Healthy Mother’s Day Recipes by Carolyn Scott Hamilton

It’s the day we ask mom to stop, relax, kick her feet up and be pampered by the very people she pampers all year long. Be sure you shower her with gifts, take her to be primped at her favorite spa and finish the day with a lovely meal. Check out these healthy and vegan Mother’s Day recipes as well as last year’s brunch menu!

Pink Le-MOM-Ade

• 10 sliced lemons
• 2 cups raspberries
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 6 cups water
• 2 1/4 cups tequila (optional)
• Mint, for garnish

Combine lemons, raspberries, and sugar in a large pot. Pound the mixture firmly with a large wooden spoon, extracting as much juice as possible, about 10 minutes. Stir in water. Pour through a sieve into a large bowl. Press the solids until all juice is extracted. Discard the solids, stir in tequila and serve over ice.

Water-Cado Salad

• 2 avocados, pitted and peeled and cut into small chunks – about 1/2 inch
• 1 1/2 lbs. watermelon, seeded and cut into small/med chunks – about 1 inch
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1/2 red onion, peeled and sliced thin
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste

Add all ingredients into a bowl and toss gently.

R & R Risotto

• 3 quarts water
• 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 1 stick vegan butter
• 8 ounces mixed fresh mushrooms, such as porcini, chanterelle, and oyster, sliced if large
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 cups Arborio or Carnaroli rice
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup grated vegan Parmesan (recipe below)

Bring water, dried porcini mushrooms, and peppercorns to a boil in a medium pot. Reduce heat, and simmer gently for 1 hour. Strain stock (you should have 7 to 8 cups); discard solids. Return to pot; cover to keep warm.

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook mixed mushrooms until tender and slightly browned all over, about 3 minutes; transfer to a plate.

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with salt. Stir in rice, and cook until coated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine, and cook until almost completely absorbed, 3 to 4 minutes.

Ladle 1 cup reserved stock over rice, and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until almost completely absorbed. Continue adding stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly and waiting for each addition to be almost completely absorbed before adding the next, until grains are al dente but not crunchy, about 30 minutes. (You’ll probably only use 6 to 7 cups stock. Add remaining stock to loosen the risotto, if desired.)
Remove from heat, and season with salt and pepper. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the vegan Parmesan. Top risotto with sauteed mushrooms (reheat if necessary), and garnish with some more Parmesan.

Vegan Parmesan

• 1 cup soaked and dried Brazil nuts
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• ⅓ teaspoon salt
• Pinch nutritional yeast
• Pinch oregano

Place all ingredients in a food processor with the “S” blade on. Process until well incorporated and the consistency of bread crumbs.

Sweet and Spicy Sorbet Sandwiches

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted vegan butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup plus 5 teaspoons sugar, plus more for rolling and flattening
• 1 egg replacer
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped candied ginger
• 1 pint vegan strawberry sorbet
• 1 pint vegan lemon sorbet

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk flour, ground ginger, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves in a bowl.

With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in egg replacer, then add molasses and candied ginger. Reduce speed. Gradually mix in flour mixture. Wrap dough in plastic, and refrigerate until slightly firm, 15 minutes.

Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop balls of dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Roll each one in sugar, and return to sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Using the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar, press dough to flatten into 3-inch rounds. Bake until edges are golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely.

Sandwich one scoop of sorbet with 2 cookies. Repeat, alternating sorbet flavors. Serve immediately, or freeze in airtight containers up to 3 hours.

Technorati Tags: dessert, drink, entree, gluten free recipes, Healthy recipes, mother's day recipes, salad, vegan recipes

READ: The Point of Authentic Inquiry by Gangaji

There is a point that appears in a lifetime, regardless of chronological age, when healthy, true doubt appears. We doubt what we have been taught, and we doubt what others insist we must believe. This is the point at which true spiritual inquiry can begin.

Too often there is little support for the deep examination that this spiritually-healthy doubt demands. In my Episcopal confirmation classes — taken with other rowdy 12 year olds — the questions that we could ask with approval had little interest for us. The ones we were interested in, “What exactly is the devil? Where is hell?” were considered disruptive and impertinent. Although the point of the classes was to bring us into the church in a more mature phase, for most of us it was the beginning of the end of our churchgoing days. Something essential in us was denied. I have heard countless variations of this story from others who felt their right to sincerely question had no place in their religious upbringing.

