You'd be surprised how often it works. Frankly, it has made me pretty darn good at my job. What it doesn't do is actually create balance in my life. So for a little while now I've been working on creating balance for my life instead of for the entire world around me. You would think that would seem less daunting, but it is pretty hard to give up the whole world balancing thing.
And then I discovered something awful. sickening. terrifying. And also wonderful. liberating. transformative.
I can choose to be off-balance.
I can leap without looking into whatever I want - an activity, a book, a project, a relationship, a hobby, a job, a moment - and completely, totally immerse myself in it. I can explore and stay focused on anything I choose and ignore whole other areas. If I don't balance it with a counter activity the whole world keeps spinning. True, something may not get done in favor of my chosen focus and there may be those who are used to me creating their balance who are surprised when it is no longer done for them. But the world keeps spinning as it should.
My meals this month certainly don't look like the pictures of a balanced, food pyramid diet. (I could go on obsessively now about the food pyramid, but I'll try to get to a recipe here in short order.) I've removed a couple of entire "food groups," for crying out loud. I've tinkered with traditional recipes and made the same thing 5 slightly different ways just to see the difference. I've let dishes pile up.
The imbalance was worth it to create my perfect version of bangers and mash. I'm getting there on colcannon this week. Yeah, I am obsessed with mashing up sweet potatoes and yams right now, especially with apples added. I'm committed. I also made my own mayo for tuna salad and made sauce to go with spaghetti squash. Like I said, messing with tradition.
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| Bangers & Mash - my way and with candles |
2 sweet potatoes - peeled and chopped into about 2" pieces
2 apples - peeled and chopped into about 2" pieces
Splash coconut or hemp milk
3 chicken-apple sausages - sliced
1 large sweet onion (like Walla Walla), halved and sliced
Couple handfuls of spinach
Splash(es) chicken or vegetable broth
Tbsp. coconut or avocado oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
For mash, boil potatoes and apples together 10-12 min. with a pinch of salt until soft. Drain, add back to pan, add splash of milk, and blend with an emersion blender until very smooth. (This puree tastes like candy. Try not to just eat it all out of the pan right now, but I totally won't judge you if you do.)
Meanwhile, add oil to pan and warm over medium heat. Add onion and cook until it begins to caramelize. Add sliced sausage to brown and warm. Add a bit of broth if starts to stick to pan. Add Add handfuls of spinach, along with a splash of broth and salt and pepper. Stir to combine and cook until spinach is wilted in. Serve side by side or on top of mash. This is also good over eggs the next morning, especially if you already ate all the mash.
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| Making mayo - recipes everywhere online. I love my new immersion blender and keep making up reasons to use it. |
What would happen if, in this moment, you jumped off the balance scale and into... your chosen whatever. Leap into your life and eat it up, my friends.
Here is all the stuff I ate this week, again for the food nerds like me. As you can see, I ate a lot of the same thing and tried it different ways and for different meals - consumed with finding what I liked best.
Oct. 8
Breakfast:
1 c coffee with unsweetened hemp milk
1 poached egg w/salsa
Banana
Lunch:
Curry with roasted chicken, yellow squash, green cabbage, carrots, onion, garlic, and basil topped with avocado. With light coconut milk and chicken stock
Dinner:
Brewer's salad minus cheese and with vinegar/olive oil dressing
My version of bangers and mash: sweet potato/apple mash w/coconut oil & milk
apple-chicken sausage w/carmelized onions and spinach
Oct. 9
Breakfast:
2 c coffee with coconut milk
2 scrambled eggs w/leftover apple-chicken sausage w/carmelized onions and spinach
2 plums
Lunch:
Curry with roasted chicken, yellow squash, green cabbage, carrots, onion, garlic, and basil topped with avocado. With light coconut milk and chicken stock
PM Snack:
2 plums
Dinner:
My version of bangers and mash: sweet potato/apple mash w/coconut oil & milk apple-chicken sausage w/carmelized onions and spinach
Oct. 10
Breakfast:
2 c coffee with coconut milk
2 poached eggs w/leftover apple-chicken sausage w/carmelized onions and spinach
AM snack:
2 plums
Lunch:
My version of bangers and mash: sweet potato/apple mash w/coconut oil & milk apple-chicken sausage w/carmelized onions and spinach
PM snack:
2 plums
1/3 c pistachios
Dinner:
Spaghetti squash with Turkey and veggie spaghetti sauce
Oct. 11
Brunch:
2 c coffee with coconut milk
Scrambled eggs with spinach and chicken-apple sausage, topped with salsa
apple slices
PM Snack:
2 plums
Dinner:
Spaghetti squash with Turkey and veggie spaghetti sauce
apple slices
Oct. 12
Breakfast:
2 c coffee with coconut milk
Scrambled eggs with spinach, topped with salsa
1 plum
Lunch:
Tuna salad w/homemade mayo on Romaine leaves
Carrot sticks
1/3 c pistachios
Dinner:
Turkey and veggie spaghetti sauce (no spaghetti)
Roasted delicata squash, apples, and red onions w/Chinese 5 spice & avocado oil
1 C orange juice
Oct. 13
Breakfast:
2 c coffee with coconut milk
1 C Roasted delicata squash, apples, and red onions w/Chinese 5 spice & avocado oil - topped with 1 tbsp sliced almonds
Lunch:
Tuna salad w/homemade mayo on Romaine leaves
Carrot sticks
Dinner:
2 C Roasted delicata squash, apples, and onions w/Chinese 5 spice & coconut oil - topped with 2 tbsp sliced almonds and splash of hemp milk
Oct. 14
Breakfast:
2 c coffee with coconut milk
1 C Roasted delicata squash, apples, and onions w/Chinese 5 spice & coconut oil - topped with 1 tbsp sliced almonds and splash of hemp milk
Lunch:
Tuna salad w/homemade mayo on Romaine leaves
1/3 c pistachios
Dinner:
Spinach salad w/hardboiled egg, bacon, red onions, red peppers, tomato w/vinegar & olive oil dressing
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