Have you ever noticed when you do one thing, several other things fall into place at the same time? It’s kind of like the above quote, “A Manifesto for a Simple Life;” when we stress less for instance, we laugh more. Recently, it occurred to me that by becoming a more sustainable family; growing our own food, making our own meals from scratch, concocting our own cleaning and household supplies, that we are naturally moving in the direction of becoming a zero waste family too. And going in the direction of zero waste, melds perfectly with a vegetarian lifestyle and minimalism. And all of these things naturally move us in the direction of supporting our earth.
Now I don’t want to give you the wrong impression; we are still far away from where Bea Johnson’s family, is at, check out her book called, “Zero Waste Home,. But we have come a long way from the days of ordering two large pizzas every Saturday night and putting out two cans of garbage each week. (P.S. even though those pizza boxes went into the recycling, you know darn well, that anything with cheese stuck to the lid is going to end up in the landfill.)
If you are reading this blog, you are probably like- minded and jive with what we are doing and like us, have stopped using plastic water bottles long ago, in favour of reusable ones. You probably have invested in a good quality hot beverage cup, and even take it when you visit your favourite coffee shop; ’cause most places give you a discount when you bring your own cup now. You probably bring cloth bags when you shop and have ditched the tetra juice containers for your kids too. They were never the healthiest choice anyway. But I’m wondering if you have taken your zero waste to the next level? (I know some of you have, as I spied my sister C’s bamboo toothbrush on a weekend retreat last fall. She has always flowed in the green stream)
I thought I would share a few things that our family has chosen to do, which are not drastic steps but easy- peasy ones that anyone can incorporate. You may already be doing them. Bravo! They do make a big difference in our garbage output.
Five Easy Things to Help Our Planet Earth
Stop using paper towels. Instead, cut up old bath towels and kitchen clothes and turn them into rags to clean with. I use old socks that have lost their partner, (if you are a large family, you can relate) to dust with and I have some great micro fiber clothes my sister B gave me. You just wet them, wring them out and clean; only elbow grease is required.
My little yellow plastic stacking set up for my cleaning rags. (This stacking bin was my mom’s and is ages old) As my oldest son Clark says, if you have things that are plastic, just use them! Notice the black socks…great for dusting and remind me that I should do it more often~
Get rid of the kleenex boxes. We use homemade handkerchiefs instead. I actually feel so pampered when I have a runny nose and use one of my beloved hankies to blow my nose with; like I’m a princess. It’s such a relief on the pocket book and the recycling bin, not to fill it with empty kleenex boxes. Remember, just because something is recycled, doesn’t mean it’s the greenest way to go.
Beloved hankies make me feel like a princess.
Paper Napkins are a thing of the past. We only use cloth napkins now, or as my eight year old says, “my sleeve works great too!” This was an easy first elimination and several years ago, my sister J, gave me some lovely cloth napkins that we use all the time, but you can easily make some from fabric scraps.
Paper lunch bags and Plastic Sandwich wraps. Again, this was an early change for us. Each family member has a reusable lunch bag, and when I have old sheets, I whip up a new batch of snack/sandwich bags. In the old days, or so I have been told, a hard boiled egg, or baked potato etc, would be wrapped up in a cloth napkin and tied and that would be lunch. When I help out at my children’s school, I’m always so surprised to see so much packaging; granola bars, goldfish crackers in little bags; and don’t even get me started about the packaging involved with the lunchables! We can do better, all it takes is some planning and some reusable containers/bags.
Made out of an old cotton sheet, little bags make great sandwich and snack bags
Like an assembly line, the children all have their own thermos, water bottle and sandwich holders. The cotton bags keep their wraps from getting mushy next to their veggies.
No more plastic garbage bags; You know those white ones that we put in our household garbage cans? I don’t know what your set up is, but we have a black garbage bin attached to the cupboard under our kitchen sink. When I open the door, it swings out and I dropped my garbage inside.
I know too easy and eventually I want it gone/empty, but until then, just getting rid of the plastic white bag is an easy first step in eliminating some plastic. Every day I just dump the contents into our main garbage can in the garage and put the pail back under the sink. Did you hear about the story of the young sperm whale that washed up off the coast of Spain in February? The whale was found to have 64 pounds of garbage in his digestive system; including plastic trash bags. If we all just stopped using plastic bags in the world that would be a huge step in saving our planet…and the animals we share it with.
As EARTH DAY approaches (April 22nd), join me in thinking about five more things that we can give up in favour of a healthier life, a healthier planet and a richer experience on earth. On this journey, I’ve discovered that I still have far to go before I’m living the life that I have imagined, however living mindfully inspires me to do more. I feel empowered knowing that we all vote with our consumer dollars and I’m consciously aware that change happens only when we start using those dollars wisely.
And before I close I wanted to share a recipe that I made recently for a healthy, triple berry muffin, without SUGAR! Talk about doing something and then there being another spin off. I love baking for my family but I’m passionate about eliminating crack , oops, sugar from our diet. I think we can do one thing and allow something even bigger to come into our lives. Good health! Happy Children! a Blessed Planet!
Triple Berry, No Sugar Muffins
2 1/4 cups flour…I like to use 1/2 white and 1/2 whole wheat
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp orange rind grated
1 cup mixed frozen berries
2/3 cup butter melted
2/3 cup liquid honey
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk…I use almond milk
Directions
In a small bowl mix the berries with the cinnamon.Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix the rest of the dry ingredients, along with the grated orange rind.
In a medium bowl, mix the butter and the honey. Add the slightly beaten eggs and the milk.
Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the milk mixture.
Now fold in the cinnamon and berries.
Remember to only mix until combined…muffins do not turn out well when over mixed
Spray muffin tin…and for regular sized muffins, spoon the batter filling each tin about 3/4’s. ….however I like mine bigger.
Finally, if you want a bit more of something….try a sprinkle of cut up walnuts…a healthy addition too.
Bake in preheated oven 400 degrees F for 15 to 18 minutes
Although this recipe makes 12 regular sized muffins…I like them big so I double the recipe and it makes 18 muffins for our family….but oh, they go fast so get ready to make another batch soon.
I used the triple berries from Super Store and some honey that I’ve had in the cupboard for ages….what a hit!
I made these muffins last Thursday, on wear a sports jersey to school day, in memory of the Humboldt Bronco’s. The kid’s didn’t bat an eye when I told them they were no sugar muffins….”can you make more?” is all I heard.
Since I will start work later this week at my seasonal gardening gig, and this will be my last blog post for the week, I thought I would share a YouTube video called, “Earth Day.” I hope it inspires you to take a moment and look around your part of the world…and bless it. This is our home, let’s take good care of it, if not for ourselves, for our children and their children, and all the creatures great and small who we share the world with.
Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.
