Silence is a source of great strength.

~ Lao Tzu

The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.

Thomas Merton  ♥

The Real Life Is Within.

~Kahlil Gibran


Perhaps the most important thing we bring to another person is the silence in us, not the sort of silence that is filled with unspoken criticism or hard withdrawal. The sort of silence that is a place of refuge, of rest, of acceptance of someone as they are. We are all hungry for this other silence. It is hard to find. In its presence we can remember something beyond the moment, a strength on which to build a life. Silence is a place of great power and healing.
~Rachel Naomi Remen~

ON AN UNRELATED NOTE.....

Nothing will take the place of persistence; talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not: unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are omnipotent.

~Calvin Coolidge~

Shared from @[147905698632382:274:Daily Dose]

The Mediterranean Diet Is Even More Amazing Than Previously Believed

By MindBodyGreen




We already knew that a Mediterranean diet was good for us,
but a new study reported in today's New York Times sheds
some more light on this:

"About 30 percent of heart attacks, strokes and deaths from
heart disease can be prevented in people at high risk if they
switch to a Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil, nuts, beans,
fish, fruits and vegetables, and even drink wine with meals,
a large and rigorous new study found."

The study, conducted over a five-year period in Spain,
yielded such overwhelmingly conclusive results that
researchers stopped the experiment early, thinking
that it was unethical to continue, according to
the Times.

Are you eating a Mediterranean diet?

Why or why not?

Karma -- Only U

Remember

Instead of resisting to changes, surrender. Let life be with you, not against you. If you think “My life will be upside down” don’t worry. How do you know down is not better than upside?

~ Shams Tabrizi

Trigger Points

Unfortunatly, I am full of them...
Via Anatomy in Motion



The Four Types of Trigger Points

1. An active trigger point is an area of extreme tenderness that usually lies within the skeletal muscle and which is associated with a local or regional pain.

2. A latent trigger point is a dormant (inactive) area that has the potential to act like a trigger point.

3. A secondary trigger point is a highly irritable spot in a muscle that can become active due to a trigger point and muscular overload in another muscle.

4. A satellite myofascial point is a highly irritable spot in a muscle that becomes inactive because the muscle is in the region of another trigger pain

Procrastination - Interesting...

I love this article! Via MindBody Green

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-7853/when-is-procrastination-a-good-thing.html

When Is Procrastination A Good Thing?
By Linden Schaffer

I’ve always been a "doer." Give me a task list a mile long, and with laser focus I’ll try to complete it before lunch. But give me a short list with a few to-dos and they just sit there. When I was in a corporate setting and had bosses to answer to, I’d overcome this procrastination by taking a walk around the block, filing old papers or cleaning my office. With a renewed sense of vigor an hour or so later, I’d jump back into my chair and complete my list before I left for the day. When I launched my own business a few years ago and procrastination started rearing its ugly head, there was no one but myself to answer to. I started to wonder, is procrastination ever a good thing?

There are gobs of articles out there that talk about why procrastination is bad and can lead to anxiety and stress, or that dole out tips on how to overcome it. Yet I never felt bad about my procrastination since I always knew I’d get the tasks done by deadline, self-imposed or not. So why should I feel the need to "cure" it?

It wasn’t until I stumbled across the concept of active procrastination, developed by A.H.C Chu and J.N. Choi, that I began to embrace my behavior. A study, done by the Department of Organizational Psychology at Columbia University, presented findings which showed that active procrastinators are not paralyzed by indecision, nor do they fail to complete tasks on time. Instead, they prefer to work under pressure and tend to have a higher self-efficacy than their passive counterparts.

It turns out that my higher-value procrastination — doing something of positive value — doesn’t mean I’m wasting my time, but instead I'm lighting my internal fire. University of San Diego professor, Frank Partnoy, a self-described procrastinator, claims that people are more successful and happier when they manage delay. According to Mr. Partnoy, better decisions are made if you can give yourself time to get your head around what you need to do. If you’re not backed up against an immediate deadline, he suggests taking time to ruminate. Relax your brain and let the ideas flow. Create a mental framework, some kind of outline for what’s to come.

