Pal @jenmyronuk and I have been having plenty conversations lately about this whole concept of being connected or disconnected primarily with oneself.
Although the topic is quite metaphysical, it got me thinking about social media and really what differentiates those who are good at buliding community and good at connecting to their audience. What is that these people have or do that makes them good at connection?
People ask me how I connect with my audience, and in this video [2 min], I share with you one of my secrets. In comments, please share what has worked for you!
Update 2/10: In the video, I mention one of my old blogs, The Everyday Blogger. In an effort to bring my online identity into one place, I'm moving all of that blog content over here to Noshtopia.
Picture: Trio Hummus appetizer at My Big Fat Greek Restaurant in Paradise Valley Phoenix, AZ. Pumpkin, Traditional, Village (spicy). Shot with an iPhone 3GS.
Hummus is one of my top 10 favorite foods. To me, for any event or meal, you just cannot go wrong with this garbanzo fabulousness. Hummus is also one of my favorite foods to eat post workout because you can get protein without feeling heavy.
To mix it up a bit and have some fun, here are 10 different variations of classic hummus. All recipes come with a picture:
Edamame hummus. Edamame is another Steph favorite. This hummus recipe also includes a recipe for homemade Lavosh crackers. [The Ceramic Canvas]
Hummus with Carmelized Onions. We luvs carmelized onions. [No Recipes]
Chipotle Mustard Hummus. 4-ingredients. Very simple. [Bella Eats]
Roasted Garlic Hummus. Soft mushy garlic is just divine. [dyln]
Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus. Cayenne pepper adds even more fire. [Annie's Eats]
Beetroot Hummus with mint and coriander. This recipe is in Italian but it's totally worth just gawking at the gorgeous pictures. I almost wanted to lick the screen. [Il Pranzo di Babette]
Curried Pineapple Hummus. Adding fruit is a creative compliment. [cogito, ergo creo]
Kale with Sun Dried Tomato Hummus. Kale is green goodness. [Cook Think]
Cucumber Dill Hummus. Adding some thrill with dill. [28 Cooks]
Do you have a favorite hummus recipe that is a twist on the classic version? Please share with us hungry noshers!
Picture: From the brunch menu at Mayfield Bakery & Cafe in Palo Alto, CA. Warm rotisserie chicken with butter lettuce salad, bacon, and avocado.
In my own eating history, I have discovered that there are two main reasons I will eat, one is to nourish my body and the other is to fill what I feel I’m emotionally lacking. Here’s the fundamental difference between the two.
When I eat to nourish, I eat…
mainly foods that are whole, natural, clean, and nutrient packed because I know these foods have optimal benefits for my body.
until my body is satisfied. My stomach feels good. I have a balanced sense of portion control. I can eat a small cookie or a piece of chocolate and feel content.
4-5 mini meals a day. I find that my body feels better when I eat more yet smaller meals throughout the day. In this manner, I never feel deprived or starved.
because my body tells me it’s hungry and it’s time to fuel up.
joyfully. There is pleasure and vibrancy associated with nourishing not only my body but also my sense of well being.
When I eat to fill, I eat…
mainly foods that are junk foods particularly sweets like cookies, chocolate, and cakes because I am emotionally trying to fill the sweetness I feel is lacking in my life like having a loving relationship with a guy.
Until my body feels stuffed. My stomach feels like it’s jam packed. I have no sense of portion control, I can’t eat just one cookie, and I feel insatiable and eat the whole bag. I’ll stop eating only because there is no more food left in the bag, on the plate, or in the fridge.
away my feelings more to avoid facing them which leads me to binge particularly at night time because this is when I feel most lonely, neglected, or depressed.
because my emotions tell me that it’s time to disconnect from who we are because we have trained ourselves to use junk foods as a way to fill the void versus finding healthier ways to deal with our disconnect.
unconsciously. There is a mechanical energy void of vibrancy to my eating. Eating is impulsive versus purposeful.
What lives at the core
At the core, the difference is intent. When I eat to nourish, my intent is loving towards my body. When I eat to fill, my intent is avoidance of my feelings or self destruction.
When I finally came to a better understanding of why I eat and what my intent was, I was able to develop a more positive, healthy relationship with food and my body. I began the journey to become more present in myself.
I also started developing more positive ways outside of food to deal with my emotions particularly the feelings I wanted to avoid experiencing like when I feel I've lost control of where my career is going or when I feel like no man is ever going to love me for who I am. Instead of avoiding those feelings by eating half a pint of ice cream, I will do things like talk to a friend, go for a run, or something I've been doing more of lately is to just sit with the feeling and ask it what it's trying to tell me.
Honestly, learning to just sit with those uncomfortable feelings is something I would normally try to avoid at all cost because well it sucks and is painful, but realistically avoiding those feelings or hoping it will just go away if I ignore it long enough just makes things worse not better.
