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Self Care Retreat for July

Cheryl Harris — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 21:20:38 +0000

When I posted on “me first” and self care a few months back, I got a lot of great responses from people who, like me, value self-care and yet struggle to make it a priority with the many competing demands of work, family, and home life. I see it so prominently in my own life, especially since our recent move, and I see it with most of my clients.

It’s been a huge exploration and priority for me during the past 8 years. Lyme, chronic fatigue and physical limitations have (for both better AND worse) forced me to be very mindful about how I listen to my body, how I set boundaries with myself and others and really, how I care and honor myself. Self care has become a cornerstone for health for me over those years, and a key part of my life. And I’ve come to cherish the lessons I’ve learned and habits I’ve developed, and appreciate the ways I’ve matured in the process.

I am not by any means an expert in self-care, but I am most definitely an avid student. And there are the areas I regularly do a great job (food, meditation) and there are the ones that get a bit iffy (exercise) and ones in progress (work/life balance, etc.)

As I began a dialogue with Valerie of City Life Eats it seemed like this would be a great idea for a blog carnival. At the very least, we’d spend more time taking care of ourselves for a month. At best, others would be inspired to do the same!

So I am thrilled to announce that Valerie and I are hosting a virtual Self-Care Retreat this month. The goal is to inspire a month of reflections on self-care and the many ways to nourish our minds, bodies and souls through food and beyond!
Every Saturday of the month, starting tomorrow, either Valerie, I, or one of our fabulous guest hosts, which include Shirley of Gluten-Free Easily, Wendy of Celiacs in the House and Iris of Daily Dietribe, will post on one of the themes we chose as they relate to self-care:

Movement – July 2
Inward reflection, Meditation and Mindfulness – July 9
Food – July 16
Family/friends/pets – July 23
Creativity – July 30

These posts are to inspire you all to make July a month of reflecting on self-care and the many ways to nourish ourselves. We encourage everyone to participate in this event in a way that feels appropriate to them, whether through personal reflection, journal or other self-care. If you would like to share your experience with self-care, we would love to include you in the experience, whether you join us for one week or every week. You can write generally about self-care, or focus on one of the themes (movement, food, family/friends/pets, creativity and meditation and mindfulness), or write every week about each of the themes. We ask that you link back to this post so that more people can learn about this retreat, and leave a comment for the weekly theme host, too! If you would like to be included in our roundup, please email a link to your post, along with your name and blog name, to us at selfcareretreat at gmail dot com by July 30, 2011. Feel free to use the badge in your posts. Non-bloggers who would like to contribute,please email the full text to the same address and it will be included in the roundup.

See you tomorrow back here for a post on movement at Valerie’s and over at here next Saturday for a post on meditation!

“Me first” movement

Cheryl Harris — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 02:53:23 +0000

I stumbled upon Rebecca Scritchfield’s Nurture Principles and I was delighted at from first glance! Rebecca is a fellow RD and I haven’t had the pleasure to meet her in person (yet) but this philosophy meshes so well with mine that I was inspired to mention it.

No matter what we are doing, I rarely meet someone who doesn’t feel they should be doing more (especially women) And one of my favorite quotes is a Buddhist saying, “You can search the world over and will never find anyone more deserving of your love than yourself”.

It’s shown up in different ways at different times in my life: Running on injuries and making them worse. Eating disorders in high school. Doing a double degree program in grad school (& working part time). Pushing myself through many years of illness and not reaching out for help when I needed it. Not only didn’t I get the love and support I needed, but I deprived my friends of the opportunity to be there for me, too. At this point I consider myself a recovering Type A. I understand my actions, and yet, wish I could have had the wisdom to be kinder and gentler to myself and put “me first” more often. I also struggle with step 2 of “me first”, which is not feeling guilty about step 1.

