Today I have been in peace like I have not experienced in a very long time. I spent this cool,rainy day in my big orange chair in front of my windows reading in my pj's. The book, Dharma Punx, was lent to me by a fellow Sangha member. It is a memoir that I found a lot of insight and "oh yeah" recognition with concerning my own Zen Buddhist Mindfulness practice. This day also offered me time to reflect on my life in the present moment, my experiences, opportunities and expectations. Was I living my mindfulness practice? Why was fear, anger and worry creeping in lately. How was I dealing with it? Was I "doing" instead of "being" and how was that working out for me? My husband, Paul, was my greatest teacher. He began the practice in his life before we really even knew what it was. He wanted a spiritual path. It is an amazing story, it is to me anyway because I watched him transform his life and find peace. Many of the stories in this book reminded me of Paul and that reminded me of things he would say when things got tough and I or people we knew would use excuses not to deal with stuff. His favorite was "and how is that working for you?" So today I posed that question to myself. How is living with fear of being alone, worry about finding a job and anger at people I no longer have in my life or the fact that I almost died but did not and then he did, how is all that working for ya, Keri?" It's not working for me and I know better. I study to have the tools to deal with these things. I have been through the ringer and for the most part come out the other side ready to begin anew. I have lost focus that it is not up to me. I am not in control and I am being taken care of if only I allow it to happen. I have a purpose in this life and I will fulfill it but I need to let it happen and not worry about achieving it. Basically, I need to get out of my own way so that my life can unfold as it is meant to unfold not as I or anyone else thinks it should. In reflecting these teachings are in my life all of the time. One of my dear new friends and I had lunch this week and she was talking to me about many things but the difference between doing and being was one of those things. Another dear friend and I spoke about my fear of being alone and loneliness. She told me that I don't need to work at not being lonely. If people wanted to be part of my life they would make it happen and to have faith in others. They are both so right. I have been putting my fear based intentions out there instead of having faith in me. My practice teaches me to come back to myself and find refuge and revelation from within. It is the truth. My mind and heart feel clearer now. What gifts I was given this past week and just as I needed them. A book, a lunch with a friend and a night time conversation with another friend were my spiritual teachings this week. We never know where these teachings will come from but we must remain open to recognize them when they happen because they might just change your life.
So, how's your spiritual life and how's that working for you?
Friday, October 28, 2011
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Juices & Smoothies
Bust out the juicer that is collecting dust and the blender for a green juice smoothie recipe.
First thing you have to do is get your juicer & blender out and ready or if you are one of the "lucky ones" with a VitaMix get her ready to go. For those with a VitaMix you do not have to make the green juice separately because your mighty machine with take everything in its' whole foods form and liquefy it. The choice is yours VitaMixers but for the rest of us we need to make a green juice and add some other ingredients to it in our blenders to get a nice, thick smoothie.
Green Juice (add veggies to your taste the amounts I give are my taste)
1 bunch of kale with stems
1 small bunch of baby broccoli with stems
1 cucumber
1 fist full of parsley
1 med. green apple
1 fist full of dandelion greens
5-6 stalks of celery
Juice these ingredients and transfer the juice to a blender. Add 2 very ripe, small avocado, about 1 cup of ice and 1 cup or so of blueberries or strawberries. Blend on high until thick and do a taste test. Add a few squeezes of lime to taste. I like the bitter green taste so you will need to taste for sweetness and add more berries if necessary for you. Enjoy!
Avocados are awesome in smoothies. When you drink this you can feel good in knowing that you are drinking liquid gold for your body. This smoothie contains ingredients that fight inflammation, cancer and support the liver.
It really is easy to make this and the best thing we can do is play around in the kitchen or experiment. A few squeezes of lemon or lime can cut something that is too salty or bitter. A little more avocado will add thickness and, in my opinion, cuts the strong taste of dark leafy greens. Adjust the apple and berries for sweetness as needed. Make enough for the whole family and let the kiddos help. Store extra in the refrigerator for later or breakfast the next day.
FYI....Green juice makes a nice addition to soups, etc.. Since it is enzymatically alive it is a good idea to make your soup and add the green juice last so it only heats for a few minutes on low.
One more tastey juice suggestion for carrot juice is to add a little cinnamon and nutmeg. Now you have a powerful antiinflammatory juice that tastes similar to pumpkin pie. I picked up that tip from The book Raw Foods Made Easy for 1 or 2 People by Jennifer Cornbleet.
