Happy Trails with Fun Healthy Snack

Making your own  snack is a lot of fun and can be a wonderful creative experience.      
Photo Julie Sauvé 2011

Anytime I go mountain climbing, river canoeing, cycling or any other sports, or just when I’m very busy running around during my day, I always keep a nutritious protein snack on hand to keep my energy level up and my taste buds happy.

Nothing like my Raw Cocoa Cranberry Kasha Mix to keep you energetic and satisfied.

Organic cranberries and raw cocoa nibs complement and balance well the crunchy sprouted kasha for a wonderful happy trail mix.        

                                                                                                                                           Photo Julie SAUVÉ 2011

Raw Cocoa Cranberry Kasha Mix

2 cups sprouted organic kasha (buckwheat)

1 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt

1 cup organic raw cocoa nibs

1 cup organic cranberries

Soak the raw kasha for 4 to 6 hours.  Rince and let sprout in a dark place for about a day or two if you prefer longer «tails» on the kasha.

Mix the kasha with the pink salt and spread on a teflex sheet.  Dehydrate at 105° for about 24 to 26 hours or until the kasha is crunchy.

In a bowl mix the kasha with the raw cocoa nibs and cranberries.

Keep in a air-tight container in a dry cool place until you can enjoy on your next wonderful adventure!

Now, a little citrus zest... for a BIG citrus taste!

Sprouted quinoa is like little precious jewels...Incas considered quinoa to be
"The Sacred Grain".                                           

                                                                                                                                                                        Photo Julie SAUVÉ 2011

If you like citrus, this next recipe of little sprouted clusters will sure create a party in your mounth and put a smile on your face.  They’re like a little burst of citrus sunshine in each bite! 

Quinoa is rich in protein, minerals, calcium and iron and loaded with a variety of essentials vitamins.  Ancient Incas considered it to be the sacred grain.

Citrus Sprouted Quinoa Clusters

2 cups quinoa, sprouted

1 orange, the zest

1 lemon, juice

1 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt

2 tablespoons blue agave nectar 

Soak the quinoa for 4 to 6 hours.  Rince and let sprout in a dark place for about a day or two if you prefer longer «tails» on the quinoa.

Mix all other ingredients until the quinoa is well coated.  You can replace the agave nectar with maple syrup if you prefer.  Maple syrup is not raw but it’s still very good for you.

Spread mix on a teflex sheet.  Dehydrate at 105° for about 24 to 26 hours or until the quinoa is crunchy.

If you like to try this recipe with the opposite - like lemon zest and orange juice, be my guest, I just love the two contrasts.  You can even switch the lemon with lime and the orange with a grapefruit.  Have fun on your adventure and enjoy this nutritious snack!

Coming soon, check out my recipes for raw vegan nuts and seeds crackers.

From your kitchen into the "wild",


Happy trails to You!

With much Yoga Love Life,

Julie

Winter chills...Hot tea! ...or Powerful Herbal Teas

January's colder temperature is always favorable in creating nature's most spectacular ice sculptures...

Photo Julie SAUVÉ 2011

As winter sets in its very cold temperatures, it’s time to find ways to counter those chills without burdening our organic systems.  Not to replace comfort food for something else, however just adding tea and herbal teas as a new daily hot beverage is simple and should prove successful.

Tea is considered by most Eastern cultures a powerful drink for its numerous and various inner properties and medicinal vertues.


I say, it's definitely a hot item!!

Teas and herbal teas are complex drinks.  Not only is it used in sacred ceremony in Tibet, India and China, it is also used in most ancient and present Eastern cultures for medicinal purposes.  Tea has long been deeply set into, and apart of, Japanese traditions...In Japan, teais so important, it even has its own elaborate ceremony.

Powerful Sencha Green Tea served in these traditional Japanese cups I received as a gift a long time ago...they were even brought back, with a story of course, from Japan!  Stories, as much as tea itself, fill the cup and infuses the tea with memories and certainly a little magic!

Photo Julie SAUVÉ 2011

In a daily routine, tea can certainly be a ritual and fill a need for personal care and attention, but it certainly does not have to be complicated.  Any gesture or action we do in life can be fueled with a variety of personal intentions and mindfulness, and when that happens, it then becomes a powerful ritual.  

Like watering flowers can become a prayer through conscious gestures and delicate thoughts, cooking can be a creative meditation.  Likewise, tea prepared with mindfulness and great presence will transform the tea into a powerful beverage, a potion...

