Jailbreak

It’s time to break out -
Jailbreak time.

Time to push our way out of
the dark winter prison.
Lilacs are doing it
in sudden explosions of soft purple,
And the jasmine vines, and ranunculus, too.
There is no jailer powerful enough
to hold Spring contained.
Let that be a lesson.

Stop holding back the blossoming!
Quit shutting eyes and gritting teeth,
curling fingers into fists, hunching shoulders.
Lose your determination to remain unchanged.

All the forces of nature
want you to open,
Their gentle nudge carries behind it
the force of a flash flood.
Why make a cell your home
when the door is unlocked
and the garden is waiting for you?

- Maya Spector

I especially like the line  ”All the forces of nature want you to open” because it reminds of of what happens when we accept our imperfect bodies as they are now, perfectly imperfect.

I found this poem at www.freedomtoinhabit.com.

Each week, when I get my act together, I do a “big cook” over the weekend so my family has enough to eat for dinners throughout the week. Weeknights are so busy that I have little time to make a decent meal.

Fortunately, my family is flexible, and happy to eat the same main course several nights in a row. If they weren’t I’d still do the big cook, but would freeze portions and defrost throughout the week, alternating between this week’s dish with previous week’s dishes.

 As it is, I sometime provide a little variety for the side dish.  For example, yesterday I made quiche, so a couple of nights I will make a salad to go with it, maybe steemed broccoli another night, maybe cut up cucumber and red peppers and carrots another night.

 Here’s this week’s recipe.  Note that I wrote it up in the “over the top” way.  Just use regular cooking oil, or non-organic ingredients if that’s what you have on hand.

I made 4 quiches yesterday (!!).  I buy whole wheat frozen pie crusts at the health food store. 1 quiche had brie cheese and sauteed onions. 1 had brie and sauteed onions and zucchini, 1 had shredded extra sharp cheddar and onion, and 1 had cheddar, onion and zucchini.

Renée’s Organic Quiche – Kid friendly version

(Adapted from “The Moosewood Cookbook” ©1992 by Mollie Katzen)

1 10” frozen, organic, whole wheat pie crust made without hydrogenated oils (available at health food stores)

1 t organic butter

1 ½   c chopped organic onion

½ t ground sea salt

black pepper to taste

a pinch of thyme

½ t dry mustard

4 medium organic eggs

1 ½ c organic whole or 2 % milk

2 T organic, unbleached flour

1 ½ c loosely packed, grated, aged, hard cheese such as a good gouda or cheddar (you can substitute about ¾ cup cubed brie, or mix bits of left over cheeses)

paprika

1. Preheat oven to 375  degrees
2. Melt the butter in a frying pan. Add onions and sauté over medium heat for a few minutes. When the begin to soften, add salt, pepper, thyme, mustard. Sauté about 5 minutes more and remove from heat.
3. In a blender, combine eggs, milk and flour, and beat well
4. Spread the onions over the base of the pie crust. Top with cheese. Pour in the egg mixture and sprinkle with paprika
5. Bake for 35 – 45 minutes, or until solid in the center.

Optional variation (adult friendly)

Sauté 6 oz fresh spinach with a 1 t butter or high smoke point oil, and 2 cloves of chopped organic garlic until just wilted.  Add to pie crust with onions, top with cheese.

Note: - I normally make about 4 of these quiches at a time.  They freeze pretty well and keep for about 4 days in the fridge.

In episodes 93 and 94, we talk about turning over our biggest challenge to something greater than ourselves.  Who or what is that for you? A group of supportive friends? Your own evolving self? Spirit?

Post a comment and let us know!

In Inside Out Weight Loss Episode 90 I relate the fascinating photos of intention imbued water by Masuro Emoto.  You can see for yourself here: http://www.life-enthusiast.com/twilight/research_emoto.htm (this is the best link I could find, a little promo-y, but it shows you the pictures).

I just came accross the latest scientific experiment on the power of intention to transform water, through Lynne McTaggert, author of “The Intention Experiment”.  Very cool:  http://www.theintentionexperiment.com/results-of-the-clean-water-experimentof-glowing-light-and-alchemy.htm.

Notice the similarity of Emoto’s picture of undistilled mineral water, and McTaggert’s water photographs.

The question then becomes, if we can transform water through our intention, which it seems we can, what can our intention do to the food we eat, and our bodies?

