Homemade Peanut Butter + Tree Pose

Today's post is a combination of two of my favorite things:

1. peanut butter; and
2. tree pose (vrikshasana).

First things first. 

Yesterday I successfully made homemade peanut butter!  Several of the blogs I follow have made similar, homemade versions of this delectable, pantry staple.  But before yesterday, I never had the guts to try making it myself.  Truthfully, I didn't think I could do it.  Not only did I have nightmares of a globby, tasteless, and unspreadable mess, but I doubted my cheap, Cuisinart food processor's ability to withstand the job.

In the end, I was more than pleasantly surprised with the result.  My peanut butter was smooth, flavorful, and perfectly spreadable.

Homemade Peanut Butter
Makes approximately 1- 1/4 cups

2 1/2 cups salted, roasted peanuts
1 T brown sugar
1 T coconut oil

Directions:

1. Place peanuts into your food processor.
2. Let food processor run for 2-3 minutes, until peanuts begin to release oils and become smooth.
3. Add brown sugar and coconut oil to peanut mixture.
4. Process for an additional 1-2 minutes until desired consistency is reached.
5. Store in an air-tight container, in the refrigerator, for up to two weeks.

Here is a picture of what your peanuts will look like after Step 2 (see above):

After the brown sugar and coconut oil are added (Step 3), you have this smooth concoction:

Bo and I have already spread our homemade peanut butter on toast, cookies, fruit, and into yogurt!  I don't think we will have any problem finishing this up before it expires in two weeks! :)

This particular recipe is very basic.  Before I started to play around with fancy peanut butter flavors, I wanted to make sure that I could make the most basic version.  Now that that has been accomplished, expect lots of fun variations in the future (you've been warned!).  I am already envisioning chocolate coconut peanut butter, maple peanut butter, cinnamon peanut butter, and much much more! 

And who says I have to use peanuts?!  I will also be experimenting with almond butters, pecan butters, cashew butters, etc.  YUMM-O!

As a final note, perhaps the best part of this whole recipe is COST!  One of my favorite bloggers, Ashley from (never)homemaker, estimated that 2 cups of homemade peanut butter costs approximately $2.50!  If any of you have bought organic peanut butter/almond butter/cashew butter from the grocery store, you know how crazy expensive these items are!  Jars of this liquid gold are frequently $7.00, $9.00, $11.00 - especially for almond, pecan, and cashew butters.  So, learning how to make this stuff at home could be a huge budget saver!  Now, if that doesn't convince you to give this recipe a shot, I give up!

Moving on to my second favorite thing in this post: tree pose (vrikshasana).


Isn't this picture just stunning?!


As I mentioned in this post, my photographer (i.e. Bo) has been working late hours at his other job (i.e. flying for the United States Navy).  I've wanted to do a yoga post for the past few days, so today I decided to do one utilizing the professional photos of others.  We still plan to take our own photos for future posts, but for today, I am using the "borrow from others and make it your own" motto.

Tree pose - or vrikshasana, in Sanskrit - is one of the more popular and recognizable yoga asanas.  If you have ever been to a yoga class, you have probably done this pose. 

Vrikshasana has numerous benefits, including:

• building balance;
• purifying the nervous system;
• concentrating the mind;
• strengthening the legs;
• opening the hips;
• spreading the chest;
• opening the shoulders; and
• counteracting the effects of osteoporosis by building bone mass in the standing leg.

As a teacher, I love that tree pose is both accessible to new yoga students, and presents a challenge to the most seasoned and advanced practitioners.  For example:

• new yogis can practice vrikshasana with their foot against their ankle, and their toes remaining on the mat;

• more experienced practitioners can practice tree pose with their foot on their calf; and

• the most experienced yoginis can place their foot on their inner thigh.

When practicing vrikshasana, notice the placement of your hips and shoulders.  The hips and shoulders should be facing straight ahead in the posture.  If the hip of the lifted leg is tilted slightly back, that is a sign that you have over-rotated the raised leg.  The focus of vrikshasana is not on how "turned out" the lifted leg can be, but rather on the integrity of the squared hips and shoulders, and the improvement of one's balance.

When first practicing the pose, hands will remain in prayer position (anjali mudra). 

As practitioners' balance improves, the arms may be slowly lifted towards the heavens.  However, don't rush this progression!  First, it is important to:

• allow the shoulder blades to release down the back, towards the hips;
• create length in the neck; and
• stay rooted in the standing leg.

If, when you attempt to lift the arms, the balance or anatomical alignment of the body are compromised, that is a sign that you are not yet ready to progress to the next stage of the pose.

Patience...

Peace...

Non-judgment towards your practice...

Progress will come, but only with time and continued practice.

As with all yoga poses, there is always room for growth.  One of the newest challenges I am incorporating into my vrikshasana is closed eyes.

This is much harder than it looks.  Some days I can hold my tree pose, with eyes closed, for 30 seconds.  Other days, the moment I close my eyes my tree yells "TIMBBEEERRRR"...and down she goes.

That's the things with balancing poses.  Every day they are different.

I once asked a teacher how to meditate, and he said, "If you want to learn how to meditate, master vrikshasana."

Because that's just it - all balancing poses are really just a reflection of my inner self!  They are meditation in action!  So, if I didn't sleep the night before, or I had a dispute with a loved one, then my mind will be unsettled, and my balance will be out of reach.  However, if I am well-rested, peaceful, and joyful, my balance will be within grasp.

Lesson:  When I learn to calm my mind, I will not only succeed in my vrikshasana, but also in my meditation, and in my life.

Next up - maybe a guest post from "B"?!

Question of the Day:

Do you have balance in your life?

