it does not always have to be grandious amounts of almond milk or smoothies, a beautiful salad with easily accessible ingredients can be the start to a wonderful experience with color, texture and taste. Above all, how one feels and health.
Caught in the Rain
Caught in the pouring rain today, I did not run …let the wind flirt with my dress felt its fabric cling to my skin. Smudged mascara, dripping hair and for a nano second my soul touched the child.
Amalfi, Italy
Melon musing – “heals in ways scientists are only beginning to discover”
“Balls of purified water”! I read in a medical journal that the “water of melons is nearly identical to our blood and has the ability to heal in ways scientists are only beginning to discover”. Enjoying a lot of watermelon is giving your body a rinse out almost as if Mother Nature already knew in advance, we would be eating destructive foods that need to be flushed out.
I am not a researcher and cannot confirm all the claims made about how healing watermelon and melons are, however, I am very curious about nature’s secrets, often trying out things for months before writing about them and can therefore confirm: after enjoying alot of watermelon and melons my skin became beautiful, soft with a special glow. My bowl movement was excellent with no constipation at all! I felt so happy, melons definitely seem to put one in a good mood. An added advantage is they are so filling, I did not feel like eating all the other unhealthy enticements and after a while started losing weight. We enjoy at least one whole watermelon a week in summer. I love to juice a sweet melon (cantaloupe) with cucumber and lemon, refreshing and delicious. Feel like a watermelon smoothie? Blend with a bit of mint and coconut water. However, absolute best is to dig your face into their delicious world and slurp away while they are available for summer.
Show up for you!
Do you also want to pull the covers over your head some days – dream of doing a sleeping beauty hack and wake up a few months or years later and everything magically fell into place while you were gently snoring away?
There have been days when showing up has been one of the hardest things to do; everything in me screamed “go away, leave me alone. I can’t do this”. I am a firm believer in time out, it’s crucial to know when to step back, however, if I leave it too long my “diving unders” can become “my sinkings”. So increasingly even when creative dry spells hit me or life is a bit bland and not even the pinkest of my lipsticks help, I have started to make a concerted effort to show up anyway. I write anyway, I take my camera for a walk anyway, I get up early and exercise anyway (okay, not always but it’s getting better!) and I make a smoothie or green juice anyway (always). If success is a series of small steps forward then surely failure must be a series of small steps backward. In my experience once one is in reverse gear, it seems twice as hard to push forward than if one just stays on course even if it means at a slower, less exciting pace. The secret for me at least, is to keep going. Some days, one has to be your own champion, entertainer, best friend. People have their lives and issues, no one can be available or even has the energy to be a crutch all the time and that’s why in my opinion it’s vital that one learns to show up for yourself even when the script is boring, picture out of focus, music flat with too many pauses, even when you are not excited about the exciting or when it seems to have no point, place value on your life and show up. Don’t wait for a perfect moment sometimes perfect moments are created and the artist is you.
Light berry, romaine smoothie
My favourite go to smoothie because it’s light, tasty and the ingredients are easy to find
-small romaine lettuce (more nutritious than ice berg lettuce)
-at least 1 – 2 cups frozen berries (or mixed with fresh. I love to use wild blue berries! All that blueness in me:)
-to sweeten either: 2 – 3 dates, a bit of maple syrup or honey (dates are a natural sweetener – remove pips)
-add about 2 cups of water; depending on how many berries is added etc. a smoothie should be liquid but not too waterish either in consistency; if it’s not delicious tweak it
-one banana
BLEND
To take this smoothie to the next level I often add either one or all of the following for additional hair/cleansing/nutritional benefits:
-replace tap water with coconut water (so good): coconut water healed my daughter from a bladder infection (she drank two glasses every day) and it it is a great energizer!
-1 lemon (peeled of course) –I cannot gush enough about how cleansing lemon is
-teaspoon spirullina – I cannot possibly say enough on how fantastic spirullina is for hair & skin amongst others (please educate yourself – it is really worth it)
Enjoy!
My little escapes, Las Vegas
Own your spots
Recently, I was held captive by a singer featured on a jazz poster; totally mesmerized by her round bottom showcased in a vintage outfit, wild hair and generous lips – her presence! How individual she looked, so authentic. And then it dawned on me … she had everything I hate about myself. Why is it that I love those features on her yet hate them on me? The answer came back very quickly as if I was having a conversation with two of me: because she owned it! Her hair, body …presenting herself in a beautiful, flattering yet authentic way not trying to go against herself but lovingly nurturing what she was born with. Self appreciation shows, it glows and while not everybody has to have the same taste or opinion on what is beautiful at the very least, it is an inspiration for those less mainstream to know that it’s okay, even beautiful to be different. Once you own your spots you’ll glow and that’s when you find your tribe and flow. Yo I could go on forever this is getting good now with the rhythm and so …
Today i cried
For unborn babies and weeping mums
For time and distance from loved ones
For different starts that end the same
For love and hearts and weakening flames
For muscled words in weak characters
For wanting different but doing the same
For words cheaper than free
For caring words void of deed
For everything seeming so different yet ending the same
For the same ending of everything that seemed so different
So different
Different but not so
heating food, coconut oil v. olive oil & quick tip
Occasionaly, I enjoy my plant foods heated or cooked (some plant foods just need to be cooked); I use coconut oil and am mindful to heat as briefly as possible so that their purpose does not get destroyed. The purpose of each vegetable and fruit is to upload us with health, powerful vibration, glow, clear thoughts, energy. Cooking or over heating completely destroys the purpose, character and magical effects of natural food. (I use coconut oil because although cold pressed olive oil is very good, it should never be heated). Tip: spinach tastes delicious if you boil water and pour it over the spinach – no need to boil/cook spinach. Having said that, spinach uncooked is best.