Article and photo by Kalvin Valdillez

The word about Wellness Wednesday is spreading throughout the Tulalip community. Hosted by SNAP-ED every Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. at the Tulalip Administration Building, the event alternates weekly between live-cooking demonstrations and quick and effective workout regimens to promote healthy lifestyle choices for the busy workaholics with full schedules.

During the last week of March, SNAP-ED Coordinator AnneCherise Jensen whipped up a delicious southwest quinoa dish, to much approval from the Wellness Wednesday participants.  AnneCherise shares the many benefits of quinoa as well as the southwest quinoa recipe. Enjoy!

Quinoa: Quinoa is one of the oldest grains and has been around for centuries! Its history traces back to South America and South Africa, and has only been introduced to the United States as a “super food” within the last decade.

Quinoa is especially healthy because it is high in protein, healthy fats, insoluble fiber and various vitamins and minerals.

Protein: Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, and proteins are the building blocks of all tissues in our body. Some of the amino acids are referred to as “essential” because of our body’s inability to produce them, making it essential to acquire them from the diet. Quinoa contains more protein than both corn and brown rice, making it an excellent source of plant based protein. Quinoa is even considered a “complete” protein source, meaning it provides all the essential amino acids needed in our diet. For those who are vegetarian or vegan, Quinoa is an excellent way to get an adequate amount of protein through your diet.

Fat: Quinoa contains healthy fats, such as omega-3’s and omega-6’s that are extremely heart healthy! Consuming a diet high in omega-3’s and omega-6’s help lower bad cholesterol and prevents against heart disease.

Carbohydrates: Quinoa contains more fiber than brown rice. Quinoa is an excellent source of insoluble fibers which are great for keeping you fuller longer, keeping you regular, and can even help you lose weight.

Vitamins & Minerals: Quinoa is a good source of antioxidants and minerals, providing more magnesium, iron, fiber and zinc than many common grains.

How to COOK with Quinoa: Quinoa is easy to cook! It’s the same procedure as rice. Boil two cups of water for every 1 cup of dry quinoa. Add quinoa to boiling water; simmer heat with lid for 10-15 minutes until water is fully absorbed. Once it’s cooked, the possibilities are endless!

• Quinoa is mild in flavor, and is a great addition to any salad!  Quinoa adds texture and an overall higher nutrient profile to any fruit or vegetable salad.
• Quinoa is a great main ingredient for any casserole!
• Quinoa is great in stir fry’s! Just substitute the rice in any of your favorite dishes!
• Add quinoa to your morning egg scramble or omelet for even more super fuel!
• Try baked Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa and your favorite protein!
• Bake with it! Add some quinoa to your zucchini, banana and carrot bread for extra health benefits!
• Make it into a snack! Try Peanut Butter Quinoa Balls – only 2 ingredients, Peanut butter and Quinoa. Great after school snacks for your kids!

Southwest Quinoa

Ingredients 

• 1 Avocado
• 1 (15-ounce) can Black beans
• ½ cup Cilantro, fresh leaves
• 1 cup Corn, canned or roasted frozen kernels
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1 Onion
• 1 Lime, Juice of
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can Tomatoes,
• 1 cup Quinoa
• 1 tsp Chili powder
• 1 tsp. salt & black pepper
• 1/2 tsp Cumin
• ½ tsp. garlic salt
• 1 tbsp. Olive oil or Canola oil
• 1 cup shredded cheese (optional)

Directions

• Precook quinoa in a separate pan. Boil two cups water for one cup quinoa; simmer heat to low after adding in quinoa. Let sit until water is fully absorbed.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Sauté’ garlic and onion, stirring frequently until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add in drained and rinsed beans, tomatoes, corn, chili powder, cumin and garlic powder into large skillet; season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Add the cooked quinoa into the large skillet. Stir in avocado, lime juice and cilantro. Add cheese to the top for your liking (optional).
• Serve immediately.

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News 

Whether you are a busy professional, student, or a stay at home parent, a 15-minute bodyweight workout can be the perfect solution for your exercise needs. Designed to be done pretty much anywhere with no fitness equipment and in enough time to squeeze into a customary work break, super short but non-stop workouts can be very effective for building strength and cardio endurance.

It may just be 15 short minutes, but the key is to make the workout intense by getting through each exercise as quickly as you can with minimal rest. If you want to make the workout longer, simply add more sets.

