Let It Go
PIN IT!In order to be successful in my line of work, you need to be three things; outgoing. adventurous. And disgustingly passionate. Now, I’ve met my fair share of people who don’t fit into any of these categories and they’ve done fine. But those people, those Anthony Bourdains you see traveling the world, telling stories and writing books, they definitely are. But there’s another thing I’ve learned from the seasoned travelers I am lucky enough to travel with. The ones with creased wrinkles next to their eyes, weathered hair and tattered jeans, I’ve learned you also need to stop giving a f***.
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I’m not, naturally, one of those people who can just let things roll off their shoulders. I’m a worrier. The best way to put it is that I fester. I stress about the things I can’t control and let it bother me until I burst into tears. When flights are delayed, I’m broke, my blog traffic sucks, I can’t let it go. I let it get me so down that I can’t focus on anything else. And you know what? That sucks. It’s not a way to live. I’m too busy comparing myself to other people, letting things I can’t control stress me out that I’m not living. I’m not looking out the window right beside me. I’m not focusing on what actually matters. And as a travel writer, that’s like seeing a new world through a black and white lens.
One of the most amazing people I met on my travels was an older guy. He had been to almost every single country and had a story to tell from every place he’d been. He had dusty brown hair with a few pieces of grey, a rugged face with scars and eyes that lit up anytime you asked him a question. It was our last night and I was stressing out about something. Money, the flight, life, who knows. I was staring at my phone, huffing and puffing, while the rest of them enjoyed their dinner. He turned to me and asked what was wrong. I told him, with so much determination in my voice, what was going on. My voice was trembling and, to me, it was the worst thing to ever happen to me. He looked me right in the eyes and said “I have four words for you. Stop giving a f***. You can’t control it, get over it.” I remember those words like they were stamped into my brain. I remember the way he looked at me when he said them. He turned back to his dinner and joined right back into the conversation he was having.
I went into this most recent trip feeling crappy. I’ve been stressed with work and I’ve just sort of let the things I love go by the wayside. Relationships, this blog, my job. I’ve been so focused on the things I can’t control, like internet traffic for example, I stopped caring about the ones that I can, like my success at work, my relationship, my self-esteem. In short, I stopped living. I was going through the motions of life, but not actually living it. I was breathing, eating, sleeping and blinking, but not enjoying any of it. I was a robot, void of any feelings, emotions and excitement.
Notice how most of this story was written in past tense? I did that for a reason. That robot, the girl looking through a black and white lens, was the girl I was yesterday. The girl I am today is the one I’ve always been but was just too damn ridiculous and self conscious to let myself be. I know I’ll never be perfect. Hell, I know there will be times I see flashes of the girl I used to be and I’ll have trouble trying to find my place, my comfort and my stand in stressful, crazy situations. But the most comforting part of all of this is that I know I can be now. I know I can live my life completely in the present. I know that I can let the things go that are supremely out of my control. And I know that I can be happy, easy going and excited again, and that’s a pretty awesome realization.
So how did I do that, you’re asking. How do you stop caring and learn to let it go? How do I stop comparing myself to others and base my self worth on their success? How did I learn to be happy, loving and completely in the present? It wasn’t easy, but I came up with a list. A list of ways to let those feelings go and a list of words to say when you’re feeling like shit. I’m not psychotherapist or self help guru, but it worked for me. Here’s hoping it can just work for someone else too.
How to Learn to Let it Go in 8 Super Easy Steps
- Ask yourself this question: Can you control this situation? If the answer is yes, then do something about it. If the answer is no, stop caring and focus on something you can control.
- Play with a pet. If you don’t have a dog, find a dog to play with. Or a cat. Or a hamster. When I’m starting to feel down, I immediately pet my puppy Oscar. Dogs don’t care about blog views, your bank account, how much you weigh. They just love you, unconditionally. They are just so happy to be near you, nothing else in the world matters. And that’s a good mentality to live your life with.
- Unplug. That means your computer, cell phone, iPad, iPod, tablet, beeper. Whatever you have that is connecting you with the interwebs, turn off and leave off for a few hours. Or hell, overnight. If you’re like me, seeing the success of others can somethings be overwhelming. Seeing the perfectly skinny girls with perfect hair and perfect makeup on Pinterest is enough to send me spiraling into a tunnel of self loathing. So, I turn it off. If you need a lesson on unplugging, check out my girl Kristin at Dine and Dish.
- Talk it out. When I’m feeling depressed, sad or bummed about something I can’t seem to let go, I talk to someone about it. Sometimes it’s my husband, sometimes its my best friend, sometimes it’s another food blogger I’ve never actually met. Sometimes all you need is to hear how you feel out loud before you can find a way to feel better.