I’ve made “me first” a priority. And certainly chronic pain and fatigue ‘helps’ because I have an immediate, palpable reminder from my body of what it needs, and what it doesn’t. I meditate almost every day, and host a mediation group, too. I eat good food and thoroughly enjoy my indulgences. As you well know, I plan our meals weekly, which greatly reduces my stress. Especially in the summer-ish months, I’m outside enjoying nature every day. I have a job I adore and am working on the ability to say “no”.

And yet it’s still an every day practice. I have even more need to put my well being first, especially as we get ready to move and there is much more chaos at home. So I’m hoping the badge will help remind me of what is most important. Some people view self-care as extravagant or self-indulgent, but IMHO, that couldn’t be further than the truth. Children learn their self worth through how they are treated, but also the way we treat ourselves. And I know I function better and am a better human being when I take good care of myself. I can’t do anywhere near as much to help the people I love take better care of themselves (or my clients) unless I first take care of myself, and treat myself with kindness and gentleness.

Now, it’s time for bed.

Peace, love and broccoli,

Cheryl

Time to Celebrate!

Cheryl Harris — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 15:36:58 +0000

Cheryl’s note: It seems like for whatever reason, people were getting an error message for this page…not sure why, but hope it works now!

I was looking through my 2 websites, www.gfgoodness.com and www.harriswholehealth.com and realized that I’m about 100 shy of 300,000 page views in the past 2.5 years. Holy (gluten-free) cannolli I was stunned! Both sites started from a desire to share my love for good food and a passion for knowledge, and yet it’s become so much more. I’ve been touched by the people I’ve met through blogging and the little notes of appreciation I get for my monthly newsletters through HWH. It’s truly been my pleasure, and an honor, to have had an opportunity to have this chat with so many of you and learn from so many of you. So thank you to all of you for making this such a fun and rewarding experience.

And what’s a celebration without food? Here are a few of my very favorites from the past few years:

Nana Skillet Bread (GF, CF, EF, SF, sugar free and vegan)
Banana Mac Chip Cookies (GF, CF, EF, SF, low sugar and vegan)
Nanaimo Bars Redux (GF, CF, EF, SF, sugar free and vegan)
Best Ever Chocolate Ganache Frosting (GF, CF, EF, SF, sugar free and vegan
Chocolate Raspberry Pie (GF, CF, EF, SF, sugar free and vegan)
Bittersweet Chocolate Chestnut Fudge (GF, CF, EF, SF, sugar free and vegan)
Chocolate Banana Bread(GF, CF option, SF, sugar free)
Quinoa Italiana (GF, CF, EF, SF, sugar free, vegan option)
Yummy Red Lentil Dal (GF, CF, EF, SF, sugar free, vegan)

To celebrate, the plan was to give away a gift certificate for somewhere yummy. But especially given what’s going on around the world and in Japan, I just can’t get my heart into it. So instead, I decided to go the unconventional route. I’ll be making a ($.25) Red Cross donation for each comment between now and April 2nd and I figure that’s a reason to celebrate all around.

So the ways to enter:

Tell me your favorite recipe or page on Gluten-Free Goodness or Harris Whole Health, in the comments section.
Follow me on twitter @cherylharrisrd and leave me a comment telling me you did.
Sign up for newsletters at Harris Whole Health and leave me a comment letting me know.
Twitter about this celebration/donation!
Post on something or someone who you want to celebrate, and leave me a comment.

And even better, Angela of Angela’s Kitchen has chosen Celebrations as the theme for Menu Plan Monday for March 28th.

Hugs,

Cheryl

Self-acceptance and authenticity

Cheryl Harris — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 02:30:30 +0000

I’m a gluten-free baker. A cook. A gardener. A nutritionist. A kitty-momma. So many labels I enjoy, and my least favorite is someone who has had physical difficulties for over the past 7 years.

I’m very, very lucky that I can walk now, and my difficulty walking and standing doesn’t interfere that much with my day-to-day work. It DOES, however, get in the way of most of life. I can’t hike, which was my favorite thing. Forget the joy of dancing, or moving with ease. Travel is tremendously difficult. Ice and snow scare the bejeezus out of me. It’s hard, especially the nearly non-stop pain.

