It’s a conversation that has lasted for more than twenty years, one book at a time, one month at a time. On this particular evening, long before the coronavirus, two members of our book group, Suze and Lynda, have folded themselves, side by side, into two big chairs separated by a small table. Dee, our host this month, lies nearby on the floor, her head on a large, soft cushion. Continue reading
Category Archives: Mindfulness
Sometimes You’ve Gotta Go Slow
A while back I learned 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, in other words, you need to slow down as you head into the curve. If you want to keep up, sometimes you need to back off a little. It’s especially true right now. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but we’re actually headed into the roughest part of the pandemic. I had no idea that this whole year was just a dress rehearsal for the real thing. Continue reading
Set an Intention
These are not easy days, to say the least. But one thing that really helps me is to start each day by setting an intention.
What does that mean? Well, I might say to myself, “Today, I will take a few deep breaths.” Or, “I will keep my eyes on the road.” Or, “I will be kind to myself.” Intentions can be abstract or concrete. They can help you study, close your eyes, or stretch your arms to the ceiling a couple of times a day. They can let you stay in bed, ask for a back rub, take a long bath. Intentions are multi-purpose, which is an essential part of their charm. I weave them into the fabric of my days, and they make my weeks more interesting, resilient, even productive. The possibilities are endless. Continue reading
Being Kind to Yourself: A Basic Approach
A while ago, I was having a conversation with my friend Henry. He’s a doc, too, and we enjoy spending time together and talking about practicing medicine, taking care of patients, what it’s like, what we learn from it, and how we can do better. I am very grateful for Henry, and for the fact that we have been having this conversation for almost 25 years. It just so happens that Henry is in quarantine right now, so he’s on my mind. He’s fine in case you’re wondering, just being cautious. Continue reading
Take Care of Yourselves, My Friends
This is not an easy time, no matter how much time you have, but we can all make a moment, or take a turn to take better care of ourselves. In hopes that we will have more moments to show up as our best version of our best self, or that we will have a little bit of ourselves to share with those, young and old, who might need them, a tiny bit of self-love goes a long, long way. Time is the ultimate resource, and no one gets more or less. Each day you get twenty-four hours, the same as everyone. You can’t create more out of thin air. But there is some very hopeful news to share. Continue reading
Momentary Mindfulness
I think that it would be nice this week to share some examples of mindfulness. Goodness knows we can always use more of it.
Some of the examples from the list below are mine, some are from friends, especially this one, some come from my co-workers, and some are from members of my own family. One contribution is a gift from our beloved 12-year-old chocolate labrador retriever (may her memory be a blessing), though truthfully it was more of a demonstration. Continue reading
Try Nourishing Yourself with Joy
Today we’re talking about diets. To diet is to restrict oneself, to deny oneself pleasure. Well that sounds kind of miserable. No wonder diets don’t work. Who would want to do something that makes you feel bad?
Dieting is a logical consequence of the assumption that overweight is due to overindulgence. But there is a fault — a big, fat one — within this assumption: If it were true that overindulgence were the cause of overweight, then denial would be an effective and viable option for losing weight. But it is not, of course, which is why you have probably noticed that diets virtually never work. Continue reading
Mindfulness
Today’s post is about encouraging yourself to be mindful, to be kind to you, and to help yourself remain centered, especially in the vortex of activity that constitutes our days and weeks.
Mindfulness, my personal word-of-the-decade, is the polar opposite of multi-tasking, which is not at all what it sounds like. Continue reading
The Zen of One Fried Egg
A few mornings a week, I fry myself an egg for breakfast. Just one perfect egg, or, at least, my attempt at it. I have been practicing for a long while, and it’s definitely coming along. It doesn’t stick to the pan anymore. I almost never break the yolk. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Chocolate-Pecan Bars (df, gf, vegan, no bake)
My friend Lia brought these to book club a couple weeks ago. OMG. You should make them. Technically they are meant to be dessert, but they would be great for breakfast, too. I would bring them to folks young and old. A reunion of friends. A picnic. A gathering of neighbors. A special meal. An ordinary one.
Food like this creates all kinds of moments, like moments in time and moments of gratitude. It’s a personal reminder that food is meant to nourish not just the body, but the heart and soul as well. And the best is when our food does all three at the same time. Thank you, Lia.
Date-Pecan Layer
- ½ cup unsalted, natural almond butter
- 1 ½ cups unsalted pecan halves, divided
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 5-7 pitted Medjool dates (1/2 cup packed)
Chocolate Layer
- ½ cup vegan chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup PLUS 1 Tbsp. natural almond butter, unsalted
Topping
- ¼ cup pecans, chopped
Directions
- Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, greased foil, or wax paper. Set aside.
- To prepare the date-pecan layer, add dates and almond butter to a food processor. Blend approx. one minute until sticky and crumbly, like chunks of wet sand or dough. Scrape down the sides of the processor intermittently, as needed, between processing.
- Add 1 cup pecans, vanilla, and salt to food processor. Blend continuously until pecans are fully incorporated and mixture is soft and crumbly. When the mixture holds together when pinched, it’s ready. Add remaining pecans, and pulse only a few times until pecans are just barely incorporated, with medium-small pieces still visible.
- Pour the contents into the prepared baking pan. Press gently with a spatula, and smooth into an even, tightly-packed layer.
- To prepare the chocolate mixture, add chocolate chips and (¼ cup plus 1 Tbsp.) of almond butter to the top of a double boiler, or heat in a microwave (in a microwave-safe bowl) in 20-second increments until soft and melted. Stir until smooth.
- Pour chocolate mixture over date-pecan layer. Smooth into an even layer using a rubber spatula. Sprinkle evenly with chopped pecans, and press gently into the chocolate.
- Freeze for 20-30 minutes. Remove from freezer and slice into 16 generous bars or 20 bite-size pieces.
Thank you to Beaming Baker for a prior version of this recipe.