Home-made Lip Balm !

Check out THIS awesome website about how to create your own lip balms!

Sofie K

Yoga Yoga Yoga !

Doing yoga errday and it feeels so good ( and kinda sore! )

Namaste!
Soffizzle

Feeling less than optimal and Couch to 5K

So the past few days I have been feeling really lacking in energy, I've had a headache, and just not feeling like doing anything!

Makes me think of the youtube vid "shit new age girls say" - "I'm soo detoxing right now!" LoL. Is that what is going on for me? Maybe, I haven't eaten junk food since my binge after the 5 full days of raw food I did.. I forget when that was, maybe 2 weeks ago? As for bingeing, I've been doing pretty good. Every time I have the urge to starve myself or skip a meal, even though I am hungry, I remind myself that being healthy is more important than being thin and that eating healthy will allow my body to find it's own unique perfect weight naturally.

Does this mean I've been eating whatever I want? Yes - and what I've wanted has been natural, vegan (some fish though), yummy food cooked from mostly scratch at home, lots of fruit, veggies, hummus, and dates, quinoa and brown rice. I have definitely over-eaten on the heavy foods (date-nut balls, quinoa) because of random impulses to eat when I wasn't hungry, but I am happy to report that it has not been anything as extreme as a full-on binge, more like an extra helping of something when I really was already full. I don't like the feeling of myself when I am too full, and I definitely am hoping for the day when I can just eat enough and be satisfied, and eat only when I am hungry.

I have been relaxing on my few days off, and hoping that my check-off for the Reflexology treatment with Lisa goes well tomorrow at the spa.

I am thinking of beginning the C25K (Couch to 5K) program when I return from Chicago. It's a 9 week program to get you from not running at all, to being able to run a full 5K (3.2 miles) or 30 minutes straight :) I'm excited about it !

I also have been being more regular with Yoga lately, which has been nice. There have been several days at the yoga studio where I have felt very strong, but today (a home practice with friendlyuniverseyoga.com) I felt pretty weak and tired.

I know there is one very specific lifestyle choice I still have to change which will affect my health dramatically in a positive way, I am sure!

Peace, Love, and Healthy Choices,
Sofie K

Quick & Simple Quinoa Dinner :)

You know what I LOVE? Good food, simply and fast! Sometimes I like to spend a few hours in the kitchen making an elaborate 4 course meal, but when I come home from work or a day out, I just want to feed myself something nourishing and yummy with minimal effort.

So that's what I did today!

Pictured is a wonderful dish of cooked quinoa with veggies and a side of salad.

Gluten-Free, Salt-Free, Vegan, Vegetarian  Organic, Fresh!






Here's the recipe:

Cook quinoa until tender and "salt" with Bragg's Liquid Amino Acids. (For those who have never tried liquid amino's, it comes as a "spritz" bottle and tastes like soy sauce, but with a lot less sodium, no preservatives, artificial colors or flavors, and they are non-GMO.) I cooked about 4 cups of quinoa to have some for leftovers.

Add 3-4 cups of mixed greens to steam for 1-2 minutes until wilted, and 1 cup of chopped bell peppers of all colors. Cook for 1-2 minutes and mix into quinoa.

Add a teaspoon of hummus to the mixture, some more Bragg's to taste and enjoy!

For the salad I just used mixed greens and balsamic vinegar with a tiny bit of walnut oil for dressing.

//edit//

Although I love how cooked food tastes, and my mind sure does still crave it still, I notice what a decrease in energy and increase in digestion time I experience after eating it. Pretty wild since this was a very healthy meal according to most people's "standards." I did eat a lot of food and that (I know) has something to do with it, but I have been eating mostly raw (some conventional juices) during the day: fruit, smoothies, salads, juices, veggies, and in the afternoon/night having some cooked food. Wild.

Bon Apetit!

Sofie K

Hitchhiking: A freely awesome way to get around!

