Are you a glass half empty or glass half full type of person?

I ask this after reading a Facebook status update posted by my husband's cousin's wife (got that?). She posted "there is a mountain of laundry with my name on it. Ahhh, it's good to be home. Hooray for days off! ;)" She always, or at least most of the time seems to see the brighter side of things. She is definitely a glass half full type of person. Are you happier when you have that personality trait? I have to say, she sure seems to be. She is not one of those happy, sicky sweet types, no, she is happy, sarcastic and an absolute riot! I love her sense of humor and attitude. She is the kind of person that makes you smile when you are around her. I think I am a half empty type of person. I don't mean to be...I would love to be more positive, I just don't know how to. It doesn't come naturally to me. I am pretty sure, just like anything else, it takes practice, unless of course you are born that way. So I am trying really hard to see the brighter side of things. To practice positive thinking. 2012 has been a year of eye opening revelations.

It is snowing like crazy out and my first thought is "arhh, I hate driving in bad weather!" New and improved positive thinking "boy, the snow sure looks pretty. I will drive super carefully today." I still hate driving in bad weather! A work in progress.

The reason I even care about the weather today is I am going out to lunch with my two fellow Loonies. We have not all been together since the store closed on the 4th of January. It will be very nice to enjoy a drink and lunch with them again. We tend to laugh...a lot! We may get asked to leave and please never come back. Really, we laugh a lot. We are going to a new Mexican restaurant in Raymond. Their menu says vegetarian options so hopefully I can finagle something vegan out of it. I will post my results because finding places (that have any vegan options) to eat out around here is extremely difficult. Portland is an entirely different story. But I don't always want to drive that far, specially for a quick bite. Anyway...I can't wait to see them!

Stop Snowing!

Remember the old school vegan cookbooks? Yeah, they were great. *smiles dreamily*

Yesterday I spent a lazy day at home with my family. My middle son has been pretty sick for over a week. He has strep throat as well as mono...talk about a double whammy! No matter what they say, boys like to be at home with their moms when they are sick. So although I am sorry he is sick it is nice taking care of him again. Icy cold smoothies and kukicha tea are his biggest requests and I am happy to oblige.

A lazy Sunday is a great day to try new recipes so my family got to sample my latest, Brownie Sundae Cheesecake. It is not ready to be posted yet. It still has a few tweaks but it definitely was not bad!

I was looking through all of my old school vegetarian, vegan and macrobiotic cookbooks yesterday and it gave me such a warm fuzzy feeling. They are so comforting. Thumbing through the pages actually feels like home to me. There are so many cookbook writers out there creating awesome and amazing vegan delights but there is just something special about the simple elegance of the old school recipes. The fresh taste of vegetables and grains without all of the fancy, schmancy-ness of some of the recipes of today. I am not knocking them, don't get me wrong, just feeling a bit nostalgic for plain, simple yet utterly delicious foods. As I make dinner tonight with a recipe from one of these cookbooks and I will cook it with love and gratitude in my heart for the cooks, chefs and authors that paved the way for the rest of us. I thank you.

Simple, Fresh, Delicious.

That pleasure which is at once the most pure, the most elevating and the most intense, is derived, I maintain, from the contemplation of the beautiful

“It is necessary ... for a man to go away by himself ... to sit on a rock ... and ask, 'Who am I, where have I been, and where am I going?”
~Carl Sandburg

I am at a point in my life to start making some decisions. Do I do what I need to do now to be comfortable and sustain...so to speak, or do I wait and do what I want to do even though at this moment I am not sure what that is? I know that I would like to help people in some aspect. I would like to share some part of me, whether that be yoga, spirituality, nutrition, cooking, or veganism. I need to earn a living but I don't want to sell my soul to do it.

So here are the thoughts and ideas running through my brain...

Vegan cooking classes/ vegan catering (I do plan on teaching cooking classes eventually anyway. )

Cooking in a vegan restaurant

Part-time Yoga teacher (needs to wait until i am fully trained)

New Age type store (bricks and mortar or online?)

Applying to Office related type positions

Substitute teach at local schools


I have a STRONG feeling that there is SOMETHING that I have not even thought of... that is what I need to realize.

My husband is one of those people that knew what he wanted to do at a very young age. He never gets it when I am constantly wanting to learn more, to spread my wings and take in everything that I have a passion for, for wanted to test things to see if they bring me happiness and joy and to nurture those things that do. We have been married for 26 years this July so he knows me well enough to realize that whether he gets it or not...this is me, he loves me so he stands back waits. He gives me the room to choose my path. I am truly grateful for his love and support. In the mean time, what the bloody heck am I going to do?

I suppose I have a great deal of thinking to do. My life and happiness are too important to just sit back and commit to someone else's idea of what I should be doing.

Changing the subject...; )

My plan for dinner tonight is my hold together black bean burgers (originally posted in March of 2010), sweet potato fries, steamed broccoli and spicy cole slaw. Nice and easy, satisfying and always a hit. My good. : )



Wonderful "Hold Together" Black Bean Burgers. Served on a homemade roll with avocado, salsa and nayonaise...sheer bliss.

I hate when you attempt to make a veggie or bean burger and it will not stay together. These ones hold together perfectly and are so easy to make. They could quite possibly become your "go to" burger recipe.


" Hold Together" Black Bean Burgers

preheat oven to 400f and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

1 can Amy's Refried Black Beans or 2 cups of your favorite homemade refried black beans (much more economical)
1/2 cup vegan panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/3 cup corn kernels

Put all ingredients in a bowl and smoosh together well. Form into patties. Should make between 6 and 8 depending on size. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, flipping halfway though. These freeze really well.