Okay, so you’re probably wondering what homemade salsa has to do with mental health. Well, if you hang in there, I hope I can make the connection by the end of my blog post but first, I want to tell you what’s been going on around here. Did you know that October 2 – 8th is Mental Health Awareness week? Tomorrow is the last day for the heightened focus of this issue, but for me personally, it’s going to be a permanent fixture inside of my brain.
I’m a pretty typical person, in that yes, I’ve had bouts of anxiety and some depression in my life but it’s never been anything that is so dark, or debilitating that a certain amount of time and learned coping mechanisms didn’t solve. I really haven’t thought too much about mental health in the past, until this last year that is, because like cancer for instance, where there is only a 6 degrees separation from anyone affected, mental illness is the same. In fact, in my own family we have several members who are affected and suffer in varying degrees, and for each, it manifests differently. When I started thinking of it, are any of us truly immune from mental issues to some degree or another?
So when I heard about a Mental Health talk being given at one of our local high schools (Seaton) on Tuesday night, I was motivated to attend. Any further light that could be shed on this topic was only an asset in my opinion.Thankfully, a few of our older children were home and agreed to help with their younger siblings, so my husband David and I were both able to attend.
As it turned out, it was an inspiring evening but not in the way I had expected. I walked into the high school theater feeling still at arms length from mental illness and was stunned to realize I was walking out, not only better informed but realizing it was closer to home than I had thought. If I truly believe we are ALL connected, then this is right on my back door and knocking to be heard.
The main speaker, Sam Fiorella, was the father to Lucas Fiorella, who killed himself after suffering from depression in secret for a number of years.. Lucas was just 19 years old when he died. His passing was a great shock to his family and all who knew him, because Lucas was the most unlikely person to end his own life. He had three passions in his life: being a friend to those in need, snowboarding, and robotics. At the time of his death he was studying Robotics at one of Canada’s Ivy League Universities, Carleton in Ottawa. You would think that he would be in his glory studying at such a prestigious University doing what he loved, but the fact was, he had been silently suffering from depression for years.
After he died however, several high school and University students came forward to share with his family, how he had taken the time to recognize that they were suffering with mental illness and helped them in the process. In one instance, a high school classmate was contemplating how she was going to commit suicide. She decided she couldn’t do it at home since she had a stay at home mom, instead, she went to school and was just sitting in silence, trying to sort out what she was going to do when Lucas approached. He offered a simple hello and sat down to talk, but mostly listened to her. After she poured out her feelings and how she was planning to kill herself he said, “how about we go and tell your mom.?” Which was the beginning of saving that girls life. It started with “hello.”
“One’s life is not measured in years but by the positive contribution made to the lives of others.” ~Sam Fiorella~
Here is what the organization is trying to achieve:
“1: The Friendship Bench Our efforts are built around this iconic yellow friendship bench, which is installed at secondary and post-secondary schools. It serves as a permanent, physical, and year-round reminder to students to take a moment out of their day to sit, breathe, and talk (or think) about their mental health and that of their friends. It’s intended to inspire peer-to-peer conversations about mental health in order to reduce the stigma and encourage more students seek help.”
The Seaton high school had arranged for Sam Fiorella to come and speak, in conjunction with this Mental Health Awareness week but he was also there to present the school with a bright yellow bench that the 1996 Alumni group had fund raised for, in memory of their classmate, who also had committed suicide after struggling with mental illness.
The realization that this story could be mine, (Grace of God and all that) since we have a son who is also a top student, a high achiever in all areas of his life. Everything always seemed to be easy and natural for our well liked, straight A son, but little did we know he was experiencing episodes of anxiety, even as a young child. I always thought when he would wake up in the middle of the night, hyper-ventilating and unable to catch his breath that it was his allergies. We even took him to the Doctor to discuss allergies, because mental illness wasn’t even on my radar.
Over the years, he has learned to cope and he deals with his episodes of feeling disoriented and anxious by taking deep breaths and meditating, which helps to calm him. There have been times though where he’s told me he’s isn’t happy and he is just going through the motions of doing what he must do. Oh, my heart just breaks when I hear this, as I’m just like any mom, and my biggest wish is for my children to be happy. IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK? I’m glad he has been able to talk to us but it scares me at the same time. Even though he says he’s okay, when does it stop being okay and will we be there for him when it’s not?
Thankfully, the stigma against mental illness is breaking down, opening up and coming to light since mental issues does affect a lot of people and we are starting to talk about it. To break the down the wall further, we need to teach our children from a young age to recognize their feelings and share them. Thankfully, in our children’s kindergarten classes, they are teaching the Zones of Regulation, which is a huge step in self awareness and communication.
Our son has been telling us for awhile now that he’s not always doing great and after Sam Fiorella’s talk, we finally really took it seriously. (Although I have to say, we did encourage him to talk to someone, which he did. On his own, he went to speak with one of the school counselors but it wasn’t a very effective meeting) Why it took so long for us to actually take the reins and get directly involved, I can’t tell you. If our son had been suffering from a physical ailment, we would have made sure he saw a medical physician, so why is his mental state of health any different. The day after the talk we contacted our son’s University, and booked an appointment for him to talk to a clinical psychologist. Hopefully that will be the first step to help him deal with his mental issues.
All this week, I have been talking to people, via Facebook, friends, family, teachers, and now I’m blogging about it. I hope like a pebble in the pond, I’m doing a small part in changing society’s ideas about mental illness now, for I believe there is still a stigma. Why else didn’t I see it before now? I’m really sad that Lucas had to suffer in silence, and others like him who finally felt they had no option but to take their own life. I’m going to do something about it now….because you know what Maya Angelou says?
And now you are wondering what Salsa has to do with mental health….well……along with talking about mental health all this week, I’ve been making salsa. And while chopping tomatoes I’ve been thinking about my own mental health and the things I do personally to try to stay healthy. I was thinking how fortunate I am to be able to quit my career as an Insurance/Employment Officer with the Federal government and now be able to do what I love; raise children, care for our home and garden. It’s not always easy and we have had to make a lot of financial trade offs but I swear, digging in my garden, working in my compost pile and creating beauty in my yard, has saved me a number of times over the years. Those and the great hugs I get from my kids.
The most difficult thing about living in today’s society, in my humble opinion, is many people are not able to do what they love. We have set the world up for our children to have a certain expectation of what’s considered a successful life. Accumulations of wealth and property, is still the benchmark considered, for the measure of success. As parents, we try to give our children the best education and we expose them to all sorts of after school enriched activities, so they can compete to get into the best Universities, obtain the best jobs, and all the while, we have forgotten to look at them as individuals. Hey, I’m guilty of it ALL!!! But I’m hoping, with some conscious awareness, like Maya says, I will do better now.
