Blog Archives - Believe In Yourself

Believe In Yourself

Raw Olive Spring Onion Cheese

30/12/2013

So who doesn't love cheese right? That was one of the hardest things I had to give up, but once I started making raw cheese life was good again! Sometimes I'll use probiotic powder to culture it, but if you want something quick you can just add nutritional yeast to give it that 'cheesy' flavour. This one I did use probiotic powder but you can always omit it and reduce the water. I used macadamia nuts as it has so many health benefits.

Macadamias are high in unsaturated fatty acids and also palmitoleic acids, which actually helps to speed up metabolism and lowers cholesterol.They are an excellent source of minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese and zinc as well as being rich in vitamins, especially the many B-complex vitamins.

Wilted Kale and Tempeh Salad

29/12/2013

Right now my garden is booming with kale, I have the curly leaf as well as the flat leaf variety so the whole family is kale-ling it every day. It's a wonderful nutritious vegetable that has become a superfood in the last few years. It is a little bit bitter and can be tough, what helps is either apple cider vinegar or lemon juice, this takes away that bitterness. I normally don't cook the kale, but this salad has cooked tempeh so the heat from that help to soften the kale further. This simple quick salad is great to get all your protein and fiber in.

Cauliflower Coriander Rice

28/12/2013

Here is a great alternative to rice and it tastes wonderful. With all my intolerance for certain foods I have also steered away from grains. I find the best substitute for rice, sushi etc is either cauliflower, parsnips or quinoa. Cauliflower is the closest you can get, and all it requires is a quick blend in a food processor or blender. It can be eaten either raw or dry fried to remove some of the moisture. Serve it with some tempeh for a burrito bowl!

Burrito Bowl with Avocado Coriander Dressing

26/12/2013

I adore Mexican food, unfortunately Perth has been a bit slow on the uptake, and with the grains, meat and cheese, sometimes it isn't the healthiest of options. I decided to come up with my own vegan version of a burrito bowl, a tradition dish of rice with meat topping and guacamole.

Sometimes I use walnuts for the raw version, but this time I wanted to make a cooked version. For the meat I used tempeh, a form of soybeans, however unlike soy, it goes through a fermentation process which changes the properties of the soybean. It has a much firmer texture than tofu and the often is used as a substitution for meat. It can be eaten as it is, or steamed, fried and baked, The consistency can be varied from slices, to crumbed to packed together . Versatile indeed!

What 200 Calories Look Like

26/12/2013

This is one of my favourite food articles. It really helps to put everything in perspective. While I'm not a huge fan of counting calories as I personally believe we should be focusing more on nutrient intake and eating wholesome foods, the pictures show how fresh, wholesome produce compares to processed foods. 200 calories of a variety of foods, you can see the huge difference in terms of quantity, Calorie for calorie, eating a donut would be the same as eating a huge dinner plate full of apple slices, and you're much more likely to only finish 1/3 of maybe half the plate of apples. So you end up eating less calories, filling just as full, and getting much more nutrients in the process!

Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Cookies

25/12/2013

Last week I made a raw ginger cookie which turned out to be soft and chewy and continuing the Christmas theme I thought I'd combine my love of ginger and dark chocolate together into a gingerbread man! I did bake this cookie, so you get that crunchy texture, and the base for it is buckwheat flour so it's gluten free and good for you. Combined with soft melting dark chocolate and a spicy ginger kick what's not to love!

Banana Coconut Bread with Fig Jam

23/12/2013

I haven't been adding the coconut flesh into my green smoothies lately as it's summer and I wanted something lighter in the morning so as I have been using the coconut water I've collected the meat. I use it for salads or noodles but the easiest way to use it all up is actually making bread. If you don't have coconut meat readily available you can substitute desiccated coconut and it works just as well. This banana bread comes out moist and fluffy, perfect with a fruit jam or on it's own.

15 Mins Raw Spiced Apple Pie

19/12/2013

Last night in between coming home from teaching and heading out the door for dinner, I had about 45 mins and I had promised Dad I'd make him an apple pie at some point, which he loves, but of course I'd be coming up with a raw version. Since I didn't have long I decided to keep it simple and following my Christmas theme, cinnamon was thrown into the mix. I had some pre-soaked nuts already, preparation for a cheesecake idea I want to test out so I grabbed some apples and went to work! The result... 15 mins later and a freshly prepared apple pie for dinner!

Pepper Garlic Sweet Potato Fries

11/12/2013

This recipe is super easy to make, instead of having heavy potato fries why not change it up and have some sweet potato instead. They are an amazing vegetable, a good source of vitamins A, C, E and B6, manganese and magnesium. It's an excellent source of beta-carotene, making it an powerful antioxidant food. Unlike most starch foods, sweet potato actually improves blood sugar regulation - when boiled or steamed the glycemic index (GI) rating is approx 50, which is on the lower end of the scale and combined with their superior fiber content, this means that their caloric energy is used more slowly and efficiently.

So instead of getting processed deep fried fries, why not make your own healthy version that is even more delicious!

The World's Greatest Geniuses are Vegetarians!

11/12/2013

I reckon Albert Einstein, Leonardo di Vinci, Thomas Edison, all these guys know exactly what they're talking about! Have a further read and see what you think!

"I am not what happened to me,
I am what I choose to become"
Carl Gustave Jung

I'm Binny, a full time Bikram Yoga teacher and studio owner that lives in Perth, Australia.

I started this blog to share the things I love the best in the world: being healthy and happy, food (especially raw), yoga, traveling and most importantly, learning how to love and be true to myself.

I suffered from severe digestive problems when I was younger, being gluten and lactose intolerant, and developed compartment syndrome and fibromyalgia in my teens. I have lived with constant pain for over 16 years now.

Over the past 10 years, I've shifted to a mainly plant based diet and realised that being well and healthy is a way of life. I have been teaching Bikram yoga since 2011, in the US and Australia. Due to my health issues I've also had a lot of bodywork done as well as explored alternative therapies.

I've become much more aware of myself as a result of all this - physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally. Right now I love my life. In my career I love what I do and I do what I love. I have traveled to some amazing places around the world and made lifelong friends. In between working and traveling, I cook up a storm in the kitchen, especially raw desserts, spend time with the people I love the best, which now includes a yoga husband, a mini yogini Estell, and our dog! I try to listen to my body the best I can.

I truly believe that we all have the power and the capabilities to heal our own bodies, to nourish the spirit and seek our own happiness and life's purpose. This my journey...

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