Preparing for Take Off

Julie and i at Harry's Chocolate Shop
coooookies
today i told my coworkers i'd be leaving in about a week, and they all made sad faces, and i realized i have met some great people in unexpected places here in Indiana. from working at a random job i never thought i would have, to zumba and yoga class, there have been many interesting people. i would have never guessed i would ever be in indiana in my life, but i sure am happy to make some good friends while here!
today Julie and i did some Goodwill shopping (99 cent Sundays!) after work and i found some snuggly sweaters, but most of all just enjoyed shopping with another female! its been awhile, and every time i go shopping by myself i miss having a girlfriend with me to help me decide. then she took me to a place called Harry's Chocolate Shop by Purdue campus, which is a bar that has been here since the 1920's, and used to be a chocolate shop that was a speakeasy bar. gotta love a secret bar! so she introduced me to her favorite drink, Amaretto Stone Sour, and i must say i am definitely going to enjoy more of those in my future! so the top picture is us standing behind the bar (the bartender that took the picture wanted the sign behind us after i told the whole bar about taking pictures to go on my blog).
so i guess this week will be time for closure, teaching my last yoga classes and breaking the news to them (sad face), working the last big event at my job, and reaching the end of my love affair with my beloved gym here. yes, i suppose i can admit that in a way i am a little sad to go. but how lucky i have been to inspire others and be inspired by fabulous people!
so it's official, we will probably leave next Sundayish, and make our way to Colorado, Utah, and back to San Diego. i must say although i am certainly excited to see my old friends there, i do feel a twinge of...well i dont know what, to go back there. i did leave because i felt it wasn't where i needed to be anymore and i wanted to find somewhere new, but i'm feeling i need to go full circle and go back to where i came from to understand more about myself, and to try something new in an old place.
or maybe i will just tell Luke to leave me in Colorado........
anyways, here's another new recipe!
Chocolate Coconut Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
2 bananas
3 cups oatmeal
1 cup shredded coconut
2/3 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup cocoa powder
2 tbsp honey
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a food processor, mix bananas, 1 cup oatmeal, and olive oil until blended. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in other ingredients.
Roll into balls and place on baking sheet. They didn't spread at all so you can put them close together. For an extra touch, i dipped the top of the balls in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar.
Bake 12 minutes.

Food for Your Soul

a little somethin i've been working on
aerial dancers!
this i did not make....but i like it! in a bathroom at the Three Sister's Cafe
another somethin i made....Spicy Butternut Squash!

it suddenly feels like winter to me. i already busted out the furry boots, scarves, stockings, and the butternut squash. wasn't it like 100 degrees last week?? i'm coping for now though, with some food for my soul, which i thought i'd share. since i've run out of animals to take pictures of, i now seem to have a food and art blog! the first two pictures i drew (i've been inspired by aerial dancers and acrobats and such), and the third picture i found in a bathroom at a Food Network visited restaurant in Broadripple, Indiana. Broadripple is probably a place we would live, if we stayed here for some reason (for the corn mazes, apparently they are all the rage out here). so I enjoyed some delicious barbecue tempeh sloppy joe, and against the will of the waitress, who though it would be too messy, jazzed it up by my request to add Brie cheese, pineapple, spinach and tomato. i personally think they should update the menu to this new version. messy? yes. good? yesssssss
we then experienced the new flavors of coconut bliss from the the health food store, and i must say chocolate walnut brownie and ginger cookie caramel are tied for my new favorites. the ginger one taste like pumpkin pie! so happy....
this week i've been subbing the other yoga teacher's classes, and i am being very well received! its always a little daunting, teaching students who like their regular teacher, and having to live up to the standards and all. luckily, they really liked my classes, and even asked when i taught my class!
today i made some....

Spicy Butternut Squash

1 butternut squash

1 onion

5 cloves garlic

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp salt

1 tsp chipotle powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp ginger powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp curry powder

Dice butternut squash, keeping the skin on. Saute garlic in oil on low heat, add diced squash and other ingredients and cover with lid. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until squash is soft.

I ate it with some brown rice cooked with curry powder and cinnamon, on top of kale and spinach. Yummy!

