Be Oodisha. Be fit.

Yoga is awesome because every couple of weeks I will be surprised about something else that has improved about my body. Awhile back one of these discoveries took the form of the cellulite on my thighs disappearing.

The science behind it? When your lymphatic system doesn’t drain all of the excess fluids and waste products that it is supposed to, some of them collect in your fat cells that lie just under your skin, which causes them to protrude through the connective tissue between them and your skin, causing the orange peel effect.

How do inversions help? When your legs are above your head, gravity helps lymph flow through more easily to drain the toxins and excess fluids from them. Try adding a shoulder stand to your regular fitness routine, and let me know if you see a difference! 

Holy Breakfast!! These waffles are really a treat, but are also really simple and use only clean ingredients. They’re also high protein, with 200 calories and 20 grams of protein in each waffle. Adding 1/4 cup blueberries and the almond butter-agave syrup makes them taste especially indulgent and rounds out the meal nicely, totaling 320 calories and 26 grams of protein. If you have strawberries or raspberries instead of blueberries, I would add a teaspoon or two of cocoa powder to the syrup to make a clean eating version of waffles with nutella and berries. YUM! 

Protein Waffles:

Makes three waffles (while I would stick to one as a serving, these work wonderfully for a super fast breakfast if you freeze them and then stick them in the toaster!) 

• 1/4 cup wheat flour
• 1/4 cup white flour 
• 2 scoops lean protein powder ( or about a half of a cup. I used almond vanilla designer whey)
• 2 egg whites 
• 1/2 T oil
• cup milk of choice 
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t vanilla extract
• 1/2 t baking powder 
• 3 T stevia 

Just stir together and then stick in your waffle iron and enjoy! 

Almond butter-agave syrup: 

Makes three servings, 100 calories and 5 grams of protein each. Combine the following:

• 2 T protein powder 
• 2 T almond butter (PB works fine too!)
• 1 T agave nectar

add water until you reach your desired thickness. 

Having zucchini, red peppers, artichoke hearts, and feta in the house has inspired me to make a lot of Mediterranean dishes lately. This dish incorporates those ingredients into a pile of crispy, cheesy, gooey goodness, but its still packed with veggies, super healthy, and relatively light- 380 calories, 36 grams of protein, and 13 grams of fiber per serving). You can also sub the veggies and cheeses for whatever you have in the house-but I would recommend sticking with the cottage cheese because it bulks it up and adds protein, and neufchatel cheese (1/3 less fat cream cheese) because it makes the dish super creamy. 

Serves 3 (I know this is a weird number, but I generally cook to feed myself and my boyfriend, who eats about twice what a normal person does. If you’re not very hungry, 1/4 would probably do just fine) 

Ingredients:

• 8 oz chicken 
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 zucchini, diced
• 1 roma or medium tomato, diced 
• 2 servings whole wheat or “plus” pasta (I used thin spaghetti to get a crispiness, but penne or rottini would work fine too)
• 1 oz neufchatel cheese 
• 1/2 cup cottage cheese 
• 5 oz bag spinach
• 2 canned artichoke hearts 
• a couple of fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1/4 cup feta
• cup pasta sauce (look for one with low sugar and salt) 
• 1/4 cup mozzarella 
• italian spices (basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary…whatever you have) 

Directions:

1. preheat your oven to 375. coat a large skillet with nonstick spray and heat to medium
2. dice up chicken and throw in the skillet with dried spices
3. wait until golden on one side and flip, add red pepper
4. wait about 4 minutes and then add zucchini 
5. wait until the zucchini is slightly browned, turn heat to low
6. add in neufchatel and cottage cheese, and pasta sauce, blend through dish
7. add garlic, tomato, basil, artichoke hearts, and spinach turn off the burner
8. transfer to a baking dish and bake on 375 for 15 minutes 
9. sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top and bake for another 5 minutes. ENJOY! 

I’ll admit, I was skeptical about adding kale to my smoothies, but this smoothie is really delicious- it tastes like green apple candy! And it is super filling with 4 grams of fiber and 26 grams of protein, but only 240 calories. You could also add a tablespoon or two of flax seeds to up the fiber and healthy fat content. I’ve also seen similar smoothie recipes with banana and mango added, which I’m sure would be delicious too! 

The recipe I used is super simple:

1 cup frozen pineapple chunks 

1 cup chopped kale

1 cup 0% Greek yogurt

a couple of ice cubes 

1 t lime juice

stevia, to taste

These are honestly the most delicious clean eating dessert I have concocted to date, and at 185 calories and 11 grams of protein, they’re healthy and portable enough that you could use them as a post workout!! I made them for my friends and they had no idea they were healthy, because they honestly taste like an indulgent dessert. 

INGREDIENTS 

Filling:

1. 3/4 cup cottage cheese
2. 2/3 cup nonfat plain greek yogurt 
3. 4 oz cream cheese
4. 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter 
5. 1 T flour
6. 1/4 cup agave nectar (you can sub in stevia here to save 20 calories per serving) 
7. scoop (or about 1/4 cup) protein powder ( I used almond flavored designer whey, but vanilla or chocolate would probably work fine too!) 
8. pinch salt
9. 2 eggs
10. 1 oz semisweet chocolate

Crust:

1. 1/2 cup cashews 
2. 6 dates
3. scoop protein
4. 2 T agave nectar 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees, grease a muffin pan 
2. combine crust ingredients in food processor until sticky. Press into the bottom of a muffin pan
3. combine all filling ingredients EXCEPT FOR EGGS in the food processor and blend until smooth. 
4. now add the eggs and give it a few pulses
5. pour filling evenly into muffin pan
6. use a cheese grater to grate the dark chocolate and distribute evenly over the cheesecakes. 
7. bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are slightly golden, but the middle is still wobbly. Let set in the freezer for at least 1 hour, and then refrigerate. 

