I count my blessings

If you read my last post, you know about City of Hope.  Today was the yoga event benefitting this research hospital and I attended with two co-workers.  We hope to have a to have a bigger group next year to represent our lab (ah-hem).   This was an incredible day for yoga on the green in Seattle Center. Imagine: 69 degrees, sunshine, green grass, the International fountain and the ringing of bells surrounding you on a Saturday morning and you are about to begin daily yoga practice with friends surrounding you.  Blessing number one.

Dustin has been trying to introduce me to his friend he met at the gym, Ty, and his family.  After the long wait, we met and walked around our neighborhood's street fair.  Ate goodies, gawked at crazy dancers, chatted with neighbors and met new ones and finished the day with JERF-ing (ask me or Ty if you don't know what that means).  So happy to expand my circle of friends with such energizing folks. Blessing number two.

Thank you to my mother-in-law for stopping by to see my grandma.  I think she really enjoys the company.  It's nice to know that my loved ones can connect even when I'm not in the equation.  Blessing number three.

My last blessing is that I have a supreme bed to lay my body to rest on because it's been a looooong, fun but exhausting day.  I'm going to treat myself to day two of sleeping in.
Peace!

I love beets more than you do...

You might be thinking, 'well, that's not hard.  Beets are gross and they taste like dirt.'  At least that's what my husband says to me.
Others might be thinking that I just presented a valid challenge.  I've found that those who like beets generally love them and vice versa.
Well if you do love them, I've found something wonderful for you.  Besides being great for your gut health, blood circulation and making your poo red, this smoothie is good for athletic performance and recovery from sustained exercise.
Breakfast today was a cherry and beet smoothie and it blew my mind how good it was.  I drank the whole thing before remembering that the recipe was for two servings!  Found this one via the Nourishing Meals cook book this weekend.  They also have it posted on their blog.  I really love these resources because you can tell they refine the recipes if they don't work the first time and kudos to the chefs for constantly trying new combos.
Try this recipe even if you think you don't like beets.  You may be converted to the red side.

Cherry-beet smoothie
1/2 cup grated beet root
1/2 cup grated jicama (their recipe calls for a small pear, but jicama is what I had on hand)
8-10 frozen red cherries
1/2 cup water
1 tsp ground chia seeds (for good health measure)

Put everything in the blender and blend, blend, blend.

Sip, sip, away!

Let's help one another

Have you ever joined a fun run or an organization because you believe in the cause?
Or done it because someone you know invited you?
Or because you were just looking to do something good for someone else?

I remember the first fun run I participated in was benefiting Chrone's and Colitis, both irritable bowel diseases.  This was the first organized run I did since running cross country in high school.  As it was my first experience with running for a cause, I dedicated my run to my grandma.  It takes a lot out of a person to deal with this kind of issue because so many things can contribute to an abdominal 'flare-up.'  I was learning bits and pieces about it as my grandma was going to one doctor appointment after another, trying one type of diet after another to minimize the symptoms.
In any case, I was rusty as a runner and wanted to get back into the groove for my own health.  It was very fun, and I felt good about being around all the other people there for the same reasons.

Coming up next weekend in Seattle is an event called Yoga For Hope which donates to a research hospital called City of Hope.  They have been researching the effects of yoga and other integrative therapies on patients who have cancer.
My co-worker has created a team for us and other co-workers at CellNetix to join to help support this great event.  I believe that not only doing the practice increases my own self awareness about health, but I hope that this will be an opportunity for me to learn more about City of Hope or possibly meet other people who are interested as well.
I invite you to join the team and come out to support this cause and have some fun doing yoga.  If you want to donate, you can do so online and click on the pink 'DONATE' button.  Please understand, I am in no way asking you for money or support.  This is something I think is great and am interested in sharing the heath benefits with you!

Taste of Thai!

This weekend we were super enthusiastic about planning meals for the upcoming week.  Preparing meals ahead of time is a surefire way to make sure you have something healthy on hand when you are busy during the work week.
I know the feeling at about 3 o'clock when my mind begins wandering to what we will have for dinner (instead of keeping my mind on work like I should be).  I always think, what's in the fridge, what meal/cuisine haven't we had this week, what will Dustin want for dinner and how many times will he change his mind between now and 5 o'clock?
Last thought; 'Let's just go out for dinner.'
WRONG!
Well, okay. Somedays you just have to throw up your hands and say "It's a Taco Time night!"

