Thursday, December 27, 2007

Raw-ish BABA GHANOUSH

If you haven't had BABA GHANOUSH, which is an Indian Eggplant dip, then I suggest you try it the next time you have the oven on roast, and you have an extra eggplant laying around and don't know what to do with it, which is how I came upon this. Big hit by the way! Great as a sidedish, great with drinks after (hah) skiing, or a brisk walk in the snow (better).

I lg eggplant
2-3 cloves garlic
2 tbs tahini
juice of half a lemon
pinch cayenne
pinch salt and pepper
parsley, chopped.

I peeled the eggplant, rubbed it in olive oil and wrapped it in foil and put it in the oven on broil as I was cooking other things.
Cook, slice in strips and put in food processor with the rest of the ingredients and whip it up until it is a smooth puree.
Serve with greek pita bread that has been warmed in the oven a bit.

Saturday, December 22, 2007

The Kite Runner










This looks amazing. It was a great book too.

Thursday, December 20, 2007

BASIL

I've been craving basil lately. Fresh. Buying big containers of it. Putting it in my green juice, and cooking everything with it. It smells divine when you chop it. So I was curious what it might be about BASIL...

Basil contains FOLIC ACID-which is a B vitamin. Also it's a good source of potassium, and iron and calcium. Good for the respiratory system. It aids in digestion too as it helps the body produce saliva. Basil is also a good source of Vitamin A.

I was just updating the list on nutrients, and was noticing that I was probably low in Vit A as my eyes have been dry and I don't seem to be seeing as well, especially at night, and low in potassium and magnesium as my 'restless or jumpy' legs had started up again.

Raw-ish Fresh Rollups

Ok, this is my new favorite.
Llightly saute/simmered in some real butter:
1/2 an onion-chopped
1/2 red pepper-chopped
1/2 zucchini-chopped
chopped garlic to taste
4 fresh basil leaves-chopped
when veges are softish, break 3 eggs in, and scramble
*you definitely could use tofu here, and I'm going to try it tomorrow. I didn't have any on hand or I would have done it today.

In the meantime I took the cast-iron skillet and cooked up 3 raw tortillas. If you haven't tried raw tortillas, do. No fat, just cook on the heat of the skillet. They puff up like they are alive! They all like them though-and they are a great alternative to bread.

Then when the eggs are done, fill the tortilla, top with crumbled feta, and some fresh avocado chunks and roll up burrito style.

Wow is this a good snowy afternoon lunch! Have with some fresh orange slices and pomegranate seeds for a great looking and tasting plate!

Ok ok so it's not raw-it is fresh and homemade. And healthy. And good for you.

Raw Pasta Dressing

5 Large Roma tomatoes, cut in quarters or smaller, you want bite size pieces
10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
fresh chopped garlic
a handful or two of pinenuts
1/4 of a red onion, chopped fine
toss it all in olive oil
let it sit while you cook the pasta of your choice. I did petite raviolis, fresh!

Drain the pasta and toss into the room temp dressing, top with grated parmesan cheese.
It was yummy!

You could add some baby spinach at the last minute and let the hot pasta wilt it-that works too. Also Yum! Everyone had seconds.

WORST SNOWSTORM OF THE LAST FIVE YEARS

That was bad! It took me 2 and a half hours to get from Foothill to Park City! Bumper to bumper, and mean spirited stupid people that were following too close and wouldn't let anyone in. LOTS of accidents, and they weren't just skidding out themselves, but taking 3-5 cars with them. Bad.

I kept blessing the road and commanding safe passage for everyone-and then we crawled to about 2 mph. We crawled up and over Parley's...in the end I think that was the blessing because everyone HAD to slow down. Semi's had mandatory chains, but many didn't do it and they were off the road too. NO snowplows...

I am so glad you are all snug at home-stay there is my advice. I cancelled class when I came in and then turned around and went back. I couldn't ask anyone to come out in it.

