When I find something I like, I tend to get a tad bit obsessed. For example, after I took my first hot yoga class, I immediately signed-up for an unlimited membership to my studio and began practicing close to every day of the week.  When I was a youngster and fell hard for New Kids on the Block (they will never be N.K.O.T.B), I covered my walls with their posters, never missed a concert and bought every teen magazine that had their pictures plastered all over them (I also convinced myself that I was going to marry Jordan, but that’s a story for another time).  My first trip to Trader Joe’s led to about three more trips in that same week.  And then there’s food.  When I find something that tickles my fancy, watch out!  It’s almost as if I think the store is going to run out of my newly found item, or all of the sudden my taste buds are going to change and I will no longer fancy it.  As you already know, I’ve been known to hoard things, and if I’m in love with a new ‘flavor of the week’, then chances are there will be multiples of the item in my shopping cart.

Image Credit – survivaldigest.com

OK, I’m not that bad!

In one of my recent posts, I talked about how I ‘re-discovered’ Swiss chard.  I love the unique taste of this leafy green and the fact that it’s loaded with vitamins and nutrients.  Plus, it literally cooks up in a hot minute.  It’s also healthy for your wallet.  So really, what’s there not to like about this veggie?  I can’t seem to find a single darn thing.  Not sure if this is actually fact for me, or simply my justification for being obsessed with the chard of Swiss, but I can’t stop dreaming of new and creative ways to eat it.  I even challenged the Healthy Chow brain to come up with a little diddy using only the ingredients that existed in my fridge and cabinets.  My creation came out quite well.  I’m pretty sure you won’t be hatin’…

You Won’t Be Hatin’ POM, Swiss Chard, Chickpeas & Bacon
Serves 2 (as an entrée) or 4 (as a side dish)

• 1/3 cup of POM Wonderful 100% pomegranate juice
• 1/4 cup of chicken broth (I used Trader Joe’s Organic Low Sodium Chicken Broth)
• 1 TBSP of Worcestershire sauce
• few dashes of white pepper
• few dashes of onion powder
• 1/2 TSP of Dijon mustard
• 1/2 TSP of corn starch dissolved in 1 1/2 TBSP of warm water
• 1 bunch of Swiss chard, rinsed and chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 5 slices of turkey bacon (I used Jennie-O brand)
• 4-5 medium-sized white mushrooms, sliced
• 1/3 cup of chickpeas (I used canned)
• sea salt to taste

1) In a small saucepan, combine the POM juice, chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, white pepper and onion powder.  Heat everything on medium/medium-high heat.  Keep stirring as it starts to come to a slow boil.

2) Add the Dijon mustard.  Mix until the Dijon mustard is well-blended (there will be little lumps of mustard, it won’t completely dissolve).  Add the cornstarch mixture to the pot and keep stirring until the sauce begins to thicken.  It should take about 3 – 5 minutes.  Turn the heat to low, cover and set aside.

3) Heat a large skillet on medium-high.  Once the skillet is hot to the touch, add the bacon in a single layer.  Allow the bacon to cook for about 3 minutes or until it begins to crisp.  Flip the bacon and cook on the other side for another few minutes.  Once it has reached your desired crispiness, drain on a paper towel-covered plate.

4) In the same skillet, add the Swiss chard and begin moving the Swiss chard around in order to mix in with the bacon drippings (because it’s turkey bacon, it won’t be very greasy).  Allow the Swiss chard to wilt a bit, it should take a couple of minutes.  Then, add the sliced mushrooms to the skillet.  Cook until the mushrooms begin to brown.  Add the white pepper and sea salt to taste.

5) Turn down the heat to medium.  Begin tearing the bacon into bite-sized pieces.  I left mine on the larger side for a more rustic look   Add the bacon to the skillet and stir until warmed.  Finally, add the chickpeas.

6) Add the pomegranate juice mixture to the skillet.  Mix until everything is well-blended and the juice reduces a bit. It should take another minute or so.

7) EAT!  This is great as a side dish, or as your main dish served over a hot bowl of brown rice or quinoa.  Heck, eat it in pita pocket if you want!

DEE-VINE!  I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I began combing all of these ingredients together.  While I like the unique taste of Swiss chard, I know many are turned off by its mildly bitter taste.  Thus, I wanted to find something to cook the Swiss chard in that would remove or lessen some of that often considered undesirable taste.  Because POM juice is tart and semi-sweet, I figured it would be a good match.  The saltiness and smokiness from the turkey bacon rounded out this dish and added to the layers of flavor.  I threw in some chickpeas for an additional kick of protein, and mushrooms because I like the taste of mushrooms   If you’re wondering, the POM juice wasn’t overly tart or overbearing in this dish.  In fact, it nicely lightened the recipe without making it taste too fruit-like.  And, the POM juice made this recipe even more nutritious by adding a boost of antioxidants!

It’s safe to say that my obsession with Swiss chard won’t be going anywhere any time soon.  Even when I tossed various random ingredients with this vegetable, it still tasted great.  Actually, I didn’t even eat this recipe with any rice, quinoa or bread.  I ate it as soon as I plated it.  With all those beautiful colors and fabulous flavors, I just couldn’t resist.  I guess I’d just rather declare, “I’ll Be Loving You Forever” versus “Hangin’ Tough” and fighting my love for this mighty green!  (Oh yes, that was corny.  But like I said before, I was obsessed!)

