My opinions and recipes regarding a less toxic lifestyle.
With all the tomatoes this year, here is a great QUICK refreshing salad to whip up in minutes that will use up some of those toms.
Handful of cherry toms (you can use cut up larger ones too, I just like the little guys)
A cucumber chopped up (chunky chops)
A little feta cheese chunks, or whatever you like, blue cheese, etc…
Cut up spinach, or basil, or any leafy green
Splash of oil based dressing
Salt n pepper to taste
Devour!
Yum!
Here ya go, my easy peasy bread recipe….it is simple, easy to make, and wholesome.
The many so-called wholesome bread loaves found on the store shelves have funky ingredients many people can’t even come close to pronouncing. We all want to know what our children are eating. Which not always an easy task these days.
(side note: When you see “NATURAL FLAVORS” listed as an ingredient, you might want to know “Castoreum” is very commonly used as a “NATURAL FLAVOR”…go ahead and see what Castoreum really is! HINT: We call it “Beaver Butt” in our house)
Back to the bread: Making bread doesn’t get any more simple then this recipe!
You’re only an hour and half away from a warm yummy loaf!
3 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt (you can add more salt if it’s too plain for your taste)
1 1/4 teaspoons yeast (you can add a little less yeast, not critical)
2 cups warm water (sometimes I need a splash more than that)
STIR until all the flour is wet and mixed
Cover & let rise for an hour (or longer, but at least one hour)
Pour into a greased loaf pan (I like cast iron, because then I don’t have to grease it)
Bake at 450F for 30-35 minutes.
ENJOY!
I am realizing I’m far more opinionated than I thought, great lesson for me to learn about myself. Blogging is a fabulous platform to express ones opinions huh?
What plagues my thoughts often are how blind our society is towards all the subconscious messages bombarding our minds all day long. It’s everywhere we turn. Sports, Schools, Advertisements, Friends, Internet, etc…And how we just accept these messages without much thought, regardless if it’s in our best interest. Or the best interest of the next generation.
Example:
“Go Big or Go Hungry” (fast food catch phrase)
In reality it should read:
“Go Big and Get Fat, possibly die of heart disease”
But that wouldn’t sell more burgers….so a threat of hunger is their motto.
I found it particularly interesting that the person wearing this fabulous marketing tool was not small, not medium, not even slightly over weight, but rather a prime example of my reason we need to start thinking for ourselves a bit more.
According to the CDC the average sized male has increased by 20 pounds and the average sized female has increased by nearly 30 pounds in the last few decades. (This is AVERAGE sized people)
Fast food has become a staple in the last few decades.
Eating in the car on the go has become the norm in the last few decades.
Obese defined by Webster dictionary: “having excessive body fat”
Obese defined by http://www.medterms.com: “if they are more than 20 percent over their ideal weight. That ideal weight must take into account the person’s height, age, sex, and build.”
Obese defined by the National Institutes of Health (NIH): Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 and above.
I was as guilty as the next when it came to fast food. However, we as a family have started thinking for ourselves. Now when I see “Go Big or Go Hungry” it reads “Go Big and Get Big” to me…..loud n clear….anyone else see it that way?
Let’s start a revolution to think for ourselves. Block out alllll the crazy advertising we are suffocated with each day. Be your own person. If you want to “Go Big” go for it, but do it because YOU gave it thought and its the choice YOU want.
Look for the irony in life…
It’s our own fault.
Told you it was quick. Ha ha!
But seriously, Think about it….give it some really good long hard thinking!
WHO signs the kids up for all these activities?
WHO agrees to pick up this or drop off that here and there?
WHO commits, volunteers, over schedules, etc?
Take back your life.
CONSIDER what you are agreeing to before you agree.
(this is where I thought I was done….but get ready this is where it no longer is a quick thought, now I’m thinking out loud and eeks, blogging might be my mental thoughts in type…aka not so private diary!) ha ha!
I recall a time long ago, a friend laughed at me because she noticed in my date book I had a chunk of time blocked off each day that said “RELAX” … I still schedule down time. It’s important! For your soul, your health, your mind, your body, your family, your friends, your kids, your dog, your cat, hamster, bag boy at the market! The world is a better place when you have a little down time!
Think about the kids, they say they are bored, but some of the greatest creations grow out of boredom. Give your kids (and yourself) the chance to do nothing!
That reminds me: I love these two books and HIGHLY suggest them if you have a busy life. And if you can’t slow down enough to read them, you can get one of them on audio which is very handy, a set of ear buds and you’re on your way!
I have actually read both of these several times and I read the children’s book to my kids all the time! They love it because it reminds them of all the things they can do when they have NOTHING TO DO!
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Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids by Kim John Payne |
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Nothing to Do by Douglas Wood |
I ran that ragged race and lost. Everyone who runs it ends up loosing, just depends how long you want to run.
Our lives are at a much slower pace now. (Thanks to HOMESCHOOLING, it’s the best thing we’ve ever done for our family!) And I’m in shock that people don’t think they can slow down. They think it’s not possible. They are WRONG. You can slow down as much as you’d like, it’s entirely up to you.
Our once go go go family, now carves out “quiet time” each day (at least 4 days of the week) where the kids spend an hour in their rooms reading or playing quietly by themselves. And get this….(drum roll please) the kids ASK FOR IT if it’s been a couple of days without it!
We also have two days of the week (sometimes 3 or 4) that we schedule NOTHING. It’s these days I casually get house chores accomplished (or not) kids play and create new games while complaining of boredom, we can stop in the middle of laundry and play a game, read a book together, bake, etc…whatever comes up. And it’s these days my kids love. They remember these days. These are the special times that are missed when you spend 24/7 running here and there and loosing that rat race. What will your kids remember about you? (the back of your head while driving in the car? Your frazzled expressions as you race here and there?)
It’s up to you to make the changes and slow down your world. (for you and for your kiddos)
Own it…it is YOUR fault. Change it…if you want to!
I challenge you to one 24 hour period of scheduling nothing! Doing nothing! And enjoying it! I’d really like to challenge you to a week, but didn’t want to push it…ha ha!
Hectic Peace 