5 Reasons to Make Your Own Homemade Chicken Stock

Home-made Thai-style lemongrass chicken soup

I never made chicken stock before this year, 2013. Now that I know how to do it, I don't think I can go back to store bought chicken stocks. 

The following is a list of reasons why I love chicken stock. I will do a follow-up post on the extremely simple recipe to making your own chicken stock.

5 Reasons I love Homemade Stock

1) The difference in taste is remarkable. Real chicken stock makes store bought stock taste basically like salty water. I swear I could just eat home made chicken stock without adding veggies, meat or anything. Try it! 

2) Tin cans are evil? The dangers of BPA in canned good are still being studied, until their is conclusive evidence I've tried to reduce my use of canned goods. In addition, the energy required to create, recycle then recreate tin is not so enviro-friendly. 

3) The Sodium Police! We do know that sodium is terrible for your cardiovascular health when eaten in large quantities. If you haven't looked at the sodium count on a canned good before, you are in for a shocker. Most canned soups contained around 50% of your daily recommended intake. 

While sodium reduced chicken stock is a wonderful answer to this problem, I feel like less salt makes the store bought stuff even less flavorful.  

When you make your own stock you can control how much salt you want to put in. I usually only put in about teaspoon, sometimes less. It still tastes absolutely wonderful! 

4) You know what goes in it. I'm extremely skeptical of the quality of meat brands used for store bought chicken stock. At least around here, we go for all natural and/or organic chicken. We use the bones, the internal organs, extra skin and meat to make the stock. I feel better just knowing what type of meat my stock is made from. 

5) Less wasteful. I don't know about you, but I have little appetite for the insides of a chicken. I have usually thrown our chicken leftovers to the neighborhood foxes and raccoons. While I'm sure the chickens and raccoons miss their snacks, I think it is better to use up all the bits of the chicken possible. Especially since chickens take a good deal of energy to breed, slaughter, pack up then ship to the store. 

When we throw out leftovers to the critters now, it is leftovers from making the broth. We've taken all of the energy we could out of that chicken. The critters still seem to gobble up all our leavings. 

Women's Right in Afghanistan: Taking My Rights for Granted

I often find myself taking my rights for granted. Getting caught up in the grind of everyday adulthood can make me feel any range of emotions from bitter to envious to regret.

In the quest to be more mindful, it is essential to appreciate the rights we have. As a woman in the United States, we definitely have it easier than some of our international counterparts.   

For the next couple weeks, I will be dedicating my practice to Support Women's Rights Bill in Afghanistan. A basic bill that protects women from forced marriage, violence, rape and murder. I am writing this post in hope of raising awareness of the bill. 

Even if my positive thoughts do not make change, as I fear that they don't, it will help me on a journey to be more content with much more than the basics. Freeing up negative energy, gives me more room to contribute more to the betterment of the world in just a tiny way. That is the most all of us can ask for in the end.    

Below is more about the bill from Fwazia Koofi's, a fearless women's right leader in Afghanistan, Facebook. 

"A lawmaker comes to Parliament as a representative of the people that voted for him or her. That means that he or she is not supposed to just do what they like but listen to the people that voted for him or her. In the case of the Woman's Rights bill, everyone has the right and should act to make sure your MP knows that you want this bill passed

The bill is a new law passed by presidential decree in 2009, that bans violence against women, child marriages and forced marriages but it has been stuck since then and faced a strong opposition within the lower house by some religious lawmakers. It was presented once again on May 17, however after protests from some MPs the parliament halted the debate.


The bill if passed prohibits violence against women, rape, beating, underage marriages, murder of women, forced into prostitution , depriving the right of inheritance, alimony evasion, sexual abuse, verbal abuse and other gender discrimination outside the house and inside. Anyone who commit such as act will be facing charges.


Please take a friendly action and share this post to become a part of our campaign for women rights in Afghanistan.


