Judging from my last post, it seems we should spend a little more time getting acquainted with my good friend miso.
A brief and likely inaccurate history of our friendship:
1997 – I try miso soup for the first time at random sushi restaurant. I like, but think nothing of it.
2005 – I spot Christina Pirello on TV adding something brown and thick to her soup and talking about how it’s good for digestion. My interest is piqued and I end up buying Jessica Porter’s book, The Hip Chick’s Guide to Macrobiotics. It changes my life.
2006 – My then boyfriend/now husband gets interested in asian cooking and decides to make miso soup at home. Our cat ends up on the counter eating dashi from the open bag, but otherwise it’s a success. Continue reading »
Yesterday I cooked for three hours straight, which by my standards is a helluva long time to be standing in the kitchen. I don’t know about you. It was worth it – but I’ll save that recipe for a future post.
The point is, sometimes cooking takes awhile. But sometimes you can make a homemade something to eat in just a few minutes. Those are my favorite! I think I posted about this particular recipe years ago, but that means you’ve all had time to forget about it anyway, right? Continue reading »
Before I forget, this recipe involves a fair amount of chopping and I’ve been despising my kitchen knives as of late. In the coming weeks I’ll be reviewing some new Victorinox knives from CSN stores – they’re a big consortium of shopping sites selling kitchen stuff, dining room sets, baby cribs, you name it.
Anyway, you know all those things you’ve been putting off until fall? For me it’s been painting the spare room, starting some new projects for my business and signing up for a plethora of birthing, diapering and breast feeding classes.
Ah, yes. It will all happen in September. A mere 2 weeks until total productivity. (We’ll see…)
Until then, I know my cooking motivation is still on summer break. Is yours? Because I have 2 black bananas in the fridge just wishing to be made into banana bread so if you’d like to come on by and grab ‘em they’re all yours!
However I was knocked out with inspiration when I saw a recipe online for panzanella. This is a perfect way to use up CSA veggies and not turn on the oven. Panzanella is an Italian bread salad – but don’t let the word “bread” scare you because it’s definitely not the main player in this dish. Continue reading »
Have you ever walked by those boxed detox kits at Whole Foods or seen an infomercial showing pictures of clogged colons? Let’s just agree on this – there are a lot of options out there when it comes to detoxing. They sorta freak me out. I mean, what are in those little boxes that are going to make my body feel better? They might work, I don’t know. I’ve never trusted anything like that.
When I did my yoga teacher training there was a lot of talk about detoxing. The big question I had was “Why would I detox?” I mean, my body needs to eat, breathe and go to the bathroom. If it needed a seasonal cleanse, wouldn’t that be…er, built in? Turns out, it is built in. Your body is detoxing right now as a matter of fact. So all of these products that are sold on the premise that you need to take some extra herb or shake to get rid of toxins is kind of misleading.
The fact is, we do get overloaded by crap in our food, our environment and even from stress. I decided that instead of finding a magic potion to eliminate toxins, I’d simply let my body do its job. I wouldn’t weigh it down with all the stuff it’s trying to clean out. And that, my friends, is what my 21 Day Detox is all about. It’s not about doing something extra or strange. It’s about allowing your body to work properly (!) and do the job it’s trying to do every day more effectively.
Thanks to everyone who has already signed up – we are going to have an absolute blast! Also, thanks to everyone who has emailed me with your very smart questions. I decided to compile the most popular questions into a video so even those of you too shy to ask can get some answers and feel confident about detoxing with us this September.
This video answers:
1. Does the detox rely on calorie restriction or herbs/liquids? I’ve done that before and got sick!
2. So, what kinds of food will we be eating for 21 days?
3. Will I be able to participate if I have kids? I don’t want to be stressed out at mealtimes.
4. Will you tell us exactly what to eat?
5. What’s the difference between the virtual detox and the South Boston Yoga option?
6. Are you going to run this detox program again in the future?
Ready to create some positive change in your life? The detox starts in about 4 weeks – just in time to create a fresh start this fall. Get all the details and sign ‘er up!
Lately I’ve been talking a lot about sugar and sugar addiction, so it’s fitting that I’ll be officially workshopping this topic this fall in the Boston area. If you are local, please mark your calendar and come introduce yourself. Nothing makes me more giggly happy than meeting a blog reader!
