Beef and Veggie Meatloaf

There are a lot of classic meals that most American families grew up eating. One of them is meat loaf. But sometimes they are classics for a reason, I am all about convenience and taste. I wanted something simple and that could last for a majority of the week so I went with meatloaf, but my recipe includes some things that usually aren’t involved in an original recipe.

Ingredients:

2lbs of ground beef

1 cup onions, diced

1 cups carrots, shredded

1 green pepper, diced

1 cup bread crumbs, Italian seasoned

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

2 Tbsp Italian seasoning

Black pepper

Salt

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Place the beef in a large bowl and mix in the pepper, salt, and Italian seasoning.
  3. Mix in the onions, green peppers, carrots.
  4. Mix in the eggs, and milk.
  5. Now add the bread crumbs until well incorporated.
  6. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
  7. Take the meat mixture and place it into a 9×13 pyrex plate.
  8. Mould the meat into a slab and pour some barbecue sauce on top.
  9. Place the meat into the oven.
  10. Cook for 50-55 mins. Check with an oven thermometer to see if its completely done.
  11. Halfway through add more barbecue sauce on top.
  12. When done allow it to cool on countertop.
  13. Grab your portion and enjoy!

Asian Style Eggs

This week our main dinner was an open egg roll bowl. For that dish we had used Ramen noodles as a base and we had a little left over, so I needed to figure out a dish that I could incorporate the Ramen noodles into. Well, I was really hungry and didn’t want to put in a lot of effort, so I thought what would it be like if I added the Ramen to eggs? The answer…it would be amazing. So, keep an open mind and try this dish out.

Ingredients:

  • 2 eggs
  • garlic powder to taste
  • pepper to taste
  • chopped onion, small handful
  • handful of spinach
  • chopped bell pepper, small handful
  • 1/2 tsp coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup left over Ramen Noodles
  • Hot Sauce to taste
  • Soy Sauce to taste
Asian Style eggs
  1. Heat your pan with the coconut oil.
  2. Once hot, add the spinach, bell pepper, onion, and Ramen noodles. Cook until spinach is wilted and onions are soft.
  3. Crack your eggs into a bowl and whisk. Add your garlic powder and pepper. 
  4. Add the eggs to the pan and stir lightly.
  5. Cook the eggs to your liking. I like mine scrambled hard.
  6. Once it is ready, add a few sprinkles of hot sauce AND a few sprinkles of soy sauce.
  7. Stir to incorporate the sauces.
  8. Take eggs off the heat and place in a bowl.
  9. Enjoy!

Quiet Time with God

As a Christian it’s important to spend time with God. In his presence we will find everything we need. I try to make it a point to sit with him on a daily basis. Sometimes it can be hard, but if God shows up in my life, shouldn’t I make an effort to show up and meet him for a relationship? Yes. Here’s what I do to get close to God. See if this works for you too. 

I get up early to read my part of my Bible first thing in the morning. The prophetess I follow said that’s giving God your first fruits and showing that he’s important to you. So I try to get up around 4 or 5 in the morning. I read a chapter or two of the Bible and also read the commentary below the passage I read to get greater understanding. But if you literally don’t have time in the morning, that’s okay. Just find a time that works well for you.

After I read the Bible I start to pray. I thank God for allowing me to wake up and for what he’s doing in my life. Then I start praying about anything I’m concerned about or areas where I need insight from. 

But after I pray I start to decree and declare scripture. I stand on verse on the Bible that I am believing that I will see God move in. I always decree Psalm 91, Ephesian 6:10-18, and also Psalm 103. Whatever I’m believing God to move in I decree a scripture because God looks over his word to perform it. 

Then I get quiet. I sit for about 10-15 minutes and I just ask God to speak to me about anything that needs to be addressed. When I do this I always keep a pen and notebook down with me so I can quickly jot down what he’s saying. If he’s talking to me about something, then it’s important. 

That’s usually how I start my day. But if I am driving into work I use that as my praise and worship time. That way I’m in a good mood no matter what.

How do you spend your time with God? 

Losing your yoga practice

I’ve been a yoga instructor for about five years now. I try to maintain my own practice as best as I can. However, one thing that I heard while I was in my yoga teacher training is that it’s difficult to maintain your own practice. At first I thought, Well if I plan in advance that won’t happen to me…

Well, it did happen to me. When I was teaching I was so focused on planning out my classes that I didn’t make time for my own practice. And being honest, I was so tired of it that I didn’t really put forth the effort. It got to a point where I was just burned out and didn’t want to do my own practice. So I stopped. And guess what? When you stop and aren’t really focused on your flexibility, what you had you lose. My little hamstrings became tight again, my back began to stiffen, and my muscles felt tight all over. It sucked!

And I only had myself to blame. I’m still trying to get back into the swing of my own practice. I’ve had to show myself some grace and start planning some yoga classes to take. I don’t have any yoga studios by me, so I use my Peloton app. I have one instructor in particular that I love and try to do all her classes, Kierra Michelle. I love her little accent and she is just adorable. I usually take her beginners classes because I’m building up my stamina and flexibility. But slowly I am making progress. I didn’t get to this stage overnight. It happened over a lot of months, but I’ll get there.

