We have talked a lot in the past about mindful eating. Dr. Joel Kahn does a great job explaining this practice.

Read on — here.

Pumpkin Spice Chia Pudding

We’ve talked about the benefits of adding chia seeds to your diet in earlier posts.

Dry Chia Seeds

Here’s a quick, fun, healthy recipe that Danielle and I often make:

Pumpkin Spice Chia Pudding

1 Cup of Raw Chia Seeds

1 1/2 Cup Almond Milk (or coconut milk)

1/2 Chopped Banana

2 Teaspoons Cinnamon

2 Teaspoons Ground Ginger

2 Teaspoons of Nutmeg

2 Teaspoons of Organic Raw Local Honey

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl.

**The primary ingredients are necessary, they are: Chia seeds and Almond Milk. The recipe will work even if you don’t have one or two of the exact secondary ingredients.

Our Premixed Chia Pudding

Mix all ingredients and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. If you’ve ever eaten chia seeds, then you know about their tendency to expand once combined with fluids. Accordingly, you’ll notice that the volume of your pudding will have doubled during your 30 minute wait. Enjoy 🙂

This can easily serve two people unless one is a former American football player. 😉

Thanks to Culinary Colleen for the awesome dry chia seeds image at the top of this page. Check out her blog for interesting food photographs, unique restaurants, info on catering, and much more.

We’re always on the go – whether it’s packing the kids up for school, hitting the gym, or just getting through a project at work – and we constantly rely on high levels of energy to get through it all. Yet no matter how many cups of coffee we’ve had, there are times when we feel lethargic and at a loss for what we’re looking for. In order to get through our busy and hectic schedules, it’s important to turn to the right sources of energy, and not the high-sugar and caffeinated drinks that we usually depend on.

Camilla Saulsbury, food writer and health expert extraordinaire, knows the importance of keeping up her energy

Pre-Chopped and Cleaned Kale

Sometimes all it takes is making it easy on yourself, and Saulsbury shares her secret to how she does it with kale:

“Kale is my secret weapon for fueling my super-long days; still, I’m not brave enough to munch on plain leaves. Here’s what I do to keep the über-healthy vegetable handy: I throw a big bag of pre-chopped kale in the freezer. That way I can easily grab a handful anytime I need it for adding to smoothies, soups, casseroles, and egg dishes. It’s great because the frozen kale will crumble in your hands – no need to finely chop – and makes the flavor milder.”

Canned Black Beans and Red Beans

Yes, it’s OK to say yes to the can sometimes, and Saulsbury explains why:

“My pantry is bean central. I make quick salads, chili, soups, dips, and even bars and brownies with beans. Ready-to-eat, inexpensive, versatile, delicious, and super-healthy (high fiber, low fat, high protein), what’s not to love? I eat white beans and chickpeas, but for maximum energy, I opt for dark-colored beans because they are rich in antioxidants.”

Homemade Power Bars

Of course, another great way of taking most of the ingredients on this list and packing them all into one, convenient snack that can be taken on the go is making homemade power bars. Saulsbury’s book, Power Hungry, is loaded with delicious, easy, and energizing recipes, and she shares nine of her favorites here with us.

For more healthy snacks and foods check out the original post on Yahoo! Shine — here. 

Via The Daily Meal, Image via Google Commons

Beautiful Insights from a Meditation Retreat

I’ve never been on a meditation retreat but I’ve heard amazing things. A week in silence. No TV. No cell phone. No computer. No speaking. Just you, your fellow meditators, and your own mind. Ironically, the people who think this sounds like a torturous experience are probably the ones who would benefit the most from learning meditation.

Our Aussie friend Kate at One Small Life Blog recently went on a 4 day meditation retreat and shared her experience on her yoga blog. Recapping her experience, she pointed to seven beautiful insights. I connected most with her insights on Oneness:

When you enter into a silent retreat with a room full of strangers something remarkable happens.There is a sharing of energy that transcends talk and personalities and the stories that we tell each other about ourselves. And beyond these nice-enough superficialities we can connect with each other and ourselves on a deep, human level. There is a true sense of oneness with everyone in the room.  And everyone beyond the room.

I identify with this point as I still feel connected to my fellow practitioners from the yoga retreat that Brian and I participated in. In fact, I vividly remember a conversation with Hedda from Norway where she told me about Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village. A meditation retreat in the South of France? At a place called Plum Village? I told myself I would definitely go someday and reading One Small Life’s post about her positive experience just brought me one step closer to going. Ahh, yes. That is connection and oneness at work.

