Recipe: Goodness Bowl

Last week, I fell a little behind on my 30 yoga classes in 40 days challenge. This week? I'm making up for it with at least one class per day (sometimes two!)

Because I leave my apartment at 5:30 a.m. and sometimes don't get back until 6 or 7 p.m., I need to make sure that I'm replenishing my body with all of the calories I'm burning (and it isn't easy to do that when I'm away from my kitchen for 14 hours). I'm definitely not a nutritionist or dietitian (I think I took a nutrition course in college and got a B), so whipping something together that's high in nutrients, minerals, healthy fats, good carbs and proteins isn't easy for me.

I've been hearing a lot about "bowls" of good-for-you foods. I've heard them referred to as zen bowls, nourish bowls, wellness bowls and about a million other things, but the basic premise is that they contain a boatload of good-for-you things. With my busy schedule, I figured I'd give one of them a try.

|| Photo is property of Twentaypolis. Must give credit. ||

From what I've read, one of these "goodness" bowls should contain the following (Nutrition Stripped has a much more in-depth version of what's in a "goodness" bowl here):

Greens: Kale, spinach, romaine, field greens, swiss chard etc.

Veggies: Any and all! Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, tomatoes, onion, carrots, peppers, zucchini etc.

Protein: Quinoa, beans, lentils, tofu, tempeh, eggs, fish, animal meat etc.

Healthy fat: Olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds, coconut oil, sesame oil etc.

Carbs: Quinoa, brown rice, wild rice, beans, sweet potatoes, farro etc.

Toppings: Salad dressing, hummus, lemon juice, flax, chia seeds etc.

I made my first "goodness" bowl last night and had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I chose my green base (kale) and sprinkled it with some of my favorite veggies (roast Brussels sprouts and sautéed cherry tomatoes). I then added some quinoa, olive oil, sweet potatoes, Goddess dressing, chia seeds and sunflower seeds. Let's be honest - I had no idea how this bad boy would taste.

I was so surprised when I took my first bit. So good. Truth be told, I'm not sure you can go wrong with any kind of "goodness" bowl. With a handful of healthy ingredients, I don't think you're going to get anything but a delicious bowl of "goodness" that will fuel you from workout to workout.

Yum. Seriously.

Fit: Autumn Yoga Challenges - Week Two

October is flying by, and so are these yoga challenges. Let's catch up with some yoga, shall we?

Pigeon pose on the Stone Arch Bridge.

Cow face pose in our community room.

Swapping out flying squirrel for headstand.

Wheel pose in the park.

Shoulder stand with an apple on top.

No hurdle pose for me, but tripod headstand with goddess feet is a good second, right?

Early morning triangle pose.

|| All photos are property of Twentyapolis. Must give credit. ||

DIY: Free People Sun Sticks

Goodness gracious, how has another weekend come and gone? I hope you had a wonderful weekend with lots of sunshine and outdoors (we definitely did in Duluth at a wedding with friends all weekend).

Speaking of sun, I recently stumbled upon these sun sticks in Free People's Spirituality Shop.  First of all, I've got to say, I secretly am enamored by this shop. While a few of these items make me giggle a little bit, overall, I'm obsessed. Nature calendar? I need it. Painted incense burner? Love it. Moon phase chime? Head over heels.

While I'm still trying to determine how to make a DIY project out of the moon phase chime (again, obsessed), I had a much easier time making the sun sticks. While these adorable little branches are getting some major heat right now (see here and here), I think they're kind of adorable. Would I pay $28 for them? Absolutely not. But would I make them myself for next to nothing? Why of course!

We stayed right on Lake Superior in Duluth over the weekend, so on Sunday morning, Jack and I snuck off to the rocky shore to find some driftwood. Not only did we get more than we needed, but we were able to snatch some pretty early-morning pictures while doing it.

The only other supplies needed were embroidery thread, a scissors and some form of glue (I'd recommend super glue). That's it!

Start with a bundle of driftwood. Any shape, size or texture will work.

