Articles
Fabulous Strawberry Watermelon Soup
Organic Ingredients:
- 2-1/2 pints fresh strawberries, rinsed, drained, and hulled
- 1/3 cup organic cane sugar or Agave to taste (I actually like it without sugar. It depends on the sweetness of the berries.)
- 2-1/2 cups seedless watermelon, cut into chunks
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Juice of 1 orange
- Sprigs of fresh mint
- Soy or Rice Whipped Topping (optional)
This recipe makes 4 servings.
Place the clean and hulled strawberries into a bowl and sprinkle with the sugar, (reserve four large strawberries to be sliced later for garnish.) Set aside for 15 min. Transfer the sliced berries and their juice to the bowl of a food processor or high-speed blender like a Vita-Mix. Add the watermelon, lemon juice, and orange juice. Process into a smooth purée. Transfer the purée to a bowl and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes, until well chilled.
When you are ready to serve the “soup”, evenly divide this ruby red nectar among 4 bowls; clear glass bowls make a lovely presentation. Add a quick squirt of either Soy or Rice Whipped Topping if you like. Take the remaining strawberries and place thin slices as a garnish, along a sprig of mint. Serve immediately.
Stay cool and enjoy the rest of your summer!
With love,
Laura
A Hot-Enough-for-You Summer Treat
Whew, it’s wicked hot out there! I’ve been speaking with many of you around the country and it’s either hot outside, or the heat has been turned up in your life. I hear you!
I want to extend a Summer Treat exclusive for those of you on my newsletter. I love treats, especially when they save money!
During the month of August only if you book a 25-minute session at $285.00, we’ll turn it into a 45-minute session! You’ll receive nearly twice the time and save a boat load of cash.
Click on the link below to get your Summer Treat…but it’s only for sessions booked in August, so don’t wait until Labor Day!
Intuitive Wellness “Welcome to Summer” Recipe – A simply delicious Cauliflower, Celery, and Green Pea Salad
This recipe comes to you from Mariel Hemingway’s amazing cookbook, Mariel’s Kitchen; simple ingredients for a delicious and satisfying life. And I can assure you, the recipes in this book are all fabulous! From Mariel’s Kitchen to yours, be well! Hey, and you can listen to Mariel’s and my conversation about holistic, healthy living. Just click on the archived radio show, Intuitive Wellness, May 18th, 2010.
CAULIFLOWER, CELERY, AND GREEN PEA SALAD
- 2 cups chopped cauliflower florets
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup frozen and thawed shelled peas
- ¼ cup sliced green onions
- 1 cup Healthy Ranch Dressing (see below)
- Lettuce leaves for serving, optional
- 1 cup coarsely chopped roasted cashews
Combine cauliflower, celery, peas, and green onions in a medium bowl. Cover and chill until ready to serve. To serve, toss salad with Healthy Ranch Dressing (below), spoon on top of lettuce leaves, and sprinkle with cashews.
Healthy Ranch Dressing:
- 1 (6-ounce) package organic, GMO – free silken tofu
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- ½ tablespoons cider vinegar
- Salt
- Pepper
Place all the dressing ingredients in the work bowl of a food processor or blender. Blend until creamy and smooth. Refrigerate for up to 1 day.
Compliance and Compassion; living your best everyday.
Years ago while attending the Ohio State University I had to give a speech for a Sociology class. On the day of the event I entered the lecture hall with my thoughts securely in my mind and a black nylon bag slung over my shoulder. The class settled in. I stood silently—dead pan—in front of the group. In obvious display was the mysterious, lumpy bag stretched out on the table in front of me. My professor, seated in the back row, leaned forward and gave an approving nod.
I stared. I stared at everyone just long enough to give rise to discomfort. I let edginess waft through the space a bit, and then began the slide presentation. Scenes of lotus flowers and children with puppies. War and stench. The Kent State University shootings and Gandhi. Peace and hate; murder and birth; order and chaos were all in the audience’s faces. I watched, as their expressive bodies shifted from ease and openness to rigidity and conflict with each click of the projector. “We face life every day. How we face it is always up to us”, I said.
