Category Archives: I Like This

Love for Louola’s

Love for Louola’s

Louola’s Quinola – Grain-Free Granola

Louola's Quinola

Louola’s Quinola

I was introduced to Louola’s Superfood Quinola last year by a great company called Superfoodio via their healthy snack boxes, and it’s quickly become a favourite of mine!

Commercial granolas and cereals are often loaded with hidden sugars. And it can be surprising to find out how much sugar there is even in the apparently ‘healthy’ choices out there.

Vegetarian and vegan friendly, Louola’s is a delicious alternative which is not only refined sugar free, but also grain and dairy free. I’ve found this to be a great smoothie topper and have also been using Louola’s in recipes for energy balls and homemade raw chocolate (This recipe for Raw Chocolate Bark using Beetroot, Cashew & Coconut Louola’s went down a treat over Christmas!) You can find more details, plus recipe inspiration here at the Louola’s website.

A Life Worth Breathing

A Life Worth Breathing

A Life Worth Breathing cover image Each month on my U Can Yoga website I have been featuring yoga related books that I’ve really enjoyed and want to share with you guys reading out there. For anyone who has missed the titles featured so far, I am including some my previous ‘Books of the Month’ here. I hope you enjoy:

A Life Worth Breathing by Max Strom

An inspiring and deeply insightful read. And you do not need to have ever stepped onto a yoga mat to appreciate this book. Max Strom eloquently writes not only about how to breathe properly (not as obvious as we may think – so many of us breathe incorrectly) and the healing capacity of our breath, he manages to share teachings rooted in yoga, Eastern philosophy and Sufism in a very accessible way. Described as a guidebook for living, I feel Max Strom’s words in A Life Worth Breathing remind us of what we all instinctively know but can so easily forget when feeling ground down by life – of the power we all have to elevate ourselves and silence the inner critic that can stop us in our tracks, of the importance of forgiveness and gratitude, and how breathing and yoga practices can help us on the path to empowerment, fulfilment and living a life where we stay true to ourselves.

Choc Chia Energy Smoothie

Choc Chia Energy Smoothie
Choc Chia Smoothie - Here's one I made earlier :)

Choc Chia Smoothie – Here’s one I made earlier :)

This is one of my favourite breakfasts on the go – I get an energy boost from the chia seeds and all that’s needed is a little overnight preparation (soaking the chia seeds).

Ingredients:
1/4 Cup of Chia Seeds, 1 Cup of Almond Milk, 1 Apple, quartered, 1-2 teaspoons of Cacao Nibs, 1/4 Tsp Cinnamon

Method:
Soak the chia seeds in the fridge overnight in the almond milk. Put the chia, apple, and cinnamon in a blender and blend away. (NB – if you feel the mixture is too thick feel free to add some extra milk here.)

When the mixture is smooth, add most of the cacoa nibs and blend again. Serve with the remaining cacoa nibs sprinkled on top for some extra chocolatey crunch. If I have any smoothie mixture leftover, I store in a airtight container in the fridge.

I’ve also made this with coconut milk which tastes just as delicious.

Enjoy! :)

Get Your Om Back

Get Your Om Back

#getyouromback 31 Day Yoga Challenge from Sweaty Betty.

Here I'm showing some Cat / Cow Pose variations

Here I’m showing some Cat / Cow Pose variations for #getyouromback

Sweaty Betty’s 31 Day Instagram Challenge involves practising one pose each day (a different post for each day of July). I think this is a great way to start building a home yoga practice!

My philosophy behind U Can Yoga from day one has been and remains that you can find your own expression of yoga, that yoga is for anyone who wants to give it a try and experience its many benefits.

I am taking part and will be posting some pose variations and instructions on Instagram with the intention of sharing a few ideas to make these poses a bit more accessible along the way – e.g. some standing and seated versions for those of us who find getting onto the floor a challenge.

Find out how to get involved by visiting the Get Your Om Back page at Sweaty Betty’s website here. And find me on Instagram @ucanyoga1.

