The man in room 28. Shakira.

I look into an almost empty hospital room. silent. cold.
room 28.

Three empty beds, and one fragile looking old man sitting in his wheelchair by the window. His eyes closed.

My patient for the next 50 minutes.

I ask him how he is doing, he says he is in pain. Too much pain to even move his hands, he says, after I ask him to open and close his hands for me. His body rigid, held captive, by arthritic pain.

I slowly start to move his fingers, hands, arms for him. As I am doing this, a Vicente Fernandez CD by the side of his bed catches my eye. I ask him if he likes Vicente, and for the first time since I came in the room, his little eyes open, at least for long enough to reply yes. So i play the CD, all love songs. Inspired by the music (and knowing instantly this man must be a hopeless romantic... and it takes one to know one ;) but I could sense it, As we both sat there in the room, lyrics of great love songs filling the room.) I ask him if he was ever married and how he met his wife. This is not an exaggeration , or an attempt to sound poetic, but he changed completely, his eyes opened, and remained open, looking at me as he spoke about how they met. how they danced all night that first night. As he spoke about her, his eyes seemed to become slowly filled with life and he was now opening and closing his hand, his fingers flexing into a fist then extending fully without difficulty. he Talked to me about their children, all 8 of them, and listed their names one by one, with the sound of vicente in the background.
LOVE. had brought him back to life, right before my eyes.

Its a powerful thing. no doubt.

Tonight in concert, MY Vicente, Shakira. So much to say.
To see her in concert today was amazing. The way she leaves her soul on stage. Her body completely surrender to self expression, lyrics exposing her soul.

man in room 28, Shakira,
thank you, today you remind me to
do what I love, LOVE who I love,
with complete devotion, abandon.
because one mistake is to believe that in GIVING, we lose.
In giving, in {LOVING} is that we come truly alive.

```````````````````````````````````````````````````
Breathe in .......slowly....
the longing to be caressed by sincere touch. genuine affection.

Breathe in .....slowly......
the desire to be kissed by lips that would say my name forever.

breathe in......take your time....
believing that you will one day walk, your hand held by one that will take you as you are.
Exactly,
just
as
you
are.


Breathe in.......slower.....
to dream of laying my head to rest on a chest who's heart beats just a bit faster for holding me close.

breathe in ......
the need to connect mind, body, soul, with another...enveloped in intense passion, uncontainable. inconceivable. yet TRUE.

breathe in.......close your eyes....exhale...
keep believing in LOVE.
release your fears
SURRENDER
for LOVE only comes with surrender.

Breathe.......
LOVE.

Kare Kare, Bagoong. Lunch trip to the Philipinnes. & SHARING

Oxtail, Banana blossom!
Since I started working as a traveling therapist in July, I have en blessed to have worked with many Filipino individuals in the rehabilitation setting. One thing that stood out to me immediately, was the importance of sitting down to share a meal. Not even in my own home or family had I experienced this with such consistency or treated with such regard and importance.

I've worked in a couple different hospitals now, with different individuals, and have observed that same thing. Its fabulous!

Regardless of if its a ham 'n cheese sandwich, olive garden leftovers, or if someone brought in a homemade meal or cut-up mango to share ...everyone STOPS. stops working. stops doing whatever they are doing, then SIT. sit AND ENJOY THEIR MEAL TOGETHER. (emphasis on ENJOY. no rushing, no stand-eating. no work-eating. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. Stop and enjoy. TOGETHER! Offering & sharing, asking & trying. Food passing across the table. A meal is truly a thing to "share", to share as an experience, a time of the day. to simply BE and Share.

I LOVE IT. and will keep that with me. I felt so very welcomed from the beginning, to the (unfortunately) dying tradition Of an actual family "mealtime". Its such a significant thing, that even when it wasn't family, it very soon starts to feel like family.

