Tag Archives: health

Easiest Veggie Burger Recipe!

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Yesterday, I made thee best veggie burger ever using the Quorn Chik’n Pattie. It was delicious and amazingly easy! I’m always experimenting with new toppings and using what I have on hand. I was a BIG hamburger person so I have to find the next big thing. This is the simplest burger recipe I could ever make.

 

 

Ingredients:
Garlic Aioli (4 servings):
– 1/3 cups earth balance mayonnaise (or whatever brand you’d like)
– 2 cloves garlic
– 1 tbsp & 1 tsp lemon juice
– salt & pepper to taste

Hamburger (1 serving):
– 1 Hamburger bun (Your choice, mine was 100% whole wheat from whole foods)
– Spread on garlic aioli
– 1 chik’n patty
– 2-3 slices of tomatoes
– handful of spinach
– 1/2 avocado
– 1 slice cheese (your choice, I used Tillamook’s cheddar cheese)
– Ketchup & mustard to your liking!

Directions:
1. Make the garlic aioli and refrigerate for 30 minutes at least!
2. Toast the humbugger bun.
3. Assemble all ingredients on top!
4. Enjoy. 🙂

Hope you guys try this recipe! It’s super delicious =)

Namaste,
Jenn

Product Review — Are Lululemon Yoga Pants Worth It?

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Image
(Credits to Lululemon.com)

If you’re a yogi, you know lululemon. Ever since I went to my yoga class, I noticed that most people had really cute athletic attire. So of course, I had to ask about their clothes because DUH, I want to look cute too! =P They all reply with one word, “LULULEMON”. I go to my closest Lululemon store which was located at Santana Row in San Jose, CA and was SHOCKED. Each yoga pant was $98 dollars and the tops were $50+! Who on earth would spend that much on yoga clothes? Of course…I did. After committing to yoga for 6 months, I decided I wanted to see what all the hype was about. Are they really THAT amazing?? I went to Lululemon, bought my first groove pants, a wunder under pant, a couple of tops, and a jacket. Handed over my whole paycheck and prayed that what I wasn’t going to regret spending so much money on yoga clothes. Here is what I have to say…

The yoga pants:
Pros: so cute that you can wear out, hugs perfectly and makes your booty like banging, free and fast hemming when you buy at the store (big plus for me since I’m only 5’3), comes in a lot of styles and designs, good thick material but breathable, super comfortable, tons of sizing so it’ll fit perfectly (not just small, medium, large)
Cons: I don’t know if my thighs are too fat or anything but piling happened after 3 wears, the cost, bad return policy. (I think you have 3 days or a week to return, unused)

Before purchasing yoga pants by Lululemon, I wore yoga pants I bought from Target for $20 or Nike and they worked fine. Overall, for quality, I don’t believe that Lululemon pants are worth it but for looks, yes. I gotta say, Lululemon’s designs are so cute. When I look cute, I’m more motivated to work out (I know, so materialistic) but it’s true. These are no miracle pants though, your yoga practice will be just as good using regular yoga pants. So it’s not necessary but hey, if you work out a lot, why not treat yourself and splurge a little?

I hope this helps!
Namaste,
Jenn

Yoga Rave — San Francisco, CA (Fort Mason Center)

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Hi guys!

On October 12, I was able to attend the Yoga Rave hosted by the Art of Living Foundation. Yoga Rave is an event in 7 other countries including Sweden, Chile, Argentina, Denmark, Slovenia, Lithuania, and South Africa. It just came to the United States for the first time this year! Their philosophy is having fun without the use of substance, drugs, and alcohol. All ages are welcome. I’ve never been to a “rave” rave so I can’t compare but this was NOT one of those. No one dressed up. No one took drugs. There were lots kids there and older people.

My boyfriend and I were super excited to attend because we heard that there was going to be an Acroyoga performance. Unfortunately, traffic was awful and we got there an hour late so we missed it. *womp womp* The location in San Francisco was HUGE and it made the place look empty. The first thing we did when we got there was eat. There were a couple booths of sampling and two food booths. One was empanadas and the other was Lydia’s Organic and Raw Food. We decided to get a raw burger with cashew cheese. It turned out to be pretty yummy. I was kind of disappointed at the lack of choices in food. From the description on their website, I expected more. Numi Tea was also there with free packets of tea and hot water so that was nice. There was also a matted section for people to do yoga. I loved watching everyone; most were doing acroyoga so I was pretty amazed. The new thing I did was get a henna! A simple henna cost $10 so it was pretty affordable and fun to do. After that, there was a meditation session. Everyone sat down and paired up with another person. They sat back to back and just meditated. It was nice to see. So What! Project came up next. So What! Project is a band and they perform at all Yoga Raves. They got the crowd going. It was really nice to see everyone jump up and down and dance together, no matter what age. People were really expressive and I felt a little dorky and out of place. I’m not really the “partying” type so I was pretty out of my element but I just joined in and it was pretty fun! I can’t imagine doing that for hours though…I lasted about thirty minutes. Haha

Overall, I probably wouldn’t attend again. I believe this has potential but the large space was just too LARGE. There weren’t a lot of things going on. Maybe I’ll come back in a couple of years to see what it really has to offer.