Do you have any guilty pleasures?  Perhaps a cheesy TV show, band or movie?  Come on, I know you do…

Namasté,
Nicole

I really wish you could come to one of my yoga classes with me, especially yesterday morning’s class.  The class was taught by Daniel, a wonderful yoga teacher at the studio to which I belong who has recently taken his teaching to a whole new level.  To say that I look forward to each and every one of his classes would be a sheer understatement.  Daniel has this amazing way about him.  He’s upbeat, gentle, full of passion and his soft nature can make the grouchiest of people smile.  But, he can also teach a kickass class.  And yesterday’s class was exactly that.

Class started off pretty easy.  We did some breathing, moved onto some light stretching and then began flowing.  Within 15 minutes, the room become incredibly hot and I was starting to drip with sweat.  While we primarily focused on our hips and hamstrings yesterday, there was one series of stretches that blew my mind and nearly had me crying like a little baby.  I’m not sure if there were technical or sanskrit names for these poses (the word ‘insanity’ does comes to mind), but what I do know is that I felt every ounce of them.  Essentially, we did a series of quadriceps stretches with one leg bent and lunging forward, foot flat on the ground, and the other leg kneeling and bent backwards with the foot moving forwards.  It was supposed to look like this:

Image Credit – yogaplexus.com
(this is actually the teacher I talked about from this post)

Needless to say, these stretches were no cake walk.  In fact, I was in quite a bit of discomfort, if not pain.  We don’t usually do these stretches in class and therefore, my muscles were just not used to them.  As I was taking slow and deep breaths to calm my mind and to tell myself that I wasn’t in fact being tortured, my teacher chuckled and said, “the feeling you are experiencing right now is called enlightenment.”  While a good portion of us sort of laughed, most were still grimacing in distress.  Daniel went on to tell us that being able to find pleasure in pain and discomfort is what some would consider enlightenment.  To be able to find the beauty in what we so often see as disaster is how we transcend and grow as humans.  I thought about Daniel’s words for the rest of class and for the rest of the day.  What he told us in class made so much sense and really struck a nerve with me (HA!  I totally didn’t mean that one!).

Image Credit – chopra.com

As I looked back on my life, I tried to remember the times when I experienced the most pain, both emotional and physical.  Those times in my life certainly weren’t fun, and I certainly did not laugh as I was experiencing them.  But once I overcame the pain and worked through the severity in what I was feeling, I somehow felt better.  In a sense, I felt free.

I remember learning to ride my bike as a kid for the first time and how I constantly fell and got countless bumps and bruises.  It hurt and for awhile, I just didn’t want to ride.  I know think I may have even cursed my bike.  But soon enough, I learned how to ride without falling off and the bumps and bruises healed and were forgotten.  I also remember the pain of having my heart broken for the first time and how I never thought I would get over it.  Everything reminded me of him, and the thought of moving on just didn’t seem possible.  But as time passed, I did get over him and I did move on.  I also remember how I felt when I found out my parents were separating.  I never thought it could happen to me, and the realization that their story wasn’t going to be happily ever after, crushed me.  But seeing that they both are now in a better place and living happy and full lives brings me comfort, and makes me understand that things really do happen for a reason.  And when my grandmother passed away when I was 10 years-old, I discovered what grief was and what it was like to lose someone you love.  It was pain like I had never experienced, and made me see just how cruel life could be.  But feeling those raw emotions toughened me, and I learned that life is truly precious.

Image Credit – lifevesting.com

In every situation, I experienced pain and while I didn’t think I could ever rise above it, I somehow flourished and emerged a stronger person.  There’s no doubt that while I was in the midst of my suffering, whether it was physical or emotional, there was pain.  It was real, and I certainly was not at ease.  But when we can find a shred of pleasure or comfort when we are in distress, we can somehow manage to find peace.  Pain doesn’t have to be something from which we hide; it can actually be something that brings out the true warrior in us.  We can conquer the pain by finding the power that lies within it, and use it to help us stand tall, versus standing in the darkness.  And when we find the key to accomplishing that, we have truly found enlightenment.

Image Credit – lenayoga.com

What moment in your life has taught you the most about yourself?  And if that’s too personal, what’s your favorite stretch or your favorite way to stretch?

***Interested in trying some delicious fruit snacks?  Check out Morgan’s giveaway – they really sound too good to be true!***

Namasté,
Nicole

I’ve been reading more and more about people challenging themselves with fitness goals.  The runners and cyclists out there have been signing up for races and thus, gearing up for their training.  Others have been hitting the gym hard. They’ve been trying to go as often as they can, taking classes varying from Body Pump, kickboxing, spinning and Budokon.  I’ve also encountered people who have been committing themselves to getting at least an hour of cardio close to every day, along with some strength training.  And then there are the ones who are challenging themselves to practicing yoga for a pre-determined set of days.  I love the perseverance and dedication from all the people I’ve been reading about – regardless of the activity they are committed to doing.  I don’t know if it’s because of New Year’s resolutions, if the winter doldrums are forcing people to want to be active in order to stay warm or if it’s because people are just in need to get into shape.  But whatever the reason is, I support it 100%.

