Food Elimination

Two months out of the year, I do a liver cleanse, in January and in July. This isn't dangerous, and yes, I know what I'm doing. The cleanse is facilitated by my physician, and I use a medical food (that provides the protein I need) that can't be purchased over the counter. The cleanse entails eliminating foods over a two-three week period and then slowly adding them back into my diet. The foods that are eliminated (slowly) are typically soy based, corn based, sweeteners, caffeine, meat, dairy, peanuts, gluten based grains/veggie-meat alternatives, eggs, and tomatoes/acid based fruits.

I'm currently on my seventh cleanse, and each one is an advent ure in letting go, discipline, self-awareness, compassion, time management, and creativity. The cleanses do get easier in that I know what to expect, and I allow for quiet time and the least amount of activity as possible, especially when the most variety of foods are eliminated from my diet.

Currently, I'm into the second week of my first cleanse of 2012, and I've lost 7 pounds, without trying! A cleanse is not about losing weight, and I have never lost weight with a cleanse before, but I've cut back significantly on the white rice and buckwheat, which are permissible, and sticking with the fruits and veggies, and it's just coming off. Cleanses are not about weight loss!

This morning, I thought of my great grandparents, and I can imagine that they would have a hard time wrapping their minds around needing to do a liver detox and food elimination. They rarely ate meat, and while they did eat dairy, it wasn't full of chemicals and hormones. Their diet consisted of homemade pasta made of whole grains and vegetables. No need for them to do liver cleanses and food eliminations. They faced few pollutants, toxins, and chemicals.

So, today, I am feeling the deeper effects of the cleanse. There's an awareness of layers of old stuff being cleansed from my body, an energetic cleaning that is preparing me for something. That something is a mystery to me, but I know my bodymind and spirit well, and there's movement that's facilitated with a cleanse. The movement happens as a result of the letting go and surrender that is required for a peaceful cleanse. Without it, there's a constant struggle as food cravings and beliefs about food hammer away at the mind - things like, "I can't live without meat protein. I need milk to live. What will I eat if I can't have eggs?"

From a physical perspective, the numbers that my doctors focus on - the triglycerides, good/bad cholesterol, inflammatory indices have been beyond normal - more like utterly fantastic. I have a genetic predisposition for high cholesterol, but I am not obese, and I eat a vegetarian diet, so that has never been an issue. Since starting the cleanses, my numbers are incredible. To me, these numbers are an added benefit to an already deeper blessing.

That blessing is the greater inner awareness and opening in my body and spirit that is created when I let go of the attachments around food, and the space that is created in my body for new and greater energetic and physical miracles and possibilities.

To my great grandparents, "I'm thinking of you, great grandma and grandpa, today as I do what I know how to do to live vibrantly in a world that is so different from the one you knew."
Denise Chicoine
Founder, Soulful Life, LLC

Merry Christmas

On a day when we celebrate the Gift of light and joy through the birth of Jesus Christ, I was reminded of some obscure and long ago memories of my youth. Not that I'm old, mind you. I've often wrote about when I receive my inspiration and when the creative flow moves most swiftly through me; it's typically around three a.m. I awoke last night remembering a man that worked at the same retail store as I did when I was in high school.

The first time I met Charles, he was coming into work at the end of the day to clean the store. He was friendly and very social. While I could understand him well, I noticed that the people around me never knew what he was saying. Curious.

One day, my boss asked him to sign his time card, and he placed an 'X' on the line. I learned that day that Charles was illiterate. He shared some of the hardships he had endured throughout his life.

This struck a deep cord in me, a person with a deep attachment to books and reading and writing. I was young, and I had never met someone who couldn't read or write, but in that moment I understood why his speech and language ability was so impaired. In that moment, I learned about life. I learned that life isn't fair and that fellow humans endure sufferings I had only just begun to understand.

In the midst of his challenges, Charles was always happy. He moved me with his bright spirit, never cross or withholding. I often wondered how I'd behave with the same limitations. And then, I thought of my great grandmother.

She wasn't illiterate, but she never learned English having come from Italy and living amongst her own in an Italian neighborhood in Chicago. She never wrote in Italian because there was no one to write home to. When she tried to learn English by speaking to the other women in the mill where she worked, they made fun of her of her accent. She quit, feeling humiliated. Thinking of that now makes me sad. I wish I had been there to encourage her to defend herself and persevere.

