My Favorite Recipes: Meet the Exercise Instructors at Whitman County Library

From left: Library instructors Nancy Stanard, Carissa Little, Crystn Guenthner, Suzy McNeilly and Lisa Johnson.

For those who are interested, there are a number of exercise facilities and classes all over Whitman County, both in Colfax and in many smaller towns. Whitman County Library has space in both The Center and in the Norma McGregor Room.

Classes presently offered include:

Fit and Fun Gentle Exercise with Nancy Stanard, which features stretching, limited movement and range of motion focus for all ages. The class meets on Monday and Wednesday from 10 to 11 a.m.

Nancy taught tap, jazz, ballet and tumbling in her own studio for 39 years. She and Debbie Johnson began step aerobics classes in her studio, which she continued when Debbie stepped aside.

In 2010, Nancy became very ill and had to close her studio. In 2014, she began teaching exercise classes at the library. Her class incorporates weight training and dance. Now she is studying for a certification for group fitness.

Boot Camp with Carissa Little provides high-intensity workouts Monday and Wednesday from 6 to 7 p.m. Little took dance lessons from Stanard.

Little has been a personal trainer for eight years and has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. While hanging out at the gym with her husband, she began training. They have three children, ages 7, 5 and 18 months. She is certified to teach spinning, Zumba, Pilates and muscle fusion. She recently completed massage therapy school and practices at Bliss. Her specialty is rock taping, which is supposed to aid in healing.

Suzy McNeilly teaches yoga classes, which she began doing in 2009. She first was introduced to yoga in 1990 in Iceland, which included more meditation. In addition to yoga, Suzy has taught water fitness and coached high school swimmers.

Her classes include:

Flex and Flow Yoga – focus on foundation, alignment and breath while building strength, flexibility and focus on Thursdays from 12:05 to 12:55 p.m.

Yin yoga – A practice focused on holding poses in seated, supine and prone positions for longer periods of time, focusing on ligaments, tissues and fascia, on Thursdays from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Yoga for balance and aging – Build core strength, strengthen legs, improve balance and agility on Thursdays from 8:30 to 9:15 a.m.

Vinyasa – Suzy and Crystn alternate teaching this class. It is an energetic flow linking movement with breath, building strength, flexibility and focus. Tuesday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Crystn Guenthner is a newly-certified yoga instructor. She also teaches at Nourish in Moscow. She does Warrior Wednesdays. Her Restorative Yoga class is Tuesday from 12:05 to 12:55 p.m.

Lisa Johnson is a recent teacher but long-time practitioner of Nia, dance and yoga. She wanted to lose weight when she began taking the class. She wants people to feel free to dance, like one is when dancing to rock and roll. Lisa became a teacher because, “If I’m teaching, I show up!” She teaches an amalgam of Nia, ecstatic dance, modern dance and free dance.

If you are interested in trying a class, Suzy suggested, “Come and try it four times, and then you can decide if it’s for you.” Yoga classes at the library are free for adults 65 and older, thanks to a very generous private donation.

As for learning to cook, Crystn learned from her mother-in-law, with whom she and her husband lived right after they married. Lisa learned from her mother and by trial and error. Carissa remarked, “I don’t know that I know how to cook.” She tries to use whole foods and no diet foods and cooks what the kids will eat.

Nancy’s parents owned restaurants, so she learned from them. After she was married and teaching dance, Glenn cooked Monday through Thursday nights, and he has updated her. They try to eat healthy food. Suzy learned from her mom. She grew up in Japan and enjoys different kinds of food. Sadly, she is allergic to wheat.

These exercise instructors are not licensed to give nutritional advice, although Nancy tells her students, “Bring treats on major holidays.”

Recipes:

Nancy Stanard’s “Chicken and Rice” Dinner

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 dry onion soup mix

2 soup cans milk

1 cup uncooked rice

Chicken pieces

Spray roasting pan (which has a lid) with Pam.

Mix together soups, milk and rice. Top with chicken pieces. Make sure no rice is on top of chicken, or it will not cook.