Image Credit – walkmoreeatless.com

I guess the fitness fever is contagious because I’ve been doing my hardest to practice yoga as much as I can.  And when I say, ‘as much as I can’, that means every day.  I’ve been trying to get myself to the studio every day of the week to get my daily session of hot power yoga.  In theory, being able to get on my mat every chance I can get is a glorious thing.  But, that is theory, and not reality.  Because I’ve been without a car for the past few weeks, Patrick and I have been having to share his.  Thus, going to class whenever I want hasn’t been entirely possible.  Patrick and I have been working on several exciting projects and while I am grateful for that, I’ve been quite busy and have had to adjust my schedule.  And naturally, there are just some days when I’m tired, sore or just plain not in the mood to go to class.  In other words, I just haven’t been able to practice yoga as often as I would like.

Image Credit – ehow.com

When I couldn’t meet my self-prescribed challenge, I’ll have to admit I was a bit bummed.  I kept asking myself questions like, ‘what is wrong with me?’, ‘why can’t I do it?’, ‘why am I so lazy?’ and ‘why can everyone else complete their goals but me?’  But none of those questions were making me feel any better and they weren’t helping me accomplish my goals any faster.  In fact, I was feeling worse.

I love how I feel in my body, mind and soul when I’m practicing yoga.  I feel strong, happy, healthy, love for my self and for all those around me and I feel capable.  I’m relaxed when I’m on my mat and I’m at ease.  I’m not critiquing myself, I’m not upset if I don’t meet a certain mark and I’m not putting myself down.  In fact, I’m at peace with myself when I’m practicing yoga.  So why can’t I have these same emotions and feelings when I’m off the mat?  Why is it that when I’m not practicing, I can’t seem to achieve that same level of peace?

Image Credit – businesspundit.com

This dilemma has plagued me for quite some time, and I’m still not sure if I’ll ever have the complete answer.  But what I have come to realize is that there shouldn’t be a beginning and an end to one’s yoga practice.  Yoga should be something that is practiced everyday, but that doesn’t mean one needs to be on their mat.  The lessons we learn in class about life and about ourselves should be something we practice on a consistent basis, not just for 90 minutes a day in a bamboo-floored studio.  Just like the transitions we utilize in yoga flowing from pose-to- pose, our actions and thoughts we have on and off the mat should be seamless.  We grow and transcend when we can mimic what we accomplish in our yoga practice, in our daily lives.  As my yoga teacher tells us, “our mats should be a practice space, not a performance space.”  We shouldn’t reserve all of our positive energy and emotion just for the times that we are able to make it to class or to our mats, and shine for those short moments when we are in the studio.  By using the time when we can practice yoga as time to teach and prepare ourselves for our day-to-day lives, we are truly practicing.  And when we can make how we conduct ourselves while we’re practicing yoga be virtually the same as when we are not, then the need for making challenges and for criticizing ourselves when we aren’t able to meet our own standards suddenly aren’t as important.  We can practice every day because the practice of yoga is something that can be done in our minds.  We don’t need to be on our mats or in a studio, we just need our breath and the knowledge that peace can be achieved at any time and any place.

Image Credit – path2innerpeace.com

Do you like setting goals for yourself?  How do you keep yourself motivated?  What do you do when you can’t meet your goals?

Namasté,
Nicole

How many times has this happened to you? You’re in a rush and need to meet a deadline.  As you’re banging away at your computer, trying your hardest to get everything finished, your co-worker comes by.  He starts talking and talking about something unrelated to work and won’t even take a breath to notice that you’re working harder than James Brown.  But instead of taking a few minutes to give him your undivided attention, you ‘yes’ him and half listen to what he’s saying.  In fact, you’ve heard all that your co-worker has been saying one too many times, as he seems to go on this rant several times a week.  So, instead of engaging your co-worker and thoroughly listening to his words, you basically just nod your head and answer his questions in your mind before he even asks them.  Sound familiar?

Image Credit – creativeenergyblog.com

Well, I don’t want to admit it, but I am totally guilty of this.  I used to think it was me being a fabulous multitasker, but that was just me trying to convince myself that I could do no wrong and that I basically had everything figured it out.  Sometimes I get so focused on what I’m doing in my own life, that I tend to shut out the rest of the world.  I’m not trying to say that I walk around like a zombie and that I don’t communicate with humans.  In fact, it’s the complete opposite.  My goal is to look and act as ‘normal’ as possible on the outside, but to be completely engulfed in my own self-thought on the inside.  Actually, I’m so good at this little charade that at times, I tend to fool myself.

The other day in yoga class, I was having a difficult time keeping up.  I’m not sure what the issue was?  Perhaps I wasn’t hydrated enough?  Maybe I didn’t get enough rest the night before?  Was I hungry?  Did I have too much on my mind?  Whatever the case was, I just wasn’t feeling it.  But instead of listening to what my body was telling me, I told my body to keep going.  After all, I had been practicing on average about 6 days a week for the past two years.  I knew my body could hack it.  The poses that we were doing in class weren’t hard.  I knew them all like the back of my hand and it didn’t seem as if anyone else in class was struggling.  I just kept ignoring what was going on inside of me and plowed through the rest of the class.  I felt like crap, but I didn’t care.  My goal was to just finish – how my mind and body felt didn’t play a factor.