- Travel. There’s no drug in this world that gives you a better high than stepping off an airplane into a new country, city or town. One of my favorite quotes about traveling is this one by Gustave Flaubart: “Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” And that is so incredibly fitting for me and this post. When you’re hiking through the impoversihed worlds of Southeast Asia, your worries and problems feel a little smaller. It’s not even that, though. It’s hard not to be incredibly amazed and humbled when you see new cities in this incredible world. It’s hard not to feel lucky or happy if you get the chance to explore them.
- Exercise. In the words of one of my favorite movies “exercise makes you happy, and happy people just don’t kill their husbands.”
- Write. To me, writing can be incredibly therapeutic. I mean, where do you think this post came from? I was looking at another blog’s success on Facebook and, like a poision seeping through my veins, I started to feel down. I started to feel inadequate, pathetic, not as talented. And instead of festering, like I used to do so well, I wrote. I wrote this post. I wrote a chapter in my book. I just wrote, without care for anything else. And an hour later, I felt better.
- Love. This is probably the easiest, yet hardest, number on this list. I’ve always loved my family, my husband and my friends. And they’ve always loved me back. But I’ve never actually thought about the impact that love had on my life, when I really thought about. Love is one of the most powerful things in the world, and we don’t put as much credit on it as we should. It’s the love of my husband, who supports me through everything, the love of my family, who will always be my rocks and the love of my friends, who stand by me through thick and thin, that gets me through those situations I can’t handle. And when you sit back and realize you have the love of so many important people, it makes dealing with even the hardest things a little easier. You learn to let the stuff that doesn’t matter and focus on what does, the love in your life.
I’ll never have it all together, but at least I can say I’m truly living my life. And how many people can say that and really mean it?
Ahi Tuna, Melon & Tofu Spring rolls
These ahi tuna, melon & tofu spring rolls are an easy, healthy and gluten-free appetizer or lunch option this spring and summer.
It’s funny, whenever I’m about to depart on a trip for an extended period of time, I start to think about the things I miss most when I’m gone. There are the obvious ones, like E, my fur-baby and my cozy bed, but then there are the little things, the small parts of my life that I don’t think about when I’m here. But then, when I’m gone, these small, seemingly minute parts of my life are the things that I yearn for most.
One of these is coffee. It sounds silly, since they have coffee just about everywhere, but I miss my coffee pot. I miss the strength of coffee I make and the perfect ratio of milk to sugar. I miss my strange collection of mugs, each one with a funny memory or quirky story to go with it. I miss my coffee routine. Sitting down to my computer, writing a blog post or article and enjoying the few moments of silence on my busy days.
Another thing I miss is the sound of Oscar sleeping. He’s 11 pounds of pure fur, basically, but this small little dog can SNORE. And not just that, he makes these adorable little yippee sounds too. Plus, when he’s deep into his REMS, he makes these baby cooing sounds that almost sound like little hiccups. Sure, the snoring can be annoying, but when I’m gone, I miss these little sounds. As much as those sounds keep me up some nights, I almost can not sleep without them.
I also miss my cozy little house. When I’m here, I’m always way too busy to enjoy it. I’m cooking in the kitchen, shooting in the dining room, writing in the living room, sleeping in the bedroom. I’m so busy jumping from room to room, I don’t actually sit and enjoy all of the little things that make this such a fantastic place to live. Like the safe, beautiful neighborhood, the incredible natural light coming from all of our windows, the gorgeous backyard with the beautiful view. When I’m gone, I think back on these parts of my house and wonder why I don’t sit on the patio more often.
These things seem so small and so trivial, but it’s incredible how much I miss them when I’m away. But I think that’s because, added together, these small little things create my life here. And it may not be perfect, but my life here in this cozy little home, with my crazy mug collection and snoring dog is absolutely wonderful anyway. These pieces create a home, and it’s hard not to miss such a beautiful home filled with love and memories when I’m away.
Ahi Tuna, Melon & Basil Tofu Spring Rolls
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!
Yields about 10 wraps. Serves about 5.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 10 large rice paper spring roll wrappers
- 2 ounces brown rice noodles
- 1 (4 ounce) filet of ahi tuna, raw
- About 5 ounces extra firm tofu, pressed
- 6 large basil leaves, cut in half
- Bunch of chives, chopped
- About 1 cup of chopped cantaloupe
- About 1/4 – 1/3 cup chopped wasabi peas
- Spicy chili sauce or red pepper jelly
- Dash of cracked black pepper
Directions:
- Bring a small pot of water to a rapid boil. Add the rice noodles and immediately remove from heat. Let sit for about 15 minutes, or until noodles have softened.
- Meanwhile, slice the tuna and the tofu into small, even size pieces. Set aside. P
- Liberally damp a tea towel with wet water and place over a cutting board. Fill a mixing bowl with cold water and set beside the cutting board. Working with one rice paper at a time, stick each wrap into the cold water and let sit for about 10 – 15 seconds, or until pliable. Remove from the water and place on the damp tea towel.
