Wait, what?!?!

My mom called me this morning to wish me a happy 42nd birthday.  Wait.  What?  How old am I? 42?  I asked her if she was sure she got that right.  She told me she's pretty sure.  The thing is, I just don't see how that's possible.  The last time I checked I was 24, not 42!  42 sounds so...OLD!!

Now, I realize that age is just a number and it's more about how you feel, blah, blah, blah.  And I feel great (I don't look so bad either if I do say so myself)!  But I think I am officially in my mid-forties.  Which is not possible.

I was in my car today and coincidentally the song, "Happy Birthday" by Altered Images came on.  I distinctly remember loving that song when it was featured in the movie Sixteen Candles.  In 1984!! So now I'm starting to do the math and I realize that if I was actually 24, I would not have been BORN yet when Sixteen Candles came out.  That made me feel old.  Remember this scene from the movie??

I remember being 14 years old in 1984 and thinking how dreamy Jake Ryan was.  Come on, all you ladies remember that, don't pretend you don't.

I wonder what Jake Ryan looks like now?  He's probably balding with a bit of a paunch belly and lives in the suburbs of Chicago with his three children.  Hmmm.  I think I'll just freeze his memory in 1984.

So since I won't be sitting on my dining room table tonight, gazing longingly over a lit birthday cake at my honey (he's working late), I might as well go over to a friends' house for a glass of wine.

That was something I couldn't do in 1984...

Here's to another year!  Cheers.

Peace and love.

Growing Pains...

Tonight my boys were in the bathtub, when I heard Primo say to Segundo, "Look, Segundo, I'm becoming a man."  I froze in my tracks.  I took a deep breath and pondered whether I should go in to find out what he was talking about.  Instead, I took the chicken way out.  I did nothing.  I just stood in the hallway and did nothing.  Sometimes, it's just better not knowing.  Right???

This came just a few hours after we were all playing with Play Dough.  I was happily working on a blue octopus.  Segundo was making Spongebob.  And Primo, well, he was making a giant penis and testicles with his Play Dough!  He was laughing and giggling and thought it was the funniest thing ever.  (It was funny, but I held fast to my "that's not an appropriate thing to make with Play Dough" face.)

So now I'm kind of thinking we (Mr. X is not getting out of this one) need to sit down with Primo and have a 2nd grade version of "The Talk".  This conversation is a bit stressful, I admit.  But obviously his body is changing and he needs to know that the things that are happening and feeling are completely normal.

He knows bits and pieces.  For instance, he found out recently, from a girl on the bus (thanks, J.), that not all babies come out of the mommy with an operation.  She very cleverly told him that they can actually come out through...well you know, I don't have to explain it to you!  To which he was visibly horrified.  Understandably so.  He also knows that babies are made when a mommy and a daddy give each other a "special hug".  Of course now every time Mr. X gives me a hug, Primo asks if it's a "special hug" and if I'm going to have another baby.  Oy!!

This parenting thing is hard work.  I just want to make sure that what I'm telling him is age appropriate.  I'd rather he hear it from me, than little Suzie on the bus.

What I need is a book.  An age appropriate book, for 8 year olds.  If anyone reading this knows of one, please let me know.

In the meantime, I suppose I'll just wing it and pray for the best.  Wish me luck.

Peace and love.

Secret Ingredient Amazing Chili

OK.  So you guys know how much I love veggie chili.  Well, my mom gave me this amazing chili recipe that has a top secret ingredient in it.  You may scratch your head and say, "Hmmm, really?? I don't know about this."  I did when I first made it, but believe me, it makes it amazing!!

Here goes:

Vegan Mamarama's Mama's Top Secret Veggie Chili

1 green, yellow or red pepper, chopped
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 celery rib, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 can black beans
1 can red beans
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 cup tomato sauce (I used vegetable broth instead)

1/4 cup chili powder
1 Tbsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
TOP SECRET INGREDIENT:  1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Special Dark!!)  Shhhhh!!
Salt/pepper to taste

1 cup Boca crumbles or 1/2 cup TVP

In a heavy saucepan, saute all the veggies until tender in olive oil.  Then add your tomatoes, sauce and/or broth, spices and beans.  Simmer for about an hour or until all the veggies are cooked.  Add Boca crumbles or TVP and cook another 45 minutes or so.  If the chili is too thick, just add some more veggie broth.

