Strawberry Fields Forever: This 5 Ingredient Salad Will Make Your Mouth Water

Do you like fast and easy dinner ideas?

Me too! I enjoy outdoor cooking for most of the year, here in Texas. However, when the weather gets this hot, even grilling can be grueling. That’s why I want to share with you something fresh, cool, and fantastically tasty for tonight’s meal. 

There was a time when I was really against salads. I mean, I just didn’t like them at all. I thought they were gross, boring, uneventful piles of leaves. They didn’t do it for me back in 2017 when I first wanted to become a vegan, and I thought that it would be a huge road block. While I knew I needed to get those greens in, I did not think that they could be a main event at dinner.

Fast forward three years. I have learned that, when done right, a salad can be a beautiful thing. Although I don’t have many salad recipes under my belt, the past three years of my vegan journey have opened my eyes, and mouth, to the possibilities of plants.

Strawberry Fields is forever my favorite salad.

What’s not to love about spinach, strawberries, cucumbers, walnuts, and your favorite vinaigrette?

Giving a sweet tartness to the spinach’s buttery texture, the strawberries stand out both in color and flavor. Mix in the freshness of cucumbers, the crunch of walnuts, and the bitter flavor of balsamic vinaigrette for a stunning finish. 

Kerrville H-E-B carries my favorite organic vinaigrette.

If your diet allows for you to eat leafy greens, incorporate spinach regularly into your meal plans to boost your metabolism, immunity, and even prevent birth defects if you are pregnant or wanting to become pregnant.  Spinach is also high in iron, vitamin K, and folate which helps regenerate tissue and red blood cells.

You can't beat a refreshing salad on a hot summer night, so try this one with me!

Ingredients

4 Cups of Spinach

2 Cups of Strawberries

1 Cucumber

1/4 Cup Walnuts

3 Tablespoons of Vinaigrette Dressing

Instructions:

  1. Wash produce

  2. Peel, remove seeds, dice cucumber

  3. Quarter strawberries

  4. Sprinkle walnuts

  5. Pour dressing

  6. Toss

Serve immediately.

Tastes like summer.




Delicious and nutritious 💋

Delicious and nutritious 💋

Squashing Your Goals in 2020 - A Mid Year Recipe

Squash, Cauliflower, and Bell Pepper Kabobs

Summer grilling is a quick and easy way to provide a nutritious meal for you and your family without heating up the entire house. Clean up is minimal. The finished product, satisfying.

Summer grilling is a quick and easy way to provide a nutritious meal for you and your family without heating up the entire house. Clean up is minimal. The finished product, satisfying.

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Wash

with warm water and 1 Tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar

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Season

with

1 T Olive Oil

1/2 t Garlic Powder

1/4 t Chili Powder

1/4 t Cumin

Salt and Pepper to taste

*PRO TIP: Soak the skewers in water before moving on to the next step.

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Stab

Don’t be shy. Get some aggression out as you pierce the flesh of your vegetables. Arrange however you like but keep the heavy veggies towards the bottom of your kabob.

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Grill

Turn the grill to medium high heat and let it warm up for a minute to reduce sticking. Grill your kabobs for 10 mins on each side.

Enjoy!

The best part about grillin’ is the smokey flavor it gives your veggies. I suggest serving with black beans and corn and a little hummus. Thank you!

Garden Fresh Veggies

For this recipe, I used squash, which you can grow yourself fairly easily, bell peppers, and cauliflower. The options, however, are endless. Look in your fridge and see what you can find! I’m all about using what you’ve got.

Squash your goal to reduce waste

We all had goals at the beginning of the year and we might have lost track of them. I know because one of mine was to cook regularly at home and I have eaten out quite a bit despite the current COVID situation.

Life happens, there is a lot on our plate as a society, but our job is to take care of ourselves and the people in our homes. So, when you can, remember the things that give you energy. The people you love appreciate your effort to provide. This summer, feed your body nutritious, home grilled food rather than something from the drive-thru.

If you've lost track of your goals, now is the perfect time to revisit those.

In order to squash your goals, you have to be willing to try again when things don’t work out.