Speaking of which, this week I started at a new facility, moving to Los Angeles, and is my first time moving after my first 3 month placement. I am in awe at how strong of attachments (the spanish word: carino is perfect to describe the feeling)and unique bonds form so quickly when you are open to it. There are such beautiful people, hearts, minds, everywhere. A part of me mourns the change. Leaving the cross fit gym where I became stronger, became part not of a gym, but of a little community of people becoming, and pushing each other to become stronger together. the hectic little hospital where I learned so much (as a professional and as an individual) and met many inspiring individuals who overcome, and continuously fight, on a daily basis through so much, still finding joy through it all. Ill miss being within such close proximity of some truly one of a kind friends and uniquely beautiful creatures (one indian lover, and my 2 hot Filipino boys) who have taught me A LOT about my true meaning of beauty, love and friendship. AND I will always be grateful my time here, it brought me closer to my family. Bike rides, potluck, sangria. carne asada tacos with no tortilla! Priceless.

But as I let that part of me mourn, I am also happy. So happy and truly blessed to have been able to meet all these people, learn from them, share with them. And no matter where I go, the important things (the lessons, the memories) will always be in my heart.
If the difficulty of change was enough to stop from changing, I would have never left home, my family and friends BUT would not have experienced and met and shared with all the amazing people that I have! Besides, when we truly want to keep people in our lives they are only a text, call, FB message, or visit away!!

Seeing how much I have experienced in only 3 months, I cant even imagine what i will be looking back on in 3 more.... So I wont try! Ill just worry about today. Live today. Do, LOVE and BE all I am capable of today. never hold back, never give up! Fail. before the fear of failure stops me prematurely.
live it.
experience it.
SHARE IT.

Ok so about Kare Kare & Bagoong:

Today I was at a new facility and one of the physical therapists (yes filipino haha <3) brought in "Kare Kare" for lunch (consists of OXTAIL! eggplant, BANANA BLOSSOM! beet, string beans & beef in a rich peanut sauce). She also brought Bagoong (a shrimp paste) used on top of the dish as a sort of condiment (like salsa, A1, or ketchup).

"Brenda, come on lets eat" ...not really a question, not really an order, a wholehearted invitation to join them as they share a meal.

"Kare Kare is a special treat in the Philippines" she says to me, "Because not a lot of people know how to make and we don't get to eat it very often"

When you experience a meal from another culture, there is so much more to it than just the food. SO MUCH MORE. Rich in culture, and stories from those who make it a part of their daily lives.

I wonder....If we all shared ALL we have, all we are,all the love we have to give, with one another so wholeheartedly, enjoying doing so, how would things be different?

Well, I didn't cook a new meal today, but I experienced one.
Shared one.
{Blessed}

Braised Cod with Celery

ok im lazy now from catching up with 3 other days of cook-blogging so I'm copy-pasting this recipe from www.whfood.org. (can you tell i like this website??)

ok before the recipe, let me sum up the moral of the story for the night: Seriously as I was making this, and when it was done, it really did NOT look good. I even thought to my self, "Damn what a waste of pearl onions", and heres the moral, "Don't judge a book by its cover" is so true. WOW it was really good!

Oh yeah and one more thing:
If ANYONE EVER MAKES YOU A DINNER THAT INCLUDES PEARL ONIONS, THEY MUST REALLY LOVE YOU. And without a doubt that food was made with love, cuz those little fuckers take FOREVER to peel. one. by. one. (so worth it though!)

ok here it is!
Braised Cod with Celery
(***modifications: I used pearl onions instead and added some mushrooms
***Awesome tip: Peel celery with a peeler to eliminate the lil strings that get stuck in teeth :)

Prep and Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

* 1 medium onion, cut in half and sliced thick
* 6 cloves garlic, sliced
* 2 cups celery, cut diagonally about 1 inch long
* 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
* 3/4 cup green olives cut in fourths
* 1 TBS + ½ cup chicken or vegetable broth
* 1 TBS fresh lemon juice
* 1-1/2 lbs cod, cut into 2 inch pieces
* pinch red chili flakes
* salt and black pepper to taste
* 2 TBS chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. Slice onion and garlic and let sit for 5 minutes to enhance its health-promoting benefits.