- Layer a few pieces of tuna on the half of the paper closest to you. Add a few slices of tofu, melon and chives on top of the tuna. Add two halves of basil leaves and a sprinkle of chopped wasabi peas, leaving about 1 1/2 inches free on either side. Crack a little pepper on the top.
- Working carefully (so you don’t tear the rice paper), fold the roll up like you would an egg roll, folding the sides into the roll. Set aside and cover with another damp towel. *Be sure to keep the rolls covered why you make the rest, otherwise the rice paper will harden.
- Repeat until you’ve made all of your rolls. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce (I used a spicy sesame red pepper jelly) and enjoy!
Nutritional information per serving (2 rolls):
Calories: 184.4
Fat: 2.4 grams
Carbohydrates: 29.2 grams
Fiber: 3.4 grams
Protein: 10.2 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 5
*****This recipe and 50 delicious others just like it will be featured in my new Every night Gluten-Free Cookbook, published with Adams Media! Keep your eyes peeled for more fresh, unique and delicious gluten-free recipes!*****
Greek Yogurt & Avocado Couscous Chickpea Salad
This greek yogurt & avocado couscous chickpea salad is a great, easy and light summertime salad for those sweltering hot days!
There are many things I love about my job as a freelance travel writer. For one, I get to hop on a plane once a month and jet off to far away, incredibly beautiful places. Places I dreamed about as a kid. Places the 22 year old me thought I’d never see. Places like Iceland, Thailand, Peru and Kenya. I get to walk around and take in every beautiful aspect of these magical cultures. I get to spend time with the people who live there, share meals in their home and listen to their stories of life in these places. I get to photograph their children, their backyards and them. I get to walk beside them and live like a local. There are so many things I love about my job, but there are also things that are hard, too.
For one, I’m away from my loves for weeks on end. But the one thing I really noticed is that when I’m home, I’m not really here. I’m so busy trying to get caught up with recipes, deadlines, photography projects and articles, I am working from 8 – 8. I’m so busy prepping for my next trip, I never look up. I’m so buried into my laptop I find myself staring at it lazily when I should be staring at my family. I’m also so busy traveling or thinking of traveling, I forget how to be present at home.
And that’s a problem.
But the biggest step towards success is identifying the problem, so I’m halfway there, right? Although I had piles of work to do this weekend, I took a step back yesterday so we could go hiking. Whenever I’m feeling a little lost or stressed, an afternoon in nature always helps. And the one thing that I love so much about living in Virginia is the fact that we have so many beautiful parks in driving distance. One of our favorites (due to it’s proximity to our house) is Great Falls. It’s 20 minutes away but feels so much farther. There are no sky scrapers or honking horns. Just babbling brooks, waterfalls and beautiful sights.
And when I go there, I remember why I love living where we do. Why I love those rare weekends I’m at home. There’s nothing like fresh air and beautiful scenery to give you that push back into the present. Even though that minute of peace flew by and I was bombarded with stress and trip planning as soon as we got back home, I still had that minute to show me why I’m so lucky to be where I am and why it’s so important to live in the moments where I can. And to many, a minute may be short, but to me, a minute is all I needed to jolt me back to the present.
Greek Yogurt & Avocado Couscous Chickpea Salad
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!
Serves about 4.
Prep time: About 10 minutes
Cook time: 12 – 14minutes
Ingredients:
For the salad:
- 1 cup pearl couscous (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
- 1 can (15 ounces) chick peas, drained
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1/2 medium red onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped dill
- 1/2 avocado, smashed
- 1/2 cup Chobani Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon Pompeian red wine vinegar
- Dash of salt
- Dash of cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Directions:
- Bring one cup of water to a boil. Add couscous and reduce heat to medium. Let cook for about 10 minutes or until couscous has absorbed all the water. Remove from heat. Mix the couscous with the chick peas, chopped celery and red onion.
- In another bowl, whisk the greek yogurt, 3/4 of the smashed avocado, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper until combined and creamy. Mix in 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped dill. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Mix the greek yogurt mixture into the couscous/chick pea and mix well (to evenly distribute). Chill before serving and serve with remainder of the smashed avocado and dill.
Nutritional information per serving (about 1/2 cup):
Calories: 308
Fat: 6.25 grams
Carbohydrates: 55 grams
Fiber: 4.2 grams
Protein: 12.5 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 7
Claire
Tags:chickpea recipes, couscous recipes, greek yogurt, healthy salad recipes, low fat recipes, summer salad recipes
Super Simple Herb Roasted Red Potatoes
If you’re looking for a quick and easy side dish for Mother’s Day, try these super simple herb roasted red potatoes. Crispy, soft and oh-so-flavorful, you’ll want to eat the entire batch yourself!
