Today's Joyful Affirmation

Where my passion lies, I will succeed.

Eating Mindfully_Mission Accomplished...and still going...

Friday marked my last official day of my 14 day Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) eating diet. Some time on Sunday evening it occurred to me that I had exceeded my 14 day trial and could go back to eating whatever I wanted.  The thing was, as I looked down at my dinner plate full of spinach, quinoa, steamed veggies of every color of the rainbow, and remembered the homemade chocolate-banana-coconut ice cream waiting for me in the fridge, I realized that I already was eating exactly what I wanted!  And there are so many great reasons to eat this way too.

My friend and WFPB nutritionist, Beth, took the words right out of my mouth recently when said to me, "I love hearing people ask me what I have been up to and see their jaw drop when I tell them how I eat. Living a WFPB lifestyle improves energy, gives your skin a new glow, helps you maintain a healthy weight, and helps your body resist or reverse chronic degenerative diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, arthritis, and more. All this by simply eating delicious fruit, veggies, beans, grains, and nuts?  YEP!"

I posted a few of my favorite recipes on my WFPB Recipes for the Savory Soul page and plan to continue to add more. The greatest thing about this is that I feel like I can never get bored. Its so easy to throw together a bunch of veggies, some beans or lentils, over some greens and have a savory meal. And the combinations are endless.  Two of my favorite little treats are below (chocolate-bananan-coconut ice cream and homemade hummus). Look for tonight's veggie chili recipe!

Chocolate-Banana-Coconut ice cream:
1 cup coconut milk
1 sliced, frozen banana
2 Tbls. raw cocoa

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until creamy.  You can adjust the amount of coconut milk for consistency.

Homemade Hummus:
I LOVE this recipe because my 2 year old will eat most vegetables as long as she has hummus to go with them. Store bought hummus is high in fat because of the oil but this has none and is still delicious!
2 cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
4-6 Tbls fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. tamari
6 Tbls vegetable broth

Put all ingredients into a blender and puree until you get a think paste. Add water as desired for consistency.
From Engine Diet 2

A Day for Yoga

In honor of World Yoga Day (Sunday, February 23rd), 20+ people came together to practice a brand new yoga sequence called Fire Fusion. It was an inspiring and beautiful practice.  Fire Fusion combines elements of a powerful flowing practice with dance-like moves and sets the entire sequence to music. The intention is to feel comfortable in a choreographed sequence while also having the freedom to improvise the routine in a freestyle sort of manner.  We twist, we flow, we balance, and of course, we breathe.  This afternoon, we let our hearts be open and uplifted.  We freed our hearts and our minds to the greater powers as the music carried us through the practice. 

The energy produced in the room was incredible. Yoga brings people together in a unique way. This afternoon, we were all meant to practice together and to send that vibrant life energy out into the universe for all those who will benefit from it. Heal and be healed through the powerful practice of yoga. 

Happy World Yoga Day!

"Exercises are like prose, whereas yoga is the poetry of movements. Once you understand the grammar of yoga; you can write your poetry of movements."

~Amit Ray

A Toddler's Perspective

Its amazing what one can learn from a toddler.  This afternoon my two year old, Maggie, taught me about perspective. Perspective can make such a big difference in how we view our quality-of-life. We absolutely have the choice in the way in which we respond to the things that happen to us. We can't change them, but we can live and laugh through them

