Balanced

Recently, we’ve been getting a container of blueberries in our Ooooby box . I imagine the strawberry stands are popping up in the valley. While my Ooooby blueberries are eaten by themselves (the better to savor them), it got me thinking about berries! Here’s an easy, healthy, yummy dessert to take advantage of those berries. Topping: ½ cup mixed raw nuts, chopped (I use almonds, walnuts and pecans) ¼ cup mixed raw seeds (I use pumpkin, sunflower and hemp hearts) ½ cup rolled oats ¼ cup shredded dried coconut (unsweetened) 2 tbsp maple syrup Pinch of salt 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted & cooled slightly Filling: 3 cups mixed berries, fresh or frozen (you can include peaches too) 2 tbsp maple syrup ½ tsp ground cinnamon 2 tsp lemon juice 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 tsp arrowroot flour Pinch of salt Directions Preheat oven to 375° F and lightly grease a 10inch square glass baking dish with coconut oil. Set aside. In medium bowl, combine all the crisp toppin

My Thursday Night Mindfulness Meditation group proved that yes, meditation can be fun! Throughout March, we were treated to a few guest meditators sharing different meditation techniques. There are many, many different types and I always encourage people to try several until you find one that works for you. Decide your reason for meditating – is it to quiet the mind? Is it for self-enquiry? Is it to connect with spirit/God/source? – then find the one that best suits you. Most types of meditation use an object of focus to stay centered. In mindfulness meditation, for instance, your object of focus is your breath. As your mind starts to become active, you bring your focus back to your breath. This is how you quiet your mind. Here are some other objects of focus. Music Music is the universal language.  When music is played, it enters your soul and no other communication is needed.  The notion of combining music and meditation is a very recent one.  Music was not used in any of

My mother had a strong network of friends. She was the social one of my parents. My dad used to say that when she went into a grocery store, she would walk out with three new friends. She knew the importance of community. My dad, not so much. More likely, when he wasn’t working, you’d find him in his workshop, putting together his newest project, or building some new thing my mom came up with. He cherished my mom, so he was pulled into her influence and had an active social life as well. All that changed when mom got in a car accident on the highway and never left the hospital. They had been married over forty years and dad seemed … lost. I was fairly young at the time, in my early 30s, and lived about 7 hours away and my siblings were no closer, so we weren’t there to offer our support and keep him busy. He worked for a time at the local grocery store in the small town where he lived, but soon developed colon cancer, had surgery and quit working. In the meantime, I moved out

What’s the first question people ask when they find out I’m a vegan? Go ahead, take a wild guess. Yep, that’s right, “but, where do you get your protein?” they ask. Before I answer that, let me ask you something. Have you ever met anyone here in the United States that has protein deficiency? I’ve only met one person who had protein deficiency in the past, because she had a condition that didn’t allow  her body to properly absorb protein, but that’s under control now. Other than that, nope, no one. Protein is used by our body for repair and maintenance of body tissue and energy and helps fight infection, illness and disease by producing antibodies. So where do I get my protein? Well, if you think back to high school biology class, proteins are pretty much the building blocks of cells and occur in all living things, including plants and animals. Now, how much we need is up for debate, but for the sake of argument I’m going to use the U.S. Department of Agriculture figure of .37 g

Disclaimer: The photo you are now seeing is not me, only a lithe, more graceful me that appears in my dreams from time to time. Last month, I challenged my self to try a new type of movement every month for three months. March was to be Tai Chi, something I always wanted to try. I’ll let you know how it went in a minute, but first I wanted to share a little about myself. I was a good student. I loved to read, always did well in the spelling bee and hung out with other nerds.  In high school, I was always competing against two other students for top honors in algebra. But, there’s one thing I sucked at:  PE. Want proof? I was de-cluttering the other day and found this: It’s an copy of one of my actual report cards from Hickory Elementary School in Torrance, California.  Pay particular attention to the forth quarter. All A’s and B’s except one stinking C in … Physical Education. And what’s with the C in effort? I must have conveniently forgotten that music wasn’t my strong su