But! I made some great recipes the last few days...
oven roasted vegetables drizzled in olive oil and hot spices. Cauliflower, and green beans, and asparagus
Adding the extra oils has really made that dry feeling go away. Remember we were talking about chapped lips, dry skin and hair? Try adding more oils to your diet. It's helped

Mediterranean Cuisine

Mediterranean means Italian, Greek, well really 14 countries border the Mediterranean...Portugal, Spain, Turkey, but exactly my genetic background and heritage! Whoa! What would happen if I actually let my body have what it's DNA is bread for?

Well, I'd have to address my fear of pasta and bread! That's been deeply instilled. But you know, a true Medi way of eating really is heavily based in fresh and raw veges and fruits, lots of omegas, and red wine! The percentage of grains is small, in relation to the abundance of fresh and cooked vegetables and fruits.

Interesting...

Maybe we want to research and attempt a NEW and DIFFERENT raw-ish this time? Anyone curious? What IS the Mediterranean Diet?
"Common to the traditional diets of these regions are a high consumption of fruit and vegetables, bread, wheat and other cereals, olive oil, fish, and red wine. The diet is often cited as beneficial for being low in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated fat and dietary fiber."

This would definitely take some belief adjustments. I totally believe that when add grains, I gain weight. It puts me straight into the weight watching category-something I've wanted to get away from. But there it is again.

Greeks and Italians eat lots of dates, figs, olives-cool,
Lot's of fish.
Lot's of olive oils vs. animal fat oils.

What about a Mediterranean raw-ish experiment this time? 1 cooked meal-evening-with grains? The two day meals primarily raw?

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

ReInventing the Raw For 30 Experiment

Well girls, we are talking about renewing our "RAW FOR 30" experiment. This time we know we can. Let's really post what might get in our way, and work through it. I'm finding it harder to motivate myself EVEN THOUGH I know I feel better when I do it! This is the thing that mystifies me.

Why do we not do what serves us most?

Benefits of Turmeric

Remember when I kept dreaming about Turmeric?
Well, interestingly enough, a cure for folic acid anemia is yogurt (8 oz) mixed with a tsp of turmeric.

I've been updating and adding to the LISTS on the side: specifically the "symptoms" list and the "nutrients" list.

Benefits of Fish Oils for the Brain

Study Shows Fish Oils Can Transform the Behaviour of Disruptive Teenagers
(March 24, 2006)
Fish oils can transform the behaviour of disruptive teenagers, a study has revealed.Youngsters were calmer and better able to concentrate after taking daily supplements for three months.
They were also less impulsive and kinder towards their parents, according to the research, which provides the clearest evidence yet of the benefit children receive from fish oils.
The findings add to the evidence that improving children's nutritional intake can calm their behaviour and even boost brainpower.

The study involved 20 persistently disruptive 12 to 15 year olds at Greenfield Community Arts College, County Durham.
Nineteen were assessed as having moderate or severe attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Nineteen were also judged to have short attention spans while 18 were highly impulsive.
By the end of the 12-week trial, the number showing symptoms of moderate or severe ADHD had dropped to six, while only three were severely inattentive and only six highly impulsive.
The supplements were a blend of Omega 3 and Omega 6.

Dr Madeleine Portwood, Durham County Council's senior educational psychologist and lead researcher on the trials, described the results as "stunning".
She said: "These trials were undertaken with a group of potentially vulnerable students with persistent behavioural difficulties and who were at risk of exclusion.
"By taking the fatty acid supplement, those aspects of their behaviour which put them at risk of exclusion improved dramatically."

An earlier trial led by Dr Portwood studied 65 children aged 18 to 30 months.
They were selected for the research from Government funded Sure Start children's centres due to their "challenging behaviour" and problems with attention and concentration.
At the start of the research, almost half of the children were rated as having 'poor' or 'very poor' behaviour.
But after receiving supplements, nine out of ten of these youngsters had improved to moderate or good ratings.
Sixty-six per cent of children at the beginning of the trial had 'poor' or 'very poor' concentration levels but all improved to moderate or good after five months.

