Give the Gift of Being Present

Dark Chocolate Ginger Cookies  This is a family favorite.  Absolutely decadent served hot out of the oven.  These cookies have a lot of antioxidant rich spices, and dark chocolate as well, with just enough sweetness.  We love to serve these with a bit of vanilla bean ice cream, and fresh raspberries.  They also make great Christmas cookies to serve at your holiday gatherings or to deliver to friends and neighbors--if you can keep from eating them all yourself first! 

Sift together:
1 1/2 Cups + 1 Tbs Whole White Wheat Pastry Flour
1/4 tsp Ground Ginger
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg
1 Tbs Cocoa

In a separate bowl, create a cream using a hand mixer for about 4 minutes with these ingredients:
1/2 Cup Butter
1 Tbs Fresh Ginger, Grated

Gradually add to the cream mixture, one at a time, beating continuously:
1/2 Cup Sucanat
1/4 Cup Blackstrap Molasses
1 tsp baking soda dissolved in 1 1/2 tsp hot water

Reserve for the end:
2/3 Cup Dark Chocolate Chips

Combine half the flour mixture to half the cream mixture. Beat, and then repeat using what is remaining.  Stir in the dark chocolate chips.  The batter will be a bit tough.  Put the batter into a plastic zip bag, and press it flat to the edges.  Place in the fridge for at least 2 hrs. or longer if more convenient.  When you are ready to serve your cookies, remove the dough  in portions and roll into 1 inch balls.  Place 2 inches apart on an un-greased baking sheet.  Bake at 325 F for 12-15 minutes.  (The shorter cooking time will make softer cookies.)  Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.  Serve while they are hot out of the oven, (the best!) or store in an airtight container once cooled.  Make a double batch of dough in advance, and take the dough out of the fridge as needed when guests arrive.

The Gift of Being Present~

"Look towards the future, but not so far as to miss today" ~ Author Unknown

"Yesterday is the past, tomorrow is the future, God gave us today--that's why it's called the present."~Author Unknown

Most of us have heard these quotes that have been floating around for years.  They are repeated because they are meaningful, and so easily forgotten.  Often we live preparing for tomorrow, or regretting the mistakes we might have made in the past.

One morning, I woke up exhausted from the day before.   I had been absent from home all the previous day due to my employment, and errands--again.  The house was a wreck.  The kids were sick.  They really needed baths.  I couldn't find any clean dishes to make breakfast with let alone have a bowl of cereal.  I felt ornery, and my children were whining out of impatience, and hunger, and the neediness was too much for me.  I was supposed to fulfill other outside responsibilities as well that day, and have my children and me looking fresh a neatly dressed by what seemed like an impossible hour.  Digging through the dirty laundry to find the clothes I wanted to wear, and not having a clue how I was going to make a decent meal for company we'd be having later, I became overwhelmed.  I realize now that much of this was my own created perception, but it was very real at the time.  I kept thinking, "If I had been here yesterday, maybe things would be better today."  "If only I could be here always," I thought.  "I'm never here when I should be, I'm not here with my children enough."  In a way, I was sending out a prayer.  In fact, it did bring me to my knees.  The answer that came to me then was this:

"You are Here Now."

What an obvious thing.  It was simple, but so profound.  I wish I could say that I pulled up my bootstraps, wiped away the tears, and went on as chipper as could be after that, but the truth is, it took time to take this idea to heart.  I still have to remind myself everyday of this.  A great deal of stress can be alleviated by staying focused on the task at hand, and enjoying it, rather than thinking about what is coming next.  Also, the faster we forgive ourselves and others for the things we would have liked to avoid, the sooner we can move on.   As priorities come into view, it's easy to let the unnecessary things go.

Live with sincerity towards those who cross your path. 
Give your time to those you are with, while you have them with you.
Give the gift of being present this year. 

'Tis the Season

Tis’ The Season Fruit Salad:

I came up with this during the holidays, when pomegranates are in season.  I wish I could make this during the summertime! 

3 Fresh Ripe Pears, Peeled, & Cut into Bite-size Pieces

2 Cups Fresh Strawberries, Sliced

4 Fresh Kiwis, Peeled, Halved, & Sliced

Seeds from Half a Fresh Pomegranate

1/2 Cup Pecans, Chopped

1 tsp Dried Mint Leaves

Optional:

Mixed Greens

Gorgonzola Cheese

Toss the fruit, pecans, and mint together in your favorite holiday serving bowl.  Keep cool before serving.  This salad can be also very delicious on a bed of mixed greens, with a bit of Gorgonzola cheese, and a drizzle of my Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette.

  

Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette:  This is a strong flavored, thick dressing.  Carefully disguised as a salad dressing, this is actually loaded full of  ingredients to ward off seasonal colds and flus!  Omega 3's from the flax oil, enzymes from the apple cider vinegar, anti-viral and bacterial raw garlic, and antimicrobial raw honey provide a perfect medicinal combination, in a very tasty way.

1 tsp Fresh Garlic, Minced

1 tsp Redmond Real Salt

3 tsp Dijon Mustard

3 tsp Raw Honey

4 Tbs. Balsamic Vinegar

3 Tbs. Raw Apple Cider Vinegar

½ Cup Olive Oil

1/3 Cup Flax Seed Oil

¼ tsp. Black Pepper

Emulsify together in a high quality blender.  Serve at room temperature.  Store in the refrigerator.  This dressing will thicken as it cools, so remove from the fridge prior to each use to give it enough time to liquify.  I like to store this in a blender bottle, so it can be easily mixed up with each use. 

Give Thanks

Whipped Nutty Parsnips and Sweet Potatoes
It's time for giving thanks at the dinner table, gathering family and friends, and maintaining our loved traditions with a new healthy twist. 

Water for Boiling
3 Parsnips, Peeled, and Cut in Halves, then Half Again
4 Large Sweet Potatoes, Peeled, and Sliced Thick
1/2 Cup So Delicious Coconut Milk
1/4 Cup Sucanat
2 Tbs. Butter, (no added hormones)
3/4 tsp Redmond Real Salt
1/4 tsp Ground Allspice

Topping:
1/4 Cup Chopped Pecans
1 tsp Sucanat
1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

Place the root vegetables into a large pot, covering them with an inch of water.  Bring to a boil for about 15 minutes.  While the veggies are boiling, prepare the pecan topping by combining the chopped pecans, sucanat, and cinnamon.  Drain the veggies once you can pierce them through with a fork.  Returning the parsnips and sweet potatoes to the pot, mash in the coconut milk, sucanat, butter, salt, and allspice.  Mashing doesn't give this the whipped consistency, so  spoon this mixture into your blender, and whip for about one minute, until it is evenly smooth.  While the mixture is still hot, spoon into a shallow serving dish, and sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon pecan topping.  Keep warm until serving time. 

Be Grateful

I'm not a fan of "Black Friday."  Even the name of it has an ominous ring to it.  I was displeased to hear of people who are spending their Thanksgiving camping out for the retail sales that are on the rise.  I thought, "So let's just skip being thankful, and go right to being greedy?"  

While I'm at it, I'll just have to mention that anytime anything is commercialized, it loses it's savor for me.  A good example of this is when a beloved yoga studio of mine decided to add a clothing retail store in the front entrance.  You couldn't go to the yoga class without walking through a very expensive, image oriented, high end retail store.  This seemed so far from a true yogi mentality.  When yoga becomes about image, the cool brand name yoga clothes, the expensive floor mats, and so forth, it is no longer yoga to me.  Remember the words of Dharma Mittra in my Sept 10th 2012 blog post?  He was ever striving for "egolessness." he had no attachment to "things."  It is not so much what you are wearing as you step off your yoga mat into the world, but what you are now capable and willing to offer to the world around you once you have ended your practice.  The practice never ceases.  

"Pray always, that you may come off conqueror..."  Doctrine and Covenants 10:5

I have realized that I need to be more grateful.  I set a goal this month to offer up only prayers of thanksgiving, and blessings to be brought upon others.  So much of the time, my prayers begin with, "Please help me..."  Our prayers also never cease.  

There are countless ways to express gratitude.  It's so much more than saying "Thanks."  Here's just a few ideas:

-Allow yourself to be happy now no matter the circumstance 

-Open your eyes to the beauty around you

-Take pleasure in simplicity  

-Erase your lists of things you might feel you lack

-Waste nothing

-Return what you have borrowed

-Share

-Entertain

-Avoid over-eating

-Avoid over-shopping

-Practice contentment

-Allow creativity to flow when resources are scarce by using what you have.  

-Want less

-Need less

-Give others the very thing you might be desiring for yourself.

Along with gratitude, happiness is yours.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Philippe Petit and the Twin Towers (1974)

I thought this was appropriate considering recent events with the hurricane blowing through NYC.  It has been a reminder for many of what happened years ago when the twin towers fell.  Whenever these things occur, we realize our humble vulnerability.  Yet, this one man, seemed to conquer the superficial power and greatness of a structure many thought would never fall, just as many thought the Titanic would never sink.  He conquered man's fears and limitations.  He seemed almost immortal.  One has to overlook that he broke the law, because he it appeared that he was somehow above the law.  One has to overlook that he must have been a lunatic, because he was genius, daring, and childlike.   His motives were simple.  He simply could not resist.  There was no intention to hurt anyone, and I don't think it would have mattered much to him if the crowd below had never noticed him.  I imagine the freedom he must have felt.

Recently, I suffered a back injury.  It was painful, and long-lasting enough that I began to wonder if it would be permanent.  It started with trying to carry a heavy load--(a.k.a. my son Liam,) as I was running down a mountain trail with him on my back.  I felt the pain, but didn't stop.  Now I still feel bad that I can't pick him up and swing him around like I used to--but he is getting to be a very big boy.
When the pain was at it's worst, I thought things like, "I'll still be able to sing, write, play guitar, and all will be well.  I don't have to be a yoga teacher.  It's o.k."  However, I have yoga to thank for helping me to mend.  I have chiropractors, massage therapists, healing herbals, ice packs, heat packs, and a wonderful husband to thank also.  I really admire people who do receive a permanent injury, and find ways to move forward despite their painful circumstance.

Who I really have to thank is my brother-in-law, Steve, who bought me, and Heather, (my sister, his wife,) a month long pass to attend Aerial Silks classes.  We activated our pass right after my injury occurred.  I was sure that I would be healed in time before I started the actual classes.  My first class was exciting!  But painful.  My second class I felt some improvement, mostly because I was wise enough to tell my instructor about my injury.  Each time I went to these classes, I would feel a little afraid I might hurt myself more, but each time, I felt better after the class was over.  Aerial Silks requires a lot of strength, and a lot of flexibility.  I have the flexible part down, and I thought I was pretty strong, but this has made me realize the reason I probably injured my back in the first place, was because my core was not as strong as it should be.   The very exercises we are doing to strengthen the core, and increase flexibility in the hips are the very things my back needs to heal.   I have become more conscious of my posture.  "Lifting through the navel, and lengthening the low back as we stand gives us a feeling of lightness."  This is what I always tell me yoga students.  Maybe I've forgotten to apply it.  I imagine how light Philippe Petit must feel even on the ground.                                                                                                                                                                          

Why Wait Until Next Year?

Little Pumpkin Cupcakes (for little people)
I can't take full credit for the idea of these cute little cupcakes, because I found the recipe in the November issue of Family Circle magazine, page 176.  However, with that being said, I feel like I made them my own! 

You will need:
Ingredients from Pumpkin Spice Cake Batter Recipe (Found in my October 22nd 2012 Blog Post)
Orange Sprinkles
8 Pretzel Rods
Bundt Muffin Tin (Having more than one is ideal)

Dairy-Free Ganache:
1/2 Cup Coconut Milk (I use the Thai Brand, and use the cream that separates to the top)
1 Cup Dairy-Free Chocolate Chips

The Process:
Prepare the Pumpkin batter as described in my previous blog post.   In this case, I chose to put dairy-free chocolate chips in the batter instead of the raisins and dates.  (You don't necessarily have to use dairy free chips.)  Grease the bundt muffin tins with a little butter, and then lightly flour.  Spoon batter into each muffin tin 3/4 the way full.  Bake at 350 F  for 15-20 minutes, testing to see if a toothpick comes out clean.  Let the cupcakes cool. 
While the cupcakes cool, place the chocolate chips and coconut milk cream into a small saucepan, and stir constantly over med-low heat, until the chips are completely melted into a wonderful sauce!  Remove from heat, and place on a warmer if you have one.
Cut a little off the top of each cupcake to make a flat surface.  Spread the prepared ganache over this flat surface, and place another cupcake upside down, on top.  Drizzle more ganache over the top, add sprinkles, and push the end of a pretzel rod into the little well on top. 

