Fit This Fall Recipe: Butternut Squash Chilli with Quinoa

Ready for the season to change?  We will miss the warmth of summer and those fresh summer fruits, but we are excited for the entrance of Butternut Squash and more warm foods into our dinners!

Here’s a great recipe for Butternut Squash Chilli with Quinoa – Ready in 30 minutes and serves four!!

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion , finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves , crushed
• olive oil
• 1 tbsp mild chilli powder (Schwartz does a good one with added cumin, oregano and garlic)
• 1 butternut squash , about 1kg, peeled and cubed
• 100g quinoa , soaked in cold water for 10 minutes (available from health food shops and some supermarkets)
• 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
• 400g tin red kidney beans
• a small bunch coriander , chopped

1. Cook the onion and garlic in 1 tbsp olive oil until soft (about 7 minutes). Add the chilli powder, cook for a minute then add the squash, quinoa and tomatoes.
2. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until the squash and quinoa are tender and the sauce has thickened. Add the beans and heat through. Stir in the coriander and serve in bowls.

Per serving: 306 kcalories, protein 13.9g, carbohydrate 53.4g, fat 5.6 g, saturated fat 0.7g, fibre 10.1g,

We love this homemade healthy chilli and hope you can too!  Its easy, fast and SO YUMMY!

Enjoy, look for more recipes coming your way soon, and stay Fit This Fall!

CYS Top 10 Food Websites for Healthy Eating Inspiration

Oh She Glows Recipe Blog

Do you ever find yourself standing in front of your refrigerator scratching your head in deep contemplation of what to make for dinner? .. well, we find ourselves from time to time sick of the same ol’ same old go to meals and need some healthy & easy eating inspiration. Therefore we’ve compiled our top 10 food website & recipe blog list to help you out next time you find yourself in the same predicament.

California Yoga Sport Top 10 Food Websites

for Healthy Eating Inspiration

1. Oh She Glows Recipe Blog

2. 72 Healthy Salad Recipes by Whole Living

3. 52 Meals Under 12 Minutes

4. Envy My Cooking Blog

5. Happy Cow – guide to healthy eating restaurants in your area!

6. Legally Delish – my friend Chelsea’s amazing food blog!!!

7. Be a conscious eater & read up on healthier safer ways to buy, consume, & grow food at Eat Drink Better.

8. Inventive Vegan recipes on The Clothes Make The Girl Blog.

9. Savoring Life with Anna Costa Blog

10. My amazing yoga teacher & inspirational mentor Mark Knowles’ vegan recipes on his website Bahama Yogi.

Happy Eating!

Have any suggestions of your own to add to the list?! Comment below or message us!

Set Your Vision Straight for the New Year: CYS 2012 Goal Setting Strategies

It’s that time of year again when the New Years Resolution lists start. You may find yourself contemplating the same goals & resolutions as last year that you gave up on come February as the promise of a fresh start had worn off (SSDY- same sh*t, different year). Some may detest these lists since you very well could be an individual that aims to live out your goals every day. Whether you realize it or not these sometimes seemingly trivial tasks of setting large and small goals for yourself in each facet of your life may end up serving you well upon the beginning of a new set of 365 days to improve, strive to new heights, & enhance your life.

California Yoga Sport has some tricks of their own when it comes to setting new goals & creating a growing vision for both our personal as well as professional lives. CYS trainer & Oakley Women’s Ambassador, Lacey Calvert, has shared some of her personal pages of her “2012 Vision Book”  to show you just how inspirational & ambitious one can be with creating a clear idea of how to set goals, strive for new adventure, & achieve the success you desire through focused intentions.

First, find or buy a book that you can fill the blank pages with notes, pictures, quotes, inspirational scraps, etc.. to add to your visual representation of the things you either want to continue in your life, things you’d like to begin, learn about, or add to your present reality.

This book will be something we suggest you revisit & add to often, whether it be daily, weekly, or monthly. This process will help you remember those goals you set out for yourself as well as stimulate new ideas on how to achieve those things on your New Years Resolution list. Your vision book will represent both your current & future reality.

