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Wine Braised Short Ribs with Rustic Mashed Potatoes {gluten-free, grain-free, paleo + Whole30}
Braised short ribs are one of those dishes that I tend to lean towards ordering from restaurants. I never knew how they’d get that meat so tender and where the heck I could buy that meat to make at home. Well years ago, I finally did some investigating and realized that wow, pretty much every grocery store carries beef short ribs.
I’ve made variations of this recipe for years but decided I needed to clean up the quality of my ingredients. This recipe does say WINE BRAISED but don’t we have an adaptable version for those who do not want to use alcohol in this recipe, if you are following Whole30, etc.
We start off with 3-4 pounds of bone in beef short ribs. This dish is set to serve 4, but I would suggest that if you’d like to have leftovers, I’d double the recipe. This recipe takes a little bit of prep but it is totally worth your time!
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Sacred Self Care Guide for April 2018
Sacred Self Care Guide for April 2018 from Rising River Wisdom SchoolIn all the worlds’ mythology and culture, there have been wisdom keepers, those who looked to the natural and the hidden worlds as a guide for life on earth. Within these seekers are stargazers, who ascribe meaning to the “stars” and their movements through the solar system.
Though Earth’s Moon is no star, it reflects the brightest light we can see in the night sky. Its phases are a part of human consciousness, and its movements affect systems on earth and sea. When we align our activities to the Moon’s cycles we find a greater connection to both our bodies and intuitive wisdom. Read on for some self care wisdom inspired by the new moon.
Rising River Wisdom School is an immersive program for those looking to step into their own power and carry wisdom for themselves and the world around them. Below you will find some Sacred Self Care insight for April from Rising River Wisdom School’s incredible teachers – we’ve got you covered for setting intentions with the upcoming new moon, to seeking insight from animal guides and plant medicine plus lots of guidance for mindfully navigating the world with your vibrant well-being in focus.
New Moon Wisdom from Michelle Prentiss:
Aries New Moon 4/15/18 6:57pm PDT
Sabian Symbol for Aries Moon: “Through Imagination a Lost Opportunity is Regained”
A NEW MOON is when the Sun and Moon are co-joined (conjunct). April’s New Moon is currently hanging out with communication planet Mercury in Aries, the sign representing the start of Nature and Astrology’s growth cycle. Aries keyword is “I AM” and within Aries season is the energy of commencement – we feel the need to get things done NOW!
Added to the Sun and Moon is the planet of Revolution Uranus – hand in hand with Dwarf Planet Eris (named after the Goddess of Discord). Eris was only discovered in 2005 and is actually bigger than Pluto! Eris represents how going against the “powers that be” can produce something magnificent in our life. Friction can create the “ pearl beyond measure”, deeper self-knowledge, accomplishment of goals, creativity, cohesion.
Here we have quite a line up of electric energy in the sky and the best way to take advantage of this power is to assert ourselves – by following our passions, moving our bodies in healthy ways, being flexible with change and knowing that sometimes in strife and definitely through striving we grow, we evolve and we triumph.
Mercury in Retrograde goes direct prior to the full moon. As it does it conjuncts Chiron in Pisces which is getting ready to move to Aries on the 17th.
The Wounded Healer/Teacher archetype is coming to the Warrior, integrating the two, putting awareness into how we can transform our hurt into help, it’s really showing us how our compassion which is borne of pain – can catalyze us into progressive action.
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Sacred Self Care Guide for March 2018
Sacred Self Care Guide for March 2018 from Rising River Wisdom SchoolIn all the worlds’ mythology and culture, there have been wisdom keepers, those who looked to the natural and the hidden worlds as a guide for life on earth. Within these seekers are stargazers, who ascribe meaning to the “stars” and their movements through the solar system.
Though Earth’s Moon is no star, it reflects the brightest light we can see in the night sky. Its phases are a part of human consciousness, and its movements affect systems on earth and sea. When we align our activities to the Moon’s cycles we find a greater connection to both our bodies and intuitive wisdom. Read on for some self care wisdom inspired by the new moon.
Rising River Wisdom School is an immersive program for those looking to step into their own power and carry wisdom for themselves and the world around them. Below you will find some Sacred Self Care insight for March from Rising River Wisdom School’s incredible teachers – we’ve got you covered for setting intentions with the upcoming new moon, to seeking insight from animal guides, tarot card reading and plant medicine plus lots of guidance for mindfully navigating the world with your vibrant well-being in focus.
