Crispy Fried Hoisin Tofu on Toast

I haven't posted for so so long because I keep forgetting to take pictures of what I eat before I devour it, and I still haven't gotten pictures off my camera from the last three Chicago trips. Lame! In any case, I've decided to post even when I don't have pictures, just because people keep asking me what I'm eating.

Today I posted on Facebook that I was eating hoisin tofu and got several recipe requests, so I posted the recipe there. I might as well post it here, too. This was so delectable, I might just have to have this for breakfast every day.

Here it is:

Crispy Fried Hoisin Tofu on Toast

Press one slice of extra firm tofu (about 3-4 ounces) in paper towels to remove excess moisture. I put mine under a cast iron pot to flatten it a bit while I was preparing the pan.

Meanwhile, heat a small skillet over medium heat. Nonstick or cast iron are best. Add approx. 1-2 teaspoons sesame oil to the pan. Light is o.k. but dark toasted is best. Put tofu on the hot pan over the oil and sprinkle it with approximately 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce, hot pepper flakes, and fresh ground black pepper. Let it cook until one side is deep golden brown. Flip and sprinkle second side with 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce and more pepper. Cook until second side is deep golden brown and very crispy. Turn with tongs to briefly sear all the edges, then brush both sides with approx. 1 teaspoon hoisin sauce.

Serve on hot crispy sprouted grain toast, garnished with toasted sesame seeds if you have them, with or without a Romaine lettuce leaf and a slice of good tomato.

Enjoy! (I did.)

Breakfast, lunch, dinner = rockin' the pose

People encouraging you to lose weight often express the notion that food is fuel. Food is many things--love, comfort, fulfillment, and pleasure, but those people are right. It is also fuel. You know how it feels to eat the wrong breakfast and drag through the morning (doughnut, anyone?), or eat a great, nutritious lunch and power through the afternoon. Food affects your mood, your energy, and your performance. But you know all this, so I won't go on. Instead, I'll give you an example of a recent day of happy healthy eating which resulted, to my surprise, in the achievement of a yoga pose I'd been trying to land for a long time.

Yesterday morning, I craved something hearty, so I made this veg-sausage sandwich (Gimme Lean brand) on Ezekiel bread with tomato and a small bowl of steel-cut oatmeal with soy milk and berries. Side of kiwi.

Because of that hearty and filling breakfast, for lunch, all I needed was a little chocolate in the early afternoon. Recently, I received samples of Newman's Own's new organic line of chocolate, and wow, it is amazing (a food-writer perk). I'm a special fan of the Extra Dark, the Espresso Dark, and the Orange Dark. This chocolate is particularly good--not just organic but with a firm bite and deep complex flavor--one of the best chocolate bars I've tried. (Don't let the photo mislead you--I didn't eat it all at once. Just half a bar of the Extra Dark and a glass of soy milk.)

I had been looking for something to do with a head of cauliflower. For dinner, I chopped up the whole head and spread it in a roasting pan. I added sliced onion, turmeric, curry powder, crushed cumin seeds, and hot pepper flakes. Drizzled it all with olive oil, seasoned further with salt and pepper, and tossed to coat everything. this is a picture of the mixture before I put it in the oven. During the last 5 minutes of baking, I added a drained can of chick peas, then served it over brown rice. Utterly delicious--the kind of meal that makes me feel happy.

After digesting my dinner, I headed downstairs to do the laundry and practice yoga. After some vigorous warm-ups, I tried and finally succeeded at a strong, confident Eka Padha Urdhva Danurasana--wheel pose with one leg raised straight up. No shaking, no weakness, just strength and ease.

I credit the food.

I ended the evening with a bowl of Cheerios and soy milk--the perfect end to a perfect day, and the ideal send-off to a deep, refreshing sleep.

Love Rules

Happy Valentine's Day from Hungry Yogi! This is a picture of me and my beloved, Ben, taken exactly one year ago, last Valentine's Day, in New York City.

But this year, we aren't in New York. I spent the morning assisting my friend Rachel Klapper as she taught a Valentine's Day Partner Yoga class at Fusion Studio in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Her husband is in Italy so I stood in as her partner, and Ben, frankly, doesn't do yoga. However, all the couples in the class--husbands and wives, mothers and daughters, friends--had a great time doing partner poses together. It was inspiring and heart-opening, as Anusara classes always are.

