Namaste Yoga + Moms Bundle

Namaste TV c/o || Good Vibes Yogab Mat FabFitFun c/o ||

Let me start off by saying I am not a yoga expert haha. When I was looking through the photos I took while doing some of the poses, I could clearly see where my form needs work. I did have two yoga classes back in college and truly enjoyed them. It was an hour out of my busy life to relax and recharge my batteries. Before then, I had never done one stitch of yoga, but soon became hooked once I started my class. I continued to do some of the poses and breathing techniques, but found it was not the same as having an instructor in front of me to guide along in the process. I'm much more of a visual person and need to see something being done in order to learn it. 

I think it goes without saying that most, if not all, moms have stress in their lives. Yoga can be a great stress reliever and even allow for mental clarity. Namaste TV offers premium yoga videos that are available through digital download or dvd. I was able to download their Moms Bundle and also received The Beginner Bundle dvd set. I was amazed at the beautiful scenery each set has and the calming music helped get me in the yoga zone. The poses are easy enough to follow along with. Sometimes I'll pause the video to make sure I'm doing the post correctly. Once you get used to the flow and how each pose transforms into another, it goes get easier to remember what comes next.

I do love the added flexibility my muscles have and am looking forward to toning some of my muscles up as well. Ever since Ava was born, my muscle tone is not what it used to be, but yoga can certainly bring that back! My favorite from the Mom Bundle is the Bhakti Flow: Open Your Upper Back and Shoulders. I've always had bad back and shoulder pain from tight muscles, but this seems to help release some of the tension. Each video is about 24 minutes long making each sequence easy to fit into a busy schedule. I usually do mine when Ava is taking her afternoon nap.

Use the code BREZOVOSKYOGA to receive 20% off of your Namaste TV order. 

xo, Amanda

Crazy for Coconuts

Coconut Oil

One of the biggest health and beauty crazes of 2014 is coconut oil. The best kind to use is pure, unrefined, cold pressed, organic extra virgin. This can easily be found at any grocery store for around $7-10. What's all the fuss about you ask? Well, after conducting a 2 month test, I'll let you in on all the goodies this yummy oil has to offer.

Cooking:

To start off, coconut oil is a healthy alternative for butter and fats in the diet. You can use it to saute vegetables, roast kale or sweet potatoes, add into smoothies or oatmeal (which I do every morning), use it in baked goods, and even over popcorn. Not to mention it tastes great too, just like a coconut, go figure. I use this oil as much as I can in my cooking or baking. If I juice some vegetables or fruit I mix some in, if I make a smoothie the oil goes in. Any more when I bake up some treats, this is the oil I use or when I need to coat some veggies for sauteing or roasting, you guessed it, coconut oil.

Beauty:

This light weight oil, jam packed with vitamin E, can be used on your skin or hair. I like to add some oil, heated so that it turns into a liquid state, into my hair before I take a shower for about 1 hour. Then I shampoo it out and continue with my normal conditioning. Also, sometimes I put the oil on after my shower, while my hair is still damp, as to moisturize the ends and keep them shiny. Only a little bit is needed though or the hair looks too greasy and no one likes that. As a body moisturizer, I put this on after my shower, within 3 minutes of getting out so as not to loose any of the moisture from the shower. It does smell faintly of coconuts, which I like, but that does fade after a little while if you are one who does like the scent as much.

Oil Pulling:

The reason why most people are becoming aware of coconut oil is because of a morning ritual technique called oil pulling. Before brushing or flossing, you take a spoon full of the oil, swish it in your mouth for 20 minutes like a mouth wash, spit it out preferably into a trash can as to not block up your drain, rinse your mouth with salt water, and then continue on with flossing and brushing as you regularly would. What happens within those 20 minutes really is quite remarkable. The oil literally pulls out all of the bacteria from inside the mouth and creates a clean environment. Your breath smells fresher over time, your teeth become whiter, and the bacteria becomes non existent. I do this about 3 times a week for the full 20 minutes. When I'm traveling I take it down a notch to about 10 minutes. One thing to remember is not to swallow any of the oil while swishing. In doing that, you basically swallow the bacteria back into the body.

Health:

This do it all oil not only helps hair stay shiny, skin stay moisturized, eases cooking and baking, but it is also extremely good for you as well. Where has this magic oil been all of my life!?  Health benefits include, helps in easing digestion, improves bone health, healing damaged tissue and infections, treats pancreatitis and Alzheimer's disease, rich in lauric acid that helps maintain blood sugar and cholesterol, prevents diseases affecting the liver and kidney, prevents and effectively cures candida, and strengthens the immune system.

Pretty Healthy

Quinoa pasta with kale and garlic

One of my favorites lunches to make contains some of the best ingredients for you and its easy to make. I stumbled upon this recipe while I was thinking of better ways to eat kale. We all know the leafy green is amazingly good for you, but tastes very bitter, which can be a turn off to some. I thought about sauteing the kale with olive oil and garlic, and lets be honest, garlic tastes incredibly amazing with pretty much everything, and then thought about putting some chicken stock in with it. Complete genius! I could not get over how well all of the ingredients blended together while also taking away the bitter taste of the kale. After making this lunch for a couple of weeks, I saw a box of quinoa pasta while I was out with my dad. This made a great lunch dish even better and still kept  everything healthy.

