Posts filed under inspiration

Basic Broccoli & Arugula Soup

I see every dinner as an opportunity to give my body a break, a daily "detox" if you may.  After all, the human body is designed to eat it's biggest meal in the middle of the day so having a light dinner is a nice thing to do for the body's operating system (if you don't think that breaking this biological rule affects your body, you are either in denial or you are a mutant - I am cool with either scenario).

This basic broccoli soup is a bit more sassy by staring it with a sofrito and adding the always peppery arugula. 

This is what you need (for two servings)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove garlic, thinly sliced (or shallot if you can't do garlic like me)

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 head broccoli, cut into small florets (about 2/3 Lb)

2 1/2 cups water

1/4 teaspoon each coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup arugula 

1/2 lemon

This is what you do

1- Heat the olive oil in a medium nonstick saucepan over medium heat.

2- Add the garlic and onion and sauté for just a minute or two or till you smell and hear the happy sounds of the sofrito

3- Add the broccoli and cook for four minutes or until bright green.

4- Add the water, salt and pepper, bring to a boil, lower the heat and cover. Cook for eight minutes or until the broccoli is just tender.

5 Pour the soup into a blender and puree with the arugula until quite smooth.  Be very careful when blending, you don’t want the steam to blow the lid off and make sure you have the lid on!

I like serving soup with a little lemon juice.  Enjoy.

Posted on December 30, 2016 by Eduardo Martinez and filed under Ayurveda, cooking, inspiration, wellness and tagged detox soup broccoli soup arugula soup vegetable soup cleanse recipe detox detox recipe.

Using Lifestyle Engineering to Buy Healthier Food

Most people think that building better choices, creating healthy habits or changing your actions is all about willpower or motivation. But from all my years of helping folks organize their spaces and their bodies, AND all my years of studying yoga, human mind and anatomy, I believe that the number one driver of behavior change (or at least the easiest to access) is our physical world.

Our environment has an incredible ability to shape our actions and choices. Nowhere is this more true than with food. What we eat on a daily basis is often a result of what we see.  If you are anything like me, you will buy or eat whatever is closer to you, whether it’s wholesome food or not.  So to eat healthy food a good reverse-engineering is to surround yourself or hang out with healthy food.

When I go to my local grocery store (which I must say it’s a gigantic emporium of Portuguese & South American food), I walk around the outer periphery of the market.  This is true to every supermarket around the world I have ever been, the outer periphery is where the healthy food usually lives: fruits, vegetables, eggs, nuts, lean meats.  Basically all items that are usually not processed and healthier for you.  So shopping on the outer periphery is what I am “choosing” to eat, because it is what I see.    

Architecture determines where things go, since electric outlets for massive refrigeration are usually on a wall and so are the building´s drains.  That means that the middle aisles are where all of the caned,  boxed and adulterated stuff is placed -they, more likely don´t need refrigeration.  If you don’t want to eat or you want to cut back in processed-food consumption, don’t go down those middle aisles and you won’t buy those foods. If you don’t buy those foods, they won’t end up around for you to eat. Try this the next time you go to the store and do your best to not make exceptions.  When I do this not only I spend way less money in my groceries, but I find myself cooking and eating healthier = feeling great in my body and mind.

Sure, there will be the occasional time that you’ll need to go down an aisle to pick up your oils, spices or honey but that will be rare and not often. It could be weeks before I go into those middle aisles ( but when I do I always pick more than what I intended to buy, which confirms that knowing of something isn’t as effective as doing something- smile )

Posted on November 23, 2016 by Eduardo Martinez and filed under cooking, buy, design, inspiration, wellness and tagged reverse-engineering wellness eating healthier food lifestyle.

Get Siri to work! or Save Time in Setting Timers/Alarms

I don’t know about you, but once I open my iPhone to perform the simplest of tasks, I fall into a virtual world from where there is no escape.  A world where time stops and I can’t tell you how much time has elapsed from when I entered my passcode and when find myself looking at a picture of my favorite florist in Madrid on Instagram WHEN all I wanted to do was check on the weather. If you think that your phone or tablet is eating away your precious time, we are turning that around today.

