|
|
|
| Join our list |
 |
 |
|
Leda is the founder of Simply Leda. She is a Board Certified Holistic Health Counselor accredited by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners (AADP). She received her training from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in NYC and also holds a Certificate in Integrative Nutrition from Columbia University. She has studied all the different dietary theories from the top in their fields as well as both eastern and western nutritional philosophies. Leda also holds a BA in Journalism from NYU and a BA in French Studies from NYU, Paris.
Please see website for my services and more on my personal philosophy toward balanced healthy living.
www.simplyleda.com |
| Affirmation of the Month |
I am allowing
myself
to be led
by my
inner wisdom.
|
| Excerpt from Anna's
October
Newsletter |
|
This month there will be
no excerpt from Anna,
as her mother passed away a few days ago.
Please join me in sending her and her family our thoughts of
healing and blessings for continued light and love.
We look forward to
hearing from her again
next month.
.
To reach out to Anna.
| |
|
We don't receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no-one can take for us or spare us.
- Marcel Proust
Dear Friends,
Time is certainly zipping by and the year is beginning to wind down with our entry into the last quarter. Apples are on the trees, pumpkins are in their patches, root vegetables are everywhere reminding us that this is the time for "grounding". We are beginning to ground ourselves in preparation for the winter ahead. With this grounding comes continued reflection on the last 10 months of the year. Did you listen to your own voice or what other's are constantly suggesting is better for you? Did you follow your own innate wisdom? Or that of your spouse, friend, parent? In the article Finding Your Inner Voice, we explore this truth.
In keeping with our grounding theme, Soul Food talks to us about how certain foods we love feed our souls. And, although the summer has left us, I have chosen water as the food focus of the month. Most of us, as cooler weather sets in, feel we don't need to drink as much water, so we don't reach for it opting instead for beverages like hot coffee; which instead assists in dehydrating us. Our bodies need water year round. Keep drinking and don't forget to flavor your water for variety!
Kids will have fun making their own tortilla's this month and I have also chosen a soup which celebrates some of our grounding vegetables.
Keep your feet planted!
Leda
|
| Soul Food |
|
Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love
Think for a moment of a food from your past... one that makes you feel great after you eat it, for no specific reason. Maybe it is macaroni and cheese, slow-simmered tomato sauce, ice cream cones or potato pancakes. Eating food like this (every now and then) can be incredibly healing, even though your rational brain might not consider it highly nutritious. Food has the power to impact us on a level deeper than just our physical well-being. What we eat can reconnect us to precious memories, like childhood playtimes, first dates, holidays, our grandmother's cooking or our country of ancestry. Our bodies remember foods from the past on an emotional and cellular level. Eating this food connects us to our roots and has youthening and nurturing effects that go far beyond the food's biochemical make-up. Acknowledging what different foods mean to us is an important part of cultivating a good relationship with food. It's important to notice that we each have a relationship with food-and that this relationship is often far from loving. Many of us restrict food, attempting to control our weight. We often abuse food, substituting it for emotional well-being. Others ignore food, swallowing it whole before we've even tasted it, still others, eat due to stress. What would your life be like if you treated food and your body like you would treat your beloved? With gentleness, playfulness, communication, honesty, respect and love? The next time you eat your soul food, do so with awareness and without guilt, and enjoy all the healing and nourishment it brings you. |
| Food Focus: Water |
|
|
Most of us are aware of the importance of drinking enough water. Getting our daily requirement of water helps our organs perform their functions, keeps our skin clear and hydrated, and allows physical action in our bodies to flow smoothly. Even with this knowledge, it can still be challenging to drink all the water our bodies deserve daily. In the summer, when we tend to play hard, sweat, and spend prolonged time in the sun, drinking plenty of water is critical. Those who are not drinking enough may experience poor digestion, sluggish thinking, skin breakouts, headaches, bad breath and general fatigue.
To start your day right, set a large glass of water by your bed each night and drink it when you wake up. When the first thing that flows through your body each morning is water, it pulls out toxins left over from the previous day and freshens your system for the day ahead. Keep a bottle of water accessible throughout the day, whether you are on the go or at a desk. Having one close by will remind you to take a sip when thirsty. The first sip will usually let you know how much more water you need. A sip or two may be enough, or you may need a big glass. If you drink most of your daily water before early evening, you most likely will not be thirsty before bed. This is good, because drinking before bed and then waking to use the bathroom disturbs your peaceful night's sleep.
What about quality? Some people like bottled water, while others prefer filtered water. The key is to like the taste of the water you are drinking, and the water should agree with your body. If the taste of plain water is unappealing, experiment to see how you can make it tasty and drinkable. Try adding a few mint leaves, a wedge of lemon, a sprig of parsley, slices of cucumber, a twist of lime or a squeeze of orange to make water more tempting, or to jazz up your routine. Also, drinking tea or juice and eating raw fruits and vegetables contribute to the hydration process. And don't forget water is not just for summer, but to be consumed all year long, so drink up! |
| Finding Your Inner Voice
by Leda Anagnostopoulos |
|
|
How many times have we had a decision to make whether it be about school, career, relationships, home, and we are unsure about what to do? We seek out our closest friends, family, co-workers, sometimes even strangers on line next to us that we strike up a conversation with, anyone who could shed some light on what path would be the best one for us to follow in any given situation. They listen to us and give us their advice and tell us what they would do in our shoes. Sometimes, we even seek out mediums, psychics and others in the metaphysical arena to shed light on our current dilemma or situation. And what happens? You follow someone else's advice, adapt it as your own, only to find it didn't work for you. Why? you ask...it seemed logical or right, it made sense, it was safe...but here's the thing, it was someone else's voice talking, someone else's experience guiding you, someone else's interpretation of spiritual guidance.