Namaste,
Jenn

Enjoy some pictures. I didn’t take too many =(

OooooooOOoOo Pretty, glittery henna 🙂

Lentil Soup

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Good morning! =)

I never was a “soup” person but ever since I’ve been on this health journey, I realized that not only is soup super healthy for me but it’s also SO filling. My first time trying lentil soup was at my friend’s house. I was surprised that I actually liked it! It was delicious and comforting. I made lentil soup for the first time yesterday using my crockpot. It was actually really good so I want to share it with you guys. It’s perfect for those cold winter months.

Recipe: Lentil Soup
Serving Size: Four people.

Ingredients:
– 1 cup lentils
– 1/2 onion
– 2 carrots diced
– 2 celery stalks
– 1 medium russet potato
– 1 tsp oregano
– 1 bay leaf
– 1 tsp dried basil
– 1 14oz can of diced tomatoes
– 4 cup vegetable broth
– 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
– salt & pepper to taste
– handful of spinach

Directions:
1. Dice celery and carrots into slices. Chop onions. Chop russet potato into bite-size pieces. Throw it into the crockpot.
2. Put in the lentils, oregano, bay leaf, dried basil, salt & pepper and toss. Let it marinate for 30 mins.
3. Add in diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, and balsamic vinegar.
4. Turn the crockpot on low and leave for 10-11 hours. Add in spinach 10 minutes before eating
5. ENJOY!

Have you guys ever had lentil recipe yet? What’s your favorite recipe?

Namaste,
Jenn

 

Wanderlust – Yoga in the City – San Francisco

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Hi everyone,

On September 23rd, 2012, I went to my FIRST Wanderlust event. Wanderlust festival is one of the BIGGEST yoga festivals in the world. They promote yoga, dancing, concerts, healthy vegetarian eating, meditation, and hiking over the course of 4 days in one of the most beautiful places in the United States. There are four locations where they are held annually: Vermont, Whistler, California, and Colorado. It is pretty pricey, about $400 dollars for all four days; however, you can purchase one day-three day tickets for cheaper. This does not include a place to stay. Wanderlust also hosts something called “Yoga in the City”. This only occurs for one day and is FREE!!! All you have to do is register online but to be honest, they don’t really check..locations this year were: Los Angeles, CA; New York City, NY; and San Francisco, CA. People get together, listen to music, do yoga, and try out healthy foods.

I was fortunate enough to attend the one in San Francisco. It was at the Little Marina Green; a beautiful location overlooking the bay area and Golden Gate Bridge. My sister and boyfriend accompanied me on this trip. When we first got there, we saw a couple of booths: Health Magazine, Lucy’s Yoga Apparel, Haas Avocados, and The Kind Bar. They all had little knick knacks and samples that they gave away which was awesome. Who doesn’t like free stuff?! After browsing around, we placed our yoga mat down in an assembly line for the sake of a good picture while we were doing yoga. The yoga class started at 10:30 and lasted for an hour and a half. During that hour and a half, four famous yoga teachers came up to teach and we were able to get a little taste of the way that they practice. It was awesome and fun. Over 1,000 people attended; the community and energy was amazing. It was my first time doing yoga outside in nature and I can’t even explain how liberating it felt. After the amazing yoga session, we browsed around for a bit; there was music playing and dancers on stage. The next yoga class was at 3:30 but we had left to go eat…all that yoga and dancing makes you hungry!

Overall, I would totally go again. It was a great experience. I loved seeing everyone’s love for yoga and they were all so nice. All my yogis, if you haven’t attended any wanderlust festivals, you must! I cannot wait to attend the main Wanderlust Festival in Lake Tahoe, CA this coming summer. It’s going to be so beautiful.

Enjoy the pictures! ❤

Seriously guys, don’t these look amazing and fun?! Definitely a moment to remember.

Namaste,
Jenn

Homemade Sushi — CA Rolls & Salmon Rolls

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Happy afternoon everyone!

