Shake 'n Sniff

I am so excited to share today’s post because it comes from an amazing friend of mine, Jessica Mulvey. I met Jessica while we were both studying and practicing to become Certified Yoga Instructors and we shared an amazing journey together. Jessica has now moved on to become the Founder and Owner of YogaBabes and has an incredible blog where she writes about yoga, nutrition, and lifestyle tips. Not only does Jessica “write” about these topics but also “demonstrates” some of her favorite yoga postures in video!

One lifestyle tip or trick that she posted was this super cute DIY Shake ‘n Sniff. Now the reason I am sharing this with you today is because the biggest shopping day of the year is just around the corner. I absolutely love the holidays and this includes buying gifts for my loved ones – but nothing says you care like a homemade gift. So this year I challenge you to find some creative ways to make homemade gifts. Jessica says, “This DIY craft is super easy, very ‘green’, and a great gift idea." Try it out and let us know what you think!

You will need:

A mason jar  *YB Tip: to be extra green, don’t go buy a mason jar, rather save a pasta sauce jar

Hammer

Nail

Baking soda

Your favorite essential oil

*Nourish Tip: a piece of cute fabric to place over the top of the jar to spruce it up! Trim the fabric based on the size of your jar and to your liking.

I recommend eucalyptus and/or tea tree oil for the bathroom, lavender or ylang-ylang oil for the bedroom, and grapefruit or orange for the office. *Nourish suggests pine or cinnamon during the holidays and likes AuraCacia Essential Oils. 

Thoroughly clean out your mason jar and dry it. Fill it half way or so with baking soda then add 10 drops of your favorite essential oil (you can always add more later). Put the lid on then SHAKE to mix it all up. If you’re using fabric, place that over the top of the jar and twist the lid back on. Next you will need to use your nail and hammer to puncture the top of the lid to let the wonderful smell out. You can get creative here, I made a heart design on my lid, but you can do it however you’d like! For those artistic folks out there, also feel free to decorate your jar if it makes you happy.

Visit http://yogababes.me/blog/ for more great ideas, recipes, and yoga tips or “like” YogaBabes on Facebook.

Roasted Tomatoes with Scrambled Eggs and Goat Cheese

A little over one month ago my boyfriend, Kevin, and I boarded a plane and headed to the bay area. Berkeley would be our final destination. The purpose of this quick trip was to see Bon Iver, an amazing band from my hometown of Eau Claire, WI, play at the Greek Theater. We were both excited for so many reasons: the concert, Kevin reliving his college days at Cal, and for me – the food! When we travel there is one thing that I am always in charge of…the food! Yes, I have a deep love for all things food related. Trying unfamiliar restaurants in a new city is so fun and exciting! However, we only had one day to explore new places so I knew that I would have to be prepared. Breakfast would be at this cute French Café, La Note.

There was a short wait and then we were seated. The hustle and bustle of the restaurant, along with the French décor, definitely made me feel as though we were dining in the French Countryside. It was so cute! The coffee was delicious and the menu – oh yes, I was certainly glad La Note made the list. I settled on a dish that contained roasted tomatoes, scrambled eggs with goat cheese, and of course bread! I will almost always order any option on the menu that contains goat cheese – love it! Our food arrived and in just one bite I was in heaven. The creaminess and tartness of the cheese paired with the fluffy eggs and sweet roasted tomatoes were amazing! We left the restaurant that morning feeling happy and satisfied.

Fast-forward six weeks and of course you find me reliving that morning and wanting more. Roasted tomatoes, fluffy eggs with goat cheese – how hard could it be to recreate this dish? Try this recipe and you’ll see for yourself! 