Reaching into the bag, I whipped out a neon green and cherry-colored squirt gun. I pointed it at the ceiling. This was not just any ol’ gaudy squirt gun. It was a Super-soaker 200X. One tweak of the trigger and I could drench some innocent with a half gallon of water 25 feet away. And I demonstrated this awesome power as I yelled, “Stand up!” I showered the ceiling and walls with water to the shrieks of female students, covering their hair. The guys shouted back “YEAH!” My professor rolled into the aisle with laughter. (Luckily, it was a time in our culture when I could get away with this type of demonstration and not be tackled by security, having the whole thing end up on You Tube or reduced to Tweets.)
Under the persuasive power of compliance, I had them jumping on one foot, whistling and doing various other idiotic gestures. Compliance and the power of group think were keenly in my grasp. I put the squirt gun back in the bag and resumed my silence, waiting for them to make their own choice about what to do next. How long would it take them to release the group’s compliance to the perceived threat and newly established order? And how would they accomplish it?
It took nearly 20 minutes for my classmates to regain composure and find their individuality. Some kept standing, wide-eyed with anticipation for what could be next. What else could be in that black bag? A few appraised their clothing and belongings, making certain they were intact and not too wet. Some found their bearings. Fear washed over a few faces and their frozen bodies. Smiles and laughter echoed in the lecture hall, with chants of “How cool!” And, “Where can they get a squirt gun like that?” As the murmurs quieted it was palpable that they didn’t know what to do next. Kernels from that lecture are what I share with you this month.
These are challenging times for many people and their cultures. Uprisings, new horizons, celebrations, and war marbled with horror and precious moments of humanity helping humanity all poignantly weave life’s cloth of complexities. The pressure is on to change from the inside out. I do believe our world has the hiccups. Each one of us is charged with finding the places in our lives where we are being compliant, blindly following or being manipulated by a force that no longer serves us.
It’s hard to find who you are deep inside, having no map to which to cling for comfort or assurance. Compliance, usually an external force, causes you to over work, stay attached to the status quo, makes you do idiotic things and live a life that is not in your heart.
Ah, but compassion is on the inside. Compassion is the map. Compassion is the antidote to shock and its resulting compliance. Compassion is the way; no matter what is in your face in the moment. To be compassionate toward the tension of compliance—the tension arising from that to which you are attached and that with which you no longer resonate—is your path home. In those moments, if you can be present to that awareness, compassion will offer an opportunity to liberate your heart and your life.
Compassion is the art of giving your self a break and not being perfect in your life or spiritual pursuits. It is suave when you feel the need to be right or feel pushed by something else that says it’s right. Compassion for being you, just as you are, will set you free. Self-imposed compliance and rigidity are prisons. Rigidity is not discipline. Discipline is a nurturing and self-protective act that resonates with our deepest sense of self—your compassionate, true nature.
So I ask you, how will you be compassionate to yourself and others today? In what way will you give yourself space to be that which is truly in your heart—your service to this magnificent, chaotic and ever-changing world.
With love and compassion,
Laura
Reflections of Your Spirit – Who are you really?
Buddhism teaches us, above all, that insights perceived through direct life experience cannot be bound by rigid dogma. You are free to explore your own life experiences as authentic and discover the visions and meaning inherent within those experiences.
Your life expresses and reflects the deepest part of your authenticity—your spirit. Often, that which is the deepest part of you is displayed as a surface situation distorted by ego and emotions; and can be painful. But within that experience, there is a seed of your natural authentic self. When you are present to the moment, you can find that seed, that thread, or glimmer of your true nature. Your task then is to follow it.
One of my purposes in teaching what I teach and sharing what I share is to help you bridge the gap between the way things appear to be in everyday life and work, and the way they really are. A skilled intuition will help you do that. For myself, having been blessed with the experiences of life, death and life again in this one lifetime, I tend to caution people about enlisting blind faith or taking life at face value. Particularly taking life’s value based on emotional charges that arise through the ego.
We get hurt sometimes because we trust that which is on the surface of life instead of really seeing the truth underneath the situation; and all the things that drive it. When you know the truth, you are set free. Everything you see, every action you take is a part of the divine process of the universe in accordance with cosmic consciousness. No matter what—a new law, oil, war, peace, good or bad economic times—all are contrasts to help us wake up. You do not awaken without stepping back from, observing and examining the contrast itself and that which undergirds it.
