Anyone can make strawberry rhubarb crisp. Anyone.
I grew up with a huge rhubarb plant in my backyard. For a treat, my sister and I would take a rhubarb stalk and a tiny cup of granulated sugar...dip stalk in sugar, bite, dip stalk in sugar, bite. It sounds gross now but it was heaven then!
My dad has taken to growing a field of strawberries in the backyard. My mother has made strawberry rhubarb pie for many years. I'm not a fan of pie crust. I like my oatmeal crumble topping. I can make a strawberry rhubarb crisp with my eyes closed and I think you can too!
Grab a dish - preferably an 8x8 but any size close to this will do (a pie plate, a brownie pan, a 9x9 dish).
Chop rhubarb into small pieces until you have 2 cups. Set aside. Slice 1 cup of strawberries. Toss the rhubarb and the strawberries with 1/2 cup to 1 cup of sugar (depending on how sweet or sour you like your dessert!) and add 1-2 tablespoons of flour (add more flour if you like your crisp more thick...add less if you like it more runny).
Butter your dish and add the strawberry rhubarb mixture.
Place 1/2 cup of flour, 2 T to 1/4 cup sugar (brown sugar is great here!), a pinch of cinnamon, and 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of oatmeal in a bowl (rolled, not quick). Blend together and cut in 2-4 T of butter depending on how crumbly and buttery you want your topping. Sprinkle your streusel over the fruit.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 40 mins - just until the gooey goodness bubbles up around the edges and the top gets a tan. Remove from oven, let sit 15 mins or more, devour.
See? Told you it was easy. Go make one right now!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Feel Your Way: After 108
108 at Just B Yoga was a one-of-a-kind incredible experience. Mentally and physically it is one heck of a journey. We were lucky to have scored two incredible musicians. One to play crystal bowls for the first half and the other to play an African drum for the second half. Hitting the 28 mark was rough. Surya Namaskara A...over...and over. Full body prayer no matter how you spin it. Getting to the modified Surya Namaskara B was rough too...but when we hit the count of 70 I could feel an end in sight. Taking time to hold certain postures and deepen in really helped me get through it.
Did I do all 108 Sun Salutations? I doubt it. I don't care. I practiced something new and significant with a room FULL of amazing people.
The next day my body wasn't nearly as sore as I thought it would be. The repetition made me notice important pieces of my practice. I fall heavily onto my left heel when repeatedly standing...I dump into my right shoulder a bit going down through chatturanga. These things I may not have known without trying 108.
My practice has been altered by the 108 class. I feel myself "leading with my heart" more. I feel like I've solidified my space. It feels great. I feel good...
Did I do all 108 Sun Salutations? I doubt it. I don't care. I practiced something new and significant with a room FULL of amazing people.
The next day my body wasn't nearly as sore as I thought it would be. The repetition made me notice important pieces of my practice. I fall heavily onto my left heel when repeatedly standing...I dump into my right shoulder a bit going down through chatturanga. These things I may not have known without trying 108.
My practice has been altered by the 108 class. I feel myself "leading with my heart" more. I feel like I've solidified my space. It feels great. I feel good...
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Summer Solstice and Rosaries: Change, Connect, Practice
Today is the Summer Solstice and the day I check try 108 Sun Salutations at Just B Yoga. To prepare for this experience, I've been detoxifying my mind and body. I cut out processed foods (not that I was eating many in general), greatly reduced the amount of grains I'm eating, added more fruit and vegetables and protein, cut out all chocolate/candy/alcohol and took in a lot more H20.
I'm grateful for the amount of information on the web and for the blog posts Belinda has been putting out about how to prepare for 108. In preparation, I attended a yoga class.
On my way to class, I walked into a beautiful conversation with a wise friend about letting go of habits and hobbies that you just aren't that interested in to make room for other things. Beautiful. Then I went to Ashtanga class at Hilltop Yoga. I haven't been to Ashtanga in two to three months. As the foundation of vinyasa and power yoga, I feel like getting to know Ashtanga is important, even if I can't get into the second half of the postures. Last night's practice showed me how far I've come in 10 months of "doing yoga". Our sangha re-energized the space. Again, beautiful.
