Spring Fever

We had such a gorgeous day here yesterday. It was sunny and it reached a high near 50. Since Saturday was cold and rainy (and I’m the idiot who thought it would be a good idea to go for a run. Running in 40 degrees when it’s raining sucks. Just in case you didn’t know)  we decided to take advantage of the day before the Superbowl festivities began.

As much as I complain about traffic, my commute, and overall congestion in Northern VA, it’s actually a very beautiful area. I can drive 15 minutes and be at a state park or gorgeous running trial.

 

And after all that nature love, we went home, drank beer and watched the Superbowl. Hey, it’s all about balance right?

Stay tuned for a brownie recipe that will make you never want to use anything out of a box again…

Finding ayuerveda

I just learned about ayuerveda recently through a yogini whom I have known since junior high school. No she wasn’t a yogini then, but she is now and has been for about 10 years. She has completely transformed her life for the better by taking up yoga (and now teaching and writing about it) and the way her life has changed has made me a yoga believer.

The problem is that I have had issues with getting into yoga. I’m a mover and a shaker if you will, and I like to sweat. I love the way running makes me feel; not only because I’ve been an athlete my entire life, but just because I feel a massive sense of accomplishment when I’m done. Sure, that could be said for anything, but there’s something about running and playing competitive sports that I just explain. It just FEELS right, even when it feels wrong. Make sense?

However, this is how my life is in general. I’m uptight. I like to talk. My brain moves faster than the rest of my body does – it’s always non-stop, always thinking. I have digestive issues. I retain water easily. I am highly competitive. So what I should be doing is finding ways to balance those things. Instead of running, I should be walking. Instead of Body Pump and a lot of strength training, I should be doing more yoga and breathing exercises. Balance. Take my crazy brain and calm it down.

Ayurveda is Sanskirt for “the complete knowledge for long life.” The secret, of course, is balance, and finding your Dosha will help you determine how to find your balance.

A dosha is one of three bodily humors that make up one's constitution according to Ayurveda. If all three can exist in harmony or balance, then essentially you will be able to live your life to the fullest.

Now, this is all still new to me so if this doesn’t make sense to you, I’m sorry. I’m still learning. And I also found that I have a little bit of all three Doshas. I’m not sure if this is normal, and I’m not sure which one fits me best.

Check it out and see what fits you.

Pitta is principle of heat, digestion and all transformation in the body. Pitta is the acid secretion from the stomach, bile from the liver, and inflammation. Pitta sweat is sour causing body odor. Pitta is the color of the eyes and pitta people dream in color. Pitta also colors the skin and makes freckles and red hair. In the body, the element of fire always comes with water. Pitta is both. Pitta sense is vision but pitta also has a strong sense of smell.

• Sharp, intelligent mind 
• Bright, colorful eyes
• Rosy cheeks

• Judgmental, Critical
• Ambitious, Workaholic
• Yellow or Red Eyes
• Body Odor, Acid Reflux
• Hair Loss

• Ulcer or acid reflux
• Bleeds or bruises easily
• Nearsighted, sensitive to light, migraines
• Judgemental, critical
• Any inflammation or sharp pain.
• High Blood Pressure

• Sleep before 10pm
• Increasing bitter, astringent or sweet taste.
• Avoid heating foods.
• Avoid pungent spices.

Kapha is growth of tissue, production of mucous and fat, and retention of fluids. Kapha is the stable, relaxed dosha. Kapha people are great homemakers. Kapha is water and earth element. Kapha is white in color. Kapha senses are taste and smell.

• Heavier, likes comfort and food.
• Steady, calm, healthy, strong
• Sweet, loving, kind, loyal, supportive

• Lack of motivation, bored, tired
• Slow to change, difficulty learning but good memory
• Food cravings, possessive

• Overweight, diabetes, edema
• High cholesterol, blood pressure
• Depression
• Congestion, colds, hay Fever

• Wake up early & exercise
• Avoid meat, wheat and dairy after sundown
• Avoid salty & sweet taste
• Avoid fatty, fried foods

Vata is the principle of movement, often described as a 'wind'. Vata is a subtle dosha that goes out of balance easily. Vata people often suffer from deficiency of some type. Vata is the element of ether and air in the body. Ether has a spacey quality, and air has movement. Vata senses are hearing and touch.

• Light body weight
• Talk & walk quickly
• Creative and imaginative

• Anxiety
• Irregular schedule & appetite
• Gas, bloating & constipation
• Dry skin

• Colon disorders including constipation
• Dryness including dry skin
• Underweight
• Arthritis
• Nervous system disorders, worry, anxiety and stress.
• And many others...

• Routine sleeping and eating schedule
• Keeping warm and comfortable
• Avoid raw foods & too much cleansing
• Increase sweet, sour, salty and pungent taste.
• Stay hydrated
• Keep the colon clean

(This information came from here)

What is your dosha? Do you know anything about ayuerveda?

