• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Secondary Navigation Social Media Icons

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Vimeo
YOGUE

YOGUE

Yoga Inspired Life Style

  • About
    • About Insiya
    • Published Writing
    • Yogue in the Press
    • Contact
    • Calendar
    • Subscribe
    • Get on my Mailing List
  • Recipes
  • Ayurveda
  • Yoga
  • Wellness
    • Life
    • Parenting
    • People
    • Explore
  • Home

What’s for dinner?

Apr. 23, 2011

I’ve been quite under the radar for the past few months…  wow is it April already… but with good reason, my husband and I are currently enjoying the sleepless wonderment of our new baby boy, born (we had a natural, home birth) in February of this year.  While life with a baby is so many things, joy, bliss, tiredness, presence and a huge oxytocin enriched dosage of LOVE; it has also made me obsessed with food and eating better than ever before.   As a breastfeeding mama, I am amazed that what I produce can feed a growing human being and eating well does take on a whole new meaning when you consider that what you eat is what your baby eats.  I want food that ranks high on the Prana Meter as described by Yogi/ Blissologist Eoin Finn.  With the added challenge of not having a lot of time on my hands, I’ve been on the hunt for nourishing, whole food recipes that are also quick to prepare.

Which brings me to my inspiration for today’s blog.  How often are you at a loss to figure out what to make for dinner?  Especially when you want it to be healthy, delicious and easy?  I ask myself that question almost every day and I’ve found myself scouring through trusted cookbooks as well as looking to some exciting food blogs on the web for inspiration.

Here are my favorites in no particular order.

Cookbooks:

Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison


This is my tried and true cookbook, I love that it’s organized both by type of vegetable as well as an additional section on soups, salads, desserts etc.  The recipes are healthy, flavourful and offer many practical tips, suggestions and variations. Former owner of Greens, vegetarian restaurant in San Francisco; Deborah Madison is an inventive cook and reaches far and wide into Asian, French, Mediterranean, Indian and latin cooking for influences.  The result a book that serves as both an excellent reference book to broaden your world and a daily use cookbook, I absolutely love this one.

Hollyhock Cooks by Moreka Johar + Linda Solomon


Hollyhock is the Esalen of Canada.  Situated above a stunning bay on Cortes Island off the east coast of Vancouver Island, Hollyhock boasts some lovingly tended, flourishing gardens that grow some of the most beautiful veggies I have seen.  The cookbook focuses on seasonal, local produce with a north-western flavour as well as a wealth of healthy dishes from other cuisines.  The recipes are easy to follow and most are quick.  I’m in the midst of trying out their black bean soup with chipotle + orange, oh yes and cornbread too.

The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen by Peter Berley


Fresh, focusing on technique and healthy food made from scratch – e.g. he recommends crushing your own grains for warm breakfast cereal – and teaches you how to make a sourdough starter for bread, this book is both an excellent manual for recipe inspiration as well as a Sunday afternoon read on eating sustainably.  Berley was the chef at the excellent macrobiotic and vegetarian restaurant Angelica Kitchen in NYC.  This book is fast becoming one of my go-to cookbooks.

Blogs:

The Yogi Kitchen

Founded by ashtanga yogi’s Adam Keen and  Theresa who lived and ran the Purple Valley Yoga centre in Goa, India for many years, and are now in Tarifa, Spain via Vancouver, Canada (whew, and i though I lived a nomadic life :-)) – this is a great blog for those who want some wonderful Indian vegetarian and vegan recipes.  Filled with videos and helpful tips, the recipes do require your stocking up on the necessary spices, but once you have those you are set to try some flavour explosions and infuse your week nights with a touch of the faraway.
yogikitchen.blogspot.com

101 Cookbooks

A site of recipes and blog posts about life and travel, this site is managed by Heidi Swanson, a writer, natural food afficionado and photographer who has penned at least two cookbooks including SuperNatural Cooking.  I love the photographs on the site as well as recipes that are easy to follow and perfect for a weeknight.  I tried this cauliflower with sesame a few weeks ago and it was delicious – the best part like all good Indian food, it tasted even better the day after.
101cookbooks.com

Goop by Gwnyth Paltrow

Focusing on travel, food and lifestyle, the multi-talented Paltrow’s recipe section does delight, especially because she happens to be chummy with some of the best chefs in the world.  Make ricotta cheese from scratch, osso buco, or get a simple banana bread recipe, there is a gamut of ideas here.  Check back often.   She also has a new cookbook out, which I haven’t heard much about as yet.

What are some of your favorite natural food blogs or cookbooks?

Tweet
PinIt

Category: Blog, Recipes Tags: blissology, cooking, cooking blogs, deborah madison, eoin finn, food, goop, gwnyth paltrow, hollyhock, natural food, prana meter, recipes, sustainable, vegan, vegetarian, whole food, yogi kitchen

← Previous Post
reflection + renewal
Next Post →
Hammock Enlightenment: A Mother’s Call to Action

You may also like

A Yoga Routine for when you feel crummy.
The Bali BLISS List: Our Fav Yogi Friendly Cafes in Canggu
Food Matters + Mindful Eating

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Danagh McDonell says

    April 23, 2011 at 7:49 pm

    Thank you for sharing your favourites! Like you, I often find myself at a loss for lunch and dinner ideas that are healthy, but also meet the needs of my family. We’re a varied group with two vegans and two hardcore French Canandians who would rather sustain on meat, sugar, carbs and cheese. Definitely a challenge! You’ve given me new inspiration!