Now that I am completely in control of my schedule, I accomplish my more menial tasks first. Social media posts, my wellness vacation proposals, and anything else that involves more of a checklist approach feel almost easy and systematic to complete. For my larger to-dos, especially those that involve blogging, I allow myself time to come up with an article idea and step away. When doing so, I find myself more focused and creative when I return to the task — especially when up against a deadline. Turns out that my procrastination (or managed delay, as I now call it) wasn’t such a bad thing. Maybe that means I'll finally write that book that I've been thinking about one day.


Rethinking procrastination: positive effects of "active" procrastination behavior on attitudes and performance.


Source

Department of Organizational Psychology, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA.
Researchers and practitioners have long regarded procrastination as a self-handicapping and dysfunctional behavior. In the present study, the authors proposed that not all procrastination behaviors either are harmful or lead to negative consequences. Specifically, the authors differentiated two types of procrastinators: passive procrastinators versus active procrastinators. Passive procrastinators are procrastinators in the traditional sense. They are paralyzed by their indecision to act and fail to complete tasks on time. In contrast, active procrastinators are a "positive" type of procrastinator. They prefer to work under pressure, and they make deliberate decisions to procrastinate. The present results showed that although active procrastinators procrastinate to the same degree as passive procrastinators, they are more similar to nonprocrastinators than to passive procrastinators in terms of purposive use of time, control of time, self-efficacy belief, coping styles, and outcomes including academic performance. The present findings offer a more sophisticated understanding of procrastination behavior and indicate a need to reevaluate its implications for outcomes of individuals.
PMID: 
15959999    
[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

In a new book, University of San Diego professor Frank Partnoy argues that the key to success is waiting for the last possible moment to make a decision

Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/Why-Procrastination-is-Good-for-You-162358476.html#ixzz2MCmWjx4G 
Interesting excerpts from the above article....

But if you look at recent studies, managing delay is an important tool for human beings. People are more successful and happier when they manage delay. Procrastination is just a universal state of being for humans. We will always have more things to do than we can possibly do, so we will always be imposing some sort of unwarranted delay on some tasks. The question is not whether we are procrastinating, it is whether we are procrastinating well.

When does it cross from good to bad?

Some scientists have argued that there are two kinds of procrastination: active procrastination and passive procrastination. Active procrastination means you realize that you are unduly delaying mowing the lawn or cleaning your closet, but you are doing something that is more valuable instead. Passive procrastination is just sitting around on your sofa not doing anything. That clearly is a problem.

Question one is: what is the longest amount of time I can take before doing this? What time world am I living in? Step two is, delay the response or the decision until the very last possible moment. If it is a year, wait 364 days. If it’s an hour, wait 59 minutes.

For example, a professional tennis player has about 500 milliseconds to return a serve. A tennis court is 78 feet baseline-to-baseline, and professional tennis serves come in at well over 100 miles per hour. Most of us would say that a professional tennis player is better than an amateur because they are so fast. But, in fact, what I found and what the studies of superfast athletes show is that they are better because they are slow. They are able to perfect their stroke and response to free up as much time as possible between the actual service of the ball and the last possible millisecond when they have to return it.

What else surprised you?

Most people are taught that you should apologize right away. But I was surprised to find that, in most cases, delayed apologies are more effective. If you’ve wronged a spouse or partner or colleague in some substantive, intentional way, they will want time to process information about what you’ve done. If you acknowledge what you did, and delay the apology, then the wronged party has a chance to tell you how they feel in response, and your apology is much more meaningful.

Do you have any practical advice for how people can learn to better manage delay?

Just take a breath. Take more pauses. Stare off into the distance. Ask yourself the first question of this two-step process: What is the maximum amount of time I have available to respond? When I get emails now, instead of responding right away, I ask myself this. It might seem rude, and it did feel rude at first. But the reality is if you respond to every email instantaneously you are going to make your life much more difficult. If the email really doesn’t have to be responded to for a week, I simply cut the information out of the email and paste it into my calendar for one week from today. I free up time today that I can spend on something else, and I’ll be unconsciously working on the question asked in the email for a week.

