Peas in a Blog

The Yoga Barn: Ubud, Bali.

June 18, 2013 by Carolina

If you ask any yogi what the yoga capitals of the world are they’ll typically give you one of two answers: Rishikesh, India or Bali. Earlier this year I had the amazing opportunity to practice yoga in Parmath, an incredible yoga ashram in Rishikesh, right at the foot of the Himalayas — it was absolutely gorgeous! Naturally, one of the things I was most excited about doing in Bali was yoga & my excitement was totally validated when I practiced at The Yoga Barn. The Yoga Barn a full service studio in the heart of Ubud, on an organic farm — how cool is that? In the middle of rice paddies & Balinese jungle, The Yoga Barn is the most beautiful yoga studio I’ve ever been to. Check out the view while you practice!

I visited The Yoga Barn on community yoga night which meant I got to practice for free! They had mats & blocks on-hand & welcomed as many people as they could before the studio filled up. Our instructor was very kind, took a lot of time explaining each pose & walked all levels through an easy practice — just what I needed after days of walking. My friends & I left the studio feeling refreshed & feeling lucky to practice in one of the yoga capitals of the world. For a yogi it doesn’t get much better than that! If you’re ever in Ubud do yourself a favor & go to The Yoga Barn, you’ll fall in love immediately & leave on a major yoga high!

What’s a yogi to do once she’s visited it the yoga meccas? Do another yoga challenge of course! My studio’s next challenge kicks off July 8th & I’m ready to once again practice at least 26 times in 30 days. Bring on the oms! Are you ready for some yoga?

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Running Season.

June 14, 2013 by Carolina

Great news — I’m FINALLY getting my running mojo back! After months of not having any desire to run more than 3 or 4 miles I’m craving to run. The bad news? A lot of the races I like to run are in the Fall & that means training in the hot, scorching Florida Summer. Not. Fun. It’s so hot in the Summer Floridians either have to wake up at the crack of dawn (we’re talking 5 a.m. runs!) or wait until the sun is almost down to go out on a run. I’m not a morning person but running in the afternoons/early evenings is really hot, the concrete keeps all the heat from the day & I end up a sweaty mess. All this to say that I’m thinking about caving & join a morning running group…

The horror, I know! Just thinking of the Friday bedtime in order to make the 5 a.m. long runs makes me dizzy. But I think it’ll be worth it, here’s why: For starters, I’ve never trained with a group. I’ve ran a marathon, several half marathons & about every distance in between & through it all I’ve always trained alone. I think it’s time to try something new, not only will it help keep me accountable but I’m sure it’ll make my runs much more fun. I’m hoping the fun factor helps me not hit snooze when the alarm goes off, fingers crossed! I’m also hoping running with a group will help me get faster, I’ve been at the same pace for a while now & I want to get faster.

Before I sign up for a running group I need to pick a goal race to train for. After blowing out my knee at the marathon I’m pretty sure I won’t run one again (although never say never) so I’m thinking of committing to a half marathon. I currently have my eyes on thes races this running season:

Miracle Miles 15K on September 21: I’ve ran this race twice before, it’s a fun race but a very, VERY hot race!
UCF’s U Can Finish 5 miler + 2 miler on October 23: The picture above was taken at that race a couple of years ago. I think it’s time I do it again & do it for better time!
OUC Orlando Half Marathon on December 7: First time I would run this race. A lot of the trail are areas I have already ran which should make training easier/more comfortable

What about you — Do you have any races planned? Have you ran with a group before? I would love to hear your thoughts! Here’s to a fun & injury free running season everybody!

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First Foods.

June 13, 2013 by Katie

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Henry will be six months old this weekend (crazy!). We were holding off to start solid food until six months, but he’s been showing readiness based on all of the signs Kelly Mom lists:

Baby can sit up well without support.
Baby has lost the tongue-thrust reflex and does not automatically push solids out of his mouth with his tongue.
Baby is ready and willing to chew.
Baby is developing a “pincer” grasp, where he picks up food or other objects between thumb and forefinger. Using the fingers and scraping the food into the palm of the hand (palmar grasp) does not substitute for pincer grasp development.
Baby is eager to participate in mealtime and may try to grab food and put it in his mouth.

He started sitting up a few weeks ago and has been trying to eat off our plates for a couple of weeks. So, we did start loosely following Baby Led Weaning (this name is awfully confusing – but it’s a way of introducing solids, not weaning off breast milk or formula). We’ve been letting him chew on organic fruits and veggies.

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I also did make some purees with the Vitamix – but we’re hoping to briefly use these with finger foods before transitioning to just finger foods shortly. He’s loving high chairs when we go out (for a little bit anyway…).

