My First Blog Giveaway! And the Power of Perspective

If I can get blogger to co-operate - here goes with my first ever blog giveaway!

I am so grateful to Amazing Grass for their generosity in sending me so many samples to try out - hope you saw my series of reviews for them last week. Now, we're teaming up for a giveaway! 

More on that in a moment - first, today's reflection on self love - 'How do you witness the power of perspective in your life? Do you currently face something where your perspective could make a difference?

Awe and gratitude to Tina once again for a wonderfully-crafted series of reflections, that have been such a powerful tool in my own work on becoming my best - and we are just coming to the end of our first week.

Cauliflower leaves look so huge in the perspective of chives and carrots. And the thought of the frozen months makes all this fecundity so treasured…

Perspective… We all have our true north, but even true north has its declination. I love that Tina has brought in 'perspective' as a part of this invitation to find our true north. Self love is all about finding the best expression of our own gifts, but perspective invites us to acknowledge that this expression is flexible in different contexts.

I feel that my 'true north' is my poetry writing, and that everything else I do feeds into it somehow. But, as Alaska's Writer Laureate Nancy Lord advised us in the closing speech of the Kachemak Bay Writers Conference back in June, it's good to do 'other writerly things' as well as just writing. Perspective tells me that I can't realistically expect to have wonderful poems springing forth fully formed like Athena from Zeus' head every single day, nor that the process of revision will be as delightful in every case as I often find it to be. 'Other writerly things' include reading, even reading the occasional low-brow genre novel (amazing the kinds of poetic ideas that come from excursions of those kinds), walking in nature, blogging, gardening, interacting with other writers. 

A sense of perspective also dulls the aching edge of perfectionism. Since we are all coming from different perspectives, it's foolish for me to think that everyone who reads my work is going to love it - indeed, it encourages me to stop and think about whether I even want it to appeal to everyone!

The realization that it's OK to have preferences has come very late to me, and it's a precious freedom.

Raspberries are full-on here. I put a handful, that I'd just harvested, in my smoothie this morning, with chia-sweet, a ts of flax, pea protein powder, almond-brazil milk, herbal tea (reishi and fo-ti and chai rooibos), maca and wheatgrass juice. I love how the Vita-Mix can handle all those little seeds and the wonderful, thick, smooth texture of the smoothie!

Because that is how I love to make my smoothies, I chose Amazing Grass' superfood powders to give away (as opposed to the 'made up' meal replacements and energy bars) - I think the superfood powders are just a wonderful 'ingredient' that also stand alone just mixed with water. And so, I'm giving away an 8.5 oz bottle of the 'original' green superfood powder 

and another of the chocolate flavor. 

The chocolate flavor tastes out of this world to me; the original flavor is great too (but not quite chocolate!) but it doesn't have the oat fiber that I, for one, have to treat with caution, so I think it's an even more super product.

Please enter this giveaway and take your chance to enjoy Amazing Grass' great products and generosity!

To Enter:

1 - Mandatory - leave a comment below telling me why you want to win this.

2 - Visit Amazing Grass' website and leave a comment back here telling me which products interest you the most.

3 - Tweet this giveaway with a link and reference me @Ela_HG - and leave a comment here telling me you've done so.

4 - Follow Amazing Grass on twitter and leave a comment here telling me you've done so.

5 - Mention this giveaway on your blog - and leave five entries here saying you've done so.

I'm going to run this for a week and announce the winner next Tuesday. Good luck and thanks!

The View From Here/Up For This Week; How We Idolize Our Bodies

Up For This Week


Happy Labor Day! Another busy visiting day, and helping Phil get ready to leave, so another super-brief post. But please, stay tuned for my very first giveaway (on my blog, that is - I've done plenty in 'life') - starting tomorrow.

I'm hoping to be more 'present' both in person and online this week - last week was a bit crazy and I'm behind on a lot of blogs that I read, as well as other things.

