Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

I found this simple and tasty recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread from Pickles and Honey.  I changed a couple of things based on what I had and I also used only half the sweetener.  It came out beautifully.  My last pumpkin bread was a bit and dense.  Not this time.

Here's what I look for in store bought chocolate (or carob) chips:

• absence of high fructose corn syrup or partially hydrogenated oils
• grain sweetened or unsweetened (sugar isn't always vegetarian, more below)
• dairy-free (milk, casein, whey, etc)

I had no idea that sugar isn't always vegetarian.  Here is a list of companies that do and do not use bone char.

Sugar high

Jaggery. Honey. Sweets. Chocolate. Chai. Sugar. Sweet drinks. Jams. Lassi. Sweet milks. Sesame brittles. Candies. Cakes.

I met a girl on Chamundi Hill who was in Mysore studying the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in India. I'm wondering how long it would take me to get to that point and also how long it will take for yesterday's sugar fog to wear off. This morning I told myself I would think savory for breakfast. I had a fenugreek roti with spinach and tomato chutney at Tina's with a fruit salad and ginger mint tea. They also brought me honey for my tea, and like the strong yoga student that I am I said "no, thanks!" (I was probably rocking back and forth in the corner when I said it.) Miraculously, I lived. Take that sugar! I've managed to overcome the physical pressure for sugar, and also that of habit. Then next challenge: sugar peer pressure. Will I be able to withstand? Check back tomorrow...

Practice Update:
Here I am at week 3. I haven't gained any poses since I've been here, but I haven't lost any from primary either. I've heard that in the first month, they (they being Sharath and guruji) like to watch you. The second month, they like to break you. The third month, they put you back together again. Alex's version of this is: the first month, you feel fat and fart a lot, the second month you look skinny and strong. Okay. It was hard to stay focused today in practice. I was right next to the men's dressing room and so there was a constant flow of people walking around my mat. I tried not to notice people getting new poses around me and the rise of jealousy as their heels came to the ground in pasasana. For me it seems like the first month will be trying to get comfortable practicing in the space. The second will be maintaining that feeling. The third will be gone in a second.

I had back bends again with Sharath. He really finds my turned out feet in ankle grabbing very funny. I wish I knew why.