Feel Good Sunday Post: Winter Wonderland

Hi Everyone,

If you live the Hudson Valley, I hope you are experiencing the Winter Wonderland that is surrounding you!  The snow was right on time this year as we are deep into the midst of the holiday season.  While I have been excited about gifting those I love with treats, and getting together with friends, I have also found myself wanting to retreat and go to sleep much earlier than usual.  While I normally push myself through those feelings, this season, I have actually been getting into bed early and spending a little more time in solitude.  In other words, I have been respecting that little voice that has to work hard to get my attention!  I suppose it is because I am getting older that I am finally realizing that with retreat comes restoration.  I hope you all are managing to find time to retreat if you need to.  A little bit of rest can go a long way!

Next weekend, we officially head into winter.  In Chinese Medicine, the kidneys and bladder rule the winter season. The kidneys play a powerful role in many of the body's functions.  Among them is a person's vitality and resistance to illness. For this reason, it is important to give our kidneys special attention during the cold season.  There are many foods to support the kidneys, they include those that are very dark in color such as  dark fruits such as blueberries and black berries;  dark leafy green vegetables, asparagus;   black beans, black sesame seeds, flax, pumpkins and black walnuts.  Foods from the sea, such as fish, shellfish, seaweed, kelp, and sushi are also supposed to be good for the kidneys/bladder.  Millet and barley are grains known to nourish the kidneys as well.  Since the kidneys control the water in our body, drinking enough fluids (6-8 glasses daily) is important.  

As we head toward the end of the year, I want to let you know that I will be leading a 10 day online cleanse starting the first week of January.  It will start on January 5th and go through the 14th.  I will provide a list of suggested foods and foods to avoid during the cleanse. I will also provide a menu plan with recipes.  Since we are in winter, the menu will focus on warming foods and will give special attention to those foods that support the kidneys and bladder.  There will be both omnivore and vegetarian options. I am going to try to bring a more Paleo version meal plan into the mix even for vegetarians for those who don't great with beans and grains.  This has been a little tricky in the past, but I have found some new sites to use for recipes, so I have some new ideas!  

The charge for the cleanse will be $25.  I will send more info about the cleanse next week as we get closer the date.  

For now, even though it is easy to get off kilter with all that we need to do for the holidays, take the time to breathe in the beauty all around you.  Take in the love of your friends, pets, family and co-workers.  Experience the power of this moment and let go of the fear/anxiety of the future.  There is a wonderful  quote I have on a card I bought years ago that reads "You whose day it is get out your rainbow colors and make it beautiful." 

Here are two great recipes for nourishing the kidneys from M.Cissy Majebe in New Life Journal  (April- May 2003)  

Essence Nourishment (modified)

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup black sesame seeds
1/2 cup white sesame seeds

Dry toast the pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds in a skillet by continually moving them around in the pan over medium heat, until the seeds start to pop.  Remove the seeds from pan and toast all of the smaller seeds in the pan and dry roast them until they start to pop.  This will take only about 2-5 minutes.   Mix all of the seeds together and sprinkle over food or use as a snack. 

Warming The Gate of Life Cereal 

3 cups cooked brown rice
1 1/2 tsp tsp cinnamon powder
1 cup milk (your preference, I like almond milk)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
9 chestnuts, chopped or mashed (optional)

Place all ingredients in pan, heat and serve.

Have an excellent week!  If you have any questions about the cleanse, please let me know!
Lysa