New Moon Wisdom from Michelle Prentiss
New Moon in Pisces- March 17th 6:12am PST
So it’s Pisces season – the time of year where we float a little bit, are sensitive and touchy and our New Moon in Pisces on March 17th asks us to seek out where our vulnerabilities can be transformed into understanding. As we work on ourselves, both inner and outer, we become our own healer and in doing so – we automatically radiate this healing to everyone whose lives we touch.
Our pain and fears can be the greatest teachers as they hold the key to our individual wounds, which often is our life’s work!
All this energy is working in harmony with the planet Jupiter; currently retrograde in Scorpio. Expanding beams of deep inner work are rewarded. You may have epiphanies as you dig into yourself, creating the opportunity for re- birth in places where you may have been stuck.
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Sacred Self Care Guide for February 2018
Sacred Self Care Guide for February 2018 from Rising River Wisdom SchoolIn all the worlds’ mythology and culture, there have been wisdom keepers, those who looked to the natural and the hidden worlds as a guide for life on earth. Within these seekers are stargazers, who ascribe meaning to the “stars” and their movements through the solar system.
Though Earth’s Moon is no star, it reflects the brightest light we can see in the night sky. Its phases are a part of human consciousness, and its movements affect systems on earth and sea. When we align our activities to the Moon’s cycles we find a greater connection to both our bodies and intuitive wisdom. Read on for some self care wisdom inspired by the new moon.
Rising River Wisdom School is an immersive program for those looking to step into their own power and carry wisdom for themselves and the world around them. Below you will find some Sacred Self Care insight for February from Rising River Wisdom School’s incredible teachers – we’ve got you covered for setting intentions with the upcoming new moon, to seeking insight from animal guides, tarot card reading and plant medicine plus lots of guidance for mindfully navigating the world with your vibrant well-being in focus.
New Moon Wisdom from Michelle Prentiss
New Moon in Aquarius / Solar Eclipse February 15, 2018 2:06pm PST
The New Moon Cycle is ideal for setting intentions and planting the “ seeds” of magic in your life by utilizing your higher mind. This New Moon is in the sign of Aquarius – the sign that embodies the idea of a higher conscious awareness. As the 11th sign in a 12 sign cycle, Aquarius integrates the lessons of the previous 10 signs into visionary actions designed for the collective. The Planets Uranus (Illumination and Insight) and Saturn (Mastery of Matter) co-rule Aquarius and serve as themes for this lunation. The Solar eclipse adds power to this opportunity for breakthroughs in challenging patterns we may have in our lives. By paying attention to our mindset, and exercising the idea of releasing thoughts that drain and negate our sense of an expansive self – we can take quantum leaps in the perception of our challenges. This eclipse is all about the power of manifesting our future, by opening our minds to new possibilities.
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Sacred Self Care Guide for January 2018
Sacred Self Care Guide for January 2018 from Rising River Wisdom School
In all the worlds’ mythology and culture, there have been wisdom keepers, those who looked to the natural and the hidden worlds as a guide for life on earth. Within these seekers are stargazers, who ascribe meaning to the “stars” and their movements through the solar system.
Though Earth’s Moon is no star, it reflects the brightest light we can see in the night sky. Its phases are a part of human consciousness, and its movements affect systems on earth and sea. When we align our activities to the Moon’s cycles we find a greater connection to both our bodies and intuitive wisdom. Read on for some self care wisdom inspired by the new moon.
Rising River Wisdom School is an immersive program for those looking to step into their own power and carry wisdom for themselves and the world around them. Below you will find some Sacred Self Care insight for January from some of Rising River Wisdom School’s incredible teachers – we’ve got you covered for setting intentions with the upcoming new moon, to seeking insight from animal guides, card reading and plant medicine plus lots of guidance for mindfully entering 2018 with your vibrant well-being in focus.
New Moon Wisdom from Michelle Prentiss
New Year, New Moon in Capricorn January 16th 2018 6:17pm PST
There is a lot of powerful manifestation energy in this moon!
Capricorn is the last of the earth signs, the 10th of 12 planetary energy modes, and is concerned with mastery.
At its most “evolved” Capricorn symbolically integrates the spiritual with the material-taking trans-personal energies and making them “useful” in the world.
Where you find this sign in your astrological chart you may be practical and ambitious, grounded and extremely hardworking. This is also the place where you must take responsibility for yourself and become your own authority. Capricorn will always force us to learn to trust ourselves as we work toward our goals.
The cosmic energy of the week connects with an ongoing theme of destruction and re-creation (Sun, Pluto and Venus in Capricorn conjunct the Moon).
What is being transformed in your life? Take some time to think about what you want to leave behind. This Moon can be the catalyst for a powerful new start and the understanding that you are the creative artist “behind the curtain”.
