Is it the weekend yet?

Happy Tuesday Friends! I feel like as soon as the warm weather hits, every weekend is an awesome weekend! This past weekend was no exception…awesome visit from my bestie Michelle, long Saturday morning ride/yoga session, swim meet for my athletes Sunday afternoon & amazing Sunday family dinner…can’t beat it!! With all this weekend excitement I’ve been doing my best to stay productive, remain ‘on task’, & get as much done as possible so I can get the most out of each weekend moment! Phil & I have are still doing our best to eat clean…dairy, gluten and sugar keep sneaking in here and there but its par for the course when the weather is warm as far as I’m concerned.

The added indulgences seem to be the natural reward for all the increased activity and my body seems to agree – I am steadily losing 1/2 lb a week…not that I am actively tracking but its an estimate compared to what I weighed when Phil & I finished our Vabulous Life Spring Detox! More than just the weight, I am feeling more confident with my body, I am noticing my increased strength more and more & I am loving the way my clothes fit…I guess I’m doing something right! This week we’re trying to be as clean and conservative as possible with our eating & spending because we’re heading to Avalon NJ Thursday for a LONG memorial day weekend…I am SOOO excited! I have been looking forward to it for months & I am SUPER excited to finally share progress photos!!

Pose-A-Day: Natarajasana (Dancer), Padmasana (Lotus), Parsva Vasisthasana (Wild Thing) & Sirasana (Headstand) are all available on my instagram feed & Prasarita Padottonasana (Wide Legged Forward Fold) will be up later this evening! I am really enjoying this daily yoga fun & I am already looking for similar challenges moving forward to keep the good times flowing…haha!

Daily Eats

• Breakfast: 1/2 Banana & Peanut Butter
• Snack: Greek Yogurt w/Blueberries & Pumpkin Seeds
• Lunch: Caprese Salad
• Snack: Hummus & Vegetables w/Pita Chips
• Dinner: Sockeye Salmon w/Sweet Potato Wedges & Wilted Spinach
• Dessert: Cacao Banana Mousse w/Shaved Unsweetened Coconut

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Foodie Friday

Its the weekend friends & I couldn’t be more excited to celebrate! Between my roommate’s birthday yesterday, Mother’s Day Sunday & my birthday Tuesday we’ve got lots of partying to do! This week’s Foodie Friday is dedicated to a fun & festive fiesta salad that’s both healthy & delicious…talk about a perfect combo!

Crab Cakes & Fiesta Salad

• 1/2 lb. jumbo lump crab meat
• 1/4 c. panko
• 1 egg
• cajun seasonings
• 1/2 avocado (small cubes)
• 1 lime
• 1/4 shallot (minced)
• 1 fat clove garlic (minced)
• 1/4 bunch cilantro (chopped)
• 2 tbsp EVOO
• salt & pepper
• 1 ear corn
• 1/4 c adzuki beans (or black beans)
• 2-4 tablespoons coconut oil
• Mixed Greens

Start by roasting the ear of corn in oven @ 450 for about 20 minutes & then go to work on the crab cakes – beat egg & add to crab meat with panko & seasonings. Mix together until completely combined & form into patties (should be enough for four large cakes). Place coconut oil in a large non-stick skillet & turn heat onto medium high. While oil heats, wisk together the dressing by adding lime juice, shallots, garlic & avocado together. Slowly add in the EVOO & salt/pepper to taste. Set dressing aside and place crab cakes in oil to cook…flipping after a few minutes per side. Once crab cakes are cooked, allow to sit on cooling rack or plate with a paper towel to get ride of any excess oil & cool slightly. While the cakes cool, assemble the salad -toss the greens & dressing together, then top with corn and beans and toss again. Add the crab cakes to the top, sprinkle the whole thing with cilantro & you’re good to go!

Have a fabulously fun weekend friends!

Pose-A-Day: Yesterday’s Titthibasana (FireFly) is definitely a posture I need to work on but that’s why we practice, right?!?! Keep an eye on instagram for today’s Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand) which I am particularly excited about!

