Posts Tagged ‘Nia’
Posted by terrepruitt on September 3, 2013
I was looking for something to post about today and I thought, “Hmmm . . . . let’s check out the Nia 52 Moves list on my site and see what I have yet to write about.” Much to my HUGE surprise, I have not posted about the shimmy. I am shocked. The shimmy is a very often used move in Nia Routines. . . heck, the shimmy is an often used dance move in many, many, many dances. So I am shocked I have not addressed this before. I think that the shimmy is somewhat misunderstood. I believe, from what I have experienced, that many people think of the shimmy as a chest move. I have sensed great hesitation in many people when it comes to executing the shimmy. It seems as if people might consider it a boob shake. Some women don’t want to do it and neither do some men. I mean, why would either want to shake their breasts in a cardio dance exercise class? To me, thinking it is a frontal shake is a misconception. While, yes, for many people the front DOES shake and move in a shimmy, that is NOT where the concentration of the movement is. The shimmy comes from the shoulder blades/back.
The Nia Technique Book* says: “Vibrate and shake your shoulders, standing upright or moving front and back, as if you are shaking water off.”**
I think that once the focus of the move is taken off of the chest, some people feel more comfortable with the move. It is not primarily moving your chest/breasts/boobs around. It is moving your shoulders and your back. Since our front is connected to the back, then, yes, our chest will move but the movement will be different than if you are purposefully just moving what is on the front side of your body. There are several ways to learn and/or practice the shimmy, here is one. First of all think: “BACK/SHOULDERS” not front of body.
With your thoughts and your intent shifted from the front to the back you can apply the correct motion. One way to start from scratch with this move is to lie down. Lie on your back, then lift one shoulder off the ground. Push your shoulder blade forward, jutting your collarbone out. Then bring that side back to the ground. Then do the other side. Push, jut, back down. Now push the first side again and as you allow the shoulder to come to the earth push the other shoulder forward. Continue to alternate. Only allow one shoulder up at a time. While you are pushing forward keep your shoulders down toward your hips (not down toward the ground). Keep the space between your ears and your shoulders open. So you are not shrugging your shoulders up to your ears, you are pushing them from the BACK to the sky. Do this until you feel you have the sensation in your body that when you sit up you will still have the correct motion. Vary the speed. Play with the size of the movement. Go for smooth and not jerky.
If you are not starting that far back, from scratch, then stand and concentrate on the shoulders going forward and back. Again, keep the shoulders down. This helps me with the forward back motion, otherwise they might start creeping up into that scrunching posture. Eventually you will be able to just move your shoulders forward and back with nice relaxed (down) shoulders. But in the beginning it might be something you have to think about in order to ensure the front back motion and not up and down.
This move is great for isolating the muscles that assist with good posture and balance. It is also a great stress reliever. It is fun to let out sound while you are shimmying. You don’t even have to waver your voice if you are shimmying vigorously enough, the movement causes the waver. FUN stuff!
As mentioned we do the shimmy a lot in our Nia Classes. Since we do it a lot we do it in many different ways . . . fast, slow, by itself, with other moves . . . it is just one of those great moves to throw into the mix.
I see many, many, many people who are challenged by this move. There are many reasons for that. I also see a lot of people’s movement change once they adjust the focus from the front to the back. I see those proverbial light bulbs come on! Shift the focus and let your body move!
When you shimmy, where is your movement focus? Did this post alter your movement focus? Can you shimmy so vigorously that your voice wavers with your movement?
*written by Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas / **page 138, The Core
Posted in 52 Moves (of Nia), Nia | Tagged: boob shake, cardio dance, Carlos Rosas, dance classes, dance exercise, dances moves, Debbie Rosas, exercise class, Nia, Nia 52 moves, Nia class, Nia dances, Nia routines, shimmy, shoulder shake, The Core, The Nia Technique book, www.HelpYouWell.com | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 31, 2013
I am really happy. This coming week marks a year that we have had Nia on Tuesday mornings at the Camden Community Center in San Jose. Workout classes – especially group exercise classes at city community centers – can come and go. I have been blessed with a small but very consistent group of individuals who are interested in gaining or retaining their health through movement. I am further blessed that some of my students who attend my Monday and Wednesday Nia classes have made it over to the community center. Nia on Tuesdays started on Tuesday, September 4, 2012. Our year class will be Tuesday, September 3, 2013.