2. Heat 1 TBS broth in a 10-12 inch skillet. Healthy Sauté chopped onion in broth over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until translucent.
3. Add garlic and celery and sauté for another minute. Add drained diced tomatoes, green olives and remaining broth. Stir, cover, and simmer on medium-low for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until celery is tender.
4. Place cod, lemon, salt, pepper, and chili flakes on top of celery and continue to simmer covered for another 5 minutes, or until fish is cooked. This is our Stovetop Braising cooking method. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Serves 4

albondigas & Patience

Its been a few rainy days, and another soup is in order. Im working with one of my patients, an older Mexican women with dementia. As I have her do various physical exercises to maintain whatever strength she still has, I also keep her mind engaged through conversation, and discover she likes to cook. So of course I have her tell me her recipe for albondigas. Did I mention she has dementia? I would ask her a question about her recipe, and only about 50% of it really made sense (since I actually have a pretty good idea how to cook this, I am able to know that it doesn't make sense) but it lit her up to talk about cooking and how her family loves her albondigas, so it def still served a purpose! (one even better than making good food)

On my way home I still didn't have the recipe for albondigas, so I called my mom. ring, ring, ring, no response. Dam Im hungry! So i went to the grocery store and just bought whatever I remembered from having ate it. Sometimes you just gotta play it by ear ;)

Ground beef, celery, onion, carrots, calabaza, tomato, repollo ....

It came out good.



Here's the recipe in 3 steps:

1- Sautee 1 onion (cut in half) & 2-3 cloves garlic, then fill pot with water (leave enough room to add meatballs and chopped veggies)

2- Throw in all chopped veggies and cabbage cut in 1/4's

3- Add in ~ 1 inch meatballs seasoned to taste ( i used garlic, pepper, salt)

Important: Let it sit after its cooked, be patient, that's when all the flavors really come together!

PATIENCE. An interesting thing with patience, cooking, food, and life. A lot of times when im cooking I eat so much along the process, a little bit here, a lil more there, that by the time the meal is ready im not even hungry at all anymore! Today at work I helped a hundred year old women eat her oatmeal. I'm not exaggerating when I say it took an hour. Bite by bite, I helped her move her fragile wrist to scoop it up, then slowly bring the spoon to her mouth, carefully because of the pain (joints aching, muscles aching) After that, she chewed......slowly....she closed her eyes after each bite because it took all her little bodies energy to chew and swallow the soft oatmeal. And I stood there patiently as she enjoyed each bite. Literally enjoyed each bite. Once she swallowed she would open her blue wrinkly eyes, look up at me, and say "Mmmm". then look down at her plate to get ready for the next bite.
THAT is a beautiful example of taking the time, to take the time, to enjoy.

Lately since I've been cooking, Ive been thinking of the ingredients as materials, grab the cutting board and knife and think to myself "time to make art". cooking is a time to be creative, "CREATE". & I can be patient enough to wait and enjoy an original masterpiece. Which every meal is! ("masterpiece" not to be confused with good food, haha) regardless who makes it, how many times they've made it, where, with what, its a one time deal. each meal is one of a kind.

Conclusion:
to be Patient.
to be present.
to Enjoy.

~ MY WAY ~ tuna tartare

Tonight No cooking.
Because some nights just arent meant to be spent in the kitchen. or doing whatever it is you usually do.
Because sometimes you just have to be open to what life may bring your way.
If you arent, many great moments will pass you by... unlived.
In this case the unexpected included the opportunity (which i took) to Live and work in downtown los angeles, and a tuesday night adventure with a good friend I hadnt seen in a long while.

So we had dinner at a nice little spot in Silverlake.

Skimmed the menu.
find something that sounds good.
order it.
~my way~

Simple.

