Movement helps so much with how we feel physically and emotionally. Your workouts don’t have to be super intense to be beneficial. This gentle, 45-minute class will strengthen and stretch your body, and help you feel good with any holiday stress you are experiencing. Enjoy!
*Cats, dogs or children might want to join you on the mat!
This carrot-ginger soup is simple, warming and delicious. Around the holidays, there are so many more options to eat rich sugar- and fat-filled foods that, while they may be enjoyable in the moment, often leave us feeling foggy and over-indulged. This soup is perfect to support and nurture your body in between richer meals. I love the fresh ginger (great for immune support!) and the bright, fresh taste lemon. Another plus is how easy this is to make! The recipe is from Run Fast Eat Slow by Shalane Flanagan and Elsye Kopecky, and I highly recommend their book, which is packed full of easy and yummy recipes!
2 tablespoons butter (or olive oil)
2 yellow onions, sliced
1 1/2 pound carrots, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable, to make it vegetarian)
2 tablespoons uncooked rice
2 tablespoons lemon juice (1 lemon)
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
In a large pot over medium/high heat, melt the butter and add onions, carrots and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften; about 8 minutes.
Add the broth and rice to the pot, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer covered, until the carrots are tender and the rice is cooked; about 35-40 minutes.
Turn off the heat and allow soup to cool for 10-15 minutes. If you have an immersion blender, blend until soup is smooth. You can also blend soup by carefully transferring the soup to a blender, just be careful to hold the lid in place so the hot soup doesn’t blow the lid off!
Once the mixture is blended, stir in the lemon juice, ginger and black pepper. Add more salt, if needed.
This soup is perfect just like this, but is also good with toasted pumpkin seeds and a dollop of plain Greek yogurt.
Trauma is a big word and most of us immediately think of the big, horrible traumas that some experience. However, 70% of adults in the United States have experienced a traumatic experience in their lifetime, and experiences like divorce, chronic health conditions, emotional abuse, sudden relocation loss of a pet, and having a child can all be challenging and cause a trauma response in the body.
Somatic Experiencing is a naturalistic approach to resolving trauma. It is the work of Dr. Peter Levine, an expert in the field of stress and trauma, who says, “Trauma originates as a response in the nervous system and does not originate in an event. Trauma is in the nervous system, not in the event.” I love this because it allows us to work with the body and the body’s innate wisdom and capacity to heal. I love that this work is so helpful without us needing to go into the details of the trauma.
Our nervous system is capable of restoring equilibrium, and if this innate self-regulating function has been blocked or disturbed, trauma symptoms can develop. Healing happens in the present because, really, that is all we ever have. By learning to feel what is happening in the body now, in this very moment, we can identify patterns and responses in our nervous system. Identifying our patterns gives us the capacity to regulate, which then begins to heal symptoms of chronic and traumatic stress and dysregulation from shock trauma and developmental trauma.
When I first heard of Somatic Experiencing a few years ago, it just sounded like it made sense. After years of therapy, thousands of dollars spent on self-improvement and healing modalities, I still often had the feeling of something being ‘stuck’ in my body. Despite all the work I had already done, I had a sense of a piece that still needed more attention. I found a therapist who is SE trained, and over the last year it has really has been transformative to learn about my own nervous system. This experience has made such a difference in my life that I wanted to learn more and be able to share this with others. I’ve recently started a three-year training program to be a Somatic Experiencing practitioner, and I can’t wait to incorporate this into my coaching and Pilates sessions.
If you’re interested in learning more, please reach out! I will be incorporating some practice sessions into the next few months and would love to chat with you if you’re interested!
This tasty, healthier green bean casserole is what the old fashioned green bean casserole, with canned beans and cream of mushroom soup, only wishes it was! The fresh green beans and bacon make this a winner in my book , gluten and dairy free and delicious! If you like the traditional green bean casserole taste, but want to get rid of the processed and problematic ingredients, this recipe will feed your nostalgia with flavors that are even more vibrant and fresh.
1 lb Fresh Green Beans
8 oz Roughly Chopped Mushrooms
4 oz Bacon (about 5 large strips)
1 cup thinly sliced yellow or white onions
½ cup finely chopped shallots
3 tbsp minced garlic
½ cup almond meal
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
3 tsp sea salt
2 tsp cracked black pepper
2 tbsp organic olive oil
Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 1: Drizzle olive oil and salt onto onions and massage evenly into the onions with your hands. Spread the onions out on the baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes at 350F, removing from the oven and stirring/flipping every 10 minutes. You’re looking for a brown/crispy texture. You can cook it more if they’re not crispy enough. Set onions aside.
Step 2: Bring a pot of water to a boil, cut green beans in thirds and blanch for 2-3 minutes, remove from water and set aside. I like my green beans retain some crispiness. If you like them softer, blanch for 5 minutes.
Step 3: Chop the raw bacon and add to a sauté pan on high heat. Lightly crisp the bacon and then add chopped shallots. Once the shallots are slightly clear, add minced garlic. A few minutes after adding the garlic, add the mushrooms and continue to stir over medium-high heat. When the mushrooms are thoroughly cooked and browned, remove and place in a separate bowl. Keep this sauté pan, you will use it again.
Step 4: Place the sauté pain on medium-low, add 1 tbsp olive oil and 1/2 cup of the almond milk and stir with a metal whisk. Add half of the almond meal and whisk until it dissolves. Carefully add the rest of the almond milk and almond meal, whisking the mixture together over a medium simmer. Add additional milk, up to an extra half cup if needed. Add 2 tsp sea salt and the 2 tsp pepper. Whisk until the gravy thickens slightly to the texture of heavy cream. Reduce the heat to low and add the bacon/mushroom mixture, then stir. Add the green beans to the sauté pan and stir.
Step 5: Pour the entire mixture into a medium-sized casserole dish. Cover (with either aluminum foil or lid) and bake at 350F for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and sprinkle the dried onions evenly on top. Place back in oven for 5 minutes at 350F uncovered.
Serves 8-9. Or 2 with leftovers :)
This kale salad is amazing! The kale baked in the oven with walnuts, dates and goat cheese creates so many great flavors, and it’s a perfect salad to serve with a holiday meal.
1 bunch kale
1/2 cup dates
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 goat cheese
balsamic vinegar and olive oil
Preheat oven to 425.
Take washed and dried kale. tear into bite sized pieces and place on baking sheet. Remove pits from the dates and cut into small pieces, then sprinkle over the kale. Also sprinkle chopped walnuts and crumbled goat cheese crumbles evenly. If you want a little extra of any (or all!) ingredients, add until it looks delicious to you. Put the salad into the oven until the kale is crispy, which usually takes around 10-12 minutes, but I recommend you start checking around 8 minutes. Remove from the oven. Dress with balsamic vinegar and olive oil and enjoy!
Leafy greens are the best, loaded with vitamins, minerals, and high in fiber, try to eat some every day!