 

 

 

As you start to think about the New Year you may want to include things you want to learn .. like for instance learning how to cook or more specifically how to cook vegetarian or vegan. Lacey has added recipe ideas & anecdotes to keep her inspired about what she intends to gain from this experience of cooking, whether it be improving your nutrition or learning a new skill. Be sure to keep goals more specific, such as I want to learn 1 new recipe a week, which is more effective & achievable when goal setting versus a more general goal of aiming to “Eat healthier” in 2012.

It is also important to have professional milestones in mind along with your fitness, health, & personal goals. Having a clear vision in your workplace of how to enhance your skills, your job role, or your progression in your career will help you from becoming stagnant or unhappy in your 9-5. Revisiting your career path and always looking at the next steps is something that will serve you well for both your health & work/life balance, allowing you to put more energy towards the things that you love which hopefully include your job.

Another one of CYS’s favorite ideas for the New Year is a Bucketlist, in addition to or rather than a New Years Resolution List. When you set concrete goals or action items you are more likely to follow through because you are clear on what it takes to get you there. Here is Lacey’s 2010 Bucketlist. Just look at what you can accomplish in just one year! Hopefully this inspires some ideas about what you feel you have been missing out on. Some suggestions are to put at least one bucketlist item for each of the following: 1. Something that you have always wanted to try, 2. Something that scares you or that you fear, 3. Something that incorporates building a new skill, 4. Something that benefits others, 5. Something that you have to work hard for. Keep it realistic, but also look at new ways to challenge yourself in this new year & push yourself out of your comfort zone.

Make 2012 Your Year!

We hope that this will inspire you to create a Vision Book of your own & tackle those goals, skills, & things you have been putting off. Pictures and visual representation of the lifestyle & things you wish to incorporate more of in your life is a truly effective method to bringing those new experiences into being. Curious about more of our goals & action items for 2012, feel free to contact us or Lacey for more ideas or inspiration!

Enjoy your last week in 2011 & embrace the promise of a great 2012 ahead of you!

Eating Seasonally: Choosing Veggies & Fruits In Season

Eating seasonally, we’ve all heard this altruistic diet suggestion from health magazines, nutritionists, friends, family, etc.. but what is the real difference one can expect when dining strictly with seasonal produce? CYS sought out to discover just that…

Aside from the long ancestral history of how our distant relatives used to get by without the modern conveniences of rapid global shipping, food preservatives, & delicious fresh strawberries year round that the agricultural  & industrial revolution have given way to, our ancestors simply ate what they had access to. They ate seasonal fruits & vegetables during spring, summer, fall, & in the cold winter months they turned to meats, seeds, nuts, & roots.

Our genetic make up has changed very little over the past 50,000+ years therefore the foods our ancestors ate back then still remain the best suited for our genes now! Meats, fish, nuts, seeds, fruits, & vegetables are still the most important in an ideal diet plan. Foods such as whole grain products & dairy products are acceptable, in small amounts of course. Leaving refined grains, like sugar, & processed or fried oils, in addition to artificial ingredients, such as preservatives, in the “stay away from” category.

Despite the lack of actual scientific evidence that this is a beneficial way of eating, it still brings to the table (no pun intended) two reasons that eating seasonally has a purpose. Choosing in-season vegetables & fruits, especially locally grown organic produce, means that the produce will be ripe & tastier as well as more nutritious than food produced out of season. Its hard to imagine what life would be like without fresh berries, bananas, & sweet potatoes year round! Eek!!

…so here are this month’s seasonal vegetables & fruits to get you started on purchasing your in-season produce as well as opening the door to more nutritionally dense & delicious meals!

Month of December – Check Out Your Local Farmer’s Markets Here!

List of Veggies that are In Season:

Artichokes, Asian Greens, Avocados, Beans, Beets, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery. Chard, Collards, Cress, Endive, Fennel, Garlic, Herbs, Horseradish, Kale!, Leeks, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Olives, Onions, Bell Peppers, Chili Peppers, Potatoes, Radish, Rutabaga, Scallions, Spinach, Winter Squash, Sweet Potatoes.

