Indigo

Meatless Monday: Sweet Potato Burgers

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:49:19 -0400

Make Meatless Monday last during the week with some delicious sweet potato burgers. This recipe will make more than enough for dinner and leftover patties for a quick healthy lunch or dinner later in the week!

Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers

Ingredients

2 cans cannellini white beans drained
1 large sweet potato baked peeled mashed
2 tbsp tahini
2 tsp lemon pepper
2 tsp cajun seasoning
1 tsp cumin or any of your favorite spice combinations
1/4c wheat flour
1/4c nutritional yeast
salt, pepper to taste.

Directions:

Mash sweet potato and beans in large bowl. Add flour and remaining seasoning and continue to mash. Create patties and coat or combine with panko bread crumbs. Spray baking sheet and bake patties until brown on both sides. Serve with greens, avocado, and drizzle your favorite vinaigrette on toasted wheat bun.

Weight Loss Tip: GET RAW!

Wed, 15 May 2013 14:23:24 -0400

If you’re looking for a great way to jump start your weight loss, Get Raw!

Start by trying to eat one Raw meal a day for a week and see how great you feel!

Try this simple, tasty Spicy Lentil Salad Recipe as a starting point.

INGREDIENTS

2tbsp minced onion
1 clove garlic minced
1/4c cilantro chopped
2 medium tomatoes chopped
1tsp jalapeno minced
2tsp lemon juice
1c sprouted lentils (1/2c before sprouting)
2tsp apple cider vinegar
2tsp olive oil
1/4tsp sea salt to taste.

Place onion, garlic, cilantro, tomatoes, jalapeño lemon juice into bowl and mix. Add lentils, apple cider vinegar and olive oil and toss. Store in refrigerator.

This one is quick recipe that’s filling, full of protein, and raw!

BE PRESENT

Tue, 14 May 2013 13:08:11 -0400

“Be yourself. Life is precious as it is. All the elements for your happiness are already here. There is no need to run, strive, search or struggle. Just Be.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Be present.

Live in the moment. All too often, we are living in either the past or the future. It is much more challenging for the mind to stay in the present. Letting go of the past and not worrying about your future will allow for a shift in your consciousness. Allow yourself to, completely, focus on what is going on this minute. The polarity of focusing and letting go can seem confusing at first, but try it out. Challenge yourself to be present, you’ll be amazed by what you discover.

Meatless Monday :: Dinosaur Kale Wraps

Mon, 06 May 2013 16:36:55 -0400

Here is a great recipe that is super healthy and tasty! It’s Vegan, Raw, and packed with protein. Using dinosaur kale, it will satisfy even the most voracious hunger!

Dinosaur Kale Quinoa Wrap

Ingredients

1 avocado
2 roma tomatoes
1 cucumber
1 large carrot
2 strips of dulse
1 cup of soaked or cooked quinoa
1 leaf of dinosaur kale
3 tbsp salad dressing

Directions

Peel and cube avocado, slice tomatoes and cucumber, and grate the carrot. Place the avocado, tomatoes and cucumber along with the dulse and quinoa on the kale leaf. Drizzle salad dressing overtop and roll it up, tucking the ends in.

To make this a full meal, add 1/2 cup of black-eyed peas or black mans and 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper.

ENJOY!

- Jacob

deliciousyoga: HI Indigos! This is the latest post on my own...

Wed, 10 Oct 2012 09:13:54 -0400

deliciousyoga:

HI Indigos! This is the latest post on my own tumblr which I would like to share with you. Thanks so much for reading :)

xoxo, Jena Ertel

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Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the yogic principle: AHIMSA.

Within yogic philosophy there are yamas and niyamas, which are characteristics or attitudes we have as humans toward others [yamas] and toward ourselves [niyamas]. There are five yamas and five niyamas. The very first yama described in the ancient texts of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras is Ahimsa: which means to be non-harming, thoughtful, considerate of others and kind.

In more recent translations of Ahimsa, some have broadened the definition to include an attitude of non-harming lovingkindness to oneself. This is where I have been directing my own personal focus. I was becoming more and more aware of my inner dialogue and hearing mostly hurtful and unkind things.

It was no coincidence that I was feeling not only bad about myself, but bad about the world around me and the life I had. Luckily I was able to wake up enough to identify when this language was slipping into my thoughts and could lovingly redirect them into a more grateful and positive place.

