Take My Cheese and I'll Bite Your Hand Off!

 Ok, not really (anymore.) But why can food be that powerful?

First of all, as I'm genuinely looking for balance, I'm also looking for simplicity. What better time than now, while beginning a brand new year, a new cleanse? Simplicity, like moderation and practicality, often eludes me, especially in the kitchen. I just made a minestrone soup and when I went to write down the ingredients, I realized it had so many ingredients that no one would make it! I love to cook and I tend to get carried away. But now that I'm managing my own business, I don't have the time I would like to play in the kitchen. Also, I would love to share recipes that you will actually be able to squeeze into your own busy schedules.

I'm not even exactly sure what I will eat for breakfast without eggs or bread.

Using up those eggs and bread. Kale and tomato recipe coming soon.

Will you help me? Please share with me your recipes- the simpler and tastier, the better. Remember, they must have no gluten, no animal products, no sugar, no caffeine, and no alcohol. If your recipe is chosen, I'll be happy to give you credit here on the blog.

For a moment, I considered letting myself keep eggs for this cleanse, as I always choose organic ones. But -wow- how much that craving must own me! Last time I did the cleanse, I probably would have chosen to skip the gluten free part and I was surprised to discover by omitting gluten that I actually had a sensitivity. Without bread, I had less headaches and way more energy. So this is an important way to take inventory of what the body truly needs to hum along optimally.

While watching the movie Fed Up, I was in tears of anger over how the food industry has exploited my psychology since childhood to make me a willing (and unhealthy) consumer. Basically, in the 80's when skim milk gained popularity, they had all this extra milk fat sitting on shelves. So what did they do? They started marketing cheese much more heavily, especially to children. That's when the commercials of that ooey, gooey, gotta have it cheese started gracing our televisions. They didn't need much help since cheese is actually an opiate. Oh, I bought it- Grilled Cheese with Macaroni and Cheese was my favorite meal. My mom couldn't keep Kraft Singles in the house for more than a couple of days (yes- a 24 pack!)  My nickname as a child was "the cheese monster." I ate so much cheese that it didn't take long for me to develop a pretty severe allergy. When I gave up dairy in the 5th grade, I lost 30 pounds in 6 months. But then, cheese snuck back into my life as a "necessary" indulgence and I have not been able to breathe pretty much since I was eight years old. Enough is ENOUGH. I will no longer allow myself to be controlled by corporations that compromise my health to make their money.

I heard you gasp in excitement. I did, too. Congratulations, food marketing!

As more evidence of how ridiculous this is, I couldn't even find a picture of "milk fat" like in the movie to insert here. They were all glossed up, made to look like delicious cheese, and of course there was a celebrity with a milk mustache. Even when I changed the search to "gross milk fat," the images were pretty much the same, but added were obese people, breasts, and more, albeit strange, marketing. Are you kidding me?

So I'm all in. But if this is an alien concept to you and you'd like to start more simply, maybe you want to try to give up one or a couple of the things, but not commit to all five, and see how you feel?  That’s great; please come along and flirt a little – I promise I won’t tie you down, steal your coffee, hide your bread, and tell you what’s in a McDonald’s cheeseburger.  Just see what you like, no pressure. Small changes generally stick better, so you must start where you are comfortable.

Shopping lists and recommended products coming next. Thanks for joining me!

Pursuit of Wellness

 

 "Wellness is very big among my yogamates. If Wellness were a person, it would be Michael Jackson circa 1984, and my yogamates would be screaming, crying fans jumping up and down just to be so near to it." - Yoga Bitch, Suzanne Morrison

In my breathless pursuit of Wellness, that willowy, lovely ideal of balanced health, I am planning to draw my focus to the physical aspect, but for once, my resolution is not "lose fifty million pounds." It is to "Be healthy by moving regularly and eating mindfully."

