5 FLAT BELLY FOODS AND FITNESS TIPS WITH ERALDO MAGLARA

We are firmly in the summer season and although we have been working out and watching our intake, we know that there are other tips that are important to keep in mind when it comes to working out. We decided to tackle 5 Belly Foods by getting tips from Eraldo Maglara, NSCA-CPT.   

If I had a dime every time someone has asked me “can you get a six pack just by doing 100 crunches a day?” I would be a very wealthy man. Most of us have cometo realize (by now) that no amount of sit ups, leg raises or “crunches” can sculpt your abdomens to look like a pro bodybuilder. On the other hand, a well-balanced approach of foods and fitness tips can get you ready for that summer beach body you will be proud to share with everyone.

1. YOGURT

One of great things about yogurt is that it has evolved over the years. Just a while back, I could count the number of varieties on my hand. Today, there are over twenty manufacturers and an array of varieties. However, what makes yogurt so appealing to your belly is that it is low fat, low calories and it helps improve your digestive system.

Fitness Tip: Having a yogurt mid-morning can help you avoid unwanted calories at lunch and /or give you the boost you need for your evening workout.

2. BERRIES

Research has shown that eating cherry’s or blueberries can help reduce belly fat. The chemical (which gives the fruit it’s color) helps burn stomach fat. Moreover, berries are good source of antioxidants which play a big role in protecting your body from free radicals which can play a big role in heart disease, cancer, etc.

Fitness Tip: After a great training session, your body depletes itself of vitamins and minerals. Having a cup of berries can replenish those lost nutrients and help you keep unwanted fat around your waist.

3. AVOCADO

There is no doubt that eliminating the bad fat from your body (i.e. trans-fat, heavy saturated fat) will lower your cholesterol levels; which has been linked to heart attacks, strokes and type 2 diabetes. Avocados are high in monounsaturated fat (good fat), low in cholesterol and a great source of fiber.

Fitness Tip: Avoados contain a great amount of potassium. Eating them, can maintain proper function of your vital organs (such as your heart and your kidneys) which is necessary to maintaining a strong and fit body.

4. EGGS

Having a well-balanced breakfast is key to starting off your day on the right track. Eggs (over the years) have played an integral part in our morning routine for good reason. The vitamin content in eggs include Vitamin D (which attacks the visceral fat around your organs) and Vitamin B12 (responsible for burning fat cells) is an ideal choice to help maintain your belly looking “eggstra”ordinary.  

Fitness Tip: Protein is the cornerstone for building your muscles. Eggs contain a good amount of it which makes it an ideal food to have post-training.

5. CUCUMBERS
 
Personally, I believe cucumbers are underrated. Given the fact that they are loaded with H20, low in calories and help with bloating, cucumbers are a great source of vitamin A, B and C which boosts your immunity and supply you with an abundance of energy for the day. Did I also mention they are great for reducing puffiness around your eyes? Underrated....nevermore.

Fitness Tip: Flushing out toxins is a great way to keep your system running optimally. While working out, slice up a few cucumbers in your water and enjoy the best of both worlds.   

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Eraldo Maglara, NSCA-CPT is a personal trainer, author of The Real Fountain of Youth: Simple Lifestyle Changes for Productive Longevity, a book on healthy aging. He is also a contributor to media outlets across the country, has been featured in numerous publications and is the host and Executive Producer of the show "Healthy Lifestyle with Eraldo" seen in Philadelphia.

IG @EraldoMaglara

Read more from the June Issue and see 5 Flat Belly Foods and Fitness Tips with Eraldo Maglara in mag.

CHOCOLATE X AVOCADO

Our taste bud's worlds collide when one of our favorite choclatiers created an avocado white chocolate bar from Compartes! If you're not familiar with this brand, they are known for their chocolate fusions which turns confections on their head. Check out more of their treats on their site.

Other must haves that we suggest you check out:

VEGAN KALE

Healthy Kale Dark Chocolate

Japan White Chocolate

Matcha Green Tea

FIND YOUR DELICACIES | FOOD X JEWELRY

Food has always been an essential; however, the culinary scene has truly exploded after the last few years with the recognition of celebrity chefs, pop up restaurants and the cross over of this space into other areas.

