Restorative Yoga Pose - Mountain Brook

A calming Yoga posture that helps to decompress the muscles of your back and neck to eliminate tension.  Due to the position of the head, this pose is believed to have a regulatory effect of the thyroid gland and may have a balancing effect on the endocrine system.   Incorporating deep breathing into the posture will help to calm the body and mind, heal the digestive system, and rejuvenate a low mood or energy level.  Elevating the feet also encourages the legs and feet to relax.  This video features Registered Yoga Teacher, Keri Rogers, and her homemade Yoga bolsters. 

This video features  Keri and her handmade Yoga products (bolsters and eyebags).  Find out more about them via: www.BAYAWellness.com

Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Grass-fed Beef Chili and Avocado

Chef Tanner Marino's quick and healthy take on chili fries.  This recipe is loaded with vegetables, a great source of healthy fat, and much lower in fat than the traditional preparation.  Enjoy your favorite comfort foods at home without all the added hormones, saturated fat, and heavily processed ingredients.  

Buy Local!  Sweet potatoes, mushrooms, garlic, bell pepper, grass-fed beef, tomatoes, and swiss chard are all available from your local farmers in Upstate SC.  

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Paleo 

Present your food artfully and let your eyes reel you in!  

Ingredients:
Coconut oil or ghee
3 small sweet potatoes, cut into wedges*

2-3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
6 button mushrooms, sliced
1/2 c. homemade chicken stock 
1/2 lb. grass-fed beef
handful cherry tomatoes, quartered
3 oz. tomato paste
2 tbl. chili powder
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. oregano, dried
1 tsp. smoked paprika
salt and pepper to taste
5 swiss chard leaves, remove stems and finely julienne  
1 avocado, chopped

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Toss sweet potato wedges in coconut oil, sea salt, and pepper.  Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through.  
2. Heat oil or ghee in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Saute garlic, onion, and green bell pepper, add chicken stock and cook until soft.  Remove from pan and set aside.  
3.  Add ground beef to pan and brown.  Use spatula to break apart.  
4.  Add all remaining ingredients (including garlic, onion, etc) and stir to combine.  Turn the heat down to low and let simmer until swiss chard wilts.  
5.  Place sweet potatoes on plate, top with chili, and sliced avocado.


Recipe and food photo by Tanner Marino.  Photo of Tanner by Stephen Stinson.  

*For low-carb folks:  substitute the sweet potatoes for butternut squash, peel and slice into wedges.  

Tanner is a Chef and local foods enthusiast in Greenville, SC.  He has a passion for using simple quality ingredients and transforming them into artfully prepared delicious creations.  His dishes are featured daily at The Nose Dive and Tanner is currently available for hire as a private chef.

Berry Green Smoothie with 24-hour Cultured Yogurt

Berries of all varieties have a low
glycemic index. Berries are a super
food due to their polyphenol content
and they won't spike your blood
sugar.  

This smoothie contains a nutritional balance of protein, fat, and carbohydrate.  You can feel good about enjoying this smoothie because it is loaded with antioxidants, polyphenols, and probiotics.  The combination of polyphenols and probiotics are incredibly healing for the digestive system of the body.  Your body will love you for this recipe!  

If you've never had spinach in a smoothie you'll be amazed to find that you don't even taste it.  Feel free to use your favorite greens - we've been using fresh swiss chard right out of the garden.  Enjoy it as an afternoon pick-me-up or breakfast - it's delicious!  :-)  

The Happy Berry is a family owned
farm located in Six Mile, SC.  Offering
a variety of fresh berries, grapes,
muscadines, and figs in season.  

Buy Local!  Blueberries, blackberries, spinach, honey, and raw cow's milk are all available from your local farmers in Greenville, SC.  Some of your Upstate SC farmers include:  
The Happy Berry
Bee Well Honey
M and M Dairy Farm

A few thoughts on Yogurt...Store-bought yogurt is more expensive than homemade, made of cheap quality milk, and low in probiotic content.  Making your own yogurt ensures that you can use milk from healthy cows which are untreated by hormones, antibiotics, and are humanely raised.  Choose raw unpasteurized cows milk when available, as it is a living food full of enzymes and highest in nutritional value.   Lastly, culturing the yogurt for a minimum of 24 hours elevates the probiotic content into the billions and provides the most healing benefits.  