Meditate on what it is you are trying to accomplish, and then let go of the expectations you have for yourself. Grab a drink, pick your veggies, and start grillin!

Remember LOVE and ALL is coming.

Love, Mae. <3

Finding Calm in the Storm: 3 Tips to Add to Your Schedule

You may feel overwhelmed with tasks as the Hill Country gets back to a faster pace of life. Everything is happening at once. You schedule every minute you have for something important or for someone else’s needs. You’re clearing the debris and studying the weather patterns so that you can prepare for the next storm.

You are a provider. You take care of your people. And you might be running out of gas.

You need to take care of yourself.

I have been there. Right where meeting deadlines meets running on fumes is the perfect place to pause. Even before you feel like you are at a burnout, pause.

Tip #1: Pause

Schedule time for yourself. Pause when you wake up.

Pause when you sit down to eat.

Pause before you make your nest at night.

Pausing is our first idea for balancing work with play.

If you have trouble shifting gears, hang out for a minute in neutral. Don’t go anywhere. Don’t do anything. 

Just look out the window. Better yet, close your eyes and sit comfortably in a quiet place, alone, if you can manage, for as long as possible. This will help you clear your mind.

Tip #2: Befriend

During roaring fits of anxiety, making friends may not feel natural. Unloading the train wreck in your head could feel like latching on to someone for attention. But nobody is going to judge you for being human. In fact, people will respect your authenticity if you share the messy bits as well as the picture perfect moments.

I’m not saying burden others with your problems 24/7. Rather, when you have taken a minute to gather your thoughts, go out to lunch with a buddy. It could really make a difference in your internal narrative.

We tend to be our own worst critics. Listening to a friend’s perspective might help you see the good in the situation. And if you don’t feel like delving into your problems, light conversation with a friend is way better than solo narratives bouncing back and forth between your ears.



Communicate your needs clearly so that you can find peace in the center of the storm. Communicating with your loved ones is the key to a better mindset. Even if they don’t agree, you can bounce your ideas off them and realize things as you say them better than you could if you were to just talk to yourself at home.

The ones you love connect you to a Higher Power. Think of how your favorite person fills you with joy when you see them. Pausing to be thankful for your loved ones is essential for the longevity of your internal love energy.

Be thankful for the people in your life. Give thanks to God that He shines in their eyes.

If you don’t feel motivated to get out of your funk on your own, surround yourself with a tribe of like minded people who can lift you up, encourage you, and help you stay on track. 

Don’t have one? Join ours at Digital Yoga Academy! Thousands of awesome and inspiring yogis are getting together online, and we want you to join us for an amazing Master Class: SUPER YOGI TRIBE!!!


Tip #3 Breathe Fresh Air


That sunlight or moonlight you see is shining down upon you in a song of praise because you are here staring back at it. God’s put you here on this Earth so that you can enjoy nature. “All things flow from nature for the benefit of the universe of which thou art a part.” - Marcus Aurellius

No matter what you’re going through, take a little mental holiday from it. The world will keep spinning if you stop thinking about your problems for an hour, half an hour, or five minutes if that’s all you can manage. Take a walk. Step outside, take a big breath of fresh air, enjoy the view.

You will have a much clearer head if you add a walk to your schedule.

Visit the River Trail. Bring your dog to Flat Rock, or for porch beer at Basement Brewer’s.

Speaking of, would any of my yogis be interested in Pint and Pose, yoga and beer? Let me know in the comments below what time would work best for your schedule. 

The light in me respects and honors the light in you.

Namaste 

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Yoga and Tuning

 

Guest Blog by Aaron Steinle

All that is, is vibration.

All that is, is vibration.

Though I am new to the practice of yoga, I come to it with a certain intuitive understanding of how it relates to vibration, creation, and the world in which we find ourselves. When Mai asked me to write an article laying out my take on it, I was honored to do so, and I hope I manage to get my point across clearly.

Disclaimer : This information is presented only as my opinion and an interesting thought exercise. Though there are some very clever physicists out there actually working on a lot of this stuff, I shall not sully their good names by dragging them into my inane blathering. As far as you know this is all pure conjecture.

