Some New Lifestyle Practices with How-to’s

In another lifetime I used to “therapy” shop to soothe myself, but the feeling of satisfaction didn’t last long no matter what I bought or how much money I spent. Now, I select lifestyle practices that help me shift my journey toward a continued happy and fulfilling reality.

I’ve implemented a few new practices that I thought I would share with you, in case you’re looking for new ways to transition to another phase in your life.

The Practices and How-to

Practice: redirecting your thoughts, this lifestyle choice is always woven into my daily practices, this way of improving thoughts is different than most, but it works. How to: to do this, I suggest that you find a spiritual teacher that you connect with that is focused on thought transformation. I have a few, Mike Dooley is one of them. I went to one of his presentations years ago; it certainly redirected my way of approaching my life. I had the book below with me, he autographed it, we chatted briefly, he was super nice and very humble. My book shows a lot of wear, it is for me a “bible” of sorts, whenever I’m ready for a new direction, I always read articles or pick up a book that I know will help me embrace my new path.

Practice: spiritual body washing, a practice I recently added that focuses on healing, nourishing, cleansing and purifying our body using the power of water. Whenever you take a shower or bath you just add the powerful practice of spiritual intentions. How to: make your next shower or bath a soul lifting experience; use naturally made products such as: plant based soap, incense, candles and/or beautiful music. You may either express your gratitude (before getting in, I say an intention, then while washing I sing the gratitude song or focus on a new way of dealing with a situation), you can choose to pray or create intentions, talk to your creator, these new rituals are empowering, and turns ordinary cleansing into a spiritual spa experience.

Practice: Eating one plant based meal a day. This new practice is a game changer for me, it came from Suzy Amis Cameron’s book “OMD (one meal a day) for the Planet“, a book focused on eating one meatless/non-dairy meal a day. Now this one is right up my alley, I love vegetables and have been seeking another way to reduce my footprint on the planet. How to: choose foods that have no dairy or animal based products for just one meal every day. I do choose to include eggs and cheese in small amounts, not every time or for every meal. There are a lot of cultures that eat vegetable based meals, so I also make international recipes, it makes a meal fun, they taste wonderful and they’re filling.

Author: Suzy Amis Cameron—environmental advocate, former actor, and mom of five—presents a clear-eyed and accessible guide for you to improve your health and shrink your personal carbon footprint simply by swapping one meat and dairy-based meal for a plant-based one every day.

To read an excerpt of this book, click on the link below:

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-OMD-Plan/Suzy-Amis-Cameron/9781501189487

Practice: Making a gratitude meal, whether daily or weekly. I recently created this to give a meal a bit more meaning. How to: whether you cook or don’t, it doesn’t matter, what matters is that you create a way to add gratitude similar to adding a special ingredient. I express gratitude for the process, the ingredients and the completed meal, I dress the table and I’m sure to enjoy every bite

Practice: aligning yourself with intentions. To amp up my self care/improvement I have four mantras I’ve written in my cellphone notes that I got from one of my spiritual teachers. I look at them every day to remind myself of the journey I’m on. My mantras are lessons, alignment, connection and health. How to: follow the instructions on the top of image below, after you’ve found your four mantras, write them somewhere where you can read them daily.

I thought I would share a wonderful vegetarian version of a classic Jewish Reuben that I recently made. I made this for one, it was delicious and a definite keeper ( I didn’t have Persian cucumbers, so I made an apple coleslaw as my side.)

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces mixed sliced fresh mushrooms, such as oyster, cremini, and shiitake (about 7 cups)
• ¼ cup olive oil, divided
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 ½ teaspoons prepared horseradish
• ½ teaspoon soy sauce
• ½ cup plus 3 Tbsp. mayonnaise, divided
• 8 slices Jewish rye bread
• 8 slices Swiss or provolone cheese (about 6 oz.)
• 1 cup drained sauerkraut
• Persian (mini) cucumbers, halved lengthwise, for serving

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F with racks in upper and lower thirds. Divide mushrooms between 2 rimmed baking sheets. On each baking sheet, drizzle mushrooms with 2 tablespoons oil and season with ¼ teaspoon salt; toss to coat. Spread mushrooms in an even layer. Roast, rotating baking sheets halfway through, until mushrooms are golden and crispy in parts, 18 to 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, stir tomato paste, horseradish, soy sauce, ½ cup mayonnaise, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt in a bowl until smooth.
3. Spread 1 side of each bread slice with remaining 3 tablespoons mayonnaise. Flip and spread other sides of bread with tomato paste mixture (about 1 tablespoon per slice). Top each of 4 slices with 1 cheese slice, about ⅓ cup mushrooms, and ¼ cup sauerkraut. Top with remaining 4 cheese slices and 4 bread slices, mayonnaise sides facing up.
4. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium. Cook sandwiches in 2 batches, pressing gently with a spatula, until bread is golden and cheese is melted, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Serve with cucumbers.

Advertisement