Thank you,
Fawzia Koofi
Head of parliament's women's commission" 

Living Social Deal on Air Yoga in a Waterfront Studio in Baltimore

Living Social is always offering these awesome deals on yoga classes, but unfortunately most of them are far off in Washington D.C. or Baltimore. If you are low on cash, have a fuel efficient car, work in the city, enjoy going to Baltimore, and/or have some spare time, using a Living Social Deal for yoga classes in the city can be a inexpensive way to attend yoga classes. Every now and then a Yoga deal for a studio in Howard County will pop up in Living Social, and I will make sure to post any of the local deals that come up occasionally.

Picture of the Baltimore Location of the Air Yoga Classes
Courtesy Club Solution Magazine

Today this particular deal on five Air Yoga class for $25 at a waterfront studio in Baltimore caught my eye. You can buy the coupon until 5/19, and you need to claim all five classes before 9/21. See the coupon for further details. Even if you only make it to two or three classes, it is still a pretty good deal for yoga classes.  

I personally haven't tried air yoga, but I may just have to try it out with this coupon. The view looks spectacular from the Baltimore studio. Have any of you readers tried it? If anything, the classes would be a good excuse to get out to Baltimore and pick up some groceries at their wonderful Whole Foods or grab a cocktail at Pazo. 

The Problem with Yoga Videos

I prefer to do Yoga at Home,
Sometimes with Videos 

Let me start off with saying that I love at home yoga videos. With videos, I was able to start doing yoga when I couldn't afford yoga classes. Even though I take yoga classes, have developed my own at home practice and prefer my own pacing- I will still pop on a yoga video every  now and again to see what is out there. One of my favorite sites for free yoga videos is Do Yoga with Me. 

If you can't afford yoga classes, don't have the time or are located out in the middle of no where- videos are a great option. I would encourage you as soon as the opportunity arises to seek out a class, workshop or retreat. 

I could not see the problem with videos until I took my first yoga class. Being stubborn, I resisted going in to a class a long time, because I prefer working out in the privacy of my home. When I finally gave in to taking a class, I learned more in one class than I probably had in a couple of years regularly practicing along with videos. I could kick myself for all the time wasted learning to do yoga essentially the wrong way.  The following is to explain the major shortcomings of videos. Please feel free to leave a comment to let me know your experience with yoga videos. 

I want my Half Moon and I want it NOW! 

The most disturbing and dangerous thing about yoga videos is they seem to cater to an audience that wants instant gratification. The person planning the classes is probably torn between wanting to deliver an exciting and challenging work out, and actually teaching the proper alignment of the body required to do yoga correctly. Failing to make an exciting video will not make for viewers who will stick around. 

Due to the audience, the video makers are trying to please instead of teach. For this reason I think yoga videos often skip on the meticulous instructions that good teachers will offer. Yoga teachers in class have the luck to have a captive audience who will eventually see the value of all the very specific instructions, and not to mention holding a pose correctly is ten times harder than holding it incorrectly. It may be "boring" to hear exactly every small adjustment that needs to be done just for mountain pose in yoga on video, but to truly become more advanced in yoga, proper alignment is key.

You Don't Get Your Work Out

Without learning proper alignment, you do not get the same level of work out. Our bodies have this funny thing of always wanting to make things easier on us. Without proper instruction, you may not even notice that your body is doing these things to make it easier for you. Ultimately making it easier on your muscles not only makes your work out challenging, it also is extremely hard on your joints. 

Videos Limit Growth

Videos are never set up in series to help a viewer grow to the point of advancing to the next level, the way a good yoga studio does. In weeks of yoga classes, each class will build upon the other with hopes of students  achieving deeper and more challenging poses. Usually this means gradually working on strengthening and lengthening the muscles while working on the basics of pose, until the fine day comes when you are doing the much coveted half-moon or whatever pose you are working on. 