My Most Recent Joy

A couple of years ago I went on a search for a yoga class, in a convenient location, that fit into my schedule and budget, and had a teacher that I liked. I felt like I was on a search for the Holy Grail it was proving so difficult. Living where I do, in such a rural community it was nearly impossible to find everything that I wanted. In April I finally happened across a new studio in Windham. I emailed the owner and was preparing to take my first class at this studio. Very soon after this decision I was taking my son to an appointment in Bridgton and saw a sign for the Yoga House, and they were having an Open House! I have driven past this place before and it was NOT a yoga studio! I went home and looked it up online and went to my first class there that very night! What a feeling. It was safe, fun, exhilarating and perfect!

Back in November I started a yoga teacher training at the Shala Institute of Yoga which is part of the Yoga House. This has proven to be an amazing journey, one that I never could have imagined. Firstly, the teacher is great. She is funny (in a "I'm not funny" kind of way), compassionate and most importantly, real. She is extremely knowledgeable and if she doesn't know the answer will help you find it. I am so grateful that she was put in my path. I think perhaps yoga teachers are like spiritual teachers, you will find the right one when you are ready and open to it.

My first thoughts way back in November were absolutely terrifying. I was anxious and on the verge of vomiting at the thought of doing something so huge. It was such a relief to realize that everyone else was feeling the same way. We are all in different places in our practice and different places in our lives but also so similar in many ways. The one being that we all absolutely love yoga. Passionately adore it. The same is true for Amy, our teacher. Her enthusiasm is infectious. After having spent so much time with these wonderful people I must say that I am going to be quite sad when the training comes to an end.

I knew in the beginning, that during this training I would learn a lot about yoga...obviously. But I have learned so much about myself. Since becoming an adult and taking many classes in various subjects I know that I want to learn everything...I want an "A", so to speak. I am actually neurotic about it. In this program I am not the "best." Not even close. But it doesn't matter. Yoga is so different than other things I have studied. It is absolutely not about being the best or about being perfect. It is about being your own truth, doing YOUR best and feeling every single moment of it, being mindful and living it, good bad or otherwise. I try. I go so far out of my comfort zone and allow the other students to see me there. It is amazing. I know that I am strong, capable and being true to who I am. The fact that I can feel safe in such a vulnerable place is a testament to the teacher and the other students in this program. I came home this weekend with such joy in my heart.

On a personal level, yoga (and this program) is joy, frustration, love, compassion, tenderness, determination, strength, boldness, caring and love. A huge heart full of love! I am so truly glad that I "dared" to take this step in my life. To also realize that I will not die from wandering so far outside of my comfort zone. That I am worthy of it all. So far this has been an incredible journey that I have been able to share with incredible people. I am so blessed and extremely thankful.


I would recommend Amy and the Yoga House and Shala Institute of Yoga to anyone interested in taking classes, deepening their practice or becoming a yoga teacher.



As a side note...I may be teaching some vegan cooking classes there soon so stay tuned.
: )

Happy New Year!

You were once a young child, just as worthy of care as any other. Can you see yourself as a child? Wouldn't you wish the best for that little person? The same is true today: you are a human being just like any other - and just as deserving of happiness, love, and wisdom. ~ Rick Hanson, PH.D. (Buddha's Brain)

Time for resolutions, intentions, new beginnings and all that jazz. I wish you all love, peace, health, and happiness...after all, what more is there. Now that I will have some time off I intend to post more, much more, and finish up a lot of other things on my never ending "to do" list. I intend to do more yoga, smile more, and swear less. I don't talk like a pirate by any means but I am aware of it and I don't want to do it. I want to spend more time with the people I love and less with those that cause me stress. So if January 1, 2012 means letting go of the past and starting over again fresh why not start with some traditionally luck or prosperity bringing foods. Cooked greens, like kale, spinach, cabbage, and collards symbolizes money. Eating them on the first day of the new year is suppose to bring more money to you throughout the year. The same is true of legumes. Their small shape symbolizes coins and when they cook they grow. Eating them on the Jan 1st will bring you ever growing amounts of coins (money) throughout the year. This is my interpretation of a New Years Day Luck/Prosperity Lentil soup. Perfect for a cold January day.


New Years Day Luck/Prosperity Lentil Soup

1 T olive oil
2 T minced garlic
2 large onions, chopped
4 medium carrots, chopped
4 medium stalks celery, chopped (include leaves)
1 medium to large potato (can use sweet potato)
1 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
2 t each- dried basil, oregano, rosemary, and parsley
1 t fennel seeds (slightly mounded)
4 bay leaves
4 cups red lentils (picked over and rinsed)
12 cups water, boiling water if using a Crock Pot or Pressure Cooker
a few of veggie bouillon cubes if desired although not necessary
4 or 5 cups chopped kale

This soup can be made in a pressure cooker really quickly or a slow cooker of on the stove. Do what ever you feel like doing.

If using a crock pot saute the veggies in a separate pan.

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil over med-high heat. Once they start to soften and smell nice add celery, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes and seasoning. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes. Depending on which way you are cooking proceed to step 1, 2 or 3.

1 - Dump everything, except the kale, into the crock pot and cook on high for about 3 hours, add kale and continuing cooking for another hour.

2 - For pressure cooker, dissolve bouillon (if using) in the boiling water and then dump everything, except the kale, into the pressure cooker and bring up to pressure over medium high heat. Reduce heat enough to maintain a high pressure, cook for 8 minutes and bring down pressure with the quick release method. (run cold water over the cooker) Add kale and cook traditionally until kale is done.

3 - If cooking traditionally add everything to the pan, except kale, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and let cook until everything is almost tender, add kale and continue cooking until everything is very tender.

Serve as is or over brown rice.