Welcome to the weekly Jenn Pesce post (read: every Monday) that takes a minute to discuss something that is either Strala, yogic, healthy, noteworthy, and/or super cool – or all of the above.
Send ALL and ANY topics that you think we should discuss to Jenn Pesce – you can tweet her at @yogadeals or shoot an email over to yogadeals [at] gmail [dot] com. Remember, sharing is caring, so share your yoga deal!
Summer calls for light easy meals. While juices and smoothies are great during day time, my body craves something warm for 
dinner. This soup inspired by Gwyneth Paltrows’s Goop is quick to make, nourishing but very light and easy to digest. It is like a green detox gazpacho – full of nutrients, minerals, and vitamins!
Cook/prep time: 15 minutes.
Serves: 2
You need:
I poured mine into a water bottle and had it for lunch before a yoga class. It was nourishing enough to keep me cravings-free until dinner and there was no heavy post-food feeling during the class.
For more healthy recipes and tips subscribe to Nadya’s blog and share this article via facebook or twitter with your healthy friends! Spread the healthy love!
Welcome to the weekly Jenn Pesce post (read: every Monday) that takes a minute to discuss something that is either Strala, yogic, healthy, noteworthy, and/or super cool – or all of the above.
Send ALL and ANY topics that you think we should discuss to Jenn Pesce – you can tweet her at @yogadeals or shoot an email over to yogadeals [at] gmail [dot] com. Remember, sharing is caring, so share your yoga deal!
Hello healthy yogis, 
Happy Summer Solstice! Hope you are enjoying long warm days and take all the necessary measures not to overheat! Read up on Summer Wellness Tips! My good friend and Chinese herbalist, Klara Kadar, recently told me about a super-healthy cooling Pitta-pacifying smoothie for Summer heat. Here is the recipe:
Watermelon & Mint Smoothie
Makes about 6 tall glasses
Place watermelon meat and mint leaves into a blender and mix to a smooth consistency. Pour into a glass, garnish with a mint leaf and enjoy!
If using a juicer instead, process half of the watermelon with the rind (it’s full of nutrients, so make sure to use organic only) and the remaining with the rind trimmed. Process the mint leaves halfway through to make sure they mix in.
For more healthy recipes and tips subscribe to Nadya’s blog and share this article via facebook or twitter with your healthy friends! Spread the healthy love!
Welcome to the weekly Jenn Pesce post (read: every Monday) that takes a minute to discuss something that is either Strala, yogic, healthy, noteworthy, and/or super cool – or all of the above.
Send ALL and ANY topics that you think we should discuss to Jenn Pesce – you can tweet her at @yogadeals or shoot an email over to yogadeals [at] gmail [dot] com. Remember, sharing is caring, so share your yoga deal!
You have probably heard about all the wonderful benefits of this super green. Kale is rich in iron, vitamin A, K & C, magnesium, 
anti-oxidants, and even omega-3 fatty acids! One cup of kale has only 36 calories and zero grams of fat, which makes it a great diet aid. Furthermore, one cup contains nearly 20% of the RDA of dietary fiber, which promotes regular digestion, prevents constipation, lowers blood sugar and curbs overeating. Kale is a great food to help body detox naturally. It is anti-inflammatory which can help prevent and combat cancer. Once you get a hang of how to cook this miracle grass, you can have it almost everyday since there are so many delicious recipes with it.
This weekend when my kale-neutral boyfriend went away to Toronto I decided to make kale as an entree not as a side dish which I usually do. The day before I went to Union Sq farmers market and bought Kale and sweet peas, which are in season now. Sweet peas are super soft and sweet when fresh. They are one of the easiest to digest sources of protein, according to Brandon Brazier, a vegan Ironman Champion, who recommends them as a replenishing food after intense workouts. They also taste really good raw or cooked.
There are tons of variations of kale and beans online but I couldn’t find anything with peas so imagination in check I started to experiment. I was going for a curry richness, that would complement the sweetness of young peas and soften sometimes chewy kale. The result was way beyond my expectations – a perfect summer dish: light and nourishing!