Thankfully, our new school curriculum is moving in that direction. Recently, in our Province teachers have been trained to move in the direction of “inquiry based learning,” which allows children to follow their interests and the teachers act as facilitators in guiding them. There isn’t any score card or level of attainment. The children are the judge on what is individually successful. Yes, we all have a long ways to go, but with any journey, it takes a vision and the goal to create a healthier, happier society.
And back to my gardening, growing tomatoes, and making salsa…well, gardening has been my therapy.
A cute quote…but seriously, if you need a mental health check up…GET professional help!
Digging deep into the dirt, allowing some of my daily problems and concerns to be dug in and turned over, so I can contemplate my life and put my issues into perspective has been crucial for me, along with knowing the tiniest seeds I’m planting are growing into beautiful plants.
This is a heritage Brandywine tomato plant I put in the ground last May (plant your tomatoes deep is my advice)
In this picture you can see my tomato plants next to the pool fence which works great as a stake. I have just added grass mulch which improves the soil as it decomposes, keeps the weeds down and keeps the soil moist
Observing how graceful the changing seasons flow, also teaches me to look at the bigger picture in my life and know that this too shall pass when problems that may overwhelm me take hold.
Even when I’m stressed with house stuff, kid stuff, financial stuff, world stuff,… when I come back to the simple tomato harvest, picking, cleaning, chopping and cooking, it allows me to let go and realize how great a few jars of salsa feels to create. In the process of growing my tomatoes and peppers, my body received some exercise, some Vitamin D, and now will benefit from the Vitamin A, Vitamin C, potassium and lycopene that my spicy salsa provides.
If you have an abundance of tomatoes right now or want to buy some from your local farmer (I noticed in our local paper, farmers have U pick fields and the prices are great) and want to join me in contemplating mental health, while providing your families with a spicy salsa, check out how easy it is and yes, while it’s cheap to buy salsa….does anything compare to homemade?
Homemade Salsa for Canning Ingredients 20-30 med to large tomatoes…if you can use the Italian Roma variety, they have less seeds 3 onions (I used my homegrown yellow onions…..but you can use 1 yellow, 1 red, 1 white) 3 sweet peppers and again, if you use one of each green, red and yellow, that is a nice variety 3 to 4 hot peppers 1/2 cup of lemon juice 3-4 minced garlic cloves 1 tbsp salt 1 tsp freshly ground pepper 2 tbsp of chopped cilantro or if you don’t like the taste of cilantro..some people, like my oldest son think cilantro is soapy…you can use parsley Directions 1. Sterilize your canning jars, lids and rings. I put my jars in the dishwasher and time the cycle to end when I’m ready to fill the jars so they are still hot. The lids and rings I put in a saucepan, cover completely with water and boil for several minutes and then set aside to dry Modern canning advice says you don’t have to sterilize the lids and rings if you are using a water canner for over 10 minutes…but I’m old fashion and still like the idea of sterilized everything. Here’s a link to Modern Canning advice. 2. Clean tomatoes and place them whole into a large pot of boiling water for a couple of minutes. The time really depends on how ripe they are. The riper your tomatoes, the quicker the skins will start to split. Remove and place them in a colander, when drained well, place into a large bowl. I found I had to do this process about three times before I was able to boil and loosen the skin of all my tomatoes.
3.Now the big job of removing the skin on all the tomatoes and cutting and chopping them into chunk size pieces. Place all chopped tomatoes into the same large pot you used to boil them in. 4. Cut the onions and sweet and hot peppers into a large bowl. (Just typing about it now makes my eyes water and I start to cough. Something I find helpful is putting my onions in the fridge...there is something about them getting cold that helps to reduce the watering of eyes.) Add the chopped cilantro. (Some people use a food processor but I like to therapy of cutting up everything with a knife.
5. Add the lemon juice, the garlic and the salt and pepper.
6. Now add the onions, peppers, lemon juice and spices in the large pot with the tomatoes and heat them up. Bring to a boil and then simmer until ready to put them into jars. Stir really well. At this point, I do a taste test to check the spice level. If you want it hotter, add more pepper, or garlic but keep in mind that the processing of canning will increase the heat and intensify the spice. 7. When the jars are done in the dishwasher, fill them with the salsa mixture, leaving 1/2 inch space at the top of the jar. Wipe the top edges of the jars before putting the lids on, finally screwing the rings on tight…but not too tight.
8. Place filled jars into the boiling water of the water bath canner, making sure the water covers all of the jars by a few inches. Cover and boil for 15 minutes. 9. Remove the jars from water bath canner and cool them on the counter.
10. Before storing the jars tighten the rings and make sure the lids have sealed by pressing down on the middle of the lid…if they don’t move, it’s all good.
So that has been my week.
Whew! Big stuff!
Now the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend is upon us and I can only think, “how grateful I am.” Grateful for my family, my friends, for a peaceful country to live in, but mostly for the freedom to express my thoughts and ideas. Also, I’m thankful for Canada’s health care system, as we can get help and all it takes is a visit to a physician for a referral to a mental health professional.
I hope you share with me in spreading Lucas’s story and ensure the loss of his life was not in vain.
I’m also thankful to you, my readers for coming to visit me here. Thank you!
I open up the sun roof on our van, and we crank the tunes….and we all sing really loud, “Ain’t no mountain high enough, ain’t no valley low enough, ain’t no river wide enough baby…to keep me from getting to you.” I hope they are taking in the words really well…and we are singing loud enough that their big brother away at University hears them and knows, we are there for him.
Listen baby, ain’t no mountain high,
Ain’t no valley low, ain’t no river wide enough baby
If you need me call me no matter where you are,
No matter how far; don’t worry baby
Just call my name; I’ll be there in a hurry
You don’t have to worry,
Oh baby there ain’t no mountain high enough,
Ain’t no valley low enough,
Ain’t no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you babe
Remember the day I set you free
I told you you could always count on me darling
From that day on, I made a vow,
I’ll be there when you want me,
Some way, some how
Oh baby there ain’t no mountain high enough,
Ain’t no valley low enough,
Ain’t no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you babe
Oh no darling
No wind, no rain
Or winters cold can stop me baby, na na baby
‘Cause you are my goal
If you’re ever in trouble;
I’ll be there on the double
Just send for me, oh baby, ha
My love is alive
Way down in my heart
Although we are miles apart
If you ever need a helping hand,
I’ll be there on the double
Just as fast as I can……..
Let’s be there for one another and start talking and LISTENING….. That is my HOPE!
Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.
Once you choose hope, anything’s possible. ~Christopher Reeve
Welcome…it’s so nice to see you.
If you are here on my blog and interested in living a green, sustainable life, a life that leaves the lightest footprint on Mother Earth, then you are probably already living a vegetarian lifestyle. You may even be a vegan. In that light, I’m probably preaching to the choir but since I spend a good portion of mental thought on this issue of late, I wanted to share some of my struggles and inspirations in becoming a vegetarian. This may help those of you, like me, who are moving, or who have moved in that direction. Maybe you can also relate to this process.