The planet Uranus squares our New Moon; you may be inspired, illuminated or exasperated. Either way, it’s energy to make you want the change that is coming. Mars and Jupiter in Scorpio support the Moon, Mercury, Venus and Pluto in Capricorn- providing both the desire and fulfillment of well-deserved optimism and faith in our future.
Scorpio and Capricorn have a harmonious and supportive relationship, fueled by a mutual “passion” for self-improvement and hard work.
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8 Tips to Help You Stick with Your New Year’s Resolutions
8 Tips to Help You Stick with Your New Year’s Resolutions, Intentions and Goals. I’m sharing these key mindset tips and strategies to help you shift your approach to change from shame or guilt and move from a place of love, compassion and kindness for yourself and all of the amazing things you are capable of achieving!
I am not at all of the mindset that January 1st is a time for deprivation, detoxes and cleanses to rectify our recent holiday “sins”. Resolutions for so many become less about the fresh start of a New Year with limitless potential and rather come littered with restriction, often rooted in negativity. I’ve been there myself, it rarely ends well.
There is this collective pressure in the air right now, especially amongst the wellness community, to indulge the feelings of guilt and shame of our “wrong-doings” and to use these as fuel to rewrite a New Year by treating our body to some good ‘ol fashioned torture. It’s not only not necessary, it’s not at all effective. Guilt and shame do not fuel our desire to be better and make better choices, rather the opposite is true.
Guilt and shame about a bad habit can often make people feel so bad that they seek to make themselves feel better—by indulging in the very habit that made them feel bad in the first place.
By contrast, people who feel less guilt and who show compassion toward themselves in the face of failure are better able to regain self-control — and therefore, they’re able to resist indulging in the bad habits that make them feel bad. 1https://gretchenrubin.com/2014/08/the-penalty-for-a-bad-habit-the-bad-habit/
Positive Intentions and Sustainable Goals
All that said, I certainly think with a little mindset shifting, it is more than possible that we can utilize the wonderful opportunity of a fresh New Year to set positive intentions, to create goals, begin the process of implementing new habits and introduce lifestyle changes that become an ongoing process as part of a lifetime plan to prioritize our health, happiness and well being. I believe it’s more about the process not perfection or the outcome.
It’s estimated that between 812https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2980864 and 923https://www.statisticbrain.com/new-years-resolution-statistics/ percent of Americans fail to achieve the resolutions they commit to on New Year’s Day. Rather than setting unrealistic, lofty New Year’s Resolutions that come with a set of rules focused around negativity, why not make a commitment to simply prioritize your health by setting positive intentions and goals that support a sustainable and healthy lifestyle, body and mind? These changes are often an ongoing process, and not something you can achieve overnight or even in a few weeks. Rather, it’s a lifetime plan that you stick with over the long haul.
“It’s easy to change your attitude but difficult to change your behavior,” explains Christine Whelan, PhD, clinical professor in the School of Human Ecology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. “If you’re committed to it, however, you can make a new habit or behavior permanent.”
Phillippa Lally, a health psychology researcher at University College London, published a study in the European Journal of Social Psychology 4http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejsp.674/abstract, where she and her research team decided to figure out just how long it actually takes to form a habit. On average, it takes more than two months before a new behavior becomes automatic — 66 days to be exact. And how long it takes a new habit to form can vary widely depending on the behavior, the person, and the circumstances. In this study, it took anywhere from 18 days to 254 days for people to form a new habit. This isn’t to discourage you, but more to inspire you to not to get down on yourself if you try something new for a few weeks and it doesn’t become a habit instantly. It’s also helpful to know we don’t have to be perfect and that we need to embrace the process. Ultimately it doesn’t matter how long it takes to become a habit you have to put in the work, either way.
Self-Love
I do think it’s important to note, that while change isn’t by any means required or necessary as we enter a New Year and who you are right now is already enough – growth, shifting, and expansion are all just some of the many positive results we can expect when we embrace change, especially when the change comes as we prioritize our health and well-being! If you wish to elicit change for yourself in this New Year, I find it’s imperative to venture into these goals with intention and always doing so from a place of self-love and knowing that you are beyond worthy of living your very best life and feeling the best that you can, always!!
If you love yourself enough to set mindful and intentional goals for yourself, every single decision that you make has the potential to get you one step closer to living your most nourished, happy and healthy life!