Today for lunch, boyfriend and I decided to go to Japantown in San Jose, CA to visit the grocery store. We were able to get all the ingredients to make our own homemade sushi! Sushi is definitely my favorite food in the whole wide world and us sushi lovers know that it can be EXPENSIVE. Sushi rolls cost anywhere from 7-15 dollars a roll and I know I can’t stop at one! I’m going to post the recipe for the sushi I made today, also the cost of everything. I hope you guys try it out!

Ingredients:
– Sushi nori (seaweed sheets)
– Bamboo roll
– Imitation crab
– Japanese mayonnaise (I used earth balance)
– Brown rice
– Rice vinegar
– Sriracha hot sauce
– Toasted sesame seeds
– Japanese cucumbers
– Sushi shoga (pickled ginger)
– Sesame sauce
– Soy sauce (I used Kikkoman’s low sodium)
– Avocado
– Salmon sashimi

Directions:
1. Cook your brown rice and wait for it to cool. After it has cooled, put 1 tsp of rice vinegar and fluff to incorporate it into the rice. Set aside. The rice vinegar gives the rice its sweet and sour component.
2. Get your food processor and put imitation crab sticks in there along with 1 tsp of mayonnaise. Process it until its incorporated. Transfer it into a bowl.
3. Slice the cucumber, avocado, and salmon sashimi into slices. Leave all the ingredients out in front of you so it is easy to access when make your sushi rolls.
4. Lay down your bamboo mat.
5. Lay down your nori on top of the mat, spread the rice on it with a spoon or your fingers. If the rice is too sticky, take a bowl of water and wet your fingers. You can either flip it over and put the ingredients on the nori side or just place it directly onto the rice. This is the difference between having the rice on the outside or the nori. Having the nori on the outside is much easier, trust me.
5. Lay the ingredients towards one end. CA roll has cucumbers, avocado, and imitation crab. I sometimes will add Sriracha, sesame seeds, or sesame sauce. Add whatever sauces or spices you like. Salmon roll has cucumber, avocado, and salmon sashimi. Sometimes I will make a bigger roll and add the imitation crab in there as well.
6. Use the bamboo mat to help roll up the sushi roll. The bamboo mat help you roll tightly so the roll doesn’t fall apart. Squeeze the bamboo mat at the end to secure its shape. Use a knife to cut the roll into pieces. To make cutting easier, either wet the knife or take a piece of saran wrap, place it on top of the roll, squeeze it onto the roll, and then cut the roll through the sarah wrap.
7. Enjoy with your ginger and soy sauce.

Hope the pictures below will help. Let me know if you have any questions =)

Ingredients.

Sliced salmon sashimi, avocado, and cucumber. Ready for assembling!

Yumm. Ready to eat!

All the ingredient I bought (aside from brown rice, sriracha, sesame seeds) cost $20.17.
I was able to make 6 rolls with all the ingredients and I still have 5 nori sheets, 2 cucumbers, 1/2 a jar of pickled ginger, almost all the soy sauce and sesame sauce! The next time I decide to make sushi rolls, it would definitely cost less since I have these ingredients already so I think $2-3/roll are a good deal!

The sushi rolls were so delicious. My boyfriend kept raving about them. They tasted fresh, clean, and light. I like these a lot better than the American sushi rolls with cream cheese and creamy sauce. Give them a try everyone!

