Cultivating Well Being

The fabulous fruit shake cart near my office 

I've been sticking to my routine of going to Bryant Park with my book, and the days I get to lie on the grass are the best...surrounded by the unique and random crowd that tends to gather there.  I also walk through part of Forest Park on my way home.

 Pigeons hanging out in the park

A couple weeks ago I went to Levain Bakery on the Upper West side to buy cookies for my boss's birthday (AMAZING cookies, btw). It was one of those mornings that reminded me of a time when I really liked living in New York City.  The air was cool and I met my friend and co-worker, Sara, for a coffee and pastry before heading into the office.  Talk about changing the day! It was nice and chill outside the bakery where we chatted, drank coffee...and I got powdered sugar all over myself. :)

So this got me thinking about all the activities I do to help me stay sane and happy.  Including hanging out with friends in places I've never been.  Sometimes being a tourist at home is needed to make you see things from a different perspective.  Like having pizza and (sshh) beer in Gantry Park...which looks across The East River to Manhattan from Long Island City...

Pepsi Cola Sign in Long Island City

Drawings on the Boardwalk in Gantry Park, LI City

And there is always pub food and heavenly beer at St. Andrews...I'll be going there again tomorrow evening after a movie in Times Square.

Bar, St. Andrews Restaurant

I have also been to a Staten Island Yankees game this week with my TV Guide Magazine colleagues.  I ended up volunteering for a game which was put up on the big screen.  Stay tuned for more on that in a future blog :)

Domestic Bliss

My Sprouts!

I've recently gotten back into the joy of tending my hearth.  Spending the past couple weekends making yogurt, sprouting sprouts and knitting!  Yes...knitting again.  I can breathe.

It's been a little slow going because of the heat...and my refusal to put the air conditioner back in.  Note to self: Never live in the South.  I am, however, settling into the heat to a point where I can tolerate it and not be miserable...but I don't enjoy it.  Sort of how I feel about living in New York City :)

I actually started writng this blog on 4th of July weekend. The heat has sort of forced me into nap-mode on the weekends.  Maybe that's what I need right now...be like a cat and sleep to cope with the heat.

This past weekend I had my Apprenticeship day (which is always a day I can breathe) and then Sunday was a homemaking day...although laundry fell into the oblivion that it always seems to in favor of cooking and catching up on assorted TV shows and singing along to my iPod in the kitchen.

As I participated in all these activities I started thinking about this blog entry, just sitting waiting to be finished, and I realized that it's very hard for me to relate my feelings about tending the hearth and home because their mine.

On Saturday I had a lovely conversation with one of my herbal Sisters. We were discussing what our ideal jobs would be.  I found that "Homemaker" was the most accurate title I could come up with.  Is that going against feminism? I think not. Tending the hearth is such a joyously feminine thing that I completely revel in re-embracing it! I adore making my own yogurt, bread, granola, sprouts, knitted items...etc.

Although yesterday, as I braved the heat and switched on the oven to make granola for the first time (and crisp bacon for a BLT Potato salad), I realized that I do resent having to squish all these luscious earthy pursuits into one or two days over a weekend.

However, I'm confident that one day the time will be right and I will find a "homemaking" position.  Until then my weekends will be very busy :)

A Patriotic Berry Salad

Okay...so I'm a day late and a dollar short.  But the salad is red, white, and blue!  :)

It was not intended as a 4th of July treat...but it's a really easy and beautiful berry salad for summer cookouts!


1 pint blueberries
16 oz. strawberries
Honey
Plain yogurt
Fresh mint
Lemon Juice
Lemon Zest

Slice up the strawberries and mix with blueberries and the juice and zest of half a lemon. Roughly chop about a handful of mint and toss with yogurt and honey to taste.  Done!

And now for your viewing pleasure...photos of my NYC rooftop 4th of July:

It was a wonderful evening with friends and hot dogs and beer!  I love me a good cookout.

XO

Trust: Things Are Happening...

Bryant Park

Trust was last week's focus.  Trusting that though we may not see progress...things are happening underneath.  I'm "establishing my root system."

I thought a lot about how hard it is to trust...to have faith when seemingly "nothing" is happening.  I've had issues with this.  BIG ISSUES.

This time around though, I feel as if I've turned a corner. I'm loving how calming/quieting down my energy over the past months has helped me see more clearly and experiences have been flowing to me in a manner I can handle and be joyous within.  Even the darker experiences. I have found joy and inspiration within some of the saddest situations, which is amazing to me!

I try to sit in the quiet, motionless, moments and listen.  Sometimes all I hear is my heartbeat or the wind in the trees...sometimes I hear a voice that assures me I'm still "in the works..."

And that's OK.

