Easy Tasty Chickpea Casserole

Easy Tasty Chickpea Casserole

It sure is Winter and if like me I can at times become very de-motivated to cook, or have a flash of inspiration and cook like mad. 

This quick and easy chickpea dish has become a favourite. Yes it is vegetarian, but it it packs some favours. I have made it for my meat loving husband, added some grilled lamb, and a serving of Israeli Cous Cous (which is the larger variety). Also delicious and hearty with roasted pumpkin, red onion and garlic. If you have any, finish off with grilled haloumi and chopped fresh coriander. Yum! I have also made this with out the chilli and my children have inhaled it. 


Ingredients

Olive oil - splash
Red onion- finely chopped/sliced
Fresh ginger - 2 teaspoon- grated
Green chillies- 2 - chopped- seeded
Salt- 1 teaspoon
Chickpeas- 1 tin- drained ( you can stretch the recipe to two tins)
Cumin- 1 teaspoon
Turmeric- 1/2 teaspoon ( optional)
Freshly grounded pepper
Lemon juice- 1 tablespoon
Tomatoes- Punnet of cherry or a tin of chopped
English spinach
Water- 80ml of water depending how many chickpeas you use. 

Method

1.Splash of olive oil in a non stick pan on a medium-high heat
2.Add in Garlic, ginger,salt, onion and chilli
3.Once onion has soften, add in spices, pepper and chickpeas,plus          water- cover and simmer for 5 mins or until water evaporates.
4.Add tomatoes and cook for another 2 mins
5.Remove from heat and add the lemon juice, check seasoning and fold in spinach.

Delicious! 

Recipe is sourced Lifestylefood- Bill Granger, with some personal changes. Thanks Bill! 

Yoga Style- Australian Yoga Clothing online for men and women. 

Listening Meditation

Are you listening? As well as making yourself comfortable for your yoga practice, whatever yoga style you desire, mediation is usually part of the sequence. The breath with your moment and your drishti. The inner anchor that you always come back to. It isn't only about sitting peacefully still. Recently I have used a mudra as a focus point especially in those challenging extended side angle asana((utthita parkonasana), when the legs have to be amazingly aligned and grounded. Please play and share this wonderful listening mediation from Mark Coleman, who is prAna's Mindful Living Ambassador. Yoga Style Australian online Yoga Style- Yoga clothing and accessories for men and women.

Beautiful prAna

PrAna is our supplier of yoga clothing for men and women to our Australian online Yoga Style. From the US, they have been well established for nearly 20 years. They practice sustainable practise of business, making us beautiful high quality yoga, active, Pilate's, casual, you name it gear. Prana also clothe the fast growing rock climbing community.
The clothes are made with 88% Supplex and 12% Lycra. Designed for all types of yoga.


Please enjoy this beautiful video clip of and her bio ( borrowed from the prAna website) 


Shiva Rea- The Power of Yoga


Shiva Rea, M.A. is a yogini firekeeper, sacred activist, and leading innovator in the evolution of vinyasa flow yoga integrating the tantric bhakti roots of yoga, Krishnamacharya's teachings and a universal, quantum approach to the body since she began teaching twenty years ago. She leads retreats and pilgrimages worldwide and has served as a creative catalyst to bring community together including Yoga Trance Dance for Life, Moving Activism for 1,008,000 Trees, Yogini Conferences and the worldwide Global Mala Project.

Source: youtube.com via prAna on Pinterest

New Name, same game

New Name, Same game.... Same same but different.


We have been the Australian online Yoga Gear for a year now, and have worked hard and created a great following, supplying beautiful men and women's yoga clothing online. However, as all good things are, they are often become generic. When I started Yoga Gear I was so excited to have created something out of nothing. I had absolutely no experienced in online, apart from Facebook. A website site was created to sell yoga clothing and off we went. Six months later I discovered another website by the same name. It has just been launched. Beautiful clothes, well designed website but the same name! I had no idea that that would happened. I knew the domain .com.au had been taken, but had also been dormant for 3-4 years. So I went for it.


So after a year. I felt that it was unimaginative to have two websites in the same market, and alas, the same town and even the same acquittance's. Time to move on, dedicate my efforts on my website and my community. So Yoga Style was created. We are same same but now different. 

