communication

breakfast quinoa with raisins, pepitas, hemp seeds and blueberries

it's been eight days since the new year and already a lot of shifting has begun. i've noticed it already. it seems that simply externalizing your feelings to friends, loved ones, coworkers and most importantly yourself the world will materialize what you need and even sometimes what you want.

sprouted grain tortilla pizza

i was given a really awesome opportunity. on christmas eve, my friend passed on her grant she won at our local yoga studio to me, so i could continue my education as a yoga teacher. i couldn't believe it! i was unable to afford this particular program that i wanted to do this month with the holidays being so close, (not to mention i was still paying off tuition from the first training) so it was truly a shock when she came through my line and told me i was enrolled. the program will not only build upon my strengths and weaknesses, but allow me to meet with a mentor of my choice. it's an amazing feeling to have the support from the friends in your life.

music making

and with that said i had another realization. when i find myself lost, there are the little reminders in life that propel me in the right direction. it's easy to get caught up in the stress of life when your all tangled up inside. but truly it's the people that are willing to meet you halfway and listen. it's the days when it's the hardest to wake up and you push yourself to get up. it's that selfless giving and unconditional love that gives me energy to keep going. we aren't as insignificant as we think we are. we have purpose. i have purpose. the decisions we make are important. no matter how small or large your purpose is, it's there and you're here for a reason. ☺

now for a simple, yet delicious raw cookie recipe.

cinnamon almond cookies

(makes 6 servings)

1/2 cup almonds (soaked for at least 8 hours)

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup pitted medjool dates

1 teaspoon extra virgin coconut oil

1 teaspoon cinnamon powder

1 teaspoon raw agave nectar

pinch of pink himalayan sea salt

start by processing the almonds, cinnamon and salt alone. remove almond powder from food processor, and pulse dates, raisins, agave and coconut oil until you achieve a paste like consistency. combine the paste and powder and knead until well combined. shape into cookies and garnish with halved almonds.

- side note: i like to have a "crunch" when i make raw cookies so I process all of the ingredients together at once.

busy

jammin' at the light rail station

happy autumn! these are my favorite months in colorado. the days are warm, the nights are a bit chilly and the leaves are scattered everywhere. i really enjoy when the seasons change because it allows us to move from the attachments we've made in the previous one. ☺

one thing i wanted to talk about is community. how important it is for us to be connected to one is unexplainable. we can come together to share, to create, and above all to love. sometimes in life when you least expect it, you find yourself in a room with passionate people all uniting to one mindset: to learn new things and to share it. for me in this moment it is my yoga teacher training. it has been so vibrant and changed my practice tremendously. in the few classes i've attended i've not only gone deeper behind the scenes with yoga, but i've gotten a broader sense of myself. how i communicate to people, how i want to create in this world and share my love.

the feeling i get when i step onto the mat is just amazing. i've never been so sure about something in my life. the amount of self awareness i've received from this practice is just so above and beyond. in my heart i know i'm on the right path, and at this point thats all i need to know. it feels good to live presently and consciously.

kale, avocado and cherry tomato salad

at the light rail stop i enjoyed a kale salad, raw trail mix, delicious fall apples and good tunes. while i was waiting for it to pick me up a few things came up in my head:

- organize my apartment, and get rid of clutter

- maintain raw food options in the colder months

- continue to eat how my body wants

- read more books

- make my own bath and body products

- keep practicing ukulele

- try to go to one yoga class a day

- run a few days a week

- make sweet potato fudge this week

- roast all my favorite fall veggies

- learn more gluten free recipes

during the chilly scooter ride home from teacher training i realized i was part of something awesome. i am part of a community (friends and family) that is driven by their passions, good food and know how to love. i get to learn and laugh everyday and for me thats the two simplest ways to enjoy life.

time

i freeze a week of bananas for ice cream, smoothies and other recipes.

i've had the past couple days to really enjoy time to myself. i straightened up and got all of my busy errands done, took a few yoga classes and really made some yummy food.

it's good to really take advantage of the time you have because we are generally working or our and about. one thing i've been trying really hard to do is to maximize my free time so i'm doing something crafty versus watching movies or on the internet all the time. all of that raw energy keeps me going, serious!

my spiralizer (really awesome $30 investment!)

i like to add zucchini noodles to my salads for an extra crunch!

arugula/ spinach salad with flax seeds

I dressed it up with some creamy cashew dill sauce inspired by:

choosing raw, although i added some black pepper

and for a good quick recipe that i feel everyone should be able to create is:

simple guacamole

(makes 2 servings)

1 avocado

juice from 1 lemon

handfull of grape tomatoes

1/4 cup cilantro

1 teaspoon raw agave nectar

pink himalayan sea salt/ black pepper to taste

pit and chop avocado and place into bowl. mash well with juice from the lemon. you want a thick texture, but not to mushy. from here, place the rest of the ingredients and mix well!

