"Raw. Vegan. Not Gross." plant based life made fun.

We’ve all been there, it’s late night, you’ve had an action packed day of work, pilates, and errands, but somehow you can’t bear the thought of going to bed. You can’t have it be a Groundhog Day. Queue the Apple TV for some late night surfing. Are those new channels? Yes. The new HBO, but hmm, you want to explore something new.

Tastemade? What’s this about? A channel dedicated to food. Ok, and they’re featuring an episode for Raw Vegan Pad Thai by Raw.Vegan.Not Gross. You chuckle a little. The show name lures you in, and you think, is it even possible to make raw vegan pad thai?

Laura Miller of Sidesaddle Kitchen makes it a reality. She makes living a plant based diet fun, exciting, and mouth watering. Whether you’re watching her online or reading her blog, Miller changes what you think of the vegan life. She inspires you to try new things with common dishes. Changing the picture in your head, when you think of plate tacos.

Raw.Vegan.Not Gross. came from Miller’s time at San Francisco’s Underground Market.

“Essentially I sold the only vegan food at the farmer’s market. I was in between fried chicken and meat sandwiches, and tried to have a sense of humor and self-awareness about what I was selling. Everyone in San Francisco has tried raw food, and maybe didn’t like it. So I was trying to poke fun at myself, and get people to not just walk around my booth because they thought I was really intense,” she says. 

By that point, I had some demoralizing experiences with culty, judgey, sickly-looking, and humorless raw food culture, and I wanted to differentiate myself.”

Laura definitely takes a different approach to her cooking show. It’s informative, fast-paced, and makes you feel like you’ve known her forever. She grabs you from the other side of the screen and brings you into her kitchen. She teaches you how to make vegan creations such as Beet Lasagna or Cauliflower Pizza to name a few. 

With a smile on her lips, her hands in a bowl mixing ingredients, she makes it ok to experiment with dishes and ideas. We see it in her Cauliflower Pizza video, as the finished pizza slides off the platter. Raw. Vegan. Not Gross doesn’t cut out the mistakes, it actually embraces them. 

It’s happened to all of us. You’re excited to share your finished edible creation. “Tada” only to have the crust fall apart. What do you do? Erupt into peals of laughter with your friends, and say, “Hey, it’s fine. It’s still all in one piece!” It’s how the Cauliflower Pizza episode ends. Miller shows you it’s not about being perfect, but about enjoying what you’re making. 

RVNG isn’t only for adults, she’s also modified some of her recipes for the younger ones in our families. She shares her kid-friendly kale chips, avocado-chocolate pudding, and a berry-licious green shake on sites such as Mother Mag. Her goal is to “get as much nutrition as possible into their little bodies, minus the processed foods, chemicals, and preservatives,” 

If you’re more of book person versus video in the kitchen person. Don’t worry she’ll be sharing her passion of the goodness of raw food, and will be coming out with her own cookbook in the future. Will it be 100 percent vegan? No, but Laura’s honesty is refreshing on the topic. 

“I just love raw vegan food. I eat cooked food (GASP!) and that will be incorporated into the book because I think it is just more practical and cost-efficient than eating all raw. And truth bomb here: I also will occasionally eat eggs from my parents' chicken coop and even a cheese stick if one of my adorable nieces hands it to me. I think the introduction to raw vegan food can be hard because it seems very intense and exclusive to outsiders. My hope is that more people will come to see that plant-based diets are not boring, dogmatic, or cult-like, because I see much more benefit for our collective health and environment if most of us eat a plant based diet than if 100 of us are extreme hard-core raw vegans.”

Sharing a new chef or the idea of veganism isn’t revolutionary, but when someone gets you excited and motivated to try something in a new way, you can’t help but take notice. 

When she’s not busy experimenting with recipes, or in the studio filming, she shares her amazing portraits with produce (naturally) to only make you love her more.

We’re off to the kitchen. We discovered this recipe for Beyonce-Probs-Drinks-This green shake, and we have to try it.

Kind Bars: More Than About The Nuts?

 

Random adventures always seem to lead to those gas station, convenience store purchases. Not ideal, but when starvation hits, fuel is necessary. You walk down the aisle and power bars, protein bars, snacks bars galore. After you heard about Kind bars coming under fire, from the FDA this week, would you pick one up?

If you’re not completely caught up on the controversy, the Food and Drug Administration let the makers of Kind know, their bars "do not meet the requirements for use of the nutrient content claim 'healthy’ on a food label" under the law.

