It’s Vegetarian Month, so The Intern is sharing recipes made with iBeanInspired’s favorite legume (beans!) This chocolate cake is made with black beans, but don’t tell the kids. They’ll never notice. Try this adventurous, gluten-free recipe and tell me what you think in the comments.

You’ll Need:

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

5 eggs

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

1 tbsp. agave nectar

¾ cup granulated sugar

½ tsp. kosher salt

6 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

½ tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9” circular pan and dust it with a mixture of cocoa and flour.

In a blender or food processor, blend beans, 3 eggs, vanilla extract, agave nectar, sugar, and salt until completely smooth.

In a small bowl, combine cocoa powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and baking soda.

In a large bowl, beat the butter until fluffy, then mix in the two remaining eggs one at a time. Fold in the bean mixture. Add the cocoa mixture and blend until everything is incorporated. Pour into the pan.

Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the center is firm.

After cooling for 10 minutes, remove the cake from the pan and continue to cool on a wire rack.

Serve with whipped cream and raspberries, if desired.

October is Vegetarian Month, and The Intern is celebrating it this week by sharing her family recipes featuring iBeanInspired’s favorite legume. This hummus recipe couldn’t be easier to whip up.

You’ll Need:
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste)—find it in the middle eastern section of your grocery store
2/3 cup water
3 tbsp. lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, peeled
Kosher salt, to taste
Cayenne pepper, optional

Directions:
Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth. Adjust the flavor to your liking by slowly adding more of an ingredient or two. Sprinkle with cayenne pepper if desired before serving with veggies or whole-grain pita bread.

October is Vegetarian Month, so The Intern is proud to present three vegetarian recipes featuring iBeanInspired’s favorite legume (beans!). This recipe is super simple and is a great way to finish off the last of your garden tomatoes.

You’ll need:
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 large tomato, cut into chunks
1 large avocado, cut into chunks

1 large onion, minced
1 ½ oz jalepeno peppers, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. cumin
½ tsp. chili powder, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
Juice of 1 lime
2 tsp. honey

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Stir in lime juice and honey. Mix well. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until everything is incorporated. Adjust flavor to your liking by slowly adding more of a spice or two. Enjoy!

It’s official Get Organized Week! These seven tips (try one each day) are sure to inspire you to roll up your sleeves, open those file cabinets, and get sorting.

1. Have less stuff. If you have less items to keep track of, it’ll take less time and effort to keep everything organized. Decide what’s essential and what you can toss. If you won’t need it again, throw it away right then. Consider not even buying certain things in the first place.

2. Organize as you go. As soon as you open a bill, put it in the right file cabinet. If you’re still throwing your clothes on the floor (ok, I’ll admit it. I’m guilty), make an effort to put your clothes away as soon as you take them off. Name files on your computer appropriately as soon as you save them. Don’t let things pile up.

3. Have a landing strip. Designate a place right by your front door where you drop everything that you’ll need when you leave again: keys, wallet, phone, umbrella, purse, etc.

4. Know thyself. You know how you operate. If it’s easier to find books in your personal library by title rather than author, organize them that way.

5. Everything has a place. Floater objects are the ones that always get lost. Magazines go on the shelf. The measuring spoons are always in the second drawer.

6. Think outside the box. Use containers you already have to hold smaller objects. Think old pickle jars, cookie tins, shoe boxes, vases, or gardening planters. Clear containers are the best, but you can always use labels to identify what’s inside.

7. Tackle one space at a time. Organization is time-consuming and can be emotionally or mentally draining, so take on one project at a time.

A few years ago I received the advice to, at the end of each day, write down two things you’re grateful for.  These things can be little moments, big surprises, or even just an awareness of how lucky you are to have had another day on this planet. I’ve been doing this regularly since New Years, and it’s amazing how different my life is.  At the beginning, I had a hard time thinking up two little things (I wanted them to be more or less original), but now I don’t even have to try. I feel so much more present in my life, that on most days the things seem to find me.

The daily practice of gratitude has a host of benefits. It strengthens your relationships and your immune system, as well as makes you more emotionally resilient. Jonathon Hall, iBeanInspired’s CEO, always quotes a statistic that about 80% of our thoughts are negative. By purposely seeking out the good things we see, taste, feel, and experience each day, we focus mental energy away from the pessimistic space in our heads and put it to much better use. Once we see that goodness abounds around us, we’re more likely to share it as well.

Here’s what I did: I created and saved a document I called “Things that Make Me Happy” on my desktop so it didn’t get lost in the catacombs of my other files. Every night before I shut down my computer, I add to the list. I’m working on compiling a list of 10,000 things (in honor of the Tao Te Ching).  Another idea might be to keep a journal on your night stand. Or you could tweet the moments as they happen so you don’t forget to record a single one.

Will you leave your 2 things for today in the comments? Here are some of mine to get you started:

7. Guitar players in busy coffee shops

64. Putting on socks straight from the laundry

190. Heart-to-heart talks with my sister

356. Cupcakes with the perfect frosting-to-cupcake ratio

(Thanks to www.librarianhousewife.blogspot.com for the pic).

One of the things I love (and hate) about college is the reading. There’s a lot, but every once in a while an amazing book will find its way to me. Usually it’s through a friend, but this time it was required for my writing class. I recommend everyone pick up The Age of the Unthinkable by Joshua Cooper Ramo. The book is mostly about how leaders in government and business need to adapt their mindset and practices to survive in a world that’s too interconnected and moving too fast to predict. Cooper argues we need resiliency, an “immune system” of sorts. We can’t plan for every threat or disaster, but we can prepare ourselves as best we can and be adaptive. We have to accept change and move with it if we are to survive.

Since I’m not running a campaign or an election, I took Cooper’s argument to a more personal level. I got wondering: How can I build a “spiritual immune system”? What would that entail? How can I make sure that disappointment, sadness, loneliness, anger, etc. don’t completely overwhelm me if and when I experience them?

Good friends or family members that you can rely on are indispensable when you’re going through a rough patch. They can provide a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, or a much needed “snap out of it”. Just be sure to return the favor.

A fulfilling hobby, work, or activity can provide an outlet for (or a brief distraction from) your negative emotions. 

Practicing awareness will help you realize that every negative feeling isn’t an emotional emergency. Focus on two things. First and foremost, be present in the moment. Second, be aware of how your emotions feel inside your body.  Does guilt feel like cold rocks in your stomach? Does sadness feel hollow in your chest? Separating an emotion from its common name (sadness, boredom) and instead associating it with as an object, temperature, or sensation in a certain part  of your body will make your realize the emotion is manageable.

Gratitude should be a weapon in any spiritual arsenal. You can’t foresee every threat to your spiritual well-being, but being in the habit of noticing the good in your life will lessen any blow. (Stay tuned–more on this next week.)

Positive thoughts will provide a soft landing place when the outside world gets you down.

What would you add to the list? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks to Life As I Know It for the pic.

Every New Years I make a resolution to meditate more. I promise myself I’m going to get up half an hour earlier every day just to have a little quiet time to sit with myself. Doesn’t happen. I can’t pull myself out of those warm covers, and once the day is started I get too busy or forget. But never fear: I recently came across a site that completely changed my views of meditation.  I don’t have to get up early; I don’t even have to sit still. Meditating just means being aware of my body, thoughts, and surroundings without judging any of them. (Picture a sky; your thoughts are white clouds simply passing by. Notice them as they come, then let them go.) Any mundane activity can be a spiritual moment. I think the best way to make meditation a habit is to link it to an already-established habit. Here are some I came up with. Leave any other ideas in the comments.

1. In the shower. It’s quiet, it’s warm, and the sound of running water is definitely conducive to a zen attitude.
2. En route to work. Turn off the radio or take out your earbuds for a few minutes and just notice your thoughts.
3. Cooking. Hear the sounds of crisp vegetables being chopped and of water boiling. Smell the nutmeg. Feel the warmth of the casserole through your ovenmitts.
4. Eating. Don’t read or work while you eat. Put your silverware down between each bite and chew each one slowly, savoring it. You’ll definitely enjoy your meal more, plus you might just end up eating less.
5. Chores. Vacuuming, doing the dishes, taking out the garbage might not be glamorous, but most often you do these activites without multi-tasking. Perfect time for some awareness.

Thanks to http://www.meditationquotes.com for the inspiration and http://www.hsuyun.org for the pic.

If you’re a regular on this blog (fingers crossed that there’s at least a few of you), you’ve probably figured out I have a thing for random, obscure holidays. There’s so much that can bring us down, so I figure I’d better jump on anything that gives me permission to celebrate. I forgot until now (so much for my virtual Stickies) that August is Admit You’re Happy month. The month is half-way over, but there’s still plenty time to confess your joy. Who knows, that joy might just carry over into next month.

I think the U.S. is unique for a number of reasons but also for our preoccupation with happiness. We were the first and only country to acknowledge in writing the “pursuit of happiness” as a right. I love that we live in a place where we should be allowed to seek happiness, but what about when we actually find it? Many of us don’t think we deserve it (and are therefore more comfortable in the distracting pursuit, the chase of happiness than in pausing to enjoy it), so we start to question whether we’re “happy enough”? And most messages we receive from TV, the media, even our own comparisons among our friends would tell us that No, we’re not happy enough.

A quick side note: The state of happiness I’m talking about isn’t like riding a magical pink unicorn through puffy, white clouds of  bliss. You don’t even have to like and enjoy every single moment or part of your life. I’m talking about a general cozy knowing that the good in your life outweighs the bad, and you have a few things that fill you with enthusiasm.

Everyone deserves happiness, and if you stop talking yourself out of it (“I don’t get paid enough…I don’t have as many friends as Leslie…How could I be happy when this relationship isn’t where I want it to be?…”), you’ll probably find some is already there. The point is to stop chasing what you think will make you happy, and instead enjoy the happy that is already there. Does your kid’s giggle melt your heart? Do you have one amazing friend you can always count on? Does baking vegan cupcakes warm your soul? Don’t keep your cheer a secret from yourself. Come on, admit it…you’re happy.

