This morning with no help from an alarm I jumped out of bed at 7am--ready for the market. Grabbed my bag & headed downtown. One of my newest necessity in life --> fresh flowers form the market every Saturday until the end of the season.
The problem is I never want to throw them out....
Two Week Old Flowers
But if I make the effort to go every Saturday, hopefully it won't be so hard to throw them out when it is time (or past time...)
Three Bouquets
I made three Bouquets: 1 for dresser, 1 for bedside table (Oh Good Morning!) & one for my gray drab cubical at work!--Hoping to bring a little sunshine to the day.
Work Bouquet
Sunflower Love (New Comp in Background!)
Whitton Farms Fresh Cut Flowers
Love the Orange
I also got the most adorable baby eggplants. This leads me straight into lunch...
Rao's Pasta Sauce (or Homemade version if you aren't lazy like me)
Fresh Basil
Toss all veggies with olive oil, salt & pepper. Roast in 400F oven for 35-40 minutes or until tender. Cover 1 slide of bread with pasta sauce & 1 side with cashew basil cheese. Pile on the veggies, top with basil & grill on George Foreman grill or in skillet.
YUM!! Mine blew up, because the bread I used was so thick. This would work better on thinner bread (sandwich thins would be great). Would also be great on corn tortillas for a gluten free friendly version. If you don't skip out on dairy, this sandwich would have been declious with some melted cheese as well.
Finally, the rest of the day has been spent cleaning, washing & organizing. My latest Pintrest influence:
Artwork/Organize Bracelets Using Paper Towel Holder
**Important note: If you've never roasted Eggplant, try it now! It is so good, the consistency is a little different, but they soak up all the good flavors of whatever spice & oil you decide to use. I eat them straight off the pan. Tip: Each Veggie needs it's own space on the cookie sheet. Don't overcrowd the pan! Better to have 2 pans to wash than veggies that take forever to roast (or even worse some burned & some under cooked)
Well I started Bikram about 4 months ago (Start Date: May 7th, 2011). I am no longer in the honeymoon phase --> That brief stage of exercise (happens right after the horrible stage of this is miserable I can't do it) where you see big changes (not necessarily weight loss, but mood,ability to stretch/run faster or father/lift more, etc), then you hit a plateau. YUCK...I feel like I've been trudging along that flat surface for about 2 months now...then I had somewhat of a breakthrough (I know I'll hit a stand still stage again soon...all part of the process)
Bikram was so different and so good for me. Here is a brief outline of how it has affected me:
Month 1: Feeling great/went 6 days/week and seeing all those results I wrote about here
Month 2: Signed up for 3 month unlimited, things were getting easier & I could start focusing on the more specific details (hold in your abs, hips forward, arms back etc). Then 1 week beach trip, 1 week sick = two weeks of no yoga. This lead me right into month 3...
Month 3: Running was brought back into the routine. Start only attending 3-4 days/week. Suddenly very frustrated, my hip started hurting again & things did not feel right!
Month 4: Here I am in August & my hip still hurts, but I have made few HUGE leaps forward in relation to my hip-hurting struggles! (Most important Aug update: Mother came along for her first Bikram Class!! A little glimpse of the class...."Esther,Esther...How much longer?????...Answer me!" We only had 2 more poses at this point, so obviously she did fabulous!...However, I don't think she was hit with the same Bikram Craze as I have been. Don't think she will be going again...but hey maybe I'm wrong??? It was so fun to have her there with me & of course we enjoyed Trolley Stop Pizza & 2 Muddy's Cupcakes directly after...all part of the deal!)
Here is what I've found out:
I hyper-extend my legs=lock knee (always known this)...this causes a jutting out of one's hip in quite a few poses
Stomach,Stomach,Stomach: pull it in & tighten it up...it can really relieve a lot of the pressure that is put on your hips during running, walking,standing and during yoga.
Contrary to what they say in class, I don't need to lock out my knees. I need a slight bend, then pull up on my thigh muscle until you see muscle appear right there on your leg! (So, easy to just stand, run, walk, do yoga & not even really engage those muscles)
Awareness...think about your abs, think about your legs and use those muscles!!
Triangle Pose is the pose that I have seen the biggest change...I was doing it completely wrong!!