Berry Spinach Smoothie Recipe

Gluten-free, Raw, Modern Paleo

Healthy and Delicious!
Boost your digestive
health and immune system!

Ingredients:

1/2 banana, frozen

Fresh local blueberries, small handful

Fresh local blackberries, small handful

1-1/2 handfuls spinach

Protein powder (good quality with sugar content at 8 grams or less)

6 oz. 24hr cultured raw milk yogurt

1-3 tbl. water (optional)

Directions:  

1.  Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until combined well.  

2.  Serve immediately.  

Yields one large smoothie.  


Basic 24 hour Cultured Raw Milk Yogurt

Yogurt can be made without a
yogurt-maker.  However, it is much
easier with one :-)

Gluten-Free, Raw, Modern Paleo

Ingredients:
Raw unpasteurized milk*
1 container good quality store bought yogurt or yogurt from a previous batch

Directions:
1.  In a saucepan, over medium-low heat, gently heat milk until it reaches 110 degrees Fahrenheit stirring occasionally.  Should feel slightly warm to the touch.  
2.  Remove from heat and let cool.  Mix in container of yogurt and whisk to combine.  
3.  Pour into yogurt containers and place in yogurt maker.  
4.  Turn on your yogurt maker and set timer for 12-24 hours.  Some yogurt makers only allow you to set the timer for 12 hours.  Plan to culture it for a full 24 hours, even if you need to reset your timer halfway through the process.  
5.  Once a minimum of 24 hours passes, place lids on the yogurt containers and refrigerate.  Allow the yogurt to cool for 6 or more hours before consuming.  

*Using the individual cups provided with your yogurt maker measure out up to 7 servings of raw milk.  If making more than 7 servings, add an additional container of store bought yogurt or yogurt from previous batch.  

All recipes and photos by Keri Rogers.  

Keri is an internationally Registered Yoga Teacher, Culinary Nutritionist, and Wellness Educator.  She owns and operates BAYA Wellness, LLC offering Yoga and Nutrition Services and Products.  Keri teachers both privately and publicly around the Greenville area offering on-going classes and special events.  Her path as a nutritionist is all about making healthy living approachable... she teaches the components of healthy cooking, eating, and thinking while also offering specialized services like menu planning.  Healthy living is about the whole pictures of wellness... find your path to living well.

BAYA... Be As You Are!
Contact me for details: Website or BAYAWellness@gmail.com 

July Schedule

Upcoming Yoga & Nutrition Workshops:

Digestive Wellness:  Understanding and Healing Digestion $20

Sunday* July 15th, 5-7pm at Greenville Yoga Studio

- Augusta Rd location

Topics covered: 

- understanding the basics of digestion

- incorporating yoga and nutrition to heal digestion

-  healthy digestion tips

- question and answer

*please note that this workshop is offered on a Sunday as opposed to my typical Saturday afternoon time slot.  

Public Classes:

Tuesdays
5:45-7pm**Restorative Flow Yoga $10 at Greenville Yoga Studio
- Augusta Rd location

Thursdays
5:45-7pm**Restorative Flow Yoga $10 at Greenville Yoga Studio
- Augusta Rd location

Saturdays
8:30-9:30am All Levels Yoga $10 at Ideal Fitness 
- East North St

Sundays
2-3:15pm Restorative Flow $10 at Greenville Yoga Studio
- Augusta Rd location
3:30-4:30pm Restorative Yoga $10 at Greenville Yoga Studio
- Augusta Rd location


See details at the following websites:  BAYA Wellness or Greenville Yoga.  


Private Yoga Classes and Nutrition:

Private Classes offered in a variety of locations around the Greenville area for individuals, couples, families, businesses, etc.  Nutrition, Wellness, and Yoga education consultations are available as well see website for details (www.BAYAWellness.com)



Contact Keri via BAYAWellness@gmail.com or call 864-430-1275