A Letter from Mirasol's Founder and CEO
 Dear Friends,
When I think about my life today, in recovery, I realize that my most important relationships are the ones I have with my family! I will be the first one to tell you that my family is not perfect. We still have issues, even after many years of hard work. But our family has progressed from being extremely dysfunctional to being basically pretty happy. We're not the Waltons, but we're not the Osbournes, either! We're there for each other, and our family relationships are built on a foundation of love and respect.
Mirasol's Family Week is the backbone of our treatment program. Eating disorders are family conditions — everyone in the family is affected by the behavior of someone with an active eating disorder. This is true even if the person no longer lives with the family!
Most families have emotional patterns that are handed down from one generation to another. Reactions to this family emotional process may include:
- emotional distance which may result in neglect
- physical or emotional dysfunction in one spouse
- overt conflict among family members
- projection of problems onto one or more children
Read More about Mirasol's Family Program 
If eating disorder treatment was a play, Family Week would be Act III. Many weeks of hard work and soul-searching build up to this dramatic climax, when the client and her family join forces to confront and defeat her eating disorder. No wonder most families approach Family Week with a mixture of terror and anticipation!
"Parents especially often come into the program full of guilt, fear and self-reproach," says Ann Mitchell, who facilitates the adult program. But she promises that "the first thing they'll experience is relief."
"You can't make another person sick or well," says Mitchell, "so the question isn't who to blame, it's how to get better."
Read More About Family Week at Mirasol
Recipe: Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos
This is the editor's personal favorite — and by the way it's great "comfort" food for a family gathering!
|
|
8 C peeled cubed sweet potatoes
1 tsp. salt
4 tsp. oil
6 C diced onions
6 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. minced jalapeño
6 tsp. ground cumin
|
6 tsp. ground coriander
7 C cooked black beans
1 C chopped cilantro
4 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. salt
8-12 flour tortillas
Fresh salsa
|
Place sweet potatoes in medium saucepan with salt and water to cover. Bring to boil and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Warm oil in a medium skillet and add onions, garlic and chili. Cover and cook until soft, about 7 minutes. Add cumin and coriander and cook 2-3 minutes more. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a food processor, combine black beans, cilantro, lemon juice, salt and cooked sweet potatoes and purée until smooth. Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl and mix in cooked onions and spices.
Lightly oil a large baking sheet. Spoon mixture in the center of each tortilla, roll and place it seam-side down in the baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake for about 30 minutes, until piping hot. Serve with fresh salsa.
|
|
