Author: offwhiteliving

mmmm……..perfect for fall!

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Persimmon-lemon cake

Oh goodness, I hope this works. The new WordPress format is confusing me. Maybe I’m still drunk on fish-head soup and forbidden rice that I just ate for dinner (no lie, but I skimped on the soup. I don’t do heads – just sampled the broth).
Anyway, I made this amazing persimmon cake for our friend H’s birthday tonight. He hosted a lovely, albeit exotic meal (he’s Chinese – hence the fish head soup), and I knew that a birthday cake would surprise him.

Being that we had a bunch of left over baking persimmons and H. really likes unique flavors, I pulled them together in what turns out to be a delicious cake that everybody devoured. We are talkin’ mid-western, meat-loving grown men along with a couple of us California ‘health nuts’ – they all loved it. This was definitely an equal opportunity cake!

Persimmon cake with lemon icing
CAKE
2.5 cups whole wheat pastry flour (I used Arrowhead mills)
2 tsp baking soda
.5 tsp baking powder
.5 tsp salt
1.25 cups turbinado sugar
COMBINE ABOVE INTO A LARGE BOWL
2 cups of persimmon puree (basically, cut a persimmon in half, and scoop out the insides. Add to a blender and pulse until blended. It will have the consistency of pudding, which is great because you won’t need much egg or any butter)
1 cup of almond milk
2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
MIX ALL WET INGREDIENTS ABOVE INTO A SMALLER BOWL

Fold in the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly. The mix has the consistency of a muffin mix.
Pour into a bundt cake pan and bake at 300 for about 40 minutes. You may need a little longer depending on your oven. Don’t burn the bottom or else it won’t be pretty when you turn it over.

ICING (drizzle on top when cake is fully cooled)
zest shavings of 1 lemon, set aside
juice of two lemons (about 1/4 cup)
about 1.5 cups of powdered sugar, maybe more depending on the amount of juice you have
mix the powdered sugar into the lemon juice. Use a whisk to blend. Drizzle on top of the cake. Some of it will absorb. As soon as cake is covered, sprinkle the lemon zest shavings on top, spreading evenly.
Let it set for 2 hrs and serve. Make sure you get a piece because it will go quickly!

more excellent uses for kale (recipe)

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Kale is just about the coolest veggie ever made. I sit here writing this post between spoonfuls of a delicious and easy to prepare soup I made that uses kale. Earlier today we threw some kale in the veggie scramble that fueled our bike ride and last night I struck up a conversation with a friend about kale and smoothies. What other veggie can offer so much diversity.

Below is the soup recipe. I’d love it if one of you bloggies would try it out, and let me know your thoughts or what you did to make it even better. It’s hearty, low fat, high fiber and even my husband loves it. A+ in my book

Butternut squash soup (with kale!)
1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2″ cubes
1/2 large yellow onion (preferably one from your friend’s garden, such as the one I used)
6 cups of chicken stock (or whatever stock you have handy)
1 bunch of kale, chopped into 1″ pieces and de-stemmed (at least the bottom)
salt and pepper to taste
1 can of cannelloni beans (organic if possible)
1 3″ sprig of rosemary (like the one I gleaned from the rosemary bushes that grow along my running path this morining)
2 tsp dried Italian herbs
Olive oil (EVOO)

In a large stock pot add about 1-2 Tbsp EVOO and the onion. Sweat the onion for about 3 min on med. heat. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir for 1 more minute. Add the squash and mix. Let it cook for about 2 minutes and then add the stock (warm stock up to room temp before adding it). Add the herbs and bring to a “just boil” for about 15-20 minutes, until the squash is soft.

Now, if you want to make it thick and creamy, use an immersion blender to blend the stock with the squash/onion. Take out the rosemary sprig before you do this!. You can also put it in the blender but this is tedious. It will also taste good just as it is (chunks). After blending add the beans and cook another 5 minutes or so. Add the kale and another pinch of salt/pepper. Cook an additional 5-10 minutes, or drop it down to low-med and simmer it for about 15-20 minutes. Avoid over wilting the kale.

