Benefits of Coconut

C O C O N U T // The benefits and excitement of coconuts shouldn't end with the water.

I know it's popular B U T ... there's a wide variety of coconut-derived ingredients that allow you to get those beneficial nutrients in various ways.

Open your eyes and discover different ways to incorporate this goodness into your cooking and your diet.

Coconut OIL: use in place of butter or other oils in your cooking. (And rub it into your body! This oil is great for the body both internally and externally) Try adding 1 Spoonful of coconut oil to your morning routine to BOOST YOUR METABOLISM.  This oil contains MCT's (medium chain triglycerides which help you feel more energized, curbs your appetite and revs your metabolism to start the day. 

Coconut MILK: Use canned coconut milk to make creamy dishes like spicy curries or creamy fall soups.  This one here is amaaaaaazing! You can easily  use in place of cream in recipes, but note there will be a hint of coconut if swapping it into another recipe, so make sure it'll work with the flavors!  It adds a richness and luxury to everything it touches and adds a sweet tropical touch. (note: avoid coconut milk that has added stabilizers or gums, or has been homogenized or shaken.  You want to open the can and clearly see the distinction between the milk and the cream on top).

Coconut WATER: hydrate yoself! Use in place of sports drinks when sweating for an extended period of time for enhanced and healthy electrolyte replenishment or use in smoothies in place of milk. Harmless Harvest 100% Raw Coconut Water is my absolute favorite.  

Coconut MEAT: it's delicious, it's low carb and high in good monounsaturated fat necessary for fat loss, but note that it IS high in calories. Eat with care, but savor it!

Coconut FLOUR: use it in baked goods for enhanced fiber and a lower glycemic index. It's one of my favorite flours to use when creating recipes that are gluten free or grain free and it contains lots of fiber! It is tricky to use sometimes, due to the fact that it absorbs a lot of liquid and you will need to use more eggs to help bind the ingredients together, however, once you get the hang of it, it's fantastic and those baked goods leave you feeling way better than regular flour. 

Coconut FLAKES: shredded coconut and coconut flakes are the most common usage of coconut. It's extremely convenient for cooking and baking and tossing into granolas.  You can even use as a healthy crust for meat or fish.

Explore and experiment with this gem!

SURROUND YOURSELF WITH LOVE

I have so many things I want to share with you today!  

I just returned to Seattle from a much anticipated and much delayed trip back down to Venice and all I have to say is, "THANK YOU, VENICE!" You never disappoint.

But, really, that's not alllll I have to say.  You, and by 'you' I mean, your geography, your beauty, your people, your air, your inspiration, your motivation, your yoga, your streets, your juice, your food, oh gosh, your foooood...I've missed you.  You are my people. You are my community. 

I have always felt that community and support are incredibly important and a huge priority in my own life, but I didn't truly realize how important they really were to me and how important they are for YOU until my recent (well, not so recent anymore) move.  

While transitioning from the little gem of Venice, CA, where I spent 10 years building a life and a community, to my slowly-but-surely growing community in Seattle, WA, I've paid extra-close attention to the goodness that community brings me and how it lights me up and fuels a fire within me. 

This week in Venice was full of the things that make me feel special, important, and sparked my drive for continuing on my path in this world.  We all need to feel that from time to time. It was the little things that I experienced that brought me to grin from ear to ear and tempted me to squeeze every soul I met with. Bumping into familiar faces on the streets and stopping for a good conversation, walking up to the counter at my favorite coffee shop to have my drink already made just the way I like it waiting for me, receiving huge smiles from the servers at my local watering hole as I stroll in like I never left the place, getting waves from strangers as I sat on a stoop drinking my juice, simply because they are happy and the sun is shining, making new connections with people that are honest and good and true, talking growth and life and modern love with new friends and old friends, the warm feeling of practicing with my teachers again and seeing their expression of joy and happiness to have me back, and of course, catching up with dear close friends and getting squeezed so tightly that I didn't ever want them to let go. My heart left full and ready for more and ready to give more.

And it was my reminder that a good community and a good support system are beyond beneficial in helping you achieve your goals in life, to lift you up and to cheer you on, whether that is in your personal life, work life or the balance of happiness. You need those people, always.  

Just like I shared in Number 6 of the '10 Lifestyle Changes for Lasting Health', "Surround yourself with people who boost you up and believe in you.  Plain and simple. Your friends and family should want the best for you and to see you happy. Seek out workout partners with similar goals, someone you can share your journey with and someone to hold you accountable." 

It's so simple.  And it's so true.  Thank you, Venice.  I'll be back.

