Category Archives: natural living
the way we live, eat, sleep, breathe, act, and think affects our physical health. my process toward living life more naturally.
overbooked
a good project is like an adrenaline shot into an otherwise often routine existence. i die a little when i have too much routine, and so in the spells where i don’t have a trip, event, or (regrettably) a crisis happening, i self assign a task or challenge – a nice meaty one i can sink my teeth in to. it needs to be big enough that it takes planning and more than a few steps, but small enough that i can see it to completion before i crave another change. it’s rewarding to satisfy both the planner and scanner in me at once.
when i’m free to set the objective and deadline, my extracurricular exploits flow from one to another, with minimal overlap. but sometimes exciting projects find me, and come with a pre-stamped due date. and occasionally many opportunities come at once…and i tend to say yes more than no.
it seems that i have quadruple-booked myself this weekend. which translates into double-header all-nighters. so since i’m up anyway, i decided to take a few minutes to debrief a bit. or perhaps just marvel at the insane number of ways i’ve over committed myself. each of these projects requires my full-time attention, ideally. the perfectionist in me that demands excellence without compromise is screaming right now. behold my four ring circus:
ring one: my raw chef mentor and dear friend mandilyn canistelle, who trained me in the fine art of living foods preparation, is writing a book. The Raw Food Feast: 7 days through the Rainbow will be released in April, and she’s invited me to be her sous-chef on the pre-production, which includes recipe testing as well as planning each shot that will be photographed. over the past three weeks i’ve spent over 75 hours with mandy and a team of helpers refining every detail of the recipes and how they will be presented in the book. this weekend is the culmination of all that work, with three whole days of photography. every dish must be prepared, plated, and captured with step by step shots for each recipe. we have a professional photographer, a videographer (for the publisher’s behind-the-scenes), and a food stylist flying in to make this happen – and i should really be there for all of it. if only i were running a one-act show.
ring two: 30 of my female family members are descending on okc this weekend for a girly saddic reunion. as one of the locals, i would normally be helping to coordinate the airport pickups, hotel rooms, and entertaining activities. seeing as i’m a little tied up, my mom & sister have carried that baton, but at a minimum i want to be present for every minute of the story-telling, belly-laughing, baklava-eating, picture-sharing fun. too bad i’m supposed to spend 8 hours each day at mandy’s, plus…
ring three: with almost no effort on my part to advertise the new biz, i’ve found myself with three editing jobs: one includes some ghost writing, one is volunteer work for my church, and one has good potential to lead to bigger assignments. all three have immediate deadlines. although i had intended to pursue growth on the language training side of the services i offer, i’m thrilled that this aspect of Communicate Clearly is blossoming. too bad the projects are all flowing in during rush hour.
ring four: this is the center ring, the main act under the big top. i’ve been hired to develop living foods program for a lifestyle center near loveland, colorado. this center welcomes guests with life-threatening conditions and incorporates healing therapies and a healthy lifestyle into a holistic treatment. they’ve requested an 18-day menu plan, training for their kitchen staff, seven cooking classes to offer the guests, plus an educational event for their community that includes an hour lecture and 3 hours of demonstrations with tastings. i’ll be spending the month of march at their facility to implement the plan. oh, and we’ll be serving 3 meals a day during this time. um, wow. wow that they’ve commissioned me. wow that this is a really big job. actually, four really big jobs in one. did i mention we finalized this contract less than two weeks ago? so when i haven’t been in mandy’s kitchen or trying to maintain my day job and side jobs, i’ve been buried under my recipe books developing menus and classes and training.
i leave monday morning, so somewhere between cookbook production and family reunioning, i’ll need to find some time to pack. should packing for four weeks count as a fifth circus ring?
i’ll most likely be scarce on the interweb for the next month – a few weeks without ambient awareness should be good for me. carry on, cyberworld; i’m checking out!
the accidental gardener
as i bumble through my third season* as a veggie gardener, i’ve realized i’m still quite the awkward adolescent, making incidental progress in an ungainly manner. it seems i’m finding success through sheer determination, a little good luck, and the blessed resilience of nature rather than skill or knowledge.
we’ve made some progress since last month’s update. the lettuce and chard won’t stop producing, even though i harvest several times a week and it’s well past their season. i’ve also been pretty proud of the cucumber plants and garlic, which have managed to flourish even growing up on the wrong side of the shade and in the corner with poor drainage. the okra and squash are faring well for a late planting, and i have high hopes for the pepper plants that are already producing.
however, i can’t seem to coax any vine up my trellises, ants have set up camp underneath my strawberry pot, and something inexplicably killed off one of my raspberry bushes (in a slow, agonizing way) while the two on either side of it thrive. i’m also pretty sure there’s a disparity in soil nutrients throughout the plot, because one tomato plant is taller than me, while some are stunted below my knee.
although i have a long way to go, i’ve become more adept at tackling the pests. i’d like to be one step ahead of them (prevention mode) rather than chasing them down (frantically scouring reference volumes and web pages for solutions.) like my friend and fellow newbie veggie grower savanah has said, “never before organic gardening would i voluntarily smush dozens of aphids between my fingers.”
my basic defense is finger smashing as well, along with a piping hot (caliente y picante!) “super bug death tea” made from basic pantry supplies and recommended by my bro-in-law (who is also cultivating a small backyard garden with my sister.) i admit i feel a wicked glee pouring the searing fluid down their holes and hills, but i’ve got to protect my babies!
i want to use my new expanded space as efficiently as i possible, so i’ve got to find the balance between crowding and planting too sparsely. i feel like bare dirt just invites weeds.
- lemongrass on the right; on the left, NOT lemongrass
the weeds (mostly misplaced blades of grass) are tricky when they resemble something i’d want to cultivate. i almost harvested a tall sprout growing next to my chives, and came THISCLOSE to actually cooking with bufflao grass thinking it was lemongrass.
even though i know it would help keep out the weeds and prevent loss of precious moisture in the soil, i am still undecided about mulching. i like the versatility of being able to plant and replant without being bound to predetermined rows or sections. i guess i need to decide if i’d rather devote time to mulching or weeding.
a few weeks ago, i took some photos of what i thought was impressive growth in my baby herbs at the time. by the time i got around to uploading the pics, they had burst into the verdant blooms you see below and needed another photo shoot.
(ohmygowthspurts, update: less than a week after i posted this entry, the herb bed looked like this. i guess i’m not the first mama to underestimate how quickly her babies will grow up!)
the mint, basil, sage, and cilantro have taken off faster than i can keep up, while the delicate thyme and dill have finally started to get hardy enough to prune. i have a surplus right now for anyone close by who would like some gorgeous organic herbs or greens.
stay tuned, as you never know if my next clumsy step will produce beautiful fruit or ugly leaf spots.
*that is, unless the standard that defines an official season is based on producing a quantity of edible output. if so, then this technically counts as my second season.
anyone close by who would like some organic herbs or greens, i have a surplus right now.
april showers… check!
even though we’ve been a little water-logged so far this spring, my plants seem to know how to swim and i’m seeing some growth in my newly expanded dirt-patch. the cool weather lettuces i planted early have already been providing yummy contributions to my kitchen, and i’m hoping to get several more harvests out of them to tide me over until my summer greens mature.
- swiss rainbow chard
- cabbage and lettuce
- kale and romaine
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the raspberry bushes are no longer skinny brown sticks, and their teensy sprouts of green leaves are attracting garden-friendly bugs. now that i have some of the summer blooming veggies in place, i have to just be patient for the squash, okra, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, and berries to produce.
i’ve got my row of ‘maters and peppers (yes! a whole row this year!) all prepped with the proper support this time. while they do look a bit silly right now playing dress-up in their oversized threads, i’m not risking a reprise of last year’s fate.
- raspberry bush and lady friend
- tomato and pepper potential
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although i’m still debating the “to mulch or not to mulch” question, i think i’ll just keep slopping around in my crocs and follow the advice of my favorite organic farmer at the market: “mulch? if i see a weed i just yank it and leave it lying there to die. i figure if it’s gonna rob my soil of nutrients it should have to stay there and give ‘em back! that’s how i mulch.” well said, bob.
coming clean (green)
with earth day approaching in the u.s. (and recently observed worldwide) many people have been focusing on all things green, eco-friendly, & natural. i think the heightened awareness and education is great.
but i have a confession: my environmentally conscious behavior is motivated more by selfishness rather than consideration for the planet. don’t get me wrong, i wholeheartedly believe that we should protect the earth’s valuable resources and take care of the home that God gave us. but i also believe that His plan for eternity will not be thwarted because humans destroy the earth before He has a chance to complete His purposes.
anyway, aside from a genuine respect for all of God’s creation, i tend to focus on preserving nature because of what’s in it for me. energy efficiency is friendly to my budget as well as to the environment. conservation appeals to my frugal side as well. i drastically limit my use of toxic chemicals because of the horrible effect they have on my health, not necessarily because i’m measuring my carbon footprint. backyard gardening is an enjoyable hobby for me, plus organic veggies can be expensive and difficult to find. i try to buy local because i like to support my community; the fact that less energy is spent on unnecessary transport is a bonus. my avoidance of animal products is not really because of the industry’s huge contribution to climate change or because it promotes animal cruelty (although their treatment is appalling and reprehensible). it’s because those products are not best for my body. not to mention you could feed the entire hungry population of the world with the grain they waste fattening up livestock to be butchered. i shop with reusable bags and recycle because…well, that just makes sense. i think you see where i am going with this. i look all tree-huggin’ on the outside, but i’m really not all that honorable.
i suppose in truth i act eco-responsibly for all these reasons (selfish and selfless), and i would probably do most of it even if there was no personal reward. but i’ve always known deep down that my primary motivation is not as green as it seems, and it feels good to get it off my chest. so reduce, reuse, recycle with gusto – it’s good for you and our earthly home. and i think God would be pleased to see us treating it with care.
it’s only natural
recently i’ve had the joy of spending more time than usual with some of my favorite people: the summer working near my sister, a weekend visit from my dearest friend, and extended hours in chef mandy’s kitchen. these are also people who share one very important priority with me – living naturally. this has had the unexpected side effect of generating delight and resentment in me at the same time, because for me, enjoying that shared priority ends when i walk in my own door. in their homes i don’t have to compromise in that aspect, but in my own, it’s a daily battle.
take, for example, a typical outing with any of these friends. lunch might take place somewhere like The Earth Café. they serve what you might imagine from the name: cuisine that pleases the health-conscious, meat-avoiding, locally-supporting, environmentally responsible crowd. a group that i have alot of crossover with in my own preferences. i have only briefly commented on the value i place on health and natural eating, living, & healing, but it is something that has become ultra important to me as a result of personal experiences and thorough research.
i catapulted, rather than strolled, into this arena, because of my mother’s diagnosis and a desperation to find the best plan of attack. as a result, my escalation into all things anti- chemical/toxic/processed, and in many cases “normal” was too quick for some to keep up. including my husband. in this realm, where i insist on natural cleaners, organic produce, and holistic health practices, i have lost him. when i pull out the juicer or offer an essential oil rather than a drug, i might as well be a visitor from another planet. i know that many people who choose to make the changes i have take much slower steps, understandably, and i also recognize that i live in a region that has not been geared as much toward those things as other places. but i still pine for the life that is so much easier, where i prepare one meal option, not two. where i don’t have to justify shopping at the farmers market instead of the grocery superstore. where a suggestion for a healthy alternative doesn’t garner “you’re crazy” glances. where we can actually choose a restaurant without a compromise. i feel alienated for my avoidance of chemically laden products and drastic medicine as a first response to illness, despite striving to be balanced and flexible in my decisions.
i am actually luckier than some “granola” lone rangers i know – i share this choice of lifestyle with my immediate family and my closest friends. but my daily life is with my best friend and companion, and i want so terribly to be able to do life with him. i recognize that the “my way is the best” attitude is just wrong, and i would never want to try to change him …but i still wish that we saw eye to eye on this one. i’m sure he does, too. 
living with a health freak can be exhausting.
eating in the raw
sometimes God brings someone across the path of your life in a subtle way, and sometimes He simply drops them at your doorstep – literally. last year i found a flyer on my door advertising classes with a chef nearby, focusing on the preparation of whole foods in a natural and healthy way. obviously this caught my attention – exactly what i had been looking for, and only two miles from my house! (nothing is close to my house. we live in “the boonies” according to my brother.) i made the phone call and was introduced to chef mandy, and began to learn about this special kind of food preparation. essentially, nothing is heated above 105 degrees, so all the natural enzymes and nutrients are still living and usable by the body. this is also referred to as “raw” cooking. (how’s that for an oxymoron?) the nine-month certification i mentioned before involved private training under chef mandy. i learned so much about how our bodies utilize the fuel we put in, and how to easily incorporate more raw food into my diet. but mainly i have been impressed at the elaborate creations that are possible. here are some examples of gourmet samplers we made together:
CHEESE: boursin in cup, nacho pepper popper, rosemary cracker with peppercorn chevré
PASTA: mushroom truffle fettucini, basil sausage cappellini, spinach ricotta cannelloni
SWEETS: chocolate tart with cardamom cream, raspberry cheesecake, pumpkin pecan petit four
i’m also getting pretty good at plating and presentation. (i can drizzle like a pro, haha.) we don’t use animal products, clearly (they would require high temperatures), so the cheese and “meats” are usually nut-based. i have had so much fun learning traditional culinary techniques along with modern “raw” methods. you can see more photos of our fun in the kitchen here.
but when i say mandy is someone who divinely entered my life, i’m not talking about how my life has been changed by good food. our meeting came on the cusp of my immersion in all things healthy and healing for my mother, and mandy’s connections with nutritional experts, doctors, and clinics across the country had a significant impact on the decisions my mom made about her treatments and lifestyle. i know that it is more than coincidence that she would exist in oklahoma at all, much less mere minutes from my home. so thankful.
this month we began the new season’s schedule of classes – i say “we” because i now participate in the instruction(!) – and it’s one reason i’m glad summer is over. we offer adult and kids classes, as well as demonstrations and potlucks. the real exciting part is that we are gearing up for a restaurant launch next year! look for 105° in okc soon…
