Happy Baby Bowl

Hi There,

I’ve been having to eat very mindfully lately. Breastfeeding a 3 month old (She’s getting so big!) little girl has me constantly thinking about what I am putting into my body.

I find myself eating the same things over and over again because I know these certain foods don’t make her fuzzy. Hopefully we will get into a nice routine soon where I can experiment with more ingredients, but for now this Happy Baby Bowl is officially my magic potion.

Luckily, it taste freaking amazing so feel free to make it even if you aren’t a breastfeeding mama like me. 🙂

Happy Baby Bowl

• 1 cup chocolate almond milk
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• 1 frozen banana
• 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
• ground flaxseeds

Add all the ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth. Enjoy!

 

Raspberry Peanut Butter Surprize Smoothie

The days are counting down until my little baby girl arrives. Her furniture is assembled, her clothes are washed and her stuffed animals are patiently waiting to be squeezed and loved. I am waiting (not so patiently) to meet her, hold her and just stare at her little face.

At this point in pregnany it feels as if time starts to slow down. Every day feels longer than the last and the fact that any moment labor could begin is exciting and terrifying all at the same time. It’s also much harder to do yoga simply because my belly is in the way and movement in general is a bit more challenging. Walking however, has been a new healer of mine. I highly recommend it to women in their third trimester if your back allows it.

Walking is incredibly relaxing. It’s a great time to pop on your favorite playlist, podcast or audio book and just go. Take new routes overtime to keep yourself inspired and stimulated and take your time, there’s no rush to get anywhere.

With all my walking, I’ve also picked up a habit of smoothie bowls after each walk to replenish on nutrients and to cool off my body. I came up with this Raspberry Peanut Butter Surprise yesterday and I know it will become a regular around my house for now on. It’s creamy, sweet and a bit salty and a great smoothie to pair with your favorite granola.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. 🙂

Raspberry Peanut Butter Surprize Smoothie 

• 1 cup almond milk (or any milk)
• 1 banana (frozen or not)
• 1/2 cup frozen raspberries
• 1 apple
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter (preferably natural)

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Smoothie Tip: The longer you blend, the smoother the smoothie. 😉

Fall In Flow

Fall is fully here, and with it has come a need for me to feel more anchored.

I’m not sure if it’s the fact that I have a baby that could arrive any moment now and nesting is a big part of the 3rd trimester. Or if it’s something in the crisp Fall air that makes me want to find the footing beneath me, but this need to anchor is real and I feel it not only in my own life but in others as well.

Over the last few months I’ve watched almost all of my closest girl friends and I go through a lot of change and we’ve all come out of it with more perspective, more confidence and a great feeling of release. As I look at myself and them now, I see that we are all ready to start to flow more inward and let our ideas and dreams come into fruition.

Fall is a time to get in flow. To start to create, innovate and find structure around your passions and your family life. In Fall we slow down, move a little more mindfully and we find comfort in feeling the ground under our feet.

So the time is now to find your own flow and let yourself solidify in that flow. Let your awareness have roots and allow those roots to seep into what brings you the most joy.

This is a great time to begin a meditation practice, to start journaling, writing down your thoughts and ideas and taking time to listen to what your body and mind need. It’s also a great time to slow down your yoga practice, taking slower flows that give you more time to feel and stay present.

Whatever it is that you choose to do in this season just make sure that you keep your focus, stay grounded and follow your own internal flow.

Much Love,

Anna

Lime Roasted Carrots

Fall is officially here starting tomorrow!

The chill of the air is slowly trickling into the New York City streets and as I walk around I can feel myself embracing this new season. Bring on the pumpkins, the smells of cinnamon and the beautifully colored Fall trees…bring on this baby so I can enjoy a pumpkin beer, please? 😉

With the end of Summer here I wanted to make a dish that is reminiscent of summer but can transition into Fall smoothly. That’s where these Lime Roasted Carrots come in. They are slightly sweet, a little smokey and beautiful to look at.

Feel free to get creative with your spices, cayenne would add a nice kick for those who like heat and a hint of cinnamon might bring out a nice moroccan flavor to the dish. Get creative, make it your own and enjoy this transition into Fall.

Lime Roasted Carrots

Serves 4

• A bundle of carrots (about 15) washed & dried
• The juice of 2 limes
• 1/2 Tablespoon Smoked paprika
• 1/2 Tablespoon Garlic powder
• 1/2 Tablespoon Sea salt
• 1 Tablespoon Oil (Use grape-seed, coconut or sesame oil)

Preheat oven to 380 degrees and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Toss all the ingredients together until every carrot is coated evenly. Place carrots on baking sheet lining them up one next to the other. Cook for 40 minutes tossing half way through.

Respect Yourself

Respect has been on my mind lately.

Growing up, respect was a big thing around my house. I was brought up to always respect my elders, strangers and peers and I took this very seriously, as all my siblings did.