A word on light. In our western understandings of these ancient, Vedic technologies (for such is what they are) I feel too much emphasis is placed on light. Spirits are often described as “light bodies” and chakras denoted as different colors of light, for example.

While not exactly incorrect, it should be remembered that even light possesses a frequency. At its very core, light is a vibration. In other words, vibration supersedes light. From here, we may begin at the beginning.

All of creation is manifested from a single source.

This source is a vibration.

All that is, is vibration.

In order to harmonize (quite literally) with the source vibration, it is necessary to tune one’s self in much the same way as a musical instrument. This is one of the core functions of the practice of yoga.

Imagine that you walk into a music store, pick a guitar off of the wall, and give it a strum. In all likelihood it will be so far out of tune as to sound absolutely atrocious! Only after carefully adjusting the tension of the strings, bringing them to vibrate harmoniously with each other, can we begin to explore the true potential of the instrument.

Now, consider that many of us are much like that out of tune guitar on the music store wall. If you could strum across our chakras like the strings of a guitar, it is unlikely that the sound would be either harmonious or lovely. While it is certainly possible to learn to pluck out a simple melody on an out of tune instrument, it is both quite difficult and extremely limiting.

With our chakras, it is important to begin tuning from the base chakra. This is also our bass chakra, the lowest note, our fundamental. From here we gradually work our way up to our crown, the highest treble overtone, only after carefully harmonizing each thread of vibration, in order, from bottom to top, along the way. It is easier to lower the highest vibration than it is to raise the lowest vibration. While we should always strive for the highest set of vibrations possible, the most important thing is to be IN TUNE! As individual instruments, we each have our own set of frequencies that is optimal for us. The goal is not to be uniformly the same as each other, but for us each to find our own point of sweetest resonance where we may best play the part for which we are most suited.

The more in tune we are with ourselves, the deeper and more perfect our connection with the source vibration becomes. The deeper our connection, the greater our access to the fundamental energy of creation. It is important to note that this type of energy, or power cannot be possessed or held for any length of time. However, by careful tuning of ourselves, we may become a conduit through which it flows. It then becomes our obligation to conscientiously direct this flow. While a relatively rare achievement, this is certainly something to aspire to.

Fortunately for most of us, we have a great deal of control over the physical manifestations of ourselves. Through the application of our will and consciousness, we can strengthen and shape our physical vehicles to perform in the manner we desire. Within reason, of course. Let us simply say that a certain amount of physical fitness is necessary for proper tuning. Using our guitar analogy again, if the tuning keys are sloppy, they will not hold the strings in tune. If the neck is not straight, it will not play in tune throughout the entire range. If the top is not rigid, yet supple, it will not transfer the vibration of the strings.

One may attempt to tune a poorly maintained, improperly adjusted instrument. It will not function well.

Do not misunderstand me. I firmly believe that yoga is for everybody. Yet, much of it seems geared towards tuning and fine adjustments. For larger physical maintenance issues, additional disciplines may be necessary. They certainly are for me.

As far as tuning the chakras themselves goes, it takes time. It is a marathon not a sprint. That being said, I am a beginner and I can feel the difference already, though I had made an effort to prepare myself physically, mentally, and address some of my known shortcomings before seeking out yoga and beginning to enfold it into my lifestyle. Major lifestyle changes were necessary to bring me from where I was to where I am. Embracing yoga, and the finer tuning of myself is the current step on my path to the man I wish to become.

Life Death and Yoga: Tribute to Diane DeZarn

LIFE

In this life, we have to connect with our bodies. We have to feel them because they are fleeting. We need to love them now. Our spirits will live forever. However, I’ll only rotate this sun so many times as me until my existence as me ceases. When considering the totality of the universe, I will not associate myself with this shell for very long.

I’ve often resented my body. I’ve resented my body for a few reasons, and let me know if you’ve ever felt this way, too, so I’m not alone, here.

Have you ever felt like your body is a burden?

I’m curious, what do you think you body is? How do you perceive your body? How are you living your life? What goals do you have for this body of yours? What intentions are you setting in your mind? I want to know. What intentions do you set in the morning?

Because your mornings are numbered, my friend. I don’t mean to be a downer, but ask not for whom the bell tolls. 