Ever blown it on your weight-loss resolution?  I have some shocking news for you: It's not your fault! According to Dr. Leanne Deardreuff, DC in Inner Transformations Using Essential Oils,

"Starting a weight loss diet in the winter works against the system and actually makes the body want to put on more weight since it thinks it has been thrown into the starvation mode during the cold months when it already needs to conserve all the energy it can. This is one reason that New Year's weight-loss resolutions often fail: It's simply the wrong time of year."

The trouble is, if you've gone off the holiday deep end like me, the body may be craving balance and respite from the feasting. Dr. Deardreuff goes on to say that cleansing in the winter can still be beneficial, "especially if your body is screaming for it."

So, to honor my screaming body, I'm doing a cleanse! I've decided to use my blog posts from 2012 that were based on Kathy Freston's 21 Day Quantum Wellness Cleanse, but I will also be integrating other things I've learned about and experienced over the last couple of years, like juicing, green smoothies, and using essential oils and essential oil enhanced products. I may even have some new recipes.

I'm starting this coming Monday- January 12th. Would you like to join me? My blog posts each day will have enough information for you to follow along, whether for the full 21 days or to flirt for a week, even a day here or there. If you simply read along without doing it, you'll still find surprisingly great recipes and info.

This cleanse is the perfect way to refresh your digestive system. It gives your body a break from all of the things that contain the most toxins and use up all of the energy for digestion. These items are:

•     Caffeine

•     Alcohol

•     Gluten

•     Animal Products

•     Sugar

Some of the changes you can expect, according to the author are:

•     More energy

•     Clearer skin and eyes

•     Weight Loss

•     Cessation of certain aches, pains, and digestive ailments

•     Release from addictive habits

•    A profound and deepened awareness of your personal power and the effect you have in the world

Well, those things sound awesome! And it's only 21 days. You'll be done by Valentine's Day...but will you still look at the candy the same way? Hmmm... So you're in, right?

Still on that Quest

Yes, it’s been quite awhile. I’ve missed you and I hope that you’ve missed me. To be completely honest, my whole world was thrown off balance and I started asking myself, "Who am I to write about balance, wellness, health?" My typical effort to find balance means hurling myself face first into one thing or another with all of my passion and rather focused obsession.

The look of obvious balance and wellness as I gorge happily on "sladoled," Croatia's super-rich take on ice cream, to which I am horrendously, painfully, unequivocally allergic.

I've never been one of those people that you would use the word "moderate" about; it probably couldn't even enter your head if I was in the room. I was always that friend coaxing you to get the fully sugared caffeine drink, eat the chocolate, pretend the doughnut has no calories. Blow off the obligation and roll down a hill drunk with me instead. For my friends who understand the meaning of the word moderation, this is great for them- I help them find balance by indulging sometimes. But for me, it was life as usual. When reading, I'd always cheer along with the teenage character to follow their heart, always, and then I'd be shocked when everyone died in the end from the choices that had no regard for others. So here it is again. Balance.

Often, when we genuinely seek health, it’s like peeling back the layers of an onion. As one thing heals, another cries out for attention. So in my search for balance, first I found a whole lot of imbalance. A journey of healing is a very personal one. I was hiding in my chrysalis, hibernating, experiencing extreme metamorphosis and hanging on for dear life.

But you know what I forgot? I did not title the blog, "Advice from a Health Nut and Overall Perfect Person." No, it's called, "Shaking Free- a Quest for Balance." And I am still searching. I hope you're up for rejoining me on the very imperfect journey.

A Refreshing Way to Welcome Fall

With the changing of the seasons, this is a great time to participate in a cleanse – a stepping out of your food habits and giving your body a break from working so hard on digestion.

The ancient Eastern wisdom of Ayurveda recommends simplifying both physical and emotional elements in your life.  For the physical, you can avoid canned and frozen foods for a week, opting for very simple foods, like soup, rice and beans, or just vegetables, focusing on one type of simple food for the whole week.  For instance, make one giant pot of soup and eat it all week.  If you can, omit cheese, milk, and coffee.  Drink only water and tea. 