At the end of the class, for Savasana, Rachel played my favorite Shantala song, and in the spirit of the day, I will leave you with this short quote from that song:

Because the one I love lives inside of you, I lean as close to you as I can.

Lean close to your loved ones today. And eat some chocolate. It's an aphrodisiac, you know. ;-)

Love, blessings, and Namaste!

Salad Day

This morning, I went to a Barkan Yoga class at the gym, and it was quite a challenge after my Iyengar class yesterday--my poor muscles! After I ran errands, went grocery shopping, and finally got back home, I knew I had to fortify myself immediately, so I made this beautiful salad.

First, I drained 3 ounces of extra firm tofu, then sauteed it with a little Bragg's. I added a red bell pepper, cut into strips, and a handful of sliced mushrooms. While those were cooking, I filled a bowl with lettuce, cherry tomatoes, chopped cucumbers, 1/4 of a good avocado cut into cubes, and a little bit of olive oil vinaigrette. Tossed that, then topped with the warm tofu/veg mixture and a handful of crumbled chips. Yum. Now I'm full, fortified, and ready to clean the house.

Losers...but also Winners

The bet is over. Big shock--we lost. Again. But that's o.k. because we feel like we learned a lot, and we still spent way less money than we would have spent if we hadn't done this second annual experiment. We took the Martins out for dinner at La Reyna, a great little family owned Mexican restaurant. Everyone was happy. Then we went home and sort of watched the Super Bowl--mostly to see whether the commercials were worth the money they paid to be played in that time slot (some were relatively funny). That's about as sports-oriented as we get in this house.

I also went to the store on February 1st, but shopped so smartly that my $160 bought groceries worth well over $200. Coupons, sales, specials... I didn't buy things we didn't really need for the meals I planned for the week, and although I did indulge in a few splurges, they were still fairly sensible. Apparently, Nick spent some significant cash that day--way more than I did. Did we learn more than they did? Does that make us winners, in a way? Ben says we didn't lose. We came in second. That sounds good to me.

Yesterday I was craving BBQ tofu lollipops and fried potatoes, so I made them for my dinner, along with snow peas and bok choy sauteed in sesame oil and tamari. If I can eat like this and still be thrifty, I will be happy.

Low-Cost Mexican

February 1 nears as we contemplate what lessons from the month to take forward with us into the rest of the year. We want to continue to be frugal but not deprived. Some ideas:
-No shopping from any national chain stores.
-No buying any packaged food with artificial ingredients
-Limiting how often we go out to eat
-Absolutely no disposable shopping bags or purchased products with excessive/non-recyclable packaging

We are still discussing, but this is some of what we are considering. In the meantime, we knew we would contemplate better over some good food, so I rolled black beans and cheese into big soft whole wheat organic tortillas, then baked them covered in salsa, more cheese, and green onions (use FYH "cheese" or regular cheese, as your heart desires). Finished with a garnish of chopped cilantro. I also took leftover rice and fried it with real chile powder I got in New Mexico, fresh chopped tomatoes, more green onions, and more cilantro. While it isn't really Mexican, I added sesame oil, cider vinegar, and skillet-toasted sesame seeds to the leftover chopped cabbage. A bowl of grapes rounded out the meal. Delicioso!

Yoga Retreat with Marsha Nieland

This weekend, Marsha Nieland, who teaches Anusara Yoga at Fusion Studio in Cedar Rapids, came to Iowa City to do a workshop at Heartland Yoga, where my BFF Rachel Klapper teaches, and which is owned by my friend Betsy Rippentrop, Ph.D. Betsy and I just co-authored a book on the chakras together, which will be out soon (stay tuned). It was an amazing day of yoga classes--an intermediate class in the morning and a restorative class in the afternoon. Marsha is really an incredible teacher, and with Rachel and Betsy assisting, it was a soul-enriching day of yoga.



Above, this is Betsy Rippentrop, Marsha Nieland, Rachel Klapper, and me.

