Restless

I have been absent, I know, I am officially taking a break from it all. A lot of dust came up in the last week of my 40 days and I am trying to let sleeping dogs lie. Except they keep barking and I can’t sleep, my eating is all weird and I just feel weird. This restlessness has led me to make an amend with an old friend, block the first person ever on facebook, and finally, put together an application for a Nutrition Educator program in 24 hours. Yes, that was my great 40 days outcome, I am seeking a parallel life as a nutritionist, something I have been curious about for a few years and am finally biting the bullet and going through with it. In the meantime, I went to the San Francisco Street Food Festival and ate a bacon-wrapped hot dog. Me. I don’t eat bacon, or hot dogs, or bread. Ew. As I put it to a friend of mine, for 40 days I felt totally in control and now I feel a little bit like a nut job. I think I’m stressed, double eeeww...

It’s all pointing to the undeniable direction that without yoga I am out of balance. Doing yoga every day keeps things moving and instead, I have been letting the same negative emotions sit with me for over a week. I went to 4 classes last week, but keep in mind that this is like coming out of the fruit fast and eating a cheeseburger (or a bacon-wrapped hotdog for that matter). I should have thought this through and instead I am trapped inside an anxious, un-yogi, indignant being, eeeeeew… I’m hitting the yoga studio tonight, let's hope it all flows...

The Street Food Festival was ok, long lines, and they ran out of a lot of the good food. I also wouldn't have minded some live music as entertainment. We skipped the beer tent and went to the liquor store for tallboys. The owner was prepared, a neat stack of individual, perfect tallboy size, brown bags next to the register. I did manage to eat some delicious mahi-mahi ceviche and an amazing gazpacho made with gypsy peppers and melon. The hot dog was peer pressure... I wouldn't have volunteered myself into that line, but it's San Francisco and foodies will try just about anything to tell the story.

Day 39 - Blissed

This week Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations aired the episode filmed in San Francisco. I was disappointed to be honest, I felt that he did not “get” the city and visited places that are very much dated. He seemed to be on an endless quest for meat, which I actually respect in this veggie loving town, but as they say, when in Rome…. However, I did get to thinking about Tony and his lifestyle in the light of what I have done in the past 40 days. Here is a guy who smokes like a chimney, drinks like a fish and travels the world in search of food. And here I am living off of fruit and yoga every day. I was raised to believe that being at the end of any pole is never a good thing, you should pursue a quest for the middle, keeping that pole balanced. If I have learned anything during these 40 days it’s that the whole point of the exercise is to simply listen to yourself and be mindful. The author of the 40 days book even mentions our need for foods that may not nourish our bodies but provide comfort for the soul, and in my case that is a straight shot to the Italian fare.

Last night Joe and I went to yoga in the mission but all I could think about was how Beretta was around the corner. Beretta is an Italian eatery, open late and thus we visit it often. They make small plates, risottos and pizzas. I always order the Squid Ink risotto but last night I caved. It’s been too long since I’ve had bread and I was feeling as though I could not go one more day without it. So instead of a risotto I ordered the prosciutto pizza with arugula and added burrata on top, the perfect combination of the four best things life has to offer(pictured). Burrata is heaven, fresh Italian mozzarella, having a solid outer shell while the inside contains both mozzarella and cream, giving it a unique soft texture.

A life without pizza or without said ingredients, is not a life well lived. My soul was warm and cozy last night. My stomach unsettled. There was no guilt involved, just pure bliss. And I would do it all over again.

Day 35 - Celebrating

I SO did not want to go to yoga this morning... But I did, and I have to say I gave myself a pat on the back for that one. Charu Rachlis teaches the weekend 9am classes. She is a Carioca (person native to Rio de Janeiro) which immediately warms me to her. She also paces the class very well and I even managed to get away with being mildly hungover. I have been avoiding the booze for these 40 days, save for a glass of wine here and there, but this weekend will be a little different.
As I mentioned before, this is our anniversary weekend and I have full intention of drinking lots of champagne, having a fabulous dinner and possibly eating something decadent with chocolate. I have been looking forward to our visit to The Slanted Door and I can almost taste that shaking beef. It all started last night when I went to Oxenrose to get my haircut (I go to Sylvie and highly recommend her). I usually say "no thank you" to the free wine but it was Friday and it was after 5 and to me that means Happy Hour. At home, Joe brought me a bottle of bubbly (the first of the weekend) and that is just not something I can say no to. So this is where I become "alternately irresponsible" and since I've been mostly healthy these days you probably don't know that champagne is just about my favorite thing in this world. One of Sonoma's best kept secrets is Iron Horse and we have been saving a bottle for this weekend. They are a champagne winery with an outdoor tasting room off a hole-filled, muddy side road. For those of us who love champagne, Iron Horse is a gift.