Helping my client set up her “virtual home companion,” ALEXA; I was reading all the uses in the kitchen that such device could assist with (i.e., setting timers so you don’t burn your food)- which lead me to realize that my own iPhone has a “mobile assistant:” the legendary, Siri.  Well, Siri may have been resting on her laurels all these years, but no longer, no Ma’m.  I put her to work almost a year ago, and she is tireless and her help is invaluable to me these days.  One of the best uses I would like to share as a Lifestyle Engineer is how to use Siri to set alarms and timers which we know allow you to become more efficient and effective in your daily life. Siri ties right into the iOS Clock app on your iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPad 4, iPad mini, and iPod touch 5 -and your desktop too, now that I think about it- which means if you want to go to bed at 10 pm or be woken up at 6 am, have a timer set for 10 minutes so the cookies don't burn, or find out what the hour is in Paris before you call, Siri can keep you alerted and on time. 

[If you don’t have an Apple product, you could use the same technology with your equivalent mobile assistant]

Here is the basic instructions:

How to set a timer with Siri

Whether you're waiting for your veggies to bake, meditating or your next set of circuit training to begin, Siri can make sure you always alerted at exactly the right time.

  1. Press and hold down the Home button to activate Siri.

  2. Tell Siri to set the timer, and for how long. For example: "Set a timer for 10 minutes".

  3. The Timer widget will remain visible on your screen until the timer goes off, or you leave Siri. Tap the timer widget to launch the Clock app and access the manual controls.

Note: Siri can only run one timer at a time. If you try to set another, Siri will ask you if you want to keep the current one or change to the new one. (Amazon’s ALEXA doesn’t have this issue, you hear that, Siri?)

How to set an alarm with Siri

Siri can set alarms quickly and easily.

  1. Press and hold down the Home button to activate Siri.

  2. Tell Siri to set an alarm, along with the time. For example: "Set an alarm for 8pm", "Set an alarm for 5 minutes from now", "wake me up at 9am".

Siri will display the alarm widget on the screen. If you change your mind about the alarm, you can simply toggle it to "off". You can also tap the widget to be taken to the Clock app.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, go forth and YouTube away the infinite ways you can be assisted by your "mobile assistant."  Get pampered by technology, I encourage you!

Posted on October 29, 2016 by Eduardo Martinez and filed under design, inspiration, Meditation, Organization, wellness and tagged task management Siri setting alarms with Siri Setting timer with siri.

Sweet Potato Wedges, the new fountain of youth?

Sweet potatoes are a great source of beta-carotene (their bright orange color is a dead giveaway). Your body converts beta-carotene to vitamin A, a nutrient that helps to continually generate new, healthy skin cells as per the National Library of Medicine.   I enjoy them in many forms, but there is something about cold weather and a hot ovens that makes this recipe one of my favorite.

Ingredients: 4 small sweet potatoes peeled and cut into wedges, 5 springs of fresh oregano, 1/4 tsp salt, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds, 1 Tbsp lemon juice 

  1. Heat oven to 450 F.  On a Baking sheet combine sweet potatoes, oregano, salt and half oil.
  2. Roast for 40 minutes.  FLIPPING at 20 min (or they'll burn).
  3. Roast pumpkin seeds in a large frying pan on your stove top, add lemon juice and reminding oil.  Medium Heat. Stir well till aromas tell you it's time.
  4. Add the sweet potatoes wedges to your pan and toss well.

Enjoy!

Posted on October 21, 2016 by Eduardo Martinez and filed under Ayurveda, cooking, inspiration and tagged roasted sweet potatoes young skin sweet potatoes recipes vitamin A ayurveda.

Twofer: Roasted Beets and Sautéed Beet Greens

With autumn upon us, I can't think of a more grounding meal than beets.  These earth-tasting beauties grow way into the cooler months so they'll be available all winter and, let’s face it, their red color is a welcome break from all the orange and yellow foods I tend to eat around this time of the year.   

Buying a bunch of beets in the market isn't only trés chic, but it also offers you the opportunity to get a twofer!  Beets and their greens offer not only two great dishes for the table, but two sets of nutritional attributes as well.   Beets, easily enjoyed roasted, boiled or shaved,  are high in immune-boosting vitamin C, fiber, and essential minerals like potassium and manganese (great pooping aids- yes, I said pooping).  Then in the greens, vitamins A and K, especially, offer a plethora of benefits for the whole body, from your brain to your blood to your eyes. In the kitchen, beet greens can be enjoyed sautéed, as a salad or in your green smoothie.

Use every part of your fresh beets and get two delicious side dishes.

