Choosing Abundance

I've decided to start a new series here on For The Love of Food based on the personal development work I have been doing in Danielle LaPorte's The Desire Map. I mentioned The Desire Map a few months back at the end of the year as I was working through some changes around the direction of my business and life in general.

As a result of that post, I have received numerous emails from readers talking about how The Desire Map changed their perspective and helped them to shift focus in their life. I hope to use this series as a way to share things that I am working through at the moment while also connecting us as a community for those of you who are also working through your Desire Maps.

In case you are unfamiliar with The Desire Map, here's what you need to know: The idea behind The Desire Map is that most of us plan our lives around achieving certain goals. After we spend years working to reach those goals, we often find ourselves feeling empty when we finally get what we thought we desired.

Instead, The Desire Map helps you to discover your core desired feelings and use these feelings to gude what you want to do, have, and experience in your life. The idea is that when you set out to achieve a certain goal, it's not actually the goal you want, it's the feeling behind the goal, so, traditional goal setting is actually backwards.  Instead of focusing on the goal, we need to focus on the feeling we want that is behind the goal. This may sound simple, but this stuff goes deep.

One of my core desired feelings for 2013 is ABUNDANCE. Last year I began to realize how I mostly focused on what is lacking in my life -- it's "the glass is half-empty" mentality. This perspective often made me feel competitive, tense, and anxious because I constantly felt the sense of scarcity that surrounded me.

Is this how I wanted to feel in my life?  No, absolutely not.

As a result of my perspective shift from scarcity to breathing in abundance, I began to feel differently and see things in a new light.

Focusing on abundance doesn't mean being greedy or wasteful. Abundance is about finding the fullness within. 

This shift had a huge impact on my life in general, but especially in my finances. Instead of feeling frustrated by my ever-increasing food budget, I began to feel immense gratitude for the hard-working farmers I love and trust who grow my food every week. Instead of feeling stressed that I couldn't afford to help pay for my partner's tuition expenses, I began to feel proud of her for being independent enough to get loans when she needed to. Instead of feeling like I didn't make enough to donate to my local animal shelter, I began to look for ways that I could give back to animals in need (something I am extremely committed to).

Choosing abundance isn't necessarily about having more: more time, more money, more stuff... For me, abundance is about enjoying what I have and using it to make a meaningful impact on my life and the lives of others.

I don't need to make more money - I need to spend my money wisely so that I can make more of an impact with the money I have.

I don't need to have more time - I need to use the time I have in a way that benefits my life and wellbeing.

I don't need to have more stuff - I need to fill my life with  people and experiences that are meaningful to me. 

(If you feel so inclined to purchase The Desire Map from Danielle LaPorte, please know that using my link enables me to donate 100% of any money I receive from that purchase to the Seattle Animal Shelter. Thank you for helping me to fulfill my commitment to choosing abundance and helping animals in need.) 

Sometimes a shift in perspective yields big changes. 

Choosing abundance has also enabled me to be grateful for the small things.

Instead of feeling burnt out by the busyness of daily life, I am able to be fully present when I sit down to enjoy a meal or a hot cup of tea.

Instead of feeling like there is too much to do and too little time, I am able to focus on what is most important and worthy of my time and attention.

This often means shifting priorities, choosing to do less, and devoting my energy to projects that make me feel how I want to feel.


Where do you feel a sense of scarcity in your life? Where are some places that you can choose abundance? Please leave me a comment below and let me know!

Lessons in life... from the kitchen

I've mentioned here before that I am in the process of starting my own business.  I will definitely have more to share with you all very soon, but in the meantime I am weeding my way through IRS tax tutorials and a plethora of website headaches.  I thought it might be fun to take a break from my usual recipe posts to share with you a few lessons I am learning (and re-learning) in life right now.

• We all have to start somewhere.  No one was born knowing everything. 
• Be kind to yourself because you are your toughest critic.
• Know when to outsource.  Sometimes takeout can be your friend.
• The best culinary inspiration doesn't always happen in the kitchen.  It's important to step away and take breaks because breaks are what give us perspective.
• Be kind to others.
• Overeating does not relieve stress.  It only results in bloating and a stomach ache.

• Laughter, good food and sun might just be the best medicine.
• Have compassion with yourself.  We all make mistakes and mistakes are how we learn, grow, and do better next time.
• There are times when it's important to keep going.  But there are also plenty of times when it's better to compost it and start over.
• The best things in life are free.  But plenty of good things in life are worth paying for.

