Go with the Flow

Hey hey hey! How is your weekend going? 

Mine got off to an interesting start. If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know that I absolutely love going to the farmer's market on Saturday mornings (er... afternoons---I like my sleep!) Unfortunately, we were short on time today and things did not go exactly as planned. Our time crunch would not usually be an issue, but there was some major traffic on the freeway that clearly went on for miles. 

[Talk about crunch! A tortilla pizza made with an Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Tortilla on my pizza stone makes for extra crunch. I think I finally found the right use for these fragile delights.] 

[I added my own spin on Amanda's pumpkin hummus pizza recipe by using my favorite toppings: broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, and brussels sprouts. Ah. May. Zing. The pumpkin-hummus combo might sound a little strange, but all I can say is it is definitely out of this world.]

[+ A sprinkle of pasta seasoning for pure delight. For flavors so different, they swirled together perfectly.]

Because of that, my mom made a quick decision to switch freeways and head the other way. Luckily, there is a smaller farmer's market that was on our way back home. (Small is a relative term, though, because the one I usually go to is THE farmer's market and is huge accordingly.)

[To christen my new home, I decided there was no better way than by baking chocolate chip cookies. There is just something oh so inviting about the smell of freshly baked cookies.]

I would love to say that this decision did not bother me at all, but that is not true. Not only is my usual farmer's market the best one (selection, price, local/organic availability, etc.), but I always look forward to the experience all week long. Add to that the fact that I really like to stick to plans and you have a recipe for disappointment. 

[Chocolate brownie oats with strawberries are never a disappointment.]

[After the market, this most certainty turned my frown upside down.]

The selection was extremely minimal, the price was super high (again, this is relative), and I did not get a friendly hello from my favorite farmer, Trevor. Speaking of Trevor, last week he was out of kale, but knowing my love his kale specifically, he promised to save me some for next week. No usual farmer's market = no best-kale-ever. Boo.

[This girl loves her leafy greens. Romaine lettuce salads are so refreshing on hot summer days!] 

[In an effort to change up my salad combination-of-the-week, I decided to add a little ginger garlic stir-fry. Basically it's just grated ginger and minced garlic. Both have wonderful qualities, most notably being anti-inflammatory, and are extremely delicious. They pack a nutritional and flavor punch!]

[Is it weird that I like to eat my greens first, then mix the flavoring into the other veggies & beans? Any non-salad mixers out there?]

Even sans kale, all was not lost. I found a very nice farmer who was local and organic, just like Trevor. Not quite as local and definitely not my favorite farmer, but very nice all the same. He did have a lovely selection, including kale (I got two bunches, of course), so I was pacified. I might have also picked up a few cute, new summer squash varieties, as well. 

Anyway, while the produce I got was wonderful (albeit a very modest amount in comparison to usual), I still did not feel right. Sure, there were some other factors, but I know that part of my bad mood was caused by a simple change in plans. 

[This cheezy white bean dip was a result of a change in plans, too. I decided I was feeling in a dipping mood so I deconstructed my salad. Deconstruction never tasted so good.]

I recognize that it is part of my nature to love plans and thrive on them, but that does not mean that I should be miserable if they are changed. I can see that good things have come out of spontaneity so I think I am going to try to have more of a "go with the flow" kind of attitude (Hahaha. Vinyasa. Flow. Anyone?)

[I decided to start off on the right foot by going with the flow for dinner. 1st order of business: new photo taking spot. I like. Baby steps, my friends, baby steps.] 

[After this picture was taken, I went with the flow and added a few things I was craving (yay! cravings!). I mixed the veggies together and added a little garlic and Braggs.] 

[As for the kabocha and adzuki beans, I mashed them together with cinnamon.] 

[I also added an Ezekiel tortilla for a little crunch. If going with the flow is always this delicious, I may never stop going...]

I guess my point is that we are all beautiful just the way we are, but there are always ways to better ourselves. Maybe the correct word is not "better," though, because the goal is to make our lives more enjoyable and happy, not perfect. 

[While delicious, my protein brownie was definitely not perfect.] 

[However, I did try as best as I could to make it keep its shape. In the end, its really just about effort, not necessarily the result. Life is a journey, not a destination.]

What is something about yourself that you would like to work on? I am definitely going to work on my flexibility. Instead of looking at the negatives when my plans get changed, I will try to list the positives. How will you work on your goal?

Thank you to all of you that told me what makes you happy! I actually smiled while reading your responses. If it is okay with you, I would love to include them in my paper; I think it would be a unique way to discuss the topic.

If you did not get a chance to answer, what makes you happy? 

Before writing this post, I made cookies for my yoga teacher as a birthday surprise. Doing something nice for others always makes me happy. 

