Healthy Body Healthy Life: HBHL

Healthy Body Healthy Lifers,

I'm so happy to announce that the inaugural HBHL Community Wellness Day will be held on May 19th from 4-7pm in East Montgomery! The event will be hosted by Metro Fitness--so a big thank you to them! I am so excited to share HBHL's passion for health and wellness with the local community, as well as raising awareness about the program and hopefully some funds for our non-profit organization, so that we can continue to do great things for military families and local communities!

I truly believe that individuals have the power to make a difference--within themselves, within their families, and within their communities; and teams of these individuals are a powerful force for positive change! I am so thankful for the dedication and talent of the HBHL Community Wellness Day planning committee (Meredith Hill, Maura Kahn, Jeannine Morton-Brown, and Erin Cook). They are doing a terrific job ensuring this event will be a success!

The event will include a kid's fun run, a free group Powerbodyz class for all levels, free yoga classes (kids yoga, power yoga, beginners yoga), as well as a wellness expo with local vendors and healthy food samples to demo some great super foods and recipes that will be featured in our very own HBHL cookbook that will be available later in the year. So many exciting things going on!! So, mark your calendars and on May 19th grab your family and your workout clothes and get ready for a fun and healthy event!

Next weekend we've got two local races in the Montgomery/Prattville area:

PRATTVILLE: Sat 21 April Tech Trot
MONTGOMERY: Sat 21 April
Stay Tuned on Facebook for the details and CLICK HERE for the specifics on the races. I hope to see some HBHL'ers out there with their families!

Powerbodyz- This week's PBz workout is posted.
Check it out: Powerbodyz Workout

This Week's Superfood Idea: Creative Salads!

Salads do not have to be boring and they do not have to be swallowed up in lettuce! You may have heard the term "Garbage Salad" before - where you put all the random ingredients from your fridge and countertop into your salad. This can include avocado, various fruits, various nuts, artichoke hearts, beans, olives...basically ANYTHING! With just a small bit of lettuce (and you can use ANY type of lettuce - from iceberg to romaine to butter leaf to watercress to arugula...and you can even use kale!) you can have a healthy and nutritious dinner on the table for your family, in no time. Large "meal" salads are a hit at our house, and the best part is it's easy to make extras to store for tomorrow's lunch!

Salads CAN deliver everything from flavor to protein...and even a bit of crunch! They are quick and easy, and especially fun to play with in the summer. Add grilled chicken or shrimp, or your favorite in-season fruit! You can even get creative with your salad dressing. My all time favorite is a nice and healthy balsamic vinaigrette (made with olive oil) but you can make a fresh raspberry vinaigrette (blend about 3/4 cup raspberries with 1/4 cup water, then add 2 T EVOO, 1 T apple cider vinegar, 2 tsp dijon, plus a little salt and pepper) or a citrus vinaigrette (1 T white balsamic vinegar - or just white vinegar - 2 T lemon juice, 2 T lime juice, splash of orange juice, 1 tsp dijon mustard, salt and pepper to taste, whisk in 1/4 cup EVOO). Be creative and have fun! No two salads ever have to be the same :)

If your creative juices aren't flowing yet... try one of my favorites: J's Tropical Shrimp Salad. I never make it the same way twice, as I vary the fruit depending on the season and often throw in random veggies I have left in the fridge! Enjoy :)

This Week's Recipe: J's Tropical Shrimp Salad
(PS I'm working on my food photography skills- though I'm not near as good as our HBHL Chef, Meredith!)

1 1/2 lb shrimp (or as many as you'd like)
Olive oil based cooking spray
2/3 cup citrus vinaigrette (recipe above)
Lettuce (your choice)
Various Fruits and Veggies
Goat Cheese to taste

1. Toss shrimp and a portion of the vinaigrette into a plastic bag. Allow the flavors to marinate at room temperature while you prep the grill to med-heat.
2. Oil the grill, brush both sides of grill-able fruit (i.e. pineapple, nectarines, peaches) with the vinaigrette. Drain shrimp, spray with olive oil cooking spray. Grill fruit until lightly charred.
3. Grill shrimp 2-3 minutes per side.
4. Meanwhile, arrange lettuce on plates with other fruits/veggies (avocado, mango, watermelon, blueberries).
5. Top salad with grilled fruit, shrimp, any other fixings and goat cheese. Drizzle with remaining dressing.

**Make the salad your own by substituting in your favorite flavors!!

Here is this week's Facebook Question, go to Facebook and share your answer: What is your favorite random ingredient to add to your own "garbage" salad?