Serve in a ceramic bowl with a big ol’ soup spoon and all will be well on this chilly November evening. I bet a dollop of sour cream (or thick plain yogurt better yet!) would be tasty on this too.

Okay, back to my soup!

“Words Create Worlds”

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In the midst of shuffling papers around to get organized this weekend I came across some of my wellness coaching training materials. Amongst all the notes I scribbled on the pages, one phrase caught my eye this weekend:

WORDS CREATE WORLDS

What comes to mind when you hear this phrase? It’s powerful, isn’t it. I think it’s also very true.
Before grad school I embarked on a study of the mind and body through yoga, Neuro-linguistic programming, EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), massage therapy and the like. No matter how I sliced it, what I learned could be summed up in that simple phrase.

Our minds are powerful, aren’t they? Have you ever actually sat back to observe what you are thinking and what repeated thoughts play like a tape recorder day after day? How do these thoughts (especially the recurring ones) dictate your outcomes?

Over the past month I’ve been battling some personal ego challenges around what my expectations are when I graduate. I want certainty that I’m going to be okay, find a fantastic job, lose 5 pounds, and live a great life. Ha! So, one remedy to my ego rampage is that I think of 5 things I am grateful for before bed and when I wake up.

You’d think that gratitude would be my M.O. by now, right? Wrong. My mind wants to find what is NOT good about life, my body, my bank account…whatever. My mind needs training. What world do I want to create with my words? I have to consciously be aware of my thoughts and resist the runaway train of doubt and fear on a daily basis.

This phrase really applies to self care. It is NOT easy to create a lifestyle of wellbeing where you eat well, exercise regularly and genuinely love yourself if your mental tape recorder is telling you things like ‘its too hard…..maybe tomorrow……you’ll never be able to sustain this….I doubt you can ever look like THAT…..” or whatever the negative loop is.

Maybe it’s time for a thought diet instead of a physical diet? Maybe the place to begin lifestyle change is not on the outside but in how you talk to yourself. If you don’t like the world you’ve created then perhaps start with changing the way you verbalize it.

This weekend I asked my mother-in-law for help with this. I’m feeling stressed, broke, scared that I won’t find a job (and yes, my sugar urges have increased accordingly!). I need the extra TLC of somebody else to hold the space for me to help me create and manifest something great for myself because my energy is low and my brain wants to go into negative thinking. It’s okay to ask for help. You don’t have to be a superhero. That is why good friends, counselors, coaches, and blogs exist.

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Energy is Everything – a post from a guest Blogger

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Hi all,

this next post is a bit of a deviation from the norm here at Offwhiteliving.  Recently a writer, Melanie Bowen, contacted me about writing a blog post.  Her focus is on energy healing and cancer, but I think the concepts she discusses could really apply to healing any part of your life or any disease.  Something I don’t discuss much here is that I used to work quite a bit in the realm of energy work including mindfulness techniques, yoga, Reiki, EFT, etc.  I have found them profoundly useful in dealing with food issues, I just haven’t focused on that yet here at Off White Living…perhaps this is time to turn a new leaf and incorporate more of that!

Anyway, enjoy the post below from Melanie and you can email her at: melanielbowen@gmail.com

Energy Healing: Integrative Cancer Care For The Whole Person

 

Integrative cancer care is care for the whole person — body, mind, emotions, and spirit. Blending holistic medicine with standard medicine, integrative care is sometimes known as alternative medicine, complementary medicine, holistic healing, or adjunctive care.

Realizing the importance of treating the whole person, many modern cancer treatment centers provide integrative care programs for cancer patients and their families and caregivers. Integrative care teams consist of oncologists, other health professionals, and licensed holistic practitioners. Not only are they trained in safe, effective complementary care practices, but they are also experienced and knowledgeable about conventional medical treatments.

