Archives for the month February, 2012

Here is a recipe from my mother who is a fine cook, always in the lookout for new flavours and fragrances.

She got inspired from various recipes that were all missing a little something for her taste . She made her own ajustements et voila! The perfect soup just came out of all her experiments. Her version is ridiculously delicious , with a perfect balance of aromas. Needless to say it has become a family favourite !

You will need :

• 1 handful of rehydrated black chinese mushrooms, prepared as per package directions
• Half a red pepper, finely diced
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 l homemade chicken or vegetable broth or made of 1 l water + 1 organic stock cube
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp coconut, soy or sunflower oil
• 2 to 3 garlic cloves
• 1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger
• 150 g of one of the following : tempeh, meat crab, shrimps or chicken breast
• 25 cl coconut milk
• 100 to 150 g of rice or soy noodles
• 1 bunch of fresh coriander leaves

Heat oil in large cooking pot. Add red pepper, garlic and ginger. Reduce heat and cook until soft, stirring constantly. Add turmeric.
Cut tempeh or chicken into thin strips or drain seafood if canned. Add  in pot along with coconut milk ans mushrooms. Add broth and simmer for about 20 minutes or until 80% cooked.
Add noodles and soy sauce.Cook for another 5 minutes

Just before serving,chop coriander leaves and throw into simmering soup.

This warm, nutritious soup will satisfy any hunger . It is very comforting thanks to its full, creamy taste. It can be a meal on its own ( for stronger appetites, just add more noodles). Served in smaller bowls, it makes for an original starter.

This year, why  not use Valentine’s day as an opportunity to prioritize your own needs? Let go of the fear to come across as selfish or highly self-absorbed . If you don’t take care of yourself first, you won’t  be able to assist others for very long before you burn out. Learn how to nurture yourself so that you can spread around more of the good stuff.

Practice (inner) love talk

Take some time to sit down and reflect on the way you think of yourself. Is your inner talk of a supportive, positive, cheerful and uplifting kind or do you blame, criticize, belittle all day long? Nice thoughts and sweet words are not only for the man or the woman of your life, you deserve them too.

Design your future

Whether you have a partner or not, you probably have some personal goals that you would like to achieve as part as your life design. Many will have set some of those goals as part of their  New year’s eve resolutions. It is the ideal timing to check whether you are staying on course. Remember than when we get off track, correction is made more easily in the early stages. Checking on one’s goals every month or so actually is a great habit to have all year around.

Pamper yourself

The secret here is to choose quality over quantity. Even if you treat yourself to only one thing, make it exceptional. A few suggestions:

• Take your time to cook mindfully, fresh, exotic, organic ingredients and create a beautiful dinner that you will  share with your family or some of your closest friends
• Buy yourself a couple of the best chocolates you can buy and savour them in a way that brings you joy and pleasure. Leave your guilt at the door.
• Treat yourself to a massage in a wellness centre or a Spa treatment at home
• Get the new haircut you have been too busy to schedule, or a nice new outfit that makes you feel great and feminine

Don’t take yourself for granted

As in any relationship, when it comes to everyday life, too many habits, boredom can ruin everything slowly but surely. In the same way that creating surprise, tackling challenges and overcoming difficulties is a healthy way to strenghten bonds in a couple, if you want to experience real personal growth and ever-growing passion for life you will need to stretch yourself. Spice  up your relationship with yourself. Get out of your comfort zone. Pick something new you never took the time or  had the courage to try . Sign up for that dance class, start planning this trip, attend this lecture about career change.

Have fun with your life!

I know I should exercise but I hate it so I can’t get myself to do it.. Does this sound like a familiar thought? Although you love the feeling you get every time you work out so much that you even ask yourself afterwards “why I don’t do it more often? ”, most of the time, you still have to literally drag yourself to the gym and can’t make that habit stick. I have good news. You don’t need to exercise. Actually it is not a good idea at all and you should stop it.

Most of us hold negative feelings about “exercise”. This aversion can be easily spotted by the lexical field we use when it comes to exercising: should, hate, make myself, have to, no motivation, willpower etc… Past negative sport-related experiences ( never get picked for basketball back in your school days, boring and repetitive exercise routines at the gym, injury due to lack of body awareness or unsuited training intensity, etc) are the root of these deeply ingrained thoughts and feelings.

So if that sounds like you, what most likely happens when you use the term “exercising” is that you reactivate all those old unpleasant memories that in turn trigger this strong reaction of aversion within you. Don’t be surprised then if to you working out means excrutiating experience.

The solution ? Stay away from exercise. You would be better off changing completely your approach to working out. Instead, I suggest you practise movement or corporal expression , play, or be active, any other piece of vocabulary that appeals to you.

Sounds over simplistic? Don’t underestimate the power of words, they are very potent agents to our conscious and subconscious minds. It is no coincidence that repetitive words and sentences are heavily used in many mind reprogramming techniques. Words really have an effect on our minds therefore on our actions ( or lack of it for that matter).

The bottom line is this : don’t talk yourself out of physical activity simply by using uninspiring vocabulary.

So get up, let’s go and play !

Which words really get you moving with joy and enthusiasm?