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There’s nothing more important to me than connecting and expanding. Connecting with mySelf, connecting with others, and expanding together. You can only go so far expanding on your own, but having understanding, supportive and like-minded people around you beings it to a whole new level of magic.
Connect and expand has been my motto for 2014, from my first superfood bowl masterclass at sweetgreen turning into a series that spread wide from New York to Nicaragua and Moscow; to becoming a Strala yoga guide with Tara Stiles – someone I look up to as my mentor; releasing an ebook and heart bowl to make the breakfast criminals way of living accessible to everyone; and starting advanced spiritual leadership training with my mediation teacher Harshada Wagner.
So naturally when I came to my hometown of Moscow, Russia to spend holidays with the family, I wanted to connect with community of folks who are interested in living fully and eating really, really well.
I reached out to co-owner of a very cool vintage fashion boutique Chiffonierka Evgenia Kozlova (after seeing her superfood-love filled breakfasts on Instagram), to my friends at Organic Burst (who ship their top notch superfoods worldwide), and Cacaocow.ru – most prominent local superfood store. Within a week, we had superfood breakfast masterclasses set up!
Even though the plant-based, superfood lifestyle is still very new in Moscow, I was amazed at how informed and enthusiastic all the guests were. Mind you, even though ‘superfoods’ is a newly coined, very commercialized term, some nations – Russia not exception – have been eating superfoods for centuries. Sea buckthorn – bitter, creamy berries packed with vitamin C – was something that grew out in the wild, and I remember picking it on our way back from mushroom picking in the forest as a child. My mom would freeze it and make hot sea buckthorn drinks whenever I’d get a cold. Mulberries – chewy vitamin rich berries that look like baby blackberries but have a stronger earthy flavor, especially when dried – was something that grew out in the countryside, and I would eat it every time I would visit my grandma’s country house in the south of Russia.
During the demo, I made two smoothies – one with avocado, frozen raspberries, banana, spinach, maca, baobab and almond butter, and another one with powdered açaí, strawberries, banana, goji berries, cashew butter. For toppings, I used my homemade Brazil nut chocolate granola, bee pollen, goji berries, mulberries, and coconut chips.
I talked about ways to always be prepared to make the most nourishing and delicious breakfast (aka pantry staples and freezer stocked with bananas, berries and greens). I also demonstrated the importance of the order in which your ingredients go into the blender. It does impact the texture and in some cases even flavor!
Thank you Chiffonierka for having me, guests for showing up and loving getting #breakfastcriminalized, and Cacaocow.ru and Organic Burst for providing your awesome superfoods.
Stay tuned for more superfood breakfast demos coming up in 2015!