List of Fruits that are In Season:

Almonds, Apples, Asian Pears, Avocados, Chestnuts, Dates, Grapefruit, Grapes, Guavas, Kiwis, Kumquats, Lemons, Limes, Mandarins, Persimmons, Pistachios, Pomegranates, Pomelos, Tangerines, Walnuts.

Happy Eating!

Staying Healthy in the Cold/Flu Season: CYS Tips to Fight Back

Keep your immune system strong this winter season & prepare your body for the good fight against the cold & flu symptoms that we dread so much. California Yoga Sport trainers suggest these foods to keeping your body in tip top shape & prepared for the bacteria battle.

Fight Back with Food: Here’s what to start eating now!

Yogurt: it contains a friendly bacteria, Lactobacillus casei, that stimulates infection-fighting white blood cells & improves immune response & abilities to help fend off sickness. Adding Kefir to your morning smoothies or incorporating Fage Greek Yogurt into your daily snacks is a great way to incorporate this probiotic food into your flu fighting regimen.

 Garlic: this plant contains allicin, a potent bacteria fighter, as well as  other  infection-fighting compounds great for beating those cold symptoms. Its most effective to use whole cloves  of garlic directly added to your food each day rather than the capsules! Add minced garlic to any sauteed vegetable dishes for a nice added flu fighting flavor.

Black Tea: ideally drinking 5 cups of black tea a day for two weeks will turn your infection fighting cells into superhuman cells, but if you can’t stomach that much tea each day you still receive benefits with fewer cups. Don’t like black tea? Green tea is a great alternative with the same benefits!

Fatty fish: Salmon, mackerel, herring, and other fatty fish contain omega-3 fatty acids, which increase activity of phagocytes — cells that fight flu by eating up bacteria. They also contain selenium, which helps white blood cells produce cytokines, proteins that help clear viruses. Try out this recipe for Asian Baked Salmon.

Also, don’t forget to befriend hand sanitizer & washing your hands thoroughly while at the gym, in a yoga class, or after using coworkers computers etc.. Those extra moments you take to prevent catching the seasonal cold will benefit you in the long run when you are stuck in bed with a fever for three days. From your friends at CYS we want to keep you safe, healthy, & happy these winter months. Any questions? Please feel free to contact us at anytime!

Be sure to check out our Holiday Special Offering of a 60 minute Individual Private Yoga Session in your own home & a 50 minute health consultation with our expert Health Coach Diana.

Thanksgiving Day – Why Turkey Is A Diet Friendly Food

It’s that time of year again when the family gathers around a table full of delectable Thanksgiving dishes… Mom’s famous stuffing, Auntie’s to-die-for pecan pie, the cousins typical mashed potatoes & cranberry sauce, and Dad’s amazing oven roasted Turkey. Yup! It’s the Holiday Season! 

@RunnersWorld tweeted today quoting Olympic Marathon runner, Joan Benoit Samuelson, “If you feel like eating, eat. Let your body tell you what it wants.” We at CYS feel this is especially applicable on a day like today when temptation will rear its ugly head pulling you further away from your disciplined Yoga Athlete diet.

In order to help ease your guilt, here are a few benefits of choosing Turkey on a day like today:

-Turkey is naturally low-fat without the skin, containing only 1 gram of fat per ounce of flesh.

-A 5-ounce serving provides almost half of the recommended daily allowance of folic acid, which helps prevent heart disease & depression.

-Turkey is a good source of vitamins B, B1, B6, zinc & potassium, which are known to keep blood cholesterol down, protect against birth defects, cancer & heart disease, aid in nerve function & growth, boost the immune system, regulate blood pressure, and assist in healing processes.

-Its delicious & makes for a really amazing nap post Thanksgiving festivities!

Enjoy the holiday with family & friends and remember to be thankful for your health & strength as well as the gift of yoga! 

