AmazeBalls

Seriously, it's all in the name.  These tasty little protein snacks are truly amazing.

PB&J AmazeBalls

1 cup Oats

1/2 cup Flax seed meal

1/2 cup Peanut Butter

1/2 cup Cranberries

1 tbsp honey

Mix it all together.  Roll into two-bite balls. Refrigerate. Devour.

There are countless variations.  As a Type 2 diabetic, I chose natural peanut butter and low-sugar cranberries. The friend who exposed me to this deliciousness (thanks Shonda!) used chocolate chips instead of cranberries and 1/3 cup agave instead of honey. Much sweeter, but totally delightful.

Let your creativity run wild and dig in!

Happy St. Patrick's Day?

Happy St. Patrick's Day?

Dear Winter 2014,

You're drunk.

Go home.

Dragon Fighter

I fought a dragon this week. 

At first, I saw it coming. Trying not to anticipate the pain that would surely ensue was useless.  That's why you are trained to stay in the moment.  This moment, not in the next moment.  It's especially hard when you know the next moment is going to result in deep aching pain that lasts for days.  

Dear reader, this is Yin Yoga.

Dragon pose is a deep lunge. The front foot is firmly planted with your knee squared directly above your ankle.  Always keeping your knee at a 90 degree angle. The back leg is stretched long behind you with your knee and the top of your foot on the ground.  Hands are placed on the floor on either side of the front foot. 

The pose is held for 5 minutes on each side.  It is simultaneously brutal and beautiful. You hold and breathe and just when you think you can't take it anymore, you remember that you can make it better.  All you have to do to make the hurting stop is surrender control. It hurts because you are trying to control it.  

There is probably a beautiful explanation for the name of this pose, Dragon.  Probably something to do with a legend about a graceful beast flying off in noble pursuit of something mystical and grand. If I wrote the book, it would be about that intense burning sensation that you carry with you for days after you slay a fire breathing beast.

(Full disclosure: there is also a pose we do a lot in Yin called Rajakapotasana or Sleeping Pigeon.  Don't let the name fool you.  That pigeon is a nastily little beast.)

Oscar Wrap-Up

Another Oscar night is behind us.  A perfect Oscar night in my opinion.  The stars shined brightly.  Ellen is becoming my favorite Oscar host.

All my favorites won.

Jared Leto's acceptance speech was out

of this world.  He has been my boyfriend since I was 14 and he was Jordan Catalano on the most underrated tv show of all time, My So Called Life. He didn't mention me in his acceptance speech because he focused on his mom.  We talked about it before.  I was totally cool with it.

Lupita Nyong'o could not have been more delightful. Her shout out to the little girls of the world brought big tears. "When I look down at this golden statue, may it remind me and every little child that no matter where you’re from, your dreams are valid. "

But I was the real winner.  I got to eat this.

It's made with cauliflower, but it tastes like garlic bread.  Bless my soul, this was divine.

Cauliflower Cheese Bread

1 head of cauliflower

2 cups shredded mozzarella 

1 egg, slightly beaten

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1. Chop the cauliflower florets very finely, omitting the very hard stem. (The food processor worked like a dream.)

2. Submerge chopped cauliflower in 1inch of water and boil in a medium saucepan for 5 minutes.

3. While the cauliflower is cooking, in a large bowl, mix 1 cup of the cheese with all of the rest of the ingredients. Set aside.

4.  When the cauliflower has cooked, drain in in a mesh strainer. When you think it's really dry, dump it on a clean dish towel.  Then wring it out to see just how wrong you were.

5. Stir the newly dried cauliflower into the cheese mixture. 

6. Spread the mixture in a thin layer onto a nonstick baking surface.  I used a Silpat, which worked like a dream.  If you don't have one, I bet greased parchment would do well.

7. Pop it into a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.

8. Sprinkle with remaining cup of mozzarella and bake for another 10 minutes or until bubbly and brown.

Serve with marinara for dipping.

*All seasoning measurements should say ish. Season to taste.

Deaf

Bruno loves the dog park.  We go every opportunity we can.

It's a gorgeous open space and he gets to run like crazy. He's a handsome dog and he looks positively majestic when he gets up to full speed.

Like David Bowie, Bruno had bi-colored eyes.

It's always the first thing people notice.  Most people think it's neat. Some people think it's creepy. But today, I got one I had never heard before.  

"Oh he has two different color eyes!  Is he deaf?"

I... I... I have no words.