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Issue #18:
Winter 2007 — Inner Embrace

Terrific Tips
The Art of Re-Gifting, by Abigail Taylor
If you've ever received an unwanted gift, perhaps you've already learned the art of re-gifting: giving away gifts you've received from others. However, re-gifting can feel inconsiderate unless you give with the recipient in mind. With a little time and creativity, you can transform your unwanted items into personalized gifts for those you love.

Whole Foods
Cookie Primer, by Cynthia Lair
Have you ever tried to take your grandma's favorite cookie recipe and substitute whole-grain flours and less refined sweeteners? As well-intentioned as these substitutions may be, the results can be disappointing. Sometimes the cookies make great door stops; other times they fall apart as you take them off the cookie sheet. Every quarter in cooking classes at Bastyr University, we make cookies using a variety of whole-grain flours and unrefined sweeteners. I've seen some pretty bizarre results and have learned how to troubleshoot the process. Here are some tips that might help the next time you attempt converting to a more wholesome cookie.

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Cynthia's Date Walnut Cinnamon Rolls, by Cynthia Lair (a website exclusive)
This recipe was inspired by The Sweet Life: Natural Macrobiotic Desserts by Marcea Weber (Japan Publications, 1981). I chose to find a happy whole-food medium between intensely sweet conventional pastry and Marcea's macrobiotic version. The dates add whole-food sweetness and moisture. These are wonderful for holiday breakfasts or brunch... (read the complete article)

A Balance of Health
Osteoporosis: What you Need to Know, by Dr. David Ramaley
The National Osteoporosis Foundation says one in two females and one in four males over 50 years old will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their remaining lifetimes. Osteoporosis is defined as a decrease in bone density causing skeletal weakness. Ten million people in the U.S. (80 percent of them female) are said to have this condition, with 34 million at risk. Screening for bone density has become routine and a large percentage of women over the age of 50 are on medications for this condition. Is this really a disease that warrants its present amount of media coverage and requires current levels of medical intervention? ... (read the complete article)

Everything Herbal
The Wise Woman Tradition, , by Kimberly Gallagher
After writing last issue's article on Motherwort, I was asked to write a regular herbal column, and I am excited for the opportunity to share what I have learned about plants with you. I am being mentored in the Wise Woman Tradition, and it has given me a whole new way of viewing the world - health and healing in particular. I have found that this tradition resonates deep in my core, and I offer you a glimpse into this practice... (read the complete article)

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Treading Lightly
Transit-Oriented Development: Reinventing the Suburbs, , by Jennifer Allen Newton
A little over five years ago, my husband and I decided to leave Portland, Oregon, to move to a smaller town. We were looking for a place where we could feel a sense of community, avoid the stress of rush-hour traffic and maybe find a bit more sun. After a few years, we realized just how much we missed Portland: the culture, the bookstores and galleries, the environmentally oriented politics and the city's commitment to sustainable urban growth and public transportation. As we contemplated moving back, we thought long and hard about why we had left... (read the complete article)

Biking in the City, by Paul Cadreau
One sunny afternoon, two men were discussing changes they were making to better our environment: packing their own groceries in a tote bag, making homemade yogurt - yummy and delicious. Finally, one said to the other, "I want to start riding my bike to work without crushing my skull." Understandable, wouldn't you say?...

A Personal Take on Peak Oil, by Corinna Frenzl
The term peak oil was first coined by M. King Hubbert. It refers to the peak amount of oil produced. In 1956, Hubbert first predicted that oil production would peak between 1965 and 1970 in the United States. The United States' oil production did in fact peak in 1970, as Hubbert had forecast, but it went largely unnoticed because we merely shifted from domestic to foreign sources. Over the last century, the rate of production, namely extracting and refining oil, has grown; however, we will reach the halfway point of all oil reserves and production will start to decline. We will not run out of oil, but we will start to run out of cheap oil. As I became more aware of this situation, I was inspired to learn about ways that I could reduce my own personal consumption of and dependence on oil... (read the complete article)

From the Ground Up
Farmland Trusts: Giving Ground to Local Food, by Summer Linnea Howe
I remember when "organic food" was a phrase that was only heard at the dinner tables of the Diet For a Small Planet-reading subculture known as "Granola". At the time, most of us were grocery shivering - uh, I mean shopping - at tiny, cold, cement-floored co-ops, and we both lived and smelled somewhat earthy. The few organic-certification organizations were small and regional. But with the political birth of the USDA Organic Certification label, "organic" found itself on the tip of everyone's tongue. Suddenly, more and more people were discovering the environmental and health benefits of organic food and wouldn't think of feeding their babies anything less... (read the complete article)

Musings
Kissing Beauty, by Lisa Gurney
I have taken to kissing myself. Not big romantic kisses, but tiny, loving pecks you would give to your favorite niece or your cat. It all started at exercise class about two weeks ago. My knees were close to my lips during a stretch, and I planted a beauty right on my kneecap. Instantly embarrassed and completely surprised by the action, I placed my forehead on my knees and prayed no one had noticed. However, as I hugged my legs closer, I secretly smiled. I had never kissed myself before, and it felt nice. It warmed me...

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Life Out Loud
Q & A: Doing it All, , by Susanne Wichert, M.A., L.M.H.C.
As a parent or working parent, how do I get it all done? The simple answer is, you don't. It is a variety of "shoulds" that give birth to this question - mysterious, and equal to the presence of those pesky winter flies. Demands of perfection are almost always buzzing around, regardless of one's current load - even more so when complicating factors enter the picture: things like divorce, special-needs children, blended families, illness and an endless list of stressors and sorrows.

Looking Within
Turning 30 and Other Impossible Feats, , by Marie Richmond
On August 8, 2007, I turned 30. Waking that morning, I actually felt older, although a quick check in the bathroom mirror revealed no gray hairs or new wrinkles. What I was experiencing wasn't brought on by physical changes, but emotional ones; something had shifted inside of me. I'd felt twinges of it weeks prior to my birthday, but that morning it really clunked into place. As I looked in the mirror, I heard a voice whisper, "Ready or not, it's time to live on a deeper level." Startled, I swiveled around to make sure my mom hadn't snuck in behind me to play a big 3-0 trick, but the bathroom was empty. The voice was inside my head. "What does it mean?" I wondered aloud, my mind playing with the ambiguity of what I'd heard. Somewhere in the depths of my brain, I heard a small chuckle, then, "You'll see..."

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In Print & On the Screen
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, reviewed by Sarojni Mehta-Lissak
When Barbara Kingsolver and family departed from Tucson, Arizona, they headed for a hollow in southern Appalachia with a plan to eat local and homegrown foods for one year. Kingsolver's latest work, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (HarperCollins 2007), is about that year. It bounces along like a good travelogue, with tales about the glories and challenges of sustainable living. But this book is more than a journal taking readers on a vicarious tractor ride; it is a call to action and a push to ask the pertinent question, Where did this food come from?...

Backing Out
Befriending Chaos, by Khris Fruits, Managing Editor
For most of my life, the relationship I had with chaos could best be described by the word antipathy. I'm not talking about the kind of chaos that's exemplified by messy bookshelves or one too many catch-all drawers in the kitchen. Although entropy and I periodically come to blows, it seems as if entropy is as much like chaos as a cup of water is like the ocean. Chaos is mythic - archetypal. For me, chaos has been the biggest bully on the playground

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