In order for you to see the true refection of your wisdom—your spirit—be an investigative, participant observer of your life. Buddha, said, “Investigate the validity of any teaching as you would examine the purity of gold, rubbing it against a stone, hammering it and melting it.” Use intuition to help you accomplish this. It will take you to your truer, more natural refection.
One of the valuable benchmarks that will open you toward awareness of how you are progressing on your spiritual path is that you will become less egoic and more altruistic. It will be natural and not forced—how could it be anything other than that? Sweet words, a helping hand, smiling (inside and out), practicing compassion toward yourself and others are gatekeepers to wakeful peace.
With love,
Laura
Intuitive Wellness Recipe – Healing Summer Soup
Creamy Zucchini Soup
This is one of my all-time favorite soups. It’s fast and easy and the reward far outweighs the time spent in preparation. I savor every spoonful! It comes to you from one of my favorite kitchens and its resulting cookbook – The Kripalu Cookbook; gourmet vegetarian recipes. The Kripalu Yoga Center located in Lenox, MA is where I took yoga teacher training, a millennia or two ago. This cookbook reflects the joy, beauty and wholeness that both the practice of yoga and holistic eating can provide. Om Yeah!
- 1 ½ cup sliced onions
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 6 cups chopped zucchini (3-4 medium zucchini)
- 2 ½ cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt (I use grey Celtic Salt—it’s chock-full of minerals and vitamins)
- 1 teaspoon dried basil, or 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh basil
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ tablespoons tahini
- 2 teaspoons umeboshi vinegar (I’ve made this soup without it before, and it’s just grand!)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice.
In a large pot, layer the onions, oats, and zucchini. Cover with the water and bring to a boil. Add the salt, dried basil, and black pepper. (If using fresh basil see below.) Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook, stirring occasionally for 40 minutes.
In a blender or food processor, puree the zucchini mixtures with the tahini, vinegar, lemon juice and fresh basil until well blended. Return the mixture to the pot, reheat and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
If you have a hand-held blender, that works great too. I just stick my blender carefully into the pot and blend away.
Let your Light Shine!
It’s time to shine! Your light will find a way to shine through any façade you build in an attempt to diminish it. You can’t really hide your light, your power or your purpose. So take a breath and think about it. Do you really want to be someone else in this life? Do you really want other people to dictate who you are, what you eat, where to go, what to do and how to live your one precious life?
The jig is up. The practice period for you to test out who you are in someone else’s image is over. No more messing around. There’s no more time to match other people’s energy, unconsciously or consciously, to see if you can be more like them and fit in. It’s time for your light to beam—your precious, sovereign light.
When my children were little cherubs one of their favorite bedtime stories was Me too Iguana, by Jacquelyn Reinach (Author) and Richard Hefter (Illustrator). It’s a story about a charming purple iguana who just couldn’t figure out who he really was. He matched everyone else’s energy and persona in town. Someone would say they like this or that and iguana would immediately chime, “Me too! Me too!”
One day the townspeople finally had enough. They had to help break iguana of his pattern. He wasn’t appreciating who he was; and he wasn’t thinking for himself. They knew he was wonderful just the way he was, so they devised a way to prove it! His friends decided to throw a masquerade party. But the rule was that no one in town could tell iguana what costume they were wearing to the party.
The days before the party were tough for iguana. He desperately tired to find out what everyone else was wearing. He just had to have the right costume and fit in. But nobody, not even his best friends, would offer the slightest clue. Frustrated and anxious he finally gave up. He went to the party with no costume, convinced he would be ridiculed.
To iguana’s surprise, everyone at the party had on a purple iguana costume. They looked just like him! He got it. He was a purple iguana and it was good to be him!
We all encounter times when we wonder what others might think of us. I understand what it’s like to hide. I’m certain you do too. When I came through the wonderfully, awful experience of dying, entering into the light on the other side, and into the holy presence of others who taught me wondrous things I was terrified. I wasn’t certain if what I experienced was real or not. I hid.
