Beat The Heat with This Chilled Watermelon Gazpacho

July 7, 2016August 28, 2025Anne

I recently took a road trip to Boise. The weather was hot and sunny (100 degrees hot!), and the tiny downtown was clean and bustling with people. It seemed like everyone was into some type of outdoor activity – mountain biking, fishing, camping, boating, rafting. The Boise River Park runs through the center of town and boasts ten miles of paved walking/ biking trails.

Here I am with my toes in the ice cold water.

We stumbled upon this sweet Co-op where we ate several meals. My favorite was a Thai watermelon soup. When I got home I tried replicating the recipe. It was so delicious I wanted to share it with you.

As with all of my favorite recipes, it includes a short list of easy to find ingredients, and is quick and easy to make. You can find fresh lemongrass at Asian markets like Fubonn, or at New Seasons. Scroll down for the full recipe, here’s the basic outline…

Get your ingredients together

your mise en place as they call it

saute your spices

add the pureed watermelon

and you’ve got soup baby!

Thai Watermelon Gazpacho

Ingredients:

6 cups (about 4 lbs) of watermelon – seed, rough chop (to measure your 6 cups) and then puree in a food processor
1 fresh lemongrass stalk – remove root end and outer leaves and finely chop the bottom 4 inches
3 tablespoons shallot, peeled and finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small Serrano pepper (with seeds if you dare)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

In a heavy saucepan saute lemongrass, shallot, ginger and garlic in olive oil over med/low heat for 5 minutes.
Add watermelon puree and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add lime juice, hot pepper, and salt, and stir to combine.
Chill for at least two hours and then serve.

Try this recipe and let me know what you think.

Anne McCranie is a personal trainer and licensed massage therapist in Vancouver, Washington. She offers this recipe to tickle your taste buds. Please see your medical professional for specific dietary advice.

The June Five Exercises For Leg Strength, Balance, Core Strength and Flexibility

June 8, 2016July 3, 2025Anne

We are doing a bit of a leg focus this month. Below are photos of the moves, click here for a full description of the exercises.

Wide squats are one of my favorite exercises. I can remember my former ballet teacher Jojo telling us to do grand plies (the ballet version of this move) any chance we get. Brushing your teeth? Do some grand plies, waiting on the bus, plies. Why? This move strengthens your back, hips, legs, core, and works your balance. What a great exercise!

Anne wide legged squat riverside park 6.10

Reverse Warrior is harder than it looks. You start in a low lunge, then lift your front arm (without letting your knee roll in or sneak back – try to stay in your low lunge). Here Michelle demonstrates this move. Nice work lady!

Calf Raise is another sneaker. Looks easy, difficult to execute properly – that is lifting your ankles right over the middle part of your foot and coming down slowly without crashing down. Try ten of these standing on both feet, then try ten standing on one leg (start on your weaker or tighter leg). When that becomes easy you can graduate to the block, hold weights, or try closing your eyes.

Roll Over. How many times have you heard me say “relax your neck”? Hopefully you hear me say that in your sleep. Why do I repeat this over and over? If we tighten our necks we are not working as efficiently as possible (if your neck and jaw are tight I’m betting your abs are doing nothing) and we are putting ourselves at a higher risk for injury. If you have not done this move with me please do not attempt it from a quick look at this photo, it’s another deceptively difficult move.

Dessert Cactus is an excellent chest and arm stretch. This is a really good one to do if you have been spending a lot of time in front of the computer. Look how happy Kathleen is to be doing her cactus stretch!

Anne McCranie is a Portland (Sellwood) Oregon based Licensed Massage Therapist and Personal Trainer. She offers these photos to remind you of the moves we have done together. Please check with your medical professional before beginning a new exercise program.

To join one of Anne’s ongoing classes call her at (503) 705-4762.

Jonah’s Strawberry Cake

June 7, 2016July 3, 2025Anne

Since my last few recipe posts have been very healthy veggie side dishes (seriously you must try this green soup, it is my new favorite easy summer meal) I decided it was time for a sweet treat! Also my buddy Jonah Sage’s birthday party was this past weekend and since I volunteered to make his cake, and it turned out so delicious, I thought I’d share this easy summer treat with you.

Well actually I made two cakes, one for the adults to eat and one for the babies to smash their faces into. Here is the birthday boy with his cake.

Beverly (Jonah’s mamma) and I decided that strawberries from their home garden would be perfect for baby J’s birthday cake. I was planning to make a 1-2-3-4 cake from scratch until I found pre made angel food cakes at New Seasons. Also I remembered that I had a full week of appointments and since it has been in the 90’s did I really want to fire up the oven? I love this baby but come on, why suffer? So this is more of a “here’s something delicious that I put together that everyone loved” than a recipe. Try it and you will not be disappointed.

