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My Month as a Vegetarian

Posted by Suzanne on December 31, 2013 in Food, Life

Sauteed Veg 2During Kangeiko/Winter Yoga Renewal, I committed to eating vegetarian. There are lots of really good reasons* to eat a vegetarian diet, but mostly I just wanted to see if I could do it. You see, I’m from the Midwest, the heart of the United States, meat and potato kind of folks, it’s just what I know (and enjoy). I also love really good food and around here a lot of that food contains meat.

Well the month is up and here’s what I learned…

It was easier than I thought it would be. I expected to really miss the texture, flavor and protein source. The only time I really missed it was when we ordered sushi and I refrained from my favorite roll. But, other than that I got along quite nicely without it.

Good food is good food. This isn’t a new revelation for me, but it was definitely reinforced throughout the month. If the food is tasty, fresh and made with love, I’ll eat and enjoy it. It can be raw, vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, really from any food pyramid.

This one’s just for me. Many of the family cooks out there can probably relate. Over the years, my culinary freedom has been limited by the likes and dislikes of my family members. I am forced to limit the ingredients I like to include to please the masses. My husband doesn’t like onions or mushrooms, my daughter doesn’t like a lot of sauce and my son doesn’t like vegetables in general. Cooking for myself, I was able to cook unrestrained and got to use all of the things I love, in abundance. It was quite liberating and was a fun spark of creativity. I even developed a vegetarian recipe for bierocks or “runzas”, which I’ll post later.

Meals can go both ways. Cooking two meals got a little tedious, especially when time was tight. But, I did discover a number of dishes/meals that worked for everyone. Tacos, quiche, pizza and pasta were the easiest ones. I would create a vegetarian version and then provide a side of meat to satisfy that contingency.

Let’s be real. Pre-packaged foods and mock meats did not do it for me. In general, we don’t eat a lot of pre-packaged items anyway. I tried some of the mock meat crumbles in sauces, but they didn’t really add anything. Veggie burgers were helpful in quick meal situations or when the fam had turkey or salmon burgers. I never quite understood mock meats and still don’t.

Eating out was a challenge. I was really surprised that there were so few vegetarian options on the menu. We only ate out a couple of times and I guess I just expected there to be more of a choice. You could usually count on some sort of vegetable pasta or stir-fry, something with a cheese or a salad. The vegetarian items I found were tasty though.

Excuse me. It should be noted that when you put all of those wonderful things into your meals like onions, mushrooms and spinach, you will most likely be gassy. If anyone has any special secrets for let’s say, equilibrium, I would love to hear them.

I really enjoyed being a vegetarian. I ate a lot of good food, lost a couple of pounds and created a few new recipes. While I’m not ready to define myself to this one food pyramid, I am definitely choosing my meals more consciously and taking a little more time to include the fruits and veggies that I love. I’ve maintained a mostly vegetarian diet, but I did enjoy my favorite sushi when the month was up.
Namaste!
*For more information on the benefits of a vegetarian diet check out the following article from Vegetarian Times. http://www.vegetariantimes.com/resources/why_go_veg/

(This blog was originally posted on yoginiinprogress.blogspot.com)

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No Blood, No Band-Aid

Posted by Suzanne on December 31, 2013 in Family, Life

Band-AidThis policy has saved our family thousands of dollars in first-aid expense. Okay, maybe not thousands of dollars, but the point is, we usually only use bandages when we really need them. It started out as a motherly pet peeve of just wastefully using up bandages and leaving a trail of wrappers and tabs along the way. But, it became a way to focus on what was really the matter. Are you really physically hurt? Are you having a rough day? Do you just need a hug? The “no blood, no band-aid” policy combined with a freezer of ice packs, a hug and calming breathing has gotten us by for quite a while.

When the kids get hurt, there is an almost automatic response or request for an immediate fix and a band-aid is usually one of the first things they request. Now, I’m am not heartless or cruel, I just never liked the waste of willy-nilly using up band-aids. So, instead we breathe.

My kiddos are getting bigger (they are 6, 9 and 10). But, when the kids were really little it started out as a hug for comfort, a wipe of the tears and me breathing just to help stabilize the frenzy. This evolved into encouraging the kids to breathe, which in turn evolved into encouraging them to blow. Blowing air out is something they seem to focus on a little better and if you blow all of your air out, you have to breathe in, so it gets us where we need to be. Now, we are to the point where you can give one of the kids a hug, take a deep breath and quite quickly they usually begin to harmonize their breath and calm down.

