Great Place to Buy Yoga Books... Phoenix Books

I've been driving past this red book barn on route 13 for almost 2 years and have never stopped.  I used to wonder why they would have old books sitting out on the front porch--in all the elements and rain surly making its old pages curl and deteriorate.  One day I stopped, trying to waste some time before going to an appointment.  I ended up walking out with several books and only spent $14!  They have a wonderful yoga section where I found such books as "Tantra Yoga" and "Light on Life" by B.K.S. Iyengar, which was put on my reading list by my yoga instructor.  I also picked up a book on the history of Existentialism and the next book in a series by my favorite author, Piers Anthony, "With a Tangled Skein".

Seafood Quiche

So, I was cleaning out my freezer and found some random stuff I could make for dinner. A good friend taught me how to make quiche--a dish I always thought was too difficult or something only french chef's made.  Now, I can make the dish in sleep and its a good last minute dinner.  So, today I emptied out the freezer and found some lobster, crab, shrimp, and fresh spinach I had froze before I went on a trip.  So, I present to you seafood quiche!

Ingredients

9'inch pastry shell

4 eggs beaten (I used 3 eggs b/c that's all I have)

2 cups of heavy cream (I used 1 cup b/c of my small pan)

lobster meat/crab/or shrimp

spinach (sautéed)

Erica's Unordinary Extraordinary Blueberry Pie

Ingredients

3-4 cups of fresh blueberries

7 Tablespoons of Tapioca pudding

3 Table spoons of water

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 Table spoons of lemon juice

1 9'' graham cracker pie crust*

Crumb topping**

Graham Cracker Pie Crust*

1 1/4 graham cracker crumbs (you can but this pre-made or just put into blender)

1/3 butter

2 Table spoons organic cane sugar

Crumb Topping**

1/2 flour

1/4 butter

2/3 Organic cane sugar

Mix sugar, butter, and graham cracker crumbs

Press mixture into pie pan.

Mix blueberries, cinnamon, sugar, and tapioca.

Pour into pie crust

Make crumble topping spreading evenly. Put into pre-heated oven 375 degrees until golden brown.

We were too anxious to try the pie so its looks more like a cobbler.  However, blueberry pie is best after a night of refrigeration.

Brad's Banana Berry Smoothie

Today was a fantastic day in central NY. We decided to go blue berry picking at a local U-Pick Farm (2011 W. Tower Rd Cortland,NY).  Blueberries were $1 per lb. and we picked approx. 3 lb. of beautiful blue berries.  Afterwards, we went to the market to fetch our remaining ingredients for our smoothie.  Couldn't help but snicker at the $3.99 organic pint of blueberries on the shelf :)

Brad Harris (above)

Brad's Banana Berry Smoothie

4 bananas

1 cup blue berries (freshly picked!)

about a cup of plain Organic yogurt

organic cane sugar (to taste)

Pineapple Juice

*add 4-5 ice cubes so that your smoothie is chilled.

My next recipe adventure!....photos coming soon!

Whole fish watercress

Watercress whole fish: Fried Whole Fish Dressed with Spicy Bean Sauce 

Their cuisine: homemade pickles 

Raw materials: Fushou fish, cooking wine, green onion, green red hot, pepper crushed ginger 

Production: 1. Saucepan with hot oil poured into the next two golden fish煎至, remove 

2. A small amount of oil will stay low heat炒熟ingredients 2.炒香Add a spoonful of bean paste Pixian 

3. Hook status of a small bowl of Health入锅powder boiled water. Adding a small amount of soy sauce, sesame, chicken essence seasoning 

4. The sauce evenly poured onto the fish can be a 

Left-Overs Meal..Black Pepper Chicken, sticky rice, with Udon noodle and Chinese Vegetable

Black Pepper Chicken, sticky rice, with Udon noodle and Chinese Vegetable*

*I need help identifying this vegetable!

Select Udon. I went with organic, duh :)

Bring water to boil.

Cook 4 minutes.

Drain then serve.

(if cooking for cold udon, just rinse with cold water)

Noodles appear thicker than spaghetti noodles...

Sauté vegetable in olive oil and garlic.

