Winter Blues?

I got a fortune today in the fortune cookie that came with my take-out miso soup that read: "Your sense of humor will soon cheer up a friend."  I eyed this little slip of paper for a fairly long 23 seconds.  It was one of those short periods of time that was extended by the sheer volume and quality of the thoughts that crammed themselves into it.  So, in that long 23 seconds, I came to a not so extraordinary conclusion.  It started with a question, which formed like a pixilated image: "I have a sense of humor?" And it ended with an answer, a somewhat snarky, somewhat amusingly dramatic answer: "Oh, yah.  I used to!"  Cue rolling of eyes at self.  The end result was me realizing that I haven't been the perky joyous me of late.  Again, not the most exciting thing to realize.  And looking back on it, I'd say the moodiness began around Fall.  Big surprise.  So it is the winer blues?

Well, I just watched Hungry For Change, which is about food and life and living a good healthy one.  I got a little spark of realization that I haven't been treating myself right with food and exercise either.  So is it the winter blues, or are the winter blues exacerbated by the lack of desire to eat fresh raw greens and go outside and play? I got a twinge of motivation to get back on track with my goals and stop allowing unnecessary distractions keep me from being the happy me.  Because, in the end, we can only make ourselves happy.  As much as we want someone to be there to comfort us when we are sick or down, nobody can really make those feelings go away.  We have to be responsible for picking ourselves up.  And we must take responsibility for the choices we make and the consequences that we KNOW are associated with those choices.

That is not just food and exercise, but also relationships.  Letting go of old thorns that like to keep us miserable and holding onto the good around us.  Also, letting go of the poison in what we are currently in or what we choose to keep in our lives.  Nectar in, poison out.  That's what one of my yoga teachers would say.  Some relationships feel like nectar, but leave us recoiled with disgust or pain.  Like white sugar or McDonalds.

Blah blah blah, and so I went on a ramble about way more than what I'm up to, but I felt inspired.  May you choose to get yourself out of the winter blues or whatever you want to call them.

Cheers to you and taking responsibility for your life, choices, actions, thoughts, words, and intentions.

Eat kale

Montage!

Let's pretend this is the part of the film where the editor and director put together a nice montage of all the happy moments in the main character's life in the past month to give a feeling of time passing quickly.  So here is my version of a montage.  Where have I been?  I got this new job waitressing at a brunch.lunch spot that I absolutely love!  Without internet at home and trying to bond with my new work-mates, life has been flying by.  Here's what's been going on.  Some fun stuff.

New Job
Love it!  I know, I already said this, but I really do.  I love working mornings and having free time after work to go to or teach yoga.  I love the people I work with and the guests who dine there are really great.  Thank you Chicago for providing such forgiving and pleasant people to our dining facility.  The money has made me incredibly relaxed too, which is such a welcome change.  I am actually indulging myself!  How nice!

New Home?
So, I decided to stay in Chicago!  The short version of why:  I hopefully have a great opportunity in NYC in 2014, and instead of uprooting to Cali for a year barely finding my footing before potentially going to NYC, I'd like to stay here where I'm established and loving life.  Who would have thought I'd say that at the end of winter.  This is probably the best winter of my life.  I've been really happy this winter and found it to be bearable and even comfortable.  So, I'm not getting a new home because my wonderful Roomy decided to also stay in Chicago! We will be remaining happily together for another year.  I couldn't be more pleased.

Vacation!
I took a week to go on a tropical yoga retreat.  It was on my Life List, the opportunity presented itself, and I signed up and committed in July.  I've been slowly paying for it and building up my excitement for a February escape!  It was 7 days in Belize with one of my favorite teachers, Cara Jepsen (Kali Om).  We did 4 hours of yoga a day, ate AMAZING food, which I should have taken pictures of, and swam with sharks and sting rays.  I couldn't have asked for a more heart-opening experience.

