This recipe is an adaptation of one I first made about 30 years ago (in my vegan days) from The American Vegetarian Cookbook from the Fit for Life Kitchen by Marilyn Diamond. Better hot but also good cold IMO!
There have been many incarnations of this soup in my life, including as a staple at the health food deli where I worked–along with a catering job–to finance an 8-week trip to an ashram in India (that, my friends, is a story for another time.)
Lately I’ve simplified the soup to the bare bones for a quick and delicious low allergen side dish. Sometimes I have this with a side of tempeh, sometimes chicken, and it’s a really great side with salmon.
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Chinese New Year follows the Chinese lunar calendar and typically falls somewhere toward the end of January (this year it falls on the 25th), just about the time that most people have started to wane on their resolutions.
This tendency to wane is the reason that I recommend having themes or intentions instead of resolutions, and one of the reasons that I love Chinese New Year.
If we have themes or intentions instead of making resolutions we leave room for the fact that life happens. Because truly, when we fall short it is so rarely about willpower. It is more likely about not choosing the right goal, or not having the right support, or even about our own subconscious getting in our own way.
Because of this, throughout the year I take advantage of all of the ‘new beginnings’ I can find. This includes Chinese New Year, the spring, summer, winter, and fall solstices, the Rosh Hashana, and others that have meaning just for me.
On these new beginnings I reassess my values as well as reassess how I want to feel in my body and mind (you can find these exercises in my book) and then I regroup if necessary (goodness, life is complicated and regrouping is so often necessary!)
In addition to providing us with another opportunity to reflect, each Chinese New Year is rich in symbolism as they are associated with an animal from the Chinese zodiac. 2019 was a year of the pig and this year is… (more…)
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I can’t believe it’s been an entire year since my book came out. And what a year it’s been!
Dozens of podcast and radio interviews.
Articles in some of the best read online magazines.
And of course my reading and book launch at Powell’s City of Books in downtown Portland.
My heart.
Almost 200 people showed up on a dark/cold/rainy winter night. They ran out of books. And chairs.
My sincere thanks to each of you for your support over the last year. Your encouragement and feedback have fueled my soul.
What an amazing journey so far. And more, of course, to come!
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Around this time of year, the internet is flooded with articles about making New Year’s Resolutions, goals, and plans. I’m a big fan of looking ahead but I am adamantly opposed to resolutions. Why? Because not only is it human nature to have trouble sticking to change, but with resolutions, we create an all-or-nothing situation that practically guarantees we will feel that we’ve ‘failed’. It’s do or don’t do. You know, if you follow me at all, that I don’t believe that it is possible to fail at self-care.
Let me be clear, that doesn’t mean that I think that everyone will follow through with their resolutions.
In one study only 19% of people were able to keep their resolutions long term. In my experience with patients and clients, I would say often even lower than that. And then, from where I sit, worse than not keeping the resolutions, I see patients and clients drowning in self-deprecation, self-judgment, and shame they layer onto themselves for not keeping resolutions…. “Again.”
This makes the concept of turning over a new leaf another opportunity to judge ourselves harshly. And really, who needs that?
But there’s more to consider: What do we want to model for our friends, our families, our children? For most of us, we want to model that it is important to help others but not to put everyone else first at the expense of taking care of ourselves.
We want to show that knowing what is most important is invaluable and that making choices in alignment with our values is imperative.
And we want to teach that true kindness to ourselves means not trying to do it all and then feeling badly that we can’t.
But do we then skip resolutions altogether? The things we tend to choose as resolutions are things that are important to us, that we’ve been trying to change to no avail. And I am a HUGE fan of getting clear about what is most important and working toward this for ourselves.
What is the answer then?
Themes or intentions.
Having New Year’s themes instead of resolutions allows room for goals shifting with life shifting. Because if there’s one thing you can count on it’s that life shifts.
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So many years ago, my guys.
Can you believe the holiday season is already here? It’s time to wrap up calendar year projects, go to holiday parties, buy all the things if we do gifts, decorate, and get ready emotionally and physically for the dawn of a new decade.
It can be a joyous and fun time for many, and a sad lonely time for others. But regardless of how this season sits it is almost always a time of increased stress and overwhelm.
Of course keeping your overall load down is the most important thing (go grab my book if you don’t already have it as it will help you do just that!) but in the meantime I put together a list of my top five tips for keeping stress down at the holiday season
- Get clear on what is most important to you at the holiday season and then use this to decide what you are going to say ‘yes’ to and what you are going to say ‘no’ to. If you want to feel peaceful? Say no to the 4 parties on one day. If you want to feel energetic? Put your phone down and go to bed on time. If you want to keep your immune system healthy? Be moderate with your indulgences and wash your hands a gazillion times a day.
- Pay attention to your immune system. One of the best ways to keep your stress down is to stay healthy through the winter. This means keeping your immune system in tip top shape. So in addition to that watch your indulgences thing, you’ll also want to make sure you are getting enough vitamin D. I usually recommend getting your levels tested and shooting for a blood level of 50-70 ng/ml. For most adults I typically see that 2000-5000 iu of vitamin D daily is an appropriate dose. Of course, check with your doctor on specifics.
- Be sure to prioritize sleep. You’ll be more resilient, healthier, in a better mood, and more able to deal with the holiday stress. Enough good quality sleep is one of the biggest keys to keeping your mood in check. (If you need some tips for better sleep consider my free 8 day Energy Infusion email series!)
- Studies show that volunteering is good for your own stress level—as long as your motivation is for the benefit of others and not yourself. Find an organization you think is doing great work and carve out some time to help.
- Set boundaries. With the onslaught of parties and events, visitors and responsibilities it’s easy to get into more than we can reasonably handle. Don’t be afraid to say ‘no.’ My favorite tip for this is to tell people, when they ask for something to say ‘I’m not 100% sure if that can work for me, I’ll send you an email by tomorrow end of day to let you know.’ That gives you a chance to actually consider whether it is something you really want to do, and also makes it a little easier to let people down gently.
I could go on and on and on here but for now, try these. And please let me know how it goes. I really want to know (I’m @DrSamanthaND on all the socials, so you don’t even have to email me)!
Yours in Health,
PS: Here’s an info-graphic version of this article if you need a visual reminder!
Why you can’t ohm your way through carpool, get a monthly massage, or drink chamomile tea to solve your stress and overwhelm: you have to take time to dismantle your stress from the inside out.
This video is an excerpt from my book
Overcoming Overwhelm:
Dismantle Your Stress from the Inside Out.
Learn more about my book and/or read an entire sample chapter here.
Transcript:
A New Understanding of Overwhelm
You can’t solve stress and overwhelm by doing the same things you’ve been doing but doing
them harder, more, and better. You can’t solve them simply by “learning to say no” or turning
your back on things that are important to you. (more…)
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