Pumpkin date logs

I was canning some pumpkin the other day and ended up running out of jars. I had a considerable amount of pumpkin puree left, and was trying to find things to make with it. My last cup of puree began as a total experiment and this is the result! If anyone tries these out, I would love the feedback. (I am not a great baker...) Feel free to play around with this...they were good, but I think they could be better!
~cheers!~

PUMPKIN DATE LOGS

1 C pureed pumpkin
2 eggs
6 TBS Butter (softened)
1/4 C molasses
1 TBS pure vanilla extract
1 C shredded coconut
1 C coconut flour
1 C almond flour
1/4 Tsp baking soda
1/4 Tsp baking powder
1/4 Tsp cardamom
1/4 Tsp nutmeg
1 Tsp ginger
15 dates

Whisk pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, molasses, vanilla and butter together until smooth. Add 1/2 C of the shredded coconut. Sift the dry ingredients together and gradually add to the pumpkin mixture. Dough will become firm, and when flour is well mixed, put the dough in the fridge. Chill for an hour or so.
Chop dates in half and shape chilled dough around the date. Put the remaining coconut in a bowl and coat the cookie in the coconut. Place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 375° for 15-20 minutes, until outside starts to brown. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Pancakes

Breakfast this morning was great and I thought I would share!

3 small sweet potatoes
4 eggs
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 TBS maple syrup (more for sweeter taste)
1-2 TBS butter for cooking

(spices can be adjusted to taste and accessibility!)

Bake the sweet potatoes in oven, skin on, until soft. Peel skin, and mash with a fork in a large bowl until smooth. Whisk eggs, maple syrup and dry ingredients in separate bowl until well mixed and add to sweet potatoes. Whisk all together until smooth. Heat butter and spoon batter into pan. Makes 4-5 small pancakes. Enjoy!

Check out this video!

I love this guy, and he gives a great explanation about fat loss. Enjoy and let me know what you think! Leptin Video

Motivators

Wednesday is drawing to a close and I have been thinking a lot today about things that keep me going during the week. While I am fortunate enough to never dread going to work, I do still have trouble getting out of bed on those 4:00 a.m. mornings. I often have to spend a few moments inside my own head, recalling and reflecting upon the things that help me going. Since exercise usually equals happy people, it's easy for me to remember that I enjoy all of the people I interact with during the day.

I was listening to an interview earlier today, with a trainer named Todd Durkin, and he mentioned a quote I liked a lot:

"Motivation is external, inspiration is internal"

~Simon Lawry

This wonderful statement is so simply and beautifully true; I thought about it all afternoon. 

As a fitness trainer, I get about 35-45 minutes a day to help push, encourage, and motivate people that come in for their workout. Inspiration is what brings them there every day. Something, perhaps several somethings, have inspired them to go after a healthier, better life for themselves. The best part about this, is that it is contagious. It motivates others around them to seek the same. I see this all the time, as members of my gym are often closely followed by friends, family and coworkers. It is a huge part of what motivates and inspires me each day! These two things may be separate, but are so closely intertwined I am not sure one could exist without the other.

This all made me think of the butterfly effect. It seems to me that this is often associated with something negative; a chaos theory. What if we apply it to a smaller scale and perhaps ask instead, what happens if the butterfly flaps its wings and helps the one next to it learn how to fly?
This also made me think a lot about the energy we put out into the world, and how each day, we have a choice in this.
I believe each person has something exceptional to offer the world, so here is a chance to share some of what makes you, my readers, unique. What motivates and inspires you each day? I would love to hear your comments and thoughts! If one person, just one person, reads and relates to your comment, that is one life that you may have helped change for the better.

~Namaste

Mashed NOT Potatoes

While I can't take full credit for this one, I am pretty proud of how these turned out and feel like I am sharing the best recipe possible!

1 large head of cauliflower
1-2 cloves of garlic
1/2 C chopped nuts (almonds or cashews are my favorite)
1 TBS coconut oil
1-2 TBS bacon grease and/or butter
1/2 - 1 Cup coconut milk (the canned kind, not from the carton)
1/2 TBS fresh rosemary (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Chop or break cauliflower up into pieces. Melt and drizzle your coconut oil on pieces, add some salt and pepper, and mix the cauliflower pieces to coat with oil as much as possible. Bake on a flat cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. When cauliflower is just starting to get tender, turn the BROILER on and add your nuts and whole cloves of garlic. Toast everything approximately 2-4 minutes. Keep an eye on this, and remove when everything starts to brown.
I use a food processor or blender for this next part, so whatever you have that will whip this up the best is what I recommend! I dump the mixture into the blender, add 1/2 of the coconut milk, bacon grease and any spices. Puree/blend/mix this all up until the texture becomes light and fluffy. Add more coconut milk as needed!

Rearranged

I have recently been giving a lot of thought to my life's priorities. Since I have not posted a blog in a LONG time, this seemed like a good topic to use to help me get back into the swing of thing. Writing has been a big part of my life and the fact that I have been neglecting it does not sit well with me.

