I don’t know about you but I get annoyed at the grocery store spending $1.50-$2.00 on protein bars, especially when I look at the ingredient list and there are ingredients that I can’t pronounce or there is fake sugar products used like splenda or aspartame.  There are very few brands that actually make all natural, healthy, and delicious snack bars.  But to throw a couple shout outs I do like Kind Bars, the protein comes from whole nuts, and That’s It, we sell these at The Green Yogi and are healthy, but no protein just fruit…

Which is why I like to try making my own protein bars and am always on the look out for recipes that I can tweak depending on what I have in my pantry and fridge.  The next recipe I am going to try is one for a Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Protein Bar from Averie’s Blog Love Veggies And Yoga, I was drawn to the recipe because I always use our too ripe bananas for banana bread but wanted to find a new, yummy, practical use for our brown bananas!  These can be gluten, soy and animal product free if you use the right substitutions.  But be creative and experiment with your own favorite flavors and let me know how it goes.

You can then wrap them individually so they’re ready to go when you need a quick snack or wait to cut them individually.  I’m keeping mine in the freezer so they last longer.  Enjoy!

Be Inspired,

Kelly

grapefruit on our coffee table

Use fruit!  I’ve mentioned my need to constantly consume the fresh stuff before…  But what better way to use it before it’s consumed by displaying it in a pretty bowl, basket, or hurricane?

centerpiece on kitchen table now, lemonade later

True, fruit can last longer in the refrigerator, but for the most part it tastes way better at room temp.  S0 use whatever fruit is in season, right now we have lemons and grapefruits galore from my parent’s trees…  But other great options are pears, oranges, apples, avocados, tomatoes, grapes, mangoes, artichokes, be creative!  That way you bring color and nature in to your living space without spending money on flowers that wilt and die within a couple days.  It’s also a great way to keep healthy foods top of mind.  Why would you open your pantry for crackers when you have gorgeous fresh fruit staring at you from your kitchen table?

image from stylefiles

Be Inspired,

Kelly

Members of the Broadway cast of “Godspell” do their flexible best. From left: Uzo Aduba (doing the wheel), George Salazar (extended-hand-to-big-toe pose) and Nick Blaemire (headstand).

And like other cultural topics our 24/7 media hyperbolizes, to some bashing yoga is the new band wagon of the moment.  So this yogi is going to throw her 2 cents in too…

You can get hurt walking to your car, you can get hurt having a massage, sitting at your desk day after day in an uncomfortable chair, wearing high heels, barefoot, running, biking, lifting weights, playing tennis, commuting to work, you get my point?  And  guess what?  You can also get hurt in a yoga class, especially when you are not mindful of your practice.

One of the 8 limbs of yoga, yamas, teaches us and what yoga teachers need to keep top of mind during class, the concept ahimsa, which translates to nonviolence.  Ahimsa doesn’t just refer to not inflicting pain on others or yourself but more specifically to the love we need to show humanity and our own body physically, verbally, and mentally.  ”Ahimsa means maintaining compassion towards yourself and others.  It means being kind and treating all things with care.”  Yoga Journal

If we are violent to our body it means we are not listening to it and violence and awareness do not coexist.  One of the main purposes of yoga is to cultivate awareness from within, therefore violence negates all our practice’s purpose.  If you are in a yoga class moving through asanas (poses) and NOT practicing ahimsa you are inhibiting yourself and unable to experience the true benefits of yoga.

The next time you are in class, ask yourself if you are pushing when you should be pulling back, fighting when you should be surrendering, or forcing a pose when your body is telling you to stop.  If you think, “but I’m just doing what my teacher is telling me!”  Realize your teacher can’t feel what you feel and they are simply offering you a guided instruction, which you need to modify to best accommodate your own practice.

When my teacher explained ahimsa to me my entire outlook on yoga changed.  As a former dancer and athlete I had to let go of my performance/result based mind set (ego) and resign myself to the process and moment.  The goal of yoga is not to have a perfect Virabhadrasana 2 (warrior 2) or any pose for that matter.