Here are a Few Strategies to Help You Stick with Your New Years Resolutions, Goals and Intentions for the Long Haul:
References
1. ↑ https://gretchenrubin.com/2014/08/the-penalty-for-a-bad-habit-the-bad-habit/ 2. ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2980864 3. ↑ https://www.statisticbrain.com/new-years-resolution-statistics/ 4. ↑ http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejsp.674/abstract -
New Year Reset Meal Plan // Week 4
Whether you are starting the year off with the Whole30 or a 21 Day Sugar Detox, maybe you are going paleo or gluten-free for the first time or perhaps you are simply just getting back to your usual mindful-eating ways – we could all use our regular, pre-holiday routines and definitely some healthier eats. I want to make these first weeks of 2017 a breeze for all of you, this is the final week of meal plans all month. I hope it has been helpful. All of the meals featured in the weekly meal plans, throughout this month, are gluten-free and paleo, all of the recipes are free from grains, dairy, legumes and sugar (or have very simple options to make them as such).
New Year Reset Meal Plan // Week 4
Monday: Lettuce-Wrapped Greek Lamb Burgers (for dairy-free, just leave out the optional feta and make dairy-free tzatziki). Serve with a big ‘ol Greek salad and some homemade dressing (skip the feta and the sweetener) and some kalamata olives.
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New Year Reset Meal Plan // Week 3
Whether you are starting the year off with the Whole30 or a 21 Day Sugar Detox, maybe you are going paleo or gluten-free for the first time or perhaps you are simply just getting back to your usual mindful-eating ways – we could all use our regular, pre-holiday routines and definitely some healthier eats. I want to make these first weeks of 2017 a breeze for all of you, so I have meal plans set for every week this month. All of the meals featured in the weekly meal plans, throughout this month, will be gluten-free and paleo, all of the recipes are free from grains, dairy, legumes and sugar (or have very simple options to make them as such).
New Year Reset Meal Plan // Week 3
Monday: Grab a rotisserie chicken or make your own roast chicken in the slow cooker and use the leftovers to whip up this Pot Pie Soup with Grain-free Drop Biscuits (can be made with chicken or turkey). Drop in your favorite veggies and leave off the grain-free, nut-free biscuits, if you prefer.
Tuesday: A seasonally-inspired meal, this Slow Roasted Citrus Fennel King Salmon with Crispy Fried Lentils (leave off the lentils if avoiding legumes) features winter citrus and beautiful, aromatic fennel for any easy but luscious weeknight meal. Serve with your favorite green veggie on the side!
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New Year Reset Meal Plan // Week 2
Whether you are starting the year off with the Whole30 or a 21 Day Sugar Detox, maybe you are going paleo or gluten-free for the first time or perhaps you are simply just getting back to your usual mindful-eating ways – we could all use our regular, pre-holiday routines and definitely some healthier eats. I want to make these first weeks of 2017 a breeze for all of you, so I have meal plans set for every week this month. All of the meals featured in the weekly meal plans, throughout this month, will be gluten-free and paleo, all of the recipes are free from grains, dairy, legumes and sugar (or have very simple options to make them as such).
New Year Reset Meal Plan // Week 2
Monday: Inspired by our recent travels to London and it’s amazing curry scene this Ruby Murray (Chicken Curry from Dishoom) is delicious over cauliflower rice if you are avoiding grains and if you want to add some green goodness to the dish, stir in baby spinach and frozen peas right at the end. My favorite. -
New Year Reset Meal Plan // Week 1
Whether you are starting the year off with the Whole30 or a 21 Day Sugar Detox, maybe you are going paleo or gluten-free for the first time or perhaps you are simply just getting back to your usual mindful-eating ways – we could all use our regular, pre-holiday routines and definitely some healthier eats. I want to make these first weeks of 2017 a breeze for all of you, so I have meal plans set for every week this month. All of the meals featured in the weekly meal plans, throughout this month, will be gluten-free and paleo, all of the recipes are free from grains, dairy, legumes and sugar (or have very simple options to make them as such).
New Year Reset Meal Plan // Week 1
Monday: A hearty, yet easy to make meal, this Instant Pot Beef Stew is the perfect, cozy winter dish. (Don’t have a pressure cooker? Don’t worry, I include instructions for the slow cooker)
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New Year Release Ritual
2016 will go down in the books as an intensely challenging and pivotal year for a great deal of us. If you too are counting down the days to starting over in 2017 with a vow to change and have a better year, let’s reflect on these resolutions and how to make them last. Mentally we need that idea of pressing a magic reset button in hope that we can leave our baggage behind in a four digit number and wash our hands of it. By the end of the year it’s as if our candle has been burned at both ends and we grasp at the belief of starting over at the stroke of midnight.