Prenatal Yoga

I wanted to let you know that will be going to a training class in August to become Pregnancy Yoga certified through YogaFit.  here's what  I will be learning:

Designed exclusively for YogaFit by a board certified obstetrician/gynecologist who has been practicing and recommending yoga to her patients for years, the program features safety for your students and simplicity for you. Classic yoga poses have been selected specifically for use during pregnancy and the postpartum period. These are linked in a gentle "flow" style, according to the YogaFit® "3-Mountain" method.
Mother- and- Baby Workshops will give you a streamlined approach to teaching Prenatal and Postpartum YogaFit classes that you can use right away with confidence. Every YogaFit Prenatal pose presented in the manual will be safe for your students throughout all trimesters of pregnancy. Modifications and props are clearly outlined. Confusion over "which student can do what" is eliminated. Poses to help relieve the aches and pains of pregnancy, from morning sickness to early labor pains, are included. Breathing techniques and pelvic floor exercises that your students will find valuable during labor and delivery are stressed. Anatomic changes and emotional issues are discussed. YogaFit® Postpartum poses are linked in a specific order designed to follow the natural healing path of a mother's body after delivery. Teach new poses and review old favorites as you guide your students through a safe, flowing transition between pregnancy and traditional YogaFit.
This course is designed for any YogaFit instructor who wishes to expand his or her competence into the delightful world of Mother and Baby Yoga.

I will be offering private sessions either in one of the studio locations (Lansing, Dryden) or in your home/office.  If there is enough interest for a group class I will also make that an option.

There are two ways you can help: First, if you or someone you know if pregnant, send them my way!  Doing yoga while pregnant can be nourishing to yourself and your baby.  Pregnancy yoga focuses on: yoga exercises that are gentle, safe, and strengthening, Breathing, Meditation, and deep relaxation.

Second, you may choose to support me in my efforts by making a donation. Donations are tax deductible and no dollar amount is too small! Also, as a small token of my appreciation, I will send you a free gift! (its a surprise but its good :)

For more information of yoga during pregnancy check out this article:
Prenatal Yoga

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Cambodian Sweet rice Tamale

wrapped in a large banana leaf...mmm....sooo good! Can be found every weekend at the ithaca farmer's market.

Summer time is Key Lime Pie Time!

Ok, so Brad's favorite pie is key lime.  Every year for our anniversary (July 9th) I make a pie. However, this year I had a difficult time finding real key limes.  Last year I managed to get some but most of them were brown and discolored.  So this year I tried Nellie & Joe's Famous Key Lime Juice (this can be found in the juice section of your local market).  The flavor of this lime juice was so great: tart, slight sweetness, and tangy.  Here is the recipe I followed on the Nellie & Joe's website:

• 9" graham cracker pie crust
• 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
• 3 egg yolks (whites not used)
• ½ cup Nellie & Joe's Key West Lime Juice
• *optional: add cream cheese for a creamier pie

Combine milk, egg yolks and lime juice. Blend until smooth. Pour filling into pie crust and bake at 350º for 15 minutes. Allow to stand 10 minutes before refrigerating. Just before serving, top with freshly whipped cream, or meringue, and garnish with lime slices. 

This pie was great! Tangy and limey...I also add a little bright green food die to give it that extra color.  You can experiment by even adding color to your whipped topping.  We decided that we wanted a creamier pie. So, the next day I made another pie and just added 8 oz. of cream cheese: heaven.

Strawberry Smoothie

Sandra and I went to an organic strawberry farm and picked out 5 lbs. of berries!  Its important to go organic with strawberries since they are capable of carrying more bacteria than any other fruit. So when do you know when to spend the extra money to buy organic? A friend of mine pointed out once that if it has a protective peel on it--no need to by organic i.e. bananas, oranges, etc. During the next 7 days we made many things: strawberry jam(turned out too sweet..I used Spenda :(, strawberry pancakes, strawberry shortcake, etc. etc.).  So, I only had about 2 cups left of strawberries and I was quite frankly, getting sick of them!  So, Brad decided to make a strawberry banana smoothie which was so tasty!