    "Your website states, 'There’s healthy. There’s tasty. Then there’s healthy and tasty' and 'all of our snacks are pretty much the nirvana of healthful tastiness.' In addition, your webpage for the Kind Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate + Protein product states 'KIND Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate + Protein is a healthy and satisfying blend of peanuts and antioxidant-rich dark chocolate.' However, none of your products listed above meet the requirements for use of the nutrient content claim 'healthy' that are set forth in 21 CFR 101.65(d)(2).”

The FDA is questioning the labeling on four of their bars — Fruit & Nut Almond & Apricot, Fruit & Nut Almond & Coconut, Kind Plus Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate + Protein, and Kind Plus Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew + Antioxidants. The reason the FDA says Kind bars aren't healthy enough for the label? Fat content. In order to label a food as healthy, the FDA says the food must contain 1 gram or less saturated fat and no more than 3 grams total fat. The four Kind bars listed contain between 2.5 and 5 grams of saturated fat and between 9 and 13 grams of total fat. 

Kind addressed the FDA concerns on their blog by saying,

“Nuts, key ingredients in many of our snacks and one of the things that make fans love our bars, contain nutritious fats that exceed the amount allowed under the FDA’s standard. This is similar to other foods that do not meet the standard for use of the term healthy, but are generally considered to be good for you like avocados, salmon and eggs.”

People are calling the FDA guidelines outdated. It currently doesn’t include nuts in a healthful diet. Even though research shows increased nut consumption has been associated with a reduced risk of major chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

If you’ve been reading the comment boards, about the Kind bar controversy, the discussions are getting heated. When you  compare a Snickers bar and a Kind Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate+Protein bar. A 2oz (60g) Snickers bar has 4.2g of saturated fat, while the Kind Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate+Protein bar has 40g with 3.5g saturated fat. So, normalized it makes the Snickers bar ~7g/100 and the Kind bar ~9g/100 of saturated fat. Pretty interesting, right? Where the Snickers bar doesn’t win is when it comes to carbohydrates. The Snickers bar has 60g/100 compared to KIND's 40g/100. 

The binding of ingredients is where the danger of food products is. Bars sit on shelves, and their expiration date isn’t exactly a couple of days. We know fresh, raw ingredients are the best, and preservatives are the dangers to avoid when it comes to grocery shopping. 

Nutritionist Marion Nestle says the FDA isn’t questioning the nuts in Kind bars. What the problem comes is, “A honey smoked almond bar, for instance, doesn't have chocolate, as some of their bars do, but does contain honey and molasses. Honey is added sugar. These are candy bars," said Nestle. 

The FDA’s questioning of Kind’s “Healthy” label is definitely a game changer. With so many breakfast bars, energy bars, and etc. out there it’ll have an impact. It’ll definitely be interesting to see what the exact breakdown of ingredients is in these Kind bars. Is it more than just about the nuts? We’ll find out. 

In the meantime, maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to leave the house every am with some fresh fruit, and maybe a ziplock baggie of some raw almonds. You’ll thank your lucky stars when you and your girlfriend decide to run some errands, and L.A. traffic just isn’t your friend.

FitPregnancy with MomEtc.com

Pilates Platinum is excited to share MomEtc.com with you. Written by self proclaimed Pilates addict Monika Tournaud, a regular at our studios, who kept fit during her pregnancy by regularly doing spx Pilates, biking, walking, or whatever kept her moving. Monika was on the reformer doing “scrambled eggs” just a few days before giving birth to her beautiful and healthy baby girl, Avery.

Thanks to her healthy diet, regular exercise, and listening to her body, Monika had a great delivery and was able to get back into her favorite pilates studio 10 days after giving birth. Pretty amazing when the common myth is, “I’m pregnant, I’m going to eat everything I want, and do absolutely nothing.” Tournaud didn’t follow this school of thought. She believed in a FitPregnancy, because “A happy mommy is a happy baby.” 

How happy is your body after eating a greasy fast food combo? Not too much. Why would your pregnant body be any different was Tournaud’s thinking. The same when it comes to exercise. Don’t you get an amazing high after you finish pilates class? Why give up the rush when you’re pregnant? With proper modifications and doctor’s approval, being pregnant doesn’t mean giving up what makes you happy and keeps you healthy.

Having a FitPregnancy also means, after the joyous occasion comes, your body is better prepared to handle the Postpartum. Your body goes through a lot of changes during pregnancy. Taking care of yourself during those months will help when the lil one is here, and you’re trying to feel like yourself again, while trying to find some time to sneak in some zzz’s.

Monika was inspired by all the questions she got during her pregnancy, and decided to create a space where women could come together where there was no judgement, only empowerment, and MomEtc.com was born. Touranud has only been doing this for a few months, but is on the move with a BurnThis ambassadorship and as well as sponsoring challenges on the app. We did a lil Q & A to learn more about this wonder woman.  

