Post-Yoga Euphoria and a Moksha Milkshake

I just got home from a fabulous class at Moksha Yoga. The theme was centered around this very special day - International Women's Day! In the past, I rarely heard about this occasion in Canada, but my family in Eastern Europe always made a big deal about it. It's a much bigger event in other places in the world than it is here. Either way, I had a very special day indeed. The Husband bought me flowers, but more importantly, he was willing to go to a hot yoga class with me for the very first time. We had a "hot" date! <3

We were asked in the class to picture a strong woman in our lives and dedicate our practice to her. I pictured my mom, the strongest woman I know and the woman I love most.

She is also the person who introduced me first to food, then healthy food, and most recently, extremely healthy food. We often share recipes, ideas, and new health-related research we've read. We've been learning from each other over the past couple of years about how to enjoy a healthy lifestyle. We're also yoga buddies and she's my favourite student.

After our sweaty class today, I was craving something fruity and citrus-y. Ok, DURING the class, images of frozen strawberries being chopped up in my blender were floating through my mind. As soon as I got home, I combined the ingredients below and chugged down. It was perfectly refreshing - an amazing recovery drink with electrolytes, a bit a protein and delicious fruit. Enjoy!

Strawberry Banana Moksha Milkshake
Serves 2

* 2 cups of water (coconut or plain)
* 3 Tbsp of hemp seeds
* 1 small handful of frozen strawberries
* 1+1/2 bananas
* 1/2 squeezed lemon
* a few drops of vanilla extract   

Start by blending the hemp seeds with the water to make hemp milk. Then, add the rest of the ingredients, blend thoroughly and enjoy!!

There's no picture of this tonight because we drank it too darn fast. So good.

Happy Women's Day, ladies!

Chococonut Smoothie

I made this one for the Husband and I for lunch. It was a hit!

* 2 cups coconut juice/water
* 1-2 handfuls Romaine lettuce
* 1.5 frozen bananas
* 2 Tbsp coconut butter
* 1 Tbsp maple syrup
* 1.5 Tbsp raw carob powder

Blend the Romaine with the coconut juice first. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend, blend, blend! The result is yummy, creamy and nutritious. The electrolytes from the coconut juice plus the simple carbs from the fruits+veggies (and maple syrup) are a perfect recovery boost just after a tough workout. 

Green Chocolate Monster Smoothie

I've had some requests from people to send them my smoothie recipes, so I've decided to publish some. Here's one I'm enjoying right now -

* 1 cup water
* 1 big handful of salad greens (or spinach would work well)
   NOTE: blend this together well before adding the rest of the ingredients for optimal smooth-ness
* 1 banana
* 1/3 cup coconut milk
* 1 heaping tablespoon of carob powder (raw cacao or cocoa are great too)
* 2 tbsp almond butter
* 2 tbsp maple syrup
* 1/2 serving of VEGA Wholefood Optimizer natural flavour (optional, of course)

This one is super smooth and tasty! If you're just getting used to greens in your smoothies, then gradually work up to a big handful. You can hardly taste them in any case, though. Try it! Share yours!