7 Color Cuisine - Burritos!

I am always reading books. If it has to do with food and there natural healing abilities, I have it! The reason I love reading about food is because there are soo many ways to improve your diet. We are all different and have varied food needs. I love taking bits of information from every book and piecing it together so it fits my diet.

I am currently reading through 7 Color Cuisine by Marcia Zimmerman. I actually picked this book up at my favorite place (Smoothie King) thinking it was full of great recipes (and it is!) but I never dreamed I would be so adicted to it!

In this book you see the importance of eating a well rounded diet that is based on incorporating 7 colors into your meals throughout the day. You'll discover how vibrant rainbow hues and warm earthy tones reveal the phytonutrient pedigrees of certain foods. You'll also learn of the valuable healing zoonutrients found in creamy white dairy foods, fish, and poultry.

According to the author, "What you eat becomes part of you. Food can satisfy your deepest psychological, neurological, and social being-provided you choose a variety of high-quality and colorful foods and follow the guidelines presented in this book."

Most nutrition and diet books focus on calories, fat, fiber, or protein. Scientist and nutritionist Zimmerman here focuses on phytonutrients, plant-based chemicals that may help to prevent conditions such as cancer, diabetes, obesity, and heart disease, and that are also the pigments responsible for the color of fruits and vegetables.

So here I am on a friday night with Graham (my favorite place to be!) trying to come up with a meal that has all of my colors. I wanted some sort of veggie wrap and Graham decided on Burritos, so I started chopping.

Three of my main colors: Red, Orange, and Green.

Bell peppers are packed with several nutrients.  They are a
good source of vitamin C, thiamine, vitamin B6, beta carotene, and folic acid.  Bell peppers also contain a large amount of phytochemicals that have exceptional antioxidant activity.

Carrots are nutritional heroes, they store a goldmine of nutrients. No other vegetable or fruit contains as much carotene as carrots, which the body converts to vitamin A. This is a truly versatile vegetable and an excellent source of vitamins B and C as well as calcium pectate, an extraordinary pectin fibre that has been found to have cholesterol-lowering properties.

Saute veggies 4-5 minutes.

In the meantime, Graham cooked his chicken and I boiled some rice and prepared the "toppings".

Toppings included: kale, romaine lettuce, organic tomato pesto, hummus, and some shelled hemp seeds!

Mix the veggies into the cooked rice!

And now the fun begins!

My burrito: Hummus, pesto, veggie rice, kale and lettuce with some hemp seeds YUM!!!

Graham's burrito with chicken. He used poppy seed salad dressing for his sauce.

This meal was one of my favorites! I used most of my 7 colors: red, green, orange, tan and brown packed with nutrients and fiber. The best part of this meal was that I got to cook it with my fiance! It is all about having fun in the kitchen and enbracing the time you have to take care of your body. Enjoy!

Acorn Squash with Quinoa and Greens

One serving or one cup of acorn squash contains 145% of the daily recommended requirements for Vitamin A. It also contains Vitamin C, potassium, manganese, folate (folic acid), and 15% of the omega three fatty acids necessary for good health. It is also a good source of fiber. With all of these vitamins and minerals acorn squash has many health benefits and I had one sitting on my counter ready to for me to eat!

Acorn Sqash is SOO easy to cook. You can cut it in halves or into small cubes to go with whatever dish you want to prepare. I chose to cut them into smaller halves so they would cook quicker.

Heat your oven to 365 degrees and cook for 45 minutes (longer if bigger halves) until you can easily pierce with a fork.

In the meantime I started on the "fillings" for my squash. This time I decided to go with some brocolli and cauliflower, Quinoa, Kale and parsley.

Parsley is known for increasing the anti-oxiadant capacity of the blood and killing bacteria. It also maintains elasticity of blood vessels, helps to repair bruises, and is an excellent digestion restorative remedy. High in vitamin C, beta carotene, B12, chlorophll and essential fatty acids, parsley is an extradordinary immunity enhancing food!

Kale (Left) Parsley (Right)

Kale's risk-lowering benefits for cancer have recently been extended to at least five different types of cancer. These types include cancer of the bladder, breast, colon, ovary, and prostate. Isothiocyanates (ITCs) made from glucosinolates in kale play a primary role in achieving these risk-lowering benefits. Researchers can now identify over 45 different flavonoids in kale. With kaempferol and quercetin heading the list, kale's flavonoids combine both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits in way that gives kale a leading dietary role with respect to avoidance of chronic inflammation and oxidative stress.