This meal is full of vitamins and protein and is great on a cold winter day.  I like to serve it with some rice.  Try it out and let me know what you think of the secret ingredient!!

YUM!

Peace and love.

Boundaries

I've been thinking a lot about boundaries lately.  Boundaries are a very interesting concept to me. They can be good and they can be bad.  They can be limiting or freeing depending on how and when we need them. They can harm us or keep us safe.  There are physical boundaries and emotional ones.  They are quite a paradox.

As parents, we give our children boundaries, rules if you will, so they can grow up to be functioning adults later in life.  But if we put too many boundaries on them, then we risk sheltering them or worse, having them act out in dangerous ways as they grow.

As yogis, we try and see the good in everyone.  In the practice of Anusara yoga in particular, we learn to open our hearts to grace.  To let them shine from the inside out.  I realize that this may sound a little "out there" to some of you, but if you really look inward and try to be the best person you can be today, then you are able to see the goodness in others as well.

In a recent discussion about boundaries, a yoga teacher of mine said something that really connected with me.  She said, just because we try and see the good in others, doesn't mean that we will allow ourselves to be walked all over like doormats.  We can still be good yogis while allowing ourselves to have boundaries from the things that don't serve us well.  It's OK to let someone know, as kindly as possible, that what they are doing or saying is not OK with you.

We've all had friendships, relationships that have not served us well.  And depending on where you are in your life on that day, you may have allowed this toxic relationship to continue.  Sometimes we do it because we feel guilty speaking our truth.  Sometimes it just takes a while to realize that someone has invaded our space in a way that we don't like.

So it's our job to set the boundaries within our own lives.  Even if it means going through your mental Rolodex and cleaning house.  Ridding ourselves of relationships that no longer bring happiness, but rather cause us angst and anxiety.

It doesn't mean we're not good yogis.  It simply means that we will not let the unwanted enter the boundaries that we have set for ourselves.  It means that we are strong and that we love ourselves.

Take a minute today to really think about what your boundaries are.  Where do you draw the line? Is there someone who's invading your space?  If so, how will you handle it?

Peace and love.

Real Vegans Do Eat Quiche

I've been looking for a vegan quiche recipe for a while now.  I kept going back and forth in my head wondering if I really wanted to venture into what is traditionally a quintessential egg dish.  The thought of making quiche without eggs and lots of gooey cheese just didn't seem right.  I grew up with both my grandmother and mother making delicious quiche so I was a little skeptical.

I found the recipe below on allrecipes.com, a website that I peruse quite a bit.  So I decided to make the leap and try it out.  The results were much better than I had imagined.  In fact, I liked it even better on day two!  I brought a slice to my vegan friend, D., to get an unbiased opinion and she thought it was great.  So here it is...

Tofu Quiche with Broccoli

1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
1 pound broccoli, chopped
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 an onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 leek, white part chopped
2 - 3 white button mushrooms
1 pound firm tofu, drained and pressed for a little while
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg (I didn't use the nutmeg)
1/2 tsp. ground red pepper
black pepper to taste
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese (I used Nutritional yeast instead)

Preheat oven to 400.  Bake pie crust for 10-12 minutes.  You could also make this recipe crustless for fewer calories.
Steam broccoli until tender but still firm.  Drain.
Heat oil in a large skillet.  Saute onion, mushrooms, leeks and garlic until tender.  Stir in the broccoli and heat through.
In a food processor, combine tofu, soy milk, mustard, salt, nutmeg, red pepper, black pepper, parsley and Parm; process until smooth.
In a large bowl, combine tofu mixture and broccoli mixture.  Pour into pie crust.
Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until quiche is set.  Allow to stand 5 minutes before cutting.

Here is what it looks like when it's done:

If you find that the edges of the pie crust are getting too dark, simply cover the edges with foil and continue baking.

This quiche makes a great lunch with a salad or a fantastic brunch dish.  The texture of the tofu is exactly like eggs, it's really quite amazing.  Also, you could make this with any kind of vegetable. Next time, I think I'm going to add spinach and some red pepper.  The skies the limit really!

Enjoy!

Peace and love.

P.S.  Stay tuned, tomorrow's recipe is really a good one...