First thing you have to do is get your juicer & blender out and ready or if you are one of the "lucky ones" with a VitaMix get her ready to go. For those with a VitaMix you do not have to make the green juice separately because your mighty machine with take everything in its' whole foods form and liquefy it. The choice is yours VitaMixers but for the rest of us we need to make a green juice and add some other ingredients to it in our blenders to get a nice, thick smoothie.
Green Juice (add veggies to your taste the amounts I give are my taste)
1 bunch of kale with stems
1 small bunch of baby broccoli with stems
1 cucumber
1 fist full of parsley
1 med. green apple
1 fist full of dandelion greens
5-6 stalks of celery
Juice these ingredients and transfer the juice to a blender. Add 2 very ripe, small avocado, about 1 cup of ice and 1 cup or so of blueberries or strawberries. Blend on high until thick and do a taste test. Add a few squeezes of lime to taste. I like the bitter green taste so you will need to taste for sweetness and add more berries if necessary for you. Enjoy!
Avocados are awesome in smoothies. When you drink this you can feel good in knowing that you are drinking liquid gold for your body. This smoothie contains ingredients that fight inflammation, cancer and support the liver.
It really is easy to make this and the best thing we can do is play around in the kitchen or experiment. A few squeezes of lemon or lime can cut something that is too salty or bitter. A little more avocado will add thickness and, in my opinion, cuts the strong taste of dark leafy greens. Adjust the apple and berries for sweetness as needed. Make enough for the whole family and let the kiddos help. Store extra in the refrigerator for later or breakfast the next day.
FYI....Green juice makes a nice addition to soups, etc.. Since it is enzymatically alive it is a good idea to make your soup and add the green juice last so it only heats for a few minutes on low.
One more tastey juice suggestion for carrot juice is to add a little cinnamon and nutmeg. Now you have a powerful antiinflammatory juice that tastes similar to pumpkin pie. I picked up that tip from The book Raw Foods Made Easy for 1 or 2 People by Jennifer Cornbleet.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
WAKE UP!
Today my soapbox is a few inches taller and I have a few things to talk about from it.
As cancer and other serious diseases becomes more and more common in our society I think we all need to WAKE UP! It does not matter how old you are, where you live or who your parents are it can happen to you. You see we have lulled ourselves into a state of being that tells us we are infallible and that to be happy and healthy we just need to have the "right" job and work ourselves until we have nothing left, as well as all of the modern "conveniences" to make life easy. These would include chemical cleaners that promise to make the chore faster, never mind that they are full of harmful toxins, meals made from GMO veggies and factory farmed animals because this makes it easier to feed the world's starving population never mind that the animals are toxic, sick, the veggies are mutations and the world's starving populations do not even want these GMO foods, over the counter pills to mask the symptoms of a body in distress, never mind that they will ultimately contribute to illness and never do get to the root cause of what might be wrong and cell phones that can do everything but talk to aliens in space, never mind that the EMF's they give off are strong enough to affect our health. These things are making us sick and dumbing us down. We are buying a life that is of no quality or enjoyment. When you have cancer or any other serious illness these "conveniences" do not matter. Life matters but do we know what that means any more? It means waking up feeling good and hopeful about what possibilities and opportunities await us. It means sharing a real, healthy meal with a good friend(s) and dancing to our favorite songs. It also means taking a walk without a cell phone or ipod attached to our ears and enjoying the beauty around us and seeing the need to preserve it. It means simplify. Of course I am writing this on my laptop so I cannot deny that some modern "conveniences" are advantageous but our overbearing need to live life as dictated to us by them is not. We have to take responsibility for ourselves and the way we live. This means calling a lemon a lemon without excuses. Our lifestyles are one of the biggest risk factors in most all diseases. Stress has become an accepted part of life and that is wrong. Not having time to do the things we enjoy but instead replacing them with the things we have to do is wrong. I guarantee those "have to's" will still be there tomorrow. We need to share ourselves and our lives with each other now maybe not everything but we are all connected and your experiences might give your friend, neighbor, coworker a new perspective that is helpful and vice versa. I use social networking as much as the next person but nothing beats in person communication in my book. I can talk to a stranger till the cows come home and I love doing it. We are social beings. We need to interact with each other. We also need to realize that we have all we need to be happy and we possess the answers that we are searching for elsewhere. We can draw inspiration from each other, a coworker, doctor or spiritual leader but it is up to us to lead our lives as is best for us.
Take responsibility to achieve your given right to health and happiness as an intelligent individual.
Have an empowered day!
