It's a Stocking Full of Cookies, Coffee Alternatives, Man v. Food and the Snow Queen . . .

I have a correction to make. I didn’t bake 400 cookies last year, I made 858. Seriously. This year is probably something like 1,200. It’s the only time of year I have to buy new flour and sugar, that stuff usually sits in my cupboard forever. I think I went through 2 or 3 pounds of sugar and about 4 of flour. Seriously this whole month is like an episode of Iron Chef. I usually make a ton of shortbreads, butter cookies and biscotti. I get bored so I wanted to try some new things and found new recipes for pumpkin fudge, persimmon cookies and mincemeat shortbread bars. I hate mincemeat but my Dad loves it so I thought I would take a stab at it this year. Mincemeat is nearly impossible to find in Chicago. I know as a kid my mom would buy it in cans. I grew up in Northwest Indiana. I went everywhere, butcher shops, gourmet food stores and even Whole Foods didn’t carry it. You know where I found it—Jewel. I now crown Jewel as the mecca for baking products. I went to the one on Southport. The Jewel near six corners is probably even better. It’s huge like a suburban grocery store. You can easily glide your big ass cart through with room on both sides as you wave nicely to the polish ladies who are probably getting ingredients together to make kolacis or something amazing. They had a little stand with fruit cake ingredients and there was the ole mincemeat. I found it condensed in a little box not unlike something an astronaut would eat.

While I’m baking up a storm I like to keep the TV baking as well. I caught a few episodes of the Travel Channel’s Man V. Food. At first I was horrified by the concept of this show. I don’t think we need to encourage super-sizing and obesity. But hey it’s just a show and the host, Adam Richman, is very charming. I now have a new crush. Actually I think I might be living vicariously through him. As a person with food allergies and digestion problems I can’t imagine sitting down and eating a pizza the size of a sewer cover. In a way “eeew” but then again what fun. I wish Adam nothing but the gastric best. May he have the intestinal fortitude to see his mission through.

I finally found a coffee alternative that isn’t horrible. It’s called Dandy Blend, it’s made from the three roasted herb roots: dandelion, chicory and sugar beet- and two roasted grains – barley and rye. It claims to be gluten free and so far I haven’t had any issues. I make it really strong with some unsweetened almond milk. It has a nice earthy but not too earthy taste. I find myself actually craving it, which is really something to say because usually Starbuck’s has me on my knees for all their wonderful yuletide beverages.

Even though the news is bad lately I have to say I find this time of year to be really magical. A few of my favorite wintery things: a bouquet of winterberries, the creativity that is expressed in every snowflake, Ella Fitzgerald’s Swinging Christmas, the scent of pine trees, pink x-mas trees, Hugh Grant’s dance scene in Love Actually, a Frangelico on ice at the Green Mill or better yet anywhere that has a fireplace and how my apartment smells after baking all of those cookies. Speaking of magic I happened to catch the Snow Queen at Victory Gardens Theatre. I was really struck by the beautiful poster which reminds me a bit of Japanese anamae but the show is nothing about that. I highly recommend seeing it, the songs really stick with you and the imagery is so enchanting. I thought I might be bored as if it were more of a kids thing but it’s not, it’s really all ages. It’s a great lesson about pure love and innocence and basically how being too “cool” can really lead to an unhappy life. Imagine puppetry combined with storytelling and music from cool Old Town Folk musicians. I look forward to seeing it again next year.

Some New Artwork

I thought I'd take the time to put up some of the new artwork I've done in the past few months. I have a few additions to the Anatomy Angels plus a healthy start on my "Nature" series which will include dandelions, jellyfish, dragonfly wings and seahorses. These natural being seem to have a translucent quality or glow to them. At least right now that's the only common thread I can think of right now! I plan on working on both series throughout the winter then I will have another showing at Effe Leven plus a few other possibilities.

I will also be under a pound of flour from now till X-mas. I literally bake 400 cookies each holiday season for family and friends. Every year the list gets a bit bigger. I try to give everyone a nice variety but then there's always that one person who is like, "These are great but why didn't you make any ricotta cheese cookies those are my favorite."

Happy Thanksgiving

I’ve been super busy. I can’t believe Thanksgiving is this week! I’ve been working on artwork and some writing for other blogs too. Yeah! I’ve also been dabbling in hypnosis. I have to say I’m thankful for having an i-pod and being able to download lots of cool free hypnosis recordings. The Know More Trances podcasts caught my eye or shall I say ear. Michael White is the Hypnotist Extraordinaire behind those. I had hypnosis years ago and while I thought is was good; I just didn’t think it was great. I was kind of like, "Oh it’s just affirmations". I think my brain needs the repetition of something I can listen to nearly everyday. I respond well to Michael’s creativity. My sleep has improved as Michael says, “you’ll be the sandman’s employee of the month”. I think it’s important to find someone that you resonate well with. I also did a one-on-one session and while I'm not a completely altered human being; I notice subtle changes. I'm giving more importance to my artwork. My ideas are flowing more. I'm more in touch with what is really important to me. I notice subtle improvements in diet, less cravings for sugar, and even my digestion has improved.

Maybe it’s because I just turned 38 but I feel like I have come to really value creativity above just about everything. Is there nothing cooler than creativity? I think creativity trumps all addictions. You have to remember that this blog is coming out of Chicago, which is the land of binge drinking and more coffee consumption than Seattle. Tom Colicchio of Top Chef was quoted as saving this about the Chicago diet, “Sausage is a like a religion.” Healthy living is hard here. I’m planning a big anti-candida diet after the holidays. I don’t eat “sweets” per se but I do eat way too much dark chocolate/cocao, raw food powders that have sugars and I well . . . I like the occasional nip. I will just do my best. I’m going to try this for about 3-6 months. A part of me wonders if it’s really worth it. I won’t be drinking too. No wine, beer, port—all the good stuff. I suppose I could have vodka once in a while but that would be it. Caffeine is out too. I can give up lattes for a while but I like the yerba mate for energy. I can’t imagine yerba mate would increase candida. Again, I do wonder if it is worth it. I may do one vice at a time, sugar first then see if caffeine is really necessary. If I do this will I emerge a brighter, younger, stronger version of myself? Or will I be bitter because of all the fun times I missed out on? I may need more hypnosis . . .

I'm the Queen of Protein Shakes

I just bought a fab e-book, Turbulence Training Fat Loss Workouts by Craig Ballantyne. This program is a nice mix up of traditional “gym class” style body weight exercises and weight lifting. I’ve never known anyone who is both overweight and fast. If you want to be lean, interval training is where it’s at. My legs are getting stronger and my abs are getting more toned. I change up my workouts every 4 weeks and learn new exercises. I highly recommend Craig’s work. He has some great fitness tips on You Tube as well. I’m a visual person so it helps me to see how these exercises should be done.

Along with working out, who doesn’t love a good protein shake? I’ve never had a better protein powder than Jay Robb’s Chocolate Egg White Protein. Due to a dairy allergy I can’t do his Whey protein powders. He makes a vanilla one which is good too. I also put his unflavored egg white protein powder into soups. It works especially well in vegetarian soups that don’t already have a lot of protein such as Trader Joe’s Split Pea. You can add it to oatmeal or cereals as well.

