8 Unusual Veggies for the Grill

BBQ season is here!  But it's not all about the steak, there are plenty of tasty veggies you can grill that change the flavor or just make them even more delicious! I have been absolutely in love with Grilled Avocado in all my Buddha bowls and can't get enough of it.  Besides Grilled Avocado there are 7 other slightly unusual veggies that you might not have considered grilling that you can include in your summer dishes!  

Grilled Avocado

Avocados are spectacular fruits that lend themselves to all kinds of savory dishes (and sweet ones too!). But it’s not often we think of enjoying them grilled. Grilled in their skins, the avocados acquire a marvelous smoky flavor and their flesh becomes soft and warm. Fire up some coals and sear some ripe avocados for an unexpected grilled treat during a summer cookout. I add a grilled avocado to my rice bowls and stirfrys just to make them extra special and add a little healthy fat.  

Grilled Avocado Recipe

Ingredients

1. 2 large ripe-but-firm avocados
2. 1 teaspoon lime juice
3. 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
4. sea salt to taste

Directions

Preheat grill or griddle to high heat. Cut the avocados in half lengthwise and carefully remove the pits. Do not peel the avocados. In a small bowl, whisk the lime juice and oil. Brush the cut side of the avocados with the lime mixture and sprinkle with salt to taste. Place the avocados cut-side-down on the grill until grill marks appear. Turn the avocados over and continue to grill until the skin is charred and the flesh has softened. Transfer to a plate and let cool for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the avocados with salt again and spoon the tomato salsa in the center of each avocado half. 

Grilled Artichoke

If you love artichokes like me then you are going to want to try grilling them this summer! Grilling makes almost everything taste better, including artichokes! The trick to making a great grilled artichoke is doing most of the cooking before it ever hits the grill. The artichoke should be steamed and cooked till fully tender, but not overly soft. Brush them with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then grill till you char some grill marks into the stem. The result is a tender, flavorful artichoke – a nice change of pace from the steamed variety.

Here are a few recipes to try:

Grilled Artichokes and Easy Garlic Aioli

Grilled Artichokes with Lemon-Basil Dipping Sauce

Romaine Lettuce

Why in the world would anyone want to grill lettuce? Lettuce just isn’t part of the grilling food group is it??? Anyone who loves salad and also loves grilled things, but hasn’t tried to put them together needs to try this STAT!  Then when you’re done with the grilling, you can either serve them whole (one romaine heart per person), or slice them crosswise, and toss them in a bowl for a grilled salad. I can just imagine a grilled romaine salad with grilled corn and all the fixins!  

Here are a few recipes you might want to try: 

Grilled Romaine with Lemon and Parmesan

Grilled Romaine Salad

And a tutorial on how to grill Romaine Hearts

Red, Orange & Yellow Peppers

Grilled peppers are one of easiest side dishes you can have have in your arsenal, these grilled bell peppers are fast, fresh, and flavorful.

Here are a few recipes to try:

The Easiest Grilled Peppers

Roasted Peppers with Garlic and Herbs

Cucumbers

Cucumbers are cooked in a variety of ways, but grilling isn't among the most common methods. Much of this relates to the structure of cucumbers. These vegetables are high in water content, which doesn't suit them well for grilling. One of the risks on a grill is that the cucumber's water will evaporate, causing the vegetable to shrivel and dry out quickly. Although you need to take care of the cucumber and watch it closely on a grill, you can still cook it and achieve a nice effect.

Here's how:

Step 1: Cut the cucumbers across its length and into thirds. Then cut along the length of the cucumber to produce four spears per third of the cucumber.

Step 2: Turn the grill to medium heat.

·         Step 3: Place the cucumbers on the grill with one of the cut sides touching the grate. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 4: Flip to the other cut side and grill for 2 to 3 more minutes.

Step 5: Remove the cucumbers from the grill.

Recipe to try:  Grilled Cucumbers with Creamy Pickled Feta Dip

Kale

Who knew you could grill kale? I didn’t. The kale leaves actually hold up very well on the grill with the stems and all. Don’t walk away because it just takes one to two minutes per side. Grilling brings out a rich smokey flavor with a texture that is crunchy and chewy at the same time, and it looks quite unique on a platter, something you don’t see often.

A few recipes to try with Grilled Kale: 

Grilled Kale Salad

Grilled Kale with Parmesan Dressing

Grilled Kale & Veggie Kebabs

   

Portobello Mushrooms

I love my Portobello Pizza's and Portobello Tuna melts so grilling a portobello seems like second nature to me!  Marinating them with balsamic, soy sauce and Montreal steak seasoning gives them a more meaty flavour which works especially well if you are making portobello mushroom burgers!

