Holy Sh@&!t!!!

I literally just spent the last 15 minutes outside picking up dog shit!  I was quite a sight.  Decked out in my green wellies, plastic grocery store bag in one hand, another bag over my other hand like some sort of protective shield, bent over like a crazy person tiptoeing around my front yard.  I was actually tempted to bring the bag inside and weigh it afterwards because I really think it was about 10lbs.!  Seriously. ( I didn't.)

Anyone who knows me fairly well, knows how much I love my dogs.  Particularly Cooper, who I sense is really a person trapped in a dogs body.  He has very wise eyes and I really think will one day speak to me in a human voice.  Crazy, right?!?  I live for this dog, he is my first baby and I love him as much as my kids.  Don't get me wrong, I love Coco too, but Coco really is just a dog.  She has no human qualities.  She begs for every morsel of food, barks at every squirrel she sees and will lick her ass at any moment she sees fit.  She has no shame.  Cooper would NEVER do anything that disgusting!  It's far too beneath him. Look at him, isn't he the sweetest thing you've ever seen?!?

That said, Cooper can poop like no other.  We should all be as regular as this dog.  Every single time I let him out, he goes.  Where it all comes from is beyond me because he doesn't eat that much.

So here I sit, with a poop-free front yard, at least for a few minutes.

Uh-oh, Cooper's standing by the door.

Peace and love.

Soup IS Good Food!

I was midway through my run this morning when I remembered that I forgot to pass on this amazing mushroom soup recipe that I made this weekend.  (I love when I remember that I forgot something! Is there a word for that??  Anagram??  No.  Oxymoron?  No.  Oh well, whatever...)

Anyway, this recipe was super easy and so flavorful.  Mr. X loved it.  Primo and Segundo said, "Ewwww, mushrooms are disgusting!"  I happen to be a big fan of the fungi so here goes, without further ado:

Wild Mushroom and Rice Soup

1 onion, finely chopped
1 white part of leek, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1 celery rib (I hate that term, it grosses me out), chopped
1 lb. fresh cremini mushrooms, sliced (I buy the ones already sliced, it's the lazy way!)
1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms
1/4 tsp. dried rosemary
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1 can chopped tomatoes
6 cups vegetable stock
1/2 c. wild rice
1/4 c. red wine (plus 1 glass for yourself!!)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2-3 tsp. olive oil

Basically add olive oil to a heavy stock pot and saute all the veggies until they soften.  Add garlic last so it doesn't burn.  Throw in the spices and the canned tomatoes for a minute or two.  Add the stock, wine, rice and dried mushrooms and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for about an hour, until the rice is soft.

Serve with crusty bread and enjoy!

It was so good, I was eating it cold the next day.  Gross right??  It was really good.  I always eat cold leftovers: stir-fry, spaghetti, pad thai, who cares!?!  I'm even eating some cold, leftover sauteed kale as I type.  Yum!

Peace and love.

I Love the British

My wonderfully British friend, E., had me over for lunch last week.  She had made a delicious vegetarian meal for her parents while she was on holiday (had to sneak in my best British colloquialism) over Christmas.  Our lunch was so amazing that I had to get the recipe from her and I will now share it with you!  Fortunately, she translated everything out of grams and mls. so us American folk could understand.  


Aubergine & Chickpea Tagine


1 small aubergine, cubed (eggplant)
2 courgettes, sliced (zucchini)
4 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups mushrooms, halved
1 tbsp ground coriander
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground turmeric
8oz new potatoes, quartered
1 pint passata (diced tomatoes, I used canned)
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp chili sauce
1/3 cup sliced, dried apricots
3 cups canned chickpeas, drained
salt & pepper
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) for garnish

Roast eggplant and zucchini with 2tbsp of olive oil, 20 mins until tender and golden, turning regularly.  Heat remaining oil in saucepan, cook onion and garlic for 5 mins until soft, turning occasionally.  Add mushrooms and saute for 3 mins until tender.  Add spices and cook for 1 more minute, stirring to mingle flavours.  Add potatoes and cook for 3 mins, stirring.  Pour in passata and tomato puree and 2/3 cup of water.  Cover and cook for 10 mins, until sauce begins to thicken.  Add eggplant, zucchini, chili sauce, apricots and chickpeas.  Cook, partially covered for 10-15 mins until potatoes are tender.  Add a little extra water or vegetable broth if tagine becomes too dry.  Garnish with chopped, fresh coriander and serve with cous-cous and crusty bread. 


This dish is so aromatic and fantastic!  Really, truly delicious!  It is cooking away on my stove top as I type this.  I can't wait for dinner tonight and leftovers tomorrow.  


Thanks again, E. for this great recipe!  I will always think of you when I make it!


Peace and love.

Mmmmm tofu!

I've heard from some of you recently asking when I'm going to post some new recipes.  To be honest, I've been in a bit of a food rut lately.  I think with all the craziness of the holidays I just haven't felt much like cooking.

I did get a new cookbook for Christmas from Mr. X so I have promised myself that I will try out some new and tasty meals.  The cookbook is called Clean Start by Terry Walters.  What I like about it is that she divides the chapters up by seasons.  So each recipe contains ingredients that will be fresh and plentiful for that time of year.

