Thursday, September 30, 2010

My top 15


My main picture for today's blog post is of the National Library in Prague, gorgeous isn't it? I put it up because today, on my friends facebook page he wrote a note called "15 books that stayed with me." I'm sure you can tell from the title what the subject of the note was. Inspired by this, as well as his list, I decided to also make a list of the top 15 books that have stayed with me up to now.

The top 15 books that I have read, which have stayed with me so far:

The Red Tent - Anita Diamant
Fifth Business - Robertson Davies
In the Skin of Lion - Michael Ondaatje
The Twilight Series (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn) - Stephenie Meyer *Seriously, they are very good books don't knock it till you try it!
Naomi's Road - Joy Kogawa
The Alchemist - Paolo Coehlo
The Catcher in the Rye - J. D. Salinger
Black Water - Joyce Carol Oates
Gone with the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
Beloved - Toni Morrison
The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
Summer Sisters - Judy Blume
The Bible *Regardless of my own religious faith (which will remain a private matter) this book is filled with sex, violence, love, faith, philosophy, and some great stories
The Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis
The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien

So, there you have it! Those are 15 books, which I can recall, that have stayed with me. I am sure there are more, actually I have no doubt about it and I could probably add more to that list right now. However, its a start. In my list, I didn't include John Grisham, who might actually be my most favorite writer as well as Jeffrey Deaver, who writes a lot of my favorites. That being said, I also didn't include a lot of the thrillers I read, murder mysteries, books filled with short stories, old childhood favorites (Angelina Ballerina) etc. I think that reading is definitely one of my favorite past times, I love just becoming totally involved with a book and letting my imagination take over. Its a great way to escape reality; sometimes my imagination can be more vivid than any movie or tv screen. I remember when I first read Twilight, I finished all 4 books in 4 days. I basically holed up in my house and couldn't put down the book, I would be reading until 4am those nights! In highschool, when I got the summer reading list, I was actually excited to go to the library and get the books with my mom. I would always take them up to the cottage and just read on the dock all summer. This carried on to my years in university. One of my majors was philosophy and I really enjoyed the weekly readings. Having to read books by different philosophers, especially concerning theology and metaphysics, was so interesting. Reading can really open one's mind to so many things as well as change how you perceive the world around you. The other day I picked up two books from the bookstore because there was a huge sale! I got "The Passage" by Justin Cronin, which the sales lady gushed over and proclaimed was the "best book of the year!" She said she was excited for me to read it and made me promise to tell her what I thought. The other book I got was actually 3 books in one by Paolo Coehlo, which includes "By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept", "Veronika Decides to Die", and "the Devil and Miss Prym." I have always been hot and cold with Coehlo. I really enjoyed "The Alchemist" however I found "The Witch of Portobello" to be boring and not really for me. However, I have always wanted to read "Veronika Decides to Die" so this way I can give Coehlo another chance as well as get a book I actually would like to read from him. I kind of think of him as a contemporary philosopher sometimes, his books are so much about what goes on in your heart and your mind during your journey through life. He's an interesting author to say the least.

Last night I saw the movie "Wall Street" in preparation for the sequel, which is out in theaters right now. The movie was great! Seeing Michael Douglas and Charlie Sheen as young actors was kind of nice and Oliver Stone has always been a fabulous director. I can't wait to see the second one. We tried to start "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" but we didn't realize it was subtitled and I wasn't really in the mood to follow along last night, out of sheer dead-tiredness. To be honest, I kind of want to read the books first anyways! Tonight I am going to introduce my guy to The Godfather, one of my favorite movies and trilogies. He hasn't seen it yet, which was a huge shock to me as I grew up with a father who loves the Godfather and sometimes I felt like it was on the tv every night of my childhood. So, we'll start Part 1 this evening.

In other news, I checked out the gym today and I did a medium/hard workout, which I was proud of because I made it through with out any problems. I can't wait to start Bikram again on Monday and see how it goes. This weekend I think we are finally getting that car and I'm sure I'll have loads of fantastic updates (nutrition related too of course, I didn't abandon the whole purpose of this blog totally for books and movies!). Today I am also going to try my first ever green smoothie so I will let you know how that goes. Till then, I'm off to start another book of course! xJ

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Peppermint tea!


After watching an incredible episode of Glee today I was immediately in a good mood. Glee parodied Britney Spears this week and ended off with a song I really love by Paramore (although they should have ended the episode with more Britney). Today is kind of a particularly gloomy day outside, its raining (what else is new) and its kind of chilly. I started on my yoga course and its a lot of material, lots of information to take in! So, I decided to take a break to blog.