Image Credit – somethingbruins.blogspot.com

As I was pushing through another pose, my teacher started talking about having a ‘know-it-all’ mind.  She asked if we were treating ourselves like so many other people we interact with on a daily basis.  Were we fully listening?  Were our bodies trying to have a conversation with us that we just couldn’t pay attention to?  Did we think we already had everything figured out?  Like in almost every class, I thought my teacher was talking directly to me.  I had the ‘know-it-all’ mind and I was definitely not listening to what my body had to say.  I was treating myself the way I was treating my chatty co-worker.  That kind of treatment wasn’t fair to my co-worker and it wasn’t fair to me.

After having my revelation, I finally decided to let my body do the talking and my ears do the listening.  Even though we were coming towards the end of class, I decided to make the every last minute count.  I listened to what was going on inside of me and walked over to the wall and just let my legs rest (viparita karani).  It felt amazing to completely let go and to feel the support beneath my legs.  While I wasn’t feeling 100% for most of the class, I felt completely at ease while I was resting.  Once I allowed my body the chance to speak and to be heard, the ‘off’ feeling I was having started to disappear.  For the last few moments of class, I was at peace – physically, mentally and spiritually.  I wasn’t pretending as if I knew what was going on with my body and that I had everything figured out.  For once, the ‘know-it-all’ didn’t want to know anything.  I was glad to have the opportunity for my mind to learn as much as possible from my body.  All of the information was available for me to soak in, it was always there.  I just had acknowledge it.  But when we train ourselves to constantly be the best at everything, we don’t leave room for growth or improvement.  For that reason, we need to understand that it’s important for us to be both the teacher and the student.  As soon as we start thinking we know everything, that’s when we’ll find just how little we know.

Image Credit – thehealthylivinglounge.com

Are you a fan of Lost?  I am!  And I’m so psyched that the new season has started.  If you are a fan, what did you think of last night’s episode?  If not, are there any television shows on right now that you just have to watch?

Namasté,
Nicole

When I got up yesterday morning to attend my yoga class, I didn’t think anything was different.  I shut the alarm off, washed up and got dressed for class.  But when I walked out to the street where I have parked my car every day and night for the past four years, I noticed something.  Actually, I should say that I didn’t notice something.  My car was nowhere to be found on the street.  I walked up and down the sidewalk frantically looking for my car, trying to figure out if I had left it elsewhere.  As I began sweating and my heart was racing, I realized that the last place I parked my car (and the last time I saw my car) was at the very exact space where I was standing.  And there was not a trace of it to be found.

(I took this pic this morning, not yesterday when I noticed it was stolen.  This is where my car is usually parked on the street, but today there was nothing…)

I turned around to walk back to my house in a frantic state.  Who would want my car?!  It’s over 10 years old, isn’t flashy, isn’t fast and certainly wasn’t the nicest car on the street.  So who would have wanted to take it?  I felt so sick and so wronged.  Tears started filling my eyes as I dialed the police department’s phone number.  However, I had to be re-directed about three times before actually reaching someone who could tell me about my car.  I was informed that I had to find out if it had been towed before I could actually report it as being stolen.  Was I supposed to know this?!  All I knew was that it was gone, that it wasn’t illegally parked and I didn’t have any outstanding or unpaid violations.  So just where in the heck was my car?!  The third person I spoke to was kind enough to look up my license plate to see if it had been picked up or found by their department.  Sure enough, my car was towed on Sunday evening, about 40 minutes after I had parked it for the night.  Instead of being in Boston, my car was now about four cities over, just sitting there idle in a tow yard.  Yessirree, my car was gone in less than 60 minutes from when I safely parked it.  WOW.  I couldn’t believe it.

Image Credit – carinsurancequotes4all.com

This is what I imagine happened to my car, since the window was never broken…

The pleasant gentleman at the tow yard informed me that my car was involved in a hit and run in the same city as  where the tow yard was located.  Apparently, the person who stole my car, didn’t know how to drive it and hit a parked car.  Naturally, he fled the scene on foot before he could be caught.  The owner of the parked car called the police to report the hit and run and that is when my car was towed.  Needless to say, my car was now broken into, involved in an accident, towed away and pretty damaged.  Zoinks!

Ouch!

My poor car…

The passenger side mirror is gone, too…

Look at the ignition just hanging there…

Take a look at how far back the driver’s seat is…It’s no wonder the thief crashed my car.  How could he see?

At least the thief left me my car parts…

And my American flag…

And if my day wasn’t already fun-filled enough, my next step was to go to the police station to report my car as being stolen.  I’m not sure if I looked as if I was the criminal or if the people at the front desk were having a bad day, but I was treated as if I wasn’t telling the truth.  Because my car was stolen from one city, was then involved in an accident and found in another city, my story was a bit too complicated for them to comprehend.  Finally, I must have broken through to the two ladies because they believed me and my paperwork started getting processed.  But before that was completed, I was asked, “why do you have an American first name and a Chinese/Japanese last name?”  And then I was asked, “why are Asians mostly short, small and on the skinny side?”  And finally I was asked, “why do Asians like to drive cars like Hondas and Toyotas?”  I didn’t feel like answering any of this woman’s questions, but I really didn’t have a choice.  I was at her mercy and just wanted this process to be over.  After over an hour of time, I was finally set free.  Not only was my car stolen and I felt violated, but over an hour of my time was robbed from me and I felt violated once again with the treatment I received at the police station.

