Today's Daily Rituals

Woke at 4am
1 hour of yoga practice
drank water with lemon and took probiotic
made green juice for the day- 50 ounces for me and 16 ounces for the boys
drank kombucha tea while working with clients
took mason to school
9:30-11 yoga class at yoga fusion
drank green juice and took supplements (multi, vit D3, B-complex, omega-zen)
drank green juice while working with clients
picked up mason from school
made dinner with boys and ate: raw fermented veggies by Rejuvenative Foods, 3 lydia's organic sunflower seed bread slices spread with avocado, nutritional yeast and dash of sea salt.
Enjoyed time with the boys
Will be in bed by 10pm tonight.

Check out Lydia's Organic products. She makes fabulous raw dehydrated crackers that are great to travel with or to take on-the-go during the day. because they are dehydrated you do need to eat something moist with them for optimal digestion. i usually do some kind of salad or raw fermented veggies.

namaste, kelly

Quote & My Thanksgiving Meal Plan

I want to start with a fabulous quote i ready today:

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony." Gandi

I love this quote and it is so true. We are what we think, what we say and what we do. but are these things always the same? not for many people. Many people act a certain way or do certain things just to "fit in" or because it is what the mainstream is doing. I challenge everyone to become mindful in regards to this and then attempt to be true to oneself and say and do what you truly think.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. its just about being with family and eating fabulous food. But this does not mean you have to stuff yourself silly as if you are never going to eat again. i don't get why people eat such a huge amount of food in one sitting. There are always leftovers you can have the next day. Eating too much at one meal is one of the worst things you can do for your body and digestive system. Overeating leaves you with no energy because all the energy is going towards digesting the food. So here are a few tips to improve your chances of having some energy leftover after the thanksgiving feast:

-Don't eat too much at one time
-If there are many things you want to try take a little of each and truly enjoy what you are eating
-take breaks between fork-fulls
-instead of eating everything at one time break it up into two meals a few hours apart
-Don't drink water or liquids with your meal (it dilutes the hydrochloric acid that is trying to digest your food)
-Eat some raw foods with your cooked meal (the enzymes from the raw food will help digest the cooked foods that are void of enzymes because they have been cooked)
-Slow down and chew your food till it is totally liquid

This year we are celebrating Thanksgiving with my sister-in-law and her family. I'm constantly asked the question, "what are YOU going to eat for thanksgiving???" Well my sister-in-law and her husband are in charge of the turkey, mash potatoes, dessert and the more typical Thanksgiving foods (which i obviously will not eat). I'm going to bring my Kale Coleslaw (see below for recipe) which i love but honestly don't make often so its a treat for me. I'm going to make some Collard Wraps with Kale Coleslaw inside and some Spinach Flax wraps with Kale Coleslaw inside. I love both of these and could not decide which to do so i'm going to do both. I'm also going to do a basic green salad loaded with veggies and sprouts with a fabulous garlic lemon dressing. When i travel i always take some dehydrated crackers like Lydia's Organics so i'm sure i'll have some of those too.


Here is the Kale Coleslaw recipe (from Raw Revolution)
Kale Coleslaw

2 servings
Dressing:
1 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tbsp light miso
2 tsp flaxseed oil
1 ½ tsp agave syrup
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground flaxseeds
1 clove garlic, crushed
Pinch of powdered mustard
Salad:
2 cups kale leaves cut into thin ribbons
1 ¼ cups shredded cabbage
1 large ripe tomato, seeded and drained, diced
2 tbsp red onion, diced
Pinch of cayenne
Pinch of sea salt
For the dressing, combine all of the dressing ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until well blended.
Add the kale to the dressing and toss. Massage the kale well for a few minutes to soften. The kale should take on a cooked appearance and reduce dramatically in volume.
Add the cabbage, tomato, onion, cayenne and salt and toss again.
Kale coleslaw is best served immediately, but it can also be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

So what will my Thanksgiving Day plate probably look like:
1 or 2 collard and or spinach flax kale coleslaw wraps
large salad with yummy dressing
some dehydrated crackers with avocado, sea salt and nutritional yeast or more kale coleslaw on them

One key to eating well and feeling well after you eat is not mixing too many different foods. this can be a challenge on a day like thanksgiving.

