green and purple cabbage soon to be raw sauerkraut.

wow! the past couple months have totally been flying by and 2013 is turning out to be pretty awesome! i moved into a wonderful place that is enriched with so much nature. i wake up every morning with the birds singing their morning songs, the gobbles of the wild turkeys on the hill (and sometimes by my front door!) and the smell of the redwood trees right outside my balcony. i live in bliss everyday and the amount of gratefulness that i feel for my life is increasing each day!

last week, i finally took some time to make my simple and delicious homemade raw sauerkraut. my “rockin kraut” takes about 30 minutes to chop, prep, pound down, and cram it all in a big mason jar! then you have to wait about 2-3 weeks for it to ferment and then you can finally enjoy it all! the amount of probiotics, enzymes, anticarcinogenic and vitamins that are created from this simple kraut are worth more than it’s weight in gold!

RAWKIN KRUAT

1 head of green cabbage
1 small head of purple cabbage
2-4 Tbsp Himalayan sea salt, ground
32oz Mason Jar with lid
a cooking sheet or big steel bowl

directions:
-peel of the first few layers and cut off the bottom knob and save these. then, slice the cabbage heads into long, thin slices, about 1/4in wide.
-lay it all out on the cooking pan, sheet or in the bowl.
-sprinkle in the salt. now, the amount of salt will depend on how big your cabbage heads were, so, just do your best. the salt is crucial as it will pull out the water that is store in the crunchy raw cabbage as you beat it down.
-take your Mason jar and start to pound the cabbage all over the tray. sounds crazy, i know!
-after about 5 minutes of this, you will noticed that it is wet and the water is being extracted from the salt!
-keep pounding until you can pick up a handful and squeeze and watch the juice just flow all over your hands.
-now, you are ready to put in the jar!
-cram the cabbage into the jar and keep adding more and more so the juices start to flow over the top of jar.
-then, take the layers of cabbage you were suppose to save and lay them on top and then cram the cabbage knob down and keep pushing for more juice to come out.
-then seal the lid on the jar and store in a dark, cool place in your kitchen.
-after about 2-3 weeks, check on it. you can take the lid off and see if it is done. you will know by the fermented/vinager smell that will be expelled. eat, crunch and enjoy!

i have concluded that this is always a learning process and sometimes it doesn’t come out very crunchy and other times it is perfect. that is what makes it fun! you never know what you will get but either way it will still be packed with amazing nutrition for your gut!

to read a more in depth piece about fermented foods, be sure to check out the article i wrote, “The Real Reason Your Gut Needs Fermented Foods”, for Breaking Muscle here.
 

Understanding the Healing Modalities of ART and NKT | Breaking Muscle.

you can also read a more personal view on it from my blog post kettle bell box squat.

Superfoods 101: 8 Articles to Enhance Your Health | Breaking Muscle.

]]> http://thechocolatepuma.com/2013/03/03/the-amazing-human-be-ing-you-are/feed/ 0 chocolatepuma15 oceanquote http://thechocolatepuma.com/2013/02/25/magic-mushroom-tea/ http://thechocolatepuma.com/2013/02/25/magic-mushroom-tea/#comments Tue, 26 Feb 2013 02:59:00 +0000 the chocolate puma http://thechocolatepuma.com/?p=873 ]]>

chaga, cordyceps, cacao paste tea!

over the past few months i have been experimenting with medicinal mushrooms outside of just eating them in chocolate they harvest a never ending amount of health benefits. you can read more about my favorite mushrooms on the recent article i wrote, “Medicinal Mushrooms: The Ancient Superfood” for Breaking Muscle by clicking here. keeping this post short and sweet, here is a recipe for a simple mushroom tea that i have been drinking at night to warm my body and nourish my soul.

magic mushroom tea

*boil a cup of hot water and then add:
1 tsp Mountain Rose herbs chaga mushroom powder
1 tsp Mountain Rose herbs cordyceps mushroom powder
1 tsp of Divine Organics cacao power or a small chunk of cacao paste
dollop of cream or milk (i use Strauss organic heavy cream but you can substitute with coconut milk or almond milk)
couple drops of Sweet leaf stevia
*let the mushroom blend brew for at least five minutes before you add the cream. then stir and enjoy!*

about to drop in the raw cacao paste that brings it all to life!

after the past four years of cleansing my palette of artificial flavors, to me this recipe tastes like hot cocoa!! it is perfect to enjoy while reading on the couch with sweet kitties or share with a friend! thanks for reading and share your experience with medicinal mushrooms!
namaste.