our time to ourselves is precious. when we get our space to think and be ourselves some really creative stuff happens.

picnic

local kombucha and green salad with flax seeds, raisins and cashews

first, i want to say that i've been all over the place, so that has translated into not updating my blog. i've been slowly trying to get back into my raw routine and it's been good for the most part, but i've allowed myself to eat things i wouldn't normally! always vegan though =) i've been having a good time decompressing from my trip, but wow there is a lot of clean up. it's been over a week and i'm still getting things back to normal. but what is normal anyways?

one emotion i've been feeling is extremely excited.. and thats for yoga teacher training! i start on wednesday the 22nd. i've been given an extremely great opportunity to deepen my practice at a fraction of the cost because i clean at my yoga studio. i can't wait to be teaching classes! I'm so ready to share something so beautiful i practice in my life.

one thing that sparked inside of me when i came home is wanting to play music.. one night i was watching youtube videos of people playing ukulele.. so i decided i want to learn. literally, the next day (three days ago) i bought one and started practicing immediately. i've been hooked ever since. all of my free time has been dedicated to ukulele and yoga.

today i went to the park with a few friends and we sat in the sun. i brought along a big salad from my leftovers of vegetables from the week. it was nice to be in the outside for a few hours considering fall is peeking in. here in colorado we get sunshine 300+ days of the year, but when it's cold, it's cold! i've been taking advantage of as much sun as possible.

looking back (at four eyes) summer has been amazing. there was so many magic moments and i'm glad i was a part of them. i'm ready for the colder months and to play around in the fall. to me they are the most beautiful months of the year.

welcome home

salad, fruit and local kombucha at watercourse foods

today is my first day back into the real world. let me tell you i had an amazing time. i'm just so thankful to have had the experience once again. i was able to maintain a very healthy diet and enjoy the company of so many beautiful people. there will be a whole post on my thoughts and eating at burning man, so look forward to that.

being in the rv for over 24 hours after a week of desert camping was pretty hard. we had very little food left and we were starting to get creative.. i.e. raw cashew butter banana raisin sandwiches on sprouted grain bread! after the travel and getting everything sorted i took one long shower and washed away all of the desert that came home with me. needless to say i was barely ready to prepare anything for myself so i headed over to watercourse and got a very yummy salad with arugula, olives, house sauerkraut and avocado.

watercourse foods is a vegetarian restaurant here in denver. they offer some really awesome gluten free options as well as a mainly vegan menu.

one thing i was craving was something i make pretty regularly a recipe i've perfected over time.. it seriously only takes about 10 minutes or less to prepare.

welcome home truffles

(makes 10-12)

truffles

1 cup raw cashews (soaked for 2 hours)

10-12 pitted medjool dates

1 tablespoon raw cacao powder

1 heaping tablespoon raw hemp seeds

2 tablespoons raw agave nectar

pinch of himalayan sea salt

1/4 cup raw sesame seeds to garnish

sauce (optional)

2 tablespoons raw agave nectar

1 tablespoon cacao powder

drain the raw cashews and process alone. once cashews are processed add additional ingredients. process until well combined. (i use a tablespoon to pre measure small increments of truffles) hand roll the 'dough' into balls. from here you can dip them into the sesame seeds. let the truffles sit in the refrigerator to set.

for the sauce simply stir the nectar and powder together. this is completely optional, but works well on raw ice creams!

if you want to add a rich flavor try adding 1 tablespoon of raw almond butter. yum!

anyways, it's good to be back home. i have a few days before work, but theres a lot i need to do to catch up.

leaving

my car goodies consisted of smoothies, two big salads and dressing, 4 oranges, 2 raw food bars, and spring water.

i haven't truly updated for a few days, but thats because i'm going on a very long vacation. as i said previously i will be at the burning man festival for a week. i will of course be incorporating as much raw goodies i can have my hands on, but will eat some sprouted breads and gluten free dinners. the desert is harsh, but i am finally prepared to be camping for 8 days.

the coolers were packed full of fruits and veggies.

talk to you all when i get back!

life is messy

sometimes life is messy. things are all over the place, and your house in need of picking up. it doesn't matter how healthy you eat, but if things are in disarray your more likely to get frustrated. thats something i saw this week in myself. my life has been busy in plans, lists and well just trying to get everything together before i go on vacation, but it was clearly lacking organization and tidiness.

all it takes sometimes is to go for a walk, even if it's just around your neighborhood. you need that time to yourself to think outside the environment thats unorganized. the second i walked back into my house, i turned up my jams and got to business. i felt confident and inspired to get everything back into order. it sounds a little dramatic, but little steps help a lot.

with that said i'm going to share a (hands on) recipe, and a sweet one to cool down in these august days.

