by Melanie Dearing | Apr 4, 2014 | Inspiration
What do the sun, the earth and our hearts have in common? All three sustain life, all three are on fire and all three are taken for granted. We take for granted that this massive ball of fire we call the sun is going to show up tomorrow and make life possible. The same holds true for this planet we call home. The core of our earth is 2000 degrees hotter than the surface of the sun and without the intense forces at work in that liquid fire deep under our feet the surface of this planet would resemble cold dead Mars. We take this for granted as well and that’s o.k. because there is another fire that should be commanding all of our attention – a spiritual fire, deep in the core our or hearts.
All of us are instinctively aware of the centrality of the heart in our every experience. To the word heart we add descriptive words like hard heart and tender heart; light and heavy hearted; heart felt; heart sick; brave hearted and faint of heart. I could list dozens of examples. These words and our thoughts about them are so common they’ve lost their deeper impact; at least they had for me, until one day I read these simple life changing words, “Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life.” Proverbs 4:26
Is our heart really the wellspring of who we are? As I thought about it, I realized I had always sub-consciously believed that. As I studied, I was surprised to discover the word “heart” was used almost 1000 times in the Bible alone. We sing songs, write poems and make movies about the heart. All peoples, of every nation, in every age, have spoken of a deep mystery somewhere in the core of our being. It’s what we mean when we say “our heart of hearts”. When someone says, “from the bottom of my heart”, they are speaking of a deeper spiritual whole-heartedness. We use words like shallow and lukewarm to describe half-heartedness. Phrases like heart-strings, my heart’s desire, and the cry of my heart, refer to a deeper, far more passionate reality. They speak of FIRE.
You’ve heard the expression “fire in their eye”. Eyes don’t burn – hearts do. It’s from the fire that a mother stands over her child and dares a dangerous world to take one step closer. It’s from the fire that you and I stand beside her when the world finally overwhelms her. It’s from that same fire that a kid at school stands up, regardless of the cost, and defends someone against cowardly gossip and bullying. Soldiers run through bullets to help a fallen buddy, not because it’s the brave thing to do, but because of honor and love for their brother, and that medal of honor is forged deep in the white hot flame of their hearts. It’s only in that flame that our wounded hearts melt and we forgive; completely; in a deeper, self-sacrificial love.
It’s also from the fire that a three minute song can unexpectedly break through our busyness or moodiness to move us so deeply. It’s only from the fire that we experience the wonder and the awe of stunning sunrises, sunsets, hummingbirds and butterflies. Cinderella stories in March Madness aren’t about basketball skills, they are about heart. The Arts aren’t about performance – they are about fire!
It always amazes me that I can walk into a theatre and watch a short 2 ½ hour movie that moves me so deeply. There in the darkness, I experience a seismic shift that breaks open the upper crust of my hurry, worry or my self-centered, shallow pettiness, to glimpse something burning deeper; so real; so raw and fierce it takes my breath away.
It also saddens me that in a few short hours or days afterwards that crust closes back over; back to the “real” world. But I can’t forget that fire. I refuse to forget, because I know it’s down there, like a constant flame; a beautiful haunting heartache. It’s a fierce whisper calling me to something far more real than this cheap everydayness I so often settle for. That fire is a promise of hope and glory in a world filled with pain, suffering and so much shame, fear and guilt. It’s from those depths I hear the promise that I will discover ever more deeply all that’s worth living and dying for.
My next post will be part 2 of a systematic, deeper exploration of the 4 levels of our heart. I’ve come to believe we don’t know ourselves nearly as well as we think, and deeper, richer wisdom is worth searching and fighting for. It’s a game changer and I’ll spend the rest of my days in a relentless pursuit of that wisdom – whether I live one day or 30 more years. That’s a life well lived
by Melanie Dearing | Apr 3, 2014 | Nutrition
Thank you so much to all those who attended our first cooking workshop! I apologize for not having the handouts I intended to have at the class, so this post will give a breakdown of the basics of what we covered as well as the recipes we used. (This was a 2 hour workshop, so this post may be a bit lengthy).