Triangle Pose
Notice how her left hip (when looking at the picture..so technically it is her right..) is down & forward. For some reason I thought your hips where supposed to be squared towards the front mirror. This was causing quite a painful pinch in that hip region & I could always feel my hip injury durring this pose! So, I'm so glad I've made adjustments & no longer feel any pain...It has been about 2 weeks with these changes & so far so good. Hip pain is gone. It is amazing how other parts of our body when strengthened & engaged correctly can help cure the weak parts of our body.
I ran 8 miles last Saturday in 80 degree weather & I couldn't have been happier! I waited too long to sign up for St. Jude, so unless someone drops out I won't be running that in December. But, the Memphis Greenline is celebrating its 1 year anniversary & hosting a fun 1/2 marathon on October 2nd. Fingers crossed I will be running this! Just for fun, no need to worry about time and more than likely I will have to walk some of it.
Tofu Sandwich
Lunch today was rough...Slim pickings at home, but ended up being fabulous!
I made two version of a Tofu Sandwich:
Tofu Tahini Sandwich & Spicy Brown Mustard Tofu Sandwich
Tofu Tahini:
Left over tofu from Spring Rolls (marinated & cooked with soy sauce)
1/4 cup Broccoli Slaw mixture
1 t tahini
4 Basil Leaves
Spicy Brown Mustard Tofu
Left over tofu from Spring Rolls (marinated & cooked with soy sauce)
1/4 cup Broccoli Slaw mixture
1 t Spicy Brown Mustard
Handful of Baby Spinach
Crazy Lunch with Leftovers
Both were open faced on Ezekiel English Muffin. The slaw was mixed with either brown mustard or tahini & then I layered the sandwich with either basil or spinach.
YUM! I made them different, because I was so unsure about both combos. I definitely had a favorite. Which one do y'all think it was??? Will reveal on next post!
This was a test drive for Tuesdays Class. I didn't have all the ingredients so some things were altered slightly. I used pumpkin seeds instead of peanuts (still really good!) and I didn't have as many fresh herbs as I will Tuesday for class. Also, in class our dipping sauce will be different: Hoisin Sauce, Curry Paste, Water & PB. Hoisin Sauce is not something I would personally use though. Super sweet--which makes me hope/think they will like it!
For dinners this week I was inspired by one of the blogs I read: Oh She Glows and decided to make different versions of Portabella Pizzas all week! Mine didn't turn out as pretty as hers but they were delicious & filling.
Tonight I used Squash, Onions & Red Bell Pepper. As you can see I first put it on the grill, but it was taking too long, so I then moved it inside and broiled it for 8 minutes. It made it nice and crispy.
For dessert I used my second jar of almost empty nut butter of the day (first was used to make peanut sauce this afternoon) to make tasty treat!
Dessert: My Take on Oats 'n a Jar
**Disclaimer: Oats in a Jar is a very common dessert & all pictures look like that. A said it looked gross...
Dessert:
1 Tablespoon Sunbutter
1 square Unsweetened Chocolate
1/4 cup 2% Fage Plain Yogurt
2 T Oats, dry
Melt Chocolate & Sunbutter for 30 seconds and stir. Add in yogurt & oats! Yum!
So anyone that actually get this far into the post is someone that is genuinely interested in what I have to say--not really sure why?
Recently, I've been struggling with trying to figure out my place in life. We all have doubts, but to be honest I'm not sure I ever really thought that much about faith or believing in God. It was just something I did or was told to do. If I didn't wake up Sunday morning for Church--grounded the next Saturday night (never happened, just a threat). I always hated Church, but once it was gone I really missed it. But, what I missed was the community and our family snickering sessions and the lunches we prepared afterwards. Yeah, so I got a catch in my throat & tears in my eyes during last weeks Lift High the Cross processional. So what? Was that really something in relation to God or was that just us having a good time and being together?
I've heard so many stories and sermons about God's presences--stories where you could pinpoint it & say this part of the sermon was God. N's good ole story about the light blinking, Sister's random and generous gift of a car and too many to name. But, all I ever heard about myself was how I said "God messed up" and I was three.
