Lonely Squash, Part 2

The squash still looms over me from the top of the fridge today.  What to do with it?  The truth is I am not going to eat it, especially when I am typically having spinach salads with radishes and chives.

The food dehydrator is a great tool.  I will puree this squash, spread it out on a plastic sheet and dehydrate it.  Dehydrated squash is a great addition to soups and stews...and it doesn't go bad.

My CSA farm is running low on supplies of stocked up fruits and veggies, as evidenced by the latest box.  I received lots of grain products:  2 loaves of bread, 2 bags of oats.  Greens and grains primarily is the theme.
This works.  A great lunch at this time of year is a sandwich containing hummus and leftover greens from dinner the night before.  Add a home-pickled beet from last fall and you have something truly special.

The lonely squash

When you have been eating primarily local foods for awhile, your meals start to look very seasonal.  Right now I am eating a lot of greens.  Salads any chance I get.  I crave them at this time of year. 
 There is some amount of storage with local eating.  Especially with the winter months.  Squash is a crop that stores well in a closet or on top of your fridge for a long time.  Thankfully, for those of us craving a fresh vegetable in January.
So now I find myself here in late April...the definition of springtime with flowers blooming everywhere and warm weather being fickle...with one lonely acorn squash on the top of my fridge.  I don't crave it, I don't want to waste it.  A nice, organic, perfectly good, squash.
I will eat it today I tell myself, because today is rainy and I want something warm and hearty.  But I've said that many times this past month and a half.
Do you have any leftover winter crops hanging around your house?  Do you have any spring recipes for acorn squash?

The yoga scene fluff

Most of my practice is at home.  I started a home practice out of necessity due to my all consuming schedule as a chiropractic student.  Now that I have time to visit studios...I still stick to keeping to my mat at home.

These days, my yoga practice is about digging deep and facing reality.  It isn't easy.  It isn't pretty.  It isn't hearts, flowers, and butterflies.  I have dabbled in meditation...which is also none of those things.  Meditation is where I face my dark side.  I need to recognize the negative and patience-less part of who I am.  This has been creeping into my yoga practice too. 

Recently, I decided to visit a yoga class in my neighborhood.  It was all peace, love, and happiness.  There was pre-practice chat about how 'lovely and wonderful' meditation is.  Which I kind of thought was complete crap.  Meditation is hard and no one 'loves' it.  There was all sorts of cozy happy talk, which just annoyed that dark side of myself that I've been facing in my practice. 

Perhaps the only place I should be practicing among others is the Mysore studio.  Even if people there are thinking hearts, butterflies, and flowers--they are keeping it to themselves. 

Have you ever been annoyed with the fluffy side of the yoga scene, or faced your darker self in your practice?

Early spring salads

I love a good salad!  Early spring salads are appearing on plates in my house these days.  One of my favorite greens is in season here in Oregon...PEA SHOOTS!  I love pea shoots so much.  They have a nutty, pea-like flavor in the background of pure green goodness.  I have been eating them mixed with microgreens and adding chopped carrots.  Since Easter has just passed, I have been adding some pickled beets & eggs to round out the salad and make it an entire meal.

Easter breakfast: Carrot Cake Pancakes

If you are looking for a slightly healthier option to eating chocolate on Easter morning, might I suggest Carrot Cake Pancakes.  At this time of year, greens are starting to come in, but not much else veggie wise.  So use up those root veggies.

Carrot Cake Pancakes
Ingredients:
3/4 cup white flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbs. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 3/4 c. buttermilk
6 Tbs. butter, melted
1 cup shredded carrots
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:
Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl.  Separate the eggs.  Mix the buttermilk with the yolks and add to the dry ingredients.  Stir until just mixed.  Add the melted butter to the batter, stir well.  Add the vanilla and cinnamon.  Beat the whites until they form soft peaks, fold into batter.  Fold in the carrots and walnuts.  Cook in an ungreased skillet.  Enjoy!

 

Yoga: AM or PM?

I was for a long time an after work yogini, with the occasional weekend morning practice.  During chiropractic school however, I didn't get home until way too late for practice so I experimented with a morning practice.  It was the only way, even though it required 4:30 wake-ups often leading to needing too much coffee and only yielding partial practices.  Now that I have graduated, and have more control over my schedule I am trying to figure out what works best for me, morning or late afternoon yoga.

AM practice:

• It is done, you can't get too busy later on and not get to your practice.
• It sets the tone for the day.  I feel more relaxed. 
• I have accomplished a major goal for the day before I even get to breakfast.
• I am hungry.
• I feel rushed, I worry about being late. 
• For some reason, I am more full of phlegm in the morning.  Many breaks must be taken to spit or blow my nose.
• I miss the morning dog walk.
• I think breakfast is better in pajamas.

PM practice:

• I never feel rushed, timers are not necessary.
• My mind is more at ease.
• I am not hungry or thirsty.
• I am more focused on practice.
• Practice will not make me late for anything, supper can wait.
• If I oversleep, it doesn't shorten my practice.
• Perfect way to end a day, much preferable to drinks or television.

Currently I am trying a PM practice on, but reserve the right to switch.  I like the way I can focus with an early evening practice and spend time afterward reflecting on practice and reading a sutra.  I don't hear my boyfriend getting ready and actually starting his day with a dog walk, while I'm hanging out on a mat.  My body and mind seem more primed for PM practice.  I will try to stick with this time frame for now.  I have the good fortune of starting work late or ending early to fit in a practice where it is most appropriate for me, but I do need to show up for the times that I tell patients that I will be there for them.  No running late or skipping out early 'just today'. 

What practice time have you adopted, and why?

Unplugged

This past weekend I participated in the National Day of Unplugging.  The National Day of Unplugging involves not using anything tech from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday.  No cell phone, no texting, no e-mail, no internet, no computer.  Think of yourself back in the 80s.  I consider myself someone who has boundaries around technology, and this seemed like a good idea but didn't think it would be so hard!
I did allow myself to use my cell phone, but only in any way I would have used a landline if I had one.  That means no phone calls outside my house.  No checking my text messages, or texting anyone else.  No checking e-mails.  No checking facebook.  None of it.
I found this harder than anticipated.  When the phone put out a text tone, I was programed to go pick it up.  I didn't check it though, until after sunset that day.  I was forced to find joy in the more simple things.  Reading books, long walks with the dog.  Those 24 hours seemed to last longer. 
The National Day of Unplugging was a wake-up call to just how plugged in I actually am.  From here forward I think I'll not check my phone so often for e-mail updates, etc.  They are usually junk e-mails anyway, especially on the weekend.  Spending more quality time with my books and my dog is completely worth it.