Yoga & Pilates Retreat Recipes

I just got back from my most recent stint of work with Azul Yoga & Pilates at their southern California location. I'm so inspired by the healing power of real food, and by it's ability to fuel our most exciting adventures.

In between sunset deck yoga sessions and pool lounging, I'll often be found in the kitchen, preparing daily brunch and dinners for retreat guests. With as many people who walk through the doors of any Azul retreat, all have particular eating habits, allergies and preferences. In their week with us, they are invited to eat a whole-foods, plant-based vegetarian diet; a mixture of recipes from resident chef, Jo Dombernowski, in Fuerteventura, and myself.

Top deck view at sunset from Vista Villa Azul, November 2014

Every so often, a week in the kitchen will be challenged by further dietary needs and allergies; this past week, that meant eliminating gluten and dairy, in addition to being a vegetarian plant-based retreat. Everything is made from scratch, with care, and with a focus on sustainable organic sourcing.

I know heaps of vegetarians that rely on dairy to get protein, myself included. I love a great cheese, and regularly eat whole milk yogurt. I love creaminess in recipes, yet try not to consume too much dairy, as it is an inflammatory for our bodies. This week, I turned to alternate sources for flavor and texture. A cashew cream frosting for carrot cake, a toasted nut base for pesto. After eating like this for a week, I felt on top of the world. That's the healing power of whole foods. The sand and surf didn't hurt either.

I want to share this delectable world of whole foods with you, so in the next couple of weeks, I'll be posting what I call a Retreat Recipes Special Collection. These are recipes of my own creation or adaptation. If you're interested in more recipes like this, you can check out Jo's cookbook, straight from the kitchen of Azul in Fuerteventura.

To kick off this foodie fest, I have a spectacular veggie pizza for you. This is veg from top to bottom. A crust of roasted butternut squash and almond meal, topped with a vegan pesto, red onion, zucchini, kalamata olives, and arugula. This is seriously the bomb. It was raved about over the table last week and was dubbed 'the best pizza I've ever had in my life' by one of our guests!

 Incredible Vegetable Pizza serves 4-6 Adapted from Wholehearted Eats

 pesto, kalamata, zucchini, arugula

Crust

• 1 butternut squash (2-3 cups squash puree)
• 1 cup almond meal
• 1 cup gluten-free all purpose flour (I used Bob's Red Mill brand)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 Tbsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Pesto

• 1 large bunch basil (1 cup loosely packed)
• 1 cup spinach, loosely packed
• 1/2 cup roasted cashews
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice 
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• sea salt to taste

Toppings

• 1 zucchini
• 1 small red onion
• 3/4 cup kalamata olives
• 2 handfuls arugula

method

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Halve butternut squash and place cut side down in a baking dish filled halfway with water. Bake for 35-40 min until skin can be easily pierced by a fork. Remove from oven and let cool.

Meanwhile, make pesto by combining all pesto ingredients in a food processor. Process until smooth, add sea salt to taste. Set aside.

Once squash has cooled, scoop out flesh into a large mixing bowl. Add remaining crust ingredients. and mix until smooth. Depending how much squash you ended up with, you may need to add more flour to create a thicker dough. You want it to be soft, but able to form a loose ball.

Use your hands to press the dough into lined baking tray, creating a little lip at the edges. What's great about this dough is that you can pick it up and eat it like any other pizza. None of that crumbly cauliflower crap here!

Bake the crust for 30-35 min until it's golden brown. Remove from over, let cool slightly. Spread on pesto, and all of your toppings. note: I like to toss my zucchini and onion in a little olive oil so that they crisp up nicely in the oven. Keep arugula on the side for now. Bake pizza for another 15-20 min until vegetables begin to caramelize. Remove from oven, let cool for 5-7 minutes, then top with arugula.

  
enjoy!

Healing Beetroot Raspberry Smoothie

So it's been freezing the past two weeks in beautiful Bellingham. Like scrape my car, sit in the cold, and make me late for my workout cold.

Not cool Robert Frost!

Kid President, anyone?

Anywhooo. I don't even care that icicles are forming from the tip of my nose, I'll still be making this smoothie and enjoying it from the comfort of my home, curled in front of the space heater.

