Seriously, though. I know I haven’t done a giveaway in a long time, and for someone who was once legendary for them, I feel bad about that. So I’m sending you to M.J. Rose’s giveaway instead. If you haven’t read M.J.’s previous books (The Reincarnationist and The Book of Lost Fragrances among them), you’re missing out. She’s so talented at weaving historical mystery with modern characters. Her books are incredibly atmospheric, and I know I can always count on them for a really immersive (I think I just made up a word!) read.

M.J.’s newest book, SEDUCTION, comes out very soon, and to celebrate, M.J. is giving away signed manuscript pages AND the amazing Fantine necklace you see on the cover of the book.

Take a look at her website for more info! And to tide you over, here’s the summary for SEDUCTION;

In 1843, novelist Victor Hugo’s beloved nineteen-year-old daughter drowned. Ten years later, still grieving, Hugo initiated hundreds of séances from his home on the Isle of Jersey in order to reestablish contact with her. In the process, he claimed to have communed with Plato, Galileo, Shakespeare, Dante, Jesus—and even the devil himself. Hugo’s transcriptions of these conversations have all been published.

Or so it has been believed . . .

Recovering from a great loss, mythologist Jac L’Etoile thinks that throwing herself into work will distract her from her grief. In the hopes of uncovering a secret about the island’s mysterious Celtic roots, she arrives on Jersey and is greeted by ghostly Neolithic monuments, medieval castles and hidden caves. But the man who has invited her there, a troubled soul named Theo Gaspard, hopes she’ll help him discover something quite different— transcripts of Hugo’s lost conversations with someone he called the Shadow of the Sepulcher. Central to his heritage, these are the papers his grandfather died trying to find. Neither Jac nor Theo anticipate that the mystery surrounding Victor Hugo will threaten their sanity and put their very lives at stake.

Seduction is a historically evocative and atmospheric tale of suspense with a spellbinding ghost story at its heart, written by one of America’s most gifted and imaginative novelists. Awakening a mystery that spans centuries, this multilayered gothic tale brings a time, a place and a cast of desperate characters brilliantly to life.

But I’ve seen in a lot of vegan recipes and everyone seems to be a convert, swearing by nutritional yeast’s “nutty, Parmesan-like” flavor, so I did some research and decided to give it a try. Apparently, it’s a perfect source of protein that’s packed with vitamins, especially B, which has proven to be super important to me for dealing with anxiety and depression.

And I have to say, while this recipe was good last time I made it, it was GREAT with the yeast. It really did give the dish a creamy, slightly nutty/cheesy taste, and the teenagers LOVED it. Plus, it was super easy, and I think it will even be good as a cold pasta salad in the summer. If you’re a vegetarian/vegan who likes to bring a dish to cookouts, parties, etc., this is definitely a candidate.

I only made a couple of changes; I used a few more tomatoes than is called for and I used pine nuts instead of almonds (I used almonds last time and it was delicious, but Andrew said they got stuck in his braces). Otherwise, it was perfect.

And check out Oh She Glows! Angela has some fantastic vegan recipes.

Pasta with Roasted Tomato Basil Pesto

Yield: 1 cup pesto

Ingredients:

• 9 large roma tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
• 1/2 cup almonds, toasted
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 cup tightly packed basil + more for garnish
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil + more for drizzling on tomatoes
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
• Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Your desired amount of cooked Pasta

1. Preheat oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Place sliced tomatoes on the sheet and drizzle with oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for about 1 hour and 10 mins at 400F. Watch closely during the last 15 minutes of roasting.

2. Reduce oven heat to 325F and toast almonds for 8-10 minutes. Add 1/3 cup into food processor and process until finely chopped. I left mine a bit chunky for texture. Remove and set aside.

3. With processor turned on, add 2 garlic cloves and let it whirl around until finely chopped. Now add in the basil and process until finely chopped.

4. Add in the oil, optional nutritional yeast, and 1.5 cups of roasted tomatoes (you will have tomatoes left over). Process until smooth. Pulse in 1/3 cup toasted almonds. Season generously with salt and pepper. I think I used about 1/2 tsp salt or a bit more.

5. Pour your desired amount of pesto over the cooked pasta and mix well. Chop the remaining roasted tomatoes and stir into pasta. Chop remaining almonds and Chiffonade the basil (see below).

For realz.

Other than adding a bit more salt, using quinoa instead of couscous (more protein!), and baking it altogether in one big casserole dish, I followed this recipe exactly. Next time, I think I’ll try omitting the Parmesan, just to make it vegan (you can also top with Parma per the recipe). I’m thinking it would be good with some bread crumbs on top instead, and I don’t think we’d miss the Parmesan. You could probably replace the couscous with rice, too, if that’s what you have on hand.