Here is a favorite of mine: Roasted Beets and Sautéed Beet Greens:


Ingredients:

One bunch of beets with greens¼ cup olive oil2 Tbsp. chopped onionsSea salt and pepper to tasteOptional: 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar and/or ghee

 

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 370 degrees Fahrenheit.Wash beets thoroughly, leaving skins on. (It’s easier to peel the beets once they’ve been roasted.) Remove the greens and rinse, removing any large stems and set aside.Place beets in a small baking dish or roasting pan, toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, cover and bake for 45 to 60 minutes, mixing them half way or as needed. Check for tenderness. Serve with balsamic vinegar or butter and salt and pepper.For the greens: heat remaining olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook for three minute. Till you hear the onion whisper to you, you know. Tear the beet greens into 2 to 3 inch pieces, and add to skillet, stirring until wilted and tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Eduardo Martinez and filed under Ayurveda, cooking, inspiration, wellness and tagged beets roasted beets recipe beet green recipe roasted vegetables autumn recipe.

Roasted Vegetables - Celebration of Earth

I have been cooking variations on this basic recipe for over twenty years.  And after all these years, I still get excited just thinking about it, which tells me it's a keeper.  I call it Celebration of Earth but you can call it Roasted Root Vegetables if you want, I guess.

I find it to be a perfect recipe for Autumn transition months like September and October when your body asks to be grounded.  This is so easy and delicious though that I keep using seasonal root vegetables all the way through Winter and Spring. Your gastrointestinal track will be very grateful with you too!

Pre-heat oven to 400 F.  Serves 10

4 small turnips, peeled, halves, sliced

4 medium parsnips, peeled, sliced

2 lbs of Brussels sprouts, brown ends cut off

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, quartered, sliced

2 medium red beets, peeled, quartered, sliced

1/2 cup of olive oil + 1/2 Table spoon of lemon juice + salt to taste

1 handful of fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

1- In a large bowl, combine vegetables, oils, salt and lemon juice.

2- Spread evenly onto two backing sheets (I cover min with parchment paper)

3- Roast till brown.  It takes about 45 to 50 minutes *stirring every 15 minutes or you'll end up with burn vegetables*

4- Let it cool and sprinkle with cilantro leaves.  I suppose you can transfer to a bowl for a nice presentation, but I bring the trays directly onto the table (oven to table style!)

    

Posted on August 29, 2016 by Eduardo Martinez and filed under Ayurveda, cooking, inspiration and tagged autumn recipe ayurveda roasted vegetables vegetarian recipe.

All Natural Fascial Cleanser

This DIY all-skin-type facial cleanser recipe is an extra gentle cleanser that will whisk away everyday impurities without stripping your skin of essential moisture.  The essential oils in it also work to sooth and soften your complexion.   Healthy looking skin at a fraction of the cost your typical department store formulas.

Through my years in the chemical industry, I worked with various surfactants (soaps) so based on what I know and my experience I recommend liquid castile soap.  To make sure it is right for your skin sensitivity, use unscented/baby formula.  Castile soap is known for its gentle cleansing and emollient qualities.  Most commercially available soaps, cosmetic and otherwise, are made with sulfates with the addition of alcohols or acids, which make them really efficient at eliminating dirt, but also at stripping away organic compounds, including the mantle on your face, which, if you’re like me, you intend to keep. 

To complement the cleansing properties of castile soap,  aromatherapist recommend combining therapeutic grade essential oils with your cleanser.  For its soothing and cleansing properties I use lavender essential oil and rosemary essential oil.  If you have specific needs, you can consult with experts to target your condition.

I normally use about 8 ounces of soap in each recipe. This gives a nice full bottle of facial cleanser that will last several months.  With each 8 ounce bottle, I add between 35-40 drops of essential oil. This is a less than 1% dilution.

In a 10 oz amber glass dropper bottle add

*As with any soap, you’ll want to avoid getting it in your eyes. Liquid castile soap can sting and burn if it does get in the eyes.

Posted on August 15, 2016 by Eduardo Martinez and filed under aromatherapy, Ayurveda, essential oils, inspiration and tagged aromatherapy cleanser facial cleanser lavender essential oils DIY project.

