Growing up, we ate granola.  We recycled.  We loved trees enough to occasionally hug them.  
As I got older, kids at school called me a "crunchy granola girl" or "tree hugger".  I didn't realize they were teasing me, I just thought they were stating the obvious.  (I guess they were doing both.)  It's funny because granola is seen by many as some super healthy magic food.  But it's not too different from other cereals.  Yes, it does have whole grains, and generally fewer nonsense ingredients, but it still has a lot of sugar and oil, often contains gluten and dairy and is very high in fat.  Fat itself isn't bad, it just depends on the quality of fat.  Most commercially produced granolas have bad fat.  
Here's a recipe that is not too sweet, full of sprouted grains, good fat, fruits and veggies.  Don't be scared by the high vegetable content, you'd never know by tasting it.  It's great with coconut yogurt, almond mylk or a bowl of fruit.  I've been snacking on it all by itself all morning, too.

Ingredients:2 1/2 cups chopped sweet apple (I like Fuji)
2 cups shredded zucchini
1 1/2 cups raw, hulled buckwheat groats, sprouted for 2 - 3 days and rinsed
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
2 1/2 ripe bananas

1 cup raw almonds, soaked overnight and rinsed, then chopped
1 cup pumpkin seeds, soaked overnight and rinsed
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup purified water
1 cup cashews, soaked
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon sea salt
8 drops liquid stevia

Directions:
Combine zucchini, carrots, buckwheat, coconut, almonds and 1/2 of the chopped pumpkin seeds in a big bowl and mix well.  Combine apples, bananas, water, cashews, cinnamon, salt, stevia and the other half of the pumpkin seeds in a blender and blend until smooth.  Pour the apple sauce over the zucchini nut mixture and mix really well.  Spread the mixture over Teflex or parchment paper.  (The granola mixture should be spread in a way that makes it easy to break into small pieces after it dries.  I like to spread it and then scored it with a spatula.)  Dehydrate at 104 degrees for 4 hours or until dry enough to flip.  Dry for an additional 2 hours or until fully dry.  When it is fully fried, break into smaller pieces and store in an airtight container.  

Makes 10 cups of granola.

I was sitting around thinking about enchiladas one day when it hit me!  What could make this Mexican favorite even better?  Indian flavors!  This is a gorgeous blend of Mexican and Indian.  It is amazingly delicious.  Make it.  Eat it.  You will be glad you did.  Charlie and I both freaked out and didn't share this one with anyone...

Ingredients:
Sauce-
1 cup coconut mylk
1 cup grape tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala (or to taste)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Chiladas-
3/4 cup black lentils, sprouted and cooked
1/2 medium diced red onion
4 ounces baby spinach
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
2 cloves garlic, crushed and left for fifteen minutes (increases healthful properties)
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
white pepper to taste
10 fresh corn tortillas, 6"

Directions:
Mix all Sauce ingredients in a blender until it is smooth.  Transfer to a sauce pan and cook until thickened, about 20 minutes, uncovered, over medium heat.  Saute red onion for 3 minutes over high heat, then add garlic and tomatoes and reduce heat to medium.  Cook for another four minutes or until the tomatoes are just starting to wrinkle.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix well, cook for another few minutes until the spinach is wilted.  Transfer mixture to a bowl.  Pour the sauce into a large bowl.  Heat the tortillas (oven, toaster, stove top - your choice) so that they are soft and pliable.  Dip each tortilla in the sauce, then spoon a 1/4 cup of the lentil filling into the tortilla, so that the filling is in one straight line.  Roll the tortilla up around the filling and then place it seam side down in an 8" x  8" baking dish.  Place the tortillas side by side until the baking dish is full.  Pour the remaining sauce over the tortillas and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.  Serve with a fresh green salad and a side of lightly steamed broccoli for the best meal you've ever had.  Or, at least, the best meal I've ever had.  

Here's what we're up to lately in our Cirque Practice and in our play-shops! 
What I'm learning, more than anything else, is that this practice, working with a partner and learning to support and be supported, to communicate your needs and to be responsible for another's needs - it is so much more than a physical practice.  It's the ultimate mirror for how you show up in relationships.  Sounds heavy...  But it's just the opposite, because all of this is happening while you play and push and try and laugh so hard that you fall down.  Sometimes you fall on top of someone else, maybe even a stranger, but that's okay, no harm done.  And while you push yourself to work with others to do things that seem physically impossible, and too scary to try, your perspective shifts.  You get back to the moment.  You focus only on what's actually happening, where you are in space, where your partner is, how it feels, your fear of physical pain, the joy of making it work, the bliss of being massaged at the end of class.  And after an hour of that, the refection that maybe you have trouble trusting others or you need to work on your communication skills seems totally surmountable.  After loving the physical challenge for an hour, the mental and emotional challenges of being more trusting or communicative or supportive seem possible, and worthwhile, and so much easier than before.  
So, right now, that's how I'm spending my time.  I feel really lucky to be doing it.  :)

Strawberry shortcake is an amazing dessert - sweet and satisfying, a celebration of gorgeous berries, but not too heavy.  I often make a double batch because it is so good for breakfast, too.  

Ingredients:
Dry
1 1/2 cups oat flour
1 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup potato starch or coconut flour
1/2 cup coconut sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Wet
1 3/4 cup purified water
1 ripe banana
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2 Tablespoons flax meal
3 teaspoons vanilla
15 drops liquid stevia

Whipped Cream
1 cup coconut cream (the thick white cream that floats to the top of coconut mylk)
2 teaspoons coconut sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground chia seeds
10 drops liquid stevia

1 pint strawberries

Directions:
Refrigerate coconut cream in a metal or glass bowl for at least a few hours.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Combine all wet ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  Let sit 15 minutes to thicken.  Combine wet and dry ingredients until you have a uniform batter.  Bake in muffin tins (I prefer silicone to avoid extra oils) for 20 minutes.  Let cool before eating, they will firm up a little on the inside as they cool.  Combine Whipped Cream ingredients in chilled bowl and beat with a hand mixer for several minutes, until it starts to thicken and expand.  Slice strawberries.  To assemble the cakes, layer one cake with strawberries and Whipped Cream and eat immediately!

Makes 10 large cakes