One way or another I'm going to experience discomfort, so I decided that it is better to get it over with when the pain is smaller and more managable versus letting it fester where it then turns into suffering and something out of control like all night binging. I'm also learning to look at that pain as an ally versus a villian. The pain is trying to tell me what needs to be fixed, healed, or acknowledged. The pain is there to aid me not hurt me or punish me.
My relationship with food is much healthier today than it was in the past, but it is also not perfect, and that is okay. I no longer try to strive for perfect eating because really that ideal is impossible. I reach for what I can do best at the moment and understand that I’m human and will have the bright seasons as well as the dark seasons.
When I slip, instead of beating myself up or judging myself, I step back and look at what was going on and see what I can learn, and continue to move forward. Each day is a new opportunity J
So how about you, what do you find are some of the intentions behind your eating?
I chose "The Secret BBQ Chicken Sandwich" pictured above served open faced. The sandwich comes with a whole Kaiser bun, but I just eat half the bun to cut down on carbs. With the chicken comes carmelized onions, peppers, espresso BBQ sauce, and vegan mayo.
I asked the waitress for suggestions and she told me that this BBQ sandwich was named by PETA as the #1 best Faux-Chicken Sandwich in the US. Here's the full Top 10 list. So, out of curiosity I wanted to see just how chicken-like this faux meat made made out of a gluten and soy base tasted.
The sandwich as a whole was very tasty. I would eat it again Could this faux meat pass as real chicken if the eater didn't know? I'd say there would be a pause because you can't tell right away. But after chewing a bit, you get that it's not real chicken. The texture though is almost spot on especially since it is cut thin. Looking at the picture above, the faux meat looks like real chicken.
For appetizer, I got the Crab Puffs. My Asian palate was curious to see how close Green's version would come to the real thing. The puff was alright. I enjoyed the garlic flavor but the texture of the filling was on the too mushy side. It needed some beefing up so to speak to give it more of a "there's some kind of meat in here" texture. In it's current state, I'd call it a "Garlic cheese fried won ton."
And lastly for dessert, @halfacatgot the Orangsicle soynami for all three of us to share. The dessert contains a soy based soft serve ice cream and vegan pound cake. This dessert was awesome to say the least, and @JLKnapp who is not vegetarian said that had she not known, she would not have guessed at all this dessert was non-dairy and non-egg. Excellent sign!
The dessert list at Green looked absolutely amazing, and if I had my way I would have tried one of everything because vegan desserts in the Phoenix area is on the scarce side. But, we have more reasons to go back to Green, and definitely you should check the place out.
On Saturday, I drove my car from the Bay Area to Phoenix, my new home. The total trip was about 788 miles which took me 13 hours to drive with 3 pitstops, one stop at Whole Foods to pick up food for the drive, and two stops for gas and potty break.
I’m going to share most of what I noshed on in those 13 hours. Above is a picture of some huge windmills along I-10 which I found utterly amazing as they went out for miles.
Up with the morning birds
I left my folks house at 7:45am, and those of you who know me well, know that it’s nearly a miracle I’m up that early, so here’s a quick video to prove it. In fact, you can tell I got ready in the wee hours of the morning half awake because my hair & makeup look like I’m going to some late night rock concert…lol! But hey, I was really happy to be going on this trip into my new life in Arizona.
To start, this post is sponsored by Viva Towels. Whenever I go on a road trip paper towels are a MUST because they are multi-purpose. I didn’t know that Viva is made by Kimberley Clark who also makes Kleenex, and that factoid was a bonus to me because I’m a Kleenex girl. I was happy to have both Viva and Kleenex on the road with me. For some fun, fork-free recipes including videos and snappy entertaining ideas, check out the VIVA® Diva Café.
Packed with mom love
Road trips are such a temptation to eat greasy fast foods, so I always prepare, and buy healthy foods to take with me. To start, mom packed this for me:
·Fresh fruit chunks: watermelon, cantaloupe, and mango spears. The cantaloupe was so sweet it tasted like candy, heavenly.
·Half an avocado: I had half left from a sandwich I made yesterday, so I figured I’d bring the other half for the cucumber sushi rolls I bought at Whole Foods.
·Red grapes
·A green apple
·A box of Vita Coco coconut water with pineapple
I know. This list sounds obnoxiously healthy for a road trip, but I was gleeful to have this stuff because it was packed with mom love, and made me feel like she was with me on the road because I did do this drive by myself. It’s the first time I have ever driven across states or that kind of distance by my lonesome.
At first I was a bit nervous about traveling alone, but an hour into the trip I was good. In fact, I had plenty of time to just think about my life and all the new and exciting adventures ahead of me. I made a conscious effort to focus on the future rather than the past, my healthy mind practice for the day.
