Wednesday, February 5, 2014

#WomenCrushWednesday Alice Waters & The Edible Schoolyard Project

Alice Waters


Born April 28th, 1944

Alice Waters is most famous for founding the Edible Schoolyard Project. She owns Chez Panisse, a Berkeley, California restaurant that is famous for organic, locally-grown ingredients and California cuisineWaters studied abroad in France in college, and this is where her love of market fresh cooking came from. Upon returning to the States she was a political activist for a short time and this led to her food activism. After graduating, Waters returned to Europe and traveled to Turkey, France and London. She founded the Chez Panisse Foundation in 1996, whose mission is to transform public education by using food to teach, nurture, and empower young people. Waters is a crusader for organic food as she believes it enhances the quality and taste of the food and beneficial to the environment and people's health. 

The Edible Schoolyard Project was established in 1995 at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in Berkeley, California. Students at the middle school are involved in growing, harvesting and preparing the foods from the garden. Waters also developed the School Lunch Initiative which aims to bring school children into a new relationship with food by making a healthy, fresh, sustainable meal a part of the school day. There are currently 5 other Edible Schoolyard Projects across the country in New Orleans, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Greensboro, North Carolina.

Waters encouraged President Bill Clinton to plant an organic garden at the White House, but unfortunately it did not happen. First Lady Michelle Obama planted her organic garden in 2009 with objectives from her Let's Move Campaign. 

Waters has written 11 books, won a dozen honors & awards and serves as board member for various organizations. She has one daughter, Fanny and has been married twice. Waters is an inspiration in organic and healthy school lunch activism. She is relentless in her effort to provide all children across America with knowledge of where their food comes from, harvesting and preparation. Her vision will continue to shine through for the future as people are fed up with GMO's, fast food, chemicals and coloring in food and above all, finding a way out of childhood obesity.  

References: 

Monday, February 3, 2014

For Mind, Body & Soul - A Beginners Guide to Yoga




Happy Monday!

I just completed another Midday Yoga class at my school. I LOVE this class and had been looking forward to it since Wednesday. I have been taking this class for about two weeks and can already tell that it is improving my back and stress level. I'm more aware of my breathing, muscles and posture. Doing yoga midday relaxes and prepares me for the rest of the day. 

Here is a list of the top 10 reasons YOU should start doing yoga!

1. STRESS relief
2. Inner peace
3. Increased strength
4. Weight loss & waste management
5. Increased overall energy
6. Improved sleep
7. Heightened mental and intuitive awareness 
8. Improved hormonal balance
9. Brain synchronization & brain fitness
10. Whole body detoxification

What's not to love? Yoga is for your mind, body and soul. It is a health plan that focuses on 3 very important aspects of YOU.

Mind, Body & Soul



Anyone can DO yoga!


I think the most important part of the learning process for learning how to do yoga is to do it with someone else who has experience with the positions and breathing styles. It can be daunting and stressful when searching the internet, checking out books or watching videos. There is a lot of information to dig through!


Plus, who doesn't like wearing yoga pants?

And don't forget to eat well, drink plenty of water and get enough sleep.

Here are some helpful links to get you started:


Blessings, peace and joy this week,

Miss Maully









Saturday, February 1, 2014

My 5 Things - How to Restart those New Year's Resolutions

I know we all start the New Year with some really fantastic expectations of ourselves and by the end of the month they start to fade away into old habits. I decided to kick old habits to the curb and refocus on my main goal and a few side goals as well. Each month I will edit the list for changes or accomplishments and post my results. So here is the first set of My 5 Things that I'm throwing to the world. Enjoy.

Here is my list of 5 Things I'm trying to get into the habit of doing:

1. Drink more hot tea
2. Meditate at least 2 times a week
3. Workout 4 days a week
4. Keep up my healthy and clean eating
5. Always donating or giving away stuff I don't need or use anymore

I made 5 things to focus on at once rather than a ton of things. These are my 5 things for the month of February. 

I'm drinking some hot green tea right now with a little squirt of honey in it. I LOVE hot tea and there is this super delicious Indian restaurant that has the most AMAZING hot chai tea that I can't stop thinking about!

I've always really been into meditation, but can never put my eager desire into action. I love the benefits and mindfulness but somehow I pass over the opportunity. Do you meditate? It is such a beautiful form of relaxation and finding your inner truth. 

I've started working out at my school and already am hooked. I LOVE exercising and I'm trying to reach my goal weight of 130 (That's ~60 lbs to loose, hopefully by August =).

I started out eating super healthy and clean and then the brutal blow hit. It is very hard to eat healthy and at all when you can't afford to buy groceries for awhile. So that's the point I'm at right now. 

I'm always trying to de-clutter and organize. Just want to get rid of stuff that's not used anymore and that is taking up space and cluttering my mind!

So all you have to do to re-inspire yourself to follow through with your New Year's Resolutions is to:

Step 1: Take one really important goal.
Step 2: Surround it with a few smaller goals.
Step 3: Don't try to do everything at once and don't overload yourself with dozens of complex goals.
Step 4: Start simple. 
Step 5: Write your 5 Things on a few sticky notes and place them where you will see them everyday.
Step 6: Never give up!

For me, this month is all about Mindfulness (*hint for next post*} of soul, mind and body. 

Stay tuned! 

So what are your 5 things to focus on for February? 
Let me know in the comments below!


Peace, love and blessings,

Miss Maully

"The Most Eclectic Blog"