Cabbage and White Bean Soup

This is a recipe I barely modified from Heidi Swanson's blog 101 Cookbooks. I cooked my own beans but you could definitely use the canned equivalent.

You'll need:

Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
4 or so Yukon gold potatoes chopped in cubes
1 onion chopped
1 small head or 1/2 medium head of cabbage sliced thinly
2 or more (I used more) cloves of garlic
1/2 cup dried (then cooked) or a can of white beans (rinsed thoroughly)
Stock (or water, adjust seasoning)

You can totally cook some bacon or ham (if your karma is up for it)and use the grease instead of the oil, then sprinkle the rest on top. I am going to do this next go round per Josh's request and I think it will give it more depth.

Heat the oil and add the potatoes and cook until they begin to brown and soften. Add the onions and then wait just a few minutes before adding the garlic. After everything is just soft, add some stock or water to cover the veggies plus 2 inches. Then add the cabbage and your beans and cook until the desired tenderness is reached. Remember to season the entire time (through each step, and yes taste test it for sure) or you may have a watery soup at the end.

I served mine with cornbread muffins and pats of butter. It was great reheated the next night too :)

Jess' Best Salsa (for Gary)

I guess I am back on the recipe kick. It's turning into fall, and that's when I really like to hang out in the kitchen. I LOVE making soups, but this one is a little more summer inspired. Also, it is super easy!

Summer Salsa:

2 tomatoes (seeds removed)
2 avocados
1/2 red onion
3 scallions (white and green parts)
3 cloves garlic
2 jalapenos (seeded and ribs removed)
1 can of corn (rinsed)
1 can of black beans (rinsed)
small palm full of cumin
salt and pepper to taste
juice of 2 limes

I chopped the garlic and jalapenos really small, almost a mince, and left the other veggies pretty chunky, mix well and enjoy! This goes great on tortilla chips but could also be served as a salad or topping for fish, etc.

Day Twentyseven

I slept in and missed class this morning. Oddly, I don't really feel bad about it. I think I am just super excited for vacation! Josh has the truck all ready to roll, we are cruising to Myrtle Beach in black betty, since my car doesn't want to cooperate lately.

I am psyched to be traveling with my mat. I am looking forward to some morning beach yoga practices. I am so grateful to be able to get away for a while and it seems like an appropriate 'reward' for myself after almost 30 days of Bikram yoga.

While I will miss it a little, I am looking forward to what comes next and how my practice will develop from here.

Namaste ya'll :)

Day Twentysix

I cannot believe I have made it this long, the practice is feeling like second nature. It will be strange to change things up again for the month of July. I am excited though to be getting back to my mat, in my little yoga room to dive deeper into my personal practice. I will certainly visit the Bikram yoga studio from time to time, to sweat it out and to recharge.

I can feel the vacation daydreams coming on strong now, I don't even feel like blogging!

One day to go!!!

Day Twentyfour and Twentyfive

Day Twentyfour, I counted down the minutes until I could get away from the computer and go to class. I have been worried about finishing my current work load before I leave for vacation Saturday.

It was really good, and I needed to sweat so badly. My knees are still a little sore, but nothing that a week at the beach wont fix.

Today (day twentyfive) is a whole nother story.

I am skipping class.

I know! Part of me spent a good ten minutes berating myself for skipping, the majority of me decided that I am about spent myself and I still have to teach a class tonight. I don't think the rainy day helps. Didn't Milli Vanilli sing that song, blame it on the rain, yeah, yeah? (I know some of you sang it in your head as you read the words.)

Anyway, Ive decided I need to chill, maybe do a few yoga poses to get ready for class tonight and it feels pretty good.

I may be easing into vacation mode fairly easily after all.

Day Twentythree

Oh the list of what not to do in Bikram has grown.

I spent the first half of the entire standing series in pain, a very strange pain that I was having difficulty deciphering. I noticed that throughout the first few minutes of class my knees were filling with a sort of burning sensation. As you know, my knees have been sore the past few days, so I was left thinking, "Oh my god, what have I done now." These types of thoughts continued for what seemed like hours and I kept returning my awareness to my breath, breathing through the sensation. The sensations were different from most joint pain I have ever felt. It was a hot burning feeling, like boiling water hot, flowing through my knee joint.

By the time we got to eagle pose, around 25 minutes in, it dawned on me. I had rubbed badger balm all over my knees this morning to soothe the ache. Well, badger balm it turns out, burns the crap out of your skin when you are sweating in an extremely hot room!

So I spent the remaining 90 minutes praying that the badger balm would sweat off and that I wouldn't accidentally rub it in my eye during all the head to knee postures!

It's pretty funny now, but I have realized that rule #2 of what not to do in Bikram Yoga is: Do not put badger balm on your skin even six hours before class. Rule #1 of course still being: Do not forget to do laundry before class, because you may end up with no pants on.

Day Twentyone and Twentytwo

Oh man, I had a glimmer of hope in the back of my mind that it wouldn't happen, that I could easily push myself to the limit for 30 days without any negative repercussions.

My knees are a little bit mad at me, they are sore, inflamed, and tired.

They say to kill yourself for 90 minutes instead of 90 years. Maybe I took the 'killing' part a little too literally.

On the other hand, my back feels better, stronger, longer than it has in a while. Maybe my knee comfort was sacrificed for my back, who knows, but I know it is time to slow down.

I am going to continue with my Bikram yoga journey, but it will not be for a full 30 days. I am not going to quit due to my sore knees, and actually Im not quitting at all.

Josh and I leave for vacation on Saturday which intersects my 30 day challenge (I obviously didn't think that far ahead when I planned this latest adventure.) It looks like when I finish this week it will be 25 days of Bikram- minus the two that I skipped while in Asheville, so 23 days of Bikram. Who does a 23 day challenge?

I guess I do, and it sure has been a challenge. The true Bikram challenge is 60 days, I don't think I would have the balls of steel needed to complete it, though I have met two inspiring ladies who have done it or nearly finished.

I have decided that I am super proud of my 23 days in total challenge and I am starting to think I will really miss it everyday! My downdog, shoulderstand, handstand, arm balancing self has gotten accustomed to the same 26 poses every day, none of the above included.

I have to admit that I did the first headstand in a while in the middle of my day today and it was awesome; I could have held it FOREVER!

Mmmmm headstand, downdog, handstand, crow....