Have you noticed that some people aren’t committed to much of anything, that they tend to live an anything-goes kind of life? And that others are so rigid and rule-bound that any kind of flexibility is frowned upon and the “way we do things” is sacrosanct? Neither of these extremes helps anybody to a charmed life.
My invitation to you today is to find where you can be solid in your convictions and where you can give yourself a little elastic-waist treatment. Nobody can tell you where the line needs to be: this is your life. You just need a line somewhere.
I’m finding a compromise like this right now with my diet as the cold weather approaches. If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know I’ve been eating a mostly raw diet for months and loving it: I feel healthier than I ever have. But a cold snap last week told me that in November and January and March, I’m going to want some cooked food, maybe every day. I had to figure out a way to keep the benefits of raw and still keep myself warm and comfy-feeling through the winter. So I came up with this:
- Make smoothies with no frozen ingredients, and add muesli (rolled oats with fruits and nuts) to my breakfast choices
- Warm up raw soups and eat some hot soup on cold days
- Add steamed vegetables and baked potatoes, yams, and squash to the dinner menu
- Have some milllet, brown rice, or quinoa on occasion
- Make fresh vegetable juice with greens every day
- Have hot drinks as desired — Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice Tea is the most delicious, all-herbal chai: with some almond or Brazil nut milk and a little stevia, oh my gosh, it’s good.
Here’s one of my winter soup recipes you may wish to try:
Creamy Beany Greenie Soup
4-6 stalks of kale, stemmed
14 ounces cooked or canned garbanzos or red beans
16 oz. vegetable broth
1/4 tsp. natural earth or sea salt
1/4 tsp. lemon pepper
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbls. coconut oil, optional
Lightly steam the kale in a small amount of water (3-5 minutes). Add the vegetable broth and half the beans, and blend until smooth. Add blended mixture back to the pot and add remaining beans and seasonings, heating until everything is warm enough. Add the optional coconut oil for an even creamier texture. Makes 2 entree servings or 4 appetizer servings.
Photo credit: “Great Flexibility,” by Khalid Almasoud
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