I have been teaching Nia on Mondays and Wednesdays in the Willow Glen area of San Jose since February 2009. Most of the individuals that make up the Monday and Wednesday group have been coming for most of the four years and seven months. They too are a dedicated group of students that I appreciate. I rent the time at that location.
I am not sure if many classes at city community centers go on for years. So I am very happy that we have made it to the year mark. I think that as long as the students continue to attend we will have a class. I am hopeful that we will expand our numbers as we enter into our second year. This is the community center where the students requested a second class. There was an opening so their thinking was, “Why not fill it with Nia?” So they wrote a note asking the supervisor if they could have Nia in the time slot that has just opened. The supervisor is allowing us to give it a go. If, this story sound familiar it is because I wrote about it in my Goodie Jar – Check In #27 post in the beginning of the month. I was so excited that was definitely something that went into the Good Things Jar!
The Thursday class has started out with good numbers. Hopefully that class will grow too. It is made up of the core group from Tuesdays, but with a few different people. This past Thursday they were all very kind, patient, and understanding while my music and the player were not cooperating.
As with most dance exercise workouts it is really fun when there is music. While Nia can be done without music, it is nice to have music so that each individual can dance in their own way while we do the routine. The group was very nice and let me run to my car after three songs so I could get my boom box.
So, I am just grateful and sharing my gratitude. I am grateful to have great Nia students at all of my classes. And I am very grateful that the San Jose Parks and Recreation Department is allowing me to have two Nia classes. I am jumping for joy at our one year anniversary. I have actually been working for the city for over a year, but it took a couple of months to get a class. Yay us!
Here’s to our Nia class being one year old at the community center. Here’s to more to come! Thanks for sharing in my joy!
Posted in Nia | Tagged: Camden Community Center, city community centers, dance class, dance exercise, dedicated students, group exercise, health through movement, Nia, Nia class, Nia community, Nia Dance, Nia group, Nia joy, Nia San Jose, Nia students, One year anniversary, San Jose Community Centers, San Jose Nia, San Jose Parks and Recreation Department, Willow Glen Nia | 8 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 27, 2013
There are a lot of things I like about yoga, one thing that I really like is that many of the asanas or poses are executed with a lengthening of the spine. In many poses the idea is to reach with the top of your head, or the crown of your head, in the opposite direction of your tailbone. Often the cue is to reach with the crown of your head to the sky while reaching with your tailbone into the earth. I feel as if the reaching and stretching in the opposite directions really help the body be taller.
While standing, sitting, bending the motion or action is to reach. Reach in opposite directions. Create space in between each vertebra. While consciously stretching the backbone, you are pulling your shoulders back and down. Create a long neck by reaching. Push the shoulders away from the ears. The ribs lift upwards, and off and away from the hips.
One motion or thought to help straighten and lengthen is to extend your sternum skyward. This somewhat juts the chest out and the shoulder automatically go back and down. With this as an image there might be some adjusting that needs to take place, but it can help move you in the right direction. With the lengthening of the spine comes the separating of the ribs. Allowing space in between each rib can sometimes help increase lung capacity. If your lungs have more room to move in they might expand further. This all lending to bigger, deeper breaths.
In the Gentle Yoga class I am currently teaching I am continually reminding the students to lengthen their spine. I, myself, have a habit of scrunching. I think I have mentioned this before. I both scrunch my shoulders up to my ears and round my back. I liken my posture to that of a spoon. So it is very easy for me to fall into that even while I am leading a class because I begin to shift my concentration. So the reminder is for all of us. A reminder is nice because then you can check to make certain you are doing all the things involved in lengthening the spine. Although sometimes I feel a bit repetitive, I think it is worth it. In addition to myself I usually see at least one participant make an adjustment.
