Yoga...with Nicole Summer 2011

Just playing around in my 4 p.m. all levels class. This was our impromptu acro-yoga class!

And again at my Intermediate level class, savasana offered Nicole-style! Viparita Karani-Legs up the wall! I love this picture because it captures, for me, that feeling of total bliss after a challenging yoga practice. Sweat, smiles, surrender. Ahhhhhh...

Clafoutti and Coq Au Vin

My favorite (cooked) meal in the world is Coq Au Vin (a French chicken dish) served with white rice, dessert and a good bottle of wine. It's not necessarily the most healthy meal but making it makes me feel so alive and happy. I used to cook it as an act of service to my family. And it still is. The preparation is extremely time consuming. Lots of cutting with your hands, can't sub with a food processor. But this time was special because I decided to try a new cooking method. Would this effect the outcome of my act of service? Oh dear. Here we go.

On this day, in 2011, there is no reason to spend 24 hours cooking a stew. With the invention of the slow cooker it's a no-brainer. SO, I made coq au vin in my slow cooker and guess what?! It was just as good as when I slave over the hot stove for hours on end. Act of service-check. This is the trusty slow cooker I recommend:


The recipe I used can be found on Whole Foods website
Taste the wine (red or white) before you use it. Make sure that the flavor works for you. I tasted from 3 bottles before I found the right one. :)

You may hear that original recipes call for a rooster. This is so old school and would only offend a French person if you were to use a rooster. Chicken is the acceptable and preferred replacement. There are some pretty funny stories behind the rooster though. Some say it was a way for neighbors to get rid of annoying roosters in a "astuce" way because, of course, you would invite your neighbor over for dinner and forget about the whole thing. Ha!

For dessert I attempted an old French recipe, clafouti. It worked brilliantly, even with the extra large mound of berries I added to each ramekin. They came out bubbly and puffy just like a souffle. Such a good feeling when you pull out a pan of puffy desserts. Who'da thought?

Cultured Veggies. So Sophisticated.

After years of paying $20-$40 for Mason jars of cultured veggies I finally worked up the nerve to make my own. Approx. 20 hours of internet research, blog stalking, an inspiring old friend who is doing it as a business (www.straightfromthevine.com) and a trip to Whole Foods later I was ready. Really ready. And hungry. Hungry not just for food but nourishment that makes me FEEL GOOD. If the food I'm eating happens to also clean my guts at the same time all the merrier.

When I expressed my enthusiasm over my incubating jars people would all ask the same thing: What are cultured veggies? Body Ecology, the school for healthy eating, (http://bodyecology.com/articles/cveggies.php) defines: Cultured vegetables are made by shredding cabbage or a combination of cabbage and other vegetables and then packing them tightly into an airtight container. They are left to ferment at room temperature for several days or longer. Friendly bacteria naturally present in the vegetables quickly lower the pH, making a more acidic environment so the bacteria can reproduce. The vegetables become soft, delicious, and somewhat "pickled." During this fermentation period, the friendly bacteria are having a heyday, reproducing and converting sugars and starches to lactic acid. Once the initial process is over, it is time to slow down the bacterial activity by putting the cultured veggies in the refrigerator. The cold greatly slows the fermentation, but does not stop it completely. Even if the veggies sit in your refrigerator for months, they will not spoil; instead they become more like fine wine, more delicious with time. Properly made, cultured vegetables have at least an eight month shelf life.

Interesting stuff, eh?

I started with a red cabbage base because I like colorful food. You could use green cabbage as well, I think it breaks down faster. Then I decided I would do 3 different recipes: sweet, salt and spicy variations.

The sweet was my favorite. It is the lightest colored of the three. It's also the one that collected a syrup-like consistency as the bottom of the jar. It's like a treat to eat. If your idea of treats include fermented veggies.
Sweet cultured veggie ingredients: 2 cups shredded red cabbage, 3 small chopped gala apples, 3 shredded carrots, 1 shredded beet, lemon juice (I cheated and used bottled lemon juice. This would not fly obviously if I were trying to sell this stuff), a pinch of Hawaiian sea salt. I ended up adding 2 more pinches of salt after they cultured.

