Greens & Grains Event - Friday, August 11th @ 7pm
Minutes before yoga began the sky looked a bit ominous, however the yogis were eager to practice outside, and the group almost unanimously voted to rollout their mats in the grass. This was a special evening, with emphasis and focus on each of us. The practice geared us to truly listen to exactly what our bodies needed, and lots of adjustments were offered. Just as the sun was setting, everyone flowed and twisted their hearts up toward the radiant colors in the sky. Slowly moving in and out of the last few downward facing dogs and gently into pigeon, the skies opened up and started to nourish us with a little rain. Without hesitation (or defeat), everyone rolled up their mats and headed into the house.
It was almost too perfect to be true. Mother Nature knew exactly what she was doing. The delicate pitter-patter of rain showered the lawn and gardens, and the distant sound of a summer thunderstorm encouraged each of us to snuggle into the restorative part of the practice. Sage and lavender hung in the air, as we moved through a few spinal twists, wringing out and letting go of thoughts, emotions and feelings that were no longer serving us. Finally, we took a deep breath and surrendered into savasana.
For the first time ever, the group flowed, From Mat (to Mat) To Table.
In the kitchen, the sous chefs were busy prepping a bountiful spread for our guests. Appetizers started with a roasted red pepper and sunflower micro-greens hummus. Next up, four jumbo pieces of burrata topped with homegrown tomatoes, backyard basil, and a balsamic reduction drizzle. We had a brief discussion of burrata vs mozzarella, led by @landofpleasantliving, and everyone agreed we’ll always seek out the fleshy, soft, butter-like burrata. The first-course dishes were interspersed between bowls of sea-salt marcona almonds and marinated tricolored olives.
Speaking of bowls, we had a few helping hands start to display the assortment of toppings for our main course.
There was a special moment during this event where the buzz of conversation slowed down a bit, and one by one we went around the circle and connected just a little bit deeper.
The group began building their bowls, exactly the way they liked it. We refueled our muscles with shrimp, chicken, hardboiled eggs, hemp seed, sunflower seeds, almonds, and tricolored quinoa. We ate most of our veggies, fresh snow peas, shredded carrots, roasted beets, watermelon radishes, cucumber, grilled egg plant, balsamic glazed grilled peaches, whole spinach, cherry tomatoes, baby sprouts, chopped avocados, cilantro, and mint. We haven't met a cheese we didn’t like, and the 18-month smoked gouda was a lovely addition to our bowls. The butcher block and stove-top was actually overflowing with toppings, and we inadvertently forgot to take the bok choy and kale chips out of the oven! The grains included grilled naan, decorated with basil, oregano, sea-salt and olive oil. The homemade salad dressings included a few choices: backyard herb-infused vinaigrette and roasted garlic greek yogurt dressing. We jazzed up the second by adding a shot of fresh beet-juice. Why? Because it’s kinda healthy and made our bowls oh so pretty! Speaking of aesthetics, our centerpiece was organic edible flowers and herbs. Fresh for the picking and the perfect finishing touch.
The night was complete with individual desserts: homemade creme brûlée and brown-butter ooey-gooey brownies. Everyone was sent home with mason jar filled with homemade salad dressing (and some bok choy and kale, of course).
When we mindfully listen to our bodies, they will tell us exactly what they need, both on the mat and at the table. We express gratitude to this incredible group of yogis. Thank you for sharing a vulnerable space with us at our first Greens + Grains experience.
You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us. And the world will live as one. -John Lennon