This workout style was demonstrated at the latest Wellness Wednesday, which takes place every Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. in room 264 at the Tulalip Tribes Admin Building. The 1^st and 3^rd Wednesdays of each month are designated to healthy cooking demonstration, while the 2^nd and 4^th Wednesdays of every month are to teach the basic fundamentals of everyday fitness. Brought to you by SNAP-ED Coordinator AnneCherise Jensen, this free fitness demonstration is great exercise for anyone regardless of fitness level.

“Getting at least 15-minutes of intense exercise every day is one of the best ways to prevent chronic diseases from developing over time. Like they say, exercise really is the best medicine!” proclaims AnneCherise. “Getting in a 15-minute exercise will help you burn more calories throughout the day that will help you maintain a healthy body weight. Fifteen minutes of exercise will help stimulate various brain chemicals making you feel happier and more relaxed throughout the day.

“Studies have shown that exercising regularly helps manage both anxiety and depression.  A 15-minute exercise will get the heart rate up, which will naturally help prevent against heart disease and regulate good blood cholesterol. For those who are sedentary throughout the day and generally sit at a desk all day, getting in at least 15-minutes of exercise is especially important for obtaining good health.”

Among the Wellness Wednesday participants were tribal members and sisters, Shelbi and Celum Hatch. Following the short, intense workout Shelbi’s reaction was, “It was fun. The convenience is pretty ideal to have this offered at work because my issue lately is I can’t make it to the gym after work, can’t make it before, and if I do make it at lunch there’s barely enough time to get a workout in.”

Cooling down from the workout and feeling the immediate effects Celum added, “Yeah, my heart is racing pretty good and I have a good sweat going, so that proves the workout was effective. I thought it was a good class. It was convenient with location and time.”

This particular 15-minute workout will hit many of the different muscles in your core and legs. Get ready to work your obliques, lower abs, triceps, calves, hammies, and glutes. Working the muscles of your legs and the abs helps you maintain balance, good posture, and an overall strong physique. Plus, bodyweight exercises can challenge more of the body than a supported weight workout might. Here is a breakdown of the workout completed during the Wellness Wednesday fitness demo.

Warm Up: (2-3 minutes) 

• 5 jumping jacks
• 5 push ups
• 5 sit ups

Routine: (8-10 minutes)

• 60 seconds: Stretching
• 30 seconds: Marching
• 30 seconds: Stepping side to side with torso rotations
• 30 seconds: Stepping side to side, kicking high knees, bringing arms up and down with each high knee.
• 30 seconds: Step Touch, moving arms up and down with each step.
• 30 seconds: Squat in place, keeping your spine and shoulders back.
• 30 seconds: Marching with hands moving back and forth
• 30 seconds: Stepping feet back to back while doing bicep curls with arms.
• 30 seconds: Stepping feet back to back while doing triceps curls with arms.
• 30 seconds: Marching with hands moving back and forth
• 30 seconds: Stepping side to side, taking left elbow to right knee, and right knee to left elbow.
• 30 seconds: Marching at a fast pace with various arm rotations.
• 30 seconds: Step to step, tapping right hand to inside of your left ankle, then left hand to right ankle.
• 30 seconds: Stepping side to side, pulling arms back at all times, with left calf back then right calf back.
• 30 seconds: Multiple Squats while reaching your hands up and down.
• 60 seconds: 20 jumping jacks

Cool Down: (2-3 minutes)

• 30 seconds: Marching slowly in place
• 30 second: Toe touch, head down, stretch the hamstrings.
• 30 seconds: Standing side to side torso rotations
• 60 seconds: Various yoga stretches

Reminders: 

• Always remember to breathe in and out. Good breathing is key to a successful workout
• The more you move your arms throughout workout, the better the cardio workout. Remember, don’t stop moving!
• Do this at your own fitness level; feel free to modify it to whatever you feel comfortable with. You don’t want to overdo it and hurt yourself.
• Be sure to put on some up-beat music to get the energy flowing.

By Kalvin Valdillez, Tulalip News 

In today’s busy society health has taken a backseat for the majority of America. The work week can be stressful, exhausting and often takes away time from friends and family. Diseases such as diabetes, depression and anxiety are prevalent throughout many Native communities. Because of the everyday grind many people neglect to set aside time for themselves, therefore spending their lives in a rush and are left feeling disconnected from their selves.

Enter yoga, an ancient practice of exercise, discipline and meditation that originated in India. Although there are many forms and variations, Hatha yoga has been growing in popularity over recent decades. Hatha is a combination of different yoga techniques with an emphasis on deep breathing and guided stretching. Countless studies have shown that by practicing yoga, individuals are more happy, healthy and heedful when incorporating yoga into their lives, as the practice promotes the healing of the mind, body and soul.