The latest findings emerged amid a scientific row over the extent of the health-giving properties of oily fish.
Mackerel, tuna, herring and other fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids have been thought to reduce the risk of heart disease, strokes and some cancers.
But University of East Anglia researchers analysed 89 studies on the subject and found little evidence to back claims of reduced death rates.
Dr Portwood said last night: "The studies looked at the effect on the blood but we are actually looking at how the brain is working."


Provided by Organic Consumers Association on 4/5/2006
Published on Wednesday, April 05, 2006
by Healthy News Service

Monday, December 17, 2007

Reflections

"I believe they believe" is powerful work. We're only working on ourselves...and we are working on the energy BETWEEN us. When we clear ourselves of the hallucinations, when we 'grow up' and retrieve all those lost parts of ourselves, we have a new story!

When we change our perception/our belief/our view, we change the ROLE that we have cast the other person in.

I went through the same thing with Tony. I had cast him as the "unsupportive husband" and when I changed my beliefs and feelings, I quite literally rewrote his script and LO AND BEHOLD he was supportive! Shock! We were in a new play!

I found myself understanding how really wonderfully supportive Tony had been to me all these years! I wasn't reliving an old drama from my childhood, I was free to move into the adult relationship, AND he was free of having to hold that space until I got it. It was great, and a new perspective! I'm so pleased for you Jac. You have done it!

We're all just reflections of each other. When we clear ourselves, the reflection from others changes. Friendships shift, relationships, and as you've seen, masks change. Very cool!

We play for each other the part that THEY need us to be. Haven't you ever felt yourself acting or saying something and going "Wow, this isn't like ME at all?" It COULD BE because you are playing a part in THEIR play!

From Kathy



thought I would post this pic that Kathy sent-it's gorgeous! Mt Shasta, what a beauty!

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Beautiful Fire

There's nothing quite like fire for a shaman, is there? Cleansing, releasing, changing, healing. Last night's fire was no exception at all. It was spectacular! I couldn't wait to get into that fire that was sweet and gentle and such bliss! NONE of us could keep our hands out of it, could we? Gentleness itself. Not a word one would usually associate with FIRE. But there you have it.

Shamans come into balance with the elements, and girls, you are in balance with FIRE. Last night was amazing. Cold-but not. Hot-but not. Wasn't that fun??? CA-can't wait to see your pics.

Thanks one and all for the stupendous time outside and beyond time itself! Sleep well, be well, and what is next is for each of you to contemplate isn't it! What a good job of release and move on you all did, or the fire would have behaved quite differently. Well, you experienced that moment too, didn't you? Quite the contrast.

What is fire? It is passion, desire, it is change! Beliefs that map with a gentle fire-we invite, welcome, the changes that are coming.

Walking the Camino


The Celts walked it, heck, everyone seems to have or are walking the Camino de Santiago ;it's a pretty interesting and informative site.

According to the information, you don't have to be a hard-core walker as the trails are well maintained, with yellow arrows marking the way. Here are some photos of the lay of the land and what we could expect if we should decide to join Kathy on her high adventure. You know, this sounds like just the sort of thing we should plan.

I can't go end of May/June as Jon is graduating high school and I want to be here for all the goings on. Important. I was taking IA up in Idaho, when Neno was graduating, and I missed too much driving back and forth.

Another good site is Some thoughts on Your Camino which talks about carrying a good support backpack and about 18 pounds of stuff. The author (Mike) went in Spring-and loved it. Flowers and green. Sounds lovely. If you look further into the site, he's no young chick, so that heartens me that we can do it! :)

Those that have done it say you have to WALK to really experience the magic. I think you've made the right decision.