Image from: FitSugar

Rather it is to be constantly vigilant and observe how your body feels while being aware of your thoughts and intentions.  We need to be stewards of our own bodies, conscious of our breath, listen to our teachers, make individual adjustments as necessary, and find our own edge.  Yoga is a practice, no one has ever mastered it, nor will they ever.

Therefore, practice yoga to learn.  Seek out teachers that make sense to you, ask them questions, and develop relationships.  We must use personal responsibility, listen to our bodies, and have love for our whole self.  Yoga will wreck our bodies if we practice recklessly, but so will having bad posture when we sit in a chair.  If you take a challenging class and ignore your body’s warning signs then experience pain or an injury it is because you were not aware, not because yoga is harmful.

Be Inspired,

Kelly

Imagine how happy I was when I opened my stocking Christmas morning to find a recipe box from Annie B. Bond with 50 formulas for nontoxic cleaning solutions! Thank you Santa;)

Eco-Clean Recipe Box

I’ll be sharing a new recipe weekly, so if you’re like me and want safe cleaning products without the chemicals and potential risks they bring, enjoy!  And if you have any green non toxic magic recipes you always use, please let me know, I’d love to try them.

1st up, an All-Purpose Cleaner

Deodorizing Spray: To reduce odor and leave a light fragrance in the air.  Use instead of products like febreeze or candles

makes: 1 cup

prep time: 2 minutes

shelf life: forever

storage: leave in the spray bottle (make sure you label it though!)

ingredients: 8 drops lavender oil, 4 drops each of bergamot and clove oil, 2 drops peppermint oil, 1/2 cup vodka, 1/2 cup distilled water.

Mix the ingredients in a spray bottle and shake.  Spritz in the air 4-5 times in the areas of your house/space you feel need freshening.  Avoid contact with your eyes.  The oils can all be purchased at health food stores or herb suppliers.

Variations

You can use other essential oils for your deodorizing spray if you like different scents.  Another combo to try is 8 drops lavender, 4 drops rose and geranium oil, and 2 drops bergamot oil, with the vodka and distilled water.

Happy Cleaning,

Kelly

If an apple doesn’t sound like dessert to you I agree but with a little doctoring you can achieve some of the taste and flavor of your favorite apple pie with 5% of the calories, 0% of the fat, and 3 ingredients.  An apple, a lemon, and some cinnamon.

3 Ingredients

Directions

1st: slice your apple and place in a bowl, I slice mine thin so it takes me longer to eat it and I feel more full.

2nd: cut your lemon in half, poke 1 half a couple of times with your knife, then squeeze it over your apple slices.

3rd: sprinkle cinnamon over your apple, stir or shake apple slices in your bowl, and enjoy.

4th: if you want seconds go for it, you have the other half of the lemon!

Apple Dessert

Hey, it’s not exactly apple pie but it is 1 step in the process of making a homemade pie and it’s a delicious alternative to all the calories and fat…

FYI

My favorite type of apples are Organic Fuji Apples.  Apples are a fruit you might want to pay the organic price tag for plus if you store them in the fridge they last up to 4 months so buy in bulk when there’s a special at the market.  Pesticides and impurities are more likely to penetrate an apple’s skin than say a banana or orange.

Apples start to brown after slicing them, why?  When your knife slices through the apple skin, the enzymes and iron present in the apple oxidize, because there’s oxygen in air.  Much like untreated metals (iron) will start to rust over time…

But if you use lemon juice, it’s not only flavorful, when it’s applied to the fruit it slows down oxidation in two ways.  First, lemon juice is abundant in Vitamin C, which is a natural antioxidant and reduces oxidation.  Ever wonder why your dermatologist recommends you to use a serum with Vitamin C?  Because it brightens your skin tone!  Secondly, the ascorbic acid in the lemon juice reduces the pH value of the surface of the apple to a lower level, therefore oxidation doesn’t to occur.  Acids have low pH’s!

Applying lemon juice holds true for pears, potatoes, eggplant, and other fruits and vegetables which turn brown just like apples do.  If lemon juice is not available, you can also try using orange or lime juice, salt water can do a good job as well to avoid the browning effect but I think it depends on what you’re trying to preserve, better for veggies.

Bon appetit!

Kelly

Why do you practice yoga?