Both web address work, arriving at the same destination www.yogastyle.com.au / www.yogagear.net.au 


Thank you for your support, and looking forward to really getting into dressing you all in style! 


www.yogastyle.com.au - Australian online yoga clothing and active wear for men and women. Prana- Yogalicious-Witjuti-Jade-Yogitoes


Namaste

New Year- Old Friends

I was lucky enough  to spend this New Year 2012 with old friends. Very old friends. We're not old in years but old in time, some of the friendships started when we were babies.

We are on "holiday" in the UK and spent time in the town I grew-up in. I am very lucky that I get to visit every 2 years and we are also greeted enthusiastically and it makes the trip so worth while. On NY's day, we joined our friends down at Milford Beach on the South Coast of England, and "they" went for a NY dip. As my husband sdaid- "oh, we forgot our sun screen". ....there was a howling wind, and it was so grey, and so bleak... I could not help but laugh with my friend Helen, how as children we came to the beach and hurt our feet on the stones and went home with tar on our skin. She laughed back, and said "we still come down here!" They all now have beach huts, the traditional ones, some coloured and fancy, some tired and weather beaten. But the spirit was there.

One of the friendships I have is with Nicki. Nicki lived across the field from me as kids. She turned up with her tribe, she has 4 children ranging from 3-11, and a very hands on husband- he has to be-the middle two have a generic degenerative disease and they will not see much of their teenage years. It was amazing to see everyone pitch-in and assist with getting the children down the stairs ( I'd say 60, wooden wet ones), two large strollers. On the way back -up I helped take Tom, he is 6 I think, with the strength of a 9 year old. he is determined to pick-up anything, and jam it in his mouth. Luckily, over wine two nights before Nicki had given me a bit of an up-date and I knew what to expect. I was terrified I was going to go flying and take all of us back down the cliff! There is not much to Nicki in stature, 50 kg and 5"ft2 ish, but her determination and patience is incredible, and it makes me humble.

I always marvel at how we all grew up together and left, but so many have now moved back and
their children seek the haunts that we did, and are now students at the same schools.

How removed we are from our life in Sydney, so different, things here seem so much simpler, less competitive and slower. I often wonder how things would be if I lived here now?  Would I do as much yoga? ( I haven't done any since I've been here), would I have Yoga Gear website? Would I have a healthy lifestyle? Are we looking at it through rose coloured glasses??

Let's be happy! Satisfied and happy to be here, where ever that maybe!

Happy 2012!

New Beginnings 2012

The year of 2012 is fast approaching, and as its tradition, its time to start a New Years Resolution, usually getting fit, eating less, drinking less, spend more time with the kids, love better etc.

Well I have no idea what I am going to do, at the moment I am in the UK, on a fairly remote farm. It’s hard to find a “single”, I have no mobile phone, I’m not driving, I don’t take a bag out with me, and I take no money. Freedom, peace from the rat-race. I have thought that 2012 I should try and time manage better. Maybe then my house will be tidier, the clothes will get folded and put away with in 24 hrs of being dried and washed instead of a week later! My plants will get watered, and my car will not get filled up with kids toys, shoes kicked off and buckets and spades.

Dinner will be prepped and prepared and the dishwasher emptied…….. God it sounds so stressful! But there must be a way to make the day less manic and not so exhausting.

My days are going to get shorter as my eldest is off to school and the other in pre-school two days a week. Less time, but will have more $$$$$ as only one kindy fee.

Less time to do my work, and my yoga and my ‘home duties”. My husband gives me house keeping at the beginning of each month, he calls it my “pay”- cheeky bugger as “I” get very little out of it.

So time management is in order, with out making it all very dull and restrictive, may have to read up on it first to make sure I don't turn into a Stepford Wife

Cheers Jo @ Yoga Gear

Its competition time!!

We are running a competition for you to WIN $100 gift voucher to spend on whatever you want at Yoga Gear.

As you may have already noticed we supply yoga clothing for yoga, yoga lifestyle, pilates wear, or just something comfortable!