What happened to your own voice?
We all come into this earth plane "fully equipped" as a friend of mine likes to say. Which basically means, we come in with our own inner wisdom, our own sense of judgement, our own intuition, our own voice, fully intact. Somewhere in childhood we are told not to listen to that voice, not to heed our inner wisdom but to listen to others, they know what is best for us - we are conditioned slowly to turn off that inner voice as we grow older (only ironically to try to find it again later in life). The result? We do not trust our own innate judgement any longer. We begin to second guess decisions, seek out others' opinions and place them above our own, we become unsure of "what to do, next" and cannot sit still long enough to hear our own truth speak to us.
Take heart, because the simple truth is this: no-one knows better what is best for you, than you. Learnto trust yourselves again. Start with the small things in your daily life and then move into the larger issues you face. Become the objective observer of your own life, what advice would you give yourself? Pay attention to your chatterbox; that endless conversation you have with yourself throughout the course of the day. Switch it into a positive mode - do not allow it to endlessly compound on any negativity in your life, draining your life force. Take 10 minutes in the morning, as soon as you awaken, and 10 minutes at night just before bed and sit still with your spine straight and empty your mind of any thoughts. This exercise becomes easier with practice and soon you will find yourself craving this time in your day, because it is in this time that you will find your voice speaking to you and trust me, it will provide just the guidance you need.
For me, cooking is my meditative time. It is here, when I am in the kitchen alone and focused on what I am creating that my own voice make it's way into my uncluttered consciousness. There is no right or wrong...just find the time that works best for you and get started.
| |
|
| Recipe of the Month |
|
I love Patricia Wells' cookbooks. I have referred to them often; sometimes adapting recipes, other times just making them as is. This is one of those "as is" recipes (but I did include one shortcut note for those of you that have time constraints). It incorporates some of our grounding veggies and is a wonderful lead-in to autumn.
Spicy Butternut Squash Soup
Yield: 8 servings 
Ingredients:
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
Sea salt, to taste
2 cups butternut squash puree
2 small parsnips or turnips, peeled and cubed
1 baking apple, peeled, cored and cubed
1 qt chicken stock, preferably organic
1 tspn curry powder
1 tspn ground ginger
Directions:
In a large stock pot, heat olive oil and sweat onions, with salt, covered over low heat for 3 to 4 min until soft. Add butternut squash puree*, parsnips, apple, and stock. Cook, covered over moderate heat for 30 minutes. Then using an immersion blender (or regular blender, or food processor) puree until smooth. Add curry powder and ginger and taste for seasoning.
Butternut Squash Puree
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Take a 2-1/2 - 3lb squash and halve it crosswise. Scoop out seeds and strings. Place cut side up on a baking sheet, cover with foil and roast until fork-tender. This should take about 45min to 1hr. When cool scrap the pulp from the shells and puree in a food processor. Should yield about 2, maybe 3 cups of puree. If too watery, drain off a bit.
*For those of you who do not have the luxury of the roasting time. Peel and scoop out strings and seeds from squash and dice. Add to pot instead of puree, with parsnips etc. Blend with remaining ingredients, making sure it is tender. With this method you do not get the wonderful roasted flavor of the squash. If time allows, go for the roasting. .
|
| Kids Recipe of the Month |
|
|
Ok, this is one of those 10% times that I am always talking about, I was given this outstanding nacho dip recipe about 20 years ago. I have made it millions of times over the years and everyone seemed to really love it. Fairly recently while watching my young son and his friend's devour another plateful yet again, I started thinking of how I could turn it into a meal. Below is the result. Enjoy and please, feedback is always welcome!
 Leda's Roll Your Own Chicken Enchiladas Prep Time: 20 minutes
Yields: 4-6 servings
Ingredients:
1 - 8oz pckg organic low fat cream cheese, room temperature
1 - jar of your favorite salsa
2 - cans chopped green chilis, drained and rinsed
1 chicken breast, roasted and roughly shredded**
1 bag organic Mexican 3-cheese mix, shredded
1- can aduki beans, drained and rinsed (optional)
1- pckg whole wheat tortillas, heated
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a casserole dish or glass pyrex, layer cream cheese along the bottom spreading evenly. Next top with salsa, then chilis, then chicken (and beans, if using). Finally, top with shredded cheese. Bake in the oven until bubbly about 15--20min. Let cool a bit. Heat tortillas and then let everyone spoon out and roll their own tortilla's.
Serve with guacomole, low-fat sour cream and brown rice.
**You can also use store bought rotisserie chicken to save time. Make a chicken salad sandwich (w/out mayo) for the next day with leftovers. |
Simply Leda is a philosophy of nourishment that embodies your whole self thus enabling you to find balance and come home to your essence. For more information of my services, please log on to www.simplyleda.com.
Eat well and be happy and healthy.
Leda Anagnostopoulos
|
|
|