We all have our own reasons to roll out our mats.  I practice because yoga’s teachings and traditions make sense to me.  It’s a complete body workout where I can find my own edge, center my mind, sculpt my muscles, sweat profusely, cleanse my toxins, feel invigorated and light for hours after practicing, with an added bonus of being able to visit with friends at The Green Yogi, so great!

But even with all those fantastic reasons sometimes I need extra inspiration.  Which is exactly what I got when I watched this beautiful yoga sequence by Briohny Smyth from Equinox.  It reminded me of the purity of yoga and that all I need is my mat and body to practice.

We all look to different places for inspiration.  Friends, family, books, movies, teachers, art, quotes, youtube!  However, the one source of inspiration we always have to draw on is our own.  Which is why yoga is so meaningful, it is our own inspirational practice.  Sometimes we just have to be reminded!

You have everything you need to practice now within you now.  And everything you will accomplish in the future you already have waiting within yourself.

Be Inspired,

Kelly

A friend of mine recently had a beautiful baby girl and after her birth a friend of ours set up a Meal Train. If you’ve never heard of the website or concept, I hadn’t either, but it is genius!  mealTrain.com is a free solution that simplifies the organization of giving and receiving meals for new parents after the arrival of a baby, post surgery or illness, welcoming a new neighbor, offering condolences, really any event in an individual’s or family’s life when having home cooked meals by the people that love them is super helpful.

By allowing the giving party to take into account the recipient’s preferred meal times, food preferences, and available days, the site helps ensure that the recipient gets the meals they enjoy on the days that are most helpful to them and their schedule, like I said genius!

So for my meal I fixed one of my favorite dishes my mom made for us growing up, Chicken Curry.  But instead of the traditional butter and heavy whipping cream she uses I substituted for olive oil and Greek Yogurt, then added even more vegetables to the mix therefore calling it Chicken and Veggie Curry, yum!  It’s essentially a 2 pot meal, and after chopping the veggies super quick, it only took me 25 minutes, easy, healthy, and delicious.

curry on the left rice on the right

Ingredients

6 chicken breasts or extra firm tofu for you veggies out there:)

1 green pepper

1.5 cups diced celery, I use the tops too:)

1/2 cup green onion

1/3 cup chopped parsley

1/2 lb mushrooms

1 cup broccoli

1 cup cauliflower

1 tart green apple

1 jar chopped pimentos

1/2 cup dry white wine

1.5 Tbs paprika

1.5 Tbs curry powder

1/2 cup flour (I used wheat), leave this out if you are gluten/carb sensitive:)

2 cups chicken stock

1.5 cups heavy whipping cream (I used 2% Greek Yogurt)

1/2 lb butter (I used 4 Tbs of olive oil)

1 cup brown rice

Optional Toppings

raisins

shredded coconut

fresh mango/mango chutney

Directions

1st: Cook brown rice per directions on the bag.

2nd: Boil chicken for 20 minutes.  After they are cooked and cooled cut/tear into pieces.

3rd: Saute onion, green pepper, mushrooms, celery, parsley, and apples in 3 Tbs of olive oil (or 1/3 lb butter)

4th:  Melt remaining butter or use 1 Tbs of olive oil in a dutch oven or big pot, add spices and flour.  Gradually add chicken stock and Greek yogurt (or cream).  Cook on medium stirring constantly until it is thick and smooth.

5th:  Add all the veggies to the sauce you just created.  Then add chicken, pimentos, and white wine.

6th:  Steam broccoli and cauliflower in the microwave.  Put a Tbs of water in a bowl and microwave for 3 min.  Or do it on the stove top.  Add it to the curry.

chicken and veggie curry

You can serve the curry immediately on a bed of brown rice or let it marinate for awhile in the juices letting it cool then refrigerate overnight and reheat it the next day on the stove, the flavors are even better after it has sat for a bit!

There are also lots of options for toppings…  I grew up with golden raisins, shredded coconut, and mango chutney.  But I’ve also used regular raisins and fresh mango.  If it’s in season I would use the fresh mango if I were you, it’s pretty special!

chicken and veggie curry with brown rice

Bon appetit,

Kelly

Did you make any resolutions for 2012?  Possibly to have more balance, eat healthier, sweat more, earn more money, have a middle of the room Pincha Mayurasana,  travel to new places?  Regardless of what you want to manifest in your life you have to be able to believe in it first to be able to achieve it and stick to it later.