I have learned through my own ritual work with the moon and seasons that everything is on a cycle and having our own practice to mark the beginning and end of them can help you manifest things you want to attract and release that which no longer serves you. The moon expands, gets full and bright and then retracts until its dark only to start the cycle again. In the fall, the leaves die and fall off of the trees, everything retreats and goes within for Winter and emerges with new life and birth in Spring. We are not immune to these natural cycles. It’s why we focus so much on the New Year! But before we can make room to bring new things into our lives, we must release the old and clear out the clutter. I am going to help you set this intention for release through a simple ritual I have experienced results with.
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Orange Pomegranate Smoothie
The name of the game right now is simple and sweet. Easy peasy. The new year has kicked off strong with lots going on, I’m 5 days into a 3 week healing protocol (more on that at another time) and school is back in session for me. I am learning to balance and find comfort in the slow and steady and quick and easy. Both have their much needed place in my life right now. This week I swapped my fast paced vinyasa flow yoga classes and my intense time at the gym for yin yoga, gentle yoga and longer walks. This is what my body is crying out for. Many of our meals have been slow cooked, braised or roasted but naturally, I would run out of time if I followed this path all day every day. So whenever appropriate I have been shifting focus to easy and quick meals and snacks that are still nutrient dense and of course, yummy!
No matter the pace, just as any other time of the year is concerned, I am all about celebrating what is fresh and in season right now, even smack in the middle of winter. There is always so much abundance to focus on, no matter where you live. We have a huge orange tree in our yard that is covered in gorgeous, vibrant juicy oranges. More than two humans could ever dream of eating. So, I have been juicing many of them, giving them to friends and neighbors and getting very creative in the kitchen, with them.
I also love the beautiful fresh pomegranates in season here in California, right now. They’ve been making appearances on nearly every salad I serve and yet I still want more. Since it has been some time since I have shared a smoothie recipe here, I give you the first Tasty Yummies smoothie of 2016, in all her beautiful winter glory!
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Fennel Spinach Soup
While I am very aware that the holidays, for most of us, usually means a bit more sweets than usual, maybe a tad more alcohol and probably a few other less-than-healthy choices, I also kinda resent the idea that we should all relegate ourselves to spending the entire month of January detoxing, cleansing or Whole-whatevering.
Obviously you guys know me and my mission well enough to know that people making healthier choices and mindful lifestyle changes is always something I can get behind no matter the circumstances and in fact, I constantly encourage this. But, I don’t love this idea of post-holiday shame or guilt, that many feel we should suffer, especially after one of the best and most special times of the year. It just isn’t healthy. I also don’t love the idea often promoted every January, that 30 days of “cleansing” is going to change our lives or fix our wrongdoings and come February we can just jump back into the “old ways of eating”. Done and done.
Once again, it’s that balance I so often talk about. It’s the sustainable lifestyle choices and habit-forming, everyday changes that will endure long term and elicit real shifts in our health and overall well-being and vitality, for the long haul. Sure, more veggies and less junk is what we are all doing right now and I am certainly not condemning that, but I will feel no regret for my holiday choices. I make no apologies for the amazing, “nutritionally imperfect” homemade food I enjoyed with my family or those extra few pieces of the dark chocolate candy that my father and I made together (using my great-grandmother’s recipe) – which may have snuck into my suitcase. So what, I had a few cocktails? I also don’t feel even the slightest bit bad about the extra (of course, gluten-free) refined-carbs that seemed to follow me everywhere these past two weeks. None of these choices were really all that bad. I know, simply put, that it cannot and will not undo all the hard work I have done the rest of the year and consuming those things (or more) under the premise that I will “undo” it in the New Year, feels just plain silly to me.
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Resolve to Evolve
Hi Ladies! It’s Eliza from Embodied Emergence, I’m guest blogging today (thank you so much, Beth!).
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If you’re anything like me, you’re probably still cleaning up the bits and pieces of holiday madness and trying to get back into a schedule while also feeling slightly guilty that your new year’s resolution isn’t full steam ahead and wondering how you can pull off all of your amazing goals for 2014.
This happens to so many of us, every year. And often it’s only at New Year’s Resolutions that we feel we have a blank slate, a fresh start, and we push ourselves to re-create. As an owner of three businesses – holistic health coach, restauranteur, and DoTerra essential oils Consultant – I know all about about setting goals and the waves that come along with them. And I have also seen the AMAZING results that come along with having accountability and group support.
My goal this year is to reach more incredible women who want to “Become the change they want to see in the world” but don’t know where to start, or how to get out of their own way. I not only coach these women one-on-one but I recently created an incredible 6 week online mastery program for women that begins January 14th, 2014.
