Dijon Green Beans Almondine

Since I can remember, every holiday season my mom's side of the family and my dad's side of the family have gotten together in the days immediately leading up to Christmas day for separate holiday parties.  This Christmas my mom's side of the family gathered on December 23rd (Christmas Adam, as I call it!), and my dad's side of the family met on December 24th (Christmas Eve, get it?!).  My dad's side of the family decided to make things easy by meeting for a late lunch at P.F. Changs (memories of the movie A Christmas Story come to mind), but my mom's family decided to do a potluck.  With twenty-one people in attendance, and many of them bringing the tried and true holiday casseroles (i.e. squash, corn, sweet potato, dressing, etc.), I decided to make something light, yet equally delicious.

Unfortunately I forgot to take ANY pictures of my dish.  Oh well.  I assure you that the entire pan-full was consumed by the first go 'round!  As people went back to the food line to fill their plates for a second time I heard: "Where are the green beans?" "Are the green beans all gone?"  "Who made the green beans?"  "Can I get the green bean recipe?"

Yes...you read that correctly! 

The green beans were one of the hits of the potluck!  That just goes to show you that good food can be simultaneously healthy and yummy.

This isn't a picture of my dish.  I forgot my camera that evening. :(

Dijon Green Beans Almondine
Serves 10-12

2 lbs. of fresh, trimmed and snapped green beans
2 T Smart Balance (or butter)
2-3 T Dijon mustard (I used 3T)
1 T lemon juice
1-2 cloves of garlic (I used 2)
1/2 tsp salt
2 T fresh thyme (or 1 1/2 tsp dry)
1/3 C slivered almonds

Directions:

1. Melt butter over medium heat in a large pan (or Dutch oven).
2. Add garlic and saute until lightly golden (2-3 minutes).
3. Add green beans, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice. 
4. Toss to coat.
5. Cook until beginning to tenderize (5-8 minutes).
6. Sprinkle salt and thyme over the green beans.
7. Garnish with slivered almonds.
8. Serve immediately.

The almonds give these green beans a wonderful texture.  I love the mild heat that the Dijon lends to the recipe, and the lemon juice brightens the flavors so that the garlic and mustard are not overwhelming.  Overall, a huge hit and a wonderful way to do something a little different with the tried and true green beans.

The family had a great time at our annual Christmas party.  In fact, some of us even took time away from the festivities for a photo-op.

Mom and Mike (i.e. M&M)

 

Mom and Forrest, my biological brother.

 

As for my dad's side of the family, after we finished our late lunch at P.F. Chang's on Christmas Eve we headed over to my Mee Maw and Pee Paw's house for a visit.  We spent the evening watching the Cowboys football game (Bo's a die-hard fan!), sharing old family stories, and opening presents. 

People who know my Mee Maw and I say that we look a lot alike.  My Mee Maw was a true knock-out when she was younger!  Even now, in her seventies, she hardly has any wrinkles (I hope I get that lucky!).  What do you think?  Can you see the resemblance?!

Bo and I received more presents that we could have hoped for this Christmas.  Some were on our lists, and others were pleasant surprises.  Regardless, we are thankful for each and every one of them, from our iPod docking station to our backpacks and new perfume, and everything in between.  I even received a little something sparkly: Vera Wang flats that can be worn throughout every season of the year (and I plan on doing just that)!

Until next year, try and keep some of that warm holiday spirit in your heart!  Holidays are just days, but the spirit of giving, loving, and sharing our homes and our hearts with all of our loved ones can be with us every day of the year.

Question of the Day:

Are there any special foods or recipes that you wait to whip up until the holiday season rolls around?!  I would love to hear about them!

Blessings,
Ally and Bo

Yoga Classbook Project & a Yogini Friend

I'm back!