So that is my recent life in nutshell!  I'll be more on top of updating from now on.  Now that life is a bit more stable.  I hope you've all been well.

Hello Vitality - Life and Recipes

Incase you were not aware (title of blog tends to prevent ignorance here), I am prone to uprooting my life and making big changes, often on a whim, though that is somewhat less the case as I age.  Maybe it's the crazy weather (we're talking 0-60 here), the impending end of my lease and time in Chicago with my amazing Roomy, and the big decision of what to do next.  I tend to get a bit (very) anxious around times of big decision making and kind of freak out.  I don't know anyone who really knows how to handle me when I'm like this, especially no guy.  I don't really know how to handle myself, so I don't blame anyone of course.

I'm making a few big(ish) changes this week.  I chopped off my hair (story of my life), am getting a more permanent addition, which I will divulge more about soon, and I trying to direct all of my energy and attention on myself.  Yeah, just me.  I'm being exceptionally selfish, but I feel a lot of weight for this next move for some reason.  I want it to be the right decision.  I feel like wherever I choose to go next I will be staying for a while.  I need to not be emotionally distracted and I need to kind of go into my own bubble in order to figure out what the best decision is for myself.  Self-hibernation?  Is that the right word?  I don't know.

On another note, I have the recipes from my last workshop!  It went well and we had some great conversations.  20 spritely souls attended and I prepared food in advance so we could do more talking and less waiting and watching me run around preparing food.  I cut things a bit close and completely forgot to take picture unfortunately! But here are the recipes:

Green Juice

1 Bunch Kale

1 Grapefruit - peel and pith removed as thoroughly as possible

1/2 (peeled if not organic) Cucumber

2 Granny Smith Apples

1 inch nob Ginger - add more if you like ginger

Beginning with the greens, turn on juicer on the low setting and juice the first 2 ingredients.  Turn juicer onto high and juice the remaining ingredients.

Breakfast Salad

2 heads of romaine - chopped

1 pint container fresh blueberries

1 ripe Pear - chopped

1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds

2 Tbs balsamic vinegar

1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

Toss all produce together.  Whisk oil and vinegar and drizzle on top of salad.  Toss to coat.  Consider any fruits to add. Bananas are awesome in breakfast salads.  Also consider a vanilla peanut butter dressing!

Arabic Rice and Lentils (Mjaddarah)

3/4 yellow onion chopped

1 Tbs Olive oil

About 3 Tbs Cinnamon

1 cup lentils (gets 2 cups water)

1.5 - 2 cups Basmati Rice or other long grain rice (gets 3-4 cups water)

Salt to taste

Cumin (optional)

Serve with yogurt

In a large pot, heat about 1 Tbs olive oil in a pot.  Add onions and cinnamon (cumin if using).  Sauté for 1-2 minutes.  Add lentils and cook for another 2 minutes.  Add rice and water.  Bring to a boil then to a simmer.  Cover pot and allow to cook for 15-20 minutes, checking water absorption to prevent burning after 15 minutes.

You can purchase a non-flavored, preferably unsweetened non-dairy or good quality yogurt (key words: organic, pastured, grass fed & finished) if you are eating dairy.  You can also make a homemade Cashew Yogurt by soaking cashews for 3 or more hours and blending or processing with lemon juice.  For a less sour tasting yogurt, add water as well and adjust liquid to get proper consistency.  To get a really smooth texture, I'd recommend a high powered blender.

My Mom's Hummus

1 can Garbanzo Beans, or soaked and boiled (this is a nice link)

Water of the Garbanzo Beans

4 Tbs Tahini

Juice of 1/2 Lemon

Salt to taste

Cumin to taste

Put garbanzo beans in a food processor with the other ingredients, adding the liquid of the beans a little at a time at the end in order to achieve the desired consistency.  For a smoother texture put in a blender.  You may need to make a larger batch depending on the size and shape of your blender. 

