Blasts of Light

What we eat effects how we do EVERYTHING. It’s really that simple. What we put into our bodies sets the foundation for our lives. We can choose to put nutrient dense foods that give us the vitality to go out into the world and be our best selves or we can choose processed, sugary foods that are nutritionally void and constantly battle with our own bodies in order to have the energy to accomplish the simple task we have in a day. I’ve seen clients LIGHT UP once we get them on a clean, whole foods meal plan, they will literally say ,” I’ve done nothing but start eating healthier foods and I surprisingly feel happier all the time.”  So whether you want to lose weight, feel better in your body, detox, get happy or have more energy, the food you choose to eat plays a MAJOR part in setting you up for success!

That’s the magic of food.

Now I know that hardest part of getting off on the path to blissful wellbeing can often be getting started or knowing where to start and this is where a personalize blissful eating meal plan comes in. We’ll get you jumpstart to a more radiant, energetic you by having an important chat about your intentions for laying this new healthier, nourishing foundation and then I’ll put together a customized meal plan for YOU that’s based on your life and your preferences. A lot of the time detoxes and diet meal plans fail because they aren’t made for people with REAL lives, who have REAL food preferences and don’t spend all day in the kitchen. By creating a personalized meal plan you can ensure you’re going to stick to it and you can use the food ideas long beyond the first week. You’ll also get a meal plan that’s custom tuned to YOUR goals! You’ll learn some great breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack options that you can start incorporating into your daily routine. So you can  use the planned out week as a jumpstart, training wheels so to say, to get you going so you can go flying town blissed out lane when you’re done!

 

*Personalized Blissful Eating Meal Plan Sessions*

These sessions will be 60 minutes long and done over the phone or via skype, so that everyone has access to them.

What we’ll chat about:

  • What you’re health + wellness goals are and how we can customize your meal plan to help achieve them.
  • What your eating right now and how it’s working for you.
  • Any problems or blocks you may have around food ( anything from an allergy to a limiting belief – I want to know about your relationship with what you’re eating!).
  • How we can best design your meal plan to support your goals, work with your life and keep you satisfied and energized.

what you’ll leave with:

  •  Priceless knowledge and insight into your eating habits.
  • Plenty of ideas for what kinds of food to incorporate into your diet and how to make healthier choices for your favorite foods.
  • A 7-day meal plan with in 24 hours of our session that’s totally customized to your goals, your relationship with food and what’s going to work with both your schedule and your body most optimally. Plus all the delicious healthy recipes!
  • A solid foundation to start feeling better, nourishing your body and on your way to achieving your wellness goals.
  • Inspiration and tools to start your plan and move towards a happier, healthier, more radiant you!

total cost is only $187. Email assistant@gosweetandskinny.comto schedule an appointment time.

BY SHANNON VETERE [ Lifestyle Expert + creator of SkinnySometimes.com]

After returning home from a NYC trip with a lot of random and delicious plant-based eats, I was inspired to try giving the lifestyle a go for a week. I didn’t know what to really expect or how my experience would pan out, but overall it was a great experiment. Here are some of my thoughts and findings from that week:
It really challenged me to try new things!
I used “flax eggs” for my morning oatmeal pancake and it was great! I will definitely continue to do this. I ate a lot of beans, which I truly enjoyed. Nutritional yeast, that was fun! There were little things here and there and I was pleasantly surprised with all the new foods I tried.
It was A LOT easier than I thought it would be.
I had no issues because I did some meal prep the weekend before I started. Even though I live in a small town with limited resources, it was so easy! The recipes I made were enjoyable and I didn’t feel deprived at all. I didn’t dine out, which I’m sure would have made things more difficult, but at home it was so easy.
Plant-based foods are super filling!
I still can’t get over how full I was after some meals. I definitely had to readjust portion sizes. One little salad with some quinoa and beans would leave me full for hours.
I realized what I was lacking
I wasn’t getting a lot of sleep, I was coming off of white sugar and I wasn’t drinking enough water. Those are the reasons I felt light-headed and hungry at the beginning of the week. By the end of the week, with less sugar and more water in my system I felt a thousand times better. And yes, I started sleeping more too. After the week was up, I made sure to be careful with all 3 of these. It was an eye-opener.
I can’t and I won’t do labels.
Before I started Skinny Sometimes, I had an unhealthy relationship with food. I had lame rules and made certain foods off limits. That of course, in turn caused me to binge. I did eat a cookie at one point during the week. If I had prepped plant-based foods without declaring that’s what I was to do for a week, I don’t think I would have eaten the cookie. I felt guilty after I ate it too, which is an absolute no-no for me! I eat cookies all the time and never feel guilty. When I realized I associated guilt with food is when I realized no matter what I will never, ever label my dietary habits.
Moving forward, I’m excited to try new recipes and add more plant-based meals and snacks into my days. It was a positive experience and a real eye opener. One week isn’t long enough for me to see if it made any impact on my health so I can’t make any remarks in that regard. It was a fun challenge though and I learned so much about myself!