In Nia while we might not always be lengthening and reaching with our spine throughout an entire routine there is often at least a moment. If not in one of the dances itself in the cool down or the floorplay. I often include imaging space in between each vertebra as we sit or bend over in a stretch. The Nia routing might not include yoga poses by the idea of it is included. Part of the yoga inclusion “is the conscious alignment of bones and joints”* While lengthening the spine we are lining up the bones and the joints. Our posture is intact.
I really enjoy the growing taller sensation that yoga can offer through a variety of asanas where we are reaching and lengthening. To me it makes for a taller me.
Do you sense you are taller after doing yoga? Do you sense your spine is more straight after yoga? Do you do a pose that really has you feeling you are taller after?
*The Nia Technique, page 276. A yoga focus.
Posted in Nia, Yoga/PiYo/Pilates | Tagged: asanas, crown of the head, gentle yoga, lengthening of the spine, Nia, Nia class, Nia Dance, Nia floorplay, Nia routine, Nia Teacher, Yoga, yoga poses, yoga posture | 14 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 24, 2013
I have mentioned before that I have fantastic Nia students. Well, I also have fabulous students in my gentle yoga class. When I posted about green beans being the only beans I like, except garbanzo beans in a couple of recipes, one of my students commented asking if I liked hummus. Turns out she just made some with sweet potato. I asked if she wanted to guest post or give me the recipe so that I could post it. Just as I say about recipes she used the original recipe as a guide and made it her own. She gave me kinda what she did (pictured). In addition to bringing me the recipe she actually brought me some hummus. In a little baggie! So cute. So sweet of her. It was a perfect addition to our dinner that night because I hadn’t really planned a well-rounded meal since I spent a good portion of the day at the vet’s office with my cat. You know that all medications have side effects and one of hers had a big one so we are now on a different plan on how to handle her issue in order to deal with the issue that came up as a side effect. I had my very first Thursday morning Nia class that will be Thursdays at 8:30 am the same day. So being at the vet for hours then coming home and having to get some stuff done before having to leave for Gentle Yoga didn’t leave me time to think about dinner in detail. So having the sweet potato hummus to serve with a raw bell pepper helped a lot. And it was delicious. I modified it only by roasting the sweet potatoes and adding more water.
Hummus With Sweet Potato:
Ingredients (pictured)
1 cup peeled and chopped up roasted sweet potato* (I measured it AFTER I roasted it)
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup Tahini
7 garlic cloves, roasted (or raw)**
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup water (not pictured)
Peel and chop a sweet potato. Roast it in the oven (at about 450° F with garlic salt and olive oil). Until it is cooked to your liking.***
Put all ingredients in the blender or food processor and pulse until smooth.**** You can start with less water than 1/4 cup and add as you see fit.*****
________________________________
Recipe notes
*I measured the sweet potato AFTER I roasted it
**I used roasted garlic
***I roasted the sweet potato less than I would have if I were eating it
****I don’t have a food processor, I used my blender and I had to scrape and pulse quite a lot. I did not drizzle with oil or sprinkle with paprika.
*****I will use the “bean water” next time. (I forgot that I needed water at all otherwise I would have saved the bean water to use.)
________________________________
As you can see there are two different colored spreads in the picture. I think we might have used different colored sweet potatoes because I can’t imagine a sprinkle of paprika or her + of cumin would change the color that much. Can you?
Either way they both were delicious. Hers was more sweet. Again not sure if it is because of different potatoes or not. Could be the roasting.
Either way . . . this recipe is just a guide. A place to start. Something to look at to say, “Ok, someone has put sweet potato in a hummus and they thought it was good, now what can I do to make it my own?”