Q: What inspired you to start your own blog?

A: I’ve always wanted to start a blog, but working in the corporate world doesn’t leave you much time for blogging. When I became pregnant with my daughter, I continued working out and doing Pilates well into my pregnancy. Actually, my last class was at 38 weeks, and I gave birth at 39 weeks. 

I’ve had so many women reach out to me asking my  “secret” to a fit pregnancy, and then postpartum. I finally took the time out of busy mommy life and created MomEtc. What inspired me to start the blog is all the women I have come in contact through my journey. I wanted to create a place where there is no judgment, bullying or embarrassment. Just a place for all to come together. 

Q:Coming from a fitness modeling background, what kept you in shape?  Are you following those same habits now?  What is different in your active lifestyle now, than before? Why?

A: Fit & fitness modeling was awesome and paid for school. But the amount of stress which came with it, is something you don’t expect. When a client hired me at times for a contract up to a year or two, they hire you as you are. Meaning you have to stay a certain size/shape for as long as you are hired to do the work. I kept myself in shape by hiking A LOT. Runyon Canyon and I were BFF’s, seeing each other 4-5 times a week. 

I tried eating healthy and making sure my diet didn’t change much. Since I’m no longer in the fit modeling business, I tend to do more than I ever have. This is because there is no one telling me my legs are getting too big, or too skinny or my waist is whatever adjective you want to use. I tend to push myself harder, and developing a lot more muscle tone. Which before, I couldn’t really improve on, once I signed a contract. ☺

Q: What kept you coming back to Pilates Platinum?

A: One of the very first times I came to Pilates Platinum was at the Hollywood location. I fell in love the very first time I came. Sure it was expensive, but my mentality was, “I could give up a happy hour or two a week, and spend it on something which will keep on giving years to come.”

I loved how I felt, and after a few times, I was able to see a difference hiking or running would never give me. Going to the gym was never really an option for me. I like someone motivating me throughout my workout. 

Q: Why do you think Pilates (Platinum) is great for pregnant woman and post pregnancy, “getting your body back?”

A: Well I am biased, because it has worked wonders for me in more ways than just the physical appearance. I always tell my friends who became pregnant and never did Pilates before, “It’s probably not the best idea to try new things.”

But for pregnant women who have been doing Yoga and Pilates prior to being pregnant, it’s the best thing you can do for you and the baby. I got so much energy after my workouts when I was pregnant. Let’s be frank, you need something to give you an extra “kick” in the 3^rd trimester. 

Doing Pilates consistently helped with the weight gain during pregnancy. I ended up gaining a total of 23 pounds. A lot of women look down on working out during pregnancy. I think it’s an old-fashion way of thinking. Somehow you’re harming the baby, when in fact, “Happy Mommy=Happy Baby.”

I had so many women asking me if my baby was super small or were stunned I was about to give birth due to my small belly. You could still see my obliques during my pregnacy. I ignored the comments, and kept doing what I thought was the best for my baby and me. Which brings me to postpartum Pilates.  

I think most women who give birth, myself included, become so confused with our feelings and emotions and the mere fact we are mothers. Some women tend to fall into postpartum depression and it can be very scary. I feel working out helped me a lot with Postpartum Depression. It was almost like you were fight through your feelings, and the rollercoaster of emotions by powering through a tough workout. Getting all the anxiety and worries out. 

For me it was one hour a day, where nothing else matters. I get out of my own head. Its just me and the reformer, and of course one of the rockin instructors and 11 other people. Ha ha!  

Q: What are three fun facts about you and your blog?

A: 1) To start it, I ended up learning coding and taking a SEO short course. I never needed to hire a computer guy, and could do most things by myself. 

2) The blog is for all women, not just mommies.

3) Sharing my findings through trial and error, with all the women out there, gives me pure fulfillment no money can buy.

Q: How do you motivate yourself to class on the days you aren’t feeling like working out?

A: I’ve had days where it would be easier to log into my MindBody account, and hit cancel. I have done it a few times here and there. For the most part, the thought of being a mom inspires me to get up and go to class 3-4 times a week. Even though sometimes I don’t want to go initially, I always feel better once I leave. I have so much more energy afterwards to tackle a busy day taking care of a baby, the house, working and of course, writing for MomEtc.  

Q: What are some popular trends you have seen come and go, simply do not work (in the mom world, fitness world, business world, etc)?

A: I would say the trend which doesn’t work, whether in business, fitness or mom world is women competing with other women. Instead, we should be empowering one another. It’s another reason why I started my blog, and have successfully been featuring weekly “Wonder Woman.” I want to show the world it doesn’t always have to be just about “you.” Uplifting another woman is a privilege, and should be done more often in our society.