Following is the recipe, reprinted from Beard and Bonnet. And you should totally check out their website! They have some great recipes.

White Bean, Spinach, and Couscous Bake
Serves 5 as a main course

1 box of brown rice Couscous, prepared as directed or substitute quinoa (about 2 cups of any grain)
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 14.5 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes, drained but juice reserved
1 can of cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup fresh basil, minced plus an additional 2-3 Tbsp. basil for garnish, chiffonade
1/3 cup pine nuts
5 cups baby spinach
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup Trader Joe’s Creamy Toscano Cheese with Black Pepper or Parmesan, grated
*For the vegan option: Substitute Mozzarella Rice Shreds for the Creamy Toscano cheese and sprinkle the top of your dish with Parma!

Preheat oven to 375°F. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Gently saute the onion until tender about 4-5 minutes then add the minced garlic and saute 2-3 minutes more until softened and onions are translucent. Add the drained fire roasted tomatoes and crush any large chunks with a potato masher or the back of a fork. Add the white beans and allow to cook for 5-7 minutes or until beans are warmed through, stirring frequently. Just before the beans are cooked through add the fresh spinach and gently turn and toss so that it will start to wilt, about 1-2 minutes.

In a large bowl combine 2 cups of the precooked couscous, reserved tomato juice, minced basil, pine nuts, salt and pepper; mix thoroughly. Fold the bean and tomato mixture into the couscous mixture until combined then spread half of it into the bottom of a shallow baking dish or individual ramekins. Sprinkle the grated cheese evenly over the dish then top with the remaining couscous mixture. Cover the dish with foil and bake 15-25 minutes until warmed through and bubbly. At the very end of the cooking time uncover the baking dish and pop it under the broiler just to lightly brown the top, 1-2 minutes max.

And it was so worth it!

I’m finding that I don’t always want to lounge around on Sunday, and that’s okay. I’m trying to remember that it’s a technology free day to do what I want, whatever that may be. Funny how even time “off” can make us feel like we “should” be doing certain things. But yesterday I was in the mood to get some stuff done on our property, so the kids and I pruned our pear and crab apple trees and marked the place where we’re going to build a patio around our makeshift fire pit. Then I watched Supernatural with Caroline while we had lunch (It’s kind of a tradition), took a good long nap, made homemade pizzas, and watched a documentary with the kids.

It was a great day, and as usual after some time off, I hit the ground running today, ready to work. I’m on deadline for an important project, but having time off next Sunday is a big motivator to get a lot done during the week. I’m working four hours a day on Freedom to keep myself off the internet (and typing this blog post with five minutes to go before my nightly two hour writing block). Fingers crossed that will do the trick!

Hope you are all getting some R&R when you need it, too.

<3

Sleep!

As someone who routinely gets 5 and 1/2 hours of sleep a night, I’ve ignored the health warnings about sleep deprivation for years. I’d try to get a nap in during the afternoon, but I was able to function and unwilling to give up my late nights, which since I get up at six am every school morning, didn’t leave me many Zzzzs.

But as I’ve become more diligent about taking care of myself, I’ve read a lot about how sleep affects health, stress, concentration, weight gain… everything! So the last few nights I experimented with not allowing myself on the computer after 9:30 when I go downstairs to watch something with the kids before bed for an hour.

It wasn’t easy at first. I was used to going up to my office before bed and getting some work done, answering emails, etc. It felt weird to go upstairs, read, and go to bed. Decadent even!

But I have to say, I’m feeling really, really good. And I’m sure part of it is that I’m back to juicing, but I just know the extra sleep I’m getting (now more like seven hours a night) is a big factor. The bonus? I actually work more effectively the next day, too, so anything I’m not doing during a late night work session is getting done during the day.

All in all, I call this sleep experiment a success. Which is why it’s this week’s Little Thing!

<3

Even though it’s put me behind a bit, I’m learning to embrace opportunities to take time off. I really do feel energized after stepping away from work — and technology — which makes it easier to view it as a necessity rather than a luxury. After some time off, even if it’s only a Sunday, I just work better and more efficiently.

As part of my mission to be more mindful, I’m slowly learning not to think about work when I’m not doing it. There are some exceptions; during transitional periods, i.e. driving home last night after dropping Rebekah off at school, I might choose to use that time to ease mentally back into work, pondering a plot point on which I’m stuck or a problem I need to solve in my current WIP. But it’s okay, because I’m CHOOSING to use that time rather than feeling like a slave to my unruly mind.

