MindFULL Gazpacho

Summer is finally here! Something about life seems easier, including the ever present question, “What’s for dinner?” As the grill wafts its enticing aroma, I love to put my vodka/soda/ lime in my cute handblown glass, pop on some Maroon5, sit on the back step by my hydrangea and pretend I am on Cape Cod. For me, that is summer bliss.

Summer is also the time when I allow myself a thoughtful, indulgent lunch. Last weekend in Austin, I took myself out and reveled in the most flavorful tomato Gazpacho loaded with lumps of crabmeat. Accompanied by a simple piece of toasted bread and pungent cheese, a thick rich crab cake with grilled leeks and balsamic glaze and a glass of Cava, I giggled with delight and gratitude. It turned my tried, worn out spirit around and inspired me.

It also got me thinking about how much I like all kinds of Gazpacho and have decided The Mindfull Creative would take the next few weeks, and in the spirit of sharing finds I love, offer a different Gazpacho recipe on MindFULL Mondays.

Below is the first, simple vegetable version. It’s from The Barefoot Contessa (www.barefootcontessa.com). Love her and it!

Ingredients

1 hothouse cucumber, halved and seeded, but not peeled
2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
4 plum tomatoes
1 red onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
23 ounces tomato juice (3 cups)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup good olive oil
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Roughly chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and red onions into 1-inch cubes. Put each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Do not overprocess!

After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well and chill before serving. The longer gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop.

What is your MindFully favorite Gazpacho recipe? Let us know!

Tiny Superheroes

“The Seattle mom was making superhero capes for her 1-year-old son when she came across a blog about a baby girl named Brenna. Brenna was born with a rare and severe skin disease. She needed eye surgery at just 3 weeks and beat an aggressive blood infection. In Robyn’s mind, Brenna was a fighter: She was Super Brenna.

“I realized that while my son looked cute in a cape, Brenna needed a cape,” Rosenberger said. So she reached out to Brenna’s mom, Courtney Westlake, who lives in Springfield, Ill., through Facebook, and asked if she could send a cape her way.”

So began, Tiny Superheroes. The company, started by Robin Rosenberger, makes capes for kids who battling cancer and other serious illnesses. Check out her wonderful story: http://www.today.com/health/tiny-superheroes-fight-big-illnesses-little-capes-1C9390606?franchiseSlug=todayhealthmain

We all have the power to be super heroes to someone or fight for a cause. How are you a superhero? Or after reading Robyn’s story, how are you MindFULLY moved to make a difference? Let us know!

WOW Factor from 74 Harley Street

When was the last time you flipped through your jewelry box and wished you had that one fun piece to wear, but all you had were bits and pieces of this and that?

Last month, when I was in Kansas City, our cousins were wearing fabulous necklaces; pieces made of sparkly beads, pearls and fun baubles. Paired with t-shirts and jeans, these ladies looked so spirited! Where had they gotten such statement pieces?

Turns out, that one of them, the wildly creative and talented Susan Mayer, was making jewelry out of vintage pieces she was finding and that women were sending to her. Brooches, old necklaces, you name it. Pieces that somehow how had been collected or handed down, but never quite worked in today’s world. Susan was taking these pieces and creating hip and elegant one of kind necklaces and bracelets. I loved what she had on so much that as soon I returned to Denver, I sent her a brooch that had taken up space in my jewelry box for years. I don’t think I had ever worn it.

Within weeks, she sent it back to me. I love it! She created a necklace made of out of dimpled pearls and attached my brooch — designing the piece so that I could add and subtract other brooches. How clever she is. I wore it to a luncheon last week with a simple grey dress and then over the weekend with a white t-shirt and jeans. I had such attitude!

Take a look in your jewelry box. I’ll bet there is something in there that could be recreated into something you would wear and treasure. Take a picture of it and send it to Susan. Check out her website www.74harleystreet.com and then get digging through your stuff. You’ll be sporting a “WoW” piece in no time.

What MindFULL piece did you find for Susan to re-create? Send us a picture and let us know!

MindFULL Kid

It’s officially Spring Break in our house (although by today’s snowfall, you’d never know it.) Finally, it’s time for me to take a post off and venture into the world to re-“full” my mind. While I’m out absorbing new ideas to share, I thought I’d leave you with a spot of inspiration I came across via a friend’s Facebook page. It’s about a young boy known as Kid President.

The first link is to one of his videos. The second is about him. I am touched, inspired and warmed by his story, his smile and his words of wisdom. I hope you will be, too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=l-gQLqv9f4o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcZVGjG6LWM

As Kid President asks, “What will you create to make the world more awesome?”

Let us know!

Shining Eyes

It’s MindFULL Monday. I love Mondays. I see them as new starts to new new weeks. However, it has been a while since my last MindFULL Monday post. My get up and go seems to get up and go during the dark days of January. I tend to stick close to home, withdraw and spend time carting around my hotwater bottle. I know that I will be up and out again soon, but for now, I find contentment under my comforter with books, magazines and journal writing.

I am grateful for the work to come and this time to be.