But of all those things, what hurts most is the shame I feel. I hate the carts at the grocery store. I hate the way people look at me when I have to be in a wheelchair. I hate the thought of someone “finding out” about my limitations. I hate my own judgments of myself, my body, my worth based on my ability to walk easily. I hate the fear I feel that I will fall and have a setback, as I did in October. But most of all, I hate the emotional cage that I’ve created out of fear, self-doubt and insecurity.

And, quite frankly, I’m frustrated. I talk to my clients about self-acceptance as it relates to weight, and there seems something rather ingenuine in promoting others to do what I haven’t yet. It’s not the same situation, of course, but the core remains constant. I can’t just pick and choose. I don’t think I can really accept some parts of myself while actively shutting out others, and authenticity matters to me.

It matters.

So let’s just call this my virtual coming out party.

Detox January and Cancer Nutrition

Cheryl Harris — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 13:48:38 +0000

I was delighted when Nicola, the G-free Mom invited me to join her D-tox January. Eating (much) more in the way of fruits and veggies is very powerful for preventing cancer and keeping our bodies healthy.

Her mission touches my heart on a variety of levels. I do teach cancer nutrition classes, and have for the past 6 or so years. I also had my own cancer scare almost two years ago which was both humbling and terrifying. At the end of the day, most of us have people who we love who have been touched by cancer one way or another. So rather than sharing a recipe, I wanted to do something slightly different share my recommendations and favorite websites for people with cancer, people post-cancer, or just plain people who like good, tasty food.

Here are my favorite tips for people undergoing cancer or wanting to avoid it. Please note that people with different kinds of cancers do have different needs, but these are overall themes:

Enjoy a variety of fruits, veggies, grains, beans, and nuts daily.
Eat unprocessed foods (whole foods) as often as possible.
Try for a rainbow of colors of fruits and vegetables.
Cut back or eliminate sugar. Instead, use a small amount of fruit juice, stevia, agave nectar, brown rice syrup, etc.
Buy organic produce as often as possible, especially for the “dirty dozen” (for more info, see http://www.foodnews.org/)
Eliminate or limit animal fats, like butter, cream, lard, and red meat, especially ones from animals that are conventionally raised. (Research this is particularly important for people with cancer, especially breast cancer).
Shift to healthier cooking oils, like olive or grapeseed oil and some nut oils, too.
Relax when you eat and ENJOY your food.
Don’t hesitate to lean on your friends and family. Many people want to help because it makes them feel useful, so let them know what you need!
Add fish high in omega 3s into your diet twice weekly.
Eat with the seasons. Seasonal fruits and veggies are tastier, healthier, and usually even cost less.
Pack small healthy snacks and keep them with you.
Stay hydrated!
If you decide to indulge, keep guilt to a minimum. You actually don’t get extra points back for beating yourself up.

PLEASE NOTE: SOME OF THESE WEBSITES/BOOKS HAVE GLUTEN CONTAINING RECIPES.

World’s Healthiest Foods http://whfoods.com/ Great information on healthy foods and preparation

American Institute for Cancer Research http://www.aicr.org You can sign up for weekly recipes

Caring for Cancer www.caring4cancer.com

Cancer project www.cancerproject.org

Cancer RD/Diana Dyer www.cancerRD.com

Cancer dietitian http://cancerdietitian.com

Good links for largely plant based meals:

Meatless Monday: http://www.meatlessmonday.com/

Dr. Weil http://www.drweil.com/drw/ecs/common/recipe.html

The magazine for vegan family recipes http://www.vegfamily.com/vegan-recipes/

Two vegan online cookbooks http://vitalita.com/cookbooks.html

Free downloadable books

Eating Vegan http://www.eatingvegan.com/

Fat Free Vegan blog http://www.fatfreevegan.com/

Nutrition MD http://www.nutritionmd.org/recipes

Run by a vegetarian advocacy group

Cancer cookbooks:

