Stop Squeezing The Cat + Plant Based Sunny Orange Dressing

whole_food_plant_based_sunny_orange_dressing_8

I used to have a cat named Panda. He was the sweetest, most gentle, well behaved, loving cat on the planet. He was my love. He was the cat equivalent of my soul mate. He was my cat mate. My niece, Eleanor also loved Panda. Ellie will be 8 this year.

Ellie’s motivation for coming to my house for a visit was based solely on Panda’s presence. She loved him to bits, but unfortunately, the feeling was not mutual.

Here’s why.

The moment Ellie would lay eyes on Panda, she would run up to him and squeeze the shit out of him. Of course it was a love squeeze, but it was a squeeze nonetheless, and Panda hated it. So he became conditioned to hide from Ellie as soon as she stepped foot in the door.

This drove her nuts. It drove her so nuts that if he happened to come out of hiding while she was around, she would quickly grab him, squeeze him, and not let him go in fear that he would get away.

As a result of being grabbed and squeezed, Panda would put out his claws and growl, turning the love squeeze into a squeeze of terror for them both.

One day I brought Ellie over to my couch and I sat her down for a talk. I told her that the only way Panda would let her cuddle him was if he came to her on his own. I added that if he did come to her on his own, he would let her pet him for a very long time (3 minutes is “very” long to a kid right?).

She was skeptical, but she decided it was worth a shot. So I lured Panda out from under my bed like only I could do, and I put him on the opposite side of the couch. I told Ellie to stay seated, be very still and patiently wait for him. She had to tuck her hands under her legs so her Panda grabbers wouldn’t be tempted to grab and squeeze. I left them there to work it out. When I came back into the room a few minutes later, this is what I found.

They sat like this for at least 5 minutes. Ellie was in kitty heaven and Panda was in human heaven. Every time Ellie came to my house after that, she knew just what to do if she wanted to cuddle Panda. She went straight for the couch and she waited.

Why am I telling you about Panda and Ellie?

Because, stop squeezing the fucking cat.

We are often so wrapped up in wanting a particular result that we unknowingly sabotage the result before we even get close. But if we take a step back, let go and enjoy the process, the result will happen naturally. And it’ll be better than we ever imagined.

But to do that, you have to stop squeezing the cat.

  • Let go of how many pounds you want to lose.
  • Stop obsessing over calories and ratios.
  • Free yourself from trying to fit into those jeans from 15 years ago.
  • Release the idea of eating 100% plant based or bust.
  • Give up on making your family eat exactly how you want them to eat.
  • Forgive family and friends who don’t understand why you eat the way that you do.

Stop squeezing the damn cat.

When you release, when you surrender, when you let go, a weight will lift and you can start enjoying the process and stop missing out on the experience.

And through that process and experience, you’ll be led to your desired results without even thinking about them.

  • You will lose weight.
  • You will get the perfect amount of calories, fat, protein and carbs.
  • You will fit into those jeans.
  • You will eat more plants and less of everything else.
  • Your family might never get on board, and maybe that’s okay.
  • Your family and friends might never accept the way you eat, but maybe you won’t even care anymore. 

But you have to stop squeezing the cat.

  • Stop tracking how many pounds you lose each week, and instead enjoy feeling energized from all of the clean plant fuel you’re feeding yourself.
  • Stop depriving yourself of food and obsessing over calories and ratios, and instead eat a wide range of whole plant foods and find gratitude in giving your body as much fuel as it wants and needs.
  • Stop letting a pair of 15 year old jeans determine how you feel about yourself, and instead relish in the beauty and the miracle that is your body.
  • Stop beating yourself up for eating french fries and donuts, and instead appreciate the reminder of how you feel after you eat those things.
  • Stop being frustrated with your family for not following your lead with food, and instead honor and respect their process and where they are at on their food journey.
  • Stop feeling alienated and not understood by family and friends about how you eat, and instead understand that judgments and nasty comments come from their thoughts and have nothing to do with you.

When you squeeze the cat, your thoughts get in the way of your results.

When you release the cat, your thoughts lead you to your results.

Going forward, when you notice your grip start to tighten, take a breath and remind yourself: stop squeezing the cat. You can even say it out loud if you don’t mind sounding like a crazy person.

You have everything it takes to get the results you want, so take a breath, gently release the cat, and start to enjoy the ride.

If you’re ready to stop squeezing the cat and allow the process of eating plant based work its magic, join us here. We’ll all stop squeezing the cat together.

Meow.

