Despite my best efforts to keep the germs away, I lost the battle this weekend. All week I had a slight sniff, but nothing too much to worry about. I was taking echinacea, netti potting, eating healthy foods and getting my rest. On Friday evening I felt like a mop that had wiped the floor of the dirtiest bar floor you could imagine. I had had a busy week trying to take care of things at work, wrangle the kids and manage their lives as much as could so my husband could rest, and deal with the grief of Grace's uncertain future. My body must of felt Friday coming and was holding out until it could collapse in a heap on the sofa and watch hours of James Bond movies. I had a fever and a terrible sinus head ache. The pain was somewhere between a migraine and giving birth!! I caved in a took an Exedrine. For those of you who don't know me, this is a big deal. I couldn't take any more echinacea, as it starts to lose it's effectiveness after five days and Friday was day five of the pill popping routine. As I lay in bed shivering I remembered another secret weapon I had stashed in my vitamin cabinet. I would have to whip it out in the morning and see if I could work some magic. When morning rolled around I went down to the kitchen and took out the grapefruit seed extract. This stuff is awesome, but tastes awful. It is super bitter and could strip paint if you needed it to. I mixed it with some juice and downed it. I think I may of lost some of the taste buds on my tongue. Grapefruit seed extract kills bacteria, viruses, micro organisms and taste buds!!! It is very effective and works pretty quickly. Hopefully this will work and the elephant that is currently sitting on my sinuses will get up of its rump.
What Kate Ate 9/26/10
Tuna and salad sandwich
Peas, baked beans, and fish sticks ( super healthy choice, well the beans and peas are!)
Monday, September 27, 2010
In memory of Grace
It is with great sadness that I say goodbye to a wonderful young woman. Grace White was a wonderful, intelligent, kind, giving, sweet, ambitious young woman. Although I didn't get to spend much time with her, I got a sense of who she was and what she stood for. She was interested in biology and serving others and causes bigger than herself. She had recently graduated from NC State and was going to start a new job in Ecuador teaching English at the Marine Research Institute.
One of the last times I saw Grace she was over at my friend Annie's house. A group of us were just hanging out and Grace had come over to see her sister Kelly. Grace had recently broken up with her boyfriend. I had asked her how she was doing. Her response impressed me. She said that she was sad but that she was moving forward and creating a new space for herself because she needed to be happy and life was waiting to happen. For a 22 year old, she had a lot insight. I knew that she was going to be ok and that she would weather this storm. Grace did move forward. She was having a wonderful summer with friends and landed a job that would provide a wonderful life experience.
Grace had elected to be an organ donor, as only Grace would. Grace will live on and once again is giving back to others. She truly lived up to her name and lived life with the utmost grace and kindness. When I close my eyes I see her beautiful face smiling; that is how I will remember her.
What Kate Ate 9/25/10
Oatmeal
Thai vegetable curry with rice
Tofu and vegetable stir fry with rice
Lemon and ginger tea
One of the last times I saw Grace she was over at my friend Annie's house. A group of us were just hanging out and Grace had come over to see her sister Kelly. Grace had recently broken up with her boyfriend. I had asked her how she was doing. Her response impressed me. She said that she was sad but that she was moving forward and creating a new space for herself because she needed to be happy and life was waiting to happen. For a 22 year old, she had a lot insight. I knew that she was going to be ok and that she would weather this storm. Grace did move forward. She was having a wonderful summer with friends and landed a job that would provide a wonderful life experience.
Grace had elected to be an organ donor, as only Grace would. Grace will live on and once again is giving back to others. She truly lived up to her name and lived life with the utmost grace and kindness. When I close my eyes I see her beautiful face smiling; that is how I will remember her.
What Kate Ate 9/25/10
Oatmeal
Thai vegetable curry with rice
Tofu and vegetable stir fry with rice
Lemon and ginger tea
Goodbye Grace
Well friends, it doesn't look good. Grace isn't responding well to treatment. The family will probably turn off life support tomorrow. I really don't have much more to say other than I am in shock and hope that something might change between now and tomorrow.