Medicinal Mushrooms: The Ancient Superfood | Breaking Muscle.

check out my recent article i wrote for Breaking Muscle!

morning ritual: Daring Greatly and french-pressed cup of Guatemalan coffee beans from Sight Glass.

the V word: VULNERABILITY.

“we cultivate love when we allow our most vulnerable and powerful selves to be deeply seen and known, and when we honor the spiritual connection that grows from that offering with trust, respect, kindness and affection. love is not something we give or get; it is something that we nurture and grow, a connection that can only be cultivated between two people when it exists within each one of them – we can only love others as much as we love ourselves. shame, blame, disrespect, betrayal, and the withholding of affection damage the roots from which love grows. love can only survive these injuries if they are acknowledged, healed, and rare.”  -Daring Greatly by Brene Brown

i have been learning a lot about vulnerability over the past few weeks. i am currently reading the book Daring Greatly by Brene Brown. many of you might know her from the ted talk she gave a couple years ago called, “The Power of Vulnerability”. this is where i first learned about her and am now in the process of reading her books. Daring Greatly is her most recent book and it is about how the courage to be vulnerable can transform the way we live, love parent and lead.

each morning, along with a fresh-pressed cup of coffee, i have been reading this book. while i understood the correlation between shame and vulnerability, i found myself thinking that while i am vulnerable a lot in my life, i don’t really feel shame within myself. i could not have been more wrong! within the same day of having that thought, i later was caught up in the middle of feeling shame, fear, grief and “never enough” for a past relationship in my life. once again, i was in awe of the powers that we have within us to allow ourselves to have these feelings. then, to accept them, love them and release them. the moment i let go and let myself feel these intense thoughts, i immediately felt a tremendous weight leaving me. i had transformed those feelings of shame and worthlessness into love, compassion and kindness towards myself. these are the three feelings that i have been holding as my intention for this year.

i have always felt pride for myself in the light that i am vulnerable. but, we can always go further and push more through the vulnerability stream. although, there is a fine line of being vulnerable and sharing too much, too soon with another person. (this is discussed in-depth in the book.) i have been in both places. of letting it all out too soon and also not opening enough because of the fear and shame that i held inside. but, in the end, i always believe in LOVE. and, in my opinion, loving is by far the most vulnerable act that humans can express.

i came up with a list of how my life has transformed because i had the courage to be vulnerable:

* i always wore boys tennis shoes when i was a kid even though i got picked on for it.
* i was the only female percussionist in grade school.
* i became a vegetarian at age 13 while growing up in a small town in Ohio.
* i was one of the biggest Spice Girls fans. ever. and told everyone how much i loved them.
* i came out to my parents and everyone i knew, when i was 21.
* i tell people “i love you” even if i know they are not ready to say it in return.
* i lived alone for a year.
* i moved from ohio to san francisco without a plan or idea as to what i would do with my life.
* i have dreadlocks, tattoos and piercings.
* i’ve been fired from 3 jobs and have learned a lot from those experiences.
* i moved to a small town, not knowing anyone but had to follow my heart.
* i started doing crossfit before anyone knew what it was and would cry during workouts because it brought up so much emotions for me.
* i gave my heart to lovers. received loved and have felt the heartbreak that comes with the joy.
* i traveled through Ecuador for two weeks on a solo trip.
* i started to meditate.
* i read self help books.
* i started this blog.
* i went back to school.
* i ask friends and family for help when i am in need.
* i let more people into my life even if that means i may loose them later.
* i am creating my own health coaching practice.
* i let myself cry. when i am alone or around loved ones.
* i let myself be me.

i have developed more love, compassion and kindness to myself over the years because of these moments of vulnerability. i challenge you to do this exercise as well. think back through your life at moments you displayed vulnerability. write them down in a journal and maybe share them with your partner, best friend or pet. this is a powerful exercise and will fill you with even more courage to continue on your journey in life. we all have a story to tell and we all have a unique purpose to share who we are with others. keep the connection flowing and the love alive!