However, what I quickly discovered was that there is no way in heaven or on earth to conceal who you are. So, do yourself a favor. Do the world a favor and light up from the inside out. Let your light shine. Then you can relax in your body. Be who you are. Enjoy the pleasures of life, and the things and people you love. And then you will accomplish the purpose-driven work you are here to do.
As Marianne Williamson reminds us, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.”
Shiny blessings to you on this day…and beyond.
With love,
Laura
The Shadow Effect
Dear Friend,
I know all of you empower others all of the time; as we all learn and grow together. I invite you to join Deepak Chopra, Debbie Ford and Marianne Williamson to further your journey of transformation. For the first time ever, these three New York Times bestselling authors have joined together to shine light on this most provocative issue – the shadow.
The Shadow Effect will solve the mystery of why you do what you do. It will explain the hidden power of your unclaimed self and support you in returning to your true authentic expression.
In THE SHADOW EFFECT, Deepak Chopra illustrates our dualistic nature and gives a prescription for wholeness. Debbie Ford examines the birth of the shadow and the role the shadow has in sabotaging our success, relationships, diets, and dreams. And Marianne Williamson touches our hearts and minds with an exploration of the shadow and the soul.
This book is designed to support you in breaking free from repetitive patterns and self- defeating behaviors while illuminating your deeper heart and finding authentic compassion for yourself, others and the world. The courage to reclaim all of yourself is already within you.
Take this journey and reclaim your right to the life you were meant to live and be who you were meant to be. This book holds the power to transform your future.
Love,
Laura
Intuitive Wellness May Recipe
Try this scrumptious Banana Papaya Pudding – raw and delicious as a snack or meal.
- 1 large papaya
- Cut in half and scrape out the seeds.
- Spoon out the meaty fruit of the papaya into your high-speed blender.
- 1 banana
You can reserve a few thin slices of the papaya and banana for a center garnish if you wish.
I had this recipe for breakfast this morning. It takes 5 minutes to prepare and clean up. That is my kind of yummy nutrition! Enjoy!
This recipe is from one of my favorite raw food books, Living on Live Food, by Alissa Cohen.
Celebrate Spring
Spring is upon us! Shakespeare said, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
Ah yes, what is in a name or a word? A lot! We know that energy is a by-product of thought. Our thoughts are expressed inwardly and outwardly by our words, language that is specific to us and our cultures. The values by which we live are exemplified by our expressed and repressed words. Our words create the action and non-action of our lives. Based on this, we create our world with our own personal lexicon of living. So let’s look at springtime in this way.
Spring: A period of transition that marks the time period between winter and summer.
Spring: A natural flow of underground water or a point at which water issues forth.
Spring: A devise that returns to its shape when momentarily is pulled or pushed by an external force.
Spring: To expose or produce suddenly, as in, “He wanted to spring it on them.”
Spring: A leap; a self-propelled forward movement.
What kind of spring are you? Better yet, what type of spring energy would you like to bring to life? Will your words (inner or outer) allow you to move forward; or, will they be the type of spring that keeps you in a particular form, even after pressure (will, inspiration, or intuition) moves you into a different form for a brief period of time.
If you’re the latter, the spring that wants to move forward but returns to its preformed shape, look at your words. Take a gander at the definitions by which you move your life along and use on your self. What words come to mind when you hang up after talking with someone you don’t really like, or someone you adore. (Don’t just focus on the negative. Be aware of it all.) What about the words and phrases that come to mind as you get ready for work; when you’re running late; when you’re bored and looking in the frig; when you show up early and no one else is there; when you glance at yourself in the mirror. Are they really your words or someone else’s that are stuck to your brain? What happens to your language when you gaze at the sunset or sunrise? And the mirror thing again, do you stop and tell yourself how amazing you are and how brilliant it is for you to be alive? Oh, how I hope you do.
Organically, this is the time we plant our seeds. What do you want to plant with your words this Spring? In which direction would you like them to help you grow? It’s all up to you.
May your words, deeds, and moments be blessed.
With love,
Laura
Inner Landscapes...
He who forgives ends the quarrel.
African Proverb
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