Choose your color scheme of embroidery thread colors. I chose a mix of pinks, oranges and purples.

Wrap the embroidery thread around the driftwood. If you wrap the thread tightly enough around the loose end, you shouldn't need to secure it with any glue.

Once the loose end of the thread is secure, continue wrapping thread around the driftwood.

The amount of thread is up to you. You can wrap it thick or thin around the driftwood, as well as in short or long bunches.

Once you're happy with how the thread looks, secure the loose end of the thread with a dab of glue.

Continue wrapping the embroidery thread around a handful of pieces of driftwood. Use varying colors, and wrap them at various points on the driftwood sticks.

And voila! Couldn't be easier.

 || Photos are property of Twentyapolis. Must give credit. || 

Recipe: Quinoa Cauliflower Bowl with Peanut Sriracha

Two recipe posts in a row? I've been one busy girl in the kitchen.

Last week was a busy week for me, but I had to take notes and pictures to share this recipe with you. I stumbled upon the recipe from Vegan Yack Attack earlier last week and knew I had to make it immediately. That spicy Thai-inspired sauce? Gimme. I need it now. While it had a few more ingredients and and steps than recipes I'm normally drawn to, it looked so damn good. 

For the record, when it was complete, it was even better than I could have imagined. Not kidding. Do yourself a favor and make this tonight. And every night (likely) for the rest of your life.

|| Photo is property of Twentyapolis. Must give credit. ||

Ingredients: Quinoa

Dry quinoa: 1/2 cup

Water: 1 cup

Sesame oil: 1/2 teaspoon

Sriracha: 1 teaspoon (more or less depending on desired heat)

Salt: dash

Ingredients: Cauliflower

Cauliflower: 3 cups chopped

Olive oil: 1 tablespoon

Sesame oil: 1/2 teaspoon

Sriracha: 1 teaspoon

Ginger powder: Dash

Ingredients: Kale

Kale: 2-3 cups chopped

Water: 2 cups

Olive oil: 1 tablespoon

Salt: dash

Ingredients: Sauce

Peanut butter: 3 tablespoons

Ginger powder: 1 teaspoon

Garlic powder: 1 teaspoon

Sriracha: 2-3 tablespoons (more or less depending on desired heat)

Apple cider vinegar: 1 teaspoon

Maple syrup: 2 teaspoons

Olive oil: 2 teaspoons

Sesame oil: 1/2 teaspoon

Coconut milk: 3 tablespoons (any milk will do)

Salt: 2-3 pinches

Directions
1. Mix the olive oil, sesame oil, sriracha and ginger in a bowl. Coat the cauliflower in the mixture, and bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.
2. Wash the quinoa, and stir together with the other ingredients in a pot. Cook until boiling, then allow to simmer until the quinoa has absorbed the liquid.
3. While the cauliflower and quinoa are cooking, stir the sauce ingredients together, and blend in a blender or food processor if needed.
4. Pour the kale, water, olive oil and salt in a pot. Cook until boiling, and then simmer until the kale is wilted.
Once all items are cooked, stir together in a bowl. Toss with sesame seeds and enjoy!

Recipe: Autumn Vegetable Soup

When the temperature drops, the first food I crave is soup. Warm, hearty and packed with vegetables (+ lots of vitamins and minerals), I'm ready to conquer the world and fight off every kind of autumn cold bug there is. Plus, it's damn delicious.

After returning from New York City Sunday evening (more on that later!), I was feeling under the weather. I was losing my voice and had (still have) a slight allergic reaction on my body from who knows what. I needed some soup, and I needed some, stat.

The problem was that I hadn't gone grocery shopping in a week. I typically need to head to the market once a week to get enough fresh fruit and vegetables to make dinner every weeknight, and have enough left over for lunch each day. But my tired booty was not heading to the grocery store. 