There's a gentleness to it...a calm energy that feels good because it feels like me.

Don't get me wrong...I have my moments of frustration and impatience. I wouldn't be me without the odd question of, "Where am I going!!?" "How am I going to get there!!?

But I've been planting seeds and I do feel as if things are happening.  Every little risk, every heart to heart, every blog, every new dish I cook...gets me closer.


XO

P.S. One of my little risks has yielded me a printed piece in TV Guide Magazine!  I wrote about my love of Dr. Who for our "Guilty Pleasures" issue.  Check it out!

Spicy Thai Coconut Rice‏

When I buy groceries for the week I usually try to save money by buying an organic soup that I can mix with brown rice and voila!  An inexpensive meal.  Sometimes it's as simple as veggie chili with rice...and sometimes I get creative:

1 can of Amy's organic thai coconut soup
2 cups brown rice
1 package of extra firm tofu
1 bunch basil
Fish sauce
Crushed red pepper flakes
Curry powder

I browned the tofu in fish sauce, curry, basil, olive oil and crushed red pepper flakes while the rice cooked with a vegan, no salt added bouillon cube. I've also used chicken in place of the tofu.

Then I mixed it all together with the soup.

You do need to be careful when using canned soup (even organic) since the sodium content can be high.

It was delicious! I brought it to work all week and loved it as much at the end as I did in the beginning :)

XO

I Believe In Myself, I Believe In My Dreams...

 Cloud gazing in Bryant Park

I believe in myself, I believe in my dreams...

This was the mantra we were working with this past week in Creative Dreaming...and I'll admit, I sort of forgot until the end of the week. It's amazing how we can shy away from firmly committing to ourselves sometimes. Sometimes it can be scary when our dreams start to come true.

When our June Apprenticeship day came on Saturday...it all came back to me.  We even meditated on embracing our whole selves.  The good and the "bad."  Acknowledging and loving ourselves...welcoming all of our parts.

Words my teacher spoke last year resurfaced as well: "If it's not enjoyable, it's not sustainable."

SO TRUE

When I stop and think about my life and the richness that it's held up to this point, I don't think of the time I've spent behind a desk. I think of running down the street during a June hail storm in Florence, drinking tea across from the Tower Bridge in London, tarot cards on the patio in St.Thomas, making my Dad laugh at the dinner table, getting off the bus in Edinburgh for the first time, feeding Hamish the Highland cow, "swimming" on Iona, Guinness and laughter in Dublin, hugging my nephews, hearing the earth squish beneath my boots and the wind whistling past my ears, feeling the rain fall on my face, smelling the grass and trees...

I've recently made a promise to myself. Now that it's warm outside, I will try to go to Bryant Park every day...even for just 15 minutes.  Get out of the "office" air, take my shoes off and stand on the grass, read...or just lie there.  It's saved my sanity...and my back.

 My upside-down view of 6th avenue...

 Kicking back with "The Princess Bride"

Getting outside this week hasn't been as easy and I feel the difference. I tried to compensate by walking a different way home, alongside the park, on Monday and was rewarded by a slew of Sassafras trees!  Seeing those delightfully cartoonish leaves made me smile instantly, lifting my spirits.

What does all this have to do with believing in myself and my dreams?  Well...it means I'm going to continue to live life in an enjoyable and sustainable way...and I believe it will all take me to wonderful places. Making lovely memories every day.

XO

Homemade Yogurt!

I was so excited to get this easy recipe during my last apprenticeship day (the origins of it are unclear since it was found online).

Now that I've made yogurt I just can't go back! It also spurred me to only eat/drink real, full fat dairy...I even want to look into buying raw milk in the future.  I'm telling you...I'd love to learn how to churn my own butter, but that's another blog...


Yogurt Recipe

1/2 Gallon whole milk (organic if possible)
1/2 Cup full fat plain yogurt with live active cultures

Heat the milk in a crock pot on low for 2 1/2 hours, then turn off/unplug and allow the milk to cool in crock pot (with lid on) for 3 hours.

Remove 1 or 2 cups of the warm milk and mix with 1/2 cup of yogurt.  Add back into crock pot and whisk thoroughly.

Cover crock pot and wrap in 1 or 2 thick towels.

Let the whole mixture culture over night (8-12 hours).

Pour into glass jars and put into fridge!


I've enjoyed my yogurt with fresh blackberries, stewed apples and cinnamon, and mixed in with my morning oatmeal.  It's delightful!  So mild and creamy...and my stomach is all the better for using whole milk.

I was fascinated by how hard it was to find whole milk yogurt at the supermarket.  All I could find was Greek style (which I love, but is also expensive).


*Remember to save a 1/2 cup of your yogurt for the next batch!

XO