don’t make it to a workout class, I love finding time to do a short at home workout. Below is one of my go-to leg & glute workouts. Routine in graphic + move description below.

REVERSE LUNGE + KNEE LIFT // Start with your feet hips-width apart, feet facing forward. Take a large step backward with your right foot. Keeping your shoulders stacked over your hips, bend both knees 90 degrees. Press into your front heel as you straighten your left leg and drive your right knee forward and up to hip-height. That’s one rep. Perform 10 to 15 reps on the right side, then switch sides and perform 10 to 15 more reps on left side.

DONKEY KICK WITH BAND // Starting on all fours on a yoga mat, ensure that your knees are below your hips and your hands are below your shoulders. Set your spine in a neutral position and draw your shoulder blades down and back. // Keeping your knee bent, release and elevate your right leg until your thigh is in line with your spine, ensuring that your foot remains flexed. // Lower your right leg to return to the starting position, but without resting your knee on the mat. // Repeat, ensuring that you complete an equal number of repetitions on both sides.

GLUTE BRIDGE // Start by lying flat on your back on a yoga mat. Bend your knees and position your feet firmly on the mat, ensuring that they are hip-width apart and your spine is in a neutral position. Allow your arms to rest by your sides on the mat. This is your starting position. // Press your heels into the mat, activate your glutes and raise your pelvis off the floor until your body forms one straight line from chin to knee, resting on your shoulders. // Lower your pelvis to return to the starting position. // Repeat.

SUMO SQUATS WITH BAND // Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulders-width apart, feet facing outward. Grasp your hands together at chest-height. Keeping your chest high, bend both knees at least 90 degrees to bring your butt toward the floor. Next, press into your heels to extend your legs, giving your butt a squeeze at full extension. That’s one rep.

LEG LIFT // Starting on all fours on a yoga mat, ensure that your knees are below your hips and your hands are below your shoulders. Set your spine in a neutral position and draw your shoulder blades down and back. // Keeping your leg straight, release and elevate your right leg until your thigh is in line with your spine, ensuring that your foot remains flexed. // Lower your right leg to return to the starting position, but without resting your knee on the mat. // Repeat, ensuring that you complete an equal number of repetitions on both sides.

JUMP SQUAT // Standing with your feet hips-width apart and feet facing forward, bring your hands together at chest level. Keeping your knees behind your toes, bend your knees to sit your hips back into a squat. In one explosive movement, extend your legs to jump straight up as high as you can, landing with feet in starting position, knees soft. That’s one rep.

JUMP SQUAT WITH BAND // Bring band just above knees onto your lower thighs. Standing with your feet hip width apart and feet facing forward, bring your hands together at chest level. Keeping your knees behind your toes, bend your knees to sit your hips back into a squat. In one explosive movement, extend your legs to jump straight up as high as you can, landing with feet in starting position – knees soft. That’s one rep.

LATERAL BAND WALK // Keeping the band flat, not bunched, place the band just above each ankle and wrapped around both legs. Position your feet shoulder-width apart. The band should be taut, but not stretched. // Bend your knees slightly and move into a half-squat position to activate the gluteus medius. // Keep your feet in line with your shoulders and face forward with your body weight evenly distributed over both feet. // Maintaining the half-squat position, shift your weight over one leg and take a step sideways with the other leg. Move this leg in and out, sideways, for eight to 10 repetitions. Keep your hips level during the movement. With this exercise, it helps to maintain a low, forward-facing posture. Your back should be straight, not rounded. // Slowly shift your weight and switch legs. Do another 8 to 10 side steps.

TRY 10-15 reps per exercise for 4 rounds and don’t forget to stretch afterwards.

If you have any questions about the recipe or workout, please let me know! Also, if there is something you’d like to see me cover in Wellness Wednesday, I’d love to hear.

xx Becky