Highlights of Indiana Life

secret brownie creation (recipe below)
one of my favorite indiana activities: the nap
while i like napping, luke prefers dressing up animals. this is kitty in her bandana (that rhymes with indiana...)
for Luke's brother's birthday i creatively decorated his cake with strawberries (it says HAPPY 23 B-DAY)
Luke's brother Jackson and their mom
Jackson and their dad
i'd like to reiterate the vast amounts of corn here
and we end the day with a lovely sunset over the fields

i'm really starting to get ancy! but luckily we have all the fabulous above mentioned ways to stay entertained. i'm also pretty happy to be subbing for the other yoga teacher at the gym this week, so i'm teaching 5 classes! i'm also pretty high on life still from the 3 day juice fast, and the 50% off everything at the Goodwill sale yesterday....its just so darn satisfying to not feel guilty about shopping addictions when all the clothes you by cost $1.50! so now i've got some warmer attire. i'm already saying its cold, and its like 70 degrees....
I'm also happy that its pumpkin beer time again, and bowling is 89 cents this weekend. luke and i both got our newest high scores, 180, which strangely we tied for. really, how does that happen??
today i had the urge to bake something, which for me means concocting something without a recipe. this time it got pretty creative, since post juice fast i didn't want any gluten, dairy, or processed sugar...so this is what happened. the measurements are just my guesses, i just sort of throw things in a bowl and taste it. it turned out pretty good, though i may have put too much coffee in mine, so i'm cutting it down in this recipe for you all.

Black Bean Brownies
1 can black beans
1 banana
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup ground flax seeds
1/4-1/2 cup cup ground coffee (depends on how much you like coffee)
1/4 olive oil
1/2 cup maple syrup (or agave or honey)
1 tsp vanilla extract

optional for toppings: almond butter, peanut butter, coconut flakes, chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Blend in a food processor the black beans and banana. Pour into a bowl. Mix in other ingredients.
I couldn't find a pan other than a muffin pan, so I used that, but you could put it in a normal brownie pan and bake longer if you like, although i kind of liked the muffin pan because i could put different toppings on each one. I greased the pan up, filled the cups almost all the way with batter, and then on half i topped with a spoon of peanut butter and some chocolate chips, and the other half almond butter and coconut flakes.
Bake 20 minutes.
Let cool and remove from pan. They are pretty soft, and it turns out i like them better refrigerated.
You would never even know these have beans, banana, or flax seeds in them! Taste pretty much just like a chewy brownie, but it's secretly good for you! Lots of protein and good things from the beans, and omegas and healthy fats from the olive oil and flax seeds. Plus fiber! And of course, not gluten and dairy makes me happy and healthy too! AND an extra energy boost from the coffee. I think I'm going to like these for breakfast...Go ahead, try them!

For Shayshay!

i totally forgot to post this picture a few months ago when we were in harisonburg, virginia and i reunited with my shannon! so here it is, finally. i miss you!

Keeping It Fresh

self portraits....always more embarrassing to share...
chakras



well, here's some of the drawings i've done recently....its been awhile, and i'm feeling pretty rusty. there's just not as much motivation since i was in art classes in college. i miss it. i would love to take an art class again...
so the burning question of when are we leaving has come back up recently. luke is quite ancy these days. i wasn't really sure where i wanted to go or what i wanted to do still, but i think i just need to open up and trust. i mean really, i can do whatever it is i want to do wherever i go, and its up to me to create it all. so instead of being afraid and doubting that i can do things, i need to just do it already. i've admitted to myself that i am afraid of my life being like it was before if i go back to san diego. but the truth is, i don't have to repeat the past. i can start a new fresh life! things are always changing anyways, including myself, and if i felt like something was missing there before, it was only within myself. so it only seems right that i go back there and give it another shot, see how it goes and then go from there.
i'm on day 2 of a spur of the moment juice fast. it was just time. seasons are changing, i'm changing, and i'm ready to shed the last layers of things that don't serve me anymore. i love cleansing! i always get this feeling of being reborn. i am waking up again. so get ready people, i'm coming! who has a couch for me?!
and i mean really, there aren't but so many more animals to take pictures of here...although i do want to go to the wolf reservation before we leave.
also, i want to share some of the fabulous juices i've made to give you some ideas if you have a juicer. if not, get one. seriously.
Refresh
watermelon
strawberries
cucumber
fresh mint