Know what you want, dont be afraid to ask for it, and get just that!
nothing more, nothing less ;)
(oh and note to self make sure you say THANK YOU to person taking order, especially if you're being the super-picky-food-snob-girl haha)


I ordered the Tuna Tartare, without the fried wonton it usually comes with (yea...fried wonton, not really falling under a fresh 'n healthy category..) And yes because Im a dork I took a picture thinking ahead for the blog. Then, I actually found a picture online of the wonton version. see and compare. A yummy dinner shared with great company, an opportunity to do something out of usual that I'm glad I took (hmmmm... time and time again, a consistent consequence, stepping out of the expected :)

after all...
how you live your days, becomes, how you live your life.

Poached eggs. FAMILY

HOME.
As many places as I go see, as many people as I meet. There is no place like home, and there's nothing like family.

Yea, yea I skipped a few days of blogging, and had a couple of beers with my dad on the lake (which is SOOO not paleo haha), but I incorporated cooking/nutrition INTO my life, and not BECOME my life or control it. After all, we eat to LIVE!...and when eating ("healthy" or "Unhealthy") keeps you from LIVING? well....that's food for thought ;)

So this was one of my favorite meals to blog about because it was a saturday morning at home with my little brother and sister. We made a DELICIOUS! Nutritious meal, and we spent time together making it. None of us had ever poached an egg before, so that was exciting. My little brother literally ran to the kitchen to watch it and said "cool". then left. (haha!... <3) but hey, something's something!

This happened during the "fun" part of egg poaching, "fun" part according to www.MRBreakfast.com. And I QUOTE: "ease your egg from the cup into the water. Just let it slide out. This is the fun part. I love watching poached eggs cook. They look like little floating angels or ghosts. Those flowing strands of white are nothing to be worried about. JUST SIT BACK AND WATCH THE MAGIC" ha ummm.. i mean I dont know if I would use the word "magic" haha, but yea it was actually super cool though!

I got the recipe to my email that morning ( check out this link to recieve recipe emails, lots of good stuff! http://www.whfoods.org/) and decided to make it. Since I had never "poached" an egg before I googled it, and it lead me to www.mrbreakfast.com, where it explained in detail how to do so. http://www.mrbreakfast.com/ask.asp?askid=16

With the internet, we can all be gourmet chefs! Tons of recipes and "how to" videos are only a click away! Use your resources, get creative, try something new! but most importantly dont be afraid to fuck it up! cuz...its fun either way, and there's always, lunch, dinner, or the next day to try again :P

Happy Experimenting! i mean, cooking ;)

oh em gee.

OH MY GOD. i think usher wrote that song about the salmon I made today. Seriously it was goooooood. and EASY. and guess what!? good for moi! All you have to do is buy yourself a good piece of salmon & shallots. Season the Salmon with salt, pepper, dill, and parsley. slice the shallots and put them in the oven with the salmon to broil (to taste)

to accompany it I made some kale, chives, shallots, steamed with a bit of coconut oil for a bit of flavor (plus vegetables are better digested by the body and better able to intake and use more vitamins,necessary for many fat soluble vitamins.

Let me introduce you to Kale-
"..kale is a food that you can count on for some unsurpassed health benefits, if for no other reason than its exceptional nutrient richness. Kale's nutrient richness stands out in three particular areas-(1) antioxidant nutrients, (2) anti-inflammatory nutrients, and (3) anti-cancer nutrients.You can count on kale to provide valuable cardiovascular support in terms of its cholesterol-lowering ability."...and much much more! (check out this web for cooking suggestions for many fruits and vegetables www.whfoods.com)

The meal was done in less than 30 minutes. Who said cooking good food takes too long?! shit, a lot of times when it does take long...its worth it! (notice I didn't sa ALL the time...i mean I'm a rookie, some stuff's not all that great haha, oh well ;)

Sweet September.
Sweet October.
Sweet November (cute movie, watched it while cooking :)
{Surrender} to the sweetness
of each present moment. (each meal ;)
never before.
never again.

Occupy the space in this body you were given. its your place. only yours.

Day 7?