“The benefits of yoga are outstanding,” exclaimed yoga instructor Lisa Foster. “Anyone can do the stretches and become more flexible. Yoga can help unlock your full potential as you start learning more about your body, it’s like a kick starter to fitness.”

Recently Tulalip Youth Services began offering free classes to the community at the Don Hatch Youth Center and recruited Lisa to guide community members during the classes. Lisa has instructed yoga participants, or yogis, for nearly two years and has been personally practicing for over five years. She has prior history teaching aerobics and taught a step class at the old Tulalip elementary gym in 2007.

Lisa dedicates each class to her late sister and Tulalip tribal member, Debra Barto, before the stretching begins. Lisa, who is a part of the Klamath Tribe in southern Oregon, stated that Debra was an advocate for healthy living and even aspired to become a certified fitness instructor before passing in 2015 from breast cancer. “It’s crazy how life evolves, here I am on her reservation teaching these classes,” she exclaimed. “She was all about wellness and being that whole person – mind, body and spirit.”

Lisa takes time throughout the class to ensure that the yogis are breathing properly and are moving safely through the stretches, while advising the students to go at their own pace. “People have their war wounds and I take that into account for the safety of the people, so they’re not overexerting themselves. I never believed in ‘no pain, no gain.’ If you’re in pain that’s your body’s way of talking to you to tell you you’re going too far.”

The classes are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays and hour-long sessions are offered at 12:10 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. Lisa incorporates elements of Native American culture into her program including sage smudging. She also honors the medicine wheel by turning, after each set of poses, to face all four directions during the class.

“On the first day of class the one word I used a lot was ‘accept’, because you need to accept yourself – who you are and the form you are. Yoga can help with many challenges you might be facing – anxiety, depression, obesity, diabetes, and arthritis. It helps relieve pain and could prevent injury,” explained Lisa.

She invites the entire community, of all ages, to attempt a few downward facing dog poses with her, and take a break from the everyday hustle and bustle. She states, “Come as you are and allow yourself to understand your body.”

For additional information about the Yoga Program with Youth Services please contact (360) 716-4909.

Submitted by AnneCherise Jensen, Tulalip Tribes Snap-Ed Coordinator

We all have that one picky eater in the family who refuse to try certain types of vegetables. Getting children, and even adults, to consume a healthy amount of vegetables can be a challenge all together. The great thing is, there are creative ways to sneak vegetables into recipes without picky eaters ever finding out. If you’re ambitious and creative in the kitchen, anything is possible!  Here are some sneaky ways to incorporate veggies into classic recipes your whole entire family will love!

Add Veggies to your Favorite Pasta! – Your classic pasta dish is great opportunity to sauté some extra vegetables into a simple dish everyone will be raging about. Throw in some diced peppers, garlic, onion, basil, artichoke hearts, and even some asparagus! Not only is it going to be healthier than your classic pasta dish, but it’s going to add a lot of great flavor to the meal!

Try Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes – Everyone seems to love creamy mashed potatoes, but have you ever tried mashed cauliflower? It’s just as easy to make, tastes just as good, and is extremely healthy! You’ll have your family fooled on how delicious cauliflower can be. Just add a little cream and cheddar cheese and you’ll have the full effect of creamy mashed potatoes. If this seems like a lot, you can even do half mashed potatoes and half cauliflower mashed for an even more sneaky effect.

Add Veggies to Grilled Cheese – Add some arugula, spinach, tomatoes or even some avocado to your favorite grilled cheese sandwich!  This one may be hard to slip by your picky eater, but definitely give it a try! It’s hard to resist that cheesy goodness, no matter what’s inside.

Experiment with Veggie Noodles – Use a spiralizer or julienne tool to create zucchini, squash, asparagus, or cucumber noodles and skip the pasta altogether. (Or roast spaghetti squash!) Add extra veggies to the sauce for an extra dose of nutrients.

Veggies n’ Casseroles – Anytime a casserole dish comes out of the cupboard, get the grater out too. For an added variety of vegetables, finely shredded summer squash or zucchini to virtually any casserole without changing taste or texture!

Sneaky Smoothies – Smoothies are one of the easiest and most effective ways to get anyone to consume their daily amount of fruits and vegetables (5 servings total each day). You can add just about anything into the blender. All you have to do is blend it all up, and you’ll have a delicious healthy snack in no time! Spinach, kale, avocados, ginger, frozen berries, bananas, peanut butter… the possibilities are endless.

Get Creative with Frittatas! Frittatas are a great way to sneak a wide variety of vegetables into your diet. Dice up scallions, onions, mushrooms, spinach and even kale into small enough pieces so no one will be asking any questions! Add the veggies to the frittata, set it to bake, serve it up, and you’ve got a well-balanced, healthy breakfast almost anyone will love!