If it were just me, I would be feeding my family a “total” plant based diet right now. I’m one of those people who can do things cold turkey when convinced of the benefits but I live with other people and their process towards change has to be considered. As you know, I have several children ranging in age from little to grown and up to now, they have been raised a certain way. I have been feeding my family what I believed was a balanced diet since they were little. I spent the last 25 years breast feeding our children, with the exception of only a few years between their weaning. Anyone who has devoted that much time ensuring their children are receiving the best start in life, knows that nutrition is really important. After all that effort building a strong immune system and a healthy gut in our little ones, we were careful to offer them a wide array of food choices, heavy towards whole foods, particularly vegetables with fruits as their sweet treats.
Since I often had a baby at the breast, I started going to La Leche League meetings where I found other supportive women who were choosing this method of feeding their babies/children and eventually, I became a leader. This was the start of my journey towards becoming a vegetarian, as several of our members were living this lifestyle and they always looked glowing and had an aura of well being around them. I wanted that too. Although, we made healthier choices for our children, we could never seem to cut out eating meat completely. It was how we were raised after all and the argument was, well we are healthy aren’t we? When choosing our children’s first foods, I wanted to lean towards more vegetables and fruit (and our children all loved their sweet potatoes, carrots, apples and bananas) but I also wanted to offer them a wide array of food choices without limiting anything that may cause deficiencies.
And so, we have raised them with meat and other animal by products in their diet. It was only with the arrival of our last three babies, when I started thinking about how our food choices don’t just impact our health, but our planet and how other people are eating, or not eating in many cases. On the journey to completing our large family, ironically I was becoming moreplanet conscious and I knew if we are all connected, then how we feed our families has to shift.The process for me to change has been slow and arduous but I’m hopeful, after all, I grow our food and I buy the groceries. The control is ultimately mine. (and my husband who by the way is totally on board…always says he feels great after eating a plant based meal)
We started the big shift by growing our own food in our garden. That way we had more control over what we were eating and our children were also a part of the process, as they helped me plant, water, weed and harvest our crops. Another step was becoming more educated and learning to make one vegetarian meal at a time for our family. Still there is resistance and even I don’t always think things through or am forceful enough. For instance, the other day when eating lunch out, I chose a beautiful Thai inspired salad but it came with chicken….did I think to ask for the waitress to hold the chicken? No I didn’t, but next time I will. The salad came green and glowing, the plate loaded with vegetables and quinoa and slices of delectable chicken. The salad was delicious and I didn’t need the meat….or the feeling later that I wasn’t walking my talk. One step at a time and if I don’t take those steps, how do I encourage my family to share the path with me. This is a process….
I’ve told our children that eating a plant based diet is healthier for our bodies. That in doing so we have a lower risk towards,
Heart disease
Colorectal, ovarian, and breast cancers
Diabetes
Obesity
Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Wow~! and if that isn’t enough of a reason to cut out meat, and meat by products, since I had our younger children late in life, adopting a vegetarian diet has been linked to living longer and having higher quality health as we age. I look at people like, Mimi Kirk, a wonderful mentor and a raw food vegan and think, I want that kind of health/energy too and I want that for my children.
And if improving health isn’t reason enough to adopt a vegetarian lifestyle, think of the health of our planet. We are wasting so much water, land, and resources in growing animals for food that it’s alarming. Something has to change because if we stay on this path, we won’t have a planet that can provide everything we need to survive. It’s that simple. I’m not even going to get into the ethical reason to make the change but when we take care of each other, even the animals on this planet, our earth will hum in total balance and peace.
And so I continue to move and encourage my family to adopt this belief system. Like any change, I will take it day by day, meal by meal. I will move in the direction of health, not just for myself, my family, but for our planet. I will be grateful for all I have been given. Speaking of being GRATEFUL, can you believe we are still eating wonderful food from our garden? And if health of the body, and health of the planet isn’t enough of a reason to make the vegetarian lifestyle choice, think of the wallet! It cost $2.99 to buy a 6 pack of started spaghetti squash, (less if I had had saved seeds) and we still have a box full of squash to get us through winter. Talk about frugal…AND healthy. So many reasons to eat a plant based diet.
Kathryn and Victoria with a bit of our squash harvest…next year I’m growing MORE
Today we are choosing to eat Spaghetti Squash with a tomato sauce and a green salad. Oh yum…and another side benefit is HOW EASY IT IS! While the squash is roasting, you have time to get out in nature. Later today, I’m taking the kids skating in our little town’s outdoor rink. Not only is it a great way to get some exercise, have some fun with the kids, be out in the community, but it’s free…I love things that are free. They tend to be good for our planet too.
Before I go though, I will share with you my spaghetti squash recipe….get ready for easy and it doesn’t even need any special equipment….no spiralizer, just a fork.
For our large family, I cook 2 spaghetti squash…but 1 large squash feeds most families of 4
How to prepare Spaghetti Squash
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cut the squash in half, lengthwise.
Save the seeds and let dry in a coffee filter….that way you will have a box full of delicious squash next fall after harvest time….did I tell you how easy they are to grow… they practically grow themselves!…all you have to do is plant them, mulch around them with some grass clippings throughout the season…and maybe water them occasionally if it’s really hot.
Okay…back to cooking squash. Once the seeds are scooped out, you brush the insides of each half with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Place cut sides down on a baking sheet and put in the oven for about 40-45 minutes depending how big your squash is….it’s done when you can easily pierce with a fork.
Brush the inside with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and turn squash over…with skin facing out
Now let it cool for a bit before using a fork and gently scraping the inside of the squash….you will see that spaghetti like strips pull off. Continue stripping them off with a fork until you get down to the outer skin. Even with 1 large squash, you will end up with a big bowl of the pasta looking vegetable.
Top with your favourite tomato sauce, add a piece of parsley, a green salad and my family loves my homemade dinner buns and voila…dinner. It’s that easy. It’s that delicious too. My little girls LOVE spaghetti squash.
Spaghetti squash….one meal in my vegetarian recipe collection
And before waving goodbye, I wanted to share a well done documentary called, “Cowspiracy” that I watched a month ago. I found it at my local library and one evening I watched it all alone and was blown away. It’s not that I wasn’t aware of the far reaching effects that our meat industry has on the planet, but it was so well done and thought provoking.
For my birthday, I asked my two older sons, who are still living at home, to watch this documentary…as a gift to me. I’m never eloquent enough to describe all the reasons that I believe becoming a vegetarian is the best choice for our planet and Cowspiracy does just that. Plus, the film maker, Kip Andersen, is a lot more hip than their mom and you know, being cool can be persuasive.
