Fabulous Vegan Recipes

It's been so long since I wrote a blog post containing a recipe much less a long blog post about my life. So, where have I been? I remember how obsessed with this blog I used to be: 3 posts a week, cooking so so much, taking pictures, obsessing over my Fb page likes. Then life happened and this blog took a back burner. But lately I've been thinking about getting back to it; just not looking through the same lens as I once looked at it.

Hiya! This is a quick post to let you know that my September Munch and Meditate event is live and early bird tickets are almost gone. I'm going to be teaching a yoga and meditation class followed by vegan appetizers and desserts prepared by me on September 22nd at 11:30AM at my studio. I will lead you in an hour yoga and meditation class followed by food and plant-based diet information. I can't wait to see you! The menu and more info is in the eventbrite link below. Use the promo code Earlybird to grab the last two discounted tickets! P.S. Pictured here is some of the food I will be serving 😄 Tickets

A few days ago I started an Intro to Meditation group on Facebook and as I write this, on the eve of our August meditation challenge, I have 104 members in the group. I love this group, it only came together just days ago but the amount of positive vibes and support for each other is already evident. My goal is to give tips to help my group meditate at home and feel more upbeat and happy during the day. Our challenge begins tomorrow!

I hear so much noise in the vegan community about what to eat, how much to eat, how often one should eat, what exercises to do, how much macronutrients should be in your food etc etc. It's so overwhelming and confusing and it makes me tired. Instagram is a huge source of food information and recipes but usually from people like you and me who are posting what is working or not working for them. I see so many skinny, fit vegans eating tremendous amounts of food and not gaining weight. I see raw vegans, raw til 4 vegans, junk food vegans, it's just so much to take in. And I'm left with questions like: is all that fruit really good for weight loss? Is coconut just as bad as meat due to the saturated fat? Should I be eating so much rice? Do portions really not matter? Is it really WHAT you eat versus HOW MUCH you eat? And if you're one of those vegans who needs or wants to lose weight, where do we fit in with all of this? I went to a dietitian before I moved here two ye

I love teaching meditation at my yoga studio . I pick a theme and focus my guided meditation around that theme. Sometimes my students are strangers, most times they are friends. It's so much fun to connect with people in a cool, intimate, relaxing setting where I can share my favorite essential oils and talk about life. After meditation with my three friends last week, we chilled on our yoga mats and talked quietly about various topics. We drank Happy Tree maple water and ate cookie dough bites. It was such a fabulous ending to a great day. I wrote this post to inspire you to make meditation a new habit. There are always habits we need to break; why not begin a new habit?! 

Hello and thank you for checking out my blog! I want to give you a little background about myself and how I found a career in health and wellness. My background is in social work; I have my masters degree in social work and I am a licensed social worker in Pennsylvania and New York State. I worked with individuals with intellectual disabilities and their families for 14 years before becoming a health and wellness professional. Read why I left my job to move to NYC here . I'm a 200 hour certified yoga teacher and blogger. I own The Yoga Collective NYC , a yoga studio in midtown Manhattan that is available for rent. We offer the entrepreneur a space to teach their classes, workshops and trainings and have a full list of classes. My passion is helping people choose healthy, plant based food. My recipes are designed to be simple and delicious with easy to find ingredients. I lead a Mindfulness & Meditation training at my studio and teach corporate meditation sessions. Sign up

In June of 2014, I moved to NYC after working as a social worker in PA for 14 years. It was a scary, stressful move but one I look back on with gratitude and excitement. I wasn't happy in PA because I felt bored, my life was lacking excitement and mostly I felt like I was flailing. Getting older and flailing, such a difficult and frustrating combination. I felt helpless and very unhappy. I had a job with steady pay and benefits, friends and family, health and my own home but it just wasn't inspiring me. I thought about my blog while I was at work...and NYC. Eventually, the comfort and familiarity of my job and my cushy life was not enough for me to stay. When your dreams call, you really can't ignore them. In reality, yes, you can ignore them but at what cost to your happiness? I constantly debated whether my safe and comfortable life was enough for me to be the best person I could be. And it wasn't enough.

Another truffle recipe, another sweet to enjoy! I just finished my first plant power workshop and I'm so proud of myself. This is the first workshop I did myself and I accomplished everything I set out to do. We ate, we drank, we made sushi, talked greens and grains and organic produce and we meditated. I can't wait to do another one after the new year.

PLANT POWER WORKSHOP December 4th, 6:30-8:30PM At The Yoga Collective NYC in downtown Manhattan Come meet me!!! Bring a friend and learn about the power and beauty of plants! My workshop will feature: The benefits of a plant based diet, where to shop for and prepare ingredients and a few easy ways to include plants in your diet. Enjoy a sushi making demo including samples Enjoy samples of Happy Tree maple water Enjoy samples of a raw vegan dessert Relax during my guided meditation Bring a friend!!! Tickets are on sale through Cyber Monday so grab them now! Space is limited. Tickets HERE PLANTS ROCK!

It's that time of year again! The hectic running around, the overindulging, the lack of sleep, the fun, family get togethers; a time when we need to remember to reconnect with ourselves. It's easy to mindlessly eat or forego exercise during this time so having a plan is the best way to go this holiday season. I'm writing this now after years of gaining weight during the holiday season, feeling horrible about myself then working to lose the weight.