Stephanie Klein Greek Tragedy

Fortune Favors The Bold

Stephanie Klein — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 20:22:05 +0000

People start manifesting this time of year. Vision boards come out. I’ve done my fair share, knowing the key to manifestation is feeling the desired feelings you’d have now, ahead of time. In other words, whatever it is you desire, assume it’s yours. You’re already there. The best of all possible worlds is your reality. How do you feel? Go ahead and give yourself permission to operate from those emotions now. That’s the key, to act as if you already have what you desire.

Wanting a future doesn’t make a future happen. Many say to create a vision board, then to set it aside. Go on with your life. “Set it, and forget it” like a rotisserie bird. “Don’t over-manifest, or you’ll crush it.” Not gonna lie, it sounds like dating. Courting the Universe. Play a little hard to get. People read their manifestation journal entries, as if they’re critiquing their online dating profiles.

Here’s what I do know. I once wrote a post, including everything I desired. I put it on display, publicly, for all to read, spelling out exactly what I desired before any of it was mine. And then, I let it go and went on with my life. Not back to my career in advertising, but I continued to blog while keeping my job in advertising. I wasn’t trying to figure out how to afford a house with stairs and dimmer light switches. I wasn’t interviewing others about how they made their dreams come true. I was simply following my bliss. It’s a Joseph Campbell thing: Follow Your Bliss.

Notice “follow” is a verb. You’re taking action. You’re not sitting on your ass, waiting for your future to arrive. It’s your bliss. Not your parents’ or society’s bliss, yours. What makes you giddy to pursue, not what you think will give you happiness, but what makes you happy in hot pursuit. It’s the pursuit, the follow, the action you put in that creates the bliss. So ask yourself, what can you spend time doing without noticing the time? Where you’re lost in time and space, in flow. Follow that.

I was writing daily, and I attended writing workshop class once a week. I was committed to a process, but I wasn’t committed to the things. I wasn’t scouring Pinterest in search of my ideal kitchen. Or was I? I probably was, but only as a means of procrastination, not manifestation. All my dreams came true. I was able to support myself through writing alone, got the house, the stairs, the French doors, and the pool. All the things happened. But in that space between wanting them and having them lived THE WORK.

The bravery. I believe we’re rewarded for our brave. For doing the things that scare us. Learning the things we’ve been resisting, opening to new ways of thinking or doing things, opening to changes that scare us and make us really uncomfortable. Fortune favors the bold, Audentes Fortuna Iuvat. You transform when you actively pursue the things that scare you, when you get vulnerable and step into the leading role of your life, despite the fear. It’s not courage without fear. You have to find what scares you and pursue it. Get comfortable with the uncomfortable.

In the coming days, I intend to explore how to create Future You. It begins with Follow Your Bliss and my motto for this year: Fortune favors the bold.

Lentil Lovers

Stephanie Klein — Sun, 05 Mar 2023 00:41:21 +0000

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

NOTES

Time to cue up Stevie Wonder's, "Part Time Lover." Though this recipe works overtime and off the books, and there's no reason to hide your affection for it. There's nothing naughty here. Though it feels a bit scandalous with its unexpected hit of cinnamon, done in a savory way. Even if you *think* you dislike lentils, give this a try. Red lentils cook down to a slurping situation of yum. What I love most about lentils: they're a whole food that make it down to your colon, where they're recognized by your body as a useful food that helps feed the good gut bacteria. Lentils are the edible seeds of plants in the legume family, and studies have shown that lentils not only help your body when you're eating them, but they positively impact blood sugar in subsequent meals, too!* As for this recipe, leftovers taste even better as the flavors have a chance to sit and further develop. I used one jalapeño with half its seeds. If you don't want spice, use none of the seeds. Or skip the jalapeño. This is great alone in a bowl, with an egg on top, or with a swirl of yogurt and drizzle of good olive oil, or warmed over riced cauliflower, a baked potato, or over rice. It makes a great side dish or lunch, and it's protein and fiber in one. Score.

INGREDIENTS

16 oz Uncooked red lentils (I used a bag of Goya), rinsed

6 cups Water

2 Tbl Olive oil

1 tsp Cumin seeds

2 Cinnamon sticks

2 medium yellow onions, diced

1 Jalapeño, stemmed, seeded, and minced (Optional)

8 cloves Garlic, minced

2 Tbl Ginger, minced

1 tsp Ground turmeric

1 tsp Ground cardamom

1 tsp Paprika

1 pinch Ground cloves (Optional)

2 tsp Kosher salt

1 large Beefsteak tomato, diced

1 Lemon

2 Tbl Cilantro, chopped (Optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Place the rinsed lentils in a stockpot. Add the water, give it stir, and turn heat to medium low, setting a timer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat after 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium skillet set over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and cinnamon stick; cook for about 2 minutes, until fragrant. The whole house should smell fragrant!
Add the onion, jalapeño, garlic, and ginger; cook for 5 minutes, until the onions turn translucent.
Add the turmeric, cardamom, paprika, ground cloves, salt, and tomato to the pan. Cook until the tomato begins to collapse, about 3 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and save for leftovers container.
Stir the spiced onion tomato mixture into the pot of lentils. Add the juice of one whole lemon and stir. Taste and add salt as needed. I add quite a bit more salt to taste. If it is too dry, then add some water. If it is too wet, then cook on low until it thickens to your liking. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves and enjoy!