The View From Here


But I'm glad, honored and privileged to be continuing with the 30 Days of Reflection on Self Love. Today's post: - we make our bodies into idols when we obsess over how they should be as opposed to accepting them as they are, as our outward expression, our vehicle to interact with the world. 'In what ways have you put too much emphasis on your body? How can you change that?'

Once again, deepest gratitude to Tina for sharing these ways of approaching self love and body-as-self-love. I had been aware of the selfishness of obsessing over negative body image, but hadn't quite put it in that 'second commandment' way before. When you get hung up on how your body 'should' be or look, to the exclusion of your full attention and presence for other activities and endeavors, that is in fact making of your body an image or an idol. I know that I have done this in the past to the point of being completely non-functional, and I know that the end result is total self-absorption - when all your energy is just going to make sure your heart beats, you don't have much left to give of your gifts! This ultimately selfish result of self-destructive behavior is a good 'flip side' to look at when thinking of self love.

I was recently told that the best gift we can give to others is to take best care of ourselves. Does this ring true for you?

love and gratitude.

Reflections on Self Love - Love From Others & Confession of the Week

I've so been looking forward to writing this post today, because today's reflection on self love was an extremely powerfully expressed invitation to reflect on the love that we receive from others. When we're not being loving toward ourselves, we can tend to shun the love that comes to us from others and persuade ourselves that nobody loves us at all.

This is a trap that I've fallen into, and the timing was perfect, as I wanted to talk about something on similar lines as part of my confession for the week.

However: it's 10.30pm, we've had guests and then been guests all day except when I was preparing for their arrival, Phil is likely leaving for a week's hunting tomorrow and I have food to prepare for him, and I'm toast, so I'm not going to do the full justice to the subject that I'd been hoping to. I had all the photos uploaded (does this take ages for anyone else? I do it ahead of writing the post) but we just got home and I discovered I'd left the burner on the stove on! I'm horrified by this. I'd been sauteeing a couple of these beautiful beets to take with us

- and I guess we left in a bit of a rush.
Here's my latest no-sugar energy bar creation, drying under the fan - chia-sweet, mesquite, ground walnuts, ginger, cinnamon, nut pulp (so nice and fluffy now I can grind it in the Vita-Mix!) and flax meal.

I've realized that I really do need to give it some heat for the first portion of drying time - the fan doesn't penetrate to the center unless I make things very thin. I made all kinds of unusual-to-me creations - quiche lorraine, key lime pie - the last few days, glad to expand my repertoire of things I can make that the palates I live with appreciate! And huge salads from our garden, of course.

So, it's such a gift that we all have, that people love us - we're never truly an island except when we believe it so and isolate ourselves.
This reflection was so appropriate for me, as it ties in very well with a non-serving habit that I've been consciously trying to change starting this past week, and have been having some good results so far, I think.
I confess this non-serving habit: I have a tendency to interpret things in the most negative possible light, just as a reflex, almost. Even if someone gives me a compliment, I often think that they're really telling me that what I've done previously hasn't been adequate! Or if someone asks me why I'm doing something, I have been prone to taking it as an attack as opposed to just a question. This habit hasn't served my relationship with Phil, who is my best friend as well as my husband, and who looks out for me and tries to help me be my best. It has left him feeling untrusted and like he can't be transparent with me. It's because I value transparency so highly that I am dedicated to working on changing this attitude habit, of listening to what people say and ignoring the little voice that converts it instantly to something negative, of working instead to try and find a more uplifting meaning, something that would encourage me to feel good instead of bad.

I am so grateful to Phil for loving me (here we are on our anniversary last January)

and to everyone else who loves me too! I love you all as well.

There were other things I wanted to write about, but I can't even tell if I'm making coherent sense, I'm so tired!
Love and gratitude.

Reflections on Self-Love #4 - Trusting our Bodies

I only have time for a very brief post here - neighbors coming to dinner in 20 mins and had to catch up on work today. Gray day, but grateful day also. I love that we are reflecting on self-love, that my husband is helping me to become more conscious about my habits that don't serve me or us best, that I am receiving support and validation from the universe as I pursue my writing vocation.