NKT addresses the cause of pain – dysfunctional movement patterns stored in the brain. basically, it is a combination of deep massage and muscle testing. during the process of massaging, you are able to fire the nerves and open up a pathway to receive new information from the brain. there is about a 30-60 second window where your brain will receive this new information. our brains are amazing! at the end of my first session, the low-level headache, along with sharp pains in my neck, were gone!! i let out a big sigh of relief   but, then i was told that i had to take a WHOLE week off from lifting/moving anything that would activate those nerves and muscles in the wrong way. so, this led me to become more creative with my workouts this week, since all i can do is lower body weight/movements.

here is what i came up with to add weight to my already stellar perfect squat: the kettle bell box squat!
what you need: two boxes, a belt/rope, kettle bell and weight lifting shoes (if you are serious about lifting weight and don’t own a pair, i don’t think we can be friends.) i started with the 18#/10 reps, then 26#/10 reps, and 35#/8 reps (2x) this was for part of my strength training session. (see pics below.) this lift helps improve your balance, strength and form.

35# kb squat. smile included with each rep.

look at that 90 degree angle squat?! i keep me hands in a front squat position to help with balance.

to learn more about NKT, check out their website and this video! stay healthy and fit and always listen to your body talk!

the more you’re willing to open your heart, the more challenges come along that make you want to shut it. -Pema Chodron

well, isn’t that the truth! i found myself struggling with having an open-heart this past week. i can not pin point a particular situation that happened except i just found than that the little voice in my head would say one thing and my heart-gut would refute it immediately! this led me to finally sitting with my thoughts and allowing my breath to bring me back to the heart-center.
our mind is an amazing tool and i am learning through research and my own observations that out heart-center (and not just our physical heart but, as i like to say, heart-gut) is what has the ability to choose. we have the opportunity to choose in every moment: we can either walk around with a closed-heart in the face of fear or we can choose to remain open no matter what the world throws our way. i understand that this is tricky and i battle with it on a daily basis. but, at the end of the day, i know that by being open and loving and offering kindness to each other, that is what will truly help us heal one another. i challenge you to go fourth today with a completely open-heart and you will see the kindness reflected back to you!
namaste.

“the fact that my triumph might seem trivial to anyone else did not diminish its magnitude for me.”
The Tracker: The True Story of Tom Brown, Jr.

a couple shots of tracks i discovered in the snow during my visit to ohio.

i have many moments in my life where i compare myself to others and often think that what i have accomplished does not stand a chance against those who have really made a difference in this world. but. deep down, i really do know that each success, no matter how big or small, holds an enormous amount of magnitude for me. this quote jumped off the pages to me in bright, bold print and i grabbed on to it tight! whether or not you are interested in tracking, this statement can be true to us all. in the face of fear, we can accomplish great things and it all depends on how we acknowledge and caress the experience. this is what will give it strength and nurture the belief that you have the power to create anything and find triumph in each day. take this into the new year and discover the triumph that lies in all the paths of your accomplishments! wishing you all a healthy and transformational 2013!

Books on tracking and nature connection that i am currently reading:
What the Robin Knows by Jon Young
Field Guide to Animal Tracks and Scat of California by Mark Elbroch, Michael Kresky and Jonah Evans
The Art of Tracking The Origin of Science by Louis Liebenberg (you can DL the PDF for free. just search on google.)
The Way of the Scout by Tom Brown, Jr.
Awakening Spirits by Tom Brown, Jr.