Happiness Machine

"Should a Happiness Machine, he wondered, be something you can carry in your pocket?

Or, he went on, should it be something that carries you in its pocket?"
                         -Dandelion Wine, Ray Bradbury

Amid this lovely, whimsical writing, is a story where the character succeeds in making a happiness machine.  But the machine makes everyone sad because it shows pictures of places that everyone should go, things that everyone should like, expensive things like Paris and those that make you crave more things - but the characters had not actually experienced them and in learning that they wanted, they cried.

He spent so much time and energy creating this machine that he had collapsed in exhaustion when finished.  He was chagrined to realize that his invention had failed.

But when he looks inside the front window of his house, he sees his wife cooking, his children reading and playing games... looking at his family, he realizes that it's his life that is the true "Happiness Machine;" it's his beloved family.  He'd had no need to put his energy into inventing the happiness.  It was there all along.

Happiness is found in the moments of life.  It is not around the corner - once we buy this or finish that.  It is here.  It is now.

The Happiness Machine is life, carrying us in its pocket.  It is the memories and experiences we collect, the people we choose to surround ourselves with, sunshine on shoulders, a favorite song, a cup of tea or a caramel mocha, a hot shower, a walk in the park, holding a baby, catching up with a friend, receiving a hug from a child, taking a moment to relax, a roof over your head.  Sip and enjoy.

Grateful

I am grateful to be on this new path of peace and healing.

According to The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, when you are on the frequency of following your true path – doing what you are meant to do - the way should be easy, effortless.  Opportunities appear that are pleasant because they are meant for you.

One opportunity that opened up is babysitting once or twice a week for a really nice family.  The three -year -old girl and six -year-old boy are bright, sweet, and adorable.  Last week, they were down for their naps and I sat on the back porch – sun on my shoulders, looking out at the lake and thinking, “This is my new job.  This is my new life.”  They pay me the same that I was making at my corporate job.  I could have been sitting in an office, forcing myself through my day.  Instead, I was playing with children and sitting in sunshine.

My largest expenditure that I felt unable to sacrifice was yoga.  Miraculously, help was needed at the studio, so I am now trading my time helping at the front desk for free yoga.  And I love working there because it’s something I believe in, a place that I truly care about and love to nurture.

Same with being at home.  As an introvert, I love the opportunity to spend the day by myself, thinking, writing, nurturing my home and my family.  I can honestly say that I’ve found so much joy in being home – in caring for my household, having time to do thoughtful things for my husband, cooking lovely, healthy meals, and helping with the family business - our rental properties.

All of these beautiful opportunities presented themselves because I was open, because I was searching for a way to truly be me.  And most importantly, because I believed that I would be guided with all of my heart.  It is the life that I visualized for many years.  And it was up to me to take the first step – all this time.

Laura’s Karmic Subs

My husband, Vida, and I love Dave’s Cosmic Subs.  Since we’re scaling back on the budget and have so many fresh veggies from the CSA, I decided to attempt them myself.  Okay, so obviously they are a bit overflowing.  If you don’t want it sloppy and have some to eat with a fork afterwards, use less veggies.  This was delicious!  Keep your napkins close!

They are Karmic because they’re vegan. 

Laura’s Karmic Subs (Serves 2 and then some to lick off the plate)

Foot long French bread, cut in two
½ avocado, large diced or strips – whichever you prefer
½ tomato, diced
½ pepper, cut into long strips
½ onion, cut into long strips
Fresh horseradish or a sauce without egg or cream
Handful of fresh spinach
2 romaine leaves
½ cup cole slaw (recipe below)

1. Saute the pepper and onions in light olive oil on medium heat until soft (about 5-7 minutes.) 

2. While sautéing, spread horseradish on both sides of the inside of the bread.  Add spinach, lettuce, avocado, and tomato. 

3. When done, add grilled onions and peppers. 

4. Top with cole slaw. 

5. Try to fit in mouth.

Feel free to make variations with your favorite veggies that you have available!  If you like mushrooms, those would probably be nice to grill, too.

Fresh Cole Slaw

½ head cabbage, shredded to bite-sized pieces
1 carrot, use a peeler to peel the whole carrot into little strips
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper
1 tsp ground mustard powder
Couple of dashes lemon pepper
1 TB garlic powder

Combine and mix.  Let marinate about 15 minutes.