We began with the early process involved starting WellStone Gardens. In my research to find easier, cost effective ways to grow organic veggies for my own smoothies, we read the All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew. My husband designed and created raised bed garden yard art. Several of the beds are total stand up gardens that require no bending over. They all worked beautifully and we will offer workshops to show how to build your own raised beds. You can order beds ready made from our two younger children at www.carvdcarpentry.com .
The next part of our health process was researching the best ways to prepare healthy meals, snacks and smoothies. I wanted “slow food – fast”. This was a lengthy process in my quest to design healthy, cost effective, time efficient, delicious food. These cooking workshops allow the opportunity to pass along some of my successes and to allow the participants the opportunity to taste recipes before going to the time and expense of buying ingredients they may not like. I believe if participants can “see it, taste it, smell it, do it” when learning, they are much more likely to apply it and make real lifestyle changes. Classes also allow for relationship building, encouragement and time for questions and answers.
We started with discussing several books that made real impact on my own thinking and health. These books are listed under our resource page, but I will list them again here. The first is Grain Brain by David Perlmutter, MD. The second is Wheat Belly by William Davis, MD. The third is The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson. There are many more that are listed, but they all follow the same basic principles. I need to say that I personally do not agree with the total Paleo premise of “cavemen roots”, but I do believe within the past 50 -150 years our food production has dramatically changed. These changes are negatively impacting our health. Rick Warren in his book The Daniel Plan states that “convenience is killing us”. There is also many websites dedicated to “clean eating”. Lots and lots of information that you may or may not have time for. Basically these cooking classes provide recipes that focus on high protein, low carb, lots of veggies. We do follow grain free, gluten free, mostly dairy free principles. If you are interested in just finding recipes, type the word “Paleo” before any type of recipe you may be looking for and you will find many delightful websites. Some of my favorites are on the resources page.
Our first demonstration involved using a nutri bullet to make a smoothie. I like the nutri bullet for its size and portability. I use it every morning for my own smoothies. The nutri bullet works best with fresh veggies and fruits. If you are wanting to use frozen, I use my vitamix blender. If you are wanting a thicker “milkshake” texture, be sure to use frozen bananas. We used about 1 ½ of fresh spinach with a little purified water and blended it down to make more room. We then added a banana, some mango, some pineapple, some apple and blueberries. I personally add some green powdered super food to my morning smoothies. Mix and match other greens and fruits to your liking. My favorite green is kale.
We briefly mentioned bullet proof coffee (not related to the nurti bullet). You can look that up at www.bulletproofexec.com. I love it and also drink this every morning. I use coconut oil, not MCI. (I do blend it in my nutri bullet).
We discussed how to make easy chicken, using a whole organic chicken (I get a two pack at Cosco). I use a Power Cooker electric pressure cooker. I love it because it is so easy to use and you can find it at most Wal-mart stores. I used a carton of organic chicken stock (Cosco), an onion, carrots, celery, garlic, two tablespoons of Braggs apple cider vinegar, and two tablespoons of Coconut Secret – Raw Coconut Aminos (soy free aminos – delicious; we used it in two other demonstrations). I also seasoned the chicken with a poultry herb mixture. You can easily cook a whole chicken in an hour (maybe less if it is smaller). I cooked mine for 1 ½ hours because I love pulling more nutrients from the bones for the broth. (We will do more with bone brothing later. If you are interested now you can research many sites, I like www.whole9life.com/2013/12/whole9-bone-broth-faq/ . A pressure cooker does the work of a slow cooker in record time.
For our taste testing I used a NuWave burner to reheat the chicken I had already cooked. The burner is portable and does not get hot so it is easy for demos. I added some Raw Coconut Aminos to kick up the flavor.