shannonvetere

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I  can’t even begin to divulge all the knowledge that was dropped on me this weekend. Two ladies who have been incredibly influential and inspiring along my journey, Oprah and Elizabeth Gilbert both in the same weekend. Mind blown. I’ve been so hyper and cracked out from all the excitement and inspiration flowing that I am most definitely a kid in a candy store right now despite being sugar free! haha At first my intention was to give you one big wrap up about the whole weekend but then I quickly realized when going through my notes that there was just too darn much to squeeze it all into one post, so you are getting THREE! This first one is my favorite highlights from my two power ladies, Oprah and Elizabeth Gilbert, the second one will be all about Deepak Chopra and the last will focus on Rob Bell and Iyania Vanzant so you are in for triple the treats!

For starters, the Elizabeth Gilbert quote above, how many of you are still waiting on something to begin your quest?! Are you consciously or unconsciously waiting for someone to come “save” you, for something to happen and make it all work? Well guess what? That’s a pretty boring story to live! Get out of the passenger’s seat of your life and hop on over to the driver’s seat because YOU decide where the car’s going! in other words, you can make a U-turn right now if you think you’re going down the wrong path.

Oprah and Elizabeth both talked a lot about listening to LIFE because it’s talking to you.

“ When things are out of balance and going wrong, it’s the universe’s way of saying you’re going the wrong way, you need to switch direction.” – Oprah

It starts off with a little whisper, a gentle nudge, “this might not be right.” or “do I really want this?” and then keeps escalating the longer you don’t listen. All of a sudden that whisper graduates to a siren and you are in full on crisis mode because you had been ignoring all the signs and the universe was forced to whip out the big guns so that you had no choice but to listen! This is what often happens when we have a total breakdown in one area of our life. However, if we start paying attention to what “life”, “spirit” or our “inner guide” is trying to tell us, whatever you want to call that energy force, we can get on the right path long before it gets to be a real problem.

Elizabeth Gilbert talked a lot about the hero’s journey and going on our own hero’s journey or soul quest as women even though Joseph’s Campbell was all about a man. We are not the damsel in distress that the hero saves along his journey, WE ARE THE HERO, we do not need saving! The moment you decide to be your own hero as a woman, your whole life changes! “

The story of your life is far more interesting when you decide to be your own hero.” – Elizabeth Gilbert

So be BOLD, be BRAVE, write your own story and stand in your power. You can paint the picture that your life with look like. The time is now, we are guaranteed only this very moment, so what are we waiting for?

One of my favorite Buddha quotes, “The problem is, you think you have time.”

Get going now. You can start taking forward action right now, today. How can you start answering your calling? How can you make progress to the life you want? If you need help with this, don’t shy away from asking for guidance! Email me at gosweetandskinny@gmail.com  and request a breakthrough session, in only 30 minutes we can get you off in the direction of your dreams and towards the life you want!

oprahquote This next quote that really struck a powerful cord with me is all about the energy you put out into the world based on your intentions. This is a concept I’ve been working with a lot of my clients on recently.

WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ENERGY WE BRING INTO EVERY ROOM WE WALK IN TO.

What kind of energy are you bringing? Ever had a friend meet up with you for lunch and you instantly know they’re going to give you bad news because of how it feels just being in their presence? Yup, you give off those vibes too when you are in a negative place about a situation.

Good news is that you can also bring positive, love energy to every situation and encounter you have! You can literally transform your life by simply minding the intentions you hold in any encounter. Before you go into a meeting, a date, a phone call with a family member, the gym, just take a minute and check your intention! Are you going in with love or fear? A good little reality check is to think “if everyone in this room could hear my thoughts, would this be a good experience?”

One of the lessons in A Course in Miracles is “No thoughts are private thoughts” and while it may not be true that everyone in that room can hear your exact thoughts, you best believe they can feel the energy your giving off because of them so choose your thoughts carefully!

I’m working on this with one of my clients right now that’s going on job interviews and I’m having her visualize her intended outcome for every meeting. And you know if you can’t fully believe that you’re going to get the job or whatever it may be, THAT’S OKAY! Just set a positive intention for the experience, ie. we have a great conversation and both leaving with a smile on our face or to share my love for my work and connect with him.

I also talk a lot about this concept with my clients who are dating, you don’t have to go in to every date with the intention of “he’s going to fall in love with me and we’re going to get married”, it doesn’t have to be that serious! Set the intention to have fun, to laugh, to brighten their day and they’ll feel that warmth and want more of it! Start today and think about all the little encounters in your day that you can transform simply by co-creating your experience with the energy of your intentions!

Comment below and let me know about how you were able to BEGIN and step into your hero shoes or how you were able to transform a situation with the energy of your intention! I’d love to hear from you! xoxo!

Ahh!! This quote from the Dalai Lama just hit home for me today! I confess that although I meditate everyday and professionally help people to find their inner peace on a daily basis, I still have a day here and there where someone’s behavior throws me for a loop. I even noticed this theme pop up with a lot of my clients in the past week. My clients were experiencing teachers, parents and romantic partners’ negative moods or hurtful behavior causing a tremendous detriment to their state of mind and the inner peace they’ve been working on creating.Too often we work on cultivating this beautiful inner garden, we bring the sunshine each day through our healthy habits and spiritual practice and then all of a sudden it feels like a force of nature, hurricane or tornado comes (in the form of someone’s else behavior towards us) and wreaks havoc on our beautiful patch of heaven, leaving us feeling empty and confused! Can you relate?

So for me when this happens, I instantly notice that I’ve moved out of my place of love and I’m not connecting with my higher self. As soon as I go to into that stressed, anxious, uncomfortable and unfamiliar place, it’s a wake up call. The longer I allow myself to stay in that place, the more exhausted, drained and achey I get, so I immediately take action. What does that look like?

Well first off: STOP. DROP. MEDITATE.

I have this simple meditation for letting go that you can try in a jiffy or even this one for finding PEACE now that I rely on a lot when I’m out and about and don’t have the luxury of my own space at home. I also love to do the kundalini meditation for irrationality (I teach it in my mindful eating + meditation class) video.

second, break out the ACIM!

A Course in Miracles says,” Everything is either love or a call for love.” So when someone is behaving cruel or negatively towards you and it’s definitely NOT love, it’s a desperate plea for love from them. When you take a minute to really see this person you’re dealing with from a total place of innocence, you can see how entangled in fear they are to act the way they are behaving. Yogi Bhajan said one of the sutras of the Aquarian age was,” understand through compassion or your misunderstand the times.” and it’s in moments of this frustration that I think back on his wise words and turn my head and my heart to compassion.

third — SURRENDER THAT SHIT!!