Beautiful, Subversive Food

According to Michael Pollan, we should involve ourselves in the communal web of food production as intricately as we can:

“This food reveals itself for what it is: no mere thing, but a web of relationships among a great many living beings, some of them human, some not, but each of them dependent on the other, and all of them ultimately rooted in soil and nourished by sunlight.”

This community involves the farmers growing and laboring, the plants drinking in the sunshine and luxuriating in nutrients, the animals that have contributed to the soil or are part of the kind cycle, all the way to the person cooking and inviting loved ones to the table. 

Pollan also says:

“To reclaim this much control over one’s food, to take it back from industry and science, is no small thing; indeed, in our time cooking from scratch and growing any of our own food qualify as subversive acts.”

Go Geauga Family Farms!!  I am so proud to join your community web, where you “produce healthy foods, from healthy soils, for healthy people.”

Kohlrabi Slaw Recipe (Adapted from Food Network Magazine and changed Laura-style):
Peel 3 kohlrabis and cut into matchsticks.  Whisk the juice of 1/2 lemon, 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill (Or 1 TB dry), 1/2 clove minced garlic, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, and salt and pepper in a bowl.  Whisk in 3 tablespoons olive oil.  Toss with the kohlrabi and add more salt and pepper to taste.

Note:  FN's recipe calls for 1 kohlrabi and 1/4 head shredded cabbage.  I used 3 kohlrabi instead because that's what I had and it was delicious!

Sometimes being Kind is as important as being Present

Because I was trying so hard to focus on being present while my Type A family members were trying to rush from point A to point B while discussing point C, I found myself growing utterly impatient.  I wanted my companions to EXPERIENCE New York City since it was their first time there.  I wanted to “stop and smell the…” ok, in NYC maybe I didn’t want to use the sense of smell as much.

But definitely to linger, to soak it in.  I found myself getting rushed along and growing bitter.

However, I now realize that just because being present was important to me, it was still something that I was struggling with just a month ago.  How could I expect my travel companions to be open to it or even consciously trying to employ it when it was still so new to me and not at all a focus for them? 

What’s ironic and a little bit awful is that I was so critical of how we were losing our experiences in the present moment, that I spent a great deal of time in my head being angry, also losing my own experience.  What I missed was kindness and compassion.  And now I can never get that time back to experience travel with 3 of my truly favorite people who I love dearly.

I’d like to illustrate an experience to give you an idea of what I was facing - If only I had been able to giggle then instead of turn grumpy (another excuse: it was 95 degrees and humid…)

Ahead of time, my mom emailed: “I was told by the hotel that we must be sure we travel only in the YELLOW NYC TAXI CABS.  Not the black gypsy cabs.”  I acknowledged the email, saying, “yes, this is good advice.”

As we were exiting the airport, there was a sign: Ground Transportation.  As we were walking in that direction, my mom said to my aunt, “We must make sure it’s a yellow taxi cab.”  My aunt said to me, “make sure it’s a yellow taxi cab.”  While looking at the sign, my mom asked, “But does Ground Transportation mean they will have the YELLOW taxi cabs?” 

My aunt promptly found someone working at the airport to ask if “Ground Transportation was the way towards the YELLOW taxi cabs.”  We were told yes, go outside the door and you will find many yellow taxi cabs waiting.  As we walked outside, they were still reiterating to each other that we must find a yellow taxi cab.

The line was very long and I saw a sign for another taxi stand around the way.  I decided to go ahead and check it out.  There were yellow cabs lined up all around the corner and very few people waiting, so I ran back and told my mom and aunt to follow me.  The questions:

“Did you find taxi cabs?”  “Are you quite sure they are YELLOW taxi cabs?” 

Exasperated, I walked forward, wordlessly leading the way.  As they looked at the yellow cabs lined up around the block, my mom asked, “But are they New York City yellow taxi cabs?”  I pointed out that they said “New York City” on the side and that they were indeed very yellow.

As I looked around the city, my mom and aunt discussed among themselves how they had to be sure that all of our taxi cabs were yellow…

Looking back now with love, I can see that they were just nervous to be in a new city and they wanted to try to control the few things that they saw themselves able to control for their comfort level. 

The Experience is just as much about not judging everything that happens as it is about stopping to notice and appreciate the moments.

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Delicious & Healthy Food

It's a thunderstormy afternoon in NYC and I'm reveling in my experiences with food.