Instead with videos, you are usually left with unconnected classes that you can repeat, but there won't be an overall syllabus to your yoga study. It doesn't necessarily teach you how to strengthen the muscles and/or correctly align your body to achieve what your body is capable of. Instead you develop bad habits that are rough on your joints, and for some reason you can never ever get closer to those more challenging poses.   

Yoga is Not One Size Fits All 

In the yoga video world, viewers are launched into whatever the video teacher finds appropriate for a mystery audience. Most videos are broken up into beginner, intermediate and advanced. Whatever those stages mean, it is clear the stages are not uniformly defined through out the yoga video world. While I can have no problem doing advanced with one video, in another video I am struggling to keep up with a beginner level. For me, this is just a point of frustration, but for someone less-fit, elderly or careless, it can mean injury. Some yoga sites do more specifically go into who the yoga video is made for, but this isn't the same as a teacher deciding what is appropriate for their class. A video also lacks teacher's eyes to be able to help guide you physically and verbally to help make sure you aren't hurting yourself.  

A Guide to Practicing Yoga Outside

Some people practice outdoors without their mat, we like to take our gear. 

My favorite place to practice is out in the great outdoors. When you settle on the yoga mat for your practice, you'll slowly feel nature come to life. The sun on your shoulders will warm you as the birds and squirrels start scuttling around in the background. One of the most interesting things about practicing outside is how animals will come very close by to those practicing yoga, as if they have some insight into the peaceful nature of the practice. By the end of your practice you may feel like Snow White or some other Disney Princess surrounded by all of the critters. 

The following is a guide on how to do yoga outside for people who already have a home practice. If you do not have a home practice, I recommend doing some research, chatting with your teacher and planning to establish what your flows will be doing outdoors. It is such a rewarding experience to practice outside, I hope you will enjoy your outdoor practice.

Step 1: Get Prepared 

Gather all of your props- the mat, blocks, a water bottle, blankets, straps and anything you will need for your practice ready to take outside. There is nothing worse than needing to stop the physical and mental flow of a work out, because you need to go back inside to grab something.   

For practicing yoga outside, you will need one very special piece of equipment, a beach towel or blanket, to go under the mat. You will want to use one of those items as a ground cover between your mat and the surface you practice on outside. This prevents you from tracking in any dirt, pesticides, squished bugs and other icky things into your home. 

You should also prepare your skin for the elements. Bug spray, sunscreen, etc. to make sure you can enjoy the outdoors without the unpleasant and unhealthy side effects of bug bites and sun exposure.

Step 2: Scope out Your Spot   


Find a place to preform your yoga practice outside. Ideally somewhere with a flat surface. Porches are a really good option, but you can go out in the grass if you are so inclined. It is a little more lumpy, but it can be fun to get that close to the Earth for your practice.

At my house I do it in the backyard to avoid the noise of traffic and advertising the fact I'm doing yoga. In the dangerous world we live in, it is good also not to unnecessarily draw attentions to ourselves by bending every which way in our front yards. It also ensures no "friendly" passer-bys will feel the need to make chit chat when you are in the middle of your practice. 


When you set out your blanket or towel make sure that it is flat as possible on the ground. Any major wrinkles you will actually be able to feel through your mat. After your ground cover is down, roll out your mat on top.   


Step 3: Yoga Outside Leaves no Trace

Important Warning (especially for Marylanders): When you come in, make sure to check for ticks! Tick-borne Lyme disease is a huge problem in Maryland with over 100,000 cases reported annually according to the CDC. It is also a very under-reported and under-diagnosed disease, so that number is actually probably low. You should even take a shower to make sure to wash off any ticks that may have leached on, and this will also allow you to wash off any bug spray, sun screen and sweat you worked up during your practice.  

The rest is just a matter of hauling everything inside. To reduce laundry I actually put my beach towel in a safe place, so I can take it out the next time I'm ready to practice outside. If you love it as much as I do, that won't be too long after your first outdoor practice.