A Bunch O' Recipes:

My Everyday Yummy Chocolate Protein Shake:
Organic Cocoa powder or raw chocolate powder (with no sugar) – 1-2 TBS
Kefir – about half to one cup (I can’t do regular milk, only fermented dairy works for me)
Jay Robb choc egg white protein powder – usually 2 scoops, an awesome 50 grams of protein!
*Maca – 1 tbs
**Mesquite meal – 1-2 TBS which sweetens everything nicely without adding “sugar”
One raw egg (yep, you read right)
I’ll add a bit of water and some ice cubes to make it less thick and increase the blendability (is that a word? Can you tell I work with consultants?)

Fancy Version of Chocolate Protein Shake:
Do everything above but add:
A pinch of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice and and/or nutmeg
A pinch of sea salt
1 tsp of vanilla extract
You could even add chili spices and make it taste as yummy as an exotic Vosage chocolate

And Another Fancy Version of Chocolate Protein Shake:
This is for the person who is not on a low carb diet
Coconut water from young coconuts and blend the coconut meat too
Ice Cubes
Organic Cocoa powder or raw choc powder (with no sugar) – 1-2 TBS
A pinch of sea salt
A pinch of nutmeg
Jay Robb choc. egg white protein powder – 1-2 scoops

Chai Tea Protein Shake:
Black tea (and or ice cubes made with black tea) – maybe 4-5 cubes
Cocoa powder – 1-2 TBS
Kefir or milk – half to one cup
Cardamom – start small 1/8 tsp build up to taste
Cinnamon – a pinch
Jay Robb choc. egg white protein powder
Maca – 1 tbs
Mesquite meal – 1-2 TBS

Chocolate Coconut Protein Shake:
Organic Cocoa powder (with no sugar) – 1-2 TBS
Coconut Kefir Water (as made per Body Ecology book recipe) or simply Coconut water if you don’t care about carbs, you can even add the coconut meat too
Or . . . 1/3 cup of coconut milk (light version works great too) with some ice cubes
Jay Robb choc. egg white protein powder – 1-2 scoops
Mesquite meal – 1-2 TBS
1-2 TBS coconut oil (I use it every day for my thyroid)
I’ll add a bit of water to blend easier

Vanilla Protein Shake
Jay Robb’s Vanilla protein powder – 1-2 scoops
Vanilla extract
A pinch of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice and or nutmeg
1-2 raw eggs (makes it nice and thick)
1-2 TBS mesquite meal
Kefir or milk - again half to one cup, you are the boss

Tahini-Vanilla Protein Shake
Jay Robb’s Vanilla protein powder – 1-2 scoops
Vanilla extract
1-2 TBS of Tahini
1-2 raw eggs (makes it nice and thick)
1-2 TBS mesquite meal
Kefir or milk - again half to one cup
*If you are not on a low carb diet, a banana (especially frozen) is a good addition too

*Maca is a root that grows in the high mountains of Peru. Rich in nutritional content (potassium, and calcium), it is a natural hormonal balancer which provides great health benefits for both, men and women. Due to its high nutritional value, it is not only popular as a sexual libido enhancer and menopause symptoms helper, but also greatly affects energy, stamina, depression, memory, and more. It’s great for the adrenals. I will warn you though, too much and you will be humping people’s legs like a dog. It really is a libido enhancer so start off small and build from there. You can find maca in raw powder form at health food stores or raw food stores. In Chicago you can get it at Lifespring Health Foods near Clark and Belmont or Karyn’s raw food store/restaurant on Halsted.

**Mesquite Meal is made by finely milling the seeds and pods of the Mesquite Tree. It can be used as a flour or a spice. It has a lot of calcium which is a nice counterbalance to all the chocolate powder, which is full of magnesium. It also has a slight butterscotchy taste plus it’s fairly low in carbs.

I swear these protein shakes taste great and I should now as I have suffered through a lot of bad protein powders. I’m picky too. I don’t like the taste of stevia either which the Jay Robb protein does have but not so much that it is bothersome plus the other ingredients (thankfully) overpower it. Of course there are a dozen more variations such as adding peanut butter or almond butter or your favourite choice of fruit, stevia or agave nectar. You could also give Starbucks a run for their money and use your favourite coffee as a base too or freeze into ice cubes and blend. Why waste left-over coffee or tea when you can freeze it and blend it up later.

Now I really want to figure out a way to make a good tasting but low carb version of Strawberry Quick or my old pre-dairy allergy fave the DQ butterscotch malt. I may be pushing 40 but I don’t think I’ll ever lose my childhood white trash palette.

Whirling Dervishes

Upon looking at my "Things to do List Before I Die" one thing I wanted to see was whirling dervishes dance. Some people want to swim with dolphins, I want to see Whirling Dervishes. Last Friday night I saw (and heard) the Ensemble Al-Kindi & Whirling Dervishes of Damascus, Richard Hagopian’s Kef Time Ensemble at Millenium Park. It was truly magical. There were two dancers. They did a total of four "sets". Every movement is a graceful symbol of their devotion. I noticed that one foot seems to pivot while the other moves about. Fascinating and beautiful.

My Art Opening at Effe Levin

My art opening was last night and despite the rain I had an amazing turnout. It literally went from summer to fall in one short day thanks to hurricane Gustav. I arrived at the opening with my shoes and pant legs dripping wet. I started to feel like I was getting a cold but after a few warm smiles and a glass of wine I managed to recover pretty quickly . When you take public trans everywhere there is no escaping getting wet on a day like that.

Effe Levin is a new gallery in River North, one of Chicago prime gallery districts. It's a beautiful space and I was proud to a part of this show celebrating Women Artists, also partnered with the Chicago Artists' Coalition. My work is very unusual so it always surprises me when people love my work. Anyway, here are some shots from my show.

Here’s My One-Woman-Probiotically-Enhanced-Frozen-Yogurt Review

I have dairy allergies although I can handle some dairy such as raw goat or sheep milk, fermented sheep feta and a small portion of these new frozen yogurts that are popping up everywhere. Even if you don’t have allergies these treats are pretty low in calories compared to the other colossal sundaes and "blasts". So here’s what I thought:

Starfruit
The nice people at Skirt PR sent me an invite for their opening night celebration. Let me go on record to say that Starfruit is the first of it’s kind to open a shop like this. I was treated to a free yogurt with any toppings that I wanted. Most of these yogurt places have a selection of various fresh or dried fruits, nuts, granola, candies or old-time favorite cereals. I tried some coconut flakes and chocolate chips but I think I prefer topping-less—I like it smooth like the DQ whippee cone. Maybe it's some sort of sick form of penis envy but that whippee cone shape really gets me.

Starfruit actually has real kefir not just frozen yogurt. Starfruit gets a big thumbs up. It’s a clean and beautiful store. They will let you try samples. The staff is friendly and helpful and yes, the product is delicious. I have been back a few times. The blueberry and peach are also really good. I have yet to try the smoothies, they were out of the cappuccino the last time I was there. I was a little bummed as the thought of coffee and frozen yogurt together is too good. Two vices in one! Starfruit is open till 11 pm which helps too.

Red Mango
Evanston has a small frozen yogurt shop from the Red Mango chain near the Davis stop. It’s a clean store but really small and gets packed fast. You are better off grabbing your yogurt and eating it outside across the street at the fountain on the corner. They have similar toppings like Starfruit (but not quite as many). One complaint is that I would love to see a shop with chocolate sauce or some sort of fruit sundae sauce. I’m not as into the dry ingredients. I have to say the green tea frozen yogurt is one of the best I have had. According to their Web site one serving is only 90 calories. You can you try samples. I’ve gone twice and the staff was helpful without being overly chatty, calm and helpful if you will.

