the Village Wellness Project

Heather Loreen Makes Kale Chips

2011-10-26T08:25:00.000-04:00

I love sharing my home recipes. They are the secrets to my personal success!

The very first recipe I tried making while going to nutrition school was kale chips! I couldn't believe how easy the recipe was and I only needed a few ingredients. I must admit I was skeptical that baking leaves would be a tasty treat. But after mastering the speedy recipe, and finding that kale cooks QUICK, I tasted the crispy greens! Salty, citrusy and so light! I was hooked!!

After baking my first batch I gave my final product to the ultimate judge, my meaty, non veggie boyfriend! He tasted the first chip cautiously and to his surprise the flaky green was scrumptious! Not only was he eating veggies, but assisting me in the kitchen too!

To try making your own batch of Kale Chips by following my first video demonstration!

Oktobert Zest!

2011-10-13T16:41:00.002-04:00

Fall is brewing! A great way to enter the new season is to embrace the new smells and flavors!

Working with the mother nature's peak produce, will get your body balanced with the climate and temperature changes.

Here are some Fall produce picks for the seasonal symptoms:

Skin becomes dryer and the need for more root veggies that boost the skin with vitamin A, try sweet potato, carrot and pumpkin.

Temperatures are starting to wind down and can create a chill. Keep the body warm with blood circulating ingredients like garlic, onion and ginger.

Still salivating for some sweetness?? Apples and pomegranates are natures candy! Make a batch of apple cider add some cinnamon for extra spice! MMMMMMMmmmmmm!

Find out what is in season in your neck of the woods!

http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/seasonalcooking/farmtotable/seasonalingredientmap

Also, eating in-season keeps the produce local, therefore its less expensive!

For more info like this check out Heather's monthly events!

Spring Fever

2011-04-26T11:17:00.001-04:00

Like most people, when I think about Spring, I tend to think of a new beginning. The world wakes from a cold and dark winter and moves into an invigorating and bright spring where the earth is blooming and flush with new flowers and plants. With that, we emerge from the cozy shelter of our homes to embrace the new season and once again, we bask in our time outdoors, wearing lighter and brighter clothes, people watching, and generally, feeling a bit more optimistic about the state of the world.

So yes, many of us take to the season by planting flowers and tending to our gardens but how else could we uniquely enter into this time of renewal and plant other seeds of new ideas into our life? Have you been pondering a possible career change and if so, could this be the time to take a course in this interest at night? Do you want to venture into trying a new type of yoga? Sign up for your first 5K race? Take a cooking class? Embrace this new season and the optimism that it brings and honor this flurry of invigorating energy to renew some aspect within your life.

Nanette Greenberg, LCSW

April Showers Bring May Flowers

2011-04-13T10:44:00.005-04:00

I woke up this morning to hear the gentle pitter patter of rain against my window. My immediate thought was dread… how would I get to work this morning. Most days, I love to walk through the park so when the weather is less than optimal, I resort to taking the bus which begins my day in such a different way. Today, with my umbrella in hand, I headed towards the bus stop but instead, I decided to face the rain and continue with my usual walk to work.

As a psychotherapist, this change in seasons and how we each uniquely adapt reminds me of how we all experience difficulties in our lives and we choose to cope in different ways. Like the rain this morning, each of us find our own to protect ourselves and find comfort. In my walk today, I saw school children wearing galoshes playfully stomping in puddles, business people rushing by with enormous umbrellas guaranteeing they would not be touched by the rain, and others simply relying on their raincoats to keep dry. In the park, runners and bikers embraced the rain shower in that it may have made their morning exercise feel refreshing. For each of us, with our own temperaments and experiences, the rain brought something different. For me, today, this meant that I felt like walking in the rain with my umbrella overhead whereas on other days, this might have been too much. On days when the weather is sporadic, we must be willing to take risks to come out from underneath our umbrellas to see if the rain has stopped and the sun has come out. This morning, for me, it felt like a balancing act where I protected myself from the rain but also often lifted my umbrella to get glimpses of the beautiful flowers that seemed to blossom overnight.

