“You become more divine as you become more creative. All the religions of the world have said God is the creator. I don’t know whether he is the creator or not, but one thing I know: the more creative you become, the more godly you become. When your creativity comes to a climax, when your whole life becomes creative, you live in God. So he must be the creator because people who have been creative have been closest to him. Love what you do. Be meditative while you are doing it – whatsoever it is!” — Osho
Living a life with food restrictions has been on of my greatest challenges, but it has also been great fun. It has required not only stepping outside the box, but sometimes ripping that box to pieces. I have learned to try things that just seem impossible, because they usually work — like flax seed “eggs” and chickpea brownies.
Major life changes, especially for health reasons can be overwhelming. It’s not unusual to get stuck, afraid to move, feeling like food has suddenly become the enemy. Bob and I spent the first 6 months of gluten free life eating a lot of stir fry. We still love stir fry but I have become more adventurous in experimenting with new recipes.
Maybe your kitchen challenge isn’t related to allergies or other medical conditions. Maybe you would just like to get your kids to eat more veggies. This is a great reason to get creative in the kitchen. Play with your food and have fun!
So, do I have a recipe? This recipe is dairy free and naturally gluten free. Adjusting to gluten free was easier for me than dairy free. I do love my cheese and ice cream. We are still working on cheese, but I gone way beyond plain “vanilla” in creating my own dairy free, fruit based ice cream. Bob calls it fruit cream. This is one of my favorites
Carrot Cake Fruit Cream
Carrot Cake Fruit Cream
Copyright 2015 by R.A. Robbins
Ingredients
2 cups frozen mashed bananas
½ cup coconut milk beverage (in the carton)
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup finely grated carrots (about 1 small)
¼ cup crushed pineapple (drained)
⅛ cup finely chopped walnuts
Instructions
Add bananas and coconut milk to blender container of a high-speed blender such as a Ninja or a Vita Mix. Pulse a few times then process on high until ingredients are well blended and look like ice cream. If your bananas are frozen very hard, you may have to stop a few times and scrape them down.
Remove blade and stir in remaining ingredients. You may pour the ice cream into a bowl to do this if desired.
The ice cream is now the consistency of soft serve. I suggest putting it in the freezer for a couple of hours to allow the flavors to blend.
Want more recipes like this one? Frozen Fun: 25 Dairy and Dairy Free Ice Cream Recipes is available at the Espirational Bookshelf.
”Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the actor. It’s a gift to the world and every being in it. Don’t cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you’ve got.” ~Steven Pressfield
You don’t have to look far to find circles in daily life. From the bowl you eat your breakfast cereal from to the clock on the wall, to the sun and the moon, circles are everywhere. Life itself can be seen as a circle from birth to death. We even talk of coming “full circle”
I think the circle is a symbol that is embedded in our spiritual DNA there for us when we are ready to remember. I believe that spiritual art and music incorporating circles are a way of helping us to remember. Some of the songs written about the deeper meaning of circles include The Circle by Harry Chapin to Circle Game by Judy Collins to Circle of Life from The Lion King written by Elton John and Tim Rice.
I love to play with sacred geometry in my artwork, especially circles. My first attempt at this was with the form of the Rose Window for Rose of Sharon.
Rose of Sharon Copyright 2010
Then I explored the labyrinth with my ‘Walker” series.
Firewalker Copyright 2015 by R.A. Robbins
I created another round quilt based on the song The Circle Game by Joni Mitchell to honor my mother’s life. It hangs on my gallery wall in my home.
Carousel of Time Copyright 2014 by R.A. Robbins Original quilt based on the song Circle Game
A few years ago I even devoted a day to working with a mandala. The day began with meditation on the courtesy dock which actually extends over the water. What a wonderful way to begin, sitting silently listening to the birds and feeling the gentle breeze on my face. Then I went inside and did a bit more study on the history and process of the mandala. I wanted to work outside so I loaded up a couple of tote bags, walked back down to the lake and set up on a picnic table by the water.
I thought I had an idea of what I would do, but Spirit had something else in mind. Instead of the extremely intricate flowing lines of the typical drawn mandala I ended us with very basic circles full of personal meaning and symbolism. It may not seem like much to others, but to me it is a gentle, encouraging message from the Creator and exactly what I needed on that day. I am not posting a photo here because this is a very personal piece. It is hanging in my studio and is not for sale.
When we begin recognizing our connection to nature, Spirit, symbols and other people life starts to open up to us in all it’s glory. The mandala is one tool we can use to help facilitate this. More than just an art form, Spirit will speak through it if we just listen.
“I have never created anything in my life that did not make me feel, at some point or another, like I was the guy who just walked into a fancy ball wearing a homemade lobster costume. But you must stubbornly walk into that room, regardless, and you must hold your head high. You made it; you get to put it out there. Never apologize for it, never explain it away, never be ashamed of it. You did your best with what you knew, and you worked with what you had, in the time that you were given. You were invited, and you showed up, and you simply cannot do more than that. They might throw you out – but then again, they might not. They probably won’t throw you out, actually. The ballroom is often more welcoming and supportive than you could ever imagine. Somebody might even think you’re brilliant and marvelous. You might end up dancing with royalty. Or you might just end up having to dance alone in the corner of the castle with your big, ungainly red foam claws waving in the empty air. that’s fine, too. Sometimes it’s like that. What you absolutely must not do is turn around and walk out. Otherwise, you will miss the party, and that would be a pity, because – please believe me – we did not come all this great distance, and make all this great effort, only to miss the party at the last moment.”
― Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
