I had a fabulous cooking class last Sunday called Sweeten Up with Alternative Sweeteners. We had a great time together. All 15 of us packed into a tiny space and made 5 tasty desserts. Folks even came all the way from Durham, High Point and Mebane.
me and Alice!
Me made brownies, mango cream, chia seeds pudding, rice krispy treats, and teff cookies. Folks were oohing and ahhing over a lot of them. But my favorite part was when we were eating and it led into great conversation about what its like trying to be healthy in this culture. Folks raised different issues like “food deserts,” bus routes, locations of grocery stores, etc. But that’s a different blog entry. Today, let’s focus on the sweet stuff.
Folks were excited to learn about and use many of the natural sweeteners. We broke down myths, tasted things, and talked about the best ways to use different sweeteners. I think we all left with a sugar high… but only because we ate 5 desserts at once!
These ladies were excited to learn how to use raw mango and peel it easily.
Their dish came out great!
And this team was uber-excited about their chocolate chip presentation on top of their rice krispies. People couldn’t believe how good this was.
I left feeling a little sweeter than normal. 
I just love seeing other folks come together through food. It’s something that happens all the time, but not always during food preparation. And that is always fun for me to participate in.
You can join us at our upcoming classes. Check www.sustainablehealthchoices.com/events for everything coming up. I’m thrilled to also be teaching classes at The Stone House in Mebane. Check it out!
We all do it.
Do any of these things sound familiar?
- I want to lose 10 pounds
- I’m going to clean the closet out this weekend
- I want to stop eating out as much, if at all
- My gym membership is going to waste…. I need to get there more often
- or I miss my friends, I want to hang out more
Like I said, we all do it!
I believe myself and others when we say we want things. To have goals and to feel successful is important. The difference comes when we want to do the work to make those successes happen.
I am constantly working with clients on how to create the systems so that success is inevitable. It’s not possible to lose the weight if nothing else changes. And its not probable to eat out less and start cooking more if you come home every day to an empty fridge. There are more factors to success than the goal. read more…
I fell in love with her first book, Gluten Free Girl, when a friend gave it to me for my birthday. Since then, I’ve read her blog and tried many of her recipes.
The Gluten Free Girl is an amazing writer that captures the heart and soul of her cooking through story. She finally fell in love with the foods that loved her back… watch this video for their upcoming cookbook that you won’t want to miss.
Gluten-Free Girl and The Chef from Daniel Ahern on Vimeo.
Aren’t they the most adorable little family?!? Anyone else have a favorite food memoir they have read?
I have been taking time this Summer to step back and reflect on my work with Sustainable Health Choices. It’s incredible what a little perspective provides… especially when it means I come back stronger than ever!
I am wanting:
- to work with more people so we can see more healing… which means more happy and healthy people on our planet
- to better serve YOU
Part of this process is to get feedback from YOU on what it is YOU are struggling with and what you are wanting to work toward.
It would me the world to me,Miriam, if you would take just a few minutes to fill out this survey. Any information you provide me will greatly impact what I’m able to offer. It means I’ll be able to create even more specific and focused classes and programs that meet your needs. It’s a win-win!!
All you need to do is click here and fill it out. It’ll only take a few minutes. I promise! And everything you tell me will be just between you and me.
And as a special thank-you, I’ll send you a few juicy recipes that I’ve been enjoying this Summer. Why would you want to pass that up?
I really appreciate all the support and feel free to send this to anyone you know who might have some good ideas for me as well.
A common theme for many people I work with is the concept of “letting go.” It’s a struggle for all kinds of people, not just our Type A control freaks, but people in the midst of transformation and those who just feel stuck.
I had a great conversation with an aquaintance of mine last week… she said she was working on an installation and it was all about letting go. I think she’s an artist so that had something to do with her word choice. But she’s decided to take on a new diet and I’m sure there are myriad other things changing in her life as well.
It reminded me of my 30th birthday present to myself. A newly decorated bedroom.
Ryan (left), Ava (center) and Me in my new bedroom. You don't get to see much other than the color. But isn't it great?!
It started as a small project and, of course, evolved into a huge thing full of metaphors and birth of a new era. You see, I never want to let go. Whether it’s my point in an argument, a broken heart that won’t heal regardless of rationalle, or those pesky 15 lbs I want gone. I hold on to everything emotional. read more…
I have chronic lower back pain. Well, it’s probably more accurate to say I used to. 
I have been working hard to strengthen my core muscles, seeing Paul at Cedar Hill Physical Therapy, getting regular massage from Kammaleathahh and Hollie, and receiving acupuncture treatments from Michele at The Lotus Center. All of this, in conjunction with herbs and more awareness have really impacted my pain level.
I’m thrilled to let you know about another great opportunity in Greensboro. My business partner, Kammaleathahh Livingstone, has created a 3 part series of workshops on how to do massage. She consolidated all of her best routines from various workshops , and they are jam packed with information about massage techniques, acupressure points, trigger point therapy, and that wise life force energy we call Qi!
You should sign up if you want to learn:
- Therapeutic massage strokes that release muscles and give you more freedom in your body.
- Tips on how to get into those really tight places with out hurting your poor thumbs.
- Keep more energy and concentration throughout the day.
- Work on your pain and stress instead of it working on YOU.
If you want to save money, learn routines for the whole body, and gain practical massage information sign up for the whole series! REGISTER FOR ALL THREE CLASSES for $89, or $159 if you would like to bring a buddy. (You can save over $50.00 if you bring a friend!).
This is such a great way to educate yourself on your body and learn ways to take of yourself.
The most frequently used kitchen gadgets in my kitchen are the food processor and crock-pot. For some reason, I’ve mostly used my crock-pot only in colder months. In my head it’s mostly used for a slow cooking stew or meat dish. These aren’t things I typically crave in this North Cackalack summer heat.
White Beans in the Crock Pot
While I know the crock-pot is so much more than that, I still haven’t used it much in the summers. That is, until my sister reminded me of how awesome it is during the hotter months. We don’t have central AC and the kitchen is always the hottest place in our house. The crock-pot is the most genius summer tool for me right now. Why? Well, it emits far less heat than our gas stove/oven. This wins the biggest points ever in my book!!! read more…
In Greensboro we have many options for where to get our food. The Greensboro Curb Market is one of them. They are located downtown and are open on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.
Like most farmer’s markets, shopping here is about way more than just getting your produce, meat, baked goods or crafts. It’s about buying local, seeing all your friends/co-workers/neighbors on Saturday mornings, creating a relationship with the folks who grow your food, and eating well.
The Parks and Recreation Department created a survey regarding the Curb Market. I highly recommend you take this survey so your voice can be heard. My personal vote, is to keep the market local. You can find the survey here and click on the “Greensboro Farmers’ Curb Market” banner in the middle of the homepage.
If you haven’t visited the market yet, it’s a fun weekend activity.
Tiffany and Teresa making bath salts
Last weekend a good friend and client of mine, Liz Seymour, decided to have a Spa Day in honor of her birthday. It was a dream.
Liz has talked about having this gathering for some time now and doing the LOVE YOURSELF 3-WEEK DETOX really motivated her into hosting this event for elaborate self-care.
It was everything you could dream of! We made our own bath salts, painted our toes, gave each other hand massages, ate healthy snacks, and read cheesy celebrity gossip magazines. What more could you ask for on a rainy Sunday afternoon? read more…
