Hot body, cool mind

The week has flown by and I really haven't had much time to do my daily blog posts. It was my goal to write everyday but I suppose sometimes life gets in the way and I can't even seem to find the time to do anything! I have made a goal to try to dedicate at least 20 minutes a day to the blog, whether it be actually writing or researching the topics I post about.
This week has been pretty big for me as I finally started back to Bikram yoga. I haven't done Bikram for almost a year now due to injuries as well as being sick. I was really nervous because I knew how out of shape I was coming in to the first class. Boy was I right. Bikram's torture chamber kicked my ass! My heart was pounding within the first 5 minutes and I was sure I was going to vomit about halfway through. Nothing can really prepare you for a Bikram class. Not only are you working your cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and lymphatic systems, but every single cell in your body is being pushed to its limits. The pay off is pretty great though, the second I stepped out of that class my entire body was just vibrating. For the last two days I have been radiating heat and my mind has been much clearer. As soon as you start yoga, your entire body's energy system starts to flow again and you become a furnace. On top of the physical benefits, Bikram's class can also be a huge emotional roller coaster. The poses are designed to purge toxins from the body, which also include mental and emotional strain. I have been to classes where participants become extremely emotional and sometimes even begin to cry. This is not yoga for the lighthearted.

"Bikram yoga classes typically involve going through a series of 26 poses, or asanas and two breathing exercises. Each position flows to the next one, which proponents say can help your body release toxins and well as tensions. According to Wikipedia, blood circulation is affected a lot during class because of compression and extension of the muscles. These two movements work together to bring oxygen throughout the whole body. While students are doing one of the poses, circulation will actually be temporarily cut off. This in turn stimulates the heart to pump more blood. The pumping of fresh blood is called extension. Once you finish the pose and you come out of it, the new oxygen-rich blood can help the arteries that were being compressed.
By the time the 90-minute class is over, most students will feel both tired and energized. The idea is that the heat combined with the poses will help your body clean out its lymphatic system, and then even more toxins will come out in your sweat. Drinking a bunch of water before, during, and after class can help reload your body with good liquids.
As you sweat your way through the poses, the stress-caused hormone cortisol can also leave the body." - Alison Stanton

Regular practitioners also believe that regular Bikram exercise reduces the symptoms of certain chronic illnesses, such as thyroid disorders, arthritis and circulatory problems. However, Before starting any form of exercise, talk with your physician and research the practice. In addition, it’s always best to first perform any yoga path under the guidance of an experienced teacher, who will not only teach you about the history and theory of the style, but also instruct and correct your postures and other physical attributes important to the practice and to avoid injury.

Bikram is intense and very much unlike Ashtanga or Hatha yoga. In Canada, Moksha yoga, a mix of Ashtanga and Hatha performed in a heated room, is very popular. This type of hot yoga is very different from Bikram and if you are a regular Moksha goer Bikram will still be a shock to your system and definitely a lot different than what you are used to.

The most important thing to remember, if you are practicing Bikram for the first time, is to come to class well hydrated, and dont eat anything 2-3 hours before your class. Trust me.

Since this week I have finally been able to engage in physical exercise, I have been trying some classes at the gym. I tried BodyPump yesterday and I pretty much died. Today I am so sore I can barely move, although I think this also has to do with my Bikram class on Tuesday. Arnica cream, lots of water, fruit and vegetables, and hot steams are the only thing really helping at this point. However, my new daily regime has also sparked my interest in researching a lot about what foods are best to eat pre and post workout, as well as pre and post yoga. I have found so many articles on this topic, all saying different things. So, I decided the only way for me to find out whats best for ME, is to try. So, next week, I am going to try (and blog about) all the different types of nutrition advice for pre and post workout, and let you know what happens, how it made me feel, and which I will decide to stick to. As for now, I am a glutton for pain I suppose, so I am off to the gym! xJ