* Jenkins DJ, Wolever TM, Taylor RH, et al. Slow release dietary carbohydrate improves second meal tolerance. Am J Clin Nutr. 1982 Jun;35(6):1339-46.

Higgins JA. Whole grains, legumes, and the subsequent meal effect: implications for blood glucose control and the role of fermentation. J Nutr Metab. 2012;2012:829238. Epub 2011 Oct 30. Mollard RC, Zykus A, Luhovy

The Opposite of Shrimpy

Stephanie Klein — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 19:25:45 +0000

MAKES 4-6 SERVINGS

NOTES

Serve it as you like it, with a side of beans, in a taco shell. Or, make it for one person, and slaw-on with your badass self all week. Adjust shrimp and avocado portions, as appetites require.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup Plain Greek yogurt (your choice fat %)

1 Garlic clove

3 Scallion tops - greens only

¹⁄₂cup Cilantro, stems and all

1 Jalapeño, core and seeds removed

¹⁄₄cup Freshly-squeezed lime juice

¹⁄₂tsp Ground cumin
¹⁄₂tsp Kosher salt
¹⁄₄tsp Black Pepper

1 (14-ounce) Bag cole slaw mix

1 lb Shrimp, cleaned and raw

1 Haas Avocado

Lime Wedges

INSTRUCTIONS

This is a zero point Weight Watchers Meal if using fat-free yogurt, save for the avocado. Point accordingly.

In a food processor or blender, add all the ingredients in the first grouping, except for the slaw. Pulse until combined. This will make the slaw dressing.
Dress the cole slaw mix, to your liking. I reserve some of the dressing to use throughout the week, served over riced-cauliflower, drizzled over eggplant. Anything goes.
In a sauté pan, with a hint of olive oil non-stick spray, a shower of salt and pepper, cook the shrimp until they're pink and happy. Shrimp hate to be overcooked. No anger-ball shrimp! Hit 'em with a shock of lime juice at the end. Come to mama.
Slaw up a bowl, layer on some happy shrimp with avocado chunks, shower with cilantro, and garnish with lime wedges, adding more dressing as you wish.

Drowning

Stephanie Klein — Sat, 29 Oct 2022 19:39:00 +0000

I am re-posting this entry because we’re rounding into the holiday season. Many of us associate the holidays with seasonal songs and foods, silver bells and merriment. But there are also a lot people out there suffering. And what they don’t know is that they needn’t suffer alone. Our attachment to how we believe things should be is what creates so much of our suffering, and we can feel like prisoners of our own thoughts. There is relief if you find the right support. Asking for help is what strong people do.

Reach out. Show affection. And spread the word. “988” is the three-digit, nationwide phone number to connect directly to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. By calling or texting 988, you’ll connect with mental health professionals with the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. No one should suffer alone.

____

No one has drowned. There aren’t even sorrows worthy of drowning. I can’t remember the last time I had a sip of alcohol. It was probably last September, and the lack of alcohol wasn’t even a decision I made. I guess when you’re just trying to eat healthier and wake with energy, the alcohol just doesn’t seem worth it. I wrote a shit ton more when I drank.

The only reason I wanted to post a blog entry right now is so I’ll have proof. Not 40-proof, not proof that I’ve gone without liquor, but I needed to go on record now that I just spent 40 minutes hunting down the name of that movie that has haunted me since I was a child.

I don’t know how old I was, but it was the 80s, and I was home watching a movie on “Home Box Office.” All I could recall was summarized in tonight’s search queries:

Teacher swimming cave drown
Teacher swimming hole
Drowning movies

I needed to write this post because I will undoubtedly forget the name of the movie, and I don’t want to spend another 40 minutes needing to know the name, as if by just knowing it, I can exhale and life may continue. It’s that one solid thing that if I can capture it, all is somehow okay, and my brain can get back to the living.

FORTRESS (1985)
“An Australian school teacher and her students are kidnapped. She and the children fight for their lives and try to escape from their captors.”

You have to understand that I was a student. I was a child. This seemed a possible scenario. I was so terrified of drowning that I had to change the channel mid-movie. I couldn’t watch what happened next, and having never watched it again, it has stayed with me all these years. That need for air and the panic when you can’t break the surface of the water, when you’re blocked under rocks, it’s unbearable to me. I had to look away, and even doing so, I was never able to really look away. Instead I look for it, decades later, searching to see what happens next.

