Well I had a great weekend and I hope you did too- what with Thanksgiving, the notorious Black Friday, lots of running around and shopping, etc.
Here are some things I did this weekend: Had a great Thanksgiving, made lots of raw deserts and salads, gave a few yoga privates, practiced yoga, held a mini cooking class for 4 people, did some nutritional consultations, walked around a lot, meditated, went food shopping, went to a dinner party (where I helped make the food), hung out with friends, listened to new music, etc… :)
I consider myself a perpetual student- there is so much to keep learning about what we are passionate about. I also learn so much from my students as a yoga teacher and a nutrition counselor. I constantly learn more about people, how to deal with people, and on a more pragmatic level- what questions keep coming up that may need more reinforcing. So here are just a few random things that came up during the course of my weekend activities:
Random Thoughts/Lessons to Share
1. Throw out all commercial, pre-made salad dressings. I find that most people are okay learning to make a salad and chop things up and throw them together, but many are not confident about making a dressing that tastes good. The easy answer is to get commercial salad dressings. The down side is that those dressings are usually filled with preservatives, artificial ingredients and sugars, MSG, etc. in varying levels. Experiment with making your own salad dressings using olive oil, lemon, cayenne pepper, Celtic sea salt, herbs like cilantro and parsley, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, raw apple cider vinegar, dulse, etc. YOU can make a dressing that tastes good- it doesn’t have to come out of a bottle!! Also try out my tabouli salad recipe, the perfect dish when wanting something simpler.
2. Don’t assume you don’t like the taste of ____________. Many times people assume they don’t like how something tastes, because they had a bad experience or simply did not to like something in the past (papaya, avocado, acai, scallion, etc…). As we start to change our diet and our bodies let go of old craving-inducing toxins, you may be surprised that some foods you used not to like, you now really do like! I used to NOT like many of the foods I now eat every day- including avocados. Go figure! So remember that our food tastes can change (a great thing for moms to keep in mind if they are worried about the little ones! Their food habits will get better :) ).
3. Your yoga practice (or workout) does not have to be the most intense level every time. A woman I teach privately several times a week said to me this weekend at our session, “My body is just tired!” So we did a lot of breathing work and meditation/Reiki, and it was beautiful- and just what she needed. Admittedly, we had been pushing pretty hard in our sessions several times a week, and she has made fantastic progress. But there is no rush, no sprint to get anywhere. Resting the body is healthy and natural, and gives us a chance to have a practice where we focus more on pranayama (breathing) and meditation- the higher aspects of yoga. Asanas help keep the body healthy for mediation- and help us sharpen our will power. Plus they are a lot of fun! And get many people into yoga in the first place. But they are really a tiny part of the overall practice. It is important to introspect and be honest with ourselves, and not try to do the most hardcore practice (or workout) every single day, just because it is a habit. Our practice can and should adjust.
4. Don’t be scared of the sun. The sun is the giver of all life, and has the ability to activate enzymes in the body as well as kickstart our production of Vitamin D. When we are blessed with the gift of the sun being out- especially this time of year!- you can be sure I’m out getting me some sun time. Our media wants us to believe the sun is lethal and should be avoided at all costs- but in reality, the sun in moderation, at around 20 minutes a day, is healthy. It also makes you feel vibrant and alive!
5. If you make my Raw Pecan Love Pie or any of my pies- realize the recipe amounts were designed for a flat tin pie tray. In other words, if you use a traditional glass pie tray with a thick side, you may need to make more filling. I realized this last night when my friend surprised me by making my pecan pie recipe! But it looked a lot different than mine- because she used a glass tray. So the filling looked like a lot less than if the crust was thicker on the bottom and did not go up the sides- like mine. So IF you are using those glass trays with the higher sides, I would take the filling recipe and would make 1 ½ times that part of the recipe, so your pie looks more filled in.