Meanwhile, our contest with the Martin family continues. We are still ahead, but I fear it won't be for long. I caved and bought expensive soy milk and tofu a few days ago...isn't that weird that I miss tofu? Anyway, Amy and I were talking about how unhealthy we tend to eat in order to eat cheap, and I've been gaining weight and feeling disgusting, so I decided that I would plan a week of truly healthy meals and actually buy the groceries required to eat them! I will do my best to shop smartly and not overspend, not buy more than we need, not buy the most expensive brands, etc. But I am not going to compromise on health anymore. No more junky food. Fresh, good, clean, nutritious food. If it means we lose the bet, so be it. It's not worth losing health and vitality!

Sunday dinner

I spent most of the day puttering around the kitchen, making the bread, roasting the vegetables for my vegetable stew, and generally getting ready for dinner. We still haven't gone back to the store. For dinner, I made a pot roast for the boys, the aforementioned homemade bread and roasted vegetable stew, peas, and mashed potatoes. This is how the bread and stew turned out:


It was a good, hearty Sunday dinner, with nary a suggestion that we are in frugality mode. However, Ben got so desperate re: lack of beer today that he is trying to strike a bargain with Nick, who brews his own: packages of ground venison and Newman's Own cookies in exchange for a case of home brew? They are currently in negotiations.

O.K., I really do think I will be forced to head to the store this evening--we need a few staples to get us through the next week. Cabbage, mushrooms, apples, milk for the kids, tomato sauce, and we are now completely out of dish soap, paper towels, and dog food. I wonder if dog food counts...

The Charm of Leftovers...and Poolish

Is my poolish rising?

It's amazing how often I buy food when I don't need to buy food. I realize that now. There are so many things hidden in the cracks and crannies of our cupboards and freezer that have been there for so long. I always buy the same things every week and never think to use up all this stuff. Now I'm forced to get creative. It's kind of fun. I'm enjoying anti-consumerism.

Of course, it's also a challenge, especially when you have to eat up all your leftovers instead of making something new every day. I'm also realizing how spoiled I am, when it comes to food. And how much money and food I waste! But not this month. Last night, we ate the same chili AGAIN, but this time, I toasted corn tortillas to make tostadas. I topped Ben's with cheese and mine with veg cheese (Follow Your Heart, I had an unopened block leftover from before our trip that I bought at the local grocery store, which just started carrying it because I asked them to). We topped that with leftover veg chili, leftover chopped lettuce, and some frozen Schwann's guacamole I had in the freezer. It's not like fresh guacamole, but it *suggests* fresh guacamole, which is good enough. It was pretty good, actually, so I shouldn't complain.

I don't know what we'll eat tonight, but I'm sure we can scrape something together. I have a box of broccoli soup mix which I won at a Christmas party in 2007, as part of a "gourmet food" basket. Maybe I'll whip that up and pour it over the rest of the leftover pasta. I still have veggie burgers in the freezer, too. Maybe I'll make veggie burger sub sandwiches...although I'm out of pickles. (That alone may get me to the grocery store.)

I also decided to make bread today, like Nick always does (our competitors). I'll serve it with the roast I plan to cook for the boys for Sunday dinner. (I'll have the mashed potatoes with chick pea gravy from Vegan with a Vengeance, and I'll make peas. And maybe cupcakes.) Anyway, I pulled out my bread baking book (Bread Alone, by Daniel Leader and Judith Blahnick). I am making their "learning recipe" for country hearth bread. I just started the poolish, which is fermenting. It's hard to find a warm place in this house, though--with all the snow blowing around outside, I realize how drafty it is in here. I'm wearing three sweaters.

I also went back to yoga this past week, and my body is sore, but in a good way. Exercise expenses don't count in our anti-poverty bet, so I can do yoga guilt-free.

Chili is Cheap

We still haven't gone back to the store and are holding at $30.29, which includes $3.00 parking ramp and $3.15 at Mr. Movies. Last night, we had chili made with onions, garlic, canned tomatoes and tomato sauce, and a big can of chili beans, with chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. I made a "side" of ground beef for those who wanted to add it, and we cut up the rest of the lettuce. I had some corn tortillas in the refrigerator so I cut those into triangles and baked them in canola oil for homemade chips, and I made the last box of pasta. So, people could make what they wanted--chili-mac, or taco salad.

