Namaste

Today’s post is going to be something a little different. As you might have been able to tell I’ve been doing a lot of yoga lately. Lots and lots of yoga.

What I haven’t told you is that I’ve found a yoga studio here in Calgary. My plan was to try at least three or four yoga studios before making a decision but I have fallen in love. The first time I went to the studio I knew that it was right. I just got that feeling. I loved the instructors, the studio and the other yoginis. It just felt right.

I want to say I’ve joined another studio but that’s not completely true. I first did a week long pass and now I have a month long pass. After this month is over I’m going to make a decision on my yoga future.

Since I’ve been doing some my yoga, I figured it was time for a yoga post.

First I’m just going to start with a few points that I’ve noticed lately when practicing yoga:

• I’ve noticed that over the last few weeks that my legs have got much stronger but my arms and shoulders still need some work. I still find planks extremely difficult to hold for long periods of time. This is one pose I really want to work on.
• Ever notice sometimes how difficult downward facing dog can be at the beginning of practice but half way through after a difficult pose (eg. runner’s lung) it feels like the best place in the world – love this!
• I love balancing poses but I find it very distracting when the person who is practicing in front of you is moving too much or making too much noise. I’m not trying to be rude, I’m still not great at some balancing poses and I’m still working to blocking everything else out around me while practicing (especially balancing postures).
• Finally I have one major yoga pet peeve. People who fall asleep during the final Savasana. Actually, I really don’t care if you sleep or not but please do not snore! See above (I’m still working on blocking everything out around me and the snoring is very distracting).

The second part of this post is I thought I’d make a list of my top three favourite and my top three least favourite yoga poses.

It’s always better to get bad news first right? So lets start with my least three favourite poses.

3. Eagle Pose – I’m not sure why I dislike this pose so much but the cutting off the circulation in both the legs and the arms at the same time just isn’t for me.

 

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2. Bow Pose – I actually really use to like this pose when I first started yoga but now there are just so many other poses that I like and I find when it’s finally time to do some floor poses that this one is just tough on my lower back.

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1. Camel Pose – This is my least favourite pose by far. Every time it is mentioned I cringe. This pose makes me exceptionally dizzy and light headed. I’ve been spending more time working on this pose and not giving up so easily but I still dislike it.

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My favourite poses:

3. Happy Baby Pose – Love this pose! Not only does it remind me of being younger and more free but it’s also a great stretch and feels great on my spine after a tough yoga class.

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2. Savasana – No I do not think this is a cop out. What is better then working your butt off during a tough class then getting to spend the last few mins in Savasana. Getting to feel every part of your body, what parts you worked and what just needs to relax. I adore this pose and don’t think yoga would be the same without it.

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1. Tree Pose – My absolute favourite. I love the calm, steady, groundedness of this pose. I love starting a practice with this pose. This pose really helps to clean my mind and help me feel strong.

(Source)

There are so many other poses that I love I just chose my top three to share with you today. Please let me know if you enjoyed this post and if you’d be interested in more like it.

I’m going to leave you with one of my favourite yoga quotes: ”The beauty is the people often come here for the stretch and leave with a lot more.” – Liza Ciano

Namaste

~ Katie :)

Short and Sweet

I just wanted to write a quick post catching up on my daily eats. I know I promised some pictures of my purchases yesterday but I’m a little behind so those will have to wait till tomorrow.

Breakfast this morning was an egg white omelette topped with some mozza and a couple of slices of the chocolate chip banana bread I picked up at the market yesterday.

After running out to pick up cat food and doing a couple of things around the house I couldn’t get the veggie burgers from last night out of my head so I had another one with some mozza and spinach on a whole wheat bun served with a side of baby tomatoes.

Just as good as I remember them.

After lunch I did some more job stuff before getting ready for yoga. I hit up another hot foundation class at Bohdi Tree Yoga. This was another great class. I felt much more focused this time throughout the whole class and I felt strong, confident and relaxed. I’m looking forward to another class tomorrow.

After yoga I was heading to my step-brother’s house for dinner so on the way I snacked on a homemade protein bar.

These were just as good as the originals. You can’t even taste the protein powder.

Dinner was pita pizzas. I had a simple pizza with spinach, feta and a little mozza. After dinner I had a homemade cupcake that my niece and nephew made earlier that day - how can you say no to a 3 year old and 5 year old :P

Now I’m just chillin’ on the couch before heading to bed. The hubby comes home tomorrow – YAY!

Night all!!

~ Katie :)

A Powerhouse Day

As you may have figured out by the title of this post today was a crazy, fun-filled, exciting day. Lots to tell you about so please stick around and I’ll explain.

It started with No Bake Oatmeal from Allie @ Live Laugh Eat.

