Month: August 2011

Healthy Fish Tacos

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My husband and I have been eating a lot more fish in our diets and so I’ve been trying different ways to cook fish (besides barbeque).  I always get worried about my house having that fishy smell so it always seems like a risk.  I  adapted this recipe from a breaded baked chicken recipe I make fairly often. But I was even more excited when I discovered whole wheat panko crumbs at Sprouts this afternoon.  For someone that likes chicken but gets tired of eating it at every meal and wants to try something new this is a great recipe.  Cod isn’t very fishy and has a firm texture similar to chicken.  I even got a great response from my picky husband who rarely applauds my risk-taking meals (pretty much anything that I haven’t made before).  So it looks like this recipe is a keeper and we’ll be making it again soon!

Ingredients:

1 lb of cod fillet

corn tortillas (I used La Tortilla factory that were seasoned with chiles)

1 lemon

1 egg

whole wheat panko crumbs (approximately 1 cup)

seasoning including – parsley, garlic powder, oregano

bag of cole slaw (cabbage)

fresh salsa

homemade guacamole (optional)

white sauce – 1/2 c mayo, 1/8 c grain milk, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp garlic salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F degrees.  Add egg and lemon (1/2 tsp) juice and 1/4 tsp of lemon rind in one bowl.  Add panko crumbs and seasoning in another bowl. take the fillet and dip it into the egg mixture first and then the crumb mixture and then lay on a baking sheet sprayed with vegetable spray.  Bake for 15 minutes. Remove and put on top of the stove.  preheat broiler.  Broiler for 2 minutes or until bread crumbs are crispy.  Make homemade guacamole.  Mix together ingredients for white sauce and put in refrigerator.  To prepare, warm tortillas in the oven and lay the fish in the middle, then layer the coleslaw mix, salsa, white sauce (guacamole – optional).  These are very filling but if you want you can serve it with a mixed green salad on the side.  I ate two, and my husband had four. 🙂

Bon Appetit!

Eight Limbs of Yoga

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Most people might look at yoga as just a form of exercise (asana), but it is so much more than just the movement of the body.  You might have remembered me talking about how I did alot of practice during my pregnancy and post-baby but that did not include a lot of movement (asana).  I was doing a more meditative practice in order to keep relaxed and balance during times of chaos.  Having a new baby brings a lot of changes that not everyone is ready for and I for sure was one of those people.  Patanjali, a master yogi, wrote the 8-limbs dating back more than 1500 years ago.  Please find the chart below which shows both the sanskrit term and english translation:

Sanskrit English
Yama moral codes
Niyama self-purification and study
Asana posture
Pranayama breath control
Pratyahara sense control
Dharana intention
Dhyana meditation
Samadhi contemplation

(The above chart was found on Wikipedia)

The combination of mastering all eight limbs enables one to perform Samadhi (the last of the 8-limbs) efficiently. Samadhi then becomes the ulitmate goal, which is of total freedom of being.  Therefore, the eight “limbs” lead to samadhi.

Yama

These are forms of moral commandments, rules, or goals. They consist of acts in our dealings with the external world.

  • Ahimsa: non-violence, inflicting no injury or harm to others or even to one’s own self, it goes as far as non-violence in thought, word and deed.
  • Satya: truth in word and thought.
  • Asteya: non-covetousness, to the extent that one should not even desire something that is his own.
  • Brahmacharya: abstain from sexual intercourse; celibacy in case of unmarried people and monogamy in case of married people. Even this to the extent that one should not possess any sexual thoughts towards any other man or woman except one’s own spouse. It is common to associate Brahmacharya with celibacy.
  • Aparigraha: non-possessiveness

Niyama

These are a form of moral imperatives, commandments, rules or goals. They consist of acts in our dealings with the inner world.

  • Shaucha: cleanliness of body and mind.
  • Santosha: satisfied with what one has.
  • Tapas: austerity and associated observances for body discipline and thereby mental control.
  • Svadhyaya: study of the Vedic scriptures to know about God and the soul, which leads to introspection on a greater awakening to the soul and God within,
  • Ishvarapranidhana: surrender to (or worship of) God.

Asana

Rules and postures to keep the body disease-free and preserving energy. Correct postures through discipline of the body are a physical aid to meditation. These postures control the limbs and nervous system and prevent them from producing instability.

Pranayama

Control of breath. This allows for steadiness of the body and is highly conducive to the concentration of the mind.

Pratyahara

Withdrawal of senses from their external objects.

Dharana

Concentration of the citta (one’s state of mind) upon a physical object, such as a flame of a candle, the midpoint of the eyebrows, or the image of a deity (supernatural immortal being).

Dhyana

Steadfast meditation. Undisturbed flow of thought around the object of meditation.  The act of meditation and the object of meditation remain distinct and separate.

Samadhi

Oneness with the object of meditation. There is no distinction between act of meditation and the object of meditation.

This may seem a little deep for some people into the world of yoga but this is a broad picture of what it takes to get the most out of your yoga practice.  Most people will never attain Samadhi, and I am one of those people because I unfortuantley do not dedicate enough time to my practice.  But knowing that there is something to strive for, to practice towards, makes yoga that much more challenging and that much more rewarding.  So as you take your next yoga class or begin a yoga program, remember that yoga is so much more than just the movement and you can practice yoga everyday and it will help you become a better person.