Both of these situations have a common foundation. Charles had a loving wife and children; my great grandmother had a loving husband and children who adored her. In the end, they had family to buoy them when the world was tough, unjust, and cruel. Perhaps hearing about my great grandmother's life prepared me to open my heart to Charles, not judge him or turn away from him when he wanted company and conversation.

The world hasn't changed much since the days of my great grandmother. There are ever increasing numbers of people who can't speak English entering our country, and the NAAL (National Assessment of Adult Literacy) estimate that 14% of US residents have extreme difficulty with reading and written comprehension. These individuals can be considered illiterate.

On this Christmas day, when the memory of Charles entered my consciousness, I am grateful for having known him and having been moved by his story and example of happiness in the midst of struggle. God bless you, Charles, wherever you are.

My mom made a traditional Italian meal tonight, one that would have meant a day's journey by mule in Italy for my great grandmother in order to buy the necessary ingredients. We spoke of our ancestors at dinner as a way to keep their spirit alive, a spirit of hope, strength, wisdom, and love.

As the new year approaches, may you be embraced by the love and support of family, hold on to hope amidst pain, and grow in love, compassion, and understanding for your fellow brothers and sisters who share your world.

Denise Chicoine

Founder, Soulful Life, LLC

A Gentle Return

Another Christmas season is upon us, and as I look back at the past year, I marvel at how much my life has changed. The date of my last blog entry marked the beginning of a tough year. Tough because I found myself drowning in unexpected grief and loss. I chose to navigate through the pain in private, not sharing the highs and lows of such a profoundly personal journey. While my insights and experiences may have been helpful to some, I found comfort in going inward, creating silence and space within, in order to heal.

I put my usual, daily routine on hold, and plunged unapologetically into joy-filled, life-engaging pursuits. Internally, quiet and nested; externally, expressive and expansive. Discovering a vibrant life on the other side of grief was unexpected but streamed through in rays of happiness and joy. Too often denied, loss and good-byes persist as they are intimately woven into and essential to the human experience. I look at them differently now, more like portals to the next adventure and sun-drenched horizon.

Healing continues. My gratitude to loved ones and new friends whose patient and loving presence bouyed a weary soul. Recipes that Endure was also shelved this year as I took a long look at the traditions and generational patterns that persist in me and my mom. While a cookbook can be a simple, straightforward project, I wanted to closely examine the familial blueprint etched within me over countless generations. This may sound like useless, painstaking work, but that's where I live! Not afraid to do the work! The end result is a clearer vision for the book and my future; one that is grounded in service and love.

I will be posting vegetarian and vegan recipes to the blog moving forward, so please look for those.
Essentials of a Vegetarian Kitchen is available on Amazon.

Here's to keeping the heart open and the dream alive!

Denise Chicoine
Founder, Soulful Life, LLC

What You Can't See Coming

When I started this blog I thought I understood what acceptance meant. I had no idea.

Since the last post, my life is very different. My business is ending, and I'm starting a new one.
Endings are brutally painful, and I'm coming through this one with a healing that is unexpected.

I'm allowing this transition to happen, just surrendering to it completely. No trying, no pushing, and no more resistance. I'm just too tired, and when I let go, a peace and calm fill me that is not of this world.

My new book will be out soon: Essentials of a Vegetarian Kitchen, and I'm excited!

So, acceptance - more like surrender, open, free, and liberation.

Look for more posts in the coming months.

When You're Not Looking

So, we're working on the cookbook, and life just happens alongside these projects. In an ideal world, I have all day, everyday to complete it. I have my mom's full attention, and she works diligently to help with the recipes. Then, I wake up.

However, I have written so much over the last six years with all the teaching I've done. I started looking at everything I've written, and guess what? I have a great how-to manual for those folks wishing to update and expand their kitchens to a more vegetarian version. The new book will be published this month, and it's called Essentials of a Vegetarian Kitchen.

Shots for the cover were taken a couple weeks ago, and they turned out great. I'm thrilled! Despite the hectic schedules and various projects, a delightful book has emerged.

There is no such thing as, "I'll do that when... (I'm retired, less busy, weigh less, married, single, pregnant, finished with school, debt free)." Life is happening NOW, and amidst all of it, the dreams and plans and goals happen. No time to waste, and no looking to the future, waiting for something to happen.

Look for Essentials of a Vegetarian Kitchen by the end of this month!

