Great immune booster — excellent for the heart! Refreshing and flavor-FULL!
V5 Juice
6 Romas or on-the-vine tomatoes
2-4 garlic cloves*
1 large cabbage leaf
1 carrot
1/2 cucumber
Juice all 5. Stir and enjoy.
*Add garlic to juicer at the beginning or middle, to be sure other veggies push it through the machine. Use more or less depending on taste preferences. Allow to sit about 3-5 minutes for maximum garlic benefits.
I’m still amazed by the depth of these seemingly simply little “life-lessons” from the garden. Wow! If we can simply keep them at the front of our minds and walk them out, they are life-changing! Hope you find them encouraging wherever you are at in your “dailies,” as we continue from last week. Catch Part 1 here if you missed it.
3- Keep the cats out! –Some messes and distractions that come along in life just aren’t worth it! Some events, opportunities, appointments, even people. You name it – They can be toxic as they come into your space and ‘dump their mess.’ They may be good, well-intentioned and even super cute…and sometimes deceivingly so! But, see them for what they are. Either be OK with cleaning up the mess they bring because it’s worth it to you OR choose to make and keep a mess-free, clean “space” by restricting them from your “garden.” (For the record, I’m not anti-cat. I simply don’t have one and don’t want the responsibility to clean up regularly after someone else’s.)
4- Plant seeds! And most are very small! But don’t let the size be deceiving. They hold a TON of potential to produce a large harvest. The same with seeds in our life. Seeds of hope, new ideas, and dreams come to us in seed form. Most of them can seem small, maybe insignificant at first, and sometimes even our hopes start out as a very tiny glimmer. BUT, as they get planted, watered, cultivated and protected, they grow and develop…taking root and beginning to produce. Rarely do they come or start by accident, but it takes time, intention, tending, nurturing, developing. Just like the garden!
5- Give it time! – A crop requires a lot of work and TIME! I’d really rather have an instant fix and instant results. We live in a fast-paced technology, microwave, fast-food, 140-character-Twitter culture… but (sadly!) that’s just not how it works. This is such a good reminder, especially for me, when I get in a hurry and am very impatient! So much happens in the “process”…character development, skill development, stretching, roots go deep and solidify the “structure,” new ideas, new pathways and SO much more! Sometimes we can’t even see or understand what’s actually happening in the growth process until much later. Then…WOW! Look what has grown and even multiplied into being! Keep waiting; trust the process is doing good things and will bring great results!
So tell me about your garden! Any “cats” you need to keep out of your garden?? What seeds do you want to plant? What seeds need a little extra tending in your life? Where do you need to relax, take a deep breath, be patient and let the “process” have its way?
Be sure to share with a friend today who needs these little reminders!
Happy Gardening!
Fast – Easy – Fresh – Different – Veg Variety – Flavor Adventure
Baked Zucchini
1- Wash and Slice zucchini, horizontally into strips, about 1/4″ thick.
2- Spread strips onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
3- Mist with a little fresh olive oil (spray) and sprinkle with sea salt, pepper, garlic and Italian seasoning blend…or a blend of fresh, chopped herbs.
4- Bake at 350 just until tender, flipping half way through. About 15-20 minutes.
5- Add a protein, beans, another veg.
Then, enjoy with family or friends!
Add some veg variety! Here are a few tips and variations:
1- Try fresh garlic
2- Invest in an oil mister bottle! Much cleaner and fresher oil than the commercial oil sprays
3- Use parchment paper for an easy clean up
4- Bake, broil or grill until just tender
5- Skip the tough, thick stems!
6- Sprinkle with just a touch of (Organic) Parmesan/Romano, IF you’re doing dairy. YUMMM!
Fall! It’s finally (mostly!) here! Don’t you just love the change of seasons?! After the long HOT AZ summer months, I’m LOVING being back outside. AND it’s finally time to plant the garden! I certainly don’t claim to have a green thumb just yet, but I’m working on it and learning a ton in the process! It truly amazes me how our great-grandparents could survive growing the majority of their own food! What a lot of hard work. TOTALLY worth it with the flavor and nutrient quality; in fact, I’m spoiled! But I’m still surprised every season by what it takes to make a thriving garden!
More than just the fresh air, free (sweat) sauna and the excitement and anticipation of fresh produce, gardening always makes me ponder life. The parallels and visuals between the two are so incredible! Let me share just a couple I’ve been contemplating (and living out!) over the last few days and months…and how they can affect many areas of our lives!
1- Clean out the old season! – To make room for the new plants and new life requires ripping out last season’s plants, digging up old roots, and preparing for the new. SO true! So many times before we can move into new jobs, relationships, projects and adventures, we have to clean out from the last season: things we no longer need (clutter, files, equipment, books, clothes, etc.—cleaning our offices, storage room, garage, closets, pantry, kids rooms). It doesn’t just stop there, but also means letting go of past disappointments, regrets, guilt, resentment, comfort (oh my!), and sometimes even relationships and jobs. It’s those things that clutter our lives or no longer serve us and that will only hinder us and keep up from moving into the “new.” It’s amazing how deep and how big the roots can grow beneath the surface. Leaving them there will simply choke out the room and life of new plants trying to grow and be established in their place.