Have a lovely day and try something new and different! Why not? Have fun with it! 

xox, 

Mandiee

P.S. If anyone has a good (and simple!) vegetarian refried bean recipe, please send it my way! I have been looking and looking but no luck thus far. :(

59 Strong

Hey there, sugar pies! 

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend and are soaking up some sun. It is definitely getting hot around here! There are no complaints from me, though; I much prefer hot to cold. Are you a snow bunny or beach baby? What is your favorite thing to do to cool down?

One reason why today's heat was especially amazing was because it made for a special treat at my yoga teacher training. On Wednesday's, we usually practice Mysore style Ashtanga inside, aided by heating lamps. However, today was hot enough that we were able to move outside onto my teacher's new deck instead. Also, it was my teacher's birthday so we decided to honor her with sun salutations in the number of her age. That would be 59 Suryanamaskara As!  We counted together and each said something that we love about our teacher while in down dog. 

All I can say is that the practice was absolutely breathtaking! I felt so honored to be able to partake in a beautiful practice to celebrate an inspiring woman. Just image 10 or so yogis doing sun salutations surrounded by the lush leaves of strong trees. Amazing. Completely amazing. 

This was such a wonderful way to honor my teacher and the beautiful world we live in. 

Another way I have been honoring this beautiful earth is through nourishing my body with the fruits of its labor. 

Bowls of oats adorned with lots of fresh berries always seem to start my day off right. 

Strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries, oh my!

Apparently I just cannot get enough of this combo. Could it get any better? Yes, my friends; the answer is raspberries. 

Unfortunately, (as you can probably see,) the sun's bounty outside has not translated into natural lighting inside. It seems that the sun only shines its beauty in random little place in my new house, like a little patch in my step-dad's office. (Yes, we moved! That is how I spent my 4th of July.) Luckily, I found a new spot this morning. 

...And still only a flicker! Sun, I love you; will you please come in to play?

With fresh, local, and sometimes even organic vegetables in large supply at the farmer's market, I cannot help but take advantage of it. Lately I have really enjoyed having big salads for lunch. I feel like I say that a lot on this blog, but the truth is, salads are such a nourishing, energizing, and satisfying meal that it is hard not to enjoy them often.  

I never really understood the appeal until I started to appreciate the natural flavors of produce and seek out good quality. I am now able to play with flavors and textures, confident that if my produce is fresh and of good quality, all will turn out great. 

Oh, and a few Mary's Gone Crackers would not hurt as well. Crunch.

Even though I usually prefer my salads naked, today I felt like something a little bit different. 

I decided for a light sauce to compliment and enhance the flavor of my salad, rather than overwhelm it. 

I simply mixed ~1 tsp of original almond milk with 1/2 tsp of tahini and a pinch or two of cinnamon. I added this to the mixture, minus the romaine lettuce, and tossed. I was surprised by the mild flavor it produced, especially because I am not the hugest fan of tahini by itself. Anyway, it was just what I was looking for. It was simple, light, and creamy; yum!

Dinner has been anything but consistent... except for millet, of course. Not surprisingly, millet is a staple food for me. It is just so versatile and delicious! 

Mexican stir-fry to celebrate July 4th? Why not. 

The big plate was definitely brought out on this occasion. It took me a few stages to finish this plate, but you can bet I did. What can I say, I am a veggie heavy-weight!

Feeling simple? Black beans, millet, and greens (broccoli&&brussels) to the rescue. 

Oh, and cauliflower and nooch sauce were added for good measure. 

Feeling like something completely different on the tofu front? Have 3 jars of more dijon mustard than you know what to do with (thanks to combining households)? Googling recipes will almost always help. 

Not necessarily nice to look at, my lemon dijon tofu was an interesting change from the usual simple Braggs marinating. I mixed 1 tbs Whole Foods dijon mustard, 1.5 tsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp thyme, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp minced garlic (=1 clove), and ~1tbs water to thin. Next I marinated the tofu for about 15 minutes before baking it in a 400* oven for 30 minutes. 

The resulting tofu was creamy and saucy; it complemented the delicate flavors of the steamed asparagus, zucchini, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and broccoli well. 

While all of these dinners were random but delicious in their own right, last night's stole the show. How could it not when it included kabocha?

I think I finally understand why macrobiotic diets include lots of kabocha and adzuki beans---both are delicious and naturally sweet. Yum! Would you laugh if I told you that I even sprinkled cinnamon on my beans? I am a proud cinnamon lover!

On that note, I want to leave you with a little food for thought. One of my homework assignments for teacher training this week is to write an essay describing happiness. I think this is such an interesting topic to write about because we all use the word "happy" quite a bit. However, I have never really taken the time to figure out what it means to me exactly. What does happiness mean to you? What has recently made you happy? 