Stone Cold Creamery
They now have a probiotically enhanced low-calorie frozen yogurt to compete with the rest. I avoided this store in my neighborhood because I’m more down with the local ethnic Mom and Pops than I am the chains but it was hot and I had just worked out so I thought I’d give it a shot. I had it plain and simple, no toppings or sauces and it was good but not the best. Plus there is something odd and seemingly unsanitary about the whole Stone Cold experience of how they take the ice cream plop it on a counter and mix it up. It’s just weird to me. Out of all the frozen yogurt places they are the unfriendliest. They will let you try samples if you ask, but you get a side of attitude if you ask any questions. I probably could get the yogurt with the sundae toppings but they were so unfriendly I hate to ask yet another question . . . hence the name “Stone Cold”. Their yogurt is probably the most expensive too. The “love it” medium size was nearly $5.00.

Berry Chill
I had read about this locally owned shop and was curious to give it a try. It’s usually crowded so I went on a weeknight right after work. The space is clean and funky although smallish. The staff is super helpful and don’t mind questions or giving out samples. I had the pistachio/original combo swirl and it was delish. Out of all the places I’ve reviewed they have the most toppings even including some local shops like Sarah’s Candies and pie crust parts from PIE. They have even more kooky cereal toppings than the rest of the competition—how about Lucky Charms with that tart yogurt? I sat outside before it got too crowded. This shop is open until 4 am on Friday and Saturday nights. I give it an enthusiastic thumbs up. Berry Chill has new flavors each month, I kinda wish I didn’t know this since I was hoping to give up frozen yogurt by September. Now I will want to try all these new flavors.

UFoodGrill
Although not really a “yogurt” place they do have really yummy frozen yogurt. You can get the tart original. “Tart” is their word not mine for the "plain" flavor or raspberry, you can get a mix of both. I had the original, which was very good although I had bit of tummy bloat from it. UFoodGrill is a new healthy lunch spot and all I can say is “finally”. The other food is really good there and it is very crowded. The staff does not have time to chat about frozen yogurt but I wouldn’t call them all out “rude”.

A few honorable mentions:

Annette’s Italian Ice
Annette’s doesn’t have frozen kefir but the Italian Ice is non-dairy and they do have some really creamy flavors like chocolate hazelnut. Speaking of flavors I have never seen an Italian Ice shop with so many different flavors. I like anything with coconut too. Their staff is near the Armitage brown line and on hot days they have lines outside their window. Again, friendly peeps and they will let you try a few flavors.

Dunkin Donuts
I have to give DD an honorable mention here. While I doubt it has a lot of probiotic gusto their non-sugar frozen yogurt is really good and you can get it in sundae format if you chose. Surprisingly, it didn’t bother my tummy.

So overall I would say:

Best Tasting goes to Red Mango and Starfruit a very very close second

Best Atmosphere goes to Starfruit

Most Helpful Staff ties Berry Chill and Starfruit

Best Toppings goes to Berry Chill

Easiest to Digest goes to Starfruit, I think their product is the real deal and probably the most fermented out of all the others. Now enjoy the food porn, ohh ahh.

Festivals-A-Go-G0

I have been a very very bad blogger. I just got really busy at work with a special project and trying to go to all my fave festivals. I managed to hit the Whole Foods Flavor Fest which is always worth the price of admission. Talk about scoring a bunch of freebies and lots of wheat free stuff too. I was hoping Temptations ice (soy) cream was there this year but no such luck. Although this summer I have eaten my weight in probiotically enhanced frozen yogurt. I’ll include a review in another blog.

The Glenwood Park Arts Fest didn’t disappoint. I really enjoy the relaxed vibe of the creative community in Rogers Park. Lake Side Café provided some yummy vegan corn dogs (my only one all summer) and I had some good beer from Morseland. I've actually been enjoying beer this summer. I used to hate it. I have to say moderation is key. It’s so great when I can just have one or two and be set. After have one major hangover this summer I definitely learned the hard way what I can/can’t handle. It’s ironic the healthier you get the less likely you are able to handle toxins, or perhaps your body is just more aware of the affects. Being hypoglycaemic too makes it hard for me to put it away in typical Chicago binge-drinking fashion. Drinking makes me want to eat crap. My pattern is usually something like this = have a drink, start craving crappy food. Have another drink then I need protein to balance out the “wobbly”, then I have to have coffee to sort of wake myself up again. Nourishing Traditions author Sally Fallon believes that cravings for alcohol are really about our body craving fermented drinks like Kombucha Tea. I buy it every now and then when I want the taste without the hassle.

I also went to Greek Fest for the first time which was lovely. I went during the day for lunch. I think night time would probably be even more fun with the rousing music. I had a glass of Rodity’s wine. I usually don’t like Roses but this hit the spot with my Greek platter. I’ve been craving a Gyros for the least two weeks. I usually eat really clean but summer is hard for me to be completely 100%. Once fall hits I will probably do another cleanse of some sort. I enjoy the ethnic fests more than I do the A-typical fests with the same lemon shake-ups, bands and the inflatable fringed figures waving in the air.

Over the weekend I went to Jazz Fest and the summer night was perfect. I have to make one summer trip to the Buckingham Fountain. The night light show is lovely. Sunday I went to Polish Fest, another first time for me. Elevation was playing so I thought—why not? Elevation is a U2 Cover band and they are awesome. The have a way of gathering a nice crowd of people. I was watching this hilarious (“wobbly”) older man dancing with as many girls as he could by the front of the stage. Good beer here too. I tend to like the foreign beers. I’m kind of all over the place. I like the light Stella Artois as well as some of the new dark chocolate brews. I ate way too much . . . I had a stuffed cabbage plate with kraut, then I had a frozen cappuccino and beer. The music helped me dance off some of the bloat. Reminder to self: your stomach is only the size of your fist.

This is the first summer that I have been sad to see fall come. Although there are more festivals this September. Next weekend is Oktoberfest, then the Celtic Fest and I think that’s it. Next year, I will try to hit only the ones I missed or really really like. When your fun starts to feel like “a to do” list it’s no longer fun. Fall will bring a cleanse and some time to go “within” and work on my art and re-build my insides for next summer.

Upcoming Show and Other Stuff

I am going to be showing at a brand new gallery in River North called Effe Leven Gallery. It’s a beautiful space and it’s always been my dream to show in that neighborhood. The Director and staff are awesome and supportive. My work will be apart of their Women’s show, celebrating women's art in September.

So I’m done with Eat, Pray, Love and I’m kinda bummed that it’s all over. What an enjoyable read that was! I’m going through that sort of sad feeling you feel when a book you loved reading has come to an end. Now what? I happened to find some books at Transitions, which is apparently moving. I have been in this town a long time and I will miss this location. I hope they are really just moving and not closing shop. Anyway, I went to their sale over the weekend and everything was 50% off so I got one of Byron Katie’s books, A Thousand Words for Joy, which I am liking more than I thought I would. A friend of mine introduced me to her work and Katie sort of frightened me. Very tough love focused indeed. It’s not about them, it’s all about you and how you suck—“Paul doesn’t love you because you don’t love you”—A Thousand Words for Why I Suck. Now that I’ve gotten my rant out of the way, her work is actually very liberating and she is a loving person. I like the idea of loving who you are, where you are right now. And notice how I said—I like the “idea” of it. I’m still working on it (working on The Work, for those who are in the know). I have to say it’s a breath of fresh air compared to The Secret. I liked The Secret but let’s face it a lot of disappointment happens when life isn’t like going into a candy store and getting everything you want. Not only does it leave one feeling sad about the not getting part but also, it makes you feel like you failed because you weren’t good enough to attract your good.

