Yoga Work Pants, What?!

One day, in my normal traverse of the internet I came across these beauties: 

(Use this link if you purchase them and we will both benefit!)

I felt ecstatic.  Pants that I could wear all day.  They would simplify my life!  I could now stop by the university library on my way to the gym, so convenient!  

I technically am in a constant state of on my way to yoga class/club or other exercise activity these days. 

It turns out that SAD work pants are actually tight.  Tighter and more revealing than jeans.

Unless they are loose and baggy.  Like pajamas. 

It turns out that work pants are actually tight.  Tighter and more revealing than jeans.

Unless they are loose and baggy.  Like pajamas. 

This Blew. My. Mind. I figured it out in Fall 2014 when I taught my first university class.  The last time I needed to dress like a young professional on a regular basis was in 2008. I went with older professional in an attempt to establish credibility as a leader among my peers. 

I was about 20-30 lbs heavier and wasn't checking on the low-rise straight legs at Express, Banana Republic or The Limited, if you know what I mean.  I was at JC Penney's and Kohl's checking up on the high (natural) waist, flat front, side zipper, conservative pants.

Over the summer 2014, I searched my local thrift stores with no dressing rooms for work pants 6 sizes smaller than last time. I was amazed when I tried them on at home and they were form fitting.  In disbelief I ran them by Dan and he said "that's just how work pants fit.  They look right."  My mind said, "then what is the big freaking deal about leggings after all?"  Subsequent observation has revealed that on typical work pants, like those worn by myself and my observable, young, professional, contemporaries, all of the pockets are just for decoration.  

On days when I couldn't deal with the tight, typical, conventional work pants I would wear thai fisherman pants.  These are huge pants made of swaths of cotton linen, that fold over like origami and tie in the front, then the top is folded down over the tie.  

Depending on the material they are made of and how much extra material there is they look very similar to my Tahari dress pants that go with my Tahari blazer composing my one adult suit that isn't from the '90's and is my size.  I don't have a picture of myself in that suit.  But I do have this gem from high school business club, 1999:

(All of those suits I chose in the 90's are suspect now.  They are in colors like turquoise (teal's darker sibling) and rose pink and feature embroidery or rick rack.)  

I cast off my fisherman pants for winter, when the weather is more amenable to less drafty pants and shoes that offer more coverage than buffalo sandals.  Even though they look business casual, thai fisherman pants are comfortable such that I began to doubt my own credibility as an adult when I wore them professionally or in life.  Though I'm sure that when spring rolls around again and from summer wafts forth heat and humidity, I will return to the fisherman pant and a more relaxed sensibility.  Enter the yoga work pant!

The yoga work pant, looks exactly like straight, clean, neat, work pants, but allows me to run right to yoga class after work, and to stop by the grocery store at prime time, chagrin free.  Available in black, other neutral colors, and plaid or herringbone.  Plaid and herring bone are currently in the crowd funding stage (which means they are 10% off too!)

I am enjoying my work yoga pants so much.  I have to say thanks designer Sarah James and Betabrand, this is brilliant!

After my original Facebook post, I got so many inquiries about where to find these pants that I decided to blog about it after all. (Link to referenced huff post article, "Why Yoga Pants Are The BEST Pants.")

What do you think?  Tell me in the comments: Is it okay to wear yoga pants everywhere?  Would it simplify your life if you didn't have to change your clothes on your way to the gym?  Do yoga pants all the time just seem more comfortable? Do you appreciate the similarities between straight leg pants and leggings and relaxed fit work pants and pajamas?

Cooking Swaps. No, No.

Hello people.  I have something to share with you.
Some of you all tell me what bad cooks you are because you don't measure and you use what you have when you make a recipe.  Sometimes this is also the trademark of a good cook.  Well.  Today I threw caution to the wind and made chilaquiles with what I had on hand.

The recipe I was working from was The Thug Kitchen's mixed veggie and tofu chilaquiles.
Starting from the top of the ingredient list and working down,
 the recipe called for corn tortillas.  I had some of those, but my dog ate them, so I used spinach wraps.
2 teaspoons of olive oil, I stuck with that one, even though I had some gorgeous Trader Joe's ghee on hand.
1 block of Medium firm tofu was not available in my kitchen on this snowy day so  I used 4 pastured eggs instead. I am aware that the tofu is a substitute for eggs, which I then substituted eggs for.
2 teaspoons of soy sauce or tamari.  I used bragg's liquid aminos, but even the thugs would not complain about that.
1 teaspoon of garlic powder, check.
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (nooch) check.
1/2 medium onion chopped, yes.
1 green bell pepper, yes.
1-2 jalapeños.  Didn't have 'em, so I left 'em out.
2 cloves of garlic, minced, check.
2-3 cups of spinach - here's where it gets interesting.  I thought I had some baby kale, yum!  But it had frozen in the fridge and turned brown and runny, gross.  So I substituted - and here's the first point where I knew it was all going downward - romaine.  This is one of those substitutions someone makes and then complains about the recipe and then you found out they substituted something like romaine for spinach or - I'm not good at coming up with these substitutions because they make no sense - and you want them to just not even try instead of giving home cooking a bad name.

Next on the list 2&1/2 cups salsa verde - yeah, unfortunately no.  This is when I could have thrown in the towel, eaten the scrambled eggs with sautéed peppers and onions and made some berry oatmeal pancakes with what I actually did have on hand. However, I had a jar of taco sauce in the pantry. mmmmmm.  Not so fresh, but spicy, at least.
1/4 cup vegetable broth or water.  Guess what - I had the vegetable broth!  A small victory.
toppings: avocado, cilantro, jalapeños, pico de gallo; This nightmare wasn't going to need no stinking toppings.

(I'm avoiding looking at you, several week old avocado sitting on the counter.  It needs to be thrown away but keeps me from buying new avocados, some of which may or may not end up getting old and thrown away, which I can't tolerate right now, so am avoiding buying any avocados.)

I would not expect this recipe to work, but for no good reason - maybe because it's a snow day, and I'm really enjoying this book, Thug Kitchen, and because Dan was already eating some Doritos for breakfast and I thought, well, this looks savory - I made something that was nothing like it anyway.

I'm still not sure what's going through you alls heads' when you cook like this and then complain about it.  I learned early on that if you make a meal this way, you might never want to try making it the intended way again.  Just get the right ingredients, follow the directions and you won't be complaining, you will be happy.