Our clothing is all made with purpose. Yogalicious is designed and made in Sydney by Evangeline Yeun who is a yoga teacher, and the owner of The House of Yoga Redfern. What better experience do you need to design yoga clothing? Evangeline's focus is on funky yoga clothing, with comfort in mind to wear in or out of the yoga studio. Her range covers capris/leggings, that have funky bright coloured waist bands, light weight fabric with the all important wickering, halter neck yoga tops, flattering yoga bra tops and for the not so modest, hot yoga shorts for both men and women.  

Complementing this funky yoga clothing brand, we have prAna from the US. PrAna was born 18 years ago, that’s a long time, so they know their stuff. Most of their staff are from the original team, and they are all still very "hands-on". The focus is high standards of quality, use-able, sustainable yoga clothing. Again, this style of yoga clothing offers comfort and movement for any yoga, if it be hot yoga, or hatha, or the vast range of yoga styles, mediation, pilates, or a Sunday morning walk.

PrAna fabrics for their yoga clothing pants are 88% Supplex, 12% Lycra, now that is some serious sculpting going on! It’s going to make you look good! It’s also made to last, keep its shape, wash it again, and again.

PrAna is the Sanskrit word for "breath", so it breathes....

Yoga Gear sell a variety of prAna yoga capris/ leggings, yoga shorts for men and women. Faltering yoga bra tops, and beautiful henna printed yoga tops.

New supplier on the page is Witjuti. (pronounced “wicheddy”) and is the Aboriginal spelling of the Australian Larvae – Witchetty Grub or Witchety Grub, which is a common larvae found in the trees in the Outback.  Banika Smee is the owner and designer of the beautiful bamboo range. She has designed something that can be worn in in the yoga studio and then afterwards........ it's made out of bamboo which is super soft, hypo- allergic, sustainable and natural! At the moment we are stocking the black or taupe singlet which will match any of our other yoga pants/leggings/shorts. 

As well as yoga clothing, we sell yoga mats. We supply Jade Harmony mats, and basic sticky mats , so something there for either end of the budget. With this we recommend the Yogitoes® SKIDLESS® towels which are a fantastic addition to your yoga practice. 

A great combo that we offer is a sticky mat and a Yogitoes® SKIDLESS® towel for under $100. Great gift for someone, like yourself.

So, to enjoy the opportunity to explore what we have to offer, you need to sign up to the newsletter, click webpage, and you will see the area on the right to add your email details . Your email details are strictly for newsletter purpose only from Yoga Gear. And I promise that I will not bombard you will garbage emails that will go straight to your junk mail..........and I will know if they do! ( hahahha) 

Competition entries close November 27 2011, and winner announced in the first newsletter. 

Many thanks

Jo @ Yoga Gear

Yoga Gear: PND

Yoga Gear: PND: Suffering a bit of writers block recently. Family life has been busy and not much room for the luxury of actually thinking for myself. Its s...

PND

Suffering a bit of writers block recently. Family life has been busy and not much room for the luxury of actually thinking for myself. Its something that use to really bother me, not having time for myself, for the things that I wanted to do, instead of things I had to do.

When I was pregnant with my first child, I couldn't wait to finish work. I think I went on maternity leave about 10 weeks before the baby was born. I couldn't tell you what I did in those weeks. Ahh, yes I remember now, we moved house. I packed and cleaned, and cleaned and un-packed, and then had a baby. I was lucky ( ?!)  though, the day I came home from the hospital, I came home with my beautiful baby girl, and my in-laws ( for 3 months!)  um, I must have missed that bit in the chapter about "coming home", one day there was just my husband and I, and the next 3 new people in the house! Crowd control please! But alas that fell on deaf ears, and it still does. I was at the hospital, waiting to be picked up, to go home, full of anxiety, about what lay ahead of me, and being crowded.

The adjustment for myself and my husband having a baby was massive. I had read the books, done the anti-natal classes, but it just didn't sink in. ( My husband didn't believe he had to read any books, and in relation to  ante-natal classes, he turned up, post Melbourne Cup lunch, absolouty hammered! Good job I wasn't ready to have the baby that night! ) But, I still can't put my finger on it, the apprehension,  I didn't understand, I wasn't very materal. Even as my elder daughter grew into a toddler, fell down, cried, I just would tell her to "get up", and was pretty sharp about it to. Zero compassion.