This program is called Resolve to Evolve, it’s not about losing 10 pounds (although that might happen) and then taking action. It’s about holistically empowering YOU so that you feel confident, energized, sexy. When that happens… Watch out world! You feel so good, it starts to spill out onto everyone around you, and you begin to “Become the change you want to see.”The way the program works is that each week over six weeks a lesson, or module, is released including 3 videos – one on empowerment, one movement video, and a cooking class with me. The cooking classes are 99% vegan and gluten-free, but I also demonstrate how to cook chicken perfectly. The movement videos feature 6 incredible yogi, dancer, and pilates experts, who guide you through 20 minute, fun, videos you get to practice as often as you like. And finally, the empowerment videos feature 6 amazing women who take us into a journey of self-care – from creating a skin care routine, dressing for your body, using EFT to release pain/toxin emotions, connecting with community, plant care, and how to “get out of your own way” to become the change you want to see.
On top of all this, you’ll be getting tons of recipes (including 6 from Beth of Tasty Yummies!), organizational tools for de-cluttering your life, meditation tips, weekly Q & A calls, AND online community connection via a private Facebook group.
Can you sense a theme here? It’s all about loving yourself… For many years I struggled with insecurities about shining my light. I felt bad or wrong buying nice things for myself, or even putting on make up because I didn’t want to draw attention to myself – I thought it was selfish somehow. I could see so many less fortunate people in the world around me and it didn’t feel fair for me to have so much abundance. But as it turns out, I ended up feeling depleted, lost, and lacking in energy to make the positive changes I so desperately wanted in the world, and I was unable to help those people I felt bad for.
Since discovering yoga, cleanses, women’s groups, health coaches, & retreats I’ve experienced massive transformation in my business growth, relationships, health, inner peace. Choosing to invest in myself has shaped the the person I have become. I am now able to help other women by empowering them with tools that not only keep their bodies healthy, but also make them feel alive, loved, creative, sexy, silly, and FREE!
I so dearly want to share that with you. Please check out my video here for more information on the program. And if you have a girlfriend who might be interested, please forward this post to them!
HOW TO SIGN UP: Read the rest of this entry »
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Sweet Green Smoothie (Banana Broccoli) – Gluten-free and Vegan
I seriously cannot get enough green stuff right now. I am just craving it. This smoothie is something I threw together with what I had on hand, after we got home from our weekend in Big Bear.
It is creamy, green and healthy plus it tastes super good, too. Please don’t let the broccoli throw you off, it brings a really nice texture and a unique taste. Though broccoli can be bitter at times, the sweetness from the banana and the honey offset and mask that, so it’s a great way to sneak your greens into a smoothie. (you can always pre-steam your broccoli too, but I don’t find it necessary) If you practice rotating your leafy greens, which is important, broccoli is a nice change of pace from kale or spinach in your green smoothies. Read the rest of this entry »
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The Top 11 Recipes of 2011
Instead of reflecting on 2011, I really should be downstairs putting away Christmas decorations, taking down the tree and putting away gifts. But, I have been sitting here at my desk working on illustrations for a pending deadline with a client and I feel like am fighting off some type of after-holiday sickness, so I am feeling a bit sluggish and tired. I have total faith that I am going to kick this thing in the butt before it ever gets me sick, so here’s hoping! For the last two days I’ve been loading up on supplements, green tea, water and rest when I can get it, and I have been living on a steady diet of hot soups, which I have no complaints about. I love soup! If you have any natural remedies for fighting off sickness, send them my way! I am determined to not let this through.
I’ll get to the tree and those Christmas decorations and I plan to get some new recipes up later this week, including this year’s holiday get-together favorite, Vegan Dark Chocolate Bark with Bing Cherries, Pistachios and Grey Sea Salt. But for now, I will continue attacking all of this work and the threatening sickness that I refuse to let through and I will keep reflecting on the year behind me and all that lies in front of me.
I rarely set any sort of personal New Years Resolutions, but I always promise myself that in the year ahead I will try to be the best possible me, yet! I don’t make any strict dietary guidelines (I have enough that are part of my every day choices, as it is), I don’t force myself to do things I don’t really want to, I just make a plan to continue being as happy and positive as I possibly can and to always make the right choices for me! I really try to enjoy every moment of my life and to cherish what I have, each and every day. At some point of every single day, I take a moment to express my gratitude for all that goodness in my life. It feels so good! Sometimes I catch myself saying “I am so very lucky for :blank: in my life” (ie, an amazing husband, a great job, a fun life, a great family, etc) and I then remind myself that it isn’t luck that allows me to have all of these wonderful things. Life is hard, relationships take work and love, and it takes energy to wake up every morning and see all the positive in my life. But it is all worth it! I would be lying if I didn’t say there are trying moments, there are days when things are hard, that I wanna say “why me?”, but I always tell myself that ‘it could always be worse’ and that ‘every experience is what you make of it’. I choose to wake up every day and see the bright side of things. No one makes me do that, I do it so I can have a better quality of life and it works! I am blessed to have all that I have, but I also know that I am even more blessed to be able to stay positive every day, so I can see it all for what it is and enjoy each and every moment I am alive.
