Last month, I did 108 Sun Salutations As (and Sun Salutation Bs) in about an hour and a half. If you know what a Sun Salutation is, you may have gasped a little. If you don't know what that is, look at the videos I linked to first and then come back to this post.

Okay, so that is a pretty intense workout, right? I thought my arms would be completely useless after my 50th Chaturanga. And they were. I was modifying my Sun Salutations by plopping onto the ground with a sweaty grunt and doing a half hearted Cobra instead of an Upward Facing Dog. I was prepared to have ridiculously sore arms and shoulders for at least a week.

Surprisingly, my arms were barely sore at all. It was as if I had a moderate weight lifting day at the gym.

The muscle group that was the most sore surprised me: my hamstrings.

I have never had a sore muscle like this in my entire life. Seriously. I grunted in pain every time I sat down or moved a little. Walking up and down stairs was wincingly painful. The thought of stretching my hamstrings in a yoga pose made me want to throw up. My hamstrings were insanely sore for almost a full week and a half.

Several weeks later, I could still feel the soreness, deep in the tissues of my hamstrings. I had a yoga teacher training class while my hamstrings were still sore and while we didn't focus on the hamstrings specifically, it was seriously painful. It was a full weekend of yoga, with lots of stretching. I thought that might be good for my hamstrings. It might give them a bit of a stretch after a full week of avoiding anything that might pull those tortured muscles. Then, later as I fought the urge to throw up in Reclining Hand to Big Toe Pose, I realized I was probably doing more harm than good by stretching them, even gently, even by modifying my usual poses.

Why is it so hard for us to give our bodies the necessary time to heal? The thoughts floating around in my head were silly, if not outright ridiculous. "I'll lose all the work I've put into limbering up my hamstrings!" "Your practice will suffer!" etc, etc. I actually had to argue with my own mind to give my body the rest it needs to repair itself. The hamstrings are notoriously slow to heal. I needed to give my legs at least three weeks ("Three weeks! You'll forget how to do Standing Forward Bend!") and then I need to strengthen them with weightlifting. It'll be a long process, but it was clear my muscles were over stretched and maybe even ripped. I needed to let them heal.

I know a lot of people, besides myself, probably fight with themselves over this same issue. We don't want to take the time to heal ourselves for fear that we'll lose the work that we've put into our chosen activity. Our minds scream that we don't need to take a break, it'll be alright, you're strong. But it's that gut feeling (you know, the throw-up reflex) that lets us know that we must let ourselves heal. We can't continue to grow as a yogi or a runner or a cyclist if we don't let our bodies rest. The poses I'm so worried about losing flexibility in have suffered tremendously because of this injury. I can't get myself in a full Standing Forward Bend if I wanted to. My hamstrings literally won't let me. Even the half Standing Forward Bend has my face scrunched up in pain.

It's time to let myself heal and ignore the voice in my head that wants me to bend a little deeper. My hamstrings will thank me.

Heaven = Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

When I watched Chef Chloe sweep the Cupcake Wars episode she competed on, I knew I had to make one of her cupcakes. Luckily, she generously posted up the recipe for her winning cupcakes. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to try what ended up being the best cupcakes (vegan or otherwise) I have had to date.

She has two of her other winning cupcake recipes up and around the Internets – Chocolate Orange and Raspberry Tiramisu. These look a smidgen more difficult than the Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes.

I decided to do the easiest one first and if it was good, then I’d try the rest. I tend to trust only a few vegan bakers, namely Isa Chandra Moskowitz, and if it’s not her recipe, I look at it with suspicion.

After baking these delicious pretties, Chloe makes my short list of vegan bakers I trust. I’m definitely making the rest of her cupcakes!

I made the frosting with coconut oil, which was a first for me. It turned out well, with a sweet, slightly coconut taste. I had to omit the espresso, because I couldn’t find it and I wasn’t in the mood to go on a search. I don’t believe I missed it at all.

The only word of warning I’d like to give about these cupcakes is that the strawberry slices tend to get watery after they sit around for a day or two, causing the frosting to melt and the cupcake to get a little soggy. I’d either leave the strawberry off until serving time or eat them all in one sitting.

Vegan Junk Food: Tofurky Pizza Review

It’s official.

The crappy frozen pizza you loved to scarf down as a child is now vegan… and awesome.

Tofurky has recently released a frozen, thin crust pizza with its faux meat and Daiya cheese. Yes, you heard that correctly – Daiya cheese.

The Husband and I tried two different kinds: Pepperoni and the Italian Sausage with Fire-roasted Veggies. We didn't try the last variation, Cheese Pizza.

On both pizzas the crust is very thin and crispy, so it yields to the strong flavors of the Tofurky “meats” and the Daiya cheese.

The Roasted Vegetable and Sausage Pizza had a respectable amount of thinly chopped veggies (mostly peppers), which held their own in the flavor department. The sausage was crumbled in small pieces and had a wonderful flavor. I’m not normally a fan of Tofurky sausages. (I don’t think they taste the best. I’m a Field Roast fan.) Yet, somehow, they really worked in combination with the other flavors present. The Daiya cheese was the perfect backdrop to the rest of the pizza. It tasted just like it should – perfectly cheesy.