Daily Eats

• Breakfast: Morning Muffin
• Snack: Peanut Butter & Apple
• Lunch: Hummus w/Cucumbers & Carrots
• Snack: Protein Brownie
• Dinner: Tofu Stir Fry w/Quinoa & Spinach
• Dessert: Cacao Walnut Cookies

Don’t Worry, Be Happy

Happy Thursday WordPress Family!

I saw this article yesterday and just had to share! I often blog about tips to help improve your mood & overall sense of being which is exactly what this article is all about!

Just click the photo & you’ll be taken to Greatist‘s fabulous article…

Stay Happy Friends!

Pose-A-Day: yesterday was Virabhadrasana (Warrior 1) & today is Titthibasana (Firefly) which you can check out through my new handy-dandy instagram link!

Daily Eats

• Breakfast: Morning Muffin
• Snack: Cottage Cheese & Apple
• Lunch: Mixed Green Salad w/Tuna & Lemon
• Snack: Protein Shake
• Dinner: Brown Rice Sushi w/edamame & seaweed salad
• Dessert: Chia pudding w/Walnuts & Unsweetened Coconut

Mid-Week Catch up

I cant believe it’s Wednesday already – my goodness how time flies! I’ve gotten so caught up in the magic of May I’ve completely been neglecting my blog 😦

…but life has been too full of fun and folly to forgo even a moment! This past weekend was so beautiful, most of my time was spent outside enjoying sunshine with family & friends! Saturday was the day of festivals in Philadelphia & my siblings and I decided to check out South St. Festival. There were tons of restaurants with sampling tents lining the streets, live music filling the air & people everywhere…we had a blast!

We hit the hay early Saturday night because someone had a big race to run Sunday morning. Phil tackled the Broad St. Run this weekend and I couldn’t be more proud of my wonderful & talented boyfriend! I got up early to make my protein pancakes & ensure he had a hearty pre-race meal to fuel him through the run. It must have done the trick because it barely looked like he broke a sweat!

In other news, I have taken on a new challenge for the month of May and I’m super excited to share! Dhyana Yoga is doing a Pose-A-Day challenge throughout May & I have diligently been instagramming my shots! Yesterday’s pose was Vasisthasana, or side plank. Instead of posting the picture both here and there, I will simply include a link to my instagram with the name of the pose for each day…if you’d like to check it out, follow along, participate, comment, etc..go for it!! 🙂

Daily Eats

• Breakfast: Morning Muffin & OJ
• Snack: Pineapple & Cottage Cheese
• Lunch: Mixed Greens w/Lemon & Tuna
• Snack: Cucumber & Hummus
• Dinner: Goat Cheese & Arugula Flatbread w/Tofu & Broccoli Stir Fry
• Dessert: Black Bean Protein Brownies w/Mixed Berries & Greek Yogurt

Yoga Journal Lessons

Good Morning Friends! My Flyers may not have been able to pull out a victory last night but the sun is supposed to shine today so we’ll call it a win overall! 

As mentioned yesterday, I learned a lot at the yoga conference. More than acquiring physical ways to develop my practice, I took away some deeper messages that I can apply both in my practice and my everyday life.

While I already knew this, the weekend was a major reminder to be authentic to your true self – whomever that might be! There were a myriad of framed messages with Buddhas all over the conference that seems to convey just that…who you are is beautiful, unique and to be celebrated! While we all must wear many hats in this life, its paramount to remember true happiness lies in being honest with yourself and to who you are, even if that someone isn’t who others want you to be – you’ve got to make yourself happy first! I don’t know about anyone else but this is something I struggle with sometimes – in an effort to please others I end up being inauthentic to my true self and become unhappy or resentful…not so good!