At these sugar workshops, we will talk about the reality of sugar addiction, ways to curb cravings, how to identify hidden sugars and healthy alternatives to the white stuff. When I’ve run this workshop in the past, participants have left motivated and empowered to experience life without the burden of sugar weighing them down.
You have two opportunities to wrangle sugar cravings to the ground:
Sunday, September 26, 2010
7:00-8:00pm Yoga Moves
Reading, MA
Friday, November 12, 2010
6:30-7:30pm Green Tea Yoga
Salem, MA
And if you are really serious about kicking the sugar habit, why not take big action? Sign up for my 21 Day Detox this September and create some big change in your life!
Chocolate. Bread. Candy. When I ask people what foods they crave, usually the answer is something along these lines. And I understand! For years I lived with a sugar addiction that kept my spoon going back and forth to the half gallon of ice cream on my lap long after I felt full.
I am now armed and ready to ward off cravings! I have tools I’ve perfected on myself and with my clients! I now walk by the Oreo aisle with no more than a glance and the ice cream in my freezer has literally lasted months.
But nothing, my friends, nothing has prepared me for the intensity of cravings I’m experiencing in my pregnancy. For those of you who have never been pregnant, pretend I’m talking about that time your boyfriend dumped you and you were PMSing and you walked by an ice cream shop. That kind of craving, times a billion. For those of you who are or have been pregnant, I assume you already know what I’m talking about.
It’s a physical force that begins in my belly and climbs into my brain and takes over my limbs, a hundred bodily voices at once calling for….
Sugar is a topic I could go on and on about (and sometimes I do). Taking sugar out of my diet has been the best thing I’ve ever done for my health. Period. And I see the same effect in anyone who undertakes the same challenge.
Take my detox participants, for instance. Last spring, they hated my guts for the first sugar-free week. But after that, they were true believers – full of energy and amazed at the lack of brain fog. I’m anticipating a similar response from those of you who sign up for September!
But it’s more than just white sugar. It’s brown sugar. It’s Sugar in the Raw. It’s corn syrup. It’s Sweet-n-Low. It’s Splenda.
This inevitably raises a torrent of questions:
- What about agave nectar?
- Which is a better choice, sugar or Splenda?
- I heard maple syrup is ok, is it?
Sure, I prefer natural sweeteners over processed. I eat tons of fruit and will use a bit of pure maple syrup any day over the white stuff. I abhor artificial sweeteners.
But that’s not the point. The point is, the more sweet stuff you taste, the more sweet stuff you’ll want. It’s an endless cycle. Breaking free means you’ll turn down the volume on your tastebuds. You’ll actually appreciate the sweet flavor of carrots and butternut squash instead having your tastebuds blown out by the top-volume sweet flavor of orange soda.
So why, oh why, would I agree to try and review NuNaturals stevia products?Continue reading »
Did you know that dry cleaning does not get cat urine out? Just a little FYI. One of my cats has been deemed a “stress cat” due to her incessant belly licking (which is creating a bald spot) and episodes of inappropriate urination. As in, has been peeing everywhere including the couch and bed.
Oh, and then our car got hit. Not a big deal, just a crushed bumper while parked at Whole Foods. But still.
We all have our problems, right? I was reminded today of a wonderful technique for gaining perspective when you’re in the middle of a mess:
Ask yourself, “Why is this happening for me?”
Not, “Why is this happening to me” but rather “for me.” It immediately takes you out of playing the victim and into a much more open, useful place. Continue reading »
Do you have a small love affair going on with kale? If so, I’m not surprised. It’s in full blown season right now, with big, beautiful, leafy bunches for sale everywhere I look. I got my hands on some kale this week and turned it into a new version of kale chips that I couldn’t stop bragging about for days. You know how it is when you really nail a recipe and it turns out amazing and you do a little happy dance and proceed to eat all of it immediately? It was like that. Continue reading »
I help busy people find balance in their over-worked, over-stressed lives. Trust me, it's not an all-or-nothing situation! A few shifts in diet and lifestyle can rock your world like they did mine. Read on