6. Remember that if you become vegetarian- or more vegetarian- as long as you are not eating junk food all the time you will get enough protein! Eating a wide variety of greens, seeds, nuts, fruit, vegetables will give you a diet full of easily assimilated amino acids. Our bodies use high quality amino acids to build specific proteins in our body. Much of the cooked animal protein is unusable anyway because the amino acids become denatured with heat. As I start to switch people’s diets, I often find that people are scared they are missing out on protein. Again- as long as you are eating a wide variety of plant produce, you’ll be getting plenty of amino acids!
Well these are some random thoughts that come to mind. Yes, they are random aren’t they. :) If you like blogs like this, I will write more of them sometimes- let me know what you think!
Have a great end of your weekend and I will write more soon.
Love, Kimberly
PS!! My good friend Leila, who is also a yoga teacher (and she is AWESOME!) is having a yoga retreat in the Dominican Republic March 6-13th. It is at 2 private homes with a pool/jaccuzi, right on a gorgeous beach. If you are looking for a getaway for cold March, this would be a great option. Leila is a loving, excellent teacher. Check out her site: http://leilayoga.blogspot.com/
Kim, I LIKE blogs like this. Please keep the randomness coming. It’s great. Shanti! :-)
Yay- shanti!
I love your blog. I am aspiring to better myself each day and your blog is inspirational to me! I would love it if you would post some sample daily menus. I am still struggling with how often to eat and what to eat to get enough of what I need. I probably don’t include enough diversity. Maybe if you could post what a few days of meals looks like for you…I could get a better grasp. Thanks for everything you post!
HI Ann! The important thing about this diet is transitioning. How I eat is not at all how I would start someone off eating- you have to get there gradually and let your body detox gradually along the way. But I will post more on this, especially with New Year’s coming up. Also, it might be helpful for you to check out my post “The Post 4th of July Cleanse” for more ideas on meals. xx Kimberly
I’m absolutely Loving the yoga pics! Please, do post more yoga-related articles, although I think your blog is fab anyway! :)
OK great, more yoga! :)
Thank you for the information you write every week
on your blog. Hope your stay in seattle area was not too bad. It was very very stormy out that week. I live in the area and attended my 17yr daughters soccar games through it all. I have tried your desserts and would like to know if you have a favorite pate recipe I could make . I do not have a vitamix or hydrator yet. have a food processor and oster fusion blender. I attended Bruce Horowitz seven course Thanksgiving meal class at The Vegan Source in Redmond WA . He used a juicer for his pate. Thanks again and Have great week.
Shirley
HI Shirley! Glad you did the vegan thing on Tgiving. :)
Try my Walnut Beauty Pate and also the one I made on the recent E! segment. That one is really my fav- if you like macadamia nuts like me!
xx Kimberly
Hi Kimberly,
Thanks for the recipe info. I noticed that the E segment is listed but will not play. said removed by and will not play. could you please add it back in the blog I would love to see it. could not find walnut beauty pate in your blog . there was one with pumpkin seeds and almonds.
Great info on the sauna. I have never tried the infrared sauna .
Have great weak! Thanks again!
Shirley
HI Shirley! Thanks for telling me. The segment is back up now. OH! Oops. Sorry maybe the one I have her IS only pumpkin seeds and almonds. That is a great one too b/c pumpkin seeds are so loaded with zinc and other important phytonutrients. xx Kimberly
Love your random thoughts! I definitely need to start making my own dressings. Do you have any specific recipes for salad dressings? I really want to make your raw pecan love pie! Sounds good to me. And lastly I would love to learn more about eating as a vegetarian. I’m not afraid of the protein thing at all but hubs says he still wants his meats (more chicken and pork than anything else). He also loves edamame and could eat that every night! What are your thoughts on that and tofu? Oh yea and he cooks, not me but he’s willing to cook veg for me.
Hi Ladies!
