PORTOBELLO PARADISE

OK, so as if my ride was not amazing enough I developed an incredible hunger!!! Ravenous as I was upon my return, I decided to dine on a fungus. Yes, I grilled a portobello and ate it with some potatoes and salad. It was yummy and good and my tummy is happy tonight too! I am just happy all around......almost cheer-leader like....well maybe not that peppy, but you get the picture. Portobello peppiness??

INSPIRATION BROUGHT TO VEGIESIS BY VEGIESIS

To add on to my philosophical discussion about the rewards of self inspiration, I decided to self inspire today! I woke up, skipped the coffee, and got the family bikes ready for a ride. The sun was out, we were boasting a forecast of 65 degrees, and I wanted to go to Sebastopol and visit an old co-worker. I craved adventure and decided to check out the massive linkage of trails that wind from Santa Rosa to Forestville through the environmental preserves and other sights. So, with my cyclocross bike with a trail-a-bike in tow, and my husband on his road bike we made our way to the paths and rode for hours!!! It was awesome and I feel great. I think I have been an insomniac for the last two years because I could never settle down, however tonight my muscles are tired, my mind is not racing, and I am inspired by my strength of pulling a 25 pound trail-a-bike with a 43 pound kid on it for over 20 miles! I am tired and happy tonight and feeling inspired to face the week ahead. In fact, the family is happily exhausted and calm this evening and we had a ton of fun! Plus, I saw my old coworker to boot! I can feel that this week will be an awesome one in our lenting.

After reading your post on mental training and spiritual lent I took a hot bath and got to thinking about philosophical stuff. Not my usual routine, but I kept contemplating the idea of where does inspiration come from? I went to my favorite veg cafe and they always ask patrons a question of the day (they must have some huge book of questions!) anyway, the day's question was, "Who inspires you?" I racked my brain as I am inspired by a lot of people depending on what the context is. In cooking I am inspired by Vivaldi and the Four Seasons, and on and on and on. But really, shouldn't we inspire ourselves? Usually, if I think of someone as inspiring it is because I want to be like them for some quality or achievment. Why then, am I not inspirational to myself? I should be. I should generate this energy within my own person for the better of my body and mind. So I should think of every small accomplishment as inspiring for a larger one. Are you self-inspired? This week I am.

Lent Week 1

Lent Week 1: Pass or Fail?

Cut to the chase, PASS!
In general, the week went well, even without detailed planning, which I will remedy for this week. Coming off of a week’s vacation, I did not really have a plan, but I did have enough backups to keep me on the program. With a couple of “exceptions”. That means FAIL!
FAIL #1
My Thursday night stir-fry needed a sauce, and instead of making it plain and spicy with Sambal Oelek, I made it slightly sweet with a sweet Thai chili sauce. Sweet? That means SUGAR! Oops. Rationalization time. It wasn’t THAT much sugar, mostly chilis. And garlic. And xantham gum. That doesn’t count, does it? Only if I say it does, and I say it doesn’t. Like corn tortillas and polenta, a tablespoon of stirfry sauce doesn’t count.

FAIL #2
Fridays don’t count, however too much beer interferes with the Lenten spirit. But it was a good play, and they are good people. Honest. But it is interesting how alcohol encourages cravings for bad food the next day, just as Dr. Fuhrman explains. Vicious cycle anyone?

Conclusion:
What do my two FAILs show? A problem with SUGAR! I like to boast that I do not have a sweet tooth and that desserts never tempt me. And that is mostly true, desserts almost never tempt me. But my two FAILs show that in my own way, sugar does have a grip on me. Good to know. Now I can watch myself this week and look for the places and times that my hidden sweet tooth sneaks up to bite me!