Fight Winter Allergies with Tropical Fruit

Seasons are definitely changing here in the Bay Area.. from 80 degrees & sunny straight into the 50s & cloudy within a 7 day span.

Its San Francisco, what did we expect?!

Now that summer is over and the leaves are changing California Yoga Sport is gearing up for an active & busy winter season full of yoga, snow sports, & exploring different winter activities around SF to switch up our workouts. With the weather changing it also presents the challenge of fighting those nasty seasonal allergies and the common cold that takes advantage of our healthy immune systems we work so hard for. Aside from drinking LOTS of water, resting well, & never leaving the house without our Purell hand sanitizer, we are also stocking our fridge with some powerhouse fruits & veggies to help fight the winter allergy season.

Stuffy nose, coughing, sneezing, runny eyes, lack of sleep, and fatigue are all too familiar to those of us who suffer from allergies. Despite Fall being the most beautiful time of year, it also serves as the most challenging – from the dust particles sitting in our heating ducts that we desperately hate, to the adjustment of enduring harsh cold air during our outdoor runs, or the unavoidable airborne contagions at the yoga studio & office...So how do we deal with fighting back?! Fruit. Sounds simple enough...Read on for CYS’s favorite fruits to fight allergy season!

the Pineapple

Allergy Fighting Super Powers: Pineapples are high in manganese (great for nutrient absorption, bone development, & proper enzyme functioning) and Vitamin C (superstar at helping the bones, joints, & ligaments stay strong and an important supporter for the immune system) – perfect for us athletes! It also contains a protein-digestive enzyme, called bromelain, that is known to be very beneficial in digestion & has anti-inflammatory properties – perfect for fighting that sinus inflammation causing that runny nose & constant sneezing!

the Papaya

Allergy Fighting Super Powers:  It contains Vitamins A (important for growth & repair of body tissues and keeps your eyesight & skin healthy!) & Vitamin C (read benefits listed above in Pineapple Super Powers).  Both Vitamins are very important to growth & repair processes in the body while fighting off allergens. The Papaya also has an important & rare enzyme, called papain, that aides in digestion, body functions, & even tasks such as clearing up the skin. It has a high concentration of water & is very nutrient dense without all of the calories. Best of both worlds!

What happens if we combine the two fruits in one delicious smoothie?

… the best solution to beat those seasonal allergies!

Winter Allergy Smoothie Recipe

1 cup chopped peeled seeded papaya

1 cup frozen or fresh pineapple (if using fresh pineapple be sure to add more ice)

1/2 cup sliced banana

1  cup ZICO coconut water (try the ZICO mango coconut water for extra fruity flavors!) OR 1 cup soy milk

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon raw local Honey – also helps fight infection & allergies!

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

*Add ice as needed for desired blend

**Optional: Flax seeds

Add all ingredients together in a blender & enjoy your journey to allergy freedom!

Find out more CYS smoothie recipe favorites here & here!

Halloween Fever: Best Recovery Smoothie for the Holiday

Need to spice up your post work out recovery drink? Try out this week’s Halloweeny smoothie! California Yoga Sport Trainer, Lacey Calvert, claims this tastes just like pumpkin pie!  Give it a try for yourself!

Post-run Pumpkin Spice Protein Smoothie

• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1/2 a banana
• 1 tbsp of raisins (optional – sometimes they don’t blend as well in the smoothie)
• 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• sprinkle nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger

Throw all of the above listed ingredients into a blender and put Chia Seeds in there too for an extra boost of protein. Its delicious! Enjoy, eat healthy, & be safe this Halloween weekend!

Cooking with Kale: 3 Easy Recipes To Eat Green

Kale. Everyone says you should eat it, but honestly who grabs a batch of kale when they are doing their weekly grocery shopping trip?.. If it isn’t you, than it should be after this post!

Kale is one of the most nutrient dense leafy green vegetables out in the market today. It’s rich in fiber and potassium as well as has beneficial bonuses of calcium, vitamins C, K, & A, iron, manganese and more!