We have sometimes found that we have to rebel against all we have known, since those who “know” are unwilling to allow inquiry to be an essential part of spiritual development. In our rebellions, we absorb new anti-beliefs, and when we dare to doubt them too, we again are branded as heretics. How many converted Buddhists scoff at the naive Christians who believe literal interpretations of the Bible while easily taking on the belief of reincarnation? How many fundamentalist Christians brand New Age visualization as the work of the devil and revile Hindus with their nirvana and multiple faces of God, while having personal conversations with their deity and continuing their own magical thinking about their version of God. Even proponents of inquiry often state what inquiry should reveal. In the “religion” of self inquiry, the concept of non duality takes the place of direct discovery.

Authentic spiritual inquiry reveals the joy of fresh insights and revelation, just as artistic or scientific inquiry does, but if we cling to the latest insight as a thing we know, that thing grows stale.

To be of real spiritual value, inquiry must be alive and fresh. Regardless of what we remember or have discovered from the past, each time we truly inquire, we return to not knowing what the outcome will or should be. No doctrine is needed for discovery. No concepts of multiplicity, duality, or non-duality are needed. In fact, we must put aside all of our doctrines and concepts for our inquiry. All that is needed is the willingness to be unattached to the outcome, conscious, and truthful.

Deep inquiry is not for the fainthearted or weak-minded. It is for those who are ready and willing, regardless of fears and discomforts. It is the challenge and invitation to mature. It is the invitation to give up past reliance on others’ discoveries while allowing those discoveries to encourage and even push us into our own inquiry.

Inquiry is not a coping mechanism. It is not present in human consciousness to provide certainty or comfort, except the sublime certainty that one has the capacity to discover truth for oneself. It is a stretching mechanism. It calls on the mind to stretch beyond its known frontiers, and in this way inquiry is support for maturing and evolving the soul. It frees us from the need to define ourselves to experience being ourselves. It is both humbling and a source of profound joy, but it does not provide a neat package of new definitions and stories.

The challenge in inquiry is to be willing to directly discover what exists with no reference points. Inquiry is no small challenge, for it requires facing the death of the inner and outer worlds as they have been constructed with no knowledge of what will take their place. We have the experience of releasing our constructed world when we fall into sleep, and we cherish and need this experience for our well-being on all levels. The challenge of inquiry appears in releasing the constructed world while remaining conscious.
This blog is adapted from Hidden Treasure: Uncovering the Truth in Your Life Story, which was published by Penguin Tarcher in 2011. In this life-changing book, Gangaji uses the telling of her own life story to help readers uncover the truth in their own. Publisher’s Weekly said, “This gently flowing but often disarming volume invites readers to examine the narratives that shape them, and is a call to pass beyond personal stories to find a deeper, more universal self.” Gangaji will be offering a silent retreat in May at Fallen Leaf Lake in South Lake Tahoe, CA. Visit www.gangaji.org for more information about Gangaji and her upcoming events, including the monthly Webcast / Conference Series, With Gangaji, which is currently undergoing an in-depth study of Hidden Treasure.

Gangaji shares a simple message – “This is an invitation to shift your allegiance from the activities of your mind to the eternal presence of your being.” Born in Texas in 1942, Gangaji grew up in Mississippi. After graduating from the University of Mississippi in 1964, she married and had a daughter. In 1972, she moved to San Francisco where she began exploring deeper levels of her being. She took Bodhisattva vows, practiced Zen and Vipassana meditation, helped run a Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Center, and had a career as an acupuncturist in the San Francisco Bay area. Despite her successes, Gangaji continued to experience a deep and persistent longing for fulfillment. She pursued many paths to change her life including relationship, motherhood, political activism, career, and spiritual practice, but even the greatest of her successes ultimately came up short. In the wake of her disillusionment, she made a final prayer for true help. In 1990, the answer to her prayer came unexpectedly, taking her to India and to the meeting that would change everything. There on the banks of the river Ganga, she met Sri H.W.L. Poonja, also known as Papaji, who opened the floodgates of self-recognition. In this meeting, Gangaji’s personal story of suffering ended and the promise of a true life began to flower and unfold. Today, Gangaji travels the world speaking to seekers from all walks of life. A teacher and author, she shares her direct experience of the essential message she received from Papaji and offers it to all who want to discover a true and lasting fulfillment. Through her life and words, she powerfully articulates how it is really possible to discover the truth of who you are and to be true to that discovery. Gangaji’s website www.gangaji.org

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Letting go of old structures by Tony Samara

“In the world today people are saying to themselves, that we have had enough of the old paradigms and the old systems and we want to change.  We don’t know what we want to change, we don’t know how to change but we want to change and that clarity creates a power that has a very real and powerful effect in the world.  It changes what most people thought a few years ago was quite impossible to change and that is not even through conscious spiritual work, that is just through the intention being so strong that it changes and pushes away the old paradigms so that there is the possibility and the space that allows the birth of something new.