Hair Trauma


I remember back in the day being so frustrated with NOT getting through to hair people, I decided I just didn't know the right language. I spent an hour or more at a salon and asked the women the right terms for all the different cuts and effects so that I could actually ask for what I wanted..language. I wrote up a little 'hair dictionary' so that the boys could go in and ask for what they wanted.

If you don't have the right word, they create a whole different image in THEIR head than in yours. But isn't that what happens with everything? What's inside 'my' box, and what's inside 'your' box are different. Hence-missed understandings!

It helped a bit. Pictures help more. I always take a picture with me now. There are some great on-line sites with lots of images. I found that looking at the pictures helped ME know what I wanted to. I realized I would often go in without a well-formed idea myself. No wonder I wasn't satisfied...unclear manifesting.

A picture is worth a thousand words... and the person that said that was RIGHT ON!

2hairstyles.com is a good one.

Pro haircut is another I like.

Anyway CA-I LIKED your hair and the color!

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Quiet out there...


Is everybody out Christmas shopping or what? It's awfully quiet...

Saturday, December 8, 2007

We all have our fantasies...

I'm so much cooler on line

This is cute! I didn't know who Brad Paisley was cuz I don't usually do country-but I do now! This is well done!

Gemma Jams!



GEMMA MILLION VOICE CHOIR Then click on "view the million voice choir video" in the lower right.

Ok, gotta brag a bit about a woman doing amazing things! You've heard me play the song in class, and she made this video of her experiences. This is the link to her new website, which has the video.

And these are a few of the things she has accomplished this year!

A SINGLE DROP FOR SAFEWATER, PHILIPPINES THE RESULTS ARE IN!
In less than a year, A Single Drop for SafeWater (ASDSW) Philippines has trained over 300 people in affordable water treatment technologies! As a result, over 16,000 people have safe water, sixteen projects have been launched of which eight are income generating organizations..


They won the Echoing Green Fellowship honoring their work as Social Entreprenuers with innovative ideas for social
change! (oh, and she learned what a social entreprenuer was!)

WOMEN AND GIRLS WALK FOR WATER WITH THE GIRL SCOUTS
ASD is working with the Girls Scouts to develop an A Single Drop H2onor H2o Patch program in conjunction with an event to honor the women and girls who have to walk far distances just to acquire water for their families! So far, ASD will host an event at Lake Harriet in Minneapolis, MN, Women’s Earth Alliance in San Francisco, and another event will be in Tennessee!

AFRICAN WOMEN AND WATER CONFERENCE ENDORSED BY WANGARI MAATHAI, Nobel Peace Laureate! in 2008.

She is living on a remote island in the Philippines called Palawan. She writes in her Christmas letter: "As I write this, I'm sitting in my little nipa hut where I take bucket showers, get my water from a well or rainwater harvesting, have brownouts regurlary at least 3-4 times a week (everyday during typhoon season), clean my contaminated water through a filter I helped build
(and teach others how to build) and live 10 steps away from my office where we have a staff of 8 Philippine Nationals."

AND she has a new CD. I love the song-BRIDGES, which you can click and hear a bit if you follow the links.

GO GEMMA!

Friday, December 7, 2007

Want to know what happened to Paul Potts?



This has gotten almost 6 million hits!!! WOW! Talk about coming out in a big way. Such talent. Doesn't he look different cleaned up and in a bow tie?! He got to perform for the QUEEN! Life changing moments eh?!

The Opera Singing Mobile Phone Salesman

Watch this first-Look at him, and know that you are totally underestimating what is inside...and that that is what we ALL do to each other and ourselves every day...

"a little lump of coal that's really a diamond..." oh man...what a life changing moment. And all because he faced his fear. THIS is what we all dream of, don't you think? Brought tears to my eyes. Oh but EVERYTHING Is bringing tears to my eyes these days, don't go by me. Click on this link

PHONE SALESMAN

and be surprised, delighted and wowed.