What’s for lunch?
I ate lunch during my second pitstop, and ate in my car because I was in one of those small towns out in the middle of nowhere that have only one gas station. From the Whole Foods salad bar, I made this small salad that had fresh spinach, cherry tomatoes, garbanzos, corn, olives, shredded carrots & beets, and on top some roasted butternut squash with sage, and a plantain. You almost never see plantains in a salad bar so that was thrilling because I do love plantains. On my other leg, we have a chunk of organic ciabatta bread and some of the grapes mom packed.
Just so you know, I do believe that road trips are times to have fun foods too. I’m not saying ixnay all the junk food because when you got 13 hours to entertain yourself, food is an easy solution. So feast your eyes on one of the fun foods I picked up at the Whole Foods bakery…a vegan donut topped with dark chocolate and coconut. Oh my! This donut was absolutely divine.
And whenever I have sweets, at some point later, I gotta have some salt. So, for an afternoon snack I noshed on these corn snacks I found in the bulk food section. I love these things because my favorite part of popcorn is the kernels that sit at the bottom because they didn’t quite pop, but opened slightly so they are really crunchy. This corn snack was like having a whole bag of those kernels.
For my last dinner with the folks, I asked Dad to make his famous ribs which was coupled with asparagus, and baked sweet potatoes topped with brown sugar and marshmallows. I don’t know what kind of magic my dad puts into his ribs because all I can tell you is that the meat falls off the bone and I’m in pure carnivore heaven. Eating these ribs you definitely will go through many a paper towel which I did when I ate some left overs for dinner during my third pitstop at the California-Arizona border.
I arrived to my hotel room in Phoenix a little after 9pm and ate some of the cucumber rolls with mom’s avocado, along with some iced tea. I was pooped but sure felt very proud of myself for not only driving all that distance, but for also taking the chance at a new life in a new city.
This is the first time I have not lived within a 1 hour drive of my parent’s house. Yes, it’s a big step for me and my family. But, I do believe it’s going to be really good. I have a new clean slate here in Phoenix, and look forward to all the new adventures like learning all about the food scene in Arizona!
Since I went on carnivore overload the other day when eating Dad's famous barbecue ribs, I felt like eating vegan last night. Worked out perfectly too because I hung out with pal @halfacat who's vegan.
We went to Gordon Biersch because I really wanted a beer after spending the day doing oodles of paperwork moving into my new place in Scottsdale. A Marzen just sounded like it would hit the spot perfectly.
Beer is vegan you know *yay!*
Here's what we ate along with a couple frothy brewskies.
Garlic Fries: This food is a must when going to Gordon Biersch because it goes perfectly with beer. The garlic fries are also my favorite indulgence. I felt like celebrating moving into my new life.
Tapas: Which is flatbread with hummus, roasted garlic, olive tempanade, and bruschetta. I was all over the garlic and tomatoes.
Cheese-less veggie pizza: We ordered from the happy hour menu so the pizza we got was about 6" in diameter which is nice because you get a small portion of pizza. Not much of a carb overload. The pizza had roasted tomato, mushrooms, and spinach. I put some of the roasted garlic from the Tapas dish on top of my pizza for an added umph. Twas yumalicious!
The meal was indeed on the starchy and carby side, but like I mentioned, it was happy hour portions, and was split between two people. Today, I did an endorphin pumping 4-mile run so we're good :)
All the pictures were taken on my iPhone 3GS. The more I use this thing, the more I'm impressed with what I can shoot.
Eating at a fast food Chinese place like a Panda Express or Manchu Wok is great mainly because of convenience. You get scoops of food instead of having to order full plates like with traditional sit down meals at your favorite Chinese restaurant. As well, you can get your food to-go then dash off and eat in your office, your car, or at the park.
In the picture above, I had lunch with my dad at Manchu Wok and I ordered the grilled chicken, beef and green beans, and steamed rice.
Convenience, however, doesn't always equal healthy especially when it comes to fast food. Here's 5 ways to help you make some healthier choices the next time you're getting that lunch special.
Get plain rice versus fried rice or chow mein: By getting plain rice you will be cutting down on sodium, fats, and even sugars as some sauces are made with sugar. Plain rice has 0g of fat and 0mg of sodium if cooked without any salt. At Manchu Wok (nutritional guide), one serving of fried rice has 13g of fat and 1160mg of sodium. Big difference.
Rule of 3: For your combo meal, order no more than 2 items with your rice. Better yet, just get one item with steamed rice. There are combo meals where you can get 3-4 items along with rice, which at the time looks really good, but that additional item is only going to give you extra calories, fat, sodium, carbs, and more, you don't really need. Yes, you may want, but you do not need. Two items will give you enough variety where you can get different meats or veggies.
