Vegan Mac & Cheese… yeah, you heard me.

I've been looking for a good dairy-free Mac & Cheese recipe for a long time.  The problem with most of them is that they're usually made with nuts, which is okay for me every once and awhile, but can be a little heavy and hard on my digestive system.  Recently, I had an eggplant I needed to use, so I browsed Pinterest and was stoked when I found a yummy sounding Mac & Cheese recipe.  It turned out great! Here's my adaptation of that recipe:

Vegan Mac & Cheese

Adapted from minimalistbaker.com

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 medium eggplant

Olive Oil

1 1/2 yellow onions, sliced thin

2 cups gluten-free pasta

1/4 cup nutritional yeast, use more if needed

1 3/4 cups unsweetened plain almond milk

1 tsp garlic powder

Sea salt, to taste

Cayenne, to taste

Chopped tomato, for garnish

Sliced green onion, for garnish

Directions:

• Peel and cube the eggplant and sprinkle with sea salt. Place in a colander and let moisture drain for 20 minutes to draw out bitterness.
• In the meantime, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onions and stir occasionally until caramelized, 10-12 minutes.  Set aside for later.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Rinse eggplant and dry thoroughly.  Place on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.  Roast until tender and slightly browned 25-30 minutes.
• Boil water for pasta and add pasta and boil until cooked through.  Drain and return to pot with the lid on to keep warm.
• Remove roasted eggplant and add to a blender with almond milk, nutritional yeast, and garlic powder. Blend until smooth and add sea salt and cayenne pepper to taste.  Add more nutritional yeast, salt, and garlic powder to reach desired taste.
• Add sauce to the pasta and coat thoroughly.  Add caramelized onions.
• Top with tomatoes and green onions and serve.

Life Outside Comfort

It being January, I'm getting lots of questions about my goals for 2015, which has inspired some self-reflection. There have been dramatic shifts in my life in the last ten years, each acting as a catalyst for change and growth. While reflecting this week, I remembered a huge personal goal I set for myself a little over two years ago, that has become one of the most powerful tools I use to expand on and increase my wellness and happiness. This is that story. When I first began to really explore my wellbeing and dive into this journey of self-discovery and change, it was an intense roller coaster ride. My body went through drastic shifts and I began to dive into my mind and deal with emotional struggles. It was kind of a mess, but an extremely rewarding one. I committed to my journey 110 percent and completely surrendered to the process. This meant that I didn't leave any stone unturned.

One thing at a time, I processed through my inhibiting emotional patterns and studied each symptom that limited my body. If I was given a solution, I chased after it, no matter how much of a struggle it was.  And it was a struggle. The only things keeping me going were the amazing results I was seeing. Everything was improving: my sense of self-love, my energy, my overall health, my thought patterns, my inspiration, my connection to others, my sleep, my motivation and drive, my emotional state, my confidence, etc. Bit by bit, I was letting go of the things that were dragging me down and creating a life that I had always wanted for myself.

There were a few years that just felt insane. I had stirred up everything in my life and was waiting for the dust to settle. And, finally, it did. A couple years ago everything began to feel more stable.  Let me be clear here, life didn't necessarily get easier, but my internal self felt more confident, secure, and prepared to deal with any bumps in the road. I once described it by saying, "the shaky ground I've been standing on has left me feeling more solid than ever." My happiness and wellbeing became more consistent and, oddly enough, this worried me.

After experiencing years of ups and downs associated with self-growth, I was terrified that all the growing would stop once I was happy. I had become a self-growth junkie. Once afraid of change, I now reveled in it, chased it, loved it, because I usually walked away having let go of even more baggage, feeling lighter than ever, and with a deeper sense of self. I opened up about my concerns with a friend who told me that I could continue to reach new heights by choosing to do things outside my comfort zone. Embracing experiences that scared me could be a way to get my self-growth fix, while being less intense than my previous roller coaster ride. It was a way to reframe the world I lived in and made it more adventurous and exciting and less scary.

Around this same time, I had lost my cousin to suicide. His family was extremely open about the loss and used it as an opportunity to shed light on mental illness, raise awareness, and help others who struggled. This inspired me greatly. Riding the waves of this inspiration coupled with my new willingness to embrace challenges, I started a blog called Life Outside Comfort. The purpose of the blog was to tackle any test that came my way and to do it openly. I wanted to honestly convey my inner struggles in hopes of inspiring others to be more open about emotional hardships and to help people realize that we all have challenges and fears that inhibit us and that we are capable of freeing ourselves from them.

I had no idea that this blog would stop being just a blog and would become a way of life for me.  It had such profound effects on my anxiety, my confidence, my fears, and my ability to be vulnerable, that it's been ingrained in me forever. In the year and a half that I kept the blog I tried online dating, took hula hoop classes, went to Zumba, began pole dancing, went white water rafting, repelling, rock climbing, I ran my first, second, and third 5k, I embraced aspects of my character that I was embarrassed or ashamed of, I was open about a terrible break up, I was honest about my emotional struggles with anxiety and depression, I even gave a public talk on Raw Aphrodisiacs.  Some of the things were small and some were huge, but they all, in some way, challenged me and taught me something.