I spent the whole last summer living in Minturn, about ten miles from my work in Vail Village, and I made it work car-less ! Hitchhiking daily is how I got around, and depending on where you live, it can be a great option for free transportation ( and a fabulous opportunity to make a new friend, acquaintance, or potential client, depending on your line of work!)

Before 2010 I had only hitchhiked once in my life: when my car ran out of gas on the way to work while living in Edwards. I was strapped for both time and cash so I walked to the nearest on ramp of I-70 and stuck my thumb out. This first experience was kindof nerve-racking! I stood outside on a snowy Colorado day, watching car after car pass by me, feeling a little more sorry for myself and my situation with every vehicle that seemingly sped up to pass me when they realized what I was up to.. It felt like I had stood there for an eternity, but about ten minutes after my now frozen thumb had made its debut appearance into the world of the hitchhiker, I got my first ride ever. Nervous about the probable serial killer/ rapist that awaited me inside the vehicle, I cautiously opened the door and and told the driver ( who was, to my surprise, a normal looking dude about the same age as I, also on his way to work) where I was trying to get to. "Oh, Vail Village? Me too! Hop in" was something like the answer I received. Success! We had a typical conversation to this part of the world: inquiring where we each work and what geographic location we resided in before finding the ski town haven that is the Vail Valley. I got dropped of to work on time, and even got a ride back to my car that afternoon ( no thumb necessary either, the girl just stopped!) when I was seen walking on the side of the road with the red badge of honor that exclaims " I don't know hot to pay attention to my gas gauge!" swinging from my hand ;)

When I traveled to Hawaii soon after, in the spring of 2010, I was a bit disappointed at first to find out how far my hostel was from the town of Pahoa (4 miles), beach (16 miles), and local farmers markets(4-20 miles). At that time I didn't realize that many of the locals didn't even own a set of wheels - not even bikes - but relied solely on hitchhiking. We hitched everywhere - multiple times a day - and I was so surprised and delighted every time someone would go out of their way to get us to where we where going safely. I learned that hitchhiking alone was the fastest way to get anywhere, although in groups we rarely split up (unless there where more than 3 people) because we where together, having fun, and it didn't necessarily matter how long it took to get somewhere. We had no where to be, really, we where on Hawaii time. The second most efficient way to hitchhike was in a group of all girls, but honestly, I don't ever remember waiting more than 30 minutes on any occasion.

Mango Road Puna, Hawaii

It was in Hawaii as a hitchhiker where I got the chance to drive down mango road, a thin winding road on which giant lush mango trees engulf you from both sides, laying in the back of a pick up truck. I got sunned on and rained on, and the experience of the road and the wind and the sky and the stars, all right there to see and more importantly, FEEL. On my face, my back, my toes, freely exchanging my breath with the living jungle around me. We got rides from locals, hippies, haolies, musicians, and sometimes even tourists.

Although not all of my hitchhiking experiences had been positive in Hawaii (the drunk Hawaiian local who picked us up with an almost-finished bottle of rum in between his thighs who later came back to the hostel with a gift and probably hopes for a late night rendevouz ) there have been several people that seem to have been sent by angels to scoop me up from the side of the road. a

I visited the Big Island again in 2012, and my six weeks spent there where relaxing, enlightening, friendship-forming, and I learned a lot about myself on many levels. I visited places I had never been to my first time around: lava fields, tide pools, ecstatic dance, all gotten to by hitchhiking ;) The day of my 9 p.m return flight home the sky was grey and a light rain was falling as I caught my first ride to the main Pahoa intersection. I had left 5 hours early to make sure I got to Hilo airport (about 30 miles away) safely and on time. I thought it might take me a while to catch a ride (or a few) getting that far, but I had not displayed my " :) Hilo Airport - Mahalo! "  sign for 5 minutes when a lady pulled over and said she would give me a ride. We got to talking, and upon finding out how much time I had until my flight, she invited me back to her home to relax before my flight.

