Fifty Second Friday: Breathe

Inhale. Exhale. I feel like those are words so regularly repeated while teaching my classes. But actually taking those words to heart and applying them to my own life, comes with a little more difficulty. I often forget to breathe. Moreover, yoga instructors regularly encourage students to listen to their bodies and not push beyond their limits. Yet, it is another thing to embody that in our own practice and daily life. These past five weeks or so have really driven home this realization

It has been over a week since I checked in, and I apologize. But it has been one of those weeks. Normally, I would turn to yoga as an outlet for pent-up frustration, to quiet my mind through concentration on challenging poses, and hear the calming voices of some of my favorite instructors. But, that type of yoga practice is still not available to me, as my stress-fractured foot continues its healing process. Reining my usual levels of activity, pacing myself in this healing process, has been not only fraught with ups and downs, but also a new appreciation of the human body's resilience and limitations.  

Particularly during the past few very busy weeks, it has been increasingly important to find ways to de-stress. Swimming has become a conduit for not only releasing energy pent-up from working at a desk all day and not being able to run. But it also has served a similar role as yoga - focusing attention on breath and moving into an almost meditative state. Constant awareness of the breath is critical while swimming, and the repetitive motions and solitary nature of the exercise provide ample time for reflection, and clearing of the mind.

It is also tart cherry season. This fruit, while high in antioxidants like others in the berry family, has also been found to ease pain and act as an anti-inflammatory. And while it may not move you into a state of pure calm and relaxation, mixing it with a bit of chocolate will definitely increase your sense of satisfaction and perhaps provide a cheerier outlook even on a bleak day.

Tart Cherry Chocolate Smoothie

1/2 cup pitted tart cherries

1/4 cup strawberries, fresh or frozen

1/2 cup almond milk, unsweetened

1/2 banana (optional, could also sub 1/4 cup soaked nuts or yogurt for thicker texture)

1 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1 square semi-sweet/dark chocolate

1/4 cup spinach

5 drops stevia

1. Blend until smooth. Serve!

This is also posted on Wellness Weekend! For your own state of mental well-being, try to seek out that space to breathe.

Thirty Second Thursdays: Cherry Berry Green

Yesterday we spent some time discussing food waste, and how there is plenty of room for improvement. Well, you know those beautiful bunches of beets in season at the farmers market? And you know how once you've diced and roasted the roots you are at a loss for what to do with the tops...so you toss them? Never again! After making this smoothie with the semi-sweet beet greens, I'm buying the bunches of beets for the foliage.

You may recall and acquisition I made while in Portland this summer. Slowly but surely I am making my way through cherries (from Out West) and blueberries (from MD) sitting patiently in my freezer. If you happen to have some frozen (or canned, for that matter) spoils of summers, here is a great way to use them up!

Cherry Berry Green Smoothie
1/3 cup frozen Bing cherries
1/3 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup shredded beet greens
1/4 cup non-dairy milk
1/4 cup non-dairy yogurt
1/2 lemon, juiced
5 drops vanilla stevia (optional)

Check out this and more on Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.

You're Invited!

This time of year, the proportion of zucchini in my diet peaks, although lags slightly behind tomatoes and peaches. While I enjoy it simply prepared, roasted or sauteed, sometimes it is necessary to infuse a little something extra. My fellow DC bloggers, Victoria of the District Chocoholic and Valerie of City|Life|Eats, have invited any interested blogger to participate in a Zucchini Chocolate Blog Party. Yes, you heard me right, a celebration of two spectacular edibles!

The idea is to share a recipe of your choice that involves chocolate and zucchini. It can be sweet or savory, use any type chocolate or summer squash, and ascribe to one of four challenges:

• Challenge: A recipe using chocolate and zucchini
• Plant-Based Challenge: A vegan recipe using chocolate and zucchini
• Gluten-Free Challenge: A gluten-free recipe using chocolate and zucchini
• Ultimate Challenge: A vegan and gluten-free recipe using chocolate and zucchini

Based on my track record, you can probably guess what I chose. My situation was complicated slightly due to the fact that I am residing at my parental units' home, but I managed to scrounge up a few ingredients and make use of the large patty-pan squash from Sunday's farmers market. Some leftover frozen cherry halves were icing on the cake. Enjoy!

Chococherry Zucchini Cookies (yields 12ish large, vg, gf)

1 cup grated zucchini

1/4 cup vegetable oil (can substitute applesauce for lower-fat version)

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup brown or turbinado sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla or almond extract

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup almond meal

2/3 cup oat flour (or other gluten-free flour)

1/2 cup tapioca starch

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

Cherry halves - about a dozen

1. Grate zucchini into a bowl. Add oil, sugars, extract, and cocoa powder, mixing until uniform.

2. Combine rest of the dry ingredients until it all comes together. For cookies, the dough should be pretty thick, so add more oat flour as needed. If you decide to make mini cakes, it can be a little more batter-like.

3. Use a tablespoon to scoop the dough onto a lined cookie sheet. Press a thumb into the center of the cookie, and the place a cherry half in the dent.

4. Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes until outside of cookie set. Allow to cool before consuming... or, plop a scoop of vanilla soy ice cream on top and dig right in!

I think this is one of those "bake your cake and eat it too" moments.

Sing a Song: Attack of the Macs!

Summer has finally arrived! Not that I would wish my life away or anything, but the prospect of summer fruit could compel almost anyone to yearn for July to roll around. Yes, cherry/plum/apricot/raspberry/strawberry season has come, and the bounty has started to emerge. Granted, our cool and damp spring weather has hindered fruit harvest slightly, but I remain optimistic.

One of the fruits I most anticipate is the cherry, preferably dark, firm Bings. Last spring, I had the great fortune of living within easy access of a cherry tree, although by this time in the Bay Area the fruit would be long gone! But here in the PNW, cherries are ripe for the picking.

So this month, Mactweets challenged us to take inspiration from a song when concocting our little almond cookie sandwiches. As a devoted Broadway musical fan, a good portion of my iTunes selection consists of showtunes. During the fall of 2008, I had the great fortune to attend Spring Awakening in San Francisco. Not only was the performance marvelous, but in the preceding weeks leading up to the show I managed to thoroughly addict myself to the soundtrack. It seemed perfectly appropriate to listen to the final song, The Song of Purple Summer, while baking macarons for this challenge.

In the spirit of the song and the recent transition from spring to summer, my sister and I celebrated her return from London by creating Purple Summer macarons. Yes, these little green pistachio gems are filled with a deep amethyst cherry preserve. While slightly undercooked (I admit to being impatient!), the flavors really did complement each other nicely. I highly recommend David Lebovitz's guidelines for No Recipe Cherry Jam to fill your macs!