Ingredients:
1 large bunch of Kale
1 large onion head
2 cups of fresh sweet peas ( can use frozen if can’t find fresh)
1 tbsp of curry
Pinch of chilly peppers
Black pepper
Salt
1/2 lemon
1. Wash all the vegetables. Dice up the onions and cut kale in large pieces without stems.
2. Preheat a think pan and add a little bit of oil. Sautee onions until golden. Then add peas and 1 cut of water. Cover and let it simmer.
3 add all the spices and salt as it will be hard to do with kale in.
4 add kale, a little more water, and cover the top. Kale with lose a lot of volume once it is heated.
5 simmer for 5-10 min so the kale is soft but not too dark. It should preserve it’s natural bright color. Mix it and let is stand for a few min to absorb the flavors.
Enjoy!
For more healthy recipes and tips subscribe to Nadya’s blog and share this article via facebook or twitter with your healthy friends! Spread the love!
Nadya
Welcome to the weekly Jenn Pesce post (read: every Monday) that takes a minute to discuss something that is either Strala, yogic, healthy, noteworthy, and/or super cool – or all of the above.
Send ALL and ANY topics that you think we should discuss to Jenn Pesce – you can tweet her at @yogadeals or shoot an email over to yogadeals [at] gmail [dot] com. Remember, sharing is caring, so share your yoga deal!
Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah), though new to many of us, has been around since pre-Columbian civilizations. Because of its amazing nutritional properties and its ability to survive in even the harshest of environments, the Incas considered it so sacred that they referred to it as chisaya mama – mother of all grains. It’s been classified as a “super crop” by the United Nations because of its high protein content. In fact, quinoa is what’s considered a complete protein, meaning that it has all nine essential amino acids. It’s also an excellent source of lysine, manganese, magnesium, iron, copper, phosphorous. Oh, and it’s an excellent source of dietary fiber. Want more? It’s gluten free and it’s easily digestible. See? It’s amazing.
There’s just one thing about this mother of all grains… it’s not actually a grain. Though it can be used in most any application that you would normally use a grain like rice or couscous, it’s actually the seed of a plant called chenopodium quinoa and is related to beets, spinach, and chard.
Quinoa is really versatile and can be used in appetizers, entrees, sides, and even baking! Lately, I love having quinoa for breakfast. It gives me lots of energy as it is easy to digest and keeps hunger at bay!
To keep the cooking time short, I soak quinoa overnight. When the quinoa is soaked overnight it cooks it in the same amount of time as rolled oats. In the morning pop the mixture into the pan, add a generous shake of spices like cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and/or cardamom. You might fancy throwing in a bit of ginger while you’re at it. Whatever seems tasty to you. Have fun! Let quinoa simmer until the grains become soft enough. Eat up while warm!
Breakfast Quinoa with Fruits and Nuts
3/4 – 1 cup quinoa
3 sulfur free Turkish apricots
A handful of goji berries, raisins, blueberries
10 almonds
1 tbs ground flax seeds
1 tsp coconut oil or ghee
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
A drop of organic vanilla
1. Put everything in a container and pour boiling water over the mixture. Cover and leave it over night.
2. Add 1 cup of water and bring to boil. Simmer for 10-15 mins or until quinoa is soft.
The benefit of soaking dried berries and almonds over night is increased digestability. Dried fruits and nuts can be pretty heavy and difficult to breakdown first thing in the morning. Soaking and cooking them makes them moist, plump, and nourishing for all body tissues according to ayurveda. All the spices help enkindle digestive fire and wake up the digestive system after a night of sleep. Ghee makes all the nutrients easier to absorb and adds richness to the dish! I love ghee and you will too once you try it!
For more healthy recipes and tips subscribe to Nadya’s blog and share this article via facebook or twitter with your healthy friends! Spread the love!
Nadya