In my classes I have offered this ‘assignment’ to my students while sitting in meditation, and I also encourage it to happen continuously throughout their day:

1. Begin with gratitude—recognizing all that is wonderful and amazing in your life [which I promise you is A LOT] is a great way to raise your vibration to a higher level, therefore immediately making you feel GREAT

2. Identify and articulate with great pride one thing that you LOVE about yourself. Let that list grow bigger and bigger. See how it takes over the monster that is your inner critic. It can almost completely snuff it out in an instant.

3. Refer to and Utilize this list of things about you love about you to shift your negative inner dialogue from hurtful to triumphant. The hurtful things you may be telling yourself about yourself are an illusion. Designed to keep you from expressing your truest self. It’s a fear-based behavior that none of us need anymore. The things you love about yourself are who you really are. You are perfection. You are divine. You are love.

It is through this careful shift in attitude toward oneself that we can more honestly practice Ahimsa within the world. Loving all living things, the earth and life itself with true adoration and authentic care and consideration. And all of can help lead us to a life filled with enthusiasm and radiance, and ultimately, Purpose.

What are your thoughts? Is this something you identify with?

Namaste

xoxo

Jena

Indigo is proud to announce our first national press feature...

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 16:06:44 -0400

Indigo is proud to announce our first national press feature on page 87 of October’s SELF Magazine issue! Thanks to Stephanie Roldan for creating this out-of-the-box fusion workout….way to be “CREATIVE” Stepanie!!!! We invite you to come check out a Bootcamp Ballerina class Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday at Indigo and try our online video demo on SELF’s website.

Summer Book Recommendations

Wed, 08 Aug 2012 17:39:03 -0400

Hey fitness fans!

Some of you might know that during the day, I am a librarian. I try to interweave my two jobs as much as possible (I even let a couple girls trying out for dance company practice their routine in the library… we stayed hidden from the other librarians.) I’ll be writing about books you NEED to read, some that have to do with fitness, some that I just think are awesome reads. – we need to workout our minds and bodies! Below I have a fitness book, a fast-read, and a cerebral read – something for everyone!

Yoga Cures by Tara Stiles is a very fun book to have for any fitness fan. I’m sure I am not the only one who will suddenly think, “My back is killing,” or “I think I have shin splits.” This book is a pretty comprehensive description of different yoga poses that can help injuries, illnesses, even moods! I do have pretty bad shin splints that I workout around. (Now you know why I am never barefoot!) This book has me sitting in Hero’s Pose to work out those muscles. While my shin splints aren’t “cured” (that can only happen through lengthy rest), they do feel a lot better. I also like the other cures to things like lethargy, office-brain, and travel anxiety. It is a fun book to pick up when an ailment is getting the best of you!

Mine Till Midnight by Lisa Kleypas This is a fast-fun romance novel that can be described as Pride and Prejudice, if there was a lot more bodice-ripping going on between Lizzy and Mr. Darcy. This is the first book of five in the Hathaway series; each title recollects the romantic inclinations of a sibling. Mine Till Midnight follows the oldest, Amelia, and her budding relationship with the handsome, uncivilized, Gypsy, Cam. I am sure you can already hardly contain yourself!

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain My sister, Jackie, had been hassling me to read The Paris Wife for a while. We usually have very different taste, so I hadn’t picked it up. I didn’t know what it was about, but very quickly, I realized it followed the life of Hadley Richardson, Ernest Hemingway’s wife. The book covers the time period when Hemingway lived in Paris alongside F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, Ford Maddox Ford, etc. All these literary figures are in the book, described through Hadley’s eyes, rather than Hemingway’s. This book is lovely. It went into such detail about how it would feel to be married to a temperamental artist. Hadley dealt with Hemingway - his moods, his writing, his disappearances, his failure, etc., and loved him through it all. As soon as I started this book, I knew it would be heartbreaking, and I did have a good, short cry once it was over. If I could describe this story in one sentence, it would be the following: It is about the beginning, the middle, and the heartbreaking end of a relationship. I definitely recommend it.

Enjoy your reading!

Colleen Kuhlmann

Just do it! Rachel Day

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 20:10:00 -0400

Just do it! Rachel Day

"“Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines..."

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 20:09:00 -0400

“

“Ability is what you’re capable of doing.
Motivation determines what you do.
Attitude determines how well you do it.
Be fierce & stay on track!”