Last night, we went to a restaurant called Josie's at 37th and 3rd.  It was one of the most delicious vegan-friendly restaurants I've ever visited.  I was thrilled to see a butternut squash soup (topped with roasted pumpkin seeds) that was not floating in heavy cream.  It was VEGAN, sweet, and absolutely delicious!

I was also very excited to see the Seared, Asian-Marinated Organic Tofu Salad.  It had spinach, tofu, chickpeas, zucchini, pepper, tomatoe, avocado, mushroom, and was tossed in a light but tasty balsamic dressing.  Vegan Heaven!

It was a lovely meal out with my mom, aunt, and sister.  NYC is really impressing me with the food!  Even in the airport (LGA), I ordered a salad and the dressing was homemade with lemon and fresh garlic!  It was delightful.  New York City really steps it up about a thousand notches from my usual Ohio dining.  Now these dinners out are much more worth it- it's a good thing I don't live here or I would be out of money in a week.  I love that no eyebrows are raised when I say "No cheese, please."

Today, we saw the Statue of Liberty and tonight we are going out for Italian and to see Mary Poppins!  This is my fifth time in the Big City, but really the first time I've been free to do really touristy things like sneaking off to drink wine in the hotel lobby.  Yeah, that's what I'm doing right now.  I'm sharing a room with all three lovely ladies and sometimes, a girl needs to blog whilst sipping wine...

Sunshine!

More organic veggies from the local farmers of the Geauga Family Farms!  From tomato:  peas and cherry tomatoes, cauliflower, red lettuce, yellow squash, green lettuce, rainbow chard, green onions, lemon basil, beets, and kohlrabi.  

Can anyone tell me how to cook the kohlrabi?  This is a new one for me!  I am going to try to make some beet chips tonight.  I also have some lemon basil soaking in olive oil to prepare for a lemony dressing for a summer salad that will feature the lovely yellow squash on the grill!  I've never seen a yellow squash so bright before and I'm really excited to eat it!

Today is the Summer Solstice - the longest day of the year.  The heatwave across the country proves that the sun is showing off!  So eat some lovely veggies and chew up some of the sun's energy.  And spend some time in the sunshine to revel in its life-giving power. 

Again - please let me know if you have ideas for that kohlrabi!  Or how to trick myself into enjoying the cauliflower- that's one veggie that I just can't seem to get along with yet.  Thanks!

Bruschetta and an Italian Salad

Yesterday was a much better day once I got back to focusing on the present, taking care of my house and obligations, and cooking happily in my kitchen.  I guess it's easier not to have huge expectations for a Monday!

Birthday dinner appetizer recipe - as promised!  This is actually enough to make it a meal.  And the bonus is yesterday's lunch recipe with the leftovers.  I hope you like it.  I'm guessing a little on the measurements, so if you notice that something needs to be tweaked, please let me know.  Thanks!

Bruschetta (Vegan, serves 2 with some leftover)

¼ cup yellow bell pepper, diced very small

¼ cup red onion, diced very small

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 green onions, chopped very small

½ pint cherry tomatoes- preferably both yellow and red, diced larger

¼ cup chopped fresh basil

¼ cup good olive oil (cold pressed)

1 tsp garlic powder

½ tsp salt

½ tsp fresh pepper

1 tsp Italian Seasonings (usually basil, oregano, and parsley)

Fresh Italian bread, 4 slices (baked or toasted if you like)

Reserve about 1 TB of the olive oil.  Gently mix all toppings but bread in a small bowl and let marinate in the olive oil for at least 15 minutes.

Drizzle remaining olive oil evenly over the bread, then spoon mixture onto the bread evenly.  Enjoy!

(See below for what I did with the leftovers!)

Italian Veggie Salad (Vegan, Dinner salad size.  If serving for appetizer, put some of the salad in a container for tomorrow before you toss with the dressing.)

½ yellow bell pepper, diced

½ cucumber, sliced into thin half moons

½ large tomato, diced

¼ red onion, diced

¼ cup fresh basil

¼ cup green onions, sliced

1/8 cup sliced walnuts

1 TB sundried tomatoes, chopped small (optional - I always have a bag in the fridge)

3 cups red romaine lettuce, torn

Dressing:

3-4 TB Garlic Expressions (or your favorite Italian dressing)

Splash red wine

Touch of salt, if needed

sprinkle of garlic powder

Fresh pepper

Reserve a small amount of basil and green onions for the garnish.  Mix all other veggies in a large bowl with salad tongs.  5 minutes before serving, pour dressing and red wine over the salad and continue to toss with salad tongs.