When Lilly , my eldest daughter was 9 months, I fell pregnant. I was mortified, the shock was unbelievable. I think I cried everyday for months and months. When I mentioned to the mid-wife how distraught I was , she said" never mind". So I had to deal with it. If that mid-wife had "caught me" I would have had a very different couple of years.

These days there is so much more support out there for post- natal depression, and the time lapse is only 4 years. The media is much more aware and probably social media has helped spread the word of PND support groups. It really can not be just brushed aside. This syndrome affects not just the Mother but the whole family, and extended family if near-by.


My Mothers next door neighbour's wife, her situation became fatal, the Mother jumped off North Head, and "Paul" ( name changed for privacy) has bought up their daughter who is the spitting image of her Mother. How helpless can that feel? He is really really nice man as well, so not as if he was horrible or un-caring, Through this sad case, The Gidget Foundation has been created by close friends of Paul's wife. http://www.gidgetfoundation.com.au/ 

Next month 13-19 November is PND Awareness week. Please be aware of any friends that have had new babies, doesn't matter if its their first, second, or third child, PND can creep up at any stage. Watch out for signs- avoiding people, not -returning calls, no getting involved in conversations, anxiety, drinking ( excessive!) not sleeping, not saying "she's having a crap day", thus not communicating... to name but a few.

Another organisation that has help, thanks to the late Gavin Larkin is RUOK Day? This year, thanks to Australian Story, he raised the profile of the importance of just asking people if they are ok.  It's September 13 2012, a bit far off, but its the little thing like remebering that date that can help others, sometimes with out you realising it.

http://www.ruokday.com.au/content/what-is-r-u-ok-day.aspx


                                                                                                   

Photo care of 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pure-Nourishment/141439374238

Just before I go, my children are well loved and I wouldn't have it another way. They are 16 months apart, the best of friends ( most of the time! ) the roller coaster days are gone, not that I still don't have hectic days with them, but that's measurable, and all justified and reasonable.

Thank for letting me share this with you.

Important links
http://www.sane.org/
http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/
http://www.lifeline.org.au/
http://www.lifeline.org.au/

Feet, Foot, Toes, Heels - say NO to cracks.

Feet

I have issues about bad feet, and when you go to a packed yoga class, and you have to suffer because of bad hygiene- sorry, it ain't on!

How can people forget what their feet look like? They go everywhere you go, hold you up, take you places, keep you rooted down to the Earth. They are the foundations of your day.
Its a constant reminder in my yoga practice.

When I go to the studio I admit, I have moved my place in the room based on state of my neighbours feet. Usually the person in front of me. And not necessarily males being the main offender . Yes ladies, you are guilty too. And as for the chipped toe- polish, please please treat you're self to a pedicure even if it's a cheapy.

Having to deal with dirty cracked in-grained feet is no turn-on.

If you have spent money on  lovely "Yoga Gear" (  haha just had to throw that one in), you feel great and energised so don't let your feet down when you are in down-ward dog! Respect! You wouldn't spend a few hundred bucks on a beautiful dress, and shoes and have dirty feet would you? When I was in my 20's and learning about make-up, hair etc, ( I was a late bloomer!) I always had this mantra in my head that you never know who you are going to bump-in too, so always try and have it together... oh dear, must remember that next time I pop around the corner on a Saturday morning to get coffee with "bed- head" still on, trackies, and dark sunnies,  and frequently see Tom Williams having his B&E, take away of course, not that I notice, oh, and he drinks a flat-white, one sugar, drives a black ute......... I wonder what his feet look like???????!!!!!! So back to the the out-fit and the feet - don't think, "oh, I'm going to yoga, and its herbal man, and dirty feet, hairy armpits don't matter. Some yoga teachers happen to be male, and easy on the eye, so you try holding triangle pose, and some tattooed warrior comes to re-align you, and then you spot that you didn't check your pits ! Too late! And boys, this is time to strut your stuff, inner piece. The place is a potential pick-up joint for you Singles out there.

Oh those Yogies say, "but you shouldn't judge, you should respect everyone, and just "be". Excuse me, but the big yoga clothing brands don't portray the hippy -lo-la policy when there is money and sales involved. Its all quiet beautiful, and full or harmony. Om Om Om.

