Author Archives: CHIORGANICGIRLS

FREE YOGA and National Yoga Month: Get it to get Hawt!

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September is not only the start of fabulous fall in Chicago but also National Yoga Month.  As the hustle and bustle of school and work picks back up, yoga can bring the chill feel of summer back into your life.  Read about the 10 benefits of Yoga at alignyo.com.

The Yoga Health Foundation is a major player in this push to inspire people to practice yoga and create a more balanced lifestyle.  They also offer one free week at  a variety of participating yoga studios – click here to find one near you.

We signed up to try Bend Yoga Studio, which just moved to a new West Town location, and will be offering a full relaxed report soon!  Many other Chi Town Yoga studios get into the action of celebrating National Yoga Month as well.

For the past two years, we’ve clamored to attend Exhale Spa‘s NamasDay event.  Exhale is a high end combo spa/studio that offers traditional yoga as well as barre and fusion classes.  For NamasDay, Exhale goes all out for guests with mini spa treatments, healthy treats, and cutting edge classes.

NamasDay @ Exhale Spa

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So where can you get your Yoga hook up?

Which category do you fit in?

A) Are you wearing fitness clothes and ready to socialize?

B) Are you wearing PJs and can barely drag yourself towards the TV?

If you’re an A, Try:

1) Corepower Yoga offers a free week to all new students.   You must like it hot as they are heated classes.

2) Zen Yoga Garage, one of our favsies, gives a free week to newbies as well.  Check out our previous blog for more info.

3) Lululemon and Athleta stores are a go to for the once in awhile yogi.  Search for your local store for exact classes and hours.  They give your weekend a boost with Saturday/Sunday classes.

If you’re a B, Try:

…Not drooling on yourself!  Get up and exercise that booty!

Free online yoga in those cute cow pajamas:

1) doyogawithme.com-There is a huge library of classes for beginners to advanced students.  You also have the option to buy a class for repeat views if you like it.

2) Alignyo turns a homebody into an “ohmbody” with featured classes from celebrity teachers.  They surround you with other yogic interests such as interviews, yoga digs, and health tips.

3) Youtube, baby!  Just search for yoga.  Jillian Michael’s butt kicking yoga classes are on there as well as anything from Kudalini to Vinyasa style yoga.  Tickle your fancy for whatever works in those monkey slippers you’re wearing.

Of course, we will keep the yoga party going long after September is over.  Where is your secret place to score some free yoga?  We are a community, after all!

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Vegan BBQ-style

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While we were preparing for Kate’s engagement party, we whipped up something new that surprisingly satisfied both veg and meat eaters alike: Seitan BBQ sliders with cabbage and kale slaw on honey oat rolls.

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Here’s the low down below.

Cabbage Kale Slaw

  • 1/2 red cabbage
  • 1/2 bunch of kale
  • 2 braeburn apples
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 red onion
  • 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
  • 1/2 cup olive oil and apple cider vinegar
  • Honey or agave syrup to taste

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Meatless BBQ Slider

Sauteed seitan and onion until onion is translucent.  Add bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce (we chose Sweet Baby Ray’s, a Chi town gem) and stir until hot.
Put on favorite gourmet bun and slap the slaw and add bun on top.
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20130721_002645Congrats on your engagement, Kate!  Always Love You!  From your bestie and future sister-in-law, Mon! ❤

Acro A Go Go

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Sometimes you are feeling adventurous.  Sometimes you are willing to ignore personal boundaries and risk that your butt may fall on some stranger’s head.

This…is one of those times.

We had been talking for months about going to Acroyoga and shied away. Did we know enough yoga? Were we pretzely enough? Finally, we mustered the courage to go to the Trapeze School of New York in Chicago hidden at the Broadway Armory.

Our teacher, Jenny Melnick, and a fellow student guided us through the fine art (or in our case, the fine line) of counterbalancing, using your body weight to support poses and each other.

Mon: As we learned the basic poses, it was a challenge to communicate and listen to my body and my partner.  Some poses were easy and fun while other poses push your limit. I had to learn to trust myself and my partner as we relied on each other in poses such as the High Flying Whale.