Tropical Sunshine
pineapple
starfruit
strawberries
kiwi
ginger
mint

Sweet Potato Pie
yams
carrots
ginger
apple
cinnamon

I Don'tKnow What Its Called Its Just Yummy....
beet
celery
pear
cilantro
spinach
apple
broccoli

Happy Hollow

these are some pictures from a park nearby called Happy Hollow. it really does make me a little happier! its kind of weird here how you can be in corn field country, then suddenly you stumble upon little green places like this. of course, it does run behind houses in a neighborhood, and it does smell like a sewer, but there are some fun little trails in the woods and pretty trees. sometimes I just need a little happy hollow to get back in touch with nature and out of the house.
ok, maybe its definitely getting slightly dull if i find things like this exciting and blog worthy....
yesterday i at least got to go somewhere new for my job! i took a road trip with my boss and some co workers to Champaign, Illinois to work another store. it was fun just to go somewhere new, spend the night in a hotel with the girls, and enjoy some free and delicious mexican food. we were working a back to college event for University of Illinois. I was handing out coupons for college t shirts and stuff, so i got to wear a free U of I shirt, which was pretty funny considering i'd never been to Illinois, knew nothing about this school, and couldn't remember what it was called. i kept saying IU, which I later found out is Indiana University.....oops....but hey i got a free shirt out of it i guess! this weekend we are going to Notre Dame, and we actually have time to do some sight seeing they said and maybe do some dancin! i'm happy just seeing new places, even if they aren't that exciting, getting paid and fed, and bonding with other females. so it all works out. go U of I! and I U! and go corn! wooo!
actually, i really hope somewhere out there, corn is the mascot and someone is dressed in a giant corn cob outfit.....

Animals are Totally Hip, Didn't You Know?

who's a little monkey face....
why do i look so good on these giant frog sculptures?

and caterpillars too!



luke aint scared of no gators
the extinct in the wild New Guinea singing dogs
otter!
i would like to go to colorado galapagos tortoise! GO!
the living one looks pretty similar....he didn't move either
emu!
wallabies!
kukabura!
oh yes, more butterflies


don't i look natural on a farm? (the answer is no, i don't really do farm work)
but luke looks pretty right on tractors!
milkin the fake cow...i got hay on my yoga pants :(
i find this a strange way to lay....but whatever
right after this the goat started eating my shirt
well arent they just the darndest fluffiest chickens you ever saw!
and a gibbon. this isn't your grandparents farm yall

today we checked out Columbian park, a few miles from our house. apparently its all the rage. we drove past a bunch of times and didn't see anything good, but turns out they've got a free zoo and water park! (now why didn't we go to the water park when it was hot out...?) we like free things. i'd never seen a kukabura before, quite different than i imagined! also, the New Guinea singing dogs, extinct in the wild, only living in captive now, had beautiful voices! it was similar to wolves howling, but more musical. i got to ride upon more animal sculptures, a new hobby of mine i've developed since being in indiana. and of course, i'm always excited by butterflies. i'm really beginning to appreciate them more. they are just so beautiful and uplifting! i'm really connecting with my inner butterfly. farm animals though, i'm not so sure about. i always thought it sounded cool to travel the world and work on farms in exchange for places to stay, but i have changed my mind. when it comes to work, i like to be a little more comfortable, and well, lazy i guess. i like teaching yoga and wearing comfy clothes and listening to pretty music and helping people connect with their inner selves. atleast i've admitted it now.
i've been reading some other blogs of people i know lately, and they all seem to have a theme, like fashion, art, etc. mine of course was made to document and share my traveling, but now i've been in the same place for awhile, so hopefully things aren't getting less interesting, but how do you think i feel? i actually live here right now! i'm thinking about doing some art posts too, and more butterflies and stuff since i have so many pictures. i guess my new theme for now can be...animals? thats right. i think animals are cool.