Bake at 350 degrees F for two hours; covered for the first hour and uncovered for the second hour.

Carissa Little’s Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup

1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup diced onion

6 cups peeled and chopped carrots

1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, passed through garlic press

7 cups chicken stock

1 teaspoon pepper

1 Tablespoon salt

Juice of 2 fresh oranges

Place olive oil in pan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft. Add carrots, sweet potato and garlic. Cook until soft, about 15 minutes.

Remove pan from heat; add chicken stock, salt and pepper and return to heat.

When boiling, reduce heat and add orange juice. Simmer one hour.

Using a blender or immersion blender, puree soup.

Serve hot. Garnish with chives or yogurt.

Lisa Johnson’s Thai Peanut Sauce for Dipping

1 can of coconut milk

2 Tablespoons of red curry paste (available at international food stores or in international aisles of most grocery stores).

2 Tablespoons of fish sauce (available at international food stores or in international aisles of most grocery stores).

2 Tablespoons of soy sauce

1/2 tsp of salt

1/4 cup of sugar

2 Tablespoons of tamarind concentrate (available at international food stores).

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

4 Tablespoons of peanut butter

1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil

Heat the vegetable oil over medium heat in a sauce pan and stir in red curry sauce until curry aromas are released (a few minutes). Add coconut milk, sugar, fish sauce, salt, soy sauce, lemon juice and tamarind. Stir while simmering for about 10 minutes. Add peanut butter and mix well. Simmer for about five more minutes. Serve with chicken skewers (satay).

Crystn Guenthner’s Thai Quinoa Salad

2 cups quinoa

1 can unsweetened coconut milk

1+ cup veggie stock or broth

1-1/2 cups fresh cilantro

3/4 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts

1/3 cup Siracha

2 Tablespoons grated lime zest (from about 3 medium limes

2 pounds freshly chopped veggies like carrots, broccoli, scallions, red pepper or whatever you have on hand.

1 cake firm tofu

Cook two cups quinoa in the coconut milk and veggie stock (about the same grain to liquid ratio as brown rice).

Steam the finely chopped veggies.

The dressing is the key – combine the following in a food processor, or this quantity also works in a bullet:

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (from about 3 medium limes)

1/4 cup toasted sesame oil

1 Tablespoon packed dark brown sugar

2 medium cloves

2 medium garlic cloves

1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

Siracha and sesame oil quantities seem like a lot, but do not skimp!

Gently fold together cooked quinoa, veggies, one cake of firm tofu, chopped into small cubes (and browned in a fry pan, if preferred) and dressing, and garnish with cilantro, peanuts and thinly sliced scallions.

Suzy McNeilly’s Chai Snickerdoodle Cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (can substitute gluten-free flour. Add 1 more egg if GF flour used)

2 Tablespoons chai tea leaves, pulsed in food processor until finely ground

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/4 teaspoon salt, optional and to taste

For rolling:

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon cardamom

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large mixing bowl and electric mixer), combine the butter and sugars and beat on medium-high speed until creamed and well combined, about three minutes.

Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the egg(s) and vanilla and beat on medium-high speed until well combined, light and fluffy, about three minutes.

Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the flour, chai tea, cinnamon, cardamom, baking soda, ginger, cloves, cream of tartar and optional salt; beat on low speed until just combined, about one minute.

Using a medium two-inch cookie scoop or your hands, form approximately 12 equal-sized mounds of dough (two heaping Tablespoons each), roll into balls and flatten about halfway.

Place mounds on a large plate or tray, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least three hours, up to five days. Do not bake with unchilled dough because cookies will bake thinner, flatter and be more prone to spreading.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or spray with cooking spray.

For rolling:

In a small bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and cloves and stir to combine.

Dredge each mound of dough through the cinnamon-sugar.

Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least two inches apart (I bake eight cookies per sheet) and bake for about nine minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked in the center; do not over bake for soft, pillowy cookies. Cookies firm up as they cool. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before serving.

Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week or in the freezer for up to six months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days, or in the freezer for up to four months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.