Tag Archives: winter

Winter Wassail Recipe

Today is the winter seasonal self care class at OhmMother Yoga. When I posted asking what people would prefer for our seasonal treat many of you had never heard of wassail so I wanted to make sure to get the recipe up if you want to make some at home whether you made it to class or not. I used a recipe from a spicy perspective for a slow cooker wassail but there are so many variations. I halved the original recipe and added a little water so its not quite as sweet.

What you need:

64 oz spiced cider (I got mine from trader joes)

2 cups orange juice

5 cinnamon sticks

1/2 teaspoon whole cloves

2 bags of hibiscus tea

1 inch peeled and sliced fresh ginger

1 apple sliced

1 orange sliced

Add all ingredients to slow cooker and cook on high for 3-4 hours. Add a few cups of water or to taste or not at all depending on your preference.

See you in a couple of hours!

Winter Self Care Challenge

The winter seasonal self care class is approaching quickly (on December 17th at OhmMother Yoga) but that doesn’t mean we have to wait until then to take care of ourselves.

December can be a busy month for so many people so I wanted to invite you to s.l.o.w down with me. If you are coming to class consider it homework because I want to know about your experience.

Here’s the challenge.

Commit to yourself to do 1, 3, or 5 minutes of constructive rest pose every day. If you can do it sometime between 3-7 that is ideal but if that doesn’t work pick any time especially a time that you can make this challenge successful. Now go to the alarm app on your phone and set a self care alarm so you won’t forget! 😉

While you rest in this pose I want you to simply listen to what your body is telling you. Then when your time is up continue on your day and observe how you feel. Share your constructive rest pose pictures or check in when you practice your self care on facebook or IG with hashtag #selfcarewithsarah Here’s more info on constructive rest pose.

Constructive Rest Pose

Lay face up

Arms at your sides, hands far enough away that palms rest comfortably up

Feet shoulder width apart, toes turn in allowing knees and thighs to rest against each other

What’s For Dinner Week 5

Am I the only one walking around in redundant awe of how warm and sunny it is in the middle of February?! Wow, its seriously blowing my mind in the best way. In tribute to this spring like weather I’ve included some springy dinners for this week balanced with some slow cooked shredded chicken burritos and pulled pork sandwiches. Enjoy that sunshine!

What’s for dinner this week?

Pulled Pork Sandwiches with shredded cabbage

Fish Tacos with Mango Kiwi Salsa

Chicken Burritos with Cilantro Lime Rice

Spinach Artichoke Lasagna

Creamy meatballs with spaghetti squash

I usually make my meatballs from scratch but I have half a bag of Costco meatballs left over from Christmas that need using and the creamy meatballs recipe was on the label and it caught my attention. I’ll high light what foods especially help nourish the kidney energy of winter. What I also like about this recipe is that you can add a few things to just about any recipe to give it a nutritional boost like spaghetti squash instead of pasta for example and fresh spinach and mushrooms instead of frozen or canned. The method of slow cooking and the richness of this dish is what makes it so good for winter. The spinach and artichokes ease the body’s natural ability to digest and cleanse after a rich meal.

What you need:

1 bag of spinach

can or box of cream of mushroom soup

2 cups of water

2 cups ricotta cheese

1 Tblsp balsamic vinegar (don’t tell my husband he thinks he doesn’t like it)

18 meatballs

sliced mushrooms

artichoke hearts (I used frozen because I had them, they aren’t on original recipe)

1 tsp red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

parmesan cheese for garnish

What to do:

Poke holes with a fork all around spaghettis squash and roast at 450 for 35-40 minutes or until soft.

In the meantime combine cheese, vinegar, soup, artichokes and mushrooms in pot and turn heat on low. Stir occasionally to combine. Add meatballs and cook until heated through. Rough chop spinach or chop in food processor and add 5-10 minutes before serving, stir well.

When squash is cooked, cut in half and deseed. Use a fork to fluff out the spaghetti squash and season lightly with salt and pepper. Pour cream sauce and meatballs over spaghetti and Enjoy!

Protected: Seasonal Self Care Class for Winter OhmMother Yoga

Seasonal Self Care Class for Winter Sneak Peak (January)

Here is a little sneak peak into what we will be talking about at Yogapuncture for Winter this Saturday.

January is traditionally a time for resolutions, by Febuary most are abandoned or forgotten. There are a couple of reasons why I think this happens. One, being that most resolutions are about health and our idea of health is usually weight loss and the winter isn’t the time for that. We need insulation in the winter to stay warm! The other being that most resolutions revolve around some form of marketing and its not really what we want but rather what we think/are told we want. Lastly our kidney energy is depleted making it hard to have strong resolve.