However lately, the respect I show myself has been an interesting thing to look at. If you know me then you know I’m a bit of a people pleaser. I would easily run myself into the ground if it meant helping someone else. I like to make people happy and helping them to get there brings me great joy.

But what I do for myself, or the way I treat myself or what I expect from myself seems to be a different story. I came to this realization after not being able to sleep the other night. My mind was going a mile a minute with an issue that has come up in my life and I had completely let my thoughts take over. I literally couldn’t sleep, even after realizing that my thought process wasn’t healthy or even accurate for that matter.

The mind, as we know,  has a way of playing tricks on us and in this situation it had done just that. Through my thoughts I had convinced myself that I must be wrong or have done something wrong and that I had to fix this pressing problem. My mind brought me to believe as it had so many times before that I must make sure that others know how much I respect THEM, forgetting that I too must respect myself.

As I laid wide eyed in bed I thought, where is my respect for myself? I had been awake for 2 hours, worrying about doing right by others and I had completely forgot that I was a part of this. My happiest meant something too.

And that’s when it hit me. Respect must be even. I can’t or should I say we can’t keep giving respect if we are also not giving ourselves respect as well. I’m not talking about others giving us respect, we have no control over that, nor should we waste our time trying to demand such things. What I’m talking about is making sure to give ourselves the same respect that we give others. To remember that the way we treat ourselves matters just as much as the way we treat our elders, strangers and peers.

Giving back to you a bit, taking some pressure off of yourself and believing that you are doing your best and deserve to be happy can be that relief you seek. So grab a hold of some respect for yourself and keep it with you. You matter and you are worth it. 🙂

 

Traditional Greek Salad

With our little girl well on her way, my husband and I aren’t able to take our yearly trip to Greece to visit his family. As the humid days pass I find myself yearning for all things Greek, the people, the language, the water, the FOOD…

Fortunately, I’m lucky to live in Astoria, Queens where you can get authentic Greek food on almost every avenue and I’ve been taking advantage of it big time, practicing my Greek with the cooks and ordering all my favorites, gigantes (large white beans), Bamies (okra in tomato sauce) and Yemista (stuffed tomatoes and peppers).

But I’ve been making my absolute favorite, the Greek salad at home because it’s more cost effective and because its something that calms me to make. Traditionally, Greek salads don’t have lettuce, they consist of four main ingredients, tomatoes, cucumbers, kalamata olives and feta cheese. The fresher these ingredients are the better the salad will taste. This dish is refreshing to say the least and is the perfect addition to any summer dinner or lunch.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I have been. 🙂

Traditional Greek Salad

Serves 4

• 2 large tomatoes cut into large cubes
• 1 large cucumber sliced
• 1/2 large white onion, sliced
• 1/4 pound feta
• 1/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted
• Olive oil
• Red wine vinegar
• Dried Oregano
• Salt & Pepper

Add all the ingredients together in a medium size bowl and enjoy!

Spice Of Life Bowl

Life can really get away from us sometimes.

We get caught up in our routines and the safety they hold for us and we forget sometimes to try new things or take a few risks. This week, my husband and I are packing to move into a new apartment so we can have an extra bedroom for our soon to be little girl.

The apartment that we are moving out of was our first apartment we lived in together alone. We have been here for 5 years. We have transitioned from a relationship, to engaged, to married all within these walls.

We have honestly grown into adults here too and have learned how to be the best parts of ourselves for each other. We have argued, loved, screamed, cuddled, cried and danced here. We have built the family we are about to become within this small NYC space right here and it’s has made us better people.

This part of our lives has served it’s purpose, this apartment has held us and supported us and now it’s time to move forward to a new chapter and let this new part of our lives build.

It’s funny how much a space can hold a part of your heart but no matter how much I want to stay in my comfort zone, I know it is time to once again move forward.

So here we go. Boxes packed, tears wiped, goodbyes said. To the next step and to believing enough to take it on whole heartedly.

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For my last recipe post here I wanted a lot of spice because spice is risk taking, so be warned this is hot! 🙂

Spice Of Life Bowl

Serves 1

• 1 cup of brown rice, cooked
• 1 plum tomato, chopped
• 1 jalapeño, chopped (Keep seed in for more heat, remove for less)
• 1/2 avocado, chopped
• 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Mix brown rice, tomato, jalapeño and avocado together in a small bowl. Top with the juice of one lime and olive oil. To spicy? Add some hummus to cool down the heat. xo

 

Refreshing & Crispy Lemon Potato Salad

The summer months are some of my favorite months to cook because of all of the amazing produce that begin to fill our stores and local farmers markets. The hot weather has a way of making our bodies crave fresh and light foods like fruits and vegetables that don’t weigh us down. Because of this, cooking tends to require less ingredients and simpler cooking procedures, which gives you more time to soak up the sun.