After quite the airport journey (I'll spare you the story and just tell you the ending), Bo and I are back home in Corpus Christi.  As always, it was a little sad to leave my family in Alabama behind, but I will say that having the blog makes the "goodbyes" a little bit easier.  One of the things that I love most about my blog is the feeling of connectedness I get from writing each post.  Even though all of my blood relatives - and many of my closest friends - are states away, writing each blog post makes me feel like I am talking/sharing/communicating with each one of you. 

I know you are probably wondering about my Christmas vacation (i.e. How many parties did I go to?  What did I cook?  What presents did I give and receive?, etc.), but all those questions will just have to wait because this post is about this:

And how I turned it into that:

So what is that exactly?  Well, let's just say that I intended on sharing this post with you BEFORE my Christmas holiday, but I didn't get around to it before it was time to pack up my suitcase and hit the airport!

That is the "before" and "after" of my Yoga Classbook Project.

What, you might ask, is my Yoga Classbook Project?  Well, let me explain.  It all started with this...

...a dining room table full of yoga asana sequences. 

I don't always follow these sequences exactly when I teach, but they do serve as a guideline and for my instruction.  Needless to say, my notes runneth over!  These notes were disorganized, in all shapes and sizes, and were quickly getting bent, torn, crinkled, and stained with use.  So, I decided to do something about it by organizing my notes by class type, shielding them in page protectors, and placing them in a three-ring binder.

Step #1:  Organize into seven minor class categories (Family Yoga, Restorative Yoga, Chair Yoga, Hard Body Yoga, Invigorating Yoga, Calming Yoga, and Dude Yoga).

Note: I do not teach seven styles of yoga.  I teach one style of yoga: Integral Yoga Hatha.  These categories merely represent the focus of the class, which is always taught in the Integral Yoga tradition using the designated poses, and their variations and modifications, for Hatha I.

Step #2: Combine the seven minor class categories into five major class categories (Family Yoga, Chair Yoga, Hard Body Yoga, Invigorating Yoga, and Calming Yoga).

Step #3: Place each yoga class into a sheet protector (I placed two per sheet protector, front to back).

Step #4: Label five tab dividers according to the five major class categories.

Step #5:  Place tab dividers, and their corresponding class page protectors, into a three-ring binder.

The final product is well-organized, easy-to-use, and light-weight.  I can't wait to carry my classbook to the studio this week :)

The weekend before Bo and I left for our Christmas vacation, I visited a good, yogini friend in Houston.  Fransisca lives in Santiago, Chile and we originally met at Satchidananda Ashram-Yogaville during the 200 hr. teacher certification program.


May 2011


Since we live nearly half a world away from each other, I wasn't sure when we would actually be able to see one another again.  We have always kept in touch via email and Facebook, and we have discussed the possibility of Bo and I coming to visit her in Chile, but the reality of a face-to-face visit seemed to be a minimum of a year away.  Well, God had other plans!  What a gift to be able to see Fran so soon...and to meet her family as well!

Fransisca and her mother, father, and brother were visiting Houston for a few days before heading over to Miami for the holidays.  Since Corpus is only a 3-4 hour drive away, we thought it was the perfect opportunity for visit!

Fransisca and I were instant friends.  Some people might say that it was the fact that we both speak Spanish, or that we love yoga, or that we have both endured (and overcome (!)) medical hardships, but the truth is I just think we have similar hearts.  Fransisca and I just "click," and our friendship, although relatively young, is deep and genuine.

One of the highlights of our reunion was visiting a local furniture/art gallery.  One of Fran's family friends is an artist who's paintings were being shown there.  The furniture was exquisite, and "if I were a rich man, yubby dibby dibby dibby dibby dibby dibby dum" (yes, that was a play on the lyrics from Fiddler on the Roof), I would outfit my entire home in its confections.

One of Carmen's creations.

Fran and I in front of one of Carmen's beauties.

We also shopped, ate, and just visited during our time together in Houston.  Although I had only visited Houston once previously (and had not been impressed), I enjoyed my time in the city's downtown near the Galleria.  There were a plethora of restaurants, stores, malls, and hotels within walking distance.  All in all, we made good use of our convenient location and explored some variation of each of the aforementioned locations.  At one particular stopping point, I caught a cute shot of Fran assisting her father! :)

Meanwhile, Fran's mother and family friend, Carmen (the wonderful artist mentioned above), decided to rest their weary feet!

