Cultivating Peace

Driving from the store this morning, jamming out to my new Sam Grow Live CD, I had a centering moment. Thanks to yoga last night, perhaps. Yoga and coffee?

I have lived through plenty of difficult situations. Much of my childhood was consumed by fear and uncertainty. Over the years, I have come to terms with my unpleasant experiences and I've found that peace and happiness are not something you can simply ask of life. They are things that you cultivate with intention. Nothing in life is a given. The choices we make and the people we surround ourselves with will make or break our contentment. Each decision we make, each relationship we enter into are active choices, they aren't haphazard conditions that happen to us. It is your responsibility to be happy, to make decisions that make you happy, to cultivate peace in your own life. No one will do this for you.

There are aspects of my personality that I have pointedly and painstakingly let go of or quieted simply because they produce anxiety in other people. It's something I will work on for the rest of my life. What comes around goes around, as they say, and if I do not care about the effect I have on others, I can not expect the same from them. I can only hope that people will accept who I am in this moment and help me to more fully develop the best person I can be.

Life choices have always been easy for me - I've changed jobs, changed locations, taken a different path because that is what was necessary for me to relax, to find contentment. But people have always been harder. I'm a sucker for people who need a little love in their lives. When I was in school I befriended the most unassuming people and became for them whatever they needed me to be. We all do this in one way or another and I'm sure if I hadn't had people doing this for me, I would not have changed so much. The hardest thing that I have had to learn is when to draw the line. When does their pain become my pain? Does it make me a bad person to draw away, to stop supporting them, because they are impacting my ability to be happy? I guess you could call it relational self-preservation. What it comes down to, perhaps, is that I have other relationships where the give and take is mutual. These are the people that help to cultivate my happiness and they are the people I have the greatest impact on. If my happiness is compromised, so will their's. I have to honor them first.

A productive, healthy garden takes a mindful gardener. Adding new people into your life is like adding a new plant into your garden. Plants in your garden will get sick, but as long as they are given attention and care they will become well enough to lend strength to the plants around them. When a new plant is introduced, it doesn't always work out. If you introduce an infected plant (as I am wont to do with people), even with the greatest care, the infection could spread to other plants, affecting the overall health of the garden. If this begins to happen, you must toss the plant into the compost pile and let it serve the garden as nutrients later on. By giving the plant a try you have created an investment in compost or a bounty of veggies at the end of season. Either way, it was worth a try.

Now, this metaphor only goes so far, but you get the point. I like gardens and I like helping people. I try to get the most out of, and give the most I can, to every relationship I enter into. Just as we have perrenials, biannuals, and annuals in the plant world, so to are our relationships good for "the right" amount of time. But with people, you can never tell how long that is. You have to know when to draw the line. And that's a hard thing to learn.

Moving away from home, chancing upon amazing friends, becoming a partner, becoming a mother - these are all experiences that have been transformational to my character and my happiness. Each failure I've experienced is also transformative but it is up to me to find the lesson in the unpleasantness. Finding the lesson and making decisions that cultivate peace and happiness is my responsibility to myself.

Random Recipes that Look Delish (Thanks, Martha.)

Cranberry-Grapefruit Sparkler: Cranberries, citrus, and pomegranates all harbor antioxidants such as vitamin C that will boost your immunity as cold and flu season rolls around. Create sparklers using fresh, organic 100% fruit juices and sparkling mineral water.

Red Pepper Triangles with Italian Relish: These would make a GREAT finger food. Unless, of course, you have a room full of red pepper haters.

Cucumber Cups: Another great finger food, this one with refreshing, light ingredients. You might try ricotta or a fattier cheese if cottage cheese seems to blah.

Vegetable Salsa: This looks really interesting, perhaps too interesting for most of the people I know. I do like hiding veggies though ...

Lemon Cream with Blackberries: Ummm hello? Lemon. Cream. Fruit. What's not to love? It's quick and easy to boot. Truthfully, I love the flavor of blackberries but don't like crunching down on their super tough seeds. What's a girl to do?

