The Honeynut Squash is a mini version of the butternut squash. I first discovered it at Trader Joe’s and then at the local Farmer’s Market. They are easier to slice and peel compared to butternut squash. I have been using a lot of squash this fall. It is so nice to cook in season!
I saw a version of the Squash soup recipe on Little Bites of Joy’s Blog. I was inspired to try it with the Honeynut Squash. You can substitute butternut squash or acorn squash.
Honeynut Squash Soup
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 tablespoon coconut oil
3 Honeynut squash, cubed (or about 5-6 cups)
1 can full fat coconut milk
Chicken or Vegetable Broth
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
Saute the chopped onion in coconut oil until soft. Add the cubed squash and cover with broth. Bring to boil and lower hit to simmer for 25 minutes until the squash is soft. Add 1 can coconut milk and blend with an immersion blender. Add salt and pepper to taste.
A special treat: Topped with crumbled cooked Niman Ranch Maple Bacon.
Can you hover over a public toilet? A question you probably don’t think about until you are in that situation. I am very proud of that fact that my OutdoorFit ladies think of me when they are using a porta potty. A skill you really don’t want to lose.
I have entered Dr. Oz’s Next Great Trainer contest. Of course, I thought it was the Next Greatest Trainer! I had to create a short video about why it should be me! You will want to watch the video all of the way to the end. Lovely Elaine, 79 credits me for her ability to use a Porta Potty! So Exciting!
My Mission is to empower women to be Fit and Fabulous at any age.
Are you able to get down on the floor to play with your Grandkids? Can you spend the day in NYC and run to catch the train or at least walk fast? Do you love to garden, but have stopped because it is too hard on your back? It doesn’t have to be that way!
My goal is for my clients to have energy and vitality to do what they want!
Many of my clients came to OutdoorFit because they knew they needed to work out. My women soon learn that they are able to increase their weights and do a push up off the ground. They notice they are able to move through their day so much better. Their balance and flexibility improves and their favorite pair of jeans fit.
Does this sound like something for you? Click here to learn more.
See you soon!
Love,
Mary
PS. I will let you know when Dr. Oz calls about the contest!
I haven’t written a post in over a month. I had an event in October that gave me angst and took over my creative thoughts. I am not much of a traveler. I would like to be but it creates anxiety for me. It is really comfortable for me to stay home, teach OutdoorFit and make soup. After awhile that life starts to feel dull.
I have to push myself to say YES!
I am so glad that I said YES this time. My nephew’s black tie wedding on Figure Eight Island, NC was October 21st. My husband Dan and I decided it would be best to leave Thomas at home for this one. Dan was happy to volunteer to stay home with him. I drove myself crazy trying to decide if I wanted to drive 10 hours on a Friday, then turn around and drive 10 hours on a Sunday. Of course, I had to talk to all of my friends about it. I finally made the decision to go.
I left early Friday morning. About three hours in, I thought of my sister Carol. Carol and I never got along. She died 13 years ago, and I haven’t thought about her in a long time. I decided to ask her to be my angel, and invited her on the trip. It felt that she came along with me. I arrived on Figure Eight Island in 10 hours!! An uneventful trip! I even stopped every 2 hours to do a founder to keep my back feeling good.
Do A FOUNDER!
I came home so excited that I had managed the trip by myself in an uneventful manner. I feel like I need to continue saying YES. I had so much fun!
(The outfit is another blog post.) It is another example of saying YES.
Do you have issues saying YES to things? I would love to hear from you.
“Our job is to make change. Our job is to connect to people, to interact with them in a way that leaves them better than we found them, more able to get to where they would like to go. Every time we waste that opportunity, every page or sentence that doesn’t do enough to advance the cause is a waste.” Seth Godin
What a great quote from Seth Godin!
I have a wonderful group of OutdoorFit ladies. I work on bringing variety to every workout. The workouts focus on strength, endurance, flexibility and balance. The women currently range in age from 49 to 79. Wendy, the youngster in the class, will be 50 next week.
OutdoorFit Wendy!
I don’t want OutdoorFit to be considered a “seniorcise” workout. There is something very empowering to all of us saying we are OutdoorFit!
Here is Elaine, 79, who had the courage to come to my class because her daughter felt I could help her. Her balance was off in the beginning, and I was concerned that she was going to fall down. After two weeks of coming to the workout, Elaine was so much better. She was keeping up like a champ!
The positive effects of OutdoorFit spill over into all areas of your life. Your days are so much better when your energy is high and you are feeling great.
I feel like I influence a small group of women. The truth is you really don’t know how many people are changed by your message. I put posts on social media that potentially a lot of people could read. They might just be inspired to clean out the refrigerator, make a cup of Bulletproof coffee or do a burpee. You never know!
“Thank you Mary. I feel great! No sugar cravings, I don’t feel bloated either. I have quit grain before but let it creep back in. Organic and spelt but still not good for me. I have been wanting to go true Paleo for a while now. I am in the right place for that now. Thank you so much for your help. I have used some of your recipes and I like the book, “Against all Grains”. I will keep up with you, your exercises and recipe suggestions. ”
Would you like to try my Grain Free Granola recipe? It is a treat you can have when you finish the 7 day…Feel Fabulous program. Every thing taste better with a little of this granola on top!