What Kate Ate 9/24/10
Oatmeal with blackberries
Punjab eggplant and pea curry with rice
Kind bar of the walnut and date variety
Tom yam soup
What Kate Ate 9/24/10
Oatmeal with blackberries
Punjab eggplant and pea curry with rice
Kind bar of the walnut and date variety
Tom yam soup
Friday, September 24, 2010
Saving Grace
Yesterday I was told that my friend Kelly's little sister, Grace, had been in a serious wake boarding accident. She is currently in ICU and things are looking very precarious. I spent a lot of yesterday thinking about her and sending positive thoughts and energy her way. Grace is an intelligent, beautiful, and promising young lady. She lives up to her name and has a lot to offer this world.
I truly believe in the power of positive thought. Some may call it prayer. Whatever you choose to call it, it has an impact. Studies have been conducted to look at prayer and recovery and it shows that prayer does in fact play a vital role in the healing process. So, if you believe as I do in positive thought, please keep Grace, Kelly and their family in your thoughts.
What Kate Ate 9/23/10
Baked apples with oatmeal
Pasta leftovers from equinox dinner
Green tea
Granola bar
Bean and veggie burrito
I truly believe in the power of positive thought. Some may call it prayer. Whatever you choose to call it, it has an impact. Studies have been conducted to look at prayer and recovery and it shows that prayer does in fact play a vital role in the healing process. So, if you believe as I do in positive thought, please keep Grace, Kelly and their family in your thoughts.
What Kate Ate 9/23/10
Baked apples with oatmeal
Pasta leftovers from equinox dinner
Green tea
Granola bar
Bean and veggie burrito
Thursday, September 23, 2010
1-Healthy protein option
Last night for dinner I gave my daughter the left overs of the Autumn equinox dinner. She loved it!!! 1-healthy protein option, 0-evil vegan food. Order has been restored. Fortunatly for me she likes spicy food. As she was shoveling it in she was drinking her almond milk to cool her mouth. At one point she said "more milk mommy, this is spicy!". We did however have a little melt down when it came to eating all of the spinach. She ate most of it, but wanted help. Did your arm break or is the grossness of the spinach just too much for you little hand to take?! Whatever her reasoning, I succumbed to helping her because I wanted her to eat it.
Kids will actually eat things that most grown ups turn their noses up at. The way to do it is to mix the new food in with something you know they like. As time goes by you lessen the ratio of food they like to the new food. Children often want what the grown ups have, so eat your vegetable and your children will too!
What Kate Ate 9/22/10
Oatmeal with baked apples
Brown rice with zucchini and white kidney beans
Green tea
Granola bar
Multigrain pilaf with Punjab eggplant and peas
Kids will actually eat things that most grown ups turn their noses up at. The way to do it is to mix the new food in with something you know they like. As time goes by you lessen the ratio of food they like to the new food. Children often want what the grown ups have, so eat your vegetable and your children will too!
What Kate Ate 9/22/10
Oatmeal with baked apples
Brown rice with zucchini and white kidney beans
Green tea
Granola bar
Multigrain pilaf with Punjab eggplant and peas
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Autumn Equinox
Autumn is one of my favorite seasons. There is something magical about it. Maybe its the fact that the trees know that they must prepare to sleep, and so they give us a spectacular encore by changing color. Kind of like the finally at a fireworks show. Or maybe its the way in which mother nature supplies us with an abundance of foods which we are able to harvest and enjoy after a hot summer of toiling over crops. Note to self: must plant a vegetable garden so I can toil. Whatever it is, I thoroughly enjoy Autumn. To honor the Autumn equinox I wanted to make something special for dinner that said goodbye to summer and hello to Autumn. What I came up with was whole wheat penne pasta with spinach, Italian Tofurkey sausages, sun dried tomatoes in a basil tomato sauce. It looked amazing. My God Mother was joining us for dinner and noted that it even looked like fall. The red of the sauce and the crimson of the sun dried tomatoes really gave it the appearance of the leaves turning their majestic colors.
My husband isn't a big fan of tofu or anything that is a meat substitute. I thought I might try the sausage seeing as it does a good job of being un-tofu like. Despite my best efforts I was foiled again. 1-evil vegan food, 0-healthy protein option.
For desert I baked some apples with agave nectar and cherry granola. Unfortunately dinner was so late that we didn't have time to eat them. Have no fear apples, you will be eaten for breakfast!
