Macrobiotics at the Natural Gourmet Institute

Remember when I went to Ithaca and dicovered Macrobiotics? When I got home, I emailed the Natural Gourmet Institute and asked if they would let me take upcoming Macrobiotcs Demonstraton for free if I promised to write up a post. The school agreed!

While I watched and listened to the instructor Jill, I felt like I was at a live taping from the Food Network. Jill and her five assistants preformed a smooth dance of sliding dishes in and out, into the pot, onto a plate, then straight back to the sink to clean. Jill weaved stories and tips and food philosophy as she effortlesly prepared 9 recipes. As I sat there, I wondered for moment why I wasn't just watching a cooking video. And then! The food started to steam up. I could smell all the vegetables, vinagers, and flavors in the air and I knew I was exsperiencing something completely different than the TV offers. I could hear everything simmering, and finally, got to taste the food! So satisfying. My favorite recipe she made was the Quick and Easy Pickles. The flavor was light and the vegetables had a great crunch. The secret ingredients? The Umeboshi Vinegar and Sweet Brown Rice Vinegar! Pictured below.

So the Macrobiotic Diet.  It has a lot a large list of approved foods. Even it's own Food Pyramid. And while Jill touched about all those things, she also was adamant about making sure that we didn't become too dogmatic about our food philosphy. Whether claiming to be Vegan, SouthBeach or Macrobiotic, or (insert whatever I call myself--I'll eat whatever), she wanted us to eat in a way that made sense.  She stressed that it's important to hear everyone's point of view because there's many pros and cons to every approved eating styles. Her approach to food was forgiving and unjudgmental. I was worried about that before going into this class about Macrobiotics.  I was surprised that rather than feeling weighted down with the feeling that everything I feed my kids is killing them, I came out of the class feeling uplifted and motivated.

The most practical advice Jill gave was about soup. She makes them all year long because soup helps slow everyone down. Basically, she says, it's hard to eat hot soups quickly. I like that. Since taking the class, I've tried to incorporate more soups in my family's diet. Even if it's from a can. It has actually helped to slow us down a bit.

I completely recommend this class if you want to learn how to add a few Macrobiotic recipes to your diet.  This hands-on class looks great too. Or this seasoning class. And doesn't this Artisanal Bread Workshop look tempting? Mmmm. Thank you Natural Gourmet Institute for letting me take a class! I hope to go back again!

whatever makes my life easier

I've discovered bodysuits for Ella. Both t-shirt and underwear in one. Sold. One less thing I have to dig through the clean laundry basket for. Because by now, everyone should have heard the newest cliche: The prettier the blog, the messier the house. For the past few months, my blog has taken priority over my laundry situation. Lucky you. :) Enjoy the pretty pictures taken on our recent trip to MoMa!  We met up with some old friends who are having the best life ever. Miss you already Raddon girls. Hope you had a fun visit in NYC!  Since coming home and listening some of Ryan's music, I've discovered this post is best viewed with Fire in Your New Shoes playing in the background. Try it and get a multi-media blog experience. This really is turning out to be your lucky day.

She can only keep the serious face for so long.  Monet in the background. 

Martha Is OVER

Last year I read that quote here and it's stayed with me. Enter Henrietta's Birthday cake. Days later and I still can't stop thinking about it. I wanted details. I found out Aunt Emily made the cake. Uncle Brian was in charge of the icing and strawberries. And little Henrietta did the sprinkles. You guys nailed this Birthday cake. It's a perfect mess.

What do you think? Is Martha really out? Is the messy imperfection look really going to take over? If so, I'm in luck! I can do imperfect!

Pancake Insanity

Around two years ago I was obsessed with learning how to make the perfect pancake.  Mainly because my kids were driving me crazy and, I know this sounds unrelated but, making really fluffy pancakes from scratch made me feel in control each morning. My dirty laundry was slowing infiltrating my clean laundry pile in the living room, I hadn't brushed my hair for a week, and my brain was being fried by constant tantrums, but. BUT if I started my day with perfect pancakes: My kids thought I was fabulous, I thought I was fabulous, and everyone I bragged about my new skill to told me I was fabulous. Somehow I would weave my pancake skillz into any conversation. I'm that person.

And who do I have to thank for teaching me everything I know about pancakes? None other than Deb from Smitten Kitchen of course. In her Pancakes 101 post, she explains exactly how much to stir the batter, how to prep the pan, and a secret with the eggs that I think is brilliant.  You have got to read it and implement her tips! You'll feel so empowered and you too will feel the need to bring up pancakes in any discussion. Go ahead. You can be that person too.

In case you were wondering, Deb is as wonderful in person as she seems on her blog. Her posts are smart, interesting, funny and down to earth. And that's exactly the person I met last week. I can't wait for her book to come out 2012.  I hope nothing but the best for Deb. She's fantastic! I would copy everything that she does, even her blog layout. Oh wait, I already did. 

So now you know: Pancakes are my secret weapon for taking control when my life feels crazy.  What do you do to feel a sense of control when your life feels crazy? There must be a better way than PANCAKES!! ha.  

A Balanced Life: The Results

Photo by Paul Ferney on this day

Remember when I was asked to speak about Balance? And I set goals to help me do the things that mattered most and less of the things that were wasting my time?  It's been an interesting project. Thanks for all the comments. Your suggestions helped motivate me along the way. Here's a small excerpt of what I ended up speaking about:

One of my goals was to spend 20 minutes with Ella everyday. I told her she could pick whatever she wanted to do. She decided to call it "Ella's Game." During one of these times, she wanted to go to the park. On our way there, we were talking and suddenly Ella interrupted and said, “Mom, I want to be just like you!” I was surprised when she said this and really honored that she wanted to be just like me. It made me want to be a better mom and example for her. I kind-of forgot that this was part of the mother-daughter agenda. If nothing else came out my get balanced challenge and all I had was this moment, it was worth it.

More updates on the Balance Challenge: I never got to bed by 10:30pm during the entire process and didn't even attempt to relearn my balance beam back-handspring. Both goals seem equally impossible.  I will continue to work on my balancing act even though I finished speaking about it. I'll keep you posted if anything spectacular happens!