Margot in the Morning

~ Crystle ~ 7 Comments

Margot in the Morning | Yea Yea PuebloOn days like today, Margot is disinclined to greet the morning sun. She stirs in her bassinet, shying away from the daylight that shines through the blinds of our picture window. Eventually she shakes her sleepiness with a labored yawn and welcomes the day with a few gummy grins for her mama and papa.

These fleeting moments are a gift every day.Margot in the Morning | Yea Yea PuebloMargot in the Morning | Yea Yea PuebloBecause, when the memory of a delicious meal flickers in her eye, hunger conquers the occasion. That’s when I get an adorable sad face like this:

Margot in the Morning | Yea Yea Puebloand I know it’s the beginning of another honeyed day.

Procession of the Species

~ Crystle ~ 9 Comments

Procession of the Species - Olympia, WA | Yea Yea Pueblo

On a scale of one to ten of crunchiness, I am a solid four. I wear Chacos with skirts when the weather is nice, I enjoy hiking and camping, and I recycle diligently. I used to compost back in Oklahoma, but since the garbage disposal came into my life, composing, for me, has gone the way of the dodo.

My suburban sympathies have increased lately, mainly because after too many college years living in virtual squalor, or living sustainably as I used to say, having a new home in a beautifully manicured neighborhood is a luxury I don’t want to give up. I’m also a mom now. That’s my crunch-factor explained.

Procession of the Species - Olympia, WA | Yea Yea Pueblo

My love for Olympia, WA runs deep, probably because its residents are crunchy to every degree, delightfully so. The scale of normalcy is tipped in this area: you have your hardcore vegans, deadheads, potheads, animal-lovers, retired liberals, young adult leftist-liberals, off-the-griders, music junkies…the list goes on and on. Regardless of their subtle differences, this weekend they all combined forces to celebrate Life in the Procession of the Species in downtown Olympia.

Procession of the Species - Olympia, WA | Yea Yea Pueblo

A friend told me about the Procession of the Species going on this last weekend, which I hadn’t heard of before. The website describes it as a ‘joyous, spontaneous artistic pageant where community members celebrate their relationships with each other and with the natural world’.

Locals create costumes of creatures and dance, march and parade through the streets as a sort of nod to Mother Earth. Twice a year this Procession goes on, once in Spring and once in Fall.

Procession of the Species - Olympia, WA | Yea Yea Pueblo

I was super impressed by the creativity and effort that went into the floats, and costumes — many of which utilized recycled materials. Particularly interesting were the large scale floats depicting a whale, giraffe, sea slug, and virus. I’m still wondering how many plastic bags went into the weaving of the whale.

Procession of the Species - Olympia, WA | Yea Yea Pueblo

Flamingos on stilts, hopping frogs, and dancing flies all punctuated the lively procession. Participants of all ages (even babies in carriers!) animated the colorful costumes, in a fun and celebratory way.

Procession of the Species - Olympia, WA | Yea Yea Pueblo20130427-IMG_3863Procession of the Species - Olympia, WA | Yea Yea PuebloProcession of the Species - Olympia, WA | Yea Yea PuebloProcession of the Species - Olympia, WA | Yea Yea Pueblo

And true to Oly form, vendors on location sold vegan sweets and healthy eats. Isaac and I split a chicken & vegetable plate from the Quinoa Kings. It was impeccable street food, the likes of which I haven’t seen in Bakersfield, CA or Norman, OK, the two less crunchy cities I’ve lived in.

Procession of the Species - Olympia, WA | Yea Yea PuebloProcession of the Species - Olympia, WA | Yea Yea PuebloProcession of the Species - Olympia, WA | Yea Yea PuebloProcession of the Species - Olympia, WA | Yea Yea Pueblo

For this, and many other reasons, Olympia, WA is a strong contender for the city we plan to retire in.

Procession of the Species - Olympia, WA | Yea Yea Pueblo

A Picnic-Worthy Fruit Salad

~ Crystle ~ 3 Comments

A Picnic Worthy Fruit Salad | Yea Yea Pueblo

Here I am, five weeks postpartum and I’m going through some serious sugar withdrawals. They’re bad. The irritability and cookie cravings are out of control, I tell you. 

Pregnancy was super fun because I enjoyed a faster metabolism and eating under the guise of  ‘hormones’. I gained a sturdy 29 lbs over the 41+ weeks I was pregnant, and it’s unfortunately not coming off as quickly as I had anticipated. I even started exercising again, but it’s not nearly as easy as I remember it (especially after a cesarean!). Isaac and I were up to 10 miles on our long-distance runs when I found out I was pregnant. Now I can hardly complete one full mile. It’s discouraging.

Knowing what had to be done (as it never should have begun), I decided to kick my cookie, ice cream and candy habit. At least until the next pregnancy, wink-wink.

A Picnic Worthy Fruit Salad | Yea Yea PuebloA Picnic Worthy Fruit Salad | Yea Yea Pueblo

I remember trying to kick my life-long sugar habit in college, and I did it with this fruit salad. It’s become my signature bring-along over the last 8 years since it truly never disappoints. Preparing this fruit salad brings back fond memories of music festivals, barbecues, hiking trips, and potlucks. Each event was the perfect occasion to bring along this fruit salad.

It’s incredibly simple, and healthy, and requires basic ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.

I’ll be chowing down on this until I can see my sugar cravings in the rear-view mirror.

A Picnic Worthy Fruit Salad | Yea Yea Pueblo

My Picnic-Worthy Fruit Salad “Recipe”

Ingredients

1 Large Honey Crisp apple, or 3 small ones. This should total 2-3 cups.

1-2 Bananas, depending on size. I prefer to buy the longer ones.

1 single-serve container of Greek Vanilla Yogurt, approximately 5 ounces.

2/3 cup Granola, I always use Kashi’s Go Lean Crunch.

Directions

1. Chop apples into bite size pieces.

2. Slice banana into bite size pieces.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine apples, bananas, and yogurt. Mix until coated evenly.

4. Sprinkle granola mixture over the top of the salad, and serve.

A Picnic Worthy Fruit Salad | Yea Yea Pueblo

Notes

-Keep the granola separate until you’re ready to serve, if you mix it in prematurely, and the fruit salad sits for a period of time, the granola gets soggy.

-The ratio of apples to bananas should be roughly 1:1.

-I’ve always used vanilla yogurt, feel free to try out Strawberry, Orange, or another fruit-flavored yogurt instead.

-Kashi Go Lean Crunch is a staple around my house, if you have another granola based cereal, or snack at hand, feel free to try it out instead.

-Tart Apples tend to do this dish an injustice, I highly recommend sticking with Honey Crisp or Red Delicious.

-You can also throw in some grapes, or strawberries, but just like the childhood song, I like to eat apples & bananas.

A Picnic-Worthy Fruit Salad | Yea Yea Pueblo