Behold - autumn vegetable soup. With a few base ingredients, I'm convinced you can make soup from nearly any vegetable combination you have on hand. For me, that included an onion, kale, sweet potatoes and a handful of canned veggies. But like I said, I'm convinced you can whip up something delicious with just about anything in your produce drawer. Just look for a recipe online that contains some of the same ingredients and lightly follow along (this recipe was inspired by Mind Body Green).

The best part? Not only did it taste really yummy, it yielded enough for me to have lunches for work all week! That's a huge score in my book.

|| Photo is property of Twentyapolis. Must give credit. ||

Ingredients

Olive oil: 2 tablespoons

Onion: 1 cup chopped

Garlic: 2 teaspoons choped

Salt: 2 teaspoons

Pepper: 1-2 tablespoons to taste

Italian seasonings: 3 tablespoons to taste (I used oregano, sun dried tomato and a general Italian blend)

Carrots: 1-2 cups chopped

Sweet potatoes: 2 cups chopped

Tomatoes: 2 cans diced (you can always supplement chopped fresh tomatoes as well)

White beans: 2 cans

Vegetable stock: 4 cups (you can always supplement water if needed and add more spices)

Kale: 3-4 cups chopped

Lemon: 1/2 squeezed

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Add garlic, salt, pepper and italian seasonings.

2. Add chopped carrots and sweet potatoes. Cook for 4-5 minutes.

3. Add tomatoes, white beans and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer.

4. Add kale and lemon juice. Simmer until the potatoes and carrots are tender and kale is wilted.

5. Add more seasonings to taste.

6. Enjoy!

Fit: Autumn Yoga Challenges - Week One

Autumn is a fabulous time for yoga.

While the temperatures are crisp outdoors, doing yoga in layers outdoors feels good. And indoors? The 95+ degree room at Corepower Yoga is starting to feel particularly nice when the temperature outside is in the mid 40s! October and November are such great months for yoga, that I'm embarking on two yoga challenges, both from the yoga studio I attend, Corepower Yoga.

I mentioned the first challenge a bit in my last post, but throughout the month of October, I'm doing one yoga post each day. Yesterday was the sixth day of the challenge, and so far, so good! I'm really enjoying the challenge of doing a different pose each day, and trying to find a new and exciting way to share the pose on Instagram. Today is pigeon pose, so look for that later today (and the rest of the poses throughout the month) on my Instagram account! 

The second challenge is about getting my bum to the yoga studio. Corepower Yoga is hosting a 30/40 challenge starting Thursday, October 9th. The challenge? Go to 30 yoga classes in 40 days (yikes!) I already took a look at my calendar, and it is doable...I just have to make sure I get to class. If I'm making excuses, please make sure I go!

The reason I'm so excited about this challenge is because the last time I participated in it, I dislocated my shoulder after roughly 15 classes. When I started the challenge, I was so determined on finishing it (I was even attending two classes a day sometimes!) Being forced to have to quit is a terrible, terrible feeling. I'm thrilled Corepower Yoga is hosting the challenge again, and I'm determined to finish it this time!

Are you doing any challenges this fall? Are you practicing yoga? Tell me more - I'd love to chat!

Dancer's Pose in the yoga studio at our apartment.

 Tree pose with the master of the tree pose.

Reverse Namaste in NYC.

Figure Four on the dance floor at Brooklyn Bowl.

Cobra in Central Park.

Warrior II with the Minneapolis city view.

|| All photos are property of Twentyapolis. Must give credit. ||

Mood: October Feel

Happy October.

I love Octobers. Crunchy leaves. Morning dew (and sometimes frost). Scary movies. Layers upon layers and boots (my favorite!) Golden trees and yellowing lawns. Apple orchards and pumpkin patches. Foggy mornings and evenings spend under the covers. What's not to love about this month?

If you're looking for something even better about October, look no further - Corepower Yoga is hosting a 31-day Halloween inspired yoga pose challenge! If you're looking for a way to get warm and stretch on these chilly October days, practicing yoga every damn day is a great way to do it.

October, I'm enamored by you. Let's have a lovely month, shall we?

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