What Do You Really Want? by Gangaji

Gangaji asks the most important questions of your life – What do you really want? What is your life about? What is it being used for? How is your time spent? Where is your attention? Is your life meaningful? Are you happy? What is the longing of your heart and soul? Is it a longing for truth and freedom?

Technorati Tags: authenticity, gratitude, Happiness, inspiration, Meditation, personal development, Personal Growth, self-discovery, Spirituality

READ: Is Your Health Powered by Love? by Mache Seibel, MD

Huey Lewis sang about “The Power of Love.” Now a relatively new field called interpersonal neurobiology is proving your brain is constantly in a state of being rewired based on life and love. And the basis of it all is our interpersonal relationships; those contacts we love deeply, and those we love, well, a whole lot less.

The thought is that all our relationships change our brains. The hard wiring may not really be that hard wired after all. From our first reactions following birth with our mothers, brain scans reveal an unspoken bond between mother and child that imprints his or her brain so powerfully that many of our future relationships evolve from it.

But this new science suggests that the story is far from over at birth. Sure, heredity plays a part, and childhood engraves an etching in our minds, but we now know through imaging studies that friendships, love affairs, romance and love also wield a powerful imprint on our minds; a longing for our initial intimacy with our mother puts us in a an unending quest for an adult equivalent.

How powerful is this quest? Potent enough to influence how our genes express themselves. And this is where the impact on health and wellbeing comes in. Relationships that are caring and loving have the most significant ability to affect our brains by affecting our mental health, our happiness, our wisdom and even our medical health and longevity. All that from being in a loving and supportive relationship. In fact, positive relationships may be the most important predictor of these positive life experiences throughout our lives.

If you think about it, when we choose our mate, we are also choosing a new group of friends and family, new perspectives, new rituals, foods and favorite places. All of these experiences plus the hormones that come with passion and excitement are believed to be a major way in which our brains are altered and rewired, and our health and perspective are affected. In essence, the other person imprints our brain and forever alters it. Thinking back to who we were before we met our mate, it certainly makes sense. Who doesn’t feel “changed” after living with and loving someone for a long time. Like Cole Porter said, “I’ve got you under my skin.” What the interpersonal neurobiologists add is, “…and I’ve absorbed you.”

New brain studies by Naomi Eisenberger of UCLA showed that when a person feels rejected, the dorsal anterior cingulated cortex of their brains “light up” in the same areas as the brains of persons experiencing physical pain. It’s why as the song goes, “breaking up is hard to do.” Her studies also showed the opposite for those that are close and who give support to a loved one; giving also stimulates the pleasure centers of the giver’s brain. Related work by James Coen of the University of Virginia showed that the negative impact of giving a mild electric shock to a woman who is in a happy, committed relationship will produce much less of an impact on her anxiety, pain and blood pressure is she is holding her partner’s hand.

So mad and passionate sex isn’t the only way to warm our hearts; sometimes just the feeling the support of a held hand as we face life’s sometime challenging journey will do the trick. All because our brains transform that support into insulation for the “shocks” life sends our way. Stormy relationships do not get this protective effect from handholding or being supported.

I remember my wife taking a favorite photo of the two of us into labor and delivery when she was in labor with our first child, and a photo of our first child into labor and delivery when she was in labor with our second child. Looking at those photos was a great comfort to her. Now functional MRI or fMRI as it is called is able to show that images of loved ones can light up the reward centers of our minds. Even more impressive are studies that show the brains of couples that are madly in love light up the same areas of their brains as cocaine addicts do, with the exception that cocaine addicts also light up the areas of anxiety and fear whereas those in love demonstrate calmness in the brain areas associated with anxiety and fear. The brains of those in love also light up areas linked to pleasure and pain relief.

So what does this all mean for you and me? Quite a lot, it seems. Our brains can change as we grow and as we grow old – for the better or for the worse. To take advantage of this new information, we must shed bad relationships and surround ourselves with friends and loved ones – people who make us feel safe and loved like a mother makes her baby feel. It’s one of the major paths to a healthy relationship and to a healthy you. I’ve made a few additional comments in my video below. Find more of my videos on http://www.YouTube.com/DoctorSeibel.