The salty was my second favorite. It was also the one I made the least of, but probably would be the one I would take to a raw food meet-up because of its common flavor combination.
Salty cultured veggie ingredients: 1 cup shredded AND chopped red cabbage, 2 shredded carrots, 2 inch knob of peeled julienne ginger, 2 tablespoons of dried fennel, 1 pinch of Hawaiian sea salt.

The "Muy Caliente" or spicy variation was my big experiment and sadly, my least favorite. I found a new spice at the grocery store, Jamaican All Spice. It's got cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. Sounds diverse, right? No, it over powered the simple mix. The spice itself is the size of a small pebble, only broke down a little bit so when you chew on this cultured veggie mix you have to fish out the spice with your fingers when your teeth find it. This one will not be making it out of the house I'm afraid. No, no sharing of you my pretty little deformed jar of health.
"Muy Caliente" cultured veggie ingredients: 2 cups shredded red cabbage, 2 cups chopped beets, 2 pinches cayenne pepper, 10-15 pieces of Jamaican All Spice, 1 pinch Hawaiian Sea Salt.

If anyone has interest in trying cultured veggies please contact me! I will give you some of mine to try and we could make some together. It's something that I see as a community sharing platform. If we all eat from the same garden then we can control immunities, diseases, illness in a much more educated way than the fragmented approach to healthcare we have now. So, let's get well together and grow together!

Happy noshing!

Impress a friend with a Key Lime Pie Shake

This is the most amazing shake I have ever tasted!

Recipe provided thanks to my new favorite cookbook: Living Raw Food by Sarma Melngailis:

Serves 2
Equipment: juicer, blender

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups fresh apple juice (from about 3 apples) (I used green apples)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (from about 3 peeled limes) (I juiced them in the juicer with the apples)
1 ripe avocado
2 bananas (I didn't use bananas in the first shake I made and it was more juicy. The banana gives it the "shake" texture)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons agave nectar (light or dark, it won't effect taste)

In a blender puree all ingredients.

So easy and yet SO tasty! It's a satisfying treat after yoga.

70.3 Cozumel is the new goal. Couldn't I have at least ponied for somewhere cooler???

I think my friend Vy talked me into a half Ironman relay last night. Oh dear. THIS is why smart people don't drink alcohol!

New yoga pics

These are recent pictures (April 2011) from a shoot at Felix Sanchez' Gallery with make up pro Victoria Calloway. We chose to focus on yoga poses and 2 looks: one more traditional and one kinda rock star. I liked the rock star the best! ;)

It's like we never stopped talking!

It's been a while.
What's happened?
I met Shane Battier! What a nice guy!
I participated in 3 triathlons.
I ran 2 more half marathons.
I started practicing aerial yoga.
I started my MBA.
I've traveled.
I've made a lot of food, more new raw food recipes!
I've decided to update my blog.
:)

Testing my new mobile blog capabilities from my iPhone!

partner yoga fo lovas!

Prior to teaching a partner yoga workshop my boyfriend and I spend a few days practicing the routine, coming up with new adjustments or plays on the poses and getting comfortable with the tempo. It finally dawned on me that I should video my practice routine to see how it looks. Then it dawned on me to share this for people who may want to do some partner yoga on their own in the privacy of their living room!

So, ta-da! Please see watch and enjoy!

From our living room to yours!

Namaste!

Gia's science recycling project

Twist and Shout!

In an effort to bring more love, joy and connection between people and their bodies this Valentine's Day I am offering private yoga lessons for the same price as my public workshop for one week only!


You and your partner (or good friend) can get a 2 hour private partner yoga lesson for $45 in your house or at another location of your choice.