Today we experienced one of the first nice days in a long time.  The sun was shining, melting the mounds of snow that descended upon us just yesterday, and the temperature was about 50° warmer than it's been in a a while. 45° felt like 70! Taking advantage of the nice day, I walked over to pick up my daughter at day care, taking our dog, Meatloaf, along with.  For a 70 pound English Bulldog, he's a bit sheepish when it comes to water, and tippy toed his way through the many puddles in the sidewalk.  Little did he know what was in store for him.  On our walk home, a car drove through an enormous puddle on the side of the road, completely drenching Maggie, Meatloaf, and me. We all froze and gasped (or at least, Meatloaf would have gasped if he knew how).  As I was turning around to give the driver a dirty look, (how dare they!) I heard uncontrollable, hysterical laughter coming from Maggie. She thought getting soaking wet from this car was the funniest thing in the world!  What a lesson. The moment I heard that laughter I softened and started laughing myself. After all, its funny. Yes, the water was probably filthy but we would survive. Instead of stewing over the incident, I'm smiling about it.  And why not?  Its almost a certainty that person didn't do it on purpose, and there's a good chance they didn't even know it happened.  And that doesn't really even matter anyway.  It happened.  We can either choose anger, or laughter.  I choose laughter. 

~Namaste

Eating Mindfully_Being Present

"The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers."  – Thich Nhat Hanh

The connection between mind, body, and spirit is one that is so integrated into our being that it simply cannot be broken. The key is removing all the layers of stuff that builds up over time, covering up and dimming our incredible life energies.  As I've gone through this past week of Whole Foods Plant Based eating (WFPB) or "mindful eating" as I've been calling it, I can safely say that the attention I've paid towards my food has filtered into the attention I pay my family. Instead of sending my daughter in to watch TV or play a game by herself while I make dinner, she's been pulling up a chair and helping...or at least sorting veggies and counting my spice jars for me. But its good old fashioned quality time. And learning time - counting, trying new foods, learning what edamame is and even eating most of the meals she helps me with. Its during this time that I'm aware of my presence with Maggie and cherishing our time together. (And I have to admit that I'm an especially proud mama when she eats a whole serving of the Asian Chopped Salad we made tonight.)

Asian Chopped Salad from "Vegan Cooking For Carnivores"

The same is true for my husband. He's a meat-eater and likely won't give that up. But instead of taking that personally, I've begun to realize that I can still make delicious, filling meals that he's happy to eat...and I can always add a bit of meat of his portion!  Its about being mindful of where we all are and not forcing a change on someone who is not ready. Michael may never be a WFPB eater, and I may never go back to my old diet, but none of that matters. We are who we are and we love one another just the same. Being mindful of what is going into my body, about the food I'm selecting and preparing, has allowed me to be present to my family.  This presence has given me peace of mind and a heart filled with joy. Mind, body, spirit...connected. 

Eating Mindfully_Week 1

After one week of integrating myself into Whole Foods Plant Based eating, not just in the eating part of it, but in researching the health benefits of this compared to a diet including meat and dairy, I'm pretty sure I've crossed the threshold into this type of lifestyle. There's no doubt that knowledge is power and I have to say that it has been very empowering to access information about the food we put into our bodies and what it does to us.

Research abounds on the truly miraculous benefits of a plant based diet. And these benefits not only affect our own body but the environment as well. Talking to my friend Beth Putnam, a certified plant based nutritionist, and hearing her and her husband Scott's story about switching to this diet, as well as talking to others who have made a similar lifestyle change, has made for a great support system. My aunt is another with a story to tell and offered to me several amazing cookbooks and informational books like The China Study (a must read) and Eat to Live. You've probably heard of Forks Over Knives and if you have any interest in learning why on earth I would give up something as delicious and significant as meat and all other animal based products, its a very worthwhile watch. Beth also gave me the documentary, Eating, another one that blew my mind. The evidence is out there, we just have to care enough to see it. All I can say is, I care...a lot.

With the exception of eating what is served to me when at dinner at someone's house, I'm not sure that I can, in good conscious, go back to a traditional American diet, nor do I really want to.  Not just for own health, but for my family's too.  I want them to have the choice and that can only happen if I make the food and the information available. But we'll see what happens. My aunt gave me a good piece of advice, saying she takes it one month at a time. This makes sense. Its easier to make a change like this when you have a goal - like making it to the end of the month, or in my case right now, making it for 14 days.