Recipes to try:

Grilled Portobello Sandwiches

Grilled Portobello Mushroom Burgers

Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Spinach and Cheese

Watermelon

Grilling watermelon brings its natural sugars to the surface and caramelizes them slightly, making it a perfect light dessert for a hot summer night. Step up your game and provide a variety of spices, such as aleppo pepper, cayenne pepper or smoked sea salt, for your guests to garnish their watermelon as they please. Recipe Here

Recipes to try:

Grilled Watermelon Salad

Grilled Watermelon, mint and feta salad

It’s Official! Beachbody UK is a GO!!!

It’s official! Beachbody UK is a GO!! Team Beachbody will be going into the UK October 19th 2017!!!

I'm so excited to welcome new members to Team Synergy and help them build a business they can be proud of that will help them support their families all while achieving their own health and fitness goals!!!

If you live in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland you can become a Coach in the Fall 2017!!

Sign up below to find out how you can become a founding UK Team Beachbody Coach and get trained before we launch!  

Sign up now to receive my UK Newsletter and Join my private Facebook group!

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Choosing the right team is an important decision.  After all, you want to be part of a team where you get the support and guidance you need to build an amazing business, right?

About Team Synergy

I have been an Online Health and Fitness coach with Team Beachbody for over 3 years and have created a community of support and a team with which I am so proud of!  I love helping other moms and women like myself build a business of their own while achieving their own goals in their health and fitness.  

Whether you have BIG goals of working from home full time building a team of your own while helping others achieve their health and fitness goals or you simply want to help people and earn a little extra money for your family every month, I'm here to support you in your goals!

I mentor my team one on one to build a solid foundational business through my:

• Training program - customized to fit your goals and available to you and every new coach that joins your team!
• Social Media Training on how to use Social Media including facebook, instagram, Snap chat and more as a network marketer to stand out on social media. How to shar eand not sell so you don't come across like a spam-my sales person!  
• PUSH groups offered quarterly for coaches looking to build a team and strong business of consistency in small daily actions.
• Weekly training and team calls with guest speakers to bring in new ideas of what's working for others and how you can use best practices in the business as we evolve.

Team Synergy is a supportive and uplifting group of business builders with all kinds of backgrounds:

• Teachers
• Personal Trainers
• Gym Owners
• Real Estate Agents
• Retail Managers
• Business Professionals
• Nurses
• Moms and Dads
• and so many more

Our name "Synergy" is defined in the dictionary as:  the interaction of elements that when combined produce a total effect that is greater than the sum of the individual elements, contributions, etc.; synergism.

We work better together, helping each other every step of the way!  You don't just get me as your coach, you get the expertise and wisdom of my whole team helping you too!

Why is Beachbody going into the UK?

Team Beachbody's  TV Infomercial/Direct Response and Beachbody Live! businesses have been operating in the UK for several years including Insanity Live, Piyo Live and P90x Live and most recently Beachbody On Demand. So many of my UK friends have been asking when Beachbody will be fully available to them and we have all be waiting!!  Why does it make sense for Beachbody to enter the UK???

• The United Kingdom much like the United States and Canada face very similar health issues with 40% of the population (26 Million) classified as over weight.  (Public Health England)
• UK is the 2^nd  largest health and fitness market in the world (IHRSA 2015 Global Report)
• Vitamins and supplements – $1.35B billion market and growing
• UK is the 8^th  largest nutritional supplements market (Passport Euromonitor)
• The UK is the 10^th largest direct selling market at $4B with an average growth rate of 10% from 2011-2015 (DSA 2015 Global Report).
• UK Social media usage is on par with usage in the US (66% in the US and 64% in the UK).

Are you excited???

2017 is going to be like a fantastic year for Team Beachbody and Beachbody UK.  So sign up for my UK Coaches newsletter and to be added into my Team Synergy UK Coaches Info Group now so you can get educated about the business and be ready to build your own team when the official launch goes live in Fall 2017!!

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Beachbody Summer Sale 2017 is here!

I'm excited to tell you about a little secret!!! How many times have you visited my site and have considered joining a challenge group but have not pulled the trigger for whatever reason?!  Or maybe you are a customer of mine and you are in a challenge group and are looking for your next fitness program!  Either way today Team Beachbody is launching a HUGE summer sale!  They are discounting programs and accessories to make your summer even sweeter!  Seriously, there is no reason why you can't get in the best shape of your life or even be well on your way to getting there!!!  As a Coach it is my job to match you up with a fitness program that meets your needs and nutritionals and tips to keep you focused on reaching the goals that we set together for you!  Customization is key!  You are not the same as your neighbor or best friend so that is the beauty of what we do!