Grain Free Granola
3 cups chopped raw nuts
2 TBS Coconut Oil
1 TBS Cinnamon
1 ½ TBS Vanilla Extract
¾ tsp sea salt
1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
Put everything together on a cookie sheet with sides. Stir it and bake on 250 for an hour. Stirring a few times.
Portion control is key. Lots of calories. Delicious!!!
I have been drinking Bulletproof coffee! I add 1-2 scoops of Bulletproof Protein Powder, 1 TBS Brain Octane, 1 TBS Ghee to my Bulletproof coffee that I make in a French Press. It is amazing. I have a cup early morning before I workout. I am not hungry until late morning! It is very grounding and helps with over eating and cravings!
This was such a fun interview with my friend Dorian Meyer. We sat on Dorian’s beautiful porch overlooking Sandy Hook and the NYC skyline. I have been wanting to interview her because she has such amazing energy and spirit! I’ve known Dorian for a long time through running. She was an exceptional runner in her “day”!
During the interview, we talk about fashion, running. and her latest challenge, ultra marathoning. At the age of 57, Dorian is training for a 50 mile Ultra Marathon!
Dorian’s last race was the NYC marathon in 2004. She stopped racing because she needed to take care of her Mom and sister who both sadly had cancer. She describes how running saved her during that time. I had the same kind of experience when Thomas, my miracle kid was in the hospital for 13 months. I would get up, run and then drive to the hospital. It saved me too. You just put one foot in front of the other.
Enjoy the interview.
Go see Dorian for new sneakers at her beautiful blue store in Shrewsbury, NJ. Shore Footed.
One of the reasons I stopped running in road races is because I would be so nervous before the race. Even though it would be fabulous after I finished the race, There was a part of me that thought why am I doing this? So, I quit.
In the past ten – twelve years, I have started to push myself to do more. It can be very boring not to challenge yourself. Part of me wants to be a shining star. I still get nervous and don’t like it much, but I know if I want to improve, I must put myself in positions that are uncomfortable.
I do not like public speaking. I do my best to avoid it. A friend told me to join Toastmasters because I said “SO” too many times in my videos. Who knew? She said I would be so much more effective without filler words. It is amazing how I now hear the filler words, “um”, “ah”, “you know” and “so” when others speak.
I joined Toastmasters last year. I would go but avoided doing the work. I would go to meetings and hope I wouldn’t get called on to speak. What is the point of that?
We meet every Monday and every week I want to quit. As with my road racing, after the meeting, I am usually happy that I went. Toastmasters pushes me out of my comfort zone, but it is in a controlled setting. Everyone is supportive, and they clap after you speak, Good or Bad. So, I have committed to step it up and give speeches.
Yesterday, I gave my second speech and it went well. Of course, I had everyone get up and do a few exercises.
What are you doing to make yourself uncomfortable? Are you pushing yourself to learn and to become more? I am! I have started running again too.
I have noticed that I am a bit tentative about going down the stairs. I am holding on to the railing. Is it because I am getting older? Maybe, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t do something about it.
I did some research about balance and found the work of Dr. Joan Vernikos. She is a brilliant NASA physician who was in charge of the astronaut’s health. She talks about how the astronauts would often have trouble walking after being in space. When they returned these healthy fit astronauts many times would walk with a wide gait. The same way many older people walk. It is because their vestibular system, the apparatus of the inner ear that controls balance would start to atrophy in space. This could happen in a very short period of time.
Side note… Dr. Vernikos gave John Glenn age 77 the okay to travel in space. She was reluctant because of his age. There was one astronaut age 35 with John Glenn that did have difficulty when returning. Senator Glenn walked off the aircraft just fine. “The man with the Right Stuff.”
We are not astronauts but the science does apply to us. Sitting all day and not moving against the force of gravity our vestibular system begins to atrophy. We start to lose our balance. According to Dr. Christiane Northrup,”All of us, regardless of age can improve our vestibular system.”
I am working on the exercise that Dr. Northrup recommends so I can zip down the stairs no hands!
Give it a try and let me know how you do! Of course I will include the balance exercise at OutdoorFit ! It is always more fun with friends!
I spent 16 hours in the car this weekend. My niece got married in Raleigh, North Carolina. We got up very early Saturday morning in NJ to drive to a 3 o’clock wedding that day. We like adventures.
It was a wonderful event! I actually wore a dress that was given to me by a friend. I usually don’t wear a dress because I have to figure out what shoes to wear etc. I have great girlfriends that help me out. It is the perfect fairy Godmother twirling wedding dress. I managed to find flat teal very comfortable shoes with a New Balance insole. Thomas’ tie matched the outfit!
My Fairy Godmother Dress!
The dress is a fashion side note.
I was thrilled because I made the trip without a low back issue. In the past, my left hamstring,and IT band would start to cramp about an hour and a half in. Not this time I was perfectly fine! Thanks to a few years of Foundation Training! My back is strong and I am pain free! Anytime, I got out of the car, I would do a Founder.
Check out the how to video. It is also a great post gardening exercise.
I end every OutdoorFit workout with Foundation Training! If it works for me, it will work for the OutdoorFit ladies. So Good!
” 
MARY KININGHAM 