Now for something completely different, a recipe, since I can’t do typical Rueben Sandwiches I make what I call a Rueben Salad. I've been eating this all summer. I just combine the following:

- A whole lot of greens, really any thing you like
- A Scoop of fermented veggies, kim-chi or kraut. I make my own fermented veggies using one of Sandor Katz’s recipes. My favorite mix is usually cabbage, diakon radish, carrots, and onions.
- I add Nasoya's soy-based Thousand Island dressing. Nasaya makes a line of really tasty soy dressings. Their dressing are not too much soy and or too many carbs either
- You can also add some proteins like hard boiled eggs or turkey breast

Just enjoying my summer . . .

I must admit summer makes me lose my ambition (but not my religion). It’s hard for me to be motivated to stay in and paint. What also has fuelled this lack of ambition is that my encaustic class was cancelled—a day before my first class. Argggh. I guess it’s just a sign from the universe that I should just enjoy my summer and I’m certainly doing that. Last Friday I had the best night after a really rough week at the ole day job. I saw a group of perfromers from Australia called Strange Fruit at Millennium Park. They climb these flexible high poles and do skits to music—it's all about love and loss, but isn't everything? They gracefully bend and sway in the air. I’ll never forget it. I’m a sucker for circus makeup and costumes and they did not disappoint. The ladies matched their red and purple hair with their skirts. After their moving performance, I walked through Millennium Park and dipped my feet into one of the cool poles of water and really took in the beautiful landscape. Then I got the most perfect latte at Intelligensia which has some of the best coffee in town. They make the lovely little leaf pattern swirls, I guess it went along with my nature theme! Ever since I started reading Eat, Pray, Live I have just been adoring coffee. I think it was the “Italy” chapters that did this to me. After my coffee I took the el to Southport and walked up and down the street all the way up to Foster. I haven’t been near there in ages. The el station was closed for at least a year. I lived near there years ago. It was “up and coming” then and bit more artsy now it’s where the loud sports fans hang. I did manage to find a non-noisy place to have a glass of wine as Iyanla Vanzant would say “with myself”. Then I went to Anthony’s Italian Ice and had a small mango ice sundae with hot fudge sauce. It was a beautiful night. I’ve been really enjoying MCA’s Jazz at the Terrace. It’s not too crowded and you can pack a lovely picnic. The music is always good. I wanted to make reservations to eat at an actual table at their dinner buffet but they are booked for the rest of the summer! Luckily, I still have time to go to the Garden Restaurant at the Art Institute on Thursday nights and hear live music whilst sitting/eating at an actual table.
The MCA is showing the work of controversial artist, Jeff Koons. I adore this show, even the sexy sexy photos of him and his ex-wife. I admit I have a little crush on Mr. Koons but he is happily remarried so I will let that dream go. For me the highlights are the Hulk Paintings (how one paints inflatable toys with such realism I will never know), the sculpture busts of himself and his ex-wife, the capadamante Michael Jackson sculpture and all of the “ballon” sculptures. Love, love, love this show! (I exclaim in full Diana Vreeland-style).

One non-enjoyable thing that happened recently was receiving my new lease. They raised my rent an extra $40.00 the most ever. In fact one year they decreased it. I even called and wanted to know about this misprint and my mgmt was like “nope no misprint, we just want to keep our valued tenants here”. How times have changed! After looking at many shitholes I decided to stay put. Even though it’s $40.00 more it’s still a lot better than what is out there. I still heart Lincoln Square and my summer of fun.

I’m an Otter . . . I'll explain

I just finished a 10 day anti-candida cleanse. It was a basically a diet of kitchadi with whole or split mung means, quinoa, kimchi and organic yogurt lassi (raw goat yogurt works for me). No sugar, alcohol, caffeine, animal protein (except for a poached egg when I feel weak) or other dairy. I could also have bitter melon or asparagus as a side dish. I also too some prescribed anti-candida herbs. I also took care of some other personal cleansing that I won’t mention here.

My symptoms went away after Day 5. I’m amazed at how much clearer my mind is without that nasty-overgrown-Candida population. I was allowed 1 tsp of raw honey when I had sugar cravings. Surprisingly the raw honey did not “upstart” any reactions. Consuming coconut oil was helpful too. I’m going to do my best to avoid sugar(s). I feel too good to go back to being bad. Surprisingly I didn’t miss drinking which is saying something now that all the festivals are going on. One thing I did miss was protein. I never felt exhausted but I did lose a lot of muscle tone. During the cleanse I just didn’t have enough gas to workout so I kept things pretty light.

The only hard part was making/eating all this cooked food in hotter wheather. It’s probably more ideal to do a cleanse like this in early spring. Last Saturday I was near the Vietnamese restaurants on Argyle and I soooo wanted a Durian smoothie! I didn’t cave though. I still can’t believe I went 10 days without lattes or chocolate. I can totally feel how those things taxed my adrenals.

I’m slowly adding back the animal proteins. I do well with fish, especially raw. I may have a few protein shakes to get back into the game. I know it’s not necessarily “real food” but I do think there are a few brands of protein shakes that are healthy. I really found that I like the taste of onions, garlic and ginger so I will keep up with these anti-candida foods.

My chiropractor introduced me to a great diet program called the Hauser Diet. Two Oak Park nutrition experts came up with a diet that is similar to what animals eat. You take a quiz (and blood test if you visit their office) to see what animal diet works for you—a Giraffe (nearly vegan diet), a Monkey (mostly vegetarian diet), a Bear (a balanced diet similar to the Zone), an Otter (modified protein) or a Lion (high protein). I took the quiz several times and found out that I’m an Otter. I need to eat 50% protein, 25% carbs and 25% fats. It’s very similar to paleo diets. I’m going to try this out but with foods that are complementary to my dosha. As a Vata-Pitta I do best with lighter proteins, especially seafood and otters tend to eat a lot of seafood, especially small fish.

I’ve also been reading a lot about paleo topics such as Intermittent Fasting and Evolutionary Fitness. Art DeVany is the guy behind Evolutionary Fitness which is basically exercising like our ancestors—lots of walking but also sporadic exercise, high intensity in short amounts. I’ll still be loyal to Power Pilates but I will add the EF principles to my cardio and weight training.

Intermittent Fasting is fasting for short periods of time, such as eating within a short window of time and fasting the rest of the day. You could also chose to fast for whole days once in a while. Being hypoglycemic, I have to be careful not to go overboard. But Ayurveda supports IF, as one should only eat when you have the appetite to do so. I have to say I like this way so much better than eating 5-6 little meals. The body accumulates ama or toxins if the last meal you ate has not been fully digested. I enjoy backing up my meals with a little hunger. I also like the freedom of it, a few days a week I will eat a good breakfast and lunch, and maybe a 3pm snack then skip dinner or I'll eat a good brunch with friends then wait till I'm really hungry for dinner. Of course part of the challenge is ignoring that "mom" voice in your head stating that you should eat. It's really not low calorie but eating your daily allotment within a short window of time.