Episodes 90 and 91 explain how to use the power of your own intention to transform your food and your body.

PS, My friend Melinda Inn creates and sells “Pure Intent Water” by purifying it with her own intention. Check it out: http://www.melindainn.com/pure_intent_water .

Many of you have kept a food diary, diligently tracking every morsel that goes in your mouth.  And research shows that writing down your food does in fact contribute to weight loss success.

The problem with the food diary is that it can easily feel like a self-policing tool, actually increasing feelings of scarcity and deprivation around food, which contribute to our eventual fall off the weight loss wagon.

That’s why I created the hunger diary. By tracking your hunger levels, as well as how food makes you feel OVER TIME, you will actually be strengthening your Naturally Slender mind muscle.

The key to permanent weight loss is not permanent discipline and deprivation (yuck!), but rather a permanent commitment to feeling good in your body, not just for the minute or two that the food is in your mouth, but for the two or three hours that the food is “sitting with you” in your belly and digestive system.

For more on this, listen to Inside Out Weight Loss episodes 7 and 8 on the Naturally Slender Eating Strategy, as well as 87 on the Pleasure Point Game.

Here’s a link:  http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?i=331509338&id=331509303&s=143441

Enjoy!

hunger-diary.xls

When we hear of distorted body image, so often it refers to those of us who see ourselves as worse than we actually are.  Clearly such a distortion creates a great deal of unnecessary pain and suffering.But could it be a problem to see ourselves as better than we are? Isn’t it part of the Law of Attraction to imagine being how we want to be?

Over my almost 10 years working with clients, I’ve noticed something curious about those who have a self image that is actually better than reality. These are the ones who are shocked when they walk past a store window and catch a glimpse of themselves, or when they weigh 252 accidentally say they weigh 152.

What could be the problem?They don’t lose weight, no matter what they do. They eat well, they exercise, they get toned, but they don’t lose weight. What’s going on here?I talk about unconditional self-acceptance as being the foundation for lasting weight loss, and it is.  Self-acceptance means accepting ourselves unconditionally as we are now. It does not mean pretending we are something else and feeling good about our illusion.

I can’t say for sure how this works, but here’s my theory.  When we acknowledge honestly, clearly and compassionately, where we are now, blubber and all, while holding in our minds an image of ourselves even better, we create a tension between these two states. Our subconscious minds seek to resovle this tension by making these images match.  If we have good feelings around how we want to be, then this tension will be resolved toward the future image.

What can you do if you can’t see yourself as you are now?  EFT would be a great start, saying something like “even though I can’t see myself clearly, I am chosing to see myself clearly and compassionately”.   You’ll be headed in the right direction!

I ran accross this quote from Marianne Williamson that a client gave me back in 2003. It’s so beautiful, I wanted to post it here:

So if fear were lifted, how would your light show up for others today? What could you do if all modesty and false pride disappeared? How would you express your gifts if you didn’t have the concern about doing it “perfectly” or in the “right” way? What if you could imagine painting outside the lines and being messy if that allowed more of your unique light out? What if you were told to make 1000 mistakes each day if it freed you to shine your light and express your gifts? What if…? What if…? What if…? You fill in the blank.When we play small, we feel small. It’s like something important is missing our life - and it is - it’s the jewel of our own essence. Does the light of one person really matter? Ernest Holmes said, “A little light in a dark room is still a great illuminator.”It’s time to play like the beings of light that we are. Try setting a watch or PDA to beep every hour, so you can check in with yourself. Ask yourslef, “Am I on automatic or am I conscious? Be a light first for yourself. Then get out there and brighten the world around you with your light.

-Marianne Williamson, A Return To Love

I subscribe to the free “Note from the Universe” service, and find it amazing how often the notes seem written just for me. I especially like the one I received today, and thought I would share:

Subscribe at www.tut.com

This group tele-coaching program will take you to the next level! I’m keeping this first group small and intimate. Learn more at the new site! http://reneemethod.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=79&Itemid=66

I wanted to share with you that my friend Jena La Flamme, a NYC nutritional weigth loss coach, will be sharing her 5 Secrets here:  www.WellnessWithRoseRadio.comm Wednesday July 29th at 12:00 PST/3:00 EST.Jena teaches slow, pleasure based eating and tuning into your body’s natural wisdom. Sound familiar?Enjoy!