Noticing Without Judgment

4 Comments September 6, 2016 TheSpoonMage

“I cannot believe I over-cooked the turkey! And those green beans! I forgot to reheat them in the oven and had to use the microwave so they lost their slightly crispy bite. OMG, those rolls are not quite done…”

That sort of self-critical talk is not a particularly mindful way to cook or enjoy a meal. Fortunately before I said those words out loud, I remembered to pause and breathe.

Breathe and cook for peaceful deliciousness.

Breathe and eat to prevent digestive and emotional upsets.

When you cook and eat in a non-judgmental way, culinary perfection can still happen, but if it doesn’t – it’s ok. Read More

The Solitary Muse

Leave a comment May 10, 2016 TheSpoonMage

One of the wonderful people joining me on this adventure called Mindful Palate asked me to write about loneliness. I am not a psychologist or even a yogi, but I here’s what I think.

Loneliness is a feeling that one is isolated mentally from others. Directed angrily inward, feelings of loneliness hammer you with critiques about your capabilities and likability, twisting memories and pushing a fragmented view of the future with its insistence that you are not good enough. This emotion run amok drives a wedge between you and your ability to be content.

Loneliness has nothing to do with being by yourself because people are not hanging around with you. It’s all about how you hang around with yourself.

On Finding Balance

Leave a comment April 14, 2016 TheSpoonMage

Sometimes I feel the weight of it all. Sometimes the load is light and easy.

Sometimes I breathe over and around all the bumps. Sometimes I run smack dab into newly exposed troubles and am overcome by the difficulty.

Life is like that. So much is simply out of our control. Where can you find the calm center everyone talks about?

Your ability to be in the midst of the storm and retrieve a moment of peace is only a breath away.

Directions:

Pour a little air into your lungs.
Stir well with three mindful breaths.
Mix in a dash of good posture.
Simmer with the following conscious breathing technique. Read More

Slowing Down with Three Breaths

Leave a comment April 12, 2016 TheSpoonMage

Do you spend the day rushing about multi-tasking? Sometimes things just fall together in spite of the lack of attention. Other times, things don’t work out so well.

Cooking requires full-on focus or you may find yourself on a mad dash out the door for a forgotten ingredient or, worse still, angrily trashing a burnt meal.

This simple technique for staying present and on track requires no yogic training or fancy meditation courses. You don’t even need special equipment.

As long as you are able to breathe, you have just what you need to slow a frenzied brain.

Cook up a little mindful attention with the following recipe. Read More

The Simple Spores of Peace

Leave a comment November 4, 2014 TheSpoonMage

a Blog Blast for Peace, Nov. 4, 2014

Directions for a peaceful meal and a peaceful world:

Mix together with loving hands, let everyone to get to know each other, and adjust the seasonings to encourage beautiful harmony.

Hands of love forge peace meals through chemical action in a kitchen.

With each shared meal, peaceful spores flit about on the wind, seeking new soil, where they implant and grow in the most rocky or decayed soil.

Enjoy this gentle recipe.
Read More

BlogBlast4Peace every November 4th

Leave a comment April 12, 2014 TheSpoonMage

World peace may seem too impossible to imagine. But what if more of us imagined peace?

What if the world got together and not only imagined it, but created imagery and blogs all focused on simmering up a world full of peace?

What if the number of Peace Bloggers grew with each year as a result of the hard work of Blog Blast 4 Peace’s founder, Mimi Lenox?

Is it possible to grow peace? With enough voices, yes we can.

Peace with Butternut Squash and Cream

Leave a comment November 4, 2013 TheSpoonMage

Beautifully cooked food blankets the soul with a sense of peace, a peace that is best shared.

Mom, Grandma, and home cooks from previous generations created food that brought the entire family home to one shared purpose. With the simple act of eating together, differences were put aside, albeit briefly, except for a few jabs under the table.

That is the power of home cookery. Read More

Peace and Pappardelle

Leave a comment November 4, 2013 TheSpoonMage

from Wikimedia Commons

Any day that promotes peace should include a peaceful offering at the table. On this most excellent day, when bloggers world wide are writing BlogBlasts for Peace, it struck me that if the entire world could sit down together and enjoy a purposefully mindful and peaceful meal, world peace could be achieved in one evening. Mindful and peacefully prepared, served, and consumed food is a balm for mind and soul, so today, I will prepare Peace and Pappardelle.

Please join me and serve a peace-filled meal tonight. Read More