Our favorite meals are components of dishes from meats, fruits, vegetables, and spices. We took a moment to chat with the Co-Founder of Delicacies Jewelry, Nicolle Nelson, which brings our love of food and jewelry together with this fine jewelry, which has a portion of the line curated by Chef Andrew Zimmern who brings notable chefs to Chef's Table as collaborative portions of the line.

We talked with Nicolle about the line, how she stays inspired, how Chef Andrew Zimmern was involved with the line and what we can expect with the upcoming line. 

ATHLEISURE MAG: Nicolle, tell us about your background and how you came into the jewelry business.

NICOLLE NELSON: I did media relations for about 18 years when I (quite unexpectedly!) got into the jewelry business. I was winding down my media relations career, living in Merida, Mexico, trying to figure out what came next — and was struck with dengue fever. (As were my husband and 5-year-old daughter simultaneously. Not so fun.) While sick and feverish one afternoon, I “awoke” to a vision of a bracelet featuring a single, tiny, gleaming garlic bulb on my wrist. As soon as I recovered, I set about to create that tiny bracelet I had seen, so clearly.

That original "fever-dream" bracelet now exists as the Delicacies Garlic bracelet!

AM: Tell us about the epicurean line Delicacies Jewelry and how this came about?

NN: Delicacies is the first ever full-line of jewelry for food lovers. My husband (and partner in Delicacies) has worked with Andrew Zimmern since 2001, so we’ve definitely experienced in the full-throttle growth in the food world in the past 15 years. Food has exploded! Food personalities are TV stars and chefs have rockstar status. Why not jewelry for food lovers?

Also, people are more conscious of what they are putting in their bodies each day. But besides simply sustaining us, food has other qualities as well that we have tapped into. Food carries memories for people, and can be used to bring certain “energies” into ones lives. (Think aphrodisiacs.) 

Some of our customers have gifted pieces for loss; an onion to remind a loved one that “sometimes in life, you cry” or a tomato pendant to remind his wife of her father, who had recently passed away and planted over 60 tomato plants in their yard every year. And some pieces are bought as tokens of luck, fertility, protection from evil, and my own personal favorite, perseverance. (Check out our ingredient “mythology" on our website to see what ingredient brings what energy into your life, and why.) 

AM: What is Chefs Table and what is Andrew Zimmern's involvement with this? 
 
NN:Delicacies’ Chef’s Table is our conduit for charitable giving. Andrew, a dear friend and longtime client and now business partner of my husband’s, agreed to serve as our Chief Giving Officer, and he helps identify and contact the chefs we want to make up our Chef’s Table. Each chef chooses an ingredient to represent them and a hunger-related non-profit organization. We then donate a percentage of proceeds to these charities (10 percent of ALL proceeds and 50 percent of each of the “chef’s ingredient” pieces sold.) 
 

AM: Tell us about the chefs who have collaborated with this line and are there others on the horizon that we should keep an eye out for?

NN: We are currently reaching out to chefs now, and finalizing our year two Chef’s Table. We don’t have any names set in stone currently, BUT look for all women to be on this year’s Chef’s Table. We feel a homage to women chefs and food personalities is most definitely in order for 2017. 

Last year, we had the following chefs join us on our Chef’s Table: Chef Dominique Crenn of Atelier Crenn (ingredient: tomato; charity SF-Marin Food Bank), Chef Gavin Kaysen of Spoon & Stable (ingredient: shrimp; charity: Appetite for Change) and Chef Marcus Samuelsson of Red Rooster (ingredient: chicken; charity: Three Goats).

AM: Tell us about your new addition of avocado into the line!

NN: Ever since we launched, there has been an overwhelming (excuse the pun) hunger for an avocado piece. And who are we to leave food lovers wanting? It took us awhile to get the avocados right; we realized the pendant had to be a 3D piece to show both sides of this delectable fruit. The avocado comes in the Delicacies bracelet, the sterling silver pendant, the 14K gold pendant and the pave gold pendant. We've already sold out of the pave avocado pieces - we are thrilled that people like their avocado with a little sparkle.