I will also eat my meal over time and slowly. i'm the slowest eater in the world and always the last one done. i don't like eating lots of food at one time because i feel awful afterwards. So if i want to enjoy more food i will wait till some of it digests and then eat more later.

i'm sure everyone will enjoy the raw living foods that i bring and little will they know but i will be helping them digest all the typical Thanksgiving Day foods. i can't stop everyone from chowing down but i can at least contribute some nutrients and enzymes to their meal.

More to come in a future blog about Gratitude and Giving Thanks all year and on Thanksgiving!!!

Namaste, Kelly

My Daily Rituals Today

Creating daily rituals is what helps us stay organized when trying to live a healthy lifestyle. i'm often asked what i do and eat on a daily basis so i like to share with you occasionally my daily routines, food intake, exercise, what i feed my family etc. what works for me on a daily basis has been discovered through experience. i'm always changing what i do and eat dependent upon my needs at that time. It's important to stay present and make changes when needed to help you reach your goals. my goal each day in regards to food and exercise is to eat and move the body so i feel good and have energy to do the things i want to do. i have found that eating a raw living foods diet primarily made up of green juices, fresh fruits and veggies, loads of sprouts, fermented foods such as sauerkraut and some sprouted nuts and seeds is the food that works best for me. In regards to movement, yoga is what makes my body and mind feel balanced and alive right now. my weekly schedule varies dependent upon the day: i work tuesday-thursday and i'm home with my boys friday-monday. here is my day today:


wake 4 am
drink water and take probiotic
make green juice: celery, cucumber, kale, chard, broccoli sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, pea sprouts, spinach, romaine, cilantro, parsley, dandelion greens, collards, apple, ginger and lemon
drank synergy GT kombucha tea while seeing clients from 6-9 at the studio
took yoga class at yoga fusion
bodywork session from 11-12- this is intense manual work/massage to my body to release areas of tightness and balance the musculoskeletal system. i feel this is very important for most people to get done.
drank green juice and took supplements (raw whole food supplements- multi, b-complex)
sipped on green juice while seeing clients 12:30-3:30
picked up mason at school
made dinner with the boys- they had a feast of avocado with sea salt and nutritional yeast, sunflower seed veggie pate and apples with almond butter. mason later wanted some buckwheat pancakes with honey- we had these already made from breakfast.
i munched on black grapes from 3:30ish to 5. i was in the mood to take it light today. when i'm very busy i feel better when i eat very light so i have the energy to do the things i want to do and not expend the energy digesting my food.
so it was a very simple day of drinking and eating.
next was clean up, bath time, quiet time, reading time and finally bedtime.
I love the evenings with the boys!!
The boys are now asleep and i'm finishing up work while drinking a GT kombucha tea.
Will read a little before bed and be asleep by 9pm.

i challenge everyone to be mindful of your daily habits and make changes dependent upon what your goals are. If your goal is to have more energy then experiment with different ways of eating that will give you more energy- eating a green smoothie for breakfast instead of a big bowl of cereal or not eating right before you go to bed. Experiment with different forms of exercise to see what gives you the most energy and freedom of movement (when you have freedom of movement your body works more efficiently and therefore, you conserve energy)- yoga, pilates, biking, hiking etc. Everyone is different and therefore, thrives by eating different foods and moving in different ways.

