Nourishing Spoon

Do you struggle with preparing a meal at home on Friday evenings? My legs could barely carry me home tonight - I had done a lot of running around this week and running up and down the long subway escalators. I was kaput! Did I forget my vitamins?? I ran out of my go-to-comfort food.  Brown rice tortillas and Daiya cheese are my butter and toast. Trader Joe's hasn't had any brown rice tortillas recently - all the snow storms we have been having - people have been grabbing them before I reach there! After eating a few corn tortilla chips, dried coconut chips, I knew I had to make something substantial 'cause I wasn't going to survive on that or rice crackers and kimchi sauce! Enter the can can dance! I kept eyeing the can of kidney beans while my mouth salivated. "Yes, I want that!" "Nah! Who's going to chop garlic, tomatoes, etc.?" I debated with myself - I'm too tired. I gave in - made the kidney beans and have enough energy to

Little girls in this country watch t.v., have play dates, take swimming, violin or tennis classes. They sometimes don't feel like going to school and are picky about what they eat. They sleep in a warm, cozy bed surrounded by their favorite dolls and toys. In another part of the world, there are little girls who can't go to school and instead work from 3 a.m. to 11 p.m. washing pots, doing other household chores, and who are lucky enough to eat scraps of food and have a dry ground to sleep on. Have you seen Girl Rising ? I watched the trailer yesterday  and heard excerpts from the book. Tears welled up my eyes. This inspirational film is a must see.  Immediately, the MZ Wallace bag I have been eyeing on seemed irrelevant. I was embarrassed of my Amazon "wish list." We live in a materialistic world and desire more each day while in certain parts of the world $5 is a fortune! We live in a free country, we are free of masters, have the ability to receive free education

7 Years ago on a frigid winter morning in January, little did I know that my life was about to transform dramatically! It was my first day at Institute for Integrative Nutrition ("IIN"). Today I had the privilege of going back to school, IIN, for a live event at Avery Fisher Hall! As I entered the Time Warner Building, I started feeling happy and excited! The energy in a room full of 1,000+ health coaches cannot be described, but has to be experienced!  Endorphins are released!  One just wants to freeze time and stay in the present moment and savor it. At IIN I learned different diet theories, I was supported by colleagues and mentors and learned from world-renown experts in the holistic field. I addressed my own health issues and share my knowledge to help others. Today I am gluten-free and dairy-free and it's with the support I received from my colleagues at IIN that I was able to smoothly transition into this lifestyle. Most importantly, I learned to love and accep

On a rainy Sunday afternoon, there's nothing like comfort food - being gluten free and vegan due to allergies, the "Chickpea Omelet" or "B é sarn Omelette" hits the spot, especially being full of good vegan protein. Did you know that chickpeas are a great source of protein? It’s always exciting when you are in the mood for something and you actually have all the ingredients!   Fresh curry leaves, fresh packet of chickpea (garbanzo) flour, fragrant coriander (cilantro) leaves, green chilies, olives... I have quickly written down this recipe with the ingredients I used as I have been asked for it by my fellow gluten-free friends. The curry leaves are not necessary, it’s the first time I used them along with the roasted cumin seeds and the flavor was amazing! Don’t wait to get the curry leaves to make this. You basically need the onions and tomatoes and the baking soda and can take it from there.  1 cup – Chickpea Flour (Indian grocery store or Bob&

Have you ever hit delete in error? We always get a prompt – are you sure you want to delete? Or “Proceed to delete?” “Are you sure you want to permanently delete this file?” You get a second chance. Will we be given a second chance before we are “Deleted?” All this reflection started out when to my utmost horror and astonishment I discovered that the number of photographs in my “Album” on my Samsung phone had changed from 3,000 to 3!  WTH! I took a deep breath and said, surely, there must be a mistake.” Quickly went through each album on my phone – and as my heart thumped, the tears came trickling out – oh dear! All the photos were gone!  Sad. So Sad. Very Sad. There went pictures from my daughter’s wedding – I consoled myself with the fact there were professional ones from the photographer; and in a way, it was a blessing that I got rid of the clutter.  As the day transpired, I began to think of other photos that were deleted, and my heart opened the gate to

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!   Do you feel loved when you receive red roses or are given a heart-shaped box of chocolates? Is love about wearing a short red dress, red high heels, the Pandora bracelet with a heart charm and going for dinner and having a glass of red wine? Is it when he gently slides your hair away from your face and kisses you on the cheek?  With the passing of time, from raging passion in the boudoir there is a shift to the sofa, not another kama sutra pose, but a mere propping up of feet on the coffee table.  A slump, a mellow change....holding on to tightly, treasuring as lost found treasure when missing????......none other than the remote!  A sudden jealousy?  (wink) Admirable is love when from behind their silver hair shine, one holding the other's arm, supporting and guiding through the slushy snow of life, caring and never letting go.  Love is like your favorite pair of old shoes - comfortable, soft, so soft, cradling your feet - carrying you a