Today's post on reflections on self love - In what area do you know you need to trust your body more? How do you plan to do so today?

I wish I had time to do this full justice, as I had a small epiphany about precisely this just yesterday. Briefly, though: I need to trust my body when she says she's hungry, and stop telling her she has to go longer without food or get by with less food. The latter are such strong habits and they are so destructive to my body, and to my relationship with it. Ideally, we should be so much in our bodies that we don't have relationship with them - we simply are them. This is something I've been getting better at, but every day I need to work on breaking those habits both of thought and of behavior.

Love to hear others' thoughts too.

Reflection on Self-Love for Today

Hi everyone!

Another busy day in a busy week, so this is going to be brief indeed. I just wanted to pop in and give my response to today's 'reflections on self love.'

Today, 'take a few moments to think how you showcase intrinsic beauty. What positive qualities describe you? Search deep. Throughout the day, consider these qualities. How do they showcase in your life and make you beautiful? (Original post.)

My response: I love to help people. I love to see others' needs and points of view, and to support them as best I can, even when I don't relate to or understand them fully. I make food that I can't eat to share with a great variety of people, and when I prepare food, I always consider the person I'm preparing for when I decide what to serve and how.

As for my own fueling - here's my first Vita-mix use (lunch yesterday) - and see that blue sky and ocean in the background!

Coconut kefir whey (I promise, a post about that soon), half a carrot, top and bottom of a tomato I sliced for Phil's lunch, leftover massaged kale and chard, cilantro, chives, sage (from garden), dried oregano, chlorella, nutritional yeast, a little piece of avocado, spoonful of flax, some lime juice.

Green and good!

The brighter green on top is a blob of parsley-arugula pesto.
I'd still love to hear suggestions for what I should make, now that there are so many things open to me.

Love to all - we just got a netflix free trial and are going to be modern and watch a movie tonight (something we seldom do, but maybe more now).

Final Amazing Grass Products Review; Vita-Mix Arrived! (Do You Feel Your Presents?) 30 Days of Self-Love

Happy Thursday to everyone! We've been eking out some sunshine still here, although there was an absolute cloudburst mid-afternoon yesterday, pouring rain, but the skies blue! Strange…

It's time for my final review of Amazing Grass' products: this one's dedicated to the 'Amazing Meal' protein powder/meal replacements. They sent me four flavors to try - 'Original,' 'Pomegranate Mango,' 'Vanilla Chai' and 'Chocolate Infusion.' 

More on that in a moment, but first a couple other things. This is day 2 of 30 days of reflection on self love, initiated and inspired by Tina. Today's reflection is on loving our bodies, and we were asked to state three specific parts of our bodies that we love and appreciate. What a powerful and potentially transformative exercise! And what a tall order too! So, building on yesterday's 'self confidence,' here goes:

1) I love my quick brain, its ability to make connections and retain information.

2) I love my ears, even though one of them is half-deaf, for their acute perception of sounds, music and the beauty of words. Also their cute external 'pixie' shape.

3) I love my heart, for being so full of love and so tirelessly consistent.

And the other big thing for me: my Vita-Mix finally arrived yesterday!!! It took almost three weeks to get here, and I was starting to feel impatient.

Styrofoam took a pounding, but all present and correct - two jars, power base and piles and piles of papers!

More on that tomorrow, but here's my question to you: as a child, did you feel your presents? Did you have to open all your gifts at once? How about now? 

I could make things last forever… I had to make myself open this box, just to make sure everything was intact. I was extremely busy yesterday, and knew I wouldn't have time to use it or figure out the right place for it, and was quite content to let it wait! I actually did end up using it today, but was loath to - part of me wanted to wait until we finish having the house upside down (replacing windows right now, back to ladder on the counter and dish drainer on futon-type scenario!) and figure out where to fit a vita-station into our tiny home. 

Another question for you - what should I make with my Vita-mix? I know it's going to change my life, and I know there's thousands of things I can do now that I couldn't before - please give me your best pick!

