Yoga Mindfulness
Three children chillin in child's pose.
I had a fantastic 90 minute power flow yoga class this morning. I think that yoga is the perfect compliment to running ~ I can feel my hamstrings singing with joy as I stretch and release them. When I picked up the kids they wanted to hear all about my class, so I filled them in. They begged to do their yoga video (it is an adorable 16 minute yoga class for preschoolers available On Demand). This took away all excuses. I admit that after having a banana smoothie/protein shake for breakfast, I was dying to tear into the left over pizza. With the kids giving me a 16 minute reprieve, I whipped myself up an actual nourishing and healthy lunch ~ black beans, avocados, tomatoes, jalapenos, chopped garlic, cilantro, chili powder, cumin, salt and the juice of a whole fresh lime. Topped off with a glass of fresh carrot juice and my body is thanking me for not filling it with pizza after such a beautiful, cleansing class. For me eating my BEST is all about time. It is why breakfast and dinner are easy, and lunch is frequently so hard ~ at lunch we are usually rushing in from school or the gym or a friends house, and all three kids want food at the exact same moment and I get lazy. Having fresh ingredients on hand makes quick, protein and healthy fat and FLAVORFUL meals like this one a snap.
What are some healthy things you like to eat for lunch? Are you doing something nice for your body today?
I struggle with being lazy at lunchtime, too, and wanting to do something quick. Hannah loves peanut butter sandwiches and begs me for them every day, so that's another struggle. Go you for taking the time to whip up something healthy.
ReplyDeleteMy kids love PBJ too. It is that, turkey and cheese, grilled cheese and tomato soup, quesadillas.........and that's pretty much it. Since Nate works from home he and I tend to consume the dinner leftovers, if there are any. I'm working hard to take 10 minutes for myself at lunch to put together a whole meal ~ not picking and snacking and shoving and whatnot mindlessly, and then never feeling full.
ReplyDeleteI started packing ginormous salads for work every day. Always freaks Matt out but salads with lettuce, strawberries, apples, pears, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, celery, etc - and olive oil/vinegar (and oh yeah, a decent amount of salt and pepper). Freaks Matt out because he doesn't like to co-mingle fruits and veggies :) It works great for me since we're back on the weight watchers train and all fruits and vegetables are zero points = much less for me to think about. Score!
ReplyDeleteI started juicing a week or so ago so your carrot juice looks awesome with that salad. It is amazing to me how much better (and full) I feel after drinking one of my creations. The latest green juice was green apple, cucumber, celery, spinach, broccoli and blueberries. Soon I will find a balance of this healthy with the not-so healthy and lose the last of my weight.
ReplyDeleteSo wait, did you have to chop up all that stuff for your salad, or was it pre-cut? It would have taken me 45 minutes to come up with all those ingredients, and chop them up! Lunch is our most crazy meal here, and I find myself eating when the kids are napping, or licking scoops of peanut butter between sandwhiches. I need to find a better solution.
ReplyDeleteMeg I threw it all together in the 16 minutes that the kids were doing the video. While the beans (from a can) drained I chopped 2 avocados (right in the skin), 5 plumb tomatoes, the cilantro, garlic and two hugely oversized jalepenos. The cilantro was in the same bag as the jalepenos, the lime was just a matter of chopping it in half and squeezing. The cumin/chili powder/salt were just a few pinches. Dumped in the beans and it was done :)
ReplyDeleteMelis your salad sounds fantastic. We will have to take a trip together to the olive oil/vinegar store in WC that I am obsessed with ~ best options ever for salad dressings.
Jen, what kind of juicer do you have? Your creations sound delicious! Its always that last bit of weight that is the hardest, isn't it?
I currently have an Omega Juicer - donated by my dad thankfully since the good ones aren't cheap. It is awesome. The person who mentioned juicing to me (to replace my daily coffee) juices daily and uses a Breville and says that's awesome too. Read great reviews as well on that brand. I really do enjoy it and I like being able to make fresh juice for the boys - if they will drink it. I think the color scares them. It is amazing what an apple can do to sweeten it and you would have no idea the other stuff is in there.
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