The poses are for beginners and advanced yogis alike. Depending on your flexibility you can get a deeper assisted stretch or just as much as you want. You do not need to have yoga experience. I bring mats, blocks, straps, everything you need to have a safe, fun and relaxing time.
If you are interested please leave me a message here or nicole@sagepr.com. If you want something tangible I would be happy to provide you with a gift certificate. :)

Happy Valentine's Day!
Namaste!
Nicole

Back to Reality, SWEAT, there goes Gravity

Accomplishments so far for 2010:

created GOALS group to help me stay focused on my bucket list (thank u, ladies, for joining me)
completed 24 days of 30 day yoga challenge (who knew expending energy would give me energy?)
completed 28 days of vegetarian diet (that's about enough of that)
attended MBA info session, found a way to pay for it (Bless you Hazelwood Act)
sorted out new student loan payments (based on my new, slightly less impressive income)
found new recipe for raw purple kale salad (lighter version of my Caribbean kale salad)
completed 2 days of a cleanse (it's not you, it's me. no, actually, it is you, you are too much for my already healthy body)

What is it that I can share with you about these exercises of human will and curiosity?
Don't plan to move a lot if you are doing a cleanse of any type.

DO NOT attempt a 30 day yoga challenge AND any form of cleanse. It hurts.

Start adding small doses of fiber to one meal a day. I'm going out on a limb here but I'd guestimate that 85% of Americans are not getting enough fiber.

Sweating IS really good for you. Not only physically but emotionally. I'm hypothesizing my own theory based on an article about a scientist at Rice who has drawn a correlation between sweat, smell and the release of emotion, http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/health/your-sweat-carries-traces-of-your-emotions_100163823.html

My theory is this:
For emotions that you have not completed (i.e. needing to cry or laugh out loud, but not wanting to in large groups, being shamed into stopping a cry or an excessive laugh, being "shush'd" while crying as an child) your body releases traces of these emotions through sweat, thus completing your grieving/happiness/emotive release. Similar to receiving delighted attention while in an emotive state, sweating can be a medium to channel strong emotions stored in our bodies.

Why Nicole, would you think this? Well, angel reader, because I have experienced strong emotions through sweating and have watched other people do the same. Something about heat brings instinctive reactions out of people and a default to animalistic tendencies. I've never seen so many people crawl to water as I have teaching hot yoga. Nor do I see as much animation in people's faces that in the hot yoga room. They can't help but snarl, roll eyes, frown, smile or furrow their brow!

The savasana time at the end of the class is your reward and perfect opportunity to mindfully release these emotions through your breath. So, next time you finish a yoga practice, lay on your mat for at least 5 minutes and release your mind in abandonment to your breathe and your heart. Don't deny anything that comes up and leave your senses. Observe any changes in your being-ness. Do you feel more/less connected to others? Is there a strong urgency to take refuge or to share yourself? Really sit and listen.

Then log on and share with me! I am really eager to hear what people have to say!

Gotta go teach now!
Can't wait to log more data!
Namaste!

2010, pronounced Twenty-Ten

November was Arthur's Ironman, Thanksgiving in Cancun/Cozumel.

December was Bobo's birthday, Christmas, visits with family and home renovations.

January is ME! :)
In 2009 I played a lot with unique veggies, raw food recipes and grains. In the Fall of 2009 Hannah, the awesome Body Ecology guru at PeopleFood, helped wean me off of red meat and chicken by subbing more veggies for the 6 meals she hand delivers to our house each week. It only makes sense then to take 2010 to the next level. So, I'm beta testing a 100% vegetarian diet for January. I shall call it the "Yummy Tummy Lifestyle" since I have fewer tummy issues and veggie food is so yummy!
So far so easy.
Mostly.
The true tests come when you are alone, out & about, with limited amount of time to eat and fast food everywhere. My litmus test came last week while at Best Buy, starving and a Chick-fil-A was staring at me from across the parking lot. I decided to follow my energy, play with this test and see what happens. Surprisingly I wasn't interested in any chicken, was happy with my waffle fry order. I smiled as I walked back to Best Buy. My true desire yielded a small serving of fried potatoes, not chicken. I didn't feel cheated or worried that I would be hungry again in a few minutes. This was plenty. It was abundance for my taste buds. I felt like I walked in excess a little, which is NOT hat I expected at all for January! Giving myself a little treat allowed me a big reward, confidence that I would not only enjoy this month but maybe be lured back to my Yummy Tummy lifestyle. (Historical note: I was vegetarian for 11 years in my teens-20's, got preggo, started eating meat again.)

