Bari Studio

Ingredients:
Water (enough to cover bottom of skillet)
1 inch fresh ginger root
14 inches fresh burdock root
4 medium carrots
1 cup chopped parsley or cilantro
juice of 1/2 a lemon and 1/4 cup water
toasted sesame oil to taste
sea salt to taste 

Directions:
-Peel and mince the ginger, chop parsley and cilantro
-Wash burdock and carrots and slice thin
-Heat a large skillet and cover the bottom with water
-Add the ginger, burdock, and carrot
-Water sauté on high hear for about five minutes
-Then add cilantro, parsley, lemon juice, and remaining water.
-Cover and steam for about five minutes
-Dress with toasted sesame oil and sea salt to taste.

*Can be served by itself or over a whole grain like quinoa or brown rice!

Nutrition Benefits:
Burdock supports and soothes the liver, as well as helps alkalize your blood, promoting healthy kidney function and expelling uric acid from your body. Burdock and carrot can help satisfy cravings, as a healthy substitute for sweets. During this time of where when people tend to indulge, this meal allows a nice balance, due to the cleansing properties of it’s ingredients. Be sure to leave the skins on the veggies so they retain their full nutritional value!

TEMPEH AND RICE STUFFED SQUASH

Ingredients:
1 small winter squash cut in half (lengthwise) with seeds scooped out
1/3 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 package tempeh
1/2 large onion, or one small onion
1 ripe avocado, mashed
sea salt, pepper, and Braggs Liquid Aminos, to taste

Preparation:
-Lay the cut squash, face down on a baking dish in a little bit of water (about 1/2 inch), and bake in the oven for 45min-1 hour or until cooked (test with fork)
-Dice the onion and tempeh into very small bits, add Braggs and sea salt/pepper to taste, and sauté until onions are cooked through
-Add the cooked rice to the tempeh/onion concoction and mix together
-Scoop out insides of the squash, being careful to keep shell in tact
-Mix the squash, rice, tempeh, onions together and then put it back in the squash shell
-Bake at 400 degrees until brown
-Cool for a few minutes, add mashed avocado on top, along with a sprinkle of sea salt. YUM!

This dish is a wonderful seasonal meal. It is extremely energizing, especially as the colder months approach. Squash is high in fiber, Vitamin A, C, and many other nutrients and minerals. Tempeh is made from fermented soybeans, containing gut friendly bacteria also known as probiotics. This is a perfectly balanced meal, which incorporates heart healthy fats, high quality digestible plant-based protein, and complex carbohydrates… not to mention, it is an absolute PALATE PLEASER!

We’ve been searching for a cause to join at Bari, to lend a helping hand. We haven’t found the right one just yet, but our search keeps leading us to children: Instilling the right lifestyle at a young age can transform the future, and reverse the obesity problem we’re facing in the United States. 

Happy meals and sodas are deteriorating a healthy childhood, it’s beyond scary. We’ve all seen the numbers and know there’s a better choice out there, but somehow the fast food and soda industries continue to come out on top. What can we do to stop it?

We came across this article from NPR Blog today about providing exercise statistics instead of calories to dissuade children from sodas. The results were unbelievably impressive: where the signs were posted, sales of sugary drinks dropped 50%! What does this mean? Kids are more responsive to the exercise statistics than calorie counts, probably because they can visualize what they’re putting in their bodies.

Of course this also means that children prefer to not indulge in their favorite soda over running for 50-minutes. The inactivity of this generation of children may in fact be what leads them to make better food choices… that’s a scary thought, but it’s definitely a step forward and I hope it’s a small glimpse of what’s to come in the future.

During the colder months, it is important to stay grounded, nourished, and warm. I love soups in the winter, and usually root veggie soups incorporate dairy (cream, etc.) to thicken them up. Root vegetables also have the ability to help conquer sweet cravings. This delicious, meat and dairy free butternut squash soup is absolutely delicious and satisfying for the mind, body, and soul! 

1 3-lb. butternut squash, cubed
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbl. extra virgin coconut oil
1 tsp. cinnamon
Vegetable broth

Peel and cube the butternut squash; sauté chopped onion in coconut oil until soft and translucent (about 5 minutes); add chopped garlic and continue sautéing for another 2 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon and stir into onion/garlic mixture; sauté about 1 minute. Add cubed squash and vegetable broth or water to cover squash. Bring to boil, lower heat to a simmer, cover pot and cook for 25-30 minutes until squash is tender. Use an immersion blender or regular blender to puree. You can add a little sea salt and maple syrup if desired.

Making one’s entrance into Bari is really the equivalent of setting foot into your closest friend’s abode, or possibly that fraternity/sorority house you once called a crash pad. Warm, inviting and familiar to all our Tribe, more often than not the first sight upon entry is our Director, Sara, with laptop at hand (as well as a hot mug of coffee) chatting up a storm with the many of our family who have a tendency to arrive for a sweat session and stay for a chat fest. That cream colored couch has heard more talk of fitness fads and general daily dilemmas over the past six months than your standard shrink. Debates arise over the current cleanse crazes (Juice Press vs. Organic Avenue? 3 day vs. 5?) to which athletic clothing company provides the most functional form. (LuluLemon creates a crazily cozy sweatshirt; is it possible American Apparel leg warmers are actually acceptable fitness fashion?) Always at the ready to toss ideas around in this little Living Room, there has been a topic of constant consternation for all clients involved since our initial opening:

“What is the perfect Bari Shoe?”