Rebecca Katz’s

One Bite at a Time
The Cancer Fighting Kitchen

David Servan-Schreiber

Anticancer, A New Way of Life

Julia B. Greer

The Anti-Cancer Cookbook

To 2011

Cheryl Harris — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 01:37:16 +0000

2010 was quite a year. Personally and professionally, it was a time a lot of changes, and culinarily, (is that a word?) there was a lot of good stuff.

my favorite ganache ever

my favorite chestnut fudge

yummy lentil dal

vegan and sugar free Nanaimos

and E’s new favorite, Chocolate banana bread.

So, looking back, I’m grateful for:

1 loving taste tester (AKA DH, AKA E)
2 amazing, furry little dudes who have a knack for making me smile.
My garden, which is such a wonderful source of nutrition and peace.
My job, which I absolutely love and brings me a lot of joy.
All of the many bloggers I’ve gotten to know during this past year, and the fun I’ve had blogging.

Wishing you all a new year filled with beauty, joy, health and happiness.

Mushrooms and a Love Story

Cheryl Harris — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 20:07:01 +0000

Wendy is hosting this week’s Menu Swap with a theme of mushrooms. I’ve always loved mushrooms, perhaps a bit too much.

When I was in college, I had a painful split with someone I had dated for years, and suddenly I found myself falling for one of my closest friends (AKA DH). I, of course, felt strongly that a good friend made for a very poor rebound relationship, so I was quite closed to the idea and probably spent many too many hours getting advice from my best friend.

She was quite patient, perhaps excessively so, as I listed all of the reasons it would never work. “He’s too organized. And too detail oriented. And too quiet.” And (I wailed) “he doesn’t even like mushrooms!” And rather than doinking me on the head, she just said, “Well, then you’ll have twice the mushrooms. Yours and his, right?”

And so…12 years later…here we are. I’m allergic to mushrooms now, but hey, who’s keeping track?

And so here is my mushroom-less menu plan, and please see Wendy at Celiacs in the House for other gluten-free menu plans.

I’ve spent way too much of this week baking, and I finally posted a review of Jules Shepherd’s Free for All Cookbook. I also just made chocolate banana bread, which was a huge winner.

Monday:
Garlic and rosemary roasted chicken and cauliflower

Tues:
Sniffle stew (vegan garbanzo/kale super yummy curry, I hope to post it this week)

Weds:
Roasted thyme salmon and roasted peppers

Thursday:
Sweet and Spicy Moroccan Stew

Friday:
Leftovers.

Baked goods:
Chocolate banana bread
Christmas giveaway treats: pralines, meringues, chocolate covered pomegranate, ginger cookies

A Perfect Fit: Me, an RD!

Cheryl Harris — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 01:10:32 +0000

Usually, it’s all about the food, but here’s a short break to discuss…well, people who discuss food. Maybe that’s not so much of a stretch?

Sometimes people choose a career. My career choose me. Since I’m from a Middle eastern family, food is pretty much the center of everything. Happy? Eat! Sad? Eat! Hungry? You get the idea. Food was always central, and my first language, so to speak. Becoming a nutritionist and dietitian was a natural choice.

As the years went by my own health issues began, I wondered if my diet could help, especially since many of my problems were gastrointestinal issues! More than one doctor gave up and said, well, you’re a dietitian, figure it out.

Initial allergy tests did little, but going gluten free was HUGE for tummy issues, pain, energy and more. Many allergy and food sensitivity tests later, I found that I had a lot of food triggers. I learned how to manage a gluten free, dairy free, egg free, soy free, peanut free, shellfish free, corn free, sugar free diet and still make good, healthy food. Then it dawned on me that I’d unintentionally stumbled into a unique niche. It’s fascinating, fun, rewarding, and such a delight! I’m very lucky that I get to work with fabulous clients, discussing things that are always interesting to me. www.harriswholehealth.com

This post is in honor of National Registered Dietitian’s Day, which is March 11th. I didn’t have a clear vision of where I’d be as an RD, but it’s been a great journey. Please do check out sites of other RDs and give them a little love, too!