Mix together Cauliflower and Broccoli over Olive Oil and cook for 3-5 minutes.

          Then add Kale and Parsley to get a light steaming effect (2-3 minutes).



When the acorn squash is finished it is time to add all of the wonderful veggies!

Add (as desired) Quinoa (I used Red Quinoa this time). I also added some shelled hemp seeds!

Then pour all of the veggies over the sqaush and quinoa to make a wonderful dinner full of antioxidants and vital nutrients!

Satya, what happens when one becomes established in truth?

After my daily reading (today happened to be Yoga and Vegetarianism) I felt a sense of calm and a need for some reflection in my life. The chapter happened to cover Satya, which is the second of the yama. Satya in short means truthfulness, what happens when one becomes established in truth?

Relating yoga to food, Sharon began to go into the food industry at a consumers veiw point. "The consumer is not told the truth about where our food comes from. Instead we are told lies. The meat and dairy industry spends millions of dollars on advertising to deceive us. Because the meat and dairy industries form the foundations of our economic system, government agencies also don't want the public to know. There are laws now protecing the animal user industries from citizen scrutiny."

As yoga practicioners, we come to a time in our lives when we begin to question whether what we have been told is true, including the assumptions we hold about ourselves and the world around us. The fact that you have begun or want to start a yoga practice is evidence that you have the courage to embark on a deep self-reflective quest. Through such self-reflection you will encounter blockages to your creativity and self-expression. It is during those crucial moments, while engaged in asana or meditative practice, that it is important not to harbor negative thoughts. Do not blame others or feel guilty, inadequate, or overwhelmed. Instead, allow the past karmic residue to arise, and let go with each passing breath. Through steady practice, you will experience for yourself what is true, and all the lies you have been told, even those that you have told, will fade away in the light of the greater truth of your true potential.

As we embrace the practice of satya, our speech becomes purified, and we are able to fearlessly say what we mean and mean what we say. Others cease lying to us and begin to perceive us as people with integrity; they listen to us and take our words seriously. What we say comes true.

"Become the change you wish to see in the world"

If we don't want to be taken in by the lies people tell us, we can begin to examine our own speech and ask ourselves if we are really saying what we mean. If we say what we want peace on Earth, are we willing to
do what is necessary to create it? Are we willing to speak truthfully at every turn and be honest with others and ourselves? This is difficult work, but once begun, it becomes easier with practice. It is, like yoga itself, a lifelong effort!

A Cozy Friday Night Indoors!

Graham and I have always looked forward to the weekend because it is a time to relax, spend time with each other without distractions, and of course cheat (just a little!) on our diets. I have grown into a more comfortable place with the phrase "diet" because I can now look at my diet as the food I eat from week to week, not the food I have to "exclude". When we shift our attention of eating for optimal heath and not to "how skinny can I be?" or "how much can I look like that model on the cover of Shape magazine?", we not only become more comfortable in our skin, but we also grow in acceptance with what we have been blessed with.

This weekend, as we all know, was a snowy blizzard and not the prime time to be going out for dinner and a movie, right? It is hard to stay within your portion size when we going out to a restaraunt that serves a meal hovering over the entire plate! And not to mention all of the FREE bread, I am such a sucker for bread. I love the feeling of knowing what ingredients are in my food and when I cook at home I am at ease.

One of my favorite blogs (http://www.thisisvegan.com/) posted a delicious meal a few days back, pesto pasta with baby tomatoes and kale. I decide to change it up a little bit so I headed to the store and picked up some tomato pesto and pasta (vegetarian).

Is pasta good for you or bad? Many people have their own opioion on this subject and mine happens to waivor both directions. Whole grains contain three layers: bran (outer layer), endosperm (middle layer), and germ (grain core). Each layer provides us with specific nutrients and health benefits. The bran provides fiber, phytonutrients, B vitamins, and minerals. The endosperm contributes carbohydrate, protein, and B vitamins. And the germ supplies vitamin E, B vitamins, unsaturated fat, phytonutrients, and antioxidants.
Refined grains (think white flour and white rice) have the bran and germ layers removed, which means that many of the nutrition and health benefits have been removed, as well. So always go with the WHOLE grains!