The Pepperoni Pizza tasted like… pepperoni pizza. It was pretty amazing actually. It tasted like what you remember frozen pepperoni pizza tasting like. The Daiya and the pepperoni worked together fantastically in this pizza.

Overall, I’d say Tofurky’s new pizzas fill a much needed gap in the vegan junk food department. The Husband always says that, for whatever reason, he misses junky, frozen pizza most of all from his pre-vegan days. I suspect many others feel the same. I wasn’t ever a huge fan of frozen pizza, but I am a huge fan of Tofurky’s new pizzas. They are a perfect, light easy dinner alongside a crispy salad.

These aren’t in many stores yet. We found them at our favorite health food store in Maryland when we were up there visiting for the 4rth of July. We put them in a container with ice for the road trip home. If you don’t see them in your local health food freezer, make sure to put in a request for them to carry the new Tofurky Pizzas.

Exercise Makes You Smarter

Yesterday, the NY Times Well Blog cites a study showing that exercise increases the production of neurons in our brains, thus improving thinking. Apparently, our brains have bone-morphogenetic proteins (BMP) that control, or often destroy, the growth of new brain cells. Exercise increases the amount of a brain protein, awesomely called Noggin, that cuts BMP production by up to 50%. Thus, allowing the growth of more brain cells. The article points out that there is some questions still remaining about how too much Noggin or too much BMP might cause some craziness in the brain, but it seems like exercise won't create an overabundance of Noggin, even if you run for hours.

I think this is fascinating stuff. It seems to me that our bodies are genetically equipped to reward us for movement. I mean, think about it. Our ancestors had to move around all the time just to survive. It makes sense that our brains are wired to reward us for all that exertion by making us smarter.

I'm definitely not a scientist, but it makes me wonder if our brains adapted to all the movement we had to do, creating more brain cells, making us smarter and helping us survive and procreate.

If nothing else, this news really reinforces a commitment to working out. That can be a new mantra as you sweat away on a run or on your bike: Create more Noggin!

Patience is a Garden

I know it's been a ridiculously long time since I last posted. I tend to get the blogging blues. I run out of things to say or I get discouraged at the concept of all my words and pictures languishing unread and unappreciated. Thus, the long time between posts. I come back determined to write regularly about the things that are important to me - veganism, food, yoga, and health. So, hopefully, I can keep it up for real this time.

Like my gently sprouting resolve to write more on this blog, The Husband and I have planted a new garden.

This is when we first planted the garden. We were so proud!

Our backyard was completely and sadly unkempt when we first moved in, so we decided to fix it up and grow some food. This summer is our test garden. We didn't plant a lot, being totally gardening newbies. We slaved away in the ridiculous NC humidity to clean out the backyard and force it into some semblance of order. We bought organic soil (yay for Whole Foods and their $3.99 soil) and organic veggies (once again, thanks to Whole Foods), then planted them with lots of tredipation and hope. We planted:

- two cucumber plants

- three tomato plants (heirloom varieties)

- purple jalapanos

- yellow bell peppers

So far, we have yet to kill any of them. Although it is still early. Our purple jalapanos plant has actually produced. The pepper is adorable and looks like an itty-bitty eggplant.

One of the cucumber plants has grown and flowered, while the other one seems to be stunted. It hasn't really grown, but it hasn't yet died. So, hope lives on that it is just a runt.

The tomato plants are getting huge, but haven't yet flowered or produced. We finally got some of those little cages that keep the tomato plants from falling over. Now we just need them to get big enough to fall over...

The bell pepper hasn't grown much either, nor has it produced or flowered.

I'm so interested in the garden and check on it all the time, like by watching it closely I might catch a flower blooming or a tomato ripening. You know a watched pot never boils, so I guess a watched garden never grows! Send me patience! :)

Feminism and Veganism

Happy cows at Poplar Spring Farm Sanctuary, living out their lives for themselves.

These are two –isms that I’m not afraid to label myself with.

I was deeply inspired by this blog post by Voracious Vegan writer Tasha on the Choosing Raw website. In fact, at work, before I could stop myself, I began to cry a little when she said, “As a woman and a feminist, I demand the right to protect my body from reproductive exploitation, and I want the same for all the females on earth, no matter what the species.” This really speaks to my heart as a human and as a female.

I remember watching a documentary showing a momma cow being separated from her child. The momma was struggling to escape the grasp of the cow hand in a herculean effort to reach her child. The calf was screaming and trying to reach its mother. Of course, since they were in a factory farm, they ended up being separated in the most rough, cruelly inhumane way possible.

The insanity is that these things happen every day, every minute. The sheer amount of pain and grief that goes into a single glass of milk is so mind-boggling that it defies description. A female cow is forcibly impregnated, then her children are separated from her practically at birth, and, if male, are sent to be raised as veal, or, if female, are raised to endure the same perpetual grief as her mother.

How is it possible that in this day and age people simply accept that things like this happen? So that they can have an endless waterfall of milk? Insanity! Of course, the exploitation of female (and male!) animals does not begin and end at milk production, but for some reason the production of this particular food stuff speaks to me as a woman and I find it a fitting example the correlation between feminism and veganism.