Yoga Body Image

Yoga Body Image

Each month on my U Can Yoga website I have been featuring yoga related books that I’ve really enjoyed and want to share with you guys reading out there. For anyone who has missed the titles featured so far, I am including some my previous ‘Books of the Month’ here. I hope you enjoy:

YogaBodyImage book coverYoga Body Image: 25 Personal Stories About Beauty, Bravery & Loving Your Body by Melanie Klein and Anna Guest-Jelley

“Our intention is to inspire people who have an interest in developing a practice to begin exploring their options, especially those who thought yoga wasn’t for them. We also want current practitioners to begin or expand inquiry into how yoga and body image intersect in their communities.” – Melanie Klein, Yoga Body Image

For all of us who practise yoga this is an essential read.

Body image is something that many of us struggle with at some point in (or even, much of) our lives regardless of our background, gender, appearance or experience. Yoga has the huge capacity to heal, though with the dominant images presented in modern yoga culture, one could be forgiven for thinking that if they don’t fit these images that yoga may not be for them.

In this inspiring collection of personal stories, twenty-five authors share how yoga has impacted their lives. From Vytas Baskauskas who found a profound connection with yoga after a battle with addiction landed him in jail, to Melody Moore, now a clinical psychologist specialising in recovery from eating disorders, who after several years of practice found that through yoga she was gaining emotional freedom, spiritual clarity and body acceptance. In Melody’s essay I was particularly struck by her admission that, “There were moments of poignancy after about a five-year gestation process of what I now can refer to as striving for perfection in the pose.” And in Dianne Bondy’s ‘Confessions of a Fat, Black Yoga Teacher’, I was reminded of some of my own past experiences including one particular class where I was told by the teacher to sit a pose out because I was “a bit big”.

There is value to be gleaned from every single one of the twenty-five essays in the book. I really could go on and on, but then this would become an essay in itself! :) I am so grateful to Melanie Klein, Anna Guest-Jelley and Everyone who shared their stories. I am grateful for this book.

Yoga Body Image reminds us that yoga truly is for everyone. And this is a book I look forward to returning to again and again.

Make Your Own Raw Fruit & Nut Bars

Make Your Own Raw Fruit & Nut Bars

Homemade Cashew, Date, Chia & Cacao Snack Bars - Here's a few I made earlier

Homemade Cashew, Date, Chia & Cacao Snack Bars -Here’s a few I made earlier

Cashew, Date, Chia & Cacao Snack Bars

As I spend a lot of my time out about for work and therefore having no choice but to eat on-the-go I am always looking out for portable snacks. If I can make them myself then that’s all the better and usually cheaper too.

One of my current favourites is these Cashew, Date, Chia & Cacao Bars. I had a look at one of my favourite shop bought brands recently and decided to have a go at making my own. The result was a success! The joy of this is you can play with your own ingredient combinations (I’ve tried versions using coconut, linseeds and hemp protein, for instance). I use a high-speed blender to make mine, but a good food processor should also work though would take slightly longer.

Ingredients:
(Makes about 8 bars)
1 cup pitted dates
1 cup cashews
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup chia seeds
¼ cup cacao powder
¼ cup water*

(*NB – you may want to add more water as you go, depending on your desired consistency for your bars but I’ve found it is best to start with less to avoid a soggy mix that won’t hold together!)

Getting the ingredients together

Getting the ingredients together

Method:

Add all the ingredients to your blender – I chopped my dates beforehand and pulsed in the blender a few times to break up the nuts and dates a bit more.

Blend until all the ingredients have combined and formed into a ball. (Gauge whether you want to add more water or not as you go along.)

Place your blended ball onto a sheet of greaseproof paper (large enough to wrap). Shape and press into a big square.

Wrap your square up and put in the fridge for 1 hour (minimum).

Cut into bars – I wrap mine individually and store in the fridge, ready to eat!