Sketches

I've decided to add my personal sketches to the cookbook. They will be simple pencil drawings, and I'm looking forward to working on them. Drawing is a great stress reliever, and is so much fun for me. I'm sure you know what I mean when I say that creativity feeds on itself. Cooking is a creative venture, and so is writing. Both fuel my drawing, and vice versa. Great stuff!

www.healingpartnersllc.com

Beliefs

My cooking class in March proved to be very interesting, and while I haven't written about it, there were quite a group of individuals who attended. Vegetarian/vegan cooking classes draw all kinds of people, mostly non-vegetarians - people looking to include more plant based meals into their diet. Well, in March, this proved to be the case. However, there were several that stand out in my mind.

Two women arrived with an aura of resistance around them. One a self proclaimed gourmet cook, and the other, a vegetarian looking to please her non-vegetarian husband and still remain a healthy vegetarian herself. Both came with the attitude of already knowing "everything" about vegetarian cooking, and I wondered why they were there.

Belief Systems

A New Belief

There was a woman who reminds me of a friend of mine. She talked with me after class. She shared some information I find intriguing. She told me that she is now a Buddhist. I know a bit about Buddhism, primariy with regard to death and dying, and non-violence. She shared that she is trying to learn to cook vegetarian meals now since Buddhists don't eat meat, and that she found herself in a situation where she was offered meat as a guest. (I don't know all the details to this story, but the general gist). I understood her to say that the Buddhist belief permits eating meat in this situation because it was offered and thus, considered a gift. When she said this, I remember crinkling my forehead and thinking to myself, "Huh?" I saw and heard hesitation in her voice. She clearly was having a hard time reconciling the new "need" to be a vegetarian with the permission to eat meat when it's interpreted as a gift.

Another Way

A close friend koshered her kitchen a few years back. When she told me that she brought all of her cookware to the temple for blessing and had to get rid of much that was in her kitchen, it didn't dawn on me that she could never eat out, or eat at my home again, unless I cooked kosher food or she brought her own food.

I visited her one afternoon, and when I went to put cream in my coffee, I checked out the ingredients in the creamer, and they were less than great. The creamer was kosher. The ingredients included artificial flavoring and hydrogenated oil, and I believe corn syrup as the sweetener. In any case, I passed on putting it in my coffee.

When we follow a spiritual path, are we meant to abandon common sense or stop listening to our own hearts and bodies? Do we eat something that is less than healthy for us because our spiritual path says it's okay?

My Own Way

My world is not black and white, but varying shades of gray. That is where I feel most comfortable, in between the rules and lines and structure. I am so grateful to my ancestors for their deep devotion and spirituality, and I have carved my own unique way of being. Food is an important consideration in any belief system, and yet deeply personal. For me, my heart and current knowledge will help me decide what to eat, no matter my spiritual beliefs or those of my ancestors.

www.healingpartnersllc.com

Listening

Well, I've finished adding food back into my diet after a food elimination. This is always an interesting process, and now life is returning to normal, at least for my husband. He "suffers" the most from the menu changes I implement in our kitchen. No major problems with any foods as I continue to avoid dairy, corn, and most gluten. I do this based on how my body feels. I feel best without these ingredients - that means, I have more energy, think more clearly, have less aches, and my mood is consistent regardless of what my hormones are doing.

Consciously listening to the messages of the body is a significant aspect of a meaningful and healthy life. This generally requires taking time to quiet the mind and body, and paying attention to the loud and many times subtle sensations of the body. These sensations are meant to get our attention.

My body goes through major shifts with a food elimination, and that means that my diet shifts and changes as well. I never know what I'll be eating after I'm finished. While my current vegetarian/vegan diet is starkly different from my ancestors, there are several important similarities that rise up and get my attention, almost daily: Organic, locally grown food (whenever possible) and a connection to nature; Time in the kitchen preparing whole food from scratch; Belief that food nourishes not just the body but the soul.

The last point is the most interesting to me, and is kind of a similarity. I would lead with "food nourishes the body and the soul" and my ancestors would lead with "food nourishes the soul and feeds the body".

