Recipe: Kimchi Hummus

👩‍🍳This simple recipe is a great way to try kimchi if you haven’t tried it before!

It uses prepared kimchi, which you can usually find in the refrigerated produce section at the grocery store.

Taste your kimchi before adding it to the blender – if it’s really hot and/or you don’t enjoy a lot of heat in your foods, leave out the sriracha.

Not only is this recipe filled with exotic flavors, but it’s also loaded with good-for-your-gut nutrients: fiber AND healthy probiotics.

Serve as a dip for veggie slices.

Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

• 16 oz (450 g) can chickpeas

• 1¼ cups (280 g) kimchi, drained

• ¼ cup (56 g) tahini

• 1 large lemon, juiced

• ¼ cup (60 ml) water

• 1 Tbsp sriracha 

Directions:

1. Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend on high until it’s smooth, Taste and add salt if needed. Enjoy!

Recipe by: Dr. Saara Haapanen

Photo Credit: Canva by Nungning20 from Getty Images

Move at Work Challenge: Standing Test for Balance

Move at Work Challenge: Let's Stretch It Out at the Wall

Workout: The BIG Sneak!

Time: 45 - 60 minutes

Equipment Needed: None

Warm Up: 5 - 10 minutes

Perform each exercise for all the desired reps below. Don’t move onto the next exercise until you finish the complete number of reps from the prior exercise. Rest as needed. Ex: 25 Burpees, 25 Lunges, 25 Frog Jumps, and so on until you complete 25 Spiderman Planks. Then start over at 20 reps for each exercise, and so on until you have completed 5 reps of each exercise. 

Reps in Each Round:

• 25 Reps

• 20 Reps

• 15 Reps

• 10 Reps

• 5 Reps

Exercises:

1. Burpees

2. Lunges - left leg

3. Frog Jumps

4. Lunges - right leg

5. Jack Knife - left leg straight in the air

6. Cross-Over Mountain Climbers

7. Jack Knife - right leg straight in the air

8. Tricep Push-Ups

9. Snow Angels

10. Spiderman Planks

Cool Down & Stretch: 5 - 10 minutes

Workout by: Dr. Saara Haapanen

Photo Credit: Canva by Karl Solano from Pexels 

Move at Work Challenge: Balance Work If You Sit All Day

Recipe: Mango Salsa

🥭Use this salsa for chicken, fish, or in tacos. It also makes a tasty dip!

Makes 3 cups.

Ingredients:

• 3 ripe mangoes, diced

• 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped and seeded

• ½ cup (65 grams) chopped red onion

• ¼ cup (4 grams) packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

• 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced

• Juice of 1 large lime

• ¼ tsp sea salt, to taste

Directions:

1. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the mangoes, pepper, onion, cilantro, and jalapeno. Stir in the lime juice and season to taste with salt.

2. Let the salsa rest for at least 15 minutes before serving. Soooo good!

Recipe by: Dr. Saara Haapanen

Photo Credit: Canva by nata_vkusidey from Getty Images

Move at Work Challenge: Sculpt Your Shoulders at Work

Workout: Total Body Metabolic Booster

Time: 45 - 60 minutes

Equipment Needed: A Bench / Chair, Stopwatch, a Jump Rope, and a Partner (optional)

Warm Up: 5 - 10 minutes

Timed: 10 minutes

Complete as many rounds as possible of the following, HOWEVER, at EVERY 1 minute interval, no matter where you are in the circuit, stop and complete 2 floppy burpees. Then resume where you left off. This one is FUN!

• 7 - 3” Lunges - 7 per side

• 7 Push-Ups

• 7 Full Sit-Ups

Circuit:

Complete 3 rounds of the following. Perform each exercise for 30 seconds. Add additional rest IF NEEDED after each completed round. Minimal rest between each exercise (except where designated).

• 1-Legged Pistol Squats (over a bench for modification) - left leg

• 1-Legged Pistol Squats (over a bench for modification) - right leg

• Dips (bench or chair)

• Jump Rope (or jumping jacks)

• 30 seconds Rest

Rest 2 - 4 minutes

Tabata Time: 

Complete 8 sets (or 4 minutes total) for each Tabata. Ex: 20 seconds bicycle crunches 10 seconds rest, 20 seconds reverse crunches, 10 seconds rest, 20 seconds bicycle crunches, 10 seconds rest, etc… Complete the entire 4 minutes of Tabata 1 before going onto Tabata 2.

• Tabata #1: Bicycle Crunches vs Reverse Crunches

• Tabata #2: Flutter Kicks vs Bench Crunches

Rest as Needed.

¼ - ½ mile Recovery Run.

Partner Core Workout:

Each person should complete 1 - 2 rounds of the following exercises. Modify as necessary if you do not have a workout partner.

• 45 seconds Partner Leg Throws

• 45 seconds Partner Sit-Ups & Push-Downs

• 45 seconds Partner Crunches (with leg pull)

Cool Down & Stretch: 5 - 10 minutes

Workout by: Dr. Saara Haapanen

Photo Credit: Canva by RossHelen 

Recipe: Cheesy Italian Spaghetti Squash

🍝This recipe for spaghetti squash has a cheesy taste despite being 100% plant-based.

This recipe is SO good you may want to double it. 

Makes 2 big or 4 small main dish servings.

Ingredients:

• 1 large spaghetti squash

• 2-3 Tbsp Olive oil, divided

• 1 large yellow onion

• 3 large cloves garlic, minced

• 1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce

• 4 large handfuls of baby spinach, washed

• ½ cup of nutritional yeast

• Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400ºF/200ºC and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice your spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and drizzle olive oil over the inside of the squash. 

2. Place the squash cut side down on the baking sheet and poke the tops with a few holes. 

3. Place in the oven and roast for 30-40 minutes. The squash will start to brown on the outside and feel tender. 

4. Remove from the oven and turn the squash over so the cut side faces up. When it’s cool enough to touch, scrape the flesh to remove all of the strands from inside the squash.

5. To make the sauce: heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large nonstick pan over medium heat. 

6. Add the onions and garlic to the pan, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion softens. Pour in the marinara sauce and let simmer for about 5 minutes. 

7. Stir in the baby spinach, one handful at a time, and then add the nutritional yeast and spaghetti squash. 

8. Stir until heated through and then remove the pan from the heat. Enjoy!

Recipe by: Dr. Saara Haapanen

Photo Credit: Canva DipaliS from Getty Images 

Move at Work Challenge: Work Your Brain and Body in One Minute