How sweet! A cute little deer giving his monkey friend a lift !

I took the offer and was so astounded by the beauty of the property she lived on when we arrived! Her landlord had many acres of lychee trees, through which we walked, picked, and ate lychee fruit straight from the branches. It all seemed to be coming together - I had only tried lychee for the first time on this trip, and could not get enough of them! I would buy 5 lb bags at the farmer's market and they would be gone within days! It seemed only natural that this woman would be living on land that grew them in such a bounty, but what she was about to offer me was so much more magical.

She was a massage therapist, and when we entered the bungalow she put on some soothing meditative music. She began asking me about myself and I couldn't help but divulging my (very much coming up on this trip) crazy relationship to food and my body. We sat on the floor and talked for a few hours and the wisdom and words she spoke seemed like the perfect things I needed to hear at that moment. After talking with her it helped me to realize that I was exactly where I needed to be in that time of my life, and that I still had a lot of growing to do.

It was almost time for my flight, but before she dropped me off, we went to visit and feed her beautiful horses. I love horses and hope to have a few to share my future land with someday. I am a horse according to the Chinese horoscope, and growing up my Russian grandmother Tamara would always send me picture books of horses and little horse figurines. It was a very special experience to be able to commune with these majestic creatures as a final gift from Hawaii. I left the islands with one more friend and a lot of Aloha, and I have hitch hiking to thank for that.

I came back to a warm, green Vail and was re-united with my sweet puppy Shadow, and my trusty Pontiac Grand Am that had been serving me well since 2007. It was a beater for sure, but aesthetics aside it was mechanically sound and "got the job done." I drove it around for a few weeks until I didn't want to afford the towing fee + a new year of registration and insurance. So I decided to hitch hike all summer long.

There's a corner leaving Minturn that if you stand on, are a woman, and don't dress like a total crazy lunatic, you will get picked up within 5 minutes. That was my experience anyways. The days when my outfits where crazy hippie-tastic where the days where I waited maybe 7 minutes ;) The first time someone in a Mercedes stopped to pick me up (I almost didn't even stick out my thumb for that one, but I'm glad I did!) I was shocked! Lots of people said something along the lines of "Oh, I used to hitchhike when I was younger," and most people where super friendly and nice, again, many of them going out of their way to get me to work on time. Thank You! I even got picked up several times by people I knew and once by a lady that works at the Vitality Center with me!

Sure there where days when I rode my bike into town, but I was happy to have another, free, option of transportation when I didn't feel like making the 20 mile roundtrip haul.

I encourage people to hitchhike ! Be safe, have fun, and get around for free!

Here are some of my tips for hitchhiking:

-If you are new to it, and nervous, do it with a buddy until you get comfortable.
-Don't hitchhike at night if you can help it.
-My experience (in the Vail Valley) has been that the more "normal" I look and dress, the more likely people where to pick me up because they felt less threatened (they told me this).
-If you get a weird vibe from someone who stops to pick you up, you have every right to refuse the ride! If you don't feel comfortable simply telling them no, make up an excuse! Don't take a ride with someone you don't feel safe with ! (Asking where they are heading before telling them where you are going makes this easier since you can just say you are trying to get to somewhere else!)
-Hitch from an area where cars can easily and safely pull over
-Tell someone where you are going
-Use a sign
-Take multiple rides .. someone may only be able to get your half way, but if they can drop you off somewhere where you are likely to easily get picked up again, no worries!
-Pick up hitchhikers yourself! Rack up that hitching Karma :)

I know a lot of my friends and family where worried about me hitchhiking, and that the "hitchhiker culture" is different from place to place. I have even noticed that is is a lot harder to get a ride from Avon or Edwards than it was from Minturn. (About 7 miles away from each other) Hopefully this post has created some peace of mind for people that think hitchhiking is unsafe everywhere; its definitely not! Would I hitch on the South side of Chicago? Probably not unless I was in a real jam, plus there is cheaper public transportation there. Colorado? Yes. Hawaii? Yes. I look forward to many future hitchhiking adventures and a big shout-out to my friend Dan who is soon embarking on a backpacking trip across South America! May many safe hitches and new friends greet you on your travels!

