Texas Sheet Cake Bars vs. Triangle Pose---the ugly truth!

Texas Sheet Cake Bars

What happens when you wake up wanting chocolate---not milk chocolate---not semi-sweet chocolate BUT that pure cocoa taste? My mind was telling me to forget it, but my sugar heart was saying "DO IT!!" I knew I wasn't going to yoga class until late afternoon---so I had time.

Still, I left the house and walked the Toad Lake Loop with my neighbor Jeanne. She is very sweet---we like to talk about everything and anything. Eventually our conversation turned to baking---she had just made a blackberry pie and we talked about pectin vs. cornstarch!! Imagine that???

When I returned from the walk I was feeling smug---I had just gotten some exercise and that is when I got out the recipe for Texas Sheet Cake. I have had this recipe for a really LONG time---a classic. I hope you like my stylized Texas Sheet Cake bars photo. Those pink petals are from the peonies in my yard. Why does exercise make you think you deserve a reward??

Oh my, the baking was fun---the house smelled great---the bars looked delicioso! I put half in the freezer and took a big bar to my yoga instructor Karin. She got a big grin when I put the foil covered plate on the counter for her. She likes sweets but it is obvious by her petite body that she doesn't indulge often....and of course, she has a great TRIANGLE POSE.


TRIANGLE POSE

Triangle pose is the one pose that people just starting Bikram yoga really hate. I remember, when I first started, it just seemed like the instructors made you hold the pose F-O-R-E-V-E-R. It is a pose that just takes time to build the stamina to hold. A person can usually get into the pose pretty easily but you quickly run out of energy to hold it. It is a very physical pose---the mantra is that it works every muscle, cell and organ in your body! I believe it.

Over time I have been able to get pretty good at TRIANGLE POSE. I incorporate more and more of the specific instructions for this pose into my daily practice. There are about 10 tweaks the instructors encourage you to work on with TRIANGLE POSE. At this point it is about 10% physical and 90% mental. Hey---Sting is on my Shuffle playing Hearts of Gold....love it!!

THE UGLY TRUTH!

Well even though I put half the bars in the freezer, gave a big chunk away and Jon ate some---those bars ruined my good exercise efforts yesterday! Walking, Bikram class with a very good TRIANGLE POSE weren't enough to reverse the damage. Oh well---today is a new day for exercise. 9:15am class is on the schedule!