Strawberry Sorbet Recipe


Healthy Strawberry Sorbet Recipe

Strawberry Sorbet Recipe
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • one pound of frozen strawberries
  • one cup of ice cubes
  • 2 droppers of liquid stevia
  • matcha green tea powder (optional)
Instructions
  1. Blend ingredients until mix is creamy but is also icy.
  2. Scoop sorbet into bowls and place into freezer until desired texture is reached.
  3. Immediately before serving, dust with matcha green tea powder.
  4. Serve and enjoy.

The Fertile Desert



Black Rock City - Burning Man 2011

LOVE

Almond Butter Sesame Noodles


Yield: 4 servings
Almond Butter Sesame Noodles

Ingredients
    For the almond butter sauce:
  • 1/4 cup almond butter
  • 1/4 cup tamari
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon agave nectar
  • 1 small clove garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger (or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger)
  • 1 teaspoon sriracha hot sauce (optional)
  • For the noodles:
  • 2 (12-ounce) bags kelp noodles, rinsed and drained
  • 2 medium carrots, peeled if desired and cut into matchsticks
  • 1 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into matchsticks
  • 3 green onions, white and light green parts thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup dry cashews (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together all sauce ingredients.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the noodles, carrot, and bell pepper. Add the almond butter sauce and toss to coat.
  3. Refrigerate for 2 hours, until chilled, or serve immediately. Garnish with the green onion, cashews, and sesame seeds just before serving.
Notes
Substitutions
• Tamari: soy sauce, nama shoyu, or liquid aminos
• Agave nectar: coconut nectar or any other liquid sweetener
• Kelp noodles: see Chef’s Tips below
• Cashews: dry-roasted peanuts
• Sesame seeds: hempseeds
Chef’s Tips
• You have numerous choices for what type of noodle to use in this dish. Here are some suggestions:
- 1 (8-ounce) package soba noodles
- 1 (8-ounce) package udon noodles
- 1 (8-ounce) package whole wheat spaghetti noodles
- 1 (8-ounce) package gluten-free brown rice noodles
- 2 (12-ounce) packages kelp noodles (no need to cook; just rinse and drain)
- 4 (8-ounce) packages tofu shirataki noodles
- 4 medium zucchini or yellow squash, peeled if desired, spiralized
• Remember to precook the noodles ahead of time for quick and easy assembly.
• If you don’t have agave nectar or another liquid sweetener on hand, you can use 1 tablespoon granulated sugar plus 1 teaspoon water instead.
• Feel free to add more veggies or change up which vegetables you use. Snow peas, sliced mushrooms, and shredded cabbage all make nice additions.
Variations
• Peanut Butter Sesame Noodles: Use peanut butter and dry-roasted peanuts in place of the almond butter and cashews.
• Protein-Packed Sesame Noodles: Bulk this dish up by adding cubed baked tofu or tempeh.

Kale Salads

Kale Tahini Salad




  • 1/2 cup tahini 
  • 1/4 cup olive oil (or reduce the oil to 2 tbs & add a little h2o to get the desired consistency)
  • 1/4 cup filtered water 
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice 
  • 1 chipotle chile in adobo, drained, seeds removed 
  • 1 teaspoon agave nectar 
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin 
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander 
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt 
  • 1 bunch kale, tough stems removed, roughly chopped (6 to 8 cups) 
  • 1 large ripe tomato, cored, seeded, and diced 
  • 4 teaspoons hempseeds 
Work your magic: 
  • Combine the tahini, oil, water, lemon juice, chipotle, agave, cumin, coriander, and salt in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. (Alternatively, omit the chipotle or replace with 1 teaspoon chili powder and whisk all ingredients together in a medium bowl.)
  • Place the kale in a large bowl and add the tahini dressing. Use your hands to thoroughly massage the dressing into the kale until it is softened and completely coated
  • Divide between four serving plates or bowls and top each portion with the diced tomato and 1 teaspoon hempseeds. 
Substitutions

