Here are some options to add to the dough mixture:

For more pliable texture, add 1 TBS olive oil.
For more minerals, add 1 tsp dulse flakes and/ or 1 tsp kelp flakes (Maine Sea Veg Co).
For sweeter taste, add ½ tsp cinnamon.
For more essential fatty acids + crunch, add 1 TBS flax seeds.

Form a ball and knead until it that has consistency of an earlobe.  Let sit covered for 20-30 minutes.  Break into small balls and roll out with rolling pin into 3″ circles.   With burner on med-high heat and using a cast iron skillet, place them on either oiled or non-oiled pan.  If you are using a skillet other than cast iron, you will need to oil the pan. When the flatbread begins to slightly bubble, turn it over on the other side and cook for another minute.

Store the ball of unused dough in ziplock in fridge for future use.
It will keep for 7-10 days.

Fresh made chapati flatbreads can be kept covered for a couple days in kitchen, but best if they are re-heated in toaster oven before serving.

• Juice of one grapefruit
• 1 Tbsp Flax oil or olive oil
• 1 Tbsp organic soy lecithin
• 1 clove garlic (optional)

Ever since I was a young girl I have been fascinated with food. I spent the first eight years of my life in Istanbul, and my memories of the city all have to do with the smells, sounds, sights, and tastes of food. From the time I was a toddler I practically lived in the kitchen, where my mother, grandmother, and aunts could keep an eye on me. From my seat, I would watch the elaborate and ancient dance of women preparing food to feed their family.

When I was young, I was blessed to experience food in an intimate way. Because I was taught that food comes from the source of life, I came to understand the life-giving qualities of it. I intuitively understood that food’s nourishing capacity far exceeded basic physical survival. Food had the power to bring a family together, to connect me to the earth and our planet’s cycles, to nurture all my senses.

As a child, I adored the seasons and loved the cyclical wheel of nature that brought each fruit and vegetable back each year. My favorite fruit was a type of small, green plum that grows in early summer. Each spring I began to look forward to these deliciously crisp and sour plums with just a hint of sweetness. But I had to be patient and wait until May when I could buy them in little bags from the street vendor, where I’d pick them up on my way home from school.  For me, that delightfully sour plum will always be the taste of childhood, the anticipation of the end of school and the long days of summertime ahead.

A few months after we moved to Wisconsin,  a little girl in my third-grade class surprised me by inviting me to her birthday party. I was a shy child, still learning English, and this was the first time I had been invited to someone’s house. You can’t imagine my excitement. Since leaving all of my friends in Istanbul, this was the first hopeful sign that I would ever make friends again.

At the party, we ate normal kid foods like hot dogs, potato chips, and, of course, birthday cake. I had already been introduced to these foods, so they were familiar, but then the girl’s mother served us green jell-o. I had never seen anything like it. The bright green globular mass wiggled on my plate most unnaturally. Was I supposed to eat this? I watched the other little girls dig in with their spoons, so I tentatively did the same. I took one mouthful, and had to do everything to keep from spitting it out. I was immediately sick to my stomach.

Sometimes it takes going to a new place to realize the value of the old one. In Istanbul, we had marketed daily, going to outdoor markets for local produce. We bought bread hot from the baker, goat and sheep feta cheeses that were cut from large vats, and fresh fish and meat for our daily meals. Food permeated every aspect of life. Even walking through the city streets was an occasion to smell the rich scents of steamed corn, grilled fish, and roasted chestnuts on the vendors’ carts.

In Wisconsin, we had traded the outdoor markets for the supermarket; green plums for green jell-o. I may have left Istanbul when I was young, but I carried with me the strong memory of the wholeness and richness of food, and it’s guided my life ever since.

This article originally appeared in Elle magazine, July 2006.

Dates and Times
Saturdays*, 1-3pm:
April 28, May 12 and June 2, 2012
*In case of rain, we will meet the following day, Sunday, at same time.

Location
Lexington, Mass.

Cost
$200

Registration
To register, please download our PDF registration form, then send it to us by mail or fax.

Address: Heart of Nourishment Programs, P.O. Box 504, Lexington, MA 02420
Fax: 781-861-0909
Email:

Spring is a perfect time for a cleanse. The sacred cleansing process, which is a time honored tradition practiced throughout history, will allow you to release the excess, to revitalize, and to receive from your inner well of wisdom.

Join us for a transformational and supportive experience to cleanse your body of toxins, focus your intentions, and awaken to your deeper self. The Heart of Nourishment Cleanse™ is an annual tune-up for all aspects of yourself — body, mind, and spirit. Together we will explore the essentials of the cleansing process:

• Simplifying Digestion: Assimilation, Elimination, Illumination
• Clearing Out the Clutter: Inner and Outer
• Letting Go to Support New Growth
• Breaking the Perpetual Feasting Cycle
• Wisdom of Vital Essence Foods
• Discovering Who You Are Feeding
• Feeding Yourself for a Clear Body, Calm Mind, and Grateful Heart
• Integrating the Cleanse into Daily Life

Note: The Heart of Nourishment Cleanse™ includes the 150 page workbook, plus preparation materials for the process before starting the program. We suggest participants purchase optional supplemental herbal and fiber products to support the cleansing process. These products are available at most health food stores. This program is not appropriate for those who are pregnant, on multiple medications or with a serious medical illness.

Suggested reading, If the Buddha Came to Dinner: How to Nourish Your Body to Awaken Your Spirit (Hyperion), by Halé Sofia Schatz.

Dates
Tuesdays + Thursdays, May 29, May 31, June 5, and June 7, 2012

 Time
6:30-9pm

Location
Lexington, Mass.

Cost
$300 for new participants, $250 for repeat participants.

