Shira Turkl-Rubin

Recently I’ve been playing with my rice – no really though, I’ve been spicing it up. Last night I made a thai style meal that consisted of chicken, coconut, rice and some other goodies. Coconut is a healthy fat that has lots of people talking. Here’s a great article written by my acupuncturist about the importance of healthy fats in our diets and how high cholesterol is not caused by saturated fats.

Here’s what I made for dinner:

Thai Style Coconut Chicken:

2 organic boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 scallions, chopped

1 inch grated fresh ginger

3 tablespoons tamari

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1/3 cup coconut milk

Heat a large skillet with ghee or olive oil. Add the scallions and ginger stirring frequently as to not burn. Cook for about 5 minutes. Then add in tamari, maple syrup, sesame oil, coconut milk and let simmer for about 2-3 minutes. Cut chicken into chunks and place in pan with the rest of the ingredients. Cook until chicken is fully cooked.

Coconut Black Rice:

1 cup black rice, rinsed well

1 1/2 cups coconut milk

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Combine rice and liquid and bring to a boil. Then cover and turn flame to low. Simmer for 50 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit for an extra 10-15 minutes until all liquid is evaporated. Once cooked through add the cinnamon and stir well.

Enjoy!

Have you ever been on vacation or to a place where you’ve had to unplug completely? By unplugging I’m referring to no email, no phone – that kind of unplugging. If you know what I’m talking about – how great did it feel?! Sure at first it was a little scary, but didn’t it feel fantastic to not have any emails to respond to, or voicemails to call back.

Well, recently Chad and I took our yearly pilgrimage up to Kripalu for the weekend (which is a MUST for those who haven’t been) and even though it was tough, we did our best to unplug and turn off. We decided to tune into our bodies, meditate as often as we could and fully relax our bodies and souls – the best perk is that doing this is great for the environment!

IT WAS AMAZING!

It was so great that we are now talking about taking one day a month out of our regular busy schedules to completely unplug. That’s one whole day on a regular basis that we fully enjoy each other’s company, no distractions etc. Since it’s getting warm out this will be pretty easy – it’s in the colder months that it might be more challenging – but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there  🙂

What do you think about this? Have you ever made a commitment like this? Would you ever consider trying it out? It might be so liberating and stress reducing that we’ll consider doing it more often! I’ll keep you all posted.

With gratitude, love and light,

Shira

I officially got back on my mat. I took a mini hiatus and with that I completely realized all over again how much this path to health is not just about eating properly – it’s about quieting the mind, de-stressing and soothing your soul too.  Sometimes I forget… I’m only human!

Yesterday I was in meditation and as I sat there, focused, relaxed and feeling good the bell chimed for me to finish and I was completely surprised that 30 minutes had passed so fast! WOOHOO!! I wish for everyone to find that in their meditation. What I wasn’t expecting was as soon as I finished my full morning practice, my mind was back on the hamster wheel. Even though I took that hour and a half to chill, calm my mind, breathe and quiet down, as soon as I came out of it I was back to thinking, planning, figuring out what I needed to do next.

What I realized was, without my sadhana my mind would be working to that capacity ALL the time! From the moment I open my eyes in the morning, to the moment I rest my head back down on the pillow. Phew…. That’s a lot of thoughts, planning, figuring etc…

I’m so thankful that I have come back to my sadhana. I wish that you too can find your own morning practice to take you to that place of real, deep relaxation. You deserve it. For all that you do, think and are throughout every single day.

Find time to soothe your soul. For us with digestive problems, it’s NOT only about food. You won’t realize that until you really make a change.

Work it…I know you can.

I leave you with my favorite quote by Swami Satchidananda:

“If you feel bound you are bound. If you feel liberated you are liberated. Things outside neither bind nor liberate you; only your attitude toward them does that.”

Today’s all about the revolution, what revolution you ask?