• Chipotle: fresh jalapeño, seeded and chopped, or 1 teaspoon chili powder

• Agave nectar: coconut nectar or any other liquid sweetener
• Tomato: 1 1/2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
• Hempseeds: sesame seeds


Moroccan Kale Salad
  • 1 bunch Tuscan kale, ribs removed and roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 medium carrot, peeled and finely grated (about ½ cup)
  • Half a crisp apple--peeled, cored and finely chopped
  • ¼ cup golden raisins
  • ¼ cup sliced raw almonds
  • 3 tablespoons pitted oil-cured olives (about 9 olives), halved
And your almost there....

Moroccan Kale Salad

  • In a medium bowl, combine the kale with the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt. Using your hands, massage the kale until the olive oil is coating the leaves and they begin to wilt, about 1 minute
  • In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice with the cumin and turmeric. Add the mixture to the kale and continue to massage the leaves until well combined
  • Add the carrot, apple, raisins, almonds, olives and hemp seeds, if using, and toss until just combined. Season with salt and pepper. Let the salad rest for 10 minutes, then serve
    - yummy kale......mmmm

Quinoa, Kale with Tumeric Dressing


  • 1 cup cooked red quinoa
  • 1 bunch curly kale, chopped into small pieces
  • Half a sweet potato, grated
  • 1 zucchini, grated
  • 1 carrot, grated
  • 1 small fennel, diced into small pieces
  • ½ cup sunflower seeds or pine nuts
  • 2 shallots, thinly chopped
  • 2 lemongrass stalks, thinly chopped

Dressing
  • 2 tbsp freshly minced turmeric
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp lemon rind
  • 4 drops Stevia
  • Pinch of salt

Cook quinoa according to packet directions. Once it is cooked and has cooled down, mix it together with the kale in a large bowl. Combine in all other ingredients until they are stirred through evenly.

Place all salad dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well until all ingredients are combined. If the dressing seems too thick add some more apple cider vinegar to achieve a thinner consistency. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir through until the kale has softened slightly. Serve and enjoy!  This salad will last 3 or 4 days so it's great for lunches :)

Garbanzo Bean And Raw Kale Salad With Lemon-Turmeric Dressing
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • dash cayenne pepper (or to taste)
  • 1 packed cup kale, thinly sliced
  • One 15 oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons red onion, finely diced
  • 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced

Kale, Quinoa, Citrus and Dijon Salad
  • ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 cloves minced garlic
  • 1½ cup rinsed quinoa
  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 bunch dinosaur kale, cut into chiffonade (about 4 cups)
  • zest of 2 lemons
  • juice of those 2 lemons
  • ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon real maple syrup
  • 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons minced Italian parsley
  • Sea salt to taste
And your off...
  • Mince the garlic and put aside ¼ of it for the dressing
  • Heat a heavy pot over medium heat for 15 seconds add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil shimmers (in 15-30 seconds), add the remaining ¾ of the minced garlic and let it “sweat” for 1 minute. Add rinsed quinoa, turmeric, and 1 teaspoon of salt, and stir to coat. Toast for 30 seconds
  • Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes — do not stir. When time’s up, remove the pot from the burner and fluff with a fork, then leave uncovered for 10 minutes
  • Meanwhile, “massage” the kale with ½ teaspoon salt in a large bowl for a minute (kale will shrink in volume). Squeeze the kale and discard the juices that come out of it
  • In a glass measuring cup, add ¼ cup olive oil, the lemon zest and juice, maple syrup, dijon mustard, black pepper and parsley and whisk together
  • Add quinoa to the bowl with the kale, cover with dressing, and stir it all together. Serve chilled or at room temperature

Thai Chili Coconut Zucchini Noodles




Thai Chili Coconut Zucchini Noodles
Serves 2

Sauce:
1/2 cup young coconut meat
2 Tbsp raw coconut butter
1 habanero or thai chili, seeds removed
2 Tbsp raw peanut butter or almond butter
coconut water as needed (or filtered water)
1 small 1/2 inch piece ginger
1 clove garlic
sea salt to taste
juice and zest of a small organic lime

4 small zucchini cut juilenne or spiralized
1 bell pepper, cut julienne
1 medium carrot, cut julienne
1/4 cup finely shredded dried coconut plus more for sprinkling

In a blender, combine the sauce ingredients and process until smooth.  In a large bowl, combine the sauce with the zuchinni and bell pepper, carrot and 1/4 cup coconut and toss to coat.  Place on two plates and sprinkle with additional coconut.  Serve!