My sweet tooth yesterday led me to open one of the cans of Boy Scout popcorn we bought last month. I had forgotten all about it, but had intended to give it all away for gifts. Oh well. It was the kind doused in chocolate, so I should have known I wouldn't give it away. Maybe I'll forget to mention it to the kids.

I can't tell you how many times I've needed paper towels or napkins, which we don't have, and we are almost out of milk again, so I foresee a trip to the store tonight or tomorrow.

Anti-Poverty Month Begins

We are back from a fantastic trip to Oaxaca with the Martin family, which I will be blogging about as I have time at www.eccentricplanet.blogspot.com. Meanwhile, it is time for Anti-Poverty Month again--our annual contest with the Martins to see who can spend the least money on food during the month of January. We both need it after that expensive almost-3-week trip! So, it's down to business.

On the first day, we examined our stores to see what we had. I still have some frozen meat left over from the local meat guy, Nick Wallace, who comes to town once a month with organic farm products from local farmers and sustainably fished seafood from small family fisheries. I usually get some things from him every month, even though I don't eat it. It's for all the boys in my house who seem to require more protein than I do. So, we've got that. We've also got some flour, a little sugar, and a few boxes of pasta. That's about it. I went to the grocery store twice--once to Aldi's, and once to the Co-op, and spent about $35 on fresh vegetables, fruit, a dozen eggs, and milk (twice). For dinner that night, I made macaroni and cheese with some venison that a friend gave us for the boys, and some couscous with sweet potatoes and white beans for me. A salad of iceberg lettuce--iceburg lettuce! So not my first choice--with some carrots and a few tangerines rounded out the meal. The tangerines from Aldi's were really bad. I think they must have frozen somewhere along the way between Florida and here. Anyway, it was a filling-enough meal.

On the second night, the boys had bacon cheeseburgers because I had a package of hamburgers and a package of bacon and some bread in the freezer. Normally, this is the day I take them for fast food after music lessons, but we won't be doing that anymore (another resolution), so homemade "fast food" was the next best thing. I had a veggie burger with a lot of pickles and mustard.

On the third night, we had some salmon I had in the freezer, with a packet of Bernaise sauce leftover from the last time Ben made brisket, and a box of wild rice, also leftover from the last brisket party. Salad, pears. It seemed pretty gourmet for poverty month, but I know this kind of meal isn't going to be very frequent in the next few weeks.

Last night, the kids went to their dad's for dinner, so Ben and I ate two packets of Indian food that I got for free at the Yoga Journal contest in my goody bag. Vacuum-packed, warm-in-the-microwave curry. They weren't very big and they were very salty, but o.k. I had to make sushi rice to go with them because it was the only kind of rice we had. I also made homemade chapati (Indian bread) to scoop it all up. It's just flour, salt, and olive oil. The olive oil is NOT going to last, I can tell you that right now! I wish I would have remembered to take a picture.

For breakfast today, we finished the last of the cold cereal and almost the last of the oatmeal and hot cocoa. We are sorely lacking in any snack food. The cupboards and fridge are looking mighty bare. I just chopped up our very last onion and garlic and put it in the crockpot with our very last cans of tomatoes, tomato sauce, and chili beans, for tonight. I think I have a loaf of French bread in the freezer to round it out, and we'll eat the last of the iceberg lettuce. I'm going to have to spend more at the store this weekend. I have a roast ready for Sunday, and I'm hoping I can make that last for the boys for most of the next week, although the way Angus eats, it probably won't last past Monday night.

And yet, we are psyched to win this thing! Last year the Martins creamed us. On the other hand, we are not used to eating cheap food. Not at all. Especially me. So, I predict great inner conflict in the coming weeks...because what is life without really good food?? I'll meditate on that one, and try not to notice my grumbling stomach.

Today is a snow day so the kids are home. That means I'm having trouble getting a lot of work done--but not so much trouble blogging. I made a Scottish Bannock for breakfast with chocolate chips, modified from the current issue of Mother Earth News. You can find the recipe on my Vegan Serendipity blog. For lunch, I toasted a whole wheat pita and stuffed it with scrambled tofu (with mushrooms, onions, and peppers), yellow tomatoes, and baby greens. Let it snow.