Everyday I start my morning off with hot water with lemon (something that I read about while reading Dr. Joshi's Holistic detox ) and then I move on to peppermint tea. Since getting sick, I've been banned from caffeine because it makes my skin burn and I also wasn't supposed to take it with the medicine. I was also told by the doctors that caffeine works against your immune system, which I am trying to build up. I used to be a huge coffee addict save for one new years resolution back in 2006 where I stopped drinking the stuff for 6 months! But as of late, I was hitting the java up to 4 times a day. For the last month, I have been coffee and caffeine free. I won't lie and say that I haven't missed it or that every time I walk by a cafe or Starbucks I don't get a whiff of the good stuff and wish I could down a tall soy latte, but its felt good to be able to get off it and stay off it. A friend of mine constantly proclaims that coffee is the only legal drug out there. He is right. Coffee and caffeine are stimulants and highly addictive. Caffeine works by initiating the uncontrolled firing of neurons in your brain, which in turn triggers your pituitary gland to secrete a hormone that tells your adrenal glands to produce adrenalin. Adrenalin is your body's natural high, however, when it is triggered unnaturally, the body reacts and balances itself out by also providing you with a lovely crash once the adrenalin has worn off. You in turn become more fatigued, irritable, sometimes you get a raging headache, and a fog clouds your conscious mind. At this point, you probably want another cuppa joe, right? and so the cycle begins again. Think about what kind of state this is putting your body in to. First of all you are in a constantly caffeinated state of being, always needing more and in turn, always on edge. For those highly addicted, this caffeinated state results in increased fatigue, mood swings, depression, insomnia, irritability, and even high stress. Eventually, your body will also go in to adrenal exhaustion, or even depletion. After years of needing more and more coffee to get your adrenaline high, you will see the detrimental effects that consuming so much caffeine has on your system. Caffeine is like any other drug and there will be withdrawal symptoms once you stop pounding back the lattes. Cutting back is hard, believe me, I'm on that path right now, but my savior? Peppermint tea. It is the most soothing and great tasting tea I have found. I even got my guy to love it and he never drank tea before. As well, peppermint contains menthol, which is not only extremely refreshing but also has healing qualities. Peppermint also has vitamin B, calcium, and potassium, all extremely important things to reduce stress, help your heart, and strengthen your bones. Peppermint aids digestion, stomach cramps, any and all GI problems (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, IBS, gas, indigestion), headaches, colic in babies, gall stones, it also helps your concentration and works to calm your nervous system so that you can focus. Breastfeeding mothers are also urged to drink peppermint tea while breastfeeding so that the health benefits may pass on to the baby through the mother's milk. Also, it helps your breath stay minty and fresh. Another plus? Peppermint is naturally caffeine free. The tea itself tastes great on its own but I like to drink it with some honey; its a great treat to wake up to in the morning. I suggest for those of you who rely on a morning coffee to get you going that you try peppermint tea, or any other kind of caffeine free herbal tea, and see how it goes. I'm off to study some more but I'll be back later today to blog about some nutritious and delicious foods as well as a crazy movie I just saw! xJ

Monday, September 27, 2010

Les Mills, Crossfit, and I miss Running!


Yesterday was a crazy day! Also, very tiring. It was my first day back at the gym since getting sick. Full of excitement and very eager to get my sweat on I made a bee line to the closest gym to us in the morning, Les Mills. Without becoming a total spokesperson for the club, it was AMAZING! Seriously. First of all it is HUGE, there are FOUR cardio areas, 3 fitness studios (for classes), 3 ab/stretch areas, 3 weight rooms, and then there is a huge studio, that includes one of the cardio areas, which has enough room and hooks on the ceiling for 24 boxing bags!!!! It was insanity. The machines are also all brand new from Life Fitness (which is slowly taking over the world) and there were tons of windows, the place was great. First thing was first, I hit the treadmill. After about 15 minutes I started to feel really not good, my head was pounding, my skin was burning, and so I had to step off and cool myself down. I got on to the Cybex cross trainer (one of my favorites) and I stayed on that for 30 minutes, taking it easy, and it felt good. I guess I am not ready for the treadmill yet but I am hoping in the next couple of weeks I will be. Running is my most favorite thing, for stress relief, weight loss, fat loss, toning, the works! Running also really improves cardiovascular fitness aka your heart. It's also something that gives me a huge sense of accomplishment. After I finish an hour run, I feel amazing about myself and my body. I highly recommend running to anyone, no matter what fitness level. Start slow and work your way up, you will see a huge difference very quickly! I finished off my workout with some abs, lower back work, and light stretching. I didn't want to over do it on my first day, something I tend to usually do but these days I am learning to be smarter as I get older and less careless about my body.

Another thing I loved about Les Mills was the incredible class schedule. Less Mills has classes pretty much every hour. This is something I always hated about most gyms I've been to around the world (and I've been to alot!). Usually, the classes are either in the morning or at night and no in between. Les Mills offers round the clock, kick ass classes, including yoga, which was a sweet surprise. One of their classes was even tailor made at the University of Auckland for ultimate fat loss. Its called BODYPUMP and I'm definitely going to try it tomorrow. If you live in New Zealand or the Auckland area you should definitely check out Les Mills at www.lesmills.co.nz the gym is really high energy, always filled with motivated people and is not intimidating. There is even a womens only area including lots of cardio machines and weights, in case you feel uncomfortable in front of the grunting, sweaty, men. Another plus? The change room is super clean and has a steam room, sauna, and whirlpool. I feel like I know where I'll be spending most of my days from now on! Haha! I am just glad they have yoga everyday as well as the Body Balance class, which is a combination of yoga, pilates, and tai chi. I am so eager to try every single class!

While I was on the treadmill yesterday I was watching one man do what I thought was a crossfit workout; I checked the website,watched what he was doing, and figured out he was indeed doing the crossfit workout of the day! Crossfit is a great way to get in shape and its incredible for strength and conditioning. I used to be a skeptic about crossfit because the exercises aren't really too diverse and a lot of the stuff is repetitive; I am a fan of switching up workouts and not doing the same thing all the time, especially for my clients. However, crossfit does get you great results very fast and it focuses on both upper and lower body as well as your core. Crossfit also uses Kettlebells, which burn A LOT of calories very quickly, and provide a really great dynamic workout. Another benefit of the crossfit workout is how quick you can do a kick ass program. Those who are strapped for time can be in and out of the gym in under an hour. Some crossfit workouts can be as little as 25 minutes in length. Don't let the short time fool you though, you will be sweating and your heart will be racing very quickly. One of my really good friends swears by crossfit and his results are great; he's gained a lot of muscle and trimmed down his midsection quite a bit. Crossfit is for both men and women and there are even competitions, which are fun and challenging. Most cities have a crossfit gym with everything you need for the daily workouts and I hear its quite social as well. You can read more about crossfit and check out their daily workouts (free!!) at www.crossfit.com

Today I think I will try to go easier at the gym, so as to avoid the raging headache and burning skin. I will definitely be talking about the classes I try tomorrow as well as my new diet, which I have changed quite a bit since I will be working out again.