Ingredients:

2 large organic free-range eggs, cracked and whisked

4 small vine ripened tomatoes, sliced into quarters

1 tablespoon EVOO

1 tablespoon of goat cheese

1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped finely

Sea salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the tomatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle them with olive oil. Sprinkle the basil and sea salt over the tomatoes and roast them in the oven for approximately 10 minutes, or until they start to break down slightly.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add a small amount of EVOO to prevent the eggs from sticking. Pour the whisked eggs into the skillet and begin to scramble. Once the eggs are fully cooked, transfer to a plate and top with the goat cheese. Add the roasted tomatoes to the same plate and enjoy this easy and delicious French breakfast at home.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Collards and Aduki Beans

A few weeks back I had the house to myself for the weekend…well kind of. Sage, our puppy, was keeping me company. It was raining and cold, and with no one around to entertain, I couldn’t come up with a better idea than to cook a delicious meal and curl up on the couch with a good book. Not feeling completely motivated to create a new recipe, I began searching the web and paging through my favorite cookbooks. This recipe was adapted from Whole Foods, is so delicious, and contains collard greens – a favorite!

Collard Greens are a cruciferous vegetable and resemble big green fans. They are best known for the cancer prevention and cholesterol-lowering properties they provide but do contain an abundance of vitamins and minerals that should not be overlooked. Like Kale, Collards are full of Vitamins K, A, and C and contain 25% of your daily calcium and fiber needs in just one cup. Collard Greens also contain oxalates, which are naturally occurring substances found in the body. When oxalates become highly concentrated in bodily fluids they can form crystals. If you have a kidney or gallbladder condition that has not been treated, you may wish to avoid collards and substitute with kale in this recipe. If this doesn’t apply to you – eat up!

Ingredients:

1 bunch of organic collard greens, stem removed and leaves sliced 1” wide

3 small sweet potatoes

4 green onions, thinly sliced and dark green part reserved for garnish

1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped

1 can of Aduki beans

1 cup of organic vegetable broth

1 lime

¼ cup of sunflower seeds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet or stone and roast for approximately 35 minutes, or until tender when poked with a fork. Remove the potatoes and let cool. Once the potatoes have cooled enough for handling, peel and cut them into 1” cubes.

Pour ½ cup of vegetable stock into a deep skillet and bring to a simmer. Add the red pepper and green onions (light green and white parts) to the pan and let cook for five minutes. Add the remaining ½ cup of vegetable broth along with the collard greens and Aduki beans. Continue to cook for 10-12 minutes or until collards are wilted, stirring occasionally.

Divide the greens between two bowls. Top with sweet potatoes, dark green onion slices, sunflower seeds and a squeeze of lime. Enjoy!

Curried Orange Shrimp

When I was creating a vision for my blog, Nourish – a guide to eating green, I realized that the majority of recipes shared would be vegetarian but…occasionally fish or poultry would slip in J I could definitely live without most animal protein but I do enjoy fish. Here is a delicious creation that combines some of my favorite ingredients: sweet shrimp, flavors of citrus, spice, and curry!

Curry powder is a magical spice that is commonly associated with Thai and Indian food. While this is true, there are many other benefits of using curry powder in addition to its wonderful aroma and flavor! Curry powder is typically a blend of spices: turmeric, cumin, coriander, and cardamom. Its rich, bold, gold color comes from the primary ingredient – turmeric. Turmeric is used in India as an antiseptic and in Ayurvedic Medicine to heal skin cuts and burns.

Research has also showed that curry and curcumin (active ingredient in turmeric) improve neurological and brain health and may actually slow the spread of breast and skin cancer into other areas of the body. For more information on curry powder and its healing properties visit curryremedies.com.

After learning about the amazing healing properties of curry powder – I hope you’re ready to turn your hands yellow (from the turmeric) and enjoy these delicious shrimp!

Ingredients:

1 ½ pounds of uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 navel oranges

1 tablespoon of EVOO

1 tablespoon of curry powder (I think I actually used a bit more)

1 teaspoon of red-pepper flakes

Sea salt

Black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a jellyroll pan (baking sheet with sides) with either tinfoil or parchment paper. While the oven is warming up, zest both navel oranges into a small bowl and set aside for later use. Next, use a sharp knife to remove the orange peel and white pith off of the fruit. Cut the orange into nice small segments and spread them across your prepared pan. Sprinkle with sea salt and roast in the over for 10-12 minutes.