    Lately I’ve been working my way through Skinny Bitch by Kim Bardoin.Her recipes are very easy and I love her sassy attitude.

    A local favourite of mine is The Green Door Cookbook. Put together by the Ottawa restaurant of the same name. This was my first inspiration to vegetarian and ultimately much more healthy cooking. My kids know without question that it’s where we’ll be eatng on any of our “date days” in the city. If you’re ever in Ottawa, it’s a very family friendly place in that it’s cafeteira style. This means no monster size portions that end up being thrown away.

    So happy to have found your blog, thanks again for your wonderful ideas,
    Danagh

    Reply
    • Yogue says

      April 24, 2011 at 12:49 am

      hi Danagh,

      wow your family’s eating preferences sound like it would definitely allow you lots of room to get creative! 🙂 we’ve actually visited ottawa before to teach yoga and we ate at the Green Door – i was pleasantly surprised that ottawa had a good veg restaurant… wonder if Harper ever eats there… :-)!!! , didn’t know they had a cookbook. thanks for sharing – i will post some vegan indian recipes up soon! ciao for now.

      Reply
  2. SD says

    April 29, 2011 at 5:05 am

    Even though I’m an adult, my friends and I are hooked on the kids’ food at Weelicious for the low-sugar, healthy, simple and quick to make recipes. The cook, Catherine McCord, is just as easy on the eyes as Gwyneth and makes recipes that are gluten/dairy free and vegan/vegetarian. There’s a section on healthy recipes for baby’s first food, too. http://weelicious.com/quick-introduction-to-weelicious/

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

ABOUT YOGUE  Hi, I'm Insiya. Journey with me as we live slow, scatter beauty and tread lightly on the planet.

Find me online

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Vimeo

Recipes

Spiced Apple Almond Muffins

Once there was a busy mama and yoga teacher who … [Read More...] about Spiced Apple Almond Muffins

Simple Spiced Summer Oatmeal

Summer has been rushing by...   until we arrived … [Read More...] about Simple Spiced Summer Oatmeal

Ayurvedic Chai: My Favorite Recipe

Contrary to popular belief, an oh-too-sweet chai … [Read More...] about Ayurvedic Chai: My Favorite Recipe

Summer Popsicles: with an Ayurvedic Twist

We love popsicles around here in the … [Read More...] about Summer Popsicles: with an Ayurvedic Twist

Menu

  • About
    • About Insiya
    • Published Writing
    • Yogue in the Press
    • Contact
    • Calendar
    • Subscribe
    • Get on my Mailing List
  • Recipes
  • Ayurveda
  • Yoga
  • Wellness
    • Life
    • Parenting
    • People
    • Explore
  • Home

insiyafinn

Yesterday was so life affirming and heart filling! Yesterday was so life affirming and heart filling!!! 

We got out on a hike in sooke and I’m so proud of my mama for traversing some steep climbs and even more steep and rocky downhill paths. I felt energized and so happy to be outside in a forest that smelled cool and fresh and pine-resin-y… @theblissologist and lion even got into the icy cold glacial streams and then we picked up grandma @carolefinnartist and enjoyed some delicious pizza on the deck @stokedpizzeria near sombrio…

My family kept cautioning me to not push myself - but honestly and truly I think I was just high on feeling alive and being amidst the waterfalls and green of what has turned into a very hot spring (climate change is real friends…)…

Yesterday was such an affirmation of how much we all need to be outside to reconnect within to what really matters…

Thanks ananda lion for making me a mama 12 years ago and thanks to my mom @sararasiwala for your love always… also it made me so happy that eoin got to see his mama too! Life is short. Keep those you love close and fill it with beauty and kindness.

Ps. I did wear a dress hiking (just because) and I am very tired today but was it worth it? YES ❤️

#yogue #mothersday #family #familymatters #healing #healinsiya #healcancer #cancerthriver
Photo sprinkles… Stepping out into spring. L- Photo sprinkles… 

Stepping out into spring.