Last night I picked up some Snapper from the market. I let the fish marinade for a few hours in the fridge in olive oil, salt, pepper, and paprika. Before grilling I cut up some yellow onions as well as halved some strawberry tomatoes (my new favorite) and added them on top of the fish. It turned out really well, the paprika was a great addition. I really love making fish because its so fast and easy. You can grill it at 180 for 10 minutes and its perfect. My guy never really ate fish before he met me, he was more of a steak and chicken kinda guy, so this is all new to him. He loved it, which was great news for me because I would rather cook fish than chicken or steak. Since we live in a place now where seafood is super fresh and not shipped in from somewhere, this is also a plus. Tonight I'm going to be dining alone and so I've decided to make a big salad, including beets! I will be blogging about that later today. For now, I am off to the gym to battle the crosstrainer yet again and to make love eyes at the treadmill, I miss it :( xJ

Tally Ho!



This weekend was one of the best weekends I have had in Auckland...and I did absolutely nothing. Sunday was the greatest. We decided to stay in and I tried my hand at baking some gluten free, dairy free, vegan muffins. My guy was a little skeptical at first, what with my declarations of "no eggs or milk are needed!" he even got himself a greasy french croissant from the french creperie as a back up plan while out getting me some hot chocolate, just in case the muffins turned out to, as he said, "taste gluten-free." What does that even mean? Gluten-free food gets a bad rap. It can actually be quite good and even if you dont have a celiac disease or a gluten/wheat intolerance, you should try to limit the amount of gluten in your diet. Don't believe me? Cut out gluten from your diet for one month and see how you feel. After one month, re-introduce gluten in to your diet, even just by having a beer, and take note of the effects gluten has on your body. To read about the negative effects gluten has on the human body and why you should re-consider its presence in your life please take a look at this article:

http://home.earthlink.net/~loveguru/grainbad.htm

Also, feel free to do some of your own research as well as experiment with a gluten-free diet for a couple of weeks. Everyone's body is different, but in terms of gluten, I would highly recommend cutting back. That being said, although my guy doesn't have celiac disease or a gluten intolerance (that he is aware of at least) I am trying to help him down the road to a gluten free lifestyle, if only because it also makes my life easier since we live together and share a kitchen. Since moving in with each other I make soups with gluten free noodles, I buy gluten free bread, and I make gluten free muffins. The other day while we were eating some delish chicken noodle soup, he had no idea the noodles were even gluten free and absolutely loved them! They were a blend of corn and rice, which have a really great taste and perfect texture. The muffins turned out to be equally as yummy! As you can see from the photos, documentation proves delicious and nutritious!



The muffins are Vegan Morning Glory muffins and I used a recipe I found online, but I tweaked it a little bit; I gave it some Jax power! I find there are a lot of recipes online, especially for muffins, but they are not necessarily so great. You really have to experiment in the kitchen to find out what your taste buds will appreciate. After this batch of muffins I tried to make a chocolate banana vegan muffin and it was SO bad, we had to throw them all out :(




So, practice makes perfect! For dinner, we were going to make polenta pizza but I was so tired from baking so many muffins that we decided to go easier and make a big salad. My guy, being as sweet as he is, also decided to make Kumara fries. They were AMAZING. As you can see in the photo, Kumara is another word for sweet potato fries. His recipe is so easy to follow too! Anyone can do it :) These were perfect and crispy and went great with the salad!



My man's Kumara fries...

What you need:

3 large Kumaras (sweet potatoes)
4 TBS olive oil/sunflower oil (TIP!: sunflower oil has a higher cooking point than olive oil, so to avoid nasty carcinogens I recommend using either sunflower, coconut, canola, or sesame oil for cooking)
2 tsp cinammon (to bring out the flavor)
as much salt and pepper as you like (I love using Himalayan salt, it gives the best flavor to all foods and is the best salt for you!)
1 tsp paprika

Wash and peel the kumaras. Slice from the top to make "fries." Put these pieces in to a ziplock bag or large bowl. Toss with oil, salt, pepper paprika, and cinnamon.

Bake these at 220C/425F for about 20 mins. Flip at 10 mins. Grill another 5-10 minutes to make them crispy on the top! This will give them blackened edges and make it soooo good! Everyone's oven is different so cooking times and temperatures may vary, it also depends on the vegetable itself.

I will be talking about my muffin recipe(s) very soon! Until then here is the original link I used to make the muffins, but like I said, I changed some things and I added some things and etc. etc.

http://thejuma.wordpress.com/2009/06/17/vegan-morning-glory-muffins/

Overall, its a great recipe!

This weekend I also got to FINALLY see (its been a long time coming) the movie Slumdog Millionaire. It was SO great and I really loved the music, the story, the characters, and the dancing! I really don't know very much about Indian culture or how life is in the cities of India like Bombay or Mumbai. That being said, I would love to learn more and I was really interested in the parts of the movie that showed how people really live there. The movie was bittersweet and so it was also really sad in some parts. It's true that all over the world, people are struggling every day and doing anything they can to just simply survive. It really makes you think a lot about what is truly important in your life, what you can and can't live without, and what you take for granted.
I am off to grill some fish! I got snapper from the market and I am trying a simple recipe. Also, learning about the importance of Beetroot in ones diet! Its VERY exciting and I will tell you all about it very soon :) xJ

Thursday, September 23, 2010

TGIF!