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Because we pay a lot of attention to what we eat – it was important to me that we get Henry off to a good start. We are feeding him a vegetarian diet with as much organic and homemade food as possible. I actually bought some Gerber Organics Prunes from the store the other day (you can use your imagination on why we would need prunes…) and looked at the ingredients when I got home - tuna oil and gelatine. I guess I was naive to think that organic prunes would be just organic prunes. So, that’s the end of our store-bought baby food.

Any tips for starting solids?

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Let’s Travel: Philadelphia, PA.

June 12, 2013 by Carolina

I’m headed to the city of brotherly love for work & I’m excited! I’ve been to Philadelphia a couple of times before & did most of the historical attractions such as the Liberty Bell & the Constitution Center. This time around my trip will be really short, however, I will have a few hours to myself to check out some of the things Philly has to offer. Give me a few hours, a map & sneakers & I will squeeze every ounce out of a city as possible! Below are some of the things I’m excited to check out:

LOVE Statue: The Beatles, one of my favorite bands, had it right when they said “All you need is love!” The iconic statue has become synonymous with Philly, I plan on seeing it during a quick run through the city. One of my favorite ways to take in sites is to line them up in my running route, kill two birds with one stone. Speaking of which…
The Rocky Steps: Adrienne!!! I’ve been to Philly before but I’ve never been to the Rocky Steps, I’m about to remedy that. You know I’ll be running up the steps feeling notorious in the middle of a run!
Philly Power Yoga: I can’t cheat on yoga while I’m away, I want to sneak in a quick power yoga session. I did a quick search on power yoga studios in the downtown area & came across Philly Power Yoga, which sounds right up my alley. They rent mats which is perfect for a tourist who won’t have her own.
Mama’s Vegetarian: All that running & yoga is sure to make me work up an appetite. One of my favorite things about visiting a big city is the variety of vegetarian/vegan restaurants (we don’t have many options here in Orlando). Mama’s is a kosher, middle eastern restaurant promising the best falafel in the city — I’m sold!

I think that’s all I’ll have time for outside of work commitments. If for some reason I find additional time I’d also like to check out the Philadelphia Magic Gardens & the Reading Terminal Market. If I don’t get to them that’ll just be another excuse to go back to Philly!

Have you been to Philly? What’s your favorite thing to do in Philadelphia?

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Our Love Affair with the Vitamix.

June 11, 2013 by Katie

We’ve talked about getting a Vitamix for awhile. My husband’s first Father’s Day seemed like a great excuse to take the plunge. We’re going to be out of town for Father’s Day and I wasn’t about to haul this along – so we celebrated a week early.

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We’ve only had it a few days, but I already think it will be a great tool in our kitchen. My husband has been all over YouTube, watching videos of people using their Vitamix – you can make everything from soup to baby food to lemonade (using whole lemons!).

We’ve been smoothie-making machines and I used it to make a stash of baby food on Sunday.

So far, we think it’s worth the hefty price tag. You can buy refurbished models on the Vitamix website and they come with a 5 year warranty (standard for new models is 7 years). I got ours at Bed, Bath & Beyond and used a 20% off coupon.

Do you have a Vitamix? Any tips? Do you think it’s worth the price?

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Sauteed Bok Choy.

June 10, 2013 by Carolina

When I was in Malaysia I had dinner at Jalan Alor, the cutest street offering fresh, authentic Chinese food. On this particular night my friend & I shared some delicious Bok Choy, I loved this dish so much I’ve been thinking of it ever since.

So last week I phoned a Vero, a dear friend who makes some mean Chinese food & asked her for a Bok Choy recipe which is too good not to share. Vero’s recipe is spot on, sometimes the best dishes are the simplest to make. When a vegetable is really fresh it doesn’t need much to make it taste great — this recipe pays homage to the amazing taste of fresh Bok Choy. It’ll take just a few minutes to make & leave you with a delicious side you’re sure to love. No need to leave your home to have tasty hawker food!

Ingredients (Makes 2 servings)

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

18 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 bunch of bok choy, chopped

Salt & pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons water or vegetable stock

In a pan, heat oil over medium heat then add the garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes & stir; cook for about a minute, until you begin to smell the ingredients. Add the bok choy, salt & pepper & cook for about 2 – 3 minutes until leaves look slightly wilted.

Add water or vegetable stock & cover, cook for an additional 2 – 3 minutes until you see steam. Remove the lid & continue to cook until bok choy is tender & remove from heat. Total cooking time should be not exceed 12 minutes.

Best served hot. Buen provecho!

What’s your favorite hawker food?

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Southeast Asia.

