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Showing posts from March, 2011

I'm a wrapper

Today was absolutely draining.  But awesome too.  It was the last installment of "Thankful Thursdays" at my high school, the last healthy snack giveaway of March, Nutrition Month.  It was epic.  Not really but that's what I called the wraps I made - epic healthy wraps, totally ripping off/spoofing the epic meal time guys. We made romaine lettuce wraps, stuffed with quinoa, feta, shredded zucchini, red peppers, alfalfa sprouts, avocado slices and hummus with pumpkin, chia and sunflower seeds mixed in.  It was pretty fun to watch the kids actually look surprised at how good they were. We also made apple-lemon-ginger-carrot juice, which is an energy-booster.  Most kids loved it, and even those who gagged were proud of themselves for trying.  For dessert, we made coconut macaroons, which turned out delicious.  Shredded and dried coconut, dates, agave syrup, cocoa and raspberries.  A bit of flax meal to bulk it up too.  They were quite popular. I decided that since I'd

All in a day's work

I had fun at work today.  I usually do, but today I had an extra fun activity planned for the kids. Remember the green and yellow foods from "The Chicken or the Egg?"  I wanted the kids to think about food and its relation to the Earth.  The more it's been transformed or processed, the further away it is, and the worse it is for you. I made a poster with a mini-Earth in the center.  The kids had to come up and pick a food from a bowl (I cut up grocery store flyers from the publi-sac and glued images of various foods onto purple cardstock squares to make it pretty).  They then had to determine where on the poster it belonged, like a seeing-pin-the-tail type of thing.  Inevitably the first ring of food was all green foods, or living foods.  You know, they actually remembered the difference?  The yellow foods, or foods to eat mindfully (kid-talk = think about where it comes from) also known as transformed or processed, made up the second ring.  These turned out to be foo

My Cloud

I'm listening to a song that always makes me think of this guy I dated last year.  Over and Over by Hot Chip.  It was a song I was really into when we were dating, and I listened to it so often that I now associate it with Facebook stalking this guy.  I'm a bit of a creep, so what? I was just thinking though that I wasn't ready to date him then.  I wasn't feeling nearly as grounded as I feel now, it was only the beginning of my transformation and we'd probably fare much better this time 'round, if he'd have me.  I'm pretty sure I scared him off for good though.  I'm really bad at dealing with guys.  I hate dating.  I'd rather skip ahead and live out my fantasies of marriage, 3 kids and a house in the country.  That's since changed, at least perspectively; I have yet to put it into practice.  But I'm all about process now, and enjoying the awkward moments, the tension, and the discomfort.  It's what makes things special. I met him

Pro V go

I fell in love at the Provigo.  To a man wearing Converse sneakers, carrying ground meat and romaine lettuce.  I eyed him the moment he walked in, and soon debated which sundried tomatoes to buy in order to prolong my stay in the vegetable aisle he was in.  Then I had a hard time picking which raspberry package to purchase; bottled lime juice or fresh limes (always go fresh), and I even perused the exotic fruit section to see if I was feeling adventurous.  I stalled by the en-vrac display momentarily and finally decided against buying any dehydrated fruit at all, seeing as how I have my own dehydrator at home and carried on grocery shopping, giving up. When I finally almost bumped into him as we both headed to the checkout, I couldn't raise my eyes off the floor long enough to make eye contact, so I bought the food and left all defeated.  Still, I was smiling, and even though I will probably never see him again, fleetingly falling in love like that made my night.  It happens ever

Comfort of Food

Why is it that when I'm sick I crave nothing but comfort foods?  And why are comfort foods usually bad for me? I've had a weird stomach flu the last week, hence the lack of motivational posts.  I could barely conjure a sentence beyond "woe is me," so there was no way I could come up with anything clever or the least bit positive-sounding.  But I'm feeling better now so I'll try to spit something out. I must have picked up a bug working at the theatre last Wednesday because the nausea set in Thursday and is still lingering a bit today.  I actually think I may be having a reaction to staring at a computer screen for such long periods of time nowadays, and my eyes and brain can't keep up with each other so I'm getting seasick on my couch. It's official, I need a hobby outside of this apartment. Anyhoo, I went to my mom's on Saturday, all pathetic and sleepy-like and she made me the ultimate comfort food: a grilled cheese and tomato soup.  

Rest in Peace

I guess this isn't going to happen tonight.  I'm sitting on my couch, feeling awkward, bloated and uncomfortable in my makeshift 2-piece outfit I'd wear if I ever went to Moksha yoga.  As if this is my dress rehearsal. I am feeling so irritated it's not even funny.  All day I've been telling myself I'd finally suck it up once and for all and go to yoga.  I'm treating it to be more than it is, I don't understand why.  Like I'm standing at the foot of a rocky mountain.  I want someone to hold my hand and go with me, but I also know I need to do this for myself, on my own, like a big girl. Truth be told, yoga isn't really what's bothering me at all.  I was fine all day until I heard her say: "he shot him in the stomach 5 times." I haven't cried about it since the memorial.  I've been feeling strong, happier than ever as you may have been reading, but suddenly hearing her say those words, trying to relay her own shock of i

The Chicken or the Egg

Dear God, I love my job.  I am a spiritual community animator.  What is that, right?  No I don't draw, and no, I'm not a warlock, nor a medium.  I can't communicate with ghosts.  I work with kids and help them develop their inner self.  I get to create my own activities, which I run with various classes for 30 minutes each week.  A teacher will sign up for my class, and I'll show up, do my thing, and leave on a high note.  I'm wacky, high energy and sometimes ridiculous, but I get the point across.  I let them do the talking and more times than not I leave with my own learning. Like today.  March is nutrition month, so my focus is on just that.  Nutrition.  For the first half of the week in the elementary school I was reading from my whole foods encyclopedia.  I threw in a British accent to make things fun.  They got to choose their favorite food and I look it up and tell 'em why it's good.  Most kids wanted to know about popular fruits like mango an

Living Outside My Body

Every Tuesday and Thursday, I get to revisit my adolescence.  I work at a high school in the east end of our currently snow-consumed city, Montreal.  When I found out last year my permanent post would include a high school, I was really happy.  Up until then I'd only worked in a small outreach program for youth 13+, summer camps and elementary schools.  As soon as the hallways filled with awkward, energized teens in September, I knew things were going to be A-okay, but I kept having moment upon moment of reminiscence and many flashbacks of my own high school years.  Now, 6 months later, I have a blog where I get to write about it all. Luckily my teenage years were pretty good in general, I graduated with honors and with a few awards, but I definitely struggled with bodily insecurities like everyone else did.  Only the thing is you don't know that everyone else is feeling the same way you are when you're a kid.  It's like you're not allowed to talk about it or some

dill - icious.

I am a kitchen fairy.  My wand is my spatula.  I just spent the last 3 hours in my kitchen, making all kinds of crazy things.  I am high on Dill.  No joke.  I'm hyper and energized and my eyes are tearing a little bit.  I've danced all night.  Danced fast, danced in slow-motion, whatever the tunes called for.  I've got my awesome Minnie Mouse apron on, high around my waist so I feel like I'm in the 50s, and have taken over 100 pictures of my insanely minty evening.  I'm probably overtired to tell you the truth, but I feel fantastic. Mint 'n' Dill.  Holy taste sensation.  Mint 'n' Dill.  Mint 'n' Dill.  Mint 'n' Dill.  I could go on.  I'm saying it in my head like that old Kibbles 'n' Bits commercial.  I know it's hard to believe.  But it: is:  sensational.   It occurred to me a while ago that it would be delicious to combine these two strong herbs and sure enough, it worked out.  Today I was in my favorite Indian g

Please Please me.

Cesar Milan says your pets are a reflection of you, and any behavioral problems they may exhibit is in direct relation to who you are and what is going on in your life.  I couldn't agree more.  Gracie, my 3 year old black lab, is a perpetual puppy.  She's sweet, loving, and has perfectly good intentions.  It's just that sometimes, she is a brat. I hibernate during the winter.  I can't stand the cold and although I think snow is beautiful, I'd rather do without.  I've been ready for Spring since December.  This means that I have been openly neglecting my dog's needs.  Shitty, I know.  So she becomes restless because she doesn't get the amazing hour walk and subsequent excursion to the dog park she normally gets every day every other season.  So when I walk her these days, down the street and back to avoid the cold, she pulls.  She pulls and sometimes I go flying, my knees buckling down the steps of our apartment building, shoulder socket trying to stay

Bad Mood Betty

What?  I'm entitled. I'm sick with a cold, a constant runny nose and a sore throat.  I'm pissed off and the skin under my nose is as raw as my diet.  This stinks.  I was on such a high the last week, it's no surprise I've come down with a cold.  And thank God my ex-boyfriend listened to a lot of angry music.  I've got the perfect soundtrack available on my laptop for my bad moods.  Murder City Devils here I come. I feel totally blocked all of a sudden.  I just caught myself staring off into space and unfortunately have no deep insights to report back for you.  That's okay.  I'm sick.  And sometimes I just gotta live a little.  I can't say my whole day went by without meaning.  I've grown accustomed to searching for meaning in lots of things lately.  It's almost become a hidden talent of mine, to make comparisons between common daily occurrences and some grand spiritual significance.  But as my friend Tasha pointed out to me, it's fun

Love 101

Today I went to Ikea for a cutting board and came back with an epiphany. I'm in love.  I always have been.  I just kind of didn't want to accept it.  Not because of fear of rejection.  But because I thought it was silly.  I'm in love with love, folks. It turns out this blog is going to be just as much about love as it will be about health.  Here's why I'm okay with it: On my way home from Ikea, my backseat cluttered with a giant vase and the big blue bag, I got stuck in traffic.  Not everyone is on March break, I remembered.  I sat there in my car, listening to Bobby Long, enjoying a ring-pop I got from the 80s theme day at work, and after about 20 minutes I decided to try out the shortcut a coworker had taught me.  Except I was in the wrong place for the shortcut.  Not the same exit I thought it was, apparently.  So I began a giant detour that would add an additional 40 minutes to what could have been a 10 minute wait to get onto the 15-South.  From there, it