Machelle (Mache) Seibel, MD is one of America’s top health communicators. Whether speaking, consulting, writing or composing he teaches people the health information they need and the perspective they require to stay well. His passion is to help America stay well. “It’s better to stay well than to get well.” Professor and Director, Complicated Menopause Program, University of Massachusetts Medical School 2004-Present Founder of HealthRock®, reshaping health education with music and entertainment Harvard Medical School faculty nearly two decades Past Medical Director, Inverness Medical Innovations (now Alere) 2008 Recipient, Ashbel Smith Distinguished Alumnus Award, the University of Texas Medical Branch’s highest honor Multiple national awards for research, writing, music and patient education received Author/editor 14 books, over 200 scientific articles, past editor-in-chief of the medical journal Sexuality, Reproduction & Menopause Advisory board of Dr. Mehmet Oz’s HealthCorps initiative to fight childhood obesity Repeatedly voted into Best Doctors in America Hosted PBS and NYC TV episodes, frequent media expert http://www.doctorseibel.com/ 

Read more from VividLife.me bloggers:

Yoga ~ A Menopause Alternative to HRT by Mache Seibel M.D.

Twenty years ago during a particularly stressful period of work, I began taking a yoga class as a non-pharmacologic antidote. I was running a center for reproduction and women’s health, working 24/7 and needed a way to relax. I had the good fortune to enroll with a yogini named Hari Khar Khalsa, and I took classes from her for a period of time. One day after class I asked her if she would be interested in teaching a yoga class to my patients to lower their stress. We began a series of yoga classes with the first hour consisting of us sitting on mats on the floor with my patients and discussing a health topic. I called them “Mat Chats.” The second hour was devoted to yoga with a focus on the medical topic we had just covered.

Hot Flash Treatments for Breast Cancer Patients by Mache Seibel, MD

One of the most common concerns among breast cancer patients is how to deal with hot flashes. They are a huge problem that affects the quality of life for over half of women treated with endocrine treatments. In fact, hot flashes are the number one reason they think about stopping treatment. HRT is very effective but it can almost never be used due to risk. So I want to share some of the alternative treatments to HRT for you to discuss with your doctors. There are also many women who don’t have breast cancer who either can’t or don’t want to take HRT for the low estrogen symptom of hot flashes. This will help you as well.

 

RECIPE: Gluten-Free and Vegan Chewy Cherry Granola by Amie Valpone

Chewy Cherry Grain-Free Granola
Gluten-Free and Vegan

Serves 4

Ingredients
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 1/3 cup stevia
• 2 cups salted cashews, chopped
• 3/4 cup flax seeds
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/6 tsp. freshly grated ginger
• 1/6 tsp. cocoa powder
• 1 cup dried cherries, chopped
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare a sheet tray with parchment paper; set aside.
2. In a saucepan, heat oil, agave nectar and stevia over low heat until incorporated.
3. Transfer to bowl and mix in 2 cups peanuts and flax seeds, cinnamon, ginger and cocoa powder.
4. Transfer to sheet tray and bake; mixing every 20 minutes for 1 hour.
5. Remove from oven; set aside to cool. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; toss with cherries.
6. Store in a sealed container in the fridge.
7. Enjoy atop yogurt, salads, mixed into hummus or just eaten alone as an on-the-go snack.

Amie Valpone, HHC, AADP is a Manhattan based Personal Chef, Culinary Nutritionist, Professional Recipe Developer and Food Writer specializing in simple Gluten-Free ‘Clean’ recipes for the home cook. She is the Editor-in-Chief of The Healthy Apple and the Publisher and Marketing Director of the online gluten-free magazine, Easy Eats. After graduating with a B.S in Management from Boston University Business School, Amie followed her passion for cooking and healthy living through training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in Manhattan.

 

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Amazing Apple Cider Vinegar with Brigitte Mars

With many people lacking health and its insurance we can remember ancient folk wisdom that served our ancestors! Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, used apple cider vinegar as an internal cleansing agent. Before refrigerators, vinegar was used as a food preservative. The word vinegar is from the French, vin aigre or “sour wine.” Apple cider vinegar prepared by the fermentation of apple cider and allowed to mature naturally in wooden barrels. During fermentation, sugar present in apple cider, is broken down by..

Raw Zucchini Pesto Pasta by Carolyn Scott-Hamilton

Looking to get all the flavor and satisfaction from your favorite pasta but looking to cut out the calories and starch? Eat all the pasta you want with this raw zucchini pasta! It’s easy, colorful, full of flavor and best of all, mega healthy! Leave the guilt behind and indulge in this yummalicious new way to make an Italian fave!

 

Technorati Tags: Amie Valpone, healthy food, recipe, vegan recipe, vegetarian. gluten free recipe, vivid life, wellness

READ: Yoga ~ A Menopause Alternative to HRT by Mache Seibel M.D.