I want you to seriously live like you are dying. Feel your body now. Don’t delay. Try yoga!

DEATH

Having lived a life full of intentional compassion and unconditional love, my Nana has gone to be with Jesus. Nana, Diane DeZarn, Lived everyday like it was her last. 

She would say to me “Now, honey, Nanny’s not gonna be around forever, you know. So I want you to know how much I love you. How much I care for you. And Maikenzy, Honey, there is nothing you can do to change Nanny’s love for you.” and she’d say it like that.

She was self aware. She knew that her life was not her own. She lived everyday as a servant for her children and her grandchildren. 

I want to be just like that. I want to be a servant who fears no living creature nor unknown abyss.

I want to facilitate that growth the way my Nana would when she would correct me with gentle reminders and shower me with positive affirmations when I did well. She took time out of her day to make sure my wounds were healed with good food. She fed my mind when she sat with me and poured over difficult math problems or tedious spelling. She never doubted me. She made sure I knew that I was seen.

We all seek this kind of appreciation. The kind of appreciation that makes you feel seen but not judged is simple and yet so many people fail to recognize their peers in this way.

But not Nana. My Nana was a natural lover. She didn’t know it, but she was a Yogi master. 

YOGA

Okay, so, maybe Nana didn’t do 12 rounds of sun salutes everyday, but she certainly was united in love for herself and her family.

This is what we call “Yoga outside of the mat.”

Loving your family is yoga outside of the mat.

Yoga means union. And we get wrapped up in the poses and the stretching, but yoga literally means uniting yourself to the Spirit. I can’t think of anyone more united and in tune with the Spirit than my Nana. 

Was she afraid to die? No. She was not. Because she was united in love. She was practicing yoga until her last breath.

Nana devoted herself to living a life of service and gratitude. She never hesitated to show the family how much love she had to give. With her delicious Lebanese food, she filled our bellies. With her immaculately kept home, she gave us a sanctuary of peace. With her warm hugs and adorable laugh, Nana united us with a love that I will remember for the rest of my life. I wish I could share it with her again. Maybe, in some way, I will when I die.

I could really use one of Nana’s hugs.

If you’re still reading, try this with me….

Wrap one arm on top of the other, give yourself a squeeze. 

If you have lost someone dear to you, I want you to imagine the love that they poured into your life. Remember how good it felt to hear their voice and see their face. Don’t forget their memory. It is a happy one! Give yourself a hug!!!

Now, cross your arms the other way as we give love to both sides of the body.

I’m gonna be out of town for a little while, so please check in with my website until I return from California.  The Calendar page will have info up to date. 

While I’m away, here are a few things you can do to practice yoga outside of the mat:

  1. Move your Body

  2. Organize your Thoughts

  3. Embrace your Friends

Move your body. Take your dog on a walk, doing some yoga in the kitchen, and check in with your breath. Think on the way you are sitting in your chair. Feel this life that you have flowing through your veins. Remember that you only have so many breaths in this lifetime.

Organize your thoughts. I can’t stress this enough. Write down your goals, intentions, and dreams. What do you want people to say about you when you die? Your thoughts become your words become your actions become your legacy. 

Embrace your friends. People will remember you for the relationships that lasted in your life. Nurture those. Make spending time with your loved ones a priority. 

I will not associate myself with this shell and my memories forever. The bell tolls for thee, so think fast. Love your body now. Connect with the lives around you for as long as possible. Maybe you can do that in a yoga class? I invite you to one of mine or to one of my friends’ here in Kerrville. I also invite you to explore yoga online. There are a lot of great options out there for starting your home practice. Pour in some time, and you will get big, beautiful results.

Lots of love to you, reader. Nana would want you to know that, no matter what, you are loved.

Thanks for all the love you poured into my life, Nana! <3


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Interview with Aerial Yoga Studio OwnEr: Stephanie

There is a growing community of strong women, here in the Hill Country. I’d like to get to know more women like Stephanie Calderon Stewart. That’s why I’ve invited Stephanie to Kerrville Yoga today!

Aloha, Stephanie! Tell us a little bit about yourself!