What Kate Ate 9/21/10
Blackberries with oatmeal
Elderberry and echinacea tea
Veggie wrap, pasta salad and an oatmeal raisin cookie (yah me!!! I only ate one)
Granola bar
Whole wheat pasta with spinach, Italian Tofurkey Sausage, sun dried tomatoes in a basil tomato sauce
Green tea
My husband isn't a big fan of tofu or anything that is a meat substitute. I thought I might try the sausage seeing as it does a good job of being un-tofu like. Despite my best efforts I was foiled again. 1-evil vegan food, 0-healthy protein option.
For desert I baked some apples with agave nectar and cherry granola. Unfortunately dinner was so late that we didn't have time to eat them. Have no fear apples, you will be eaten for breakfast!
What Kate Ate 9/21/10
Blackberries with oatmeal
Elderberry and echinacea tea
Veggie wrap, pasta salad and an oatmeal raisin cookie (yah me!!! I only ate one)
Granola bar
Whole wheat pasta with spinach, Italian Tofurkey Sausage, sun dried tomatoes in a basil tomato sauce
Green tea
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Germs be gone!
With the changing of the seasons it seems that sickness and germs have a festival of sorts. They are celebrating our vulnerability and lack of self care. They set up campsites, that turn into mini cities if you aren't careful, in our bodies. All sorts of wonderful rides and attractions can be seen. After it is all over they move on and leave a mess behind. I, for one, have chosen to not host a camp site, revival tent, fate, festival or anything that remotely looks like a germ fest this season. To make sure that no trespassers come on my property I am gargling with salt water, neti potting, eating healthy foods, and taking echinecea. So, a notice to all germs, viruses, bacteria, and other gross things, I am not and will not be opening my doors to your celebrations this year. I have better things to do, like staying healthy!
Love, Kate
What Kate Ate 9/20/10
Blackberries with Greek yogurt, honey and granola
Quinoa with black beans and a green salad
Salt and vinegar chips (interesting choice, probably a bad one!)
Brown rice, sauteed zucchini and white kidney beans, and a green salad
Love, Kate
What Kate Ate 9/20/10
Blackberries with Greek yogurt, honey and granola
Quinoa with black beans and a green salad
Salt and vinegar chips (interesting choice, probably a bad one!)
Brown rice, sauteed zucchini and white kidney beans, and a green salad
Vegan Cupcakes
So, I don't know if you remember me saying that I was on a mission to make vegan cake taste good or not, but I think I did it!!! This weekend at our spiritual community I volunteered to bring in cupcakes to celebrate people's birthdays. Seeing as it is about to be fall I thought I would make something Fallesque. Fall makes me think of crisp morning air, juicy apples, snuggling up by the fire, taking long walks through the forest and listening to the crunching of leaves under foot. What better representation of Fall could I come up with than apple cupcake with cream cheese frosting? It was very easy and they tasted amazing. My daughter and friend Annie helped me make them. Thank you both for all of your help.
I just have to tinker with recipes. I like to add my own flair. In this case I took out half of the sugar. Don't worry they still tasted sweet! I wanted to rely on the sweetness of the apples. Most of the apples ended up in the cakes, despite my daughter pinching the apples from the cutting board! I had a total disaster with the frosting and I thought I might implode at the devastation I was feeling, but I survived. Basically the frosting ended up being splattered all over the kitchen. The cabinets looked quite lovely, as did the floor! And to top it all off I broke a glass. I am such a klutz. Anyways, people were gobbling them up and I don't think they knew my little secret about them being vegan. Sometimes people turn their noses up at vegan food. They think it is going to taste like dirty socks or something! No dirty socks here, just yummy healthy goodness.
For the cupcakes:
-1 1/2 cup veggie oil
-2 cups sugar (I use 1 cup)
-1 cup apple sauce
-3 tbsp. vanilla extract
-3 cups of whole wheat flour
-1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
-1 tsp. salt
-1 tsp. cinnamon
-1 tsp. nutmeg
-1 cup chopped/crushed walnuts
-3 cups (equivalent to about 3 medium apples) chopped apples
Preheat the oven to 350. Combine the wet ingredients with sugar (oil, apple sauce, vanilla). In a separate bowl sift together the dry ingredients. Add to the wet mixture and stir by hand until it is thoroughly mixed. The batter should be stiff. Fold in the walnuts and apples. Pour into cupcake liners. Bake for about 15-20 mins.
For the frosting:
-1 tub tofutti cream cheese
-1/2 block of extra firm tofu
-1/2 cup powder sugar (I use 1/4 cup)
-1/4 cup agave nectar
-1 tsp. lemon zest
Combine all ingredients in food processor or blender. Cool in the fridge.