That’s right, give it up! Give it up to God, the universe, your dead pet, whoever you like to pray to / talk to / ask for advice. Say a little prayer and place the situation fully in their hands, ASK for the miracle, ASK to see things differently and then allow yourself to sit back and be guided. I like to say ” Dear God, please take – this situation – , I place it in your hands, please handle ALL the details, heal my mind of error and show me what you would have me do, Amen.” But you can phrase it however you like, just give it up, surrender the situation and stand in the willingness to shift your perception and experience a miracle.

and LASTLY..

know when to call in reinforcements.

This is where myself or your spiritual running buddy may need to intervene. Sometimes we can get so overwhelmed with emotion, stuck in the victim zone and held hostage by fear. This is where you call in the troops!! It’s a beautiful thing to be self-aware enough to know that you can not dig yourself out of the hole alone. My clients will send me an email in these situations or schedule an emergency call, and many of my girlfriends call and ask for “emergen-zen” sessions now. The “emergen-zen” session was actually born out of this situation with my girlfriends, a guy they were dating or a family member would put them in the hurt box and they would spiral into the fear zone and need an emergency appointment where we would talk about what was going down, I’d shed some light on their situation and help them flip their perspective and then guide them through a meditation and help them surrender it. They left feeling relieved, renewed and ready to get back to being their best selves and really encouraged me to start offering it publicly.

As a special bonus to those of you who resonated with the message in this quote and blog post this evening, I’m offering a SPECIAL DISCOUNT on my emergen-zen session for those of you who email me with “I READ THE BLOG!” in the subject line. 🙂

I will give you almost 50% off the price of a regular emergen-zen, so you will pay only $111 for the 90 minute intensive session! We’ll talk about what’s going on with you right now, help you gain clarity on the situation and I’ll personally guide you through a customized routine of different meditations allowing you to surrender the situation, let it go and create the space for a miracle. You’ll also leave with the recording of your personal guided meditations and a game plan on how to keep your zen going! If this sounds perfect for you or someone you know – feel free to email me at gosweetandskinny@gmail.com with “I READ THE BLOG!” in the subject line and we’ll get you scheduled ASAP!

There’s not much I love more than a taco salad and the vegan taco meat that I whipped up for my friends at Shape Magazine was the perfect delicious addition to help you get even more great fats and proteins in this vegan taco salad. It’s easy to throw together for lunch or dinner, a great source of protein and nutrients and c’mon who doesn’t love mexican!?

 
 

VEGAN TACO SALAD WITH CHILI LIME RANCH DRESSING

4 stalks of Romaine Lettuce chopped

½ cup of black beans ½ tomato chopped

½ white onion chopped

¼ cup of cilantro chopped

jalapeno chopped

1 avocado

¼ cup chickpeas

½ cup walnuts

1 tsp of flaxseed meal

2 tblsp of olive oil

½ tsp cumin

½ tsp coriander

½ tsp paprika

½ tsp chili

½ garlic powder

½ onion powder

salt/pepper to taste

In a food processor, combine chick peas, walnuts, flaxseed meal, olive oil, cumin, coriander, paprika, chili, garlic powder, onion powder and salt/pepper. Pulse till mixture is the consistency of chop meat. Combine chopped tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and a tsp of jalapeno in a small bowl and toss together. Drain and rinse the black beans. If you prefer, heat the black beans on the stove for a few minute by adding a little water to a sauce pan. After heated, drain again. Place chopped romaine at the bottom of your bowl. Add a scoop of black beans, two spoonfuls of tomato mixture, a scoop of your “meat” mixture and top with half of an avocado sliced.