The End of Insanity...and the Beginning of Chickpeas

Finally, my year of insanity is drawing to a close. I wrote four books between the beginning of the summer and now. Yes, four. It's all I've had time to do, between that and travel and yoga classes and finding something good to eat. All the work has kept me from thinking about other things, posting food pictures, writing about my Yoga Journal retreat, even going to yoga the last few weeks when it seemed everything was due at once.

Now, finally, I am done. To celebrate, I soaked (overnight) and then cooked for many hours (in the crockpot) a big bunch of chickpeas. I know, I'm totally out of control.

Maybe that's because I'm not exactly done and I was procrastinating? I still have to edit the page proofs on the Beagle book and add over 5,000 words because the manuscript came up short. I still have to do an extensive author review on the Chakra book, and also on the book about living with animal companions in the most eco-friendly way possible. I am finished with the book I wrote with Bethenny Frankel--all the way finished, and it should be out in a few months. As each book comes out, I'll make an announcement.

In the meantime, I am getting ready to go to Oaxaca, Mexico. Ben, the kids, me, and the Martin family, of the famous Anti-Consumerism wager last year--we got stomped, but we're going to give it another go this January, so stay tuned. Stay tuned also for more about what's to eat in Oaxaca.

Meanwhile, what's to eat in Iowa, with all those chickpeas waiting in the refrigerator so patiently? First,let me just say that it's true that if you cook dried, soaked chickpeas for a long time, they really are smoother and creamier than the canned kind, and since most of the "work" involves you doing something nice, like reading a travel book about Oaxaca, while the beans soak or simmer, it's hard to argue that canned is more convenient. When you soak and cook them yourselves, you don't have to fight with a can opener.

Out of my chickpea bounty, I made a big batch of homemade hummus, which was my dinner last night. I also made chickpea cutlets from the Veganomicon cookbook, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. They are so good, I can't even describe it. And easy, too. I had one for lunch (pictured above): Chickpea cutlet on a sprouted grain bun with soy mayo, mustard, tomatoes, and a lot of pickles. Food is good.

Now, about that yoga practice...

Vegan cooking fun

Today I had a great Anusara yoga class, taught by my friend, Rachel Klapper. The theme was "holding to your convictions," which was perfect, and of course, she slipped lots of election talk into the class. We're all excited to camp out in front of the t.v. with pizza tonight and watch the results roll in. I printed out a map for the kids so they can add up the electoral college votes and color the states red or blue.

I've had a lot of fun making food this week, even though I haven't taken any photographs. Last night, I made nachos with corn chips, pinto bean dip, and Follow Your Heart vegan Monterey Jack "cheese," heated up then covered with a thick layer of fresh baby greens. The day before, I made brown rice with beans and all the vegetables I could find--onions, garlic, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, crimini mushrooms, green beans, green peas, black beans, white beans. Before that, I made a delicious vegetable curry with potatoes and eggplant. Now I'm going to have to spend the rest of the week eating up the leftovers.

My son, Emmett, has agreed to go veg for seven days, for seven dollars. I said that was a deal. We'll see if he's successful.

Next post, I hope to include food photos. Until then, please get out there and vote your conscience, whatever it tells you!

Now to go craft a delicious vegan pizza...

Namaste and bon appetit!

That's Enough.

I've been doing a lot of soul-searching and research. I've waffled about vegetarianism for awhile now, as the fight for gastronomic pleasure bucked up against the quest for peace. I knew factory farms were bad, but I also knew meat tasted good and I kept trying to separate them in my mind, even as I preached at others to acknolwedge the source of their food. Then, in a frustrated moment of indecision, I finally made myself read up on what really goes on, both on factory farms and in slaughterhouses. I've thought long and hard about it, and as a good yogi, I've decided I simply cannot justify eating another animal just because I think it tastes good. If I needed to do it to survive, sure. But I don't. I'm perfectly capable of living well and thriving without it. Plus, my skin looks better and I eat more nutritiously when I avoid it. I believe that in order to evolve to the next level and truly embrace the concept of ahimsa, I can no longer participate in the consumption of animals.

This blog is hereby vegan.

Getting Ready for Estes Park

I'm procrastinating. I have to finish a Newfoundland article today, and although I finally have all my interviews completed and notes compiled, I'm having trouble getting started because I'm not living in the moment. I am living in the future. To be more precise, I am preoccupied by my upcoming trip to the Yoga Journal conference in Estes Park. I've never been to this huge yoga gathering before, and I can't wait!