In the end, although we only had two days together, Fran and I rekindled our special friendship.  I LOVED speaking Spanish non-stop for two days (just ask Bo, he could hardly make me speak English for a day or so after I returned!), but the true highlight of my trip was just being able to hug my sweet-hearted friend.

I will close this post with an unique side note:

While we were at Satchidananda Ashram-Yogaville, both Fransisca and I received spiritual names.  Fran was given the name Santoshi which, in Sanskrit, means contentment.  From what I know of Fran, through all of life's trials and tribulations, she is the most beautiful embodiment of contentment I have ever. seen.

 
Next up:  The green bean recipe I cooked for a family Christmas party (trust me, it was a HUGE success)!

Question of the Day:

Have you done a craft project recently?  If so, what was it; and was it a success?! 

OR

Do you have a friendship that, although relatively new, is deeply meaningful?

Blessings,
Ally and Bo

Reader, whoever you are, I am thankful for you and I am so happy to consider you a part of the ABC blog community!

Tacky Christmas Outfit Party

As most of you know, my husband is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy (USNA). After Navy beat Army for the TENTH year in a row yesterday afternoon (!), Bo and I were ready to party!  After all, a decade of dominance is nothing to go uncelebrated.  Lucky for us, close friends of ours were hosting a "Tacky Christmas Outfit" party!

On Thursday afternoon, after raiding our own closets and coming up with nothing, Bo and I realized that we would have to go scavenging for suitable "tacky Christmas outfits" for this sure-to-be-fancy-soiree.  First we tried the Goodwill...and found nothing.  Then we decided to visit the next tackiest place we could think of...Wal-mart!  And whaddya know?!  We found an abundance of choices. 

Ultimately I chose a men's 3X t-shirt, and styled it up in my own unique way...

Bo, on the other hand, went a little on the drag queen side of things choosing a woman's 2X nightgown topped with a Santa hat.  His military boots topped off the look...

Yeah...that's my handsome hubby right there... :)

Our wonderful hosts, the Erwin's, planned the perfect holiday party for the dozen (or so) of us that were there!

There were holiday treats:

Tasty libations (courtesy of our in-house bartender, Mrs. Lee!):

and kits for a gingerbread house contest later in the evening! (Much more of that to come a little later in this post.)

Bo and I had so much fun!  Can you tell?! hehehe...

Little Everett had a great time too! He's such a party animal. :)

The highlight of the party was the Couple's Gingerbread House-Building Contest (and yes, that is the event's official name!).  Each couple had between 40-45 minutes to build their masterpiece, and this competition was no joke!  Each couple claimed their working space, formulated a plan, and got to work.  45 minutes later, there was...

...ONE huge mess...

...and five gingerbread houses!  Here's what everyone came up with:

• House #1: "Let it Snow!" by Mr. and Mrs. Lee

• House #2: "Ollie the Hedgehog's House" by Mr. and Mrs. Erwin

• House #3: "Candy Cottage" by Mr. and Mrs. Behne

• House #4: "House of Gingermen Wrestling" by Mr. and Mrs. Baker

• House #5: "Memories of the 9th Ward" by Mr. and Mrs. I-Don't-Know-Their-Last-Name (and don't want to put their first names on the blog)

The tough decision came after we had all finished our houses.  We knew that none of us could be impartial in choosing the contest winner.  So...what to do?!

Why, enlist a hedgehog of course!!!

Really. 

I'm 100% serious.

Mr. and Mrs. Erwin have a pet hedgehog names Ollie.  We figured that Ollie might be willing to help us out in our time of need.  So, we put her on the judging table, and let her get to work!

At first it seemed like she might have been partial to the "House of Gingermen Wrestling."