Great thanks for the immediate input! I will read all your comments and incorporate them into more blogs. :)
xx Kimberly
Hi Angie! There is a dressing with my recipe for Dharma’s kale salad you could look into. It is very simple, but tastes delicious! Even if you don’t “cook”, making salads is something you definitely can and should learn, and should be a staple of your lunch/dinners. Miso, tempeh and natto are okay soy products, but try to avoid tofu. Interferes with the body’s absorption of certain proteins and depresses thyroid function.
I will write more on this topic! xx Kimberly
I love the pictures of you doing yoga, especially when they are good quality like these. So inspiring. The first one looks amazing! Keep the yoga pictures coming!
Okay thanks for the feedback! I’ll def. include more yoga pics. :)
Love the random thoughts. That’s how my brain works. LOL Please post soon about the benefits of the far infared sauna. I have one and need a kick start to use it more regularly! Thanks.
Hi Lisa! Infrared sauna is top of my list as a blog topic. Thanks so much for the feedback!
Kim, thanks for your great and inspirational blogs. I often get excited when I see a new one in my in box. Keep them coming – I’ve learned so much since I started following you about a month ago. -Nicole
Kim,
How do you keep the motivation to make and eat salads in the cold winter months? I’ve been finding that I have been wanting to eat warm, cooked foods. Do you have any suggestions on how to incorporate more raw foods during the winter time and some tips on how to stay motivated to prepare and eat salads when it’s cold outside?
Thanks, I love your blog :)
Thanks Marissa- this is a great blog idea and I will have more tips soon. Thank you!
xx Kimberly
Absolutely loving the pictures and the thoughts. Wishing you a fantastic new week!
Hi Laura, glad you like the pics. I will have more yoga pics up!! xx Kimberly
absolutely loved this post. The pictures are very inspiring and your short pieces of information are awesome, informative, interesting and keep me challenged. Keep up the great work!!
Hi Eva, great, thank you!!
Hi Mya- will write more on these topics. the balance of Omega 3 to 6 fats is perfect in vegan foods such as hemp seeds and coconut oil. You do not have to get the right balance from fish. You can get B12 levels checked if you are concerned. But it is present in nutritional yeast, kombucha, sauerkraut, and yes other fermented foods. Many natural doctors like Dr. Gabriel Cousens believe you can get adequate B12 from sea vegetables, such as Dulse. This can be put on your salad daily.
xx Kimberly
Thank you so much for your answers Kim! :)
I now that the balance is great in hemp seeds. But people are eating other seeds and nuts too. So the daily meals are almost always giving you much more omega-6 if your just eating other nuts and seeds during the day too (like most of the people do). The balance should be average from the day not from one meal. Are you eating hemp seeds in every meal?
Many nutrition internet sites say that there’s not that much omega-3 in coconut oils.
(http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/fats-and-oils/508/2)
Waiting for your longer post on these topics! :)
Hi Kim! It’s me again… :)
I was just wondering, do you have any idea (information) how much sauerkraut (for example) you should eat daily to have enough B12-vitamin?
Love this post… and yoga pics are awesome. I can’t wait for the day that I can do those poses. Love these types of post. I would love to see a post on zinc and iron… I feel that I am low in zinc and trying to figure out if I am or how to increase my intake.
Kim, I really love these type of blogs……sooo much information!!!
I also like the info on your comment about the tofu.
Good stuff to know(have thyroid issues myself).
Thanks for putting your knowledge out there!!
Pattie
Hi Pattie! Great, thank you for contributing. :)
Yes- def. if you have thyroid issues avoid tofu and soy milk!!
Hi Kimberly, I’ve been a follower of food combining since reading Harvey Diamond’s book Fit for Life. I really enjoyed your book, the studies you refer to and the science behind the “why.” I will be starting the program very soon.
Any thoughts on how to help cellulite? Swelling of lower legs?
Oh goodness, you must be very light! I hope I can someday twist myself like a preztel :0 You are such a sweetie and a great inspiration to me and my girls :))