Summer is one of my favorite times of the year to eat. So many of my favorite fruits and vegetables are available to eat and it's such a great opportunity to experiment your seasonal foods.
Last summer I bought my house and had big plans to start a garden come spring. So that's what I did. I spent weekend after weekend prepping the soil getting ready to plant the seeds. Once Mother's Day came around I got all of the seeds in the ground and couldn't wait to see what would happen. I grew up gardening with my parents but I have never started my own. This year I planted three types of lettuce, tricolor beets, tricolor carrots, squash, and tomatoes. Things are finally happening over here.
The lettuce has totally exploded, and is ready to eat. The beets are slowly but surely making there way into life, as well as the carrots, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the squash.
These are only some of my favorite things to eat. I have friends who have radishes and all sorts of fun veggies. That's where small trades come in really handy. Beets for radishes. It's so important to eat these veggies when we can because many of the veggies you buy in the store are brought in from other countries because they are not available to us during winter, hence we are eating out of season which is not ideal for our bodies.
If you need a little help getting started on how to eat your summer veggies, here are a couple of my favorite ways to eat them.
Beet Salad: red or golden. Boil your beets, sautee them in coconut oil, and then add some goat cheese and sea salt for a simple salad.
Squash: depending on what type of squash you have, you can always make your squash into noodles and make a cold summer pasta. Mix it with some home made pesto and parmesan and there you have it.
Tomatoes: sliced red tomatoes with mozzerella, basil leaves, olive oil, sea salt and cracked pepper. Keeping it light is sometimes the best way to go.
I know for me it's sometimes difficult in certain times of the year to stay disciplined about eating my vegetables, that's why when things are growing locally I do the best I can do stay on top of delicious, light, and easy recipes. Not to mention eating your veggies, especially when raw, is a great way to stay cool on hot days.
Guten Appetit!
Thursday, June 19, 2014
Monday, March 24, 2014
Two Days In And So Much Good Food
The benefit of challenging yourself to cook at home every day is that you need to be creative or else you get bored and the challenge doesn't work! I am used to cooking at home, but when I know I have 28 days left of eating at home, I definitely don't want to be eating the same thing every night. So far I have used some of the great resources I received and made some tasty things that I will definitely be making again… but not until next month :)
DAY 1:
Started the day with my favorite berry smoothie: raspberries, blackberries, banana, cacao nibs, chia seed
At lunch I enjoyed some leftovers from the previous night :) A great rule: cook once, eat twice!
Dinner I made miso soup, asparagus corn cakes, and herb roasted chicken
DAY 2:
Started the day with full fat plain yogurt topped with berries, walnuts, chia seed, and cacao nibs
At lunch I wrapped leftover chicken in a flour tortilla and a little sour cream :)
Dinner was buckwheat soba noodles with sauteed kale, sweet corn, tofu, and crumbled goat cheese
Stay tuned for more delicious recipes!
xoxo
DAY 1:
Started the day with my favorite berry smoothie: raspberries, blackberries, banana, cacao nibs, chia seed
At lunch I enjoyed some leftovers from the previous night :) A great rule: cook once, eat twice!
Dinner I made miso soup, asparagus corn cakes, and herb roasted chicken
DAY 2:
Started the day with full fat plain yogurt topped with berries, walnuts, chia seed, and cacao nibs
At lunch I wrapped leftover chicken in a flour tortilla and a little sour cream :)
Dinner was buckwheat soba noodles with sauteed kale, sweet corn, tofu, and crumbled goat cheese
Stay tuned for more delicious recipes!
xoxo
Sunday, March 23, 2014
A Challenge: 30 Days of Home Cooking
There are so many 30-day cleanses, diets, fads, challenges, etc, that seem really unattainable and stressful to succeed in. Just like all humans, I have been in a funk around food. Lately I have been finding it difficult to make a decision about what I want to eat, been going out to eat much more frequently than I typically would, and making food choices that are not as smart as I would like them to be. It happens, but for me my solution is not to do a 7-day juice cleanse. It just won't happen. So my alternative is a 30-day challenge of no eating out, all cooking at home. You want icecream? Make it. You want french fries? Make them. See here with this challenge you are not eliminating foods, but rather eliminating all the middle-men involved in making your food less healthy than it should be. If you are interested in joining me, my dear friend, Edie, has sent me a bunch of great food blogs that I plan on using for 30 days. Here they are:
www.theminimalistbaker.com
www.ohladycakes.com
www.ohsheglows.com
www.ahouseinthehills.com
www.thechalkboardmag.com
These are just a few! I will post more as time goes on and we need more ideas. Feel free to start whenever you'd like… I may start today!