After many attempts at striking an Oodisha balance between delicious and healthy cheesecake, I’ve finally concocted the perfect recipe! It is absolutely delicious to the point where my boyfriend devours them, but also very healthy, using only “clean ingredients” with 9 grams of protein and 150 calories each! It’s also gluten free as long as you use protein powder without gluten. You have to try it! 

INGREDIENTS 

filling: 

• 3/4 cup nonfat cottage cheese 
• 2/3 cup nonfat plain yogurt 
• 6 oz light cream cheese/ neufchatel cheese 
• 2 T sugar (or truvia if you want to lighten it up) 
• 1 scoop EAS vanilla protein powder (or about 1/2 of a serving of whatever brand you use) 
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 eggs (or 4 egg whites to cut down on fat- I can’t guarantee it will taste as good though!) 
• 1/2 cup berries of your choice 

crust:

• ½ cup cashews
• 7 medjool dates (pitted)
• 1 scoop EAS vanilla protein powder (see above) 
• 1 T nonfat greek yogurt 

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
2. blend crust ingredients in a food processor until they make a crumbly mixture- try not to overblend! 
3. Press crust ingredients into a pie tin, or cupcake tin to make mini cheesecakes (makes 12 mini cheesecakes) 
4. blend filling ingredients except eggs and berries in food processor until smooth. Add the eggs and pulse a few times- do not overblend!
5. pour filling on top of crust 
6. drop berries on top of filling 
7. bake for 20-25 minutes (the fork test does not work here! don’t overbake them…the filling should still be mushy)
8. refrigerate for a couple of hours or enjoy right away! 

Thanks to Sylvia Fountaine, feasting at home blog (feastingathome.com) January-17-2013

A flavorful gluten-free, vegan wrap, made with collard greens.

Directions and Ingredients:

4 large collard green leaves, de-stemed, blanched.
1 large Yam- peeled, diced, drizzled with olive oil, pinch salt, pepper and cumin seeds (optional) and roasted in a 425 F oven until tender and crispy, about 25 minutes.

1 C baked, smoked or seared tofu (or chicken or beef)

1 1/2 C cooked black beans seasoned with:
1/4 tsp Chipotle
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp maple or agave

1 Avocado, sliced
Cilantro springs

Chipotle Lime Vinaigrette:
2 T lime
2 T olive oil
pinch salt
1/4 tsp chipotle powder

Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

Salad

• 1 pound salmon fillet, cut in half (to fit in a steamer basket)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Juice from 2 limes (about 1/4 cup)
• 8 cups mixed baby greens
• 1 avocado, thinly sliced
• 1 pink grapefruit, pith and peel removed, segments separated
• 1/2 cup bean sprouts, thoroughly washed

Grapefruit-Ginger Dressing

• 5 tablespoons grapefruit juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup white-wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger

PREPARATION

1. Season fish with salt, pepper, cumin, and lime juice and steam in a bamboo steamer or a pot with a steamer insert until tender, about 3 minutes per side. Set aside 10 minutes to cool. Mix dressing ingredients in a small bowl. With a fork, coarsely flake the fish; toss with greens and just enough dressing to lightly coat leaves. Divide among 4 plates. Arrange avocado slices and grapefruit sections on top of each salad and drizzle lightly with dressing. Top with bean sprouts.

THE SKINNY

362 calories per serving, 22 g fat (3 g saturated), 17.5 g carbs, 5.5 g fiber, 26 g protein

credit to self.com

I realize that my last post how to improve any ab work for a tighter core is harder to apply to standing ab work, including any standing yoga pose, so this is a follow-up post to explain how to engage your uddiyana bandha, or abdominal lock while standing. Engaging the uddiyana bandha assists proper breathing during yoga, because keeping your core tight forces you to breathe fully into your ribs instead of your tummy. 

The key is to understand to alignment of your pelvis. Come into a table top position. On an inhale, roll your pelvis out (like “sticking your butt in the air”) and shine your heart through your shoulders (“up dog” your chest). This is called cow pose, and demonstrates the “cow tilt” of the pelvis. Then, on your exhale, roll your pelvis under contract your abs up towards your spine. This is called cat pose, and demonstrates the “cat tilt” of the pelvis. You want to feel this “cat tilt” in the majority of standing poses in order to engage your uddiyana bandha. 

Crescent lunge is a good pose to help one understand how to better engage the core in any pose. Think about rolling your pelvis under, tucking your tailbone forward (“cat tilt”), and straightening your spine upward. You should find that it is much easier to pull your belly button into your spine and pull your ribs together from this position. You will also feel a greater stretch in the psoas muscle of the back leg.  Try to recreate this feeling in poses such as the warriors, camel, standing backbend, and all balancing poses. 

PS: finding a slight “cat tilt” pelvis in your every day standing posture will help to create a flatter, tighter looking tummy!