We also tried some cauliflower “rice” which is so simple. You just chop cauliflower using an S blade in a food processor until it resembles the size and texture of rice. We then did a quick “stir fry” using organic butter (you can use ghee or coconut oil – some in the room might not have enjoyed the coconut oil). We added our Raw Coconut Aminos again for flavor. You can use this “rice” in any stir fry combination you desire. I just wanted to give a foundation of the basics and we will use them in other recipes as we go along. A good site with photos is www.everydaymaven.com/2013/how-to-make-cauliflower-rice/ .
Other taste tests included kale chips. These are so easy. Just cut kale leaves away from the stems into the size you like. Put them in a Ziploc bag and add a little olive oil or avocado oil and celtic sea salt. Place flat on a cookie sheet and bake at 250 degrees until you have your desired crispiness. We had no leftovers.
Last but not least are the recipes for our desserts and a blueberry muffin. The blueberry muffin recipe I like was found at www.livinghealthywithchocolate.com/desserts/paloe-blueberry-muffin-grain-free-gluten-free-low-carb-997/ . I did mix the wet ingredients briefly in my nutri bullet before adding to the wet ingredients. I also added about ½ cup blueberries, and I used a mini muffin pan.
The Chocolate Cupcakes and the Lemon Bar recipes came from the Paleo Desserts book by Jane Barthelemy. You can go to www.janeshealthykitchen.com to look for an ebook version. The recipes I used are on page 50, page 181, and page 86. I have emailed her directly to get her permission to put these recipes on a blog post, but haven’t received a reply yet. If I get permission, I will post them separately. The Just Like Sugar Table Top Sweetener is very healthy, but it does have a slight aftertaste. Jane has a great post on “What are the Best Paleo Sweeteners?” (I want to give a special thanks to Linda for her help and expertise).
The chocolate chip cookie recipe was adapted from several different recipes. Another good site to look through is www.elanaspantry.com . Here is my own version for these cookies.
Mel’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 ¼ cups blanched almond flour (I used Honeyville brand)
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup organic dark chocolate chips ( I used a 70% strong dark choc. bar and broke into small pieces)
¼ cup coconut oil (melted)
¼ cup raw honey
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 organic egg
Cookie Baking Instructions
- Place dry ingredients in a large bowl
- Pour wet ingredients over dry and mix well to combine (I again mixed wet ingred. in nutri bullet)
- Roll cookies into 1-inch balls – (I used a melon ball scoop)
- Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet
- Press balls to flatten slightly
- Bake at 350° for 7-10 minutes
- Let cool for 20 minutes and serve
I hope this post was helpful. Let me know if you have any questions.
by Melanie Dearing | Mar 24, 2014 | Nutrition
Hippocrates was an ancient Greek physician who is often referred to as the father of western medicine. One of his famous quotes is “Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food”. As a busy mom and grandma, food plays an important role in everyday life.
Health concerns that I have personally had to deal with as well as issues with immediate family and extended family are real. Migraines, Crohn’s disease, heart issues, Celiac disease, degenerative bone disease, IBS and varicose veins have made the list. I am constantly researching and examining how to nourish the human body with the most beneficial ingredients.
I firmly believe that everything we eat at any time, affects our body either positively or negatively. I am learning to ask myself before I eat anything – “Is this going to help nourish my cells or not? Can this even hurt my cells?”
This research has led me to many recipes and many trips to the store. This blog, as well as the cooking Workshops I will be doing will be able to give you a condensed version of my journey. My desire is to offer simple kitchen prep tips that have helped me, as well as delicious recipes, time saving ideas, resources and networking. This is totally a work in progress so please be patient with me. Just trying to get this website and business off the ground has been a challenge. Constantly gathering new information is very much like “drinking from a firehose”.
Simple kitchen tips for the day:
If you don’t already do this – Chop several onions (I chop ten at a time) and freeze them in Ziploc bags to use quickly when cooking. Do the same with several different colors of peppers (I chop 12 at a time). Hard boil 6 – 12 eggs to use quickly in salad or as a “to go” snack. Cook ground beef when you bring it home, before you freeze it, so it can be ready on those busy days for quick meals (Mexican or Italian recipes for example).