As cancer and other serious diseases becomes more and more common in our society I think we all need to WAKE UP! It does not matter how old you are, where you live or who your parents are it can happen to you. You see we have lulled ourselves into a state of being that tells us we are infallible and that to be happy and healthy we just need to have the "right" job and work ourselves until we have nothing left, as well as all of the modern "conveniences" to make life easy. These would include chemical cleaners that promise to make the chore faster, never mind that they are full of harmful toxins, meals made from GMO veggies and factory farmed animals because this makes it easier to feed the world's starving population never mind that the animals are toxic, sick, the veggies are mutations and the world's starving populations do not even want these GMO foods, over the counter pills to mask the symptoms of a body in distress, never mind that they will ultimately contribute to illness and never do get to the root cause of what might be wrong and cell phones that can do everything but talk to aliens in space, never mind that the EMF's they give off are strong enough to affect our health. These things are making us sick and dumbing us down. We are buying a life that is of no quality or enjoyment. When you have cancer or any other serious illness these "conveniences" do not matter. Life matters but do we know what that means any more? It means waking up feeling good and hopeful about what possibilities and opportunities await us. It means sharing a real, healthy meal with a good friend(s) and dancing to our favorite songs. It also means taking a walk without a cell phone or ipod attached to our ears and enjoying the beauty around us and seeing the need to preserve it. It means simplify. Of course I am writing this on my laptop so I cannot deny that some modern "conveniences" are advantageous but our overbearing need to live life as dictated to us by them is not. We have to take responsibility for ourselves and the way we live. This means calling a lemon a lemon without excuses. Our lifestyles are one of the biggest risk factors in most all diseases. Stress has become an accepted part of life and that is wrong. Not having time to do the things we enjoy but instead replacing them with the things we have to do is wrong. I guarantee those "have to's" will still be there tomorrow. We need to share ourselves and our lives with each other now maybe not everything but we are all connected and your experiences might give your friend, neighbor, coworker a new perspective that is helpful and vice versa. I use social networking as much as the next person but nothing beats in person communication in my book. I can talk to a stranger till the cows come home and I love doing it. We are social beings. We need to interact with each other. We also need to realize that we have all we need to be happy and we possess the answers that we are searching for elsewhere. We can draw inspiration from each other, a coworker, doctor or spiritual leader but it is up to us to lead our lives as is best for us.
Take responsibility to achieve your given right to health and happiness as an intelligent individual.
Have an empowered day!
Friday, October 7, 2011
Orange Pistachio Quinoa
A few weeks ago I attended a workshop where Jeanne Wallace and Rebecca Katz were the speakers. The workshop was called The Cancer Fighting Kitchen. It was great. The message I took away is that the best way to fight cancer is prevention. Seems like a no brainer but many of us do not get it. The food that is on your plate is a great place to start. Eating for prevention is not a tasteless chore. It is an empowering, creative food journey.
One of the things I love about Rebecca's book is that she has sections likeCulinary Pharmacy
and The Power of Herbs and Spices. She educates about the foods she is using in this book. Rebecca is a chef who ended up becoming a nutritionist. She has fabulous tips for cooking too like using FASS (fat, acid, sweet, salt) to balance flavors, etc.
I am going to share a recipe from Rebecca Katz's cookbook The Cancer Fighting Kitchen. I gave the recipe a few tweaks of my own.
In her book this is the Orange Pistachio Couscous
I made it into Orange Pistachio Quinoa
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. corriander
1 tsp. sea salt
1/8 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup chopped mint
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 scallions, white and green parts chopped
1/4 cup chopped pistachios
2 tbs. fresh squeezed lemon juice
2tbs. fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tbs. orange zest
2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup currants or raisins
In a mini food processor (which can be purchased for about $10 at Target) chop your pistachios. Combine your cooked quinoa with the cumin, corriander, salt, pepper and mix well. Combine the mint, parsley, scallions, lemon juice, orange juice, orange zest, currants or raisins and oil. Mix well. Give it a taste test. Add lemon juice, oil or salt to balance it out.
I added more orange juice and that was a big hit. I am not ever strict to measurements . I did not measure my juices I just squeezed them right in.
Happy eating and isn't this the best kind of medicine
One of the things I love about Rebecca's book is that she has sections likeCulinary Pharmacy
and The Power of Herbs and Spices. She educates about the foods she is using in this book. Rebecca is a chef who ended up becoming a nutritionist. She has fabulous tips for cooking too like using FASS (fat, acid, sweet, salt) to balance flavors, etc.
I am going to share a recipe from Rebecca Katz's cookbook The Cancer Fighting Kitchen. I gave the recipe a few tweaks of my own.