Let the cakes cool in the pan for a about 20 minutes, then another 40 outside of the pan before attempting to frost them.
I got this recipe off of a fellow bloggers page by the name of Imaginary Ordinary Vegan.
What Kate Ate 9/19/10
Quinoa with banana, almond milk and walnuts
Vegan apple cupcake
Pad Thai
Fish fingers and peas (total comfort food)
I just have to tinker with recipes. I like to add my own flair. In this case I took out half of the sugar. Don't worry they still tasted sweet! I wanted to rely on the sweetness of the apples. Most of the apples ended up in the cakes, despite my daughter pinching the apples from the cutting board! I had a total disaster with the frosting and I thought I might implode at the devastation I was feeling, but I survived. Basically the frosting ended up being splattered all over the kitchen. The cabinets looked quite lovely, as did the floor! And to top it all off I broke a glass. I am such a klutz. Anyways, people were gobbling them up and I don't think they knew my little secret about them being vegan. Sometimes people turn their noses up at vegan food. They think it is going to taste like dirty socks or something! No dirty socks here, just yummy healthy goodness.
For the cupcakes:
-1 1/2 cup veggie oil
-2 cups sugar (I use 1 cup)
-1 cup apple sauce
-3 tbsp. vanilla extract
-3 cups of whole wheat flour
-1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
-1 tsp. salt
-1 tsp. cinnamon
-1 tsp. nutmeg
-1 cup chopped/crushed walnuts
-3 cups (equivalent to about 3 medium apples) chopped apples
Preheat the oven to 350. Combine the wet ingredients with sugar (oil, apple sauce, vanilla). In a separate bowl sift together the dry ingredients. Add to the wet mixture and stir by hand until it is thoroughly mixed. The batter should be stiff. Fold in the walnuts and apples. Pour into cupcake liners. Bake for about 15-20 mins.
For the frosting:
-1 tub tofutti cream cheese
-1/2 block of extra firm tofu
-1/2 cup powder sugar (I use 1/4 cup)
-1/4 cup agave nectar
-1 tsp. lemon zest
Combine all ingredients in food processor or blender. Cool in the fridge.
Let the cakes cool in the pan for a about 20 minutes, then another 40 outside of the pan before attempting to frost them.
I got this recipe off of a fellow bloggers page by the name of Imaginary Ordinary Vegan.
What Kate Ate 9/19/10
Quinoa with banana, almond milk and walnuts
Vegan apple cupcake
Pad Thai
Fish fingers and peas (total comfort food)
Friday, September 17, 2010
Oneness
Last night was yoga class at my spiritual community. I have to say the more I do yoga the more meaningful it becomes. While in savasana or corpse pose, our teacher told us to totally relax our bodies and become observers of our bodies. Something about that pose and statement struck me. I have achieved totally relaxation in savasana before. I couldn't feel my body and I felt like I was floating on a cloud. But last night was different. As I laid there relaxing each muscle something shifted in my awareness. I felt a sense of oneness with divine, the source, life energy, God, whatever you choose to call it. I could feel my limbs but I was observing them rather than being them. I don't know if this makes sense but it was a transformative experience. I felt calm and at ease with the world. Nothing else mattered in that time and space. I could of stayed there forever, but life is more than savasana. I have children to care for and dishes to wash! What I can do is take the feeling of oneness and try to find it in the everyday things of life that I don't enjoy so much, like washing dirty diapers or arguing with my three year old about eating her peas!
Namaste
What Kate Ate 9/16/10
Banana
Quinoa with walnuts, raisins and almond milk
Left over pasta with green salad
Green tea
Granola bar
Kind bar, macadamia nut and apricot variety
Thai green curry and jasmine rice
I was hungry today!