namaste, kelly

Mindful Parenting

As the mother of two amazing boys i'm always striving to be the best mother possible. i want to raise boys that are kind, honest, loving, healthy, comfortable in their own skin, adventurous yet safe, confident, positive, open minded, happy- the list can go on and on. I believe in and read alot about "mindful parenting", "conscious parenting" and "attachment parenting". One of my favorite books is "Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting" by Myla and Jon Kabat-Zinn. I was rereading this last night and just loved this statement:
"As I see it, the challenge of being a parent is to live our moments as fully as possible, charting our own course as best we can, above all, nourishing our children, and in the process, growing ourselves. Our children and the journey itself provide us with endless opportunities in this regard."
This statement says it so well. Parenting is a challenge- every day, every minute. We are challenged with nourishing them in every way. As mason gets older i find it even more challenging. He has his own little personality and no longer does he just go along with what i have planned. i need to allow him to grow to be his own person- not who i see him growing up to be. i need to guide him in the right direction of course but ultimately he will choose who he will become. i want to give him the opportunity to shine in his own skin and be the best person he can be. One of the most important things i need to do now is to give him emotional support so he gains an inner confidence to explore the world and be who he is in this world. To give him emotional support at this age, when he can be a little crazy, there are moments when i have to take a few deep breaths, think about how i'm going to react to a situation and then act. I need to act in his best interest. I have to see the situation through his eyes and his world. he is living in a 4 year old world whereas i'm living in my 34 year old world. taking the time to see the situation through his eyes has helped me be a better parent.

namaste, kelly

4 am Yoga Practice

Today was an amazingly beautiful fall day. It was crisp yet warm in the sun. I am a nature girl. i love being in nature, breathing in the fresh air and feeling the sun on my skin (for at least 30 minutes a day to get my D3 of course).

I've had a home yoga practice for a long time. Since having mason and owen i get up before they wake to practice and have my quiet time. some mornings i make my green juice first other mornings i do my yoga practice first. lately i've been almost jumping out of bed to get on the mat at 4am- yes 4am. some mornings i'll even wake automatically at 3:30 and i just get up and go right to the mat. I've even increased my morning practice time to 2 hours most mornings- it all depends on how late the boys sleep. I will do a morning practice even if i 'm going to a yoga class that day. My morning practice consists of breathing, sun salutations, vinyasa flow sequences and body rolling. if you have never tried body rolling with either balls or a foam roller you have got to experience it. it is essential for me to open up various parts of my body such as the pecs, psoas (a hip flexor muscle), piriformis (a hip muscles), IT-band, quads and more. I use it therapeutically with all my clients and patients. The combination of breathing, yoga, body rolling and mindfulness in the morning helps me to get my body and mind prepared for the day.
so when i hear those little feet pop out of bed or a little cry from owen i'm ready to be a mom and live my yoga throughout the day.

every morning i set intentions for the day. today it was to be present and breathe in everything i do and to go with the flow. i've had a very busy last two weeks between work, clients and workshops and i was looking forward to spending a day with my two boys just being present and going with the flow. when i set intentions in the morning i repeat these intentions throughout the day.


The day was perfect!!
i woke at 4 for my yoga practice
boys woke around 6ish
we relaxed, made smoothies and got ready for the day with classical music playing in the background (i'm a big believer in the healing of music so i suggest you experiment with how music makes you feel)
we went to the market to stock up on all our greens and produce and food for the week. i love shopping with the boys. mason is such a helper now. he opens the bags for me while i put all my greens in.
we stopped back at the house to unload, get a snack of apples and almond butter for the boys and blended cantaloupe for me.
we then played soccer and ran around in the back yard. sooooo much fun!!
owen took a nap and mason and i went to the park to play more. he found 2 little friends and they played liked they were best friends forever. i love this about kids. they make friends so easily and just have fun playing. i loved just watching them in action. i stood in the sun just taking in the rays.
next it was time to go home and make dinner. we ate, took baths and relaxed together as a family.
SOOO simple and perfect. it was the exact type of day that i needed.

i challenge everyone to experiment with doing a morning yoga practice and setting an intention for the day.

namate, kelly

Lifelong Learning

I just completed my second physical therapy continuing education course in two weeks. Last weekend i did a course called, "Functional Anatomy" which was a review of anatomy, the muscles and their origins, insertions, actions and functions, possible dysfunctions and treatments. Today i completed a two-day course on "Balance Enhancement and Fall Prevention." I'm reminded again how important it is to continue learning forever- to NEVER STOP BEING A STUDENT.