On the positive: Just a couple of days in, I could truly feel the difference! My energy was better, I could think more clearly (which may not be apparent in my writing!) and just generally was better off overall. I even meditated every day but Friday. It’s been awhile for that. Even though I know firsthand the power of the program, sometimes I find myself skeptical that it really makes that much of a difference. It does. Its funny to watch people and read their body language as I am doing at a cafe now. (full disclosure: I had a coffee, but now I’m drinking green tea) People do NOT feel good. You can see it in their faces and body language, but they are so accustomed to it, they think it is “normal”. I want to give them a wake up shake, but they would think I am crazy. I suppose I am, but I like my kind of crazy

Salad Dressing Dilema

I have to admit that I love salad dressing. Even the oily ones. So, since I am cutting down on fat I had two options, cut down on the amount of fatty dressing I use, or find something else. In the summer I enjoy citrus, but I can't seem to get into it right now. So, it came to me as I was eating at my favorite vegan cafe, that I should use tomatillo salsa or any salsa for that matter. I love salsa and I can easily eat it every day, so why not? Tonight I made a homemade batch of tomatillo salsa (oil free and raw) in the blender and I am loving it!!! Tonight it will serve as a dressing for a fiesta Friday dinner. Problem solved! Then I roasted a bunch of veggies and blended them up with mexican spices for a roasted veggie salsa. I am sooo excited! This weekend will be a good one for sure!

My recipe: Tomatillo Sauce

1# Tomatillos husked washed and quartered
1 small yellow or white onion diced
2-3 cloves of diced garlic
1 Serrano chile chopped (use your preference for seeding)
1/2 tsp cumin
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Salt and Pepper to your taste

Wizz this around until it is blended and then if you want to thin it out more add 1/2 cup of veg stock or leave it as is. Let it stand so that the flavors develop and enjoy as a salsa, dip, enchilada sauce, or salad dressing. Yummm!!!!

Mental Nutrition

I have decided to expand my plan of properly feeding myself to include mental issues as well. So in order to better feed my mind and soul, I have come up with a reading list of books to inspire me, one per week. Most are rereads of books that inspired me in the past, but one new one that seems to apply. In no particular order, here they are:

Excuses Begone! by Dr. Wayne Dyer
I like his general message, and he has inspired me before. This topic and book seems applicable when trying to change stubborn habits.

Let Go by Martine Batchelor
This is a reread by an author who is a zen teacher who also focusses on the power of habits and gentle ways to loosen their power.

Turning You Mind Into an Ally by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche
This is a reread of a basic meditation guide by the son of famous Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche that makes mediation accessible.

Thinking Body, Dancing Mind by Jerry Lynch
Another reread, this one uses a unique combination of Taoist philosophy and creative visualization/affirmation to experience more fulfillment out of sports and other life pursuits.

Mastery by George Leonard
Anything worth doing doesn’t come all at once. Instead, practice that becomes fulfilling in and of itself will lead to success. Relaxing into the inevitable plateaus is a prominent theme.

And finally, we all need a little peaceful warrior, so I will reread No Ordinary Moments by Dan Millman, which tries to take some of the lessons dramatized in Way of the Peaceful Warrior into more practical lessons.

Lent Goals

Are goals fitting to the spirit of Lent? I think I see a contrast between the New Year’s Resolution mindset and that of the traditional Lent attitude. It seems that many of us put specific goals for a our New Year’s Resolutions, yet paradoxically without a specific plan to accomplish it . I know I have done this. I have focused on an external measurement of some sort that was often unrealistic, and without a specific plan to achieve it, gradually I “fell off the wagon”. In looking at the three categories traditional to Lent, I see that the focus is more on the process, not the product. There is no goal at the end of the 40 day road like a pot of gold. The fasting, prayer, and almsgiving are not expected to gain you anything. They are undertaken simply for their own sake. It seems to me the only goal is to become more disciplined, more in control of your body and mind. This looks like yoga. I suppose since the eventual goal is spiritual it is therefore not very measurable. I mean, how do you quantify enlightenment? Enlightenment units? My thought is that the disciplines and the emphasis on everyday behavior and habits will accomplish some positive and measurable results anyway. At least I hope so!
So does it contradict the spirit of Lent to focus on a specific quantifiable goal? Is it wrong to say, as we do on New Year’s, “I’m going to lost x pounds by y date? Somehow I think so. I think that Lent is about creating the inner environment where such a tangible result comes as a byproduct. Rather than ”backwards plan“, we instead foster and develop new thinking that will go where it goes. If the intention is sound and the practice steady, it seems to me that the goals will be met anyway, even without focusing on them. What do you think?