If I could redo this, I would make sure that I do at least 1 or 2 yoga classes a week. And not focus so much on vinyasa or power, I felt like I had to sweat. Instead I would do 1 vinyasa class and then a yin or restorative to balance it out. We all need a good chill stretch like you would find in a yin or a restorative class. And I would probably limit the number of classes I taught. When I was teaching on a regular basis I would teach 2 yoga classes a week and then maybe 1-2 spin classes. That was a little much, as I was trying to juggle my full time job and also try to get my own workouts in. OVERWHELMED much?! Yes, yes I was.

If you are a yoga instructor or in the middle of your yoga teacher training how are you going to overcome this?

Upper Back Sequence – Supported Fish

This upper back stretch also helps stretch-out part of your chest as well. I love it when you get a 2 for 1 in your stretch. And Supported fish pose does just that and it allows me to zone out. Give your back some love with this yoga pose.

  • Lay completely flat on your back
  • Have a block and place it between your shoulder blades and lay back down. If it feels awkward feel free to place the block a little higher or lower and see what works.
  • Arms are down at your side. If you feel a little too much discomfort because of tightness in your chest, bend your arms for a 90 degree bend at the elbow.

Did any of you have any discomfort in your chest? Could you feel it pulling at all?

Theo – Chocolate

Everyone has a favorite place they love to visit. You know the place where you feel the most relaxed. For me that is Seattle. I don’t know what it is, but that’s my safe place. Maybe it’s the air, weather, and the ocean. But this is the place where I can go to get away and recuperate. And I always feel refreshed when I go back home. I was able to visit Seattle earlier this summer and had a blast. There were a few things that we had to schedule in advance, but it made the trip that much more exciting. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be posting what we were able to do while in Seattle. 

My sister and I love dark chocolate. But not just any dark chocolate. I guess you could say I am a chocolate snob because if its not the best, then I don’t want to waste my money and more importantly my calories on it. One of our absolute favorites is Theo. Theo is an organic, fair-trade certified chocolate maker located in the Seattle area. You can find their chocolate bars within Krogers and Whole Foods. 

The first time I tried Theo, my sister and I were trying to find an organic dark chocolate bar with clear labels regarding the ingredients. I remember rummaging through all the chocolate bars and finding a sea salt dark chocolate bar. We looked at the labeling and ingredients and thought, Let’s give it a shot. Well, two years later and I’m still eating their dark chocolate bars when I am craving something sweet and chocolaty. So we said the next time we are in the Seattle area we need to do a tour.

It was pretty easy, we just signed up for a tour online. It was reasonably priced for three of us to go. And we were driving from Anacortes and worried about getting there on time and they moved us to a later time. They were so sweet! As we drove down the various streets to get there, the scent of chocolate hung in the air. My mouth watered as I waited to get in. When we got there we were shown a video that gave us the history of the company and learn how Theo gets their cacoa. I’ve never seen how chocolate is made so I was impressed with how they broke everything down for us. The employee was extremely knowledgeable and answered everyone’s questions. 

After that we then headed into the sampling room. Yes, THE sampling room. There, they talked to us about the different types of chocolate they made. Theo makes a variety of chocolate and we were able to taste quite a few different variations. We even got to try cocoa nibs. And no I didn’t like them. It was gritty and extremely bitter. To me the best chocolate is 70% dark chocolate with some type of subtle flavoring to it. This part lasted about 20 minutes and then we ended the tour in their gift shop. 

The gift shop was awesome. They had chocolates that I’d never seen at Whole Foods or Krogers before. Apparently there are some chocolate bars that are only sold in the Seattle area or their store (aka online). Of course, if you are in a chocolate store you have to buy some to take home! So needless to say I bought a variety of chocolates before I left. And no I didn’t eat them all in a sitting. I actually have a video of us trying some of the chocolates that we bought. So look for that within the next week or so. 

If you are in the Seattle area, go check out Theo. You will not be disappointed. 

What brand of chocolate is your favorite? And what particular type of their chocolate is your go to fix?

Upper Back Sequence – Supine Twist

There is nothing like a nice spinal twist to make your back feel so good! When I’m feeling achey, this is one of my favorite moves. And the plus is that you can do this while lying down on the floor or even better your bed.

Supine Spinal Twist:

  • Lay on your back and bend your knees.
  • Feet are together. 
  • Allow your bent legs to fall over to the right side, and draw your arms straight out to the sides, so they are like a T.
  • Breath. Hold for a few breaths here, 5 to 10.
  • Bring legs back to center
  • Allow knees to fall onto the left side and draw your arms straight out to the sides, so they are like a T.
  • Breath. Hold for a few breaths here, 5 to 10.

Upper Back Sequence – Eagle Arms

Sometimes our upper back needs to be released and one way to do that is by performing a yoga pose known as eagle arms. You can do this by either sitting or standing, it’s your preference.

Eagle Arms

  • Sit on your mat with your knees bent and out to the sides. 
  • Bring left foot in towards your pelvis and take your right foot slightly in front of your left foot so that they’re not touching.
  • Inhale and lengthen through your spine sitting nice and tall
  • Hands in prayer position or loosely on your knees
  • Relax the forehead and the space between the eyebrows
  • Tilt the chin so it’s parallel to the floor
  • Relax the shoulders away from the ears
  • Keep your back and torso long.
  • Tilt the pelvis slightly forward
  • Bring your right hand out in front of you and bend at the elbow, your palm facing your face/head. 
  • Take your left arm and bring the crook of it right under the right elbow, wrapping your left arm around the right. If you can press your palms together, and gently lift your elbows to shoulder height or draw it towards your chin.