Options are weighed, and various classes taken into consideration: Macro. Micro. Drip. XY (don’t think the gents aren’t in need of assistance!) Cardiovascular, plyometric movements in combination with held balance poses and slippery floor work. Sure, it’s a wonderful mixture of movements as far as the physique is concerned, but what in the world does one strap on their feet?

That is why this week’s trainer talk brings you the expert opinion from all of our instructors here on staff as far as smart shoes are concerned, specifically for all of your Bari Method Needs.

The Top 4 are as Follows:

1. Mizuno- A brand known both for their cross trainers and volleyball shoes, these kicks provide both ample support and cushion for the foot as well as good traction for lateral movements. (That Bari side shuffle will be a breeze with the babies on!)

2. Nike Vomero 8/9- A personal favorite of Method co-creator Brice, this is a no-nonsense shoe with plenty of comfort and cushion. The design of this shoe is so balanced, it creates the sensation of weighing much less than it’s actual size. (And is also a terrific shoe for simply trekking across the city streets).

3. Saucony Progrid Paramount- This little wonder is a technologically advanced, lightweight, cushioned stability shoe that offers the ultimate plush, responsive, smooth movement. Although designed as a running shoe, the fluid movement allowed by the ProGrid will keep you kicking in comfort!

4. Asics- Both studio co-founder Alexandra and Instructor Katherine swear by these sneaks, which provide just the right support and have an extremely long lasting life. Plus, they’re available in several selections of shades. Who says you can’t have a stylin’ sweat session?

Of course, every client comes with specific shoe requirements, and no one perfect pair exists for all Bari Tribers. However, hopefully this expert knowledge from the kids who live in their workout wear will provide a bit of insight to make you Bari bounce a little springier, that stability nice and centered, those skimmers (somewhat) secure as you slide! The best part? Next time the cream couch chat session centers around smartest sneakers, you’ll be the expert dishing out all the shoe smarts!

Till next Trainer Talk, Peace, Love,

Mel

What better way to appreciate your loved ones this holiday season than by giving them the gift of a healthy lifestyle… and OK, fine, an amazing body too! No matter where they are on their wellness journey, Bari will feed their bodies and souls to a transformation never imagined.

Presentation counts - so do it right!
Want to blow them away with the delivery of your gift? Get Flower Girl NYC involved and send them a beautiful gift card with an even more beautiful bouquet of flowers for an extra $125.

We know what this season is like; holiday parties, holiday drinks, holiday dinners, eating, drinking, more eating and more drinking. What are you going to do? Take a Tupper Ware with your steamed vegetables and drink tap water all night?
We get it. So take it easy on yourself and make sure your priorities are straight. Time with your family and friends should be pretty high up that list… So enjoy it.
A good rule to have these next few months? Breakfast is ALWAYS healthy, no exceptions. Here are some simple tips to follow, we promise you’ll feel great, have plenty of energy and no extra junk in your system.
1. Have warm water with lemon and cayenne first thing in the morning
2. Don’t mix your carbs and your fruit. Have your fruit first and an hour later your toast or oatmeal
3. Keep it as fresh as possible. Fruits every morning can mean a lot of different things. Experiment with smoothies, fresh fruit salads, a baked pear…

Many people tend to find it difficult to incorporate more greens into their diet (most missing food in our diets), and smoothies are one of the best ways to get your daily serving in! Trust me, the smoothie will be green but will not TASTE green

-1 cup coconut water (or regular water, your choice)
-½ cup hemp milk or almond milk (I like hemp because it is thicker and has lots of protein and omegs 3 fats)
-frozen organic fruits of choice (my favorites are mangoes and blueberries)
-2 ginormous (yes, that’s a word) handfuls of organic spinach
-1 tbsp raw almond butter (optional)

Put all of this deliciousness in a blender, and blend until smooth and creamy! Enjoy!

Some smoothie tips:
-Sometimes I add half a banana, and I keep the bananas in the freezer so the consistency of the smoothie will be thicker…
-You can add flax oil, hemp seeds or chia seeds to give it a superfood kick
-Experiment with more greens as you progress, such as kale.

-If you think it tastes too good to be healthy, then you’ve succeeded.

Dear December, 

Bring it on. The year is almost over and we are popular New Yorkers. Here come the holiday parties, dinner celebrations, and cocktails every week.

At Bari we thrive on perseverance, endurance, sprinting through the finish line, and December won’t be any different. Sure it would be easy to drop the towel this month and trust 2012 will bring back the discipline, but we refuse to do so.

December at Bari will mean giving it our all and finishing the year on a high note. We’re kicking our challenges up a notch, adding workouts to our schedule and learning more about nutrition and health.

The power of perseverance has taught us a lot in 2011, and it’s time we celebrate it. We’ve seen it yield results and felt it take our Bari practice to the next level. Six week challenges are great, but the real power is in 6 months and beyond. We don’t always love getting up when it’s dark out to hit Bari, but we’ve transformed our bodies with discipline and persistence. Coming back for a night class to drip is exhausting, but we know that extra mile counts more than the first. We indulge, and we enjoy it, but we know we couldn’t do that if we didn’t sweat it out day in and day out.

We’re ready to end the year on a high note. One more month in 2011… let’s sweat it out.