Image Credit – cafepress.com

All in all, it wasn’t the best of days.  However, it certainly wasn’t the worst by any stretch.  I wasn’t hurt, no one was hurt in the accident, my car was recovered and it can be repaired.  Patrick was able to help me today during my adventure at the police station and was there when I completely freaked out at home this morning.  While a material possession such as my car was taken from me, the things that matter the most were not.  I still had a safe home to come back to and the support of my husband (and family – thank you Michelle, Dad and Mom for listening and making me laugh!).  When I was at the police station, I heard calls coming in for incidents involving assault, a restraining order and a gun shot wound, and I even heard someone loudly screaming in the background as they were getting booked.  My car being stolen seemed quite trivial in comparison to some of the other issues that were going on around me.  And while today won’t go down in the books as a happy day, it’s definitely a memorable one, and one from which I will learn.  Being able to find the lesson or the moral in a ‘not-so-pleasant’ situation is something I like to do.  It helps to remind me that life is never perfect and is constantly teaching us, if we are willing to learn.  And this is something that can never be taken away from me.

Do you have an alarm on your car?  I know people who don’t even lock their car doors.  Do you use one of those steering wheel locks?  I’m thinking I need to get one…

Namasté,
Nicole

In general, Sundays are one of my favorite days of the week.  I get up early and start the day with some hot yoga, have a leisurely breakfast/lunch with Patrick and the rest of the day is spent relaxing, enjoying the winding down of the weekend and looking forward to the week ahead.  But this past Sunday was a little different.  I spent the majority of Sunday hanging out with my sister doing something we both love – crafting and shopping!  When you can spend the day with one of your favorite people doing something you’re both ga-ga over, what’s better than that?

After a sweaty, yet calming yoga session, I headed over to my sister’s neck of the woods to grab some breakfast and to strategize our game plan for the rest of the morning.  I couldn’t think of a more suitable place than Panera Bread – plus it happened to be right across the street from our first shopping destination.

Me in the car after yoga – don’t I look refreshed?

No line at Panera?!  That never happens!

We ordered one whole grain bagel to share along with two cups of coffee.  While I could probably eat three whole bagels in one sitting, Michelle and I decided to opt for splitting one with a schmear of butter.  It cuts down all all those carbs and makes the belly less full for shopping.  After all, shopping is a sport!

While sipping our freshly brewed, guess who called?  MHC!  She either has ESP or has some sort of tracking device on us because she always seems to call whenever we are together.  Maybe it’s her mother’s intuition?  Obviously, we extended the invite, but MHC declined.  While she likes spending time with her daughters, crafting isn’t one of her faves.  Oh well…more bonding time for the Sisters Chow!

“Yeah Mom, I know my sister is the best…!”

Ohhh, I’m so hot like my coffee!

After finishing our breakfast, we trekked on over to our first destination – Jo-Ann Fabrics.  Holy crap on a cracker!  That store is insane in the membrane!  I’ve been to Jo-Ann’s in the past, but not recently.  If you’re crafting and Jo-Ann’s doesn’t have what you’re looking for, then you don’t need it.  Talk about oh-em-gee!

“Um, can you hurry up so we can start shopping already?”

BTW, any guesses on what we’re making?

After about an hour and a half at the crafting supply mecca, we headed across town to a place I’ve never been to before.  Fortunately, Michelle had visited this place in the past and was able to get us there in a snap.  Our next shopping destination was truly a hidden gem.  I wouldn’t have been surprised if you had to give a password to the doorman in order to get in.  It was just one of those places that was in the middle of nowhere and wasn’t in the most friendly looking of areas.  However, I was pleasantly surprised by the interior of the store.  Our second shopping destination, Downstairs at Felton Antiques, was jammed pack with all things antique.  It was as if we had walked into another world.

While Michelle and I were mostly interested in the vintage jewelry, we couldn’t help but take a peek at everything this place had to offer.  There were antique art, photographs, knickknacks, furniture, glassware, pottery/china, shoes and housing fixtures.  Everything was so interesting; I could only imagine the history behind all these things that filled the store.  While I was intrigued by all the items for sale and wanted to capture them on camera, the store owner seemed less than thrilled.  I managed to snap a few photos before she inquired as to what I was doing.  While she said she didn’t mind, I didn’t want to further press her buttons and stopped my picture taking efforts.  She was a pleasant woman, but just didn’t seem to want me taking any more photos.  A blogger can understand…

After about an hour or so, we made our purchases and our day of crafting and shopping came to an end.  While we did more shopping (and chatting) than crafting (which will be postponed for a later date), our afternoon couldn’t have been better.  I’m so lucky to have a sibling that has such similar interests as me.  The synergy that we share when we’re shopping, designing, creating and of course, just hanging out, is one that can’t be matched or duplicated.  Because we’re sisters, it’s easy for us to brainstorm ideas with one another, but it’s also easy for us to be brutally honest.  I don’t think there’s any one else in this world with whom I can share these kinds of Sundays.  But then again, sharing comes natural to us.  For instance, we shared our breakfast, our crafting supplies, a bedroom and an apartment in the past, our jewelry business presently, our wardrobe growing up as kids, cooking duties and of course, a womb (thanks MHC!).  When you’ve been together (literally) since the beginning of the life, you get pretty good at supporting each other and having each other’s back (literally), it makes sense that I wish ’sister sunday’ could be ’sister every day’!

