time to breathe

I want to dangle strings of lights from the giant tree that gives shade to our apartment. Heavy branches cocooning our patio, giving the impression of entering some type of carefully tended and intimate open air tree house, something of a fairyland, perfect for sipping iced tea and sharing a plate of good eats, hidden away from the bustle of life.

Containers spilling full of lavender, and some tall grasses that will rustle in the breeze are what I want to plant. This weekend, perhaps. It has been cool this spring, and I’m late getting started. Time has this way of continually zipping by. I can hear a nest of new baby birds cheeping from somewhere close by.

I know it’s been quiet here. I didn’t intend to step away for this long, or at all, actually. Yet here we are, and it is June. There are some delicious things that I want to share with you. Strawberries might be involved. Soon they will be ripe. Soon.

I’ve been thinking about change, changes, changing. Inevitably there are (always?) things I’d like to change and recreate on this little site of mine. I know deep down what direction I’d like to take, but I would love to know what all of you, my friends and readers, are interested in seeing and reading in this space. More of something? Less? Something new? I look forward, very much, to reading your thoughts and ideas, please share them in the comments. I would love to continue to build our little community.

I suppose, in this break away, I’ve been thinking about what direction I’d like my life to go in. There are so many things I like to do, sometimes it all becomes a tangle. Each goal, dream, fleeting idea, big idea, getting trapped together into what I can only describe as one big rubber band ball of insanity that just gets tossed around and down, bouncing like crazy everywhere, sometimes resting, sometimes hurtling fast, ricocheting at top speed from every wall, corner, nook and cranny available. Everything was everywhere, nothing was happening. My mind was trapped in a crazy time of ridiculously intense, sound-barrier breaking speed of rubber ball travel insanity, and then, with nowhere to turn, it basically exploded, imploded, and just, well, stopped.

And I saw that crazy, wild, ball of chaos that I’d backed into the corner like it was a sweating, wild and scared animal. Ready to charge or bolt at any second. I really saw it. And instead of barreling down on it, adding one more passionate thought into an already charged creation, urging it to go! move! do something! think something! be better! be the best! be fucking amazing! NOW! I just stood still. Paralyzed. And I watched. And you know what? After just standing there, being, looking and not judging, not adding to it, just not thinking all the damn time, it took one giant, free, inhalation. And relaxed.

Oh to breathe deeply! Suddenly I was free! And with that freedom I calmly walked in, slowly, gently, and began to untangle the crazy elastic rainbow mess of thoughts and ideas. I swept many aside, put some in storage for later, and lay out to look at, like beautiful curated gems and works of art, the few I want to tackle now. They are goodies.

Thanks for your patience. See you again soon. xo.

Blaine - June 5, 2013 - 9:06 pm

Girl, I hear ya on the crazy mind ball of chaos. Sometimes pauses are necessary to move forward with fresh zeal and inspiration; aren’t those mental breakthroughs delicious?

My input: bring on more of what you’ve been doing! Don’t have any specific tidbits, other than I love reading your recipes, everything from simple macro standbys to extra special treats. As a natural foods chef myself, I would also love glimpses into how you conduct your classes or cook for clients.

Your beautiful posts are much appreciated!

xo Blaine

Shauna - June 6, 2013 - 3:48 pm

Hi Blaine! Thanks for writing! I’ve been thinking about having some class footage- guess it’s time to start learning the video function on my camera!! If you want to send me an e-mail we can totally chat about cooking for private clients, I’d love to hear your thoughts as well. Thanks again for the kind encouragement.

Csilla - June 10, 2013 - 5:57 am

Hi,
I agree with Blaine, I also would like to read more about your thoughts and experiences on cooking classes and working with clients.
I think it is very nice that you share some things of your life, so I would like to encourage you to continue it.
Of course you take very beautyful and demanding (I hope that this is the correct word for what I mean) pictures, which are inspiring for many people. I love them. Sometimes when I start to be tired of always cooking or when I have no idea, I take a look at these pictures and I feel: Wow, I also want to cook something beautyful, delicious and healthy.
And, I would like to read about how you handle your everyday cooking, how you can always cook variously, if you would like to share your thoughts about it.
I am also interested in the macro community there in Toronto, it would be great to read about it.

I like changes, so I am excited about what you will decide to change.
I wish you all the best :-)

Shauna - June 17, 2013 - 5:22 pm

Hi Csilla!
Thanks for the comments- and suggestions! I think one of my favourite things about blogging, so far, has been all of the great people I’ve had the chance to “meet” (via the internet, anyways!) from around the globe. It’s so humbling to me to see that people take time to read my posts and look at the pics to get inspired!! xo

Christina Cooks in Toronto

*THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED. Please make sure you sign up (over there on the right hand side) to be the first to know when we have news and  new dates. Thanks for your interest!!*

Hi All! A quick update- beach and lanai time await! If you’re still thinking about attending Christina Pirello’s upcoming event, what are you waiting for?!?! Please make sure you purchase your tickets as soon as possible so the event can run! Links to all of the classes and the Friday Evening Lecture are in the post below, and as always, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. See you soon!