I find it always makes a difference when you have special tea cups or glasses.  A while back a good friend of mine went back into her country of Marrocco to visit family and friends.  Knowing I loved and had been looking for original Marroccan tea glasses, she brought back for me two set of different colored Marroccan glasses.  Ever since, I use them everyday for tea, and it does contribute to my experience of preparing tea for myself or for others, and also enjoying the tea it self.  

Mmmmm...Hot Herbal Teas seem to taste better in these wonderful sparkling  Maroccan tea glasses...;)

Photo Julie SAUVÉ 2011

So, go ahead, take out your vintage family china and use it to create a wonderful personal experience!

Enjoy!

FENNEL INFUSION

Fennel seeds are very powerful.  They have been used for thousands of years in various cultures for various purposes.  The mixtures and infusions from dry fennel seeds eliminate stomachaches and stimulate digestion.  The fennel mixture is used to sharpen the eyesight and alleviate eye irritations.  Fennel seeds and roots unclog the liver, spleen, billiary bladder and eliminate cramps.  Also, the tea from fennel leaves and seeds is beneficial for removing intestinal worms and bacteria.

Here’s looking at you...Fennel Seed!

There is two methods you can use to make fennel infusion.  

1. Boil loosely 1 heaping tablespoon of fennel seeds in about 1 liter of purified water for 10 minutes.  Avoid direct contact of the fennel seeds with metal that is why we let them boil loosely.  Drain the tea through any device or just pour the tea into a jug or teapot.  The seeds usually end up at the botom and so will unlikely get into your cup or tea glass.

1. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of fennel seeds into a teapot and pour boiling water over.  Let steep for 10 minutes.  The feenel seeds will end up at the bottom of the teapot, so just pour straight into your cup or tea glass.

Keep this infusion with fennel alone as the usage of tea would counteract with tits appeasing effect on the digestive system.

Folkloric Stories...and Ancient beliefs

Here are some interesting folkloric stories about how fennel was used during the Middle Ages, and all the way back into Ancient times.

The fact that this herb was used in the ancient times is shown by the traditions presented in mythology. In Greek myths, this plant was associated with Dionysus, god of feasts and wine. It is also said that intelligence came from the gods and reached the humans through a fennel stem. 

Fennel was also considered to have magical characteristics. In the Middle Ages during the summer solstice this herb was placed by the door in order to fend off the evil spirits. What is more, the plant seeds were used to block the keyhole to keep the ghosts from entering the homes.  

It is believed from folklore that this herb has mysterious vitalistic characters. It was believed that snakes would digest fennel to shed their skin and to sharpen their vision. Likewise, it was believed that this herb has a rejuvenating effect on man and helps the eye sight.

MINT INFUSION or MINT TEA

Mint’s active compounds make it a useful sedative, disinfectant and cicatrizing agent.

To make your Mint Tea, boil 200ml of water for 1 tablespoon of mint leaves.  You can drink it hot or cold throughout your day.  You can also infuse it with your favorite Tea, preferably a green or a white tea to allow the flavor come through.  If you use mint as a sedative, avoid mixing it with teas.

Numerous benefits

Because of its menthol, mint has a very good action over the digestive system, causing a small anesthesia of the gastric mucous membrane. It also stimulates digestion.

It is also recommended in cases of asthma, bronchitis and the flu because of its antispasmodic and sedative properties. Sinusitis can well be treated with mint also through inhalation or chest massages.

CORIANDER INFUSION

Dried yellow fruits, we generally know as coriander seeds, have a nice smell and a sweet flavor. The bitterish taste is predominant to the sweet hot astringent taste.  

Fructus Coriandri, in other words coriander fruits are used as a stimulant for the gastrointestinal secretion, sedative and carminative. They ameliorate the abdominal pains, reduce digestive spasms and distend. Coriander is also known as a bactericide, fungicide and anthelmintic. It has also a good influence over the neural system and stimulates memory.

To make your Coriander Infusion, prepare with half a spoon of fruits mixed in a cup of hot water.

Sit back and enjoy its  wonderful aroma and southing, calming effect.

Remember water is simple but combine with the simple addition from one of nature’s jewels, it can become an ever so powerful elixir.

Let’s rejoyce everyday in Mother Earth’s abundance of jewels, and let’s celebrate Her infinite power of healing, nurturing and eternal wisdom.

With much Yoga Love Life to You,

Julie

Yoga Matinal Express 10 min & Détox - Réveille-toi à ton corps et ta journée

Ton réveil du matin se fait-il parfois difficilement dans un corps raide et inflexible?  

Ton cou te semble de travers, tes muscles coincés, ton dos endolori...

Bien que le corps soit une machine complexe, il pardonne beaucoup.