Namaste
What Kate Ate 9/16/10
Banana
Quinoa with walnuts, raisins and almond milk
Left over pasta with green salad
Green tea
Granola bar
Kind bar, macadamia nut and apricot variety
Thai green curry and jasmine rice
I was hungry today!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Hocus Pocus
I am reading How To Be A Wicked Witch by Patricia Telesco. It outlines the basics of witchcraft and how to use it. For those of you who are thinking that I have fallen into a dark hole of evil doing, have no fear. Wicca, Witch Craft, White Magic, whatever you want to call it, is actually a love centered religion that honors Mother Nature. One of the main tenets of Wicca is that you do no harm to others or yourself and that all deeds come from love and goodness. The book has a fun and positive spin that encourages the reader to find their own magic and way. What I like about Wicca is that it fosters a sense of oneness with the earth and the gifts it has to offer us. The practitioner is empowered due to the power of intention and positive thoughts. I believe spells are like prayers because the premise is the same. You are setting the intention for positive change and help. I also like the use of plants and tapping into their properties. Plants, like humans, have life and purpose. One of their purposes is to help heal us and keep us healthy. Using plants, positive thought and respecting oneself and others is right up my alley. Don't worry you won't have to burn me at the stake just yet!!!
What Kate Ate 9/15/10
Banana
Oatmeal with walnuts and raisins
Salad, hummus, whole wheat pasta with sweet potato (basically a smorgasbord board of left overs)
Chai tea with almond milk
Granola bar
Whole wheat pasta with tomato, fresh herbs, and olive sauce
Green salad with balsamic dressing
Chocolate covered pretzels (I was able to walk away from the bag!)
What Kate Ate 9/15/10
Banana
Oatmeal with walnuts and raisins
Salad, hummus, whole wheat pasta with sweet potato (basically a smorgasbord board of left overs)
Chai tea with almond milk
Granola bar
Whole wheat pasta with tomato, fresh herbs, and olive sauce
Green salad with balsamic dressing
Chocolate covered pretzels (I was able to walk away from the bag!)
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Sleep?
Last night was awful. I haven't had that little sleep since my son was born. He has croup and couldn't breath so my husband and I took turns through the night making sure that he didn't stop breathing. On top of that our daughter wasn't sleeping well and ended up in our bed. She has slept in our bed since I don't know when. Sleep is a glorious thing and is very much missed when you don't get enough. Sleep makes everything so much more enjoyable. It reduces disease, stress, obesity, the aging process and a host of other things. I tend to veer of track when I don't sleep so it takes extra work on my part to eat sensibly.
The first thing on my mind was taking care of my son and trying everything I could to prevent a trip to the doctors. I had the humidifier going with essestial oils that help to reduce chest constriction, echinacea tea, and positive energy. Unfortunately my efforts didn't prevent a trip to the doctors but I am sure that my methods helped to ease some of his discomfort. They gave him a steroid shot that was to help his wide pipe expand so that he could breath easier. The treatment worked thank goodness. I had mixed feelings about it all though. I am glad that we have access to such treatments but it is a shame that we can't look into holistic remedies that work just as well. I will continue to supply him with the echinacea tea, humidifier and essential oils. What can it hurt? If anything it will compliment the shot and speed up his recovery time.
What Kate Ate 9/14/10
Quinoa with raisans, walnuts and almond milk
Greek veggie wrap and salad
Tom yam soup
The first thing on my mind was taking care of my son and trying everything I could to prevent a trip to the doctors. I had the humidifier going with essestial oils that help to reduce chest constriction, echinacea tea, and positive energy. Unfortunately my efforts didn't prevent a trip to the doctors but I am sure that my methods helped to ease some of his discomfort. They gave him a steroid shot that was to help his wide pipe expand so that he could breath easier. The treatment worked thank goodness. I had mixed feelings about it all though. I am glad that we have access to such treatments but it is a shame that we can't look into holistic remedies that work just as well. I will continue to supply him with the echinacea tea, humidifier and essential oils. What can it hurt? If anything it will compliment the shot and speed up his recovery time.
What Kate Ate 9/14/10
Quinoa with raisans, walnuts and almond milk
Greek veggie wrap and salad
Tom yam soup
Children's book
My God Mother and I are creating a book for children. I can't say what it is about because it is a secret!!! I will tell you this, it is going to be awesome. I am doing the illustrations and she is writing the text. We started this project awhile ago and it just seemed to fizzle out. Since doing yoga I have found new creative energy to put towards the things I enjoy. She came over for dinner and we got our creative juices going to see if we got jump start our project again. I always find that I am more creative if I have good food to eat. We had a delicious dinner that was super healthy and it was just what I needed to get going again. She is currently enrolled in weight watchers so it was interesting to see how many points the dinner was. It may of been 5 points total. Anyways, we were both happy and excited about our venture.
