Scheduling Sadhana part 2

Scheduling Sadhana's...the harvest is on!! We have been working hard weeding and gathering a ton of amazing veggies from the garden. Now is the perfect time to gather our thoughts and plan our days. Weekly and monthly planning is one of the best ways to create a Sadhana (practice) that works for you and your family.

I grabbed tomatoes and zucchini and threw together a quick lunch. Keep it simple. Time in the kitchen doesn't need to be complicated. You can see my lunch recipe here.

Mother Nature is our teacher and she offers the perfect bounty at the perfect time. If you break down your kitchen duties your time in the kitchen can become a pure pleasure. How does that look?

Scheduling Sadhana's part 1

Scheduling Sadhana's ....now that's a tricky subject. Sadhana's are the daily routines that we engage in to bring balance and wellbeing to the body.  We all have routines and habits that we have been dragging with us for years. Are your routines the ones best suited for your nature? Ponder that for a second....are you living and behaving in a manor that is most suited for your growth? Failure? In the middle

The pace that we move in our life doesn't have to be dictated completely by outside influences. We can have self mastery. The question is....do you want to try? The thought of making any kind of change can be a bit overwhelming. What if I fail? What if I look foolish? What if - What if - What if! 

Ok take a step back - Inhale - Exhale - Now pick one thing. That's it, just one thing you want to change. We can't change everything at once. We need to move with baby steps allowing our mind, body and spirit to adapt. While you are figuring out what you want to change have a sip of this cooling Limeade with Ginger and Basil.
Go here for Limeade with Ginger and Basil

Welcoming Spring with a little Kohlrabi

Onondaga Creek

Kohlrabi is in the house.  Eating with the seasons...whew....enough with the root vegetables.  Thank God our CSA has given us many inspirational options through Pinterest. 

We have been dealing with unseasonably cold weather and Spring keeps teasing us with the promise of warm sunny days and fresh bitter greens. We are so ready for a good cleanse.

The Ayurvedic book The Wheel  by Michelle S.Fondin states that "According to Ayurveda, the environment is your extended body. Anything outside your physical body is an extension of you." How cool is that?  Your mind is set for spring, the clocks have changed, the sun is rising earlier and is setting later and yet your physical body will mirror the cold snow that Mother Nature has gifted us. 

For those wanting to get right to the recipe for Simple Kohlrabi with Pistachio's click here


Physically the snow has been

Crazy Weather and Warm Soup

March 1 2018

 Whoa....has this past week been nuts or what? We went from warm sunny day on Thursday to Sibera-cuse on Friday.  I think everyone suffered from this latest snow fall. In Ayurveda we spend a lot of time talking about honoring the body, the seasons and the rhythms of nature.  Well this was a curve ball. 

One day we're sitting on the deck in short sleeves and the next day completely snowed in.  The trees were bending down to the ground from the weight of the snow.  We are forced to stand back and wait to see if they will recover.  You must never touch a snow bound tree. Mother Nature must release the branches in her own time. The shock of releasing heavy snow can cause the branch to snap. We wait and watch for the wind and/or the natural melting of the snow to release these heavy branches. Some didn't make it and snapped, which is sad. 

For those looking to jump right to the recipe go here.
Coconut-Potato Red Curry with Spinach Soup

Finding Order In Your Day

Sunset in the valley

 We have started a new practice at our house. Every Thursday Mikhail (our son) is in charge of our evening meal.  God I love Thursdays!!  This week he taught me a new word - Miseen place


Recipe here.

Mise en place (MEEZ ahn plahs) is a French term for having all your ingredients measured, cut, peeled, sliced, grated, etc. before you start cooking. Pans are prepared. Mixing bowls, tools and equipment set out. It is a technique chefs use to assemble meals so quickly and effortlessly.

Well this got me thinking about all the other time in my day that a little Mise en place could probably make my day easier. Most of the time we frantically multi-task our way through the day. This puts a great strain on our nervous systems.  So maybe we all need some help getting our ducks in a row. 

Happy Valentines Day!

Artwork by Mikhail Kenealy

February is quickly flashing by and hopefully winter will leave with it.  Winter is a difficult time for Vata constitutions. Vata gets stirred up by the weather changes. Blowing, snow, sleet, rain make us all  a little crazy. Temperature changes, from below zero swinging up to the 40-50's, is the icing on the day. Our very hectic lifestyle will just add fuel to the fire and increase Vata disorders. The bad road conditions can make you late which forces you to hurry....boom....Vata increases and the spinning begins.

Rooting for Winter

 Greetings from the frozen tundra that is Upstate New York.  I stepped away from my blog for about a year and now it's time to get back in the groove.  We have just returned from our vacation and our kitchen motivation is feeling stronger than ever.  

While we were away we noticed a number of posts with people describing the struggles that they were dealing with.  Cold, snowy, fridged weather has been beating everyone up. Us included. In order to combat we must find things to get excited about. Put your focus and attention towards the light. (Darkness will increase darkness...Light will increase light!)
Random acts of kindness will always increase the light within you.  Shine on!!