This Is Me Not Talking Politics

   If you live in America, unless you've been holed up in a cave, you're probably aware it's an election year. I'm not going to talk politics here, but I'm going to use this as an opportunity to explore my own humaness. I call myself a liberal, probably not a suprise to most of you. I believe women should have the right to choose what they do with their own bodies, I believe everyone should be able to marry whomever they want (love is love, and we certainly could use more of it in this world), and I believe everyone should have access to food and healthcare. I, like the rest of the country, sometimes have a hard time with people who don't share my veiws. My guess is many of you get caught up in the “us versus them” mentality, as do I, and I don't like it; it's certainly not beneficial for our country. I've been grateful for this election because it has afforded me the opportunity to practice non-judgement. I have some friends who are a bit more pragmatic then myself who believe judgement is part of our human nature, and I would agree, but there is also a time for diplomacy. Diplomacy will lead to peace much more quickly then pointing fingers and criticizing one another.

     For years I have tried to practice a mindful existence and this election brings up the fact that I'm still a work in progress. Case in point: Pete and I sat at a restaurant this past Saturday night and a woman was speaking loudly about her political veiws. I found her tone and volume obnoxious and I was irritated, probably in part because she did not agree with my position on many important issues. When I got up to go to the restroom, I noticed the woman who was speaking was someone I know. She is a current yoga student of mine, and I stopped to speak. As we continued with our dinner it occurred to me that as I judged this person for having a different view then me I was not “living my yoga”. The heart of a mindfullness practice is kindness, compassion, and to move away from the divisive practice of judgement. I'm striving to be the change I want to see in the world, and to do that I must open my mind and heart to those who see things differently than me. Our thoughts are powerful and if we can begin to be more respectful in thought and action to those that differ from us I believe we will begin to see a shift in America. I will try this election to choose my words carefully when stating my opinion about the issues and to treat each person with kindness and respect even when I don't agree with their opinion. So.....go vote! And be kind to one another, whether Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Dog, or Cat.

Mom's Vegetable and Beef Soup

     When I was a girl my mom made this vegetable and beef soup a lot. I've made some changes to make it a bit healthier and often I leave out the meat, but still it feels like comfort food to me.  It taste best after sitting in the refrigerator over night. My theory is the tomato base has time to soak into the vegetables. I use organic, fresh produce, but canned vegetables are better than no vegetables. This is easy to make and easily feeds six. Always looking to spice it up, Pete loves this with fresh parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.

If using meat choose one pound of a good cut of beef           

  2 carrots, chopped                                                               2 celery stalks,chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced                                                      1 cup green beans

1/2 medium onion, chopped                                                  1 cup of corn

2 potatoes, peeled and cubed                                                1/2 cabbage, chopped

1 14 oz can tomatoes, rotel works well                                 Trader Joe's Tomato Juice(1/2 bottle)

1 Tbl oregano                        

(You can use whatever veggies you like, I sometimes add lima beans, peas, zucchini, whatever I have on hand)

Heat olive oil in dutch oven add meat, onion, and garlic, cook for ten minutes on medium heat. Add all the rest of the ingredients except the cabbage. Cook on medium/low for three hours, adding tomato juice to suit your taste as it cooks. Add cabbage for thirty minutes or so. I love this recipes because you really can't over cook it, the longer it cooks the softer the meat and the more the tomato flavor mingles with the vegetables. 

Bon Apetit!
Calories: 330 in three cup serving, Total of 5 BIG servings!

What To Do With Regrets From The Past?

      I've been having a rough few weeks. Truth be told it's been a rough three months, but isn't that how life is? Filled with ebbs and flows? You would think after all these years (I'm firmly in the middle age bracket now), that I wouldn't be surprised when it ebbs. But here I am, bummed out for the last two weeks and I'm sick of being sad; quite honestly I'm sick of myself. This month is the anniversary of my brother Jack's death. It's been twelve years since he died and I've gotten used to the fact that he's no longer here. Sadly, my family now finds itself saying good-bye to another loved one. I went to Austin last weekend to say good-bye to a man who has been in my life since the day I was born. Billy is not biologically related to me, yet, I struggled with a deep need to go and see him before he died. It certainly wasn't convenient to go right now, but his doctor said two to six weeks is all he has left. Pete was out of town backpacking (which meant I couldn't even consult with him before I made a decision). As a senior in high school, Jayne had her last homecoming on Saturday. The classes I teach at the college would have to be cancelled. But who says life is convenient?

     Billy and his wife Peggy live just down the road from where my brother's headstone rests, and visiting them, saying good-bye to someone else I love, well...I'm just emotionally raw, and what has come up is regret. I have no regrets in regards to Billy, and going to Austin proved to be a powerful life experience. I was able to tell him how important he has been to me, to wish him a safe journey, and to tell him I love him. I didn't have that opportunity with Jack. A few years before his death I found yoga, and I was a bit of a zealot about the lifestyle changes I'd been making. Alright, if you ask my sister or my husband they would say I was downright overbearring about my new lifestyle and judgemental of everyone who wasn't interested in changing. I had decided that yoga and the dietary changes I was making were beneficial to all, and if they would just listen to me they too could reap the benefits. I was so self-righteous in my new-found knowledge that it never occurred to me that maybe they were happy living just the way they were living. My brother was struggling with life when he died and wasn't in a healthy space at all, so I think I was even more obnoxious with him. Being in Austin has brought to the surface this long burried regret. So, what to do with it? I can't change past behaviors, I'm human and I make mistakes, so how do I find compassion for myself? I loved my brother and I have to believe he knows my intention at the time was only to help him find health, I just went about it in the wrong way. I believe that the universe gives us what we need, we just have to keep our eyes open, and just when I needed a little inspiration to get myself out of this black hole of self-pity I got an email from the Dalai Lama. No, I'm not personal friends with the Dalai Lama, it's a mass mailing that comes if you sign up for it, and in this one he is discussing compassion. He said that to neglect compassion is a mistake because it is the source of our own well-being. Bingo! When I'm soft with myself I'm able to be soft with others, especially those I love the most who also happen to be easy targets when I'm not in a good space. By putting this out into the universe my hope is that I will be able to find a little more compassion for myself -and the people I love- and to forgive myself for past mistakes. 

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.