While the oranges are roasting, toss the shrimp and remaining ingredients, including orange zest, in a large bowl. Transfer the shrimp to the baking sheet with the oranges and roast for an additional 5-6 minutes or until shrimp are pink and cooked through. Serve the shrimp and oranges alongside some coconut brown rice and a veggie of your choice. Enjoy!

Green Juice - the right way to start your day!

My Saturday morning went a little something like this. I slept in much later than normal – 8:30! Some of you may think this is late and others may be laughing because this is the point when you look at the clock and think, “it’s only 8:30,” and then rollover and go back to sleep. While I felt wide-awake, I was still hesitant to climb out of bed because I just knew it was chilly outside of my covers. I finally went for it! I quickly jumped out and added layers. I slid my feet into my slippers and wandered out in the living room to look at the thermostat – 59 degrees in my house! For Southern California this is cold! I continued making my way into the kitchen, with my puppy biting at my legs, to make myself a hot, whole-grain breakfast. Don’t worry I’ll share this recipe later in the week – it is a favorite of mine!

After breakfast, a great friend of mine convinced me to warm up with some heated Vinyasa yoga at a local studio, Indie Yoga. I walked into the warm room and was immediately grateful for heated yoga. No stiff, cold muscles for me! Instead, my muscles started to melt into my mat and I could feel them (my muscles) become more flexible, malleable, and open with each asana. As much as I loved the flow, what I loved most about this class was the AMAZING Savasana adjustment that I received at the end of class. Thank you Carolina Moreira. For those of you who practice yoga, I’m sure you understand what I’m talking about - to receive this “special” adjustment at the end of class is always a treat! This Savasana adjustment was so awesome that it sent goose bumps up my arms. It was heavenly!

A great breakfast, wonderful yoga session…oh yes, the puppy needs exercise. Sage (my puppy) and I headed to the dog park for some socialization, running, and of course plenty of fetch. However, we didn’t stay as long as usual because after watching three dogs roll in a GIANT mud puddle, I decided to end our trip early while I still had a clean dog. On our way home I could hear my body asking for replenishment after the hot yoga class. So many options for great replenishment: water, coconut water, or green juice! Green juice was the winner today!

There are so many ways to make green juice but I typically try to make a “green juice” that is packed full of…you got it, “greens”! Be somewhat cautious of the green juices you will more commonly find at the market because they are loaded with fruit. While fruit is of course very good for us, it is also high in fructose (aka, fruit sugar). Some bottled green juices may contain up to 5 or 6 pieces of whole fruit. Holy fruitamoly! Today, we’ll try to keep our focus on the veggies and only add one piece of fruit (for taste purposes).

Ingredients:

1/3 bunch of kale, thick stem removed

1/2 head of romaine

2 handfuls of spinach

1/4 cup of broccoli sprouts

1 stalk of celery

1 cucumber

1 green apple

Directions:

Send all ingredients through your juicer, pour into a glass, and enjoy!

Sautéed Kale with Red Pepper and Zucchini Ribbons

Today was of those days that you open the fridge and see an abundance of fresh veggies that need to be used before they spoil. Eek! Yes, I know. How could I let wonderful veggies go to waste?! That’s the thing – I can’t! So…after rummaging the crisper drawer I came up with this quick, delicious, and oh so nutritious dish! I promise in ten minutes you’ll have fork in mouth!

Ingredients:

½ bunch of kale, stems removed and julienned

½ red bell pepper, diced

¼ zucchini (or more), peeled into long ribbons

¼ cup of vegetable stock

1 clove of garlic (pressed or minced)

1 tablespoon of EVOO

1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

Sea salt

Nutritional yeast (your preference)

Directions:

Add the olive oil and garlic to a skillet or pan and cook until fragrant. Pour in chicken stock and add the red pepper flakes. Once the stock comes to a light boil toss in the kale and cook until greens begins to wilt.  Add the zucchini ribbons, red pepper, and sea salt. Continue to sauté the veggie mixture for approximately two-three minutes or until stock has evaporated. Use a spoon to transfer the veggies to your plate, sprinkle with nutritional yeast (to give it a cheesy, nutty texture flavor) and dive in!