Namaste,
Jenn

Yoga For Beginners

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Hi everyone!
I just got a question from a blogger asking what I would suggest for people who want to start doing yoga and I thought it would be a great question to answer and tell you guys a little bit of my experience. I’m a beginner myself; I started doing yoga in February 2012 and have been doing it 4-5 times a week since then. At the studio I go to, there’s about 5 types of yoga: Bikram (hot), Vinyasa (Tranquil, Dynamic, & Power), Yin, Gentle, and Detox; occasionally there’s anusara yoga which is all about alignment and kid’s (family) yoga. The studio I go to has started a cardio yoga class on the weekends and it’s kick***. Really fast-paced yoga that works on your core, glutes, and legs for 1 hour in a hearted 95 degrees room. If anyone is in San Jose, CA, I really suggest going to Balance Yoga Center. The teachers and the community is great. What I suggest for beginners is: most yoga studios offer a one month trial for about $30-40 dollars. I suggest that you take GREAT advantage of that and try out all the types of yoga with different teachers to figure out which classes and teachers you like. I know yoga can be super expensive; they average about $100-120 dollars a month. (OUCH!, I know) Yoga has been a blessing in my life though. Before I came to yoga, I wasn’t very healthy; I rarely exercised…sure I joined gyms and tried running but it wasn’t something that I LOVED so it was hard to keep up with it…I would only be good for 1-2 weeks and then give up. I had CRAZY anxiety to the point where I didn’t want to go out or go to school. I knew that I had to make a change in my life. I was borderline depression from all the anxiety I had. Going to yoga helped me embrace my body and most importantly, help me learn to breathe through every situation. I’m more stable emotionally now and my anxiety is practically nonexistant. I learned to eat healthy, be more mindful, and even be more eco-friendly. All my friends think I’ve gone to the hippie side; Haha…but I don’t think that’s a bad thing at all! I’m going to tell you guys a little bit about each of the types of yoga until I ramble on forever.
Bikram Yoga: you’re in 105 degrees room with about 40% humidity. There are 26 asanas (poses) and you go through each pose twice. There’s not a lot of changes in Bikram so after a week of going, you should be comfortable with the routine. Tip: Bring a towel, you’ll literally be able to ring out your clothes.
Vinyasa Yoga: this is flow yoga. You link your breath with each pose and are constantly moving. It requires a lot of strength in these classes. I suggest going to tranquil first because it is slower and non-heated. Dynamic is heated to 85-95 degrees and is for intermediates and Power is heated as well but for advanced students (you can expect to do a lot of arm balances in this class)
Yin Yoga: Great class for stretching and relaxing. It is in a non-heated room and you get into stretching poses and hold them for 3-5 minutes each. It really increases your flexibility and is a great start for beginners.
Gentle Yoga: This is also a flow class and prepares you for Vinyasa yoga. I suggest going to this class before going to Vinyasa.
Detox Yoga: HARD HARD HARD, CHALLENGING for beginners. I suggest doing a month of yoga before you try to detox. Detox yoga is great. The poses are designed to release all the toxins from your body. Many people who finish the class say that they feel like they have the flu or a headache and that’s great because that mean that it’s working. Don’t be surprised if you use the restroom 10 times that day. Haha TMI!

You know, my first few experiences in yoga were hard. I got lost quite a bit but keeping up with it has helped me learn to love it even more. You can see yourself getting stronger everyday. If you get lost, don’t worry, just breathe. It doesn’t matter if you’re in child’s pose the whole entire class. If you’re breathing, to me, you’re doing yoga. I hope everyone gives it a try. Let me know how you love it. =P

Wanderlust: Yoga in the City. Location: San Francisco

*Next yoga entry will be about: Wanderlust: Yoga in the City

Namaste,
Jenn

Shrimp Cobb Salad

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Hi Everyone,

Tonight I wanted a salad but a big HEARTY salad. The problem for me when eating just a salad for lunch around 7:00 is when 11:00 rolls around, I’m hungry again. I digest salads quick but I wanted to make sure the salad had a lot of girth. This was one of the best salads I’ve ever had, no lie! It tasted simple, clean, and full of flavors.

I call this my “Shrimp Cobb Salad”, with no bacon & ranch of course. =P Here’s the recipe:

Serving: for 2 people, you and your special someone. (whether it’s your child, spouse, or grandma; I’m sure they’d all love it!

Ingredients:
– 1 hard-boiled egg
–  1/2 lb of shrimp (raw, deveined, tail detached!)
– 1/8 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
– 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper seasoning
– 1/8 tsp dried basil
– 1 tsp olive oil
– sprinkle of salt & pepper
– 3 cups baby spring mix/spinach
– 1/2 an avocado
– 1 tomato

The Dressing:
– handful of cilantro (chopped finely)
– 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
– 1/4 tsp sugar
– 1/4 tsp minced garlic

Directions:

1. Mix the lemon pepper, cayenne pepper, dried basil, olive oil, salt, and pepper with the shrimp into a bowl and leave in the refrigerator to marinate for at least half an hour. The longer, the better. (For the seasoning, you can add more or less depending on what you like; feel free to throw in other seasonings as well!
2. Make the dressing. Stir the cilantro, EVOO, sugar, and garlic together and set it in the refrigerator. You can add more EVOO if you don’t want the dressing to be so thick.
3. Grill your shrimp. Let the shrimp have some marks on there and have a little crusty outside; it’s delicious!
4. Assemble your salad.


5. Enjoy & leave me a comment =P

I hope you guys enjoy the recipe! Let me know what you think. Feel free to leave suggestions for the site or recipe.

Namaste,
Jenn

Kale Chips

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Kale. Kale. Kale. We’ve all heard about the wonders of the superfood KALE.