There are two links I came across in the last couple of days that I really wanted to share with you guys – both come from Southern California yoga and climbing clothing company, prAna’s, blog. The first is a list of “12 Things Happy People Do Differently“. This article really hit home for me as most of the items on this list are things that I already make a part of my every day living. There are a few that I don’t always remember, that serve as great reminders to me, as I try to be the best version of me, that I can be! Everyone deserves to have the feeling of complete and utter happiness in their every day lives, there really is nothing like it! Happiness starts within and no one can give it to you, you can only give that gift to yourself. Read this and live this!
The second link, as if that first wasn’t inspiring enough, is a Handbook for Life 2012. This wonderful and encouraging list of reminders to be the best possible you this upcoming year, actually leaves me speechless! There isn’t much to say that isn’t said there. I plan to print this list out and keep a copy where I can see it every day, plus keep a digital version on my iPhone. Read this and embrace it all, that is all that I can say!
OK enough of the gushy, mushy feel-good positive stuff – let’s talk yummies! Here are the top 11 recipes from Tasty Yummies in 2011!
11) Blueberry Muffins with Almond Flour (gluten-free)
10) Sweet Potato and Black Bean Patties (Gluten-free and Vegan)
9) Creamy Broccoli Soup (Gluten-free and Vegan)
8 ) Chewy Pumpkin Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (Gluten-Free with vegan options)
7) Butternut Squash, Arugula and Goat Cheese Pizza -(gluten-free)
6) Butternut Squash & Chickpea Coconut Curry (Crock Pot Recipe – gluten-free and vegan)
5) Apple Crisp (Gluten-Free and Vegan)
4) Vegan Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream (gluten-free)
3) Vegan Pumpkin Pie Smoothie (gluten-free)
2) Horchata (gluten-free and vegan)
1) Homemade Chai Concentrate – (gluten-free and vegan)
Do you have a favorite Tasty Yummies recipe from 2011? What do you want to see more of on Tasty Yummies in 2012?
What are your goals and/or resolutions for 2012?
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Creamy Broccoli Soup (Vegan)
This soup was incredible! So much flavor and so very simple. It was a very quick throw-it together meal after we got home from the studio. I came across a recipe in Whole Living Magazine’s January/February issue where they featured their “28-day Action Plan”, a sort of cleanse / detox and fitness plan for the New Year. Their plan isn’t as limiting as the cleanse I am on, so I took this recipe and altered it slightly to make it vegan/cleanse friendly. The original recipe calls for chicken stock and shavings of fresh parmesan cheese, both of which I am sure would be delicious. I substituted vegetable broth for the chicken stock and left off the cheese. I also had Great Northern beans on hand and the recipe called for Cannellini beans, these worked just as well. Since the recipe called for salt and pepper to taste on each serving it was nice as I could easily leave out the salt for mine and Mark could add a sprinkle to his, as he wanted.
The soup was so thick and hearty, the creaminess achieved from the beans made it impossible to believe there wasn’t a bit of dairy in there. The toasted pine nuts were the perfect addition to complete this soup, those little guys have so much flavor and when toasted they just explode with taste. To top it all off, this dish is loaded with fiber and is very low in fat and calories. It took about 30 minutes to make from start to finish. This soup is very thick, which I loved, I actually ended up adding in a bit more vegetable broth than the recipe called for, if you like a thinner soup you could certainly add more stock to get the consistency to your liking. This really was a complete meal in a bowl and not only cleanse friendly, but hubby approved, too. (Though he couldn’t resist putting a light sprinkle of shredded extra sharp cheddar on top) I am telling you, if you love broccoli, you absolutely need to make this soup.
Creamy Broccoli Soup (Vegan)
adapted from Whole Living Magazine, January/February 2011
serves 41 head organic broccoli (1 pound), cut into florets, stems thinly sliced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
One 15-ounce can organic Great Northern beans, drained (Cannellini beans would work here as well)
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon pine nuts, toastedSteam broccoli florets and stems until tender and bright green, about 3 minutes. Let cool slightly. Reserve 1/2 cup florets for garnish.
