Vegan Pancakes

So many people are skeptical when I say I made vegan pancakes.  I assure you if you make these pancakes you will never go back to traditional pancakes if you are a non vegan. 
They literally take a few minutes to whip up and I always make them with my 2 1/2 year old son (that's how easy they are to make!)

Ingredients:

1 cup of flour (whichever you prefer, we do half whole wheat and half white)
1 Tbsp of organic cane sugar (FYI white sugar is not vegan if you don't know why ask me...too gross)
2 Tbsp of baking soda (sounds like a lot but this is what makes the magic happen)
Dash of salt
2 Tbsp of oil
1 cup of Vanilla Almond Milk (you can use whatever vegan milk you prefer but this is our favorite)
*If you like fruit pancakes go ahead and slice up some banana or add some blueberries.  The options are all yours.

1.  Heat up the pan and get it ready.  You can either you an organic non-stick spray or a vegan spread.
2.  Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl (I like to sift them together but you don't have to).  I also you a 4 cup measuring cup to mix everything in so I can just pour the batter out of it, it's so much easier.
3.  Now add the wet ingredients and mix but don't overmix.  The batter should be smooth.  I like to let it sit for a minute now.
4.  Begin to pour or spoon out the mixture onto your med/high heat pan. 
5.  Once you begin to see bubbles around the edge of pancakes then flip.
6.  Finish all the batter and if you have left overs (which you won't b/c they are so yummy) you can save them to reheat for tomorrow. 
7.  Pour some pure Maple Syrup over them and dig in!!!

Want some more vegan recipes?  Not sure of vegan replacements?  Add a comment below and I will answer or email me at mariajakubik@yahoo.com

Yoga and Weight Loss

Really? Are you thinking is she really going to go there? Well, I have to go there. Everyday I hear the same thing, you should offer hot yoga, or yoga fitness or put yoga for weight loss in your window. Here's the simple truth. If you do any physical activity for an hour and fifteen minutes three days a week or more you will get in shape. Plain and simple. Even a gentle yoga class can give you sexy legs and rock hard abs if you are holding the postures correctly. It's difficult to hear I am coming to sweat, I want to scream run here before class and then run home you will sweat or better yet why don't you really hold your muscles during each asana. The best is I don't need a restorative class or a gentle class. When did we become so hard on ourselves?

So it is true if you practice yoga (any type : gentle, vinyasa, hot, cold, power yoga, etc) at least three times a week for more than an hour you will tone up. It's part of the reason we practice the asana. No. Not have sexy legs but our bodies are in fact our temples. So we should take care of them. We do the physical bc all the mental baggage leave us with some toxic stuff in our joints, muscles and most importantly in our hearts.
Then comes the pranayama (breathing), sometimes I see people just doing it to do it. If you really throw yourself into pranayama it's a miracle drug! Pranayama actually helps to relax you, rids you of anxiety, keep you focused(think kids and ADHD!) but above all it brings in more oxygen which in turn flows through your body and makes everything feel better.

Yoga is about letting go, yes physically but the mental too. Will you lose physical weight, well... Yes. Most importantly you will begin to learn to let go of the mental baggage. Once that's removed you will see yourself and others in a different light. There's an old saying if you don't have a few minutes a day to meditate then sit down and meditate for an hour. Use your practice for meditation, stop thinking about how much you want to sweat. In the end it will all be perfect and everything will be exactly where it's supposed to be..

Being a Woman

So, the funny thing is I started this blog 2 1/2 years ago when my son Jack was born.  I was overwhelmed with being a new mom and a new business owner that I never began to write.  Now, Lily is here and my business has grown and so have my responsibilities but somehow I am going to find a way to write daily here.  Maybe it will become viral or maybe this will be my online journal...who knows.

Being a woman is tough..being a business owner (of a yoga center), a mom, a teacher and a wife is just insane at times.  I  remember a time where my home was always spotless, everything organized and neat.  The yogi in me says "let go that was the past...don't dwell."  The italian guilt running through me tells me a different story, like get down stairs and finish all that laundry even if you have to stay up all night. 

This week I practice non attachment (Aparigraha as the yogi's say) .  Something I find so hard as a yogini to do.  I'm attached to my children, my husband, my family but I am also attached to my ego.  Trying to do it all myself and not wanting to ask for help.  Today I asked for help with Jack bc I just couldn't do it.  Instead of resting I worked, folded laundry, cooked for the dogs. The cool thing is I get to start over this very second bc every moment is a new beginning.

What are you attached to in your life?