My share of the loot for the day

Do you know what we’re making yet?  Any ideas or thoughts?  Astrid, you already know, so you can’t guess !

Namasté,
Nicole

It finally happened.  We got our first major snowstorm.  Actually, it seems as if many in the eastern part of the country got their first ginormous wallop of snow this weekend.  But who doesn’t want a white Christmas, right?  (well, I wouldn’t say I necessarily want one, but I really can’t argue with Mother Nature!)  This morning, Boston woke up to about a foot of snow.  Luckily, it was a Sunday and because Patrick and I didn’t have much on our plate, we took our time getting up.  But once we were showered and ready to go, we decided to tackle another first.  We embraced our first shoveling of the cars of the season.  Even though I’m not the biggest fan on winter, for some strange reason, I enjoy shoveling snow.  And since yoga class was canceled this morning (and I wanted to be lazy and sleep in), I was looking forward to making my shoveling my workout for the day.

Look at all that white!

I think that’s a little more than a foot of snow?!

When I finally made it to my car (I was snapping pictures of the lovely all-white scenery), Patrick was already in full-force being a snow scoopin’ superstar.  His car was already about halfway cleaned.  Even though we had a pretty sizable amount of snow, it was the light and fluffy kind.  The kind that tends to blow around as soon as you pick it up (TWHS!).  But because we live in the city and park our cars on the street, the big plows have the tendency to block us in.  No worries!  Healthy Chow likes a good shovel!

Can’t wait to ‘dig’ in!

Keep it going, Patrick!

In about 30 minutes, we had both of our cars cleaned and our spots emptied.  I’m not sure if it was the five layers of tops and the two layers of pants and socks or the fact that I was shoveling like a maniac, but I was working up quite the lather and quite the appetite.  Luckily for us, our favorite neighborhood pizza shop, Giga’s Pizza, was open and greeted us with open arms when we walked in for a late brunch.  The shoveling duo was done shoveling snow and was ready to shovel some hot food into their mouths!  I ordered the Greek omelet wrap without the wrap (whole eggs, not just whites.  I wanted extra protein today!) with home fries.  To my surprise and delight, my meal came with toast and fresh, crispy bacon.  I gave my toast and home fries to Patrick, to go along with his french toast and bacon.  We were fed like royalty; Giga’s Pizza never disappoints!

Wow, I look awesome – hahaha!

All done!

My Greek omelet with feta, tomato and spinach along with some bacon – YUM!  And Patrick’s feast of french toast, home fries, bacon and toast!

After we inhaled ate our food, we bundled ourselves up again and walked up the street for some more snowy Sunday fun.  We decided to take on a matinee of the movie Patrick has been dying to see – Avatar.  Avatar was being shown in traditional 2D and in 3D.  Of course, we chose to see it in 3D!  This was my first time seeing a movie in 3D and I was pretty excited to see the movie and to wear the glasses.  We thoroughly entertained ourselves in the theater by modeling our new found accessory.  We can be such dorks!

The movie’s special effects were incredible!  Being that this is the most expensive movie of all time, all the bells and whistles were in this movie.  And watching it in 3D made it that much more exciting and amazing to watch.  However, the movie was close to 3 hours long and after some time, my butt started to get tired.  But as soon as that happened, the movie went into overdrive and all of the sudden, I could no longer feel the pain.  I would say the last 45 minutes are the best out of the 162.  Overall, I would give Avatar an A-/B+.  The special effects were extraordinary, but the story line was nothing special.  But on a snowy Sunday afternoon, going to the movies is certainly a must in my book!

I had a blast today.  While I usually start my weekend mornings (and every morning) with yoga, it was definitely nice to sleep in and take my time starting the day.  The blanket of white that covered the city (and everywhere else) was beautiful. I can’t believe I said that!  I guess when you spend the day having fun in the snow, versus whining and complaining about it (yep, that was the old me), you can actually enjoy it.  Like the Na’vi in Avatar, I felt like I conquered the day.  I didn’t let the cold, snow, wind nor my tired butt get the best of me.  I usually like to stay indoors when the weather behaves like this, but Patrick likes to get out and experience it.  Thanks to him, I had a wonderful day.  And thanks to my positive thinking, my feelings about winter are starting to change.  But when you can spend a lazy wintry Sunday, doing the things you love and being with the person you love, how can you not enjoy yourself?

I’m keeping up with my Kardashians!

If you live in an area that gets snow, what’s your favorite winter activity?  If you don’t, is there anything you do in the winter that you don’t normally do during the rest of the year?

Namasté,
Nicole

Do you ever feel as if you’re always in a rush?  Or that you’re always putting yourself on ‘fast’ speed?  I do.  It seems like I rush out of bed to get up, so I won’t be late.  I rush out of the shower to get dressed, in order to leave the house on time.  I get annoyed when I’m sitting in traffic because I want to get to wherever I’m going, faster.  When I’m walking along a crowded sidewalk, I begin to move quicker because I don’t want to be caught amongst the slow people.  And more often times than I would like to admit, I’m eating my meals at such a rapid speed that I don’t even remember tasting what I’m eating.  Is it just me?