Now, on to the review.

This is the Pomegranate-mango infusion - it's based on rice and hemp protein powder (12g protein), plus green powders, probiotics, enzymes and herbs. 13g carbs of which 6g are fiber (including guar gum, one of the 'added ingredients,' which is a soluble fiber that works well for my tummy but is irritating to some.) Another added ingredient is cane sugar, which would preclude this from being a regular food for me. Only one gram of fat. For me, that's too much carb and too little fat, but for others it's probably ideal. I added a little coconut oil and mixed it with freshly-made sesame-brazil nut milk.

For my no-sugar palate, it was very sweet, but tasted good, good texture too. Like all products that contain hemp protein, it has those dark gritty specks that settle to the bottom of the smoothie - another reason why I always pour tea into the glass once I've finished the smoothie, to wash out the fiber so that I get it rather than wasting it!

As well as being sweet, it's very 'fragrant' - a strong flavor that I continued to taste for some hours afterwards. Surprisingly, I wouldn't have identified mango or pomegranate - it tasted more like cherry or almond to me - which isn't a bad thing, of course!

This is the 'Original' flavor. - it's nice.

It has the same macronutrient counts as the pomegranate-mango. Very slightly chalky from the rice protein and the hemp fiber settles to the bottom, which is normal. I shook it with the ball from my blender bottle (Phil was on the phone and I didn't want to use the blender). For the other three, as shown in the photos, I used my little hand-held blender to mix and had much better results and less settling. The vanilla flavor comes across well, as does the hint of peppermint. For me, it's a bit too sweet, not enough protein or fat. I had it with a little coconut oil, sesame-brazil milk and herbal tea. Pea and hemp is a better protein combination for me. But it seemed to work ok and I would use it occasionally, with add-ins. 

This is  their new Vanilla Chai flavor.

I was glad that this was the first one I tried yesterday, after my day off from sampling, as it says 'no added sugar' on the packet. I also noticed that the sample was significantly smaller than the other Amazing Meal samples - 10g whereas the rest were 32g. Unlike the other samples, this one's packet didn't include the nutritional information, but I found it on this website. Yay for stevia instead of sugar! Surprisingly, it seemed to keep me full longer than the other flavors, despite there being less of it. This could be the unreliable guinea pig me, I had no appetite yesterday and then was awake since 4am with hunger pains today! But it could also be because there's no cane sugar in the recipe. I don't understand how it comes out at 13g carbs, the same as the other flavors, without the added sugar, though. Maybe they make up for it with more of the 'good stuff?' (Btw, it should also be noted that this flavor and the chocolate have only 10g protein per serving whereas the other two have 12g).

Once again, it contains lots of the good stuff, and you can taste it in a good way, and see the flecks of hemp fiber descending in your smoothie, reminding you to pour some tea in the glass to make sure you get it all. But I have to say that I couldn't taste a significant chai flavor at all: in fact, if I'd been blind-tasting, I would have said that it was a mildly vanilla-flavored rice-hemp protein powder, with the rice dominating in the aroma and the vanilla a subtle note. This is fine, but wasn't what I'd been expecting. 

I love it, and I especially love that they're putting out a 'no added sugar' Amazing Meal. I'd love it even more if there were more of a strong 'chai' flavor. And as I said already, rice protein doesn't work as well for me as pea protein, but I know that for many people it works great.

The final flavor I tried was 'Chocolate infusion.'

Just like all the others, I mixed it with my sesame-brazil nut milk with a little coconut oil. In a quart jar today because it was the last of the batch, so saved washing a jar! It turned out that flavor wise at least, this was definitely 'saving the best for last.' It was so delicious! Subjective guinea-pig note, though - yesterday I had no appetite at all and today I was starving since 4am (didn't have breakfast until 8.20). So of course it tasted great! But even so, it was wonderfully creamy, really chocolatey, and provided the subtle awareness of green-superfoodness that I need to feel like I'm really getting some goodness.