Thanksgiving…

Cheryl Harris — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 01:37:52 +0000

I’m a little late for Thanksgiving, but it’s always a good time to give thanks.

I have so much to be thankful for this year:

~a wonderful husband

~ two beautiful cats

~our very own house, complete with a garden

~an abundance of food to keep me full and cooking projects to keep me entertained

~promise for a joyous future

~dear friends whom are near and far, and e-buddies, too

~a fabulous job (two, actually)

~ a heart full of hope.

I was struck by the picture above, taken by the multi talented Sally because my first thought was that any second, the sun would shine through the clouds, and that’s a great metaphor for life. Sally’s having a contest and giving away one of her amazing photos, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Excellent blogs

Cheryl Harris — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 01:25:48 +0000

Rachel, of the Crispy Cook, was kind enough to award my blog with an “E” for excellent! I’m quite honored. Rachel’s blog is excellent in my humble opinion! She has a clear love of fresh produce, and does a lot of preserving and canning. As an added bonus, her recipes are gluten free to accommodate her husband, who is one lucky guy!

The rules that accompany this award are as follows:

“Please find at least 10 more blogs of any kind which you deem to be excellent; but hey if you only come up with 3 or 5, I don’t mind. Post about the blogs you picked, linking back to me and to them. Once you’ve posted, return here to let me know your post is up, and of course let your 10 award winners know too.“

I’ve met a lot of fabulous bloggers in my short time blogging, and I’m delighted to have a small way to say THANK YOU to a few for their inspiration and amazing recipes! It’s been a lot of fun, and I can’t believe it’s only been 6 months. Time flies!

Here is just small sample of some of my favorites:

Sea, of Book of Yum: Her recipes are creative and original, her cuisine is global, and she’s always a generous hostess. What more could you ask for? The fact that she’s been making more allergen-friendly recipes as of late is merely a bonus.

Sally, over at Aprovechar is excellent in so many ways! She is a gifted writer and photographer, but her spirit is what really captures me. She dishes up inspiration, hope and allergen friendly recipes, which is really nourishment at its best.

I’ve been a longtime fan of Cindalou’s Kitchen Blues, and am glad to see her returning to the bloggosphere after her wedding. She serves up gluten and dairy free creative recipes that are low glycemic, healthy, and often grain free, too.

I met Shellyfish through Daring Bakers and she’s a wonderful, energetic, creative cook! Her recipes are vegan and often raw, and they’re fabulous. She has a positive outlook and great pictures that always look vibrant and crisp.

Angela and her gang over at Angela’s Kitchen is always a good read, especially since Angela shares my passion for soup. Angela’s recipes are gluten and dairy free. She teaches classes on GFCF cooking and even has an e-book coming out soon. I can’t wait!

Veggie Girl has long been a great source of vegan recipes, but she’s recently gone gluten free, too (yay!). It’s fun to hear of her travels and her recipes, and she is an incredible dancer, too! Just check out the videos of her recent competitions.

Thomas at The GFCF Experience makes my “excellent” list for several reasons. It’ s challenge to be a good parent, and that challenge is multiplied with a special needs child. There are a lot of mommies out there in the special needs world, but we don’t see as many daddies, so thank you, Thomas, for representing. Thomas provides great info, reviews and sometimes recipes, too.

Last, but CERTAINLY not least, is Carrie AKA Ginger Lemon Girl. She’s as sweet as can be and always has traditional American fare…but gluten free, of course. Many of her recipes are on my to make list, and I appreciate her energy and baking skills!

I have met SO many excellent bloggers, and could keep right on going, but work calls!