Sweet!

In addition, I decided to take a 30 day yoga challenge. I'm practicing yoga every day for 30 days, ideally other people's classes, but sometimes the universe has other plans for me, I end up taking my own class. So far, again, so easy. My YMCA membership offers me classes with all levels of teachers, environments. Penny at Trotter YMCA has a nice flow that makes 1 hour feel like 20 minutes. San Diego blessed my brother Kevin & I with a private lesson from Gabriel, his magical yoga wall. If you are ever in Coronado go visit him at his candy shop in the basement at the corner of Loma and Orange Ave. His yoga wall is just across the street, not to be missed!

I also got to take an amazing and challenging class with Kristyan at Chula Vista Yoga Center, Kristyan is the only other yoga teacher I have encountered who uses silly voices like me during instruction. I loved his playful, light, yet intense spirit in class. Hopefully during my next visit to San Diego I can spend more time in the studio here. There is much to be learned here!

So, I will try to keep you up to date on my yoga challenge and what it introduces to my life. :)

The yoga challenge and vegetarian lifestyle all catapult towards victory in February for the Rock-N-Roll Marathon in New Orleans! Arthur & I will celebrate our 1st anniversary with a half marathon. Convenient timing for my January goals, eh? ;) Hopefully I will drop at least one minute per mile, ultimately shaving 13 minutes off my last half marathon time of 2:47. Good to have goals, right?

Well, my taxi will be here any minute to start my return trip home to Houston. Thank you San Diego for taking good care of my brother, providing a paradise getaway for me!

Namaste!

Houston Half

Being my first half marathon I thought I would document my...

TOP 10
2009 HOUSTON HALF MARATHON
MEMORIES
(in consecutive order)

1. waiting for race to start, the lack of worry or fear about running the longest distance I've ever run in my life. why was I so calm?

2. compression socks don't fail me now.

3. feeling like an ant. Gosh, there are a lot of people here. Good. I'm not crazy.

4. feeling like a GIANT. I got some dirt on my shoulder, could u brush it off for me?

5. rocking Blue October, singing along, sometimes dancing and jumping to the music. Basically, not giving a s&*t anymore. this is too much fun!

6. making friends along the run with Ryan, an overweight 30 year old, who I gave my last GU to, had a full-on conversation with about his breakfast that morning, his HH training, his dog. I would never be this nice on the track. Who am I? Ahhhh...endorphins are being released, making me more pleasant. Note to self, run away.

7. stopped to use the restroom in a completely murdered port-o-potty. not happening. holding till the next set of port-o-pottys. moments later...Damn, that is the only set of port-o-pottys. Damn, which one did I go in last time? damn, damn, damn. holding again.

8. drink. drink. drink. meditate. listen. decide. run. repeat.

9. Thinking to myself at mile 12, "I will totally do this again." Same exact relaxed, sensible sentiment I had moments after giving birth. Am I a glutton for punishment or what?

10. Walking down the stairs about 2 hours after finishing, praying for my knees. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Look for me next year, New Orleans Rock-N-Roll Marathon.
Half or Full?
Weigh in!
Wanna come?
:)

Spicy Fall Stew baked in a Pumpkin

I found this fabulous recipe in Vegetarian Times, October 2008 edition, made it for the first time last Fall for my Thanksgiving with Alex Rosa, Rogelio Rendon, Ed Onecic. Appealing one meal to 3 men is not easy but this stew made everyone agree, It's a Hit!