To put it in a nutshell what works for me is:

- Above all eating real food. Mostly paleo with the exceptions of a raw goat yogurt/kefir, a little wine and chocolate (oh and the occassional latte, Starbuck's hasn't come up with a CaveGirl latte yet)

-The Otter diet percentages (although I don't keep a log) - Half my calories come from protien and the rest are divided between carbs and fats. I just eyeball it. If I had a weight problem I would but since I don't I don't feel the need to stress about it

-Ayurvedic principles - I still try to eat seasonally and dosha-appropriate foods, making most of your own food, not eating left overs, avoiding eating when full or emotionally upset, daily massage, getting to bed by 10 pm, etc. etc.

- Intermittent Fasting - eating in shorter periods of time to fast and allow the body to heal. The body likes variety (although too much can upset vata, you have to experiment and listen to your body)

-EV fitness - speaking of variety. The body needs a variety of exercise and EV is the perfect model

Already I'm developing a little 6-pack and leaning out. I was getting a little thick over the winter with T-Tapp (a workout that works for everyone but me). Now I want to focus on gaining a bit more muscle. I'd like to do more push-ups and have more stamina. It's good to be back in the game!

How Not to Eat Ice Cream in the Middle of Summer

As I’ve mentioned previously in my blogs I’m allergic to most dairy foods. I can tolerate some fermented dairy like kefir, goat yogurt or sheep/goat feta. Ice cream is a big no-no. Back in the day before my allergies I used to love Dairy Queen’s Butterscotch malts. The last time I had that was 1998 and I was doubled-over for 12 hours. It’s just not worth it. So how do I survive a summer without ice cream, here are some of my tips:

- At the neighborhood ice cream establishment, when everyone is ordering ice cream sundaes get yourself an orange or raspberry sorbet sundae with hot chocolate sauce. Even StoneCold Creamery has a sorbet sundae now

- Argo Tea has some really yummy ice teas like the Mojito Tea that doesn't have any dairy at all

- I learned this trick from a raw food chef. If you blend a banana, freeze it and slightly thaw it the texture is similar to ice cream. It’s even better if you run it through a Champion Juicer after it’s thawed a bit. It's a similar consistency to the ole soft serve cone

- Make your own smoothies so much healthier than Jamba Juice. Choose a liquid foundation to start with such as nut milk or coconut water; add a fruit (banana is the creamiest); add a powder such as Jay Robb, which is the only tolerable protein powder in the market (IMHO); add flavor such as raw chocolate or organic cocoa powder, or mesquite meal which tastes similar to Butterscotch (so I can re-visit all those DQ memories)

- Of course this isn't the healthiest of options as I try to avoid "red no. 12" but the ice cream man does have some non-dairy treats like popsicles of all shapes and sizes as well as snowcones

-I'm gonna end this post with a mention of my favorite summer treat of all: durian. You can buy it frozen here in Chi-town at the Vietnamese markets. I'll warn you it smells really bad. So bad that I usually wrap it several times in bubble plastic when I keep it in the freezer. But the taste is worth it, it's sort of a custardy, vanilla meets an onion taste—I know indescribable. I love durian thawed a bit with some homemade chocolate sauce (which is usually coconut oil, cocoa powder or raw chocolate and some raw honey or agave). I sometimes make a smoothie with durian, avocado and coconut water. Yum!

Integrative Nutrition Road Show

Last night I attended a presentation by Joshua Rosenthal who is the founder of Integrative Nutrition. I expected a rousing, energetic, “fists in the air” type of talk about nutrition. Instead the energy of the talk was very purposeful, grounded, and sincere. Mr. Rosenthal’s demeanor was very kindly and calm. It’s nice when presenters can just be who they are. We don’t all have to be Rachel Ray smiley-loud-pants. That style is so popular in our Western culture. So what I’m saying here is that I wasn’t the least bit disappointed.

Some important things I heard last night:
- The U.S. is the 37th best country (yeah—best) for healthcare. We fall one notch below Slovenia
- Healthy eaters are an “oppressed minority”. THANK YOU JOSHUA FOR SAYING THAT. We are constantly made fun of—“What is that you are eating?” Like I never hear that in the lunch room.? No wonder most people don’t want to be healthy, you get to be alienated and made fun of. Oh you’re a healthy eater, I can’t hang out with you.
- As our diets are becoming less about real food we are becoming less human—infertility, disease, obesity, etc.
- Americans get better service at Starbuck’s than they do at most doctors

Part of the talk was a promo for the school. Many of the attendees, like me, are potential students. I like the school's open approach to studying over 100 types of diets. IIN doesn’t recommend one diet over the other, it’s about bio-individuality. There isn’t one diet that’s perfect for everyone but of course eating real food works for everyone. Even if you do find the perfect diet, that diet might need tweaking over the years. I loved Ayurveda in the beginning but found I needed more protein. So my diet is a modified high protein diet with foods that are still compatible for my dosha, I’ve only tweaked the macronutrients.

The tuition is roughly $9K plus travel time one weekend a month would probably cost me roughly $15K. It’s not just the money but the time spent away from making art. I don’t live large but I do enjoy the occasional latte, good book, or makeup product from Benefit. I’ve been really broke before, I don’t know if I want to do it again. Also, I don’t want to spend this amount of money and not well . . . make money. The grads I spoke with last night seem really happy and are employed so that was encouraging.

June is my month to experiment and then see where I really want to put my focus. I’ve been scattered for too long. I’m also taking an encaustic painting class at the Evanston Art Center. If I become enraptured with my art again then I will put my money/focus/energy toward that. If not then maybe I’ll become a nutritional counsellor or as Joshua puts it a “health coach”.

Great things about Lincoln Square

I've been super busy working on the new business among other things. I have been wanting to put this post up forever so here it goes. Here's a few of my favorite in Lincoln Square.

My neighborhood has a lot of ethnic charm. I can walk a few yards away to an Irish bar, and across the street from that is a Bosnian restaurant. Walking toward Lawrence is a Korean BBQ.


On Thursday nights Provenance in the Square has free wine tastings. The owners and staff are lovely, friendly people just happy giving wine away on Thursday nights. They also sell gourmet food "stuffs". I buy grass-fed beef there for the reasonable price of $7.00 for four patties.



Speaking of wine, I love The Book Cellar which is a bookstore/cafe. It's nice to support our local bookstores too. Sometimes when I just want a glass of wine and a place to journal it's a nice alternative to the ole bar funkiness.

My neighborhood has the largest population of Germans in Chicago. I'm not huge on German cuisine but I love the yummy red cabbage/apple side dish. You can always find an eclectic mix of people at the Brauhaus dancing to the accordian filled pop. I've seen punk rock kids on the floor with their German grandma's doing the polka. Good times and good beer.


I miss the Meyer Deli which closed a while ago. It is supposed to re-open and be even better I'm told. I'm hoping the recent gentrification doesn't destroy it's remodeling plans. I got nervous when Potbelly's and Stonecold Creamery opened up a few years back. Well at least I can still buy gnombs at one of the older German gift shops. Their cuteness is like kriptonite on my wallet! Must buy cute gnombes!