I’m trying to find my balance because I am looking to get off the pill (again.) I was diagnosed with PCOS last year and I don’t really believe that I have it. However, the easiest and most quick way to “treat” it is with birth control. (I took a break from blogging when this happened because it wore me out) I’m ready to get my body back on track and if ayuerveda works, I’d much rather do it that way. Any of your suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Happy Super Bowl weekend!!

Sometimes, life happens

My weekend was planned, my agenda was set. But then I got a call informing me that I needed to make a trip home for a family emergency. So, I woke up at 4:30 a.m. on Friday morning to make the 6 hour drive to upstate NY.

Don’t worry, nobody died. But sometimes you realize that plans must get pushed aside to take care of things that are more important. I’m ok, my family is ok, but I had a very long, emotional and draining weekend. However, here’s what I can share with you.

I made some cookies with the best little helper ever.

Chocolate chip cookies are so much fun to make, and when you have company like this, who can resist?

When I was a kid, I used to make cookie dough not for the cookies, but just for the dough. When my little helper asked if she could lick the batter, my first reaction was NO! There are eggs in there! But her mom said we’re still alive after all the batches of raw dough we’ve eaten, so I gave her a very little bit to lick. Bad?

It seemed harmless to me.

(I didn’t actually eat it. I know, I’m a scardy cat)

By the way, these cookies were so good. Not only because of the company, but honestly, you can’t go wrong by using the back of the Nestle chocolate chips bag. I did, however, cut the sugar in half (as I normally do) and no one noticed. As a matter of fact, everyone raved about how good they were.

Hooray for cookies!

Work from home bean and barley chili

Although I’m from the northeast (upstate NY) when it snows in DC, I do all I can to keep my butt at home. I can handle the winter weather, it’s the people around me I worry about. Last Tuesday we had an overnight ice storm and it took me 2 hours to get to work. Yes, 2 hours. So when I woke up to some snow and saw that the area schools were closed (we go by the county school schedule) I knew it would be an awesome day for some chili.

I always have beans and cans of crushed tomatoes in my cupboards. And 9 times out of 10 we will have onions and garlic as well. What we didn’t have were peppers.

Hmmm. Chili with no peppers? Yeah, it’s doable. Peppers give me heartburn anyway, so why not? (turns out, this chili is awesome without the peppers, and no heartburn! YAY!)

I was woken up at 5:30 a.m. by my mischievous kitties who were downstairs knocking things over. After checking the news and seeing schools were closed, I thought, “ehh what the hell? I’m already up.” and started chopping.

In a pan, I cooked up:

• One whole white onion, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 T olive oil

Cook for about 5 minutes, until they start to sweat.

Next, add:

• 2 T chili powder
• 1 T cumin (or less, depending on what you like)
• 1T Sambal *

Stir everything together and turn off the heat.

Into the CrockPot:

• 1 15.5 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15.5 can pink beans, drained and rinsed (I prefer red kidney beans for chili but we didn’t have any)
• 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1/3 cup barley
• 1 cup water
• Salt and pepper, about 1 tsp. each

Since I wanted to eat this for lunch, I set it on high and cooked it for 6 hours. You can also cook it on low for 8.

*Sambal is a is an Indonesian chili based sauce that you can find at any International or Asian store. I use Sambal because it has the perfect spice to sweet ratio. However, if you can’t find it or just don’t like it, you can use jalepeno peppers, chili sauce, or whatever else you use to spice up your food.

There is nothing better than walking through the front door and smelling good food. Since I didn’t have to waste spend an hour driving to work this morning, I started work early so I could hit up the gym for a 12:00 Body Pump class (can I just tell you that this class KICKS MY ASS? If I’m not buff by my birthday in May, I will be shocked.)

I walked in from the cold, wet, crappy weather outside and inhaled the deliciousness.

 

Topped with plain Greek yogurt (only 2% will do for me)

And then I realized…you know what would be REAALLYY good?

This:

 

Oh how heavenly was this…I baked a sweet potato in the microwave on 50% power for 10 minutes. This keeps it from drying out and it’s the closest method to baking it in the oven.

The best post-kick my ass fuel I’ve had in a while.  And you know what else made this lunch awesome? I’m not sitting in this:

The view of the highway from our home office. I would be sitting in that if I had to drive into work today. Except for the HOV lane, they are not moving very fast at all. Thank God I have a job that allows working from home!

Oatmeal Soda Bread

I love bread, but I’m still trying to get over the rolls on Thanksgiving that didn’t rise. Oh, was Dennis sad. He was going to buy rolls just incase mine didn’t rise, but he didn’t want to hurt my feelings. Thankfully there was a locally owned shop open … it saved the day.

So now, I’m experimenting in other ways.

