Wellness Archives - Page 5 of 27

Comfort food for the Heart and Soul

February 25, 2017/in Nutrition, Wellness

What do you think of when people talk about ‘comfort food?’

Is it a retro-type dish from your childhood, something like eggs, chips and beans, or a pile of buttery mash with sausages and gravy? Is it traditional fish and chips or a Sunday Roast? Or maybe something sweeter like sticky toffee pudding, or apple crumble and custard?

As people become ever more nutritionally aware and more in-tune with the benefits of healthy and balanced eating, then the concept of what constitutes ‘comfort food’ is also changing.

We’ve had a longer and harsher than usual Winter here in Ibiza, and cosy comfort food has been a hot topic of conversation! As more time has been spent curled up in front of fires, the desire for comfort food has been greater than ever, BUT – with the over-indulgent Christmas period a distant memory and Spring just around the corner, healthy eating is also back to the top of the agenda.

This gorgeous Vegan Balti recipe is a perfect example of healthy, hearty comfort eating, that will fuel your body, feed your soul and leave you feeling brimful of satisfaction.

With powerhouse spices, turmeric and cayenne pepper for added anti-oxidant goodness to help fight off Winter colds, and peppers, coriander, garam masala and cardamon for that authentic Balti flavour, this vegan curry hits all the right notes and is super-simple to make too!

This delicious recipe is from Lisa Strong, of Strong4Life Nutrition. Lisa is a Retreat chef and Nutritional Advisor from our very own Ibiza Retreats family.

Come and experience Lisa’s fabulous hearty and nourishing food on our Rejuvenate and Get Glowing retreats this Summer.

Lisa Strong’s Vegan Balti

2 teaspoons coconut oil

½ tsp turmeric

¼ Tsp cinnamon

½ Tsp sweet paprika

½ Tsp cayenne pepper

1 can of chopped tomatoes

Half a lime juiced

1 ½ cups water

¼ tsp Palm sugar

Handful coriander

Red pepper, sliced thinly

Green pepper, sliced thinly

Pack of Tempeh (or Tofu)

¼ Tsp Garam masala

½ Tsp Coriander seeds (or powder)

Seeds from 2 cardamon pods

1 red onion, diced

1 inch ginger, grated

3 cloves garlic coarsely chopped

½ tsp salt

Heat 1 tsp oil over medium heat add peppers and cook for around 3-4 minutes, then remove & set aside. Add tempeh & garam masala to same pan cook for 3 -4 minutes and set aside.

Heat remaining oil add the seeds for 3 mins until fragrant then add onion, garlic, ginger & ¼ tsp salt. Cook until onion is translucent stir occasionally around 12 minutes. Then add turmeric, cinnamon, paprika, cayenne & tinned tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes are slightly saucy around 3-4 mins.

Combine the onion tomato mixture in blender with ½ cup of the water with the lime juice and blend until smooth. Add the sauce, remaining water, palm sugar & salt to the pan with the tempeh and peppers and simmer down for around 20 minutes. Garnish with Coriander…. Tastes even better the day after.

I serve mine with quinoa.

Enjoy

Love Lise xx

Retreat to Imagine your dreams into reality

February 20, 2017/in Newsletter, Wellness

When you are amidst the challenges and responsibilities of daily life, how often to set aside “me time” to purely rest, be and dream?

Why is it that, so often, we put dreaming “last” on our to do lists?

As the medical world is beginning to recognise, due to all the functional illnesses presenting themselves, such as anxiety, insomnia and depression, these all have similar “symptoms” but no “root cause” that can be medically diagnosed. Yet finally, modern medicine is beginning to hold hands with mental health professionals and yoga therapists who are collectively recognising that our over-active minds have been seriously stressing our holistic human systems. From our schooling to parenting, to climbing the career ladder, we have been over-conditioned to “make things happen” and “get things done” – we have been programming ourselves to “succeed” materially, even if it pulls out of a positive life state, places pressure on our vital organs, sets our adrenals into overdrive.

We need to remember how to be like children more often… living from moment to moment, giving ourselves space to play, to have natural, stimulant free fun, which relaxes our whole system and creates the space for us to dream. Not only does this child-like space connect you to a higher-energetic frequency where you are feeling so good that you CAN you’re your mind and believe in new and better possibilities, this higher life state is one of infinite potential, connected to the third-eye and crown chakras, it also is the space of the “dreamer” within you who KNOWS that life can be colourful, magical and full of divine interventions. It is in the dream-state that you are most open to the power of your heart’s intentions – to God or Spirit or Source guided INSPIRATION.

The value of dreaming (when you are awake!) is that it literally, opens your mind to allow your deeper desires and wishes to arise. They may come as visions, inner-voices, or subtle senses of what you truly wish your life to be like. And the caterpillar – chrysalis – butterfly metamorphosis demonstrates YOUR power to transform yourself and your life by dreaming:

The caterpillars new cells are called ‘imaginal cells.’ They resonate at a different frequency. They are so totally different from the caterpillar cells that his immune system thinks they are enemies…and gobbles them up–Chomp! Gulp! But these new imaginal cells continue to appear. More and more of them! Pretty soon, the caterpillar’s immune system cannot destroy them fast enough. More and more of the imaginal cells survive. And then an amazing thing happens! The little tiny lonely imaginal cells start to clump together, into friendly little groups. They all resonate together at the same frequency, passing information from one to another. Then, after awhile, another amazing thing happens! The clumps of imaginal cells start to cluster together!.., A long string of clumping and clustering imaginal cell, all resonating at the same frequency, all passing information from one to another there inside the chrysalis.”

“A wave of Good News travels throughout the system– Lurches and heaves…but not yet a butterfly.” Then at some point, the entire long string of imaginal cells suddenly realizes all together that it is Something Different from the caterpillar. Something New! Something Wonderfull!….and in that realisation is the shout of the birth of the butterfly!” Happy Birthday Butterfly!!!

From Nora Huddles Book – BUTTERFLY

Dreaming is the secret to ongoing conscious transformation, to remaining connected to your deeper wishes and soul-journey, to walking your true “path” in life, to giving space to allow your heart-felt needs to make themselves seen, sensed and heard. Dreaming for me, having just returned from a magical Ulpotha retreat, in emerald Sri Lankan nature, became as valuable as the yoga, the meditations, the kirtans, the incredible massages and ayurvedic treatments. It unlocked my imagination. It reconnected me to the higher vibrations of truly believing (again) in my life as work of magical art – full of infinite creative possibility. I came away from the retreat ready to reconnect with my life in Ibiza, full of new energy and lightness. I felt like I was resonating with the beauty and open-ended possibilities of life. I felt excited about ALL that the future had in store – childlike, joyful and free.

So come on wonderful people, amidst these times of change and TRUMP, of Syria and the ongoing refugee crisis, this year, dare to spread your wings.

Put your dreams first! Life is calling you to live your TRUE colours more than ever before.

Become a butterfly in 2017…. Invoke your own IMAGINAL CELLS by joining us on retreat in Ibiza, nourishing your imaginal frequency by taking time OUT to tune in, rest, rejuvenate and dream!