Meanwhile, here's what's on the menu for next week:

Sweet Potato and Lentil Stew
Black Bean Soup
Chopped Asian Salad
Avocado Rueben Sandwich

Eating Mindfully_Days 5 & 6

Almost halfway through the 14 day WFPB eating challenge, and I can't really say its been much of a challenge!  I'm having so much fun creating meals, I feel great, satisfied, and healthy. Midway through the week the challenge became keeping it interesting during the day. Dinner was my main focus especially because I was preparing it for my family as well as myself.  The good news was that I was able to dig into leftovers as part of my lunches every now and then, and I prepared extra beans and quinoa from one meal to have on hand later in the week.

Meanwhile, Maggie has been my little sous chef, sorting chopped veggies, stirring risotto, and learning that asparagus is "yummy!"  Last night we made butternut ginger soup from "Finding Vegan" and tonight was the creamiest, richest risotto (with kale and peas) that I've ever had - and no cheese or cream or any other dairy!  Check out Gwyneth Paltrow's cookbook, "Its All Good." She has lots of vegan and elimination diet recipes. Yummy stuff.

Butternut ginger soup

Risotto with kale and peas

Eating Mindfully_Day 4

Nourishing the body is nourishing the mind and spirit as well.  Its only been 4 days and I can honestly say I feel different and so much better!  I'm happier. I have more energy. I feel lighter on my feet.  My whole body feels uplifted. I've been less hungry eating this way than before. There's more food going into my body and all of it is REAL food. I can hear and feel my body saying thank you, and as someone who ate a very healthy diet even prior to this endeavor, I can only imagine what this would do for anyone eating a substantially less healthy diet. 

So, here's yesterday's meal plan:

Breakfast: I'm loving the gluten-free homemade granola from Barb's Garden and Pantry down at Farmer's Market, with coconut or almond milk. Added some sliced strawberries this time.

Lunch: Salad (who knew a salad could be so filling!) with an assortment of veggies.  I topped it off with some of the sweet potato, eggplant, and onion mix from the night before. Yum.

Lots of snacks throughout the day: raw almonds, carrots and celery with hummus, grapes, an apple, green pepper and tomatoes...

For dinner, I dug into Saturday's left over veggie stew which was even better the second time around because it had thickened and absorbed even more flavor!  To go along with it, I tried my friend Kelly's suggested recipe of kale cooked with coconut water, garlic, and a splash of apple cider vinegar. Threw in some white beans and sun-dried tomatoes when the kale was almost cooked through. And for a twist tossed in some mushrooms as well.  She was right - super easy and delish!

Check out the recipe on my WFPB Recipes for the Savory Soul page!

Eating Mindfully_Day 3

“Eating is perhaps the single most important act for one’s yoga practice because nourishment of the body’s tissues forms a foundation for the nourishment of the mind and emotions.”  

~Scott Blossom, Yoga Journal, June, 2008

Coffee with no milk is a tough one...I love a good latte.  And unfortunately, I'm not a huge fan of almond milk in my coffee.  Luckily, this morning I discovered that coconut milk is a far tastier option for my coffee fix. Whew! That, paired with the homemade granola I bought yesterday at market and some sliced strawberries made for a good start to my Sunday.

Lunch was a smoothie, inspired my mother-in-law: Kale, arugala (normally, that would be spinach but the spinach was gone...arugala was different but yummy. It gave it a bit of a kick!), carrots, strawberries, and coconut water.  For a side, tomatoes and some celery with hummus. Another beautiful spread as I was preparing this meal!

Dinner was my own creation: "Hearty Roasted Vegetable and Quinoa Salad"
This consisted of a bed of arugala topped with quinoa, roasted sweet potatoes, eggplant, and onion, some spices and a side of steamed broccoli.  Hearty, healthy, and delicious!

It feels so good to eat this way. Even without two of my favorite things, sushi and lattes, it just might be worth going without.

Be sure to check out my Savory Soul recipe page for this and any other creations that inspire you!