Challenge:
Make of list of vegetables you routinely eat every week. Add at least two new ones to your list. Try to eat more of these vegetables raw this week if possible. Research the health benefits of coconut oil if you’re not already using it. I will post this under resources soon.
These are very simple and basic. I will step up the pace soon. Just a busy week.
by Melanie Dearing | Mar 24, 2014 | Recreation
The “Art of Living Well” is just that; an art. Any artist will tell you they have to work at their craft. The world famous violinist Jascha Heifetz once said, “If I don’t practice one day, I know it; two days, the critics know it; three days the public knows it.” So if you’re really serious about the art of living well, you’re going to have to take “re-creation” seriously enough to work at it. What an odd idea; that we would have to work at recreation and restfulness. But I’m working on the assumption that you’re at least a little like me in that you work too much, with too little rest and renewal.
We can even believe we’re at rest in many different recreational activities when in reality we’re just adding to our busyness. It’s also possible that we’ve never known real restfulness and a deep, quiet peace, so we’re without any reference point. If this is true, we’re going to have to work at this up front to gain some life changing insight.
Today’s post is Part 1 in a 4 Part thought provoking exploration of fun, laughter and restfulness. In Part 2 we will examine the culture we live in. Part 3 is about examining how we’re each individually hard wired. Part 4 will discuss reaching a level of commitment to act.
For some, it can be helpful to use a pen and notebook to write out observation, deeper insights, convictions and goals. Let me be clear – for you ladies, this is called journaling; for us guys it’s called makin’ our lists. For all of us it can really help to bring clarity and order to our thoughts.
Thought for the day: Work hard; have some fun; sleep well.
by Melanie Dearing | Mar 24, 2014 | Fitness
I’m sure if I took a poll of how many of us have resolved to get in shape and never started, or started and quit, I’ll bet the number would be high; at least 95%. That would leave 5% who are strong and fit their whole lives. If you could just make a wish, which group would you like to join?
Obviously, 100% of us would want to live strong and fit. We all know the benefits. We would experience less sickness and disease, we’d sleep better, be less uptight, and laugh more with a greater sense of overall well-being. Why the are there so many of us non-starters and quitters? What does it take to become a 5 percenter? It’s going to take a different approach. Before we ever start another exercise program, there is a foundational understanding of what makes us tick that we need to establish. We must realize that all human decisions, even our subconscious ones, are motivated and fueled by two active and ever present forces; Pain and Pleasure.
Even as you were knit in your mother’s womb, so was your capacity to feel physical and emotional pain or pleasure. Your first encounter with this reality was the day you entered a strange new world filled with pain and you let mom, dad and the doctor know about it. In that universal, easily understood baby dialect, you let everyone know you wanted some pleasure – and you wanted it now! The only thing that has changed from that day to this, is the maturity level at which we process the inevitable pain and pleasure we experience in every area of our lives.
These two forces are so fundamentally important, that I’ll be covering them extensively in our Inspirational blog, but for now, the question is – What does all this have to do with health and fitness? Pain and pleasure have everything to do with why we desire to be strong and fit. They also have everything to do with why we succeed and why we fail. If that sounds contradictory, that’s o.k. I’m going to work through this in my next three posts.
Today was part 1 – Intro. To Fitness. Next, part 2 will be – Pleasure; part 3 – Pain. Last, part 4 – Breaking Free to Get Started. I hope you’re interested enough to follow along, because there’s a huge benefit. This powerful duo of pain and pleasure is rooted deeply in our hearts and affects success and failure in every area of our lives. I’ve failed at a lot of things, and succeeded at others. I’m just a 56 year old, ordinary guy, who’s learned some extraordinary truths along the way and I’m excited to share them with you.