STEPHANIE:

I am a native Kerrville-ian, graduated from Tivy High School in 2001.  I have been married to my husband Clarence of 14 years and we share a son (Quatro), daughter (Alexandra), and two exchange students adopted daughter (Aleks) that lives in Warsaw, Poland, and son Joaquin Vazquez that lives in Mexico City. I have been a licensed massage therapist for 18+ years always massaging people as a  side business income while working a full-time job in the heavy civil construction world. I obtained my 200 hour therapeutic teacher certification from MelMarie Yoga out of San Antonio and continued additional studies with Aerial Yoga Boerne in 2017 becoming certified as an Aerial Yoga Instructor soon creating humblingbloom, LLC shortly after. My mission is to bring an all encompassing Holistic Wellness in one stop believing there is a better way and wish to bring an open humble heart to every individual walking through the door.  

Why did you start doing yoga?

I have done yoga ever since high school, not necessarily a daily practice but just a once in a while because it was cool. I really did not fully utilize yoga until yoga space opened here in Kerrville when I moved back from Austin in 2003. I loved Gwynn from Yoga Space she was an amazing soul who made me feel like yoga was not out of my realm, and I did not need to know all the poses but just be fine right where I was at. She is the one who really opened my eyes and doors to this new way of life. 

What made you want to teach yoga?

I had no intention of becoming a yoga instructor. So one day the President of the Construction Company I worked for came to me and talked about his wife becoming a yoga instructor. I told him that while I was in Austin the thought had crossed my mind to become one only to be an addition to my massage practice but nothing more. Then later on he asked if I would like to join the same program his wife attended, I reluctantly said no but needless to say that was not the outcome in the end of it all. So I joined the program with MelMarie Yoga and started my path to join yoga and massage together in my personal practice. While completing my certification course an Aerial Workshop was introduced, I fell completely enamored and in love that I later became a certified Aerial Yoga Instructor who decided that Kerrville needed something like this. The next step I went and did what Dave Ramsey advises against pulled my savings and opened an Aerial Yoga here in Kerrville. Here I am...

What is the mission of humblingBloom?

The mission of the studio is to fully encompass every aspect of holistic wellness in one shared space of various talents.  This studio is here to let everyone know that the light in them has purpose and is meant to be shared because we are all apart of something greater. Their light pierces darkness, which is separated once they allow their light to shine.

Who are your ideal students?

My ideal students are people that possess an open willing heart to try new exciting approaches to wellness. People that are not sold completely on western medicine. If we are speaking of Aerial in particular the person must not be easily motion sick, meaning if they can not get on a swing to go back and forth or even ride in the backseat of a car that limits their practice in class. They can however always choose not to do any inversions and when it comes to lying down in the hammocks they may opt to lay on the ground instead, which is completely fine. There are many other poses that can be done that does not require the back and forth or inversion poses.

What techniques are you using to get people to come to class?

I always let the people that stroll through my door aware that this studio is welcome to all, no matter if you have never done yoga in your life or even if you are a pro. We can all share the same space in class yet be on different poses, yoga is their practice. Their practice is personalized just for them not the instructor and or even the neighbor next to them. I believe that letting people feel comfortable that they do not need to be pushed or forced into something their body is not ready for has been key and the constant repeating of its ok remember this is your practice has made people feel at home in the studio and more willing to invite their friends or family that would have serious hesitations on it all.

As far as advertisement I stink at social media, and am thankful for the younger people to help me understand while showing me what buttons do what on my phone or computer. I Have yet to send out any emails with the online system I have, but I also find that the majority of people do not check emails or utilize them as much as they hop on social media outlets. However don’t count me out yet on sending email newsletters just yet. I also joined the Kerrville Area Chamber of Commerce last year in 2018 and they have done a fabulous job in helping this tiny studio grow. 

How does it feel to be a successful yoga business boss?

The question is how do I define success, and my answer would be that yes I do what I love and am so very blessed to have such large support of family and friends that have been my marketers, and networkers even when I am totally not the salesman. As for the phrase “Boss” I do not like to see myself as such, I am and will always be a humble team player, my joy and success if from helping others rise in success before I. If they are able to thrive then the studio in turn thrives as well. Being a small business owner is for the birds, and I am thankful for the name of the studio, which is something I prayed about for a long time until it was laid on my heart. humblingBloom is a reminder that I should not worry or hold myself to any other standard or successful yoga studio. I am often reminded that I should be humble always, and Bloom in my humility. This is Success.

