Breakfast Smoothie

Even after all this time, there are still days I miss the breakfasts from my youth.

You know, cereal, toast, bagels, stuff like that.

On those mornings I usually bust out my dusty blender and shake up my favorite banana almond smoothie. It's got nut-butter and a whole banana, so it's really filling, and the seeds give it some texture which makes it seem like a hearty meal.

Takes about 5 minutes to prep and make, so it's perfect for those mornings you don't have tons of time. I had one for breakfast this morning and it held me over just fine until lunchtime around 1pm...

Dani's Breakfast Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 banana (as green as possible)

2 Tablespoons almond butter

1 cup almond milk or coconut milk

1 tablespoon sunflower seeds

1 teaspoon chopped cacao

Directions:

Throw it into a blender. Puree until smooth, and enjoy!

It's also good with a shot of espresso thrown in if you need the extra kick~

Read this book, feel bettah

If I had to recommend one book to someone interested in taking charge of their health, this is the one.

"How to Eat, Move, and Be Healthy" by one of my wellness heroes, Paul Chek.

I followed a Facebook thread on a friend's page and stumbled upon this interview with Paul Chek. Halfway through the article, I thought to myself, "this man is insane!" --and I knew I needed to study with him as soon as possible.

I registered for a Holistic Lifestyle Coach training at the Chek Institute and participated in March of 2012. At that point I had been teaching yoga for two years, ate an entirely plant based diet (except those moments when I couldn't fool my body any longer and caved in for a nice juicy steak), exercised almost daily, and took a variety of supplements and vitamins. I considered myself "healthy," an example of great health, even.

Wrong! My skin was erupting near daily and none of my pants fit anymore. I walked through the doors  into the training and was blown away by the other participants: glowing skin; fit, toned bodies; white and bright teeth; clear and shining eyes; smiles for days. It didn't take long to realize I was missing something. 

Our first challenge was to go gluten, dairy, and soy free for the duration of the course. Within 36 hours I began to notice a difference in my skin: I was still breaking out, but the painful cystic acne didn't seem as angry. I was so bolstered by the results I kept going, and within 90 days I was zit free for the first time EVER. Praise the lord! I still feel giddy just thinking about it. If any of you out there have struggled with acne, you know what I mean.

Could it really be that easy to heal with whole foods? I began following the practices of Metabolic Typing and devoured Paul Chek's book, which gave me tools to really take on my own health and healing into my own hands. Here are the steps the book takes you through:

• Step 1 Complete the questionnaires to determine YOUR metabolic needs. 
• Step 2 Develop an eating plan that’s right for YOU. 
• Step 3 Build a personalized exercise program that fits YOUR needs. 
• Step 4 Fine-tune a healthier lifestyle that fits YOUR routine.

It is all developed and designed to fit who YOU ACTUALLY ARE, not some idea of what you are "supposed" to be. Just because one diet/way of being works for one person does not mean it will work for you! (just like vegetarianism, no matter how "noble" it seemed to me, simply did not work and actually threw me and my hormones out of balance-that's for another post).This book will help you take on an entirely new lifestyle that is long term sustainable, rather than trying to fit yourself into the parameters of a diet. We learn to relish and savor our lives, rather than restricting them.

Don't take my word for it--check the book out for yourself! And see what opens up for you. 

Inspiration Galore

If You Knew
Ellen Bass

What if you knew you would be the last
to touch someone?
If you were taking tickets, for example,
at the theater, tearing them,
giving back the ragged stubs,
you might take care to touch that palm,brush your fingertips
along the life line’s crease.
When a man pulls his wheeled suitcase
too slowly through the airport, when
the car in front of me doesn’t signal,
when the clerk at the pharmacy
won’t say Thank you, I don’t remember
they’re going to die.
A friend told me she’d been with her aunt.
They’d just had lunch and the waiter,
a young gay man with plum black eyes,
joked as he served the coffee, kissed
her aunt’s powdered cheek when they left.
Then they walked half a block and her aunt
dropped dead on the sidewalk.
How close does the dragon’s spume
have to come? How wide does the crack
in heaven have to split?
What would people look like
if we could see them as they are,
soaked in honey, stung and swollen,
reckless, pinned against time?

Coco-CRAZY

Well!

Look what just arrived in the mail.

Yes, an entire gallon of Organic Virgin Coconut Oil!!!

As if my roommates didn't already think I was nuts enough as it is...

I use the stuff enough that buying in bulk made the most sense. From a tablespoon in my morning coffee, to a dab here and there on minor cuts and bruises, to cooking and baking safely, plus countless other uses, I'm stoked to have such a versatile wonder in my kitchen.

If you're interested in starting to incorporate Coconut Oil into your daily routine, I highly recommend this company. All of their oil is high quality, culled and created by small family farms in the Philippines. Not only that, but with your first order, you get a free book that will teach you how to get started.

Palm to palm

If you've read my bio, you know that consistent yoga practice played a massive part in my overall well being  and brought me back from an edge I almost threw myself over back in 2007-2008.

Where did I go?

This past year, some major drams in my yoga world went down, my favorite teacher moved out of state, and, for a short time, I took on managing a yoga studio. It was the perfect storm for some serious yoga burnout. I started to forget why I ever bothered to roll my mat out in the first place. I considered cross-fit. I let go of my public class. I walked away.

...and through the doors of another studio, one that's been around for a while but I'd never attended (there was never a need). Where I was anonymous, and completely oblivious to the "cool" teachers or established cliques among the student base. Where the practice was strong, and consistent and dependable and varied. No complicated demos. No clapping. My focus started to come back.

