The Best Guacamole

I love this time of year here in California. It is not uncommon to pull up to a stop sign and there be a little farmer selling bags of fresh picked avocado's for $5. I snag a bag any time I can. They grow abundantly here, and it is not uncommon to drive through a neighborhood and have boxes of them on the curb labeled "free". That is what I used to do with my lemons and limes. 

I used to be afraid of Avocado's because of their fat. After having Cancer and the doctor telling me it is a perfect fat. A fat my body needs. I was so happy! I use them in everything from ranch dressing, to salads and sandwiches. More often than not I don't even need mayo or a sauce. They make everything creamy and delicious!

So here is my all time favorite way to make Guacamole. Creamy and Chunky at the same time. It is naturally gluten-free! We went over to our friends for game night and because I didn't want to be tempted to eat food that was bad for me, I brought sliced cucumbers to dip into it. Yum! Everyone else loved the Organic chips I brought, but I was a good girl! :)

Guacamole
by Mom What's For Dinner

1 cup diced sweet onion

4 garlic cloves minced

4 serrano chiles minced (with seeds for spicy)

Juice of 2 limes 

5 ripe avocados 

coarse salt 

Put the onion, garlic, chiles,lime juice and Avocados in a bowl. 

Use a large serving fork and mix up the ingredients. Then press the fork around the sides of the bowl mashing the Avocado. This will make a chunky guacamole. If you like Cilantro, by all means add it. We love it, but I know for some people it is a cringe ingredient. ( I will never understand that way of thinking ). But I aim to please. 

There you go! The best guacamole ever! 

Documenting the process of the 3 week yoga retreat

Five days ago I started doing an online yoga retreat. For 30 minutes a day I am pushing play on an online yoga program with awesome instructors. It starts at the very beginning of yoga. Even though I am a 200 hour registered yoga teacher, I LOVE returning back to the basics and making sure my foundation is still where it needs to be. That is what I love about yoga, it is a practice, and always there for you at every point of your journey.

Day one:

On day one we met Vytas. If you are wondering where you have seen him before, he has been on Survivor twice, and his brother Aras is one of the winners. Besides that he is one of the most popular yoga instructors in Los Angeles. I felt he did an amazing job of bringing awareness to the mat and a good solid foundation in important poses like Downward Facing Dog.

Day two:

Day two was just as enjoyable. We spent a lot of time in low lunge and Vytas once again did a fabulous job of breaking down these foundation stretch poses. I may have mentioned our team of yoga teachers has add on's for the retreat. Today I taught and broke down the halfway lift or 

Ardha Uttānāsana. You can see my addition to the retreat here: 

Halfway lift or 

Ardha Uttānāsana

Day three:

On day 3 we explored more balance postures. Vytas broke down tree and other balance postures with key alignment cues that will help us stay on track down the line in our practice. I also included a clip of me getting some cardio in with Country Heat. Let me know if you are ever wanting to add cardio to your practice! 

Day four:

We flowed it together today! It was a fabulous practice that left me feeling energized after.There was more special focus on getting Chatturanga correct, which as a yoga teacher, it makes me very happy. In class I see way too many people who have not been trained, just skip right through that pose. Not good. It is a pose all by itself. It also happened to be my 3 year yoga birthday! I have officially been practicing for 3 years! 

Day five:

Today we got into a more intense flow and it felt great! Had my daughter back with me and we enjoyed the practice a lot. I love how Vytas always pauses to make sure everyone adjusts their alignment. This is about progress, not pushing. 

I will update you guys next week how it is going! Not to late to join me!

So far this program has been outstanding. My team of 200+ hour yoga instructors have put together add on's to this retreat. With daily asana breakdown. Mindset, Motivation, Breathing and much more.

Join us for the next round! 

Just email me to hold your spot! momwhatsfordinner@yahoo.com

Special shout out to Wicked Custom Apparel for a lot of the shirts you see. One lucky participant in our yoga retreat will win a shirt from them. 

Orange Is For Orphans

Today I am participating in The Miracle Foundation's #OrangeIsForOrphans campaign.

The Miracle Foundation works as a voice to promote and advocate for orphans around the world. Now you can show your support and advocate for these children too. Wear orange, make a donation, sport a Flash Tattoo or decorate your travel bags with an “Orange is for Orphans” luggage tag. Help us raise awareness for the world’s orphans. And let their voice shine through you.

Take a picture with you crafting an “O”. This can be with your hands, in a yoga pose, as a drawing, as a group, or get creative and surprise us! Include the text, “I #ShowUp for orphans. #OrangeIsForOrphans” in the photo caption for a chance to win a pair of tickets to one of the most epic festivals in the world with Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, Demi Lovato, Major Lazer and Metallica. The Global Citizen Festival, founded to generate social action to solve the world’s biggest challenges, takes place on Saturday, September 24th in Central Park, New York.

My leggings are @anjaliclothing