Well, life happens sometimes. I went to work only expecting to work 8 hrs, but the opportunity to work some overtime came, I worked 10 instead and didn't get out until 7pm. At that point I made an executive decision. I didn't want to spend the little time that was left of this day in the kitchen. (awesomely enough i had various meals to pick from the freezer from all the night I had cooked before :)

So I rested, watched the travel channel, and listened to my body...gave it what it needed, rest. How can doing anything otherwise really be all that healthy anyway?

Day 8!
didnt follow any fancy recipes today but mostly wanted to use the vegetables already had in my fridge, and fish in my freezer. - carrots, celery, mushrooms, snap peas, cabbage, threw it all in a pan and sauteed with some garlic, jalapeno, ground fish, salt and chinese 5 spice. really good stuff! (oh yea a little bit of soy sauce)

Im reading a book called "WOMEN, FOOD & GOD" by Geneen Roth. Yes I cooked something new, but what I really want to share is this: (from her book, slightly paraphrased)

"Lack of acceptance and unhappiness are synonymous. Its called the "WHEN I GET THIN (change jobs, move, find a relationship, leave this relationship, have money) BLUES" Its called the "if only" refrain. Its called POSTPONING YOUR LIFE and your ability to be happy to a future date when then, oh then, you will finally get what you want and life will be good. In my books Ive written stories about peoplewho lost weight and were still miserable. Who got what they thought they wanted most and found that joy still eluded them. Because MISERABLE AND HAPPY ARE NOT FUNCTIONS OF WHAT YOU HAVE, WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE OR WHAT YOU ACHIEVE.

I have been miserable anywhere, with anything, with anyone. Ive been miserable standing in a field of a thousand sun flowers in southern france in mid-june. Ive been miserable weighing 80 pounds and wearing a size 0.And Ive been happy wearing a size 18. Happy sitting with my dying father. Happy being a switch board operator.

Its NOT ABOUT WEIGHT. its NOT ABOUT THE GOAL. its not about being thin or being someone special or getting there. Those are all fantasies in your mind, and they are all in the future, the future that never comes.

WHAT IF?

What if this is exactly what you are supposed to be doing because it is what you are doing? WHAT IF EACH NITTY GRITTY task is perfection itself and you keep missing it because you're looking for something else?

Its like washing the dishes. if you focus on getting the dishes done so that your kitchen will be clean, you miss everything that happens between dirty and clean. The warmth of the water, the pop of the bubbles, the movements of your hand. YOU MISS LIFE. -that happens in the middle zone- between NOW and what you think your life should be.

You might as well learn to pay attention NOW. to {fully} inhabit the life you've chosen. to TAKE UP EVERY INCH OF YOUR SKIN. Occupy the space in this body you were given.

its your place.
only yours.

You already have everything you need"

Grilled King Mackerel

I was in an area with lots & lots of Asian markets this sunday morning, and decided to stop by and scope it out. I was in awe of how many vegetables and fruits I had never seen in my life! They also had ex extensive variety of fresh fish, clams, crab, lobster (and by fresh i mean still alive!)

I bought a dragon fruit and a King Mackerel steak. Two things Ive never had before! The dragon fruit with is beautiful bright pink color on the outside caught my attention from the start, little did I know, when you cut it open the fruit is even more beautiful and unique. the contrast of bright pink/green on the outside the white with dark black specs on the inside(see pic above)very light & refreshing taste.

I used a simple recipe for seasoning the king mackerel steak using salt, pepper, and minced garlic. (lime/citrus optional)

http://www.all-fish-seafood-recipes.com/index.cfm/recipe/Grilled_King_Mackerel

After this meal, King Mackerel has definitely taken over the "favorite fish to eat" title. (sorry salmon!) King Mackerel... The taste, texture, everything! MMMMmmm!!
(ps Yea i busted out the mini George Foreman grill for this one)

Chicken Tikka Masala.

Tumeric, Cumin, Coriander, Garam Masala, mustard seeds, cardamom pods, paprika, Cheyenne...so many spices!