There is this moment at the beginning of class where people are kind of awkwardly waiting for the teacher to go ahead and start, still with a foot outside the studio, brain engaged still in to-do lists and post yoga class meals and errands and conversations and all the STUFF of being human and living in a city and trying TO GET SHIT DONE, you know? I know. That's me much of the time. Shallow breathing and disconnect. Searching for something deeper than the superficial grittiness of it all. Unable to sit still even for those first three minutes tops before the teacher sits down and says hello and then:

"Close your eyes and put your palms together."

And that's all it takes sometimes, for the breath to deepen, the skin to relax, the tension in the jaw/forehead/scapulae/heart to quiet; to return to that space of remembering. There I sat last week, palm to palm, tears brimming at the corners of my eyes, as I sat and sang and sweated for an hour and fifteen minutes, fully present with my sweet self.

So often this practice that is intended to bring us deeper inside instead becomes one more thing that pulls us off our center. Celebrity teachers with cult followings, $98 yoga pants, lack of diversity (cultural, body type, socioeconomic background just to name a few)--these do not in any way reflect the aforementioned sweetness, and I'll be the first to admit I got caught up in the hype. I forgot what it felt like to be perfectly content with me as me, and started looking outside of myself for answers. That's where the breakdown happened.

What practices in your life bring you closer to you? Performing? Working your garden? Being with your dog or cat? Writing? Being in nature? Meditation? Travel? Art? Little by little, these practices help us carve new paths down old roads until the edges start to smooth. Guard these moments vigilantly. Create space and put it in your calendar. Be unwavering in this commitment to yourself because really, what else is there? If we can bolster and strengthen those moments where we connect to source, when shit hits the fan we know what to do. It's not like it doesn't suck, or terrible things don't happen; no amount of wishful thinking will keep the bad at bay. But what a gift to experience the lows while staying connected to the truth: that we are already whole and complete. For me it's palm to palm; what are your practices?

FERMENTATION STATION!!!!

First batch ever!

A few people have asked for my sauerkraut recipe, so here you go.

Fermented foods are one of the best ways to boost immunity. The live cultures help to balance the healthy and not-so-healthy bacteria in your gut, which is a good thing, because it leaves your system less hospitable to bugs. Remember, one of the best gages of optimal health is a healthy gut; incorporating fermented foods into your diet on the regular is a great way to heal and support your entire system. Pill form is one option; if you have time, creating your own ferments at home is easy and fun and you can have your very own fermentation station bubbling away right in your own kitchen. It's a simple way to really feel good about yourself as it's really easy and the results are amazing! Plus, the flavor adds a pop to everything, whether eaten right out of the jar or sprinkled over your salad or sandwich.

In the words of Sandor Ellix Katz, High Priest of all things fermented,

"By eating a variety of live fermented foods, you promote diversity among microbial cultures in your body....Biodiversity is just as important at the micro level. Call it micro-biodiversity. Your body is an ecosystem that can function most effectively when polulated by diverse species of microorganisms. Sure, you can buy 'probiotic' nutritional supplements containing specific selected bacteria that promote healthy digestion. But by fermenting foods and drinks with wild microorganisms present in your home environment, you become more interconnected with the life forces of the world around you. Your environment becomes you, as you invite the microbial populations you share the earth with to enter your diet and your intestinal ecology."

Now if that isn't case enough, I don't know what is...

On to the recipe!!!

Simple Raw Sauerkraut 

What you'll need to start:

• A big bowl
• Quart size mason jars

Ingredients

• One head of cabbage (any color you like)
• Sea Salt (a few tablespoons)
• Water
• I'm not kidding it's that simple*

Instructions:

1. Peel off the outermost leaves of cabbage, and set aside.
2. Cut the head of cabbage into thin strips. Place a third of the lettuce into a large mixing bowl. Add a thin layer of salt. Roll up your sleeves.
3. Begin massaging the cabbage until it begins to soften and water starts to release. After the water is squeezed out, add the second third of cabbage, a thin layer of salt, and get squeezing. Complete with the last third of cabbage and salt. At this point, there will be a small pool of water accumulating at the bottom of the bowl.
4. Grab your mason jars. Usually I need two for one head of cabbage. Put half the cabbage in each jar. Compress the cabbage until it is tightly packed. I usually use a tall shot glass to push it down. You want the water to squeeze out so much so that the cabbage is completely submerged in water. 
5. Take the whole cabbage leaves you had set aside. Place them in the jar so that they completely cover the sauerkraut. At this point you may need to add a bit more filtered water so that the water line is above the cabbage.
6. To keep your sauerkraut compressed, you'll need to place a weight on top of the cabbage. I usually use a shot glass, but find something in your kitchen that fits inside the mason jar. 
7. Place your jars in a dark-ish place, and cover with a cheesecloth or cloth napkin. They need to sit for at least two weeks, and you should check them every day or so to make sure mold doesn't appear. If you do spot mold growth, simply scoop it out ASAP and make sure there is enough water in your jars. It's not a big deal as long as you catch it right away. 
8. After two weeks, your sauerkraut is ready! Close off the jars and keep refrigerated, where it will last for a few months. 

*This is the simplest iteration. You can get super creative as the process is incredibly forgiving. Ideas: shredded carrots, diced jalapeno or garlic, thinly sliced apples, two different colored cabbages...go nuts!