Back in the Swing of Things

Whew!  This week has been a blur since we returned home from Long Island.  We got back Tuesday evening and I went back to work at the Library the very next day.  I was ready to get back to a routine.  I LOVE working at Bentonville Public Library!  If you live in Benton County, Arkansas, get a library card if you don't already have one!!  Go to this website:  Bentonville Library and find out exactly what to bring with you to get your FREE card, and check out all the very cool FREE things BPL has to offer, i.e, downloadable ebooks and audiobooks, free music downloads, free magazine downloads, and tons of other resources.

Wednesday afternoon I taught my first class at the NWACC Bella Vista Center.  Yippee!  I had five students sign up, so the class was to be held!  Most of my students are new to Yoga, so I offer lots of options for poses that may be more challenging here at the beginning.

I returned to my volunteer chair yoga class at Concordia Retirement Center on Friday morning.  It was so good to see these folks again!  This week we had a smaller than normal class though, probably because IT SNOWED in Northwest Arkansas - the first recorded May snow in history!  Yikes!!

Friday evening was spent visiting with my Navy nephew, Wesley.  We are all so proud of him and his brothers for the accomplishments that each have achieved.

On weekends, I like to cook up several dishes that we can eat now and freeze the extra for later.  This weekend I made a new recipe called Spicy Chickpea Salad.  It is VERY spicy (might have used the whole jalapeno instead of half - oops!)  This will be a very handy summer recipe. I adapted it from this recipe:  Spicy Chickpea Salad.

Spicy Chickpea Salad

I also prepared my Spinach Chickpea Burgers.  They remind me of Salmon Patties that I used to make in my pre-vegetarian days.  My husband likes to take these Chickpea Burgers with him on busy teaching days as a quick meal-on-the-go.  He likes them cold or hot!  They are good with some mustard spread on top also.

Spinach Chickpea Burgers

The last new recipe I tried today was adapted from this recipe:  Asian Roasted Broccoli with Cashews.   Delicious!  The garlic caramelized, the cashews were divine, and the broccoli was tender yet crunchy.  Definitely a repeat.

Asian Roasted Broccoli with Cashews

Well, it's time to prepare for tomorrow's SilverSneakers YogaStretch Class, so must go.

Happy cooking!
Carrie