Macrobiotics and Me

Greetings!

I’ve had a really lovely day doing exercise, meeting up with some fellow macrotarians and having a chance to help out in the kitchen and to finish the day off nicely I have just returned from dancing…ahhh!

Tonight’s theme for the dance was about imagining or allowing your self to feel perfect just as you are. It seemed to be all about acceptance and I think that is hugely important to just be able to accept yourself for who you are in the moment. So, where-ever you are, whatever you are feeling, whatever you are eating, whatever you are doing in your life just accept it and breathe :O)

Macrobiotics is about being able to embrace life fully and wholly. It’s about digging deep to dig up anything that might be stopping you from doing that. It’s about reaching your full potential in life and really being able to allow yourself to flourish. One of the things I find so fascinating is that macrobiotics is so individual and what is right for one person isn’t going to be right for the next person, so it’s also about finding out what is best and what works for yourself. Sometimes this take alot of explorations but that is all part of the process. You just gotta stick at it and trust.

Food has been very lovely day, particularly lunch which was cooked by someone else and shared with lovely peeps :O)

Breakfast

Mushroom miso with tofu and spring onion (from yesterday)

Millet and barley with malt syrup

Lunch

Tempeh (in the most beautiful dressing made with shoyu and amazake), quinoa, kale with toasted almonds, beetroot, swede and mustard, hijki and a ppumpkin and carrot dish.

Dinner

Tempeh (from yesterday) with barley, millet and beetroot

Mu tea

Snacks/other

Amazake drink

Dried figs

Very yummy!

Lots of flourishing love

Sharlene

Good evening!

I have just returned from the Your face Never Lies lecture and it was so inspiring. It just brings home how important it is to have contact with fellow followers of this amazing path and just how complete I feel that macrobiotics is.

Breakfast

Brown rice miso soup with spring onion, mushroom & tofu

Barley & millet porridge with currants and almonds

Lunch

Tempeh from yesterday (sooo yummy!) with brown rice, rocket, pumpkin seeds, tuna and salmon sushi, carrot

Carrot juice

Dinner

I skipped dinner tonight as I didn’t feel hungry. I had quite an intense session at bioenergetics and I went straight to the lecture. If I was hungry I would have made time to eat before going into the lecture as I think it’s not a good thing to be skipping meals if you are hungry but I’m kind of glad I wasn’t! I feel that my body will be grateful for the rest after the bioenergetics this evening and I will look forward to breakfast tomorrow morning :O)

I did have a yogi tea though which was lovely!

Good night & god bless

With love & gratitude

Sharlene

Howdy!

The days seem to be passing by so quickly and I can hardly believe we are almost into March. Does anyone else feel like they’ve been time warped?!

Breakfast

Miso soup from yesterday

Millet porridge with pumpkin seeds and a teeny weeny bit of malt syrup

Lunch

Millet, chickpea stew from yesterday, grated carrot and cabbage, mixed beans & pasta

Rooibos tea

Dinner

Brown rice, tempeh stew made with swede, onion, carrot, kombu, white miso, ume su, shoyu, garlic powder, shoyu and apple concentrate. Very delicious!

Snacks/other

Mugwort mochi with malt syrup

Almond biscuits (I just couldn’t help myself!)

Halva

Sending lots of light and good vibrations to you

Sharlene

Hello fellow beings!

Do you ever have days where you experience a kind of lightbulb lighting up inside you? Well, I had a few lights come on today!

The first one is that I realise that life is all about the flow. Most of us either block the flow or cannot stop the flow. I am beginning to realise in myself some of the blockages (although I’m sure I have others that I’m not yet aware of!) and also where I allow my energy to flow out of me too readily. I think balance and harmony  is achieved when there is a nice steady flow and I guess that is ultimately where we want to be; not blocking but also not allowing too much to pour out of us. I guess this comes about through awareness, through therapy, through listening to our body and our hearts and allowing ourselves to be guided by our souls – all of which can be a challenge the best of times!

I usually feel really tired by Wednesday owing to two consecutive late evenings (Monday and Tuesday) and a very busy Tuesday. Well, I have been thinking about yin and yang in all of this and I feel that by Wednesday I am in quite a yin state. So, perhaps for Monday and Tuesday, to get me through, I need to have more yang in my life (through food and how I organise myself ) to help keep me relatively balanced and better able to get through the demands of each day. This was the other lightbulb moment! I’m going to start off by eating  more yang foods on Monday and Tuesday to see if there is an improvement. If there isn’t then I will have to think about changing my arrangements to suit me better but if it does work, voila!