What Kate Ate 9/13/10
Oatmeal with banana and walnuts
Whole wheat pasta with spinach and cherry tomatoes in a garlic, lemon, and dill sauce
Green salad
Granola bar
Green tea
Quinoa with mushroom, tomato, parsley, and walnuts
Green salad with avocado and cucumber
What Kate Ate 9/13/10
Oatmeal with banana and walnuts
Whole wheat pasta with spinach and cherry tomatoes in a garlic, lemon, and dill sauce
Green salad
Granola bar
Green tea
Quinoa with mushroom, tomato, parsley, and walnuts
Green salad with avocado and cucumber
Selling the goods
Yesterday was totally awesome!!! We had an Art and Business Expo at our spiritual community. I took some of my scarfs there to see if I could sell them; I sold four and made $95. I am thinking that I might create an Etsy account to sell more of them. It brings me much joy to be able to create something that not only is profitable but also makes someone else happy. One of the scarfs was purchased for a little girl. She was wearing the scarf at the expo not caring that it was 90 degrees outside and totally not scarf weather! As I watched her she sat down and rubbed the scarf against her face. Soothed by the texture of the material she sat there for awhile just being. We should all try doing that once in awhile. Forget the troubles of life and take the time to appreciate something small that brings us joy.
What Kate Ate 9/12/10
Trail Mix
Hummus and veggie bagel
Tom Yam Soup
What Kate Ate 9/12/10
Trail Mix
Hummus and veggie bagel
Tom Yam Soup
Friday, September 10, 2010
Mindfulness
Last night was free yoga night at my spiritual community. Loved it!!! Doing yoga with a group is so different than doing it solo. The leader of the class is wonderful and has such a calming presence.
Over the last couple of days I have been trying to be more aware of hunger and when to eat. Why do we eat by a clock? Isn't it a better idea to eat when you are hungry? I decided that I would only eat when I was hungry rather than eat because it was "lunch time" or "dinner time". The results, I feel more satisfied and have found I am eating less. I carefully pick what I am going to eat and savor every bite. Eating mindfully is a totally new way to eat. You taste things you may of missed before. Like the taste of balsamic vinegar, it starts off sweet and morphs into tangy and acidic. Textures change the taste and the emotion of the food. Crunchy is release of tension and smooth is soothing.
Yoga is about being mindful and present. I try to be present when I eat and not just shovel the food in. As I watch my children eat, I am reminded that food is an experience and not a competition to see who can clear their plate the fastest. Goodness know it takes my daughter at least 45 minutes to complete a meal. She must of inherited my father's genes. If he could take as much time as he wanted to he would never leave the table! A meal would last forever.
Yoga is also about treating your body with respect. Respect means not eating junk to deal with emotions. I have instead tried to breathe through hard situations and frustrations. So far I am doing well, and haven't touched chocolate in 2 days. That may not seem like a long time but it is for me!!
What Kate Ate 9/8/10
Oatmeal with walnuts and raisins
Spaghetti with tomato sauce
Kind bar, the Date, Cashew and Almond variety
Green tea
Whole wheat crackers with olive tapenade and a handful of corn chips with salsa ( didn't have time for dinner as I was running late for yoga)
Over the last couple of days I have been trying to be more aware of hunger and when to eat. Why do we eat by a clock? Isn't it a better idea to eat when you are hungry? I decided that I would only eat when I was hungry rather than eat because it was "lunch time" or "dinner time". The results, I feel more satisfied and have found I am eating less. I carefully pick what I am going to eat and savor every bite. Eating mindfully is a totally new way to eat. You taste things you may of missed before. Like the taste of balsamic vinegar, it starts off sweet and morphs into tangy and acidic. Textures change the taste and the emotion of the food. Crunchy is release of tension and smooth is soothing.
Yoga is about being mindful and present. I try to be present when I eat and not just shovel the food in. As I watch my children eat, I am reminded that food is an experience and not a competition to see who can clear their plate the fastest. Goodness know it takes my daughter at least 45 minutes to complete a meal. She must of inherited my father's genes. If he could take as much time as he wanted to he would never leave the table! A meal would last forever.
Yoga is also about treating your body with respect. Respect means not eating junk to deal with emotions. I have instead tried to breathe through hard situations and frustrations. So far I am doing well, and haven't touched chocolate in 2 days. That may not seem like a long time but it is for me!!