This idea reminds me of how we create and utilize our own set of coping skills to protect ourselves to the best of our ability when difficult situations arise. For all of us, throughout life, we grow and change in many ways. However, despite our growing awareness and capabilities, our coping mechanisms often remain stuck and rigid. Some people continually reflect and re-evaluate the effectiveness and appropriateness of their coping mechanisms whereas most others continue to use the same coping skill over and over again simply because, at some point in time, this way of protection had worked. In this time of seasonal change, it can be helpful to think about how we protect ourselves. Do our coping mechanisms continue to work effectively? What are the pros and cons to using these tactics? Is there a better way to deal with these situations? What are our current abilities and do we still require the same amount of protection that we once did? Can we think about our feelings that lurk underneath these defenses?

It is natural that we want to protect ourselves and yet, it is of equal importance to think about when we need to let down our defenses and re-evaluate and reconfigure our coping skills. In taking these brave steps, we may just partake in the freedom and joy that comes along too.

Nanette Greenberg, LCSW

Bad ass in a few bites

2011-01-28T00:58:00.000-05:00

On Monday morning my phone rang, unexpectedly-bright and early. It was my client, in labor. We spent our prenatal visits together discussing early labor, and how it was her first baby, and how it would very likely be long---ish. At least a few hours of-is this it? Yes, this is it! Oh wait, the contractions have stopped, maybe this isn't it? But not for this young mama.

I arrived shortly after and suggested we call the midwife for this home birth because at the peak of each contraction there was a catch in her breath, was she pushing? Yes, whether she knew it or not, her body was puuushing. I have been to enough births to know that sound, and have caught one surprise baby at home, I wasn't going to 'push' my luck- so the midwife we called!

Her labor was fast and furious and this mama was so strong! But after the little guy was born mom felt weak, a little faint. The remedies offered weren't working. Then the midwife's assistant's eyes lit up! She said "Eat your placenta!" "What?" This nice mother asked. "Eat your placenta, I don't know why I didn't think of it earlier!"

Now, many mammals, and many cultures do this or recognize the placenta for it's profound and spiritual properties. But here, in NYC? Not so much, at least not raw, freshly born and not dehydrated for encapsulation. But this mother, was so bad ass. She said "Give it to me, I'll eat it." My jaw dropped because a week before-this was not in the 'birth plan' but tonight, this lioness was ready to do what she needed to do, to be well, so she could care for her baby.

And so the midwife said "Kristy, take this to the kitchen and break it up, put some salt on it."
I am not squeamish, I see babies and placenta's born regularly, but I have never actually TOUCHED one. I've admired it from afar, I have even photographed it, mentioned the 'tree of life' pattern of ir'a blood vessels. But prepare it for consumption? This was a first! I obediently brought the placenta into the kitchen where I broke a golf ball size amount apart into bite sized pieces-with my bare hands-I tried my best to make it look like sushi, or steak tartar. I made some toast-with butter, used the best french sea salt they had in the house. Then returned the feast to this lioness. Who swallowed it piece by piece, with nothing more than a sip of ginger ale to wash it down.

I was deeply moved by this action. Her incredible sense of what her body needed to be well for her child. Her ability to get past mental barriers, fears or doubts. She just ate it. Bad ass in a few bites. And guess what? She was much better, her color returned, still weak but definitely better, different, more like herself.

I'm not an expert on placenta's or even child birth for that matter, but I do believe that women are incredible beings who know what they need for themselves and their children especially in pregnancy, childbirth and immediate postpartum. I've seen it, many times, when the rest of us are scratching our heads, these woman just DO it, whatever IT is they need to do. They just do it.

Win a Free Massage!

2010-05-07T14:03:00.004-04:00

Win a free 60 minute massage session with HanaKyle!

Send me an email at hkmassage@gmail.com, with your name and phone number and the subject line "raffle" by May 15th. I'll be drawing one name at random to win an hour of Swedish-based or Shiatsu at the Village Wellness Project office.

If you don't win this month, I invite you to sign up for my newsletter for a chance to win next month. Visit www.hanakylemassage.com, and book your monthly massage now! My hours of availability have expanded to include most days of the week, so come in for a deeply therapeutic, detailed and thorough bodywork experience!

New Blog Launched!

2010-04-22T10:49:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone. The new Village Wellness Project blog is now officially launched. We will be posting articles periodically about massage therapy, acupuncture, pregnancy support, common modalities (such as reflexology such as reiki, reflexology, aromatherapy, yoga, meditation, energy medicine, thermography, etc.), and much more. For now you can visit our main Village Wellness Project website to learn more about our practice in New York City.