Serve on the plates and top with garnish of fresh basil and green onions.

If you have fresh parmesan available and you like cheese, it’s a really nice complement to this.

Got leftovers from the bruschetta and bread?  I had salad leftover, too (did not pour the dressing over the whole salad once I saw that there was too much for an appetizer!)

Fabulous Bruschetta No-Cheese sandwich (Vegan, makes two sandwiches)

2 slices tofutti soy cheese (trust me, it’s good!)

Remaining Bruschetta (Hopefully enough for two sandwiches – ok if it’s not heavy)

4 slices Italian Bread

Earth Balance Buttery spread (non-dairy)

Just like you’re making a grilled cheese! 

Begin heating the pan to medium with a tiny scoop of Earth Balance Spread.

Spread more Earth Balance butter over one side of each piece of bread.  Flip over.  Fold the “cheese” in half and put horizontally across each piece of bread.  Top the bottom bread with the bruschetta spread.  Assemble the sandwich and place into the pan.  Again, make sure there is “cheese” below and above the bruschetta spread.  Cover the pan.

Check if bread is turning brown after about 4 minutes.  If yes, flip over and remove cover.  If no, keep a close eye on it and flip when brown.  Cook about another 2 minutes after flipping, again making sure that it turns brown but does not burn.

Cut diagonally and serve with salad or your favorite sandwich accompaniment!

Improvisations:  If you want real cheese and still have that fresh parmesan from last night, my husband says it’s a very tasty treat to use that cheese instead.  We also heated up some spaghetti sauce from the night before for him to dip his sandwich into – if you have some jarred sauce and you like to have a dipper, you might enjoy that, too! 

*An Ayurvedic Tip:  I heated the sauce in the hot pan after removing the sandwich – it only took a minute.  I NEVER use the microwave.  According to Ayurvedic philosophy, it actually changes the molecules of your food and mutates them into something else.  I cook like a grandma - stove and oven only- and it's much more delicious!  No more mushy microwave food!

The Trouble with Expectations

I disappeared for a few days – this weekend held the excitement of both my four year wedding anniversary and my birthday!  It was very nice, but I learned a valuable lesson: The danger in expectations.

My husband and I were full of joy, living our simple but happy life where I cook at home and we spend nice time together.  Of course, since it was our anniversary on Thursday, we decided to go out for a “fancy dinner.”  First, we debated – why spend the money when I can cook something fresh, healthy and delicious?  Why go out just because that’s what we’re supposed to do on an anniversary?  In the end, we caved to the enticing dinner out idea, expecting it to be much more amazing than what I could have provided at home. 

We went to a local Italian restaurant that had opened recently in Mentor, one we had been excited to check out.  We sat on the patio and the evening was perfect.  The dinner, however, was a disaster!  I ordered shrimp and aglio olio.  The pasta was in a brown, meat based sauce which was seasoned only with heavy salt and garlic.  Where were the fresh herbs?  Why were they putting heavy meat stock in what should be a light oil sauce?  Why was my shrimp chewy?  When I said “no cheese,” it seemed they went back and scraped it off the same dish.  Expecting a true Italian meal, I was sorely disappointed.  And robbed!  This experience cost about $86!

We chose to take a secret shopping opportunity the next night to get “free drinks and an appetizer” for an anniversary continuation.  I got dressed up like we were going to a wedding.  We had to take such detailed notes that we didn’t even really get to talk or enjoy each other’s company.  And all of the appetizers were meat based, so I munched on snack crackers served at the bar.  Once again, disappointed by the experience of a fancy night out!  Plus, it took me 1.5 hours to write the report afterwards.  Ugh!

Finally, I was busily making plans for my birthday.  My mom gave me birthday money for a bike (Thanks, Mom!) and I made all these elaborate plans that we were going to go biking through the park, pack a picnic, lay in the sun and relax.  I got so caught up in planning Sunday on Saturday that I wasted Saturday afternoon planning, then on Sunday it stormed and I was frantically trying to still squeeze in a bike ride in the couple hours before the rain came back.  Before I knew it, the day was over.  The weekend, as a matter of fact.

Have I learned nothing?  If I had just kept on living the way I’ve been living – simply enjoying life, cooking, noticing the moments – it would have been an amazing, relaxing weekend.  Instead I stressed myself out and ended up really low on energy from eating out!