My feet aren't too bad as I am so conscious of it, that I scrub them every day. At the moment I am quiet horrified as my last pedicure, the shredder came out, and she scappled me, so I have her handy work displayed in a cut up my heel. The ritual of "Medi-Pedi " is as far as I am concerned general house-keeping. Men should do it too. And what a treat to take those gorgeous princess's -our daughters on special treats.

You can do a simple foot soak for yourself at home, all you need is TIME, warm water in a tub, Epsom salts from the supermarket (  best $5 you will spend), few drops of lavender oil, pumice stone of some kind, and some lovely cream to put on after. Allow a good 10 mins each foot. I have also heard that popping on soaks for bed-time gives your feet a treat too, once you have applied cream.

I have to add that my dear husband has terrible feet, he actually has been known to pull his toe nails off with pliers. And we are still married.


Next week, I shall write something lovely and heart warming, plus a recipe, something fresh and delicious.

Please comment, share, follow, etc so I know that I'm being looked at. :)

Have a wonderful week and please also check my Yoga Aid page, I will write something about that in a couple of weeks.

http://yogaaid.com/joporter1

Food Glorious food

Wow, where to start. I love food. Its got to be good though, and made with some throught and want.

I  spent years watching Chefs dance around a hot sweaty stage. The co-ordination and timing is amazing, intense and in-deed a precise craft. If you are able to see first hand a talented chef putting together a dish, its almost a love affair ( for them at least which explains the egos ...a-humm Mr Perry, when are you going to chop that pony tail off ? ). Alas there are too many Chefs out there that do a pretty slack job, and let the industry and profession down.

In March I was lucky enough to escape my homely duties and go to Byron Bay for a Yoga Retreat, actually it was boot camp with Power Living, so alot of down-ward dogging, break-troughs and a ton of sweaty yoga clothes and bonding with strangers. ( I came home with a new friend too- ME :))) ). The catering was done by the lovely Veet Karen of Veet Cusine. http://www.veetscuisine.com.au/. Veet bought her food from the Farmers Markets, lucky her, she has 3 a week to go to. How amazing is that? Beautiful fresh seasonal vegetables and fruit for her to cook passionately, and us hungry monkeys to scoff greedily 3 times a day. Her recipe book is written like her own personal favourites and you can tell she loves what she does.

Now, vegetarian food ain't boring! Or tasteless, or stodgy, or bland. And it doesn't need to be totally organic which can in some sense make it bland, and definitely expensive.  Unfortunately though some places get it wrong, and smoother with sun-dried tomatoes ( so 90's) and add that stringy beetroot and carrot.

To prove you wrong I have pinched Veets chocolate tart recipe for you- its wheat, diary and and sugar free, oh gross you say, so dull, and tasteless ...............check out the ingredients, make it, its super delicious!

WARNING- small slices are required! Serve with some mixed berries and a coulis to cut the richness.

No Bake Avocado Cake

Base
11/2 cups of dates - soaked for an hour in hot water
11/2 cups of coconut
1 cup peacans

Filling

1/2 cup of almond meal
3 ripe avocados
10 tsp of cacao powder- / coco powder
2-5 tbsp honey
1/2 cup macadamia oil
150g melted dark chocolate

To make the base, put the peacans in the food processor, grind to crumbs.
Add dates with a little of the soak water- process to make paste
Add coconut
Spread evenly over the pie dish or spring form flan tin
Put in the fridge.

Filling- Melt chocolate in bowl, slowly over hot water.
In another bowl mix in almond meal, well mashed avocados. cocoa powder, honey, and oil.
Add in cooled melted chocolate,
Spread over base.
Chill for an hour.

For a bit of fun, don't tell your guests what this is made of. It will surprise them for sure, especially those macho boys!

Enjoy

Why not post your favourite recipe, doesn't have to be veggie, just delicious.

Its good to share.

PS- Just received new stock from Prana for website, so check it out
www.yogagear.net.au

Yoga Clothing - What to wear or not

I guess owning a clothing website, selling clothes for yoga, pilates, casual comfortable clothing, you can imagine that I have been checking- you -out while you are in your downward dog.... aha! Yes I have. That observation led me to the where I am now.