The Kidneys in Chinese Medicine house the will. It might be why in January we feel so inspired to start anew because winter is when the kidneys are most active. The kidney energy also controls the bones. In Yoga, alignment is of utmost importance for full benefit of postures as well as to prevent injury. My teacher would say, when bones are stacked properly there is no effort of the muscles, the muscles simply support the bones. When we find neutrality in our spine and our bodies are in alignment our bodies can take in more oxygen and are able to store more for available usable energy. On the flip side if our bodies are not in alignment it can compromise every system of the body.

Mountain Pose:, steady, strong, immovable

In yogapuncture for Winter we will talk about the foundation of our yoga practice and how we can use this as a tool for the year. Through proper alignment the kidney energy can remain strong and keep the will focused. In our yoga practice we will work on foundation postures and build slowly from there. Movement in the winter should be slow and restorative but we are also every day closer to spring now that we have passed the winter solstice. Through these slow and restorative postures we are able to keep the kidneys nourished and keep our energetic savings account full.

This year already feels full of potential doesn’t it? The intention of class is to give you the tools you need to achieve your goals for 2017, lets enjoy the Winter season instead of “getting through it.”

Winter is NOT the time to lose weight

My husband was all set to invest in some reset program. Its that time of year, a few holidays of rich foods and a tighter waist band and we find this need to look for something outside of ourselves to look or feel a certain way. Maybe the problem isn’t us, maybe the problem is marketing.

We started talking about a better plan, instead of investing $200 into powders and bars that sounded a lot like torture (to me) into whole food, real food, the kind of food that doesn’t last very long because its alive. I started thinking about Laura Ingalls. What would they be eating right now in the dead of winter? Vegetables that could be stored, squashes, potatoes, beans, apples and wild game that could be hunted. Winter is comfort food season. Quite honestly this is not the time to lose weight, its the time to hold on for warmth! The best we can do right now is to stay away from sugar and eat warm, slow cooked, from scratch foods. We decided to add the kind of foods into our lives that we wanted to be eating and allow the ones we want to avoid like christmas cookies to naturally fall away from our palate. There’s only so much you can eat in a day and by focusing on more plant based foods like vegetables our bodies are nourished and will be less likely to be searching for sugar fixes. I looked all over for smoothie recipes that felt balanced enough for the cold weather and everything I looked at felt too much like summer. So my plan is to make up some sipping vegetable stock and chicken stock when I’m craving a cup of tea in the afternoon to drink instead. I’ll share the recipe once I’ve gotten it down.

If you want to understand how acupuncture helps with weight loss I wrote a series awhile back if you want to take a look, just wait to use the principles until the spring when its what your body is looking to do. 😉

Acupuncture for Weight Loss Part 1

Acupuncture for Weight Loss Part 2

Acupuncture for Weight Loss Part 3

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Check back for winter recipes and join me for the next Yogapuncture for Winter if you want to learn more about connecting to the seasons. Our lunch today was inspired by this complete nourishing winter bowl, I added some green curry it was warm and delicious devoid of deprivation of any kind.

The Shortest Day of the Year

Happy Winter Solstice!

Today is the shortest day of the year and to me that feels like really good news. It means that everyday will become just a little bit lighter.

Like we talked about in the winter yogapuncture winter is the time of going inward, when our energy is deep and we should be resting. This can be tricky to balance with the holiday season.

Today take some time ideally somewhere between 3-7 (its when the kidney/urinary bladder the organ system of the season is most active in the body) and come into constructive rest pose. Its deeply restorative for your body and if held for 10 minutes is the equivalent of 2 hours sleep.

For more info and how to do constructive rest pose head over here to the archives! Breathe deep and enjoy!

Want to know more about thriving in the winter season? Join me Saturday Jan 14th at OhmMother Yoga for the next Seasonal Harmony: Yogapuncture for Winter. For more information and to register visit here.

1 Pot Three Bean Green Chili

This is a good recipe about balance. Its a hearty meal with lots of health benefits that I like to pair with tortilla chips and sour cream and shredded cheese. The warming nature of the chili itself along with the spices helps to counteract the cooling nature of the sour cream and shredded cheese. Because life is too short to skip the sour cream. 😉 Its also a quick and easy meal, 30 minutes or less to make. I’ve bolded the ingredients that especially benefit the kidney energy of winter.