Meeting Of The Mats With Lorie Yarro

Welcome to our first installment of “Meeting of the Mats.” Just as a yoga mat is essential in the practice of yoga, a bamboo mat is an important part of rolling sushi. We partnered up with lululemon in Hyde Park to bring you this combination of yoga + sushi — two of our favorite things!

Meet Lorie Yarro, lululemon community manager + the woman behind “Be Whole. Be You.” We met up at FUSIAN (hyde park) + chatted with Lorie about her food ethos, love for yoga, + her secret lasagna recipe.

P.s. We teamed up with Lorie to bring you a free yoga class this Sunday, September 17th. Get the deets and RSVP here: go.fusian.com/xlululemon

Q: What Does A Daily Menu Look Like For You?

A: I work to keep a variety in my meals, I really believe that you can have it all! For breakfast, I usually do either overnight oats because they are so convenient, or yogurt with granola and fruit. I love snacks, I usually do some homemade energy bites. For lunch, I love an egg and avocado salad. I try to listen to what I am craving at that point, and I honor it. I’ve transitioned to asking myself, “what is going to satisfy me now?”

Q: How Does Food Play A Part In Your Lifestyle?

A: From the time I was a little girl, I was always in the kitchen. For me, food is my art and my therapy. I see cooking as a love language, in a way! I love bringing treats to people, or grabbing a bite with friends. It’s a great way to explore and discover the latest and greatest places and ingredients.

Q: What Is The Biggest Lesson You’ve Learned?

A: Honor your body and yourself, exactly as you are. I spent a lot of my life not being in love with my body, not in love with myself, and not in love with life in general. When you let that go you realize that this is the life I have, this is the body I have, and this is who I am. That’s how I came up with the name for my blog. “Be Whole. Be You.” is my mantra, and I’ve been able to incorporate my own journey and lessons I’ve learned into it.

Q: What Is Your All-Time Favorite Meal?

A: I don’t make it often, but I’d have to say lasagna. I am Italian, and my Grandpa was the first of his family from Italy to be born here in America. My grandfather told me that my lasagna was the best he had ever tasted, and it’s the one recipe I will never share. It’s a very special meal. One of my tricks is to use meat balls instead of sausage. I slice them really thin and layer them in!

P.s. – Both Lorie and her husband can trace their roots all the way back to Naples, Italy. One of Lorie’s biggest bucket list items is to go back and see the small village where her family came from!

Q: What Is The Most Memorable Meal You’ve Ever Eaten?

A: In general, the best meals happen when you’re surrounded by laughter, friends, and family! We were in Chicago with family and friends and we went to this cute little Italian place. It was family style, everyone was passing around dishes. The food was amazing. The wine was amazing. It’s such a nice memory to look back on.

Q: What Are Some Of Your Favorite FUSIAN Ingredients?

A: I love avocado. When people don’t like avocado it makes me sad. Avocadoes are one of those foods that symbolizes my journey from “who I was before” to “who I am now.” When I was a teenager the food trend was low-fat and low-calorie. I remember reading a magazine article about Jessica Simpson eating guac and chips and the headline was “What is she doing!?” I remember thinking, “now I can’t eat that.” But today I see the benefit and I eat avocado almost every day. Instead of an apple a day, it’s an avocado a day! It’s part of almost all of my recipes.

I also love cucumber because I think it pairs so well with everything. And then I always love your chicken, tofu, spicy mayo, and sesame seeds. I also love brown rice, so that is what I used to build my roll today. But I do go for the white rice occasionally too!

PRO TIP: Stop into FUSIAN (Hyde Park) through Sunday to try Lorie’s roll!

Q: What Inspires You?

A: In the past 6 years, my biggest sense of inspiration has come from my yoga practice. I hated yoga when I first tried it at 18. Then while I was a teacher I had gotten really stressed out and my husband suggested that I try yoga again. So, I went back and absolutely fell in love. I got my yoga teacher’s certification. It’s the first workout that made me realize that it’s not important how my body looks, but what is actually important is what my body can do. It made me pay attention to how my body feels, and how I feel inside of my body. It reminds me that each day is different, and to just keep moving!

Q: What Is Your Food Ethos?

A: All foods fit.

There is no bad food and there is no good food. Naturally, if you honor the foods you want, then no food feels restricted and you won’t have a negative relationship with it. Guilt and food should not be connected. If you want the chocolate chip cookie, get the chocolate chip cookie.

Q: How Do You Choose Where To Eat?

A: I love a place where I know I have options. I like knowing that there are healthy options if I want them. I love places with familiar faces and with local roots. A good atmosphere where you can sit and chat is also important!