xoxo
www.theminimalistbaker.com
www.ohladycakes.com
www.ohsheglows.com
www.ahouseinthehills.com
www.thechalkboardmag.com
These are just a few! I will post more as time goes on and we need more ideas. Feel free to start whenever you'd like… I may start today!
xoxo
Thursday, March 20, 2014
A Note On Yoga
Maybe #yogaeverydamnday isn't such a great idea. I know I used to think it was. But then after years of needing to practice every day, I realized that I was harboring some negative space around my yoga that I needed to settle. There were days when I practiced twice a day, and the days that I didn't practice at all I was experiencing guilt. Days that I felt like I needed the heated yoga room in order to feel complete. Days where 60 minutes just wasn't enough. The problem is that these feelings are so counterproductive towards what we are trying to accomplish by practicing yoga. I am going to be completely honest here and say that when I made the decision to leave CorePower Yoga, I gained an immense amount of clarity around my purpose in yoga. I realized I had been brainwashed into thinking that practicing every day in 100 degree heat and 30% humidity that I was becoming a better and more well rounded person. What I was doing was taking up so much time in my schedule for a monotonous practice with little to no growth in an environment that felt toxic.
What I have gained by stepping back and listening to what my body really needs, for ME, not for anybody else, is the lesson of slowing down. This has been my greatest lesson so far. The past few years of my life I have been stuck in a pattern… either I'm not doing enough, or I am doing too much. Where is the in-between? Well, I've found that when I feel like I am not doing enough, it's not a sign to start a new business, or change jobs, or switch my schedule, it's about being productive with the time that you are given. Do all of those things on your list that you keep saying you want to do. Read those books that are getting dusty on the shelf, start taking those walks around the lake, write a blog post, or simply catch up on the boring life tasks that we are responsible for as adults (filing paperwork, cleaning, taking the car to get serviced, etc). If the problem is not the above… then take a good long look at your life, and decide to either change what you do, or find a way to love it.
As I'm writing this post, I just stopped and asked myself, "wait, where am I going with this?" Then I remembered. Slowing down. Once I realized that I didn't have to practice every single day, and that I could experience a happy and healthy body without the regimented yoga schedule, then I started really enjoying my life. I chose to dedicate more time to studios that made me happy, started a home practice, and every time I stepped onto my mat, maybe 3x a week, I felt joy and clarity. I FEEL joy and clarity. I'm becoming more aware of what my body is telling me every day, and then I ask myself how I can give it what it's asking for. By slowing down in all ways I can connect to my purpose in a deeper way. I can listen intuitively to all things. I can honestly say I am experiencing freedom.
What I would like to see from all people is the ability to stop, slow down, and listen. Consider what could happen if you chose to live intuitively rather than do what you think you know. It's like Cheryl Deer said today in class, "Fuck alignment, it's great, but start to feel the posture and your body will tell you where to go."
What I have gained by stepping back and listening to what my body really needs, for ME, not for anybody else, is the lesson of slowing down. This has been my greatest lesson so far. The past few years of my life I have been stuck in a pattern… either I'm not doing enough, or I am doing too much. Where is the in-between? Well, I've found that when I feel like I am not doing enough, it's not a sign to start a new business, or change jobs, or switch my schedule, it's about being productive with the time that you are given. Do all of those things on your list that you keep saying you want to do. Read those books that are getting dusty on the shelf, start taking those walks around the lake, write a blog post, or simply catch up on the boring life tasks that we are responsible for as adults (filing paperwork, cleaning, taking the car to get serviced, etc). If the problem is not the above… then take a good long look at your life, and decide to either change what you do, or find a way to love it.
As I'm writing this post, I just stopped and asked myself, "wait, where am I going with this?" Then I remembered. Slowing down. Once I realized that I didn't have to practice every single day, and that I could experience a happy and healthy body without the regimented yoga schedule, then I started really enjoying my life. I chose to dedicate more time to studios that made me happy, started a home practice, and every time I stepped onto my mat, maybe 3x a week, I felt joy and clarity. I FEEL joy and clarity. I'm becoming more aware of what my body is telling me every day, and then I ask myself how I can give it what it's asking for. By slowing down in all ways I can connect to my purpose in a deeper way. I can listen intuitively to all things. I can honestly say I am experiencing freedom.
What I would like to see from all people is the ability to stop, slow down, and listen. Consider what could happen if you chose to live intuitively rather than do what you think you know. It's like Cheryl Deer said today in class, "Fuck alignment, it's great, but start to feel the posture and your body will tell you where to go."
Monday, March 3, 2014
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!
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!
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
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!
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!
Monday, January 27, 2014
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.
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.
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