L-R: A Saturday picnic w @yogalink + Carole + dingo the bali dog and my mom. Thanks for the chai @sararasiwala 😁 and the pic @theblissologist ✨
Blossoms on the hill.
Blossoms inside :)
Homemade spinach and mushroom quiche.. so good 💫
Pakoras by mom… aka delish chickpea fritters 
Daisies :)
And
Apricot nectar and strawberries yesterday… 
/ shadows and sunshine :) 
Heart shaped flowers…

Feeling all this golden light and springtime goodness. :) 

🌺💕☀️

#healingjourney #wholefoods #growth #changes #shift #insiyafinn #healinsiya #healcancer
So I decided to share this picture here because fi So I decided to share this picture here because firstly today was so special. I got to see a dear dear friend who I haven’t seen since before the pandemic and we got to finally connect a few steps away from home. Yes this is currently Victoria (or it was this morning when the sun was bright and warm)…

And yet this morning was hard won. Yesterday after weeks of things going relatively well I had what is called a partical blockage with my ileostomy. I think it was caused by my not chewing my lunch as slowly as I normally do…(I will blame this on both being v hungry and that my dear mom’s cooking is dangerously delicious) 😁 when my girlfriend came to see me yesterday, I had low energy and a strange cramping sensation in the stomach and lower rib area. This progressively got worse and worse until my body with all its wisdom tried to push my lunch out of me. In other words I threw up. Consistently and continuously.

Meanwhile life at home continued on. My son arrived home after a canoeing weekend. I needed back rubs w tiger balm or whatever would help in the moment; and tried to help organize dinner. And my friend later that evening shared how she felt the privilege of being here to help and to witness the rough stuff. Which just felt so dear and real and loving.

And this is why I want to share this story today. It feels scary to put all of this out into the world but I have been thinking that when we hide the hard things behind walls of fear or worry about what others will think, I think we curtail our capacity to be loving, compassionate humans. After all at our core we want the same things. To live and love well. I feel like I share a lot here but I have found it hard to write about the really gnarly moments. There have been so many. What I will say I am so thankful for however is that because I have experienced so much with the ileostomy, I knew I had to ride the waves of pain out until they stopped. And they did and I finally slept last night and stayed out of emerg at the hospital.

And awoke to a new day. And a new opportunity to make the most of this precious moment.

Thanks for being here!

#healcancer #healinsiya #viclife #oakbay #friendship
It’s three weeks post my big surgery. The last f It’s three weeks post my big surgery. The last fortnight has been a wave of highs and lows. It felt like every time I felt a little better something new would happen again that I needed to understand and navigate. 

Meanwhile my inner mind has been a whirling w so so much. I have so many thoughts and so many ideas every day. And having to still be quite still has forced me to pay attention to them. 

The word that keeps coming up is reclamation - reclaiming who I am and how I want to live my life moving forward… life seems a little less like I’m on the edge of a precipice - except in the middle of the night - but things still feel urgent - like I will run out of time before I get to do all the things I would like to. And I have been trying to stay true and listen to the emotions that come up as I continue to navigate the journey beyond - which as yet is a big unknown! 

Today was an easy day to reclaim how much living in harmony with our seasons means to me. How much I love being outside. This afternoon mom and I went for a glorious walk in the sunshine and then lion, our pup and I had some weeding fun in the garden. 

A friend asked me how I am feeling earlier today. I guess the answer today is so happy and grateful to be here and to live in such a beautiful place to call home close to the ocean and sea lions and the meadows and flowers and forests. I am cherishing these little moments. They feel big these days.

Thanks for being here. Xo 

#healing #gratitude #gardening #healinsiya #healcancer #coloncancercanada

📷 @sararasiwala 💖
Today is a reminder for myself and possibly you as Today is a reminder for myself and possibly you as well to not get discouraged… 

Recovery takes time.

there are moments of feeling on top of the world and there are others where I feel flat and tired. 

There is my mind trying to propel me forward beyond the constraints of my body; and my body then signaling with a sharp outcry - you cannot do X, please rest. 

There is life with all its chaos and wants and needs coming at you, because you don’t live in a bubble, the ones you are in relationship with also have needs… 

And so you remind yourself that all you can do is keep showing up now, in this moment, in the best way possible… don’t do more, it’s not necessary- especially right now…

Be gentle today. Happy Sunday.

🙏🏼❤️✨

#journal #healing #recovery #cancer #healcancer #healinsiya #slowlife #yogalife #mentalhealth
Home again. Short - very short and slow - walks do Home again.
Short - very short and slow - walks down our street.
Strawberries at breakfast.
So many Hugs from my son.
Back rubs from my husband
My mom’s continuous kindnesses that keep the day humming.
Friends saying hello and bringing food and tinctures.
And flowers that I cut from our wild garden tonight which is coming alive with all sorts of surprises.

I had tulips in my hospital room the entire 11 days and I can tell you how much they inspired me. As their petals opened up slowly I grew stronger and more able every day after surgery. I saw the colors shining against the dull hues of the room when I awoke each morning and in the sunshine they glistened.

Flowers have healing powers say researchers, apparently patients who can see trees and flowers from their hospital windows vs those who cannot, take less pain medication and have shorter hospital stays… and yes they both relax and uplift us. 

I’ve always loved flowers. Only now I understand why.

Happy weekend!
#grateful #flowers #healingpowerofflowers #healcancer #healinsiya #natureheals #holisticwellness
Load More Follow on Instagram

Footer

Live slow, tread lightly, scatter beauty.

More

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Vimeo

Search

Copyright © 2023 · Your Site Name

Lexi Theme by Code + Coconut

 

Loading Comments...