When I found it on YouTube, I just went YEAH! Because I wanted to share it with you too. If you have a bit of time….hey and while you are cooking your spaghetti squash you may have some, grab someone you love and watch it. I’d love to hear what you think of it too and also how you became a vegetarian….or whether you are thinking of becoming one and how the journey is going. Sometimes, I feel like I’m just out here in the world, blogging away and no one is thinking along the same lines……as I type this, my Siamese cat, Ryuuki is curled up against me, his little warm body, laying on my typing arm….if you have a pet, curl up together to watch this “Cowspiracy” film.
(click on the hyper link above if you can’t see the video link below)
Well, I’d better get going. It’s a lazy Sunday here..thank heavens! After all the stress of yesterday and the break down of my van…right in the middle of driving my kids to their activities; a voice recital practice for Grace where the accompanist was waiting on her keys, the little girl’s first Saturday skating lessons and Will’s first introduction to hockey class. It was a crazy day! I need a day to just breathe. As I kept turning the engine over and over yesterday, as the clock was ticking towards the next activity and Grace and I growing colder and colder in the van (it was FREEZING here yesterday) and the van was DEAD, I kept saying to myself, “this too shall pass.” And although my husband is out of town on business right now, he was reachable by phone. Thank you David! The whole family and Blair, a nice tow truck driver who jump started my van, got me back in action and on the road.
It’s when there is a crisis that you realize that you really aren’t alone…you just need to ask for help. I know this sounds kind of sappy….but I feel like the world is in a crisis right now. In so many ways people are reacting negatively but then there are droves moving with light energy and helping to heal our planet. I think when we eat a plant based diet, we have more love energy to spread around the world.
To the world you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world. 🙂 ….you are that to me…thanks for coming for a visit! And please drop a comment about your journey and your thoughts.
Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.
Little did I know but this blog post was inspired early this morning, when I selected one of the tiny wisdom cards from my seashell. The words on the card said, “Slow down~When you move too fast, you miss so much.”~
These precious cards were given to me this past Christmas by my niece, T, who lives in Victoria with her family. Her husband R and her two beautiful daughters, H and M. My niece T, is a gentle soul with a warrior’s heart. She is sensitive, compassionate, kind, loving and oh so generous. Thank you T, for helping me remember what I already know.
(If you are interested in learning more about these cards….I will put more details below)
The wisdom cards given to me by my niece T…..this one says, “Slow down, when you move too fast, you miss SO much.”
As I went about my morning, I thought about this message and very quickly it became clear how it would resonate in my life. First, I received an email from my wonderful sister B, who is a strong, intuitive woman with such a kind heart. She goes out of her way to help others for instance, rather than going to high tea to celebrate her birthday this past Sunday, she asked how she could help our son who was flying back to the city to start his second term of University.
She not only picked up Mitchell but his friend as well, she took them grocery shopping at Costco and then drove Mitchell to his dorm and his friend to the place he resides while going to school. Other than a foot injury last year, she always seems to be so healthy. She is really good at listening to her body and soul, and taking care of both, but is service to others another key to staying healthy?
Then, she told me about her daughter T and her granddaughters not feeling well this week. Flu season is here after all, but I just went hmmmm, maybe there is a message I can learn from all of this today. T (who you may remember gave me the wisdom cards) and her husband both work, lead a busy life in a large city, raising their two beautiful girls but they are really good at listening to their bodies. What’s up….are they able to slow down enough for what their bodies need?
Then I received another lovely email from my sister, C, who is a yogi, a personal trainer, a reiki master, an artist, and I think a modern mystic…but aren’t we all? Except most of us aren’t truly tuned in or even trying to listen. Anyway, she wrote me an interesting email titled, “Universal Health.” In her email, whether she realized it or not, she inspired me on ways to stay healthy, and also help the earth. She mentioned that this month she was involved in some art classes and then she talked about hanging their laundry to dry and how she loved the smell of air dried clothes.
Finally, she wrote about their green bathroom practice to save water, “when it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.” Okay, maybe TMI, but I was thinking of how her whole life has been devoted to staying healthy within her mind, body and soul, while inspiring others to follow suit. Also, by walking the earth gently it allows healing to take place which in turn nourishes us. Mother earth give us the basics for perfect health, clean water, air and healthy food, not to mention beauty everywhere to feed our soul.
She then took me down memory lane when she used to teach fitness and on her business card were the words, “Universal Health.” Her creative, and artistic son, S, drew a picture of a cute alien in meditative pose, floating above the world with, “Universal Health” as the heading. She wasn’t just promoting her ability to train individuals towards greater fitness and health but she was referring to how we could heal the earth, and hence heal ourselves by creating a healthy Universe for us ALL to enjoy.
Okay, too many coincidences for me to ignore. I had to write about health and how we can heal ourselves. It also seemed like the perfect blog post for a New Year, when so many people are working towards their conscious intention of obtaining great health, more joy, greener living…etc. Thank you to my sisters, and my niece for this inspiration.Although, you have no idea how extensive you touch my life in so many other ways. Okay, here is my post for today….
Recently my family had a lovely, relaxing holiday, as well as two bonus snow days which were magical. I thought we were ready to start the New Year with gusto and although everyone finally returned to school and their respective jobs this week, some of us were not functioning at our best.
Now that is understandable, as it takes a few days to re-adjust to getting up earlier and fitting back into a regimented structured schedule, but over the holidays a few of our children caught cold viruses and weren’t recovering as fast as I would have liked.
Will got sick first, a few days after Christmas. Although he had had a slight cough, I was surprised how quickly his croup incident came upon us. We had put him to bed, thinking nothing other than it had been a lovely day. There was no warning whatsoever, until in the middle of the night, I awoke to our little guy’s barking cough. I knew exactly what was occurring when I saw him sitting up in bed, gasping for air.
The first croup incident occurred when he was a toddler. When we realized he was having such a hard time catching his breath we did the logical thing and rushed him to the ER at our nearby hospital. When we arrived, they diagnosed him as having croup and administered medicine through an inhaler. However, he had improved so much just by being out in the cold air on the way to the hospital, that the next time he had a croup incident, we just took him outside first rather than rushing him to the ER.
At the back of my mind though, I’m always second guessing taking my child outside, instead of to the hospital. As I sit rocking him, bundled in a warm comforter, whispering soothing words, “it’s okay, it’s okay, take little breaths, little breaths,” I’m praying inside, “please God, keep him breathing, keep his heart beating.” It’s such a terrifying experience as a parent and yet, a part of me is also saying to myself,…..”Hope, it’s okay, it’s okay… JUST keep breathing.” We always know the path to take deep inside.
What is always amazing to me is how resilient children are. They can be extremely sick one night and then bright and chipper the next morning. It’s so surreal. But there is a lesson here, as small children live in the moment and appreciate the smallest things in life. Their joy and exuberance is another key.
