Pantry Essentials: 10 Things You Should Always Have Around

I've found that as long as my pantry is stocked with very specific things, I can always pull off a healthy meal or snack. Sometimes, without these essentials I am stuck with nothing to eat or something really plain when I haven't gone grocery shopping recently. I'm going to give you the list, and you can get creative! Keep in mind the list is just things that I always have…a must, not that there are not more things that you should have! The list is truly endless.

1. Nuts/seeds: every kind of nut! currently I have walnuts, almonds, and hazelnuts. I lump seeds into this list as well, again go wild on the type of seed you want to have!

2. Almond butter: I don't just say this because I have my own almond butter business, but because it truly is one of the greatest things in the world. Try mine, District Butter Co., or make your own!

3. Medjool Dates: I use dates in everything! Smoothies, granola, wrapped in bacon, you name it.

4. Cacao Nibs: similar to dates, you can throw these into everything and have a ridiculous amount of antioxidants added to your food!

5. Dried Cranberries: I like to eat these alone…. or even today I threw them in my tunafish salad :)

6. Coconut Oil: this is a pantry essential simply because it is an alternative to EVERYTHING. No joke.

7. Honey: obviously not if you are vegan, but I like to throw honey into dinner recipes, dressings, breakfast, tea, etc.

8. Maca Powder: it just is. It improves your vitality and oxygen levels… why not!?

9. Chia Seeds: this one is a no-brainer, but it is a simple way to get plant-based protein into your diet, and just make almost anything healther.

10. Gluten-free oats: such an easy go-to! Granola, add it to yogurt, smoothies, cookies, etc.

I hope this helps, and if you don't have some of these things I encourage you to get them, stock up, and try using them as much as you can!

Start With Something Small...

Being a student and teacher in the world of health and wellness can be both inspiring and confusing at the same time. Throughout nutrition school, I have struggled to find a balance of eating, and consistenly feel like I shouldn't be eating certain things, or that I should be eating more of something else. For the most part I am an incredibly healthy eater… but I have my cravings just like everybody else, and sometimes they get the best of me. There are a few things that I have learned from this process.

1. Eating food is always an experience, not an opportunity to feel guilty. If your goal is to cut back on sugar, and you find yourself eating a chocolate croissant with a friend… it's all good! Recognize how it makes you feel, how if affects the rest of your day, and learn from it… no need to get dramatic about it.

2. Know why you want to change the way you eat. Going gluten free just because everybody else is, will most likely lead to "failure." Read about the downfalls of gluten and ask yourself if you are affected by it, try it out, and if you feel good then stick to it!

3. Only buy the foods that you know you will eat. If you are buying a bunch of kale just to be healthy, but you REALLY hate kale, it will probably end up rotting in your fridge. So find a really delicious way to prepare it ahead of time, or find other vegetables… there are so many veggies out there!

4. Start small. This one is huge for me. It's easy to feel like we need to be perfect eaters, and have the cleanest bodies, but that can be really overwhelming. If cutting out caffeine is a goal of yours, or exploring your digestion is something you need to tap into. Instead of cutting out everything in your food regiment, find one thing you can do daily that will help you get there. For example, drinking a warm cup of fresh lemon water in the morning is great for your belly and will help you make better food choices throughout the day! Give it a try.

Happy Eating!

Tools to Living the Life You Want to Live

I believe that everybody needs support. That everybody deserves to ask for help, and that it's hard to do most things alone. I have spent the last 5 years in trainings, school, getting a certification for something, and building all sorts of credentials. But now is the time that things need to start happening. I have put a lot of time and money into education, and I have no other option but to put my knowledge to the test. School is safe for me, for most of us, so not being in school requires having the right support system helping you to get where you need to be, and understanding that where you are now is totally ok. For those of you who know what I'm talking about, and those of you who are working into a big shift in your life, the following links are people/tools/things/inspiration, for getting you there.

www.thenuminous.net

www.eyla.com

www.elizabethrider.com

www.integrativenutrition.com  - for those of you interested in getting into Health Coaching.

www.theartofattention.com  - this is mostly because everybody should own this book.

www.ericajago.com

I hope that you find these links helpful, some of them are just people, because I find people that are succeeding in the world I hope to, the most inspirational. Find the ones that will guide you and mentor you and get on your path.

Granola: Start making good food at home.

As many of you may have seen from my postings on my blog, Instagram, and Facebook, making food at home is a big part of my life. I'm always trying new recipes that are quick, easy and healthy. My go-to foods, are roasted golden beets, kale chips, avocado slices, fruit, smoothies, almond butter, etc. The following granola recipe is quick and easy and makes A LOT that you can store for up to two weeks! Check it out :)

3 cups- raw oats
1 cup- chopped nuts (i like walnuts and almonds)
1/2 cup- coconut flakes
1/4 cup- raw cacao nibs
7 whole, pitted, chopped dates
3 tbsp- grade B maple syrup
2 tbsp- coconut oil
1/2 tsp- sea salt

preheat at 300, bake for 15 minutes.
store in cute mason jars :)

2014 Is My Year

When a new year begins, resolutions are set, and the intention to follow through is high. At this time in the yoga community this is all anybody talks about, and anybody themes about. But what isn't talked about so much is how to follow through with them. Or moreso, how important is this resolution to you? As I sat down to think about what I wanted to accomplish this year, so many things came to mind. I'm not usually one to create resolutions, and I typically try to work on improving my life at all points in the year. But there is something to be said about really putting your best effort in when a new year begins. A tangible, physical day, that can mark the start of your brand new goals. Last year was nuts. I started a new romantic relationship with somebody special, I bought a house, I started nutrition school, I started a new job, I quit that new job, started my own almond butter company (support local!), and the list goes on. Why did so many things happen last year? Because I get excited about ideas and doing new things and I start them without thinking... they don't always end well. 