Have a lovely day! 

xox, 

Mandiee

Fruity Freedom

Happy July 4th, bloggies! (And happy be-lated Canada Day to my Canadian friends! You will be happy to know I celebrated with you... sure, it was only by embracing maple syrup, but that counts, right?)

[patriotic oats]

[red (strawberries), white brown (cinnamon-filled oats), and blue (blueberries and black raspberries)]

Around this time of year, Canada (1 July), the US (4 July), and France (14 July) all set aside time to celebrate their countries' values. In America's Declaration of Independence, whose birthday is celebrated today, all men are said to be created equal and assured the basic rights of "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." 

[My foodie pursuit of happiness led me to kabocha. Naturally Nutty's Cinnamon Vanilla Sunflower Butter was the icing on the cake.]

This July 4th, I have noticed that the value of liberty has become quite a prominent theme in my life. Naturally, I started to see this because of yoga. 

[Side note: yoga is very much apart of me and I think that is why many things I observe result from it. Also, yoga definitely clears the mind and opens one up to reflection.] 

[While yoga has helped me discover so much, only bloggies could introduce me to this two trends: kale chips and humnut sauce.]

[Enjoyed with black beans, carrots, yellow squash, zucchini, cucumbers, and red pepper, this meal was better than I could have ever imagined. Lots of dippaged most certainly occurred.]

One of my yoga mentors said something that really struck a chord; freedom is the state in which we are not caught in the past or troubled by always looking to the future. Instead, freedom is living life today by savoring every moment and staying in the moment. 

[A spur-of-the-moment decision to make something creamy, cheeze-y, and veggie-filled ended like this.] 

[Millet + ~3 tbs almond milk + 1 tbs nooch (& more for veggies) + 1/4 tsp turmeric (for color) + dashes of Parma = LOVE, veggies included.]

[If your body decides in the moment that you want the same dinner, why deny it that? Even repeated things can be enjoyed with the same love as the first time.] 

With this mindset, I have been able to also free myself of worry and doubt. Over the past year, I have really taken hold of my life and freed myself of many of these emotions consciously, but not necessarily through tangible means. 

[The natural sweetness in strawberries and kabocha is so overwhelming that sometimes it seems too good to be real.]

However, I have even noticed a few freeing moments in the past few days. I think a great, concrete example is how I am now able to do adho mukha svanasana (handstand), or at least attempt it. Before yesterday, I was sure that my body was just built in a way that would not allow handstands because I could not find the power to kick. In reality, I was just afraid to take the leap of faith and still retained the mindset that I was inflexible and incapable. With some encouraging words from two of my mentors and a few alignment adjustments, I was up, up, and away. Although I am still getting used to it and cannot always get up, I feel like a weight has been lifted off me, even though I did not even know it was there. I am strong. And more importantly, I am free. Free to play, free to explore, and even free to free myself of whatever holds me down. 

What are you free to do? What would you like to free yourself of?

Three A Day

Three A Day. Now that  definitely sounds like a prescription or daily allowance recommendation. For example, "Take these three times a day and your pain will be gone in no time," or "you need three or more servings of vegetables a day." 

Even though I can speak for my veggie intake (which you will see soon,) the real three a day I am referring to is not in reference to either. Instead, it explains how my Sunday was spent. Let me explain. Sunday was my first official "class time" for registered yoga teacher training (as opposed to my Wednesday night Mysore practice). During this time, I was lucky enough to take part in two "feedbacks". (For those of you that do not know, a feedback is a class taught by teacher trainees in which the students tell them how they are doing as a teacher afterwards.) 

Unfortunately, I had ate right before since I was unaware of what was ahead. Chocolate brownie oats with strawberries are delicious...

...but not right before two yoga classes. Ooof.

Luckily, the feedbacks went well regardless. It was a lot to take in but I definitely enjoyed participating. Now that my RYT (registered yoga teacher) trainer and I have formally decided upon moving forward, I can look forward to feedbacks of my own very soon. After talking with her, I also have been assigned a mentor (or "big sister" as my trainer calls her) and a plan. I am so honored to be working under both of these inspiring women. I feel especially excited because my mentor is the "big sister" that I already feel I have a connection with. How perfect! 

Directly following the two feedbacks, I was off to a Vinyasa class with my mom. Yes, this was my third class for the day. I should also mention that the three classes all followed each other. Talk about non-stop yoga! 

After I finished my three a day, I was ready for a shower and some serious eats. In that order. 