This is yoga breathing at work. When we slow down and deepen our breathe, our body is able to relax and move away from knee-jerk reactions. We can really check in and respond, not react.

In the spirit of balance, it should be noted that willy-nilly has it’s place too. One birthday, my daughter received a case full of fun items; crayons, stickers, treats and BAND-AIDS. She had a free-for-all that no hug or ice pack could compete with.

Namaste!

(This blog was originally posted at yoginiinprogress.blogspot.com.)

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Winter Yoga Renewal

Posted by Suzanne on December 31, 2013 in Life, Practice

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIt’s that time of the year when New Year’s Resolutions are all the rage. Forget the resolutions and join me on a Winter Yoga Renewal.

About five years ago, my sister introduced our family to Kangeiko. This is the traditional intensive Winter training practiced by many martial arts. The purpose is to commit to strengthening and training the body, mind and spirit. The first year, Kangeiko felt like a major punishment, but it’s now become a welcome New Year’s ritual (especially due to the unending buffet of holiday treats). Each year the commitment to the practice is intensified and the residual affects are noticeable. When you spend a month focusing on change with purpose and intention you can really make it happen.

Unlike New Year’s Resolutions, several Kangeiko changes we have made throughout the years have become new habits for our family. We were introduced to agave as an alternative sweetener, found a yummy bread without high-fructose corn syrup, have eaten more vegetarian meals and regularly purge our closet (not enough though). Last year, I applied Kangeiko to my yoga practice and it was a really nice fit. It really helped to change my attitude, my physical strength and focus.

If you’d like to join in, here are the guidelines. I would love to hear how you incorporate them into your lifestyle, practice and goals.

Winter Yoga Renewal

The Winter Yoga Renewal begins on Monday, January 2 and ends on Tuesday, January 31.

Commit to practicing everyday. Try doing some form of asana every day. Fifteen minutes of sun salutations in the morning and 10 minutes of moon salutations in the evening are a great way to find daily practice. If you regularly practice, commit to a full practice 5-7 days of the week with 1-2 of those as a personal home practice.

Commit to “clean eating”. Be conscious of the food that fuels your body. Avoid processed foods, preservatives, high fructose corn syrup and added chemicals. If you don’t know what is listed on the label, you probably don’t want it in your body. Eliminate caffeine, alcohol, fried foods, sweets, table salt and soda. Consider reducing or removing the animal proteins in your diet and increasing the amounts of fruits and vegetables. (A great an easy reference for being more conscious about your food sources is “Food Rules” by Michael Pollan. There are tidbits for every eater – omnivores to vegans.)

Rejuvenate your spirit. Pinpoint one thing that is a drain on your energy or spirit and make a change. Meditate, journal, sing, spend time with loved ones or dedicate time to a cause that is important to you. Plan a date night or family game night. Reduce or eliminate your use of tv and electronics.

Avoid drugs. Take nothing illegal and avoid over the counter medications if possible. This includes pain medications and cold remedies. (If you are under the care of a physician, please consult them first.) Try alternate methods to alleviate discomfort like relaxation, meditation, cold compress, etc.

Set 3 to 5 goals for yourself. Make a commitment to make a change. Set at least one goal for your mind, body and spirit. Some examples:

  • Mind – Learn something new. Attend a cooking class or genealogy workshop. Take a different style of yoga (Astanga, Bikram, yin, etc.) Read a book on mudras.
  • Body – Set a goal to advance a specific asana (i.e. press up to wheel/urdhva danurasana or float to caturanga from bakasana). If you are over or under weight make a plan to make a change. Engage in positive body-image self-talk.
  • Spirit – Purge your closets and drawers and donate. Drive without road rage. Meditate or pray daily.

Infractions – No one is perfect and you may fall off the wagon a time or two. Don’t let that derail you. If you misstep, cheat or lose your way, consider offering up 20 caturanga push-ups, navasana sit-ups or donation to get you back on track.

I hope you join me on this Winter Yoga Renewal. Be sure to let me know how your are doing throughout the month. By the way, the best chocolate cake I ever had was in February, a couple of years ago, just after a month of Kangeiko!

Namaste!

(This blog was originally posted on yoginiinprogress.blogspot.com.)

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