I first saw this recipe being made on food network and decided to make it! I love to try new spices and herbs, and Indian cuisine uses so many spices rich in color, flavor, aroma! (and did I mention amazing health benefits?!) I was super excited to try using many of these spices for the first time.

I looked for a recipe online and followed step by step using this instructional video (yet another option for finding new recipes :)
http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make-chicken-tikka-masala

In addition to the chicken (which turned out delicious btw) I wanted to accompany the beautiful dish with an equally exotic side, I found and used a pre-made spice mix for a cabbage and snap pea dish (found at sprouts, see image above). The spices included in this packet may be duplicated, and would simply require additional time for acquiring them and measuring them out. However pre-packaged spice mixes are a nice option for when you dont have enough time, or little interest in spending all day in the kitchen.

Cooking a meal together with a friend made the experience so much more fun! And having someone to share that meal with even better! I must say the veggie side was my favorite! wow. only day 5 and I've already tried so many new meals, tried new spices and learned about different foods, cultures, and traditions. one of the many interesting things I learned, was that in Indian culture before a marriage it is customary for the bride to bath in tumeric, because of its strong health benefits and "healing" properties!

Even with food, When i decide to step outside the ordinary, the familiar, the "known", comforting and "safe", I find I open myself to so much more of all the beauty (including tastes!) the world has to offer.

Let the journey continue!

~ MY WAY ~ dia cuatro. fajitas.

Fajitassssssssssssssssss!

its Friday. just got off of work and I am EXHAUSTED. seriously. SO tempted to eat canned tuna and call it a day.(which would have been a.o.k. shit, im human!) But I had everything I needed to make, please read in mexican accent: FAJITASSSSsss! and I'm so glad I did! because this has been the best tasting thing ive made so far. Maybe its in my blood (haha) but I must say, Mexican restaurants that I could have spent $17 to eat this, aint got nothing on it! ;)

Ok it was simple:
Chop 3 garlic cloves
Slice green, red, and yellow bell pepper and 1-2 onions
Cut beef/chicken

saute beef, chicken and garlic in HOT pan (no added oil, chicken and beef will release their own fats into pan. healthier, more flavorful and delicious!)

once sauteed add fajita spice & Onions (still no salt because salt dries out the meat and causes it to sweat and not saute/caramelize ;)

once onions are slightly caramelized, add in all bell pepper and salt to taste.

one last "secret" ingredient to give it a smokey flavor is WRIGHTS ALL NATURAL HICKORY SEASONING (see in pic above). Careful its strong (aka concentrated) but adds lots of flavor if used properly. You can find it at health foods stored like sprouts.

Provecho.
Sorry tuna, maybe another day!

~ MY WAY ~ the boiling crab! (day 3)

ABOUT EATING OUT. As a recovered "diet" addict (amen, ALABARE!;) I know it can be scary to eat out. People watching you, tempting dishes (that are "wrong/BAD" according to whatever diet is being followed) Scary/stressful is the feeling of not having the will power to resist what is truly desired (cheesecake??? Mmm) OR feeling pressure, or worried about making others feel "bad" while they order the burgers, the fries, the double cheese ravioli... when what you TRULY want is a fresh healthy fruit salad with grilled chicken.
Hmmmmmm I'm starting to sense a pattern...in either case the problem is feeling that you don't have a choice in what you truly want. but guess what WE ALWAYS DO. so, The hell with it! Others will always have an opinion, and a lot of times even comment. Life's to short to be preoccupied with what others might think of your food choices. (YOUR choice, your responsibility, and your consequences. THEIR choice. their responsibility. Their consequences) So whether what you truly want is the triple chocolate fried brownie with cream cheese frosting, OR the grilled salmon with steamed veggies OR anything else in between! Its important to take the time to discover what YOUR true preferences are, YOUR priorities (is your health one of them?)The important thing is to feel empowered about it, and good riddens to guilt! I know I've said it before but, its worth saying again. We only live once! and its your life to live! so really, go out and enjoy a meal with loved ones (if its what you love/want to do) and follow YOUR "diet", and no one else's.