Spice it up with Veggie Fries – Dice up some sweet potatoes, zucchini sticks, squash rounds and bake them in the oven! Instantly, you have your own veggie fries that anyone can snack on! Just add a dash of your favorite seasoning, and kids will love them!

Sneaky Soups & Stews – There are hundreds of stew and soup recipes that include almost every type of vegetable! This is a great way to throw in some new foods your kids may not be ordinarily fond of. Add a can of tomatoes, some frozen peas, spinach, onions or kale to into your family’s favorite stew!

Bake with Veggies! –   Breakfast sweets can be packed with a wide variety of veggies. Try making some travel-friendly bran muffins packed with zucchini and carrots in addition to the classic raisins, walnuts, and cinnamon. You can even add spinach here if you’re feeling extra ambitious! See Zucchini Carrot Banana Bread recipe below!

Add color to your Pizza! Who doesn’t love pizza?! Try cooking your own pizza at home, making it as colorful as you can. This is a great way to try a new topping you never thought you’d like. Spinach, arugula, basil, garlic, scallions, peppers, mushrooms and even artichoke hearts are great additions to any pizza! Dice these up small enough and no one will even taste the difference!

Season up with Herbs! Remember, herbs are vegetables too. Grow your own at home or pick them up at your local supermarket. This is a great way slowly incorporate new, fresh flavors into your families diet. Remember, Wellness Warriors will be gardening this year over at the Tulalip Tribe Health Clinic. If you’re interested in gardening or trying our new herb, Wellness Warriors is a great program to get involved in!

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Zucchini Carrot Banana Bread

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon butter to grease loaf pan
• 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 2 bananas, mashed
• 1 cup grated zucchini(1 medium zucchini)
• 1 cup grated carrots
• 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used 2% Fage)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup raisins

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Butter a 9” x 5” loaf pan, then dust with flour.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
4. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together sugars and eggs. Add coconut oil, mashed bananas, grated zucchini, grated carrots, Greek yogurt, and vanilla. Mix to combine.
5. Fold in flour mixture.
6. Add walnuts and raisins.
7. Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for an hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the bread comes out clean.

Submitted by AnnCherise Jensen, Snap-Ed Coordinator

Don’t forget about Breakfast, it’s the most important meal of the day! A healthy breakfast gives us the fuel and the energy we need to make it throughout the day. Believe it or not, our bodies are constantly burning calories, even when we are sleeping. After the recommended 8 hours of sleep each night, our bodies wake up craving “fuel” aka “Breakfast”. Without eating breakfast, it is easy to get tired, irritable and fatigued. Start your day off by consuming a breakfast that includes a well-balanced amount of carbohydrates, healthy fats and lean proteins. This will to keep you fueled all day long, keeping you fuller and energized for a longer period of time. Here are some examples of some easy healthy breakfasts to start your day off right.

• Breakfast Burrito (recipe provided below)
• Greek Yogurt with granola and berries.
• Cheesy scrambled eggs with avocado and salsa.
• Whole wheat toast with peanut butter and bananas
• Whole grain cereal with low fat milk and berries
• Fruit smoothie with protein powder and almond milk.
• Instant oatmeal with almonds, low fat milk and raisins.
• Cottage cheese and pineapple.

Breakfast Burrito (Makes 4 servings)

• 1 1/3 cups black beans (cooked, mashed with 1 teaspoon canola oil or use canned vegetarian refried beans)
• 4 tortillas, corn
• 2 tablespoons red onion (chopped)
• 1⁄2 cup tomatoes (chopped) 1/2 cup salsa, low-sodium
• 4 tablespoons yogurt, non-fat plain
• 2 tablespoons cilantro (chopped)

Directions

1. Mix beans with onion and tomatoes.
2. Microwave tortillas between two sheets of slightly damp white paper towels on high for 15 seconds.
3.  Divide bean mixture between the tortillas.
4. Fold each tortilla to enclose filling.
5. Place on microwave-safe dish and spoon salsa over each burrito.
6.  Microwave on high for 15 seconds.
7.  Serve topped with yogurt and cilantro.

Nutrition Information per serving: Calories: 155/ Total Fat: 2 g / Saturated fat: 0 g  / Sodium: 287 mg / Total Carbohydrate: 18 g / Dietary Fiber: 5 g / Protein: 7 g / Source: What’s Cooking, USDA Mixing BowlFind

Find more healthy eating tips at:www.kidseatright.org and www.eatright.org/nutritiontipsheets