Image Credit – justicebuilding.blogspot.com

The other day when I was in yoga class, my teacher spoke about this just as I was quickening my breath to get to the next pose.  The pose was revolving crescent lunge (parivrtta anjaneyasana) and while I can hold the pose, it’s just not that comfortable for me.  Instead of enjoying the fact that I can actually get into the pose, or enjoying the process of getting into the pose, I just force myself into it and rush through my breathing until the next pose is called.  It seems as though I’m never happy with just getting into the pose, I’m just always looking for what’s next.  I seem to anticipate the next pose, rather than appreciating the current.  My teacher talked about how he and a bunch of others went on a hiking trip a few months back and how they spent hours climbing a mountain.  Once they reached the top, the others practically did a pivot turn and started walking back down the mountain, while my teacher stood at the peak and simply enjoyed the view.  He couldn’t understand why his group would spend so much time getting to their destination, and then not take a moment to enjoy what they had accomplished.  It was as if they just wanted to move on to their next challenge without acknowledging what they had just achieved.

Image Credit – pasturegreen.co.uk

I then realized that not only was I in a hurry for many of the poses throughout my yoga practice, but I was also in a hurry throughout many parts of my life.  For example, I would much rather throw together a salad or press a sandwich versus taking the time to prepare more of a home-cooked meal.  I like to flip through the pages of a magazine and glance at the pictures versus taking the time to actually read the articles.  When someone stops to talk to me at the yoga studio as I’m trying to leave to go home, I tend to half-listen to what they’re saying in anticipation of the things on my to-do list.  And when sitting in the car, whether I’m driving or just a passenger, I’m thinking about how much sooner we can get there and what will happen once I get there versus appreciating the time I have in the car.  I can’t seem to fully embrace what is going on at the exact moment; I’m just always thinking about what’s next.

When Astrid recently mentioned in her blog post that the anticipation of something, whether it be an activity or an event, often times exceeds the actual experience, it totally hit home with me.  She talked about how she viewed her life as something that was going to happen, as opposed to something that was currently happening.  Astrid made a promise to herself that she was going make more of a conscious effort to live in the now.  This is something I want to strive for as well.  I realize that putting myself constantly on fast forward just means I’ll eventually end up going on rewind.  When life moves too quickly and we move too quickly, nothing is gained and everything is missed.  Taking the time to appreciate what we have, who we are in life and how we got to where we are, is one of the most significant things we can do.  After all, your life won’t mean anything, if you can’t remember it.  So, what’s the rush?

Image Credit – zenhabits.net

Do you have any holiday traditions?  If so, what is your favorite?  Or, do you have one you’d like to create?

Namasté,
Nicole

My lips are chapped.  My hands are starting to get that roughness that only comes around once a year.  I no longer have my summer glow.  My coats are no longer lightweight and stylish.  Gone are the sandals and here are the LL Bean bean boots (man, I can’t believe I’ve had the suckers since college).  And my zest for being outside is quickly dwindling…

Image Credit- llbean.com, ioffer.com and freefoto.com

Doesn’t this sound so sad? Well, I thought so…

If you’re not new to my blog, you’ll know I’m not much of a fan of winter.  I’ve mentioned it here and here.  And if you are new, first and foremost, welcome to Healthy Chow! And yes, I really do not like the winter.  But, crazy as it may sound, I live in Massachusetts.  Yes, I live in the Northeast.  I don’t live down south or far west where snow and freezing cold temperatures are less likely.  And no, I don’t ski, ice skate, snowboard, sled or build snowmen (or women) in my spare time.  In fact, I love the hot weather and I love summer.  For me, a bad day at the beach (which doesn’t happen IMHO) is way better than a great day on the slopes (sorry all you ski bunnies).  So why haven’t I moved, you ask?  Well, of course I’ve thought about it.  But, that bright idea only lasts about a minute or until I realize that I would miss my friends and family way too much to be miles and miles away from them.  So, what’s a gal to do?

Image Credit – zazzle.com

When I was at yoga class yesterday morning, I remembered being quite tired and sweaty by the time we got to the middle of class and saying to myself, “please don’t say dancer’s pose…please don’t…I really don’t have the energy…and I really don’t enjoy it…please, please, please.”  And of course, my teacher asked us to go into dancer’s pose.  The law of attraction brought it to me, versus taking it away, because I was focusing on it.  Duh! And that’s when I started wondering about some of the other wrong things on which I’ve been focusing my energy.  The first thing that sprang to my mind was winter.  Ever since our first snowfall this past Saturday, the snow, cold and the upcoming brutal weather are some of the main things taking over consuming my mind.

Image Credit – taiji-star.com

But as soon as I stopped thinking about how much I didn’t want to go into dancer’s pose and just went with the flow (pun intended) by just going into the pose, things seemed easier.  We ended up repeating the pose three times on each side, and each time I tried to not have any negative thoughts about it.  I told myself to find something I liked about the pose and that my distaste for the pose was just a waste of my time and energy.  I then focused on how open my chest felt in the pose and how deeply I could breathe and envisioned myself standing on top of a huge cliff overlooking the ocean.  In other words, I focused my mind and energy on something positive and soon my dislike for dancer’s pose shifted.

