Blessed are they who never read a newspaper, for they shall see Nature, and through her, God. ~ Henry David Thoreau
Sunday in the forest
Category Archives: a life that feels good
Island Adventures & Sweet Potato Fries
There is nothing more soothing to my soul than a long weekend trip to the west coast of Vancouver Island to explore the ruggedly beautiful beaches.
After a fun day exploring the PNW, sweet potato “fries” hit the spot.
Method
- Wash and slice two large sweet potatoes
- Arrange on baking tray
- Drizzle with olive oil, nutritional yeast and freshly ground pepper
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes
Enjoy
SOS Free Eating Plan
the new year off right.
There are a lot of studies that show most North Americans eat two or three times the healthy upper limit of salt consumption every day. What does this mean for our bodies? An increased risk of heart disease and kidney issues, and excess salt also ages you by slightly dehydrating the body.
Next on the avoid list is oil. Most of us have been taught that oil is healthy for us but nothing could actually be further from the truth. Oil is a very manufactured product that often includes chemically separating the oil from the whole food and it is also very susceptible to oxidation. So much better to get your fats from whole foods such as hemp hearts, avocado etc.
And sugar, I feel that we all know about the evils of sugar but, in case you don’t, I’ll dedicate an entire future post to what is wrong with refined sugar.
Eating SOS has also opened up a whole new world of delicious recipes.
Here is one: a turmeric and nutritional yeast covered roast potato dish with a cilantro, parsley walnut dipping sauce.
So healthy, so good.
Method – Potatoes
Wash 10 small, red potatoes and slice into quarters lengthwise. Dip in nutritional yeast, turmeric and freshly ground pepper mix.
Place on baking sheet and roast for 35 minutes.
Method – Walnut Dip
· 1 cup walnuts (soaked overnight)
· 4 Cloves Garlic Whole
· 1/2 Bunch Cilantro
· 1/4 bunch parsley
· 3/4 cup filtered water (add more if you prefer a thinner consistency)
· 1 tablespoon Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Enjoy.
Community Gardens
Welcome to Eden aka the community garden.
This little green haven has become an incredibly important place to me. It’s where I meditate, play with the dogs, do yoga, jumping jacks, earthing, reading, reiki and plant admiring a few times a week.
I’m so grateful for the peaceful green spaces that give us a beautiful respite from an ever more distressing world. And, because of this, I’ve recently signed up to be a volunteer at the neighboring City Farmer.
I’m excited to be part of the Permaculture movement and am so looking forward to learning about growing things sustainably and organically.
Living Lightly
Sometimes I look around the city and imagine what it would be like if humans started living lightly on the earth. I see the oversized SUV’s and monster trucks go zooming by, the monster houses with two people living in 30 rooms and people eating their way through super-sized meals and the earth’s resources and think “our planet can only handle so much disrespect and abuse before really fighting back”.
Our sedentary lifestyle, stressed out lives and SAD diet has put a massive burden on the medical system, our over-sized houses carry a toxic carbon load as do our vehicles and super-sized meat-centric diets, slowly but surely destroying the health of the lands and seas. We rush around from one appointment to the next, not really enjoying our existence but also apparently not really knowing how to stop living the way we do. We pave over and spill oil on the earth, discard a ton of plastic waste as we careen through our day and yet only really worry about our bank accounts. We buy more, more and even more, making Jeff Bezos a gazillionaire but we are unable to fill that empty longing with our Amazon purchases so we decide that the next purchase will be the one that will make us happy. NO, ok then the one after that. An endless cycle of “retail therapy” ensues, just making us more broke and more distracted from our real issues. And our planet becomes our personal dumping ground.
Imagine a world of living in harmony with the earth instead of ruthlessly trying to dominate it or mindlessly destroying it. Imagine a world of light living; a world of community and connection. In the spirit of “It’s never too late”, I’m inviting you to join me in a Zero Waste Challenge. Let’s not mindlessly soldier on while our planet and it’s wild creatures are dying around us. Let’s be the change. Think of the good karma of living gently with the earth. Elevate your life and save our home at the same time.
Check out this link for inspiration and tips:
https://www.goingzerowaste.com/blog/101-easy-eco-friendly-zero-waste-tips/
We can do this!
Mountain Adventures & Black Bean Brownies
Hiking season is here. And after a long trek up a mountainside there’s nothing better than something sweet and delicious to treat yourself with.
