Having a well stocked kitchen pantry is essential. It gives you flexibility in the kitchen and helps you to be more creative. For those who love to follow a recipe, it becomes much easier when your kitchen pantry is well stocked. You are also much more likely to eat a healthy diet on a regular basis if your kitchen is filled with the right foods.
Today I share the contents of my pantry. I don’t always have all these ingredients on hand, and this is by no means a complete list. However, I have included quite a wide variety of foods.
Run through the list and see what you already have, and don’t have. Then, make a list of which items you think will get the most use, and make those the first new additions to your healthy pantry. You may want to switch some of what you do have for healthier versions/options. The transition will be gradual and eventually your new healthy whole foods will crowd out the processed/refined foods.
If you are lucky enough to live in the United States you can buy many of these foods on amazon.com. They have quite a large selection and most of the time great prices. If the quantity is too much for you, think about sharing (goods and cost) with some friends.
For those of you who live in Canada, check out Upaya Naturals for online ordering. I also buy a lot of great food at Costco at unbelievable prices. They carry new healthy products regularly.
ARE YOU READY TO START THE TRANSITION TO A HEALTHY PANTRY?
Today marks the beginning of week #3 of Moksha Yoga’s Grow Your Yoga. Week #3′s focus is Be Accessible and I was lucky enough to get Jen, an incredibly captivating writer, to write today’s blog post about it. Jen has an awesome blog called Memoirs of a Downward Dog. Jen’s blog is honest, real, and inspiring.
Grow Your Yoga Week # 3: Be Accessible by Jen Reed
The theme for this week’s Grow Your Yoga is to Be Accessible, and after a few furrowed brows and question-mark shaped pursed lips around the studio, it got me thinking: what does that mean exactly? To be accessible? Continue reading →
Tala is back with another workout to help get us in better shape for summer. If you missed her first workout check it out here.
Personally, I never feel better than when I have worked out and had a healthy smoothie. It makes me feel like I am on top of the world. I hope you guys are feeling like that too! Tala is here to help.
If you haven’t done much exercise recently there is no better time than spring to get up, get out and get moving!
An important rule in fitness is to keep your body guessing when you are trying to get results. The body is really great at adapting, so it’s important to change up your workouts and keep challenging yourself. It’s not supposed to get easier, you’re just getting stronger!
This workout can be considered a ‘Day 2′ to the previous circuit that was posted. So you can get a different workout on each day! Or if you are looking to switch it up, and don’t have the time to incorporate a workout on each day, change it up with this new circuit I developed.
The videos were shot at the Mansfield Athletic Club in downtown Montreal in their beautiful Trinity Room. Although you can’t see it, the entire ceiling is a skylight!
Remember that a refreshing smoothie goes down really well after a workout ☺
Check me out on my facebook page, and send me a message if you have any questions or comments about the workouts and even if you just want to say hey!
The Smoothie Challenge is well under way and I am personally loving all the new smoothies I am experimenting with. Today I had a chocolate mint green tea smoothie that blew my mind. Although I have been drinking a lot of smoothies to support all the physical activity I have been doing, a man’s gotta eat. And this man, loves to eat! As much as I love smoothies.
With much of my time going towards creating the 30 day smoothie challenge and all the exciting upcoming guest posts I haven’t had much time to create and share many delicious plant-based recipes therefore I thought I would take a few minutes today to share a recipe I have been making regularly for the past little while. It has become my go to pancake recipe.
I personally love pancakes. I love maple syrup too! Don’t you? You will be glad to know that these pancakes are healthier than your typical pancake. And if you want to make them even healthier you may want to skip on the syrup and consider using things like, unsweetened jam, nut butters and coconut butter.
The first few times I was experimenting with making pancakes with chickpea flour I was mixing it with other flours like quinoa, and amaranth. Trying out different combination over and over again. Then I decided why not just try chickpea flour. My friend Leanne over at Healthful Pursuit had success with it so why not. If you want to make these pancakes a little sweeter you can add a 1/4 cup of coconut sugar to the dry ingredients. However if you ware suing maple syrup they will be plenty sweet as is. Continue reading →
Allow me to introduce, the one and only Philly D. It is an honour and privilege to have Philly D guest post on Health is Happiness today. Week #2 of Grow Your Yoga focuses on Be Peace, and Philly D is here to drop some knowledge and wisdom on us. Be sure to follow him on twitter.