So what is kale?
Kale looks like lettuce but it’s actually in the cabbage and collard greens family. Some benefits of kale are it is low in calories, high in fiber, and has zero fat. The fiber will keep you feeling fuller for longer. It’s high in Vitamins A, C, K, calcium, and iron. It is PACKED with antioxidants, which we all need, especially when the cold winter months are coming. It will boost your immune system to help prevent sickness and even helps prevent cancer.

So how do we eat it?
You can put kale in anything: salads, juice, and smoothies. You can sautéed it with some onions and vegetables. It will wilt in the pan, just like spinach but has a thicker texture. The taste can take awhile to get used to but just try it in a lot of different ways until you find one that works for you =) If you absolutely cannot take the taste, just throw it in a smoothie or juice. That way, you can get all the benefits without the taste. Mask the taste with fruit. Trick: add blueberries or apples!

I’ve discovered a new way to eat my kale….making them into CHIPS! Yup you heard it right, CHIPS! I’ve always been a salty > sweet person and can eat one of those $4 bag of chips in ONE sitting. I know, horrible. Now I know these aren’t going to taste EXACTLY like your favorite fried potato chips but it is a good alternative. It gives an awesome crunch and is salty & savory.

Here is the BASIC recipe for salty & cheesy kale. I have a few more recipes that I will post up which require more ingredients but I’ll save those for later…

 

Recipe:
1 head of kale
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
a sprinkle of paprika & salt
dehydrator

Directions:
1. Start ripping the kale leaves off the stem into bite-size pieces
2. WASH IT CLEAN and air-dry. The drier, the better the seasonings will stick onto the kale. It’s best if you put it in your salad spinner =)
3. Put in the olive oil, nutritional yeast, paprika, and salt according to taste.
4. Use your hands to coat all the leaves evenly.
5. Place the kale into your dehydrator on the lowest setting for 10-12 hours.
6. Enjoy! =)

Hope you’ve enjoyed this recipe. Let me know what you guys think!

Nasamte,
Jenn

DETOX YOGA RETREAT

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Hi there!

On Oct 6-7, I was fortunate to attend a yoga retreat hosted by JennField Yoga located in Woodside, CA. It was located at the Stillheart Institute. While driving up there, I had no idea what to expect. We were literally in the boonies. When we got there, it was absolutely beautiful! It was located in the middle of nature and the retreat center was pretty luxurious. My boyfriend and I were able to stay in a “treehouse”. (Pictures will be below) Our treehouse was super roomy. The bathroom was beautiful and it even had a nice sized tub in it! (I brought all the Lush goodies to take a hot bath in :D) From the bed, all you could see were windows outlooking the forest. To be quite honest, I was a little nervous about the retreat. We were only given two juices for breakfast and lunch. Then we were given a healthy vegetarian meal for dinner. Our wonderful meals were prepared by the one and only YummiYogini. We were to do two yoga classes a day. The morning one were 2 hours long and very challenging. The class is designed to twist your intestines around so that you literally need to go to the bathroom. There were also about 3 lectures a day about healthy eating which I really enjoyed. I will talk about the topics in another blog. On Saturday evening, there was a Kirtan concert that we could attend with lead singer Prajna Vieira from the band Mukti. On Sunday evening, there was a sound immersion class.

My experience: The morning class was so challenging that I couldn’t even make it to my evening class which was a yin class (super relaxing I hear) for both days! I learned so much from the lectures by Jenn Field & Amber Henzi. The people who attended the retreat could not have been more supportive and friendly. I loved meeting everyone. It was my first Kirtan concert and it was so fun! Prajna has such a BEAUTIFUL voice; you guys should really check her out! Sound immersion class was quite interesting…the man (I forgot his name) played these beautiful crystal bowls and gongs while everyone laid on the floor with their heads facing towards the instrument. You could feel the vibrations going through your body. Everyone fell asleep and woke up feeling different. I personally felt fine, although I kind of freaked out a little bit because at one point, it had a stereo effect and I could hear the sound coming from one ear to the other. Overall, I had a wonderful time. It was expensive but money well spent. My love for yoga is just growing and I can’t wait to share all the other adventures I have with you.

Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Namaste,

Jenn

Our comfy beds.

The awesome view from our beds.

Delicious smoothie: goji berries, raw cacao, bee pollen

Spring rolls for dinner =) The thai sauce was raw: tahini sauce, agave nectar, cashews…

Delicious split pea soup with raw cashew sour cream + avocado citrus salad

^^ Will post recipes once I get them

On our balcony

Dancer pose.

Found a yoga platform on our hike. Not the best form but working on it!

My boyfriend side planking =)

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