This recipe hits both categories and is also really healthy, made with black beans and sweetened with maple syrup.
Black Bean Brownies
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cup black beans (equals one can)
- 2 T raw cacao powder
- 1/2 cup oatmeal
- pinch sea salt
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients, except chocolate chips, in a food processor and blend until completely smooth. Then add chips and pour into a greased 8×8 pan.
Easy and delicious.
Making Quarantine Work for You
Everywhere I turn, on social media or in real life, I hear people lamenting about how much weight they’ve gained, how much junk food they are eating, how much they are drinking, how slothlike they’ve become and how bored they are. Or, on the flip side, how stressed they are from pushing themselves so hard to keep busy and learn new skills at this time.
Here’s an idea: Make quarantine work for you!
Make this the time that you eat clean, get fit and do the things that you might usually think you don’t have time to do, including practicing self-love, self-acceptance and the fine art of doing nothing.
A few suggestions I have are:
reading that great book you never seem to have time for, going for a solitary walk or run in nature, having a meditation session of just “being” at the beach or another favourite place in nature, learning how to cook new dishes, teaching your pet a new trick, creating structure in your day by taking a number of 15 minute yoga breaks, pampering yourself with a homespa experience, nourishing your body with delicious, nutrient-filled food, reaching out to friends regularly, either online or socially distancing in person, stopping to smell that beautiful spring flower and really seeing that sunset.
Intermittent Fasting Sleep Benefits
It’s my first week of intermittent fasting and I’ve noticed a few amazing things already. I am sleeping like a baby. Yes, a baby. I used to be a late night snacker. I loved being a late night snacker and most nights would have a peanut butter toast, a big handful of cashews, yogurt or potato chips, depending on my cravings, but then I almost always would have a restless sleep and then awake the next day exhausted. Have you ever eaten right before bed? It’s actually a very uncomfortable feeling. And I all of the work your system is putting into digesting food at night actually gives you an anxious sleep where you might not even go into REM, the restorative stage.
So, my number one exiting benefit of IF this week is sleep. I’m starting to wake up feeling pretty rested for the first time in a long time and it feels amazing.
The second benefit this week is that I’m actually paying more attention to my body and my digestion. It’s a bit shocking how little attention we pay to our bodies on a day to day basis. Especially during times like this were most of us have a baseline of higher anxiety and are prone to a little too much comfier eating.
Intermittent Fasting helps you really tune into your body and your digestion and allows you to nourish your self with our over eating or inducing I’m mindless comfort overeating. Personally, I really like the structure of feeding myself from 11am to 7pm and then just giving my body a break. IF is helping me stay healthy in unsettling times.
Blossoms & Bliss Balls
Every spring I chase cherry blossoms around the city, so if you aren’t a cherry blossom lover, stop reading now.
The insane beauty of the city exploding on petals ranged from soft pink to fuschia fills me with awe every year.
Chasing all of these blossoms works up an appetite so here is a recipe for delicious little energy balls to take with you when you’re on the go. There’s a lot of high level nutrition packed into these little balls:
Cashew Bliss Balls
- 1 cup cashews, ground in food processor
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup hemp hearts
- 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 T raw cacao powder in half
- Splash filtered water
Mix ingredients together, form into balls, chill, serve.
Staying Healthy during a Pandemic
Panic surrounding the covid-19 virus is spreading every day with the world slowly but surely shutting down, one service at a time. Panic buying of toilet paper, fights in wine stores and general hysteria seem to be prevailing.
In reality though, there are a lot of things you can do to stay safe and healthy and none of them involve stock piling TP in your home.
Staying calm, well rested, connected to friends and family, and nourishing our bodies should be priorities right now. Here are a few more tips to keep you healthy during this anxious time:
- Eat lots of fresh fruit, veggies and take your vitamins to keep your immune system healthy
- Don’t panic. Panic and anxiety are huge immune suppressors. Stay calm.
- Meditate. Do yoga.
- Wash your hands often and thoroughly.
- Walk in nature. Nature heals.
- Don’t completely isolate. Being part of a community strengthens our immune system and uplifts our mood.
- Do something nice for and elderly person or immune compromised person. They are the ones who are truly at risk.
- Refuse to live your life in fear and greed.
This too shall pass. Be balanced, care about others, wash your hands, do the elbow bump, and we will survive this beautifully.
I’m ending this post with a few photos from my morning nature walk. Nature will always calm, heal and rebalance.
Mind Body Soul 