Julie Blake - May 13, 2013 - 7:43 am

Hi,

Are the Toronto events cancelled or sold out? I can’t seem to find the post or the tickets for purchase on your site.

Many thanks,
Julie

Shauna - May 13, 2013 - 10:24 pm

Hi Julie,

The event has been postponed. Make sure you sign up for the newsletter (on the right side of the page) to stay up to date when the new dates are announced :) Hope to see you there!

Cooking Class With Mom + Last Day to Save!

In just five days I’ll be on my way to Maui. Exactly five days from right now I’ll be madly dashing through different terminals at LAX to catch my connecting flight. I’ve got a travel snack post in the works so I can share with you the delicious morsels I’ll be digging into the moment when I get settled into the LA to Maui segment of the journey and can take a deep and relaxing breath. I can’t wait. Those snacks are pretty darn amazing!! Today, however, I want to remind you that it’s the last day to save on the full weekend package for Christina Pirello’s upcoming visit. And, if you’re looking for a gift for Mom, well, we’re pretty convinced that any or all of the following classes would be a welcome Mother’s Day gift! Click on each of the images below to shop the classes. See you there!

*THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED. Please make sure you sign up (over there on the right hand side) to be the first to know when we have news and  new dates. Thanks for your interest!!*

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Tofu Salad Sandwiches

In the midst of cleaning, organizing, cooking and shooting this past weekend, Hubs and I looked at the clock and realized we were passed due, waaaay past due, for lunch. Luckily there were no hangry (hungry + angry because you’re hungry = hangry) symptoms, yet, but I knew I had to find something for us to eat- that wasn’t dessert– as fast as I could.

Enter the tofu salad sandwich. Ready in under 10 minutes, it’s super fast and easy. And delicious too. As we were chewing them up with delight, Hubs exclaimed between mouthfuls, “You should totally post this on your blog.” So I grabbed my camera, snapped a couple of action shots, and we resumed eating. Bonus- the tofu salad is really good the next day as well, as the seasonings have lots of time to meld in and intensify. Yum. Stuff the salad in a large leaf of lettuce and fold like a taco, in lieu of bread, for an extra light, summery version.

I took a quick snap of the leftovers that hubs took for lunch (1st pic of the post)- proof that this tofu salad could fit in just as nicely for a fancy afternoon tea party. It’s hungry man food, and dainty tea party food at its simple and yummy best.

Irene - April 25, 2013 - 9:22 am

Omg. Looks delish!

Claire - April 25, 2013 - 9:59 am

oh yeah that looks amazing (I am a sucker for a sandwich!) I am so gonna make one for my self!!!

Gail - April 25, 2013 - 3:19 pm

These are soooo good. Shauna made them when visiting in Calgary
– we used Pita’s. MMMMMgood! and fast and easy. Thanks Shauna Love You – Mom

jess - April 25, 2013 - 9:09 pm

can’t wait to try these. just what my belly’s been looking for :)

Mandy - April 25, 2013 - 9:25 pm

YUM!!! good suggestion wrapping it all up in a lettuce leaf!! Can’t wait to try it out!

Emma - May 13, 2013 - 3:06 pm

I tried this last week – it was very easy and really yummy.
We had sandwiches on day one, and I took the leftovers to work with some romaine leaves for lunch the next day.

Shauna - May 20, 2013 - 7:25 pm

Hi Emma! Great!! I’m so happy you tried and liked these! They are a go to for us when we need something fast and easy in a snap. Plus they are great for summer- nice and cooling!!

[…] Tofu Salad Sandwiches […]

KiKi - October 19, 2014 - 7:54 pm

Sunday evening has become my *prepare my food for the week* time. I made the tofu salad for sandwiches for this coming week, and it’s absolutely delicious! This will definitely become a staple in my house. Thanks for the recipe!

Vegan Dessert Class

Heya! Did you all have a nice weekend? Hubs and I sure did. We worked a bit, sure, but I also shopped  a little (TWO amazing new pairs of jeans on sale at Anthro! YES!) and did a little dessert making. We topped off the weekend by eating the delicious sweet morsels you see here. New jeans + desserts? Doesn’t get much better than that. Unless perhaps, you were able to watch the recipe creator make these desserts, in her real life Christina Pirello glory, at a class dedicated purely to making delicious vegan desserts. And get to sample them all too. Well, today’s your lucky day! Click here for the class details and to register. Sweetness!

See you tomorrow with a crazy easy recipe for one of my favourite sandwiches. Happy Monday!

*THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED. Please make sure you sign up (over there on the right hand side) to be the first to know when we have news and  new dates. Thanks for your interest!!*

Tofu Salad Sandwiches » She Cooks Macro - April 25, 2013 - 6:14 am

[…] you’re hungry = hangry) symptoms, yet, but I knew I had to find something for us to eat- that wasn’t dessert- as fast as I […]