Speaking of showers, did you know that Ayurvedic teachings encourage students to rub their sweat back into their skin? I know that may sound crazy, but it actually makes me more mindful. To me it kind of represents how the work of yoga, which can be physically shown by sweat, should be savored and embraced. Basically, our yoga practice should carry with us throughout our day instead of just being physical exercise that ends when we leave the room. 

Sweat-rubbing aside, my tummy was calling for one thing: my favorite wrap combo. 

After preparing my dinner, I most definitely relaxed. A bowl of my favorite treat (kabocha!) was in order as well. This was a treat for both my mind and body, both of which had worked hard.

To save you from lots of random snacky photos (of which I did not take), I can sum up my night by saying that my hunger was increased from my physical activity, and I continued to snack, snack, snack. 

Thanks to this, I was not a raging beast in the morning. Always a good thing, my friends, always a good thing. Since Monday's are my day off from community service, I took it easy and had time to prepare warm oats. 

I am so very happy that I did because these were crazy delicious. Seriously, I always love the blueberry-strawberry combo but this was like no other. 

Maybe it had something to do with absolutely succulent, local strawberries (which were also an amazing deal---wahoo!)...

...or the addition of my rare blackraspberries. Swoon.

Anyway, back to the three a day thing. I mentioned at the beginning that I could also speak for my daily veggie requirements. I am always shocked when I hear that most Americans do not meet the USDA's requirement of 5 servings of vegetables and fruits a day. Sometimes I actually worry that I get too many. Haha, just kidding, but I do try to get some variety. How many servings of vegetables and fruits do you get a day? What is your favorite way or food to get them?

Some of my favorites in the past few days have been salads, stir-fries, and straight-up veg. Mind you, these are definitely not new methods for ST&VE, but they are delicious and versatile none the less. I can eat bowls and bowls of steamed broccoli and cauliflower just as much as the next guy (oh wait, that is not common? Nevermind...), but I also enjoy playing with endless possibilities of combinations and flavors. 

Apparently I was having a little to much fun playing tonight because my resulting Mexican-inspired stir-fry was so voluminous that it called for my biggest plate. Obviously I am serious about my veggies.

With my veggies, I had the usual grain suspect: millet. If you have not tried millet yet, you are seriously missing out. It is fluffy, nutty, and light while still being filling. Please, try it for yourself. And for when you do, you are welcome. 

I also had some avocado slices. I really enjoyed how its creaminess nicely complemented the spicy and hot flavors in my stir-fry. I am starting to grow fond of avocados, but still only eat it in small forkfuls at a time. 

Another veggie that is new for me is the purple asparagus (on the left) I picked up at the farmer's market. I steamed it up last night with green asparagus (on the right), zucchini, cauliflower, and broccoli. I also made millet and topped it with my homemade vegan lemony garlic scape pesto (recipe to come, inspired by two of my favorite bloggers, Angela and Ashley) and chickpeas. 

Unfortunately, I had trouble taking pictures of this meal, which is quite sad because the colors were beautiful. I later realized that it was because I had changed my camera's settings so that my grandmother could take a picture of her magnolia tree. I did manage to get a fun picture of the pesto looking heart-shaped, though.

As for the purple asparagus, even with the camera-glitches, you can probably tell they were NOT purple. Well, they were perfectly purple... until I steamed them. My neighbor who sold them to me said that they would turn green, but would not divulge much else in hopes of me seeing it for myself. Silly me, I thought that they would magically turn green over time, not when cooked! Hehe. Either way, I could definitely tell a taste difference. They were a bit sweeter and meaty-ier (not a fan of this word, but I do not think hearty really says it well). No complaints from me! 

Oh, and just for fun, here is the photo that my grandmother took of the magnolias. She absolutely adores them. What is your favorite flower? I have a special place in my heart for sunflowers because my other grandmother, who has now passed on, used to grow them for me when I was younger. I was convinced she had some kind of magic over them because I had never seen sunflowers grow so big and beautiful. I think her secret was growing with love.

On the salad front, I enjoyed a snack plate that was basically a very simple, deconstructed salad of romaine lettuce, carrots, and Mary's Crackers. 

For a more traditional salad, I ate this beauty for lunch. 

Talk about veggies galore! I steamed yellow squash and asparagus to go with raw sweet peas, carrots, and cucumbers on a bed of romaine lettuce. 

Naturally there were chickpeas included as well. This was such a great mix! I loved that there were both raw and cooked components, giving me a range of textures. 

Personally, I am a salad-purist, for lack of a better term. I usually prefer my salads naked (without dressing) to let the natural flavor of the veggies shine through. I do, however, enjoy different textures and methods of preparation. Do you eat your salad veggies raw or mixed? Do you like to dress your salads? What are your favorite combinations?

Have a lovely Humpday, everyone!

xox, 

Mandiee