E says you are supposed to let go, give up and realize you can't be in control. Well I just don't know if I can do that. Of course, I see God in so many different moments in life, but I made those moments happen..right? I'm the one that makes these choices to run, do yoga, cook, be upset, be happy and when to go to bed at night. So, how can I just throw all that out the window and let someone else take control & give up? That just sounds impossible--could I possibly be being too literal? But, that is who I am. I need to see, feel & touch to believe (at least I'm not the only one..Thanks Thomas)
E said happiness isn't the right thing to ask for. I've been thinking all this over and trying to figure out what it is like to "talk" to God. So, tonight as I was sprawled out on my sweating yoga mat in a room heated to 105, I decided to give it a whirl. I started thinking, asking, questioning, asking for peace & freedom of my past hang ups. I said I was ready to grab back on, give this whole faith thing a go again.
I just kept thinking, questioning and asking for the peace. Finally I came to and realized I'd been sitting there completely still...peacefully. My nose didn't itch, I didn't wipe the sweat from my eyes & I didn't get up scurry out of the room like I normally do. I just laid there and then I moved--I smiled. I couldn't believe how silly, easy and obvious it all was. Of course I'm not alone. Of course I'm not really in charge. If I was in charge I would have run out of that room as soon as I heard the words namaste. Now that is exactly what I was looking for: I could see, feel & touch it in my own way. It worked.
Maybe all this is a little too much for a silly blog, but I wanted to say it. And, finally for the moving on part this is what Pandora(or God??) gave me tonight:
Not sure what to make of that yet, but the words are quite telling.
Forgive, sounds good
Forget, I’m not sure I could
They say time heals everything
But I’m still waiting
Sadly the life of my computer has come to an end...conveniently the same weekend as tax free weekend. So I bravely took the plunge and order the best of the best (or so I've heard!): Mac Book Pro. Should be arriving this week. Until then...Here are a few pictures from the weekend to keep you entertained until next time.
Tax Free Pants & Shirt!
Sunday Morning Church
Basil Hummus
Basil Hummus:
1, 15oz can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup water
2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 clove garlic
S&P
1 cup fresh basil
Cucumber Apps w/ Basil Pesto & Hungarian Paprika
Spelt Berry Salad w/ Carrot, Squash & Dried Cranberries
Raw Squash Salad w/ Creamy White Bean Sauce, Cuc APP, Homemade Cracked Pepper Bread & Spelt Berry Salad
I now have six new pairs of flats. Two problems with this: 1) when did I ever think it was ok to buy so may flats...tennis shoes yes, but flats? I'm a heels, wedges or tennis shoes girl. 2) SIX PAIRS!! What was I thinking...
Here are my favorite two.
Silly New Shoes
Finally Have Toms!
I was out of town for the weekend, so it is taking me a few days to get back in the swing of things. Last night was my first steak & veggie burger grilling experience! More to come...can't promise good pics though, I seem to have misplaced my camera charger.
Place 1/2 cup of Quinoa in microwave safe dish with 1 cup water, cover and microwave on high for 8-9 minutes. While quinoa is cooking, place 2 cups water, 1 cup lentils, 1 bay leaf and 1 tablespoon dried mint in medium saucepan, bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Once quinoa is done, put whole ear of corn in microwave for 2-3 minutes.
Cut corn off cob, fluff quinoa with a fork, remove bay leaf from lentils and combine all three ingredients in large mixing bowl. Add lime zest and juice, spinach, tomatoes, fresh basil, mint and cucumbers.
I ate mine mixed with 1 T cashew hummus and with an egg on the side. YUM!
But, the real deliciousness came after dinner of course. CHOCOLATE COCONUT BUTTER on Dark Chocolate Bread!! Life can't get better than that.
Chocolate Bread with Chocolate Coconut Butter
Chocolate Coconut Butter
2 cups Coconut, shredded & unsweetened
1/2 ounce unsweetened chocolate
Blend in food process for 5-10 minutes. End result= smooth delicious coconut butter! No need to put in the fridge hardens at room temp!
Chocolate Bread
2/3 cup brown rice
2 cups water, divided
1 Tablespoon cocoa powder
5-7 drops stevia liquid sweetener
Place 2/3 cup rice & 1 cup water in bowl and soak overnight (in fridge). Rinse and drain rice. Then everything into the food processor. Grease 8 inch round pan and pour liquid batter into pan. Bake for 20 minutes at 350F.