It’s almost embarrassing how easy these potatoes are to make. In fact, I feel like a hack for even writing about them. But in my mind, it’s often the simplest of dishes that taste the best, the ones not completely overwhelmed with a mess of ingredients. As a food blogger, I’m always trying to find the most innovative, creative and crazy recipes to share, but in all reality, that’s not always how I eat. Sure it’s fun to make a grilled ahi tuna Vietnamese noodle wasabi pea stuffed taco made with homemade buckwheat shells fried in saffran oil and topped with an avocado aoli, but really, what normal person is going to make that for Tuesday night dinner?
The most popular recipes on my site aren’t the innovative ones, the avocado ice creams or the white pork belly pizzas, it’s the banana bread breakfast quinoa and the simple skillet lasagna. And that makes total sense to me. Before I was a blogger and had just started cooking for E and I, the recipes I wanted to make weren’t the ones with 4 pages of ingredients. It was the easy roast chickens and fool-proof potatoes that spoke to me.
That’s why I like to toss in a few of my simple favorites along with some of the more whacky flavor combinations. Because I know many of you are like me, and just want something that’s easy, but tasty. Something picky husbands (or children) will devour without a blink. That’s why today’s recipe may be boring, but it’s really good. And that’s kind of the most important thing when it comes to food, right?
Super Simple Herb Roasted Red Potatoes
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!
Serves about 4. Inspired by Food Network.
Prep time: >10 minutes
Cook time: About 50 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds red potatoes, washed and quartered
- 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
- 1 green onion, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- Sprinkle of crushed red pepper * (for spice)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place the potatoes in a glass or metal 9 x 13 baking pan and toss with olive oil.
- In a bowl, mix the parsley, dill, diced green onion, pepper, salt and crushed red pepper. Sprinkle over the potatoes and lightly toss to coat.
- Bake for about 50 – 60 minutes, stopping to toss the potatoes up twice during cooking to evenly cook. You want the sides to be browned and crispy and the potatoes to be soft (but not mashable) when pierced.
- Serve with fresh parsley and enjoy!
Nutritional information per serving:
Calories: 173
Fat: 7.5 grams
Carbohydrates: 22 grams
Fiber: >1 gram
Protein: 3 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 4
Claire
Tags:herb roasted potatoes, mothers day recipe, red potato recipes, side dish recipes
Fun Cooking Shoot with Kita Roberts Photography
So, I wanted to wait until tomorrow to share these, but I absolutely CAN’T. These photos are just too fabulous not to share.
Last week, I got all dolled up with hair and make-up and spent 5 hours playing house in front of the camera with my bloggy friend Kita. For those who know me, you’ll see she did such an incredible job capturing the real me, which couldn’t have been easy since I’m a slight perfectionist. But she did it, and she did it WELL. I’m in complete awe with her ease behind the camera. How she made me feel comfortable and beautiful from the very beginning. There were no awkward silences or weird moments. We laughed, smiled and had fun from the second we met. It’s not very often you find someone you can connect with so well and it’s especially important when that person is taking photos of you for 3 hours 🙂
If you’re in the DC area (or really anywhere), check out Kita Roberts photography. I could rave for hours about how amazing she is, or I could just show you. And I think in this case, these photos speak louder and stronger than I could.
For the shoot, I decided to make some cute strawberry cupcakes. Because what’s more springy than that? And of course, in typical DC weather, it was freezing the day we shot, so we needed a little oomph of color in the kitchen.
Of course the best part about making cupcakes is eating them, right? We probably tried to capture this photo of me eating a cupcake gracefully for 30 minutes and then decided it just wasn’t going to happen. I blame Pinterest for putting the idea that it could happen in my head. To people who can eat frosting without getting it on their faces or bite into a cupcake without the cake falling all over their blouses, I applaud you. It’s not easy.
They tasted great regardless. After I was done making a mess, I spent a few minutes cleaning before we headed outside for some natural portraits. I had no clue Kita was going to photograph me while I did the dishes or checked my email, but I’m so glad she did. She captured me in the rare moments of quiet solitude, the moments where I was lost in thought and concentration and was daydreaming away. Truthfully, they are two of my favorite photos.
I’m positive I don’t look like everyday when I do dishes, but I’ll take it. After we cleaned, we headed outside. It wasn’t pouring anymore, thankfully, but it was drizzling enough that an umbrella was necessary. Which is totally fine because I love the look they add to each photo!
I need to give Kita another HUGE thank you for putting up with me all day and taking my photos. I really don’t remember the last time I had such a great time!
Claire
Tags:cooking shoot, kita roberts photography, photography, professional photos
