RECIPE: Bartlett Pear Salad

The other night we had good friends over for dinner. I made a dish with the following ingredients, but the outcome was a bit different. Both ways were excellent, and I will prepare both again, but this was was a bit 'lazier' than the other because rather than layering the ingredients, I mixed them all together and made a salad. It was go good I literally licked the bowl!

INGREDIENTS:
1 ripe Bartlett pear
1 package Pancetta cubes (4 ounces)
2 ounces Chevre (goat cheese) with honey
1 tablespoon Honey
Freshly cracked Pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1. Brown pancetta cubes in a frying pan until brown. Drain. I put the cooked crumbles on a couple of paper towels to absorb the excess grease.
2. Wash and cut the pair into bite-sized pieces, removing the core.
3. Place the cut up pear, the cooled pancetta and Chevre crumbles in a bowl and toss lightly. 

4. Drizzle honey and pepper and mix lightly again.

5. Serve. Enjoy!

**Note: I was hungry and ate every bite of this delicious concoction immediately. I can imagine it would be devine if allowed to chill in the fridge for a while before serving!

EXERCISE: Walking Meditation

I am reposting this entry straight from Walgreen's "Walk with Walgreen's" site. It seems to be sound advice!

Walking meditation is an active form of meditation which is done while in motion rather than while seated. It's easy to do and is a great way to find calm and relaxation anywhere you go. In walking meditation, the experience of walking becomes the main focus; becoming mindful of the experience while walking can lead to greater awareness and an overall sense of wellbeing.

Here’s How To Do A Walking Meditation:

1. Dedicate a specific time to practice walking meditation. Once you are more familiar with it, you will be able to practice meditating even during normal walking, but in the beginning it's good to set aside a time devoted to the experience.
   
2. Have no destination in mind, walk just to walk. You'll want to focus on the walk itself, not on any particular place you want to go. When you have a set destination, your mind will be preoccupied with getting to that place and the walk itself will no longer be the focus. For now, think of the journey as the destination! This new way of thinking will help you to be present in the moment rather than always thinking about the future.
   
3. Pace your breathing with your steps. Take one step as you inhale, take another step as you exhale. Don't focus your eyes or thoughts on anything in particular. When thoughts about anything other than your walking come to mind, you can acknowledge them but make it a point to let them go, and bring your mind back to the actions of your body; your steps, your breathing, etc... Keep the pace and your breathing slow and relaxed.
   
4. Try to live in the moment. Focus on what you are experiencing right now, not the past or the future. If your mind begins to wanders, let those thoughts pass, and then bring your attention back to the present, to your breath.
   
5. When you are more comfortable with it, you can begin to incorporate this practice into your daily life - taking three or four slow, mindful steps whenever you remember to. Notice how this changes the quality of your day. At first it might feel difficult or strange, but it gets easier and feels more natural with practice, and the benefits will be obvious!

PHOTOGRAPHY: White Hawks

For weeks I have been hearing a different sounding bird outside our office window late in the day. I thought it might be a hawk, but I wasn't positive. Yesterday I was outside taking sheets off the line and I saw what I thought was a white hawk with gray patches on its wings. Well, today I heard it again, so I grabbed a camera and headed outside. Low and behold, there were TWO white hawks in one of our aspen trees! They flew off one by one, but I could see one in a neighbor's tree, so I took a walk ... So glad I did because I was able to get these photos! I'll be keeping tabs on them now that I know what they sound like!

Added April 25, 2012 ... 
I have since discovered that these are White-Tailed Kites! Still in the hawk family, but a bit more compact. They love to eat mice and voles ... Who knew?!
More photos to follow!

NUTRITION: Benefits of Eating Ginger

Here's another post from Walk with Walgreen's regarding one of my most favorite spices ... Ginger!


Did you know that ginger is not only a delicious addition to foods and desserts, but it's also great for your health? One of the most useful benefits of ginger is its ability to help soothe muscle aches and pains, a great thing when you are sore from a good, long walk! Daily consumption of ginger is great for those who regularly exercise, and many weightlifters rely on it to help with recovery after intense physical activity. 