Bread is a little chewy and mine wasn't sweet at all, but topped with Chocolate Coconut Butter..I can't get ENOUGH!!! Maybe next time I will add a few more drops of Stevia. I'm still very confused about my stevia argument. The one and only reason I am trying it is because our past dietitian that had a really great outlook on food and total body health thought stevia in small doses wasn't bad. She had done a lot of research and stevia has been around for A LONG time...we just now got it in the US because in large doses we don't know what it will really do....And here in the US we don't seem to know how to do things in small doses.
So, I'm trying it out. One drop in my coffee w/ almond milk in the morning was wonderful!
Dinner tonight was a little different. I now know I hate celery. Weird right? Celery isn't really all the flavorful and I love crunch, but two different food items have lead met to this discovery.
Cosmic Coconut: Organic Go Green Juice= the celery/peppery flavor was so overpowering I couldn't get over it.
Homemade "Sloppy Joes" with ground celery seed= same sweetish/peppery flavor that reminds me of a bloody mary.
Well the Homemade Sloppy Joes were still good, just very different.
Homemade Sloppy Joes:
1/2 lb of ground beef (grass fed/regional which means it came all the way from east GA....)
2 medium onions, chopped
2 medium bell peppers, chopped
1 T onion powder and garlic powder
1 T chilli powder
1/2 t celery seed
1 teaspoon ground mustard
S&P
Tons of red pepper flakes and ground red pepper
2 Tablespoons Almond Butter
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Siracha
Saute and eat over fresh spinach greens. On the side I had my own quick version of ratatouille!
Quick Ratatouille
1/2 teaspoon ghee
3 baby Hansel and Gretel Eggplant, sliced
1, 15oz can diced tomatoes, no salt added
Dried Basil
Dried Oregano
Saute and enjoy for a quick side dish or main meal over rice.
I did more cooking today for the week, but hopefully I will get a post up tomorrow with the details of the lovely Quinoa Lentil Salad I made for the week!
You will notice some changes in the recipes for the next few weeks. Once again, I am trying a new approach to eating. I tried Gluten Free and it just didn't work for me. It taught me a lot though. It help me incorporate more veggies into my diet and not be so afraid of meat/seafood (two major food sources!)
I still wasn't really happy with what I was eating though and analyzed my diet for a few weeks to see what was missing. I found out 4 huge holes/over-following areas I really need to revamp and redo.
Potassium: Some days I wouldn't even get 50% of the K+ I need in a day!
Calcium: Still struggling to get enough since I don't do dairy. Greek Yogurt is strained 3x removing the majority of the whey protein which is where most of the calcium is found...and GY is the only kind of yogurt I eat
SUGAR!!!: Some days, even though I was eating a "normal" amount of calories my sugar intake was close to 90grams! That is more than double what you need in a day...One day I took in 300% of the Sugar I needed in the day and only 1500 calories...For me 1500 calories is NOTHING! I normally eat between 2000-2500.
Fat: Always too low! Could this possibily be why I was eating so much sugar? Not having enough fat always ends in feeling unsatisfied and needing something NOW and for me that always means something sweet.
So my big question was where was all the sugar coming from and do I REALLY need it all? I do exercise a lot, but 90g of straight up sugar just seems like TOO much. I don't eat a lot of cookies,cakes or sweets (minus the daily intake of dark chocolate)...so what was the culprit? Fruit mainly (dried and whole) and silly things like sandwich thins, adding 1/2 t of agave to coffee, the Mango Salsa I made had 26g of sugar in 1 serving (only 136 calories...but 26grams of sugar!).
Something just wasn't lining up. It just didn't seem right to get all the sugar in. So, I've decided to try (and who knows how long this kick will last..) to eliminate all sugars for a bit and just see how I feel (Fruits included...aahhh!!)
New plan:
Only using foods that have been on Earth or a LONG time.
Removing all added sugars, fruits included (well, not tomatoes?)
Increasing the amount of fat intake with meats, 2% Fage Yogurt, Unsweetened Chocolate and Nut Butters
Decreasing the amount of oil (canola and all seed oils are HIGHLY processed and haven't been around that long) and increasing the amount of clarified butter (ghee--through clarification process lactose is removed)
Let me clarify: I'm not cutting out Carbohydrates, I'm decreasing the amount of sugar in my diet..Big Difference!
So we shall see how it goes! I'll keep you updated on energy levels, mood swings, exercise mentality, sleeping and food cravings!
Yah! Bought a Basil Plant: I know it is late in the Season! Replant & hoping it won't die!