Panama Blend (traveling green smoothie)

One of my favorite things about green smoothies is that they are the easiest way to diversity your intake of nutrients for breakfast.  This is even more relevant when traveling, when your body's wisdom craves the surrounding flora.  If there is a blender available, I don't waste the opportunity to visit the local markets (and yards) and feast on the regional chlorophyll. 

I was recently traveling through my homeland of Panama, where the local cuisine isn't rich in greens so I took it as challenge to find ingredients for what turned out to be a fabulous green smoothie.  So hoping that it will inspire you in your next "green" travelings, here is the recipe:

Ingredients (2 servings)

  • 4 cups of spinach (not a lot of local greens available in the market, but watercress and spinach grow easily in most tropical regions)
  • 1 banana (tons of fruits available, but I opted to keep it simple)
  • a handful of local spearmint + wild cilantro (these I found in my mom's backyard...wild herbs taste so WILD, you can taste the Prana or life force on these local beauties)
  • 1/2 an avocado (this is a gingo luxury! but I deserve it)
  • 1/2 tsp of minced ginger
  • 1/2 tsp of turmeric (no local turmeric roots available but I was craving some astringent flavors, local stores carry tons of spices so if fresh ingredients aren't available, improvise)
  • 1/2 tsp of sea salt (local sea salt made this a fun ingredient to add)
  • 1 Tbs of local eucalyptus honey (yummm!!!)
  • 1/2 cup of water 
  1.  Add all ingredients to a blender.  Blend!  I don't like cold smoothies but you can add either a frozen banana or ice instead of water.  Enjoy.
Posted on July 11, 2016 by Eduardo Martinez and filed under Ayurveda, cooking, inspiration, wellness, travel and tagged green smoothie panama local food Ayurveda yoga wisdom wellness.

Fruits on the Bottom Chia Seed Pudding

I have been up-ing my game in my Ayurveda understanding and its applications.  Simplified, Ayurveda is a science of life and wellness.  One of the Ayurvedic wellness habits is to eat a healthy and easy to digest breakfast –though this isn’t exclusive to Ayurveda. 

My preferred breakfast is a green smoothie, but it is always good to have a few options in the week.  Recently I was re-introduced to chia puddings and realized how convenient it can be on those mornings I know I won’t have time to prepared a smoothie.

Very healthy, chia seed pudding is packed with protein, Omega-3, antioxidants and calcium.  You can get more benefits of this mighty seed by visiting this nice post by Marry Spencer via Health & Fitness Shops.  

It can be made under 5 minutes. I basically prepared it the night before so it is ready to eat or to go the next morning.

 This is my Fruit in the Bottom Chia Seed Pudding recipe:

 Ingredients - for one or two servings

·        1 cup almond milk

·        1/4 cup Chia Seeds

·        1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

·       1/4 cup (or less) honey or stevia syrop (I should add that I don't like the taste of stevia at all but it's sweet)

·        1/3 cup of fruits (I prefer mangoes or strawberries)

 

Instructions

1.     For Blended/Smooth Version: Place all ingredients in blender minus fruits and blend on high for 1-2 minutes until completely smooth.

or

1.     For Whole Chia Seed Version: Blend all ingredients except chia seeds & fruits in a blender until smooth (including any added flavors, fruits or chocolate). Whisk in chia seeds.

2.      Place fruits at the bottom of a jar or glass container, then pour chia mixture and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight to let it gel.

 

Posted on March 25, 2016 by Eduardo Martinez and filed under Ayurveda, cooking, inspiration, wellness and tagged Chia Seed Pudding Chia Seed Ayurveda Recipes.

Urban Monk Principles to Live by

I found the Monk Manifesto written  by  Christine Valters Paintner, a couple of days ago and it really resonated with me.  A re-occurring teaching from yoga is that the practice doesn't ask you to give up your life, quite the opposite, the invitation is to engage deeper into who you already are.  When I read the Monk Manifesto that is exactly why I feel the manifesto is conveying.

The Monk Manifesto: Seven Principles for Living with Deep Intention by Christine Valters Paintner

Monk: from the Greek monachos meaning single or solitary. A monk in the world does not live apart but immersed in the everyday with a single-hearted and undivided presence, always striving for greater wholeness and integrity.

Manifesto: from the Latin for clear, means a public declaration of principles and intentions.

Monk Manifesto: A public expression of your commitment to live a compassionate, contemplative, and creative life.