Unlike what most people think, I firmly believe that one does not need an occasion for champagne, just chill it and drink it and celebrate your life. I will be enjoying every minute of my debauchery filled weekend!

Ayurveda

“Ayurveda, which translates from the Sanskrit language to “the knowledge of life”, has its roots in India over 5,000 years ago. These roots, both physiological and philosophical, strive to re-connect us to our true nature or, who we are at the most basic and balanced levels of body, mind and spirit. As a medical science, ayurveda works on all of these levels to heal symptoms and disease at their root and maintain a state of health and well being. As a philosophy, ayurveda gives us a better understanding of why disease develops in the first place and how to compassionately view ourselves and others as perfect beings”

Every other Saturday I cross the city, from the foggy sunset to sunny potrero hill, to visit my Ayurvedic Specialist, Megan Munoz. I started my journey with Ayurveda in March 2009 and have been working towards incorporating the routines into a sustainable daily regimen. Megan is a wonderful guide, non-judgmental, kind, and able to transform this complex process into bite-size pieces. She also offers me tea every time I walk into her office. Megan determined that my dosha was Pitta-Vata-Kapha, of which 47% is Pitta and my imbalance lies in Pitta and Kapha. The Pitta dosha is said to be made up of the fire and water elements, of which fire is more predominant, making Pitta qualities hot, oily, sharp and penetrating. Pitta’s are fearless leaders, and it didn’t hurt when Megan mentioned Obama was a Pitta as well.

The Pitta-Kapha food plan is one of the most strict, or at least I think so. Because of the hot and oily qualities of Pitta, I cannot eat anything with those properties or it will aggravate my dosha, such as wheat, nuts, avocado, cow’s milk (except for skim milk), and sugar of any kind except stevia. Instead, I focus on what I should eat to cool me off, such as basmati rice, pomegranates, cilantro spiced things, pumpkin seeds, and most veggies. It sounds harder than it is, and the biggest challenge is at The Pizza Place. Even if I have the vegan pie, there is still wheat in the crust. Well, actually, wine, of course, is a big challenge. But even Megan said “a glass of wine a day keeps the doctor away”, or something like that... Either way I’m working on it.

Eat Well

Eatwell farm is a wonderful farm in Dixon, CA that provides my household and tons of other Bay Area homes with fresh fruits and veggies. Eatwell Farm grows forty to fifty different crops Certified Organic by California Certified Organic Farmers. You can try their produce by joining the farm or stopping by the stand at the Saturday Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market. The veggies are picked the day before and usually last the full two weeks it takes me to get a new one. I also get a half dozen eggs which taste amazing, only comparable to the one’s from Joe’s house in Vermont. I have enjoyed the transition from winter to spring to summer and it’s amazing how colorful the box has become. This week I got:

Summer Squash
Cucumbers
Potatoes
Baby Red Russian Kale
Strawberries
Green Peppers
Onions
Green Beans
Carrots
White Peaches
Oregano

I think tonight I will bake a pasta dish (quinoa pasta of course, due to the “no wheat” clause) with kale and green peppers. I want to be able to share my recipes but I generally don’t use them and play a lot of my meals by ear. What I’ll do is cook the pasta first, then toss it with chopped green pepper and chopped kale. For a sauce, I like to use Trader Joes’ tomato starter sauce and just add fresh herbs to it, in this case I’ll use the oregano, some basil and parsley. Mix all those ingredients together and top it off with some fresh Grana Padano before popping in the oven for 20 min or so. In case you wondered, Grana is a high quality Italian parmesan cheese, the only kind of cow milk dairy I plan on keeping around, good parmesan makes or breaks a meal. I also still have some heirlooms laying around, so I’m thinking of having a caprese salad on the side drizzled with balsamic and olive oil.

I love cooking on Friday nights, kicking back with some wine and cuddling up with the fog and a movie.