“If you still look cute at the end of your workout, you didn’t train hard enough.”

”

ADVENTURE this month

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 00:00:56 -0400

The theme of the month for August is ADVENTURE. With August being the last month of the summer, we want to encourage you to be as ADVENTUROUS as possible. Although the most obvious form of adventure is the physical action of doing something or going somewhere, there are many ways the theme of ADVENTURE can be explored.

Perhaps you can close your eyes for 2 minutes and reflect on how this theme applies to you. Which of the following would serve you best to focus on this month:

* ADVENTURE of the body:

trying new workouts, playing team sports, being active outdoors, starting a fitness challenge or health kick or going to that Nutritionist or Doctor you’ve been meaning to see.

* ADVENTURE of the mind:

signing up for a class you’ve been interested in taking, playing a new board game or card game, going on a tour around the city, reading a new book or even researching a place that you would like to travel to.

* ADVENTURE of the heart:

speaking more truths in relationships, attending networking events or meet up groups around the city to make more friends, planning a romantic date or even staring dating if you haven’t been.

* ADVENTURE of the spirit:

commit to starting or finishing a creative project, set aside quiet time everyday to journal or meditate, go for a day trip to somewhere in nature, attend a yoga, dance or meditation class or workshop.

If you take time to go inside and see what rings true for you, you may be surprised at what you find. Oftentimes we have an idea of what we think will be best for us, but if we give ourselves space to tune in and be guided from our inner self, we get different answers and messages. Going inside is a brave and ADVENTUROUS thing to do! Please feel free to share your story with us of things you tried and learned this month.

HAPPY AUGUST ADVENTURES!

Sincerely,

Jaclyn Jones and the Indigo Studio

Get off this screen, grab a girlfriend, and come take Cardio...

Sat, 28 Jul 2012 11:24:00 -0400

Get off this screen, grab a girlfriend, and come take Cardio Dance @ 12!

For the "Runners" Soul

Sat, 28 Jul 2012 11:13:00 -0400

Hello Fellow Indigo-ers! We all run for a reason. Some run to lose weight, some run to challenge their physical abilities. Some enjoy the stress relief, and others use their running time to nurture friendships. I have been running for six years now and counting. And still, the joy I get from a perfect run, the gentle exertion and exhilarating freedom redefine the reasons daily. Sometimes I feel, that most people fear running. That only makes it better… Running is something that you will always be able to work on and you do not need perfect/competitive technique to conquer. I also notice that people are afraid to label themselves as a runner, because they may not feel they meet some sort of criteria to be one. Its simple. If you RUN- You are a runner. With your own set of goals.

Keep in mind…“Your Mind ~~Gives Up~~ Before Your Body Does.”

Just do it! Rachel Day

Here are some sites you may use to nurture your running …

Run the Planet to find a running route
Running Network for news and events
MapMyRun for a running community
Running Times, the other running magazine
UltraRunning for new challenges

“Meat free since ‘83” That’s the phrase you will hear when you...

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 09:18:00 -0400

3411 N. Halsted, Chicago IL – ph 773-935

Chocolate Cake

"Best Food Ever" Ruben

“Meat free since ‘83” That’s the phrase you will hear when you take a trip to East Lakeview for some deliciously environmentally conscious food. The Chicago Diner has been serving up vegan friendly fare since 1983 and they definitely know their way around a meatless kitchen. The goal of diner owners was to create an old fashion diner experience but without the meat. The menu covers all the diner essentials- milkshakes, sandwiches, and even brunch. Their ruben ( pictured here) has been featured on the TLC show “Best Food Ever”. With a covered patio and full menu featuring breakfast, lunch, and dinner there is something for everyone to experience when taking the plunge to the vegan side. Not a vegan? The menu offers dairy and eggs for those who want it making this diner a glorious middle ground for vegans and non vegans to dine together in harmony.

Indigo and La Bella Figura featured in Racked!

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 16:27:00 -0400

Indigo and La Bella Figura featured in Racked!

The theme of the month for June is DANCE. Flowing through your...

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 15:44:00 -0400

The theme of the month for June is DANCE. Flowing through your life with grace can be easy if you let it. Try to bring the spirit of DANCE into your daily life and see the joy that you can create!

We're on tumblr!

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 15:36:20 -0400

Finally!