Right? So . . . . go make it and report back! 🙂
Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: cat medications, cumin, Garbanzo beans, gentle yoga students, hummus, Nia, Nia class, Nia students, olive oil, paprika, roasted garlic, sick cat, side effects of medication, sweet potato, tahini, Yoga | 10 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 6, 2013
In Nia we use specific hand techniques. There are seven moves considered “Hand” moves in the Nia 52 Moves. There are eight moves that are “Finger” moves. So fifteen moves in all out of 52 that are specifically hand/finger moves. You can read about “Spear Finger” and “Balance Finger” in previous posts. The hands are such a large part of our lives. In addition to the many things they do they help us communicate. Whether we are using them to make gestures as we speak, using them in place of speaking (in the case of sign language or something as elementary as “the finger”), or using them to comfort by touching. They are very powerful. Nia does not neglect that hands. All fifteen of the 52 Nia moves that have to do with the hands/fingers assist in moving energy. It could be moving the energy within our bodies or outside of our bodies. Some of the hand/finger moves can be done both with positive tension or in a relaxed state. When done with tension the muscles in the hands and arms maybe felt more readily. While done with a relaxing flow they might allow us to sense the outside energy. One of the hand moves is called Webbed Spaces.
Webbed Spaces is where your open you hand spreading your fingers wide. I imagine it is called Webbed Spaces because it shows the “webs” between each finger. I have also thought it is called Webbed Spaces because I imagine my fingers being spider webs. I actually don’t know why it is called Webbed Spaces, but those are the things I think about when doing and talking about Webbed Spaces.
After you have already opened your hand and spread your fingers wide. The Nia Technique book says to practice extending each finger and creating even more space in them. Usually in a Nia Class we are moving our arms with our hands in Webbed Spaces. Sometimes we keep our fingers extended while moving our arms or we relax them and move into Webbed Spaces. Either way it is a great way to keep flexibility in the hands.
Do this: put one hand in the Webbed Spaces position, flex and extend your fingers. Put your arm out in a gesture of, “STOP!” Allow the flexing sensation to travel all the way up your arm. Take your other hand and feel the muscles. Then keeping the tension, point your fingers to the ground . . . feel the muscles in your forearm move. Then do the same stop motion and fingers-pointing-to-the-earth move while your hand is not in Webbed Spaces position. Feel the difference. In both cases with Webbed Spaces the muscles are working differently than doing the same wrist movement without Webbed Spaces.
Webbed Spaces is just another way that Nia engages the entire body. This move is also comparable to Jazz Hands so I think of it as showy and dramatic. It can be a great emotional move allowing you to express what you FEEL. It is another way to add fun and pizzazz into our cardio workout.
What do you feel when you do the little exercise stated above? What do you sense when you do this move?
Posted in 52 Moves (of Nia), Nia | Tagged: Balance Fingers hand gestures, cardio exercise, Jazz Hands, Nia, Nia 52 moves, Nia cardio workout, Nia class, sign language, Spear Finger, Webbed Spaces | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 1, 2013
So last Christmas my sister-in-law gave my hubby and I wonderful book. But she gave ME some sugar scrub. It was lemon-mint. I thought that was a great idea. I had always wanted to do that with essential oils. Well, as you might be able to imagine there are a ton of sugar scrub recipes out there and on the internet. So if you are here looking at mine —- THANKS! Some of the scrubs I have had have been a little too oily for me, so I was going for a less oily one. To me the scurb-y part of the sugar is what you want. The essential oil for a little therapy. The oil can be a moisturizer but it doesn’t have to be a lot. So I futzed with a few of the recipes I found on-line. I actually made my first batch months ago and this is when I am getting around to posting about the scrubs. So I don’t remember where I got the recipes that I futzed with and I don’t remember what I did the first time. But here is my latest recipe for a nice sugar scrub.