Then, a few days after putting the vaporizer away, we heard that tell tale, barking cough coming from the twin’s room. Both girls had had colds, but it was Kate who was struggling to breathe one night. Although she and her twin, Victoria had been tiny 5 pounders, when they were born, they have been healthy babies and toddlers. We have been really thankful that they have hardly had a cold in their 31/2 years. So when she caught the croup virus, it really caught us off guard. Thankfully, like Will she recovered nicely after a trip outside and an evening with the vaporizer in her room. Then a few days later, Victoria, who also caught a cold, developed a rash all over her body, which I understand is a common side effect from some cold viruses.
Not only were the little ones feeling unwell but our oldest daughter Alyssa, who has been teaching in the U.K. since September, and working so hard at her new position, caught the flu right before Christmas and she spent the whole holiday coughing and was extremely tired. And back in our home, Grace had a cough and Clark also had been really tired and suffering from a sore throat. As the kids got ready to head back to school, I KNEW I had to do something drastic. I opened up my pantry and went into my laundry room, where I keep my herbs.
Okay, my pantry needs serious organization work…but keeping a well stocked pantry with nuts, seeds, dried fruit, flax, oats, quinoa, can really give you the boost when you are needing a quick energy fix.
I use this indoor expandable clothing rack to dry my herbs…it’s great and accessible when I need to refill my herb jars.
Being able to grow my own herbs has taken my cooking to another level…one of greater health AND looking at my herbs reminds me of that song by Simon and Garfunkel…”Scarborough Fair”….see below
If you can’t click on the link above, click here to hear and view… Simon and Garfunkel’s song, “Scarborough Fair” which I always think of when I’m using “parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme” in my cooking…love this classic sweet melody….sing it while making your soup to heal your family
I took stock and knew that things like garlic, ginger, “parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme”, brown rice, vegetables, all simmered in an aromatic broth would heal us. There is something restorative about these foods, they are our comfort foods, allowing our bodies to balance and return to perfect health. Here is my version of a healing Soul Soup….
Hope’s Chicken and Rice Soup…(although I have added chicken, vegetable broth and more veggies works beautifully with the rice and all the garlic and ginger too…let your heart be your guide) Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil 2 medium onions 4 garlic cloves 4 tbsp fresh minced ginger 2 celery stick 6 Chicken Thighs 12 cups of chicken broth 1 cup of uncooked basmati brown rice 5 large carrots 1 tbsp parsley (and if you have any fresh as well you can add it to the soup when serving) 1 tbsp sage 1 tbsp thyme 1 tbsp rosemary Salt and pepper (optional: swiss chard or spinach)
Directions:
1. Soak 1 cup of brown rice (I use basmati) in 2 cups of water 2. Bake chicken, seasoned with some salt, pepper, garlic and ginger in 375 degree oven for 30 minutes
I sprinkled the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder and ginger powder…and caught all the juice in the tin foil and added it to the broth
3. In a large stock pot, add 1 tbsp olive oil and saute, 1 diced onions, 1 cup up celery stick, 2 cloves of minced garlic and 2 tbsp of fresh minced ginger…cook until translucent.
4. Add 12 cups of chicken broth
5. Add the dried parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, oh and salt and pepper to taste. Then carrots.
oops, sideways…but you get the idea…lot of lovely dried herbs are the key to flavour
And if you are making it a totally veggie soup…be creative..I love beans and mushrooms with carrots
6. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to a frying pan and saute second medium diced onion, 2nd celery stick, 2 minced garlic cloves and 2 tbsp minced ginger…add the cooked chicken. Allow the chicken to brown really well creating more broth for the soup. (we are funny about meat…we like to cook it really well…especially chicken…plus it just makes more broth) After cooking for about 10 minutes, add chicken to the stock pot….add salt and pepper liberally as you are browning the chicken
After cooking the chicken in the oven, browning it with onions, celery, garlic and more ginger just layer the flavors again.
7. Rinse the rice and add to the stock pot.
I had been soaking the rice in a jar…rinse it and then add it to the soup…boiling and then simmering
8. Bring to a boil, then simmer for an hour…..or until the rice is cooked. (I like making my soup mid afternoon and simmering for a few hours until dinner…the smell in the house is like aromatherapy in my opinion) Also, if you want to add some swiss chard or spinach do so just before serving the soup…the added greens are lovely and add more nutrition to your soup.
Light a few candles, serve with a green salad, bread sticks (recipe below) and a glass of white wine…or in our kids case, they had their Umma’s special, “pink lady”drink..which is cranberry juice and ginger ale which is perfect when your tummy isn’t feeling all that great and you are maybe a bit dehydrated….it makes it festive for the kids to have a special drink.
Okay, actually this doesn’t look all that great…ha…but then I had to serve 9 people and wasn’t able to touch up before the photo shoot…but you wouldn’t believe the flavour…D came home for lunch the next day so he could have more soup!…good thing his office is just 5 minutes away from home.
My family was saying…’really mom, another blog post…can’t we just eat already…it was so delicious and restorative HERE’S TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH!
The little girls sitting next to us at their little table were thrilled with the Soul Soup…”we are all in perfect health!”..CHEERS!
Although, I did not make bread sticks on the day that I made this delicious soup, as we had some good heart buns in the house, I love making my bread sticks to go along with my soups…or my pasta…well my kids like bread sticks anytime. Here’s the recipe. Mitchell brought the recipe home from his grade 9 Foods class. I have never been a fan of taking Foods in high school for our kids because I teach them how to cook at home but this was one recipe, I was thankful to receive as we enjoy it several times a month.
Mitchell’s Bread sticks…also known as our Crazy bread recipe Ingredients 5 cups Flour 5 tsp sugar 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda 5 tsp yeast 450 ml of hot water Topping; 1/2 cup of melted butter 2 tsp garlic powder 75 ml parmesan cheese Preheat oven to 425 F 1 Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and yeast 2. Add hot water to make sof dough 3. Turn out dough onto lightly floured counter Knead until smooth, and elastic, about 2 minutes 4. Cover, with a damp paper towel, Let rest 5 minutes 5. Meanwhile, combine melted butter, and garlic powder 6, Roll out dough to 1 cm thickness. 7. Using a pastry brush, brush on half of the melted butter 8. Place on lightly greased baking sheet. 9. Bake for 7-9 minutes or until lightly brown..watch closely 10. Remove from oven and brush with remaining melted butter and sprinkle with parmesan cheese Cut into sticks or shapes of your choice
I make a large batch and they disappear very fast…the little kids begging for some BEFORE dinner
Then as if that weren’t enough, as this health idea was brewing in my brain all day, I received a phone call from our son Mitchell. As I mentioned earlier, he is back in Victoria attending his second term of University, but today he called me to say he went to the clinic as he wasn’t feeling great and it’s now confirmed that he has contracted mono. (His roommate in his University cluster had caught it in the fall) I absolutely knew by then, that after the little ones were in bed tonight, I would be writing a blog post about health and healing.