Here is my recipe:
*Cook Pasta according to directions on the box
1 box/container of organic baby tomatoes
3 large organic Kale leaves
1/4 c. Pesto (I used OrganicTomato Pesto)

    Saute tomatoes and kale for about 3 minutes

Stir pesto into pasta and then add the kale and tomatoes

This meal was so filling!!!

Oh...and of course don't forget dessert!

Chocolate chip cookie squares with peanut butter chocolate frosting..YUM!

Wonderful Winter Soup!

I was more than excited to come home from San Francisco and teach my first yoga class! After a great and energizing practice I asked one of my clients, "You usually don't come on Monday's, did you have the day off work?". She laughed and said it is Wednesday Savanna!

I needed something to eat that was comforting, filling, and warm in my stomach that would bring me back to reality. In the winter months, soups are popular and even more appealing than ever and my body was craving some! I looked around my kitchen and lucky enough I had just purchased every kind of bean you could imagine. Navy, Pinto, Baby lima beans and kidney (hey, they were on sale for a dollar!!) As a vegetarian I am alwasy trying to incorporate foods into my diet that are high in protein and these little suckers are perfect!

I am craving carrots more than ever so anything I can mix them into is even better! I also added in some red potatoes and some sweet potatoes for texture and then of course my favorite spices! Here is the recipe!

 

6 cups of water (less water if you want a more creamy texture)
1 can of tomato soup
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 1/2 cups of your favorite beans
(I bought dry beans so I soaked them in water overnight)
1 cup of chopped carrots
4 small red potatoes
1 large sweet potato
1/2 red onion chopped
Any desired spices (I used some sage and thyme)

*Cooked separately*
1 cup of Quinoa (Follow cooking direction on box) This gives the dish
 bulk and is filled with whole nutrietns and only takes about 10-15 minutes.

Combine water and tomato soup into a large sauce pan and mix. Then add all of your beans and vegetables. Bring to a boil and cover and simmer for 30-60minutes depending on how firm you like your veggies/beans.

I scooped a cup of Quinoa into the bottom of the bowl and then poured the soup over it. The texture was great and left my belly wanting more. Graham, my fiance added chicken to make it a non vegetarian dish and added some more protein. Enjoy!

San Francisco Yoga Journal Conference!

There could not have been a better note to start off my blog than sharing my experience from the 8th annual Yoga Journal conference in San Francisco! As a new yogi, I decided to hit a city I had never experienced  leaving all of my doubts and fears in my hometown, Ohio.

Every workshop was an amazing experience, but the one teaching that pulled the whole weekend together for me was taught by Darshana Weill. It was titled "Yoga of Food" and she started off by asking us the question, "How do we use food for a study for our personal growth and transformation?"

Many people struggle to realize that food is medicine and we can all become our own medicine cabinents. You even get to choose the dosage!

The interesting fact that really pulled me in was that there are actually two categories of food: Primary and Secondary. The primary group is made up of all of the things in our lives that do not come from food.
1.)Relationships
2.)Movement
3.)Spirituality
4.)Career
The secondary group is then of course made up of food! Macro nutrients (carbs, fats, and proteins) and micro nutrients (vitamins and minerals).

It is no question that when we suffer in our relationships or career (primary food groups) we find disturbances in our eating habits (secondary food groups).

 Moving the attention to the practice of yoga, Darshana introduced the correlation of food to the Yamas and the Niyamas(which are part of the 8 limbs of yoga). Ahimsa for example happens to be the first of the Yamas and means non-violence. Relating this to food I have a strong belief in vegetarianism because it causes diliberate pain to harmless animals and our planet. But one could also relate this to non-vegetarianism because thier bodies need  or crave meat and avoiding it would actually do more harm for them by excluding it from there diet.

It was more apparent than ever that we need to listen to our journey, we are all different! Breathe. Relax. Feel. Watch. Allow. I invite you to incorporate these 5 steps into your daily activites, and most importantly, eating! The next time you go to eat something you know you will regret later try to listen to your body, what is it telling you? And most of all, appreciate that moment!