Sugar Scrub
2 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup oil (I use olive oil)
30 drops pure peppermint oil
15 drops Ylang Ylang
20 drops tea tree
juice of half of a lemon
zest from a lemon
Put the sugar in a bowl then pour some of the oil in. Don’t use it all at first. Stir and stir until it is well combined. Then half of the peppermint. Mix well. Then add the remaining drops of peppermint. Mix well. Add more olive oil. Mix well. Add the Ylang Ylang. Mix. Add the tea tree, then mix. Add only as much of the olive oil as you want. You may even want more oil. But add then mix. It tends to LOOK like it is not enough but then as you stir is mixes in and the sugar gets saturated. So pour and mix. When you are done adding all the oil you want, then add the lemon juice. Then add the lemon zest. Mix, mix, mix.
__________________________________________________________
I have canning jars which really make a nice presentation, but they start to rust in the shower/bath. Plus you have the band AND lid to deal with. It is kind of a pain in the shower. So I was looking for a pretty flip top jar, but then I realized that the little hinge would probably rust. So finally I settled on something that is not as pretty, but I think it is much more functional. Just a regular plastic container. One lid to deal with, easy on, easy off. No screwing and unscrewing involved. No metal to rust.
Again, maybe not as pretty, but I think it will be better in the end, because rust isn’t pretty either.
I chose a peppermint essential oil because it has an invigorating effect, so I thought that would be good for morning showers. Ylang ylang is for stress relief, which many people would appreciate. Tea Tree Oil helps stimulate the immune system. It is known to fight bacteria, fungi, and viruses. To me that is perfect in a scrub. Since I teach Nia which is a barefoot cardio dance, I think of scrubs as being primarily for my feet. So a scrub that invigorate, relieves stress, AND fights bacteria and fungi —- is GREAT.
I hope you like it. Of course you can use an essential oil you like. What oil will you use?
Posted in Essential Oils, Misc | Tagged: canning jar, cardio dance, Christmas, essential oil, fight bacteria, fight fungus, fight viruses, lemon juice, lemon zest, Nia, Nia Dance, Nia Teacher, olive oil, peppermint oil, shower scrubs, Sugar scrub, tea tree oil, ylang ylang | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 30, 2013
I have been teaching Nia for over four and half years. I have students that are Nia teachers. I have students who have taken the training but are not teachers. The Nia Intensives are open to people who do not intend to teach. So I have people in my classes who have experienced the training, but this is the first time that I have people who are taking the Nia White Belt Training because I introduced them to Nia. Well, one for certain, she did not know about it until she had taken my class and the other one I think didn’t know about it until she came to one of my Nia classes. Now this is not me saying I am so great that I have inspired two individuals to take the intensive, this is me saying, “Yay!” to the power of Nia. It is fun cardio dance exercise class . . . but if you want to take the intensive it is a lot more.
I am so excited. I have not had a chance to talk to my student much. She just returned and we have yet to meet so I can get the scoop, but she did express awe. She is in my Tuesday morning class. The Tuesday before she left for her training she was so kind she said that she was bringing a laptop and she would be able to send me some e-mails and we could communicate the week she was in the training. I told her no we would not. I told her that she is going to be so full she will not be able to e-mail. For me, while I was in the intensive, any time that I was not actually IN the training, I was either trying to absorb it and remember and think about all that I had just heard or I was do a little bit of socializing. The training is intense. I have mentioned before. It is not so physically intense that you feel as if you are at military boot camp, but it is physical. There is a lot of moving. I did send her an e-mail during the week and she said she was too tired to respond. I laughed. It is a lot.
Usually there is a Nia class at 7:00 in the morning or so. And when I was in the training we were not required to go to them all, but why not? So the day starts with movement at 7:00 am. Then there is lectures and movement and all of it together. And – something else I’ve said before – not everything you hear is a new concept or a new idea, but the way it is presented or tied into Nia and/or movement makes it seem new in the sense that your brain and your body want to examine it. Learning can be exhausting. Intensives are about 50 hours. The day usually ends about 7:00 pm after an evening Nia class. I know I said most of this just this past November when I took my blue belt. But I am just so excited to have two students becoming Nia White Belts I wanted to share. I want to shout it out!