As a teacher myself i know how satisfying it is to share my knowledge with others and make a profound difference in people's lives. it is just as satisfying for me to be a student. i love to learn and build on my current knowledge base. even though i do a home yoga practice i also take yoga classes from other instructors almost daily. i love being the student, listening to new cues, experiencing new sequences, being silent and going within.


So I challenge everyone to be a student of life everyday. This could be in the form of reading a new book, watching a documentary, taking an art class, taking a new exercise class, observing children play, meditating- there are endless ways to continue to learn everyday!!

Namaste, kelly

Raw Holiday Bliss

The holidays are here soon and there is no better time than now to experiment with some fabulous raw vegan recipes. You do not need to do a completely raw holiday dinner but include just a few items that will impress everyone!!! Raw Vegan foods are loaded with nutrients and enzymes that are otherwise destroyed when you cook food. If you do choose to eat cooked food it is best to eat raw foods with the cooked foods so the enzymes from the raw food can help you digest the cooked food. So get excited for some delicious and nutritious raw vegan holiday recipes!!


Savory Herb Stuffing
*instead of a turkey this year go for the raw vegan choice of a nut stuffing or loaf. To make this recipe into a nut loaf just shape it into a loaf and dehydrate at 118 degrees for 12 hours.

1 cup soaked raw almonds (or walnuts)- finely ground in a food processor
1 cup soaked raw pumpkin seeds- finely ground in a food processor
1 cup soaked raw sunflower seeds- finely ground in a food processor
1/3 cup chopped yellow onion
¾ cup diced celery
1 ¼ chopped mushrooms- marinate in 2 tbsp wheat-free tamari for 1 hour
2 tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp sea salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 ½ tsp kelp
1 ½ tsp dulse
1 ½ tsp sage
1 ½ tsp thyme

*Prior to eating all nuts and seeds they should be soaked and rinsed to remove enzyme inhibitors. Soak nuts for 8 hours and seeds for 4 hours, drain and rinse.

In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients and serve.

Serving Suggestions: Take the stem out of a collard leaf and roll some of the stuffing in the collard leaf with other veggies such as sprouts, carrots and red peppers. Or just place the herb stuffing on a romaine leaf and enjoy.

Cauliflower Spinach Mash

2 ½ cups cauliflower- ground in a food processor
¼ cup raw macadamia nuts (or almonds or walnuts) (soaked for 8 hours, drained and rinsed)- ground in food processor
1 handful of spinach
¼ cup olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1 clove garlic, crushed
Fresh ground pepper to taste
*I love adding a dash of cumin, tumeric and cayenne too!!
*if you want this recipe to resemble mash potatoes omit the spinach and additional seasonings.

Place all ingredients (except black pepper) into a food processor and mix until fluffy. Top with fresh ground pepper if you choose.


Kale Raisen Salad

1/4 cup raisins (soaked in warm water for 10 minutes)
1 bunch Kale stems removed
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice and or orange juice or mixture of the two
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds (or pine nuts or sunflower seeds)
2 tbsp raisins
*Sometimes I add a dash of cinnamon to this recipe.
*I also like adding a few chopped soaked sun-dried tomatoes to this recipe. It adds color and flavor!!

Soak raisins in warm water for approximately 10 minutes, drain and save soaking water.
In blender or food processor, combine olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and soaked raisins. If after blending, it is too thick add some of the raisin soaked water to thin.
Mix dressing with Kale and let stand for at least 15 minutes. Toss in the pine nuts and remaining raisins when ready to serve

Use the above recipes to make a plate of mouthwatering nutrient-dense and delicious food to enjoy with family and friends!! Plate like this:

*Serve the Savory Herb Stuffing in a collard wrap with sprouts, red peppers and carrots. Maybe keep a few marinated mushrooms to add into the wrap too. I would add a little avocado too. Or you can make a bed of greens with the Kale Raisen Salad and place the Savory Herb Stuffing on top.

*A scoop of Cauliflower Spinach Mash. I always want to include more greens so I add the spinach and extra spices.

*A large serving of Kale Raisen Salad.

Or just experiment with one recipe at a time at your next holiday event.
This meal is one no one will forget!! Enjoy and please send me your comments!!