My other random faves:

• Music in the Square on Summer Thursday nights. A bit of everything from folk to rock to polka. I love hearing Irish music live, which I also hear on various nights of the week at the Atlantic Bar and Grill or the Grafton
• Mertz Apothocary – the oldest Apothocary in the midwest. Great for shopping! Has everything I love—green products/cosmetics, herbs, and the best black licorice
• Harvest Time Foods – My grocery store. Romanian, Bulgarian, Asian, American, Greek, Mexican foods all in one place. They have the only cheese I can eat – it’s a Bulgarian brined sheep cheese. It’s yummier than that description sounds—really.
• The Davis Theater – $5.50 matinees. What more can I say.
• The Chakra Shoppe, which is right around the corner from me. Blanche Blacke is the fascinating proprietress. Since Healing Earth Resources went out of biz a few years ago this has been my little replacement. Lillian Lovlas is a wonderful healer there too who teaches some amazing Yoga Nidra classes. It's got a lot under one colorful roof—past life regression healing sessions, salts, oils, sage, incense, tarot decks, books and jewlery.

I'm sure I'm forgetting something. I've been in the neighborhood for five years. We'll see if I can still afford rent when the ole lease application comes around again. I may be doing a "Great things about Rogers Park" blog in the near future.

My Week Off and Whatnot

I was off last week. I don’t think I have actually taken a full real week off in years. I usually just do the long weekend thing. I totally spring cleaned my apartment. I felt like an Anne Tainter fridge magnet. You know the one that says, “I dreamt my whole entire house was clean” with the big overly excited smile! That was me. I am almost ready to launch my business. I kept ping ponging different names and package designs. I decided that Live Long Foods just didn’t sound like me. It sounds like a very zen sort of business, like an accupuncture merchant and let’s face it —I’m a bit funkier than that. So keeping with my beloved Dandelion theme, I decide to go with Dandelion Dehydrated Foods. I will be launching on Etsy next week.

I’ve got some show coming up too. One painting will be shown in the Highland Park Art Walk and two paintings will be going out to Rochester, NY for a group show called, Circulation. Speaking of art, I made time to attend Artopolis which I felt was the best yet in it's three years at the Merch Mart. When it moved from Navy Pier to the Merchandise Mart, I felt it lost some of the magic but I think now the magic is back. I typically like the work that comes from outside of Chicago. Lots of great work from New York and some Denver galleries really struck me.

During my cleaning week I also completed some inside cleaning and did a kidney cleanse as prescribed by my ayurvedic guru. It was basically a macrobiotic diet for a week including ginger and lassi (although I can’t tolerate lassi). I also took a Kidney Rasayana. I won’t go into the other more TMI aspects of the cleanse. I managed to lose a lot of my food cravings. I didn’t think I could go a week without wine, absolutely no sugar or chocolate but I did it! It was surprisingly not that hard. I actually kinda liked the macrobiotic diet aside from the short grain brown rice. Thankfully it’s not completely a diet of beige foods. I’m inspired to start adding more sea veggies to my diet. I do feel a lot calmer. My skin looks better than ever. I could forsee a sort of ayurvedic-macro mix that gives room for fun things like foreign beer and chocolate.

Speaking of food, I’m totally addicted to Top Chef but aren’t I always! I’m cheering for Mark Simmons from New Zealand. He's so adorable like a hobbit. I"m really curious about the NZ cuisine. I may have to plan a trip. It’s seem very pure and paleo-like. I’d love to have that recipe for the anchove-quinoa dish he made for the zoo challenge. I could actually eat that. It’s always fun to play a little game of “What would I do” given the challenge. I was thinking about the Earth soup that Spike wanted to make. I could see doing something like Dr. Furhman’s Famouse Soup which is more delicious than it looks as it’s very green. I could see serving that in a squash bowl with edible flowers and maybe plate some pretty mushrooms.

Dr. Furhman’s Famous Soup:

Making this soup involves more time and effort than the other recipes, so you might want to make a huge amount and save it in the refrigerator for the whole week.

1 cup dried split peas and/or beans

4 medium onions

6-10 zucchini

3 stalks leek

5 lbs. carrots

2 bunches celery

1 cup raw cashews

2 tbsp. VegiZest (I've skipped this and just thrown in extra nutritional yeast flakes)

1 package mushrooms, any type (optional)

6 oz. textured vegetable protein (optional- I skip this)

Place the beans and 4 cups of water in a very large pot and start cooking them, covered, on the lowest flame possible. Take the outer skins off the onions and place them in the covered pot. Do not cut them up, put them in whole. Add the zucchini, uncut. Cut the bottom roots off the leeks and slice them up the side so each leaf can be thoroughly washed, because leeks have lots of dirt hidden inside. Throw away the last inch at the green top. Then place the entire leek (leaves uncut) into the pot. Juice the carrots and celery in a juice extractor. Add the juice to the pot. While the soup is simmering, chop up the mushrooms (if desired). By the time you get to this stage, the zucchini, leeks, onions should be soft.

This next step only works if you have a Vita-Mix, a powerful blender, or a food processor. Ladle some of the liquid from the pot into the machine. Use tongs to remove the soft onions, zucchini, and leeks. Be careful to leave the beans in the bottom of the pot. In a few separate batches, completely blend together the onions, zucchini, and leeks. Add more soup liquid and cashews to the mixture, and blend in. Return the blended, creamy mix back to the pot. Add the textured vegetable protein and the mushrooms, if desired. Simmer another 20 minutes, and you have my soup that is famous the world over. I know a doctor who makes and freezes my soup and sells it to his patients to cure everything from sinusitis to cancer. It’s not really a cure, but it sure does taste great.

I Heart Blogs

I heart blogs and not just my own. Here are a few of my favorite blogs:

Fran's House of Ayurveda. Sometimes Web sites regarding Ayurveda can be too serious and intimidating. Fran's House is not—it's full of fun and great recipes. The dandelion rolls are one of my favorite recipes. She's kinda like the Ayurvedic twin to Jessica Porter's HipChick Guide to Macrobiotics. She's a great illustrator as well.

http://franlife.blogspot.com/

Crockpot Lady (Stephanie) is obsessed with her crockpot but she's okay with it. I'm okay with it too since I've scored a couple great recipes. She's a total doll as well.

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

Sarah’s homestead blog. Sarah is one of my pals from the Disgruntled Housewives board. She lives in rural Portland and is the coolest gal ever—she has tattoos, makes her own mead, raises chickens, dyes whool and makes yarn. She rocks and shares it all on her blog.

http://slaphog.com/sarahblog/

Mark’s Daily Apple. Mark Sisson is a writer, athlete and vitamin designer. He offers a lot of solid advice in regards to health, diet and fitness.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/

Kris Carr's Craxy Sexy Cancer book was featured on Oprah many moons ago. Ms. Carr is the director, producer and subject of The Learning Channel (TLC) documentary film "Crazy Sexy Cancer." It's full of info on raw diets, how to's, "hell yeah's", and secrets for anyone dealing with adversity, not just cancer. I'm not a raw vegan but I do love her attitude and sense of humor. I lost my mom to breast cancer over 10 years ago so I can relate to a lot of issues that forum peeps write about.

http://crazysexycancer.blogspot.com/

Myinnerworld site. I confess I like spiritual woo-woo stuff. I know I know. I might end up the old lady that wears purple from head to toe but hey if I'm happy that's cool. This site is absolutely gorgeous. Michele Bernhardt is a renowned practitioner of the intuitive arts. She wrote the book COLOROLOGY. According to Bernhard, each birthday responds to a color. Regardless if you are a believer or non-believer, this site is absolutely gorgeous and a great pick-me up when you are blue.