messy kale salad

(serves 2 large portions)

1 head kale

1 tomato

1 avocado

1/2 red onion

1 red bell pepper

juice from 1 lime

pink himalayan sea salt to taste

black pepper to garnish (optional)

chop all of the vegetables into tiny pieces. in a large bowl massage (yes massage) all of the ingredients into the kale. once all combined, let the salad sit. the longer it soaks the more the flavors combine.

massaging the kale allows it to become "wilted" or marinated. it also allows it to be a lot more tasty, and easier to digest!

this salad is incredibly fast to make, super healthy (packed with vitamins k, a, c as well as manganese and dietary fiber) and fun! it's kinda like life, it's messy, but once you can clean up you can enjoy it!

amazon ice cream

(serves 1)

2 bananas, frozen and chopped

2 teaspoons Acai Powder

2 teaspoons raw agave nectar

Food process the bananas alone, until it becomes creamy texture. Then add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until swirled in. You can easily double this recipe, or add any kind of powder you have available to you. Bananas make a versatile base to ice cream.

plans

my good friend leah

this week i've been busy planning my trip to burning man. this will be the third time i'm attending the festival. i could go into detail, but that would take me forever to explain. so in short its an annual arts festival in the nevada desert. i will be camping from august 3oth - september 6th under the most gorgeous stars in a post lake remote location. its a pretty radical place to get inspired and be part of a very magical community.

part of going on trips is planning ahead of time. it's something i value and helps organize the agenda. the majority of the time i go with the flow because you never know what life throws at you, but preparation is a very important part of making healthy goals happen in general. i'm grateful to go with a group who have the same intentions and are just as excited as me to experience the festival.

i just have to say, i have been blessed with spectacular friendships!

now for two very simple, yet delicious recipes!

happy tomato salad (lebanese inspired)

(serves 2)

1 small cucumber (i peeled the skin of mine, but not necessary)

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

1 medium onion chopped

6 basil leaves, or mint. (i used purple basil form the farmers market)

Juice from half a lemon

dash of pink himalayan sea salt

black pepper to garnish

combine all ingredients and toss in a large salad bowl. this is very quick recipe to throw together and features a large array of vegetables.

sweet and summer smoothie

(makes 2 16oz servings)

2 bananas chopped and frozen

1/2 cup frozen chopped pineapple

1/2 cup frozen strawberries

2 heaping tablespoons raw shelled hemp seeds

6 basil leaves (i used purple basil)

30 oz distilled water

drizzle of raw agave nectar

pinch of pink himalayan sea salt

shredded coconut to garnish (optional)

yum! the hemp seeds are a good addition not only for the protein, but for the essential amino acids which make it a complete protein. they are also a good source of iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc. every time i add the seeds i feel a good energy within myself.

simple things

keeping the fridge full of fresh veggies is key to having good lunches for the day

today i woke up refreshed, hearing all of the beautiful insects chirping outside my window. in the summer time i like to keep my windows open because the breeze feels so nice while your sleeping.

green smoothie that consisted of kale, hemp seeds, cucumbers and pineapple

i got to work pretty early, enough time to think to myself before starting my shift. giving yourself some time to stretch or calm your mind makes the biggest difference in the world.

blueberries and an avocado

spinach salad with almonds, gypsy peppers, green onions, and cucumbers w/ raw coconut vinegar

i've been eating cucumbers in everything lately. the taste is so refreshing! packing a lunch ahead of time is a good way to keep yourself from grazing at work. i always choose to bring a big salad and some fresh fruit. the blueberries were ripe and juicy. i think they would have to be my favorite!

heirloom and cherry tomatoes

but today was great. although work was long and tedious something happened that i didn't expect. my friend's mother came in and brought me all of these beautiful tomatoes from her garden. although cliche, the simple things in life really matter the most. like when people share their love even in the tiniest ways! the tomatoes were a very good surprise! needless to say, they taste vibrant and will be put in almost everything i'm making this week since she gave me such a large amount.

people make me smile.

lunch time

spinach salad with onion, cucumber and parsley/ local cantaloupe

what i enjoy about salads is the versatility and flavor combinations you can make. i tend to listen to what my body craves by keeping a fridge full of fresh organic veggies and fruit. here i tossed the salad with pink himalayan sea salt and raw coconut vinegar. so amazing. i generally like to add raw nuts to all of my salad for the extra protein, but for this salad i added taco nut meat from ani pho's blog.

On the side i enjoyed some of colorado's rocky ford melon. These melons are full of flavor and have the perfect amount of sweetness. Good source for both vitamin a and c! I look forward to them every year!

add meyer lemons to your carafe for sweet and cleansing water

I always look forward to lunch time. It gives us a moment in the middle of the day to refuel our bodies and listen to what we need for the night.