Get your food in a to-go container even if you plan on eating in the restaurant: This is more of a mental thing. When you see a full plate of food, odds are you will just keep eating until you finish the plate instead of eating until you start to feel full. Why?
Because many of us don't want to throw away food. If you get your food in a to-go container, you can eat until your satisfied and then take the rest home. Mentally, nothing is wasted, and even if you do throw away the container at home, it's in the privacy of your house versus out in public. Some people can have a thing about others seeing them throw food away, so they'd rather overeat than feel social discomfort.
Stick with grilled or sauteed over breaded meats: I know. I know. If you're like me, the tastiest of the dishes are Sweet & Sour pork or chicken, Sesame chicken, or Orange chicken as they are sweet and crunchy. Heavenly indeed, but not really going to help you much in your effort to eat healthier. As an example, using Manchu Wok again, one serving of Sesame chicken has 46g of carbs and 29g of sugars. The Chicken & mushrooms has 8g of carbs and 4g of sugars. Significant difference. But before you sigh...
Compromise to satisfy both your want and need: I don't believe in total deprivation because when that happens, eventually your psyche will rebel, and you can end up going hog wild consuming everything in sight. I believe that's one of the fundamental reason diets don't work, it's filled with deprivation and the illusion of eating perfection.
If it's your free day or you've had a really great workout and want a little cheat, get the Sesame chicken, and get steamed vegetables as the second item along with steamed rice. With this compromise, you get a small portion of the less optimal food, the Sesame chicken, as well as something healthier. Your psyche will feel the win/win.
What are some other ways the help you make healthier choices at the mall Chinese place?
I went for a 4-mile run at lunchtime today running around the neighborhoods in Mountain View. The weather was chilly and overcast, but I kinda like running in the cold.
Post run, I noshed on some of these organic raspberries. Mother nature makes the best snacks. Sometimes, simple and fresh hits the spot!
Now that I have your attention, I thought it would be relaxing to start off the weekend with this ambrosial meditation that helps you build a more positive relationship between you and food. And hey, anything that involves chocolate is awesome, yes?
This post was written by the luscious Maria of the delicious blog Sex and the Beach and originally posted on my now retired healthy living blog Back in Skinny Jeans.
Everyone has “relationships” with food and sex. How you eat reflects a greater part of who you are and how you make love, which begs volumes of questions. Do you rush through a meal or do you savor each bite? Do you surrender completely into joy and abundance, be it a delicious meal or a lover’s caress? Do you accept nurturing? Or do you present yourself as an antagonist in your own drama?
Every morsel of food that goes into your mouth and each person you kiss are all a glimpse of the relationship you have with yourself.
More questions to ponder: “If I don’t absolutely love my sagging breasts, how can I expect my lover to love them unconditionally? If I don’t simply adore a yummy meal, how can I expect it to be nutritious?”
Being “absent-minded” but “fully present” in the heart is a good thing when it comes to food and sex. You become accountable, giving and being present with yourself, what you eat and of course, how you express yourself sexually.
The chocolate meditation is a great exercise in surrender and enjoyment … so relax and enjoy!
Take ONE little piece of chocolate. Unfold it. Let it linger in your hands for a minute or so, before you gently place it on your tongue.
Your mouth is a sacred point of nutrition and the place from where you express yourself. It’s a communion and a source of great pleasure.
Once inside, let the chocolate melt and become part of you. Take about ten minutes and then ponder: “Am I enjoying all aspects of my life, even the difficult moments, in similar fashion? Am I eating with such grace? Am I having sex with such focus and concentration?”
Take the time to just take the time for your pleasure.
I've been having fun taking food pictures with the camera on my iPhone 3GS. The quality is obviously not like my fancy schmancy Nikon D50, but for point and shoot on a mobile phone, it's pretty good. Check out these shots I took recently at Mayfield Bakery & Cafe in Palo Alto. I did some slight photoshop work on the pics but all I did was boost the exposure and contrast a bit to brighten things up.
I loved how the bakery put the bread in baskets because it reminded me of fresh baked bread from a farmer's market. I also liked how Mayfield baked mini loaves because as a single person, I like to get fresh baked bread but I don't want to buy your typical huge loaf because one I'll eat it all or I won't eat more than half and the rest gets tossed.
Just start shooting that yummy food
I know lots of people who think they can't start posting food pics until they can get a nice digital SLR. I say just start shooting with whatever you have even if it is just the camera on your phone. The point is that you get into the action of taking pictures and learning how to "see" a great shot.
A pro photographer taught me that the key to taking great photos is not the camera, it's the photographer's eye. He noted that you could give a throw away camera to someone like an Annie Leibovitz and she'll still take great pictures because of the way she "sees" a shot. And likewise, just because someone's uses a high end camera, that doesn't guarantee beautiful pictures.
That piece of "seeing" advice really helped make my pictures better.