The Monk Manifesto

I commit to finding moments each day for silence and solitude, to make space for another voice to be heard, and to resist a culture of noise and constant stimulation.I commit to radical acts of hospitality by welcoming the stranger both without and within. I recognize that when I make space inside my heart for the unclaimed parts of myself, I cultivate compassion and the ability to accept those places in others.I commit to cultivating community by finding kindred spirits along the path, soul friends with whom I can share my deepest longings, and mentors who can offer guidance and wisdom for the journey.I commit to cultivating awareness of my kinship with creation and a healthy asceticism by discerning my use of energy and things, letting go of what does not help nature to flourish.I commit to bringing myself fully present to the work I do, whether paid or unpaid, holding a heart of gratitude for the ability to express my gifts in the world in meaningful ways.I commit to rhythms of rest and renewal through the regular practice of Sabbath and resist a culture of busyness that measures my worth by what I do.I commit to a lifetime of ongoing conversion and transformation, recognizing that I am always on a journey with both gifts and limitations.

  

Posted on September 4, 2015 by Eduardo Martinez and filed under inspiration, Meditation, wellness and tagged Monk compassion better living.

A Subway Ride to the Divine

Since living in NYC I find my subway rides a great space for my Spiritual work.  It started as a place to catch up with my reading and it has progress to a place where I can catch up with my contemplation.  My favorite exercise is to look around and ask my self if I can observe the Divine in the faces I see.  Yes, I can probably be the creepy guy staring at you now and then.  You would be surprise what you will find when you look for the sameness in your commuting brothers and sisters.

I found this poem from the always inspiring OnBeing website.  I just love the way Ms. Simmons captures the extraordinary presence of Grace on a mundane subway ride.  

 

Subway Prayer

BY DENA SIMMONS

From her neck, a plastic rosary dangles
like a child, swinging.
With poker-player precision,
she rations coins and cigarettes with her man
who drinks Jack Daniels
on a Bronx-bound 2 train.

Hail Mary, full of grace.
The Lord is with thee.

On-lookers drink in faded lipstick lips,
older white woman,
her younger black lover,
his hair, small,
cotton-ball knots,
crimson eyes and lipstick-stained lips.
Intoxicating lust.

Blessed art thou amongst women,

A beggar, heavy, duck-taped like his wheelchair,
stumbles into the train car,
fragrant with human waste.
He speaks of a world that hurls him
into subterranean fundraising.

and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

He makes his rounds,
wheelchair, clinking against iron poles.
Open hands,
empty,
in front of potential donors.
He wishes God blessed him
with a winning deck of cards.

Holy Mary, Mother of God.

To the lovers,
he huffs.
Despair.

Pray for us sinners.

The gambling-pair captures him
in the midst of trading nickels and Marlboros,
gives the begging man
everything,
hoping for a better hand.

Amen.

Posted on August 19, 2015 by Eduardo Martinez and filed under Spirituality, Meditation, inspiration and tagged Dena Simmons Poetry in Motion Subway Prayer Prayer Spiritual.

Eliminate Surfaces and conquer clutter

As true as gravity will keep your ass from floating in space, so will empty flat surfaces accumulate clutter in your home or office.  That is because clear surfaces provide unstructured, hook-free, often-vertically-unlimited storage. If you don’t believe me, go ahead make a clear surface–table, desk, counter-top, or even inside a drawer–and see how long it takes for it to get cluttered up with all varieties of stuff: unopened mail, brochures, dog leashes, pencil sharpeners, etc.   Our brains seem to be telling us "don’t know where to put this crap, stack it on that table, sure you'll get to it soon."

Here is another truth that will help you deal with this issue, clear surfaces tend to be magnets for stuff we don’t need, use or even want. These clear surfaces are especially useful for holding stuff we don’t want to deal with. Why do you think that “to table” something means to postpone the issue?

If you are looking to de-clutter and simplify your home, try removing a surface or two–one less end table, even one less dresser.  If this is too much for your cluttered mind, create limits on the surfaces you have by adding a small tray or small basket to collect your precious I-don't-want-to-deal-with-this stuff (hint...smaller the tray, the smaller the clutter).  Without easy places to deposit and pile stuff, we often find ourselves compelled to deal with it (or toss it on the floor, I guess, but tripping on it will force you to deal with it).


Posted on October 10, 2014 by Eduardo Martinez and filed under cleaning, design, inspiration, Living spaces, Organization and tagged storage organized spaces organization office organization office clutter.