Eating Mindfully_Day 2

Took advantage of winter farmer's market this morning to pick up some local, seasonal produce with which to create meals!  I LOVE that we have farmer's market year round. I ventured out with no list and no planned menu (something I rarely do!) and came home with sweet potatoes, arugala, apples, tomatoes, carrots, and gluten-free homemade granola, among other treasures. Real food is so pretty - its amazing.

Today's breakfast was the same as yesterday's and a similar assortment of fruits and veggies for snacks.

A colorful lunch included a raw salad of spinach and kale, cucumbers, tomatoes, avocado, mushrooms, and some leftover split peas from soup a few nights ago.  A side of broccoli and carrots with hummus on the side. Best part of lunch?  My 2 year old's insistent request for "more bwocy (broccoli)". It makes my heart smile when she eats her veggies.

Dinner was a bean and veggie chili inspired by a recipe I found on Finding Vegan.  Delicious! And filling.  I also simply can't get over how beautiful all this food is.

Here's my take on the recipe:

Veggie Bean Stew

The Fixings:
2 celery stalks, diced
2-3 carrots, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
½ large red onion, diced
3 cloves minced garlic
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
14.5 oz. marinara sauce
2 tsp tamari
2 tsp pure maple syrup
1 cup green split peas
½ cup great northern beans
1 large baking potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 cups water
14.5 oz. can corn

The Spices:
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp celery seed
2 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper

The Add-Ons (optional):
Green onions, soy cheese, cilantro

The Creation:

1. Cover the bottom of a large pot with a thin layer of water or vegetable stock. Keep some water handy to prevent veggies from sticking to pot. Saute celery, carrots, bell pepper, and onion over high heat for 2 minutes.

2. Add all the spices to the veggie mix and sauté for 7 minutes

3. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute

4. Add the diced tomatoes, marinara sauce, tamari, and maple syrup. Add split peas, beans, baking potato, and water and simmer, covered, until potato is soft, about X minutes

5. Add corn and cook for 15 more minutes

6. Serve and Savor!

And so here we are at the end of day 2. I feel wonderful, satisfied, and inspired!

~Namaste.

Eating Mindfully

Mindfulness is being aware.  Most people, in American culture anyway, are completely unaware of what they eat.  And for the most part, its really not their fault.  Even those of us who make an extra effort to eat well don't know, without at least some research, what is truly good for us and what is not.

In yoga, we practice letting go.  Letting go of things that don't serve us.  This is often in the form of thoughts, fear, worry, anxiety, and so forth.  But what about letting go of what we think we know about healthy eating and embracing a new idea.  What about considering, and perhaps accepting, that much of what we think we know, might just be wrong.  As of yesterday, Friday, February 7th, I've let go.  I'm embracing a new idea in the form of a 14 day challenge.  2 weeks.  What this challenge means for me is no gluten, no dairy, and no animal products. The goal is not short term and its not weightloss.  This isn't a fad diet, its a lifestyle. Its well-being now and 50 years from now.

The inspiration to do this came from a number of sources over the last few years, but was propelled forward after a conversation with two beautiful people, Scott and Beth Putnam.  Beth was recently certified in Whole Foods Plant Based nutrition and both she and Scott are advocates for this type of nutritional lifestyle.  Beth's own words most authentically describe why she chose this lifestyle:

"My purpose in living a whole food, plant-based (WFPB) lifestyle is to live to be a healthy 100 years old without pain, illness, or the need for daily medications. I had my first beautiful daughter at age 35 and my second at age 39 and I want to be a positive part of their lives for a long, long, time to come.

My inspiration comes from a strong desire for wellness that stems from witnessing my athletic father’s untimely death from a rare and rapid form of external lung cancer. Additionally, my mother is experiencing mid-stage Alzheimer’s Disease, my mother-in-law suffers from Rheumatoid arthritis, and my father-in-law passed several years ago from an external lung cancer as well. Through my studies, I am now aware that whole food, plant-based nutrition can prevent, treat, and even cure most chronic degenerative diseases including diabetes, heart disease, dementia, inflammation (arthritis), and cancer.

