I'll admit it, I love poses that most people hate. I get some kind of weird pleasure from these poses. One of my absolute favorites is janu sirsasana C. I have always been able to do some approximation of the pose, but it has really developed over time. 

When I first learned the pose a little over six years ago, my foot felt a sharp pain in the toes and my knee wouldn't go to the ground. I remember the first time Scott Page looked over at me and  told me my knee should go to the ground; I couldn't wrap my head around how that was even possible. As time passed, I started to figure out some tricks to the pose and it is those tricks that have made it one of my favorites.

Has anyone tried this recipe from last week?!?! So flippin good!

​Who is excited for fall?!? This girl is!!! I woke up this morning and it was 70 degrees….no, this is not a typo! So fabulous. I love the fall in Phoenix. it’s the time when people finally decide it’s safe to venture outside again (you know, the non-overachievers amongst us who don’t go running up mountains all summer), and, of course, we get to start cooking cool weather recipes!!!

I’m here to tell you that the idea of cool weather recipes being heavy, cream filled, calorie laden food  is now officially antiquated. The internet is full of amazing cool weather recipes that still TASTE like they have a lot of calories, but they don’t. It’s like magic! It also 100% embodies my healthy…ish lifestyle.  Of course, I will share those recipes with you, my dear readers! So, without further ado, here are this week’s recipes:

​I am a high school teacher. I teach in a mostly affluent neighborhood with pretty amazing students. I absolutely love what I do, but one thing I’ve been noticing lately is my students have a fixed mindset. Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck, in her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success has looked at how the power of our beliefs, both conscious and unconscious can have a profound impact on nearly every aspect of our lives. I’ve been talking to my students about this a lot. I spent a whole week of my English class explaining to them what it is, reading articles with them, and trying to convince them that having a growth mindset can change the way they think and make them more successful.
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As I was talking about this idea, changing their mindset, with my students I started to talk about my daily ashtanga practice. Ashtanga has transformed my life in many ways, but I think that one of the most important things ashtanga has done for me is to help me have more of a growth mindset. I sometimes fall into the trap of a fixed mindset. I get stuck in life and in yoga, sometimes literally. In the past year or so I have had two major yoga breakthroughs: I have figured out how to lift up out of bhujapidasana without using my feet and I have learned how to stand up from a backbend. For the longest time, I felt like I was glued to the ground. People would give me tips, but I was stuck. And then one day I wasn’t. I have definitely thought that I would not figure out how to do these things, but then I did. 

​So…. How were those recipes last week? Anyone try them out? Feel free to comment with any of your own recipe tweaks.
My favorite recipe from last week was surprisingly the ricotta toast….. it was so easy and tasty! The tomato soup was a close second….yum! 

​This week I am thoroughly embracing the healthy…ish lifestyle because I have plans to go out to eat….like a lot. When I go out to eat, I try not to worry too much about what I order…. I mean, I hate to pay 12$ for a salad I could easily make at home. I order whatever sounds good to me and then make sure I take home at least half of the food (unless it’s a fancy shmancy place that has super tiny portions…you know what I’m talking about). This is a win win because I eat fewer calories (still plenty I’m sure), and I get to enjoy the food a second time for lunch.
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Here’s the plan:

​Numerous positive health benefits come from having a daily Yoga routine. Initial noticeable improvements from the practice involve physical, mental and psychological aspects in everyday living. Starting the day with a wholesome Yoga routine will also result in making healthier choices throughout the day, including; better eating habits, increased vitality and how to respond more positively in unpredictable circumstances. But, by far, one of the greatest gifts anyone will ever encounter from Yoga is the unavoidable dealing with pain.

Welcome back dear readers! We are nearing the end of summer…. Or we would be if we lived anywhere other than Phoenix….  Which means it’s time for fabulous late summer produce!!! Can’t you feel the excitement? This is the time of year when they start selling sweet delicious corn for 10 cents an ear and they practically give away tomatoes. It is fairly glorious and has inspired my menu for the week.
 
A quick note on my menus: The last few years I’ve been cooking mostly vegetarian with some vegan recipes and the occasional meat recipe…. I always make sure there’s protein in my veggie meals in some way and I do like tofu BUT I generally refuse to eat fake meat… it’s just not for me….. so sometimes I need to get creative. As time goes on, you’ll see what I mean. Without further ado, here is this week’s menu:

I started living a healthy ish lifestyle a little over 5 years ago. I had just graduated from grad school and was transitioning to my true adult life. I was overweight from eating almost exclusively at restaurants and drinking lattes daily over 6 years of college. I considered myself to be a ‘foodie’ (and still do), but I knew I had to make a change. I already did some exercise (the occasional hot yoga, piyo, treadmill, stuff like that), but that wasn’t doing much for me. I had cooked in the past but never in a mindful way. I always cooked way too much and would therefore eat WAY too much. So here's what I did: