Adaptable People are Happy People

Loveable Pesto:

This pesto loves you back! I usually have some dehydrated tomatoes on hand for this purpose, but if you don't have them, sun-dried tomatoes will do. I just don't really love all those preservatives--nor the super strong flavor. This pesto is so adaptable--I use it for pizza, paninis, cold pasta salad, greek yogurt veggie and chip dip, and warm pasta dishes. I make a good amount so as to have some on hand for the week. Added bonus is that it's dairy free, making it keep longer in the fridge. 

Soak for 30min:

1/2 Cup Dried Tomatoes

1/2 Cup Olive Oil

1/4 Cup Sherry Vinegar

1/2 tsp Redmond Real Salt

1/4 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper

1Tbs Italian Seasoning Blend

Put this mixture in a high grade blender or food processor and add:

1/2 Cup Almonds

1-2 Cloves Fresh Garlic

3-4 Cups Fresh Washed Basil Leaves

Tonight we made Paninis with Chicken, Swiss Chard, Tomato, Cheese, and the Pesto~ Um..so good. 

On Being Adaptable~

Just a little thought for you today. I've been thinking about resilience. I don't consider myself to be a very resilient person--I have many physical and mental problems that result purely because of my tendency to be stressed and emotional. I'm a healthy person, yet under pressure, I lose my capacity. It's like I have to have enough sleep, the right food, the right--well, everything in order to maintain my health.  I admire those who seem to have unlimited energy, or those who see stressful situations as exciting and fun challenges. I have yet to learn how to do that. "Let me re-group" or "I need some downtime" are key phrases of mine. 

I've learned though that it's ok to be me. Resilience goes hand in hand with courage. Making commitments even when we are it sure we can follow through, or stepping through a door we feel somewhat unprepared to step through, or doing things that just plain scare us--are ways we can show courage and resilience.  It doesn't have to be perfect in order to start. When I thought of those things, I realized I'm much more resilient than I thought!  (Just like my blog post is not finely polished with perfect pictures--because I'm not a photographer...) 

To be adaptable is to be resilient under change.  When things are going differently than planned or expected, or we are required to be in an uncomfortable place for a period of time, (much like holding your least favorite yoga posture,) now that is when you're true character comes out. Some of the most admirable people are those who are truly happy to adapt to the pressures and challenges of life.  Those who focus outside themselves and their own needs seem to be stronger and more capable in nature.  I'm trying to be more adaptable and resilient--like my love able and very happy and content pesto. Willing to be a part of any dish I might choose it to accompany.  So there is your food for thought. 

The Balance between Grounding and Taking Flight

Picture found at www.tunisiaonline,com

So I've been thinking about how people influence me, and how I influence them. I'll gravitate to people who seem to understand my introverted ways, artistic desires, or they have similar interests as me. However, often I'm surprised how well I get along with really just about anyone. Loud, boisterous types with a sense of humor and child-like behavior, or types who stick their noses into books, or generally just anyone who doesn't intentionally try to get on my nerves. 

Lately though, I'm noticing more the type of people who gravitate towards me.  This is a reflective thing--people who have the same weaknesses and difficulties in their lives as I do. People who have a similar body shape, people who are seeking some advice on matters that I need advice for myself!  It just goes to show that we share with others our weakness, and the ways we have handled our trials, so that they can know, and we can know, that we are not alone. No one wants to be around someone who's perfect all the time.  Especially if someone is perfect in all the areas you have personal flaws, right?  We like to keep things real.

If there is something in your life that you have overcome, you are more likely to share with others how you went about doing it.  You have a desire to help people with the very things that have been hard for you.  That's why people take on empathetic occupations-- such as a person who grew up in a high crime area might like to be a cop, or  person who was abused as a child may go into social services.  If you have had a loved one with health challenges, you might try to become a doctor.  You do what you do because you want to help others overcome the obstacles you've had--for what better teacher is there than experience?

So with that, it brings me to think on how my influence either helps, or holds myself and others back. Something that always comes up in conversations about personality and character traits within my friendships is that I am viewed as being a calming and grounding influence.  (Or maybe I'm just boring...haha)  

For example, when I sing, it's a peaceful kind of voice that might put you to sleep.

As a yoga instructor, I might calm and relax you, and I won't push you too hard.  As a friend I might make you feel better about yourself just the way you are. 

Personally, if I go running, I never push to reach a time or goal. I've always been non-competitive in nature.  I like to take life slowly, letting it organically unfold.  Yet--there is a part of me that occasionally desires more.  Waiting patiently in a state of contentment and meditation never got anyone to take flight. 

So even though being grounding is a needed influence in this world, sometimes you need an influence that pushes your limits. What makes a triathlete push themselves to their full capacity? What makes someone achieve a goal even with the odds against them? How does one battle against cancer? How does one find it in themselves to discover their true potential?

"You need some momentum to get off the ground."  This is a thought taken from a recent business training I attended. It really hit home for me--that I need to find that kind of lift in my life, and not only for myself, but to lift others.  I am truly inspired by those who understand how to gain momentum and enjoy it.  They go for the handstands in life even if they feel precarious.  

I'd like to find that kind of balance. 

(For a quick video of how I made some progress and "took flight" in my yoga practice this week, visit Instagram @balance.on.and.off.the.mat)

Kiwi Strawberry Ice

Kiwi Strawberry Ice: So refreshing!  I prefer using hemp seeds to chia in this recipe, but both are good.  Also, if you like it more tart, just replace the banana with more strawberries.  Use a good quality blender, with a dowel when mixing, adding each ingredient in one at a time. 

1 Cup Spinach

2 cups fresh strawberries

4 peeled fresh kiwis

1 frozen banana

¼ cup soft dates

3 Tbs. Hemp or Chia Seeds

½ Cup Water

1 Cup Ice (or more)

Cravings

Cocoa Raspberry Dream Pudding:  This makes a large amount, so you could probably serve this as a dessert for a group of 4-6 people.  Simply half the recipe to make a smaller portion.  The texture of this pudding comes from the avocado.  It's so rich and creamy; just really hits the spot when I'm craving chocolate and raspberries.

2 Lg Avocados, Peeled, & Pitted

¼ Cup Cocoa Powder

3 Cups Frozen Raspberries

1 Cup Frozen Pears

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 2/3 Cups Almond Milk

3-4 Packets "Sweetleaf" Stevia Powder to Taste

  
A Message from Yourself ~

I live a pretty clean diet. I eat my fruits and veggies, I have my food groups each day the best I can. I don't drink alcohol, coffee, or energy drinks, soda and I only drink herbal tea, juice, or water.  I've really developed a healthy relationship with food--but that really addictive sweet stuff?  Now that's a hard habit to kick. It's called sugar.  How do you manage those cravings???  For me, it's not a one time event.  I know some people who have somehow managed to never eat the white stuff ever again, but that's just too impractical for me.  I did go an entire year once without any refined sugar.  Yes, I felt physically better, but it affected me socially, and psychologically in a way that really is not what I consider healthy--or balanced.  I admire my husband, who seems to really be able to have a little something sweet once in a while without really ever getting addicted.  So I've followed his example, and we are all happier at our house because of it. 

A craving is a signal your body is missing something it needs.  It's a message from yourself.  The key is to start fine tuning your intuition as to what those needs are, so as to fill the gap. At the end of the day, or in the afternoon, sometimes I feel physically full, but for some odd reason I still want something...can't quite put my finger on it...so I eat more carbs, sugar or fat. Then I keep feeling both full and unsatisfied.  So this is what I do. I simply think about how many servings throughout the day I've had of veggies, fruits, protein, whole grains (or starchy veggies like potatoes or corn), and high quality dairy products.  Then it's easy to see what's missing. (I've blogged about this tally system before.)  Almost every time I do this, I've usually overdone it on the grains, and I'm lacking good fruits, veggies, or plant based protein. So I have a simple snack to fill the need, without getting even more stuffed.  I love apples and almond butter for instance.  Then I put a stop on whatever it is that is making me feel too full and too unsatisfied. 

Sometimes, the cravings are very specific. If you crave chocolate, you may need more magnesium. If you crave peanuts or peanut butter, you may need beta-sitosterol, a stress busting cortisol balancing plant sterol, much like cholesterol.  If you crave limes, you may need more iron or vitamin C.  Salty Foods? You may need more trace minerals. The list goes on...so find out why you want the food you crave, and fill the need.  You can train yourself to crave healthy food.  Set yourself or your kids free in the produce section at the grocery store and just see what you really crave. 

If the unhealthy cravings have started becoming more frequent, and they are something that you give into again and again because you've lost your will power completely--now that's called an addiction. It's time to remind your body who is in control. You're in charge!  

So here is your plan of attack. It takes 10 days to kick a bad habit. The hardest part is the first three. Then, you're on a roll and you don't want to give up what you started.  After 10 days, it's just so easy to say "no" to tempting trifles because it just feels so good to take care of yourself, you're Satisfied--or in another word, you're Content. 

The first few days I always start making lots of healthy treats, or grab and go type snacks that will trick my body into thinking it's getting something sweet. Well actually it is getting something sweet, but it's not refined sugar.  Fresh fruit and plain yogurt, honey on whole grain toast, homemade protien bars, dried fruit, salted nuts, smoothies, or frozen yogurt made with stevia are some of my favorites.  The recipe above is one of those types of sweet snacks.  My favorite natural sweeteners are raw honey, real pure maple syrup, black strap mollasses, sucanat, stevia, and raw agave.  The less processed it is, the better.  You can get highly processed or genetically modified honey, stevia, or agave--so make sure you get the raw.  

Be careful with this however, don't go haywire even on natural sweeteners.  It's still sweet, and it still sends a signal to the brain to tell the pancreas to produce more insulin.  You need to have a variety of the types of tastes there are to be had.  Salty, sweet, sour, and bitter flavors are all important.  So often we think that just because we are getting our spinach in a green smoothie, or hiding it in brownies for the kids that they are getting all they need--don't be fooled by this.  The body needs to taste bitters.  You need to eat a salad as a first course, (not doused with ranch dressing), so that the liver and gall bladder start producing bile, and the digestive process is greatly facilitated by this.  Blood Sugar balance is greatly improved by eating your bitters.  Actually tasting raw lemon juice for example activates the digestive process as you start producing more saliva.  Taste matters.

Finally, you've got to go a little deeper. Is there an emotional or psychological need that is not being filled for you? Are you thinking your hungry when in actuality you're bored, lonely, tired, or gloomy? Time to indulge in ways that don't involve food at all, because "life is sweeter than sugar," remember?  Call a friend.  Take a warm bath.  Go for a walk.  Get some sunshine. Dig your hands in the dirt.  Play with your kids.  Decorate something.  Build something.  Nourish a plant or pet.  Sing. Dance.  Play a musical instrument.  Get some exercise.  Take a short nap.  Work on a long ignored project.  Read something uplifting.  Write in your journal.  Find someone to serve. Attend a live performance.  Listen to Music.  Do some YOGA!

Whatever you choose, you're dishing out the love you long to feel, and you deserve it.   Practicing yoga has actually been proven to help people with self control, personal awareness, and the ability to mentally move through life with less attachment, or addiction to things.  Practice this both on and off the mat.  More power to you. May you find that you're truly at peace with those cravings as they teach you awareness.  Just listen to them, and relax--you'll be fine.

Be Deliberate, but Be Fluid

To Act, and Not be Acted Upon~

There is a concept I love within my own religious beliefs, and it is that we were created as human beings to "Act," and not be "Acted Upon." We have the choice each day to let things just happen to us, or approach the day with intention. Why? Because we have freedom to choose in the first place. We have the gift of agency in this life, and we will either live deliberately, or not.

Could you ever climb a mountain if you did not choose to put one foot forward after the other step after step until you reached the top? You could just as easily choose to sit at the bottom and wait for someone to carry you. 

So when I get up in the morning and just allow things to come at me as if I were some kind of goalie waiting for the next ball to hit--after awhile I start to see that I'm just standing there in the same place I started, and never made any steps across the field that day. I'm speaking very figuratively, but in a more literal sense, if I allow the demands of people in my life, even the people I love to be what I am constantly setting aside my own needs for, it gets exhausting! Any mother knows that feeling well when you're showering at 4:00 in the afternoon because you've been running around for everyone else all day in your PJs...we all do this. Right?  

So--being deliberate and intentional about making plans, meeting your own needs, and accomplishing something because you purely wanted to--not because you were told to, is where I feel most free. It's something I need to do to feel sane really. 

Coming Back to Balance~

If I lived the way I am describing all the time, I'd be pretty selfish. In fact, there are times when if I "go with the flow" and stop battling against the current I'm so much happier, because I'm thinking of others, and THEIR needs.  Let's say my boy asks me to play a game, but I've planned to make lasagne--so I say "maybe later..."

Or maybe he says "Mom, we can we go to the dollar store?" I say "Yes." Then I go, and realized he just saved me time because I needed to run that errand right away and didn't even know it yet. 

When I had a clock in/clock out kind of employment I remember times I'd get my schedule that was posted for the month and be surprised that my hours changed. I didn't usually fight it. Almost always it ended up working out to my own benefit for a reason I couldn't foresee.  For these reasons given by example, we can see that being fluid is just as important as being intentional. 

So next time you place your feet down on the yoga mat--place them deliberately but also remember the fluidity of the practice. 

Vision and Passion

Vision and Passion~

I've been thinking a lot about where life is going. The uncertainty of each step towards the unknown is difficult at times. This past year I put a lot of the things I was passionate about on hold. I had our third baby boy and shortly afterward joined Doterra as a business from home.  I suffered the worst postpartum depression I've had, and thanks to prayer, blessings, natural remedies, dear friends, and especially my most supportive and amazing husband, I made it through a tough year.  Blogging became less frequent, playing my guitar, singing, performing, volunteering in the community, cooking up new recipes, attending yoga classes, and even time with my children seemed to gradually dissipate as I just tried to keep up with daily tasks.  Life became imbalanced once again--but this blog is to show my efforts to always come back and regain that balance I desire.  In a previous post, I wrote about how if we have a specific goal, we may need to put other things on hold for awhile in order to attain the focus we need in one direction.  It's sometimes what has to happen in order to see progression. 

Well, now I have less passion, but more vision. There's a balance between the two.  As I look optimistically into the future now, it's a wide expanse of unknown landscape glossed over by a settling mist. We have many passions that drive us. They keep us focused and motivated in a pin point direction, but a vision is like a calm ocean spread out serenely calling us to move forward with grace and good intent.  Passion tends to feel self-oriented.  When we say we are passionate about something, it's almost like we are saying we do it more or better than anyone else does.  Vision on the other hand, is like an invitation for others to join you in what you love.  I'm beginning to see how we are indeed all connected. 

I've been teaching Yoga Workshops this past year using the essential oils.  Each month has a theme, and I was most pleased when I opened the manual recently to see that this month's theme is "Vision."  Oh how appropriate 

Peach-Glazed Chicken with Beets, Parsnips, & Carrots

Peach-Glazed Chicken with Beets, Parsnips, & Carrots 

1Tbs Olive Oil

1 Medium Onion, Sliced & Quartered

3 Small Beets, Peeled & Cubed

1 Large Parsnip, Peeled & Cubed

2-3 Large Carrots, Peeled & Cubed

1/3 Cup Peach Jam

2Tbs Dijon Mustard

Salt & Pepper to Taste 

1 1/2 Lb. Organic Chicken Legs

1/2 Cup Dried Figs

1/4 Cup Water

1Tbs Apple Cider Vinegar

Using a Large Cast Iron Skillet, warm olive oil over medium-high heat and add the onions.  Saute for 2 minutes until softened. Add beets, parsnips, & carrots.  Stir for about 7 more minutes.  In a bowl, mix together jam, mustard, water, vinegar, and a little salt & pepper.  Place chicken legs into the pan so the meat touches the bottom, nestled into the vegetables.  Scatter the figs over the top.  Pour the prepared peach glaze over the entire dish, cover, and cook for 3-5 minutes.  Mix the sauce in a bit if needed, and then remove the cover to roast in the oven for 20 minutes at 450 F.  Serve over a bed of well cooked moist brown rice.