Tasha describes my beliefs much more eloquently than I can. I encourage you to read her post and think about the connections between veganism and feminism. Her words thoroughly describe the powerful correlations between women’s struggle and the struggle that our farm animals face everyday. She talks about it with such passion and clarity that her words will speak to your very soul.

It is things like this that reinforce my choices. I’m grateful for the reminder, even if it brings me to tears at work. However, it also makes me want to run outside and yell the truth out to everyone, grabbing people by the shoulders and yelling at them to see the truth. Yet, at the same time, it also makes me want to give up, curl up in a ball, and cry, cry, cry. If you, like me, can’t bring yourself to the intense, in-your-face-activism of many vegan organizations, but you want to do something for the plight of these animals; please read my post here on being an example of vegan awesomeness. It’s not as action oriented as many approaches, but it is a different take on the usual kinds of activism and I feel like it can be very successful in its own way, especially when it is consciously directed.

An Ode to Winter Squash

Rich in Vitamins A (well over 100% of your daily intake) and Vitamins C, as well as anti-cancer fighting phyto-nutrients, winter squash (like butternut and acorn) are delicious and exceptionally healthy. Take advantage of the overabundance of these wonderful root vegetables during this never-ending winter and let those nutrients nourish your body while tempting your palate.

If you haven’t already purchased Bryant Terry’s Vegan Soul Food Kitchen, then you absolutely must buy it. It is full of painstakingly detailed recipes that are clearly made with skill and a love of southern food.

For example, his Butternut Squash and Bartlett Pear Soup is simple to make, drop dead gorgeous, and astoundingly delicious.

Bryant Terry’s Butternut Squash and Bartlett Pear Soup

I copied it here for ease, but you can also find it at the Vegetarian Times recipe database here.

3 Tbs. olive oil
2 medium leeks, white and tender green parts finely chopped (3 cups)
1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (2 lb.)
3 Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch pieces (11/2 lb.)
5 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 14-oz. can light coconut milk
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
Pumpkin seeds for garnish, optional

Heat oil in saucepan over medium-low heat. Add leeks, and cook 10 minutes, or until soft, stirring often.

Add squash and pears, and sauté 5 minutes. Stir in vegetable broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and add salt, if desired. Simmer 20 minutes, or until squash is fork-tender.

Remove from heat, and stir in coconut milk. Purée soup in batches in blender or food processor, or use immersion blender in saucepan; blend until smooth. Return soup to saucepan, and stir in thyme. Reheat over medium-low heat 2 to 3 minutes, or until warmed through. Season with salt and white pepper, if desired. Serve garnished with pumpkin seeds, if using.


If you’re looking for an even simpler way to enjoy a winter squash, simply have it as a side dish for dinner. Try this quick and easy recipe and you’ll be full Vitamins A and C before you know it.

Maple Glazed Acorn Squash Halves

1 acorn squash, cut in half with seeds scooped out
1 tsp – 1 T maple syrup

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat the acorn squash (the inside, not the outside) with maple syrup and bake for 45 minutes or until the squash can be pierced with a fork.

Maple Cinnamon Quinoa Stuffed Squash Halves

If you are feeling decadent, then you can stuff the acorn squash with quinoa for a level-7 vegan dish!

1 Cup of Quinoa
2 Cups water
½ - 1 tsp cinnamon (or more if you want it!)
1 Tb maple sryup

Additional add-ins – raisins or cranberries, sliced almonds or chopped pecans

Follow the directions above for Maple Glazed Acorn Squash Halves. Once the acorn squash is in the oven, bring the water to a boil. Add the quinoa. Let it simmer for 15 -20 minutes until the water is completely absorbed. Add the maple syrup and cinnamon – and any additional add-ins you’d like in your stuffing. When the squash is almost done (8-10 minutes or so), pull it out of the oven and add the stuffing. Bake until squash is completely finished.

A Restaurant Review – Butternut Squash

Lastly, in the theme of squash, I’d like to do a quick restaurant review. In Chapel Hill, NC there is an adorable vegetarian restaurant tucked away near the UNC campus. Its name is… wait for it… Butternut Squash. We were excited to try it out, but had been warned that many of its food items were bland. We decided to give it a go anyway and, I’m glad we did, because we were pleasantly surprised by the food.

We started off with the Tempeh Hot Wings with an avocado sauce. These were deliciously spicy, thick chunks of tempeh. We truly enjoyed them. Then Brandon ordered the Indian curry dish. Piled high with thickly sliced veggies and covered in a delicately spiced tomato curry, it was delicious. I had the house salad without feta, which had pan seared butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and pears. It was good, but not big. I wouldn’t recommend it for a dinner. Along with a soup or a few bites of your husband’s dish, it will fill you up though. All in all, I give Butternut Squash a big thumbs up! It was simple, delicate flavors, but it definitely wasn’t bland.

I'm sorry there were no pictures. I'm terrible at remembering to take pictures in restaurants!

I hope you enjoyed all the squash talk this week and I hope you find yourself enjoying one and reaping all the lung healthy benefits of Vitamin A and beta-carotene.