For those who are wondering what all this talk of yin and yang is don’t worry, I will be sure to fill you in soon.

OK enought about lightbulbs, let us talk about food:

Breakfast

Miso soup (brown rice miso) with spring onion, carrot, wakame & celery

Millet and oat porridge

Oat amazake with hot water (as a drink)

Lunch

Mixed grain, millet, brocolli, mange tout, chickpeas with leeks and carrot, stir fried cabbage

bancha tea

Dinner

Mixed grain, millet, lentils, brocolli, cauliflower, carrot, mixed sprouts, vegetable slaw (red cabbage, white cabbage & carrot)

Snacks/other

Raw chocolate cake with chocolate soya cream (all dairy and sugar free) and far too delicious!

Halva sweetened with grape juice

Hot rice milk

Mochi with rice syrup

Lightly salted potato chips

1 whisky

Lovely food!

I am looking forward to an evening at home tomorrow, cooking and dinner at home will be wonderful!

Lots of flowing love and balance

Sharlene

Hello!

Today has been another full on day and I find myself eagerly anticipating climbing into bed so I shall keep this short and sweet this evening.

I had to prepare and pack all my food to take with me this morning as I don’t get a chance to be at home on Tuesdays.

Breakfast

Miso soup from Sunday

Oat porridge with brown rice – straight!

Lunch

Brown rice, celery salad, pressed daikon and parsley, black beans and some brocolli

Bancha tea

Apple crumble with soya custard (now the crumble is finished at last!)

Dinner

Quinoa, sauerkraut, brocolli with tahini & shoyu & chickpea stew from yesterday

Amazake & rice milk drink

Yum!

I must get up early tomorrow to get breakfast and lunch prepared for the day ahead. I’m not sure what I’ll do yet. I have some chickpeas already cooked so I will use them. We’ll see.

I hope your cooking, planning and eating is going well :O)

Love

Sharlene

Hello!

I have had the most wonderful day and I must say I think it is all to do with waking up with the best and most positive of intentions.

I ran this morning, did a thirty minute meditation (it’s time to get started with this again since it has kind of  faded out of my daily routine), yoga this afternoon, got lots of other things at home done, cooked and thoroughly chewed and savoured every single mouthful of three very lovely meals and now I have just returned from a couple of hours dancing.

Today I realised the importance of taking time to eat, to chew and to really taste every mouthful. Being in the moment whilst eating gave me a very new experience today. I also practised eating with my eyes closed too which was wonderful. Give it a go and see how it is for you :O)

OK so on to food:

Breakfast

Miso soup from yesterday

Millet porridge with roasted almonds and rice milk

Bancha tea

Lunch

Chickpeas with parnsip, swiss chard and white miso

Quinoa, sauerkraut, steamed brocolli with tahini and shoyu dressing

Dinner

Brown rice, celery salad, boiled beetroot with ume su, roasted beetroot and parsnips, pressed carrot, black beans with ginger and shoyu and spring onions

Snacks/other

Apple crumbe with soya custard

African spice/rooibos Yogi tea

I had a little bit of a spring clean today too and it has made me feel very fresh…maybe this freshness will mean that I will eventually, or even finally, write to you about sugar…I will get it done, I promise! Lots to do!

Refreshing love

Sharlene

Good evening!

Oh what a night! I’ve not long returned home after spending a considerable amount of time in the pub! I had a wonderful time although I maybe shouldn’t have drank quite so much!

Breakfast

Brown rice miso soup with spring onion, carrot, cabbage, wakame and tofu

Millet porridge with rice milk and roasted almonds

1/2 spelt pancake with rice syrup and lemon juice

Bancha tea

Lunch

Tofu pitta with grated carrot, daikon, gherkins and mustard

Salted popcorn

Dinner

I didn’t really have a dinner because I wasn’t hungry but I did share some french fries in between the 3 pints of ale I consumed at the pub… 3 pints! That is more liquid than I’d have in a week let alone a few hours…crazy! Enjoying the moment is a great thing but I feel that it’s so important that this isn’t a regular occurence.

