Just Modified This to Make Banana Pudding!

Vegan and Soy-Free Chocolate Pudding: Food Allergy Recipe Challenge #15 - Whole Living Daily : Whole Living

Vegan, vegetarian options sprout in New Orleans

For those visiting the Big Easy.

Photo by Lauren Gaudin

Vegan, vegetarian options sprout in New Orleans | New Orleans Entertainment | The Advocate — Baton Rouge, LA

Cooking Lessons with Sweet Pea

Playing around in the kitchen with my youngest.

The "Sawce Boss" Vegan style

Almost two weeks ago I took a train ride from Louisiana to Illinois.  Good times!  Met great people and of course packed some "train food".  Here is a video describing what we ate!

Good Eats!

At the Good Food Festival in Chicago. I'm chomping on a Vegan Philly Cheesesteak from Chicago Diner and enjoying the vibe.
More pics and info to come...

Life as a Health Coach~How May I Serve?



My client writing out her accomplishments

When I first began to see coaching clients, I doubted my abilities as a healer and wanted to give up.  "You are enough!" was always emphazied in my coaching studies and yet, I still felt the fear of lack.  Then I remembered a video I saw a few years ago from coaching great Tony Robbins. One of his suggestions for building success in life; find a Mentor! Success leaves clues and If I am to be successful I have to look at those who are successful. As a coach I continually study the Wise Woman energy of Iyanla Vanzant and the strategic interventions of Tony Robbins. For me, they are awesome mentors and help me stay uplifted on my journey. 
The work I do is awesome and I am so blessed to be able to assist others on their journey toward health an wellness. After working with my client today, my heart was filled with gratitude for the gift I have been given that serves and heals others. If you would like to know more about my health coaching and healing work, please drop me a line at germaine.gordon@gmail.com. I would love to answer any questions you have or just chat about health and life concerns.

And on that note, may your days be filled with peace and joy!

Take Care~

Vegan Lasagna!!!

VegNews Magazine

I found this yummy recipe from VegNews Magazine in my e-mail the other morning.

Will be giving this a try soon!

Click here > Vegan Two Cheese Lasagna

Let's Use the Microplane Gingerly!

It's another glorious day in South Louisiana!   Today I am sharing a kitchen tip, via video, on using ginger.  This little nugget of info came from my experience at the School of  Natural Cookery in Boulder, Colorado.  I hope you all enjoy!

Salmon and Seeds

This morning I used my leftover wild caught salmon from last nights dinner to add a little kick to my yellow corn grits for breakfast. I don't do grits too often but when I do I get my grits from a local vendor at the farmers market.

On another note, I had the honor of attending a groundbreaking ceremony at Truman Elementary School for their school garden.   In addition,  there will be an eight week summer program for youth to learn about gardening. I will be one of the artisan chefs on board teaching our young people how to cook their wonderful harvest! I'll keep you posted on this and other community programs I am involved with. Check it out below!

Never Give Up, Never Surrender!

Happy New Year!

It's been a while since I've posted!  I finally finished my health coach training from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and am so honored to be a part of such an awesome network of coaches. 

Today I am writing because I saw the article below posted on Facebook.  It is a testimony from director Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon).  It almost had me in tears because just the other night I felt like giving up.  My love of cooking, health and wellness, and movement seemed more like a burden than a blessing.  I asked God to take it from my heart if it was not my life's work.  I always think, I should have gone to law school, or gone to that business school that accepted me, or opened that dance school that everyone was looking forward to attending.  But, for every doubt,  the Universe shows me the possibilities and the power in perseverance.  I am thankful for the love I receive because of the work I do and realize this is all a part of the process.  When I leave this planet, I want to say, "I did it my way, dammit!"  Cause when I stand in front of the creator, what "they" said will not matter. 

So be on the lookout for more postings that add a little bit more happiness, health, and wellness to your life!

Ang Lee: A Never-Ending Dream

"In 1978, as I applied to study film at the University of Illinois, my father vehemently objected. He quoted me a statistic: ‘Eve...ry year, 50,000 performers compete for 200 available roles on Broadway.’ Against his advice, I boarded a flight to the U.S. This strained our relationship. In the two decades following, we exchanged less than a hundred phrases in conversation.

Some years later, when I graduated film school, I came to comprehend my father’s concern. It was nearly unheard of for a Chinese newcomer to make it in the American film industry. Beginning in 1983, I struggled through six years of agonizing, hopeless uncertainty. Much of the time, I was helping film crews with their equipment or working as editor’s assistant, among other miscellaneous duties. My most painful experience involved shopping a screenplay at more than thirty different production companies, and being met with harsh rejection each time.

That year, I turned 30. There’s an old Chinese saying: ‘At 30, one stands firm.’ Yet, I couldn’t even support myself. What could I do? Keep waiting, or give up my movie-making dream? My wife gave me invaluable support.

My wife was my college classmate. She was a biology major, and after graduation, went to work for a small pharmaceutical research lab. Her income was terribly modest. At the time, we already had our elder son, Haan, to raise. To appease my own feelings of guilt, I took on all housework – cooking, cleaning, taking care of our son – in addition to reading, reviewing films and writing scripts. Every evening after preparing dinner, I would sit on the front steps with Haan, telling him stories as we waited for his mother – the heroic huntress – to come home with our sustenance (income).

This kind of life felt rather undignified for a man. At one point, my in-laws gave their daughter (my wife) a sum of money, intended as start-up capital for me to open a Chinese restaurant – hoping that a business would help support my family. But my wife refused the money. When I found out about this exchange, I stayed up several nights and finally decided: This dream of mine is not meant to be. I must face reality.

Afterward (and with a heavy heart), I enrolled in a computer course at a nearby community college. At a time when employment trumped all other considerations, it seemed that only a knowledge of computers could quickly make me employable. For the days that followed, I descended into malaise. My wife, noticing my unusual demeanor, discovered a schedule of classes tucked in my bag. She made no comment that night.

The next morning, right before she got in her car to head off to work, my wife turned back and – standing there on our front steps – said, ‘Ang, don’t forget your dream.’

And that dream of mine – drowned by demands of reality – came back to life. As my wife drove off, I took the class schedule out of my bag and slowly, deliberately tore it to pieces. And tossed it in the trash.

Sometime after, I obtained funding for my screenplay, and began to shoot my own films. And after that, a few of my films started to win international awards. Recalling earlier times, my wife confessed, ‘I’ve always believed that you only need one gift. Your gift is making films. There are so many people studying computers already, they don’t need an Ang Lee to do that. If you want that golden statue, you have to commit to the dream.’

And today, I’ve finally won that golden statue. I think my own perseverance and my wife’s immeasurable sacrifice have finally met their reward. And I am now more assured than ever before: I must continue making films.

You see, I have this never-ending dream."

(Following Ang Lee’s second Best Directing win at the Academy Awards last night, this beautiful essay resurfaced. Here is my translation of Ang Lee’s words, written in 2006 (post-Oscar win). Please credit the translation to Irene Shih (and to this blog), thank you!)