Chili lime ranch dressing: Combine all dressing ingredients in a bowl, mix together and drizzle over salad

4 tbsp of tofu sour cream (or cashew sour cream – can make from scratch)

juice from a ¼ of a lime

pinch of onion powder

pinch of parsley

pinch of garlic powder

pinch of chili powder

½ tsp of plain unsweetened almond milk

I had quite the morning yesterday at my very first daybreaker experience here in NYC. For those of you who don’t know about daybreaker, it’s an early morning, completely sober dance party that’s sweeping the world right now. It kicks off at 6am with an hour of yoga and then proceeds to turn in to a full out dance fest from 7-9am. One of my guy friends had gone to one a couple weeks ago and had only amazing things to say so naturally, I had to check it out for myself. Needless to say, I am hooked! daybreaker1       I don’t know if I’ve ever had so much fun before 9am! Not only is the music amazing and the atmosphere great but the quality of people you are surrounded with is truly amazing. It’s quite a beautiful thing to look around a room and see yourself in the midst of totally blissed out New Yorkers who voluntarily woke even earlier than usual to dance their heart out before the start of their day. They serve espresso shots, water, and tea all morning to keep you hydrated and awake and even have fun “friends” come dance with you  — but I’ll leave something to your imagination.

At one point I asked my friend if she thought it was safe to put my bag down on a couch while we danced (this is NYC after all) but she instantly laughed,  “The kind of people who come out at 6am to dance aren’t people who steal, they are happy people who love their lives.”

AND ISN’T THAT JUST THE TRUTH!?

So if you’re curious about attending this amazing dance party, joining a group of people with amazingly high vibrations and having a good time before kicking off your day, check out there website here and get your email on the list.   Oh and, PS. Joseph Gordon Levitt was dancing with us yesterday and he has some killer moves, for real. 😉   daybreaker2

Ah, how to quiet the mind!? The number one response I get when I tell people that I’m a mediation and wellness guide is, “I’ve tried to meditate but I can never really quiet my mind”. Sound like a familiar sound bite? Well let me tell you that you CAN indeed quiet your mind, yes it can take a little practice, and you will have to work on it day after day but isn’t having a quiet mind something beyond worthy to work for?

When we quiet our mind we can hear our truth.

When we go behind all the noise, the “shoulds”, the “what ifs” and center into  ourselves, we are able to connect with our inner guide or intuition. We have all the answers inside of us, we merely need to remove all the garbage we’ve thrown on top of them. This is why I became a meditation guide, this is why I wake up every morning and sit on my meditation pillow for 20 minutes and why I return back to that place of surrender and quiet whenever I need an answer to a question in my life.  Meditating allows us to relax, release all the stress and strain we carry along with us through the day (and yes, even wake up with!) and it allows us to come home to ourselves, our love and light, our highest selves. So whether you meditate to clear your mind, for more focus, to relax or to be more productive, doesn’t really matter to me, it will help with it all, what matters is that you start! If only for a few minutes a day, take the time, listen to one of these guided meditations below and begin your journey to quieting your mind.

– A great morning meditation to start your day off right!

– A releasing, relaxing meditation for those days where you really need to let it go or unwind at night!

– A on the go meditation for when you’re at work or at the supermarket and you lose your cool.

Still saying to yourself that you don’t have enough time!? Too busy to meditate? Well check out this article on Well + Good this week about 7 busy women who ALWAYS make the time to meditate. Maybe it will give you just kick you need to get going!

 STILL STUCK? NEED HELP GETTING GOING OR WANT A PERSONALIZED MEDITATION FOR YOUR LIFE?

A lot of times starting out can be the hardest part, taking that first leap, deciding what’s the best meditation to begin with and just committing to doing it. That’s why I offer EMERGEN-ZEN sessions, these sessions are great jumpstarts for your new meditation practice or powerful additions to an already regular practice when you’re yearning to go deeper and tackle the big stuff. Together we’ll talk about your personal situation, I ‘ll guide you through a couple meditations tailored to your needs, record them and send them to you so that you can keep up with it at home and discuss with you the homework you need to do on the day to day to keep your mind quiet and calm. Feel free to discover more about these sessions here or email me for full details and scheduling at cassandra@gosweetandskinny.com.

Guest Post by Kelsey Cook

Kelsey is a healthy lifestyle blogger and Health Coach based in New York City. Kelsey specializes in helping her clients reach an ideal level of health and wellness while still enjoying life and allowing for indulgences without the guilt attached. A few of Kelsey’s favorite things are the beach, green juice, yoga, puppies, margaritas, music festivals, pizza and traveling. You can hear more from Kelsey at http://www.bananasandbellinis.com.