Today is Friday and boy am I happy about that! We had planned to maybe-possibly take a trip to Lake of Bays this weekend, which is apparently beautiful, however, life gets in the way and we REALLY need to go car shopping. I hate car shopping, most people like it, I hate it. I think its boring. I am definitely not a "car person." I would much rather be doing yoga, maybe taking walk on the beach, or going to the Lake of Bays ;) but, I also hate lugging bags of groceries up the steepest-hill-I-have-ever-seen. That being said, car shopping it is! I am also going to drag the boy to the farmers market on Sunday for some yummy brunch, hot chocolate, and to pick up some great, fresh produce.

Yesterday I had some really great news from my doctor, who said that I can start working out again!!! She said I have to go slow and take it easy but that I could definitely hit the gym and even do some low impact yoga (not Bikram, but yoga nonetheless!) I just have to be careful. Since the amazing news, we decided that Saturday will be the day that not only do we go car shopping but also the day we join the gym! I am so excited because the gym we chose has great classes all day long including a running club each morning. Its the beginning of a new life! I am very happy. I will definitely be documenting my uphill climb to getting back in shape as well as what foods I will be eating pre and post workout and yoga as well as throughout the day.

Last night I cooked a delicious and simple meal. We settled on marinaded baked tofu with brown rice and broccoli (and some hummus on the side). It was the first time the boy has ever tried tofu and he seemed to like it, but also asked if I could make it taste like chicken. We had some pretty terrible tofu when we first got here from a really bad Japanese place (That was supposed to be "the best in Auckland" ha yeah right) and so he was surprised the tofu wasn't so terrible. As for the chicken request, I said "of course I can!" and while doing so my mind wandered to Whole Foods infamous Vegan Curry Chicken, a staple in my life for the last few months before leaving Toronto. My mind also wandered to figuring out how to re-create this culinary classic, it is DELISH! I am going to scour the WF website and try to find out how I can do this without being a super-chef or Martha Stewart. Tonight, the boy gets real chicken and since he's obsessed with my simple rosemary recipe lately and since its so easy for me, he's gonna get it again tonight. Highlight of the evening? The amazing (kinda expensive) bottle of red wine I got from Glen Garry. I haven't been able to drink for the last month and now I can finally have a glass. I still have to be careful but I am so excited, I almost forget what red wine tastes like! I am also going to be making some quinoa (which is pre-soaking as I type), salad, steam some veggies, and I'll probably throw some of yesterdays left over brown rice in to the mix (waste not want not kiddies). Lately we've been eating really simple vegan dishes, since I have been feeling too crappy to do any real cooking but both of us feel the best we have in a LONG time! So, for that I am happy.

In other news, I have just signed up for a new course to add to my insane list of certifications, degrees, diplomas, etc. I will be taking "Yoga for Athletes" for the next few months and hopefully it will help me not only in my own practice but also when I am able to start teaching classes again! I am very excited.

Tomorrow I will also be baking my own vegan super healthy muffins! The recipe and pics to follow! xJ

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

The Lovely Quinoa


Yesterday was really cold and REALLY rainy and REALLY cold...did I say it was cold? Well it was. So cold in fact, I had both heaters on PLUS I had to turn on the elements on the stove to heat up the place. It was freezing! I wasn't feeling too well, thanks to my stupid decision to go for a nice stroll at 8pm the night before in the freezing cold, with not enough clothes on and wet hair. Not the brightest idea I've ever had. Because I wasn't feeling so hot I decided to take the day and catch up on all the tv shows I have missed since being over here in NZ (it was a total lazy day). It was actually quite relaxing and since it was too cold to even leave my electric blanket anyways, it was quite fitting that I stay inside and make use of the old megavideo account. Because it was so cold, I really wanted to eat something warm and comforting for dinner, but since I was feeling pretty bad, I didn't want to have to put too much effort in to cooking. The boy and I settled on quinoa and vegetables, with a twist! I decided to make quinoa with chickpeas (uber protein dins!) with some home marinated (with my special dressing) vegetables. I put the whole thing over some rocket salad (arugula salad for any North Americans out there) and it was delish. I'm really starting to like quinoa and even the smell of it while cooking is so good! This is also such a simple recipe:

1 cup quinoa (pre-soaked 4-6 hours)
2 cups water
1/2 tsp Himalayan salt
2 cups chickpeas (or one whole can drained and rinsed)
1 bunch carrots peeled and cut
4 celery stalks washed and cut
1/2 cucumber peeled cut
10 cherry/grape/strawberry tomatoes washed and halved
1/2 red onion cut up in tiny pieces
2 red peppers washed cut
3 handfuls rocket salad (or any type of green you want!)
Handful mixed pre-soaked nuts (pumpkin, sunflower, pecan, cashew, almond, etc. whatever you want)

Homemade Balsamic:

extra virgin cold pressed Olive oil
balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp honey
1/4 tsp paprika
2 tablespoons oregano (I use a lot, its all about how much you like the taste)
4 garlic buds