I'm slightly worried about the effects of the high elevation, but other than that, I couldn't be more excited about spending a week in a cabin with 10 other great women, in the mountains, doing yoga. I'll be studying with Elise Miller, Kofi Busia, Alanna Kaivalya (for a chakra class), John Douillard (for an ayurveda class) and of course, since this is the first ever Anusara Grand Gathering, the Anusara clan: John Friend, Amy Ippoliti, Desiree Rumbaugh, etc. I envision a lot of interesting and challenging yoga cross-training, and some solid preparation for the chakra book I will write when I get home. I will be travelling and staying with my BFF, Rachel Klapper, who is also studying to be an Anusara yoga teacher.

In the meantime, I do have to finish this Newfoundland article, so I'd best get to it. But stay tuned for more on the Yoga Journal conference!

Baba ghanoush

Our CSA share has been full of eggplant lately, as well as corn, onions, tomatoes, and peppers...all the ingredients to make all my favorite foods! I've been making eggplant Parmesan, fresh corn salad with peppers and tomatoes, green salsa with the tomatillos and hot peppers from my own garden (which was sadly neglected this summer, but the tomatillos took over anyway), and of course, baba ghanoush.

This past weekend, I made the delicious baba ghanoush. I roasted three different kinds of eggplants in the oven: a classic purple, a lavender globe-shaped, and a long skinny Japanese. After roasting, the eggplants were very soft and shriveled. I let them cool then I peeled them and put all the flesh in the food processor along with 1/4 cup tahini, the juice of half a large lemon, 2 minced garlic cloves, a teaspoon of dried cumin, and about a half teaspoon of sea salt. Pulse, puree, and the result was amazing--creamy and tangy.

Today for lunch, I toasted a whole wheat pita, spread it with the baba ghanoush, topped that with slices of smoked Szechuan tofu, then topped that with fresh chopped tomatoes and baby spinach. Yum.

End of Summer, New Beginnings

At last, school has begun. The house is quiet during the day. I can actually work...and just finished the Beagle book I've been working on (it will be published early next year). I don't know how I got anything done at all during the summer, although I certainly did, finishing the Naturally Thin book I co-authored with celebrity natural foods chef Bethenny Frankel, star of The Real Housewives of New York City. Now I immediately have to start a book about living green with companion animals, and after that, I'll be co-authoring a book about the chakras with my BFF Rachel Klapper, a yoga teacher I've written about here before.

Obviously, whenever summer winds down and fall begins, my mind turns vigorously to the work at hand. Other things happen too, though. My quest for greater fitness in preparation for attending the Yoga Journal conference in Estes Park, Colorado, in September, continues successfully. I've already dropped about 8 more pounds (on top of the 15-something that disappeared while writing Naturally Thin), and I've been working out regularly and sinking deeper and deeper into my yoga practice. I feel great, and extra bendy. The best part about it is that I haven't sacrificed a bit when it comes to enjoying delicious food. I've learned how to eat whatever I really want, add what I need for good workout fuel, then stop after I've had enough to make me happy. It's working.

Last night, we went out to dinner with our friends Nick and Amy Martin to the Motley Cow, a restaurant known for its liberal use of fresh local ingredients. I spotted the owner, chef David Weiseneck, in the kitchen so I knew the food would be delicious. Amy and I ordered the fettucine with lobster (obviously, lobster isn't local but couldn't resist the pasta). Ben had the Iowa pork with French beans, goat cheese, grilled pears, and a delicious ruby-red beet sauce. Nick had the lamb. Mine was great but I couldn't eat very much of it because it was so filling. Two bites of Ben's pork confirmed it was fantastic. Next time, we plan to try their less opulent menu items, such as the pizza or sandwiches.

Today, we have a blissful quiet weekend without the kids and I'm just wrapping up the proofreading and printing out of the Beagle book, watching the European Grand Prix (it's our thing we do), and enjoying a delicious savory lunch of homemade chili, flavored with just a bit of shredded pork loin and loaded with chili beans and fresh local zucchini, chard, corn, tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, and summer squash, topped with some fresh locally made tortilla chips, a little sprinkle of cheese, and big scoops of salsa verde and pico de gallo, handcrafted by Carmen at La Reyna, my favorite local Mexican restaurant. Who knew I could be eating like this and still losing so much weight?