Yesterday I spoke to a man who had half of his colon removed due to ulcerative colitis – he said there’s only so much he can do now with only half of his colon but for those who do have their colon, there’s SO much to be done… Listen up everyone – we are starting a revolution in the IBD world (those who suffer from UC, crohns and other stomach problems) this disease can be changed and I believe there IS a cure! There, I finally said it. That’s what you’ve been wanting to hear isn’t it? The cure is to put in the work and effort to find the right diet and lifestyle that works for you and most importantly stick with it! It’s time to stop trying tons of diets, new fads and all that the media has to offer – it’s about time we listen to our bodies, get back to the garden and eat real, wholesome foods. It’s time to de-stress every single day, not just one time a week in yoga class or at the gym, but on your own at home.

The biggest news of the month for me is that I’m creating a program to help you with all of these aspects that I just mentioned. Hence the revolution I speak about above. It’s time for you to make your own revolution within your body. My program will focus on detox, how to find the right diet for you and how to create your own home practice where you can de-stress, breathe and feel great. We’ll teach you all types of tools to make this process of shifting into the world of health as seamless as possible. We can give you the tools, but it’s up to you to make the change.

This motivation is seeping out through my pores, I hope you can feel it. This revolution will be big!

Buckle up.

I leave you with this incredible song by Tracy Chapman.

Talkin’ Bout A Revolution:

The Real Grandma’s Chicken Soup

This past week I was in FL visiting my Grandmother. She is this cute, small, Polish woman who is the strongest woman & survivor that I know. Both her and my Grandfather survived the Holocaust and their stories only get more interesting each time I hear them. Now that my Grandfather has passed away, only my Grandmother’s stories are left for me to sit and listen to.

When we’re not telling stories I like to pick her brain about recipes. Who better to ask then her?!

This time I got her chicken soup recipe and I wrote the whole thing down!

Mine is on the pot right now and it’s smelling up my entire apartment building. YUM

I’m a rookie at this so I literally got every bit of information that one could possibly need for this recipe.

Here it is – savor it!

2 packages organic chicken thighs w/ skin

1 package organic chicken breast w/ skin

2 leek, washed very well and chopped

1 rutabega, chopped

3 carrots depending on size, chopped

2-3 stalks celery, chopped

2-3 small potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 yellow onion

1 bunch dill

Start by cutting open chicken packages and putting all chicken into a large soup pot. Cover with water and let boil. Discard water and wash chicken very well. Keep the skin on. Put washed chicken back in the clean soup pot leaving the skin on – then fill with water until chicken is completely covered and about 1-2 cups more (this you can eyeball)

Take off the onion shell and out the whole onion inside the pot (don’t cut it up, it’s unnecessary).

Chop all veggies to your liking and place inside the pot.

Put fire on medium-high and bring it up to a boil. Skim the top of the soup when you see the fat rise to the top.

Once boiling cover halfway and turn fire to low.

Continue to skim the top as needed.

**20 mins before you turn soup off put dill inside the soup – keep it tied up.

Cook for about 1.5 hrs – test carrots and chicken breast to make sure it’s done.

Once you turn off the heat let it cool. Then strain the broth for a smooth consommé that you can add rice, noodles or whatever else you might like. As for the veggies & chicken, keep them on the side and either add them into the soup, or use them for another dish.

Once soup is completely cooled, place in containers and put in fridge. The next day make sure to skim the top of the soup as there will be fat that has risen to the top. Then place in freezer and keep for a rainy day!

I am now booking little yogis for classes on 2/10 and 2/17. Book your child’s class now before it fills up!

Please reserve your child’s spot in class 24 hours ahead of time. Contact me HERE 

See my kids yoga schedule below:

This is for those of you out there who suffer from adult acne. Do you ever wonder why your face always seems to be on fire?

That’s how I look at it – when I see someone with severe acne I think of it as a face that’s on fire, a body that’s screaming on the inside and can only find one way out – through the nasty little pimples that spring up on our faces.

I used to be one of those people too – that’s why I feel it’s ok to write about. Mine was never so severe, but it was there and I didn’t like it. I always noticed that my left side was consistently worse then the right. The way I began to see it was that I had a blockage on the left side – which made complete sense – that’s the side that I feel my colitis act up when I do have a flare up; everything is definitely related.

With the change of my diet and the addition of daily breath exercises I noticed a serious change in my face – it was clear!