How does one start incorporating kale into their daily diet without letting it go to waste in the fridge? Try three of our favorite recipes here at California Yoga Sport & taste for yourself the surprisingly delicious flavors this leafy green vegetable has to offer!

Health Coach Diana’s Favorite:

Sautéed Kale

Add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil into a pan.

Add 4 or 5 handfuls of Kale (de-stemmed )

Saute in pan for a  few minutes until the kale turns bright green. That’s how you will know when it’s done. Add a pinch of sea salt and pepper to taste. *Bonus: For a healthy ‘cheesy’ option – top with several spoonfuls of nutritional yeast. It will taste like mac n’ cheese!

Oakley Ambassador, Francesca Lollini’s personal Favorite:

Homemade Kale Chips:

Take 8-10 leaves of kale (with or without the stems) & cut each leaf into about 4-5 pieces. Toss chopped leaves into a large bowl and add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil along with an optional pinch of sea salt (the recipe really is best without the salt!) . Mix leaves with oil until they are lightly coated.

Set oven to 425 degrees and place a layer of tin foil across a regular baking sheet. Lay kale pieces on the tin foil and let the leaves bake for approx 8-10 minutes. Keep an eye on them since some people might like their chips crunchier than others. Once you see the edges of the kale become crisp then remove chips from the oven. The kale will have a light & crunchy texture that easily replaces any craving for regular potato chips. After you try this healthy snack there will be no going back to any prepackaged goods!

And if you want to get really adventurous & go all out with your new leafy green BFF then try one of our favorite recipes from a food blog we LOVE to follow!

Our favorite kale recipe from Lunchbox.com:

Fully Loaded Kale Salad
vegan, served 2-3 entree portions

1 large bunch of kale (any variety) – remove thick stems/shred leaves by hand

Toppings (as shown – but you can add your faves):
2-3 Tbsp hemp seeds
2-3 Tbsp raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup apple, sliced
1/2 avocado, diced/tossed in lemon juice
handful of cherry tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup juice-packed mandarin oranges
1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced
fine black pepper

Dressing:
2 1/2 Tbsp tahini
3 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1-2 tsp healthy oil (I used macadamia nut oil – grape seed oil also nice)
1 tsp grade B maple syrup (optional – if you need extra sweetness to balance the bitterness of tahini)

To make:

1.Wash your kale, dry well. Pull tender leaves from thick lower stems. Shred leaves by hand. Add to large mixing bowl. Discard thick stems.
2. Briskly mix together the dressing ingredients. Do a taste test and adjust as desired for your tastes. You can always add in more maple syrup if your tahini is too bitter. I also like to add in an extra splash of apple cider vinegar when I’m craving a very zesty salad.
3. Toss your kale salad in your dressing. I use salad tongs instead of my hands (some will massage the kale) I actually like my kale a tad al dente (not overly marinated with dressing) so I simply toss with tongs until the dressing is evenly distributed.
4. Fold in the hemp seeds and sunflower seeds.
5. Add the remaining toppings in a lovely pattern on top.
Serve!

We here at CYS always try to keep things simple so that amidst our busy lives we still maintain a healthy diet without all the fuss! Try all three recipes and see how just a drop of olive oil can change the way you taste kale forever!
Need more ideas or have a kale recipe of your own that you’d like to share?! Let us know! We are always looking to add new yummy recipes to our list!

Love Your Body Day!

Wednesday October 19th, 2011

We here at California Yoga Sport constantly remind ourselves and our clients daily how important it is to appreciate your body for all that it has given you. The ability to run 5 miles, hold Warrior 3 pose for over a minute, or simply to have the energy to wake up every morning and move about your day. With every breath we should be saying thank you to our bodies for all of the wonderful work they do for us.

Take the time today to truly love yourself just the way you are.

Live Fully. Laugh Often. Love Always.

Special shout out to our fellow Oakley Ambassador, Marni Sambal, for her beautiful involvement and passion for this holistic movement!