The story does have a happy ending, though.  I finally gave up trying to make plans and instead we made the beautiful Italian dinner together that I had been craving.  We lit a candle, sat facing each other, and enjoyed fresh, homemade ingredients prepared just how I like it.  If only I had started there all weekend!!! 

My birthday dinner!  Gnocci with fresh basil in a tomato pepper sauce with fried greens and broccoli.  Appetizer recipe coming soon!  (Bruschetta with delicious salad)

Prana, Freedom, and Dandelion Wine

Between healthy eating, exercise, and solar yoga, which focuses on the power of the sun, energy is coursing through me.  In yoga, it’s called prana (meaning “vital life” in Sanskrit.)  It is the healing energy and life-sustaining force that flows through your breath.  In a yoga class yesterday, I swear to you, I felt electricity in my fingertips and flowing out of the top of my head.  It feels like freedom, light, and power.

I just began reading Ray Bradbury’s Dandelion Wine as a hello to summer and a tribute to one of my favorite authors, who just passed away last week.

(Maybe not so) coincidentally, the passage I was reading yesterday ties perfectly:

     “I’m alive, he thought…

The grass whispered under his body.  He put his arm down, feeling the sheath of fuzz on it, and, far away, below, his toes creaking in his shoes.  The world slipped bright over the glassy round of his eyeballs like images sparked in a crystal sphere.  Flowers were sun and fiery spots of sky strewn through the woodland…  His breath raked over his teeth, going in ice, coming out fire… Ten thousand individual hairs grew a millionth of an inch on his head…The million pores on his body opened.

I’m really alive!  he thought.  I never knew it before, or if I did I don’t remember!”

There is vibrant energy and power inside each of us and if we are busily rushing through life and focusing on material things and worries, we could miss it entirely, except perhaps in the glimpses of greatness of a revelatory moment.  Slow down!  Don’t miss this!

I ask you, as Bradbury’s main character asks, “does everyone in the world…know [s]he’s alive?”

Asian Inspired Ginger Stir-Fry

Asian Inspired Ginger Stir-Fry (serves 2)
About 45 minutes total

Ingredients:
1 TB Canola Oil
½ yellow bell pepper, julienned
1 medium sweet onion, julienned (or red would be nice, too – then ½ onion)
2 trees broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces (not a whole bunch, just two trees)
1 carrot, julienned
2 cups peas, still in pods
1 small can water chestnuts, diced
2 cups sliced bok choy
2 leaves kale, sliced
4 green onions, chopped (top half of tops removed)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 TB fresh chopped (and peeled) ginger (*a little extra work, but SO worth it!)
1 TB rice vinegar
¼ cup sesame oil
½ cup soy sauce
3 TB honey
1 TB red chili paste (optional)
1 TB garlic powder
3 TB sesame seeds
Cooked brown rice to feed 2-4 people (optional)

Tip:  It’s a good idea to chop all of your veggies and to measure all of the ingredients before-hand so that you can just throw them in as you are stir-frying.  Otherwise, I get a little bit frantic…Better to be smiling and adding love as you cook rather than swearing and burning or cutting yourself!  This one goes fast.

1. Heat canola oil on high heat in a wok or large pan.  First add the onions, then immediately the peppers, carrots, and broccoli.  Sprinkle a little extra garlic powder.  Stir.  Saute for about 5 minutes.

2. Add the garlic, peas, and water chestnuts, then the ginger, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, honey, chili paste, and garlic powder.  Stir and wait about 2-4 minutes (until carrots are getting softer.)

3. Add bok choy & kale, stir for 2 more minutes.  Finally, sprinkle the sesame seeds and toss in the green onions.  Reserve some of both for the top when serving.

4. Serve over rice (if desired.)

Enjoy!

Improvisations:  Would be great with tofu, shrimp, chicken or beef.  My husband kept commenting how beef would be perfect with the flavors… poor husband, he’s such a good sport with his pescatarian wife! (That means I occasionally eat fish.)
Other great veggie additions:
2 cups fresh bean sprouts (would add at very end)

1 cup zucchini in half moon slices

1 cup yellow squash in half moon slices

baby eggplant cut in chunks

sliced bamboo shoots, (add all of these before garlic)

chow main noodles on top.

Would also be really nice garnished with fresh cilantro, but I didn’t have any at the time.

If you were to add all of these things, this would easily feed four.  I would double the ginger and perhaps add a little more soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil in that case.