http://www.myinnerworld.com/

Speaking of pick-me ups, I heart Natalie Dee. Her artwork is so cute but her sense of humor is totally balls to the wall. I think my all-time fav would be her drawing of a panda and a unicorn doing battle amidst a rainbow. Love it!

http://www.nataliedee.com/

Lunch-A-Bunch

I work near the Sears Tower in Chicago and surprisingly there are very few really healthy options for lunch. I rarely eat out and when I do I’m surprised at how much money nutrient-poor meals out cost. It’s a lose-lose situation: unhealthy food for too much money. My Ayurvedic guru, Matthew Remski, who looks nothing like a guru, gave me this brilliant recipe. I try to make lunch my biggest meal of the day which isn’t easy when I’m super stressed at work and I get most of my requests just when I want to go to lunch! The answer is the thermos flask lunch. You can find a wide mouth thermos at hardware stores or army navy surplus retailers. Here’s a recipe for Kitchadi, or simply put mung beans and rice that cooks in the thermos while you are toiling at work!

Ingredients:

¼ cup split yellow mung beans, ¼ cup basmati rice
1 ½ cup fresh vegetables, cut small to fit in the thermos
1-2 T of ghee or your dosha appropriate oil
2-4 cups of boiled water
Whole or ground spices (I like sea salt, ginger, turmeric)

Wash the mung beans and rice at least 3 times. Soaking the beans and rice overnight is ideal if you have the time. Saute the spices in ghee or oil. Add the mung beans, rice and chopped veggies. Cover with water and simmer for five minutes. While still boiling hot pour the mixture into the thermos. You can spoon the mixture in but don’t let it cool. Top off with boiling water from the kettle to make a soupier more liquid lunch (not “martini” liquid lunch but you know!) Close the thermos completely and quickly. Your lunch should cook and be ready to eat after four hours. Of course there is some experimentation here. You could always do a “stunt” run on a Saturday or Sunday and take notes and then by Monday you could have it down to a science. Stocky vegetables like carrots or beets will take longer to cook, lighter vegetables or leafy greens will cook quicker.

You can substitute beans and lentils for the mung beans to create endless combinations. I also pack some fresh herbs in a little ziplock and add them just before eating. I use some finely chopped cilantro but you can use whatever you like as well.

Now for something completely different . . . my artwork was featured on the WCA Art Waves International site. It’s a collection of postcards regarding sustaining the environment. I latticed a bunch of old newspapers, then used decopage to seal the work so I could paint on it. I’ve been working on some new collages. I'm "showing up" in the studio every morning before work. It seems to be working. I'll have more artwork to post later.

Spring-ie Spring!

Today is the first day of Spring and we are expecting a winter snowstorm. Isn’t it always like this? Monday was St. Patrick’s Day which is one of my favorite holidays being Irish and a “Patricia”. I love the color green and I love a Guinness once in a while. One is usually enough for me, it’s so rich like drinking liquid pumpernickel. So I had my holiday treat (actually twice) at the Irish pub across the street from me called Atlantic Bar and Grill. One of the few real Irish bars where you actually hear people with Irish accents. I got to hear some great Irish music and see some lovely dancing.

Now on to Easter and I am so not ready yet. I need more than one week after St. Pat’s to get excited about Easter! It's so friggin early this year. I don’t dye eggs anymore or follow many traditions but I used to love going to Marshall Fields to check out the spring Flower Show. Thank God Macy’s is still keeping that tradition with some amazing exotic flowers.

Even though I had a little sniffle this week I’m in a great mood. I’m really learning how to take care of myself. I’ve been following an Ayuvedic program designed by my practitioner, Matthew Ramski of Rennaissance Yoga in Toronto. I’ll talk more about Ayurveda in future blogs. I just happened to start taking Amalaki (Indian Gooseberry) and it’s changing my life. I have more energy, some of my female troubles have completely stopped, my hair seems thicker . . . life is good. Life is also good because I’m so looking forward to seeing Eddie Izaard at the Chicago Theater in May. Yeah I got tickets and I will definitely report back. I choose cake!

I also just started reading a book called The Slow Down Diet by nutritionist Marc David. It’s about really eating when you eat. I’m learning to slow down and enjoy my food and why the hell not, eating is so pleasurable do I really need to be an autopilot while doing so? Do I really need to eat while watching TV, while reading a catalog with an ipod in my ear? David also supports the idea of eating what you really want just make sure it’s the highest quality. Hello Vosage chocolate Easter bunnies! Also, timing is essential. As in Ayurveda, one should eat a small breakfast, a big lunch and a small early dinner. I was surprised to learn that sumo wrestlers eat the same healthy food as their countryman but they eat bigger portions and late at night. One of David’s clients had an aha moment when she realized she was on the sumo wrestler diet and lost weight simply by not eating late at night. Oh yeah and breathing while you eat is good too, I need to do more of that. The body stores fat if we eat in a stressed state. So breatheee.

I’m also really into podcasts these days. I’ve only had an ipod since x-mas and I love love love it. I’ve been into Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth podcasts with Oprah. Tolle is just brilliant. The book is sitting on my nightstand, once I’m done with The Slow Down Diet I’ll start that. I guess I’m going backwards by listening to the podcasts first but I will get to it! I’ve been downloading meditations and lectures from Dr. Wayne Dyer and Caroline Myss. It really does change your day when you start out listening to something peaceful but I will still always heart my bad loud 80’s anthem rock too.

Hopper and More

I saw the Hopper Show last week at the Art Institute. I have always loved Hopper’s lonely little landscapes. The classic, Nighthawks, is there. That poor painting has been through more in our pop culture than Munch’s The Scream. Even if it is his biggest hit, I still love it. Yeah, I know it’s always cooler to love the B-sides, anyway, the rest of Hopper’s work is great too. I like his figure work more than I do the landscapes or housescapes as I like to call them.

I just wrapped up reading Sandor Ellix Katz’s book, The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved, his latest cutting edge “real food” book. Katz also wrote Wild Fermentation, which is pretty dampened from use in my kitchen. He discusses some fairly conversational topics such as eating raw meats and drinking raw milk, foraging in forests for herbs, marijuana, the greed of the pharmaceutical industry, eating road kill, veganism vs. omnivorism and more. I appreciate that he does it all with a non-judgemental tone. He echoes my own motto, you do what works whether it be raw, macrobiotic, pharmaceutical, etc. It’s so ironic that the sustenance that is actually the most health providing is often illegal or unattainable. It’s a book that supports community and the ritual of making and eating food. I’m learning to value eating as an important ritual. At my worst I would eat over the sink. Now I sit down pray and thank the animals and plants for their sacrifices. I still eat in front of the TV at times but I eat slower and remind myself to stop and actually savor what is in front of me.