In either case, the feeling derived from the food experience as a whole is the bottom line. How I wish I could cook with my great grandmother now - I use her mortar and pestle, and well, that makes my heart swell.

www.healingpartnersllc.com

Food Share

During my nearly 20 years of teaching energy based techniques and practices, including Reiki, Feng Shui, Space Clearing, and Yoga, I've met a lot of interesting people. Participants arrive to these kinds of classes very enthusiastic. They are typically yearning for information to help them change their lives in a positive way. The primary thing I've observed about participants in these classes is that they are like sponges - just absorbing every bit of information. For most, the information is really new, so they don't generally come to the table with much to say about the topics. Of course, as they learn the techniques, then they begin to share about how the techniques may be applied in their lives. But up until that point, they tend to soak up the info.

With cooking classes, however, this is quite a different story. Shopping for food, cooking and eating are common experiences amongst all of us. As a result, most folks have things to say about these experiences, both positive and negative. We all have a relationship with food that is based on really deep beliefs about our bodies, family, how we age, how our world functions, etc.

So, in cooking classes, I get to hear more about these beliefs because so many of the participant's beliefs come into question when it comes to food and making decisions about what to eat. When people start to learn about nutrition, specifically, this generates a lot of discussion, and for many, a lot of internal conflict.

The bottom line for most people is how their bodies feel when they begin choosing healthier foods. I know that's been the case for me and my family. Experience is the key - trying new foods and staying open to new tastes. Over time, most find that healthier options really do make a difference in how they feel, how they move, how they think.

I love hearing the inspirational stories people tell when they begin making positive changes in their lives, and that is the joy of teaching.



www.healingpartnersllc.com

Naturally

Last week at this time, I was preparing for my March cooking class. The focus was seitan - wheat gluten, a perfect meat substitute for those without gluten sensitivity. Cooking classes draw fascinating groups of people together that would not otherwise gather. There were meat eaters who were looking for healthy alternatives, vegetarians looking for another option, and everything in between. I was happy to see 2 men in the crowd.

Maintaining a vegetarian lifestyle requires commitment. To sustain the commitment, each person needs to have their own personal reason(s) for doing so that go deep down to the core of their being. Without conviction, changing a lifestyle is difficult to sustain over time. Being a healthy vegetarian requires time and effort, particularly in the kitchen, but there's the menu planning and the shopping. Typically, this falls to the woman in the home, and more men are enjoying cooking, but rarely do they do the planning or shopping.

About half way into the 2 hour class, a woman asked a question that I've never heard before. I've been teaching classes for 22 years as a nurse, energy worker, yoga teacher, and her question got my attention. Actually, I think she stated outloud what many feel but don't articulate.

She said something like, "Doesn't (eating like) this just come naturally?" I asked her to repeat what she said because I didn't get what she was talking about. When I finally responded to her, I said, "No, this way of eating doesn't come naturally. Making healthy choices requires your consciousness. I want you to bring your full consciousness to the process of making decisions about what you eat." I added a few things about mindfulness, too.

Even now as I write about this, I'm almost speechless.

I've always been a firm believer that education, knowledge, and information are the key to positive, healthy, life-altering/sustainable change. I give this woman credit for coming to the class - vegetarian cooking is very foreign to her. She did see that it is not as hard as people think. Vegetables are not our enemies, and our bodies love them. Of course, there are ingredients and essentials to a well-rounded vegetarian kitchen, and these new ingredients can feel overwhelming to a person eating the S.A.D. (standard American diet).

As with vegetarian cooking and lifestyle, nothing in life just comes naturally. There is a difference between passive/apathetic/indifferent and using intuition to guide us in each day and moment. We can "go with the flow" when we're engaged in life, listening to the messages around and within us, living consciously, coming to our day to day tasks awake, and paying attention to the details of our lives. Then, our lives do "appear" to happen naturally.

If we wait for things to just happen, they likely never will. Our attention and willingness to participate is required for a vibrant, deeply satisfying life.

In April - sweet and spicy tempeh & veggies with rice noodles, and much more!


www.healingpartnersllc.com

The Young Ones

Four years ago, a young woman began taking yoga classes with me. I was interested in teaching children's yoga, and she thought she'd try it. She quickly realized that she loved yoga. Four years later, she now receives private yoga instruction from me and my colleague. The other night, she mentioned that she's considering becoming a vegetarian. I asked her about her motivation, and she said, "animal cruelty". I have heard that from many vegetarians.

Rarely do I hear that people become vegetarians for health reasons. Instead, there is an ah-ha moment. Education is the key, and once the facts are put forth about how factory farming is cruel to animals (and hurting our environment), many people are willing to make a change.