Having the habit of always needing something new to satisfy you isn't always productive. Last year while I began many new projects, I also neglected some really important things. Like being organized, staying focused, listening to my yoga, staying grounded. All the fundamental things that create the person I really want to be. Life is an experience, we all know that, but the lessons you get from them are what make you grow. And this year I am committed to learning from my past. And then letting it go. 

Here is a list of things I am committed to this year:

1. Listen well.

2. Respond well.

3. Be compassionate and love big. 

4. Trust the people that love me most. 

5. Stay organized (ie, fill every piece of important paper I get in the mail).

6. Save money.

7. Read more... we all have time, because being busy isn't an excuse anymore. 

8. Spend more time on self-care. 

9. Don't take things personally.

10. Dedicate more time to things I have already created... because those things are really awesome. 

I could come up with so many more, but these ten committments are attainable and doable for me. Because I am dedicated to my list, I know that 2014 is my year. 

District Butter Co.

I think the one thing that allows me to stay authentic to who Clare really is, is the fact that I always have a new project. It is really difficult to be ok with just one or two things. It rarely works for me. I make career shifts annually, maybe more, and I have a burning desire to always learn more. I'm not very good at traditional school, but like most people, if it's something that I'm really interested in, then I can absorb the information and be inspired. Currently I am a full time yoga teacher and Thai Massage Therapist. It requires a lot of emotional energy and you need to stay balanced in order to have this job. I am not claiming that I am balanced all the time, because I am not. I have ups and downs regularly, something I am working on. But massaging and yoga, two things that require physical labor, are very exhausting. And if I know myself as well as I think I do, i'll get bored and burned out if I do it too long without adding something else.

SO.

My other passion is nutrition and eating well. At home I like to cook a lot and experiment with new recipes. Most of the time I am just making things up, so it's really hit or miss, and many times it's hard to do the recipe the same twice. My most recent business endeavor is one of my favorite things... Almond Butter! My company is called District Butter Co. It's delicious. I have three nut butter options. One of them, the one I am most excited about, is my collaboration with local chocolate company, Ritual Chocolate. It's just Ritual Chocolate, almonds and sea salt. Yum. My other options are classic almond butter, and walnut almond cinnamon. "like" it on Facebook :)

I think the biggest thing I am learning from nutrition school is to make the cleanest and smartest decisions about food. So although I may not become a health coach, I am learning how to connect people with clean eating. I am excited to give me something healthy to eat. But the thing I love most about making almond butter, is that I get the chance to create something.

If I have learned anything in my life, it's that you must always create. Get your hands in something and be unique. It uses a different part of your brain and allows you to engage in a way that you don't always get to. For me in builds confidence and allows me to proud of something that nobody else is doing.

So, create! Get started with something you love. Be inspired.

Gluten Free

I have been wanting to go gluten free for a while. I think it is an awesome thing to do, and let me just set the record straight.... it's not trendy, it's smart. Gluten intolerances have always been there, it's like everything else, it just takes awareness and education to make the shift. I have been thinking about being gluten free for over a year, and for some reason I have struggled with making the switchover. I think maybe I am afraid of not being able to eat scones and croissants? But when I dig deep and think about why I am doing it, I know that I will feel so much better, and that I can find my indulgences elsewhere.

Today is day 3 of being gluten free, and I feel great! It's really not a challenging thing to do, and considering the health benefits, I think I'll stick with it. The best part is that it gives me an opportunity to play with new recipes, try new things, and really get creative in the kitchen. This morning, for example, my dear friend, Nita, inspired me to make banana pancakes. They didn't turn out exactly how I wanted, but they were pretty tasty, and packed full of protein and potassium. When you are making gluten free baked goods, you can pretty much fill it with every delicious nutritious ingredient you can find in the kitchen. Flax, chia, almond flour, proteins, maca, raw cacao, all sorts of superfoods, and the plus in that those ingredients are what make the recipe.

Just as a recap for those of you considering going gluten free, anything that is derived from wheat, barley, and rye contain gluten. Stay away from those items and you are set. Check the ingredients on all packaging to make sure they are truly wheat free, and cook at home more!

9/10 times I make a smoothie for breakfast, but today was banana pancakes:

2 bananas, mashed
2 eggs
pinch of baking powder (aluminum free)
pinch of sea salt
cook in coconut oil
drizzle with raw honey

yummmyyy.