Archive for the ‘Finance’ Category

Yoga! And more quinoa.

11 August 2009 by Elizabeth in Finance, Food, yoga

I tried a new yoga class tonight, of the Forrest Yoga variety.  (Yeah, I had never heard of it either – more info at the Forrest Yoga website.)  It was amazing!! Really positive, tough without being too tough, and a whole lot of fun.  (Dolphin on the wall? Yes, please!) The class included lots of ab work and a good set of sun salutations, after humming bee pranayama and a long twisting sequence.

It was lovely to practice yoga with such a great teacher and such a warm, friendly class.  I enjoyed the challenge of Bikram yoga when I could afford it (and schedule my hydration, eating, and laundry around the class), but I see now that I found Bikram yoga too cold and regimented.  I really needed a good, fun night of limbering up and stretching out after all my pilates and running – I can’t wait to go back next week.

Or maybe Thursday.

quinoa-cakes

Dinner was just as special – I made red quinoa cakes with scrambled eggs, micro-greens, manchego, and a tomato foam/coulis.  WB got home a bit too late for me to eat with him before yoga, but I was glad to see my plate when I got home.  I used some of the sautéed peppers from yesterday in the eggs for a nice kick.

quinoa-cake-cu

Quinoa Cakes

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup cooked quinoa
  • 2 T flax
  • 2 T water
  • 1/4-1/3 c flour (I used buckwheat flour)
  • Salt, pepper, and herbs/spices to taste

Procedure:

  1. Microwave the flax and water for 1 minute to create a gooey mass, perfect as a binder.
  2. Stir in 2 T flour and the salt, pepper, and herbs/spices.
  3. Stir in the quinoa; add additional flour as needed to reach a semi-firm texture (the mixture should hold its shape when formed into a ball, but doesn’t need to withstand great force)
  4. Form into patties and pan-fry or brush with oil and bake until lightly crispy

Tomato foam/coulis (or any other veggie for that matter)

  1. Whip 5-7 cherry tomatoes in the blender.  Add a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Let stand before serving (this ultra-simple “sauce” is best after it stands for about 10 minutes – it needs to settle).  Denser veggies may need to be steamed before whipping, or they may need to be puréed with a bit of water, olive oil, or wine.

(Yeah, that’s not a recipe.)  (And yes, there are lots of things you can add to keep this foamy and increase the foaminess if you really want to get into molecular gastronomy.  This was just a quick plate sauce to dress up a dinner that otherwise might have been a bit dry.)

I’m off to hit the hay as soon as I watch this! I’ve got more big plans for tomorrow – including another run (and maybe more speedwork)!

(P.S. – I ended up spending almost $200 at Lululemon – I got a pair of yoga crops, the towel I wanted, and an impulse pair of my favorite running shorts that were on sale.  I was hesitant about the crops, but I was really, really glad to have the right clothes tonight – I didn’t have to worry about anything riding up or sliding down, so I could focus on my practice 100%.)

Typical Tuesday

11 August 2009 by Elizabeth in Finance, Fitness, Food

gulf-beachI started my day with 40 minutes of pilates and abs from ExerciseTV OnDemand.  I did three of my favorites:

  • Less is More pilates
  • Leg toner and slimmer (pilates)
  • Standing abs

They all brought back memories from earlier this year when I was really, really focused on getting ready for our beach vacation (the first time I had worn a bikini in years).  I’m in a similarly shallow mode now, to be honest, since WB and I are going to an important event in a week and a half.  One of the reasons I like pilates so much is that it addresses both the shallow reasons I work out and the health-related reasons – it makes you tight and toned, but also superstrong. I wish people didn’t judge so much on appearances, but if they’re going to judge…I want the cover to match the book :)

All the reminiscing about the beach sent me straight to the pool!  Our complex has a wonderful, wonderful pool – I can’t get enough of it!

I used my poolside time to read a few healthy articles:

  • A lightweight summary of the Women’s Health Initiative study that suggests that positive thinkers are less likely to have heart disease and live longer.
  • The August Edenews newsletter (from Eden Foods) about good soy vs. bad soy – follow the link to see the organic soy scorecard and find out what you’re really eating in your soy products.  I was really disappointed to see that the Hain Celestial group refused to participate in the study – makes me question what they said and displayed during the Celestial Seasonings factory tour we just took!  I have a feeling I will be sending them some email this week….
  • This article on not forgetting things from Unclutterer – I do something similar when I’m going to and from the gym (iPod, keys, towel) (I can be really scatterbrained when I leave the gym)

I haven’t had much of an appetite this week…I didn’t eat breakfast until almost noon today, when I had:

breakfast-tuesday

Wallaby blackberry yogurt with flax, and maple buckwheat flakes with a few Leapin’ Lemurs (chocolate and peanut butter puffs), with almond milk.

I also had another big mug of coffee :)

Show me the $$$$

I’ve been feeling indecisive about money today…even though I’ve been out of school for a few years now, I still feel driven to save, save, save all the time!  I have been working for the past year to find a good balance between spending and saving; I want to be able to spend on what I need and what I really want, and save the rest for vacations, a new car, any wedding-type activities that may be in my future, and a house downpayment.

I know that I am more likely to take the saving part too far and make things far too complicated for myself.  For instance, one of the biggest hindrances to my running was not wanting to buy real running clothes because they’re expensive.  Well, running in non-running shorts is not the most comfortable or sustainable activity, and without the right shoes (or new enough shoes) my joints were feeling the burn long before my muscles.  Now that I have those things, it’s hard to imagine living without them…or that it took me two years to convince myself to shell out.

I started saving (“for real”, as opposed to saving just to spend) in May 2007 with $300, and I have come a long, long, long way since then.  As with the rest of my life, I set lofty goals and somehow exceed most of them.  I read a lot of personal finance blogs (fewer than I used to – I’ve whittled down to the “sensible” ones that aren’t all about mortgages, stock chasing, and fad funds), and I spend some quality time with Suze Orman on my iPod when I can. I’m definitely at a point where advice to personal finance newbies does me more harm than good – I don’t think we need to cancel our cable, stop eating organics, or stop eating out (or buying our precious lattes). And yet, I’m not the pearl-sporting benefactor at the gallery opening.  I’m done climbing the side of the bell curve, and now I’m in the big hump where the decisions aren’t as clear-cut and the timeline is a lot longer :)

As with everything else in life, there’s always something more or different that I could be doing.  But, as with everything else in life, I get to make my own yardstick for success. Liberating and scary.

All of this because I wanted to spend $100 at lululemon on a yoga towel and a new outfit so that I’m not showing things that shouldn’t be shown in a yoga class or ruining our bath towels with icky hot-yoga-ness. :)

I’m happy to be at this point – it’s complicated, and clearly I am likely to keep overthinking things, but it’s definitely a welcome flavor of success that I never planned for.

And now I’m going to lulu.