Don’t agree with my definition of happiness? Leave your definition in the comments…

Thanks to Angel & catz for this Flickr pic entitled Moderately Happy Cloud–thought it was perfect.

Ever heard the expression, “idle hands make the devil’s work”? Well, I’m not sure if that’s true, but I do know busy hands could make you a stress case. In honor of Lazy Day (boy, I love obscure holidays), it seems appropriate to give myself (and all of you) permission to be unproductive for just a little while. There’s a lot of pressure to be constantly moving, succeeding, improving, climbing ladders, accomplishing something with every second of your time. Stopping every now and then will definitely do your body and mind some good. Now, I’m not advocating Homer Simpson 24/7 laziness, just half an hour to do something completely and blissfully unproductive (or to do absolutely nothing at all). Don’t study, don’t clean, and don’t check your e-mail. Stop trying to become somebody or something; for half an hour, just be.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Find shapes in the clouds (or on the nearest popcorn ceiling).
2. Feed bread to the ducks or pigeons in the nearest park.
3. Take a nap or sleep in.
4. Drink a cup of coffee or tea slowly. Do nothing else.
5. Paint your nails.
6. Do “hot feet”.  This was my favorite thing to do as a kid after a day of intense snowball fights. Fill a bucket (or the bathtub) with hot water (just a little bit warmer that would normally be comfortable), sit down, and put your feet in the water until it cools. You won’t love this until your try it.
7. Skip your workout. Just this once.
8. Read the comics and gleefully shred the rest of the newspaper.
9. Have a picnic outdoors or even on your living room floor.
10. Listen to some old music for a little blast-from-the-past fun.
11. Make popcorn, draw the blinds, and watch a movie.
12. Read a truly stupid book.
13. Flip leisurely through your favorite magazine.
14. Learn something utterly useless. Google a tutorial on how to make balloon animals or how to make a radio out of a coconut.
15. Watch silly YouTube videos. Resist the temptation to open a tab for your e-mail.

Thanks to http://www.directom.com/internet-marketing-blog/pay-per-click-vs-vod_189.html for the pic.

We’re halfway through official Simplify Your Life Week (the first week of August), but there’s still plenty of time to declutter and de-stress. Before we get to the fun list part, first figure out what you have to do. Really have to. Does your hair really have to completely dry before you leave the house, or can it air-dry a little on your way to work? Do you have to look good at the gym? Does your lawn really have to be mowed each week? Do the things you have to with as few distractions as possible. This may mean cutting yourself off from TV and Twitter for an hour or two.  The aim is to be productive, so you can relax, not so that you have more time to do more work.

1.  Say “No”, one more time a day than you do already. You can respectfully decline an invitation or kindly tell your dramatic friend you’d love to tackle their latest tragedy, but not right now. Also, no one ever said you had to answer the doorbell or phone every time it rings; you don’t have to verbally say “no” to say “no”.
2.  Schedule your communication. Change your voicemail to let callers know you won’t be answering your phone after X p.m. (X p.m. should not be bedtime. Have a few hours alone with yourself and family.) Decide to only Facebook (yes, it is an unofficial verb) on the weekend or whenever you know you have some time.  Have set times when you check your e-mail so you don’t feel compelled to interrupt what you’re doing to respond to one.
3. Do one thing at a time. Cut back on the multi-tasking.
4. Look for opportunities to assembly-line your tasks.  In a factory, every person on the line does one job. Since there’s probably only you, you’ll do every job, but one at a time.  For example, when you do the dishes, don’t pick up a plate, pick up the sponge, scrub the plate, put down the sponge, turn on the water, rinse the plate, turn off the water, put down the plate, and start over. Instead, soap up all the dishes first. Then rinse them all at once.
5. Delegate. Everyone knows one person can’t do everything by themselves, so the pressure is off:  you don’t have to pretend you can.
6. Choose your battles. Decide when confrontation is necessary and when you can let an indiscretion slide.  Don’t fight other people’s battles; more often than not, they can and need do it themselves.
7.  Forgive. Most of your friends, family, and colleagues are well-intentioned, so try to not make a big deal out of a few misspoken words.
8.  Refuse to participate in and/or keep up with the drama around you. You don’t have to remember that Dan isn’t speaking to Lisa since “the incident” last St. Patrick’s Day. Trying to do so is exhausting and acknowledging childish behavior usually only enables it.
9. Opt for versatile items when you shop. Can those pants be worn all year round or for different occasions? Look for multi-purpose furniture pieces, beauty products, etc.
10. Go paperless. Sign up for direct deposit and automatic bill pay (or at least online bill pay).  Send your friends e-cards for their birthdays or mail out e-vites for your next big shin-dig. You’ll save some trees, plus less paper means less junk to sorts through.