Is Organic Milk Worth It?

According to a recent study, "Whole milk from organic dairies contains far more of some of the fatty acids that contribute to a healthy heart than conventional milk". This is because cows that provide organic milk consume a grassy plant based diet, high in omega-3s (found in flax seed and fish). Cows that provide conventional milk are fed a diet primarily of corn, which is high in omega-6s (often found in fried foods). In the study, 384 samples of organic and conventional whole milk were taken for 18 months from around the country. The amount of fat was the same, but organic milk had 62% more omega-3s and 25% fewer omega-6s.

Omega-3s can help lower triglycerides and blood pressure. They may also help with rheumatoid arthritis, depression, and more. 

Verdict: Swap out the name brand toilet paper and upgrade to organic! 

"How Yoga Transforms Your Body"

Many of us have heard about and personally experienced the numerous physical benefits of yoga. In case you need a little encouragement for your pre/post work yoga class tomorrow, take a look at this great infographic that the Huffington Post put together. It lists many of the proven physical benefits of yoga based on scientific research studies!

For the entire article click here 

How to Clean Your Yoga Mat!

As my Sunday morning vinyasa yoga class at Charm City Yoga in Fells Point was winding down this past week, I was enjoying a nice low back and ab stretch in sphinx pose, deeply inhaling and exhaling through my nose. I lowered my cheek back down to my mat to rest and realized that... my mat actually stunk! Whoops. I guess it's been a while since my last mat cleaning.  

Here are some simple tips on how to clean your mat (and breath easy during class):

If your mat is lightly soiled, use a spray bottle, damp sponge, or terry cloth rag to apply a solution of two cups of water and four drops of dish soap. Rub the soiled areas. Wipe the mat with clean water; then rub with a dry terry cloth towel. Hang to air dry.

If your mat is heavily soiled, submerge it in a solution of warm water and mild detergent; use very little soap as any residue may cause the mat to become slippery during future use. Thoroughly hand wash the mat and rinse in clean water. After squeezing out the excess water, lay the mat on a dry towel and roll the mat and towel together. Stepping on the rolled up mat will squeeze more moisture out of the mat and into the towel. Then unroll and hang to air dry. 

(Thank you Yoga Journal!) 

There are also pretty inexpensive mat cleaners you can purchase -

Giam Super Yoga Mat Wash Cleaner  ($8.99) 

Manduka Mat Renew Yoga Mat Spray ($10.00)  

Refreshing Gazpacho!

Gazpacho is one of my favorite things to make (and eat) during the summer months! It is refreshing, really healthy, and very quick to make. The recipe below can be prepared in 15 minutes or less!

What you need:

1 cucumber (if you don't use the long cucumber then you will need 2 regular)
1 tomato
1 yellow pepper
1 green pepper
1 red onion
juice of 1 lemon
5 cloves of garlic (adjust accordingly - might want to reduce the amount if you have a date scheduled)
1 large can of plum tomatoes
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons white vinegar
a few drops of your favorite hot sauce
1 large mixing bowl

Directions: 

Roughly chop the vegetables

Add half of the vegetables and can of tomatoes at a time into the blender
After one set is mixed pour it into the large bowl and blend the second half
Make sure not to over blend the gazpacho- keep the soup nice and chunky!
Combine both mixtures together in the mixing bowl and add the vinegar, lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and hot sauce
Chill the Gazpacho in the fridge until it's ready to eat (the longer it chills the more flavor it develops)

Enjoy as an appetizer or with a piece of whole wheat toasted garlic bread to add more fiber!

Serving size = 4-6 

Why it's healthy: 
Gazpacho is packed with lots of fresh colorful vegetables that provide significant amounts of vitamin A vitamin C, and potassium. It's also fat free and very low in calories! Yum!

Warm up with this wintery soup!

I love making a big pot of soup to store in the fridge when the temperatures start to drop. The best part about making this TOMATO VEGETABLE SOUP recipe is that it's quick to prepare and basically fool proof!

What you need...
- 1 onion 
- a few garlic cloves
- 1 zucchini 
- 1 yellow squash 
- a handful of baby carrots (or regular!)
- 1 cup of chopped red or white cabbage 
- 1 yellow pepper
- a box of veggie broth (I usually get mine from Trader Joes or Whole foods) 
- a large can of diced tomatoes 
-1/4 cup of uncooked brown rice 
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil 
- flavor with a couple pinches of cumin, parsley, oregano, salt, basil, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne powder (optional if you like spicy) 
***other veggies you might want to add in are sweet potatoes, kale, tomatoes, butternut squash (whatever you have handy!) 