AM: What are your favorite Delicacies that are currently available in the line?

NN: I have two! I cannot pick just one. My favorites are the ginger and the octopus. 

The ginger because I simply love the ingredient itself and use it in my Thai curry pastes that I make from scratch. 

Second, I’ve worn the octopus pendant since the first one was created. The octopus represents perseverance and it is the energy which I have needed most since I started on this entrepreneurial journey. I never could have imagined the moments of doubt that I’ve faced in this journey, and each time doubt creeps in, I feel for my octopus around my neck and it reminds me that I have overcome setbacks before and that I will continue forward.

AM: What new ingredients can we expect to be introduced in the line that is not available yet?

NN: Look for rosemary in the next couple of months. I’m excited about this one because it stands for remembrance, and is just so beautiful cast in silver and gold. 

AM: Where do you get your inspiration from?

NN: I’m a bit strange, I think, because I love walking around farmer’s markets the world over. I find them so beautiful, brimming with colors, food stalls — and piles upon piles of produce. I think fruits and vegetables are the most beautiful shapes ever created by nature, which is why our jewelry line focuses on whole, simple ingredients. 

AM:  When you're not making jewelry, do you workout - if so where, and what foods do you enjoy eating for energy versus splurging?

NN: I love working out and try and do something about 3-4 days a week. (Some weeks I’m better than others…) When I’m in the States for the summer months, I do yoga with weights. When I'm in Mexico, I do CrossFit — more recreationally than serious, I enjoy the variety of the workouts. I also take a day every so often to just run a few miles.

I love food. (I created a line of food jewelry; of COURSE I love food!!) We cook a lot at home, and do a lot of Asian foods (Thai being my specialty; I make my own paste which is quite the production!)  We also do a lot of oven-roasted meats, stuff that goes stove top to oven all in the same cast iron skillet. And of course living most of the year in Mexico we eat our fair share of tacos, which would definitely be my guilty pleasure. 

AM: What's your personal style when you're out and about versus when you're going to brunch with friends?

NN: In the daytime, I’m in jeans all day long. I’m tall, so I prefer something a bit longer on top. And I love my shawls to combat overly air conditioned spaces, most of which I’ve found in my travels throughout Mexico. At night, I prefer simple (either classic or kinda flirty) dresses, a shawl, always heels, and my Angela Damman clutch handmade from beautiful natural fibers from the Yucatan. 

Read more from the Mar Issue and see Find Your Delicacies Food X Jewelry in mag.

ATHLEISURE KITCHEN, BITES WITH A TWIST

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It's always important to have easy treats that can be made for hot days or when friends are coming over. Athleisure Kitchen focused on two great dishes. We grew up eating deviled eggs and can't get enough of them! These deviled eggs include avocados which makes them even creamier and adds a nice touch to this classic appetizer.

AVOCADO DEVILED EGGS

YIELDS:  24 Deviled Eggs

Ingredients:

12 large eggs
½ cup mayonnaise
Grated zest of 1 lemon plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 avocado, diced
Red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions:

1. Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil. With a ladle, slowly lower the eggs into the water one by one. Reduce the heat to a low boil and cook for 10 minutes. Drain.

2. When the eggs are cool enough to handle, remove the shells. Slice each egg in half lengthwise. Remove the yolks and place them in a food processor. Arrange the whites cut side up on a serving platter.

3. To the food processor, begin to add the mayonnaise, lemon zest, juice, mustard, salt, pepper, and avocado. Process until well blended and smooth, then transfer to a resealable plastic bag. With scissors, snip off a bottom corner from the bag. Using the bag like a pastry bag, pipe the yolk mixture into the egg whites.

4. Garnish with black sea salt, pepper flakes or whatever ingredient you choose. Serve immediately or cover loosely and chill until ready to serve. 