Her parents are concerned that she isn't old enough to eat a vegetarian diet, and that she won't get all the nutrients she needs, particularly protein. This is a common misconception, and again, education is the key. Our ancestors ate nowhere near the amount of meat that Americans consume today, and they were healthier for it. We need 15g of protein at each meal, and we can get that amount, easily, through legumes (beans/lentils), grains, soy, seitan. The phytonutrients needed for a healthy body don't come from meat - they come from fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts/seeds, healthy oils.

How to begin incorporating these new foods is typically overwhelming for people. Where to shop, how to cook with new ingredients, finding recipes - all of it seems like too much in a day to day world, that for many, is already too overwhelming. The beauty of healthy vegetarian cooking is that it's simple because the ingredients are whole (not processed) and more pure.

Last fall, during my 4-week cooking class series, 2 mothers attended, not because they personally were invested in living a vegetarian lifestyle, but because their daughters were already vegetarians - one was 12 and the other 17. The young ones seem to be leading the way with greater knowledge and an openness to change.

The topic of food and nutrition is always heated because we are so emotionally tied to our foods. The key is to look at the source of our food - where does it come from and how was it produced? When the facts are understood, there will be no more arguments. We can agree on farming practices that don't hurt the environment and practices that don't inflict cruelty on animals. When we focus on what we can agree on, we can move forward with the discussion on being a vegetarian.

www.healingpartnersllc.com

Food Elimination

I've just finished adding foods back into my diet after the food elimination, and all went well. Life has returned to normal, for my husband, at least. He "suffers" the most during these food eliminations, always wondering how our menus are going to change. I continued to avoid dairy, corn, and most gluten. I do so because I feel better when I don't eat these food groups. These periods of allowing my body to rest are interesting; I never know how I'm going to feel when it's all done.

The key word here is feel. Listening to the signals and messages of the body is not a new subject on this blog. However, there is something unique about food elimination. On the surface, this may appear harsh or particularly difficult, but in my experience, time and space become available for other activities including contemplation and self-reflection., and in the end I'm left feeling vibrant.

During these times when the body is taking a break from its usual fare, I think of my ancestors. How I wish I could cook with my great grandmother, and I often use her mortar and pestle to feel close to her. I become ever more aware of the differences and similarities between my life and beliefs and my ancestors'. They would say, "food nourishes the soul and feeds the body" - focusing on the ritual of eating and food as the center of family life. I would say, "food nourishes the body and the soul" - focusing on the nutrients of the food as they nourish the cells. The ritual is important, but the ingredients even more.

When the body and mind rest, awareness grows, at least for me. Here's what I've been thinking today. They weren't consumed with whether or not their food was organic or locally grown - it just was. I work hard to support local, organic farms. They appreciated, at the physical and emotional level, the gift of nature, and so do I. The women cooked in the kitchen, exclusively, from scratch, using whole foods; me too. As I think of these, I'm so grateful to the women for their love and sacrifice for the family.

They might not have understood a food elimination, but they didn't need to - their food was whole, simple, and nutrient rich. I hope to convey that vibrancy in the book's recipes that will be shared.



www.healingpartnersllc.com

The Story

After a brain-storming session with my business partner, the story behind the cookbook has come more fully into the light. I'm very excited to begin laying out recipes and stories. I can see and feel the structure of the book, and while this has taken more time than I anticipated, the creative process cannot be rushed. The details of the book are, by far, the most enjoyable for me.

The spring time will be full of experimentation - cooking those old family recipes in a vegan way. Before that starts, I'll be writing and organizing. More importantly, I'll be continuing to add food back in my diet - whole grains, or whole wheat pastry flour to be more specific, is the last of the foods I need to add back in. Once I am back on the grains, veganizing the family recipes can begin. Looking forward to that!

www.healingpartnersllc.com

Catch Up

Since the holidays, life has been a blur. Winter has hit us hard, and the Christmas holiday trumped any other activities, particularly updating the blog. January is typically a transition month for me with cleaning, organizing and setting my intentions for the new year. Early January, I guided a group of enthusiastic women i the creation of their own vision seed map. This is a powerful tool for discovering what is buried deep in the subconscious that we can put to work for the manifestation f our dreams and desires.

Cooking classes will resume in March after a full month of nutritional seminars in February. The cookbook is on the agenda, and I'm looking forward to getting back to it. 2010 is beginning with a lot of unexpected personal surprises, mostly positive. What I had planned for the first part of the year is quickly shifting. Just going with the flow and doing what I love.