I followed her recipe but used 1/2 a banana as my add-in.

 

Then cooked in on the grill for a couple of mins on each side.

It made one very large oat cake/pancake thing.

I topped it with a tbsp of pb and a sprinkle of chia seeds.

After breakfast I had to take the husband to the airport. He was leaving to go to a conference in Whistler for the next three days.

After dropping him off I decided to do a little shopping. I hit a couple of home stores to pick some fun items for the house for fall (I will post my purchases tomorrow along with some new house pictures).

While shopping I picked up a non-fat non-whip pumpkin spice latte (I’m obsessed with these).

I also got cheese and fruit plate from starbucks for lunch.

This included apples, red grapes, crackers and four types of cheese.

I enjoyed this in my car while it was raining.

It was gross out!

 

I didn’t eat too much at lunch since I was hitting up a yoga class in a coupe of hours and didn’t want a heavy belly.

After shopping I was trying a new yoga studio. Bodhi Tree Yoga.

The studio was beautiful and it had both a small and a large studio which was nice so two different classes could practice at the same time. For my first class I went to a Hot Foundation class.

According to the website: Hot Foundation is practiced in a heated room, this invigorating class allows students to explore their balance, strength and flexibility.  Rather than a set series, various postures, methods and techniques are taught through the teachers discretion.

It was a tough and challenging class and I felt strong during most of the practice and I thought the instructor was great. She was very hands on and pushed the class to their limits. My only problem was that I got distracted with about 15 mins left of the practice and just couldn’t focus. I’m not sure what happened but I just couldn’t get into it at the end. I just kept weaving in and out of my thoughts. I’ll be going back tomorrow and hopefully this time I’ll be in yoga mode for the whole practice. Overall, I really loved the class and I’m looking forward to going back tomorrow.

After yoga I made a quick stop at Community Foods – a organic market close to home.

Here’s my purchases:

I picked up Coconut Oil, Organic Pumpkin, Sunflower Butter, Amy’s California Veggie Burgers, A Tropical Mix of Dried Fruit (these contain dried pineapple, mango, banana and papaya), Rolled Oats, Some Chocolate Chip Banana Bread and a stash of Cliff and Luna Bars. I also picked up some sweetened coconut and ground cinnamon at the Co-op across the street.

When I got home I made supper. It included Amy’s Veggie Burger with a little mozza and some spinach on a whole wheat bun.

And I served it with some parsnip fries.

With some ketchup.

This was an awesome dinner. I’ve never had a veggie burger before but I loved it. I’ll definitely get getting these in the future.

After dinner I decided to make some healthy treats. Some of powerhouse granola from Angela and some of my favourite granola bars.

First Powerhouse Granola

In the mix:

• sliced almonds
• flaxmeal
• chia seeds
• sunflower seeds
• unsweetened coconut
• pumpkin seeds
• pumpkin pie spice
• oats
• chocolate chips
• maple syrup
• coconut oil

I followed Angela’s recipe pretty close but I made a few changes. I only used about half the amount of almonds, I didn’t use any salt, I used flaxmeal instead of flaxseeds, no sesame seeds, dried cranberries or dried apricots, I used about twice as much as pumpkin spice and finally I used chocolate chips instead of cacao nips.

After cooking in the the oven for 20 mins (stirring once) at 400 degrees.

The only changes I would make would be I don’t think the chocolate chips were needed and I think it was in the oven for about 5 mins too long. It was a little crispy on the edges. But overall, it is delicious. I’m so excited to eat it.

After making some granola I also made some of my favourite granola bars.

I used the original recipe but also added a scoop of protein power to them to make them protein bars as well. Their still in the freezer but I’ll let you know tomorrow how they are.

Well this post has been long enough but I’ll be back tomorrow with at least one post (if not two – what else is a girl to do when her husband is away :P)

~ Katie :)

Strawberry Waffles

This morning it was back to real-life. I say that but since I’m not working real-life is pretty much the same as the weekend except I do tons of running around.

I started this morning with a piece of ancient grains toast with dark chocolate dreams pb and a glass of water. I was feeling a little dehydrated and since I was heading to hot yoga I figured I should hydrated so I downed some water.

After breakfast I headed to hot yoga. Another fantastic class. It was a little longer then the last couple of classes and it was a great. There was only 5 of us in the class this morning and the teacher pushed us really hard. I came out feeling sweaty, shakey and at ease. I feel liked a pushed through it today and it was awesome.

After yoga I headed back home, showered and made some lunch. Annie’s Mac and Cheese with added mozza and broccoli.

Cheesy and delicious!

Oh and look what came in the mail today! Thanks Ali!

I picked up my first bag today. I’ll let you all know what I think once I try them.

