Today my daughter surprisingly agreed to attend yoga class with me. It was beginner level taught by Laura at Yoga One Studio in Cedarburg. I expected a fantastic alignment experience as Laura is a PhD with extensive knowledge in human movement, anatomy, and physiology. The class did not disappoint. With more than 25 participants at 10a.m. Laura captured our attention with her decisive, clear cues and confident voice. Newbies to yoga may find certain elements unnerving, however I was pleased Auburn appeared to tolerate the brief communal yogi chant, "Ohm," as well as her neighbor, Heavy Breather (perfectly acceptable but sometimes distracting to those of lesser concentration...like me!) Super-Short Shorts was only another strategic plot designed to challenge my third eye but did not appear to disrupt Auburn's focus. Much like yoga, life is full of distractions, differences, the potential for judgments and comparisons but we "owned our mat" and I breathed a prayer of thanks that my daughter was willing to spend time with me cultivating stretch, strength, and mindfulness. (Learn more about this fantastic instructor at her website..http://www.laurarooneyyoga.com)
I can't be certain, but I assume most teen girls don't readily jump at opportunities to chant "ohm" and practice contorting poses with their parents. Auburn is no different which explains why, in the past, my desire for her to attend class has triggered nagging mom mode or worse, a full-blown shouting match. Yes, a war of words, the complete antithesis to the yogi doctrine of simple acceptance of the present moment, has been known to erupt in the Larson house over my insistence that she try yoga! (My apologies to all practitioners and instructors for my poor representation of yoga off the mat.) Today fortunately was different for a couple of reasons. First, attending yoga meant we would miss church with my blessing. We are studying the book of Corinthians and have learned the city of Corinth was comparable to a year-round Mardi Gras festival. Today's sermon targeted the topic of pre-marital sex. I sent Trey to Sunday School (a safe zone outside of some hearty games of dodge-ball) and instructed Ron to take sermon notes for future parental discussions (my own version of dodge-ball!) The other barter or "carrot on a stick," to persuade Auburn to yoga, (besides not sitting with your parents during a "sex" sermon) was less like a carrot and more like chocolate, Amy's Candy Kitchen, the temptingly sweet neighbor to Yoga One Studio.
While Ron took copious notes about fornication, Auburn and I escaped to the welcoming warmth of Yoga One. Afterwards we ventured into the chocolate haven of Amy's in Cedarburg. Belgian chocolates, truffles, enormous candied apples, peanut butter fudge decorated the counters and shelves. With the approach of Valentine's Day, the store seemed to explode with chocolate love. Auburn selected a couple of post-shavasana rewards before we departed back to West Bend..our morning mission was complete. (http://www.amyscandykitchen.com/)
Once home I attempted to re-create Amy's Kitchen with my own homemade, chocolate dessert. In my quest to live healthier I often seek adventurous recipes from whole food sites. This particular recipe was unusual, a flour-less brownie. The two primary ingredients: black beans and chocolate chips. Chocolate and peanut butter; chocolate and coconut; chocolate and caramel; I love all of it...but chocolate and black beans? Why would I cross rich chocolate chips with fibrous black beans? Certainly this combination could never satisfy like home-made brownies nor quiet my sweet tooth like the Belgian almond bark I sampled in Cedarburg...but leave it to me to prove it! I will say, my son (who did not know the main ingredient was black beans) described them as "not bad," perhaps a small victory. In hindsight I wish I had simply been content to eat a few chocolate chips and not wasted time with my kitchen chemistry experiment. In addition, my lovely morning Home Training client had to endure the unfortunate smell of black beans cooking during her Pilates session, no comparison to the decadent chocolaty aroma at Amy's after yoga.
Live and learn from me as I spare you the time, effort, and money exerted into my whole food, chocolate, black bean, brownie concoction. Now I know, and no offense to the original creators of the recipe, my simple mind and my sweet tooth can always be satisfied by just that....simple and sweet...sweet and simple....chocolate.
Live and learn from me as I spare you the time, effort, and money exerted into my whole food, chocolate, black bean, brownie concoction. Now I know, and no offense to the original creators of the recipe, my simple mind and my sweet tooth can always be satisfied by just that....simple and sweet...sweet and simple....chocolate.
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