This thought process really came to the front of my mind a couple of days ago. I had managed to work up some serious anxiety over whether or not I should use my last hour before work to walk the dogs or finish the laundry. Just writing this out makes me shamefully shake my head at myself. What a stupid thing to get worked up over. I should have been grateful this was all I had to worry about that day.
My priority check landed me on the dog walk for a couple of reasons;

1. It is nearly impossible to get any work done around my house when the dogs want to go for their walk. 
2. I decided it would be a good opportunity to relax, clear my head and get some vitamin D. 

This second part completely backfired on me. I always seem to forget that walking my dogs is not even remotely relaxing. Gwynnie seems to think it is her personal obligation to pull me down the sidewalk as hard and fast as she can. By the time I get her reigned in, Digger will spot some unsuspecting kid on a bike or skateboard and charge after them, barking his head off, while simultaneously attempting to pull my arm from the socket. What did I at least get out of the deal? Tired, but happy dogs. They are lucky I love them. I was able to get in a bit of good thinking on this walk, which in turn, did relax me a little. I would like to share some of my recent reflections (in no particular order):

-Life is about growth and change; managing the stress that comes with it becomes a huge part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. 
-I often have to remind myself to let go of things that are out of my control, to be patient with    

myself and to check in with my priorities. 

-Checking in with yourself and your priorities is important sometimes, as things often need to be rearranged and reorganized.

-Remember to take care of your body, which in turn will help fuel your mind. (and vice versa!)

-It is the past and the future that cause us anxiety, so live in the present moment as much as possible!
-At the end of the day, take note of all that you have and be grateful for it.

Well, my friends, I am writing this at the end of the day and in an effort to practice what I preach, here is a short list of things I am thankful for:

• A job that does not feel like work
• A patient husband who loves me
• Crazy dogs that greet me at the door each day as if I have been gone for a week.
• A belly full of good food 
• Sun-dried tomato basil meatloaf, mashed cauliflower with toasted garlic and cashews, and sweet potato cubes fried in bacon grease. I will share these recipes in exchange for blog comments!

Future plan for you, my readers? I am hoping to get out at least one blog a week, if not more, and plan to include things like recipes and links to other blogs of interest. As always, feedback, questions and suggestions are always welcome!
Namaste

Brain food

Good news! I have recently started a new job at a health and wellness center, and I am very optimistic about my future there. Bad news, my blogging time has become temporarily limited. I am hoping to have some time in a week or two to sit down and really put the time in for a good solid entry. In the meantime, I have been thinking of some things that I would like to share with you all.
We have been putting a lot of focus on the importance of eating well. We should all know how important it is to get out there and move your body. Exercise is so beneficial, even if it's just a short half hour walk every day. We will discuss more on this in the future. It's easy to put focus on these two things and glance over the importance of what you are feeding your mind.
While I truly believe that by eating and moving well, the positive thinking tends to come naturally; I also believe that negative thoughts are sometimes all that stand in the way of making positive changes and advances in your life. This makes your mind a very powerful tool, and if you use it to your advantage, the possibilities are endless.
As a yoga instructor, I am always trying to think of ways to give my class a new way to look at the life before them. After a battle with depression and anxiety, it was yoga that started me down prescription-free path to health and wellness. I have felt the power of what proper thinking can do, and mixing it with the right food and exercise can make a person one step short of bulletproof. Today, I would like to share some of the lessons and perspectives that have helped me over the years. Some I have found in books and magazines, others I have written myself. Each has played a role in the person I am working to become; a person who will never stop growing, learning and changing. Otherwise, what is the point?

Feed your Mind

1. The mind is the most complex organ in your body. It sends billions of signals to your entire body, and it needs to be taken care of. You have the power to change your view, you are in control of how you see the world. 
2. Stop and listen to your inner dialog and ask yourself if you like what you hear.
3. Negatives get in the way of a happy life. Choose what you give your energy to and don't let it go to waste. Sometimes all that needs to change is your perspective.
4. Believe in yourself. Your true belief is revealed in the smallest moments. If you tell yourself that you will do something, do you do it? When you promise to set boundaries for yourself, do you set them? These are small, defining moments; they define your ability to believe in yourself. When you can count on yourself to follow through with even the smallest details, you will be able to love stronger, face adversity with clarity and generate peace in yourself through all interactions.
5. Approach life with love, patience and grace. Accept compliments and feedback, listen you your loved ones and slow down your haste. Don't fall back to doubt, it is a powerful destabilizer. 
6. Learning to let go of the things you cannot control is the only way to gain control of your own life. Don't waste time and energy being angry with things occurring around you. Acknowledge them and let them pass on by. Grasp onto the things that bring you peace. Let them keep you grounded, dig in, plant your roots and see what grows.
7. Self realized change is the only sustainable change. This can only come from focused, inner work. Set goals and follow them! 
8. Don't dwell on guilt, acknowledge it, learn from it, move past it.
9. Live in the balance. There are shades of gray we must apply to our lives. Whether it is taking a pause to gather your thoughts before answering a question, or accepting that things do not always have to go as expected. Live in these pauses, these between times. Yes, they can often be uncomfortable, but we can learn so much about ourselves in these moments. Embrace these shades of gray.
10. Take responsibility for your own happiness and unhappiness. All beings are responsible for their own actions. Suffering or happiness is created with your relationship to the experience, not the experience itself. Although you may wish only the best for yourself, happiness or unhappiness depends on your actions, not your wishes. May you not be caught in reactivity.

~Namaste