The potent anti-inflammatory compounds in ginger have been known to help those who suffer from arthritis to manage their pain levels. Recent studies point to ginger as a possible inhibitor of cancer cells, while its germ-fighting qualities can help to stave off infections and lessen the severity of colds & flus.

Ginger is so packed with these health-promoting substances that you don't even have to use very much of it reap the benefits. For nausea or tummy troubles, you can make ginger tea by steeping a few slices of fresh ginger in hot water.  If the taste is too spicy, you can sweeten it up with a bit of honey. Alternately, a soothing ginger lemonade is delicious any time! Just add some freshly grated ginger to a mixture of ice water, lemon juice and your preferred sweetener. Arthritis patients have found relief by regularly consuming small amounts of ginger in cooked foods, such as sliced up with some mixed vegetables and made into a stir-fry dish. The more ginger you eat, the more noticeable the results will be.

PHOTOGRAPHY: New Images Added

Please feel free to  check out my photos under Photography. I still have a lot to go through and add, so please check back often.
Happy viewing!

RECIPE: Lemon Bar Cake (Not Paleo)

Okay, so we are hosting a gathering of divers in July, so I'm trying out recipes well in advance. I know, I know ... Just a wee bit ahead of myself, aren't I? Well, I'm like that! I've already made several decisions and we haven't even decided on the date yet! I LOVE to entertain, and I'm told I throw a helluva party, so we shall see! Either way, I'll be blogging as I try recipes. I'm all about simple, flavorful, WOW recipes!
So, my first attempt is for a quick and easy dessert. Granted, it's not Paleo, but I figured one or two dishes to satiate sugar cravings might not be such a bad idea. Well, it just doesn't get any easier that this recipe, I assure you! After all, how can you top TWO ingredients???
LEMON BAR CAKE

INGREDIENTS:
1 Box Angel Food Cake Mix
1 can Lemon Pie Filling (15 ounce)
Powdered Sugar for dusting

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Butter a 9X13 pan.
3. Mix angel food cake mix and lemon pie filling together, but don't over-mix them.

4. Pour batter into pan, spreading evenly, then bake for 20 - 30 minutes depending on your oven. 25 minutes was perfect in my oven.

5. Let cool completely. If you'd like, sprinkle a little powdered sugar on it while it's cooling. 
6. Cut. Serve. Enjoy!

NUTRITION: PaleoPax

I noticed an advertisement for Paleo Pax on Facebook a couple of weeks ago, so I thought I'd give it a try. For a set amount you get a shipment each month with new products enclosed. The price ranges from $20.00 per month when purchasing by the month or less, if you agree to monthly deliveries for extended periods of time.
My first box arrived today. It was the smallest USPS box which is suitable for paperback books, DVDs, and VHS tapes. There were five samples inside, along with cards describing the products.

I have only tried one item so far, but I will list them all now and edit this entry as I try each one. I'm going to give you my honest opinion of each item.
The first one I tried was the Primal Pacs Sample. (See below)

The package is marked "Beef" and is said to contain dried fruit, raw nuts, grass fed jerky, no preservatives, no dairy, no grains, and no gluten. A normal serving is one package, but contents of this package was clearly a sample sized serving, so the nutritional information would not be correct for the sample.
440 calories
26 grams protein
37 grams fat
14 grams carbs
110 grams net weight
This sample was extremely flavorful and left my mouth watering for more. I'd definitely eat this again! I tasted beef, mangoes, cranberries and macadamia nuts seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper, along with their "Other secret spices" ... Nice job, guys!

The other items included were:
Mrs. May's Naturals "Mango"
Willamette Valley Fruit Snack Bar "Marionberry"
Paleo Treats Rations for the Driven "Cookie Mac Attack!"
Green Tara Spirulina Crunchies

Stay tuned to find out what I think of these!