My menu for this evening was pan-seared tofu with a ginger lime glaze, sauteed swiss chard with ginger and tamari and brown basmati rice.  See tofu recipe below:

Pan Seared Tofu with Ginger Lime Glaze

1lb. fresh firm tofu, drained
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
2 Tbsp. tamari
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp. maple syrup (I used agave nectar because I prefer the taste)

A note about tofu:  I like to drain and then press the tofu for an hour or two before I marinate it. Take a clean dish towel or several paper towels, place the block of tofu on it , cover with more towels and put something heavy on top to press out the excess water.  I use a heavy pot usually.  I find that pressed tofu has a nicer consistency than when it's not pressed, but that's just me.

Once the tofu has been pressed, make the marinade, pour over the tofu in an air-tight container and let it chill out in the fridge for at least an hour.  The longer you marinate it, the better it will taste.

Heat a saute pan over medium heat.  Pour a little of the marinade from the container in the pan and let it heat up.  Slice the tofu into fillets or cubes.  Place in pan and saute evenly both sides until the glaze starts to make the tofu a little crispy.  Keep adding marinade so it doesn't burn or stick.  I used all the marinade little by little.  Remove from heat and serve.

SOOOO good!  And easy.

While I was cooking the tofu, I threw a little ginger and olive oil in another pan and cooked up the swiss chard.  I added a little tamari for taste.  You could also add a little ume plum vinegar or whatever you have handy.  Again, yum!

I'm actually looking forward to leftovers tomorrow, the tofu will be great stuffed in a pita with some field greens and some Japanese ginger dressing.  Mmmmm.

Happy eating!

Peace and love.

Just Say...YES!!!

Tonight my boys took baths with their underwear and socks on.  Why?  Because they asked.  Were they surprised that I said yes?  Well...yes.  Were they really excited that I did? Ummm...yeah. Primo said to me, "Mom, did you take a yoga class today?"  He knows me so well.

I have no idea why they wanted to do this, but it made them happier than expected.  They didn't fight, all they did was laugh and play.  Together.  Did I mention there was no fighting??  All because I let them wear their socks and underwear in the tub.  Was I happy that there was no fighting?  You bet.

I think I'm just sick of saying "no" all the time.  Now, understand, that I say no all the time because they ask to do the most ridiculous, inappropriate things.  "Mom, can we watch Poltergeist?"  No.  "Can we listen to Snoop Dogg?"  Um, no.  "Can I fart on my brothers head?"  "Can we eat ice cream for dinner?"  No.  And no.

So tonight I just thought, well, I guess if they really want to wear socks and underwear in the tub, why the heck not??

Generally I think of myself as an upbeat, positive person.  But lately I feel like I've been saying "no" a lot.  And I'd like to start saying "yes" more.

So tomorrow if they want to wear all their clothes in the bathtub, I think I'll let them.

But I still won't let them watch Poltergeist!

Peace and love.

What's my What???

I hate New Years Eve.  I always have.  Even in college.  So I was more than happy to have no plans this year on December 31st.  To me, New Years is like St. Patrick's Day (another "holiday" I hate), an excuse to drink too much and act like a complete idiot, only to wake up the next day and pray no one remembers what an idiot you made of yourself the night before.

So it goes without saying, I do not make New Years resolutions.  Oh I've made many in my years, only to break them within a month and feel horrible about myself.  When you make New Years resolutions, you're just setting yourself up to fail.  "I'll never eat another piece of chocolate again." Bullshit.  "I'll lose ten pounds by the end of the month."  Sure you will.  "I'll never yell at the kids again."  Only if you're popping Xanax.

This year, instead of a resolution, I've decided to set an intention.  Which oddly enough, our yoga teacher was talking about this week in class.  To me, an intention is much more forgiving.  If you wobble or waver, an intention is something you can always go back to, refocus and start again.  A resolution, to me, seems so restrictive, structured and unforgiving.

My intention for the year ahead is strength, both physically, mentally and emotionally.  Physically I'd like to get stronger so I can improve my yoga practice (arm balances are not for weaklings!). Mentally and emotionally I'd like to get stronger so I can navigate life in a balanced and calm way. Little did I know that at 5:30 this morning, I'd be testing my intention for the first time.

My sweet, little Segundo came into my room crying and in a panic.  I got up to meet him and noticed that both his hands and whole face were covered in blood.  He was coughing and choking on his tears and standing there looking at me with such fear in his eyes.  I immediately went into "mommy mode".  The rational side of me knew it was just a bloody nose from the dry air in the house (though he does sleep with a humidifier on).  But the amount of blood that was pouring out of his nose was quite alarming.  Mr. X leaped out of bed and we immediately starting cleaning him off, calming him down and trying to stop the bleeding.  It was running down the back of his throat, making him gag and throw up blood (even more scary!).  After about 25 minutes we were able to stop the bleeding and get him resting comfortably in our bed.  And by 7:00, he was his normal, silly self, eating breakfast and getting ready for school.

My intention of strength hit me on day three of 2012, just as I am sure it will hit me, knock me down and throw me around a whole lot this year.  But each time it does, I know that I'll get back up and keep going, keep moving forward, keep getting stronger.  Because strength is something we can just keep getting better at, and it will never make us feel bad about ourselves.

Peace and love in 2012!