The brief moments I did get to speak to my student she expressed exactly what one expects after a training. She was happy and grateful and just full of new things. She was amazed to see how much anatomy is part of the Nia training. One of the co-founders wanted to be a doctor so she is very interesting in anatomy. Plus knowing how the body is designed helps know how to create choreography that will allow the body to have a wonderful sensation while moving. Nia is amazing.
I really just wanted to share my joy that one of my students took the next step in the amazing journey that is Nia. She was very kind and as a thank you for introducing her to Nia, she brought me these lovely gladioli.
If you are interested in taking a class from me see my website www.HelpYouWell.com. If you are anywhere else in the world and you want to see if there is a class near you see http://www.nianow.com/find/classes and if you want to learn about Nia trainings see http://www.nianow.com/training
Well, what are you waiting for?
Posted in Nia | Tagged: Debbie Rosas, Nia, Nia and anatomy, Nia Blue Belt, Nia choreography, Nia co-founder, Nia Intensives, Nia people, Nia student, Nia Teacher, Nia training, Nia White Belt | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 27, 2013
Today we had a Nia Jam. I would have written about it right after and posted it, if I hadn’t of had theater tickets. There is a little theater in San Jose that I love (Click here for City Lights Theater) and tonight they were doing the Rocky Horror Picture Show and — wow! The singers/actors were all amazing, but wait, I digress, must be the time warp! The Nia Jam was at Stanford, the awesome Nancy Hoebelheinrich orchestrated it all—as usual. The focus was sound and movement. There were seven teachers. This was a unique Nia Jam because they decided to tie in some Kivo, which is “An Empowerment Practice that activates Voice and Body so you can do the Work you came to do.” The creator of it is also a Nia Teacher. You can learn more about it here. I really go to the Nia Jams to fill my Body, Mind, Emotional Self, and my spirit with Nia. I always have a great time. I love that I get to both teach and be a student. I am not a student enough so I really enjoy my time being a Nia student. I learn a lot as a student. I know I have shared on my blog before that I often want to just stop dancing and take notes. Often times the pearls used are ones I would love to use in my class. Today there were a few dances I would love to bring to my students. Nia Jams are such a good time.
(The white box is someone who requested to not be in the photos . . . some photos were taken before the request was made)
Nia Jams are jammed packed with energy. With so many teachers leading so many different dances it is just one big cosmic burst of energy. I do think that adding the other modality changed the tone and energy a bit, but everyone loved it and had great time. The weather here in the San Francisco Bay Area and particularly Stanford — where the Nia Jam was held — was fantastic. 
One whole wall of the space where we get to dance is doors so it is open and lovely. There are huge fans on the ceiling and several time during the hour and half that we danced, I sensed the air the fans were moving around the room and I was grateful. It was a beautiful day.
I will continue to shout from the rooftops that if you ever have a chance to go to a Nia Jam — go. I don’t just mean ones that I am a part of or ones that are in my area, I mean ANY Nia Jam. I KNOW that ALL of them are infused with the same HIGH energy and fantastic music so I know that any one you attend would give you a GREAT taste of what Nia is.
This month also happens to be the 30th Anniversary of Nia so it was very fitting that we had a Nia Jam this month.
Thank you, Nia Teachers and Nia students for coming to the Jam and making it jamming.
What song would you love to hear at a Jam to get you moving with all you have?
(I will have more pictures from the Nia Jam on www.HelpYouWell.com shortly, so check it out! Thanks!)
Posted in Nia | Tagged: 30th Anniversary of Nia, actors, BMES, City Lights Theater, Empowerment Practice, Help You Well, Kivo, Nia, Nia energy, Nia Jam, Nia Spirit, Nia students, Nia Teacher, Rocky Horror Picture Show, San Jose Theater, singers, Stanford Nia, theater tickets | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 26, 2013
Wow! What a week. How was yours? I had a couple more classes than usual, which is always nice. I had to take our cat to the vet which is never nice and was particularly not nice this time. Poor kitty.
Tomorrow is a Nia Jam. That is always fun. You should come join us.