I’m sure many of you out there are sick and tired of those ugly little pimples that keep popping out – even for those ladies who only get them near their period. Ask yourself one question? Why?

Now maybe you’ve already asked yourself this question and haven’t found an answer but I know that my body always sends me signals & messages to help me figure out mysteries within my own skin. For me, it was the sugar coupled with stress. So what did I do? I cut down on processed sugars and allow myself to have natural sugars at least once a day – so I’m not completely deprived.

What’s it going to take for you to make a change? Your face is already screaming for help. What else has to scream to make you understand that your body doesn’t like greasy food that gives you heartburn, or tons of sugar filled crap that makes you crash in 1 hours time – see what I’m saying?

Everything’s related.

Change your diet and watch magic happen. Your face will clear, you’ll feel better. Isn’t that what we all want for our new years resolutions anyway?

It’s not as hard as it seems. Take it one step at a time. Change one thing about your diet and see how it makes you feel – then change something else… it’s all about the baby steps.

If you have questions you know I’m always available to chat.

Yours in health,

Shira

This year, I didn’t make a new years resolution – did you? If you said yes…. I don’t want to know what it is, but instead I want to know why you did it? Do you feel like your life is out of balance that you need to give yourself that oomph of motivation to get your life re-booted? I totally get it, all I see on TV and on the radio is talk about losing weight, going to the gym etc. So why wouldn’t you jump on that band wagon to also go to the gym and eat healthy? Well, the way I see it is: if you’re constantly working on yourself, and finding balance in what you eat all year round then you wouldn’t be part of the New Years craze at the gym – you’d already have the balance that you’re working towards daily.

My point here is that I’d rather see you find motivation throughout the year then to make a resolution, stick with it for a few months and then eventually let it drop off. Then you’re stuck feeling upset about how you didn’t keep your resolution.

See my point?

This January I’d like to see you start working on how you can make your lifestyle better, eating healthier altogether – not just going on a diet for 1-2 months and falling off the wagon.

Make smart, healthy decisions to keep yourself in check and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Take yoga classes, find a class at the gym that you like and can stick with, find the right practitioners you trust and can talk to.

Most importantly breathe.

Cheers to a healthy 2012!

Today as I was woken up at 8:30 A.M. on a Sunday from doors slamming outside my hotel room in Washington, D.C., I decided the only thing to help me get out some aggression at that very moment would be to run on the treadmill – that’s exactly what I did.

As I was in mid-run I came to the conclusion, which I have many times before, that I should be running A LOT more.

Then as I was mid sentence (in my head) I talked to myself about this word should and how every time I say I should do something…. It doesn’t happen.

Last week I was working on not rushing around in my life – so I thought this week would be a nice challenge to work on the shoulds in my life.

Here is everything I should be doing:

I should be working out more

I should meditate every single day

I should practice my sadhana everyday (let’s be honest, I’m human and definitely skip days!)

I should watch my sweet intake – as I KNOW it causes mucus!

I should write more blog posts

I should leave myself more time so I’m NOT rushing

I should make dinner every weeknight

The list goes on…

The reason I’ve become so aware of this word should is because this past year I worked with a life coach named Christine Faucher-Kelley. She brought to my attention that saying should does not mean I am fully committing. What I’ve figured out is that should is a pretty dull statement and to get things done, I must fully commit to my tasks by saying the right words to myself & others. Thank you Christine! I am learning that this is true and I’m on it. A change is in effect starting now.

I’ve Changed the phrase to:

I will work out more

I will meditate every day

Etc……

What are the shoulds in your life?

Dr. David Katz Article on Pizza as a Veggie! (click picture to be taken to article)

Last week I was shocked to read in the paper that Congress was working to declare pizza as a vegetable. That’s right, they are considering the tomatoes in pizza to make it a veggie.

I’m not sure I should even continue here because I will probably rant on and on. Fortunately Dr. Katz wrote a wonderful article about this matter that I have attached here and you should absolutely take the time to read what’s happening to our school systems. This is our future, if we feed the kids garbage, they will die early from this garbage.

This is really upsetting to me. Just when I thought Jamie Oliver was making a huge impact on our school lunches now this.

What do you think?