In the fall, I made the decision to do another liver detox and food elimination for the month of January. While I've completed the initial 28 days, adding foods back into my diet actually takes several more weeks. I just added soy back with very little problems, and soon I will add back whole grains - gluten. The process is different each time, regardless of previous experience. This time around, I was more lightheaded than before. The purpose of the cleanse is to cleanse the body of toxins and give the body a rest, specifically the liver, from the foods that are most allergenic and inflammatory. Since I don't eat meat, processed foods, processed sugars and flours, and I don't drink coffee or alcohol, eliminating soy and wheat were the biggies.

The experience of pulling away from food for a month or more and examining my dependence and belief system around food is always fascinating. There are always deeper releases that go beyond the physical body, and this time was no exception. On the one hand, my body feels so light and energized, and there's grief, too, from not being able to eat certain foods. You would think I was going to be without food for the rest of my life! The inner struggle is interesting to observe, and I highly recommend this process - it's life changing.

There is much on the horizon this coming year, and I look forward to sharing the progress of the cookbook.

www.healingpartnersllc.com

Holidays

Well, the holidays have come and gone, well sort of - it's only January 3rd. Everyone I talked to this year said similar things - the holiday season felt different from years past. I agree, and I wonder, "What are the holidays supposed to feel like?" Several situations arose where I chose not to participate in the meal ritual, i.e. drinking wine, eating cheese, and this caused a moment of angst for some of my family. This is nothing unusual - family is generally the first to question any food choices that differ from the status quo, especially during the holidays. I'm used to it by now.

Why do we put so much importance on the where, when, and what of things? How about just being grateful for having family present, grateful for our health, grateful for the abundance in our lives? I guess we're creatures of habit. For me, I really don't care what other people eat on the holidays. Christmas is still Christmas with or without certain foods.

I believe that we are redefining our lives, some of us consciously, and others unconsciuosly. Nonetheless, significant life events are going to feel different as the energy shifts around us. In the end, nothing stays the same. Change is inevitable.

My mom and I cooked this holiday, and I refined my vegan chocolate chip recipe. Yum! We enjoyed those cookies all season. I decided to experiment in the kitchen with millet and brown rice, and that was interesting. We were attempting to make croquettes without using eggs, and that is possible, but certainly not usual. Somewhere during our second attempt, my mom said, "My grandmother is turning over in her grave." We both laughed. Polenta and arborio rice were the extent of their "grains", and eggs were a staple. We finally got it work, and the croquettes were delicious.

I say, let's worry less about how it used to be or how we think it ought to be, and create our lives moment by moment according to our individual truth. My truth may not be yours. That's okay. We can live in peace and harmony despite our differences.

www.healingpartnersllc.com

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

Last week I was a guest on What's the Point?, a show on WHUS, the University of Connecticut radio. The show was dedicated to gratitude, and we spent the entire two hours discussing ways to cultivate more gratitude, and the positive, lifelong gifts an attitude of gratitude offers.

Today, one of the greatest gifts I received was cooking with my mom. We really jived together, cutting and dicing and washing and drying - it was magic. The phone rang all day with friends calling to wish us a happy Thanksgiving. We felt so appreciated and loved. Of course, stories of my grandparents came up, and we reminisced about past traditions. One in particular we found interesting. My grandmother would always cook pickled herring on New Year's Eve - she told my mom that pickled herring ensured a healthy and happy new year. According to my mom, this belief came out of nowhere since my great grandparents never served pickled herring.

I've always wondered about tradition for that very reason. Fortunately, my parents adopted the "traditions" that were healthy and served us in the 20th and 21st centuries. We didn't adhere to tradition for tradition sake or out of obligation, thankfully.

Last Thursday I read Canticle of the Creatures written by St. Francis of Assisi - a prayer of Thanksgiving to God for the blessings in nature, including God's creatures, and Brother Sun and Sister Moon. I offer the prayer as I read it on the air. May we all focus on the blessings in our lives and allow that focus to open our hearts, forgive others, and create peace in our lives and in the world.

Canticle of the Creatures by St. Francis of Assisi

Most High, All-powerful, All-Good, Lord!
All praise is yours,
All glory, all honor,
And all blessing.