Just kidding.

...kind of.

I mean, look at that shade of fuchsia! Let me tell you all about it.
Beets, raspberries, banana, ginger, lemon, almond milk. ZING. Talk about powerhouse of flavor and healing properties. Let's get clear, any smoothie packed with fresh foods is going to be healing. That's just how mother nature works. Give your body the right resources and it will heal itself. But what is so stand-out about these ingredients?

Beetroot

• improves circulation, cleanses the blood and vitalizes the liver
• moistens intestinal tract to promote bowel movements
•  promotes menstruation
•  alkalizing

Raspberries

• antioxidant-rich & anti-inflammatory
• reaps anti-inflammatory properties similar to that of aspirin and ibuprofen   

 Ginger

• warming effect on the body
• aids digestion, upset stomach, and intestinal bloating
• known to enhance the flow of saliva, relieving sore throat
• reduces nausea, used to treat motion sickness and morning sickness during pregnancy  

Beetroot Raspberry Smoothie makes 1 smoothie

ginger, lemon, almond milk

• 1 small beetroot, raw, peeled
• 3/4 cup frozen raspberries
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1/2 inch fresh ginger, peeled
• 3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk + more for a thinner smoothie
• squeeze of lemon 

method

Combine all ingredients in a high power blender until smooth.  

Note; if your blender is not high powered, try lightly steaming the peeled beets before blending so that you can get a stellar consistency!

enjoy!

4 Things I've Learned From Injury

Taken in Fuerteventura, Canary Islands 2013, coming back from injury with the help of some astounding healers at Azul Fit.

An injury is a bummer. It stunts your growth, stifles your shine, and holds you back from the activities that you love.

After doing a little too much too fast, I now find myself flat on my back-- literally, with a back injury.

The worst part? I've been here before.

The first time this happened, I was working in Spain. Similarly sparked by an unknown activities, giving me no further knowledge of how to prevent it. At the time, I sought the help of some amazing healers through massage, cupping, reiki, therapeutic Pilates and yoga. No one could pin down exactly what I had done to injure myself. I was out of commission for weeks.

Fast forward.

Over the past year, I've had minor flare-ups with my lower back, stemming from a known imbalance in my SI joint. Usually I'm able to swing by the chiropractor, get adjusted and be on my way. On to the next. BUT this time, not so much. It's been three weeks. Three weeks of laying down, resting more than I would like, paying quite a few visits to my chiropractor, and getting acupuncture treatments.

This much time on my back? Let me tell you about what I'm learning.

1. This too shall pass
Like all things, this injury will pass. You can go to your PT, massage therapist, chiropractor, doctor, etc., all you want, and healing will still take time. This is rough. The Type A, result-driven side of me hates this. And this is my learning. Patience and trust. Do all that you can, then rest and release the force for results.

2. Listen to your body
I can't tell you how many times I say this to students and to myself. And yet, it's the nature of the ego to creep in and throw a wrench in the whole works. I was coming back into training full time after a four month project, and my mind had a different idea than my body of what I could do. Guess who I listened to. And guess who got a big slap an reality check from the universe. The body's sensations are direct feedback to a much higher intelligence than the mind-over-matter training mentality that plagues so many of us. Tune into these cues to save yourself.

3. Take this as an opportunity to learn something new
I've taken this time to study anatomy and empower my yoga practice. I've been taking therapeutic classes via YogaGlo and am learning so much about the musculature of the lower body, that which supports the spine. Information that I can now bring to my classes and share on a larger scale. Our setbacks are our greatest teachers. Did you get that? Our setbacks are our greatest teachers. Apply this to any situation in your life and you'll come out on top.  

4. Change your perspective of success
On the same island of listening to your body, changing your perspective of what success, or strength, or beauty looks like will change the way you relate to your body and to your training. I have no problem taking Balasana in the middle of a power class, yet when it comes to going down in weight for a set of squats, I dig my heels in and say power through. Funny right? Not the best advice I would give. Success in my fitness, ultimately, is the ability to move through life pain-free. That's why I move my body. So I can keep moving until the day I pass. Get clear with your own goals, and what gets you moving. If the reason is not healthy for your mind and body, then your training will not manifest anything healthy.