Most of the time, though, I just accept the times I can’t work. In the past, I would obsess about that time I was losing, the work I NEEDED to do. But being mindful is training me to live in the moment. As a result, I enjoy my time off more and come back from it ready to work.

Now we have about seven weeks until Rebekah is home for the summer. I plan to bust it during that time, finishing my current WIP as well as two big edits. Hopefully by then I’ll be ready to handle the challenge of balancing work with the slower, more relaxed pace of summer and the temptation to spend every second with Rebekah while she’s home.

How are you guys doing? Anyone else still with me in taking regular time off and away from technology?

Plus, he keeps me company while I write!

What’s your little thing this week?

<3

This soup is my go-to vegetable soup recipe. I usually make a big pot of this on Mondays in the winter. It only takes about 45 minutes start to finish, and most of that is simmer time. Packed with vitamins, it’s a really “clean” soup. And the leftovers are great for mid-week snacks.

I found the original recipe at Life’s Ambrosia, and while I sometimes make a few changes, they’re so small that I figured it would be easiest to post the original recipe and just list my changes.

Rather than using vegetable broth, I use ten cups of water and eight teaspoons of Better Than Bouillon vegetable paste. Sometimes I’ll use sweet potato rather than white potato, just to boost the nutritional content, and I’ll often throw in extra vegetables if I have them in the fridge. At the same time, if you’re out of something (I don’t always have mushrooms), it’s no big deal to leave out one or two ingredients in favor of others. Ditto the chick-peas. If you prefer another kind of bean (or even more than one variety), feel free to throw it in there! I like to add some crushed red pepper for a little bite, too. The recipe says it serves four, but in my experience, ten cups of water/broth yields about six main course servings with some leftover.

Anyway, here is the original recipe from Life’s Ambrosia. And you should totally check out the site. They have lots of great recipes!

You will need:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 leeks, diced (white parts only)
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 celery stalks, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 russet potatoes, diced
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 5 – 10 crimini mushrooms, quartered
• 5 cups vegetable broth
• 2 rosemary stems, chopped
• 3 sage leaves, chopped
• 1 (15 ounce can) garbanzo beans, drained
• 2 cups baby spinach
• kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add in leeks and garlic. Cook 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in celery, carrots, potatoes, zucchini and mushrooms. Cook 5 more minutes.
2. Pour in vegetable broth. Add rosemary and sage. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 – 25 minutes or until veggies are softened. Stir in garbanzo beans. Cook 5 more minutes until beans are warmed through. Stir in spinach. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Serve hot.

This week’s Sunday Experiment was a little different as I had several of Rebekah’s college friends home for the weekend. I knew in advance that I wouldn’t get any writing done, so I decided it was a good opportunity to practice being mindful and just enjoy the deviation from our usual routine. With that in mind, I happily cleaned, cooked, and generally tried to be hospitable without giving too much thought to the work I could be doing. And while it wasn’t textbook time off, it was lovely to be around other people, visit with a friend who came by to chat Saturday night, drink wine, and make good food.

I didn’t text at all because Rebekah was home, I didn’t write, and I didn’t answer emails or check Facebook more than a couple of times. Sometimes rest doesn’t mean sleep, but time away from the obligations that make us feel stressed or pressured. This past weekend was good practice for the next two weekends, which coincide with Spring Break. I know I’ll want to spend some time with Rebekah while she’s home, so I’ll have to find a way to make that my time off.

And speaking of being mindful, I know I said I was going to focus on something new each month to bring my life back into balance, but the truth is, mindfulness just hasn’t become enough of a habit for me to move on from it yet. My goal is to get to a place where it’s the exception for me not to be mindful. Right now, it’s still the rule, so I’ve continued to work on it this month and will do so in April, too, if I still don’t have a handle on it.

Someone asked me on Facebook if focusing on certain components of balance had the opposite effect of my goal in taking time off. That is, instead of being able to relax and just BE, if having something to focus on — like mindfulness — became just another obligation. The answer (for me, at least), is no.

A year ago, I made it a goal to do yoga nearly every day. I made it part of my daily routine, right up there with taking a shower and brushing my teeth in the morning. In the beginning, it was a hassle. But after awhile, it became so much of a habit that now I don’t even think about it. I know I don’t need thirty minutes to get ready even though that’s how long it takes me to shower and get dressed. I need an hour so I can do yoga before showering. And making yoga part of my daily life has made a HUGE difference in how I feel.

I guess that’s my goal with mindfulness, too. So while right now, I still have to remind myself to be in the moment, to look around, to really listen to the people taking to me, I’m hoping that it eventually becomes a habit like yoga.

How about you? Anybody else still with me on the Sunday Experiment? If so, how is it going?