In my early 20s, being “perfect” was something that I strived for. This desire manifested itself most prominently in my quest for the perfect body through a strict, vegan diet that eventually morphed into orthorexia. While I had the best of intentions, I became so obsessed with being perfect and healthy that I completely lost sight of who I was, how to take care of myself and how to enjoy my life…the biggest problem was that I didn’t even realize it.

Eventually, as quite often happens in these cases, I reached a point where I just couldn’t do it anymore. I was exhausted, stressed out and just generally miserable, even though I had reached a weight I considered “perfect” and had the healthiest diet of anyone I knew. I decided to seek help and was able to work through my issues in a way that was healthy, productive and sustainable. In the years since, my goal is no longer to be perfect, but to be balanced. I work to maintain a lifestyle that makes me happy, keeps me healthy and doesn’t create unnecessary stress in my life. Do I have my moments? Of course. Who doesn’t? But, the difference is that now I know that happiness is achieved through balance, not perfection. Here are my top three reasons why being balanced is better than being perfect:

  1. Balance doesn’t allow for “cheat days” because it’s impossible to cheat. When you are working around the clock to maintain a perfect diet and avoid “bad” foods, a well intentioned “cheat day” can easily turn into a full-on binge where you inhale every cookie within a 10-mile radius because, “it’s okay, I’ll be good the rest of the week”. When you’re balanced, you eat the cookie if you want to eat the cookie no matter what day of the week it is. You skip the gym to go to happy hour with your girlfriends if that’s what you want to do. And you know what? It’s fine. One cookie or one skipped gym session isn’t going to derail everything you’re working for. Eating every cookie in the tri-state area? That could cause some problems.
  2. Balance alleviates stress and anxiety. Letting go of the idea of perfection is seriously liberating. As soon as I stopped trying to be perfect, the feeling of anxiety that always consumed me was just not there anymore. I could go about my day without spiraling into panic over what I was eating for lunch, when I was going to be able to make it to the gym or if the shirt I was wearing made me look fat. When you’re not stressed out over trivial things, you can focus your energy on things that are important, like spending quality time with your friends, getting work done productively and accurately and pursuing hobbies that you are interested in.
  3. Balance is sustainable. When I was maintaining a strict vegan diet, I had this terrible habit of getting drunk, housing an entire pizza and spending the next day mentally bashing myself and swearing that I would never do it again. I’m sure you’ll be shocked to find out that it did happen again. Many, many times. What can I say? I love cheese and was forcing myself to completely avoid something that I really enjoy, all in the name of trying to be perfect. Now, I maintain a mostly vegan diet and when I feel like having a slice of pizza, I eat the damn slice of pizza and I rarely go overboard. When you deny, deny, deny all the time, you are bound to overdo it when your self-control eventually wears thin, and this goes for anything, not just food. Perfection is not sustainable over a long period of time…listening to your body, however, is.

So, here’s the thing. “Perfect” doesn’t exist. And the chances of you being happy, healthy, enjoying life and maintaining the lifestyle you’ve created in the pursuit of perfection are slim to none. You’re allowed to be obsessed with green juice and yoga while also being obsessed with pizza and taking naps. I am. And not only is it okay, it’s normal and nothing to be ashamed of. Once you let go of the idea of being perfect and find a level of balance that you can maintain, your life will take on a new form and you will be the happiest, healthiest, most perfectly imperfect version of yourself possible. I promise 😉

 

Check out my recipe for how to make a quick yogi bowl for busy nights! This is one of my favorite go -to dinners, it’s easy to throw together, fills you up and is packed with good for you foods. Making a yogi bowl makes eating healthier even easier and gives a fun name to mixing and matching your favorite veggies, grains and homemade dressing!