What people wear to yoga.... well I recall my first early memory of yoga, is my Mother.. Her name is Sylvia. She is currently 75, or maybe 76, actually I think she is 77. She practices yoga everyday, every morning she has a roll around on the lounge floor. Sylvia has a scoliosis of the spine, and if she hadn't done those "weird things" since she was about 35, she would be a crippled old lady. Instead she now is more flexible then you or I and keeps up with her grandchildren, and yes survived 50 odd years of marriage. But what I remember is that in the early days, when I was about 8, was what she wore....... brown foot- less tights, under a flowery leotard, and a head -band!! Bring on 1977...

Lets zoom forward to 2011.... Sydney Australia, The World - and yes if it hadn't been for Lululemon, and their amazing marketing campaigns captivating millions of wannabe yogis, then there would be alot more un-happy twisted frumby people out there. At last fashion sense!!! There was an article this week in the US papers about Gap and Nike wanting to get a foot in the door on Lulu's Community Marketing Spirit. Why the hell not, I certainly do too! They have lovely clothes, they are re-known for that, AND that they are EXPENSIVE!!!! They NEVER have sales, just a rack occasionally, not advertised. I've only been "live" 8 weeks, and already had a sale! ( better check out the website then hey? www.yogagear.net.au)

So I have prAna on the website, and Yogalicious. PrAna is a US Brand, and they are a sustainable company, use all the right ways to make things happen with out too much impact .95% of their goodies are therefore made in the US or Cambodia. Yogalicious is local Sydney brand designed by Evangeline Yeun. Her clothing is made funky, comfortable, affordable, and made in Australia. ( I will write more about both brands at a later post). Both are fantastic quality, and you get what you pay for. And, not China mass production here- thank you :))

Today I went to a group personal training session, and one of the girls was showing me, her latest purchase - Target have bought out a clothing sports line, wicker fabric etc. Her pants cost AUD$30 (cringe). I'm going to keep check on her to see how long they last. Personally I would rather spend double, know I have  a product that is going to last, looks great, makes me feel like the exercise is doing something, and I've enjoyed the shopping experience. That to me is part of shopping. And that is no disrepect to anyone, because I know that some people just can't afford to make purchases of a certain amount, or would rather spend their money else where. No baggy knees, or slipping gussets please.

So to finish, back to the yoga studio............ there is a chap that goes to the same class as I occasionally. He is about 40, and been around the place for about 15 years. He use to be the stocky ( keeping it polite!) barman in a bar. So, he's in the yoga class, and he is wearing tie-dyed  speedos- that's it! Now its hot yoga practice  but not Bikarams. Thank goodness, through his conscientiousness  practice over the years, his diet and devotion has paid off. He's lookin pretty good, but way to much information there in that aeroplane asana! Way too distracting.

Until next time, I wish you well, and please don't forget LIKE the Facebook page for news and sales...........sales that happen often!

Jo

Twitter

Ok, so we have entered the World of Twitter!

To follow the news in Yoga Gear clothing, - capris. leggings and fantastic tops, shorts, mats , Yogitoes®, you can follow on Twitter too!

YogaGJo

Tweet Tweet

Welcome to The Yoga Gear Store Blog

Good Afternoon

This is our first entry into Blog  land, and I thought I would let you know what my/our thoughts are on our wish list for this Blog.

I would like to create community where people can post their thoughts and opinions too. If you have a fantastic related business, or experienced something yourself, and would like to share.

The focus will be around the Yoga- Pilates Vibe, and I know there are plenty of you out there.

I, in return, will not bore you will ramblings on about how I felt about my coffee this morning, and how I noticed the sky was a shade bluer then before my Yoga class, so therefore must have gained some "awareness"(!) .

To get the ball rolling, I have put all prAna clothing on a 15% off sale. PrAna ( and yes that is how it is spelt) is from the US. They are a company that practice manufacturing as sustainable as they can, using wind power and fair trade etc agreements. Unfortunately for us, that means that their clothing costs more to make. More to ship, and more to wear!

Goodness comes at a cost!

Many thanks for your time reading our first entry, I look forward to any comments back.

Jo