Philly D is a single dad who’s priority is always his sweet emJ. From here great love & passion flows into his yoga practice & teaching. He is the architect of Dharma Hip Hop Yoga, a class that is often called “yoga with a conscious swagger.” It’s message, music & dope ass movement.
RISE UP & Meet Your Moments with Peace by Philly D
“You wanna change the world, change yourself. But don’t think for a minute you can stop there.”- Guante, “Break (ft. Kristoff Krane)”
I really love this track. Guante is a local hip hop artist here in Minneapolis. The above lyric makes reference to the famous Ghandi quote, “Be The Change You Want To See In The World.” But what he is also doing is igniting you to go further. In many ways this is the essence of Moksha’s Grow Your Yoga event. It’s challenging you to go beyond yourself, beyond your mat.
Every time you come to the mat, yoga invites you to change yourself. It can peel aways layers of influence and lets you connect to self. With each breath you are encouraged to Rise Up and Meet Your Moments, and then it invites you to go further and meet your moments with peace. But here’s the truth, it takes practice, because so often the same moment can rise in our life and we keep letting it pass us by. Fear & doubt take over. It removes you from a peaceful step forward.
My sister Vieve is a great example of what were discussing here. She let the same moment pass her by, but as her awareness grew, so did her peace. With just a shift of one word she met that passing moment with unwavering strength. In the asana (physical practice) we call this a micro-movement. It can change you. “But don’t think for a minute you can stop there.” She didn’t. Continue reading →
Today’s guest post is written by another incredible woman and friend of mine, Tala. Tala is a personal trainer and lifestyle consultant here in Montreal. Tala’s positive energy will motivate you to work your butt off!
Be sure to check out her blog called Tala Lifestyle, and her Facebook page. Today she shares the first of 2 workouts with us to help get us moving.
The workout can be done at home, or even better at the park. Get outside and get some sun. Be sure to bring a delicious smoothie to enjoy after your workout!
Also, if you happen to live in Montreal, Tala can be found every Tuesday at lululemon athletica Ste-Catherine at 6:30pm giving a free Tabata workout. This is definitely worth checking out.
If you have been putting off getting in shape, why not start now?
Getting in Shape With Tala
Small lifestyle changes such as making a smoothie a day for 30 days can lead to big changes over time. Why not take your lifestyle and health to the next level by adding a great, quick workout to the mix? A smoothie after a workout is a great way to replenish your energy stores.
Summer is around the corner. The days are getting longer, warmer and we’re on the move to shed our winter weight to get ourselves summer ready. As a personal trainer, kinesiologist, and lifestyle coach I always encourage my clients to head outdoors when possible for a workout. I’m here to help you jump-start this summer season feeling great in your threads and skin with a quick in home workout.
The idea behind the workout that I have developed is to keep your heart pumping. This workout will be working all your muscles including your heart. But the key, is to listen to your body. If something doesn’t feel right, or you have a nagging injury that is still sensitive, pay attention. The last thing you want is to find yourself injured during the best time of year!
This workout will take about 30minutes to complete in total. If you don’t have 30min, do as much as you can and be happy with what you were able to do! Remember, any amount of minutes towards your health is always better than zero minutes!
Keep track of how many reps you are doing per exercise, and how many rounds you get through and try to improve your number next time!
“They say you are what you eat, so I strive to be healthy
My goal in life is not to be rich or wealthy
Cause true wealth comes from good health, and wise ways
We got to start taking better care of ourselves”
Dead Prez, Be Healthy
The first challenge of the Grow Your Yoga month-long extravaganza is Be Healthy. From May 1st-7th, make your choices healthy ones. No matter what your lifestyle is, I bet you there’s some way you can move towards being healthier and feeling better.