Power of Purple

My favorite color as a child was purple.  Everything...from backpacks, to lunch boxes, to my jellies sandals, was some shade of purple royalty.  But purple foods as a child, forget it.  I was an eater of anything and everything white (scoffing at my child-self as I write this): angel hair pasta, parmesan cheese, butter, smart food popcorn, white pizza, vanilla ice cream, clear gummy bears, you name it. Fast forward 20 years and it's a complete flip.  Just about everything I choose in my material life is either white, or black (boring, I know). Yet, my foods, are LOADED with this majestic purple. Now that color in food, is beauty. And power.

Not only are these shades simply pretty to look at on a plate, it is scientifically-proven that the darker the shade, the higher the antioxidant level. Thus, dark foods with this glorious purple pigment, such as blackberries, grapes, purple figs, purple onions, cabbage, lavender and purple basil have amazing healing powers.

One of the primary antioxidants in purple produce is the flavanoids, more specifically, Resveratrol, which helps decrease inflammation, relax the arterial walls, increases circulation and leads to decreased blood pressure.

Purple foods also kill cancer cells.  And that even includes red wine (whaaaaaaat?!).  And to add to that, turmeric, which has curcumin in it, seems to boost this cancer cell fighting activity. So when having your next curry dish, here's your excuse to have that glass of red wine with dinner. 

Blueberries have anthocyanins in them which are excellent for your liver, BUT, black/purple rice, has more per gram than the blueberries. This boost can help reduce damage to the liver incurred from excess alcohol intake.  Pass the purple grains, por favor. (curry with purple rice and your glass of red wine, perhaps?)

And to get even more anthocyanin than blueberries AND black rice, we pass the black currants and bilberries to help reduce LDL (the bad) cholesterol and increase HDL (the good) cholesterol.

And let's not forget to mention that these little purple powerhouses make you look and feel younger and help you relaaaaax. On goes the lavender eye mask.

Vegetables: purple cabbage, eggplant, purple potatoes, purple peppers, purple onions

Fruits: blackberries, grapes, prunes, plums, figs

Plants: lavendar and purple basil

*the purple basil in this photo above has super high doses of Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Calcium and is great for your skin, eyes and hair.  This just makes it that much easier to put purple on our plate. 

Summer Heirloom Tomato and Nectarine Salad

You know that delicious groundbreaking salad that you start to see everywhere when the summer solstice hits? Yep, it deserves to shine.  So damn delicious, I am making it over and over again already, and maybe only forgetting the star of the show, basil, a handful of times.  (Gahhhh, without fail, I forget one ingredient - every. single. time.)

This salad is an incredibly simple and easy dish to throw together.  The perfect summer salad. Bring it to your next barbecue and eyes will light up, serve next to a simple grilled steak for a quick and easy weeknight dinner or serve straight up for lunch or a snack.  So worth it. 

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SUMMER HEIRLOOM TOMATO AND NECTARINE SALAD

Prep Time: 5 min  |  Total Time: 10 min  |  Serves: 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 mixed heirloom tomatoes

• 1/2 c baby heirloom or cherry tomatoes, halved

• 2 ripe nectarines, thinly sliced

• 8 oz fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

• 1/2 c pickled red onions

• 1/2 c fresh torn basil leaves or micro greens

• olive oil

• fresh cracked peppercorns

• maldon sea salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Thinly slice 2 of the large heirloom tomatoes and quarter 1 heirloom tomato.

2. On a platter, arrange tomatoes, mozzarella and nectarines.

3. Drizzle entire salad with olive oil, a generous sprinkle of maldon sea salt and fresh cracked peppercorns. Let sit 5 minutes

4. Arrange pickled red onions and basil on top and finish with additional salt and pepper. Voila, gorgeous!

10 LIFESTYLE CHANGES FOR LASTING HEALTH

Head on over to MindBodyGreen to read my latest post on healthy, lasting lifestyle changes for a better you!

The path to a healthy lifestyle, reaching your goals and making lasting changes has great rewards, but also plenty of obstacles that attempt to steer you off track. 

After years of working with a variety of clientele, as well as pushing myself, I've established a few tips and tricks I give all my clients to help them make a permanent shift to a healthier life. I hope these tools help guide you along the road to becoming your best self as well.

1. Take a moment and determine what makes you happy...

2. Set a schedule for your workouts, put them in your weekly calendar and stick to it...

3. Make deeply restful shut-eye a priority...

4. Think of food as high quality fuel...

5. Add weights to lose weight...

6. Cultivate a support system...

7. Incorporate radical forgiveness into your life...

8. Practice santosha...

9. Ditch self-doubt, stay positive and trust in the universe...

10. Don't take shortcuts...

ENJOY THE JOURNEY, HAVE FUN AND DO WHAT MAKES YOUR HEART SING!

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