There are good things to be noted going in my jar. How about you? What do you have going in your jar this week?
Posted in Good Things in the Goodie Jar | Tagged: good things jar, Goodie Jar, Goodie Jar – Check In #25, Nia, Nia Jam | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 18, 2013
I first saw this recipe via a post on Facebook. A Nia friend had shared it from a group on Facebook. Neither my friend nor the person on the group had made them. I was not planning on posting about them. I know I say that all the time, but this recipe looked so quick and easy I didn’t really think there would be much to say about it. But I found that I needed to make some adjustments to the recipe in order for it to work for me. The directions in the post just baffled me because they instructed to cook the “pancake” for 20 to 30 seconds. As mine were cooking and I was standing there diligently waiting to flip then, I wondered what type of stove the person had. I wondered what type of pan. I wondered if they liked raw eggs. The food in my pan was no where near cooked much less in a state that could be flipped at 20 to 30 seconds. Because I often think I will not post about something, but then I end up wanting to, I did actually take pictures from the beginning. But then near the end of the cooking process I was more convinced I would NOT post so I didn’t get any good shots. But as my hubby was eating them I decided to share. I don’t want to call these pancakes because they are not “cakey” at all. To me when I hear banana pancakes I picture pancakes with bananas in them. So I am calling them Smashed Banana Eggs, because that is exactly what they are.
____________________________________________________________
Smashed Banana Eggs
Ingredients:
1 banana
2 eggs
salt
butter/oil
Smash the banana in a bowl. Smash it so much that it is soupy. Then add the eggs. Mix it all up like a scramble, including the tiniest sprinkle of salt. Heat the butter or oil in the pan. When it is hot pour the smashed banana and eggs into the pan forming small circles. Wait until the circle can be moved around the pan. When you are able to slide it then you can flip it.* Flip and cook on that side. When you think it is ready. Serve it with your choice of topping.
____________________________________________________________
*So for me, I just let them cook until they looked like they would survive being flipped and guess what? That didn’t always do it. Some of them broke apart. But that is ok.
I like mine browned. I cooked them for a long time. I kept flipping them back and forth. As I have mentioned many times before the great thing about a recipe and cooking is you get to decide how to do it. A recipe is a guide but you know how you like your eggs and/or pancakes cooked so you decide how long to do it. With me, since some of the circle didn’t survive the flip intact, I had little pieces that which I could taste so while I was cooking I was able to decide how cooked I wanted them.
As with all of my experiments with food I am a little nervous getting my husband to try it. So I asked if he wanted to try something new. He said ok but asked what it was. At the time I didn’t have my new name figured out so I just said it was kind of like a pancake but not really. So then he asked WHAT was in it and I said eggs and bananas that is all.
He was eating his while mine were still cooking. And he was saying that he had them before. He said his aunt in Hawaii made them for him. Sounds right to me. He really liked them. I think he likes them because they are tasty, but I also think that they are something from his childhood so that makes them even yummier.
I just served them to him with butter. But I was trying to figure out another way, so on one of mine I sprinkled some cinnamon. That was really good too. As I mentioned in the “recipe” serve them with whatever you want.
I am going to say that they are a bit rubbery, but that could be because I cooked them so long. I don’t mind rubbery, I just mention it because I want you to understand these are not pancakes. They are not bready. They are eggs with smashed bananas in them. I will be making them again. They were really good.
Just so you know, the recipe above ended up making about 4 thin 5 inch “circles”.
Thanks to Jason for posting the idea on his Facebook page. My hubby is happy to have a taste from his childhood.
(October 6, 2013 . . . . I posted some things I have learned about making these at My Perfect Smashed Banana Eggs)
So what will you top your Smashed Banana Eggs with?
Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: banana pancakes, childhood food, Facebook, Facebook group, GF, gluten free, Hawaiian Breakfast, Nia, Nia friend, quick recipe, scrambled eggs, smashed banana eggs | Leave a Comment »
Terre Pruitt's Blog 