On my drive home, I realized that if I could shift my thinking and reaction to a yoga pose, perhaps I could shift my feelings about winter?  If the winter months and weather are going to last from now until early April, then why fight it? Winter in New England is pretty much the same every year.  It’s never going to be sans snow and it’s never going to be hot and balmy, no matter how much I bitch and moan.  That said, I’ve decided to try my hardest to change my thoughts on winter.  I’ve decided to try to find as much beauty as I can in these next few months and I’ve told myself that I would do my best to not complain.  Just as there are poses in yoga that are not my favorite and not the easiest for me to hold, both physically and mentally, I have to endure them because they are a part of my practice.  If I were a runner, I would imagine that there would be parts of my route that would be more challenging than others.  If I were a basketball player, I would imagine there would be some drills that would always get the best of me.  If I were a cyclist, I would imagine there would be hills that would take every ounce of my energy to conquer.  However, in all of those instances, I would never stop.  I wouldn’t stop because I would know that I would find joy on the other side of that challenge.  Similarly, there is spring and then summer on the other side of winter.  By embracing a challenge, a difficult time in one’s life, an unfavorable situation or even something as silly as winter, one can turn their mindset around.  This is exactly what I plan to do about my feelings on winter.

Image Credit – running-mom.com

By finding some charm in this change of season and by finding some positivity in my thinking, I believe I can change my attitude.  Telling myself that I hate the freezing wind, the ice, the cold, driving in the snow, shoveling the snow, walking the in the snow  and dressing for the snow, doesn’t help me one bit.  But reminding myself that we have winter for a reason and that it’s Mother Nature’s way of hibernating and preparing for the spring, helps me to better appreciate the earth’s ways.  And it helps me to release some of my negative tension, something that isn’t helpful to anyone.  I need to remind myself that I am the one that is in control of the way I feel.  I am the one who can ultimately make myself a happier person.  Thus, I am putting an end to my hatred towards winter!  I can’t say that I am going to automatically fall in love with the cold and snow, but at least I’m not going to keep telling myself how much I abhor it.  And hopefully, I’ll soon be able to identify with the term, ‘winter wonderland’.  Now, any one up for some hot cocoa?

What’s your fondest memory of winter?  Or, what’s your fondest memory of your favorite season?

Namasté,
Nicole

Do you ever get up and just have one of those mornings?  A morning that consists of you quickly slamming that snooze button more than a few times, but then slowly crawling out of bed because you know you just have to?  I think I managed to get about 6.5 hours of sleep last night but instead of going to bed with an empty stomach, I went to bed full.  Bad Healthy Chow, bad girl (she slaps herself on the wrist)! In fact, I ate so much that I woke up full.  Yeah, not good. You would think that that would have motivated me to jump out of my warm sheets and get my sweat on, but I even considered pulling the blankies over my head and sleeping until my fullness and general yuckiness dissipated.

Image Source – plaisirssimples.blogspot.com

This would be me if I were a golden retriever (Hi Colby!)

But then I heard a voice.  It was this little voice inside my head that kept me from closing my eyelids again.  Actually, I think it was Morgan’s voice (even though I don’t have a clue as to what Morgan’s voice sounds like) and she was telling me “remember in every situation, you have a choice.”  The other night when I was ‘meeting’ new bloggers, I came across Morgan’s post and it really resonated with me.  We can choose to be happy or unhappy, we can choose to work through all the pain and discomfort to get to the bliss, we can choose to be healthy or unhealthy and we can choose to make it a great day or just a day.  Yes, my dear bloggies, we have the power to make that choice!

Image Credit – thevoiceforschoolchoice.wordpress.com

So, with Morgan’s voice in my head and the sun shining through my window telling me to get the heck up, I shut off my alarm clock and got up.  I made that choice. I got dressed and made my way out the door for my morning yoga class.  And then I was greeted with so much traffic that I thought the cast of New Moon was somehow standing in the middle of  Commonwealth Avenue causing this major ruckus.  Nope. It was just the usual morning traffic jam that’s been going on for the past couple of months due to some sort of ‘necessary’ construction.  I moved about a foot in distance in about 15 minutes, and I was getting heated (which was a good thing since my car was not).  And then I remembered again that I had a choice.  Should I get angry and annoyed or choose to make the most out of my situation?  I chose the latter.  Here is how I kept myself preoccupied…and don’t worry, the car was definitely NOT moving!

Finally, I arrived at the yoga studio and made it just in time for class.  The class was packed with yogis needing as much de-stressing and detoxing as me, but together, with the guidance of our teacher, I managed to have one of the best classes I’ve had in quite some time.  I felt great!  However, I didn’t feel so hot (lame pun intended) at the beginning of class.  I kept thinking about all the food I had eaten the night before and why I can’t break this bad habit, and then I chose to let those negative and unhelpful thoughts go.  I focused on my breath and on feeling better and that is exactly what happened.  I felt better!  Just like I had to make my way through all that morning traffic to get to the studio and I had to drag myself out of my cocoon of a bed to get myself out the door, I felt better after I worked my body and mind through the ‘gunk’ that was inside of me.

So what are you going to choose today?  What decision will you make, big or small, to make it an extraordinary day versus just an ordinary day?

Image Credit – fotolog.com

Random Question: Do you wake up with an alarm clock?  Or, are you one of those amazing people that can wake up with their internal alarm clock?  If you’re like me and need an actual clock, do you wake up with music or with an alarm?

Namasté,
Nicole