Speaking of slower eating, I’m enjoying more slow cooked foods lately. I finally broke out the ole crockpot this winter. I figure I might as well use it during these last few weeks of Winter. I suppose I could still use it in warmer weather for beverages and jams. Slow cooking tastes soooo good. I really do feel like it restores some of the nutrients lost in regular cooking. I used to aspire to be a serious raw foodist but I feel just as healthy if not more so adding some crockpot dishes. I made this a few weeks ago and it was delicious, I got it from the Fat Free Vegan site which is a goldmine for great healthy recipes:

Vegetable Paella (Crockpot)

Adapted From The Best Slow Cooker Cookbook Ever
Serves 6 to 8

10 ounces packaged frozen chopped spinach, thawed but not drained

2 cups converted white rice (I used basmati, which I soaked in water for about 8 hours prior)

4 cups homemade vegetable stock

3/4 cup chopped roasted red peppers1 large onion -- chopped

1 green bell pepper -- chopped

2 garlic cloves -- minced

1/2 teaspoon saffron threads (or turmeric)

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

13 3/4 ounces canned quartered artichoke hearts, rinsed and well drained

16 ounces packaged frozen mixed vegetables -- thawed

1. In a 31/2- or 4-quart electric slow cooker, combine the undrained spinach, rice, stock, bell pepper, roasted peppers, onion, garlic, saffron, cumin, cayenne, salt, and pepper.

2. Cover and cook on the low heat setting about 4 hours, or until the rice is just tender but the grains are still separate and not mushy; watch closely near the end of the cooking time.

3. Stir in the artichokes and thawed vegetables. Increase the heat to the high setting and cook, uncovered, 10 minutes longer. Serve immediately.

I'm usually not a fan of frozen veggies or canned food but Whole Foods or Trader Joe's has some good varieties.

Dealing with Food Cravings

If I could just program my body to do what I’m supposed to I would be so much healthier. I follow the 80/20 rule and eat a healthy diet most of the time. It’s sometimes more challenging to get back on track after a holiday. I mostly crave the following: wine, chocolate, Guinness (or other good quality beer), hummus, nut butters, and coffee. Chocolate is probably my no. 1 craving and like most women I crave it during my PMS cycle. Scientifically speaking it’s because stress depletes the body’s reserve of magnesium and chocolate is one of the most magnesium dense foods. I do supplement with magnesium but I still want my chocolate! I also think it’s partly the caffeine especially during that 3 pm slump. A year ago, at let’s say the height of my addiction; I was consuming 3-4 TBS of raw chocolate powder a day. I would put it in smoothies or mix it like a little pudding with coconut water and some agave nectar. I was noticing how impatient I was getting and my heart would sometimes race. Now I hardly use it unless I'm really tired. Everyone is different, there are some people who can have it every day no problem. I also found it to be really dehydrating.

I love a good latte too. I find the act of going out and having a cup of coffee really relaxing. It’s cheap entertainment. You spend a few bucks and go to a café that has reading material, a nice chair and the possibility of meeting new people. Sure I could have tea but I hate spending $1.25 on tea, when I have an assortment of tea at home. So when I go out I want to have something complicated that I can’t make at home. I treat myself to a good latte of specialty drink at almost every holiday. I do enjoy Starbuck’s mochas or their Pumpkin Spice latte. It’s kinda like when I was a kid and I had to have McDonald’s Shamrock Shake on St. Patrick’s Day or the Artic Orange at the beginning of summer. There are some striking similarities to McDonald’s and Starbucks . . . but that’s another blog for another time. To me the best tasting coffee would be Peet’s and there is only one shop here in Chicago. They have more chains in the West Coast. I also love Intelligensia. On a Saturday when I feel the need to treat myself (or basically to justify a weak moment) I'll have a small decaf soy latte.

Honnestly, people don’t like people who eat healthy. Perfect eaters don’t have a lot of friends. Sinners are always more interesting than non-sinners. In nearly any movie the villain is always the most fascinating character and better dressed too. It’s a toss up for me because well I am human. I usually pay for my food sins with acid reflux, bloating, bad skin or hang-overs. What motivates me on those “good” days is vanity and longevity. I want to look good when I get old and I don’t have Sofia Loren’s genes. On the flip-side, I judge a health book by the photo the author on the back. Thumbs up to Donna Gaines who wrote The Body Ecology Diet, she is 60 and definitely doesn’t look it. She practices what she preaches. Sally Fallon, Dr. Oz, Anne-Louise Guittleman, Loren Cordain and David Wolfe are all authors who walk the walk and are very youthful looking.

I’m working on some new ideas to combat my cravings such as ingesting non-food things like good books, beautiful art, or great music. Other supportive activities might be: meditating, working out, journaling, knitting, calling a friend, or taking a nap. You can also replace a “bad” or let’s say less nutritionally dense food with one that is healthier. Instead of salty snacks from the suppermarket I like Papa Lena's beet chips. Instead of booze a bottle of Kombucha tea provides some bubbly satisfaction. Instead of a typical junky foody snack, health food stores and raw food restaurants have tons of sweet tasting food bars like Lara Bars or Go Raw! Sometimes just a banana with some cinnamon might do the trick.

One of my yoga teachers said that sugar cravings could be a sign that one might want more sweetness in their life. This could be a valid point. Of course having just a small amount of what you really want is valid too that is if you don't eat the whole bag. Savor it and enjoy it just like the French do. I usually don’t keep chocolate in the house but at work there is usually a drawer where there is chocolate. Since I’m being watched (and it’s well usually someone else’s candy) I only take a few squares instead of eating a whole bar. If I were at home I would just eat the whole thing.

At 3pm I usually have my Ayurvedic “candy” know as Chavanaprah which is dark brown and sweet like chocolate. At this time I might also have some homemade almond milk with spices like turmeric, pumpkin pie spice mix, ginger, and black pepper. I might sweeten with a tiny bit of raw honey or molasses. Like Stuart Smalley says “progress not perfection”.

Food Allergy and Emotions: I Suffer from Sandwich Envy

For those of you who don’t know it is tough having food allergies. I’m allergic to dairy, wheat and gluten. I really feel for kids who can’t have that yummy cupcake on their special day. Easter must be a complete nightmare. Thank God for Whole Foods and a few of the newer allergy-free businesses that are popping up.

Sometimes it’s not always the food itself but the way it’s processed. For example I can’t have white bread but I can have manna bread. I really love French Meadow Bakery’s hemp bagels and wraps. I get so excited when I pop that bagel in the work toaster. I skip all the way to the kitchen. “Look at me I am eating a bagel just like you people!!!” HA HA HA.

Dating can be hard with food allergies especially when it comes to eating out. I can’t have the typical Chicago food standby’s like hot dogs, sandwiches, pizza and “wings” (because they are covered in flour). “OMG you can’t eat what . . .” Not fitting in food-wise can actually be a deal-breaker for some people.

There have been times when I have missed out on being invited to parties because I’m the one guest “who can’t eat anything”. I usually combat this idea by bringing my own food or treats to share. Every Thanksgiving and X-mas I always bring my own bread and my pumpkin brownies which everyone loves anyways.

Lunch is probably the hardest meal which is why I brown-bag it. I work near the Sears Tower and basically I’m surrounded by sandwich shops. Downtown is sadly void of nutrient dense food. Even most commercial soups have gluten and wheat flour. I envy the convenience of just walking down to the corner and picking up any old thing. Then again when I look at my lunch compared to others I’m better off. Today I brought in a yummy soup made with finely chopped mustard greens, red lentils, brown rice, garlic, onions, spices and tahini. It was delish and totally satisfying.

As much as I whine I have to say that having food allergies has made me a better cook. It’s rare that I actually eat out or eat something that comes in a wrapper. I have become a supporter of organic whole food, farmers markets and numerous petitions freeing the raw almond! If you are what you eat, do you really want to be Aluminum Sodium Sulfate?