To You alone, Most High, do they belong.
No mortal lips are worthy
To pronounce your name.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through all that you have made,
And first, my Lord, Brother Sun;
Who brings the day, and light you give to us through him,
How beautiful is he, how radiant in all his splendor!
Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Moon and Stars;
In the heavens you have made them,
Bright, precious, and fair.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air;
And fair and stormy, all the weather's moods, by which you
Cherish all that you have made.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Water;
So useful, humble, precious and pure.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Brother Fire;
Through whom you brighten the night.
How beautiful he is, playful, robust and strong.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Earth, our mother;
Who feeds us in her sovereignty and produces
Various fruits and colored flowers and herbs.

All praise be yours, my Lord,
Through those who grant pardon for love of you;
Through those whose endure sickness and trial.

Happy those who endure in peace.
By you, Most High, they will be crowned.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Death;
From whose embrace no mortal can escape.

Happy those She finds doing Your holy will!
The second death can do no harm to them.

Praise and bless my Lord,
And give Him thanks,
And serve Him with great humility.

Om, shanti, shanti, shanti

Sweetness

This past year, I have devoted my time in the kitchen to strictly vegan cooking, and that has proven to be a wonderful gift to my body - I'm feeling healthier than I ever have in my life. The cookbook will feature vegan versions of most recipes, including desserts. This will be an interesting feature of the book, and I wonder what my great grandmother would think. I know she would be pleased that I'm doing what feels right for my body and life in the 21st century.

Healthy desserts was the focus of the last week of my cooking classes, and I set out to prepare 6-7 desserts over a couple of days. When it came time to start baking, I had two thoughts - 1). I don't bake much because I have never enjoyed sweet foods or desserts - granulated sugar and the like is just too sweet for me, and I've never really enjoyed ice cream. (I know what you're thinking at this point, and that's okay). 2). My firm belief in the detriment of western desserts loaded with butter, processed sugar, corn syrup, and all- purpose flour, led me to stay clear of desserts in general.

So, there I was in the kitchen with a bias against desserts needing to teach others how to bake them. Onward and upward is my motto, so I put my thoughts aside and proceeded with the vegan desserts: chocolate chip cookies, coconut cookies, "white" cake with a lemon sauce and poached pears, pumpkin squares, and baked buckwheat with apples and blueberries. (My inspiration for these recipes come directly from the cookbooks written by Christina Pirello - check her out.) To my surprise and delight, the desserts turned out wonderful. I was pleased, and the students enjoyed them.

I decided to read the section in one of the cookbooks where Ms. Pirello writes about the need for desserts in our life and the need for regular sweetness - those are my words. She was talking literally and figuratively, and I connected with her words immediately, knowing there was a significant message for me. Her words were in the back of mind as I baked, but I didn't spend time reflecting on them until the class was over. Actually, when I started really understanding her words was somewhere in the middle of this week, around Monday, when my husband and I had finished the coconut cookies, the chocolate chip cookies, and were half way through the cake and pumpkin squares. We haven't had that much dessert in the house since our Christmas party 5 years ago.

I noticed how much I was enjoying having these sweet and healthy treats in the house. Well, it's been 8 days since my class, and I decided to weigh myself today. Now, there is actually more to this story that I will write about at another time, but let me just say that the stars have been aligned in this direction all year. I got on the scale, and this past week, I lost 7 pounds.

Now, I'm not consciously trying to lose weight. I do watch what I eat, and I eat exceedingly healthy foods. I walk and do yoga, and I spent an entire week eating desserts everyday - sometimes for breakfast in place of my usual buckwheat and blueberries, and I'm 7 pounds lighter. I get how that happened, and I'm hoping you do, too.

I told a friend today how much I enjoyed having those vegan sweets in the house. Synchronistically, I made a wonderful connection this week with a woman who owns her own business. I'll be teaching monthly cooking classes at her place beginning in January, and that is just pure fun for me - more sweetness.

We really do need sweet stuff in our lives, and healthy desserts remind us of the joy that's available to us when life is in balance. Tonight, I passed by a local health food market and bought organic pumpkin for more pumpkin squares. They're just delicious - whole wheat pastry crust, pumpkin with cinnamon and amasake, topped with pecans. Yum!


www.healingpartnersllc.com

Never Alone

The last few weeks feel like a blur, and suddenly it's November 8th. I have been consumed by my cooking classes - researching, preparing handouts, dishes, shopping, and cleaning. My students were the best - so enthusiastic, willing to try new foods, and always gracious.