Veggies:
I made the homemade sauce (which, lets be honest, changes every time) and mixed it all up in a separate bowl. Then, I cut up all my veggies and threw them in to a big glass bowl. I let the sauce sit for about an hour in the separate dish so that the garlic could really get in to the olive oil. I find if you let it sit, the flavor amplifies a lot. Usually 4 hours is best, but if you are short on time, work with what you've got! After this sat for a bit, I put all the sauce all over the veggies and mixed it all up with two big spoons! I let the veggies sit in the sauce while I cooked the quinoa and chickpeas

Quinoa and chickpeas:
First, I pre-soaked the quinoa as per my last post, to make sure I get the full benefit of the enzymes and less of the toxins and acid. I find pre-soaking the quinoa also gives it a fluffier texture while cooking, it cooks faster, and it tastes better (seriously, it does). While I was cooking the quinoa I opened up a can of organic chickpeas, which I drained and then rinsed (this is important, check out what happens when you rinse them, bubbles = not normal). After the quinoa was pretty much ready I threw in the chickpeas and cooked some more to make sure they were warmed and some of the flavor seeped in.

I got two big plates, put a handful of rocket salad on each plate and then I put the quinoa chickpea mix on top, and covered it with the veggies. I topped it off with some (also pre-soaked) pumpkin, sunflower, and pecan nuts crumbled up. You can also mix that up; sometimes I use almonds or whatever is available. Voila! This meal is a really quick, hearty, super duper nutritious and a delicious dinner. The boys loves it, its slowly becoming his favorite and I love it too :)

Tonight I am not sure what I will make. It's super cold again and I'm in the mood for some brown rice so I'll have to rack my brain. I have a late appointment today too so when I get home I know I'll be hungry for something fast!

Last night, we watched the movie "The Lovely Bones," which I was dying to see because I really loved the book and I also really like Peter Jackson, the director. He also directed Lord of the Rings, which I LOVED! I really hope that soon we can go on the Lord of the Rings tour here in NZ so I can see the sights. The Lovely Bones is a murder mystery/thriller and it was beautiful. Peter Jackson's depiction of Purgatory was amazing and reminded me of a psychedelic dream. The movie was scary in some parts and I found I got really involved with both the characters and the story line. I'm not sure who the actress was who played the young girl who was the main character, Susan Salmon, but she was also great. I loved her voice. Weird, I know, but I totally did! I also finally saw the season finale of True Blood, which was kind of a fail. There are always so many un-answered questions and it reminds me of the show "Lost" a little bit, one of my ultimate favorite shows, but also a huge mystery to me. Ah well, I guess we'll have to wait till next season! I am off for now :) xJ

Monday, September 20, 2010

Soakin your stuff!

The other day, after a couple days of eating my overnight oats, I started to notice my stomach getting upset. I decided to do some research (along with the help of my mom) and I found out about the importance of soaking your oats before you eat them. For the last few years I started soaking my brown rice as well as garbanzo beans (chickpeas) before I cooked a delicious meal, however, never had I thought about oats. I found a few links with information and this excerpt (which sums up the purpose of soaking oats nicely) is from: http://bit.ly/11v5d3

"All grains contain phytic acid (an organic acid in which phosphorous is bound) in the outer layer or bran. Untreated phytic acid can combine with calcium, magnesium, copper, iron especially zinc in the intestinal track and block their absorption. This is why a diet high in unfermented whole grains may led to serious mineral deficiencies and bone loss. The modern misguided practice of consuming large amounts of unprocessed bran often improves colon transit time at first but may lead to irritable bowel syndrome and, in the long term, many other adverse effects. Soaking allows enzyme, lactobacilli and other helpful organisms to break down and neutralize phytic acid. As little as seven hours of soaking in warm acidulated water will neutralize a large portion of phytic acid in grains. The simple practice of soaking cracked or rolled cereal grains overnight will vastly improve their nutritional benefits."

Another few links about soaking oats:

http://www.alive.com/1677a5a2.php?subject_bread_cramb=491

and this link explains HOW to soak your oats as well as what you need to soak them!

http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2008/09/soaked-oatmeal-breakfast.html

I will definitely soak my oats today and find out how they taste tomorrow. While doing research about soaking your oats I also found some literature about soaking nuts. This is something that I have known for a long time since reading one of my favorite books called "eating for beauty" by David Wolfe (a great author and believer in the raw food movement). Soaking nuts or seeds that you consume is very important in order to receive ALL the nutritional value as well as the most benefits from them. Here are some link about nuts and seeds and for anyone who loves to eat these things, I really recommend checking them out!

http://eatingforenergy.ca/blog/73/do-you-soak-your-nuts/

for soak times for different nuts and seeds check this out:

http://www.raw-food-living.com/soaking-nuts.html

Today I will be soaking some pumpkin and sunflower seeds for our dinner tonight! I want to mix them with some brown rice and make a salad for a very Fresh-like bowl.
Last nights chicken was a success and I also got to make Israeli Couscous for the first time in my life! The boy ate everything and was totally full after, but it was super good for him...health food!! I made sure to take pictures and I will include my couscous recipe (it got raves reviews) in the next post.
Last night I watched the movie Australia directed by Baz, the same guy who did Moulin Rouge and Romeo and Juliet. He is great with colours and scenery. The movie was with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman (Hello!!) and was all romance and adventure as well as some magic. The scenery in Australia was so beautiful, I'm so lucky to be living so close to such a place and I can't wait to check it out (first I gotta conquer NZ though!). It was definitely a feel good movie. Next up, The Lovely Bones. I love seeing movies of books I enjoyed because I get to see how another person interpreted everything in their mind. But, for now, its time for some breakfast (a fruit salad) and some amazing tea (peppermint yum!) I hope today will stay as sunny as it is right now! xJ