Pumpkin Thyme Rigatoni and Sautéed Rhubarb Chard: Tis the season! Pumpkins and leafy greens. This is actually two items off of a menu but I say MIX EM! Leave them separate to accommodate the finicky.

Grilled Burger with Garden Veggies: So this is obviously a summer craving but the recipe is from scratch and that's why I like it. They throw some basil in the patty mix. Don't some of those veggies need to be diced and added to the patty mix too? I think so.

Hearty Fall Soup in the Slow Cooker

This makes 8 2-cup servings and is really nutritious. There is a lot of waiting involved. The beans need to soaked, it cooks for 10 hours on low. But it's warm, healthy, filling and there is very little hands-on time. The servings are huge and there is room for crusty bread or meat. Add whatever spices you prefer but keep in mind that the base of the soup is butternut squash. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• Butternut Squash, 2-3 lbs, skin & seeds removed, cut into 2-in cubes
• Chicken Broth, 4 cup
• Thyme, ground, 2 tbsp
• Garlic, 3 cloves, halved
• Onions, raw, 1 cup, chopped
• Turkey Bacon, 2 slices, chopped
• Kale, 2.5 cup, chopped
• Red kidney beans, dry, 2 cup, soaked overnight
• Baby Carrots, raw, 8 large, chopped
• Green Bell Pepper, 1 medium, chopped
• Yellow Sweet Corn, Frozen, 1 cup kernels
• Pepper, black, 1 tbsp

Directions

1. Soak kidney beans overnight in water (1 part bean, 2 parts water).


2. Pour broth into slow cooker.


3. Mix everything else in a bowl to distribute the flavors and then transfer to slow cooker


4. Cook on low for about 10 hours.


5. Use a potato masher to "mash" large chunks of butternut squash.


6. Serve hot.

Nutrition Info - Per Serving
Calories: 188.6 Total Fat: 1.7 g Cholesterol: 0.0 mg Sodium: 528.1 mg Total Carbs: 40.2 g Dietary Fiber: 11.7 g Protein: 8.0 g Potassium 909.3 mg Sugars 2.4 gVitamin A 396.6 % Vitamin B-6 20.1 % Vitamin C 100.2 % Vitamin D 0.0 % Vitamin E 2.7 % Calcium 14.8 % Copper 16.3 % Folate 22.7 % Iron 22.9 % Magnesium 22.5 % Manganese 42.1 % Niacin 13.9 % Pantothenic Acid 8.5 % Phosphorus 15.2 % Riboflavin 9.0 % Selenium 3.8 % Thiamin 17.3 % Zinc 6.5 %

Pink Panther Lasagna

This lasagna is craziness! It's got ground turkey, silken tofu, and veggies! It's "Pink Panther" because that's what it will look like before you put it in the oven. My husband doesn't like tofu and he said he couldn't taste it in this recipe. We had a friend over for dinner and he asked for seconds. Most importantly, my son nearly cleared his plate which, I must say, has been challenging lately. So, even if you aren't a tofu-lover or have never used it, don't shy away from this recipe!

Pink Panther Lasagna

95 Minutes to Prepare and Cook

Serves 10

Ingredients

Veggie Mix

• Zucchini, 1 medium, sliced
• Carrots, .5 cup, grated
• Spinach, fresh, 3 cup
• Tomato, 1 large, chopped
• Bell Pepper, 1 large, chopped

Turkey Saute

• Ground Turkey, 1 lb
• Onion, 1 large yellow, chopped
• Tomato Sauce, 1.5 cup
  

Pink Panther Sauce

• Tomato sauce, 2 cup
• Silken Tofu, 16 oz.
• Part-Skim Ricotta Cheese, 7.5 oz.
  

Layers

• Cheese, Mozarella, shredded low moisture part-skim, 2 cup
• Lasagna Noodles, 8 oz

Directions

1. In a bowl, mix Veggie Mix well.
   
2. Saute onions and garlic over medium heat using nonstick spray for about 5 minutes or until onions are soft and beginning to brown. Add turkey and sauce, mix well, and saute until turkey is browned and cooked through (about 10 minutes). Mix often and break it into small chunks.
   