This was the exact scene that has haunted me: https://youtu.be/e5xnyClQ_kk?t=41m30s

Now, without getting political, there is the news. The news of suicides, Kate Spade, Anthony Bourdain, these tragic preventable stories. In my life, I’ve personally known 3 people who have committed suicide. 1) My 2nd cousin. 2) One of my best friends from college, through all four years of school and afterward. 3) Ned Vizzini, a fellow writer and friend who spent days sleeping in my home when I invited him to be on a panel with me for SXSW. 4) One of Phil’s friends, whom I’d met and spent a weekend with in Rhode Island. 5) There is also the husband of a close friend, but I’d never known him. These are the personal ways my own life has been touched by suicide.

I also remember growing up that my best friend’s mother worked a suicide-prevention hotline, where she’d spend hours counseling people. And I remember her once saying that she’d spent the whole night talking to someone only to find out that it was a prank call. It’s strange the things we remember.

One thing I want to remember in all this is how to love and how to prioritize. While I want my children to do well in school, what I really truly want, is for them to be happy. Not anxious, not worried about test scores or cliques or who was invited or wasn’t invited, none of it. I just want them to know they are loved, just as they are, without having to accomplish or achieve. They are important and invaluable.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline “988” is the three-digit, nationwide phone number to connect directly to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. By calling or texting 988, you’ll connect with mental health professionals with the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Douglas Klein: August 3, 1976 – June 28, 1999 (Age 22)
Jessica Gordon: December 29, 1974 – April 2006 (Age 32)
Ned Vizzini: April 4, 1981 – December 19, 2013 (Age 32)
Heather B. Armstrong: July 19, 1975 – May 9, 2023 (Age 47)

Apple Pie Bomb

Stephanie Klein — Sun, 16 Oct 2022 15:17:47 +0000

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

NOTES

Like apple pie without the crust. This is outstanding. Makes a big voluminous amount that lasts all week (or two days) depending how often you eat it! It's good cold or hot. I love it warmed up.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups Uncooked old fashioned oats

3 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored, sliced thickly

3 Honeycrisp apples - peeled, cored, sliced thickly

¹⁄₂cups Brown sugar replacement of choice (Swerve)

8 Tbl Ground flaxseed meal (optional)

4 tsp Ground cinnamon

1 Tbl Ground ginger

1 tsp Ground nutmeg

1 pinch Diamond Crystal Salt, Kosher

1 tsp Ground cardamom

1 Tbl Lemon Juice

2 cups Unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 tsp Vanilla extract

2 cups Water

INSTRUCTIONS

Once you slice apples, you may add to a bowl with lemon juice, but this step isn't required. In a slow cooker, line the bottom with the sliced apples. Add brown sugar substitute and spices to taste. Depends how many apples you use. If you think it needs more spice, add more. Add vanilla and pinch of salt, then cover with oatmeal. You may add chia seeds or ground flax seed for added health properties (and points). Add 2 cups of water and 2 cups of unsweetened vanilla almond milk. No need to stir. Cover with lid, and cook on high for 4 hours. Stir upon opening. If you continue on "keep warm" setting or cook longer, the apples will break down into more of an apple sauce. Any way you have it, this is delicious.

cherry salsa forever

Stephanie Klein — Tue, 12 Jul 2022 19:27:39 +0000

MAKES 2 1/2 CUPS

NOTES

INGREDIENTS

I know I'm in the minority here, but I don't like Gloria Estefan's music*. I don't actually think it's her music, but her voice. Perhaps she's been overplayed in my lifetime. Despite this, my cherry salsa recipe is the song Conga! in your mouth. Your foot begins to tap, and before you know it, you're a Tostitos commercial. I serve this on salmon that's been dusted with Tajin or with scrambled eggs for breakfast. Or alone, or as a side. Hell, it's good on a napkin. If you like cherries, you'll love this. Now, do not fear the jalapeño. Even if you're one of those people who throw your hands up and damn near run saying, "No, no, I can't do spicy." Easy, killer. Jalapeños aren't spicy when you discard the seeds. So if you want kick, keep a few seeds in, and if you don't, use none. Capisce?

³⁄4 lb. Sweet cherries, pitted and chopped

1 pint Cherry tomatoes, chopped

¹⁄₂cup Red onion, chopped and soaked in ice water for 10 min.

1 Jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and minced

2 Tbl Fresh lime juice

2 Tbl (or less) Extra-virgin olive oil

³⁄4 cup Cilantro (or flat-leaf parsley if you despise cilantro), finely chopped
Kosher Salt, to taste
Black Pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

In a medium bowl, mix the cherries with the tomatoes, drained onion, jalapeño, lime juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the cilantro and serve right away. It can be saltier and spicier than you think, so it pairs well with the richness of a grilled salmon.

*Cherry. Salsa. Forever. I realize now that it's Lionel Richie's All Night Long song that I keep singing (and despise). Fiesta, forever. Yet, we press on.