Aloha!

Have fun and be safe out there !

Sofie K 

Latin Night Dinner Recipes - Spanish Rice with Tilapia

A photo of Spanish rice I found on the internet .. ours also had corn and blackbeans :) Yum!

I cooked an amazing meal last night! I think this dinner turned out the best that I have ever cooked for several reasons - I was in the mood to cook and was inspired to try something different, I was cooking for people, and I actually looked up and based the dishes on recipes instead of just "winging" it ;)

Not our house, but it was just as beautiful :) 

Everyone was hungry by the time dinner was ready, and a candle-lit room with a salsa lounge soundtrack added to the lovely ambiance in which this food was enjoyed.



Dairy Free, Gluten-Free, Egg-Free

The Main Dish: Spanish Rice and Orange Zesty Tilapia

Fish: Marinade Tilapia (We had about 4 big pieces) in : 1/4 c. oil (I used veggie oil, but coconut oil, olive, or canola would work here), zest of 1 orange, juice of 1 orange, 1 tsp. oregano, 1/2 a jalapeno, and one bunch fresh cilantro finely chopped. I marinaded the fish in the fridge for about 2 hours and the flavores came through in an amazing way ! Cook in a skillet by placing all the fish and all the marinade and cooking on medium heat on both sides until fish is flakey and cooked fully through. Although I enjoyed this recipe, next time I will use lemon zest and lemon juice instead of orange because I didn't love the orange-ey flavor it gave to the fish, and think I would prefer lemon instead. To serve: Squirt with fresh lime juice.

Rice: I began by boiling the brown rice in a separate pot (I was making a lot so I knew the rice would need at least 1-1.5 hours to cook at this high altitude, and since the recipe called for cooking the rice with rest of the ingredients for 30-35 minutes, I thought it was a good idea to start ahead of time.) In a large pot I sauteed 3/4 of a large white onion in veggie oil until golden brown. (The recipe called for 1-3 cloves of garlic here too, but I had none so I skipped it.) Next I added 1 tbs ground dry ginger, 2 tbs ground black pepper, 1/2 tbs ground cloves, 1/2 tbs of chili powder, and 1 tbs. cumin to to the onions and stirred well. (Again, I was making a HUGE pot, the recipe called for half the amount of these spices to make about 4 cups of rice .. we  .. we ended up with about 6-8 cups of rice.) Next, I added the half cooked brown rice (in water) to the onions and spices, as well as 4 cups of yellow cherry tomatoes, halved, as well as about 2 tsb. sea salt. and a generous few squirts of Valencia hot sauce, half a jalapeno with seeds from the whole jalapeno, and 2 bay leaves. I cooked this combination of things until the rice was done and then added a can of organic black beans and a package of organic frozen corn to the mix, and let it simmer for another 5 minutes. (Other optional ingredients could include: peas and chopped bell peppers.) To serve: Top with freshly chopped cilantro and a squirt of lime juice.

The Sides: Steamed Veggies, Mushrooms, and Avocado

Veggies: I steamed zuchinni, broccoli, red and yellow bell peppers (all chopped) in a bit of water, salt, and valencia hot sauce. I enjoyed the light flavor of the veggies (not too-seasoned) paired with the rich flavors of the main dishes.

Mushrooms: I sauteed the mushrooms in a bit of oil, salt, and a lot of black ground pepper until tender. Yum! I love shrooms!

Avocado: The avocado would have been fabulous on its own, but after I chopped it and layed it out on the plate I sprinkled a tiny bit of sea salt with a squirt of lime juice on it for a little extra love :)

I chopped up 1/4 of the fresh raw white onion so people could spoon it in with their rice if they wanted, and also put some fresh cilantro on the table for extra seasoning.