Reviewing B's blog entries, I started reading up on malas. Immediately I connected the concept to the Roman Catholic rosary I grew up with. Last night I dug around in my jewelry box to find my rosaries. I have one from my first communion, one that belonged to my Mom, and a small rosary that was also part of my Mom's family. The latter two have tarnished with age...there were old stories of praying on rosaries and having their metals transmute to gold. I no longer pray on rosaries, but I find their significance important. My love of lore and myth and the spiritual world began there.
I plan on bringing the small rosary with me to focus my thoughts and energy as I move through 108 Sun Salutations to the best of my ability. There is no time like the present to make positive change. Whether or not I get through all 108 isn't the point...it is a practice, not a perfect. Life is a continual practice...not a perfect. Happy Solstice.
I'm grateful for the amount of information on the web and for the blog posts Belinda has been putting out about how to prepare for 108. In preparation, I attended a yoga class.
On my way to class, I walked into a beautiful conversation with a wise friend about letting go of habits and hobbies that you just aren't that interested in to make room for other things. Beautiful. Then I went to Ashtanga class at Hilltop Yoga. I haven't been to Ashtanga in two to three months. As the foundation of vinyasa and power yoga, I feel like getting to know Ashtanga is important, even if I can't get into the second half of the postures. Last night's practice showed me how far I've come in 10 months of "doing yoga". Our sangha re-energized the space. Again, beautiful.
Reviewing B's blog entries, I started reading up on malas. Immediately I connected the concept to the Roman Catholic rosary I grew up with. Last night I dug around in my jewelry box to find my rosaries. I have one from my first communion, one that belonged to my Mom, and a small rosary that was also part of my Mom's family. The latter two have tarnished with age...there were old stories of praying on rosaries and having their metals transmute to gold. I no longer pray on rosaries, but I find their significance important. My love of lore and myth and the spiritual world began there.
I plan on bringing the small rosary with me to focus my thoughts and energy as I move through 108 Sun Salutations to the best of my ability. There is no time like the present to make positive change. Whether or not I get through all 108 isn't the point...it is a practice, not a perfect. Life is a continual practice...not a perfect. Happy Solstice.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
One Hundred and Eight Sun Salutations...Really?
As our yoga teachers are fond of reminding us in the middle of the sweaty dirty crud-melting part of surya namaskar A (Sun Salutations)..."some people wake up and do 108 of these!" Really? 108 Sun Salutations. That is one hundred and eight of stand up, fold down, half flat, float back, plank, chaturunga, upward dog or cobra, down dog, float up, half flat, fold down, all the way up. Yeah. And that's just "A". At first glance this seems like something that will require extreme physical fitness and endurance.
It looks something like this:
Yep, I'm sure doing 108 Sun Salutations is going to require physical fitness, a high energy level from a great night of sleep and eating really well and a lot of pure guts and uumph in the endurance category. But, I'm already thinking of the strength that is going to be required on another level. There is no way to make it through 108 repetitions of a sequence without a solid mind. I just don't see how this is possible without tapping into my spiritual well. Keep my mind free from the mind clutter - yogash chitta vritti narodha. Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind. My mind already intends to fluctuate.
I've been in classes where the instructor has led us through far too many (see, I already have an issue with too many!!) Sun Salutations for a typical Power Yoga class. I've done probably 30 - 45 mins of Sun Salutations. My mind is what catches me up every time. My mind is mostly silenced in a class with changing sequences and postures I can't yet get into. I have to focus on breathe and movement and let my mind still just to stay balanced in the posture.
It is the holding and repetitive asanas that make my mind wander further. Tadasana. Utkatasana. What am I going to make for dinner? Did I send that last document at work? I wonder what my husband is up to...did he clean the dishes like I asked? Then comes the deeper stuff. What am I DOING?! Why am I doing this? This is boring. This makes my joints sore. I keep getting sweat in my eyes. I'm slipping on my mat. I'm losing my breath. Why am I doing this? What am I achieving? And finally...what is my purpose?! What am I supposed to be doing with my life? How does this all fit in?
Oh yeah. Personally, I fully anticipate getting to that deep of questioning by the end of 2 hours of Sun Salutations. The dark nitty gritty mind wandering that happens with repetitive motion or stillness. I'm excited for the challenge. For the depth. For opening my practice to something new and intimidating for me. I am learning to silence my mind, I'm learning how to flow through gracefully and with peace and my muscles are learning to stay strong and yet take REST when needed.
I'm grateful to be surrounded by the beautiful community at Just B Yoga as we go on this 2 hour journey. Thank you to Belinda for putting on this great event! Tuesday, June 21 - 6-8pm. Bring it on. Try something new.