Sunday, September 19, 2010

The Sea

Today I decided to get out of the house and take a walk down the road to check out the ocean. I had yet to walk down there, which is kind of ridiculous, considering I've been living a stones throw away from the waves for two weeks now. I walked down to the end of the road and found some steps, which went right down to...(wait for it)...a BEACH!!!!!! I have never been so excited in my life! I ran down the stairs like a kid and on to the sand. The ocean was spraying in my face and I closed my eyes and had some crazy nostalgia for my Florida days. The beach is beautiful (once again, pics to come haha) and the ocean smelled great. I have no idea if I can swim in it or not but its still too cold right now anyways. I am definitely going to walk down there everyday from now on. The crazy big trees, the beach, palm trees, ocean, its all so beautiful and refreshing. After being in Toronto for 6 months I was so happy to get to Budapest to see my parents and their view of the Danube and all the green in Buda, but this really topped that. Concrete jungle aint got nothin on the real thang ;)
So last night turned out to be a real horror fest. We ended up watching Case 39, a Renee Zellwegger flick (I'm not such a fan), but it was kinda creepy, then we turned on the tv to Sky movies and Silence of the Lambs was on! Such a great movie. I had no idea that Catherine Martin (The girl who buffalo bill is keeping in the hole) is actually Dr. Erica Hahn from Greys Anatomy (if you are a greys fan its kinda cool). I always see so many grey's actors in all kinds of movies and other shows, the cast is totally awesome. Anyways, tonight I'm gonna try out "Australia" (which I hear has amazing visuals) and another book I've read that turned in to a movie "The Lovely Bones". Being sick has some perks, like watching all these movies. Downside? I really miss my running and yoga. But I must admit that movies definitely do help to relax and de-stress. You can kind of zone out and you don't really have to put in the same amount of energy or thought in to movies as you do with books. I find with books that I'm reading, a movie kinda plays in my head, and I get so involved. Movies I just sit back and watch, no real focus needed. My mom loves comedies for this reason, whenever she is stressed or upset she throws on Mamma Mia (its her fave) and just zones out. I was trying to put together a list of my favorite feel good movies but I think its something that I totally have to rack my brain more to come up with. I came up with a lot but the list could go on and on so I won't list all of them.
Today while I was on my walk I got to thinking about nostalgia and memories. This was probably because of being on the beach and thinking about Florida, as well as other times and places(my stream of consciousness moves fast). Everyone always says that when it comes to memories the old adage "Don't cry because its over, smile because it happened" is the best way to approach/deal with emotions that come in to play. For as long as I can remember, I've been a person who has lived in the past. I always think things were "so much better back then" or I always wish that I was still living in that time/place/circumstance. I miss the past a lot sometimes. I'm not quite sure how healthy this is but I don't think its something that only I struggle with. Lately, I've been trying to use the "smile because it happened" thing. I guess its true, we wouldn't have these beautiful memories at all without these experiences and there is a reason I hang on to the past so much. But this should also teach me something about the present and the future, most importantly, that I guarantee in the future I will look back at this past (which is now my present) and think about how lovely it was and how much I wish I was back there again. Usually while things are happening I tend not to think they are "sooo great". But truth is, they probably are. So, that being said, carpe diem! New motto for the week. Also, I will stop dwelling on the past, and I will smile because it happened, smile because I was able to live through something so profound that I still think about it to this day, and then move on to getting excited about the NOW. Living in the moment, baby, that's how you gotta be.

Tonight I'm making myself some more chicken soup (MUCH NEEDED) and I marinated some chicken for the boy. I don't usually eat chicken (or any animal) but he definitely needs the protein and loves this recipe. If you are looking for a simple chicken recipe, that's super tender and tasty, try this.
What you need:
Chicken (breasts work best with this recipe)
olive oil
paprika powder
Himalayan salt
pepper
rosemary
Get out a bowl that you can put the chicken in, so that you can store it in the fridge throughout the day while its marinating. I recommend doing this in the morning or at night so that the chicken has at least a day to marinate. Throw some olive oil in the the bowl (BE generous, olive oil is needed here to make sure the chicken stays moist while cooking as well as gives it a crispy outer coating, also, the taste is great).
Put the chickens in to the bowl and with your hands make sure the olive oil is spread all over the outer parts of the chickens (I find kneading the oil in to the chickens is good and helps it turn out great while you cook)
Next, put the salt, pepper, paprika, and rosemary all on one side of the chickens. Don't go nuts with the paprika you only need a little bit of this.
With your hands, knead the spices in to the chickens, just like with the oil.
Turn the chickens over and repeat on the other side.
Then, get some tin foil or saran wrap and put it over the dish as a cover and put the chickens in to the fridge for at least 6 hours.
Cooking: I usually use the grill in the oven. I keep it on the 5th rack (So, lower part of the oven)
I cook the chickens at 180-200 (depending on oven strength and thickness of the chicken pieces) for about 30 minutes. This usually makes sure they come out tender but crisp and very moist. The olive oil is what is important in this process as it keeps the moisture in the chickens. Another way to keep moisture in meats while cooking is to cover them in bacon strips (but that's for another post haha).
This is a great dish when paired with a green salad OR on top of quinoa, the ancient super grain, and the topic of a coming-soon blog post. That being said, I'm off to make some tea and watch movies! xJ

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Overnight Oats and Movies

Holed up in my new house in Auckland has its benefits. For example, I get to stare out at the azure blue ocean all day, come rain or shine (and it comes a lot!). All the Kiwis I've met so far proudly boast that New Zealand is famous for having at least 4 seasons a day, each day. The best part about it? I get to see the ocean change colour about 25 times a day (pics to come!!) and its sooo pretty! I havent seen anything like this since I lived in Florida. It brings back a lot of memories!