Dice the veggies and saute them in olive oil for 2-5 minutes.  Add the soup broth, the tomato puree, and rice. You might need to add a cup or two of water if there isn't enough liquid in the pot. Cover the soup for 1 hour and simmer on low. Season again to taste with additional spices listed above (if needed).

This soup is packed with a colorful variety of nutritious veggies! It is very low in calories and fat, and the brown rice adds a bit of whole grains to help keep you full for longer. This dish is a good source of vitamin A, vitamin C, fiber, magnesium, potassium, and vitamin B6.

YOGA at HOME!

Any east coasters going stir crazy inside waiting for hurricane Sandy? Try these at home FREE yoga videos on the Yoga Journal's website! They have beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. I have tried a bunch and they are great! 

http://www.yogajournal.com/video/

Fast, Fresh, and Green!

Thanks to this past weeks farm fresh CSA delivery and my new cookbook "Fast, Fresh, and Green", I was able to cook up a deliciously simple dinner on Sunday eve! Although our mini NYC kitchen barely fits me and a spatula in it at the same time, I was determined to make it work....

Check out these healthy and tasty recipes! :)

Bacon (I used FAKE MEAT!), Rosemary Sauteed Brussels Sprouts and Baby Bellas
1 lb Brussels Sprouts
8 oz baby bella mushrooms
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
8 oz of vegan sausage cut into 1 inch slices (the real recipe called for bacon, but I used this instead!)
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 Tsp kosher salt
1/4 lemon
2 Tbsp unsalted butter (I used smart balance light - less calories and fat!)


1. Trim the stem ends of the brussels sprouts and slice them into halves.
2. In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the sprouts, mushrooms, fake meat, and rosemary. Season with salt.
3. Turn the heat to low and cook for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sprouts should be tender and beginning to brown.
4. Remove from heat, discard rosemary, and add the smart balance. Squeeze the lemon and season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Serve warm and enjoy!

Corn Saute with Chile and Lime
2 Tbsp unsalted butter (again I used smart balance light)
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium diced yellow onion
1 tsp kosher salt
2 slightly heaping cups of corn kernels (from 4 medium ears)
1/2 Tsp ancho chile powder
1 Tsp finely grated lime zest
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 lime & 3 Tbsp chopped cilantro


1. Melt 1 Tbsp of the smart balance with olive oil in a large saute pan over medium/low heat. Add the onion and 1/2 Tsp of the salt, cover, and cook for about 5 minutes. Uncover and cook an additional 3-5 minutes.
2. Add the remaining 1 Tbsp smart balance, the corn kernels, and the remaining 1/2 Tsp salt. Cook, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes. Add the chile powder and lime zest and allow it to saute an additional 2 minutes.
3. Season the saute with pepper, salt, lime, and the cilantro!

Spinach with Shallots and Parmigiano

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 small shallots, thinly sliced
 kosher salt
1 bunch of fresh spinach, 5-6 ounces (I used swiss chard!!)
1 Tbsp heavy cream (I left this out all together)
1 Tbsp finely grated parmigiano-reggiano




1. Heat the olive oil in a medium nonstick pan over medium low heat. When the oil is hot, add the shallots and a pinch of salt. Cook for about 4-5 minutes, until the shallots are soft and light golden brown.
2. Add the spinach (or in my case swiss chard) and another pinch of salt. I had to saute this for about 10-15 minutes because the chard took longer to cook. If you do make this recipe with spinach, you will only need to saute this for a few minutes.
3. Once you finish cooking the greens, remove from the heat, and add the cheese!
4. Stir well and serve immediately

Vegan Express at the Natural Gourmet Institute!

A few weeks ago I went to a drop in cooking class at the Natural Gourmet Institute, a healthy cooking school in Chelsea (http://naturalgourmetinstitute.com/). As a group, we made 11 different vegan dishes in less than 2 hours! I was in charge of making Creamy Triple Mushroom Fettuccine with Walnuts. See below for the delicious recipe!

 

The finished products, an assortment of tasty vegan dishes! 

 

 The Chefs!