Snacks/other

Chocolate truffle

Aduki bean truffles

Almond biscuits (sugar, dairy free…of course!)

I am looking forward to a week of lots of clean foods and exercise :O) I love Monday’s, they kind of feel like new opportunities.

I’m also looking forward to beginning the second year of my studies in a couple of weeks. I always find that I am very inspired after spending some time at the cooking school and with fellow macrotarians.

Lots of refreshing love & inspiration

Sharlene

Hello!

What a beautiful beautiful day. I think spring has definitely sprung!

Breakfast

Lentil soup with carrot and parsnip cubes (leftovers)

Millet balls with shoyu and ginger

Grain coffee 

Lunch

Lentil soup

Bright mood tea 

Amazake drink made with rice milk, vanilla, orange zest and rice syrup

Dinner

I had such a lovely dinner. My best friend is visiting me at the moment and it was lovely to cook for someone who isn’t macro and to have their feedback. I think she was surprised at how delicious and simple the food was.

Celery salad, black beans with shoyu and ginger, millet balls (but it was more like millet mash….I’d put the millet in the fridge and because it was so cold, when I put the balls into the oil they just fell apart..arghh!), grated daikon, pressed carrot with ume su, pesto courgettes, brown rice stir fry (leftovers), mashed peas (leftovers) and cous cous. What a feast :O)

Snacks/other

Almond biscuits

Parsnips, sweet potato and beetroot crisps

Raw chocolate truffles

Aduki bean truffles

2 small glasses of ale

I feel like I’ve been eating alot of processed food lately, especially flour products (bread, biscuits, waffles). I think it’s time to eat cleaner, more simple foods.

Next week I will  focus on avoiding processed foods and on doing lots of exercise. My body feels happy at that prospect!

Lots of delicious love

Sharlene

Greetings!

Some days I feel like I don’t stop eating and today was one of those days!

Breakfast

Carrot and parsnip broth (left overs)

Savoury porridge with added buckwheat and aduki beans (all leftovers)

Bancha tea

Lunch

Noodle stir fry leftover from yesterday

Rye toast with honey (I know, I know…honey…whoops!)

Dinner

Red lentil soup with a slice of lemon

Deep fried millet balls with shoyu and ginger dipping sauce

Pressed daikon

Steamed brocolli

Celery salad made with apple, celery, currants, lemon juice, mayo, roasted walnuts & parsley

Carrot and parsnip cubes (leftover from soup)

Apple crumble & custard

Breathe deep tea

Snacks/other

More toast with honey

2 hazelnut waffles

salted popcorn

sweet potato, beetroot and parsnip crisps

Rooibos tea

The deep fried millet balls were lovely and I realise just how much I love deep frying & tempura. It’s good to make sure you have some daikon when you have anything deep fried as it helps with breaking down fats (not sure if I’ve mentioned that before!).

I seriously need to do some cardiovascular exercise. I haven’t done any for a while and I’m really feeling the need. I am glad spring is on the way, I am sure that exercise will be much easier then when it stays lighter for longer – yay!

Enjoy the weekend!

Sharlene

Deep fried millet balls

Hello!

How are you doing?

After I had dinner last night, I lay on my bed and realised that I hadn’t actually stopped all day and then before I knew it I woke up a couple of hours later alittle dazed and confused. As lovely as it was to just pass out, I know my body did not appreciate going to bed so soon after eating and I felt really groggy when I woke up this morning. Sometimes I think people can tell you things again and again but it’s not until you experience it yourself that you actually really get it.

I didn’t have breakfast this morning as I just wasn’t hungry at all.

Lunch

Stir fried brown rice

Mashed peas

Pressed radishes

Tempeh with peanut sauce

Rooibos/earl grey tea

Apple crumble with soya custard

Dinner

I decided to have a very quick dinner tonight to allow myself more time to relax and not do very much so I made a quick vegetable and noodle stir-fry with onion, carrot, cabbage, garlic, ginger, brocolli, mushroom, mange tout, gomasio, tofu and shoyu

Snacks/other

I discovered that my local health food shop sells biscuits sweetened with rice syrup…I think I might need a restraining order! I had lots of lovely little biscuits which were very yummy! Who needs sugar!

Apple juice

That’s all for now.

Macro love

Sharlene