Food, Yoga, Food

Greetings! 

So, last week was my birthday run (woo!) and last weekend I went to a yoga workshop with Bhavani Maki.  Crazy amazing week I had!

So on my actually birthday MEH and I went to dinner with VeggieMama at Southside Bistro in town. I'd never been there, but had heard it was quite tasty, and didn't want to go to the usual fare in our area.  We arrived to incredibly friendly service, attentive hostesses and servers, and an excellent wine selection.Mmmm.
VeggieMama and I split their bruschetta: 

She ate the cheese and let me eat the rest :)  The basil was perfect, the pesto divine, and the bread was toasted just enough to be crispy, but not so much that it was a falling to pieces. 

VeggieMama and I got a soup and salad for dinner- she the Cream of Asparagus (I think?) and I the Tomato Bisque.  We also got salads - strawberry ones - and MEH, the meat lover he is, ordered the skirt steak with taters and roasted veggies.

I love the B in the soup! So cute!  The soup was in a small, what looked almost like a demitasse cup, but was so filling!  The texture was nice - thick enough to maintain a more heavy consistency,  not chunky, and not remotely "soupy" - and the spices were great.  The basil in the soup definitely was a delight.  The salad was equally tasty.  The vinaigrette that they used wasn't too balsalmicy (yes, I said that) and the strawberries were well distributed. 

Verdict:  Totally a win.  Our server was just lovely and the atmosphere was quiet enough to enjoy pleasant conversation, but not so quiet you were afraid you'd disturb your neighbor.  The selection provided a lot of options to VeggieMama and I, and certainly courted MEH's taste for steak.  It's on a spendier side, but not so much that I'd feel like I'm breaking the bank on dinner. 

When you dine out, are you a go big or go home person, or do you stay on the cheap side?

We also went to Orso with MEH's family the next night, but I didn't get pictures there.  Rest assured:  Next time you go there, you simply must get the Wild Mushroom & Spinach Ravioli (without the salmon), because you might just giggle in your chair.  Amazing.

And then on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, I was a yoga-doing fool.  Things learned will pan out through Mantra of the Day, but it really was a treat. 

Have you ever done a yoga workshop?  Any other workshop? For anything?

On Tuesday I dabbled in my new favorite creation for dinner:  Lickety Split Lettuce Wraps.  I've been trying to shy away from gluten in my diet, and while it will be a long journey, now that I'm improving my lettuce skills, it's certainly looking on the up and up for me.  Th upside to these guys?  I get full with fewer calories and significantly less/no gluten! Wooo!

Lickety Split Lettuce Wraps:

2 Hearts of Romaine leaves
1 jar of Black Beans (I buy cans of pre-cooked beans; you can get dried ones and soak them yourself, if that is your fare)
1 Roma Tomato
1/2 Avocado
1/2 Red Pepper
1 cup Broccoli
Spike & Tabasco sauce to taste

I start by heating the broccoli florets and chopped red pepper in a saute pan. 
Add the Tabasco and Spike to taste - it sounds a lot spicier than it comes out, honestly.
Add the black beans in, add more seasonings to taste. 
Pull out your Hearts of Romaine, arrange them on the plate for easy serving.
Slice the avo into desired portions - I just mixed mine up in the veggies and beans after I was done cooking - but you can put slices on top if you like
Spoon the mixture onto the wrap, add tomato to the top.
Voila!

I made these with rice the day before, and they were equally delicious!  Yurm!  They get messy though.  If you put as much stuff in them as I do, you may need to eat some of the veggies and beans with your fork first, then wrap/fold the lettuce when you aren't so stuffed. 

Delicious!  I was certainly full with all of the black beans and avo I put in there, but I didn't feel icky full.  And I didn't have the extra 300 calories the tortilla would have added.  So easy!  I think prep, cook, and finish took all of 15 minutes.  Mmmmm

Any new discoveries in your kitchen?

This weekend SweetCaroline and I are going to see Boyz II Men! Ahhh!! *Cue screaming and swooning here*.  I have loved B2M since I was . . . oh. . . . 8?  I actually found a journal entry from when I was young that lists all 4 members as my crushes at the time.  I had crushes when I was 8?  Really?  Wow.  Anyway.  I adore them.  Their music still gets me a-car dancing.  And I'm totally excited that it will be outdoors, and I can drink! I've never been to a concert at the fair (Alaska State Fair is going on and is the host of the concert) and been able to drink.  Woot!  Nothing crazy, of course, but the beer in hand seems to up the fun level.  Look for pictures of any naughty bad foods I find.  It will be the AK State Fair's version of "This is Why You're Fat!"

Also, going on a short road trip with VeggieMama.  Yay for photos of beautiful AK before winter comes!  Really excited for that, too!
Any crazy plans for the long weekend?!

Mantra of the Day:  Atha yoganusasanam.  It sounds more like:  A'ta yoganu shasa nong.  This is the first Sutra from Patanjali's Yoga Sutras.  There are many ways to translate it, but the basic one is: Now the art of yoga beings.  When Bhavani was talking she said that "Atha" is much more than just "Now," But along the lines of "Aha!" or "Finally!", and in some circles, "God," or "The Divine."  It is almost an invocation.  When she said "Finally! or "Aha!" though, it was more of an expression of great love and appreciation.  She likened it to when you are in a pose, or any situation, and after months or years of practice, you finally achieve your goal, the "atha" moment.  You are totally present, aware, and in acceptance.  Yoga, also, does not just mean the physical practice of yoga.  That is a part of the path.  But she was also quick to note that out of 196 sutras, only 3 deal with the postures.  The state of mind and attitude of the practitioner are far more important.  Yoga actually means "union,"  and for Bhavani, as I'm sure for many the goal of yoga, ultimately, is not enlightenment or getting your foot behind your head, but the process of letting go.  Knowing the nitty gritty of yourself and letting it be there.  And pushing yourself when it's your mind that's whiny, not your body.  So.  Now the union of learning/understanding begins.  Living in the absolute present.  Letting go of the past.  Coming into the union of your mind/body/the collective life existence.  The desire to discover and learn whatever it brings.  That is the essence of the sutra.  Atha!

Question of Gratitude:Who or what are you thankful for today?:  I am thankful for my old dog Harley.  Harwosh!  He is 14 years old.  When we got him out of the freebies, the add said he was a "springer spaniel mix."  Now, if you can find where that went, let me know:

Harley, about 3 weeks ago

           He is old, very fatjolly, cranky as can be, blind as a bat, nearly deaf, and has a bad hip.  But he wags his tail and gets all excited when I sing to him.  And has those darn cute ears.  And loves belly pats.  Oh! And he knows "sit!"

          I love this old ball of fur more than words can say.  And he just keeps on going and going and going.  Thank you, Harwee, for sticking around and being full of love and lots and lots (and lots) of fur!