I'm up to a full five minutes in sirsana now. Life is good. Namaste and bon appetit!

Locavore Status and Losing Weight

Our quest to eat local has been going well this summer. Pictured above: Locally baked sourdough bread from the farmer's market topped with local free-range eggs from a nearby farm, garlic chives from my CSA share, and green salsa, handmade by a small local Mexican restaurant. Not all ingredients came from Iowa, but it was all made by Iowans. One thing about Iowa: we produce a lot of food!

However, we did cheat a little bit. A few of our favorite things are produced in states that touch Iowa--like the goat milk I like from Heartland creamery, various delicious cheeses from Wisconsin, and the occasional neighboring-state fruit, condiment, etc., so we expanded our rules to include these. It's been easy to find meat, milk, and just about every vegetable we could want (except avocados). We've also harvested greens from the garden, and although it needs serious weeding, the tomatillos I tried this year have sailed above the weeds and are producing well. They look about ready. The weeds haven't been so kind to my peppers, so I need to get out there, but my work schedule has been intense and of course it's summer so when I'm not working, I tend to want to be lazy.

Meanwhile, my CSA pickup has been full of great veggies so I haven't been wanting. Fruit-wise, we've gotten peaches from Missouri, and we've cheated a little when the kids really wanted something like plums or apples that came from states not bordering Iowa. Because if the kids want fruit, want am I going to say? "No! Eat some Iowa bacon instead!"

On the yoga front, I will be heading to the Yoga Journal conference in Estes Park towards the end of September and although I've been doing a lot of yoga, I'm still carrying some extra weight. I lost about 18 pounds while writing the Naturally Thin book with Bethenny Frankel, but I need to finish the job, so I've decided to drop 16 pounds by September 21. I think I can do it if I just cut back a little on the indulgences and step up the exercise. So that's my goal, starting today. My son, Emmett, who is 10 years old, is going to do this with me because he wants to drop some weight too. He's been having an overindulgent summer, as we all have, but he's not as active as his brother so it sticks to him the way it sticks to me. So together we are on a healthy eating and exercise quest, so we both feel better and have more energy. We can do it, Emmett!

This is Emmett, getting a good workout, mowing the lawn (with proper hydration, of course).

Of Floods, Flu, Fishponds, and Fireworks

Iowa City is finally drying out from the 500-year flood, we are all finally recovering from an unpleasant bout with the flu, we finally moved our fish inside because our fishpond was getting too hot...and today is already the end of a month that began with a lot of beautiful fireworks in the company of family and friends.

But enough with the F-words. As July winds down and we prepare for the hottest month of the year, and I put one book behind me and face three more books due in the next four months, I also realize I need to be posting more regularly here, to keep closer track of my yoga and food journeys. I'm busy, of course. Aren't we all? But that doesn't mean yoga and food aren't still important parts of my life. Today for lunch, I had sourdough toast with eggs, cippolini onions, portabella mushrooms, and spinach, all fresh from the farmer's market...and I didn't even take a picture! What was I thinking?

So my thought for today is: slow down.

When life gets busy, I know I not only neglect basic household chores, but I get used to racing thoughts. I'm always thinking about what's happening now, what's happening next, and what I can do about what just happened. I get so used to multi-tasking that while everything important gets done (mostly), nothing gets done all that well.

In the dog days of summer, why am I rushing? I have a lot of work to do today, sure, and for the next few months. (And probably for the next few years.) But that doesn't mean I can't slow down at least a little every day, look around, and appreciate what's going on around me.

Right now, I've got a lovely hot cup of coffee in front of me, two dogs under my desk watching me with love, and two kids downstairs behaving themselves. I can hear the summery sound of a lawnmower and cicadas singing outside. The kitchen smells fragrant from the eggs I made for lunch. I feel strong and sweaty after finally making it back to the gym today after being sick. Now, I'm settling down to work on my Beagle book. Later, I'll make dinner, then get in a good evening yoga practice.

Life is good. Today I'm going to enjoy it.