Plus, I have challenge groups starting on the 19th of June!  If you have been wanting to make that leap of faith now is the time! To sweeten the deal we have some amazing programs on sale this month!

THE SALE WILL START ON OR AROUND JUNE 6TH AT 12 PM PST AND WILL END ON TUESDAY JUNE 13TH AT 12 PM PST.  QUANTITIES ARE LIMITED AND THEY WILL SELL OUT!  You most definitely do not want to delay! Make sure you let me know when you place your order and if I can provide you with guidance support or questions to get you up and running!

Here is your Link to check out the Sale!

Double Chocolate Chip Zucchini Loaf

Chocolate Zucchini Bread!!!  O yes!

I think we can all agree that finding breakfasts that are quick, healthy, and easy for kids in the morning can be difficult.  It's not just finding things they like that are mostly healthy and quick enough but the other factor involved is that they get bored of the same things over time too.  You gotta make sure they eat enough to fuel them for the day ahead at school and daycare but if they don't like the breakfast or they are bored of it they aren't going to eat and their isn't any time in the morning to make two things!!! 

In fact many mornings we send the boys breakfast to daycare with them so we are just hoping that what they liked yesterday they will eat again today and eat enough of it to get them through to recess.  We have a few go to items that we send and I have in past made muffins and scones for them but sadly they don't seem to want to eat mommy's muffins after day 1 :(  They gobble them back when they are hot out of the oven but on day two they wont even consider eating one for breakfast.  Heartbreaking.  But more for me I guess :)  

That's how this yummy and kid pleasing double chocolate chip zucchini loaf was created!  I promise your kids are gonna think it's cake or a brownie or something equally delicious and you will be giggling behind your coffee cup enjoying the fact that they are heating something healthy!  

I was at the Root Cellar on Sunday afternoon after our lacrosse game and decided to grab a Zucchini, thinking I would make zoodles this week until I realized that I have already packed my sprializer..... ugh!  We move in 2 weeks so non essentials are packed for the most part. I kept that zucchini in my cart anyways and decided I could make something else with it at this point.  Instead of putting that Zucchini back I decided I was going to use it to make the boys a double chocolate Zucchini loaf for their breakfasts!  I figured if it looks and tastes chocolaty enough they will gobble it up without question and it will be something tasty and different to eat in the morning!

My youngest is a total sweet tooth so of course he woofed it back before we even left the house the next morning stating that it was a chocolate brownie and next time I should turn it into cupcakes! And my oldest took his proudly to daycare! #momwin

P.S. if you are on Snap Chat add me!!
My user name is Crysp30

The funny thing is I made up the batter and it wasn't until it was almost completely finished that I realized I had also packed up all my loaf pans.  In my first round of packing I left a couple in the cupboard but I packed them this past weekend! So I borrowed one from a neighbor and was able to finish baking the loaf.  Moving is so bitter sweet, we love our neighbors and I love my kitchen and so many things about our house and yard.  We have put a lot into our gardens and I will miss our apple tree and grape plant but we are moving to a bigger home with a bigger yard and my garden over there that I've worked on for the past 4 years is bigger than my current one.  I'm looking forward to walking in my bigger garden, picking veggies and berries in the evenings and settling into a new space.  But we have lots of memories in our current home and it's a strange feeling to leave it.  

I can't wait to settle into the new kitchen and do a little baking!  Maybe I'll make another Double chocolate Chip Zucchini loaf with a zucchini out of the garden in my new kitchen this summer!!  

Double Chocolate Chip Zucchini Loaf

Ingredients

1/3 cup plain greek yogurt

1½ cup organic cane sugar

2 eggs

⅓ cup olive oil

1 teaspoon vanilla or 1 vanilla bean
2 cups whole wheat flour

¼ cup organic cacao powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon sea salt

2 cups grated zucchini

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9½ X 5¼-inch baking pan by greasing it with olive oil. Beat the greek yogurt and cane sugar with an electric mixer until well blended. Add the eggs one at a time and blend, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as you go. Mix in the Olive oil and the vanilla.

In another bowl or on a piece of parchment paper, sift the flour cacao powder, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt. Mix Zucchini into the yogurt mixture then add the flour mixture to the greek yogurt mixture slowly and blend well. Mix in chocolate chips and spread into the prepared pan. Bake for 55-65 minutes or until the edges of the bread begin to pull away from the edges of the pan. Cool for 30 minutes and then remove from the pan.

Enjoy!