Some of the fears I challenged:

My favorite part of the whole thing is that I pushed myself to do things I've always wanted to do, but was too scared of. Slowly but surely, fear stopped ruling my life and no longer kept me down.  I was now free to embrace all that the world has to offer. This doesn't mean that I no longer feel fear, or anxiety, or doubts, but that I no longer let them define or control me.

After awhile, I stopped blogging my experiences because challenging myself became such a part of my life that I couldn't keep up with it. It's something I enjoy doing and I'm excited to continue to push past my barriers and create an uninhibited life. This year and for every year, it will be a goal I set for myself.

To learn more about my commitment to discomfort check out my blog.

Chickpea Mulligatawny (Yellow Split Pea Soup)

This is a recipe I discovered a few years ago while I was working as a chef at a yoga retreat. The thing I like about this soup is that it's simple, but also delicious.  It features turmeric, which has powerful healing properties and I love a chance to add it to my diet.  Plus, I love lemon and this has a nice lemony finish.  I hope you enjoy!

Chickpea Mulligatawny 

Adapted from Wholeliving.com

Serves 4

3 tablespoons coconut oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons grated peeled ginger

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 cup yellow split peas

1 quart (32 ounces) vegetable broth

2 cups water

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (I use more, but it depends on your taste preference)

Sea salt

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup sliced green onions, for garnish

Cooked brown rice, for serving

Directions:

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add garlic, ginger, cumin, turmeric, coriander, and cayenne.  Stir and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.  Add split peas and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 30-40 minutes until peas are cooked.
• Once cooked add the soup to a blender and puree until smooth.  Return soup to the pot and add 2 cups of water.  Cook until warmed through, add lemon juice, and season with salt, to taste.
• Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chickpeas and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and slightly crisp, 7 to 8 minutes.  Serve soup topped with chickpeas and green onions with rice on the side.

Back To Reality

The first Monday back after the holidays can be a little rough.  A full work week, below-zero weather, and staring into the face of the dead of winter can be a little overwhelming.  However, it's also a time when most of us have grown tired of holiday cookies and the frequent drinking and eating and are ready to get back to our routines and commit to a healthier lifestyle. It's actually a very inspiring and motivating time, since we've taken advantage of the time of indulgence and are now craving food and behaviors that make us feel good.  I personally love this time of year because of that.  Getting up early to juice and make green smoothies is easy and welcomed right now and I appreciate that.  The time of indulgence has past and the time of self-care has begun.  In that spirit, I thought I'd share some of my personal wellness tips to bring in with you this new year.

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!!!

This is one of the best things you can do to support your health, so do it!  It's simple, it's cheap, and it's extremely important.  Learn more about this here.

Cook for yourself.

Save money and be in charge of what you're consuming.

Read ingredient labels.

Chemical additives can be harmful and taxing on our bodies.  Be sure to pay attention to what you're buying.  Check the ingredient labels and make sure that what you're eating is actually food.  If you don't know understand what something is, then there is a good chance you shouldn't be eating it.

Get fresh air.

I know, it's cold… really cold, but, when you can and as often as you can, find ways to get outdoors, especially when the sun is out.  It's a great way to reconnect to yourself and enjoy the beauty that constantly surrounds us.

Move your body.

Fight the urge to be less active and make it a priority.  Get creative with it and find ways to move that are fun and enjoyable!

Set up a healthy environment.

If making healthy choices is hard for you, try to make your home the safest place.  Set your kitchen up so that you have plenty of healthy options that you enjoy.  Include meals, snacks, and even healthier indulgences. If you need to satisfy a craving then you can go and get it elsewhere.  This way you'll make more choices that support you.

Create a wellness support team.

We all have varying needs to stay and be well.  Whatever those needs are for you make the effort to create a team of people and things that satisfy these needs.  For me, it's getting regular massages, acupuncture appointments, going to yoga classes, having friends to cook healthy meals with, and having people in my life to confide in.

Challenge yourself.

This is the most powerful tool I use to continue to grow, learn, and reach new heights.  The more I challenge myself, the more I'm able to let go of things that inhibit me and fully embrace who I am.  You can do this in small or big ways.  I try to say yes to things even if they scare me, especially if they scare me, and to walk into unchartered territory.  Having been someone who has had lots of struggles with anxiety, this commitment to discomfort has changed my life for the better.  I could say so much more on the importance of this, but, for now, just know that pushing against barriers can be extremely liberating and I encourage everyone to do so.

Deepen your self-awareness.

Our bodies are constantly talking to us, we just have to learn how to listen.  Start to pay attention to symptoms and patterns that can help you understand more about your body.  Education and massage have helped me the most in this.  Learning more about anatomy and physiology gave me a better understanding of the human body and massage helped introduce me to my own body.  I now know where I carry stress, what areas are weaker, and how to deal with that.

Strengthen your sense of self-worth and self-love.

Last week I went in-depth on the importance of this in a blogpost, which you can see here.  I believe it is the most important thing we can do to be healthy and happy because with a strong sense of self-worth and self-love it is easy to make choices that are a reflection of that and that continue to nurture, support, and empower us.

Think positive.

Making a conscious choice to focus our energy on positivity will help create a more positive world to live in.  Check out my blog on this here, to get a look at my personal experience with this powerful shift.

It's a new year and time for some focus within.  Take advantage of this shift into a time of self-care and commit to a happier and healthier lifestyle.

If self-care is something that is difficult for you, take advantage of the services I offer as I have many ways I can support you on your journey.