What life lessons are you learning right now?

A little bit of life...

I thought it might be fun to take a break from the kitchen and show you a little bit of life right now.  It's busy.  It's thriving.  It's awesome. 

Before I was a blogger or ever felt compelled to take a photograph of my dinner, I used to create art.  I used to paint, make jewlery, scrapbook, and decorate my house.  Over time I lost touch with these things. Writing and photography has been such an amazing creative outlet for me that other creative projects have fallen by the wayside these past couple of years. 

I think that my brain is so immersed in food and writing projects at the moment that it can't handle much more.  So it's time my hands stepped up.  Over the past month I have become obsessed with making jewelry again.  I used to do a lot of intricate bead work and would make large, flashy, colorful pieces of jewelry.  This is not my style anymore so now everything is simple and delicate. 

A blog friend at Hobby and More recently asked me about donating an item for a fundraiser she is doing for the Visakha Society for Protection and Care of Animals in India.  I was really impressed with this organization and the work they are doing.  It also seemed like the perfect excuse to hit the bead store and spend some time crafting something new.  If you are interested in participating, you can donate items until April 21st (my item is pictured above). The fundraiser will go live on April 22nd and then you will be able to purchase raffle tickets for $10 for items that you are interested in.  For more details, visit her fundraising page.

The sun is finally out here in Seattle.  This means it's garden time!  This year I've decided to keep it simple in the garden.  I've already started some greens and herbs from seeds, but I won't be planting a full garden like I did last year.  Our landlord recently trimmed the giant tree in our backyard so now my garden is getting much more light.  It's been exciting to see beets, kale, and carrots that I planted last summer starting to emerge.  

This week I'm getting more organized!  I've been relying on my iPhone and electronic apps for my to-do lists, but with being busier and trying to balance everything in my life right now, I've really missed my old paper system.  The compromise?  I'm keeping my electronic calendar, but am going back to my to-do post its.   

This week I found something peculiar on my Comcast bill. This is the usage history bar graph showing my internet usage for the last three months.  Since April is shaping up to be roughly the same as March you might be wondering, like I was, what the heck happened in January.  Three words: Hulu Lost marathon.  No, really.  Hulu Lost marathon. 

This is my cat, Frodo, in his favorite chair. Sleeping twelve hours every day is a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it. 

It's lunch time!  You didn't really think I would be able to get away without talking about food in this post, did you?  My food motto at the moment is keep it simple and eat more raw foods.  Lunch for the past two weeks has been a giant raw salad with some garbanzo or black beans and snacks have consisted of raw veggies.  I was at Costco over the weekend picking up some paper products and decided to load up on some bulk greens.  You can't tell from this picture that there's another bag of kale as well as a 5 pound bag of peas hiding in the mass.  I think the cashier was a little horrified that this is all going to be consumed by one person this week. 

What are the highlights of your week so far? 

Fall Celeriac Soup

Two years ago I went on a 5-day silent meditation retreat just before Thanksgiving.  It was the first time I had practiced meditating or taken a vow of silence.  I instantly fell in love with the practice.  Even though the five quiet days felt like an eternity, it was the break from the world that I really needed at that time. 

I promised myself that when I got back home from the retreat, I would continue to practice meditation and find quiet solitude at home.  But, as normal life resumed, my hopes of daily meditation fleeted.  I made a meditation alter, but only sat in front of it once.  I never bought that meditation bench.  And I came up with constant excuses for why I couldn't "find the time" to meditate at home.

Then the next year rolled around and I told myself I was going on the retreat again.  I was going to strengthen my meditation practice and bring it home with me this time.  No excuses.

However, I couldn't find that peaceful meditation on that retreat.  It was probably due to the fact that I was in the middle of a very stressful job transition and spent most of the time at the center on my iPhone answering emails.  Even though I knew phones weren't allowed at the center, I hoped that by getting work done it would alleviate my stress and allow me to focus.  No surprises here, but all it did was cause more stress.



This year I have decided not to go on the retreat. This has been a tough decision and I've waffled back and forth, but I finally realized that if I really want to find quiet time in my life I have to do it at home. It's easy to go away somewhere else and feel relaxed and at peace, but it's much harder to create that same peace in everyday life.