To Beet or not to Beet

I know my heading for today's blog is lame, but after a weekend hiatus I wanted to get creative! So, my long awaited post on beets, natures blood red vegetable is finally here. The reason why I have wanted to write about Beets is that I have been doing a lot of research (and munching) on them lately and I am so surprised at all the great benefits beets have to the human body and mind.
Beets have a deep magenta hue (which makes them easy to spot in a salad, or otherwise), and belong to the same family as silverbeet. They are part of the amaranth family and although there are quite a variety of beets cultivated around the world, I think the most popular one for us is the common red garden beet or the beetroot. They can be eaten boiled, steamed, or roasted with the root and stem intact, after which it will need to be peeled before eating. Beets can also be peeled and eaten raw. A half a cup serving provides 17 percent of daily folate requirements (folate is a water-soluble B vitamin that occurs naturally in food) and thanks to its nitrate content, beetroot has also been found to help lower blood pressure and improve stamina during exercise (Hello cardioholics!). Beetroots have been known for years for their medicinal properties and are sometimes referred to as a food-medicine. Homeopaths use beetroots for cleansing the blood of toxins and helping the liver. Beetroots have also been used as cancer treatments; the pigments in the dark red blood-like juice are bound to specific anti-carcinogens. Beetroots also contain a high amount of anti-oxidants, which fight free-radicals as well as combat aging. Eating Beetroots increases the uptake of oxygen in your blood by almost 400%, which is a staggering number and contributes to high energy.
Beetroots healing properties have been used for thousands of years. Hippocrates swore by the use of beet leaves for binding wounds. The Romans used beetroot as an aphrodisiac and to treat fevers, constipation, as well as disorders of the blood. In the middle ages it was used to cleanse and strengthen the blood. Nature tells us that the beetroot is good for the blood because it bleeds dark red blood when cut.



I know a lot of people who suffer from IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and beetroot is one of the foremost vegetables in aiding with bowel support. Beetroot is known as food for the bowels for those suffering from constipation, IBS, Crohns or just bloating; eating beets soothes and protects the bowel. The beet greens are also very nutrient rich and contain beta- carotene and other carotenoids, which function as anti-oxidants. As previously noted, they also contain vitamin C, iron, potassium and folate.

I have yet to try steamed/baked beetroot but I am going to tackle a recipe this week. So far, I love to peel and cut up beets and eat them in salads, or put them in to shakes. The best way to eat any vegetable, not just beetroots, is to eat them raw. Cooking vegetables breaks down important enzymes and rids the vegetable of nutrition. This doesn't mean that you should totally subscribe to a raw diet, however, if you can eat something raw instead of cooked, it is always the best practice (I will talk about raw foodism later on in another blog post). If you are boiling the beetroot, keep in mind that Vitamin C, which is plentiful in the beetroot, is still water soluble.

When you are buying beetroots make sure they are firm, with unblemished roots. If they are unwashed they will keep for longer. It is also important not to buy the wrinkly ones, these are no good. You can store them n a cool place, for a week or two and under proper conditions they will keep longer. If you’re using the leaves, these will keep in the fridge for a day or two. If you cook the beetroot it can be frozen and kept in the freezer as well.



I should also note, if you intend on peeling and chopping beetroot, it will stain your fingers and your cutting board! Something to keep in mind if you don't want purple nails. Buy yourself a pair of gloves for chopping.

Here are some other Little Known Facts from the beetroot fan club - www.lovebeetroot.co.uk:

- Beetroot contains high amounts of boron, which may explain its reputation as an ancient aphrodisiac
- Beetroot also contains betaine, a substance that relaxes the mind and is used to treat depression… so if you needed any more excuse to tuck in…
- The colouring from beetroot is used to colour things like strawberry jam and tomato puree
- Massaging your scalp each night with the cooled water from boiling beetroots is reputed to cure dandruff
- betanins in the roots are used as red colorants to intensify the color of tomato sauces, jellies, jams or cereals
- the leafy tops are rich in beta-carotene, iron and calcium
- beetroot can be used to make wine
- beetroot pulp is fed to horses that are in severe training or that are allergic to dust
- medicinal purposes. Although eating beetroot alone is no cure for cancer, beetroot should be included in a balanced diet, because it can assist with the following:
- Lowering the cholesterol
- Liver function
- the fight against cancer
- Aids tissue growth
- reduces risk of osteoporosis
- improves sex drive
- stabilizes blood sugar
- helps with anemia and fatigue
- protects artery walls because it has high antioxidant properties

My favorite beetroot recipe so far, which is loaded with vitamins (especially vitamin C) is Beetroot and Carrot Salad. Here is the recipe:

What you need (Serves 1)
2 small beetroots
2 medium sized carrots
Balsamic vinegar to taste
1 tsp Olive oil (EVOO: extra virgin olive oil)
Optional pine nuts (or raisins, which I hate, but some people love em!)
Salt and pepper to taste

First, wash and peel the beetroot, then grate the raw beetroots. Next, wash and peel the carrots and grate them. I should note here, a lot of people dont wash carrots before they peel them. I tend to wash everything, because you don't know where its been, who has handled it, as well as what kind of fertilizers were used. The best method is to wash everything first no matter what. Better safe than sorry!
Next, I pour balsamic and EVOO over the beets and carrots and mix thoroughly
Add sunflower seeds, pine nuts and/or raisins, goji berries, etc. This is a REALLY simple way to get a lot of really great benefits. Keep in mind beets ARE a natural laxative so if you want to overdose on this veggie, make sure you are near a toilet! I am off to cook some Monk fish (first timer). Next blog will be fitness focused, quite exciting :) xJ

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

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

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

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