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Kat: I was meant to be a base. (Don’t be dirty! A base is the pyramid person that the pose is built on).  Although it was weird at times finding the right balance, as I am short and everyone else was so gazelle like, I embraced being the rock of the formation.  Jenny took more care with us as we were new which made a challenging experience more comfortable.

We both highly recommend the experience. It would be worthwhile to go with a bestie or a man friend you trust as you are often in twister-like compromising positions.

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One Salad to Rule them All (AKA Fiesta Quinoa)

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Did we ever admit sometimes we are terribly lazy? When it came time to prepare for the opening credits of our “Lord of the Rings” Ravinia park movie picnic, Kat, predictably, was poking about. With a nudge and some coaxing, she whipped up the easy peasy quinoa even Gollum would approve of…

Fiesta Quinoa

Ingredients

  • 2-3 cups Quinoa
  • Vegetarian broth
  • 1 can of black beans
  • 1 can of corn
  • 1 cup of fire roasted salsa
  • 3/4 cup red bell peppers
  • Scallions (green onions), chopped
  • Cilantro, chopped
  • 1 tbsp, chopped jalapeno
  • 1 tbsp, chopped garlic
  • 1/2 tsp grounded cumin
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • Black pepper, to taste
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Lime

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Instructions

Cook quinoa in vegetarian broth as per instruction on quinoa package.  Rinse and drain black beans and corn and mix together with quinoa and bell peppers.  Add the mixture of fire roasted salsa, chopped scallions, cilantro and jalapeño pepper with cumin, salt, black pepper, olive oil and lime juice.

Modified recipe from savvyvegetarian.

Mmmm our precioussss quinoa was a success. We are sure it will make a return for the Return of the King movie next summer at Ravinia. Maybe you will brave the fires of Mordor and join us next time. Enjoy!

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Zucchini Picnic Nachos

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After the opening credits, the scene begins with the Chi Organic Girls running around trying to figure out what to bring to the outdoor movie in the park. A cartoon light bulb pops over Mon’s head. “I have 20 Godzilla sized Zucchinis from my garden. What to make?”

Grilled Zucchini Nachos

modified from here.

  • 1 medium zucchini or 2 small zucchini sliced about 1/4 inch thick rounds
  • Olive oil
  • pinch of Black pepper and salt
  • 2 plum tomatoes, chopped
  • 3/4 can of black beans, rinsed and drain
  • 1 large avocado, chopped
  • 1/2 medium red onion, chopped
  • 1 green onion, chopped
  • handful cilantro, chopped
  • Garlic, sea salt, black pepper
  • Tajin spice (Mexican spice found at any Mexican grocery store)
  • 1/2 fresh lime
  • shredded sharp cheddar, optional garnish

Slice zucchini into a bowl.  Add olive oil to coat the zucchini and sprinkle salt and black pepper.  Arrange zucchini on a grill pan over medium heat.  Grill until zucchini is tender as seen in picture.

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Remove zucchini from grill and place two layers on a platter or flat container to take for a picnic.  Top with black beans, tomatoes, red onions, avocado, green onion, cilantro, sprinkle garlic, sea salt, black pepper and squeeze fresh lime juice. Recipe will feed about 6 people.

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Wondering what other picnic goodies the gals will bring to the blanket? Coming after the intermission: Fiesta Quinoa!

Thrift Tip: Air B and B

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While Mon was holding down the Chi, my sister and I decided to take a side trip to Minneapolis on our return from Canada. This is where the addiction kicks in.

Hello My name is Kate. (Say “Hi Kate” everyone). It’s been 10 minutes since I last checked Air and Air B.

My sister introduced me to this website/app where you can find private rooms, whole levels of houses or full apartments to rent from private owners.

At first.. I was hesitant to try but now I’m all Dr. Seuss like “oooooh the places you’ll go”.

We stayed at a beautiful 1800s styled mansion in St. Paul with an unbeatable view of the city. The owner, Scott, was hospitable and unobtrusive. He set out breakfast for us each morning: blueberries, craft jams, whole grain English muffins and cereals and fancy coffee.

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Air B and B mansion living room

The one thing we couldn’t get over was the bed. Ahhh I dream of the sheets. It’s a wonder what quality soft sheets can do. We stayed in bed until 11 am the first morning reveling in the sleek feel.