Avocado Lime Popsicles

Avocado Lime Popsicles










Avocado Lime Popsicles

Yields 6 to 12 popsicles
1 cup filtered water
2 over-ripe bananas
2 avocados
Juice and zest of 1 lime
Dash unrefined sea salt
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Transfer to Popsicle molds.
2. Freeze for at least 24 hours before serving.

Banana Bread




















IngredientsCombine in a large bowl:
2 c whole spelt flour (or whole wheat or barley - or a mix of flours)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp soda
1 tsp baking powder
-
Combine separately
3 lg very ripe bananas (about 1&1/2c) - mashed
2 eggs
*1/2 c brown sugar or sucanat
1/2 c milk (or substitute or sweet fruit juice/less sugar)
zest of a lemon or orange (optional)
2 tsp vanilla or 1 Tbsp dark rum, amaretto etc.
-
Lightly fold and mix wet and dry until just incorporated.
-
Optional: Fold in approximately:
1/2 c chopped walnuts or pecans
1/3 - 1/2 c dark chocolate pieces
1/2 c chopped dates, cranberries, blueberries......

Directions

Pour into a generously greased and dusted loaf pan - any smallish pan will work.
Bake at 350 for about 50 min - a toothpick inserted in center should come out clean.
Wait 10 minutes before removing from pan and placing on a rack to cool.
Enjoy :-)

* For sugar-free or a lower-sugar banana bread, replace the sugar with 1/3c of unsweetened fruit juice concentrate (apple, orange, white grape), agave syrup, maple syrup or honey.
http://mixmag.net/words/news/what-is-the-greatest-dance-track-of-all-time

http://rollingstoneindia.com/the-25-djs-that-rule-the-earth/

Art

“I think everything in life is art.

What you do.

How you dress.

The way you love someone,
and how you talk.

Your smile and your personality.

What you believe in,
and all your dreams.

The way you drink your tea.

How you decorate your home.

Or party.

Your grocery list. The food you make. 

How your writing looks.

And the way you feel.

Life is art.” 

~ Unknown

Cancer-Fighting Kale Burger (Vegan Recipe)

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-7696/cancer-fighting-kale-burger-vegan-recipe.html
By Lauren Imparato

Yes, you read correctly! This I.AM.YOU. burger recipe is made to fight cancer, inflammation, autoimmune diseases and boost your alkalinity, immune function, and overall health.

And, it is de-lish!

Here's how:
In a Cuisinart or Blender add cooked kale, cooked broccoli (both sauteed or steamed), raw baby spinach & garlic.




This is giving you alkalinty, gluconsinolates, fiber, antioxidants, omegas, isothiocyanates, and everything else good you can imagine.

Blend until tiny and slightly soft/mushy.

In a skillet, add olive oil on medium heat. As it warms, make the burger patties with your hands.

Place the burgers on the pan and let cook until crisp to taste. In the meantime, top your cancer-fighting condiments: avocado, tomato, onion, lettuce. This is how you get your omegas, lycopene, sulfides, alkalinity.

Toast a bun or bread if you like. Here, I use asiago sourdough bread from a local baker. Latest cancer studies are showing a direct link between calcium in dairy and cancer prevention, particularly breast cancer.

When the patties are ready, assemble, drool, and enjoy.

Now you can eat a burger every day and literally get healthier as you do! It could even help you lose some weight and detox easily.... (hint hint)

For 8 burgers, I used 1 quart of steamed kale, 1.5 cups steamed broccoli, 1 box raw organic baby spinach, 3 cloves of garlic.