And if you want a side dish:

Easy Sesame Soy Cucumber Salad

½ cucumber, peeled and sliced into strips
¼ sweet onion, julienned (or red)
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp honey
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sesame seeds

Mix together, top with some of your sliced green onions.  It’s refreshing and blends with the flavors of the stir fry.

Would be nice with julienned peppers, julienned pea pods, and cilantro, too.  If you like spicy, mince up about 1/8 jalapeno to add and mince 1 clove fresh garlic.

Food, Glorious Food!

 It’s CSA day!  I just picked up my beautiful stash of local, organically grown veggies from the Geauga County Family Farms CSA.

According to Michael Pollan in his excellent “Eater’s Manifesto,” In Defense of Food, supermarkets have shifted from a focus on quality to quantity.  This has caused a decrease in nutrition for Americans.  He writes, “you now have to eat three apples to get the same amount of iron as you would have gotten from a single 1940 apple.” 

One of the major reasons for this is a change in the way we grow food.  Organic produce is higher in good-for-you minerals and also contain more phytochemicals – these are the secondary compounds that help plants fight disease – and can also help your immune system do the same with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits.

Pollan also writes, “local produce is typically picked ripe and is fresher than supermarket produce, and for those reasons it should be tastier and more nutritious.” 

So those are just a couple of the reasons that I have joined the CSA. 

Want another reason?  Look at this beautiful food!

Clockwise from tomato:  Lettuce, green onions (at top), spinach, kale, red lettuce, bok choy, sugar snap peas, strawberries, cherry tomatoes

Recipe tomorrow!  Can you guess what I will make tonight?  Hint:  Green onions, bok choy, spinach and peas will be starring in my kitchen.

The Empty Bowl- a Lesson on Being Present

I took my cereal outside today.  I wanted to be present in nature and to have a new experience fully enjoying my breakfast. 

I sat outside, feeling the breeze on my bare arms and gazing at my garden.  Then I noticed that the tomato plants needed to be tied and saw that some weeding would be a good idea soon… next thing I knew, I was already thinking about what I would say in this blog and wondering how my mom was today.  Look down, cereal gone.  Missed it.

It is so difficult to be fully present.  I think you have to let it hit you and wash over you from time to time – like noticing a cool breeze or a beautiful flower.  I’ve noticed that my mind runs out of control, so I am going to keep working towards being present as best I can.  I think I’ll stop planning to be present, though, as I try to “just be”!

1st Recipe - Zucchini Summer Salad

I have also been cooking homemade meals from scratch.  I’ve joined a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program and am getting boxes of organic produce, fresh from a local farm every week.  I feel healthier than ever. 

I'm not great with measuring - I'm always throwing in "a little bit of this and a little bit of that," so please bear with me.  I will do my best and will try to start measuring soon!

This is one of my favorite recipes.

Zucchini Summer Salad (Serves 2 Large Plates)

Ingredients:
1 Zucchini, sliced longways into thin strips, brushed with olive oil and light salt
1 Bell Pepper (any color!), top & seeds removed, sliced in half, brushed with olive oil and light salt
1 Medium onion (red or sweet), sliced in half and brushed with olive oil & light salt
1/2 large, fresh tomato, diced
4 cups lettuce- whatever is fresh and in season
3 slices bread, diced into cubes and brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with italian seasonings
3 Garlic scapes, diced like green onions (optional)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (plus 1/8 cup for the dressing)


Dressing:
1/4 cup Olive Oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Squirt of dijon mustard (or regular is fine)
1/8 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
Italian seasoning mix (usually dried basil, parsley, oregano, perhaps rosemary)
salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste 
(Whisk together in small bowl)


1. Preheat the oven to 375 and spritz some olive oil on a cookie sheet (I like to cover with foil.)  Spread bread cubes on cookie sheet and toss with olive oil and italian seasonings (+ salt if desired).  Set aside.

2.  Preheat the grill (medium.) 


3.  Wash lettuce thoroughly and arrange 2 cups torn lettuce on each of 2 large plates.  Add diced tomatoes.


3.  Take zucchini, pepper, and onion out to the grill and begin grilling (it will take about 10-15 minutes depending on thickness of zucchini - turn fairly often)


4.  Throw the bread cubes in the oven for about 7 minutes - they should be browned and crispy.  Take out to cool when done.


5.  Add 1/2 of the homemade dressing to the lettuce and tomato, toss.


6.  By now, the veggies on the grill are probably done.  They should be soft and have the nice grill marks. Remove from grill and slice into bite-sized pieces.


