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Wanderlust 108 West Coast Giveaway
For many of my readers that are yogis, I am sure you have heard of the Wanderlust events. These incredible, full-on celebrations of all things mindful, combine yoga, meditation, hiking, music, incredible speakers, farm-to-table dinners and so much more – all in beautiful, inspiring locations.
But, have you heard of their one-day events, Wanderlust 108 – “The world’s kindest triathlon”. These events are unlike the traditional triathlon’s you are likely familiar with, rather Wanderlust 108 is a day of running, yoga and meditation to bring out your best. This “mindful triathlon” combines a 5k run, an outdoor yoga experience, and a guided meditation in your local park.
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Photo Fun Day Friday
Happy Friday!! This week flew by for me, how about you? Got anything fun planned for the weekend? Hubby is originally from Louisville, so we are celebrating the Kentucky Derby tomorrow, as we do every year, but this year we can actually host a little party at our new home. We are so excited.
I plan to make a bunch of food that reminds Mark of home, most of which I cannot eat myself, but I definitely don’t mind one bit. I think Mark actually gets more homesick this time of year than at the holidays. It is such a big deal there. So I plan to make some Hot Brown Sandwiches, a black-eyed pea salad, pimento cheese dip, jalapeño cornbread, deviled eggs, apple cobbler and a bourbon pecan tart and of course mint juleps. Then we are picking up some homemade fried chicken from the market at the corner. Depending on how all the cooking and baking goes I will try to share some of the recipes on here, afterward. But I make no promises!
An update on our banana tree. Look at all those bananas. I cannot wait to eat some.
Some of the beautiful roses from our yard.
Having a home yoga practice means sometimes you get a little kitty in your down dog.
And sometimes your mat gets taken over by a real dog.
Mark was in San Francisco for a few days for work and Seri really missed him. She wouldn’t leave his side when he got home.
Tried running on the beach this week since I have been having a little knee pain. It felt really great on my knees and my back.
Discovered the most teeny tiny adorable hummingbird nest, cozied up in our grapevines. It is barely 2″ wide. If that. Incredible.
Had a growler of local organic grapefruit kombucha delivered by bike from local husband and wife company, Fine Feathers Kombucha. I just adore where I live.
I *think* I found what I was looking for on yesterday’s run. I KNOW that Seri did. Look how happy she is
Went to the doctors yesterday for the first time in over a year. It really is the one place in the whole wide world that can give me anxiety as soon as I walk in. I really don’t like doctors.
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Orange Chia Refresher – Gluten-free, Vegan + Sugar-free
For the last 4 weeks, I have been working on a running program. A gradual build-up to a 5K for beginner runners, such as myself. It is an 8 week program, so this week marks the halfway point. So far I am really loving it. First time in my entire life I have tried running and I actually didn’t adamantly HATE it.
I think the biggest difference for me, is with now living here in California, every single run brings the sun shining it’s amazing rays down on me, I am surrounded by the beautiful views of the ocean, lagoon, palm trees, amazing birds, etc. These amazing surroundings has really changed running for me.
That being said, the thing I have found most challenging is being alone with my thoughts. What I enjoy about yoga is with the practice being a moving meditation, it is a wonderful way to get out of my head for a while. I don’t look at yoga as an escape from my life, but a time to acknowledge, express gratitude and strengthen, in more ways then one. I am able to shut off the constant chatter in my head and my inner voice telling me that “I can’t” or “I am not good enough”. Instead I just am. I just do. It is such an amazing thing. Yoga has taught me to not just ignore those thoughts as they arise, but to acknowledge them and the place they are coming from, then set them aside and focus on my breath and being.
With running, I haven’t quite gotten there, yet. However, that is part of what I like about running, the time it gives me to think. To really focus on the things in my head, process them fully without distractions and deal with them in whatever way needed. There are lots of thoughts swirling in my head when I run, good and bad. So different from yoga, but a really nice compliment.
Sometimes I have deep thoughts when running and sometimes I think about food and recipes. The idea for this Orange Chia Refresher came to me during a run and I couldn’t wait to make it and share it with you guys. Based on the response on my Facebook page when I asked who would be interested, you guys couldn’t wait either.
In looking around, I realized I didn’t exactly have some unique idea on my run, I discovered a drink like this has existed in Mexico for a long time. They call it a chia fresca. I don’t recall ever seeing this, but either way I guess it was in my subconscious. This drink could be made with lemon, lime or grapefruit and be just as tasty, plus I bet it would also be amazing with a sparkling water. First time I tried chia seeds in a drink, was in kombucha and I wasn’t a huge fan. However, I do think there were WAY too many seeds in it, so it was super thick and weird. I went light on the seeds with this, but feel free to add as much or as little as you’d like and sweeten according to your own preferences. I find with these measurements, you end up with a delicious water drink that isn’t overwhelmed with seeds and isn’t thick or chunky. I particularly enjoy drinking this with a straw.
Chia seeds are a super food that provides a variety of wonderful health benefits. It a nutshell – by adding just 2 tablespoons of chia seeds to your daily diet it will give you approximately 7 grams of fiber, 4 grams of protein, 205 milligrams of calcium, and a whopping 5 grams of omega-3! OK, I won’t go into a huge rant about all of the many benfits of chia – instead I will ask:
What is your favorite benefit(s) of chia seeds?
[print_this]Orange Chia Refresher – Gluten-free, Vegan + Sugar-free
Makes 1 drink- 12 ounces (1 1/12 cups) of cold filtered water
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (grapefruit, lime or lemon would also be amazing)
- 2-3 teaspoons whole chia seeds
- Sweetener to taste (stevia, maple syrup, sugar, etc)
Pour water and orange juice into a glass jar with a lid (or a glass), add the chia seeds. Put the lid on and shake very well to combine (or stir if in a glass). Let stand for 10-15 minutes to let the chia seeds do their thing and get all puffy.
Take a quick sip and add sweetener to taste, shake (or stir) again, well to combine. Add ice and an orange garnish and enjoy.
*Fresher seeds will float throughout the liquid, while older ones tend to sink to the bottom. If they sink, that is totally ok, you will just need to stir them up a bit to keep them evenly dispersed as you are drinking it. [/print_this]
**Please don’t be turned off by the odd color of this drink in the photos, as the seeds soak, settle and swell even more, you will see the pretty and subtle orange hue more than the color of the seeds. I happened to only have black chia seeds on hand, but I bet white seeds would be even prettier.