Amongst reading and journaling, I have taken to a new favorite afternoon activity –watching TED talks on my iPAd. I know I have posted about TED before, but I love this site. And I LOVED this talk. When it was over, I looked in the mirror and saw that I had shining eyes. I hope you will gift yourself with 20 minutes to watch it.

http://www.ted.com/talks/benjamin_zander_on_music_and_passion.html (you have to copy and paste this link into your browser to get it to work. If it doesn’t, then go to Ted.com and type in Benjamin Zander Shining Eyes. It’s worth it!).

As I write this post, it just occurred to me that I could watch my TED talk AND walk on my treadmill. Hmmm, am I ready to fling forth the comforter and get up and go?

What do you MindFULLY do to create shining eyes? Let us know!

Birds Eye View

It’s school break and that means lots of house time. Funny what I notice about my house after sitting in the same chair for hours.

Seeing things with a new perspective can help me think that I have created something new, without spending much money.

Take this drink stand I recently purchased. It just sat in the corner of my dining room, til Colette mentioned what a cool bird’s nest it could be when I wasn’t using it. All of a sudden, the shredded paper in the study had a purpose and everywhere we went, I started to notice all kinds of creative birds! I bought a few and am thinking I may be on to a new collection. I’m gonna work on this.

Real Simple magazine has published their New Uses for Old Things: Holiday Edition. http://www.realsimple.com/new-uses-for-old-things/new-uses-holidays . Perhaps there is something in it to inspire you? After all, you never know what “bird brain” ideas will present themselves when you simply look at things with a new eye.

What have you MindFULLY re-used? Let us know!

MindFULL Cleanse

How blessed are we to have plenty of food to choose from and enjoy? As we sat around the table of our beloved friends on Thursday, I indulged in two helpings of everything (including THE best apple cranberry pie I have ever had). The food, the wine and the company were enough to fill me for days.

And that is why I find myself wanting to do a simple detox/cleanse. I’m full in both body and mind. I thought if I could do a simple body cleanse, then I could also start a new journal and cleanse my mind of some thoughts and feelings I’d like to let go of, as well.

As I thought about how to go about this cleanse, I saw a promo for the Dr Oz Show. He was talking about what sounded like a reasonable 3 –day Detox Cleanse. I am not the most disciplined, but even I can do 3 days!

So I checked it out. http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/dr-ozs-3-day-detox-cleanse-one-sheet. The cleanse revolves around fruit and vegetable shakes in place of meals. I usually do a shake anyway for breakfast, so how hard can two more be?

I’ll let ya know the answer to that question on Thursday morning. For now, I am simply eager for “lunch”. What time is it? Oh…

Do you ever MindFULLY do a body detox or cleanse? When and how?

Let us know!

MindFULL Fashionistas

I know I have been writing a lot about clothes lately. I don’t normally pay this much Mind to them, but as I clean out my closet and switch seasons, I am becoming more MindFULL of what I buy and how it fits. The bummer is that I am not a great shopper.

Luckily, two of my friends are terrific at it. Both have great taste and carry women’s clothing lines that can be seen, tried on and purchased without ever stepping foot inside the Mall.

My friend Rebecca carries the line ETC.

Etcetera is a New York designed clothing line that is not retailed through store locations, but through consultants. Unique to Etcetera is the reuse of their color palettes so that customers can refresh their wardrobes by adding additional pieces to the ones that they already own. Most of the fabrics are from Europe and they are known for extraordinary detailing.

Etcetera is for the person that loves high quality, fashion forward clothing. There are four seasonal collections per year. Each show has around 300-350 different pieces which range from shorts and blue jeans to professional and cocktail. Clothes are displayed in a “boutique” fashion in her home, complete with dressing rooms.

Rebecca started representing Etcetera about 5 years ago at the suggestion of an Etcetera customer who knew that she was interested in bringing home some additional income to her family. Today she has a loyal customer base that rarely misses a collection.

The 2012 combined Fall and Winter/Holiday Show will be in her home from Friday, November 2 to the end of the day on Wednesday, November 7. Please call or email for an appointment. Nights and weekend appointments available, too. Rebecca Howard at 303-718-1015. rahventures@yahoo.com. 1945 E Chenango Ct., Cherry Hills Village, CO 80113.

You can view all of the clothes on line at www.etcetera.com.

My other friend, Eilin, also has an in-home line. Carlisle.

There are two lines under the concept Carlisle. One is Carlisle and the other is Per Se, which is the edgier line with a bit more pizzazz to it. She shows the line 6 times a year in her showroom in Cherry Creek and books by appointment only.

Elin has been showing this line since 1996. She mainly got into because she used to buy the clothes. When the women from whom she was buying decided to move, Elin inherited the position for fear of having no where to shop.

Elin’s client base is every type of woman. The collection runs from traditional to very contemporary. The clothes are casual, for the work place, and dressy as well. She sells “to many professional women and many women who have a passion for fashion!” Elin loves to add a twist to the outfits by mixing textures and fabrics up a bit, which makes the clothes all the more interesting. She loves working with people one on one and getting to know what they like so that she can keep an eye out for what looks good on them, becoming more like their personal shopper.