Bottom line: the chocolate was definitely the tastiest, but at 10g protein, 13g carbs (6 of them fiber) and 1g fat, plus the problems I have with rice and cacao, it's not a good daily choice for me. I need something with less sugar and more protein and fat. I'm excited by the 'vanilla chai' flavor's potential, specifically the fact that it's made without added sugar and I would urge Amazing Grass to make some more meal replacements without added sugar. I would also love it if they would try using pea protein in their formulations: for some of us with gluten/grain sensitivities, pea and hemp is easier digested.

Great products - many thanks again!

Blogging Locations #3, 30 Days, 80% Raw, Raw No-Sugar Key Lime Pie, Gelatin and Quirky Pragmatism, Developing a Thick Skin

This is going to have to be a really quick post - it's been a super-busy day and we're both exhausted!
But today is day one of Tina's 30 Days of Self Love and Reflection and I really am in, wanted to shake a leg! We're thinking of self confidence today, and one of my outings today was designed toward fostering that.

Latitude 59 is a cute little coffee shop in town which is another place in which I updated my blog in the past, in the days before we had internet at home (it's still been less than a month, but so easy to get used to!

I went there to meet up with someone to talk about poetry, my poetry writing and my possibly applying to schools to do a degree in poetry writing. As part of this process, I'm having people look at my work (and also my application essay drafts) and soliciting critical feedback. I really want criticism but I'm also really sensitive to it, and one of my self-confidence intentions is to learn to have the courage of my convictions so that I can learn to take criticism without emotional ache.

We got our first few potatoes out of the ground! Phil pulled these because the plant was sickly - we don't expect to harvest the rest for another month. I don't eat potatoes but Phil likes them.

We were having dinner with Phil's daughter tonight and she is trying out the candida diet (i.e. no sugar). She's more habituated to sugar than I am and I really wanted to make her a treat. So, I made a no-sugar raw key lime pie with xylitol as the main sweetener.

Graham-style crust was 1/2 cup golden flax meal, 1/2 cup (soaked and dried) pecans, about 1/4 cup shredded coconut, 2 tablespoons coconut oil, a pinch of salt, 3 tablespoons of xylitol. Processed to crumbs and pressed into the 8x4 pan:

Filling - started out with 1/2 cup mac nuts, 1/4 cup lime juice with 3 tablespoons xylitol dissolved in it, blended and then added 3 teaspoons lime zest, 1/4 teaspoon stevia and 1/4 cup melted cacao butter - here's the cacao butter just being blended in (with a plate of lime zest on the side):

I then added 3/4c warm water with a packet of gelatin dissolved in it. I know this isn't vegan and apologize if it's offensive to any readers here. Phil's daughter is an omnivore and I really wanted to make a treat that she would enjoy. Irish moss and agar are not easily to be found out here. Here's my little piece of quirky pragmatism about gelatin also: gelatin contains some of the most nutritious compounds to be found in animal products. If the animals are being killed for meat anyway, I feel better about the fact that they are also being used to produce gelatin, rather than harvesting the meat and wasting the rest. Using animal products in a whole fashion earns far more of my respect than plucking the best steaks and dumping the rest.

What do you think about gelatin? Am I mistaken about it representing a more holistic use of animal products?

Here is the finished product:

Both Phil and his daughter loved it! And I got to have dessert with everyone else for the first time in forever. They both wanted to squeeze lime over it! I had been afraid it would be too sour, but apparently it could have taken more! I had a little piece and liked it. I thought the cacao butter was a strong taste, and it probably didn't taste a lot like 'standard key lime pie' (which I'd never eaten but they have, of course) - is it harder to fix alternatives when you're used to a 'standard flavor'? (Or is it just easier for me to like the taste of something 'at face value' because I've never tried the 'real' version?)

A new month, a new issue of Eighty Percent Raw Magazine! Check it out, and see my article about cruciferous veggies!

Stay tuned for the final installment of my Amazing Grass product review!

love to all.