June 6, 2013 by Carolina

After two glorious weeks in Southeast Asia I’m back! Singapore, Malaysia & Indonesia did not disappoint guys — it’s such a beautiful area of the world. Every time I travel I come back inspired to make dishes from the cities I visit as well as share some of the best restaurants I found with vegetarian options so be on the lookout for that. For now, here are’s some travel eye candy for you:

Make sure to follow us on Instagram, we post a ton of images there! What’s your favorite vacation spot?

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Redefining #WhatsBeautiful.

June 5, 2013 by Carolina

As a grad student I often read & re-read books. A couple of weeks ago, during presentations for one of my classes the concept of beauty was brought up & it immediately reminded me of this book I read in undergrad called The Beauty Myth. This book, along with the class discussion I just mentioned, try to understand what society deems beautiful. Truth is, beauty is not about being thin, fashionable or perfect, at least not to me. To me beauty shines through when someone is loving themselves, who they are striving to be & who they are becoming. Someone who seeks to constantly strive to be the best version of themselves is beautiful…

Enter Under Armour, a brand with a mission to empower women & redefine the beauty myth. Rather than reinforce unhealthy images of women Under Armour is celebrating real strong women. Women who push themselves to be athletes. Women who set goals. Women who do not quit. Under Armour’s What’s Beautiful Campaign has a message any woman can get behind: Set a goal. Then go after it! The best part about it is that you don’t have to do it alone, as a matter of fact What’s Beautiful houses a large community of women just like you & me who have goals in mind, are finding like-minded women across the country & joining accountability/motivational teams. As if that was not reason enough to check What’s Beautiful out there’s more. The three most epic journeys have the opportunity to win a trip to the Armour Retreat in Costa Rica for four days of yoga & surf lessons — amazing right?!

Today I’m asking every woman reading this blog to help redefine what’s beautiful & show the world you’re a real strong woman! We all have inner athletes dying to get out, so let your athlete shine! Pick a goal, tell me about it & go after it! My goal is to get back into running again & run another half marathon this year! So what do you say? Set a goal, go after it & say aloud that you WILL achieve your goal. Here’s to #whatsbeautiful!

What’s your big fitness goal this year?

Full Disclosure: This is a sponsored post through Under Armour and FitFluential. I was not compensated, but was provided with apparel. All opinions are my own.

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Flying Across the Globe.

May 23, 2013 by Carolina

It’s go time: today I head to beautiful Southeast Asia! I’ve got my passport in hand, camera charged, destinations researched & am ready to make the trek across the pond all the way to the other side of the globe. I’ll be honest, I’ve done flights as long as these before (I have two flights before I touch down in Singapore) but no matter how many times I’ve traveled it always helps to have a check list, items to refer to as I get ready for the trip. Lucky for me (& I like to think for you too) both Katie & I have traveled extensively & have several posts that are great resources for travel. Check these out:

Vegetarian Travel Tips

Traveling with your Smartphone

International Flights as a Vegetarian

Traveling with a Baby

Traveling as a Vegetarian

We hope you enjoy traveling as much as we do. Pack your bags, it’s time to see the world!

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Harvest Rice.

May 15, 2013 by Carolina

The best things in life are fresh, at least when it comes to vegetables. This weekend I picked up some gorgeous vegetables at my local produce shop & immediately went home to cook with them; the result was nothing short of delicious. The vegetables were super fresh, buying local always reminds me how much better vegetables taste when they have little to no preservatives. This Harvest Rice has some of my favorite vegetables: asparagus, butternut squash & mushrooms. Make this tonight for dinner, you won’t regret it!

Ingredients (Makes 2 servings)

1 cup Texmati Royal Blend

1 /2 cups water

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 tablespoon garlic, minced

1 cup butternut squash, peeled & cubed

6 – 8 asparagus

1 cup portabello mushrooms, chopped

1/2 cup water

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 sprig fresh basil

Salt & pepper, to taste

Crumbled feta cheese, to taste (optional)

In a small pot, combine the texmati rice blend, 1/2 cup water & 1/2 tablespoon olive oil & bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover & cook for about 15 minutes until rice is tender.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil & add the minced garlic over high heat, cook for about a minute until garlic is fragrant. Add the butternut squash, asparagus & portabello mushrooms & sear for 5 minutes. Add the water, thyme, basil, salt & pepper & stir. Reduce heat to low, cover the pot & cook for about 5 – 7 minutes until butternut squash is tender.

Turn off heat & add cooked rice blend to the pot, combine & serve hot. Top with a sprinkle of feta cheese (or keep it vegan & forgo the cheese) & enjoy. Buen provecho!

What’s your favorite vegetable?

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