In her book this is the Orange Pistachio Couscous
I made it into Orange Pistachio Quinoa
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. corriander
1 tsp. sea salt
1/8 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup chopped mint
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 scallions, white and green parts chopped
1/4 cup chopped pistachios
2 tbs. fresh squeezed lemon juice
2tbs. fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tbs. orange zest
2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup currants or raisins
In a mini food processor (which can be purchased for about $10 at Target) chop your pistachios. Combine your cooked quinoa with the cumin, corriander, salt, pepper and mix well. Combine the mint, parsley, scallions, lemon juice, orange juice, orange zest, currants or raisins and oil. Mix well. Give it a taste test. Add lemon juice, oil or salt to balance it out.
I added more orange juice and that was a big hit. I am not ever strict to measurements . I did not measure my juices I just squeezed them right in.
Happy eating and isn't this the best kind of medicine
Thursday, September 15, 2011
A day's thoughts
Last night I realized that next Thursday would be Paul's 43rd birthday. I remembered that at this time last year I was one hot mess. I have come a long way since July 7, 2010 and have a long way to go. I also understand that no matter what was happening in my life a year ago I would have a long and winding road to travel upon. That is what life is. It is a series of transitions and some have more impact than others. Some of these roads we need to travel alone and others we need companions of all types. As we head into Autumn I am feeling the seasonal transition very strongly both physically and emotionally. I welcome the cool air and earthy smells. I stare at the baby blue sky full of clouds that are back lit by the setting sun providing a heavenly picture above the majestic northern evergreens that grow here in the Pacific Northwest. My flannel pj's and Paul's heavy blue robe give me comfort. Hot tea, crisp apples and pears are my fall staples and I am happy to have them back. I also have amazing Autumn memories of raking big leaf piles as a kid, collecting colored leaves that had fallen to the ground, being back in school, and of course, celebrating Paul's birthday and the most beautiful and important day in my life, Paul and I's wedding day. Those last two happened this month. They will forever be the meaning in September and make it the most celebrated month of the year in my world. Today I was doing laundry in the basement of my apartment building and someone upstairs started playing guitar. I stood there dumb founded for a minute or two and then the tears started to roll but they were accompanied by a big smile. I have years worth of memories of hearing the guitar being played as I did things around the house, apartment, etc. It made me happy and I was proud of myself for keeping my cool and not freaking out a neighbor by knocking on their door and asking to just sit and listen. Although, I do not rule that out in the future. Anyway, for the time being I am making an effort to calm down and settle into a steady pace on this part of my life's road. Enjoy these seasonally transitional weeks.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Start your juicers or blenders
Fresh, homemade veggie juices or smoothies are such an important addition to our diets. Nutritionally these juices or smoothies are power packed and bio available meaning our body recognizes them and absorbs them easily without having to exert to much energy in digestion because the vegetables are already broken down into a liquid form. Plus many nutrients work synergistically and by combining veggies you are making it possible for them to work as they are intended. The difference between a juice and a smoothie comes down to the fiber. With a Vitamix or Blendtech (high speed blenders) you are incorporating the fiber into the drink but most juicers are simply extracting the juice and the fiber becomes a byproduct. Now if we are eating our fruits, vegetables and beans we are getting fiber. It is recommended that 50 to 75% of our plates be covered in these foods, depending on who you talk to.
It is so easy to buy a grouping of veggies, take them home, juice them, pour that juice into Mason jars and stick them in the fridge for a day or two and there is your simple, power packed, nutritionally healthy serving of veggies. It really is that easy to do something amazing for your health. I just finished juicing the remainder of my produce from last weeks' farmers market. I juiced one bunch of carrots, about 12 large kale leaves, about 10 large celery stalks & 2 cucumber . Now I have all of that in one juice drink chilling in the fridge.
If you are "healthy" and new to green juices start off with some spinach and romaine lettuce and work up to kale because it is kind of bitter. You can add a pear or small apple for sweetness or add the romaine with the kale. I always use celery and cucumber in my juices not only for their nutritional content but also because they provide a significant amount of juice that helps push the other leafy greens through and cut the bitterness. So a good, general starter green juice can be 1 cucumber, several stalks of celery, 1 small apple or pear, 1 handful of spinach and several leaves of romaine lettuce. For illness I would add a few things like parsley, dandelion greens, maybe tangerine or lemon and ginger for either juice and definitely kale, beets, broccoli and cabbage. Always organic. We do not want pesticides, etc. in our juice.
Broccoli stems add sweetness. You just have to experiment with a flavor that suits you.
I like to follow a juice up with a small portion of protein or healthy fat like avocado (great addition to a smoothie) walnuts, almonds, almond butter sandwich, etc.
