What Liv wants Liv gets...

This morning Sloan shared that her class will be spending most of the day preparing for their school-wide Thanksgiving feast by making "150 pumpkin cups." Liv was so excited by the idea of pumpkin cups (truthfully, Liv get's super excited about ALL food) and asked if I could make her some for home. Sure thing kid!

Now I must say that I gave these babies a taste before putting them in the refrigerator and it took all my will power not to gobble them all up!!! They were so rich and creamy! No grainy chia seed texture in these beauties!

Pumpkin Chia Seed Pudding Cups

Serves: 6

Recipe adapted from: wwww.wholenewmom.com

Ingredients for pumpkin pudding:

1 cup of nondairy milk (I used flax seed milk)

1 cup of organic pumpkin (get a BPA lined can)

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

½ cup chia seeds

1 ¼ tsp. pumpkin spice*

1 drop of vanilla stevia

1/8 tsp. sea salt

Ingredients for coconut whipped cream:

1 can full fat coconut milk, kept in refrigerator overnight

1-2 tsp. honey, or other choice of sweetener like stevia

Instructions:

1. Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until pureed.

2. Distribute pudding into 6 ramekins or cups.

3. Using a spoon scoop the hardened coconut fat from the can and place in a bowl.

4. Using a handheld mixer, whip the coconut fat until fluffy.

5. Add 1-2 tsp. honey and whip with handheld mixer.

6. Add scoops of coconut whipped cream to your pumpkin pudding cups.

7. Sprinkle with a dash of pumpkin spice.

8. Place pumpkin pudding cups in refrigerator until ready to eat.

*Instead of buying pumpkin spice I mix my own at home:

3 Tbs. ground cinnamon

2 tsp. ground ginger

2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 ½ tsp. ground allspice

1 ½ tsp. ground cloves

Mix together and store in airtight container in a cool dark space…like your pantry or spice drawer.

Vanilla Bean Yellow Cake:   

Recipe from: www.thespunkycoconut.com

Ingredients:

2 cups room temperature cooked beans, like navy or great northern. Note: If your beans are cold from the fridge, put them in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes, then strain.
6 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup coconut flour OR other type of flour
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 & 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

*If you like a sweeter cake then add ½ teaspoon vanilla liquid stevia

Instructions:

1. Set the oven to 325°F, and line a 9 inch square pan with unbleached parchment paper on the bottom only. Set aside.

2. Add the beans, and eggs the food processor fitted with the S blade. Puree until completely smooth.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients and puree until smooth.

4. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out mostly clean.

5. Allow to cool, then transfer to a plate.

6. Add your choice of frosting.

*I’ve made these into delicious 18 cupcakes. Just makes sure to grease your muffin pan and bake cupcakes for 18-22 minutes. I also add a bit more honey to this recipe since I do not have a taste for liquid stevia…yet!

Vanilla Bean Yellow Cake topped with Berries and Coconut Whipped Cream

To make the coconut whipped cream:

1. Put 1 can of coconut milk in fridge over night.

2. Next day scoop the "hardened" coconut fat and put in large bowl.

3. Add ½ tsp of vanilla extract

4. Add 1 tablespoon of honey

5. Using handheld beater OR standing mixer...whip into cream. Whip until just mixed.

6. Add more honey if you'd like it sweeter.

Vanilla Bean Cake:

*follow recipe from other post

Blueberry sauce:

1. 1 cup of fresh or frozen organic blueberries

2. 1 & 1/2 teaspoon of coconut sugar

3. Put berries and coconut sugar in sauce pot and cook on medium-low heat. As the berries start to express their juices give them a squish in the pot with a fork.

4. Once the blueberries will become saucy and thick, remove from heat and cool.

*You can replace the coconut sugar for honey or maple syrup.

To assemble:

1. Place square cut of vanilla bean yellow cake in bowl.

2. top with a spoonful of blueberry sauce.

3. Add fresh berries of your choice.

4. Top with coconut whipped cream

Sexy Beast Kale Salad

I love this salad with all the various flavors from the curry chicken, the sweetness of the cranberries and the tang from the champagne vinaigrette. The different textures rock my world too! I usually do not add dried fruits to my salads, but the mix of protein and healthy fat made it easy for me to digest the sugar in the cranberries.

Sexy Beast Kale Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 bunch of organic kale

2-3 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

3-4 Tablespoons of dried cranberries

2 avocados, cut in half and sliced into bite size chunks

Celtic sea salt

Pepper

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Curry rub

Raw pumpkin seeds

*For vegetarian…skip the chicken and add roasted chickpeas…yummmm!

Instructions:

1. Turn oven on to 375 degrees. Sprinkle chicken thighs with your favorite rub seasonings. I use a delicious curry seasoning mix I make in large batches and keep in my pantry.

Recipe: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/homemade-curry-powder

2. After adding seasoning to the chicken, cook for about 15-20minutes.

3. While the chicken is cooking, tear the leaves from the stems of kale leaves, wash and dry thoroughly. It’s key to get those kale bits dry otherwise the olive oil will slide right off…no good.

2. Put kale in large bowl and drizzle 2 Tablespoons of EVO on kale.

3. Using your hands gently breakdown and massage the leaves. Your hands will get oily and the leaves should start to soften.

4. Distribute the kale between 4 bowls.

5. Once chicken is cool, add to bowls of kale.

6. Add a large pinch of cranberries to each salad and top with avocado. Each bowl should get the amount of ½ an avocado.

7. Sprinkle raw pumpkin seeds.

Champagne Vinaigrette:

Recipe from: www.againstallgrain.com

Ingredients:

2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

¼ cup champagne vinegar

2 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

Pinch of salt and pepper

1 cup of olive oil

Instructions:

In a blender mix together 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, ⅛ cup champagne vinegar, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and a pinch of salt and pepper. With the blender running, drizzle in ½ cup olive oil.

*For me, I often just add the ingredients to a mason jar and shake it for about 1-2 minutes and it turns out great.

Super Simple Brownies

Decadent Blender Brownies (black bean and avocado chocolate brownies)

(Recipe and photo adapted from www.ambitiouskitchen.com...my family ate the brownies so fast I didn't take any photos). 

Ingredients:

1 - 15 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained

1 large egg

2 large egg whites

1/2 of a large extra ripe avocado

1 teaspoon coconut or olive oil

2/3 cup of cacao powder OR 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder alkaline free

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8x8 inch baking pan.

2. Place all ingredients besides chocolate chips into blender. Process or puree until ingredients form a smooth batter. This batter needs to be very thick in order to produce fudgy brownies.

3. Add in 1/3 cup chocolate chips and fold into batter. We use Enjoy Life chocolate chunks.

4. Pour batter into prepared pan.

5. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until knife inserted in center

comes out somewhat clean and top of the brownies begin to crack.

6. Cool pan completely on wire rack then cut into squares.

A Few tidbits:

*To make free of top 8 food allergens: Use a brand called Enjoy Life chocolate chips and sub a flax egg for the egg and egg whites.

*It is easy to switch the maple syrup for either: ½ cup honey OR 2/3 cup coconut sugar. Just be sure to taste your batter for desired sweetness.

In our family we keep these suckers in the refrigerator, which makes them even more decadent.

Transformational learning and A Love Story

One spring evening 3 years ago I was sitting on my couch in the home we were renting checking my email and saw a message from my husband Vlad, which read:

          Subject: Landmark Forum

“babe, this seminar was highly recommended to me and I would like to attend the one in DC next month.  I would have to be gone from Fri til Sun night.  It is very intense and I feel like I need it really bad.  I am struggling with my professional life like I can not believe.  I know I can be better in number of ways I just can not get over something.  I was told that this will help.

Do I have your permission to go?  we can discuss when I see you.  I just did not want to spring it on you.

Thank you, vlad”

Now, at this point in our lives we had just brought our second daughter, Liv into the world and we were both struggling with our own “stuff” individually. Our “stuff” had been spilling into our marriage and it became clear that many areas inside our relationship weren’t working.

See, we had a tremendous love for one another that was never our problem. Yet for some reason we just couldn’t get the true connection we both needed. We were stuck and found ourselves at a crossroads ready for change, but what was going to make the difference?!

Vlad took the Landmark Forum back in June 2012. He was gone for an entire weekend and a Tuesday evening. During his course he would call me to share things with me he was learning about himself and about being a better husband. I naturally began to FREAK OUT! I asked myself, “What is this?!”

When Vlad came home after the weekend he starting relating to me differently and it FREAKED ME OUT! Why did his sharing create an unnerving storm of panic inside me? To put it simply I was holding on to being “in control” and not willing to show any vulnerability to anyone especially my husband. So as you can imagine my mind was working overtime to “keep it together” and that’s putting it nicely.

The following month I took the Landmark Forum in Alexandria, Virginia. As each hour progressed I had many ah-ha moments without ever going up to the microphone. My greatest ah-ha moment was during the second day of the forum. The Forum leader began a conversation into how human beings have a way of “already, always listening.” As someone spoke at the microphone and received coaching from the instructor my mind was blown!! It was as if a million loud bells were ringing in my head. I got that my way of listening to my husband was through this way of “already, always listening.” I had no idea!

In an instant I realized that no matter what Vlad said to me I heard it through the listening of “he’s going to leave,” “I’m not good enough” or “I’m going to leave first, booya!” I discovered that before this moment of clear transformation- Vlad never had a chance with me because I was never really hearing him. Forget about letting him contribute to me emotionally, this guy wasn’t even on the same planet as me and truthfully…none of my relationships ever had a chance either…how could they?

Now fast forward to spring 2015: We’ve completed Landmark Worldwide’s Curriculum for Living and have created the relationship of our dreams- we are partners in a completely altered marriage. How has it changed?

                   -Our communication has transformed. No longer do we ask each other “What do you mean by that?” Giving something we say such significance and “meaning” that we can’t move past it no longer exists. Look, we are not perfect, but I will say that when something comes up in the space of our communication we now have the skills and awareness to move through it together with grace and unconditional love.

                   -Being present. To me, it can sound trendy to say “being present,” but the kind of action I am speaking of is about getting to a place where the “chatter” inside your head becomes quiet and you can truly be with what is. That to me is a big part of being connected. I can also say that because of this ongoing practice to be present that when I am with my daughters-I am really WITH my daughters and not lost in my “chatter.” Just being more skilled at noticing the constant ticker of thoughts that can easily run through my mind is powerful. Awareness is transformational in itself.

                   -Being able to express vulnerability. This is a daily practice for me because it is my greatest fear. I have a belief that some force in the universe or maybe G-d put Vlad and I together because we needed similar things. However, had to learn how create it within ourselves before we could give to each other. We are each other’s mirror for sure!

The impact that engaging in this type of transformational learning has given us is the freedom to of create the partnership we want and allowing it to contract and change in ways that fit who we are being each day because each day brings new opportunities and challenges. I am forever grateful for my husband, Vlad for inviting me to the Tuesday night evening of his Landmark Forum. It was that night when my life began to alter in ways I never imagined were possible. 

Squashing My Reasons

Have you ever caught yourself feeling as though you are at the mercy of your circumstances no matter how big or small? This is how my Monday morning began. I was EXHAUSTED!! My brain was feeling sluggish and disconnected from the rest of my body, my energy level was almost non-existent, and by 8am I was ready for Tuesday! Sound familiar?

So, let me share why I was so exhausted. My daughters had woken me up at 3:33 in the morning and I did not go back to sleep until 5:56am (yes, I know this for a fact because I kept looking at the clock!!!). When I heard the soft twinkling of bells 4 minutes later from my alarm I hit the snooze button and then again at 6:30, and by 7 o’clock I knew I had to get up and start my day. Boy was I a hot mess for sure!! My eyes were puffy, my voice was scratchy, I hadn’t taken a shower, and I threw on a wrinkly pair of shorts and a t-shirt…So. Not. Sexy! My family was lucky I decided to use my fine motor skills and put on my bra! You get the idea?!

The girls and I trudged through our morning routine with me bringing to everyone’s attention that I was tired. I already had it in my mind that all I needed to do today was “get through” my day and then tomorrow I will be on my game!

After I dropped my girls off at camp I parked my hot mama minivan at the shopping center across the street and began an inquiry into how I had already designed my day to be something I was going to “survive” rather than live! It was at 9am that I saw this was a wonderful opportunity for me to practice squashing my reasons and take actions that were align with what I was commit to having in my life.

Look, I knew I could call any of my girlfriends that have kids, my parents, my husband…pretty much every one in my life would have agreed with me that I had reasons to be tired and that I should “take it easy” and perhaps I should take today to relax. Having those conversations would have completely justified my current way of being, but that’s NOT the way I wanted to LIVE my life.

Instead, I took a few moments to let my body be heard. I allowed my feelings of exhaustion to exist without judgment and then all the muscles in my body started to relax. I acknowledge that I was tired AND that I had many things I wanted to accomplish today. Then I asked myself, “Who do I want to be while I am crossing off the things on my “to-do” list?” “What kind of day do I want to have?”

It was at this moment I chose to bring aliveness to everything I did while having fun, being sexy, and doing it all with ease and grace!! For me this way of being was my access to designing my day the way I wanted rather than being at the mercy of my circumstance and reasons! As I drove all over Baltimore completing my errands I noticed how effortless it had become to get everything done!

When I got home I began working on my “Accomplishment List.” This is a practice I use when I sense I am not giving myself enough credit for all that I do. It’s a list I keep for myself and usually throw out or delete at the end of each day. I begin by writing down every thing I do in the morning. For example: making beds, helping the girls make breakfast, packing lunches, unloading the dishwasher, reading books to the girls, watering the tomato plants, wiping down the kitchen counters, putting gas in my car, making/going to appointments etc. You get the idea…no task is too small for this list. It all deserves to be seen! Plus it feels freaking amazing!!!!

While I was making this list on my phone I took a moment to be with the shift that had occurred. By now it was 2 o’clock in the afternoon and I no longer felt exhausted or that I was moving through each activity in survival mode. I was totally energized!! I had squashed my reasons to “take it easy” and now I was making new a commitment to get to the gym by 3pm for 45 minutes of cardio before I picked up my girls from camp! I knew that I had flipped my own switch and living my day completely out of a powerful space that I created.

You might be thinking, “What about all those people you usually talk to on the phone, what did you say to them?” Well, that afternoon I called and texted my family and friends to share with them what I noticed about my shift in who I was being. I think expressing what I saw about my day, how it could have gone AND how I chose for it to go is powerful. When I share myself with others it alters the listening of those around me and creates a new opening for them to be with me. It is out of this new space of listening that they too will squash my reasons and justifications by holding me accountable for what I say I am out to have in my life and who I want to be for those around me!