The Holidays Have Begun
I served these at our preschool Halloween party this year, where my 3 year old son, Liam, devoured them enthusiastically.  He loves chocolate, but alas, has a dairy intolerance.  I don't mind it much, because we don't eat much dairy products at our house anyway.  It hasn't been much of a problem for us. 
I'm not normally one to do things that take me longer than an hour to an hour and a half.  Whether it's in the kitchen, craft table, or just mindless tasks, I just feel my internal clock ticking if I spend too much time focusing on one thing.  This was a challenge of patience for me!  It was sooo worth it though.  The kids enjoyed them, and so did the adults who took part. 
I was able to go help with Aiden's Kindergarten class party as well this year for Halloween.  I was so grateful to be so involved with my boys schools, since I had to work on Halloween night.  I dressed up like a witch, and planned on bringing the traditional homemade root-beer with dry ice.  After looking into it, I realized that making the root-beer the way I wanted to was not going to be possible in the classroom.  I asked Aiden for some healthier ideas.  He suggested apple cider!  It was absolutely delicious, so easy, and so much healthier too!  We just simply poured the cider over the dry ice, and voila!  Aiden always has great ideas. 
I was considering waiting until next Halloween to share all of this, but why not share it now?  I always love how Halloween gradually morphs into Christmas.  We always save a few pumpkins to decorate the front porch for Thanksgiving, right?   So maybe there's still time left to make Pumpkin cakes too.  If not, you have a few plans brewing for next year!

Fall-Time Recipes

Veggie Bean and Barley Soup 
This could easily be called "Everything Soup," but really the ingredients are geared to what you may have on hand.  The Chicken is not so necessary, since the beans and barley provide plenty of protein, but if I have some leftover, I often throw it in.  The Pasta is also an extra ingredient, mostly because my children love to see noodles!

3/4 Cups Pearl Barley, Rinsed
3/4 Cups Green or Yellow Split Peas
1/2 Cup Red or Brown Lentils
10 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth
1 Cup Yellow Onion, Chopped
3 Stalks Celery, Sliced
2 Whole Carrots, Chopped
2 Chicken Breasts, Cooked, and Cut into Bite Size Pieces
1/2 Tsp Redmond Real Salt
1/4 Tsp Ground Black Pepper
1 Tsp Cumin
1/4 tsp Celery Salt
1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1 Cup Veggie Spiral Pasta

In a large stockpot, combine the barley, split peas, lentils, and broth.  Cook over medium heat for 30 minutes on the stove top.  Add the chopped onion, celery, and carrots.  Add the cooked chicken if desired.  Season with salt, pepper, cumin, celery salt, and garlic powder.  Cook for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  The last 10 minutes of cooking time, add the un-cooked veggie spiral pasta.  The pasta will absorb some of the broth.  As soon as the pasta is cooked through, remove from heat.  Enjoy the fall colors in your soup bowl.

Pumpkin Spice Cake: I love to make this cake on Halloween night, so when the kids come home from trick-or-treating, there is a festive and healthy deterrent from all the candy!  We like it with a dollop of whipped cream on top of each slice. If I’m feeling indulgent, I’ll use dark chocolate chips instead of the raisins and dates.  (This cake makes a great breakfast the next morning too.)

12 oz. Apple Juice Concentrate

1 Cup Butter, Softened

2 Cups Pumpkin, Cooked and Mashed (most of the time I just use unsweetened canned pumpkin)

4 Eggs, Lightly Beaten

3 Cups Whole White Wheat Flour

2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

1 tsp Allspice

1/2 tsp Ground Ginger

1/2 tsp Ground Cloves

1/2 tsp Redmond Real Salt

4 tsp Baking Powder

2 tsp Baking Soda

1/3 Cup Pecans, Finely Chopped

1/2 Cup Raisins, (previously soaked in hot water)

1/2 Cup Dates, Chopped (also previously soaked in hot water)

Using an electric mixer, combine all the wet ingredients.  Sift together, the add the dry ingredients gradually.  Strain the raisins and dates that have been soaking in the hot water.  Finally, gently fold in the pecans, raisins, and dates.  Pour batter into a greased loose bottom tube pan.  Bake at 350F for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Once the cake is cooled, Store in an air-tight container in the fridge.  Eat up within about 3 days!