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked quinoa

1 avocado

2 cups of steamed mixed veggies ( you can use frozen, steam fresh bag for an easy, practical option or some fresh, chopped and steamed broccoli or cauliflower or sliced zucchini)

1 cup of black beans, rinsed and heated over the stove

Enough for two servings. In a large bowl place a scoop of quinoa, 1 cup of steamed veggies, a scoop of black beans, and ½ of an avocado sliced.  Next add your favorite healthy dressing!

 

My favorite is a simple Dijon vinaigrette

4 tbsp of olive oil

2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar

4 tbsp of Dijon mustard

2 tbsp of fresh horseradish

pinch of salt

pinch of pepper

(optional to add some grade B maple syrup to make it a maple-dijon)

Well, technically, it may be the second day of September but I know most of you were out enjoying your “last day of summer” yesterday and have only clicked in to full September mode today! I wanted to share with you a practice that is very near and dear to my heart and has proven very effective for my wellness + meditation coaching clients, intention setting! Since we were little, September signified a fresh start, it was the start of the school year, a new grade, new classes, new teachers and a chance to re-create ourselves after the blissful relaxation and adventure we had all summer.

WELL WHY NOT NOW?

Hey, maybe we’re a little older, JUST a little, but September always feels like the start of something new to me and I still love to imagine I’m starting the next school year of life!

So last night, I whipped out my bad ass “Manifest Journal” given to me by the ever-lovely and inspirational Kelly Bennett ( she creates them all individually and infuses them with lots of love and good energy for your manifesting). I keep mine specially for times like these and use my regular pink moleskin for the day to day breakthroughs and brilliant ideas. Regardless, you can use whatever you’d like, you can even get all crafty with it and bring paints, construction paper and the whole nine yards and make it really fun!

Now comes the good part, the actually setting intentions part. Here’s where you start brainstorming what you want to create / manifest in your life for the month ahead.

What this looks like for me is spending about 15-20 minutes in a meditation, connecting with my higher self and really asking for guidance surrounding what the next step is for me. I allow whatever comes in to come in with out judgement and then I start scribbling! I just let the information flow and allow myself to be surprised by what pops up and excited about any and everything I put down on the page. You can have one or two intentions or many, listen to what resonates with you and feels good while your setting intentions.

What are my September intentions?

Well, my overwhelming theme for this month is **FALL OF FOCUS** so everything fell under that massive intention. I’m determined to eat ONLY high vibe foods that help me stay CLEAR and focused, which means for me, no sugars and no alcohol. I don’t eat very much sugar or consume a lot of alcohol but I recently came across the saying “99% is a bitch, 100% is a breeze” and it truly resonated with me. It’s fine for my day to day life and for my clients to indulge in moderation, however, this is my FALL OF FOCUS, and that for me, means going big and really fueling my mind + body to be performing at it’s peak. And I know, even the occasional vegan cookie or glass of red wine, certainly gets me to a “less than crystal clear” place and I’m just not willing to make that sacrifice right now. It also means, earlier wake up calls because I’m at my best in the AM and creating more programs so that more people have access to my coaching than the people who are able to work with me one on one. I have a lot going on this month, creating a new online program, my first ever group coaching program is launching (details below!) and I’m finishing up my book. I’m excited to make a fresh start this Fall towards being the clearest, brightest version of myself so that I can show up as my highest self for all of you!

For more information about my FRESH START FOR FALL group coaching program, click here and email me to reserve your spot today. Class size will be VERY limited to keep it intimate and allow everyone personal access to me.

Tonight is the new moon in Virgo and as many of you who follow me on instagram or work with me one on one know, I’ve gotten really into the moons this summer! After intensifying my kundalini yoga practice and hearing so much about the moon cycles and how they effect us, especially women, I really connected with it on a soul level. I absolutely love reading about it in Mystic Mama and think it’s a beautiful thing to be aware of so that we can fully use the cosmic energy around us.