It looks something like this:
Yep, I'm sure doing 108 Sun Salutations is going to require physical fitness, a high energy level from a great night of sleep and eating really well and a lot of pure guts and uumph in the endurance category. But, I'm already thinking of the strength that is going to be required on another level. There is no way to make it through 108 repetitions of a sequence without a solid mind. I just don't see how this is possible without tapping into my spiritual well. Keep my mind free from the mind clutter - yogash chitta vritti narodha. Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind. My mind already intends to fluctuate.
I've been in classes where the instructor has led us through far too many (see, I already have an issue with too many!!) Sun Salutations for a typical Power Yoga class. I've done probably 30 - 45 mins of Sun Salutations. My mind is what catches me up every time. My mind is mostly silenced in a class with changing sequences and postures I can't yet get into. I have to focus on breathe and movement and let my mind still just to stay balanced in the posture.
It is the holding and repetitive asanas that make my mind wander further. Tadasana. Utkatasana. What am I going to make for dinner? Did I send that last document at work? I wonder what my husband is up to...did he clean the dishes like I asked? Then comes the deeper stuff. What am I DOING?! Why am I doing this? This is boring. This makes my joints sore. I keep getting sweat in my eyes. I'm slipping on my mat. I'm losing my breath. Why am I doing this? What am I achieving? And finally...what is my purpose?! What am I supposed to be doing with my life? How does this all fit in?
Oh yeah. Personally, I fully anticipate getting to that deep of questioning by the end of 2 hours of Sun Salutations. The dark nitty gritty mind wandering that happens with repetitive motion or stillness. I'm excited for the challenge. For the depth. For opening my practice to something new and intimidating for me. I am learning to silence my mind, I'm learning how to flow through gracefully and with peace and my muscles are learning to stay strong and yet take REST when needed.
I'm grateful to be surrounded by the beautiful community at Just B Yoga as we go on this 2 hour journey. Thank you to Belinda for putting on this great event! Tuesday, June 21 - 6-8pm. Bring it on. Try something new.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Grilled Spring Salad
I've been neglecting my writing. Ready - go.
We live in an apartment complex. They have a rule of "no grills". Living in Michigan...in the Spring/Summer...not using a grill is sacriledge. I'm trying to get by with my George Foreman but it is not the same. Not even close. I miss the smell of charcoal and trying to grill everything you possibly can before the coals fade (even pineapple!). Some nights after work and exercise, I just want a light dinner and relaxation. This is hard to obtain when you're the one responsible for dinner! Enter the modified dinner salad. Similar to chicken salad but grilled and sans major protein. Bonus points for being cheap! (PS - I added a hard boiled egg for lunch the next day).
Plug in the good ole George Foreman! While it is heating, chop up a head of romaine lettuce. Stick it in a big bowl. Cut some bell peppers into strips. Take a few whole portobella mushroom caps, wash, and drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Place protobellas and peppers onto grill and cook in batches. Chop up a few sundried tomatoes in olive oil and add to salad in bowl. Chop up the cooked portobella mushrooms and add to bowl. Add cooked pepper strips to bowl. Crumble a handful (generous handful...!!) of blue cheese or Gorgonzola cheese over the salad.
Toss to combine. Devour. Smile.
We live in an apartment complex. They have a rule of "no grills". Living in Michigan...in the Spring/Summer...not using a grill is sacriledge. I'm trying to get by with my George Foreman but it is not the same. Not even close. I miss the smell of charcoal and trying to grill everything you possibly can before the coals fade (even pineapple!). Some nights after work and exercise, I just want a light dinner and relaxation. This is hard to obtain when you're the one responsible for dinner! Enter the modified dinner salad. Similar to chicken salad but grilled and sans major protein. Bonus points for being cheap! (PS - I added a hard boiled egg for lunch the next day).
Plug in the good ole George Foreman! While it is heating, chop up a head of romaine lettuce. Stick it in a big bowl. Cut some bell peppers into strips. Take a few whole portobella mushroom caps, wash, and drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Place protobellas and peppers onto grill and cook in batches. Chop up a few sundried tomatoes in olive oil and add to salad in bowl. Chop up the cooked portobella mushrooms and add to bowl. Add cooked pepper strips to bowl. Crumble a handful (generous handful...!!) of blue cheese or Gorgonzola cheese over the salad.