Blessings,
Ally and Bo

Mexican-Inspired Pasta Toss

Change of plans: no yoga post today.

I was all ready and excited for today's yoga post, when I encountered a snag in my plan. 

You see, my photographer (i.e. Bo) has been working late hours at his other job (i.e. flying for the United States Navy. I know, how dare he, right?!  Hahaha...totally kidding!).  Thus far, I haven't been able to wait up until 10:30-11:00 p.m. for a yoga photo shoot!  Moreover, I have yet to figure out how to set the timer on my camera, much less position it perfectly to capture the yoga poses on my own.  With that said, my next yoga post will just have to wait until my camera man is back in the home office! :)

Instead, today you get a scrumptious pasta dish!

Before Bo left this morning, he asked if I might make him a midnight snack for when he gets home.  As I have mentioned in previous posts, Bo gets quite ravenous in the evening!  It is getting close to our weekly grocery store run, so our refrigerator is a little sparse...especially in the meat category.  So, I needed to get creative and come up with something that was both flavorful and protein-packed. 

I must say, the end-result far exceeded this not-so-pasta-loving-girl's expectations!  (Yeah, I know, I'm weird...I just don't really love pasta all that much.)

Mexican-Inspired Pasta Toss
Serves 3-4

• 2 medium zucchini, sliced into half moons
• 1 crooked neck squash, sliced into half moons
• non-stick cooking spray
• 1/2 tsp Herbamare, spicy blend
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 2 servings penne pasta
• 1-2 T cilantro, minced
• EVOO
• 1 can pinto beans, rinsed
• cheese for garnish (I used Daiya mozzarella)

 Directions:

• Place half-moon zucchini and squash on a greased baking sheet.
• Sprinkle Herbamare, pepper, and cumin over vegetables and toss to coat.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes, tossing every 8-10 minutes to ensure even roasting.

• Cook pasta according to package directions.
• Drain beans.
• Once pasta is cooked, drain, and immediately toss pasta and beans together in a large serving bowl.
• Add minced cilantro, EVOO, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
• Toss to coat.

• When vegetables begin to brown around their edges, remove from oven and immediately toss into large serving bowl with the pasta mixture.

• Garnish with cheese and an extra sprinkle of cumin.

I think cumin is the key ingredient to this dish.  Actually, cumin is one of my favorite spices!  I was surprised to discover that cumin is among the top 10 selling spices in the U.S.  It plays a key role in spice combinations such as taco seasoning, chili powder, and Mexican and Southwestern dishes. Cumin is also an essential ingredient in virtually every global cuisine, particularly the more trendy foods of North Africa, India and the Middle East. (citation)

In totally unrelated, but too-cute-not-to-post news, take a look at my friend Bethany's son Everett in his Halloween costume!

Isn't he the cutest thing EVER?!

Bethany is so creative.  She crocheted his hat and bib in a few hours!  And take a look at that adorably painted pumpkin!  I almost squealed when they dropped by Halloween night to visit. :)  Everett was just too cute for words!  I can't wait to see what costumes Bethany will come up with in the years to come...

Question of the Day:

Do you have a favorite spice? 

In addition to cumin, I also love cinnamon!  Bo always jokes with me about how much I use cinnamon.  The other day I was making him a turkey and cheese sandwich and he says, "Just make sure you don't put cinnamon on it!" 

I almost sprinkled it on there just to spite him :) hahaha!

Blessings,
Ally and Bo

Growing Out My Hair

Announcement: I have decided to grow out my hair!

Actually, I decided to start growing out my hair about a month ago, but I am just coming public with my decision.

Don't get my wrong, I have really loved my pixie cut! 

It has been:

• fast;
• easy to style; and
• most importantly, fun!

But, there are several aspects of having longer hair that I miss. 


I love you Dad!


For example, I want to be able to:

• pull my hair back into a ponytail;
• have variety in my hairstyles (i.e. curly, straight, up, down, etc.); and
• feel my hair on my neck, shoulders, and possibly even back.

Truly, having short hair has been liberating.  It has helped me to feel comfortable with my face and big cheeks (which I have always been self-conscious about), and it has reminded me that beauty comes in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and lengths.

But for me at least, there is something inherently feminine and beautiful about slightly longer hair.  I am not talking Rapunzel here (although I did love Disney's Tangled...hehehe), just something shoulder-length or longer!  But then again, who knows...I may grow it really long...

Just kidding :)  I don't think Bo would like getting tangled up in my hair (pun intended)!

In the end, it all depends on the health and thickness of my hair.  Due to my problems with ED in the past, and as a result of my more recent issues with Grave's Disease, my hair has been thin and fragile.  As a result, I have never been able to grow it much longer than my shoulders.  But, with ED a distant menace of the past, and my Grave's Disease on the decline, it might turn out to be the perfect time to grow my hair out really long!  After all, there was a time that it reached my buttocks...so I know it can be done (not that I plan on going to those lengths this time around)! 

For now, I am hoping for something along these lengths by spring 2012:

Then, perhaps by next fall/winter I can be back to something like this:

And from there, I will just see how it goes.  Ideally, I think it would be awesome to reach something like this:

...but we will just have to see if that is possible in terms of thickness and strength.  My dad as always loved long hair on women.  I am not exactly sure what about long hair he loves (Its femininity? Beauty? Disctinction from men?) , but regardless, I am sure he is excited to hear about my "growing out" plans!

Next time - perhaps a yoga post is in order?!

Question of the Day:

Do you feel like your hairstyle reflects your personality?  How has your hairstyle changed over the years to reflect your ever-changing self?

Blessings,
Ally and Bo