After lunch I headed out to pick up groceries. It total I ended up at 4 different grocery stores today. FAIL! More with me then with the stores. I just kept forgetting stuff. Very frustrating.

I just spent the last 2 hours cooking dinner and now just waiting for the hubby to get home. I will have pictures and the recipe to share with you all tomorrow. Should be good.

I do want to share the awesome recipe that I made yesterday: Whole Wheat Waffles.

Whole Wheat Waffles (Adapted from Tina @ Carrots ‘n Cake)

• 1.5 cups of whole wheat flour **
• 3 tsp of baking powder
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 tbsp of brown sugar **
• 1.5 cups of skim milk **
• 1/4 cup of vanilla yogurt **
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp of EVOO **

**My changes from her recipe

First I mixed all the ingredients together and then used 1/4 of a cup to make each waffle. I only made 4 in total but the recipe makes at least twice that much (maybe more). Next time I’ll half it but over all it was a fantastic waffle recipe and very delicious.

I topped the waffles with strawberries and a little light whip cream along with some maple syrup but they would be great with pb, a banana, fruit or any other combination that you can think of.

What a great whole wheat waffle/pancake recipe. Definitely give it a try.

Have a great night all!

~ Katie :)

Must-Try Recipes

Nothing to interesting happened over the past day since my last blog post but I do have some awesome food to share with you all. This post may be a little picture heavy since I took so many food pictures over the past few days.

Breakfast yesterday was something light. I was heading to yoga and didn’t want to go on an empty stomach but also didn’t want something heavy in there either. A bowl of Vanilla Almond Special K cereal it was.

Served in my Tinkerbell mug.

Yes, it is true. I love Disney!

After breakfast I headed out for another yoga class at Tri-Yoga Calgary: Tri-Hot Flow. This is a flowing form of yoga that heals, detoxifies and electrifies the body and mind at their deepest levels. This fast paced flowing class will put your mind and body to the test.

It was a pretty good class but I wasn’t a fan of the instructor. When he was talking it was like he was trying to chant but he kept messing up and it threw off my concentration. I just wanted to tell him to stop and talk like a normal person. I think I’m going to have to try another one of these classes with a different instructor before I can make a decision about whether or not I actually enjoyed this class.

After yoga I had to make a quick stop at the Co-op that is across the street. While there I stopped at the salad bar and got a salad for lunch.

My salad consisted of romaine lettuce, cucumbers, broccoli, carrots, chickpeas, baby tomatoes, cheese and a few strawberries.

A little random I know, but so delicious!

Look how big that baby was!

Along with my salad I snacked on the last of my bag of Stacy’s Cinnamon and Sugar Pita Chips.

There was mostly crumbs left in the bag but still good.

As the afternoon rolled through I realized I was quite snacky. I’m not sure why. I’m not sure if it was the yoga, the lack of water, or just the salad for lunch but I really wanted something sweet.

To cure my sweet tooth I finally tried something I had been reading about on the blog world for a while: yogurt and pb.

I used about 1/2 a cup of vanilla Stoneyfield yogurt with about 2 tbsp of Dark Chocolate Dreams pb and mixed it together really well. Then I topped it with a tbsp of granola and a sprinkle of coconut.

OMG! So good.

When I told the husband about this combination he thought I was crazy but I’m telling you. This is a must try treat!!!

Dinner was a recipe that we’ve been making for a while. The husband found it in the Men’s Health book: The Abs Diet.

Salmon Rushdie (makes 4 servings)

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 salt
• 1/4 ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp ground flaxseed (flaxmeal)
• 1 clove of garlic chopped

Mix all the ingredients together and then coat the salmon in it. Place salmon on a baking sheet with foil and cook in the oven at 450F for 9-12 mins.

I served mine with roasted brussel sprouts.

And a 1/2 cup of rice.

This is another must try recipe.

After dinner treats included a sugar-free popsicle and when that couldn’t cure my sweet tooth I had 1/2 a cup of half the fat Haagen Dazs ice-cream. Overall, not bad considering my sweet tooth all day.

This morning I got up I remembered I had 1/2 a cantaloupe in the fridge. I was very excited. I decided to fill it with some vanilla Stoneyfield yogurt, 1/2 a banana, granola and chia seeds.

What a fun way to eat breakfast

No dishes either.

And of course – healthy and tasty.

After spending the morning grocery shopping lunch was a pita stuffed with mozza, turkey, apple and spinach. Grilled for 5 mins to melt the cheese.

Along with sweet potato fries sprinkled with cinnamon and paprika.

Served with some baby tomatoes.

I’m not planning on heading downtown to meet the hubby for dinner and walk but I hope everyone has an awesome long weekend and we’ll catch up afterwards.

~ Katie :)