Embrace this challenge by adopting a healthier diet for the week, thereby making a better choice for both you and the environment. The Grow Your Yoga crew have suggested you eat local, organic, vegetarian or vegan and you can read all about this great challenge at www.growyouryoga.ca
Be Healthy has a lot of meaning to me and I wish my words could have great power to inspire you to embrace and dive into this challenge for both this first week and the entire month, maybe even the rest of your life. I am so passionate about healthy living and the positive effect it has had on my life, if only there was some way for me to plug you into my brain and my heart so you could see and feel how my lifestyle has enabled me to feel so good-but I’m not sure that would be healthy!
So, instead, I’ll just tell you a little bit about the way I used to live and the way I live now. I used to work too hard, party non-stop, barely ever sleep and either barely eat or eat unhealthy foods. I lived that way for a long time and it worked great for a few years. I lived off adrenalin and stimulants. Then every few weeks I started to crash hard and I’d need stronger stimulants just to bring me back to neutral. My body rejected this lifestyle so strongly I actually caused my intestine to rupture and had to have emergency surgery.
Coming out of that experience, I made a few changes to the way I ate, but I didn’t change the rest of my habits. I smoked, I drank, I partied and didn’t sleep. I was so disconnected from myself, from the needs of my body, I didn’t even know I wasn’t ok. One day, I made the choice to walk away from my lifestyle. I was drained and alone and empty. I didn’t think I could ever feel good again, I didn’t think I’d ever have energy again. I’d see happy people around me smiling and all full of light and all I felt inside was fatigue and a deep sadness.
One day I picked up a book about food and healthy living and it made such an impact on me, I changed my eating habits that day and slowly, I started to feel better. It made me so excited to experience health and have energy, I kept reading and learning and because I had more energy I was able to practice yoga more. Yoga was so important to me, but had never been able to fit into my former lifestyle.
That was five years ago and I am so thankful every day for where my life is today and how I feel inside. I’ve cleared my body of all the toxins I fed it for so long and now I can really feel which foods drain me and which ones nourish me. It’s awesome! This path of eating healthy has guided me towards physical, mental and spiritual health.
I’ve chosen to live Vegan and eat a lot of raw foods. There are many ways to fuel and nourish your body in a healthy way so I really encourage you to get inspired and learn as much as you can. I use Kieran’s blog for recipes, find great local restaurants that serve healthy foods and make time to take care of myself. From the bottom of my heart I wish you health, and Kieran, you are some kind of genius, because health is happiness.
I am excited to say that today’s post is brought to you by Montreal’s own Crudessence.
Crudessence is a Montreal based restaurant committed to bringing people into deeper reflection and inspiring daily acts of self-respect and responsibility. This is why our culinary approach is vegan, organic, predominantly raw, gluten-free, hand-made and favouring local and fair-trade suppliers. Serving living, nourishing foods while helping each individual discover a deeper potential brings infinite meaning to our slogan, serving life.
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As life gets busier, too often the first sacrifice made is the very thing that keeps us going throughout the day: fuel (commonly known as food). We opt for quick fixes like takeout, processed foods, snack food or nutritionally incomplete snacks to fill in the gaps between meals. Sometimes these options will even replace our meals! There has to be a better way, right? Right!
Instead of advising that you take time to prepare each of your meals, let us suggest the healthiest quick fix that you can possibly fit into your life: smoothies. Smoothies have limitless potential! Fruit smoothies, green smoothies, chocolate-banana smoothies, breakfast smoothies, midday snack smoothies, dessert smoothies, superfood smoothies, pre-workout smoothies, post-workout smoothies, meal replacing smoothies… this list goes on! Packed with fresh and delicious nutrients, smoothies make you the artist and your blender the blank canvas.
During your 30-day challenge, try making one of our favourites, the Doux-vert. If you’re having trouble convincing your child (or spouse) to eat their greens, this smoothie just may be the solution. Spinach lovers and haters alike will reunite around the metaphorical water cooler and rave about this Crudessence classic!
Stop by one of our restaurants this spring and let us make you your favourite smoothie!
Enjoy!
Find 180 more Crudessence creations in our recipe book!
Todays post is a guest post written by Lindsay McCusky. Lindsay is a Moksha Yoga teacher here in Montreal, as well as a restorative yoga teacher.