What Kate Ate 9/8/10
Oatmeal with walnuts and raisins
Spaghetti with tomato sauce
Kind bar, the Date, Cashew and Almond variety
Green tea
Whole wheat crackers with olive tapenade and a handful of corn chips with salsa ( didn't have time for dinner as I was running late for yoga)
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Epic journey
The word holistic means to take into account all of the parts that make up the whole. Having said this I am realizing that I need to learn more about the parts of my life that are interconnected with food and the role it plays as a healer. Food is connected with health, community, healing, spirituality, creativity and so many other facets of life. Over the next year I will be writing more broadly about these topics and my thoughts about them. Some of you will become uncomfortable with my findings, others of you may resonate with my view points. This is my own personal journey to a holistic life that has started with food and my relationship with it. My hope is that I will learn more about who I am and how I fit into this crazy world.
Thus far I have learnt that I need more time to be creative. Helping me to get into this space is tricky. With two children who have demands and needs that I can not ignore, creativity has to come in short waves. I have found knitting scarfs is mundane but satisfying at the same time. My hope is that I will be able to sell them to fund other projects that I want to do.
Yoga helps to relax and ground me. Creativity is able to flow, now whether or not I have the time to follow through on all of my ideas is another matter entirely! Yoga is also a spiritual experience for me. I feel at one with the universe and the divine that is within us all. I try to do yoga everyday whether I feel like it or not.
I have also started to go to a spiritual community. This community embraces all faiths and religions and states that we all have our own journey and that no one way is right. Positive thinking and the power of choice is stressed as tenets of the community.
How does food fit into all of this? Well, when practicing yoga it is best if you eat a clean diet. A clean diet helps one to focus. When I am able to focus I am in touch with divine. The divine helps me find my creative groove. My creative groove is where my joy resides. My joy is plants and their medicinal uses. Basically I need to eat a clean diet so that I can live the life I dream of. As I write this I am having a hard time fighting off the urge to eat chocolate. Chocolate consumes many hours of my day. If I don't taste it I am fine, but the moment a sweet morsel of chocolate touches my taste buds I am in trouble. Discipline and a strong will is what I need. I am trying to convince my ego of this but it can be hard. Maybe I should meditate on it?
I will continue to write what I eat everyday to keep myself accountable and hopefully honest. Please feel free to add in your thoughts and view points. I am collecting information and applying it when it feels right to do so.
What Kate Ate 9/7/10
Oatmeal with banana, walnuts and raisins
Brown rice with chickpea curry
Kind bar, Mango and Macadamia nut variety
Green tea
Green salad and half a tuna and tomato sandwich on wheat bread
Handful of cashews
Thus far I have learnt that I need more time to be creative. Helping me to get into this space is tricky. With two children who have demands and needs that I can not ignore, creativity has to come in short waves. I have found knitting scarfs is mundane but satisfying at the same time. My hope is that I will be able to sell them to fund other projects that I want to do.
Yoga helps to relax and ground me. Creativity is able to flow, now whether or not I have the time to follow through on all of my ideas is another matter entirely! Yoga is also a spiritual experience for me. I feel at one with the universe and the divine that is within us all. I try to do yoga everyday whether I feel like it or not.
I have also started to go to a spiritual community. This community embraces all faiths and religions and states that we all have our own journey and that no one way is right. Positive thinking and the power of choice is stressed as tenets of the community.
How does food fit into all of this? Well, when practicing yoga it is best if you eat a clean diet. A clean diet helps one to focus. When I am able to focus I am in touch with divine. The divine helps me find my creative groove. My creative groove is where my joy resides. My joy is plants and their medicinal uses. Basically I need to eat a clean diet so that I can live the life I dream of. As I write this I am having a hard time fighting off the urge to eat chocolate. Chocolate consumes many hours of my day. If I don't taste it I am fine, but the moment a sweet morsel of chocolate touches my taste buds I am in trouble. Discipline and a strong will is what I need. I am trying to convince my ego of this but it can be hard. Maybe I should meditate on it?
I will continue to write what I eat everyday to keep myself accountable and hopefully honest. Please feel free to add in your thoughts and view points. I am collecting information and applying it when it feels right to do so.
What Kate Ate 9/7/10
Oatmeal with banana, walnuts and raisins
Brown rice with chickpea curry
Kind bar, Mango and Macadamia nut variety
Green tea
Green salad and half a tuna and tomato sandwich on wheat bread
Handful of cashews
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