Since I haven't been doing much, I've had a lot of time to think about different things as well as time to spend on some of my newest culinary pursuits. My first adventure came with a well known breakfast food! And thanks to Angela (who's blog I have followed for some time now and is great) at www.ohsheglows.com I have discovered Vegan Over night Oats...sooo good! Here is the recipe I follow:

1/3 cup of rolled oats
2/3 cup of light so good soy milk
1 mashed banana
1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean extract
1/4 teaspoon cinammon
dash of nutmeg

This recipe is pretty basic and I really want to try to make them with peaches as well. The one thing to keep in mind is that they are very sweet alone, so if you aren't a fan of rich foods, or are sensitive to sweet things, you should modify the recipe accordingly. If this is the case I suggest only using half a banana, that could help. Alternatively, you can experiment with the type of milk you are using. Other websites suggest Almond milk or rice milk. I have yet to be able to find Almond milk in Auckland so I stick to my So Good Light Soy milk. I put the oats in the bowl first, then grab a banana and just break it up in to pieces, then with a big spoon I mash up the banana. After this, you can put in the milk and then add the spices and vanilla and stir it all up again before putting it in to the fridge for a great, healthy breakfast in the morning. I usually love hot oatmeal, its my favorite thing, and if you are like me and a big oatmeal fan, I really recommend this dish. I recently made my partner try it, but instead of soy I used regular whole milk. The consistency wasn't the same, his was more liquid, and the taste definitely wasn't as sweet. This was actually a good thing because he hates sweet stuff. He added some Yoplait kiwi and fejioa (spelling? its some kind of fruit) yogurt to the oats and he said he loved it. I tried it and it was okay, not something I'd eat everyday and definitely not as good as my bowl. I have a feeling he'll stick to his eggs and protein cereal haha. He was a sweetheart for trying it though!
This weekend has been pretty quiet so far. Last night we rented a bunch of movies. We started with Old School, a total classic, because I was in the mood for some laughs and we've been talking about renting it forever! I really can't get over how funny Will Ferrel and Vince Vaughan are. Ive also always had a secret crush on Vince, guys that can make you laugh..top notch in my books. After Old School we switched it up a bit and watched a film that's not too well known starring Cameron Diaz and James Marsden (he was in xmen and the notebook). The movie was based on a short story that originally appeared in playboy in the 70s called "Button, Button!" and then it was turned in to an episode of the Twilight Zone. It was called "The Box" and boy was it weird. First of all, I LOVE scary movies, and that was one of the reasons I wanted to watch this flick. I had no idea how scary it would be but it was definitely scary (the music was totally ominous). The only issue I had with the movie was that it left a lot of unanswered questions at the end. It was really philosophical (which I of course loved) and it kept me intrigued the whole way through because of how weird and confusing it was haha! Anyways, if you are looking for a thriller/terror/philosophical/science-fiction type movie...I would recommend it. The next movie I'm going to watch today is The Road. I have been wanting to see this movie forever because I really enjoyed the book by Corman McCarthy that it was based on. Then I'll probably make the boy sit through Mean Girls, because really, what girl doesn't love that movie, its one of my total faves!! Having a fever and being sick sucks but drinking tea while watching movies inside kinda rocks ;) With that said, I'm off! But...I promise pictures for everything (including my gorge view) as soon as possible! xJ

Thursday, September 16, 2010

The Challenge

Moving to a new country is always challenging, Ive done it a few times and I don't think it ever gets easy. This time, however, has been an especially bumpy road for me and I've really had to use my super adaptive skills to try to keep calm. Since coming to New Zealand I have had, what seems to be, never ending issues with my health; I have become more accustomed to the inside of the City Med health center than the insanely blue ocean I can see from any and all vantage points. As a result, the docs told me that for the next month not only can I not workout or do yoga, but I also have to avoid dairy products, caffeine, alcohol, sugar, and all processed or pre-packaged foods as well as anything that contains preservatives. That being said, I have already for the last 3 weeks (since I started taking medicine) been dutifully avoiding all caffeine (including my beloved green tea) as well as alcohol (to the behest of my partner who makes me jealous each night he has a glass of red wine without me). It really hasn't been that bad, which was kind of surprising (save for the first few days...caffeine withdrawal is the pits!!). As for the other taboo foods the only issue I seem to have is with my beloved cheese (they have the best aged artisinal cheeses here..hello Gouda!) as well as making sure my diet stayed on track. Considering my love for chocolate, this proves a difficult task and I have yet to cut out my lindt. For the most part, eating fresh produce is fairly easy considering the incredible Farmers Markets they have in Auckland as well as the great grocery stores with any and everything you could ask for (Spartacus actors roaming in the aisles included because they film the show here!). However, I am quite upset about the part where I can't exercise or raise my body temperature and that for a month I have to give up running as well as yoga. Herein lays my challenge. For as long as I can remember exercise was the only thing that relieved my high stress levels, yoga was the only thing that I found centered me, opened up my lungs and my spine as well as my mind, and running is something that gives me a sense of accomplishment, endorphins, as well as helps to ensure that I keep wearing the same jean size as the months and years fly by. For the next month I have to re-learn how to achieve all of these feelings without these key things. My stress levels are at an all time high because of moving, being sick, adapting, taking so much medicine, and now I am stressed about not being able to relieve stress the only way I know how. Over the next month I must rely on walking, a proper diet, possible breathing exercises (I'm racking my brain for ideas), as well as find anything I can that will relax me and keep me balanced and back to my zen-like self. I guess this is sort of like a psychological as well as physical experiment for myself. Though not self imposed (I would never voluntarily do this) I really have no choice. The positives of course are that we are now moved in to our new house with a 180 degree view of the South Pacific, Palm trees, and fresh air all around. Another plus is Herne Bay, where we live, which is a great area for walking, seeing nature (including the gorgeous azure ocean), and becoming a very laid back kiwi. Walking, the only form of exercise I can do for now is something my mother has relied on for years as something that relieves stress, prevents weight gain, and helps you to just get outside. Aside from all of this, I do count my blessings. I am lucky to have a partner who supports me fully and has been a huge help as well as friends and family who make days brighter and life sweeter. So, onward I go! Life's not so bad and I guess for the first time I have to try to live it without all the things I relied on to get me through the days before.
In the next few blogs I'll talk about my adventures in cooking, walking, de-stressing, as well as of course, how gorgeous Auckland is and how lovely all the people are who live here! I also recently tried my hand at some Vegan Overnight Oats as well as Quinoa for the first time. I'll be including recipes and photos in my posts as well. Here goes nothin! xJ