Mushroom Fettuccine

Creamy Triple-Mushroom Fettuccine with Walnuts

Ingredients

2 small dried mushrooms

2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 

8 oz. seitan, thinly sliced 

3 oz. fresh shiitake mushroom caps, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups plain soymilk or other milk 

1/4 cup white wine

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon white miso 

1 pinch ground nutmeg 

1 pinch cayenne

1pinch ground turmeric 

1/2 cup fresh parsley or basil 

1/2 teaspoon salt

olive oil spray 

8 oz. fresh portobello caps, thinly sliced

8 oz. dried whole wheat fettuccine 

1/4 cup chopped walnuts 

Procedure

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil for cooking the pasta. In a spice or coffee grinder, grind the dried mushrooms to a fine powder. Put them in a small bowl and stir in the flour. Set aside. 

2. Health the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the seitan and shiitakes and stir until browned, then add the garlic. When the vegetables start to sizzle, sprinkle them with the flour mixture and stir to combine. Keep stirring and scraping until the flour mixture is well moistened and the mushroom powder is fragrant. 

3. As the mushroom-setian mixture cooks, mix together the milk, wine, tomato paste, yeast, miso, nutmeg, cayenne, and turmeric in a measuring cup. Remove the pan from the heat and use a spatula to stir in about 1/4 of the milk mixture until smooth. Continue to add milk mixture in fourths, stirring after each addition until all is incorporated. Stir in the parsley and salt and keep warm. 

4. Heat a large cast-iron pain over high heat. When the pan is hot, spray with oil and sear the portobello mushroom slices, stirring as they shrink and brown. Cook the fettuccine according to the package directions and drain well. 

5. In a serving bowl, toss the pasta with hot sauce. Top with the seared mushrooms, sprinkle with the toasted walnuts, and serve. 

Enjoy! :) Don't worry, it is easier than it sounds! 

(from vegan chef, Robin Asbell)   

Mushroom health benefits: Very low in calories, good source of dietary fiber, and high in important minerals such as iron, selenium, potassium, phosphorus, riboflavin, copper, and zinc. 

Yoga Pose of the Day - Upward Facing Dog

Have you ever found yourself fumbling through upward facing dog over and over again in a vinyasa flow class? Urdhva Mukha Svanasana or Upward facing dog, if done properly, can be a wonderful pose to help strengthen your back, wrists, and arms, stretch your chest, shoulders, and abs, and stimulate abdominal organs.


Here are some key tips to improving your updog :)

- Line your palms directly under your shoulders (too far forward can put strain on your wrists)
- Micro-bend your elbows to help open the chest and draw the shoulder blades together on your back
- Look straight ahead or tip your head back slightly - be careful not to jam your head back and strain your neck
- Release your shoulders down your back away from your ears

Simple Spring Salad!

Spring is here! Jogging in central park, sipping ice coffee, and outdoor dining is back! With the weather getting warmer, who wants to spend time indoors slaving over dinner? Not me! Try making this simple, fresh, and HEALTHY salad in 20 minutes or less! It's packed with all the nutrients you need to fill you up!

1 head of romaine lettuce (vitamin A, K, C, fiber, and folate)
1 head of fresh broccoli (vitamin C, K, folate, and calcium)
1 sweet potato (fiber, vitamin A, and C, and helps regulate blood sugar)
1 cup of raw kale (high in antioxidants, anti-inflammatory nutrients, and can help lower cholesterol)
1 granny smith apple  (fiber and helps regulate blood sugar)
1/2 seedless cucumber (low calorie!)
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds (vitamin E and can help lower cholesterol)
2 tablespoons chopped almonds (fiber, vitamin E, protein)
1/4 cup of feta cheese (protein and calcium)

Dressing: 
balsamic vinegar                                                                                                        
olive oil
salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
Serves: 2-4

Start by microwaving your sweet potato (depending on the size, between 6-8 minutes). While your potato is cooking, start chopping your kale (remember to discard the stem), romaine lettuce, granny smith apple, and cucumber. Next steam your chopped broccoli for about 2-3 minutes. After your sweet potato is soft in the center, chop it and put in the freezer to cool for 5 minutes. Once the broccoli and sweet potato are cool, add them to the salad and top with seeds, nuts, and cheese. Dress with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and spices (sorry I never measure!!).

Enjoy the salad and the warm weather!