My motivation comes from my husband and daughters whom have embraced this lifestyle with open arms in the name of abundant health, hope and happiness. WFPB nutrition is powered by love for life, wellness, family, community, and our environment."

My own motivation comes from a desire to live, love, and practice a healthy lifestyle and to inspire anyone who is ready to do the same.

For the next 14 days (13, now actually) I'll be posting about my progress, how I'm feeling, and what I've been eating as well as posting any great recipes I try out (just in case you want to give it a try!) So with that said, here's a look at Day 1 in the life of a carnivore turned WFPB...

Day 1

Breakfast: Gluten free oatmeal with blueberries, apples, flaxseed, and agave.  Can't forgo the coffee, but now its with almond milk.
I used to eat eggs almost every morning. I thought with all the protein in eggs I'd be full longer but this meal was far more satisfying!

Lunch: Had a lunch date with a friend at Panera and while my go-to is always their Power Spinach Salad, it has bacon and eggs on it. But not to worry, I was able to get it sans bacon and eggs, paired it with their veggie soup (had to pick around a few gluten-filled pastas) and topped it off with a crunchy apple. Yum.

Dinner: Go figure. On my first day going WFPB, I have 2 out of my 3 main meals scheduled to be out with friends. Thought I was in for it going to Vinny Vanucchi's but they have a gluten-free menu!  I'm impressed.  Devoured some gluten-free penne with steamed veggies (after peeling off a layer of cheese that was begging me to eat it) and enjoyed their house salad.

Snacks throughout the day included raw almonds, grapes, half a green pepper, apple slices, orange ginger tea, carrots with PB2 (Love this stuff!  Its powdered peanuts that you mix with water to make peanut butter without all the fat from the peanut oils), broccoli and hummus.

Felt satisfied and energetic all day :-)

~Namaste.

Today's Joyful Affirmation

I see only the positive.

"We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses."
~Abraham Lincoln

Snow Day

When life gives you snow...make a snow angel.

We have a tendency to lament on the "bad" things and overlook or forget about the good.  This morning the snow was falling...again. And while we're all sick of shoveling and bundling up and having our cars washed only for more slush and snow to dirty it right back up, it is what it is.  Our moaning and groaning, our resistance, isn't going to change anything.  The snow will fall and we can choose to be miserable over it or we can turn the day into one of snow angels, sledding, and hot cocoa by the fire.

Last week I led a guided meditation on finding your inner child.  This was during yet another week of consistent snow and frigid temperatures.  At the end of our session, one of the ladies in the group, who lives outside of town on a farm, said she was going home, hooking up a sled to her horse, and going for a sleigh ride through the woods behind her house.  An inspiring way to transform a winter day into a memorable experience.  Today, with that in mind, I bundled up my two year old, dug out my ski clothes, and took her sledding. Each run down the hill we went faster and faster, inevitably falling over and sinking up to our ears into the snow.  I know the wind was blowing, and the snow was falling, and so I imagine I was cold, but all I really remember is the delightful sound of incessant, uncontrollable two-year-old-laughter.  Its that sound that I'll always remember; not the shoveling, the cold, or the slushy mess of winter.

Things happen in our lives everyday, things more significant than the weather, and the labels we place on those events, and how we choose to respond to them, determine how we feel about the way in which they play out.  We have the choice to  complain and resist or to accept.   We can blame others, or external circumstances, in fact, we can blame just about anything we can find.  Yet the fact remains that no one and no thing can make us feel any way unless we let them.  The universe has an uncanny way of laying things out for us exactly as they should be. Knowing this is a comfort. All is well when we allow it to be so.  The universe speaks to us and guides us, and while her voice may often be soft and quiet, when we are open to hearing that voice, we just might realize that whatever events or circumstances enter our lives, it is as Julian Barnes observes in his novel Levels of Life, "just the universe doing its stuff."

Namaste.