Nature delivered a refreshing gift of rain and cooler weather this weekend in the Valley of the Sun. Scottsdale, AZ that is. Cool breezes blew through our clinic while I was teaching Reiki to a couple students this weekend. Perfect for learning about accessing the Universal Life Force (Rei) Energy (Ki) for the purpose of healing ourselves, loved ones, clients, animals, plants or anything else we may be guided to direct our intent, and let flow the healing energy.
Perfect weather for a weekend of pasta too!
My challenge when teaching is to maintain my energy, specifically my ability to talk for extended periods of time. I quickly dip into a deficient ‘lung qi’ as we say in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), meaning I easily get hoarse. Then talking feels like a strain, which takes a lot out of me after a while.
Even though I get energized sharing the information, I still feel pretty tired at the end of the day. Well, probably because the night prior to the class starting, I didn’t sleep well either.
At the end of class on Saturday, I came home, laid on the day bed, and pretty much crashed. I enjoyed a literal ‘cat nap’ with Jasper, my cat, cuddled up by my left cheek. It probably looked something like this:
I won’t go into how sometimes she is the source of my sleep disturbance. Hmmm.
Once I was stirring again, I suddenly realized I was hungry! And pasta fit the bill. Hence, the purpose of the post. To discuss pasta! And a couple bonus meals I made to help me stay fueled for the day.
For breakfast on Saturday, I had a quick bowl of Breakfast Broccoli Soup, and one of my favorite BF Porridge Blends of steel cut oats, quinoa, and millet.
To bring to the class to eat for lunch, I relied on smoothies and fruit. Easier to carry, minimal fuss. I blended a small red mango with a few dates, and some frozen banana along with a scoop of pea protein in a mix of carrot juice and soy milk which tasted great the first day.
We had a big plate of tofu and greens with sprouted bread and tahini on Sunday. That was pretty satisfying, so for lunch on Sunday, I had a nearly one pound Fuji apple Don had picked up at the store with a few walnuts and dates.
Needless to say, the fruit and smoothie held me over, but I was ready for a big plate of pasta each night! Here was our super delicious Corn Spaghetti with Sautéed Greens from Saturday’s dinner.
We enjoyed watching the rest of season 9 of Food Network Star that is available on Netflix. I get nervous just imagining being in those challenges! We were rooting for Nikki for her ‘meat on the side’ POV (point of view) as we figured that’s as close as it comes to seeing a plant-based competitor. However, several hilarious characters, including Danushka and Rodney the Pie Man.
Sunday’s pasta dinner was similar, but different. We were using up what we had on hand, as our supplies were getting depleted. The second pasta dinner was made with 100% whole wheat spaghetti, more greens, and diced tomatoes instead of marinara sauce. Olives and walnuts give both of these dishes a smooth, rich meatiness.
On Sunday, we started episode 10 of Food Network Star (it’s addicting!) followed by an episode of Kung Fu. Yes, that’s right grasshopper, Kung Fu. We are huge Kwai Chang Caine fans!
It was a full weekend, but the cool breezes, and bit of rain really made it a delight. As did two nights of tasty pasta dinners.
Early this morning, after being awoken to use the restroom, I went back to bed and my cute little cat began pacing back and forth. On top of me. That’s when she is no longer so cute. Yes, even earth girl has her limits!
After stumbling in the dark to the kitchen to feed her, which is what she wanted, I went back to bed, and fell into one of those dreamy states, where you almost feel like you aren’t really sleeping. I had full color, 3-D like visions of trees, grasses, and butterflies. The images were peaceful, and the colors were so vivid. I figured that was a nice close to a weekend of working with energy, and ‘attuning’ to the beauty of nature.
Earth Girl Rx 