Health and Wellness with Allison

New Moon Vinyasa Flow A home video to celebrate the New Moon Year (New Moon and Chinese New Year). Watch more of my videos on Youtube. Search Allison Ritter.

Chicken Broth What you need to create delicious, healthy, homemade soups! I've adopted this chicken broth recipe from  http://www.wellwellwell3.blogspot.com/2013/12/an-oldie-and-goodie-traditional-wisdom.html  (thanks, Faye!).  I'm not a big fan of meat, but have enjoyed using chicken broth in my cooking. You can read her blog to learn the health benefits of bone broth :) Ingredients  4 quarts cold water 3 chicken necks 2 tablespoons vinegar 2 onions, chopped 4 carrots, chopped  6 celery stalks, chopped 1 fennel bulb, chopped  herbs and spices to taste: salt, pepper, ginger, nutmeg, corriander, cumin, tumeric... 1 clove of garlic, chopped 1 bunch parsley How To: Add all bones, parts and vegetables (except parsley and garlic) to your pot. Fill pot with filtered water Add salt, pepper and herbs Add vinegar Let sit for 30-60 minutes with no heat Turn on heat and bring to boil ...

Butternut Squash Soup is my family's favorite dish that I make! I recently made my own chicken broth from scratch, and doing so has empowered me to cook delicious, homemade, and healthy soups. I'm still working on some like Cream of Broccoli soup and Carrot Ginger soup, but I'm confident about my Butternut Squash soup recipe. I'm so happy to share it with you! Ingredients: 1 cup of Chicken Broth 2 cups of Water 2 medium-large Butternut Squash (take off the skin and chop into 2" pieces). 1 large yellow onion (chopped but not too small) 1 TBS organic butter Spices: ground cinnamon, fresh nutmeg, salt and pepper What you need: Large pot or deep pan Blender How to: 1. Sauté onions in 1 TBS butter until they start to golden in color.  2. Add chopped Butternut Squash. Sauté for 5 minutes. Grate in 1/4 of a fresh Nutmeg seed (really makes the difference!)  3. Add 1 cup of chicken broth. After 5 minutes add 2 cups of water. Cover the...

My friend recently introduced me to Kabocha Squash, and it's my new favorite food! Kabocha has a creamy and buttery flavor that melts in your mouth. My favorite way to eat the squash is simple, just steamed in the oven. This technique maximizes the Kabocha's flavor and leaves you full and feeling warm. It's a perfect pairing for this cold and rainy weather! Step 1 Set the oven to 375 degrees Step 2 Cut the Kabocha in half and take out the seeds. Step 3 Put the Kabocha on a baking tray with water in the oven and cook for 35 minutes And Enjoy! *Namaste*

I love yoga, and have an eclectic taste for the practice. I enjoy my freedom to pick and choose what I like best from each discipline of Hatha Yoga. I've taken classes in Restorative, Yin, Kundalini, Bikram, Power, Vinyasa Flow, Prana Flow, Forrest Yoga, Ashtanga, Iyengar as well as Anusara-based and Dharma-inspired yoga classes. In each class, my body experiences an "ah-ha" moment. The "ah-ha" can sometimes be subtle or muted, and other times it's a verbal "oh, ah-haaa!" and then, there are the rare moments when my "ah-ha" is more like "boo-hoo" and I'm bawling in a yoga pose. My practice is a beautiful hodge-podge of these moments. And I love that whatever class I take, and with whomever is the teacher, I experience a shift in my practice on the mat that transforms my life. I have been cautioned by some people for my eclectic taste which they consider to be "cafeteria-style." They warn with good reason, saying...

Home: Where there is fear, there is also so much love! I've been afraid most of my life. When I was young I was afraid of the dark. As I grew older, my fear evolved into an existential fear - I was afraid that I was not living the life that I am supposed to live. Fear has influenced my life in many ways. It has shaped my intrapersonal (with myself) and interpersonal (with others) relationships. I could even say that at times, it has even taken on a life of its own. Fear has made decisions for me and has acted for me because of its power to dictate my thoughts, feelings, and emotions. The practices of Mindfulness Meditation and Loving Kindness Meditation has helped me to sit with fear.  I have been able to experience the bodily sensations of fear and not run from them. I've noticed that fear causes a quickening of my heartbeat and a shortening of my breath. I feel like I am suffocating when I am afraid. I used to rely on crying to help me release from that state, b...

HOW I AM HANDLING EMOTIONS It has been a while since I've written on my blog because nothing has seemed to compel me to write. But perhaps it the idea of what I think is worth writing about that has been blocking me.  Today, I found inspiration in what seemed to be a "normal" dilemma in an average Monday. Today, I was told that I could not register for a class but had to sign up on the waiting list. I was to come back in two days to see if there was an opening for me. Initially, I tried to give my reasons for why I really needed to be in the class and why the administrative rules should not apply to me. (This is so of my character!) I was polite but persistent in trying to get my way until finally I accepted the fact that I needed to wait like everyone else. I thanked the lady for her time and left the building. That's when a surge of emotions appeared.  First there was fear. I was afraid that without this class, my plan would dissolve and I would not ...