Researchers at the University of Illinois in Champaign found that among previously sedentary people that committed themselves to a three day a week workout schedule for at least 21 days were able to successfully stick to their new regimen for the rest of the year!

Those of you that are registered for our Yoga Challenge here at The Green Yogi are setting yourselves up to achieve what you believe you can do, 20 classes in 30 days.  The bonus of achieving this goal is your are prioritizing your practice and making yoga a part of your daily routine, congrats!

If you aren’t signed up for our challenge why not make your own?  Purchase a month unlimited package at our studio or any yoga studio and hold yourself accountable.  Get a class schedule, map out which 20 classes work for your calendar (does 20 seem like too much? start with 15 then), put them in your iPhone/Blackberry, set reminders, keep your gym bag/yoga bag in your car, then get yourself to class and enjoy the benefits of your practice!

Planning where, when, and how you want to sweat will cause a change in your behavior that makes yoga more routine.  After just 3 weeks of a continuous yoga schedule you will crave the natural high you feel from your chosen method of sweating.  This is due to the natural release of endorphins from exercise and your body/brain will want to maintain that high everyday; therefore you will continue to roll out your yoga mat to sweat.

And this will hold true not just for yoga but any form of exercise you want to become routine, as well as eating healthfully, traveling to exciting places, implementing balance, etc.  It is not going to happen over night though, you might have a lapse or two or three… But the most important thing to remember is to not give up, allow yourself time to break your negative habits, in yoga we call them samskaras, and implement routines that serve your daily life and how you choose to live it!

Much love,

Kelly

What are your New Year’s plans this weekend?  What’s that, no real plans?  Me neither…  But I’m kind of excited!  We will be at home in Manhattan Beach, the weather is supposed to be beautiful, mid 70′s, at The Green Yogi Jamie is teaching her awesome flow at 8 AM on Saturday which will be followed by a sweat pumping flow class with Mary at 9:30 AM.  Plus there is swell scheduled to hit this weekend so my husband is pumped, did I mention I love Southern California?

If you are in need of inspiration for celebrating the start of 2012 and don’t want to deal with reservations, arranging drivers, or paying way too much for a glass of champagne why not have a staycation and host your own NYE party?  I came across this post from Camille Styles and was instantly inspired to take advantage of Southern California this weekend and host my own wine and cheese party this Saturday night!

I’m picturing 10-14 friends in cozy sweaters and jeans, playing Taboo and Gin Rummy, while trying a wide variety of our favorite wines, organic bottles from Coturri Winery, a selection of cheeses like muenster, brie, gruyere, havarti, and reggiano, an assortment of olives, cured meats, french bread, kale chips, and topped off with fresh and dried fruit.  Being 6 months pregnant I will of course have some fresh fruit spritzers on hand;)  I’m planning on hitting Whole Foods  and Trader Joe’s hard tomorrow!

And of course I can’t forget the sweets.  Something simple, probably an assortment of dark, milk and white chocolate truffles.  I have a recipe I’m excited to try from Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten, yum!

Wishing you a happy and safe New Year’s filled with friends, family, and positive intentions.

Kelly

Besides a real piece of fruit, a perfect snack, (which I consume large quantities of on a daily basis and never seem to be able to keep enough in the house) That’s It. snack bars are an easy alternative.

With only 2 ingredients, seriously that’s it, you know you have a whole food snack that won’t bruise in your bag and will help tide you over between a healthy lunch and nutritious dinner.

What’s GREAT about That’s It?

	Only 100 calories! (easy on the waistline)
	3g fiber (helps you stay full longer, aids in digestion)
	Fruit (natural energy boost)
	Vitamins A & C and Beta-Carotene (antioxidant powerhouses)
	Kosher, Vegan, Gluten-free, Diabetic friendly (fits various lifestyles)

So if you ever need a pick me up before your next yoga class That’s it. bars will help fuel your practice!

Namaste,

Kelly