That said, My beautiful friend Misha invited me to the boiling crab. It was fabulous! FOR ME i like it because it was a whole new experience! The food was served in bags, no plates, no silverware, and it was...(drum roll please)....REAL FOOD! GOOD FOOD! FUuuN food! not to mention, good for you food ;)because yes, as much as I believe we only live once, we are also ONLY GIVEN ONE BODY TO ENJOY IT ALL, and I want to take care of mine, put good qualitiy things into it. my body is not a dumpster, its a beautiful gift from god. on that same token I used to spend so many of my waking moments constantly critizizing the gift ive been given, now I choose to be grateful. THANKFUL FOR OUR BODIES. they are perfect and beautiful as they are. food for thought :)
We had oysters, Shrimp, Crab, and corn!(yum corn, i loooove corn!) no calories counting. life's about moments not calories. just stop eating when satisfied. simple. and #1: ENJOY. Savor each bite, as each moment in life should be.
GREAT food and AMAZING company. So blessed I could share this dining experience with one of my dearest friends :)

The boiling crab, highly recommended!

~MY WAY~ day #2

Today was a cold rainy day. As I sat in one of my patients room looking out the window I decided I wanted to make something warm and home-y for dinner. Then i decided to ask my patient for her recipe of chicken soup, or as us mexicans call it: Caldo de pollo. MMMmm! So I wrote down her recipe on the back of a paper, and told her I'd bring her some the next day so she can taste it :)

2 things id like to point out:
thing one- eating well is NOT expensive. All it took was a squash, 1 carrot, celeray, cabbage, garlic, onion, and chicken. I stopped by the grocery store on my way home and paid: $0.14 for carrot, $0.19-squash, $0.97 chicken etc etc.

thing two- ive come to learn that traditional aka "ethnic" foods as they like to call'em a lot of times make great "paleo" or whole food dishes. Because back in the day, before the time of processed foods, people actually ate REAL food, the things our bodies were made to consume. So i plan to explore and blog about many many foods rich in culture, history, and flavor! recipes dont always have to come from a book, or a website... people are walking recipe books, and there is so much to learn from them! so dont be afraid to ask its a great way to learn little tips & secrets for great (and never boring!) cookin!

The soup turned out delicious! and cant wait to let her try it and see what she thinks.

- Ingredients:
3 cloves garlice
1/2 onion
chicken
.......all put to boil with sal and pepper to taste.

-add slices carrots, celery, mexican squash and cabbage then let cook at a lower temperature.
-Towards the end of cooking ingredients in pot add mexican calabaza (squash) because it cooks quicker, and its important not to overcook veggeatbles ;)

Perfect for a rainy day!


OH! and one more thing, I usually cook for ~2-4 servings at a time! i eat, and then use ziplock freezer bags for the additional food. I mark the baggie with the name of food and the date it was made. put it in the freezer and take it out in the morning, quick , early, and ready to take to work for lunch.

Whatever YOUR meal consists of...
BON a PETIT!

~ MY WAY ~ day 1

Last night (before even knowing about the challenge!) I made my luch for today. I was in a hurry and super tired ( i just got back from a 10 day trip, and major jetlag. So i wanted to do something easy!

I turned the broiler on, and literally threw 3 boneless chicken thighs in some bakeware. cut one brown onion into rings. threw that on. threw in about 1/4 cup of grape tomatoes, along with some salt, pepper and paprika.

whoala!

this morning I was also in a hurry, but I wanted to accompany it with some greens so I threw in some green beens into my tupperware with a piece of chicken.

It was delicious!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Kale Shrimp Wraps~

After work I went home and made a modified version of a recipe I saw on food network a couple weeks ago. The recipe was for shrimp/pork wraps, but I only had shrip at home so it became shrimp wraps. And I only had kale instead of lettuce, so they became Kale Wraps, which is a.o.k with me because Kale is an amazing see vegetable LOADED with vitamins and minerals! most sea vegetables are :)

The recipe asked to begin with sauteeing Shallots and garlic in pan. I only had mexican onions and garlic...so ...thats what I used! then seasoned with paprika, cumin and pepper. DUring the show I learned a tip: Add salt last because salt keeps meats from searing andmakes meat dry and boil instead.