Integrative care centers, therapists, and practitioners provide a number of healing therapies during and after cancer treatment. In addition to promoting biologic therapies and natural medicine, they offer patients a range of other therapy choices, including the energy therapies.

Energy therapies focus on internal and external energy fields – bio-fields originating within the body, and outside sources like electromagnetic fields. Modern energy therapies often blend Eastern and Western concepts of energy to promote balance and healing but are used all over the world. EFT can become widely recognized as one of the leading alternative in the UK and Europe as well as having the ability to be substantially recognition in the USA. Helping patients activate the body’s own natural healing powers is the ultimate goal of energy therapy.

Yoga and acupuncture are probably the most popular energy therapies. But more and more cancer patients are turning to healing touch, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), and intuitive bodywork for their cancer care plans. While these therapies are not meant to replace conventional medicine, they are good complements to standard medical practices.

Clinical research has shown EFT, intuitive bodywork, healing touch, and other energy therapies to be beneficial for cancer patients. They improve post-surgery healing and recovery, while reducing the need for pain medication. Symptoms resulting from aggressive cancer therapy, like chemotherapy and radiation treatments, generally reduce with energy therapies.

Energy healing is known to decrease stress and promote relaxation, which boosts the body’s own healing power. Therapeutic touch and EFT tapping may even improve clinical outcomes and cancer survival rates. One study, for example, showed that energy therapies like yoga improved the quality of life for breast cancer patients and increased their survival rates. But even patients whose prognoses are slim (such as those with rare aggressive disease mesothelioma) can reap the quality-of-life benefits of energy therapy.

Contemporary energy healing stems from ancient energy and spiritual concepts — concepts that go beyond the scope of clinical research and modern healing practices. Holistic treatment centers directories like the Federation of Holistic Therapies understand that cancer treatment involves more than just physical healing. As a result, they provide a useful tool to search practitioners that use integrative programs to represent a wide spectrum of contemporary traditions and well-rounded beliefs. They recognize that, for some people touched by cancer, energy healing can enhance patient health and quality of life through therapies that heal the body, mind, and spirit.

Energy therapy, and other integrative care, is primarily an outpatient program. However, it is sometimes used in inpatient cancer care. A physician or nurse referral is preferred, but typically not required, by holistic practitioners. Many practitioners provide home-based palliative care for patients struggling with end-of-life challenges, such as those facing a bleak prognosis for pancreatic cancer or a short mesothelioma life expectancy. Complementary care therapies are also helpful for family members and caregivers — people who experience cancer treatment in a unique way alongside their loved-ones. Check out the Institute for Complimentary and Natural Medicine for more information on the regulations and recognitions of holistic therapies.

 

Mouth Watering Madness in the Mission

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Last weekend Matt took me to SF for the day to celebrate by birthday (belated).  His gift to me was a walking and tasting tour of the Mission district of SF and then a stop at La Cocina for a Latin fusion cooking class with a group called “Parties that Cook”.

First stop: Mission Minis for some itty-bitty cupcakes.  This guy is known for the “$1 mini cupcakes).  A portion controlled treat to start the tour – love it!  I had the honey lavender and Matt had coconut

Magical cupcakes from Mission Minis

The next stop was my fav: Mr. Pollos. This place has been on TV! …but that’s not why I liked it.  It was because they cook from scratch daily with whatever inspires them at the daily farmer’s market AND they are growing their own peppers and spices to become an authentic Venezuelan restaurant.  It’s a tiny eat-in restaurant but I think you can do take-out and I hear that lunch isn’t as crazy busy as dinner.

the day's bounty at farmer's market

But really why I loved it is because of the cormeal empanadas. Flour-free and FANTSTIC!!

carnitas empanada with a garilc green sauce

Next Stop: Humphry Slocombe Ice cream
Why two desserts before the main lunch?  I have no idea but I was beginning to like the way this tourguide thought.  Yes!  It was a beautiful warm October day in the city, so why not have ice cream, right?

This is me dying and going to heaven with their salted licorice flavor:

me and my new love, Salted Licorice Ice Cream

One more stop at a really famous-but the name escapes me tortilla shop and we were off to cook.

The menu:  Fish tacos with chipolte crema, smoked chicken quesadilla with tomatillo salsa, and two other things I can’t recall the names of.  One was an appetizer: pork carnitas cups with lime and avocado  and the other was this magical corn cake lightly fried and topped with jalapeno jelly.   I was so sad that I wasn’t really hungry anymore by the time we made these dishes because I would have absolutely feasted they were so good.  But don’t worry, I got my fill.

warming tortillas for fish tacos

Our feast!

   

Thanks to my husband for a fantastic, delicious and memorable birthday present!

Enchilada pie, oh my

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Let me paint a picture for you.  Last night I was working out with the UC Davis Judo club until 10:30pm.  This was after the day that would not end, except for a 1 hour reprieve with my friend D. at the bar of Bistro 33 before Judo (yes, I think a glass of wine helped me be very limber as some 20 yr old practice chokes on me!).

So you could say that when I woke this morning I was not in a mood to whip up something for lunch.  So I marched myself to the Nugget this morning to sweet what $3 could buy me.  I wasn’t expecting much.  A Lean Cuisine maybe?  An Amy’s Frozen Entree?  No way, too pricey!

And then I saw it:  it was like the perfect fusion of a lasagna and an enchilada.  It had real food ingredients and it didn’t look fried or slathered in some kind of weird sauce.  It was Enchilada Pie from Cedar Lane.

Enchilada Pie and a bottle of Aleve on the check out counter and I was ready to begin my crazy day.  I wasn’t expecting much because, let’s face it, frozen entree’s are usually all talk and no walk.

However, at 12pm when I waited patiently at the microwave for my little enchilada to perkolate, I was happily greeted with a warm, delicious scent that actually smelled like….real food!

3.5 minutes late I was taking my first bite with my Potato ware disposable fork (high brow, yes?) and a cup of hot tea.  Boy was I hungry!  And I have to say that this little dish really did the trick.  With 210 Kcal/ serving (2 servings), I did not feel the least bit guilty eating the whole 11 oz of this dish.  It also served me with 26g of protein, 7g of fiber, and 50% of my daily calcium needs.  Fantastic!  And it was gluten-free to boot!

For those local residents, these tasty little entree’s are on sale at Nugget right now for $2.99.  Well worth it.
TO see more of what Cedar Lane has to offer, go here.  I will definitely buy these again for those crazy busy days.

Feeding the wolf

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A Cherokee Legend

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.

“It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

I first heard this  amazing legend from a dear friend and mentor, Britt Bensen-Steele.

Recently, because of some inner struggles my husband and I have (Grad school will do that to you), this story resurfaced in my life and seemed more relevant than ever.  I was particularly taken with how this story can pertain to emotional eating.

Just like in the story, my experience with emotional eating stems from something Ekhart Tolle refers to as the “pain body” (aka the negative wolf).  For some reason that wolf sometimes seems easier to feed.  Pain can be very seductive especially when it is wrapped in a package that looks like “I am a victim” or “why does this happen to me” or “I will never be good enough”.  Eating emotionally is a way that I’ve often fed that wolf.  It reinforces the pain because it gives me a momentary reprieve and a lasting shame.  It never satisfies anything but to fuel the fire of that voice saying “see, you messed up again”.

On the other hand, when I can pause, be mindful, and shift into the role of the observer I can see that there is no feeling and no situation that will be solved with food (or any other substance).  This is like feeding the positive wolf.  When I am gentle with myself, when I stay calm, when I reach out to give and receive love, I find serenity and trigger foods just don’t have the same allure.

When I am caught up and find myself longing for excess sugar I can stop myself and say ‘hey, what is going on here?”.  I don’t have to just go into the food on autopilot like I used to.  I can catch myself feeding the negative wolf earlier on than I did in the past, but it does take work.

A long time ago I heard somebody tell me that training the mind to be ‘mindful’ and shift into the observer role is a lot like training a puppy.  It constantly goes off course, wandering and searching for stimulation.  The solution is not to blame or punish the puppy (the mind).  It is just doing what it inherently does.  The solution is to kindly, patiently, gently call it back to course and let go of the attachment, knowing that it will stray again in 5 minutes.

Maybe it’s age, but more than ever I’m so curious about my own mind and where my thoughts come from.  I’m doing a lot of work on looking at the origins of my emotional eating (which is just a manifestation of deep anxiety).  It’s  fascinating, I tell you.  I had no idea how much I’ve fed the negative wolf and starved the positive wolf.  The greatest gift in this exploration has been in realizing that the deep, dark places I’ve been afraid of aren’t so dark at all.  Almost like the negative wolf’s bark has always been bigger than his bite but I was under an illusion.  So, for me, the positive wolf might have a softer voice but dang is she STRONG!!

 

Lifesaver

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Argh….a headache.  Again.  It happens.  To me it seems to happen a lot.  I get really dehydrated when it’s warm out, and especially when it’s warm out and I have to teach for 2.5 hrs straight, which basically means talk-nagging-talk-begging, talk-listening (yes, I do that too) without stopping in a class of 28 eager undergrads.  And yes, they really are eager.  Hence all the questions.  Plus it’s a lab so they have to pay attention because they actually have to DO something in order to get out that day.  No skating by with your head in your hand, cocked to the side like you are looking intently when really you are asleep.

I also get headaches when I eat garlic.  I don’t mean to eat garlic, but let’s face it, garlic is pretty hard to avoid.  I went to Delta of Venus in Davis last night for dinner. Fabulous food, and I would go back.  The food was so good I wish that I had a camera handy to take a pic.  It was Caribbean food and even came with a sautee banana atop the rice.  Double YUM!  But I am pretty sure it had garlic.

Of all my food issues garlic is what gives me immediate trouble.  Within 2-3 hrs I feel literally like I’m on fire on the insides.  I also feel like I’m trying to pass 1,000 tiny razor blades through my GI tract but they won’t budge.  Good times.  The worst effect of all, however, is the bizarre and very unique headache I get.  It makes me feel like my eyes are on fire and that little laser beams are having a shooting match in my brain.  No wonder yogis and monks don’t include garlic in a meditative diet.  The way I feel right now is far from at peace.

But, before you go and feel too sorry for me, there is a remedy and that remedy is cool, crisp peppermint tea. Oh yeah.  I can’t live without it.  Hot or chilled, it’s the cooling effect of peppermint that I need  to quench the fire and blunt the GI razor blades and call a cease-fire in my brain.  It works, along with some Naproxyn (hey, I wish I could go all natural here too but a girl has got to live!).  The Naproxyn alone is pretty good, but the soothing nature of the peppermint tea actually does the most good in the GI.

Yogi teas, Stash, and Trader Joe’s are my favs, probably because they are the least expensive and just make a solid product.  Peppermint works best for me but I prefer spearmint or a mint mix if I can find it.

To me, this little garlic quandry-solved-by-peppermint-tea is just yet another example of mother nature’s balance.  Garlic is know for it’s heating, dispursing nature (like dispursing heat to my body and brain) and peppermint has a downward and cooling nature.  Yin and Yang going on right inside me at the moment.

I am in balance 🙂

Cake or pie?

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WordPress just wouldn’t let me be after my last post.  There is this ‘back of the house’ feature where they prompt you with suggestions, like “Cake or pie”.

I will answer this debate with one word:  CAKE.

Anybody who knows me will not be surprised.  But what you may not know is that the only reason I say cake is because of one other magical word:  Frosting.  Without frosting this is no purpose to cake and in my opinion, most cakes are just a socially acceptable vehicle to consume frosting.  I know that it’s not very ‘off white’ of me to say this, but it’s my truth.  So there.  You’ll just have to deal with, as I do.

What do you prefer?