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Whether you have it as an appetizer or it's your main dish, we can't get enough of this savory treat. Not only is it super easy to make, but there are a number of ways that you can customize it to your taste whether you eat it solo or with friends. Make it a mini party by adding your favorite drink. 

CHICKEN ENDIVE WRAPS

YIELDS 3 Dozen

Ingredients:

Endive:

1 pound Belgian endive

Cooking sauce:

2 tablespoons gluten-free hoisin sauce
4 teaspoons gluten-free oyster sauce
1 tablespoon gluten-free tamari soy sauce
1 tablespoon chili-garlic sauce

Chicken:

2 tablespoons untoasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons minced ginger
1 pound ground chicken thighs
1/2 cup reserved hard, white endive ends, finely chop (optional)
2 – 3 scallions/green onions, finely chop white and light green parts for chicken, thinly slice green tops and reserve for garnish

For serving:

Crispy rice noodles
Additional chili-garlic sauce
Sriracha

Directions:

Prep endive:

1. Trim and discard very end of the endives. Separate each into leaves, reserving hard, white ends for sauté. Arrange leaves in a bowl; set aside.

Make sauce:

1. In a small bowl, stir together hoisin, oyster sauce, soy sauce and chili-garlic sauce; set aside.

Cook chicken:

1. In a large skillet, warm sesame oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add minced garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant and garlic is just barely beginning to turn light brown (about 1 – 2 minutes).

2. Add ground chicken to the skillet, and smoosh into an even layer (ground chicken is a lot less crumbly than raw ground beef, so
it’s hard to crumble at this point…we’ll get there). After about 1 – 2 minutes, begin chopping chicken into smaller pieces. Continue cooking, stirring and chopping up more as needed, until pink color is nearly gone (about 5 minutes).

3. Stir chopped endive ends to the skillet with the chicken, and cook for about 1 minute — we don’t want them to get too mushy, just slightly softened.

4. Stir cooking sauce into the chicken, and continue to simmer until chicken is cooked through and sauce is somewhat thickened (about 2 – 3 minutes). Remove pan from heat, and stir in chopped scallions (white and light green parts only).

5. Transfer chicken mixture to a serving bowl and garnish with dark green scallion rings.

Serve:

1. Set out bowls of endive leaves, chicken, and rice noodles, plus additional chili sauce. Allow your guests to top each leaf to their liking.

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Read more from the July Issue

THE ART OF THE SNACK: AVOCADO

This vegetable is always trending whether enjoying it on toast, solo, in salads or a number of other ways. In this issue's The Art of the Snack we share recipes for Avocados from Peru for a smoothie as well as a twist on a breakfast classic.

Pictures courtesy of Stuart Ramson/AP

Pictures courtesy of Stuart Ramson/AP

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | Food Deco

PERUVIAN AVOCADO SUPER FOOD SMOOTHIE

Ingredients:

1 ripe Avocado from Peru, peeled and pitted
1 (13.5-oz) can lite or regular coconut milk
1 cup pineapple juice
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp sugar
1 cup ice cubes

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender, secure with lid and puree until smooth.

Options:

• For added sweetness, dip the moistened rim of the glass (water or citrus juices work well) into a pile of sugar that is about ¼” deep.  Shake off the excess sugar and pour the smoothie.

• Before blending, add your favorite protein powder for a nutritionally boost.  

Yield:  4 cups; 1 cup per serving

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | Food Deco

PERUVIAN AVOCADO EGG SCRAMBLE

Ingredients:

1 large egg
¼ cup liquid pasteurized egg product
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 ounce (2 slices) Peruvian Avocado
Salt
Pepper
Slice of whole wheat toast

Directions:

1. In a bowl, whisk together egg product and egg until smooth.
2. Stir in salt and pepper.
3. Heat oil. Whisk in egg mixture and cook while constantly stirring until mixture sets.  
4. Place eggs on toasted bagel and top with avocado.

Options:

• Add 1 Tbsp scallions, minced or thinly sliced, to the egg mixture before cooking.

• Sauté 1 tsp fresh gingerroot, peeled and minced, then add egg mixture.

Yield:  1 serving