But in the end it was meant to be because she chose "Ollie the Hedgehog's House!"  Just look at her all snuggled into her new, humble abode!

I promise you...she just walked right in!

Bo and I had such a blast at the party!  It was filled with yummy food, drinks, friends, laughter, and a hedgehog!  What more could we have possibly asked for this Christmas season?! :)

It's just a couple days until I can say "12 days 'til Christmas"!

Question of the Day:

Have you been to any Christmas parties this year?  If so, I would love to hear more about them!

Blessings,
Ally and Bo

A Weekend Filled With New Things!

So far this weekend I have experience THREE new things, and they have each been wonderful and memorable in their own right!

This post has LOTS. OF. PICTURES.  Each one was taken with love, and with you in mind, so enjoy!

New Thing #1: I rode a horse!

One of my most dedicated yoga students, Catherine, owns The Corpus Christi Riding Center.  On Friday, she invited Bo and I for a visit.  Thankfully, as a result of Veteran's Day, Bo was off for the day, and I had the morning free from teaching.  So, for about three hours on Friday morning, we visited with Catherine at the riding center. 

The Riding Center covers over 70 acres of land.  At the center, Catherine currently has 14 horses (here are pictures of a few of them):

Sky



Ravon



Magic





Magic...again :)



This is my favorite of the horse pictures!


roosters, hens, and guinea hens:


Let me tell you, he was one cocky rooster!



Flying the coop! :)

 a small herd of cows:

and countless dogs and cats!

Catherine definitely has her hands full, but from the smile on her face, it is obvious that she loves her center and all the animals in it!  It was such a joy to witness someone that truly loves what they do for a living.  Not only that, Catherine's excitment for her land, her animals, and her equine training was contagious too! 

Towards the end of our visit, Catherine let both Bo and I ride Sky.  I had never ridden a horse before, so this was very exciting for me (and I can't lie, just a little bit scary too)!  It turned out to be so. much. fun.  Sky was calm, well-trained, and an all-around smoothe ride.


Bo needed a slightly larger horse :)



Sky and I really worked well together!


Catherine even taught us how to "trot" (sort of like a light jog for the horse).  Although we both "trotted," Bo forgot to take pictures of me at that juncture (insert sad face here), so here are a few of him.  I promise I did it!

By 12:00 p.m. we were both getting tired and hungry, so we decided to say our "thank you's" and our "good-bye's" and head home for lunch.  We had such a good time!

Catherine has already invited us back for another ride and a hike, so look out for future posts on this topic!

New Thing #2:  I played golf!

Ok, maybe I didn't feel that graceful, but I did have fun!  Unfortunately, as we were pulling out of the driveway, I realized we had left our camera in the house.  Oh well, personal pictures will be taken next time, I promise!

On my first day of ever playing golf, here's what I learned:

1. People aren't lying when they say golf is hard.
2. People really aren't lying when they say golf is hard!
3. If you look at the ball when you swing the club, you are much more likely to actually make contact with the ball, DUH!
4. Swinging hard isn't necessary.  If you hit the ball correctly, the club will do most of the work for you.
5. This might actually be a sport Bo and I could play together. Hallelujah, I hear the angels singing!

New Thing #3:  We bought, and decorated, our first little Christmas tree as a married couple!

Since we won't be spending actual Christmas Day here in Corpus Christi, we decided to get a small tree, put it up a little early, and enjoy it for a full month!  We don't have that many decorations or ornaments yet (hint hint hint), but we put what we do have to good use.  Here are a couple of close-ups!


Santa's Little Helper - from Great Aunt Dolly via Mee Maw Rives



A gift from a dear friend in Enid, OK.


So that's it! 

1. We rode horses.
2. We played golf.
3. We bought and decorated our first Christmas tree. 

So far it has been a wonderful weekend.  And guess what?!  It's only Saturday!  The possibilities for Sunday are practically endless... :)

Question of the Day:

Have you done anything for the first time recently?  If so, I would love to hear about it in the comments!

Blessings,
Ally and Bo