I wondered why he was so tired during the holiday break. While he worked really hard at his grocery store position, both weeks while home, as well as filled each moment visiting family and friends, he seemed more under the weather than is normal for this energetic, upbeat 18 year old, (almost 19 year old) so I was concerned. Knowing this virus was brewing, makes me wish I had made some soul soup for him before he left to return to school.
Well, as for the Wisdom card message, “Slow Down, when you move so fast, you miss So much, ” a few thoughts have come to me today. First, often we become sick to begin with by burning the candle at both ends, if you will and not allowing any light to infuse our lives. We work so hard and life for many people today is stressful. It’s also, not aligned with what our earth needs to heal itself either.
When we slow down and connect with nature, we are able to balance ourselves and recognize what each of us needs to do in order to stay in perfect health and keep our Universe healthy as well. By living consciously, breathing deeply, moving and connecting out in nature, eating whole, as close to nature food, we stay in our natural state. Perfect health.
So the next time you become ill, say thank you. It’s an opportunity to slow down and allow contemplation and connection to occur….”what are you meant to be doing after all?”
And before I close, I just wanted to share some information about the precious wisdom cards and a link to an interesting TED Talks presentation by Allan Savory below. First about the precious cards.
These card were created by a Victoria, B.C. yoga teacher, mother and nature lover, “Linda Cirella.” Each deck contains 80 cards and is printed on eco-friendly paper in Victoria, B.C. Canada
These cards were created to remind you of what you already know deep within your core; and to help you to connect with it….because when you embody that wisdom you shine BRIGHTLY and you feel more ALIVE. And as a result you have more to give to others…So the world gets a little brighter!!!
Thank you again to T for the cards and to my sister B and my sister C…for always inspiring me! YOU ARE LOVED!
If you are interested in purchasing the cards contact Linda at om_shantii@yahoo.ca
Wisdom is always a great gift to share.
And my final thought for the day is in regards to a Ted Talk my sacred sister, L, sent to me about healing our planet by Allan Savory. (thanks L…your angels must have whispered to send it to me)
I believe it’s worth the time it takes to view it….slow down, when you move too fast you miss so much.
You never know when you will pick up a tiny piece of wisdom, put it in your back pocket and contemplate how it may change the world. Remember, we are ALL connected!
Until, I see you again, may you be WELL, happy and peaceful.
What is energy? Have you ever thought about that? How is your energy depleted and how do you refill your tanks? Don’t you think when you are doing something you love, the energy just comes even though you may be physically exhausted.
This reminds me of when our twins were newborns and I was physically fatigued all the time but somehow, the energy I needed to care for them came. I was madly in love with those little people and just caring for them each day, helping them to grow stronger, gave me energy I needed. Caring for my family gives me energy.
I think our children are inherently active and they know the secret.
Grace is a fish and loves to swim
Mitchell passionately plays the striker position in soccer…he’s on the left side of the picture, in blue.
The little girls love to jump
If I’m ever looking for Harrison, I just need to listen for thump, thump, thump and then a pause, swish
And 9 out of 10 times, it goes in.
And then there is Will, who is non stop action, I’d love to harness his energy source
Well if you have read my blog at all, you know I’m all about energy. While I believe we are energy at it’s source, it does get depleted and we need to recharge. Whether that is from rest, meditation, or food, I want to get my fuel from a source that is as healthy and positive as possible.
Along with my morning green drink, I thought I would share a recipe I made recently for our family. Particularly for our two older sons. (Sorry Mitchell, I will have to send you some in your next University care package)
Our oldest son, Clark, has been working on building his body for over a year now. He counts calories, ensures he is getting a broad range of foods and it’s important that he has some sort of protein source right after his strenuous work outs in order to build the muscle he desires. Now I would love it, if he were doing “crop fitness,” on our farm, but on our small scale urban homestead there isn’t the extensive physical work required, so after a day at University, he heads to the gym. When he comes home he likes to eat something full of protein right away.
Since we are moving slowly in the direction of becoming vegetarians, (for environmental and ethical reasons) I have to really plan and ensure we are getting the requirements all of our children need based on their activity levels, brain and physical development. My mother always taught me that moderation of anything was the key and I believe she was right. My advise to our children is that energy creates more energy, so stay active and eat foods as close to whole as possible, as fresh as possible and as colourful as well.
These protein bars are really delicious, so I thought I would share the recipe with you. I have made energy bars before but I always follow a recipe closely, to ensure they turn out. I’m becoming more adventurous of late and our kids will even eats things that don’t turn out all that great. It’s a WIN/WIN.
Today, I just looked in my pantry to see what we had and made the bars from what was there. You can be as creative as you want. Personally, if I were making these just FOR me, I would have put the dried cranberries in them, but I knew the boys wouldn’t eat them, (OR at least been reluctant to, all the while complaining saying, “these would be soooo good without the cranberries, mooom”) so here is what I came up with.
Hope’s Energy Bars 1 cup of dates 1 cup of almonds 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds 1/4 cup ground flax seed (I grind them freshly every time I use them) 1 cup of whey powder 1 cup of organic peanut butter
What’s in your pantry? Thank heaven I had some whey left from Christmas. Is it still good? The kids did a gift exchange and the boys had made energy bars for each other along with tie-dyed t-shirts, so I still had enough whey for these bars…yeah!
I just went into the pantry to see what was available and came up with this mix…you can be as creative as your pantry is full.
Add the dates, almonds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds and the whey powder. into a food processor and mix them really well.
Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl and add
your peanut butter….sorry if you are allergic…we would die around here if we couldn’t eat peanut butter!
Mix until well combined.
I made the balls into 2 biters…big biters that is….now put them in the fridge or freezer to firm up
At this point you can either form them into balls as I have done above, or you can spread them out in a pan and flatten them to 1/2 an inch high. Put parchment paper underneath and lay another piece on top. Put it in the fridge overnight and then carefully cut into desired shapes the next day. I personally like the ball shape as they pop into your mouth in two bites….or at least that is how many it took my kids to eat them today.
“Mom, are you taking this picture for your Blog?” said Harrison on the right.
I think these energy bars are going to go pretty fast by how well received they were before they even went into the fridge to set up. That’s okay though as they were quick and easy to make and next time, I’m putting some cranberries in them….for me.
Clark works out at the gym 6 days a week and will enjoy these energy balls
As for me, I get energy from feeding those I love. I hope you enjoy this post and make some energy balls/bars for your family.
I do believe we’re all connected. I do believe in positive energy. I do believe in the power of prayer. I do believe in putting good out into the world. And I believe in taking care of each other.
~Harvey Fierstein~
Until we meet again, may you be well, happy, energized and peaceful.
As you know from my last couple of posts, I’m a homeschooling mama now and since I know many of my friends are also in the same boat, I thought I would do a post on the energy elixir I discovered a number of years ago.