Enjoy :)

Hand Wash Cold

Hand Wash Cold

Over the course of 2013 and 2014 on my U Can Yoga website I featured (mostly) yoga related books that I’ve really enjoyed and wanted to share with you. Book of the Month took a bit of a sabbatical in the latter half of 2014, but I am happy to say it has returned for 2015 and you’ll be able to find a new book recommendation each month on the dedicated Book of the Month page over at U Can Yoga. For anyone who has missed the titles featured so far, I will be including some my previous ‘Books of the Month’ here on this blog over the course of the year. In the meantime, here is the Book of the Month for January 2015 – Hand Wash Cold by Karen Maezen MIiller. I hope you enjoy:

Book of the Month - Hand Wash Cold by Karen Maezen Miller

Book of the Month – Hand Wash Cold by Karen Maezen Miller

Hand Wash Cold: Care Instructions For An Ordinary Life by Karen Maezen Miller

“Happiness is simple. Everything we do to find it is complicated.” – Karen Maezen Miller

Could you imagine that the simplicity of household chores can become
opportunities for life lessons, self-examination and selflessness?

A friend lent me Hand Wash Cold last year and it turned out to be one of the best books I read in 2014. The author, Karen Maezen Miller is a Zen Buddhist priest and here, via a mix of personal anecdotes, insights and Zen wisdom, she writes about how changing our perceptions can help us find joy in the lives we already have, rather than thinking that fulfilment and bliss are somewhere ‘out there’. I admired the author’s openness about some of the difficult times in her past and acknowledging the self-absorption and ambition of her youth on the way to her finding steadiness in the life she has now. A wonderful read which manages to be both profound and playful. A great reminder that true happiness really comes from within and that it is possible to fall in love with the life you have today.

Dessert for Breakfast?

Dessert for Breakfast?
Dessert for Breakfast?

Rosemary, Apple & Pear Crumble

This quick, easy dessert recipe from Honestly Healthy works just as well as at breakfast time. The addition of rosemary adds a lovely flavour too. Ever since a friend kindly gave me the Honestly Healthy cookbook as a present last year I’ve enjoyed experimenting with their various recipes.

You can find the recipe for Rosemary and Apple crumble here at the Honestly Healthy website. As I didn’t have coconut flour I tweaked my crumble topping (pictured, left) by swapping porridge oats for ground almonds and mixed those with some coconut oil and coconut sugar. I found this worked just as well, and importantly, still tasted delicious! :) I like mine served with coconut milk yoghurt.

Give it a try for yourself. Enjoy!

Creamy Banana Buckwheat Porridge

Creamy Banana Buckwheat Porridge

As the Winter sets in there are few things better than a warming bowl of porridge.

If you’re a fan of porridge too, then you’ve no doubt tried all sorts of combinations to boost your porridge bowl. One of my current favourite things is to stir in some coconut oil for extra richness and a burst of healthy good fats. I’m also enjoying this Creamy Banana Buckwheat Porridge recipe from Deliciously Ella‘s fantastic blog. So simple, speedy and tasty. Also, if you are avoiding gluten and grains, with this recipe you can have your porridge and eat it too :) In fact, if you are following a gluten-free diet and you’ve not checked out Deliciously Ella’s website and blog already, then I’d highly recommend it for lots of fantastic recipes and ideas.

Paradise Eggs

Paradise Eggs

Paradise Eggs for Breakfast

Paradise Eggs for Breakfast

Baked avocado egg recipe with Takamaka Virgin Coconut Oil.

I grew up in a household where cooking with coconut oil was the norm with my West Indian family and it seems that increasingly more people are discovering the benefits of coconut oil. I tried Paradise Eggs for the first time recently and wanted to share this simple, healthy, tasty recipe with you. With an ideal blend of protein and good fats, this recipe is taken to the next level with the addition of Takamaka virgin coconut oil. This recipe was shared with me by Jon Denoris, founder of Takamaka and a great guy I have worked with as the founder of Club 51 in Mayfair. Check out how to make Paradise Eggs here and why not try it for breakfast this weekend. Enjoy! :)