What challenges did you have to overcome to have your studio here in Kerrville?

Kerrville  is a very special place, the community is so diverse. We were at one point thought of a #1 retirement community, yet the dynamic is changing to a much younger family oriented community. The obstacle really was how to get the word out that we are here, and really that is still the obstacle. Newspapers are only read by a certain demographic and social media on the other hand almost everyone, but getting people to not just see but actually support a small business is still the question all small businesses here in Kerrville are looking for.

Have you ever thought about hosting a retreat?

Absolutely, actually when I first opened and had High Apple Pie in the Sky hopes I actually was trying to get people to join me in Bali for a Yoga retreat. But the reality is that getting peolpe to trust you in taking them across the world on a guided tour and for a long period of time is complex. Kerrville is a working community, while we do have people that are abundantly blessed we also have people that must be mindful of how they are to spend  what they have. So going on a trip like that for oneself is a huge imposition for a working family, but there are works in progress for an international trip and local one too.

Are you  interested in recording some of your classes to make an online yoga course?

Perhaps in the future but as for now thats not on my radar. I struggle with online certification course, I know there are great ones but there is nothing like being up front with an instructor pointing and showing I don’t understand this, or even having them correct you right away.

What does the future of humblingBloom look like? 

Holistic Wellness at it’s finest, we have just introduced a Holistic Medicine Practitioner to the studio, which will work out great in addition to the Acupuncturist, massage therapist, and yoga instructors. We are working on some larger events and even helping more in the recovery community giving them a second option in their health and recovery practice. This place is for every humble heart, we are working on understanding the community in what that truly means for them.

The Kerrville community is blessed by your humble presence, Stephanie! Thank you for taking the time to sit down and talk with me.

namaste

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Butternut Squash Soup

Cooking is an art form. The colors and textures all come together in a vibrant symphony of energy. You have the ability to take creative liberty and experiment.

My mission is to bring peace to you through art, music, and breath movement

Because my mission is to bring peace to you through art, music, and breath movement, I’m going to start incorporating more cooking and baking into the mix here at Kerrville Yoga.

Think about the way food makes you feel. Food embodies movement, life, and consciousness. That’s why death is unnecessary. Nobody needs to die for this dish. 

ALL the food I cook is vegan. And I want to share my vegan lifestyle with you. 

Sharing is caring; my dear friend from the Arms of Hope center demonstrates. Ana gave me this big, beautiful, butternut squash fresh from her garden, and today, we’re gonna tackle this bad boy and see if we can make some

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Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

¼ C Olive Oil

1 Onion

3 Cloves garlic or 3 tsp garlic powder

2 Red Bell Peppers

2 cups Butternut Squash

1 can Red or Black Beans

1 tsp of Cayenne

1 tsp Italian Seasoning

½ tsp salt

Cashew Cream (1 cup cashews soaked for 60 mins or boiled for 10 and then blended up with ¼ cup nutritional yeast)

1 cup Veggie Broth

Brown sugar to taste


Instructions: 

Heat oil in a large pot

Brown

Onions, Red Bells, Butternut

Add

Beans

Add cashew cream after veggies brown

Add broth

Bring to boil and reduce heat

simmer for 30-40 minutes…

Add pinch of brown sugar to taste

Makes 4 servings

While you wait for things to heat up, I want to share three health benefits that this delicious vegetable has to offer.

  • Reduces Blood Pressure - 

    • High in potassium!

  • Prevents Colon Cancer - 

    • Full of beta-carotene!

  • Tastes delicious - 

    • Improves Mood!

If you have a cast iron pot, USE IT because the extra iron will absorb into your food which is great for us veg heads,

If you’re interested in giving butternut squash a try, follow my recipe! I want to hear your thoughts. If you’ve got any questions about practicing ahimsa, non harming, please ask. 

Butternut wait to try going vegan!