Curious to the typical schedule for a meditation retreat? Here’s a look at a day’s schedule at Maitripa Contemplation Centre:

6.00am Wake-up Bell
6.30am Meditation- Silent Sitting
7.30am Yoga Asana (or your own practice)
9.00am Vegetarian Breakfast/ Free Time
11.00am Meditation – Sitting & Walking
1.00pm Vegetarian Lunch/ Free Time and Optional Teacher Interviews
3.30pm Meditation – Sitting & Walking
6.00pm Vegetarian Dinner/ Free Time
7.30pm Meditation with Talk, Discussion & Chanting
9:00pm End & Repeat

As we explain in the What is Lucid Practice? portion of our site, we had a transformative experience during our first yoga retreat. Knowing how powerful retreat can be, we encourage our readers to participate in yoga/meditation retreat. We’re living proof that a retreat can change your life 🙂

The platform in Thailand. We practiced here every morning and afternoon.

Have you ever been on a yoga or meditation retreat? Where? How was your experience?

Autumn Spice Sweet Potato Broccoli Soup Vegan Optional

Danielle and I made this Sweet Potato Broccoli Soup on Saturday night with fresh ingredients from our garden. It was delicious and full of vibrancy! Try it out this weekend for the perfect Autumn soup.   🙂

Sweet Potato Broccoli Soup Recipe (Vegan Optional) Ingredients:

5 Small/Medium Sweet Potatoes

1 Yellow Onion

2 Stalks of Broccoli

Fresh Garlic

1 Liter of Vegetable Stock

Curry Powder

Lemon

Rosemary

Parsley

Cinnamon

Tumeric

Cumin

Raw Sunflower Kernels

Cooking Our Autumn Vegan Sweet Potato Broccoli Soup

Sweet Potato Broccoli Soup Recipe (Vegan Optional) Instructions:

First, steam 5 small/med sweet potatoes so they are soft to mash.

Add 1 yellow Onion (chopped) and 2 cloves garlic (minced) to heat in a large pot w/ 1 tablespoon of coconut oil.  Add cinnamon and turmeric to this.  (about 5 min or until translucent)

Add vegetable stock (or chicken if you prefer!) with the mashed sweet potatoes.  Let cook on medium (for 3~5 min) before adding the sliced Broccoli.  Then add black pepper, sea salt, curry powder, lemon juice, a little fresh rosemary, cumin, a little more cinnamon & turmeric.

Let cook on low for 20 min or so (as long as you can restrain yourself hehe). The longer the better because the spices/flavors will be more intense the longer it cooks.

Meanwhile, roast Sunflower kernels.  (don’t burn them! even though the crisp ones are still yummy to eat)

Before serving your Sweet Potato Broccoli Soup, garnish with fresh parsley and the roasted sunflower seeds!

Our Garnished Autumn Vegan Sweet Potato Broccoli Soup in Handmade Pottery

Voila!!  🙂

**most important ingredient: cook with *LOVE!*  🙂

Enjoy your Sweet Potato Broccoli Soup and let us know how it comes out 🙂

5 Lessons from a Yoga Ashram in Rishikesh

Coder and yoga practitioner, Claire Byrne writes about how yogis and coders have a lot in common, mainly in the pursuit of understanding how the world works. Here’s an excerpt from an article where Claire talks about how yoga eased the physical ailments (inactive spine, tight joints and muscles) and mental ailments (stress, distorted breathing patterns) caused by life in front of a computer screen.

Last year, I spent a month in a yoga ashram in the North of India. The bell went off every morning at 5 a.m. Half an hour of meditation in the bitter cold was followed by two hours of yoga and then breakfast, which was consumed in silence looking out at the mountains. Yoga students spent six days a week in classes on philosophy, anatomy, and teaching methodology, did homework in the evenings and were asleep by 9:30 p.m. No alcohol, no meat, no caffeine, no screen time, no chairs. I’ve rarely been happier.

Read more about Claire’s adventures in Rishikesh, India and on how coders and travelers can benefit from yoga.

In case you’re curious about the Rishikesh ashram Claire studied at, here’s the link: Anand Praka’s Yoga Ashram.

Photo credit: Gaiam