Toss to combine. Devour. Smile.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Yoga is Scary: Fear of the Studio
A yoga studio has a sole purpose: yoga classes. There is no browsing like in a coffee shop or a bookstore. I can't just go into a yoga studio and check out the class, look disinterested and then go home. Going to a yoga studio meant intention. Intent to take a yoga class. It took a huge leap of faith to get myself to my first yoga class in Lansing. I was scared. What if they were all really stretchy and flexible and buff and here's me...someone who has been going to the gym for 2 years but has never been athletic and never did a real sport in her life. Would I fit in? Could I really "do yoga"?
I was unemployed. I had time to waste. There are only X number of job opportunities I could apply to in the area. I could only bake a loaf of bread, make dinner and clean the apartment so many times in one day. I hate sitting down on my couch and holding still (I need to work on that...). I had to find a way to get out. What pushed me was the fact that I knew it would help my hip problems and be a cheap way for me to get out of the apartment for a few hours.
What motivates someone to come check out this thing called yoga?
At Just B Yoga, I meet a lot of folks who are brand new to the idea of coming to a studio to take a class. A friend told them about the studio, they saw a class schedule in the newspaper, they Google'd for yoga in Lansing...however they found it, they jumped and took that leap of faith to come down to the studio or to a free community yoga class around town and check out this yoga thing. That takes bravery.
I tell them that I'm a newbie too. I am. I've only been "doing yoga" since August. I came to yoga through unemployment and boredom and for the health benefits and I am staying for the health benefits and for so much more. I found a pathway to exercise my body, mind and spirit and really knit them all together. I'm pretty sure I'll always be a newbie because there is always something to learn.
Yoga and yoga studios don't have to be scary. I adore the amount of information that is available on yoga studio websites. Some great local examples include Om on the Range and Great Lakes Yoga. Research made me feel more comfortable simply showing up to a yoga class that was directed towards everyone. Good yoga teachers play to their room. Research made yoga less scary for me.
What brings each of us to yoga is simple, complicated and personal. But I'm always curious as to how each person gets into yoga? What brought them to there, now?
Sunday, April 17, 2011
What is Yoga: From Mat to Intention to Action
What is yoga? Is it coming onto a plastic foam mat, moving for an hour and a half, creating a pool of sweat and then getting on with your life? Is it simply exercise meant to move your body into shape? Is it purely a mental practice meant to help silence your mind clutter and let you think meaningfully? Does it help iron out the kinks in your spiritual ideas about the world?
Yoga is what happens when you leave your mat and go out into the world.
I'm reminded of this time and time again by many yoga teachers and yet it still doesn't fully sink in. It is like being in class and the teacher tells all of the students that some of you may need to lower your knees. No one moves. Yet again she repeats, if you find your are dipping in the posture, come to your knees. Pause for impact. Nothing. If you think I may be talking to you - COME TO YOUR KNEES! All of a sudden it clicks and some folks come to their knees.
When my teachers tell me over and over again that the true power of yoga is when you take it from your mat and out into the world, it is supposed to sink in. I kept thinking to myself, well I think I'm already doing that. No. Not true. If you think your teacher may be talking to you - she is! The fact that I need to work on listening to this particular concept didn't sink in until yesterday.
When my teachers tell me over and over again that the true power of yoga is when you take it from your mat and out into the world, it is supposed to sink in. I kept thinking to myself, well I think I'm already doing that. No. Not true. If you think your teacher may be talking to you - she is! The fact that I need to work on listening to this particular concept didn't sink in until yesterday.
Yoga knits my body, mind and spirit together. It is also in my thoughts, actions and deeds. Yoga is a philosophy of being. I need to work on finding my yoga outside of being on my yoga mat.
I'm human. I'm sure that this is a life long process - like all of the other lessons we have to learn in this lifetime. I want to keep learning. I want to make an affirmation that I recognize I need to act with love and kindness continually, not just when it is convenient or easy. Love, compassion, kindness, forgiveness and empathy. What's the point in all I'm learning if I don't apply it? Practice compassion.
I'm not perfect and although I try to do good deeds I sometimes fail at awareness and compassion in my personal life. Intention. I intend to act and speak with love and kindness - what is the point in doing anything else?
I grew up listening to my mom's John Denver tapes. We would all sing along. I'm not a huge fan of country music, but I love story songs. This is one of my favorites. Poems, Prayers and Promises.
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