The best part of this recipe is that it’s simple. The ingredient list is short and I had mostly everything I needed in my cupboards (and fridge.)

Oatmeal Soda Bread (from 101 Recipes)

I meant to make this a little differently than Heidi’s, but I was afraid if I changed it up too much it would ruin everything. Next time I make this, I’m going to use spelt flour instead of oatmeal. Don’t get me wrong; this was a great loaf of bread. It was slightly sweet from the oats and next time I want to try something a little more versatile.

Ingredients

butter, to grease pan
2 cups rolled oats

~2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting and kneading

1 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons fine-grain sea salt

1 3/4 cups buttermilk, plus more if needed, and 2T. for brushing *

mixed seeds - sesame, caraway, poppy, etc.

* If you don't have buttermilk on hand, you can make it by adding 1 tsp of vinegar or lemon juice to one cup of milk. Let it stand for a few minutes to let the acid do it's work.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the middle of the oven. I free formed my bread but you can use a bread pan if you wish.

To make the oat flour, use a food processor to pulse the rolled oats a few times. Then process into a fine powder - another minute or two.

Sift the flours, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl.

Make a well in the flour and pour in the buttermilk.

Stir just until everything comes together into a dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured countertop and knead for 30 seconds or so, just long enough for the dough to come together into a cohesive, slightly flattened ball without many cracks. (you can ignore the crack at the bottom of my dough)

If your dough is on the dry side, add more buttermilk a small splash at a time.

Brush all over the top and sides with buttermilk and sprinkle generously with mixed seeds or flour, 2 tablespoons or so. Slice a few deep slashes across the top of the dough.

Bake for about 30 minutes, then quickly (without letting all the hot air out of the oven), move the rack and the bread up a level, so the top of the bread gets nice and toasted. Bake for another 20 minutes, or until a hard crust forms and the bread is baked through. It will feel very solid and sound hollow when you knock on it.

Boy was this bread tasty.

This bread will stay good for a week or so if you leave it wrapped in parchment and foil in the refrigerator. Or, you can slice and freeze like I do. It is much more dense than regular bread, but it can still be used just like sliced bread to make sandwiches. I actually used this bread to make one of my Glorified Egg Sandwiches. It’s also really good with Nutella. Yes, I went there.

Are you afraid of making bread? Do you have any bread disasters?

I have a recipe that I’ve used before (with help) that might be broken out this week…

Glorified egg sandwich

I love eating eggs for dinner. My days are so long between work, gym, and commuting that I have to find ways to eat something quick, healthy, and not TOO filling since I don’t get to eat until around 8 p.m. Breakfast seems to be my new dinner, with my bigger and more nutritious meal being lunch. So yes, I basically eat two breakfasts. Don’t judge.

That being said, I like to find ways to spice up these simple meals. I say, nothing works better than fresh herbs.

The other thing is make sure you have some really good bread.

Perfection.

What I used:

• One egg plus one egg white
• 2 slices of Pain de Campagne (or any other type of sliced, crusty bread)
• 1 slice of provolone (or cheese of your choice)
• One small handful of fresh parsley

Fry that bad boy up to perfection, add the parsley while the egg is still cooking, put the cheese on top, fold over. Place on toasted bread. Eat.

Do you have tips for glorifying up otherwise simple, bland foods?

Breakfast Quinoa

I am so excited to have been able to restore the pictures from this a-MAZING breakfast recipe I got from Heidi at 101 Cookbooks. I was so excited to share this with you all, especially since I’ve been trying to experiment with using different grains at breakfast.

One thing about food blogs is that you get so many ideas for new ways to try old things. I simply Google an ingredient and so many recipes will come to me. The best part is that most of them are from blogs I already read and love, which makes it even better.

I also needed to get out of my oats with bananas and peanut butter rut. I mean, I still love them, but a girl needs a little variety in her life, you know what I’m sayin’?

Once you try things out, you can then fiddle around to make the recipe your own.  You can find the original recipe here. 

I changed it up by using things I already had in the house.

SERVES 2

• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1 cup frozen blueberries, thawed
• A little less than 1/4 pecans, toasted
• Coconut butter (just a bit  for some added sweet and creaminess)

Combine milk, quinoa and cinnamon in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to medium low heat and let simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. (I don’t cover my quinoa because every time I do, it bubbles over, so I just let it cook with the cover off and it’s fine.) Take off heat and let stand for five minutes. While the quinoa is simmering, toast the pecans on a dry skillet for about 4 minutes.

HERE IS A TIP:

I make this the night before and reheat in the morning. When I re-heat, I add a small amount of milk to help fluff it up a bit. Then I add a small squirt of coconut nectar, and a little bit of coconut butter.

It’s a little untraditional but filling and oh so tasty. It’s my new go-to and a definite must-try!