You can view the Carlisle Collection at www.carlisleclothing.com. For more information you can also call Elin about shopping with her at 303-440-1950.

For those of you here in Denver, you can call Rebecca and Elin directly and see these fabulous lines in person. For my readers in other cities, check out the websites and then let Rebecca or Elin know what you would like. You will be amazed at the Customer Service and quality these ladies bring to a daunting task. You may never look at yourself in the blue glare of dressing room lighting ever again.

How have you MindFULLY found new styles in new ways? Let us know!

4,7,8

A few weeks ago I went to hear Dr. Andrew Weil speak. For those of you who don’t know him, Dr. Weil is a Harvard trained doctor who brought Integrative medicine around as a new way of thinking about how we age and support our bodies. In 1994, he founded The Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, becoming a leader in the transformation of health care by creating, educating, and actively supporting a community that embodies the philosophy and practice of healing-oriented medicine, addressing mind, body and spirit.

Dr. Weil was in Denver promoting his new restaurant True Food, where the food promises to be fresh, flavorful and healthy. I can’t wait to try it! There is also the True Food: Seasonal, Sustainable, Simple, Pure cookbook. He had a lot to promote and talk about. You can read about his philosophy and check out his advice – http://www.drweil.com/

I was a little bummed during the talk; he didn’t really say anything new. I was hoping to be re inspired. For me, it’s not a question of whether or not I know what to do take care of my mind , body or spirit…but whether or not I do it. I guess I was hoping he’d wave his magic motivational wand.

However, there is often a pearl to be found when we think all we have is an old clam shell. For me, the pearl was remembering to breathe. Something so simple and yet, so easy to forget. Just notice for a day how often you catch yourself holding your breath. You might be surprised.

Dr. Weil claims that the simple exercise listed below, done when you wake up in the morning and go to sleep at night, will change the way you process stress and will give you peace and insight. Try it for a month and then let us know if it really works!

With your back straight, sit down, lie down or stand
Put your tongue behind your front teeth
Breathe in through your nose and count to 4
Hold your breathe and count to 7
Blow air out of your mouth loudly to the count of 8

Do it three times, each time.

How do you MindFULLY integrate your mind, body and spirit? Let us know!

MindFULL Style

This weekend I “turned my closet over.” I brought all of summer wears to the basement, fluffed up my sweaters and dusted off my boots. Fall is in the air, and I love it.

For my birthday this year, my friend Colette gave me a great book., Advanced Style. I wasn’t offended. Rather, I was inspired. Growing older is a blessing. Not everyone gets the chance. And so I plan to take the coming years with grace and wear clothes that reflect life. My grandparents were in the retail business and my Zadie always said that the feel of the fabric was most important. As I grow older, I appreciate owning one well made garment; I think it adds to a style and brings in a little story, as well.

As I perused my closet and figured out what still fit and what wasn’t working any more, I remembered a column of “clothing basics” sent by another friend, Erica, marking this pivotal fashion year. I’ve reprinted it below. Next week, I’ll do a list for my favorite male readers. Some of them are so cute, they too, inspire style.

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1. Skinny black jeans. You need a pair. Dress them up for the office or down for day.

2. A crisp, white button-down shirt. It suggests clean, cool confidence in the workplace, but unbutton two buttons and it’s the ultimate in sex appeal for night.

3. A go-to dress. It doesn’t have to be a little black dress. It’s even better sometimes if it’s not, because color makes a bolder statement. But it should fit perfectly and make you feel beautiful.

4. A classic black pump. It has to have at least a four-inch heel to boost your height and confidence. (Okay, fine. A three-inch heel if you must.)

5. A bright mini. It’s great to have one that’s a really bright color because it makes you stand out in a crowd. You can wear it for day—just pair it with an oversize men’s white sweater—or nighttime, with a silk camisole.

6. A bold piece of jewelry. Think: necklace, bangle, large ring, large earrings. I have a big necklace that I keep in my drawer at work, and it dresses up any outfit. A statement piece allows your personal style to shine, especially if the rest of your outfit is conservative.

7. A fitted blazer. A great-fitting blazer is a girl’s most invaluable staple. Pop the collar, roll the sleeves, or add a cool brooch to make it your own.

8. A colorful clutch. This one’s especially crucial if you have a closet full of blacks or neutrals. A splash of color will liven up the simplest outfit—not to mention your mood.

9. Black opaque tights. They’re so warm and practical, and they instantly make a dress look professional.

10. A lace tank. Wear it underneath your V-neck during the day or peeking out from under a jacket in the evening.

11. Ballet flats. They’re feminine and comfortable, and you can wear them anywhere and always look pulled together. I personally love a blue ballet flat.

12. A soft, luxurious white T-shirt. It has to be a great-quality one that feels good on your skin. You can wear it with everything else in your wardrobe. And if you find one you really love, buy three.

Anne Christensen, forty-five, is the executive fashion director of Glamour. She has also served as fashion director of The New York Times’ T Magazine, and her styling has been featured in the American, Italian, and Chinese editions of Vogue.

What do you MindFULLY wear that makes you feel stylish and comfortable? Let us know!