Sunday 4 March 2012

Power of Movement

This morning, I participated in a national fundraiser for arthritis and autoimmune disease research called the Power of Movement. At 11:00 am in locations across Canada, hundreds of people busted out their Warrior asanas in yoga Mega Sessions. The Kitchener-Waterloo location was in the main space (Rotunda) of the Kitchener City Hall! There's possibly no cooler place to take a yoga class in KW. The cylindrical space was bright, had high ceilings, and our center-facing class set up was community-building. The KW team raised over $13,000 and exceeded all expectations! The final numbers will be in tomorrow.


















I had the privilege of helping the two co-teachers Meaghan (owner of Queen Street Yoga) and Ashley (owner of Moksha Yoga Waterloo) by assisting practitioners who needed a bit more guidance. There were families there with children, people with arthritis, seasoned practitioners as well as first-timers.


















Watching everyone move together as a unit to the creative sequence by the two teachers was uh-mazing.

me and Mom after the Power of Movement class

the fundraising team


































This weekend was very busy with POM-related activities. Yesterday morning (Saturday), I organized a Karma Yoga Class with the UW Yoga Club to help raise funds for the big event. As a result, here I am on Sunday evening completely pooped. Along with all of this fundraiser excitement, I went for a swim last night and a long walk today with the Husband.

We've been hungry. Cue the hearty chocolate pudding. Dun-da-ra-daaaaa!

I'm still working on my photography skills...


















So. Yummy.

The Husband was craving sweets and wanted to buy junk food on our way back from the walk. I resisted and promised a delicious pudding instead. When we got home, I needed to come through with the pudding so I browsed some of Angela's recipes from Oh She Glows. Everything on that website of hers is unbelievably delicious and usually very healthy, so she, of course, didn't disappoint. The recipe below is adapted from one of her chocolate chia pudding recipes.

Chia seeds are wonderfully filling, packed with healthy fats, antioxidants and protein! They also make a gel-like consistency when soaked in liquid. Hence, they make an awesome pudding base with no need for icky gelatin (cow bones, anyone?). You can buy them at health food stores or even at Bulk Barn. They're not cheap, but you won't use a lot for a particular recipe and they're totally worth it. Without further ado...the pudding!

Chocolate Chia Coconut Pudding
Adapted from Oh She Glows

Total time: ~ 10 mins
Serves 2

Ingredients:

* 1/4 cup chia seeds
* 1 + 1/4 cup non-dairy milk (I used almond)
* 1 Tbsp coconut oil
* 1 Tbsp coconut butter (creamed coconut)
* 1 Tbsp raw cacao powder
* 1 Tbsp raw carob powder
* 2 Tbsp + 1 tsp semi-sweet chocolate chips
* 1 Tbsp agave nectar (raw honey or pure maple syrup work too)

1. In a small pot, melt the coconut oil on low heat (~ 3/10), then add the coconut butter and whisk to remove any clumps.

2. Add the non-dairy milk followed by the remaining ingredients (minus the 1 tsp chocolate chips) and continuously whisk while gently heating. You'll find that the pudding will thicken up quickly.

3. Once everything is homogeneous and the pudding is fairly thick (~ 3-5 minutes of heating), remove from heat and transfer to serving glasses (2).

4. Garnish with the remaining chocolate chips, and put the pudding into the fridge to set for a little while. We ate ours (impatiently) after about 10 minutes in the fridge. It was still warm, but the consistency of the pudding was just right.


















The servings may seem small, but this pudding is super rich and will fill you up. It also tastes amazing, so it will quench that sweet tooth with nice, wholesome goodness.

I enjoyed this while smelling my simmering vegetarian chili. (I needed to mention that so you don't think I survive on smoothies and desserts!)


2 comments:

  1. Great photos Kris! Thank you so much for convincing me to get involved with the Power of Movement this year! It was a fantastic experience!

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    Replies
    1. It was! I'm so glad you decided to join the team. Let's do it again next year. <3

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