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of kale, trimmed off of the stem
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 cup of quinoa pasta
• 1/2 cup of chicken stock
• A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

Directions:

Cook the pasta in a large pot according to the package instructions. Once done, set aside and wait for the kale to be finished. While the pasta is cooking, heat the evoo in a medium sized pot. Trim the kale leaves off of the stem. Make sure to wash the leaves and pat dry. Once the oil is ready, take the chopped garlic and place into the pot, making sure to stir frequently for about 3 to 4 minutes. Then take the 1/2 cup of chicken stock and pour into the pot with the garlic. Let the mixture come to a boil and then reduce to a low temperature. Place the kale into the pot, with the lid on, for about 5 minutes. Once the five minutes are up, take the lid off and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Once finished, take the pasta and place on a plate with the kale and garlic on top.

Healthy Bites

Balsamic Roast Pork Tenderloins

One of my favorite go to meals to make is Balsamic Roast Tenderloins. They're rather easy to make and pack a whole lot of flavor from all of the garlic and herbs piled high on top of them. Not only that, but this meal comprises of all healthy ingredients ranging from the garlic, herbs, and evoo. Garlic is known to be a natural immune booster, has loads of vitamin C and B6 in it, regulates blood sugar, fights bacterial infections, and reduces cholesterol. Rosemary is known to improve digestion, enhance memory concentration, fights free radicals in the brain, and boots the immune system with antioxidants. Thyme is rich in vitamin A, contains antiseptic and antibiotic properties, aids in digestion, improves the appearance of acne, and controls blood pressure levels. Without further ado, here is the yummy recipe you can enjoy while also reaping all of the healthy benefits!

What you'll need:

• 1 package or 4 pork tenderloins
• 4 tbls of balsamic vinegar
• 4 tbls of extra virgin olive oil  (evoo)
• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• steak seasoning or coarse salt and pepper
• 4 sprigs of rosemary, stripped and finely chopped
• 4 sprigs of thyme, stripped and finely chopped

Directions:

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
• Trim the fat off of the tenderloins
• Coat the tenderloins with balsamic vinegar. About 1 tbl spoon per tenderloin,
• Drizzle pork with evoo, just enough to coat
• Cut small slits into the meat and disperse chunks of garlic into the meat
• Combine steak seasoning with rosemary and thyme and rub meat with the blend.
• Place the tenderloins onto a nonstick cookie sheet.
• Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes.

Benefits of Green Tea

Every morning I look forward to drinking mint green tea. It not only soothes and calms, but gets me ready for the day ahead. This tea comes jam packed with health benefits and also contains less caffeine than black tea or coffee. As someone who becomes too jittery with caffeine this tea wins my stamp of approval. Looking to try a new morning pick me up? Look no further than green tea and reap the rewards. Trust me, your body will thank you later on. A little added bonus, by squeezing a citrus juice into your tea, I use lemons, this boosts the power of the antioxidants and keeps them in the body longer.

• Contains the highest amount of antioxidants of any tea
• Polyphenols have been shown to decrease tumor growth. Drinking green tea over long period of time has also been shown to decrease multiple cancers.
• Prevents dental cavities
• Lowers stress levels
• Reduces risk of heart disease
• Naturally cleans teeth and freshens breath
• Improves arthritis by reducing inflammation throughout the body
• Can help in weight loss by increasing metabolism
• The catechins in the tea give your immune system a big boost by creating an antibacterial state within the body. This helps in preventing sickness and disease.
• Great for skin due to its high content of antioxidants and inflammatory properties.
• Spritz some green tea onto the face to draw out impurities and get a gorgeous glow
• Steep the tea for 15 minutes and allow to cool for a few hours. Rinse hair with it and allow to sit for about 10 minutes. Make sure to shampoo and condition afterwards as normal. This gives lack luster hair a boost of shine.

Pretty Healthy

Quinoa Bake for Breakfast

One of my favorite events of the morning is breakfast. I like to get up, exercise, take a shower, and settle in for a nice healthy meal. Sometimes I'll include a juice drink, but on this occasion I wanted to focus on the meal itself. Instead of reaching for a sugary cereal, try to start off the day the healthy way! This bake, which becomes like a cereal, is packed with good for your body ingredients including quinoa, honey, coconut, cinnamon, berries, and lastly milk. This breakfast is even great for you glam gals who are always in a rush to get out the door since it only takes about 15 minutes to make. Starting the morning off with breakfast gets your body in gear for the busy ahead by getting the metabolism process moving and hopefully leading to fewer cravings throughout the rest of the day.

The main star here is none other than the whole grain quinoa. Protein packed, this little guy brings tons of fiber, lysine, magnesium, riboflavin, and manganese to the table. Quinoa contains all nine essential amino acids and with all of that fiber, it makes you feel fuller longer while also decreasing your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. It's lysine content helps rebuild tissue growth and repair meaning it does wondrous things for the skin! The iron helps keeps muscles full of oxygen and the riboflavin helps keep energy levels high. What a great little grain quinoa turned out to be!

To make the baked cereal, simply combine all of the ingredients together and lay out onto a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Once done, take out of the oven and combine back into a bowl. Top off with milk, berries and enjoy! You'll be on your way to a healthier you in no time.