I was so happy with these dishes!! They where fresh and delicious, and I cooked so much that I was able to freeze 3 portions of the rice and still have leftovers in the fridge for the next few days ! ( I live with 3 roommates, so we'll see about that last part! ;)

I am definitely going to make Spanish rice again, and am even interested to try the fish marinade (with lemon this time) on tofu in the spirit of total veganism which I have not yet embraced ;) Enjoy!

And for desert: Why not have some delicious dates (deglet noor or medjool) sprinkled in a bit of almond butter and whole sunflower seeds :)

Love, Peace, Prosperity and Healthy Happy Eating!
Sofie

Osho on Possessiveness and Love

This quote spoke fiercely to me - it resonates somewhere deep inside. Love is a gift to be received moment to moment. 

"Osho: There is nothing worse than this that you can do, that you are capable of: reducing a being to a thing. And that's what possession is. 

Only things can be possessed; beings cannot be possessed. 
You 

can have a communion with a being.
You can share your love, your poetry, your beauty, your body, your mind.
You can share but you cannot do business.
You cannot bargain.
You cannot possess a man or a woman.
But everybody is trying to do that all over the earth.

The result is this madhouse we call the planet earth. You try to possess -- it is naturally impossible, it cannot happen in the very nature of things. Then there is misery. The more you try to possess a person, the more that person tries to become independent of you, because every person has a birthright to be free, to be himself or herself. You are trespassing on the privacy of the person, which is the only sacred place in the whole world. Neither Israel is sacred, nor is Kashi sacred, nor is Mecca sacred.

The only sacred space in the true sense is the privacy of a person -- his or her independence, the beinghood. If you love a person you will never trespass. You will never try to be a detective, to be a Peeping Tom, peeping into the privacy of the other person. You will respect the privacy of the other person. But just look at the so called lovers -- husbands and wives, boyfriends and girlfriends. All they are doing, around the clock, is finding ways to trespass, to enter into the private world of the other person.

They don't want the other person to have any privacy. Why? If the person has independence, privacy, individuality, they are afraid. The person tomorrow may not love them -- because love is not something stagnant. It is a moment, it is nothing to do with permanency. It may continue for eternity, but basically love is a phenomenon of the moment. If it happens again in the next moment you are blessed. If it does not happen you should be thankful that at least it did happen before.

Remain open: perhaps it may happen again -- if not with this person, then with another person. The question is not persons, the question is of love. Love should remain flowing, it should not be stopped. But in their stupidity people start thinking, "If this person goes out of my hands then I am going to starve my whole life without love." And he does not know that by trying to hold this person permanently in his captivity, he will starve. He will not get love. You cannot get love from a slave.

You cannot get love from your possessions; from your chair, table, house, your furniture, you cannot get love. You can get love only from a free agent whose uniqueness is respected by you, whose freedom is respected by you. It is out of the freedom of the other that this moment of love has happened. Don't destroy it by trying to possess, by trying to hold, by creating a legal bondage, a marriage. Let the other be free, and remain free yourself. Don't let anybody else possess you either. To possess or to be possessed, both are ugly.

If you are possessed you lose your very soul. Lovers love only while they are not yet in a fixed relationship. As the relationship settles, love disappears. Once the relationship is fixed, instead of love, something else takes place: possessiveness. They still go on calling it love, but you cannot deceive existence. Just by calling it love you cannot change anything. It is now hate, not love. It is fear, not love. It is adjustment, not love. It is compromise, not love. It can be anything -- but not love.

The deeper you try to understand, the more it will become clear to you that love and hate are not two things. It is just a linguistic mistake to call them love and hate. In the future, at least in psychological treatises and books, they will not be using "and" between the two. In fact it is better to make one word, "lovehate." They are two sides of the same coin."