~Namaste~

Born to Run – Barefoot Running Part III

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I finally finished the book and with some up’s and some downs’, I’d say overall it was a good read.  I didn’t care for the ending but nonetheless it got me thinking about the way I look at running.  I’ve been running since I was about 8 years old when I participated in a local cross-country team called Warriors, this only lasted one year and I moved on to play soccer which I enjoyed much more.  But little did I know that cross-country would soon be a part of my life again when I joined the high school team my sophomore year as a way to train in the off-season for soccer, I continued with track, and even earned my Varsity cross-country letter before the end of junior year.  I continued to find love through running in college where it helped me keep those ‘Freshman 15’ off and recover after a night of partying with my sorority sisters.  But it was after college when I trained for my first marathon through team in training when I really fell in love with running.  I enjoyed running miles while catching up with my girlfriends and recovering with a good ice bath and a long nap.  Unfortunately the outcome of my marathon was a 6-month hiatus from running due to an injury.  This sparked my interest in learing more about ‘barefoot running’ and after my husband read this book a few years ago I decided finally it was time to learn more about this phenomenon.

Let me start by saying this book is not 100% about ‘barefoot running’ but about a remote tribe in Mexico that makes running a part of their everyday lives.  This tribe of men and women run in a basic strappy leather sandal all over the surrounding mountains of their village.  A promoter got their interest in ultra-marathons (50+miles) and they started competing with people all over the world.  The end of the book brings together infamous ultra-runners from all over America to the tribes village for an epic ultra-marathon.  The bottom line is that these people do not run for exercise, but for the  joy of running.  It is more of a game than a competition between these athletes which they each have a strong passion for.

There is however, a few chapters dedicated to the evolution of the running shoe.  How Nike started off with a simple shoe and it has evolved into this billion dollar business idea.  When in all actuality, people are getting more injured with the ‘fancy’ shoes of today vs. the basic shoe of yesterday.  This in turn is why Nike developed the Nike free shoe which is their version of the vibram five-finger (bare-foot running).  It allows for easy on the feet but support from rocks and other textiles that your feet might hit while out on the road.  These tribal people do not wear any special running shoes and they have no injuries and run till they are elders.  And in some cases the elders are better runners than the younger generations.  Interviews with podiatrists within the book state that our own bodies are designed to be able to maintain balance without the support of shoes.

Toe Socks

As you already know, if you have been reading my blog, I started ‘barefoot’ running in the beginning of this year.  And I have now run up to 5 miles since I’m training for a 1/2 marathon in November.  I do feel like my body feels lighter and my feet feel more flexible over these past few months.   But I had to go out and get the special toe socks to go into my vibrams because they stretched so much that my toes were rubbing.  This has helped a little but I still seem to be getting blisters on my big toes.  I haven’t been as good as I vowed to be with stretching and I’m paying the price because my hips are starting to ache.  So I’ve incorporated my yoga into my weekly routine as well as stretching with a foam roller whenever possible.  I’ll continue to blog my barefoot running journey as I increase my miles each week… to be continued!

Santa Clarita Marathon - November 6th, 2011

Salad Challenge Week #4 07/23/11 – 07/31/11

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The challenge is over!  This was the hardest part of the challenge, the final week and finding enough recipes to complete this month (without repeating).  I had such a fun time preparing the meals and looking for new ideas that I’m going to continue this for as long as I can… I feel great that I am able to get so many vegetables into my diet and that I can pass that onto my husband (and baby).  Let me know if you come across and new and exciting recipes!  I will certainly update if I find anything new that I feel I have to share with everyone 🙂

July 23, 2011

Wood Ranch barbeque – Natalie’s Salad

This was a typical busy Saturday where we made a last minute decision on our take-out dinner.  I love this salad but it might not be the healthiest of choices.  However, I don’t think they have a lot of ‘healthy’ options at this barbecue joint… its all about good homestyle cooking!

July 24, 2011

Mango Salsa Chicken Salad

This was a last minute throw together salad and since I’ve had a little bit of an obsession with mangoes lately I figured why not get my favorite Mango, papaya salsa from Trader Joes, marinade some chicken (barbecue), add bell pepper, carrots, avocado, more salsa, Daiya (pepper jack favored) ‘cheese’ and of course organic spring mix and enjoy!

July 25, 2011

Organic Steak salad

Simple but good!

July 26, 2011

California Pizza Kitchen Miso Shrimp Salad (half portion)

Happy Birthday to me!  The last year in my 20’s and I get to enjoy one of my favorite salads.  Although the portion size looks small, don’t be fooled because it has a lot of great flavor and is very filling.

July 27, 2011

Scallop and Prawn Salad at TPC (tournament players club Valencia)

This is one of the nicest restaurants in Valencia and just so happens to be where my husband and I got married.  My parents are members at this club so we have been here a handful of times and this night we were celebrating my 29th birthday.   The shellfish is served on top of a bed of baby greens with sliced red onions, daikon sprouts, shaved carrots, avocado, topped with tortilla strips, and mango vinaigrette.

July 28, 2011

Caprese Salad

No, I don’t typically eat a lot of cheese but I made an exception for this recipe which can be either an appetizer or a meal.  I love the combination though of fresh tomatoes and mozzarella!  I didn’t have any but it tastes amazing with a little fresh basil and a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette.

No, this is not my image but a great example of what a caprese salad looks like 😉

July 29, 2011

Cartwheel Salad – Stonefire Grill

You probably remember from the beginning of the month we had the garden salad from Stonefire, well today I had the Cartwheel salad which is probably my favorite salad they offer there.

July 30, 2011

Chinese ‘Chicken’ Salad – with Tofu instead of Chicken

This salad is from Elephant bar and has great flavor even with tofu instead of chicken. My husband eats the chicken version and he enjoys it too.

(No Photo)

July 31, 2011

Salmon Salad

Today was the last day of the salad challenge which included Cajun salmon, greens, mixed vegetables, and jalapeno – garlic homemade croutons. Bon Appetit!

Salmond Salad