Gluten-Free Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

Quinoa Pasta - Elbow noodles - cooked as directed on box

Half a jar of dun-dried tomato pesto

Alternative: Make your own

Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Garlic

Olive Oil

Salt

1/3-1/2 cup Parsley - washed and dried

Bring water to a boil, add pasta and while pasta cooks, use your food processor to combine either the jar of sun-driend tomato pesto with the parsley or the homemade sun-dried tomato pesto with the parsley.  Drain noodles and immediately mix with sauce to prevent noodles from sticking.  Top with Vegan Parm.

Cashew Parm

1/4 cup Cashews

Lemon juice - 1/4 lemon, add more if you prefer

3-4 Tbs Nutritional Yeast (Red Star Brand is preferred)

Salt to taste if you are using unsalted Cashews

Put all ingredients into food processor and process.  Add nutritional yeast if mixture is too wet.

Quick and Easy Banana Cream Pie

1 Pie crust - pre-bake (see recipe or buy frozen)

3-4 bananas depending on size

16 oz non-dairy yogurt of choice

1 can coconut milk

1 Tsp Vanilla

1-2 Tbs Maple Syrup

Place can of coconut milk upside down in the fridge.  Allow to set for at least 2 hours.  Prepare Pie crust and allow to thoroughly cool.  Mash bananas and mix with yogurt.  To be quick, throw both ingredients into a food processor, but this will result in less texture.  Pour mixture into pie crust.  Open can of coconut milk from the bottom of the can, which should be facing upwards since you flipped the can over when you put it into the fridge.  Pour out water or retain to add to other dishes in the future.  Scoop out the cream and whisk with vanilla and maple syrup.  Scoop on top of pie and either refrigerate to allow to set or serve immediately.  Consider drizzling with chocolate sauce or adding coco powder to the coconut cream for a chocolate topping.

4 Months

I have 4 months to make some bigger decisions. Story of my life right?  What happens in 4 months?  In 4 months my lease is finished.  My amazing time spent in Chicago with my roomy will be over.  My heart will break many times over when this happens.  Chicago has been one of the best years of my life.  I will always remember it fondly and love it so so much.  So what lies ahead?  What is my next adventure?  My next home?  I have 3 destinations in mind.

New Zealand

This spot has been on my radar for a year or so now.  I had initially been talking about going there with my Ex, Miguel but that obviously fell through.  The thought and desire has remained though.  I'd like to go to New Zealand.  This is a great time to do that too.  They have a Work Holiday Visa for people under the age of 30 to travel and work for 1-2 years.  It sounds just perfect for what I need right now.  And I need to get out of the country again.  I'll be taking a trip to Europe in the summer or fall, so that will be nice regardless.

New York

There are friends and family and many memories populating this lovely area.  I have some opportunities that may or may not present themselves in the near future.  There is a clearer path of where things may lead if I go back to the east coast.

California

I've had it in my mind to go live in Cali.  It seems like a place I would love to live.  I'd be starting from scratch again, like I did in Chicago.  This isn't the worst thing in the world, but I'm starting to think like this: if I'm going to go somewhere to be somewhere new that is more health and environmentally aware, why not go to another country?  I do have other draws to Cali, romantic ones, I'll admit that freely.  But California is feeling less right for my NEAR future.  It is seeming like something I'd want to look into in a few years from now.

No decision has to be made now.  I do understand that, but I am feeling the weight to make one soon.

Where Did The Week Go?

Wow!  I can't believe it is already Thursday!  I have no idea where the time went. I guess that's what happens when you work at a fast-paced restaurant.  I passed my waitress test on Tuesday and today was my second day as waitress.  I really missed waiting tables.  I know that may sound silly, but I really enjoy it.  I always did.  I remembered it fondly and love taking care of the people who sit in my section.  I get all section proud and want it to look perfect all the time.

This is a quick post because I have to grab some coconut oil before teaching my class tonight.

I'll use this as an opportunity to let you all know about my food workshop on Saturday!

