Seared tuna salad

This recipe is very simple, yet always satisfying!

2-4 oz tuna steaks
2 tsp olive oil
6 ounces fresh baby spinach, washed
1 ounce fresh spring mix, washed
10 grape tomatoes
1 avocado
1 lime, cut in half
salt and pepper to taste

Soak the tuna steaks in an icewater bath for 1 minute. Remove and pat dry with a paper towel. Season the tuna with salt and pepper on both sides. Preheat a small skillet over medium high for about a minute, or until very hot. Add olive oil and turn the pan to coat. Place tuna steaks in the skillet and allow to cook for about a minute. Turn and cook the other side for one minute. Remove tuna from the skillet and let rest for a few minutes on a cutting board. Meanwhile, assemble the salad. Divide the spinach, spring mix, tomatoes, and avocado between two plates. Slice the tuna to desired thickness and divide between the two salads. Serve each salad with a lime half.

The Third Agreement

Today I'd like to talk for a moment about The Third Agreement, as proposed by Don Miguel Ruiz in his book The Four Agreements. The Third Agreement is "don't make assumptions."

As humans, we have the tendency to make assumptions about everything. The problem with this is that we actually believe our assumptions are the truth. We make assumptions about what others think and then blame them for our assumptions.

Ruiz tells us that "All the drama you have lived in your life was rooted in making assumptions and taking things personally. Take a moment to consider this statement of truth."

If we would ask instead of assume we would have much better outcomes in our daily lives. Then, to extend things, if we could learn to not take the things that others say and do personally, just think how much stress we could completely eliminate from our lives.

The possibilities are endless.

Brown Rice with Mushroom Gravy

This is one of my personal favorites!

Yields four servings

2 T butter, unsalted
1/2 cup shallots, small dice
8 oz Portabello mushrooms, medium dice
1/3 cup chardonnay
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 tsp fresh sage, chopped
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp coarse black pepper
3 cups cooked brown rice

Heat butter over medium heat until melted. Add shallots and cook until translucent. Increase heat to medium high. Add mushrooms and cook until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add the wine. Cook until the wine is almost completely evaporated (this is known as "au sec"), stirring frequently. Add stock, sage, salt, and pepper. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and remaining liquid is thick, about 8-9 minutes. Let cool slightly. Serve over prepared brown rice. For an added kick serve this dish over brown rice risotto. Mmmmmm....

Gluten-free living

I will be continuing with The Four Agreements, but first, a quick bit on Celiac disease...

Celiac disease is being diagnosed at a much higher rate than ever before. A gluten-free diet is the only choice for someone with Celiac disease. For those with Celiac, when gluten is introduced into the body, it flattens the microvilli in the stomach and doesn't allow for the absorption of nutrients. The gluten-free diet eliminates these problems.

Gluten is found naturally in all wheat flours. It is also very prevalent in processed foods. Eliminating it altogether can seem daunting, to say the least. No bread, no pasta, no, no, no...

Enter La Bella Living.

At La Bella Living all of the cooking we do is gluten-free and sugar-free (we do use regular pasta for some of our clients by request). We do everything from fresh pasta to homemade crab cakes (baked, never fried). We do kitchen makeovers to help those with gluten intolerance better make the switch to gluten-free products. We've also developed an amaizing line of gluten-free baked goods. To make a long story short, we're out to show everyone that you can still eat fabulous food...without gluten.

This week, as requested, I will be posting some delicious gluten-free recipes. Live beautifully today!

The Second Agreement

In his book The Four Agreements Don Miguel Ruiz asserts that the first agreement is the most powerful. The other three serve as support for the first.

The second agreement is, "Don't take anything personally." This sometimes may seem difficult, as when someone directly insults you. However, what you must realize is that nothing anyone else does is because of you. Everything that anyone else does is a direct result of their agreements they have made with themselves. They are merely dealing with their "emotional poison" in the best way they know how.

Likewise, everything you do and say is a direct result of the agreements that you have made with yourself and has nothing to do with anyone else. When you don't take anything personally you become like teflon and other people's insults and emotional poison no longer sticks to you.

"If you keep this agreement you can travel around the world with your heart completely open and no one can hurt you... You can be in the middle of hell and still experience inner peace and happiness (Ruiz, 1997)."

Open your heart today.

The First Agreement

In his book The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz speaks of four agreements that we can make with ourselves that can totally revolutionize the way we see this world. Today I will be focusing on the first, and most powerful of these agreements.

This agreement is to, "Be impeccable with your word."

Your words are your ultimate power. They are what you use to create the reality all around you. Being impeccable with your word means more than doing what you say you are going to do. It extends furthur to the realization that your words have power.

Your words have great power, over others and over yourself. Being impeccable with your word means not using your word against yourself. If you choose to spread fear and hate with your words you will receive both in return. In this way you are using your own words to cause yourself pain. Conversely, however, you can also use your words to spread love to those around you. Your words can be used to destroy others (and yourself) or to create your own Heaven on Earth.

What will you choose to do with your words today?

Life Is a Series of Choices

I want to focus this week on the life-changing power of choice. I view life as a series of choices. This is not a revolutionary concept. It has been echoed through all the great teachers of the world in many different ways. However the mode of delivery the message remains the same: the way you choose to react to your daily path is what determines its direction.

When you're late for work and you choose to get upset your blood pressure rises. Because of this your mind can become cloudy and you may choose to take it out on a coworker. She may in turn choose to take it out on her husband that evening. You can see where this is going. Choosing to breathe deeply and relax can affect the outcome of your daily journey in these types of situations in a very real and very positive way.

In the words of Benjamin Franklin, "Happiness depends more on the inward disposition of mind than on outward circumstances." So choose to be happy today! :)