My Book of Gratitude

What we think, we become. 

All that we are arises with our thoughts. 

With our thoughts, we make the world.

- The Buddha

This is my Book of Gratitude. I started it when a friend brought me back this journal from Nepal this past Christmas. I was so touched that while she was trekking around Nepal she thought of me. It made me realize how many blessings I have in my life. It's so easy to get bogged down in all the negative things that arise in life and overlook the positive. So to help attain the lofty Buddha quote above I started this book to help keep me focused on the positive. I print out all the kind emails, text, and record any kind interactions I have each day with the people I encounter.  I find I wallow in my own self pity less these days and my "happiness" index has risen exponentially. I thought I might inspire some of you to start your own Book of Gratitude. Maybe together we can begin to change the world one positive thought at a time. 

Potato Hash With Peppers and "Bacon"

On days when I'm working through dinner time I try to make something healthy and put it in the refrigerator for the family to warm up later. This is a new spin on the "southern fried potatoes" of my youth. I made these with turkey bacon, but a soy product would work well too. Serve it with a splash of tobasco or some picante sauce.

5 slices of turkey bacon or soy bacon
2 Tbl olive oil
3 medium potatoes, washed and cut into large chunks
1 large red bell pepper, cut into large cubes
1 onion, cut into large chunks
2 celery sticks, cut lengthwise and then sliced
1 poblano chile pepper, seeded and diced
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
3 Tbl fresh cilantro

Cook bacon over medium heat in a large skillet until done. Remove and set aside. Add olive oil to pan then add potatoes and onion, cook for 15 minutes with lid on pan. Stir frequently to make sure it's not sticking. Add the celery, chiles, and red pepper (salt and pepper if you like). Cook another 15 minutes with the lid on the skillet, stirring frequently still. Tear the bacon into bite sized pieces and fold into potato mixture. Sprinkle with cilantro and, if you like, tobasco or picante.
Serves 4, 200 calories a serving

How Do You Feel About Rock n' Roll Yoga?

 Lately I've been thinking about what I call rock n' roll yoga. I was in a rock n' roll yoga class in a dream this weekend. Picture this: I was a student in the back of a class filled with beautiful people clad in expensive yoga clothes (I was in a pair of running shorts and a tattered t-shirt). All of them were young and insanely fit, the teacher looked something like Adam Levine, and Led Zepplin's Whole Lotta Love was blaring on the sound system. I was flowing with the other students, yet I was wildly distracted. We were going really fast and the student in front of me looked like she had never taken a class before. I was distracted by her form and I kept telling myself to stay on my mat, stay with my own practice, it was “Adam Levine's” job to make sure she was safe, not mine. I woke up thinking about...you guessed it...yoga! I'm seeing a new trend among my students at the college. They come to class on the first day raising their hands asking questions like, “Are we going to do handstands?” or “Will we be learning crow pose?” The first time this happened I thought, “Oh, this girl must be a seasoned yogi.” Then I saw her moving through a flow series...not so much. I think I've figured it out though; it's rock n' roll yoga. Fit young people want the “cool” that comes with yoga and dive in head first; they want to master an ancient practice in ninety minutes. Hmmm, what's wrong with this picture?

     During teacher training I was taught that we place our bodies “just so” in each pose so that the energy flows through the nadis (a network of subtle energy channels) in order to awaken the kundalini energy which yogis believe leads to samahdi (a non-dualistic state of consciousness). In order to release blocks from our chakras, if you believe in this sort of thing, you need to place your body correctly in the poses so that you can free the energy flow. Regardless of whether you are into chakras or not, by putting yourself into a pose incorrectly one of two things can happen. First, you run a higher risk of injury, and secondly, you don't get the full stretching/strengthening benefits of the pose. This makes me sad, sincerely sad, because I can look at my own physical and mental health and see the long term benefits I have received through a slow build up to these more advanced poses. Had I started at a run, my suspicion is I would have burned out really quickly, whether through injury or just moving on to the next fad exercise trend. Don't get me wrong, I love a rock n' roll yoga class now and then, I just think it's something one graduates to. After all, you have to learn to walk before you can run.   

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Since Pete has shown an interest in eating more vegetarian meals I'm motivated once more to cook sans meat. Here is a recipe that I made for dinner recently; the quinoa is a good substitute for the traditional stuffed pepper with hamburger and rice. Bon Apetit!

Serves 8

4 whole peppers, cut in half and cored. Boil in hot water for 8 minutes or until slightly soft
2 Tbl coconut oil (or olive oil)
1 whole carrot, cut into small bits
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 jalapeño, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tbl cumin
2 cups water
1 tsp cinnamon
1-15 oz can tomatoes(rotel works well), diced, reserve liquid to line bottom of pan
1-15 oz. can black beans, drained
3/4 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cup tillamook cheddar cheese

Pour reserved tomato juice in bottom of casserole dish, then place peppers on top of the juice.

In a large skillet on medium heat pour oil and sauté carrots, onion, jalapeño, and garlic. After 5 minutes add cumin, cinnamon, and tomatoes. Pour in black bean and quinoa with two cups of water. Cover and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes. When liquid is absorbed and quinoa is soft remove from heat and add one cup of cheese to skillet mix. Stir and then spoon into peppers, cover each pepper with remaining half cup of cheese and cook in the oven for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve with a green salad on the side.