Q: What items are always within an arms reach?

A: My daughter! HA ToeSoxs always close by, just in case I can squeeze an extra class in here and there. Also, a phone since I’m always working on the go.

A: What is your life mantra?

A: Everyday I try and wake up with a positive mindset. I take a second to think what a privilege it is to simply be alive and healthy. I think the more we start thinking life is a blessing, the more it will seem like it.

We love it! It’s all about contributing to a better community, and as Monika show’s it really does start with one person. Check out her blog or catch her on instagram for MomEtc.com inspiration 

An artisan quilt that feeds a child in India.

Home is where we create our own magical place. Our refuge in the city. It’s an expression of who we are and our passions in life. Some of the best moments spent at home are when we cuddle up with our favorite blanket, and enjoy the bliss of home.

Want to make it more special than it already is? How about adding a handmade artisan quilt to your zen time. What if bringing one of these beautiful objects into your home also fed a child in India for a month? You can do both with every purchase made from California Quilt Co. 

We’re excited to share our latest Pilates Platinum find with you. We recently discovered California Quilt Co. in Temecula, CA. A gorgeous drive along Pacific Coast Highway. Don’t worry, you can also order these lovely pieces over the internet. A drive along the coast is enjoyable, but sometimes UPS is our best friend when you consider crossing the 405 freeway.

Whether in person or doing some internet surfing, you’ll be drawn into the colors and craftsmanship of each piece. Every quilt is handmade by Indian Jaipuri artisans. They begin with one wooden block-no screen printing at California Quilt Co. Each color you see is brought together by individual pieces of holly, sycamore, plane or pear wood blocks. 

These pieces come together to tell a story with their intricate colors and stitching. The founder of CQ Co. remembered the old world craft of carving wooden blocks and imprinting them on a quilt piece by piece from his childhood. He wanted his company to return to his memories of spices, sun, and verdant colors of his native India. 

He encapsulated all the good and splendor of his youth with these intricate textiles, and wanted to share it with the world. He set out in India to find artisans who learned the complex craft of block printing. A craft which is passed down from generation to generation. Giving each family its own distinct style, brand so to speak.

No two pieces are ever the same. Block printing is an ancient art form which has been practiced in India for centuries.  Indian block prints are among some of the most intricate and decorative in the world. Looking at the quilts online, we can only imagine how sumptuous they are. You’ll feel like and Indian Maharani, as they keep cozy while drinking your tea.

Each quilt design is carved into a block starting with the larger portions of the design and finishing with the most delicate sections. Each color in the design requires a separate block. Can you imagine the manpower? The love that goes into piece? Every quilt tells its own personal story.

And the quilt process is just beginning. After the each wood piece is created, the fabric is prepared for printing and the vegetable dyes are mixed. The artisan lays the cloth on a flat table and continues through traditional process to assemble the final pieces together. You can bet this longer than hour an two. The color creation, the printing of piece by piece. How they been creating in India for centuries.

After the artisans take two completed “shells”and sews the perimeters together. They are stuffed with natural cotton the final stitching is applied. Viola, a handmade story told through colorful, natural textile  These stories come as Cotton Quilts or Vintage Kantha Quilts through California Quilt Co.

The Cotton Quilts bring the exotic into your home when you can’t jet off for the weekend. Or better said, when the only adventure you want to have is enjoying the serenity of home. With the rich, vibrant colors, you’ll wonder how humans learned to harness it from nature.

If you’re looking for something a little lighter, there are the Vintage Kantha Quilts. Each one is made by thousands of tiny stitches to bind vintage Saris together creating a beautiful, one-of-a-kind blanket. The art of Kantha dates back hundreds of years in India, where women passed down the embroidery technique from generation to generation another. You can see every stroke in each piece. You’ll be mesmerized.

Today, Kantha work helps support women in villages by providing jobs and funding education. CQ Co. didn’t set out to end child hunger in India. Revisiting India to find these block wood artisans lead to the realization that India was full of more than youthful memories for its Founder. California Quilt Co. brings to us the highest quality quilts while working towards turning the tide of child hunger in India.

And the mission of “One Quilt. One Child. One Life” was born. CQ Co. partnered up with Project Abundance, to help get much needed resources to charities in India dedicated alleviating child hunger. Philanthropy is a core value at CQ Co, and at Pilates Platinum as well.

It’s why we were so excited to bring this company and these amazing textiles to you. While you fill your home with love, warmth, and comfort; you’ll also be giving back to someone across the other side of the globe. Every time you cuddle up with your blanket you’ll remember how you also made the world a better place. Who knew a blanket could do so much.