Ingredients

Organic Strawberries

Banana

Vanilla yogurt

Non-fat milk

Black Pepper Chicken with Egg Rolls

Black Pepper Chicken Sauce (found at Asian market)

Chicken cut and diced.

Cook chicken with sauce until brown.

Place chicken meat and shredded cabbage or slaw mix diagonally.

Fold bottom corner up snug, moisten left and right sides and fold inwards similar to an envelope. Last, moisten top and roll.

Uncooked egg rolls.

Cooked egg rolls.

Viola! Black Pepper chicken with mushrooms, egg roll, and duck sauce.

Dinner in 30 Minutes! and How to get your husband to eat vegetables Tip #4

Quiche! A traditional French dish is easy to make. Plus, you can use up leftovers or a carton of eggs that are about to expire.

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

• 4 organic eggs (I like the brown cage free Omega-3 eggs)
• 2 cups half-and-half cream (I use organic fat free half and half and it taste the same!)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon white or black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 4 ounces Jarlsberg cheese, shredded (if you don't have these cheeses on hand don't worry..you can just toss some cheddar shredded cheese in there!)
• 2 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie shell

Mix all ingredients making sure to whisk eggs first.  Add a vegetable like spinach or ground turkey.  Bake in oven at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.  Enjoy!

Great midnight snack

I often have a piece of toast with some apple butter on it for a snack.  However, to my surprise its packed with refined sugar and high fructose corn syrup! Why make something so pure and wonderful like the apple into a sugary no-no food Musselman's?  As soon as I'm done with the jar I will be in search of a new apple butter that is more natural

Udon Seafood Soup

Followed a recipe in pictures since it was in Japanese... recipe in English to follow shortly..

Clams, seaweed, clam juice, shrimp, octopus, and udon....yum!

Pancakes..ooo pancakes

As many of you know: I love pancakes!  The no-fail recipe I use is right off the Bisquick box:

2	cups Original Bisquick® mix
1	cup milk
1	tablespoon sugar
2	tablespoons lemon juice
2	teaspoons baking powder
2	eggs

Mix everything together. Add fruit if desired (I love fresh blueberries and strawberries, diced).  You'll know when you need to flip when the top of the pancake is bubbly.  This really takes practice.  I personally like my pancakes golden brown so I use Pam's nonstick spray olive oil.  My husband, however, prefers his pancake to have that buttery ring to it :P So, before each new pancake I either butter the pan or spray with cooking spray. Top pancakes with only New York pure maple syrup from your local sugar shack! 

Chai Tea Latte

This is by far my favorite hot beverage besides coffee.  The chai tea.  It is a mix of black tea, milk, honey, topped with cinnamon.  I like ordering it non-fat so that it is extra frothy.  I usually have my chai at my local watering hole, Coffee Mania and pair it with a bagel or the best cake-brownie I have ever had!

Actually the photo featured with the brownie was a non-fat latte but you get the idea!  Coffee Mania used a Oregon Chai mix which I like because it does not have any corn syrup or refined sugars--its made with pure cane sugar.

Egg Salad Sandwich..what I've been eating for the last 5 days

I felt I needed some more protein for the last week (this was my first natural cycle of the month). Egg salad is easy:

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

• 8 eggs
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons prepared Dijon-style mustard
• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 red onion, minced
• salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil; cover, remove from heat, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel and chop.
2. In a large bowl, combine the egg, mayonnaise, mustard, dill, paprika, onion and salt and pepper. Mash well with a fork or wooden spoon.
3. Serve on bread as a sandwich or over crisp lettuce as a salad.

I was out of tomatoes today so it was just a plain sandwich. Every lunch is accompanied by my daily vitamins: Shaklee Multi-Vitamin (2), Shaklee Vitamin B-Complex (2), and Gentle Iron 28 mg (1).

Night out at the Super Cream, Dryden

Anytime we go and get ice cream we take the dogs--make them feel like we're doing something special, which we are.  brad got his usual chocolate peanut butter shake and I decided to be daring and get the new chocolate covered pretzel on a cone.  It was basically really creamy chocolate ice cream with crushed up salty pretzels: perfect combo.  The pretzels were a little mushy but all in all great!