Sweet Potato with Lemon

my new favorite recipe : )
sweet potato stewed with lemon

when you cook sweet potatoes, their beautiful yellow color usually fade away very quickly. even the sweetness.
but strewed with lemon keeps it intact for a longer period.
and even more, enhances the taste!
this is a surprising meal : )
great either for meal or snack, even dessert.

recipe
cut potatoes -- don't peel the skin!
sprinkle sea salt
stew with water until tender --- not much
then add sliced lemon and simmer for a few minutes.
done!

yum yum yum : )

My Mom's Healing Journy

as i mentioned before, my mom was diagnosed cataract. pretty much advanced and two doctors she has met both told her that she needed a surgery.
and the last thing she wants to do is surgery.
like mother, like son!
she has been trying some macrobiotic home remedies that i found.
and yesterday, she finally met a macrobiotic councelor that i recommended.

she called me today, and told me what they talked about...
the councelor told her that eye problems are caused by liver and kidneys problems, which leads to muddy, dirty blood.
by purifying the blood, he said, you can defenitely heal cataract!
some of his advices are :
no alcohol for a while---hardest for her!, eat less, skip dinner twice a month---on the new moon and the full moon, ---also eat good-for-eyes vegetables such as carrot---he recommended some special medicinal carrots.
---my mom does not eat meat, eggs, dairy or sugar anyway, so those basics were not discussed.
and most of all, don't work too hard and rest well!

she sounded so happy, motivated, and willing to heal cataracts in macrobiotic way.
"the councelor said to me, "i'm very sure that the cataract will be healed" , and that's all what i needed to hear!!"

and i'm pretty sure that she will overcome this health challenge : )

then, a sea turtle....

so graceful....

fish

amazing....

fish

not for food, but to swim with : )
can't even remember how many time i dived into water and swam with all those beautiful tropical fish.
am i dreaming?
wherever i looked at, i just saw colorful fish!
hundreds of them!

Even in a food court.....

in honolulu, i was with my family.
and like i said, eating healthy was quite a challenge.
one day, we went to aramoana shopping mall, and had lunch together.
--hey, im not a big shopper. but my family needed to buy some gifts for thier friends and coworkers.
anyway, there was a huge food court with hundreds of fast food joints. oh no!
but still, you can make a conscious choice.
i found this little japanese buffe place.
instead of choosing sushi or teriyaki salmon, i picked up some "side dishes"with brown rice and miso soup.
look!
almost like "zen macrobiotic plate"!
after lots of junk food, it was such a relief.
and in fact, it was good : )

Eating in Hawaii

thanks to those health food store, i got tempeh, too.
so i could cook some vegetarian macro meal : )
i brought some basic seasonings from home so that i didn't have to buy a huge bag or bottle of each, and waste them.

this day's lunch.
brown rice ---thank god, the hotel has a rice cooker!
miso soup
sauteed tempeh, maui onion (sweet), celery with soy sauce.

and look at the patio!
we were so lucky that our room was upgraded!
every meal, we ate on the patio, listening to birds singing, felling the nice breeze, smelling tropical flowers..... paradice : )