On the emotional/mental side, this is a wonderful time to take extra special care of yourself.  Get a massage, make sure your house is clean to refresh yourself visually, use a sauna/steam room every other day, go outside in nature as often as possible and enjoy the quiet, listen to gentle music, release any negative emotions, turn off the TV, and find a yoga class or other gentle exercise to get your energy moving.  Ayurveda recommends cleansing for one week, though many other cleanses you can find go anywhere from 7 days to 28 days.  It’s all a matter of finding what works for you and your schedule, but still refreshes your system for the new season.

It is part of our American culture to rush ahead always, constantly pushing ourselves on from one thing to the next.  Our bodies are naturally in tune with the changing of the seasons and even the changing from day to night.  This is an important time to recharge- to let yourself get ready for the new season and take a little breath.

The most nurturing way you can kick off your cleanse is to make some homemade soup completely from scratch.  It is not difficult to make soup stock, it just takes some time to stick close to the kitchen mainly to stir and initially to chop.  Please enjoy this step by step recipe from last year, towards the middle of the post. It even has pictures.  The top is a little embarrassing, as it’s titled “Get Silly and Make Some Soup (from Scratch)!”  But enjoying yourself and having some fun is important, too! 

Also, the post is labeled as “Day 13” of a 21-day Cleanse from Kathy Freston’s book Quantum Wellness Cleanse.  If you are interested in participating in a 21-day cleanse, start here  and follow day-by-day.  You’ll find the cleanse posts in July and August 2012.  There are recipes each day to support the cleanse, as well.

However you decide to do it, this is the time to honor your body, your emotions, and the seasonal change from summer to fall.

*This article was originally published in the Geauga Family Farms CSA Newsletter in my weekly column, Creative Cooking for an Organic Life. 

This post is linked to Party Wave Wednesday at HolisticSquid.com!

Consciousness Cleansing

Recently, I’ve started a 21-Day Consciousness Cleanse by Debbie Ford.  I am only on the second day and I feel peaceful but strong, with an increasing sense of purpose. 

One thing that I already find profoundly different is the quiet strength that comes from avoiding the media.  According to the book, social media like Facebook can lead to comparing yourself to others, instead of looking within to focus on your own path.  Everyone’s path is definitively unique to them and their dreams, so why would I look to measure my success based on another’s pictures, postings, life events?  I didn’t even realize I was doing this until I stopped.  Even after two days, I can feel my self-confidence increasing, as well as faith in my own journey.

I’ve also been drastically limiting television, especially programs that are violent or stressful.  A favorite reading of mine by Thich Nhat Hanh in Peace is Every Step says,

“Watching a bad TV program, we become the TV program.  We are what we feel and perceive…  We can be anything we want, so why do we open our windows to bad TV programs made by sensationalist producers in search of easy money, programs that make our hearts pound, our fists tighten, and leave us exhausted?  Who allows such TV programs to be made and seen by even the very young?  We do!  We are too undemanding, too ready to watch whatever is on the screen, too lonely, lazy, or bored to create our own lives.  We turn on the TV and leave it on, allowing someone else to guide us, shape us, and destroy us.  Losing ourselves in this way is leaving our fate in the hands of others who may not be acting responsibly.”

My husband isn’t exactly thrilled about this, as we just started watching Breaking Bad and I’ve requested we put it on hold for a little while.  Luckily, he’s very supportive and understanding, though, so I’m optimistic that my marriage will survive the turn from daily time staring at the TV together for hours as lumps on the couch.  I’m hoping we can get outside a bit more and find some delight in nature before it gets too cold here in Ohio. 

I’m hoping to come through this cleanse as a Best-Selling Author, successful new business owner (more on that later), and Overall Better Person.  A skinny one.  Oh right, it’s not that kind of cleanse this time.  OK, so really I’d like to be more peaceful and powerful in my own life.  Wish me luck!

