Are you up for a Challenge: 30 Days of Yoga

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The holidays are coming up which means family, friends and festive music.  It also means parties, events and lots of food, lots and lots of it.  Holidays are the one time of the year I find I struggle to maintain my workout routine and take care of myself.  This year I have decided to be proactive and set fitness and self-care goals for myself.  One of my goals is already in motion and that is training for my half-marathon which is in February.  My second goal is to do yoga EVERY day this month. This is going to be quite a challenge considering I have only been doing yoga about once per week (if that) for the past few months.

I am challenging myself to practice yoga everyday in November. Oh and I am challenging YOU to to take on the challenge with me.  That’s 30 days of yoga in a row.  Now some days you may only be able to practice for 10-15 minutes other days you may do 90 minutes.  The goal here is to set yourself up for success. Simply that you will do yoga everyday in November, details below.

November- 30 Days of Yoga Challenge

I encourage all of you to participate in the 30 Days of Yoga Challenge for the month of November even if it’s just doing a minimum of 10 minutes of yoga per day.  However I am going to take things a little further for those of you who want to challenge yourself beyond 10-minutes per day.  For those who want to take on the extra  challenge I am going to provide you with a little incentive to do so with TWO chances to win a  Lululemon gift card.

There are two incentive options; Option A is for those who want to go above and beyond 10-minutes per day while Option B is for anyone looking for an even greater challenge:

Option A: Do a minimum of 15-minutes of yoga per day PLUS at least three 30-minute sessions and two 60-minute sessions during the month of November i.e. twenty-five 15-minute sessions plus at least three 30-minute sessions plus at least two 60-minute sessions.

Option B: Do a minimum of 20-minutes of yoga per day PLUS at least three 60-minute and two 90-minute sessions during the month of November i.e. twenty-five 20-minute sessions plus at least three 60-minute sessions plus at least two 90-minute sessions.

How to participate:

Challenge Starts on November 1, 2011. 

Fill out the form below with your name and email address, you can also add your twitter handle and/or blog address if you have one (not required). I will send out sample Yoga Challenge Log that you will fill out for the month of November.  You must return the completed log to me by December 2, 2011.

Incentive Winnings: You can qualify by completing the challenge for either Option A or Option B (not both) and must indicate on your completed log which option you participated in.  For those who choose Option A you will be entered to win a $10 Lululemon Gift Card (purchased by me).  For those who choose Option B you will be entered to win a $25 Lululemon Gift Card (purchased by me). The winner will be chosen via random.org on December 3, 2011.  There will be one winner per each option.

Other Details:

  • You can practice your yoga anywhere.  It can be at home, outside, at the gym, in a studio, the grocery store, ect.  Anywhere you feel comfortable.
  • You can use yoga books, podcasts, DVD’s or do an instructor led practice (or if you want to go free form then do it!)
  • You do not need to have a blog to participate but if you do I encourage you to blog about your choice to participate and do daily or weekly updates; this can help you to stay accountable to yourself and your readers.
  • Also I’d love to see tweets! So if you have twitter make sure to add it in the form so I can follow you. #30daysofyoga
  • Send me photos! I’d love to see photos of you practicing and will do a weekly round up on my Fitness Friday post of any photos you send.
  • I will be doing posts every few days featuring my favorite video/podcasts, yoga classes, and other yoga resources to help inspire you (and myself) to keep up with your practice all month.

{Recipe}: Apple Banana Muffins

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Last night I was in the mood to do some baking so I made oatmeal raisin cookies sweetened with maple syrup, raisins and applesauce, Agave Trailmix Cookies from Vegan Cookies Invade your Cookie Jar  and a new Banana muffin recipe I’ve been working on.  This muffin is tasty and filled with dates, bananas and apples and sweetened with a little agave. I also made a sweetened vegan  cream cheese to top these tasty muffins.  You can find the printable recipe over here.


Ready to say “Good-Bye to October!”

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…and “Hello November!” I have am anxiously waiting and preparing for November first to come.  For me the start of a new month means a start of new possibilities and November is going to be a crazy one filled with new adventures in my personal, blog and business life.  I wish I could reveal everything right now but I am going to resist the urge and leave a little mystery until everything is more secure but trust me it’s exciting.  Don’t worry though I’m not going to leave everything a mystery here is what is going on with each part:

Personal

Neil and I are finally taking a mini vacation to Philadelphia over Thanksgiving! We have been in need of a vacation for months now and unfortunately it seems nothing has worked out.  We were supposed to go to Vida Vegan Con in August but then something (I can’t discuss here) prevented us from doing that.  Then we planned to go to Philadelphia for a long weekend in August with our friends and then Irene decided she wanted to rain on our parade. Next my trip to NYC for an IIN conference was cut short because Neil went and fell of his bike and bumped his head.  Also a result of Neil’s injury (which he has now recovered from- wahoo!) caused us to rethink our Disney World Half Marathon due to the fact he lost over a month of running time.  So now we are taking the time to get away and enjoy a new city and each others company.