I started thinking about this being the perfect blog post last night as I was plugging in my cell phone to charge it for the evening and I was thinking, “wouldn’t it be cool if we mamas could re-charge our batteries so easily.” Cell phones are a crucial way of staying connected in our fast paced lives but when they run out of charge they are useless.
Mothers are useless as well when they run out of steam. They are the back bone of society and are true warriors as caring for children and the family is a 24/7 job. Being a mother is daunting and overwhelming at times and often all that keeps us going is coffee and sticky kisses. Personally, I don’t partake in coffee, so the kisses have to be REALLY good. At the very least we need respite care to re-charge our drained batteries.
Yes, sleep is one way to rejuvenate and restore ourselves but I only get a really deep sleep every now and then these days as there is always someone up and about in the evenings. If it isn’t an older child waking me as they come home late, (I sleep with one eye open until all my chicks are in the nest) or a little one with a night terror, it’s me, getting up to attend to my urgent bladder of which has never been the same since the twins birth. So, yeah, me and sleep, let’s just say we are passing strangers in the night.
Then there is something to be said for meditating.
The practice of which helps us reconnect with our soul, which is eternal and when we connect with the deepest part of ourselves, which is creative energy at it’s core, we can fill the tanks nicely. You have to get in the groove though and seated meditation isn’t the easiest thing to do when you are a mama as it requires sitting STILL, and you either have to get up earlier than your kids (in my house that means I’m up before the birds) or stay up late at night which I do, do…but often I’m writing or reading. Still, this is a great way to re-charge at the soul level and I think people who meditate a lot look ageless.
Then there is always doing something outside your comfort zone which stimulates and excites you. Have you ever taken a course even though you didn’t think you could find the energy and somehow you are walking on air and looking at your life through new lenses?
Well those are all great ways to energize yourself but what I’m proposing is giving your body some juice (literally and figuratively) to boost your energy.
I don’t know about you but we ate really healthy this summer. LOTS of different salads and various veggies from our garden. Most days our treats were all the summer fruits available in our area of the world. We did however eat our fair share of ice cream and baked treats. I knew Alyssa and Mitchell would be leaving home in August and I wanted to give them all their fav desserts. We had carrot cake, brownies, lemon pound cake, date squares, oh the list goes on and on. I know as I was waving goodbye to our beautiful children I was feeling sluggish and it wasn’t solely a deep sadness but was my body saying I had to let go of a few pounds and find balance again.
Now we are all different but what I discovered 10 years ago was when I indulge in any dairy products, anything processed and definitely sugary type foods, my body reacts strongly and I feel exhausted. When I was trying to conceive in my early 40’s, I had read when we assist our liver by clearing toxins out of our diet, our hormones balance and work more efficiently. A side benefit was having great skin, glossy hair, beautiful nails and hey, I looked younger too. I think I have found the green elixir to ageing gracefully.
So if you are in need of an energy boost, want to lose a few pounds or even look younger, head out into your garden (or check out your local farmer’s market) and gather as many colourful vegetables as you can find and join me back in my kitchen.
When you start your homestead, plant your fruit first because it takes a number of years for them to produce. This is the first year that we allowed apples to grow on our three year old trees…This is our Spartan apple tree.
A bowl full of energy, carrots, parsley, kale, swiss chard, and apples.
Now if you know me or have read my blog at all, you will know that I’m not a high maintenance type of gal. Last fall when D gave me a new compost bin, you would think he had given me a diamond ring for how ecstatic I was, so when he gave me a Champion juicer for my birthday a number of years ago, I WAS BEYOND thrilled. Plus, our family has benefited with greater health.
If you don’t have a juicer (yet…I hope my post convinces you to buy one) you can certainly buy some green powder, or go and become a wheat grass junkie at your local health food store (like I used to be) …that is the next thing I dream of…a wheat grass extractor with a fridge in the garage to store my wheat grass trays….it will come.
I found a great powder by Webber Naturals at Costco for a great price ($25.00) and often this is what I start my day with. I shake up a cupful and drink it about 1/2 hour before I eat my oatmeal which aids in the digestion and jump starts my day. Below my breakfast of choice.
When I make my oatmeal, I also add a scoop of 8 grain cereal to the cooked oatmeal, along with some ground flax seed. Then I go crazy with walnuts, almonds, cranberries, raisins, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, or frozen fruit I keep for my smoothies. I find that when we are in a rush and if I’m wanting the little kids to eat their oatmeal fast, then I add the frozen fruit and it cools off the oatmeal quickly…although I like to savour my oatmeal before I start my day.
Oh I like adding all sorts of things to my oatmeal…today there was soy yogurt, walnuts and bananas
So if you don’t have a juicer, check out all the powder greens to give your liver a boost and help with your digestion. This one addition will give you a big boost.
If you want to see what you are eating however, gather your vegetables, the skies the limit.
Today, I gathered kale, apples fresh off our tree, parsley, swiss chard, cucumbers, carrots, and ginger. What I forgot, but I usually put in all my juices is some celery…but this is what I love about juicing, each time it’s a bit different. The ginger is a warming herb and great for digestion, plus gives it a zing.
Parsley is a diuretic and great for your liver
Here is my Champion juicer in action….you can put the pulp in your carrot muffins, yum!
Oh look at that beautiful green colour!
Cheers!
To make silly cracker people, spread some hummus, add a cucumber slices, 1/2 a cherry tomato for eyes and a slice of apple for the mouth…the kids were moving the tomatoes around and laughing like crazy…food is fun!
And voila! my afternoon snack with the kiddos. I drank the green juice but we all ate the crazy WASA cracker/hummus people. Our kids will drink a carrot, heavy to the apple and a tiny bit of ginger juice (apple/carrot zinger) but when I add too much of the green stuff they scrunch up their little noses. That’s okay. They eat their greens by way of broccoli, beans, cucumbers, etc. Their little bodies regenerate so fast and they haven’t the toxins built up from years of damage yet so they don’t have to eat pounds of organic vegetables to re-charge. We are certainly mentors when they see us chug our green drinks and chase them for a messy kiss with our green moustaches afterwards.
I wish you could come over for a juice. Although I think my friends Tamara, Jane, and Laura have partaken and certainly my sisters B and J have caught me juicing. They all know I have to stay young and energized to keep up with Will and the twins. Hey, and if you think that this may be too much, just try each day cutting up a bunch of veggies and over the course of the day munching on all that raw power. You will feel GREAT!
Life is so good and needs all our enthusiasm and gusto to enjoy it.
Here is a YouTube clip I found on juicing…if you are wanting to learn more check it out.
(If you are using an Apple product, you may not be able to watch this video below, if so I hope this link works for you, “The Benefits of Juicing.“)
Wishing you a radiant, energetic, life.
Until, I see you again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.