Recently I brought it to a Fall themed dinner party the night before Halloween. Despite using a traditional pumpkin, it's carcass collapsing a bit, resulting in an oozy mess and inability to transfer to a more decorative serving dish, people still liked it so I feel like I really must share this recipe to ensure memorable Fall meals for everyone!

Beware! Children may NOT like this. It is spicy, very smoky flavored. Gia, my 9 year old, deems it too spicy for her seasoned mouth. Proceed with caution!

If you can't find a pumpkin or squash, bake this stew in 2 smaller ones.

2 tbs. olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, diced (1 cup)
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch dice
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
1 tsp. chili powder, pref. New Mexican
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 lb. tomatillos, husked and quartered (1 1/2 cups)
1 15-oz. can hominy, rinsed, drained (get the best brand you can find, it really does make a difference. I like Bush)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 3-4 lb. pumpkin, either sugar pie, cheese, red kuri, kabocha, or buttercup squash
2 oz. grated sharp Cheddar cheese (1/2 cup packed) (if you want the vegan version just skip this!)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat 1 Tbs. oil in pot over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Sauté 7 minutes, or until softened. Stir in chili powder, cumin, and oregano, and cook 3 minutes more, or until spices darken.

2. Add tomatillos, hominy, ı/2 cup water, and salt. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, partially covered, 10 to 12 minutes, or until tomatillos are softened. Uncover, and cook 5 minutes more to thicken stew, if necessary.

3. Meanwhile, cut top of pumpkin around stem to make lid. (SAGENICOLE NOTE: IT'S A LOT EASIER TO CUT THE STEM WITH AN ELECTRIC KNIFE! PICTURE OF MINE ABOVE TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF WHAT TO USE.)

Scoop out pumpkin seeds and strings. Rub inside of pumpkin with remaining 1 Tbs. oil, and sprinkle generously with salt. Sprinkle cheese in bottom of pumpkin.

4. Fill pumpkin with stew, then top with pumpkin lid. Place on parchment-covered baking sheet and bake 1ı/2 to 2 hours, or until pumpkin flesh is fork-tender. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes.

5. Scoop stew, including pumpkin, into bowls and serve hot, topped with Poblano-Cucumber Salsa (Click here for recipe).

This weekend almost killed me

If I don't have another beer-battered, fried piece of food for another year I think I may be able to reconcile some of the damage I did to my cholesterol this weekend in South Padre Island.

God love em, people in love. But why is it that we throw sense out the window when we fall in love? Celebrating a friend's pre-nuptials my boyfriend and I headed down to South Padre for a weekend of fun and frolicking with a few other couples. Could I have fore-shadowed my own alcohol consumption I would have laughed out loud. It's true, you are allowed to have 8 mixed drinks at Schlitterbahn and yes, you will still walk out of there. Drinking, fried foods only seems to enhance the experience, as evidenced by our combined $500+ spent on debauchery at the water park.

Here is what I learned about drinking & eating in South Padre Island, with a group where no one else really gives a damn what's going in their pie hole, or sometimes, what comes out:

-DON'T be the annoying person who refuses to indulge. No one likes an anchor of guilt sitting next to them when they order 3 beers at lunch. Roll with the punches.

-DO drink water after every drink so you are not the other annoying dip-shit that got too drunk and pissed somewhere you shouldn't have. Like on the bed. This may also prevent you from having ill-fated heart-to-hearts and royally upsetting your peeps. If you can't carry on a conversation stop drinking. :)

-DON'T mix spicy food, beer, liquor AND fried foods unless you want to sleep in the restroom. It will hurt no matter how "badass" you think you are. Hot wings count for 2=fried and spicy.

-DO get your punk ass out of bed in the morning so you don't miss critical beach time. It could be the only time of the trip you were not too drunk to see all of the nice, normal people building Hogwart's worthy sand castles in the sky.

