With friends coming over later this evening for a stew dinner and a nice fire I felt it would be nice to end the evening with a little sweet something. What better compliment to a night of laughter, wine and whiskey than a little pecan pie. And then I remembered a great recipe I saw recently over at Allergy Free Alaska for pecan pie cookies. Yep that’s right, all the goodness of a slice of pie in the delicious form of a cookie. I LOVE pecan pie. Really, really love pecan pie. However, I’ve been cutting back on the amount of refined grains in the sweets that I bake and have completely taken out dairy and eggs. Imagine the light in my tender little heart when I came across this recipe for grain free, vegan pecan pie cookies. I just couldn’t wait to get my baking mitts on.

Generally, when I recreate recipes I find that I have to shift things around to my liking. I’m a less sweet and more salty kind of girl but this recipe was pretty suited to my tastes. The only things I did change was to add a little more salt and I used coconut milk rather than almond. So I have to say publicly, thank you Megan…these are awesome!

Pecan Pie Cookies (adapted from Megan at Allergy Free Alaska)
Yields about 18 cookies
For the filling:
1/3 cup dates, pitted, soaked & chopped
5 tablespoons grade B maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 tablespoon coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 cups pecans, chopped

For the cookie base:
2 1/4 cup blanched almond flour, packed (I used Bob’s Red Mill – they are local here)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
5 tablespoons coconut oil, at room temperature
3 tablespoons grade B maple syrup
1-2 tablespoons coconut milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

To make the filling:

1. Cover the chopped dates in 1 cup of hot water and set aside for at least 10 minutes and up to 30. The longer the gummier they get which lends a nice texture to the filling.
2. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the maple syrup, coconut oil, coconut milk, and vanilla extract. Stir until the coconut oil is just melted and then remove from heat.
3. Drain and discard the hot water from the dates, and place the dates in a blender with the saucepan contents. Blend until smooth, pour back into the saucepan (so you don’t dirty another bowl) and then stir in the sea salt and chopped pecans. Set aside.

To make the cookie base and form the cookies:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F) and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond meal, sea salt, and baking soda. Whisk in the coconut oil until the dough resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Stir in the maple syrup, vanilla, and coconut milk. Start with 1 tablespoon of almond milk and add another tablespoon only if the dough needs more moisture to pull it together.
4. Roll the dough into balls (using about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough each) and place on the cookie sheet. Flatten the balls of dough and use your fingers to make a well (or indentation) in the middle of the cookies.
5. Generously fill the cookies with the pecan pie filling (and I do mean generously fill, otherwise you will be left with a lot of filling left over).
6. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the bottoms of the cookies are golden brown.
7. Allow the cookies to completely cool on the cookie sheet (otherwise they will fall apart).

This discipline does not, however, mean difficulty. With tapas comes austerity and, like all things yoga, is balanced with contentment of effort. Just because home girl next to me is actually doing the splits in her standing splits and I kind of look like I’m standing on one leg with my other one barely lifted off the ground does not mean she is more disciplined or more spiritually sound.

It is our ego that battles with difficulty. Finally sticking a handstand can be a prideful event and lends and egoistic attachment to being and “advanced” practitioner.

It becomes more about the quality of your decisions and thoughts and less about holding out for one last breath in Half Moon. Get on your mat everyday, practice better handwriting or forgive over and over and over. That is tapas.

It really is. I’ve spent 7 years in this construction of a home rotating roommates, friends and lovers. The times when I have felt the most grounded, the most at home, are the times when my heart has been completely present. It really doesn’t matter where you rest your head or where your things are. These are not the definitions of what creates a sense of home. A sense of home is just that, a sense, a manifestation created by connection and grounding. When you’re heart isn’t in it there is a disconnect. We create this disconnect for all sorts of reasons; out of fear and for protection are the reasons that come up most for me. I can be thousands of miles away where everything sound, smell and sight is foreign. But if my heart is truly present  I am truly open  and can feel absolutely at home wherever I choose: in a foreign country, on my yoga mat, in my own body. The heart is a muscle like any else to be exercised. We have an incredible opportunity to exercise this muscle not just physically but mentally and emotionally. Just take a moment and consider:

What is one thing your heart truly desires?

What is stopping you from fulfilling that one desire?

Do you think this one desire would help you feel more at home, more centered, focused and grounded if fulfilled?

What is stopping you?

The life we live isn’t all that different, although Courtney Robertson might disagree with you, life isn’t just about “winning”. It’s about learning how to make choices that contribute to a better self so that you are able to live the most full and happy life possible. I know this sounds like a bunch of optimistic bullshit and maybe it is, but making these kinds of choices is hard and sometimes comes with a little heartache and pain.

We all get to a point where some of the things we love cease to serve us in a positive way. Relationships have been proving this to us since the first time our BFF stole our favorite Rainbow Brite eraser. Sure, things aren’t always peaches and roses and you work on those things, growing and becoming better people along the way, but there comes a time in many relationships when there just isn’t anymore to work out. It takes two people to nourish a relationship so that it brings joy into their lives.

Think about the people in your life. The ones who are close to you. Who makes you laugh, cry, think and want to do amazing things? Who makes your feel good about yourself? Who are the sincere and honest ones? Spend time with the people who bring you the most joy and step back from those toxic relationships that make you sad or angry. Nourish yourself and live a happier, longer life by choosing those things healthiest to you.

To use yoga postures to help ready you for sleep, the following are some tips to keep in mind when incorporating yoga into your pre-bedtime routine:

• Wear loose clothing, remain barefoot, and find a quiet, warm place.
• Come into each position slowly hold it for a few minutes, and come out of it slowly.
• Never force your body to move into or hold a position that hurts.
• Rest in between postures registering the effects of each pose on your system.
• Breathe slowly and evenly, and always focus on your breath. Continuous concentration on your breathing throughout each posture is one of the keys to yoga’s deeply relaxing and restorative benefits.

All of these poses can be done in bed. Make it a part of your evening routine and starting getting the good night’s rest you deserve.

Happy Baby

Child’s Pose

Supta Baddha Konasana

Reclining Twist

Legs Up

Savasana

-Rainer Maria Rilke