Have you watched the commencement speech Neil Gaiman gave at The University of the Arts last spring? It's been floating around this week on Upworthy and Facebook and Twitter. If you haven't, check it out when you have twenty minutes to spare. You can watch or read it here.
The speech is full of many great tid-bits and life lessons, especially for those of us who make art or are freelancers.
My older brother turned 30 this week. It was a grand time of celebration with great friends, karaoke and cake.
Since we are roughly 3 years apart, I started thinking that in 3 years time I will be turning 30… what will my life look like? More importantly, what do I want my life to look like? Is the way I am living my life now going to set me up for that life on the eve of my dirty thirties?
The truth is, every day we have a million choices. We choose how to think and act. We choose which stories to tell ourselves about what is true and real. We choose what to eat and how to eat it.
Every choice we make today directly affects our minds, bodies, lives and the world tomorrow. Today I choose to treat myself (mind, body and soul) with kindness. I choose to express this through a practice of mindfulness. I know that tomorrow I will feel great and if I keep it up, in 3 years I will happily embrace my thirties.
Is the way you are living life today going to produce the life you want in a year? 5 years? 10 years?
Even my healthiest of friends admit that if Mexican food is in eyeshot, they can’t help but overindulge.
I grew up with a bean and cheese burrito in one hand and as I see it, giving up Mexican food is about as desirable as becoming a breatharian.
Do you find times when you are trying to “eat healthy” and before you know it, you find yourself at some little cantina at the bottom of some basket of chips, a whole bowl of salsa and some delicious warm Mexican dish feeling so full and bloated that all you can possibly do is curl up somewhere and think about the food choices you’ve made? Whether we castigate ourselves for these decisions or not, I say give up on trying to give it up.
A life without Mexican food is not a life worth living. It’s the mother of all comfort foods and something I’ve learned is not worth trying to restrict myself from having. I have two tips for dealing with the often painful Overindulgence Mexican Food Syndrome:
Tip #1: Make it healthy!
I know people always say this and no one really ever does it, but this is seriously possible and easy. From homemade salsa, guacamole and beans – you can’t go wrong and it doesn’t get much healthier. My favorite invention is a little something I call the Burrito Bowl. All you do is sauté some vegetables and mix them with some beans (homemade or canned), then top with salsa, a little bit of cheese and of course, avocado (or whatever condiments you like). This is the perfect protein-packed veggie dish that hits the sweet spot without fail. It also leaves you satiated and at a lower risk of eating your body weight in chips.
Sauteed Veggies
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Black Beans
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Homemade Salsa
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The Burrito Bowl!
Tip #2: INDULGE!
Just do it. Indulge. Order that burrito or those tacos or those enchiladas. Whatever it is that makes your mouth completely water with delight. BUT I challenge you to try to eat only half the dish or burrito in one sitting. That way you can share the other half with a friend or even better, save it for another meal (hello breakfast!). That way, you get to have your cake and eat it too without feeling ridiculously full and hating yourself at the same time.
As always, don’t forget to get out there and live. And of course, be grateful for the little things in life, like Burrito Bowls and guacamole (what else is there?).
Still not a vegetable believer? There is still time. You can still be saved.
If you have not grilled vegetables on the BBQ, it may be safe to say you have yet to truly feel alive. I used to shy away from using the BBQ, but the truth is, it’s so easy that once you learn how to turn it on without burning down the house you’ll never look back.
Below is an example of my favorite dinner right now. There is no real “recipe” for this meal. I dare you to get creative, find your favorite person to cook with and make sure to turn on some jams. The Bob Marley station on Pandora radio was the musical inspiration to this particular meal. I think it really got the broccoli to loosen up a bit.
Here’s the deal: there’s no discrimination here – use vegetables of all sizes, shapes, and colors. I like to use zucchini, broccoli, kale, mushrooms, onions, peppers and whole garlic cloves (just don’t forget to peel them when you eat them). Throw em’ all in some tin foil or on a BBQ-safe pan, slather them in olive oil and add any spices or condiments that you dig – a garlic, salt and pepper rub is delicious sprinkled all over our antioxidant-full friends!
Throw them onto the fire and use tongs to occasionally move the veggies around. Time on the grill depends on how crispy or soft you like them. Don’t be afraid to taste them along the way, just be careful – they get very hot. The veggies below were on the grill for about 20-25 minutes before they made it onto my plate.
The photos below also include a piece of albacore tuna and a skewer of raw shrimp which were brushed with olive oil AND some butter. Sear the fish on both sides for durations to reach your liking. Drizzle fresh lemon juice and add sesame seeds immediately once removed from the grill.
Cut up and ready to be grilled.
Preppin’ the tuna.
Veggies on the grill. They’re so pretty when they glisten.
Grillin’ and feeling those Bob Marley jams.
Dinner is served. My life is saved now.
I didn’t think there were enough greens, so I added some salad. NBD.
This meal was so incredibly tasty, easy and healthy. But the best part was the company and the music.
Do you have any adventures in grilling veggies to share? I’d love to hear your tips and stories!
Need a pick-me-up?
Check out the wonderful Emily Moldy covering Sean Hayes’ Garden. This is the perfect summer-to-fall transition song and video. So honored to know this artistic and free-spirited girl!
Check out Emily at: www.emilymoldy.com.