If you are not fortunate enough to have hood strawberries growing in your yard, they can be found right now at farmer’s markets (like Moreland on Wednesdays and Milwaukie on Sundays) and local grocery stores. Yes there is a little bit of sugar in the cake, but it’s not too sweet. You could also make mini versions of these using slices of pound cake or mini shortcakes. I used a stand mixer,but if you want a nice arm workout try whipping the cream by hand.

Jonah’s Strawberry Cake

Ingredients:

1 pre-made angel food cake
1 quart of hood strawberries (I’m guessing here, we filled two large tupperware containers from my friend’s garden, if in doubt buy more and freeze any leftovers)
2 cups of whipping cream
4-6 Tablespoons of sugar, separated
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Directions:

1. Prep your mixing bowl by placing the bowl and the beaters (or whisk if you are making by hand) in the freezer for a few minutes.

2. Give your strawberries a bath by rinsing them in cold water. Wait to do this right before you are about to make your cake, otherwise they will get all gross and gooey. These babies are not like traditional strawberries, they are almost as delicate as raspberries.

3. Slice berries in half, sprinkle them with two tablespoons of sugar, stir and and refrigerate while you prep the rest of the cake.

4.Carefully slice your cake into three layers.

5. Start on your whipped cream – place two tablespoons of sugar into your chilled bowl. Add the 2 cups of whipping cream and vanilla and beat just until soft peaks form. This took me maybe 5-10 minutes.

6. Put together your cake – place the bottom layer on a pretty plate. Check your chilled strawberries for sweetness and add sugar to taste. Spread one third of the strawberries over the first cake layer.

7. Top with 1/4 of the creme. Repeat this cake, strawberries, whipped creme process for the next two layers. Cover the whole thing with the remaining whipped cream and serve!

And here is one more photo of this delicious baby, he is so freaking cute I can’t stand it!

Anne McCranie is a Portland (Sellwood), Oregon based personal trainer and licensed massage therapist. She offers these recipes to tickle your taste buds. Please see your medical professional for specific dietary advice.

Client Testimonial – CranioSacral Therapy

April 21, 2016June 24, 2025Anne

A client recently sent me this testimonial…

I have been going to Anne for massage, particularly craniosacral therapy massage, and I must say that she is the best of all who have worked on me. I leave our sessions completely relaxed and refreshed. Anne is not only a highly skilled practitioner, but what makes her special is that she truly cares about her clients, focusing her efforts completely on each session…… DF, Portland

Reading this warmed my heart. I truly love working with my clients to facilitate pain relief, reduced stress and improved quality of life.

This client first came to see me after shoulder surgery (well, actually after his wife told him for months “you should go see Anne” 🙂 ). He was suffering from pain and limited mobility in his shoulder. He did his physical therapy exercises religiously and when he was released from P.T. started seeing me for personal training, massage, and craniosacral therapy. Over the past year he has greatly improved his range of motion. His goal was to be able to lift a suitcase into the overhead bin, or take a bike or kayak off the roof rack without pain and he is now able to do so.

Now that his shoulder pain has subsided we have been focusing on relaxing soft tissue work and CST, or what I call the “massage cranio sandwich”. I work his back, legs, neck and arms using a combination of Swedish and neuromuscular massage, then we do a solid hour of CST. This modality is so relaxing he often falls asleep.

Better sleep, less musculoskeletal pain, improved joint function, better quality of life… Sound good? Call or email Anne to find out how her Movement + massage program can help you!

Anne McCranie is a Portland (Sellwood), Oregon based personal trainer and licensed massage therapist. She offers customized programs to build strength, reduce pain and lower stress. Contact her today for a complimentary consultation. (503) 705-4762

African Curried Cauliflower Recipe

April 6, 2016July 3, 2025Anne

Like other cruciferous vegetables, cauliflower is an excellent source of phytonutrients and enzymes as well as vitamins C, K, B5, B6, folate fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. All great reasons to add this hearty veggie to your diet. Try this curried baked version and let me know what you think in the comments below.

African Curried Cauliflower

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower, chopped into bite sized pieces and rinsed
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 Tbsp caraway seeds
2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp sea salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450.
Toss cauliflower with olive oil, curry powder, caraway seeds, red pepper and salt.
Spread cauliflower mixture out in a single layer on baking sheet.
Roast cauliflower until cooked through and the edges are a little charred – about 20 to 30 minutes.

Anne McCranie is a Portland (Sellwood), Oregon based personal trainer and licensed massage therapist. She offers this recipe to tickle your taste buds. Please see your medical professional for specific dietary advice.