Give fresh homemade juices or smoothies a try. Maybe they can replace that morning coffee. I know, one thing at a time. Think about starting your day with something your body can actually use and benefit from. I still have to have my tea everyday, my caffeine shot.
This is an easy way to start taking control and responsibility for your health. It is something you CAN do.
Cheers!
It is so easy to buy a grouping of veggies, take them home, juice them, pour that juice into Mason jars and stick them in the fridge for a day or two and there is your simple, power packed, nutritionally healthy serving of veggies. It really is that easy to do something amazing for your health. I just finished juicing the remainder of my produce from last weeks' farmers market. I juiced one bunch of carrots, about 12 large kale leaves, about 10 large celery stalks & 2 cucumber . Now I have all of that in one juice drink chilling in the fridge.
If you are "healthy" and new to green juices start off with some spinach and romaine lettuce and work up to kale because it is kind of bitter. You can add a pear or small apple for sweetness or add the romaine with the kale. I always use celery and cucumber in my juices not only for their nutritional content but also because they provide a significant amount of juice that helps push the other leafy greens through and cut the bitterness. So a good, general starter green juice can be 1 cucumber, several stalks of celery, 1 small apple or pear, 1 handful of spinach and several leaves of romaine lettuce. For illness I would add a few things like parsley, dandelion greens, maybe tangerine or lemon and ginger for either juice and definitely kale, beets, broccoli and cabbage. Always organic. We do not want pesticides, etc. in our juice.
Broccoli stems add sweetness. You just have to experiment with a flavor that suits you.
I like to follow a juice up with a small portion of protein or healthy fat like avocado (great addition to a smoothie) walnuts, almonds, almond butter sandwich, etc.
Give fresh homemade juices or smoothies a try. Maybe they can replace that morning coffee. I know, one thing at a time. Think about starting your day with something your body can actually use and benefit from. I still have to have my tea everyday, my caffeine shot.
This is an easy way to start taking control and responsibility for your health. It is something you CAN do.
Cheers!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Just Another Day
Today my Grace Cards say I should be still so as to gain a heightened sensitivity to beauty, deep inner peace and a profound connectedness to all living things. It just so happens that tonight is Sangha night so I will be in meditation for about an hour but normally me being silent in voice is impossible. I love to talk and not to hear myself but to share myself. I also love to listen to others share their stories. I recently reconnected with a woman I was friends with during my freshman year of college. She told me the most amazing story about one of her children. We were catching up and a lot of times I am not sure how much to tell people about my life since the last time we saw each other because a lot of living has happened on my part that makes most people uncomfortable. They do not know what to say. The thing is that it is ok because I have no expectations from anyone and do not want any one's pity. I see beauty, miracles and joy along with pain, sorrow and grief in my life. So, when I read her story I was a bit taken aback because she has a whopper of her own and even though we are typing these things out to each other I feel like I can read the emotions present through her words. I did not know what to say in response to her and I knew that it was ok. But what I settled on was that as 20 year olds we had the world open to us and we were dreamers, I definitely was, and who would have thought we would end up on the paths we were on and had taken. Some might see them as tragic and sad but we found joy, beauty, gratefulness and lessons not attainable in a classroom. Sometimes I need reminded of this because it is so damn easy to get stuck. Last night I started crying while I was studying because I am now in a physiology portion of my nutrition program that is full of chemistry, biology and anatomy. I never took chemistry and my last biology class was junior year of high school. I can discuss Shakespeare not the periodic table or cellular makeup of our tissues. So I broke down with the thoughts of what the hell have I signed up for, why do I think I can do this now? I begged God to give me my husband back. He was my biggest supporter and he believed I could do anything. He was also extremely intelligent in these particular areas of knowledge. I knew my pleas would go unanswered but I made them anyway. It is pretty crazy what realms of reality the heart will allow you to explore especially when it is broken.
Today I woke thinking ok girl this is a new day and you are going to get through that chapter and all will be well. I have yet to tackle the homework. I ran errands and decided to write this instead. Every song on the radio in the car made me cry this morning. I remembered I am supposed to be still so I turned it off took a deep breath and am trying to suck it up to crack open that book and go to dinner with friends and then Sangha. No more tears or self doubt today. Paul doesn't want that and neither do I.
Today I woke thinking ok girl this is a new day and you are going to get through that chapter and all will be well. I have yet to tackle the homework. I ran errands and decided to write this instead. Every song on the radio in the car made me cry this morning. I remembered I am supposed to be still so I turned it off took a deep breath and am trying to suck it up to crack open that book and go to dinner with friends and then Sangha. No more tears or self doubt today. Paul doesn't want that and neither do I.
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