Registration
To register, please download our PDF registration form, then send it to us by mail or fax.

Address: Heart of Nourishment Programs, P.O. Box 504, Lexington, MA 02420
Fax: 781-861-0909
Email:

Fall is the perfect time of year for a mini-detox. The time-honored tradition of cleansing, has been practiced throughout history to allow the body to release excess, to revitalize, and to rejuvenate the body, mind, and spirit.

Join Halé Sofia Schatz for a transformational and supportive program that will cleanse your body of toxins, focus your intentions, and facilitate awakening to your deeper self. The Nourishment Cleanse™ — a food-based cleanse, not a fast — provides an annual tune-up for the whole system.

Together we will experience the essentials of the cleansing process:

• Simplifying digestion: assimilation, elimination, and illumination
• Clearing inner and outer clutter to support new growth
• Breaking the perpetual feasting cycle and exploring vital essence foods
• Nourishing yourself for a clear body, calm mind, and grateful heart

Come discover who you are really feeding when you eat, and learn how to integrate cleansing principles and practices into daily life.

Note: Program includes a workbook and also an English or Turkish version of the book, If the Buddha Came to Dinner (Buda Size Yemege Gelse). You will receive preparation materials for the process before starting the program. The presenter suggests participants use optional herbal and fiber products listed in the preparation materials to support the cleansing process. These products are included in the tuition and will be available at the program. This program is not appropriate for those who are pregnant, taking multiple medications, or dealing with a serious medical illness.

All programs will be taught in English with simultaneous Turkish translation.

Dates and Times
Late September-October 2012, dates TBD

Location
Bordubet, Golden Key, resort on the Mediterranean in Marmaris, Turkey. Please see the Bordubet website for details.

Cost: TBD*

* US dollar amounts will vary, depending on current dollar-Euro exchange rates.
Repeat participants receive a 15% discount off these programs.

All Nourishment Detox Programs include tuition, private room and bath, three delicious meals and snacks daily, daily yoga/exercise, private cove beach, and hiking trails. Prices quoted do not include airfare.

Registration
Registration will be handled by Bordubet Golden Key Resort.

Address: Bordubet, Marmaris, Turkey
Tel: +90 0252 436 9230
Website: bordubet.com.tr/en/
Email:

July 12, 14, 19 and 21, 2011
Summer Nourishment Cleanse
Location: Lexington, MA — Sponsor: Heart of Nourishment

July 12-24, 2011
Nourishment Cleanse Training
Location: Lexington, MA — Sponsor: Heart of Nourishment

September 21-25 and September 28-October 2, 2011
Fall Holistic Nourishment Detox
Location: Marmaris, Turkey — Sponsor: Bordubet, Golden Key

October 18, November 8, December 6, 2011
Fall Nourishment Wisdom Circle for Women
Location: Lexington, MA — Sponsor: Heart of Nourishment

October 27, November 16, December 7, 2011
Fall Nourishment Wisdom Circle for Turkish Women
Location: Via Skype — Sponsor: Heart of Nourishment

This Nourishment Circle is for women who have completed at least one Nourishment Cleanse™ previously. We will gather together to deepen our understanding of how to integrate nourishment practice into our daily lives and to live more fully from our inner wisdom.

Together, we will explore:

• Stepping into our sacred feminine power
• Connecting to the wisdom of the cycles and seasons
• Reclaiming our inner allies: resistance and power
• Cultivating intuitive body wisdom
• Entering the healing kitchen: sacred simplicity as sustenance
• Feeding ourselves and our community as a revolutionary act

Dates
TBD

Times
6:30-9:00 pm, with light potluck dinner

Tuition
TBD

Location
Lexington, Massachusetts

Registration
To register, please download our PDF registration form, then send it to us by mail or fax.

Address: Heart of Nourishment Programs, P.O. Box 504, Lexington, MA 02420
Fax: 781-861-0909
Email:

Transitions are in-between times; they are periods of waiting. Most of us find it so uncomfortable to wait that we are usually ready to jump right into the next thing. Old job to new job. Old relationship to new relationship. My work consists of supporting and guiding people through this “trepidatious terrain,” as I like to call it. Whether a personal or professional change, I always urge people to take a pause. This pause can have tremendous power in your life because it gives you time for awareness and reflection. Where have you been and where are you going? What do you need to take with you, and what do you need to leave behind?

Transitions are subtle, and change rarely happens overnight. Instead, transitional moments are composed of layers that unravel as quietly and steadily as night merges into dawn. Instead of fearing or avoiding life’s powerful transitions, we can adopt an attitude of trust and surrender to a larger sense of time. We are not in control, but we can create the most supportive, fertile ground to nourish our ongoing change and growth.

When seeds are planted in rich fertile soil, they first make roots that steadily reach down into the earth. Roots must grow first because they provide the strength to hold up the plant as well as to absorb the nutrients to eventually grow the stem, sprouts, and green leaves.

How can we apply this profound wisdom to our own lives? Spring is approaching within us. How fertile is our soil? Which seeds have been sown? Where are our roots growing? Are we paying attention to our own inner rhythms and nourishing our growth so that we can burst forth in the new spring green?

When a seed is first planted, the root growth isn’t visible to the eye. The root is growing in the deep darkness of the soil. How do we know? Because eventually, once the root has taken hold, a green sprout will break through the soil.

Seeds offer us a metaphor for our own lives. Take advantage of this seasonal transition to till the soil of your life. Make it free of weeds and rocks. Fertilize it with extra nutrients and the compost of what no longer serves you. Nourish and water well, and support the tender growths until they are strong and steady. Have patience. In its own time, the spring sunshine will surely melt the winter snow and provide the necessary conditions for the new seedlings to grow into their full potential.