Heat oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until translucent, about 6 minutes. Add beans and broth and bring mixture to a simmer. Remove from heat and add broccoli; puree in batches in a blender until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish each bowl with broccoli florets, toasted pine nuts, and shaved Parmesan or cheddar cheese, if you wish.
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A New Year’s Cleanse – Banana Pom-Berry Smoothie
Happy New Year to you all!! I am so incredibly excited to dive head first into 2011! 2010 was a wonderful, blessed year filled with many great moments and though I experienced a few tough and trying moments in 2010, I have tried my best to look at all of those experiences as times where my strengths are tested and I learn just what I am capable of. I personally decided to make 2010 the year I tried to relax and not take everything so seriously, to take each moment for what it is and to love myself more. I have always made sure to see the positive in things and to realize things could always be worse, 2010 was the year I really made certain to keep that mindset in the forefront. I have also decided to focus on all that I have and how lucky I am to be healthy, happy and loved. I truly feel that each day is special and that I am lucky to have a loving husband, an incredible family, and a job and career that I not only love, but am immensely proud of. For us, both personally and professionally, 2011 is already shaping up to be an incredible year and I am elated for each and every moment to come!
One of the things I accomplished in 2010 that I am quite proud of, besides shedding 30lbs of excess weight, is the ability to be so in tune with my body and my health that I can sense when it is off-balance and needing a clean-up. I kept with my lifestyle and eating habits through the holidays, but it is inevitable that you are just consuming more food and drink than any other stretch of time throughout the year, at least for me anyhow. It is a week of excess, in all facets of life. I knew just before New Year’s eve, when I felt some sniffles coming on and I was feeling a bit more sluggish than usual, that I was in need of a good cleanse. I decided I would do a 2-week cleanse beginning today.
There are many different cleanses and detoxes out there, some are VERY intense and limited to just liquids, others aren’t nearly as strict, still allowing poultry and fish. I think the type of cleanses I practice, fall somewhere in the middle. I always avoid added sugar and salt, meat, fish, dairy, eggs, caffeine, and alcohol. Of course my cleanses also always include my usual no gluten and no processed foods. This time around I am also avoiding soy and corn. To most people this sounds limiting and difficult, but I actually look forward to it and think it is an exciting time. I love the focus on fruit, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, herbs and spices. Life tends to get crazy and meals get rushed and these important elements often get forgotten and overlooked.
I find that these cleanses allow my body to not only detox but to also get back to a clear digestive tract that is able to do its job at it’s fullest. I have also done a bit of reading on Ayurvedic healing and learning to avoid or focus on foods specific to you and your body-mind type (or your dosha) and it’s needs. When I cleanse, I don’t follow the Ayurvedic cleanses per se, I just include that general focus on food types, herbs and spices and the importance of yoga and meditation when cleansing. There is big emphasis on digestion-enhancing, detoxifying spices in Ayurvedic healing such as turmeric, cumin, coriander, clove, ajwain, fenugreek, dried ginger, Chinese cinnamon and fennel. According to Ayurveda, each meal should be a feast for all of your senses. When your plate reflects an appealing variety of colors, textures, flavors and aromas, your digestive juices start freely flowing in anticipation and your body, mind and heart are all fulfilled by the eating experience.
I am by no means an expert on cleansing or Ayurvedic medicine, I simply know my body and have tailored a cleanse to me and what I need, so please don’t take any of what I am doing as “medical advice” or anything more than me keeping a journal of my journey through this cleanse.
I plan to cleanse for 2 weeks, longer if I feel I need it. I will be posting many of the recipes here on my blog as I go. Hope it helps any of you looking to try out a cleanse or maybe you are just looking to add in some very healthy, clean detoxifying recipes! Happy New Year and happy clean eating to you all!
This recipe will be the first of many smoothie recipes I will feature. I think they make great breakfasts and if you include different ingredients each time, you won’t get bored. I decided to add flax seeds to this smoothie (and will likely do so often through this cleanse) to get some added fiber and healthy omega-3 fats, it is great for adding to smoothies as it tends to keep you a bit more satisfied, a bit longer. Flax seeds are also great sprinkled on salads, cooked vegetable or added to breads or cereals. This smoothie had a ton of flavor and it is now over 3 hours since I drank it and I am still quite satisfied. This is one I will for sure be making again.
Banana Pom-Berry Smoothie
serves 11/2 orange, peel and pith removed (I used a cara cara pink navel, any orange will work)
1/2 cup organic 100% pomegranate juice (no additional ingredients and definitely no sugar added)
1 organic banana, halved
1 tbsp ground organic flax seed (I buy them whole and grind them myself)
1/2 cup frozen organic mixed berriesAdd all the ingredients to your blender, blend until smooth. Enjoy!