7.  Add bite-sized grilled veggies to the lettuce and tomatoes, then sprinkle with garlic scapes and parsley.    Add the homemade croutons and pour the remaining dressing over top.  Add salt and pepper to taste.


Optional improvisations:  You can add fresh cucumber with the tomato, use green onions instead of garlic scapes (this was the first I'd ever seen them when they arrived in my CSA box!  They are good!)  Grilled eggplant and yellow squash would be nice, too.  You can use regular croutons or add cheese (cheddar would be nice - fresh parmesan, too.)


This is a vegan recipe as instructed above.  You could always grill some chicken if you want.


Enjoy!

Faith

So, I’m managing the budget to see what can go.  I’m working as a part-time nanny and have flirted a little with secret shopping, though that’s not making me rich just yet.  I’ve even sold some stuff on eBay, but accidentally paid some people to take my stuff by charging too little on shipping!  Yep, here’s my stuff.  Please take it!  Here’s money!  Ahhh… a learning experience.

Yes, the bills are coming, but I have faith that it will all work out.  I know that I am being guided, pushed to this path and even though I’m hustling all over the place to make ends meet, I feel free.  I feel light.  I have been relying on my own creative ideas and my own skills for the first time in my life.  I am the manager of my day.  Since leaving my job, I feel more open and fresh; creative ideas are flooding in! 

I’ve been reading Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman and isn’t it amazing how certain things can find you just when you need them?  In the book, Dan’s teacher, Socrates, says:

“You are rich if you have enough money to satisfy all of your desires.  So there are two ways to be rich: You earn, inherit, borrow, beg, or steal enough money to meet all of your desires; or, you cultivate a simple lifestyle of few desires; that way you always have enough money.”

Simplicity and Love

But what I realized in Croatia is that you can be so much happier with so much less.  The people I met there were the kindest and happiest.  They all had a garden and an orchard, maybe some chickens.  When we visited, the whole family would get up as we left and walk us to our car.  They did everything for each other.  Without hesitation, our Aunt let us borrow her car for a week to drive hundreds of miles around the country.  They had little, but gave everything.  In Croatia, I learned about community.  I learned how to give.

I got home and thought, “Why do I need all this STUFF?”  The more we buy, the more we “need,” the more we have, the more we want.  What if we could stop the cycle and just be happy?  What if we could just give of ourselves instead of spending, spending, giving our hard earned dollars to corporations who don’t care about us, who don’t even care if their products are hurting us (cosmetics, food, everything!)

Ever heard the story of that person who went on a two-week vacation and returned so full of perspective that they quit on the spot?  Took me two weeks after that, but yeah.  That was me.  Still paying for the trip, too, by the way.

The Job- Marketing for a Software Company

You know what else?  The job wasn’t that bad.  Stressful, yes, as most jobs are.  Demanding, yes.  Infringing on my personal life – of course.  Who doesn’t work 50+ hours nowadays?  But I didn’t mind it.  I really liked the people with whom I worked; it was an opportunity to practice business writing, and I was sent with my laptop to places like Las Vegas, New York City, Orlando, New Hampshire.  I even had a company iPhone (which I used much more for playing Words with Friends than for checking company email.)  As far as jobs go, not one to send someone running. 

But my life was full of anxiety.  I felt that I never had time, I felt that I was always grumpy, always complaining, always tired.  I know it sounds dramatic, but the more I pursued yoga and listened to my inner voice, the more my soul screamed to leave the damaging cycle.  I have always wanted to finish the novel that I started 10 years ago.  My life’s dream is to be a bestselling author.  So, if I don’t start writing now, when will I ever finish?

A Leap of Faith

I am swan diving, free-falling, feeling light.  I have just quit my nice, steady job in the corporate world to seek life balance, a simpler and happier way, and to find my path to self-actualization.

“Ah, she’s lucky,” you may say.  “She must not have to work.”  Truly, it’s quite the contrary.  Yes, I am married and can use my husband’s health insurance, but we’ve actually taken some risks (rental properties) and carry massive debt (student loans) and we are certainly not wealthy.  My husband is very supportive, but I see him glancing at the bills with a touch of worry.  I share this with you only so you know that there is nothing special about my case.  I have as many bills as you do.

I know that this is a giant leap from convention.  As someone who finally got the guts at age 31 to dye my hair purple 8 weeks ago, I am finally ready to stop wondering what people will think and just LIVE fully.