A Sneak Peek Of Pure Barre’s Upcoming Pure Health Challenge

Fellow Winston-Salem and Clemmons Pure Barre lovers: Are y’all excited about the upcoming Pure Health Challenge our studios will be launching at the end of this month? It kicks off on October 30 and runs through the end of the year. (Oh, and the first grocery list for the meal plan will be emailed out TOMORROW, so be sure to sign up so you can start the challenge off strong!)

You should have received an email about the challenge a couple of weeks ago, but in case you missed it, here are all the amazing benefits that come with this challenge (and for only $40 but with a value of $130+, it’s a no brainer):

• TWO intensives (total of a $50 value): Bye Bye Inner Thigh and Lifted Seat
• A weekly Pure Health Meal Plan (keep reading for a glimpse into that piece!) (an $80 value)
• A shopping night at Southern Home & Kitchen in Thruway, complete with discounts on purchases made that evening
• A girls’ night out at Wise Man Brewing in downtown Winston
• A Pure Pups dog meet-up and walk at Reynolda Village
• Giveaways (spoiler alert: someone will win a Vitamix — WHAT?)

Sold? Thought so.

Here’s how you participate:

• Take four classes per week
• Use the Pure Health Meal Plan to make healthy food choices
• Have fun and connect with your Pure Barre community

This is SUCH a good deal, y’all, and I’m especially pumped about the meal plan. It comes complete with a grocery list in addition to recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily, so that saves so much time. Plus, all the recipes are easy to customize if you follow certain dietary plans, such as gluten free, vegetarian, or vegan.

To give you a peek into how tasty these recipes are, I whipped one up (from Week 3 of the challenge) and wanted to share it with y’all! (It was hard to choose one to feature here, because there are so many delicious menu items included in the plan. I selected this one because it’s so open ended. You could make this every day for a month and never eat quite the same thing!) This recipe and the descriptive copy is lifted straight from the Pure Health Meal Plan to give you a sense for what to expect there:

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Tasty, Nourishing Bowl 

We’ve all seen beautiful pictures of mouth-watering bowls filled with amazing veggies, grains and protein and thought, “That looks amazing! Wish I could make that!” Well, now you can! Check out our guide to creating a snap-worthy — but, more importantly –delicious bowl. You can experiment with cold or hot ingredients. You’re only limited by your imagination here! This is also a great way to combine seemingly random or leftover ingredients and make an amazing meal.

-Start with your leafy greens: about two cups of each or any of the following:

• Romaine Lettuce
• Spring Mix
• Kale, chopped and rubbed with lemon and olive oil to break up the leaves
• Arugula
• Spinach
• Swiss Chard
• Alfalfa Sprouts
• Micro-Greens
• Fresh Herbs

-Next, move onto some healthy and tasty carb choices: about half a cup total:

• Rice
• Quinoa
• Lentils
• Black Beans
• Pinto Beans
• White Beans
• Kidney Beans
• Lentil, Quinoa or Black Bean Pasta (found at Trader Joe’s)
• Butternut or Acorn Squash
• Spaghetti Squash
• Corn
• Peas

-Now time for some veggies! This is a great place to add in some color and make your bowl really interesting: pick three and keep each to about a quarter to three-quarters cup total:

• Avocado
• Carrots
• Beets
• Bell Peppers
• Broccoli (steamed, roasted, diced, or riced)
• Cauliflower (steamed, roasted, diced, or riced)
• Tomatoes
• Asparagus (steamed or roasted)
• Radish
• Green Beans
• Cucumber
• Zucchini or Squash (cut up or spiralized)
• Red Onion
• Cabbage
• Mushrooms
• Any marinated veggie like artichoke hearts, asparagus, mushroom, peppers, beans, etc.
• Kimchi

-You do have the option to add some fruit if that would enhance the flavors of your bowl: keep the fruit to about a quarter cup of any of the following:

• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Blackberries
• Pomegranate Seeds
• Sliced Melon
• Pineapple (diced or sliced)
• Apples (diced or sliced)

-It’s time to pick some protein: keep this to about one cup total. Try any of the following or get creative:

• 1-2 Hardboiled Eggs
• Roasted Chicken (shredded, sliced, or diced)
• Marinated Shrimp
• Salmon
• White Fish
• Steak
• Bacon (diced)
• Ground Turkey
• Turkey or Chicken Sausage
• Nuts (walnuts, pine nuts, pistachios, almonds, cashews, etc.)
• Edamame
• Tofu

-Dressing! Check the bonus recipes for some amazing homemade dressings and top your bowl.

-Finishing Touches: this is the fun part (and also tasty)!

• Chia Seeds
• Sesame Seeds
• Poppy Seeds
• Lemon or Lime Juice
• Lemon or Lime Zest
• Chick Peas
• Hot Sauce
• Jalapeno
• Cheese (including, parmesan, mozzarella, goat cheese, or blue cheese)
• Spices or Fresh Herbs
• Bean Sprouts

You’ll want to start by arranging the different parts of your meal in a cereal or pasta bowl. First, place the leafy greens on the bottom with the grains on the other side. Next, arrange the veggies, fruit, and proteins on top. Drizzle with the dressing of your choice. And finally, add your finishing touches. Enjoy!

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Here’s what I went with for my bowl!:

• Base: Romaine
• Carbs: Kidney beans
• Veggies: Cauliflower rice, red onion, and mushrooms
• Protein: Pine nuts
• Dressing: Roasted tomato vinaigrette*
• Salt and pepper

I loved this recipe, because it was easy to make with items I already had on hand, but helped me be more creative with how to use them. I can’t wait to try another bowl with a completely different flavor profile the next time around!

Are you signed up for the Pure Health Challenge? Be sure to join in on the fun before it launches on Monday, October 30! (You can sign up at the front desk of either Pure Barre Winston-Salem or Pure Barre Clemmons.)

*Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette Instructions:

This is a time-intensive recipe, so it would be great to make while you’re at home for the afternoon doing other things.  Roasting tomatoes makes your kitchen smell so good!  Enjoy!

• 12 plum tomatoes, halved and cored to remove seeds
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 t. salt
• 1 t. Italian seasoning
• Pepper to taste
• 2 T. sherry vinegar or red-wine vinegar

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Spread the tomatoes on the baking sheet in an even layer. Bake until the tomatoes are breaking down and the juices get thick—should be about an 1 hour and 20 minutes to 1 hour and 35 minutes.

Add tomatoes and remaining ingredients to a blender, Vitamix, or food processor. (Careful to blend hot tomatoes—you might want to let them cool a bit.) Let the dressing cool completely before serving. Place in an airtight container in the fridge to last about 3-4 days.