This new moon in Virgo is all about self-improvement, ( because Virgo correlates to the archetype of self-improvement) so it’s the perfect time to go inside and really set some intentions for doing the work to be your best self. The Virgo energy helps us to develop a deep, loving, acceptance of ourselves. And who doesn’t need more of that these days?! It’s SOO important to be in a loving, accepting relationship with ourselves so that we can welcome outside relationships from a more centered place. This energy is also going to help us channel our intuition and really listen to what our body + soul needs! That’s everything from more alone time, meditation, releasing fears to dietary changes or an increase in movement. Take advantage of this time to really ASK your higher self what it needs to release, what it wants to take on, listen and let yourself be guided.  This is a perfect time to really tap into your true potential through journaling, meditating,  healthy diet and movement as well as consistent daily inner work.

This insight really resonated with me from Mystic Mama:

“When our mental realms come under attack we become exhausted and have no energy, but when our energy is cleared and flowing there is an aliveness and feeling of sheer bliss. Not an easy task to get there, especially when we are constantly getting hacked! But it begins with an owning and acceptance of what is and a dedication to healing and a knowing that there is support.”

A lot of my clients have really been feeling this shift recently and it’s important to know that sometimes we do feel exhausted when we’re “detoxing” and moving towards our greatest potential, to take care of ourselves during this time and also to know that bliss is on the other side. It begins with a willingness and commitment to finding a better way, to seeing things differently and to allowing yourself to be supported on your journey.

That’s why in honor of the new moon, I’m doing my first-only-ever SALE on my 90 minute EMERGEN-ZEN sessions, when you book TODAY only they’re $111 (regularly $197). I’m here to support you guys, I want to be a resource for you, I hope this blog post gave you some insights on the work you can do to start cracking open tonight but I also know that I wouldn’t have gotten where I am without the support of a mentor or guide.  I created EMERGEN-ZEN sessions just a couple months ago because I had numerous people reach out about a la carte “spot treatment” session, they didn’t want a full on six month program, they were in the middle of a crisis or particular situation/cross roads in their life and wanted relief fast and some tools to take with them afterwards. So the E-Z session was born and has been a great addition to my offerings and tremendously helpful to clients.

A traditional EMERGEN-ZEN session goes something like this:

– it’s 90 minutes via Skype or in the east village if you’re in NYC

– we talk about what’s making you “not-so-zen” right now

– I guide you through a series of personalized meditations to get your zen back

– we discuss what comes up for you during the work

– I send you on your way with a personal “prescription” for daily work to keep your peace

For more info, you can read more about it here. For anyone who contacts me with the subject live “HAPPY NEW MOON”, you’ll get the discounted rate of $111 and we’ll also do a new moon meditation to set intentions and release habits or thought patterns that are no longer serving you.  Email me at gosweetandskinny@gmail.com to schedule yours before they book up!

Check out my latest recipe for Shape Magazine, this Asian Broccoli Slaw Quinoa is the perfect healthy dish to bring to a BBQ this summer or just make to spice up your usual week day dinners. It’s vegan, gluten free and delicious. The perfect light summer meal that will fill you up with out over stuffing you. Watch me making it on SHAPE.com above and try it for yourself with the recipe below! Enjoy!

ASIANBROCCOLISLAW

ASIAN BROCCOLI SLAW WITH QUINOA (2 servings)

1/2 cup of cooked quinoa 1 bag of broccoli slaw

¼ cup of shelled edamame

¼ cup of shredded raddichio

¼ cup of slivered almonds

¼ cup of shredded carrots

Empty the broccoli slaw into a bowl, add edamame, raddichio, almonds and carrots.

for dressing: ¼ cup of macadamia nut oil 3 tbsp of rice vinegar 3 tbsp of sesame oil 3 tbsp of shoyu 1 tbsp garlic (fresh, chopped) 1 tbsp scallions (fresh, chopped) 1 tbsp ginger (fresh,chopped) Blend all ingredients for the dressing and then drizzle in broccoli slaw bowl till the mixture is wet but not overly saturated. Scoop about ½ cup of quinoa on to a plate and top with broccoli slaw mix. Optional garnish with almond slivers, carrots