-DON'T be ungrateful to your event planner. There is one on every trip. The person who brought it all together and kept you from playing Skip-Bo all day in your rooms. This person doesn't usually claim themselves because they secretly are planning everything THEY want to do anyway, but you don't have to think very hard or entertain, so be happy. That's vacation. Hugs and drinks are usually good payment but if you feel so inclined a handwritten note or shout-out on their Facebook page will do nicely, thank you.

And finally, do something YOU want to do. One thing. At a minimum. Take that walk alone. Sketch at the beach. Watch a movie in bed. Drive around looking at architecture. It will be your memento memory when you get home.

FYI, we came home and cleansed ourselves at Central Market then I made a RAW dinner using my new Japanese slicer! Zucchini spaghetti, tomato, red pepper, cilantro, garlic, green pepper, basil, oregano, olive oil, salt, pepper marinara. YUM!

Happy to be home.

clean teeth=higher satisfaction levels of water ?

So my friend has an interesting hypothesis about drinking water and teeth. (and when I say friend I don't mean me)

She contends that people with cleaner teeth enjoy drinking water more than dirty teeth people and as a result, drink more water.

Whatdoyathink?

This all started with a conversation about dehydration and how/why we can't seem to get enough water in our pie holes.

I advocated a trick I used back in the day to increase my water intake. Buy packages of bottled water and leave them in your car, by your bed, in the kitchen, at your desk, etc.
Convenience is key!
After I got used to drinking a lot of water it was like a desert in my mouth (and belly) if I didn't have it and eventually I bought a water cooler for my house/home office. Now I drink approx. 60 ounces of water every day. I can't say I drink less because of dirty teeth.

What is the science behind water and our ability, nay, our desire, to consume what we really need each day?

I posed the question. Now it's your turn to provide feedback!

Also, I will be on vaca (not to be mistaken with stay-ca) this weekend so pickins will be slim on my blogging. Unless it rains in South Padre Island and I have more time indoors, plugged in that anticipated. 40% chance of rain...it could happen. :)

Thirsty anyone?

exploring extreme biking!

Ahhhhhh...more Sunday morning good times!

Just about every Sunday morning I have an outing. It's usually a bike ride, roller blading, running or yoga. It's a great time to enjoy the outdoors (Thank you weather Goddess! Today was gorgeous!) and sometimes I get to enjoy with a friend! Call me if you want to go sometime.

That's the lean, mean biking machine Jennifer Brugh, toughing it out with me on the not so nearly-completed Heights Bike Trail this morning. The picture is evidence of only one of the many off-the-trail experiences we had on our 2 hour, approx. 20 mile bike ride.

I've got two things to say about this trail:
#1 Do not try this with kids!
#2 Get on this trail soon before its entirely paved and boring!

What you see in the background is the decrepit wood of an old bridge, maybe intended to be a dam, that we had to cross to get to the other side of the bike trail. (I'll be making a friendly phone call to the City on Tuesday to find out what exactly they were thinking when they built the trail and forgot to pave this part. :) Here is a map of the trail. Enter at your own risk and expect to get lost.

But I'm not here to bitch about the trail. The message I have to share with you today is don't forget about exploring!

Explore your garage for old trinkets or treasures to resurrect. Explore your neighborhood on foot or bike and stop to admire the architecture or landscape. Explore your body and curiosity by going an unknown distance or path.

Leaving the mark of your soul is never without adventure!

GO!

macrobiotic life

ooooooooooo.....i love this article about macrobiotic living!!

http://ow.ly/o7zl

It takes a athlete's perspective and incorporates a touch of emotional intelligence=web publishing at its best.

If you like pina coladas, hot tubbing and getting lost in the rain you'll love this article. You may also be my new BFF ;)

Tomorrow is the creation of the new & improved Caribbean Kale salad. Any guessers on the secret ingredient?

No, it's not crack rock.

Also, Lululemon is having a free yoga class tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. in Highland Village. Keep an eye out for Day of Free Yoga this Monday! Almost every studio in town has at least one free class if not the whole day! Namaste!
www.yoga-houston.org