Twenty years ago during a particularly stressful period of work, I began taking a yoga class as a non-pharmacologic antidote. I was running a center for reproduction and women’s health, working 24/7 and needed a way to relax. I had the good fortune to enroll with a yogini named Hari Khar Khalsa, and I took classes from her for a period of time. One day after class I asked her if she would be interested in teaching a yoga class to my patients to lower their stress. We began a series of yoga classes with the first hour consisting of us sitting on mats on the floor with my patients and discussing a health topic. I called them “Mat Chats.” The second hour was devoted to yoga with a focus on the medical topic we had just covered.

Over time, I not only received the benefit of lowering my own stress level through yoga, but also the benefit of Hari’s friendship and ultimately collaboration on A Woman’s Book of Yoga, a book that combines Eastern and Western medicine to help women at different stages of their lives. Since that time, I’ve suggested yoga to many of my patients. One group that I find it particularly useful for is women in and around menopause. They often tell me it helps them deal with their symptoms. Because many women either can’t or won’t take hormone therapy, finding an effective alternative is really important.

I was delighted to discover that the February 2012 issue of the journal Menopause, finally proves yoga reduces menopause symptoms, hot flashes and improves sleep. This is the first study to do so. The article studied women between the ages of 50 and 65 with no yoga experience and who were not taking hormones or antidepressants. The study lasted 4 months and included two one-hour yoga sessions per week, which combined stretching exercises and breathing techniques. Compared to a group of women who only did stretching, the yoga group improved their sleep and their mental health, and also their menopausal symptoms. The researchers believe this is because yoga increases levels of the brain hormone -aminobutyric acid, which calms the brain. Yoga also seems to increase levels of the sleep inducing hormone melatonin.

Another benefit of yoga is that it amplifies the parasympathetic tone in the body, which aids relaxation and reduces the sympathetic tone – the so-called fight or flight hormones. This may be an important part of why sleep patterns improve and hot flashes are reduced. Most women observe that when they are stressed, their hot flashes increase.

As more and more women question whether or not to take HRT, and women with breast cancer are typically not able to take HRT, finally getting proof that an alternative approach reduces symptoms of menopause, lowers hot flashes and improves sleep is a great thing. So if you are looking for an alternative to HRT, or even if you are taking HRT and just want to help your insomnia, improve your mental health and your menopausal symptoms, grab your yoga mat, enroll in a yoga class with a good instructor, practice several times per week, and sleep tight. Namaste.

Click here for a FREE ebook Ten Top Stress Busters as my gift to Vivid Life readers.

 

Machelle (Mache) Seibel, MD is one of America’s top health communicators. Whether speaking, consulting, writing or composing he teaches people the health information they need and the perspective they require to stay well. His passion is to help America stay well. “It’s better to stay well than to get well.” Professor and Director, Complicated Menopause Program, University of Massachusetts Medical School 2004-Present Founder of HealthRock®, reshaping health education with music and entertainment Harvard Medical School faculty nearly two decades Past Medical Director, Inverness Medical Innovations (now Alere) 2008 Recipient, Ashbel Smith Distinguished Alumnus Award, the University of Texas Medical Branch’s highest honor Multiple national awards for research, writing, music and patient education received Author/editor 14 books, over 200 scientific articles, past editor-in-chief of the medical journal Sexuality, Reproduction & Menopause Advisory board of Dr. Mehmet Oz’s HealthCorps initiative to fight childhood obesity Repeatedly voted into Best Doctors in America Hosted PBS and NYC TV episodes, frequent media expert http://www.doctorseibel.com/ 

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My Plate Should be Your Plate by Mache Seibel, M.D.

By any standards, I was a fat child. So much so that at 29 months old, I was dubbed Mighty Mite by a front page article in the Galveston Daily News. They ran the article because I was the fattest kid my age in all of Galveston County. People at the time thought “a fat baby is a healthy baby.” Now we know a fat baby often is not a healthy baby and much more likely to be a fat and unhealthy adult. In 2012, 1 in 3 children are obese. Mission Readiness, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization run by retired military leaders dedicated to investing in America’s youth, discovered that today, 27% of 17- to 24-year-olds, some 9 million, are too fat to…

5 Tools for Spring Renewal By Kimberly Carroll

Spring is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s party!” -Robin Williams This week ushers in the official start of Spring! Yes, we all know winter is invaluable in the way it forces us into that place of deep inward reflection where…blah, blah, blah. Ok, I don’t know about you, but I’ve had enough ruminating…I’m ready to kick winter’s butt to the door and start seizing the revitalizing energy of SPRING!

Technorati Tags: inspiration, Mache Seibel, Menopause, natural health, vivid life, wellness, yoga, Yoga for Menopause

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