The cooking classes have been the backdrop of my life these past 5 weeks, and I'm grateful for the peace and tranquility I have felt as I cooked and prepared the various dishes. I appreciate that every recipe needed my undivided attention because that brought me fully into the present moment, and that helped me to relax and enjoy the process a bit more. I also felt my great grandmother and other ancestors with me, and that too, was deeply comforting. Standing in my kitchen, I was never alone.

That's the beauty of cooking and sharing a meal. Generally, these acts provide a common ground on which family and friends can connect. I felt that with the students as they came week after week to my home. We connected on deep levels, but through the medium of food. The feedback from the students varied from feeling deeply inspired to continue to learn and do more cooking to feeling truly grateful for the new information and experience of such vibrant, healthy food.

As I consider my recent experience of feeling so connected to those I love while preparing for my classes, my reason for writing this book is reinforced in my mind and heart.

Life continues to be very full. There will be much progress made on the recipes for the book in the next several weeks. I'll be keeping you posted.

www.healingpartnersllc.com

With Husbands, Keep it Simple

The cooking classes have been a great reminder that what I take for granted in terms of knowledge or understanding may be very foreign or new to others. Of course, we all start at the same place - the beginning. Since, I'm not a trained, professional chef, I am continually learning. In fact, I have been reading so much about leafy greens and root vegetables that my head is about to explode.

I enjoy cooking with fresh herbs of all kinds, and thanks to a coop near my home, I am able to purchase fresh, organic herbs nearly all year round. As I've written about before, I have a love of basil. I use it in so many dishes from pasta sauces to quinoa to winter stews.

My husband was visiting his parents, and his mother asked him to go out and cut some basil for crostini she was making. My mother in law grows her herbs in pots. So, he did as he was asked. He handed the leaves to her, and she looked at them knowing something wasn't quite right. I don't have all the details, but ultimately, she realized that he had cut the "fake" leaves, either plastic or silk, from the artificial plant on the porch. He never went outside - he took the path of least resistance, and descended upon the nearest plant.

He and his mother started laughing, and they were still laughing when he called me to tell me about it. He admitted that he wondered about the look and feel of the leaves when he looked at the stems, and there was no soil. The stems seemed to go into nothingness. Hmm, that would be the first clue...

We have basil in our outside garden, and in a pot in our kitchen. My husband knows what basil looks like. I frequently have him go into the garden to get me parsley, rosemary, basil. This humorous story got me to thinking about the students in my cooking classes and about the cook book. When I think I'm giving too much detail, I step back, consider if it will only overwhelm, or if it's crucial to the success of the dish, and then generally give the information. I've learned that we can't assume someone else knows the ins and outs of working with various ingredients or kitchen tools. There is so much to learn!

As I add my personal touch to my family's recipes, I will keep this story in mind, and be sure to fill in as many gaps as possible. In the meantime, please don't eat plastic or silk basil - the flavor is really lacking. Fresh is best.


www.healingpartnersllc.com

Receiving

Well, the cooking classes are a hit, and I'm thrilled! So much fun, and a wonderful group of people. We finished the evening by sitting at the dining room table and enjoying all the various dishes. On the way to the table, one of the students looked a bit uncomfortable. I asked her about it, and she said, "I'm not used to having someone cook for me. I'm not used to being served." I encouraged her to enjoy and receive. Later, her reaction got me thinking.


I introduced them to my philosophy of cooking, and one of the tenets is to cook for others as often as possible. For some women, cooking for others is a daily event, but typically day to day meals involve hurrying to get everyone fed before another school or community activity. We can still cook for others with short amounts of time but make it a meaningful experience for everyone. The best way I have found to elevate meal time is to pay attention to the details and cook consciously. Many times, preparing meals ahead of time, like on a weekend day, when the entire family can participate is a great way to get everyone together and have food for the week.

Again, my mom reminded me of her family's yearly ritual of canning tomatoes. 365 jars would be canned and shelved for use throughout the year. Tomatoes grown in the garden, free of pesticides and chemicals, grown in fertile soil. My great grandmother and my grandfather would do the canning with help from various other family members. They canned out of necessity, but when unexpected guests arrived or fresh tomatoes were unavailable, my grandmothers would go downstairs and get what they needed. They frequently shared what they had with others and the food they served was vibrant.

I am pleased to serve my guests, especially when I know they aren't typically the ones on the receiving end of things. Serving others is an honor, and what a grand way to do it than with a meal cooked with love.