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Hey you saucy thang. Come lay down here

Although I can’t guarantee every Air B and B has this sort of luxury, if you stay in St. Paul, you will feel like a Downton Abbey uppercruster.

Check out Air B and B here. Since Mon missed out, I’ve begun to draw her into my web of travel. Lofts in Paris, tree houses in Hotlanta, swank pads in LA, here we come!

Fit Trip: Regina, SK

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We know you’re looking at the title and thinking one of three things.

1) Where the bleep is Regina, SK?

2) What would anyone be doing in Regina, SK?

3) I’m from Regina, SK and I love it! Keep our location a secret please.

Or maybe some of you had to keep reading the word Regina to make sure this post was child friendly…

Regina, SK is a city in our lovely neighbor to the north (eh), Canada!  The capital city of Saskatchewan sits above North Dakota in between Manitoba and Alberta.  It has a small town feel yet still a plethora of fitness (there’s even a Lulu Lemon) and healthy food options, making it a fit trip destination.

Victoria Square is one major area of activity. Every Wednesday and Saturday, local vendors come out to the weekly farmers’ markets in the square.  Fresh saskatoons (little dark berries akin to blueberries) and alpaca yarn gloves abound as well as food trucks with up north delicacies like bison poutine (definitely not healthy, but worth a try!) and stands with green tea mint ice cream sandwiches.

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Zero calorie poutine…fruitless wishes

Victoria Square also hosts free yoga classes on their meticulously lady scaped lawn.  As I snooped around the market, I noticed that there was Bollywood Yoga the next day.  The experience pushed me out of my comfort zone.

Sponsored by Bodhi Tree Yoga, Bollywood Yoga Groove was led by teacher, Colin Hall with beats provided by DJ Dev.  The best and worst part was the mix of yoga and bollywood dancing. In between poses, the class would bust out some dance moves and my sometimes shy self was made to prance around the park with fellow yogis in a free style dance session (shudder!).  When you do let yourself go, it can be quite freeing or…it can be like the painful look I saw in a pale Canadian man wearing a flannel.

To this I say: “Yoga isn’t meant for the weak, flannel man.  Buck up and prance like everyone else.”

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Oh yoga bottoms…not even aware of what will come next.

For you non-prancers, Regina also hosts a series of pathways at Wascana Lake.  Visitors can kayak, canoe, run, walk or skip if they so choose throughout the 9.3 square kilometer park (darn metric system).  There is also an island that can be rented for private partying, P. Diddy style.

For more information on the wonders of Regina, check out http://www.sasktourism.com/places-to-go/regions/regina.

New to the Mat: Zen Yoga Garage

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With a multitude if yoga studios in Chicago, how does a brand new yoga business set itself apart?

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Zen Yoga Garage is unassumingly tucked on Milwaukee avenue in between Western and Leavitt. The stand out feature? It is literally housed in a garage space.

The studio features 2 pristine studios; one which maintained the garage door format that can be cracked open during classes to allow the summer sun and breezes in, and the other which has windows that peek into the alley way.

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The most attractive feature of the studio were teaching staff. Each class that we took during our free week was delivered with care and attention. The teachers were were quick to correct form and helped challenge yet also relax members. Class offerings range from the traditional vinyasa classes to the heated weight bearing Yoga Buddha Burn class to a barre yoga class. Owner, Piper Parker, also teaches and provides a welcoming and warm vibe, making it accessible for those new to yoga.

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Restaurant Rendezvous: Taco Joint

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The upscale taco place can be a hard sell when there are so many delicious cheap taco places in Chicago.  Taco Joint bridges the gap by providing a modern atmosphere, twists on the traditional menu and a manageable price.  We started off with the TJ Margarita flight.  Although the Sangria was a little basic, the Beergarita with refreshing frozen lime and Negro Modelo and the traditional Margarita with a perfect balance of liquor and fresh lime, were satisfying.  Our starter was the esquites guacamole, with corn and cotija cheese.  We snagged some hot salsa to perk up the flavor.

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The main reason, however, that you should grace Taco Joint with your presence is the Torta Panela.  Panela cheese is a Mexican cheese, much like Indian Paneer, that remains semi firm when heated.  The torta bread and panela, perfectly grilled, were paired with watercress, charred avocado and chipotle sauce.  Vegetarian heaven, we say!

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