after sauteeing those ingredients added shrimp, waited for it all to sautee, then added salt to taste, and chopped cillantro along with water chesnuts.

Dont have all the ingredients at home to follow a recipe? its OK! get creative. have fun! work with what you got;)

day #1, two delicious meals!

(ps I make 2-4 servings whenever I cook so I can use for lunch/dinner later on in the week :)

Cooking and journaling. two things that make me happy. how can i go wrong with this!?! great form of creative expression {edible Art!}

~Paleo~ MY WAY!

I just spent the last 30 days traveling to different cities in the U.S. and island hopping. On my travels I tried and experienced soooo many different local/traditional dishes, desserts, fruits, drinks! AMAZING!

I am SO thankful to be in a place in my life where I can truly enjoy so many beautiful tastes and share them with loved ones without guilt, shame, or remorse! and also without making food (over eating!) my life. So COMPLETELY satisfied by LIFE and LIVING! that food doesn't need to fill that role anymore :)

For many years, practically my whole life....my weight, food, dieting,were a battle. A battle I never seemed to win. There were points in my life when my "diet" consisted of all protein shakes. all day, everyday, and nothing else, until i reached that magic number. There was also the grilled chicken and brown rice phase ... no salt! gross. i might as well have been eating cardboard! i remember literally feeling like the meal would never end as I chewed the tasteless chicken. chewing my meal felt like a laboring act! there was the fruits and almonds phase or "diet". and many more! and of course, after each phase of such extreme rigidity came the binging. trying to satisfy for all the deprivation that was experienced. and what did this lead to? Lose weight, gain weight. again, and again. exhausting cycle. and such an immense sense of failure :(

at this point in my life I will not invest any moment or effort in doing (or eating!) something that doesn't bring life to me! enjoyment. happiness. energy.richness. strength!

DO (and eat) WHAT YOU LOVE!
at every moment.
because seriously, we only live once.

Anyway, As a result of my journey with weight, Through the years I've educated myself, reading tons of books, getting certified as a holistic nutritionist, and have learned sooo much about nutrition and cooking taking many fun & whole foods cooking classes! And (in my opinion) most importantly, acquired many perspectives and insights for finding and developing a beautiful healthy relationship with food and body image. {LOVE & Self acceptance is at the root of it all!}

Why am I talking about all this?
This morning at my crossfit gym they started the "90 day paleo challenge". So im gonna do it! AND IM EXCITED!

BUT im def gonna do it MY WAY!

I pretty much follow a paleo "diet" already, And I have for about 2 years (god i hate the word diet!!!! grrr!) except I prefer to refer to it as WHOLE FOODS :) think natural, nourishing, fresh foods! (fruits, vegetables, meats, etc etc) ..but I must state for the record that I currently intake things that don't fall under this descriptions: alcohol, diet coke, and desserts (cheeese cake!) when i feel like it. yum! haha )

MY MISSION:
I am on a mission to cook a new and delicious "paleo"/WHOLE FOODS meal each day! To prove ( because I completely believe!) that food can be both GOOD FOR YOU and just plain GOOOOOOD!

people (friends & Fam) are always asking me what I eat, and want me to tell them what to eat. (I hate to answer the question because I don't like to tell people what to eat.think about it....would you let someone tell you what to wear everyday? how to do your hair? how to raise your child? what religion to follow? Hopefully not! well, in that same manner no one should tell them what you what to eat! Everyone is different, and every body has different needs!

So Here, for the next 90 days. Im going to share recipes, my daily "paleo" meals, different perspectives/insights on nutrition and well being, and things that I have found work for ME. Please take what I share, then take what you like and make it YOUR own. Because this is YOUR life, you have to be true to YOU, your preferences, your priorities, your lifestyle, and live it YOUR way :)


Hope my sharing helps!