Another overarching message I took away from the conference was to slow down & shut up, which again, I already knew but obviously needed to be reminded. There is a universal rhythm…a natural flow to this crazy existence we call life and if  we don’t take quiet moments to catch our breath, we’ll constantly be fighting life’s current. I am committing myself to daily meditation, in addition to the other self-care activities on my list, in an effort to better tap into nature’s rhythm. I know it sounds odd to some but I really believe a calm and peaceful mind can help cultivate creativity & an open heart! When you slow down and tap in, your naturally more open to love life fully because you’re not tensing up from the chaos and stress of battling the day to day!

I could go on for days about all the inspiring messages I took away from the weekend but I think these were the two big ones! In terms of action steps (besides adding morning meditations to my routine), I have officially applied for a yoga teacher training program that starts in the fall, fingers crossed I get accepted & as soon as my gym membership is officially up (5/20) I am signing up for YogaGlo to keep learning from yogis and not just practicing on my own!

Namaste!

 

Daily Eats

• Breakfast: Strawberry Banana Protein Shake
• Snack: Greek Yogurt w/Blueberries
• Lunch: Mixed Greens w/Tuna & Lemon
• Snack: Raw Almonds
• Dinner: Cioppino w/whole wheat sourdough bread
• Dessert: Cacao Fudge Bars w/Unsweetened Coconut

Yoga Conference Breakdown

Happy Hump Day Lovers! My yoga conference buzz is still pushing me through this gloomy week! I know I’ve said I love rainy days but let me be clear, I am not a fan of several in a row!ANYWAY, I promised to share all the amazing details of The Yoga Journal Conference in New York this past weekend! The lovely and talented Kristin Ritter of Nourishing Storm was my partner in crime for the weekend & I couldn’t have been more blessed to have such an inspirational force to share the weekend with!

In addition to our 6 workshops this weekend, Kristin and I decided to do a little yoga throughout the city, striking a pose wherever and whenever the mood struck…

All silliness aside, I learned so much this weekend. I started with Tiffany Cruikshank’s ‘Inspire’ workshop which focused on the breath and harnessing our inner strength with the breath. Afterwards Jason Crandell did a 360 degree tour of the hip joint in his workshop! We dissected all the different muscles that connect/wrap through the hip joint and the connection to the spine/back bending – totally awesome! Finally, I finished Day 1 with Shiva Rea’s ‘rhythmic vinyasa’ workshop. It was all about understanding our synchronicity with the universal rhythm and using the fullness of our breath to tap into that rhythm…totally inspirational!

Day 2 began by de-mystifying revolved triangle with Rodney Yee and his wife Colleen Saidman. The two worked in tandem to expand our understanding of twists & totally revolutionized the way I look at getting into poses, holding poses, and directing my energy during practice…those two are no joke! While I loved Rodney & Colleen’s worksop, it was a total yogic juxtaposition to take ‘down to fly’ with Dana Trixie Flynn next. With rock/rap music blaring, glitter flying & dance parties in between sequencing DTF approach to yoga is definitely unique but I love her message: be authentic to yourself, have fun, & keep it light! I closed the conference with Tiffany Cruikshank’s ‘release’ workshop. Our focus was on myofascial release and boy did we need it! I have messed around with myofascial release after intense work outs but it was totally invaluable to learn from a yoga, sports medicine & chinese medicine expert!

Since this post is already long enough I will save my take aways & action steps moving forward for tomorrow! Game 7 of the Flyers v. Rangers Stanely Cup Play offs is tonight…LETS GO FLY GUYS!!

 

Daily Eats

• Breakfast: Greek Yogurt & Blueberries
• Snack #1: Pumpkin Seeds
• Lunch: Brown Rice Noodles & Tofu w/Vegetables
• Snack #2: Sweet Potato Chips’
• Dinner: Citrus Cod w/Snow Peas
• Dessert: Popcorn & Cacao Fudge Bars w/Coconut

 

Nourishment & Detox Day 4

Happy Thursday! While it was a little harder to get up this morning, I did manage to squeeze 30 minutes of yoga in to start Day 4 of The Vabulous Life Spring Detox! Remember awhile back I mentioned I was asked to consult on the nutrition side of a holistic approach to coaching athletics, specifically swimming?!?! Well, today is our first meeting and I couldn’t be more nervous…probably why I had a hard time getting to sleep last night. Whenever I am feeling this way its so important to get some yoga in…there is something about a great flow that brings me a sense of power, courage and calm I can’t get anywhere else, its AWESOME! In case you were wondering, I was mighty impressed with myself for balancing my phone and successfully snapping this photo, haha!