It is called Foundational Foods!  Hopefully I'll see some of you there!

Healthy living has a foundation in food, which affects our mood, our energy levels, our ability to focus, and can even affect the way we view ourselves. With so much culture, tradition, and nostalgia associated with what we eat, how can a person change to live a more wholesome lifestyle? Come by for some tasty cooking/uncooking demonstrations, where you'll learn interesting tips and tricks for your everyday kitchen needs, plenty of eating, and great discussions.

We'll be going through the foundations for a healthful food lifestyle, dipping our toes into a few major eating styles like the Standard American Diet, Veganism, Paleo, Raw, and Gluten Free as well as how to foster positive relationships between food, body, and mind. We'll even discuss juicing, cleansing, and what it all means. The goal is to have you leave with a better idea of what you want from your food and how you are going to get it into your life.

This is a open environment where all beliefs and ideas are welcome. The only requirement is that you COME HUNGRY!

Monday Memories

I've decided to make Monday Memories a thing now. They will be picture posts with little blurbs to show the weekend's endeavors. I don't like blogging on the weekend; I prefer to just live and go with the flow. So I thought this would be a fun thing to do to start the week too.

I'm also trying to figure out how to post pictures and write blurbs underneath them using the Blogger App. Does anyone know?

Well, I discovered a new cool sandwich place that advertises that it has Vegan and Gluten Free foods, which alway attracts my attention. It's called Hannah's Pretzels. I got a yummy sandwich obviously. It was supposed to have truffle oil, but I didn't taste any. It tasted very fresh, but not very flavorful.

It's getting cold in Chicago again. I woke up to a 12F morning. Not too excited about that. See, lovely friends and family , the Bay Area may be chilly but it never does rediculous things like this. Point made. If some of you didn't know, I have a plan to move to Berkeley California in the near future. More details to come.

I discovered that Karyn's Cooked now sells doughnuts! They look just like the ones from Fritz Pastry! I had to try it with my favorite Ron's Salad for lunch.

And studying for my new waitressing job while sipping yummy foamy drinks!

And Delilah snuck into the warm spot on my bed after I woke up. Roomy and I have been thinking about getting her a friend. We'll see if anything comes of that.

Wonderful Wednesday

Source

I just HAD to share this recipe for Gluten-Free Vegan Tagliatelle with Winter Greens Pesto from one of my favorite blogs, Manifest Vegan.  Allyson Kramer recently published a book and her recipes and standards for her food is high, so do check her out.  The reason I felt so compelled to share this recipe with you all, my lovely readers, is because it caters to the season.  This is not a pesto made from handfuls of basil, but a lovely sauce made from a mixture of hardy winter greens.  I think getting a variety of dark leafy greens into foods during the chillier months, I'd say cold, but it was 46F in Chicago today, is the hardest and best thing you can do for your ability to get through to summer in one sane piece.

And for those of you who have been wondering: I am not jobless anymore.  I had my eye on a brunch spot right near the yoga studios I teach at where the money is good and the shifts are long, my feet can attest to that more adamantly than my perception, but end with plenty of daytime to spare.  I love mornings.  After persistence and some very wonderful acts at the right time, it all fell into place; I got the interview and the job in the same day.  Don't you love it when that happens.  No going home analyzing your responses and wondering if you were too peppy for a brunch waitressing job.

Today was day 2 in training.  The people are just lovely, even the moody ones.  I'm really excited, and a bit nervous, to get out on the floor by myself with my own sections and my own mistakes, which I'm sure I'll make at least a few of.  I do love waitressing.  I love the customers and how your sections become like your own little world that you're in charge of running smoothly.

My first day, my trainer happened to be the only other vegan on staff and we happen to go to the same gym.  I have a feeling we may hang out there sometimes.  I'm looking to start swimming again.  For some reason it seems like a good idea in the winter?  And there may be a dance class on the horizon too.  More to come on that.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!