Plant Based Sunny Orange Dressing

Author: Molly Patrick of Clean Food Dirty Girl

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup raw sunflower seeds 35g, soaked in water for 10 minutes
  • 1 small garlic clove peeled and left whole
  • 1 teaspoon peeled and chopped ginger
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Coconut Aminos
  • ¼ cup fresh squeezed orange juice
  • ¼ cup water
  • ¼ teaspoon dried tarragon
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • Couple turns of black pepper

Instructions

  • Drain and discard the water from the sunflower seeds and add them to your blender with the rest of the ingredients (garlic, ginger, rice vinegar, Coconut Aminos, orange juice, water, tarragon, salt and black pepper).
  • Blend until super creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes.
  • This will keep for about a week in the fridge and it freezes well.

Notes

Pour this over ALL the salads.

Wishing you a happy week. May it be filled with loosening your grip.

Xo
Molly

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19 Comments

  1. Candy on September 3, 2016 at 1:55 pm

    Thank you Molly, I didn’t even realise that I was even squeezing the cat until I read this.

    • Molly Patrick on September 4, 2016 at 7:54 am

      Ha!
      That’s usually the case!
      Put that cat down!!!
      xo

      Molly

  2. Candy on September 5, 2016 at 12:01 am

    So very true!! I cannot tell you how many times today I told myself to stop squeezing that blasted cat….got a few sideways glances from my workmates, but what the heck… forward is always better than backwards…right??

    • Molly Patrick on September 6, 2016 at 7:49 am

      So glad it helped.
      Say it loud and proud!
      xo
      Molly

  3. Sandy Hacker on October 15, 2016 at 1:56 pm

    “stop squeezing the cat” is my new mantra; I have no problem appearing bat shit crazy…

  4. Anna Wright on December 22, 2016 at 7:40 pm

    Thanks for sharing this Molly, it sounds effective, I must thank for your great blogging, I just loved it!

  5. Carla on July 14, 2017 at 9:16 pm

    Nice light dressing with a slight punch ~ I love this with my Buddha Bowls!! Thank you!

  6. Tamara Byrd on February 28, 2018 at 3:26 pm

    This sounds delicious, except, what are coconut aminos???

    • Team Clean Food Dirty Girl on March 1, 2018 at 9:42 am

      Hi Tamara, They are similar to soy sauce but a little less salty and a little more sweet. You can find them usually in the Asian food section of your market and they are available online too.

      Karen
      Team Dirty Girl

  7. Elsie on April 19, 2018 at 9:22 pm

    WOW great blog! I didn’t realize I was squeezing the damn cat until I read this. Thank you Molly!

    • Team Clean Food Dirty Girl on April 20, 2018 at 5:31 am

      Thanks for the love, Elsie!

  8. Sherry on April 28, 2018 at 8:03 pm

    Coconut Aminos: I bought them once, and they developed a funky growth on top of the liquid! (I only used for one re iOS!). Are they supposed to be refrigerated, or did I get a wonky bottle (and maybe should contact the manufacturer?).

    • Team Clean Food Dirty Girl on April 29, 2018 at 4:18 pm

      Hi Sherry, My bottle of coconut aminos says that it should be kept in the fridge once opened. Apparently (based on a quick and dirty Google search), coconut aminos contain yeast which can ferment. I batch the meal plans and we go through a bottle every other month or so and we keep ours refrigerated. I have not experienced any issues with funky growth floating on top. ~Karen

      • Sherry on May 5, 2018 at 3:26 pm

        Thank you. My bottle had no storage info, maybe newer ones do. Thanks for answering!

  9. Angela on August 26, 2018 at 9:00 pm

    5 stars
    Oh Molly! Thank you! I headed over here from a post on CFDG fb that a fellow dirty advised to read. Going through a “my family will not eat this and appreciate my hard work” phase I very much needed to read this! XXXXXXX

    • Molly Patrick on August 27, 2018 at 12:05 am

      MUAH! So glad you got what you needed when you needed it.
      xo
      Molly

  10. Dmitri on October 16, 2018 at 10:11 am

    Is it OK to add some turmeric to this to give it some color? If so, how much will be enough but not enough to make it bitter?

    • Molly Patrick on October 16, 2018 at 11:16 am

      Hey there,
      Yup, adding 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric would give it some nice color without being too overpowering 🙂
      xo
      Molly

  11. Susan on November 24, 2019 at 5:00 pm

    So exactly what I needed to read ! Thank you!

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