Et comme une machine très sophistiquée,

À moins que tu lui apporte l’attention et le soin nécessaire chaque jour (respiration), lubrifier les rouages (exercices, étirements), et fournir les meilleures composantes (alimentation, eau, etc.),

La machine ne pourra fonctionner ni correctement, ni de façon optimale.

La majorité d’entre nous ignorons que, lorsque minuit sonne, on ne change pas tout à fait en citrouille, sauf que....

Tout les soirs à minuit, nos nombreux systèmes organiques débutent leur travail journalier -

Des milliers de fonctions et de taches aidant notre corps à départager le bon du mauvais et lui permettant d’éliminer les déchets toxiques.  Par exemple, à minuit, le foie commence à remplir 500 différentes fonctions essentielles à la santé du corps.

Imagine les autres organes, tels le pancréas, les reins, les glandes, etc.

Plus les organes doivent travailler pour nettoyer ton système de sa consommation quotidienne et ses activités journalières, plus ton corps ressentira  des effets secondaires de fatigue et raideur lors du réveil matinal.

Les animaux donnent le bon exemple

Chaque fois et aussi souvent qu’il se lève de son endroit de repos, mon chat ne manque jamais de s’étirer dans la posture du chien la tête en bas et du chien la tête en haut...ou plutôt chat la tête en bas et chas la tête en haut!  Naturellement, les animaux ont un comportement très intuitif et agissent toujours pour leur fonctionnement optimal. 

Un peu de YOGA engendre un grand bien-être...

Il y a quelques grandes choses que tu peux faire sur une base régulière pour bien prendre soin de ton corps.

Le Yoga est une de ces grandes choses.

Aucun besoin de participer à une classe intensive de yoga ou d’en faire une heure par jour.

Commence petit.  Et commence là où tu es aujourd’hui.

10 minute de yoga au réveil est un grand cadeau et une merveilleuse façon de commencer ta journée.

Session Yoga Matinal Express 10 minutes!
Essaie cette routine...dans le confort de ton pyjama!

• Lève-toi 
• INSPIRE et étire tes bras vers le ciel pour joindre les paumes
• En maintenant les jambes bien fermes, EXPIRE prends le poignet gauche avec la main droite et étire tout le côté gauche du corps en tirant le poignet tranquillement vers le haut.  Répète maintenant pour étirer le côté droit.
• EXPIRE, pose les deux mains sur tes hanches,
• Avec le menton guidant légèrement vers l’avant et le haut, INSPIRE allonge la colonne,
• En maintenant les jambes fermes, EXPIRE descends le torse vers l’avant et vers le sol en pliant aux hanches.
• En prenant chaque coude de la main opposée, laisse la tête pendre et le cou s’étirer, le visage détendu, le cou détendu.
• Prends quelques grandes RESPIRATIONS complètes tout en laissant la gravité allonger la colonne et étirer les muscles du dos.  Maintenant, laisse tes bras pendre au sol ou vers le sol.
• La circulation inversée du sang activera tranquillement le coeur tout en rafraîchissant le cerveau et le visage.
• En gardant toujours les jambes très fermes et bien engagées, INSPIRE entrelace les doigts derrière le dos, EXPIRE étire les bras vers le ciel et vers l’avant pour ouvrir et étirer les épaules.
• En pliant légèrement les jambes, INSPIRE tout en déroulant tranquillement la colonne pour aligner les vertèbres, une par-dessus l’autre, la tête s’enfilant en dernier.
• Une fois la colonne déroulée, INSPIRE pour rouler tes épaules vers l’arrière.
• Maintenant, les yeux fermés, prends quelques grandes RESPIRATIONS complètes pour régulariser le flux sanguin et pour savourer les effets revitalisants de ce massage vertébral.
• Sur la dernière EXPIRATION, laisse tes paupières s’ouvrir.  

Avec cette session de Yoga Matinal Express 10 minutes, tu devrais maintenant te sentir ravivé(e), énergique, et prêt(e) pour une merveilleuse journée.

NETTOYAGE FLASH ! Boire un grand verre d’eau citronnée/lime-ée...ou deux!

Reconnaissant maintenant comment tes organes travaillent fort durant ton sommeil devrait te faire comprendre comment de simples actions ont de grandes répercussions...

Justement comme cette session de Yoga Matinal Express 10 minutes!

Maintenant, voici un autre conseil simple et rapide pour commencer ta journée.

Bois un grand verre d’eau, idéalement avec un peu de jus de lime ou de citron.

Non seulement l’eau aide à évacuer les déchets toxiques que les organes ont dirigés dans les reins et les intestins, aussi

Le jus de lime/citron aide à neutraliser l’acidité causée par les déchets toxiques.