An Illusion of Separateness

In the doctor’s office waiting room, I was overcome with the strangeness of our efforts to pretend we are alone in the world.  Everyone in the waiting room was sitting with at least one chair between them and a stranger.  Every single person avoided eye contact with everyone else.  I even tried an experiment where I looked around and tried to catch someone’s eye.  It seemed to make people even more uncomfortable, pulling closer into their personal bubbles.  Obviously, we are all people.  We are all sharing space here.  Why the very conscious efforts to look down, to pretend to read a magazine, to remain separate?  What are we afraid of?  (OK, it is the doctor’s office… maybe we’re afraid of communicable diseases…)

So, what about when you’re stopped at a red light, consciously looking straight ahead, anywhere but at the car next to you (especially if you’ve just behaved badly on the road, thinking of racing the other little box beside you and not thinking of the person behind the wheel)?  What about those who text the whole time they are out to dinner?  How emails, chats, and smart phones are quickly replacing face-to-face exchanges?

I’ve begun to notice that everywhere I go, people seem to be trying with all of their might to pretend that they are the only ones there.  At restaurants, movie theaters, in lines.  I’ve always been so busy doing the same that it never occurred to me how STRANGE it is to pretend other human beings aren’t there.

Are we not all sharing in this journey?

What is happening to our society?  Would we rather wrap ourselves in little bubbles and not interact – ever?

I don’t know where the balance is, however.  Obviously, we can’t go have conversations with everyone in an entire restaurant.  There is a point where you just want to talk to the person you came with.  Sometimes, the waitress wants to get your tip and go, not chat.  And we're all so used to this as the expected norm. 

I’ve tried looking into the other car and either the other person isn’t looking or it seems pretty creepy for both.   Why do I feel weird looking for a human behind the wheel?  We're not "supposed to" do that...

I’m not proposing we turn the entire world into a kumbaya commune.  But I am asking, has anyone else noticed that we might be going in a weird direction? 

*Note:  Image borrowed from: blog.lib.umn.edu

Sweet Corn on the Grill with Fresh & Fruity Salsa

It had been a rough day and I was actually thinking about getting some pizza instead of washing all the veggies on my delightful CSA pick-up day.  But then I saw the first ears of fresh corn for the season and I felt excited and renewed, happily washing the lettuce for one of my giant salads.

My favorite way to grill the corn is directly on the grill, without the husk.  It gets charred in places and tastes so nice and sweet.  Because we’re going out of town in a couple of days, we grilled all of the corn and I made mango salsa, a black bean & corn mixture for the salad, and then scraped some more corn to freeze for later.  Using grilled corn in soups adds a nice little crunch of smoky flavor.

Oh, wow, I hear you shouting: “Mango salsa?!  Recipe please!”  I had some mango left over from making mango pina coladas over the weekend (you can use mangoes instead of or in addition to pineapples), so I chopped up the mango slices into little cubes, diced ¼ onion, diced one jalapeno pepper, and added the kernels from about one ear of corn and half a can of black beans, the juice of one lime, a squirt of honey, some fresh cilantro (optional), plus salt and pepper.  I’ve made a similar variation with pineapple- it’s also delicious!

I love summer salads!  I took the rest of the black beans and mixed with an avocado, ½ onion, kernels of corn from two ears, diced jalapeno, and a squeeze of lemon.  I also added chipotle chili pepper, a dash of cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  We grilled zucchini and onions as well and threw all of these things on top of the lettuce.  Add your favorite Mexican dressing.  The only thing that could have made it better would have been some tomato, which we didn’t have this week. 

Having green beans frozen and waiting enhances fall and winter crock pot meals, but it’s always so difficult for me not to eat them immediately!  This time, our upcoming vacation made it easier for me to freeze the green beans for the future.  I snipped and washed them, just like I would if I were eating them right away, but then I laid them on paper towels to dry thoroughly before freezing.  Finally, I threw them into a gallon size freezer bag and tucked them away for the days I don’t want to think about - when I’ll be missing my fresh CSA veggies (and sunshine!)  With a smile, I realized that this little bit of summer will be waiting to cheer me- in minestrone soup, perhaps?