Last year Lindsay created an awesome smoothie challenge within the Moksha community. This year we are teaming up to bring you the Health is Happiness 30 Day Smoothie Challenge. I am very excited to be working with Lindsay on promoting the challenge. If you are into yoga there is another great challenge happening in the month of May called Grow Your Yoga.
May 1st we begin our 30 day yoga challenge at Moksha yoga West Island, NDG and Montreal. In addition to the 30 day challenge, we also have another campaign running called Grow Your Yoga; a campaign designed to help “grow your yoga” on and off your mat while raising money to support the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust.
Often we think that yoga can only be practiced in a studio when in reality you can practice yoga absolutely anywhere you choose! I passionately believe Yoga is more about the inner connection to self in any given moment or situation. On that note, I know that being intimately connected to yourself helps you become more aware of your body and your health. During the 30 Day Challenge, you are “challenged” to make it onto your mat for 30 days. During those 30 days, you can experience some incredible changes which is why Kieran and I have decided to partner up. Together, we would like to support and help you with what you are putting in your body.
I created a smoothie challenge last year and felt amazing after the 30 days and also got great feedback. I know when I am tired I don’t always make optimal food choices or if I am in a rush I might grab something to eat which in the end physically and mentally lowers my energy . Throughout the years I have struggled with an eating disorder and know that I am not alone. I know how important is it to “nourish your soul”. I strongly believe it starts with what you put in your body. Proper nutrition is key to a healthy and happy life, hence “Health is Happiness” – good one Kieran!!! Truthfully, the combination of yoga and smoothies has helped transform my health. So let’s get together this month and support one another to live a Healthier and Happier life!!!
With the smoothie support page on FB, Kieran and I will be here to help along the way with recipes and tips. Let’s do this, come sweat it up at Moksha yoga. I am crazy excited for this. We are confident only good things can come out of taking care of your health, surrounding yourself with positive people, and coming together as a loving community to help make the world a better place!
Sign Up for the Health is Happiness 30 Day Smoothie Challenge below
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Health is Happiness’s first 30 Day Smoothie Challenge. A smoothie a day for 30 days is the name of the game! The challenge starts May 1st and ends May 30th.
Smoothies, particularly green smoothies, were a huge part of my transition to a healthier lifestyle.
Believe it or not, when I was younger I didn’t like greens or even most vegetables. Knowing how far I have come and how my tastes have changed is proof that anyone can make the transition to a healthier lifestyle. I truly believe that healthy smoothies are one of the best ways to help you get there. Smoothies are the easiest, not to mention one of the most delicious and easy ways to significantly increase the amount of fruit and super greens in ones diet.
This is why I am super excited to launch this 30 Day Challenge. I hope it can help others make the transition I made. If you are looking to make some healthy changes in your diet, then please sign up for this challenge! Just enter your name and e-mail address below and check the 30 Day Smoothie Challenge Box.
What is a smoothie challenge?
For this challenge all you have to do is drink one healthy smoothie a day. One smoothie serving should be approximately 500 ml/2 cups. I often drink more in a day if I am having a green smoothie as my breakfast. Do whatever works best for you.
This is not a fast or cleanse where you limit the amount of food you eat. You will not go hungry. The focus is on adding healthy foods to your diet not removing the bad ones. Eventually the healthy foods will crowd out the un-healthy ones.
Progress is what we are all striving for. This means do your best! If you miss a day for whatever reason, simply get back on track the next day.
Potential Benefits of 30 Day Smoothie Challenge
weight loss
detoxification
increased energy
improved digestion
clearer skin
improved mood
Warning: You may start to crave healthy foods!
What happens when you sign up?
I have put together a Getting Started E-book that you will receive when you sign-up for the challenge! You will also receive weekly emails with tips, motivation, and recipe ideas.
There is also a Facebook group for everyone doing the challenge where you are encouraged to share your recipes, smoothie pics, ask questions and talk about how amazing you are feeling.
If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out to me via the Health is Happiness Facebook page. If you use Instagram be sure to share your smoothie challenge photos and use #hihsmoothiechallenge
Welcome to Health is Happiness! My name is Kieran. I am a foodie who loves to eat and cook plant-based whole foods. Health is Happiness is for those of us that love great tasting food but also want to eat healthy. You will find recipes, videos and more. Enjoy!