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Hotel Living

Having been in Auckland for two weeks now, I am still holed up in the hotel. Who would have thought that it would be so hard to find an apartment in New Zealand. I suppose if we had known how hard the task was, we would have started looking earlier. However, like most things, this got me thinking about traveling as well as staying at a hotel. After about a week it was downright depressing. However, as the days go on, I've gotten used to the daily routine and I don't really know what will happen when faced with the task of actually cleaning my own room and not relying on room service for a nice cuppa (New Zealand slang for a cup of tea..cute, eh?). I won't lie and say I don't like being waited on, but a huge part of me wishes we could find our own place already! That being said, I am lucky enough to be staying at a pretty great hotel, one that has its own world renown spa and fitness center. The Hyatt has been quite good to me and I've already had three massages as well as made good use of the fitness center, steam room, hot tub, sauna, cold room, and juice bar. However, I realize, I am one lucky girl to be holed up in the Hyatt. This, along with questions from my friends about how I stay in shape while traveling, got me thinking about how I would spend my time if I wasn't in a place like this. Hotel workouts, although not ideal of course, are sometimes the only thing one can rely on for stress relief, exercise, general health, as well as weight loss/maintenance while traveling. I thought and did some research and came up with some tips for those overseas or land, wanting to get their sweat on, while living in a hotel.

What you need:
2 x 2/1.5 litre water bottles (you can purchase these at any convenience store), you can also use two large cans of beans
2 chairs

Because of the lack of cardio equipment, the best way to get the most out of your workout would be to move through the exercises as quickly but as efficiently as possible (no cheating, or bad form of course!)

The best way to start this workout is to get the oxygen in to your blood stream and warm up, basically, you gotta work those legs!

squats: holding one of the water bottles out in front of you, or alternatively both by your sides, keep your feet shoulder width apart and sit down in to your glutes (your butt) and keep your weight mid foot (dont use your toes to push up). Try to go as low as possible watching not to let your knees go past the toes and remember to keep that back straight and your shoulders down, no hunchbacks here! try to do as many reps as possible but aim for 20-30
Wall squat: with your back flat against the wall, feet pointed straight in front of you, squat down and hold this position for 20-30 seconds.
Lunge: holding the cans or water bottles in each hand (or alternatively no weights at all keep your hands on your hips) alternate one leg at a time lunging forward and slightly touching the knee to the floor, still watching the other knee doesn't go over the toes. Aim for 20-30 reps.
Repeat this sequence three times before moving on to the next group of exercises.
Push ups combined with triceps
Either with your knees on the floor or a full body push up, you can get creative and do wide push ups, tricep pushups, or triangle push ups, or a combination of all to get a great chest workout.
Triceps: Using the water bottles or cans, on all 4s on the ground, Perform a tricep kickback
similarly, using the water bottles or cans, you can also do bicep curls
as well as shoulder press exercises.
Chair press exercises: (C/O Askmen.com) To work your triceps, place your hands on the edge of the chair with your feet stretched out and resting on the edge of a second chair you’ve placed about 4 feet away. Perform your standard dip movement, pausing momentarily at the bottom of the position. Do as many as you can before you are too fatigued to continue.
Follow this up with some Low back extensions and an ab workout and you are set!
If you are in a hotel that has a stair well and you wont be in any ones way you can always take 10 mins to run up and down a few flights of stairs too. Also, don't be scared to explore the area! Go for a run! or a long walk. Its a great way to explore the place you are visiting and get a feel for everyday life.
If you are missing your daily yoga sessions, you can always google a youtube video or if you have time, search out some local classes, yoga is a world wide practice.
Until Next time! I am off to drink some peppermint tea xoxox

Hello from Down Under

Welcome to my new blog! I suppose an introduction of some sort is needed? Well, I am just an average twentysomething with a keen interest in all things health related. That being said, I have a background in competitive sports; I was a competitive swimmer for most of my young life and slowly made the transition from athlete to personal trainer to fitness instructor to yoga instructor to pilates instructor and now finally to someone who just wants to know more about health and well being. I have just recently made quite a huge move to Auckland, New Zealand and what better way to not only document my travels but also talk about everything that interests me on the way. From cooking to yoga to pro-biotics I suppose this blog is nothing short of my own outlet; all topics covered, with special attention to holistic wellness. Every post will be different and I hope that whoever reads this will gain some sort of insight from me or if not at least leave with something they can use in their own everyday life. Thanks for reading =)