2- Prepare and re-nourish the soil – Healthy garden growth and nutrient-dense produce needs to grow in good, rich soil that can nourish the seeds and allow for good water drainage. Sometimes we get wiped out from our last season or we’re just not quite prepared for the new to come into place. Either way, it often takes time, effort or focus to get ready to go into a ‘new’ season. It can mean re-nourishing our body, soul and spirit, resting and recharging to be re-energized to focus on new projects, ideas or assignments. Sometimes, it’s even healing, recovering and softening from life’s circumstances, events or even traumas we’ve just lived through. Once replenished, it makes for an easier, more productive and healthy new season and harvest.
So tell me about your garden! What are you planting? What needs to come out of your life before you can move into your new season? What the state of your “soil”??…What kind of tending and TLC does it need to be ready for the “new”?
Seasons are usually for a window of time! Take advantage of it…and look for Part 2 next week.
Share these tips with a friend and “get ready” together!
I seriously NEVER even wanted to try Kale, let alone did I ever think it would become one of my favorite salads. Kale is waaay more than the ugly plate garnish, we tend to know. 🙂 Here’s how to make a super easy kale salad…and LOVE it!
Mediterranean Kale Salad2 bunches Dino/Tuscan Kale, “de-veined,” washed and chopped (Dino/Tuscan is a more mild variety)
(OR make it super easy: 1 bag washed, chopped. Be sure it’s really clean and fresh!)
2-3 Roma Tomatoes, or grape tomatoes, chopped
1 can Garbanzo beans, rinsed
2-4 Garlic cloves, minced (to taste, I LOVE garlic, so I use 4!)
1/3 cup Olive oil (extra virgin, cold pressed)
1/3 cup Lemon juice
Sea salt
Cayenne pepper
*Grated Parmesan
1- Prep veggies: wash, dry, chop
2- Rinse and drain beans (makes them much easier to digest) and heat.
3- Make dressing by combining garlic, olive oil and lemon juice in an 8oz jar. Shake to mix well.
4- Place kale into large salad bowl and pour on dressing. Sprinkle with sea salt and a pinch of cayenne, both to taste. Toss well, to coat all greens. Get your hands in there and squeeze it by the handfuls for a minute or 2 to soften the kale (OR…I prefer to divide kale and dressing into batches and pulse-chop in the food processor, so I don’t have to cut or squeeze it. It becomes a softer texture in smaller pieces.)
5- Portion into serving bowls and top each salad with tomatoes, warm beans and a sprinkle of Parmesan* (to soften and melt just a bit.)
Fabulous!!!
Serves 2, with a little left over for lunches
*Dairy free version – top with avocado slices. YUM!
Kale went from an almost “unknown” to practically overdone as a superfood in the past few years. However, it’s SO loaded with benefits, I think you can see why it truly will never go out of style! Check them out:
1–Gives more than 45 antioxidants to help lower inflammation throughout the body and boost the immune system
2–Protects from cancer as a primary food source of “glucosinolates,” which the body actually converts into cancer fighters, specifically against bladder, breast, colon, ovary, and prostate cancers
3–Supports and improves detoxification pathways in the body, helping to remove toxins (environmental, products, pesticides)
4–Helps balance hormones by further supporting detox and ridding the body of harmful estrogens in both women and men
5–Lowers cholesterol – even when compared by research to cholestyramine (cholesterol lowering Rx). [Steamed kale may prove to be even more effective!]
6–Supplies lots of Vitamin K, which also reduces inflammation, supports bone strength and balances digestive health
Try some Mediterranean Kale Salad tonight…and share these tips with a friend!
I hadn’t had fries for so long, I almost forgot how yummy they were. ….and these are EVEN better!
Sweet potatoes
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Chili powder
Cayenne
Sea salt
1- Scrub and slice sweet potatoes into desired sized strips or wedges.
2- Mist/Spray lightly with olive oil and sprinkle lightly (or heavily!) with each of the spices to desired spicy-ness.
3- Bake at 450- 25-ish minutes or until tender, stirring or flipping the fries halfway through bake time.
Enjoy!
You were made for a purpose! Part of this includes giving to others the gifts, talents, personality, perspectives, style, humor, wisdom, gems and resources that have been placed and grown within you from life experiences, education and training, as well as genetics and Divine Design. These were not meant just for you, but to be shared and poured out to enrich the lives of others. Blessings will flow and result in a life of fulfillment beyond your imagination!
Take some time to hear what you are saying and carefully filter what others say to you. The power of our words and those spoken over us have a profound influence on our lives. Because we speak what we believe, our own words and even the words of others can be easily planted, growing in the soil of our mind and heart, resulting in a “harvest” that we may (or may not!) want. We must realize their power. You have the choice to shape your life and your future with the power of your words!