Bien que le pH de la lime et du citron est très acide lorsqu’en contact avec l’air,

Son acidité se transforme instantanément en élément alcalin une fois dans l’environnement très acide des liquides gastriques contenus dans l’estomac. 

Une fois que tu auras goûté à l’effet désaltérant et rafraîchissant de cette citron/lime-ade, pourquoi ne pas t’offrir un autre verre !?

Assure-toi seulement de profiter pleinement de cet effet bénéfique durant au moins 30 minutes avant de consommer le petit déjeuner, et voilà nettoyage instantané!

Rappelle-toi, sois gentil(le) avec toi-même.

Essaie ceci aussi souvent que tu le peux/veux.  Si tu sens que ton corps en demande plus, propose-toi de prendre le temps pour t’offrir un petit extra durant la journée ou avant d’aller au lit.

Toujours, simplement une journée à la fois.

Avec beaucoup de lumière et de joie,

Yoga Love Life à Toi,

Julie

10 minute Morning Yoga & Cleanse - Wake up to your Body and Your Day

Do you wake up in the morning sometimes feeling stiff and stuck?  

Your neck might feel crooked, your muscles tight, your back sore...

Although the body is  complex, it is a very forgiving machine.  

And just like a super sophiticated engine, 

Unless you provide it with the right care and attention daily (breathing), oil the facetts (exercise, stretch), and input the best data (food, water, etc), 

It will not function optimally nor properly.

Most of us don’t know that when midnight strikes, we don’t exactly  turn into a pumpkin.  

At midnight every night, our organic systems start their daily work - 

Thousands of functions and tasks to help your body sort the good from the bad and help your body rid of toxic waist.  For example, starting at midnight, the liver starts performing 500 tasks.  

Imagine the other organs like the pancreas, kidneys, glands, etc... 

The more your organs need to work to clean your system of your day’s intake and activities, the more tired or stiff your body will feel after sleep.  

Animals set a good example

Never do I see my cat get off his sleeping spot without stretching in downward dog and upward dog...make that downward cat and upward cat!  Naturally, animals are very intuitive in behavior and always know what’s best...

A little YOGA goes a long way...

There are a few great things you can do on a daily basis to take good care of your body.

One great thing is Yoga.  

You don’t have to attend a super intensive yoga class or do a full hour a day.

Start small.  And start where you are.  

10 minute when you wake up is a great gift AND a wonderful way to start your day.

10-minute Yoga Wake-up Session
Try this routine...in your pyjamas!

• Stand up
• INHALE and reach for the sky and join your palms
• Keeping your legs firm, EXHALE take hold of your left wrist and stretch the left side of your body.  Switch to repeat with the right side.
• Place both hands on your hips, INHALE elongate the spine with the chin slightly up, 
• Keeping your legs firm, EXHALE fold forward at the waist 
• Taking hold of your elbows, let your head hang, face relaxed.
• Take a few full BREATHS as gravity elongates your spine and stretches your back muscles.  Let your arms hang.
• The reverse blood flow will softly activate your heart and refresh your face and brain.
• Keeping the legs still very strong, INHALE interlace your fingers at the back, EXHALE extend the arms forward to open and stretch the shoulders. 
• Bending your knees a little, INHALE as you slowly roll up your spine one verterbrae at a time, head last.
• Once your all rolled up, INHALE to roll your shoulders back.
• Now, eyes closed, take a few FULL BREATHS to enjoy the effects of this spinal massage and let the blood flow settle.
• On your last EXHALE let your eyes open.

With only this very strategic wake-up session, you should feel revived, energized and ready for a wonderful day.

FLASH CLEANSE! Drink a Full Glass of Lime/Lemon Water...or two!

Knowing how hard your organs work for during your sleep should help you understand how little actions can go a long way...

Just like that 10-minute Yoga Wake-up Session!  

Now, here’s another quick tip to start your day.  

Drink a full glass of water, preferably with a little lime or lemon juice.  

Not only does the water helps flush what your organs have directed to your kidneys and bowels, but

Lemon/lime juice acts as a toxic acidity neutralizer.  

Although lemon/lime juice is very acidic when in contact with air, it instantly turns alcaline once it reaches the gastric acid of your stomach.  

Now, once you’ve tasted the wonderful refreshing taste of this lemon/limeaid, why not have another glas!?...

Remember, be kind to yourself.  

Try this as often as you can.  If you feel your body wants more, intend to make time for a little extra during your day or before going to bed.  

Always, one day at a time.

With much Light & Joy,

Yoga Love Life To You,

Julie