Face our fears, and own up to what we know we are here to do.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

AND JUST CUZ



ok-this was just fun to see the good guys win I had to post it! I feel better already! Did I say this was a banned NIKE commercial? Maybe I should have...

And Another One!



This made me laugh outloud-which I really needed! :)

A Sense of Humor



Thought this might lighten things up a bit!

Song of the Sun



Too bad we don't all speak the same language huh? I thought this was beautiful.

Into the Wild

Anyone seen this movie yet? INTO THE WILD. Oh wow. Be prepared. But then, it might not effect you the way it has me.

It has broken my heart!
While surprised, I'm also perplexed. Have I just over identified with the characters?
The parents. The sister.
The young man himself.
The people along the way that he meets, and changes, and leaves.
It it just that I have a son the same age? Facing the same time in his life? Nah. It's deeper.

Why is it that we so stubbornly hold to our story/wound until the very end? We seem to get it in those last moments. And then what? SO WHAT. We are dead. "Oh! Got it!" With our last breath. Why are we so freaking stubborn?

It's about a strong willed young man, who makes his mind up, and sets out on a grand adventure. I wanted a happy ending. I always want a happy ending. Damn it, I believe in happy endings. 

Hand me the cosmic red pen! But it was his story, and his choice, and all we can do is witness. Sometimes...I hate the place of witness. 

I wrote a story years and years and years ago when I was about eighteen, about an old man that was a 'watcher'. His sole purpose was to witness everything that happened outside his window for the cosmic plan,  and never under any circumstances get involved or change anything.

And then one day, he gets involved...and oh the mess that he makes of  things.

But sometimes, it's so hard to leave people to their pride and arrogant rightness that they are wounded or hurt beyond repair, or sick. I watched the movie, and saw so many young men and women that I know on that screen, and realized that they all are walking into their own Alaskan wilderness.

And we are left wondering and waiting and witnessing. Stupid position to be in isn't it? Shit. I don't think I much like the God-place, leaving people their free-will.

We get beautiful young people killing themselves with shotguns, and handguns-(not the movie)
We get beautiful young people drinking and drugging themselves into heaps of misery-(not the movie)
We get beautiful young people that die before they have even lived their life. Died before they understand that this life, this magnificent choice we came here to live, is about FEELING! It's about CONNECTING, and TOUCHING, and BEING TOUCHED. It's about being ALIVE. It's about choice. 

Why do we so insist on being miserable sometimes, and how do we wake them up? How do we do that for anyone? Shit. We can't! That's the heartbreak.

Christmas Party

Joy the 15th works great for me for the Christmas party at your house. It will be so fun to see the new remodel done. Are we going to do the everyone bring one present to exchange? Should we bring food?

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Last Night

I had an almost disturbing dream last night. Intense might be a better word.

There was this school, and there were tons of kids everywhere. I was standing at a counter in a lobby of sorts. Like the office? Kids of all ages everywhere. 

But one little guy had these most amazing eyes-bore right through me. Intense. He was little-maybe 2? Head was shaved close. His eyes were like a wolf's would be-rimmed iris's with lighter centers-he was staring into space though. Not at me, but right through me. Like I was there, and not, and he could sense me but not see me. 

In the dream I thought "Don't go yet! We're coming. I can help you!" He felt like a "they" were going to kill him. I was feeling almost desperate to get 'something' so that he wouldn't be turned off. That "turned off" thing was a feeling, like he was going to be euthanized almost. Like somehow he wasn't important or didn't matter, and I wanted to let him know he was.

There were thousands of kids there, but this little one riveted me in the dream. It left me a bit ruffled, shall we say? One of Lauren's "feral kids" I'm sure. But it felt like he didn't have much time. I can still see him staring at me, but not at me. As if he is looking for me but can't see me there yet. 

Maybe I'm not there yet? We are all dancing in the future already, aren't we.

Remember


Stands remembering from time to time, don't you think? You are creative beings.

Remember what it is you are creating. Take responsibility. Fly!