beneficial decadence: gingerbread sundae @ mark’s kitchen

dang you, ginger for being so dang good and good for me!

when i saw on the menu at mark’s kitchen that they had a gingerbread sundae, i just had to go for it.  what’s in it: gingerbread, ginger ice cream, ginger topping, whipped cream.

i specifically made sure that my mung bean pancakes and grilled veggie skewers were light enough.  i needed room indulge during my late lunch meeting with my fab photographer Connie Martin Trevino.

as it turns out, this delight was totally worth it. not too sweet.  lots of ginger in all the right places.  and just the right amount of dessert so i didn’t feel like a pig.  best part: we finished up at 3 pm so i had plenty of time to burn it off.

yummy!

…and if you find yourself in takoma park, md…
check out Mark’s Kitchen, one of my favorite places to meet.

How to Bridge the Gap Between Knowing & Doing

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How many times have you said to yourself
“I know I should eat better / workout more / reduce stress but…”

You said it, and maybe you did get started. At some point you wonder how you could have misplaced that brand new leaf you just turned over.  You might also notice that the winds of change that so urgently filled those crisp, bright sails are now calm.

And there you are, a few clicks off the starting point, yet nowhere close to the intended destination. If you find that knowing something isn’t enough to get it done, but you are also not doing what it takes to get the results you want to see, don’t be discouraged.  There’s been a breakdown in the process.  Below, I have outlined what I see as the process from inspiration to manifestation Perhaps the bird’s eye view I share below can help you find your way back onto the path of manifesting your intentions.

foodie friday: of lenten clowns and kings

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pretty much every year since i became food nerd (read: a while now), it has been the billboards on the sides of buildings and buses that remind me that spring is just around the corner and the season of lent is upon us.  they used to advertise just one fish sandwich per consumer, now it’s two for $2 or (is it $3 now since the dollar is down?).  by the way, where is the sacrifice or discipline in eating two sandwiches at one meal?

well, well, well… isn’t it all so reminiscent of december’s stage for consumerist shenanigans… for (at least) 40 days, we’re encouraged to buy-to-satisfy and enhance our spiritual fortitude.  we can do better.  let’s be a bit more mindful, shall we?

please do not let a clown in a yellow and red onesie (or some dude who is the king of a sandwich) determine how you spend these few weeks of lent. here are a few other things you do instead of choosing to purchase non-food from uncompassionate retailers for your “meatless friday” needs.

affairs of the heart chakra

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A huge “THANKS!” to everyone who attended my “Affairs of the Heart Chakra: Romantic Love and Beyond” workshop!

We had such a good time at the workshop on Saturday 2/13/10.  And a special thanks to the Faith Hunter, Ieshia Ali, and the whole Shakti MindBody Studio Crew!

The 90-minute session for the heart chakra included:

• gentle heart opening practice
• understanding heart language
• accessing heart wisdom
• enriching relationships
• romantic love, and beyond

Foodie Friday: the Power & Benefit of Chocolate

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did you know that chocolate has more antioxidants than kale?

*the author briefly imagines and rapidly dismisses the idea of chocolate covered dino kale*

while briefly reviewing my posts, i realized how many of them reference chocolate–a lot!  the pattern of continual cocoa reference indicated that i just need to go on ahead and come out of the closet as a chocoholic.  ok… here it goes.

hello. my name is tazima and i am a chocoholic.
…hmm that wasn’t so bad.  i can live with myself.
and just to be clear, i am a bit of a connoisseur,  i’m rather discriminating with my shit, so please don’t start sending me waxy-ass, un-decadent grocery-store-check-out-aisle chocoCRAP bars.  thanksmuch…mmk!

for my fellow chocoholics out there
below is more than enough justification [and encouragement] to indulge and a bit on how to be smart about it. 

Foodie Friday: Be a Chocolate Snob

Before you rush down the aisle and grab 2 or 3 bags of seasonally appropriate, foil-clad, fun-sized chocolates on the cheap, consider the source.  If you are getting that much product for next to nothing, then who IS paying?  Is it a quality product?  Are you really getting enough bang for your buck?

Choosing Clean Chocolate
Below are a few things to ponder when selecting the chocolaty goodness…

support

want to give a shout out to two amazing pillars of my awesome support network: an especially fabulous group colleagues and friends who help me do what i do.

my super duper virtual assistant Rhonda James! she has saved my life more than a few times.  she effortlessly manages my admin needs AND my inner control freak!  Thanks Rhonda!  what’s even more awesome is she does everything virtually so no need to coordinate schedules for face-to-face meetings.  she’s always an email away.  you can find Rhonda at www.thyrighthand.com.

the flyest needles in DC belong to my acupuncturist Nicole Mires. she has been key to helping me work out kinks, knots, & blocks both physical and intellectual.  she has helped me keep my promise this year of better self-care.  find her at www.pekoedc.net.  i often have the pleasure of expressing my gratitude when she attends my monday yoga classes.

thank you so much ladies.  i really appreciate you both!

woohoo!

“it’s a new dawn
it’s a new day
it’s a new life for me …yeah”
~Nina Simone – “Feeling Good”

first, i’d like to thank all the new Compassionate Renegades who joined me over the past week.  i am SOOOO looking forward to getting started.  each one of you is vibrant and full of passion and your work is making a difference in this world.  i can’t wait to help you make that impact greater.

i just wanted to take a moment out to thank all the folks with whom i’ve met (face-to-face or virtually) over the past few weeks.  just speaking with you continues to encourage me to keep moving forward even though it’s challenging and a bit scary sometimes.

i love february

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“issues of the heart cannot be healed by food of any sort; however, hugs & kisses reconcile them with the greatest of ease.”
~EmpressTazima on Twitter 8:02 PM Jan 26th

february brings more excuses to each chocolate and think of lovey things to say and do… especially things like sharing out hugs and kisses.

speaking of kisses…
one of the best things you can do for yourself and your purpose is to do things that make you feel good.  fortunately, the universe wants to assist people who are feeling good.  kissing can definitely make you feel good.  here are a few benefits of kissing that go beyond anecdotal experience.