Anyway, this meeting is a great first step in exploring what I have to offer in the way of nutrition. One of the biggest things holding me back from diving in is trying to figure out how my knowledge, talent and passion can best serve both myself/family & the community/society at large. I love working with the kids I coach and believe strongly there needs to be a change in the way the next generation relates to food/nutrition, so hopefully this is opens up possibilities for bridging that gap between the two – we shall see!!

Phil and I are on Detox Day 4 which is the last ‘preparation’ day before the middle seven ‘detox’ days! We took this opportunity to indulge in one of Phil’s favorites, black beans. Even though we can eat some more easily digestible beans throughout these middle seven days, black beans are not included on that list. We both got home so late I completely forget about the 1/2 avocado I was going to put on top of dinner until we were about half way through…oh well! Dinner was still super satisfying, filling and nutritionally balanced without it.

Tonight we’re going to a concert with some friends, YAY!, so its another rushed dinner for us. Its super important to make time for primary food & evenings out with friends, especially when you’re doing a cleanse or detox.  Scheduling  fun activities with friends will keep you from feeling isolating or deprived which can sometimes happen when following a detox…there are tons of non-food related things to help you feel nourished emotionally while you’re nourishing yourself nutritionally.

 

Detox Day 4

• Breakfast: Green Flax Smoothie
• Snack #1: Pear & Pumpkin Seeds
• Lunch: Tuna Salad w/mixed greens
• Snack #2: Hummus & Celery
• Dinner: Quinoa & Black Bean Salad with 1/2 Avocado
• Dessert: Chocolate Quinoa Pudding

 

How do you nourish yourself?!?!

 

 

Summer Lovin’

Happy Friday!! I know, well at least in my book, summer starts memorial day weekend, but today is the Summer Solstice and the true first day of summer!

Some people mark today with BBQ and beach visits; however, in the yogic world, today is marked by something a little different. In honor of the summer solstice yogis and yoga enthusiasts from all over will do a series of 108 sun salutations. Why 108 you might ask?…well, there are many meanings for the number, some of which I will share below!

-108 is the number of Upanishads. Upanishads are a collection of philosophic texts used to form the theoretical basis of Hinduism. 

-108 is the number of names for Buddha as well as for Shiva in Hindu philosophy

-108 is the number of beads on a mala. A mala is cyclical strand of prayer beads, similar to the idea of a rosary.

-108 is twelve times nine which is the number of vinyasas in a traditional sun salutation.

There are many others you’re welcome to explore for yourself but the idea of the 108 sun salutations is to honor yourself and welcome the change of seasons with a refreshed, renewed self.

A sun salutation consists of 1. inhaling and reaching the arms overhead, 2. exhaling into a forward bend 3. inhaling and lifting half way keeping fingers touching the earth or your shins 4. exhaling to jump or step back into a low push up 5. inhaling into upward facing dog 6. exhaling into downward dog 7. inhaling to jump or step your feet to your hands 8. exhaling into a forward bend 9. inhaling, reaching hands overhead and exhaling them back to heart center.

Arguably 9 is two in one and you don’t have to exhale and bring your hands back to heart center. I feel, and I am not alone in this, it’s more complete and seals the flow to bring your hands back to heart center- plus gives you a starting point for the next 107.

Trust me when I say this is challenging and you’re certainly going to feel the warmth and ache creep through your body. However, the cleansing, detoxifying benefits and the feeling of renewal you experience upon completion is truly elating! 

Dedicate your 108 to someone or something you love and mark the start of your summer right!

 

Namaste!