coffee

There are several pieces to this unique and oh-so-yummy recipe.

The first has to do with the use of bitter greens. Bitter greens, such as radicchio, arugula, mizuna, escarole, endive and watercress, bring a pungent yet wonderfully unique flavor to the palate. Their bitter notes, similar to what you get from citrus zest and coffee, are also tinged with a fresh coolness, and do wonders for your digestive health. In many cultures, bitter greens are used to stimulate and tone the digestive system and in Ayurvedic medicine, bitter tastes aid in weight loss and help control food cravings — particularly the craving for sweet. When paired with natural sugars, such as what you get with ripe, luscious oranges, bitter greens will make your mouth sing!

Seasonality is another key to the dish. Winter signifies the orange harvest, especially in Northern California, where I currently reside. In this recipe I used small clementines, but feel free to experiment with Cara Cara oranges, blood oranges or any local orange that you can get your hands on. The more local and sustainable, the tastier the fruit!

But the real “pop” to this recipe is the dressing! The rich and deep sweetness of the balsamic paired with fresh-squeezed orange juice coats the greens and vegetables with just the right amount of bitter, sweet and salty. Then, combined with a hint of spicy Tabasco, myriad tastes come alive!

With the addition of pasture-raised, organic eggs, this dish packs in one of Mother Nature’s most complete proteins. Just remember to accompany a poached egg with some whole-grain toast to soak up all that yolk. Enjoy!

In 2006, Rodney and I had the privilege of taking a few classes with Mr. Iyengar. When it came time for Headstand, I informed the yoga master that I didn’t do them — I have a seizure disorder that I always felt was aggravated by Headstands. He told me, in no uncertain terms, to stand on my head now! And I did. I stayed up, and only came down when he said it was time.

By then, the rest of the class had moved on to Supta Virasana (Reclining Hero Pose), and, trying to be a good student, I came down from Headstand and sat right up to join the rest of the class. That’s the point at which he slapped my back and said, “That is your problem, not Headstand: You transition too quickly and mindlessly. I am sure that you do this in your life as well. You never let anything settle in.” Wow, what an acute teaching for a chronic issue!

With only two more weeks left in our Better Body, More Energy challenge, I hope a lot of exciting things have started happening for you! Maybe you’re experiencing abundant energy (or at least more energy), a new outlook on health, or a brand new consciousness about your body. Maybe your day starts with a glass of water instead of caffeinated soda, and even if that is the change you take away from all of this, then I am happy you have made that progress!

Planning and scheduling time with those you love is obviously crucial to maintaining a healthy and happy relationship. We are all so busy these days that it’s always a good idea to schedule time to reconnect.

If you’re like most people, your dates/special times are based on “calories consumed,” whether that means eating at a new restaurant, getting snacks at a movie, meeting for a fancy coffee or a glass of wine after work. These things can be great ideas for spending time together but once in a while why not try  looking at the opportunity to be with those you love a little differently?

Plan your time with loved ones based on “calories burned.” What I mean is to pick activities to do together that are focused on being active and expending calories.

Whenever I visit Europe — whether to explore a few former Soviet bloc countries or to take a  2,000-mile driving trip through Italy and Switzerland’s Ticino region — I’m always struck upon “re-entry” into the U.S. by how BIG everything is here at home.

We drive big cars, especially here in Colorado, where every other vehicle seems to be an SUV. Our cars have big cup holders for our venti Frappucinos and Big Gulp sodas. We live in big houses that we furnish with stuff we buy at big-box stores. Our big refrigerators – and often an extra freezer – are crammed full of food we purchase at big supermarkets. And, alas, we ourselves are big, and getting bigger: According to the American Heart Association, more than 70 percent of American adults are overweight, and of those, nearly 38 percent are obese.

Europeans clearly do things differently from us. Yet their ‘smaller’ lives seem in many ways richer and fuller. I’ve begun to notice some of those differences that we might do well to consider. Here are five that really struck me:

Tossing and turning when you should be snoozing? You aren’t alone. More than twenty million Americans suffer from a lack of sleep. In fact, insomnia, defined simply as a “difficulty falling or staying asleep,” is one of the fastest growing epidemics in our society.

By The FIRM Master Instructor Kirsten Palmer

As we move deeper into fall, the days are shorter. While I hate to see my evening light end, it will make it easier to get the boys in bed! What I dread most is the morning darkness. It makes it so hard to get out of bed, particularly when I try to fit in “me” time before the kids wake up. In my house, that means getting up pretty early, unfortunately!

When was the last time you actually enjoyed a cup of coffee? And I don’t mean sipping on one while you’re getting ready in the morning, stuck in traffic or rushing to a meeting at work. I mean, when was the last time you actually sat down and focused your full attention on savoring the taste of the coffee in front of you?

With organic, fair trade coffee beans running nearly $10 a pound at my local natural food stores, I expect my morning joe to deliver a total sensory “mmmm” day after day. When that doesn’t happen, I walk backwards through the coffee making process to find the weak link. Here’s how:

A friend recently announced to me that as part of her diet, she was cutting out coffee. I know she’s as much a coffee fiend as I am, so I asked her why. After all, when I’m trying to lose weight, I usually switch to skim milk and Splenda in my cup of joe.