Of course the first place that I'm turning to in my life for inspiration is cooking.  Being at home in my kitchen is one of the best parts of my life daily and I've decided to use it as a space for quiet time and reflection.  My plan is to begin by cleaning and organizing my kitchen to make the space even more inviting and relaxing.  Then I'm going to make soup. 





I'm sure you've heard me rave about my love for soup by now because it's so easy to make. I've already been enjoying coconut squash soup and acorn squash apple soup this season, but I have become so infatuated with celeriac that I declided it needed to have a soup of its own.

Do you cook with celeriac in your kitchen?  Celeriac is also called celery root and usually starts popping up at the market in fall.  It looks like a golden brown root ball and somehow reminds me of the mandrakes from Harry Potter. 

Celeriac has a sweet and delicate celery-like flavor that is perfect in soups, salads, and stirfries. The smaller the celeriac, the more flavorful it will be because it tends to taste woodier as it grows bigger. To prepare it, wash and scrub the skin and then cut the outer layer away using a paring knife. It can be eaten raw or cooked and I particularly like it shredded and added to raw salads or roasted with other root vegetables.

This soup has a sweet, delicate flavor with hints of celeriac, leek, and fennel.  I recommend topping it off with fresh lemon zest, red chili pepper flakes, and a drizzle of olive oil.  This soup will not only keep you warm during these chilly fall days, but hopefully it will inspire more peace and quiet time in your life too. 

Fall Celeriac Soup
Serves 4 - 6

1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 medium leeks, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried sage

3 garlic cloves

2 medium celery roots (or 3 small), skinned and chopped

1 fennel bulb, chopped
2 cups (cooked) garbanzo beans
2 bay leaves
6 cups vegetable broth
zest from 1 lemon
red chili pepper flakes
olive oil for drizzling

Add olive oil to large pot over medium heat. Saute the leek in olive oil for several minutes, until fragrant. Add the thyme, sage, and garlic and sauté for an additional minute. Add the celeriac, fennel, beans, and bay leaves.  Add enough vegetable broth to cover vegetables with liquid (about 6 cups) and bring to a boil.

Once boiling, turn the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the celeriac and fennel are tender. 

Remove the bay leaves. Next, blend the soup by using an immersion blender or transferring it to a regular blender. Add more broth or water, if needed. (If using a regular blender, be very careful as the steam can sometimes cause the lid to blow off.  I recommend allowing the soup to cool for a few minutes, then blending small batches on medium speed while holding the lid down with a pot holder or towel in hand.) 

Serve hot and top with lemon zest, red chili pepper flakes, and olive oil before serving.

This weekend...

This weekend began with a trip to the U-District farmer's market.  I loaded up on plenty of donut peaches, lapin cherries, zucchini, yellow wax beans, golden beets, corn, and these gorgeous little tomatoes. There's nothing like fresh, ripe tomatoes in the middle of summer and I just can't get enough this month.

For lunch I attempted to make pizza from scratch.  It was a big fail.  Major.

This was my first try at making pizza dough and I think I might have added too much flour and/or kneaded it a bit too much. Regardless, it was such a big fail that we ended up getting take out instead.

This afternoon I decided that if my cat could speak, he would sound like Alan Rickman (aka Professor Snape). That's kinda freaky, huh?

We spent the majority of today painting our apartment and adding in this merlot accent wall.  My partner and I live in an apartment in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle and we're working on some big updates over the next couple of weeks. Our landlord is replacing the old carpet with hardwood floors in the living room, the walls are getting a paint makeover, and we're hoping to replace some of our mismatched old furniture for more modern pieces.

Our apartment is 460 square-feet which sometimes feels like a challenge for 2 people + a cat.  Hopefully these changes will give us a much-needed update (especially the carpet!) and make the small space more tolerable.  

Our evening ended by watching Die Hard With a Vengeance (the third movie in the Die Hard series).  We watched the first one a few weeks ago and now are addicted to the 90s action and hilarious stunts.  If you haven't seen Bruce Willis with hair, then you need to get on this.

And, most importantly, this weekend means that it's less than ONE WEEK 'til the Vida Vegan Con in Portland.  Are you excited?  I am super pumped!  I can't wait for all the workshops, the galarama, and the opportunity to meet so many other cool bloggers!  If you are not attending, then make sure to check back here next weekend so I can keep you updated on what's what in the blogging world.  If you are going, then I can't wait to see you there!

How is your weekend so far?