Not this week!
A very taste-of-thai dinner we had with leftovers for tomorrow and the rest of the week.  Tom Ka Gai (coconut/chicken soup) and Som Tam Thai (green papaya salad, pictured below).

Garnished with shredded carrot and green cabbage and raw peanut pieces, this dish is refreshing with a lime dressing.

This soup is relatively easy to make...

IF...

... that is a big if, you have all the ingredients.  We made a trip yesterday to Viet Wah in Chinatown for the galangal, lemongrass, thai chilis, cans of coconut milk and lime leaves.  But it is so worth the trip for the special ingredients.  If you've ever ordered this creamy, citrus-y soup from a restaurant you know what I mean.

We are very satisfied, and ready to settle into bed and watch a couple of episodes of Portlandia after all that work in the kitchen!

Exactly!

My aunt shared this quote with me recently.
If we are not living our lives according to these words, what are we doing?
This could be interpreted in many ways; some people will say "learn something new everyday," but I think of it as the same thing.
I feel I practice yoga in this way.  It is easy for me to look at yoga as a whole and readily accept that I have room to improve.  On the other hand, it's not so easy to try harder within my job.  I think I know all the ins-and-outs of my duties, but it would serve me well to find ways to expand within my current position.
I have taken my own advice here by combining two things that are important to me by teaching a short yoga class each week for my coworkers.  What I've learned is that I'm good at the poses, myself, but I could use a few pointers on teaching.
Each week I am grateful for this opportunity and continue to log the hours as experience.  Let me know if you have any tips on teaching for me!

My growing boy!

Growing boys need milk. Raw milk that is...

Thanks to the co-op in Bellingham, Dustin got a reasonably priced half-gallon of raw Jackies Jersey Milk, a dairy in Bellingham.
There are so many health benefits to raw milk that we just don't get from pasturized.  We have been hunting and with little luck finding it for sale in the city.  Usually we find a store that carries one dairy farmer's products, but then they shut down by bouts of e-coli.  Frustrating!  My theory is that some of these dairies get popular and try to increase production, and with increased volume comes more opportunity for contamination. 
Our continued quest: how do we support our nearby farmers and keep them in business without increasing the demand so much that the  processes become flawed?  Is raw milk a small industry by nature, or can it become a large business?  Maybe we have to find a way to reverse the business model that we've created...

Want a super food for allergies?

Try Nettles!

This is soup made with them. Here's the recipe!

Adapted from Irish Traditional Cooking by Darina Allen

5 oz. young nettles
4 Tbsp butter
10 oz. potatoes, chopped
4 oz. onions, chpped 4 oz leeks (white parts only), chopped
Salt and fresh ground pepper
1 3/4 cup good quality chicken stock
1/2 cup cream or full-fat milk

Blanch the nettles in boiling water.  Drain them in a colander and set aside.
Melt butter in a soup pan over medium heat and add the potatoes, onions and leeks. Saute until the vegetables soften a bit (5-10 minutes).  Season with salt and pepper.
Add the chicken stock and cook until the potatoes are soft all the way through.  Add the nettles to this mixture and transfer to a blender or food processor.  Thin with the cream and serve warm.



My seasonal allergies are now in full swing.  The first thing I always reach for is my nettle tincture.  This has been my miracle when I am sneezing, and my eyes and throat are itching.  I just put a dropperful under my tongue and chase it with water (because it is not a pleasant taste).  Joane to the rescue the first year I had these terrible allergies; I now buy these each year.  I was super excited when my aunt Barbara told us she was bringing this soup for Easter dinner.  Any way I can get nettles in my diet is a +!
Another thing I just tried this year is chewing seeds of culinary nigella.  I found these in the Ethiopian market in Cherry Hill when I was making a recipe of greens to go with my lentil wot.  Dustin started chewing about a 1/4 teaspoon of them every morning and claimed they cleared up his allergies considerably.  So I'm trying them out.  It seems to be working, whether its a placebo effect or not.
Always looking for other good and natural alternatives to chemical allergy meds, so please share if you have any!

Nettles Superfood profile