3. Add Veggie Mix into pan, mix well, cover, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Mix well and turn off heat, leaving it covered until you're ready to layer the lasagna.
   
4. Blend tofu, ricotta, and sauce until smooth to make the Pink Panther Sauce.
   
5. In a baking dish (mine was 8 x 11) layer the lasagna like so: Layer #1: Two ladles of sauce, a layer of noodles, spread on half the veggie/meat mixture, 1/3 of the remaining sauce, mozzarella cheese. Layer #2: A layer of noodles, the remaining veggie/meat mix, 1/2 the remaining sauce, mozzarella cheese. Layer #3: One last layer of noodles and then the rest of the sauce.
   
6. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and cook at 350 for 50 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle with the rest of the cheese, and then bake for another 15 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes.

Nutritional Info
Servings Per Recipe: 10 Amount Per Serving: Calories: 344.4; Total Fat: 13.0 g; Cholesterol: 59.2 mg; Sodium: 706.8 mg; Total Carbs: 32.6 g; Dietary Fiber: 4.4 g; Protein: 23.5 g

Muffin Recipe - Quinoa, Pear, Banana, Pumpkin Seed

Last week my husband and I set off on a journey to lose about 25 pounds each. My ideal weight for my height is 120 pounds (I'm 145) and his is 160 (He's 187). I have never been at my ideal weight. For someone who is such a health food nut, that is a bit appalling. So when I broke the news to Chris that I was on a mission, he joined me. That makes my challenge infintely easier since we'll be on the same dietary page and all. It means no squabs over the reduction in noodles and easy acceptance of new recipes. For instance, Chris hates all things whole grain but has been eating one of my muffins every morning for the good of the diet. He says "just tell me what to eat, Linsey, if it's small enough I can shove it down." Now that's the spirit! Every night after we put Aiden to bed we sit next to each other, laptops in hand, and enter our food journals into SparkPeople.com to track our progress. It shows us our daily calorie, fat, carb, and protein breakdown and I've added trackers for iron and fiber. I have been anemic (iron-deficiency) ever since I was pregnant with my little man and have recently broken my vegetarianism in an effort to avoid sleepwalking through life.

We are after energy, vitality, and health!

I created this recipe as a way to ease Chris into whole grains. Quinoa flour is much lighter than whole wheat flour. I love these muffins and Chris thinks they are tolerable, so that's a start. It's a long way from the refined sugars and flours he normally eats and he was never big on baked goods anyway. He doesn't like cinnamon, nuts, or apples, so the obvious fall theme was off the table. I found my way back to a seasonal approach with pears and pumpkin seeds. If you'll notice, I snuck in some applesauce (shh!) to eliminate oil. Any suggestions for a milk substitute would be welcome! As far as muffins go, these are low calorie, low fat, low carb, and have a decent amount of fiber and protein. They freeze well. Give them a try and let me know what you think. How can we up the fiber and protein without making them icky? Perhaps egg whites, soy milk, less wheat and more quinoa? Maybe some oat bran? I was out of carrots at the time. Fold in 1.5 cups of shredded carrots if you prefer.

Fall Muffins - Quinoa, Pear, Banana, Pumpkin Seed

Makes 20 Muffins using 12-muffin pans
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Ingredients

Wet

• 1 cup milk


• .5 cup applesauce, unsweetened


• 2 Eggs


• 1 Tbsp Blackstrap Molasses


• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Dry

• .5 cup brown sugar, unpacked


• .75 cup quinoa flour


• .25 cup Wheat Germ


• 1 cup whole wheat flour


• 2 tsp baking soda


• 1 tsp baking powder


• .5 tsp salt

Extras

• 1 cup oats


• 1 banana, chopped


• 1 pear, chopped


• .33 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
  

Directions

1. Blend wet ingredients


2. Gradually blend in dry ingredients


3. Fold in extras


4. Divide into 20 muffins pans and bake for 20 minutes at 350.
   

Nutrition Facts

Amount Per Serving: Calories 103.6; Total Fat 1.8 g; Total Carbohydrate 19.7 g; Dietary Fiber 2.4 g; Sugars 2.4 g; Protein 3.2 g; Iron 6.4%