We also are doing a mini trip to NYC in December to meet up with our friends who we haven’t seen in years. This is my favorite kind of trip because we are flying down (thank you JetBlue for cheap flights) and we are renting an apartment via airbnb.com.  It makes the trip so much less stressful when you don’t have to drive and stay in a hotel (which is 3x as much in NYC). I tweeted earlier today about doing a meet up in sometime between Dec 8-11, if you want to join our little meet up e-mail me lindsay@cookveganlover.com

Looking forward to these tasty treats

 

Running: I have been keeping up with running and even signed up for a half marathon in February! Neil is also going to be running this half.  It isn’t Disney but the good news is that we will be able to run our second half at Disney because we were (luckily) able to defer our registrations to another race.  We chose to do the Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon next September/October (the date hasn’t been released yet) which I think will be more fun because it will be warmer and at night.

Also if you are in NYC and want to come out and run with us or cheer us on we are running the NYRR Jingle Bell Jog while we are on vacation in NYC on December 10th.  We are so excited for this race!

Blog

I am planning a face lift for the blog. I am not loving the color and the layout and it just needs to be rejuvenated.   I am also looking to add some new features which will be revealed as they finish up.  In addition to visual improvements I am working to improve my photos, recipes and blog posts.  Instead of just posting to post I have been scheduling time in my day/week to actually sit down and blog.  I hope that this improves my blog and my writing.  I love my blog but I know I need to make improvements to it.

Health Coaching

Nicole Culver and I have created a 5 Session Teleclass Series that we will be putting on all month.  This series will be covering topics like sugar cravings, eating for energy, meal planning, eating out, exercise, self care and more. After each session participants receive handouts, an email with major points from session, recipes and bonus materials including a food shopping guide.  This series starts soon so if you are interested in participating you can sign up until 5pm EST on November 1st. 

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I am also offering a free teleclass on December 5, 2011 from 7:30pm-8pm EST that will discuss the top ways sugar is negatively affecting your health and happiness, tips to eat foods you enjoy and not deprive yourself, and ways your lifestyle affects your cravings. In addition you will also receive tips and suggestions on how to use natural sweeteners in your upcoming holiday baking.

Lastly, in January I will be rolling out a special CVL plant based health coaching program that you will find right here on the blog.  I am in the process of developing the entire program and more details will be coming out over the next month.  That being said I would love to hear what you would like to see in a program.

Other Events:
  • Hunger Mountain Coop’s 18th Annual Food and Wellness Expo
    • November 5, 2011
    • Location: Montpelier City Hall Time: 11:00 AM
    • Enjoy free samples of local and organic foods, free consultations with wellness practitioners and free massages! Bring a food item for the VT Foodbank and receive a $5 OFF coupon to The Coop!

 

 

{Recipe} Chickpea-Butternut Squash Curry

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This weekend we had a relaxed and laid back time. We strolled by the lake, did a little shopping, cooked, cleaned and brewed beer. I had a butternut squash on my counter taunting me to figure out something to make with it. The husband wanted squash soup but I was feeling something more chunky so we compromised with a Curried Chickpea-Butternut Stew.

Curried Chickpea-Butternut Stew
  • 1 large butternut squash, peeled and diced in 1/2 inch cubes
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 large sweet onion, diced
  • 3 large carrots, sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 cup vegetable broth
  • 1 15oz can coconut milk
  • 2 tablespoons madras curry powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon ume vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
  • 2.5 cups chickpeas
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 slices of galangal (or ginger -slightly different flavor)
  • 1 stick of lemongrass (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the butternut squash on the sheet.  Season with salt and pepper and bake for 25-30 minutes until fork soft. (Do this while you prepare the stew).
In a medium heavy bottom soup pot heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onions and saute for 5-7 minutes until they are softened. Stir in the carrots and cook for 5 more minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add in the remaining ingredients; stir to combine.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.  Stir in the squash and cook for 5-10 more minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

{Recipe}: Sesame Tofu Scramble

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On Saturday I made a big brunch for the Hubz and my parents. We had a variety of items on the menu including a sesame tofu scramble, inspired by one of my favorite breakfast spots in Burlington Magnoila Bistro. Magnolia’s sesame tofu scram includes carrots, asparagus, onions and garlic blended together with sesame oil and seeds. Neil always adds avocado to his, perfect addition, so I also added it to my version and it was delicious.

Sesame Tofu Scramble

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 block extra firm tofu, crumbled
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 5 button mushrooms, sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2-3 tablespoons tamari
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 2 cups baby spinach
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
  • Salt and pepper to taste (I like to use white pepper)
Directions:
In heat the oil in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat and add the onion and mushrooms; cook 5-7 minutes until soft.  Stir in the tofu and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.  Mix in the tamari and sesame oil and saute for 5 minutes.  Add in the baby spinach and saute until wilted.  Add in the avocado and sesame seeds and saute for 2-3 minutes.  Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary.