Some years ago, when winter was coming to an end and spring was still soggy and cold, I discovered a lone organic potato in my kitchen. I have to specify that it was organic because conventionally grown potatoes are much less likely to root and generate offspring. This sad little potato was dried out, wrinkly, and way past edible. At least six little rootlets were beginning to form on the skin, and so I decided to try an experiment. I cut that little potato into six chunks, each containing a single rootlet. I dug a trench in the garden on the far side of our backyard, and dropped each of the pieces into the trench, about 1 foot apart. Then I covered them with dirt and waited. Continue reading
Category Archives: Gratitude & Inspiration
My Mom’s Best Aphorisms
Tomorrow my mom will turn 80! Can you imagine?! Eighty years! In honor of my mighty wise mom, and 80 years walking this wondrous planet, here are some of the marvelous things that she taught me. Continue reading
Reflections on Weight
Here’s something I’ve been thinking about lately: When we English speakers talk about our weight, we say “I weigh xxx pounds.” As if you have a say in the matter, and you could dial in what you want to weigh when you wake up in the morning. Not. We’re not machines — we’re dynamic creatures who are always adapting and responding to our environments. And what we weigh is a reflection of those environments, no matter how supportive or challenging. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Whole-Wheat Spaghetti with Fresh Tomatoes
I met my husband-to-be on a snowy Friday evening, many years ago, on the eighteenth of February. Food is love, and there is nothing more romantic than a bowl of pasta with a glass of wine! Continue reading
Sometimes You’ve Gotta Go Slow To Go Fast
I’ve heard that race car drivers have a saying: “Sometimes you’ve gotta go slow to go fast.” If you want to shave seconds off your time, you need to slow down as you head into a curve. If you want to keep up your speed, sometimes you need to back off a little. Continue reading
Thyme for Some Sage Advice
The holidays are a particularly meaningful time to think about the most valuable gifts that we receive. I’m talking about the words of wisdom that are passed along from one generation to the next. Around the holidays, a few years ago, a few of my friends from work got talking about our grandmothers’ old-fashioned expressions, beliefs, and bits of sage advice. You may think these expressions are quaint and old-fashioned, but they are really much more. These sayings are the collective wisdom of our ancestors, the survivors. Here are a few of the ones for which I am most grateful. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Heirloom Beans & Wild Rice Thanksgiving Salad
I usually thank people for their recipes at the end of my blog posts, but not today. This week, not only does gratitude itself deserve top billing, but so does our appreciation for this particular recipe. Continue reading
Checkout Line Zen II
Today is a good day for thinking about mindfulness. This sweet little #mindfulness tip comes courtesy of my friend Diane, who works as a pediatrician. She is patience personified.
Here’s what she told me a couple of weeks ago: Continue reading
A Good Week Gets Better With Intention
It has been a busy week! I was interviewed for a piece in U.S. News & World Report about my favorite topic: real food! Continue reading
Lucky Enough
An old friend of mine is lucky enough to live at the confluence of two small lakes. I hope I’m using that word right — what I mean to say is that if you look out the windows of his home toward the east you see one lake; and if you look toward the north you see a different one. Can you picture it? On the little spit of land that juts into the space between the two lakes, right next to where families of ducks and swans cross all the day long in a patient parade of parenting, sits a small cabin. And in the front window of that cabin rests a sign:
“If you’re lucky enough to live on the water, you’re lucky enough.” Continue reading