This dish in particular is very simple to prepare and you can make it for lunch or even for your next outing with your friends. If serving this at an outing, make sure to not put the lemon on it until you are ready to serve so that your dish does not get soggy.

Refreshing & Crispy Lemon Potato Salad

Serving size 1

• 4 red skin potatoes, cut into even size cubes
• 1/4 cub broccoli, cut into even size pieces
• 1/2 avocado, cut into even size cubes
• 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon grape seed oil (or coconut or sesame)
• salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

In a bowl, toss potatoes with oil, salt and pepper and then spread out onto baking sheet and transfer to oven for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, take potatoes out and toss them. Move potatoes to one side of baking sheet and place broccoli on other side. Put back in oven for 7 more minutes or until broccoli is bright green and potatoes are crisp.

Lastly, toss potatoes, broccoli and avocado in a dish and top with the juice of one lemon. Serve and enjoy!

5 First Trimester Do’s and Don’ts.

Well, If you didn’t figure it out from the title of this post or from the picture above yet… I’m Pregnant!

Yup, that’s right I’ve got a baby girl growing inside of me and I’m extremely excited about it.

Something you also might have noticed is that this is my first post in a month or so and that’s because pregnancy has been kicking my ass.

I am currently 4 months along and for the first 3 1/2 I thought I was dying, everyday. Morning sickness? Try all day, everyday, sickness. Not to mention the exhaustion. Did I just get hit by a truck? No, no I’m just pregnant… ;/

The truth is, for some of us pregnancy is pretty tough and all those remedies people try to say will help, well they really don’t help at all.

The only cure for feeling like crap during pregnancy is time. You just have to wait it out and I’m actually one of the lucky ones. My sickness only lasted through the first trimester, for some women it can last throughout the entire pregnancy…(AHHH!!!)

But hey, I’m not complaining, I know it’s all worth it in the end. But what I am saying is that if you’re pregnant, you’re not alone. And below I’ve got some things that I hope will help you through this crazy first trimester.

Here are 5 Do’s and Don’ts I’ve learned thus far. 🙂

5 First Trimester Do’s and Don’ts

1. Do move your body, Don ‘t become a couch potato. The first trimester can be very exhausting and moving your body might be the last thing you want to do. But believe me this, your second trimester will thank you for keeping your body moving when you can. If doing your regular movement routines seems like too much, try walking. Walking not only gets your blood circulating but it also gives you time to get some fresh air. I know it’s easy to lay on the couch and cocoon yourself, but your body needs rest and movement. Find a good balance.

2. Do eat when you’re hungry, Don’t eat for two. It’s very easy to get into the mindset of eating for two the moment you find out you are pregnant but the truth is you are never really eating for two. In the first trimester you only have to eat 150 extra calories a day. That’s a small yogurt, not an extra cheeseburger. Keep in mind that you should eat when you are hungry, but don’t let your mind trick you into eating large amounts of food that you and your baby just don’t need. Also, try to eat REAL food, apples with nut butter, veggies with hummus or a homemade smoothie. Real food has real nutrients, feed your baby great food.

3. Do drink a lot of water, Don’t leave home without it. One of the first symptoms of being pregnant is dry mouth. Hydration is very important during pregnancy so buy a water jug and keep it on you always. If you are working out, remember to drink plenty of water to hydrate before and after.

4, Do explore different prenatal vitamins, Don’t settle for the first one the doctor gives you.  One of the best changes I made during my first trimester was switching prenatal vitamins. I didn’t realize it immediately but my prenatal was one of the things contributing to my sickness. I recommend trying a chewable vitamin like Smarty Pants Prenatal Vitamins, not only is this company one of my favorites for their mission, but their vitamins taste amazing as well!!

5. Do sleep more, Don’t try to overdo it. You are literally making a human. That means your body is working hard 24/7 and that’s why you feel so freaking tired all the time. When you need to rest, REST! Don’t feel bad about it, give your body what it needs. 🙂

 

Simple Chia Pudding

If you haven’t tried Chia Pudding yet you are in for a real treat! This breakfast is not only extremely simple to make, but it’s also very versatile and super nutritious.

The base of any Chia Pudding is this:

• 3 tablespoons chia seeds
• 1 cup liquid

All you have to do is combine the chia seeds with the liquid in an container with a lid (I use a mason jar) and stir it well. Place the covered mixture in the fridge, and in about 5 minutes give it another good stir. Then, place the mixture back in the fridge overnight letting it sit for about 8 hours.

From there you can eat it as it is or add fruit or nuts on top. Like I said chia pudding is very versatile. You can use any kind of liquid, almond milk, hemp, soy, any juice or coconut water. You could also add vanilla extract for additional sweetness or a squeeze of orange for some freshness. Really explore, the possibilities are endless!