Wrapping Up Day One

It is early in the evening, and I have made it through the first, and sometimes most difficult, day of the fast. I was really hungry in the afternoon, and I am hungry now. I sleep better when I am hungry. The light headache that surfaced in the mid afternoon has now disappeared. The clothing is a little looser. The body is chilly. I will head into the bathtub, with epsom salts and a few drops of lavender oil! Brushing the skin before the bath will further the detoxification. All is well!

Shanthi

Got Through the Breakfast Hours

I awakened early for mediation and yoga. To give strength and grounding I moved the yoga mat to the another room for the practice. A new yoga experience, and no view of the kitchen, kept me in the practice! Susanne came for the breakfast juice and the hunger grumblies went away, for awhile.

Shanthi

Time to Wash Out the Remains of Winter - Spring Fast

Tomorrow morning I am starting on the Spring Fast. I have a fellow faster, which is always nice! I will not be alone when I juice 3 times a day. Susanne and I will get to know one another, share any challenges and excitements with the fast, and help one another to stay the course.

I will send out thoughts and experiences as I progress through this 4 day fast. The fresh vegetables have been purchased, I have plenty of lemons on hand, and I now I will sleep!

Until the morrow... Shanthi

How to Make Ghee Butter

In this video, Sydney teaches you how to cook ghee butter and explains its health benefits along as well as its many uses.

You're invited to a special screening of the film Bag It. Bag It is an exceptional film- it brings into focus in a wry, reasonable way, the damage that decades of plastic bag use has wrought and what can be done. The film begins Today, April 22nd, at 1:30pm at the Pelham Picture House (located at 175 Wolfs Lane, Pelham, NY)

Come early at 1:00pm and do fun activities such as sorting items into recycling bins and quizzing yourself with our Environmental Evaluation- Prizes will be awarded if your evaluation is selected!

Make sure you stick around after the film at 2:15pm for a discussion panel with members of the Westchester Environmental Community.

We hope to see you there!!

New Pure Burning Chocolate Chip Cookies

I was accidentally introduced to brownies made with coconut oil when the baker of the brownies was out of oil. Well, thank you Izzy for that introduction! The brownie felt purer, and it digested with ease. This set me off in search of a cookie that was made of "pure fat".

The flavor, texture and experience of these cookies is different. Good fats that don't require softening, just enough sweetener and crunchy texture from the nuts, chipits and oats make these gems worth the effort.

There are no photos to post with the recipe because the cookies vanish too quickly! Enjoy!

1/4 cup ghee butter
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 T sucanat
4 T Turbinado sugar
1/2 t vanilla
Egg Replacer- 2 fl oz applesauce and safflower oil combined (mostly applesauce)
1/3 cup oatmeal (old fashioned)
3/4 cup flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/4 cup pecans (or walnuts), chopped
2 T shredded coconut
1/2 cup chocolate chips (the darker the better!)

These cookies are made the traditional way. Cream the ghee and coconut oil with the sugars, and then add the vanilla and egg replacer. Fold in the remaining ingredients all at one time. Drop by spoonfuls onto a baking sheet and bake at 350F for 5-8 minutes. Be watchful, these cookies bake surprisingly quickly.

Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire rack. The cookies are soft and prone to breaking easily when they are warm. Store carefully once they have cooled down.

Shanthi

Earth Day Event!

Come out to Pelham, NY April 22nd for our Earth Day event, including activities, a discussion panel, and a screening of Bag It at the Pelham Picture House!

(Click to view)

What Are We Eating

I am sitting on a plane, eating the vegan snack. In the box is a "hickory smoked cream cheese bagel". Hold on... I thought this was vegan. With further investigation I disover smoked cream cheese is vegan. It is a processed food, with some tofu, and lots of other ingredients, to create the illusion of cream cheese. To replicate the flavor and texture there are 20 ingredients!

It is so complicated. Or, we make it so complicated! Where is the hummus?!

Shanthi

The Joy of Laundry

Oh yes, I do love doing laundry. And on a day like this, with wind and mild temperatures, the laundry dries beautifully on the line outside. When I walk by the basket of clean laundry the fresh smell wafts out and gently touches my senses. Do you know that smell?! If not, trust me and start to dry your clothing on a line out of doors.

Recently a friend told me that she received a tip on how to keep the washing machine working for years on end. Allow a minimum of 30 minutes between loads, and 1 hour is even better. These were the instructions that she was given 25 years ago, when she received the machine that she still has today!

Care for your appliances so that they serve you for years on end. Care for your clothing so that they last for many years and many children (dryers shorten the life of clothing dramatically). Care for your soul by slipping outside to do "mundane" work with the chirping of the birds and nattering of the squirrels.

Shanthi

Movements While Travelling

When I travel, and especially when air travelling, l like to rely on morning prunes to keep me feeling regular. Before going to bed soak 2 prunes in a glass of water. Before eating breakfast in the morning, drink the water in the glass, and enjoy the soft prunes.

Dried fruit requires rehydrating before eating, especially if you are planning for the fruit to give a laxative effect. Without the overnight soaking the fruit rehydrates in your body, pulling the needed water from your system, and slowing down the movement through the digestive system.

Air travel itself dries the body. Be good to yourself. Help the body to cope with these changes by drinking generous amounts of water, practicing gentle yoga poses, and oiling the ears when you are home.

Shanthi

Culture Shock

Well, it did not take long! Less than one hour on North American soil after 12 days in China, and I am overwhelmed during the layover at the airport. In the washroom there is the sound of paper towel tearing - 3 yanks per person. In China there are mostly hand dryers. Then a child of ours insits on eating pizza in the food court. The waste, of packaging, of cups, of food not eaten (the pizza was less than ful-fill-ing), and other people eating, overeating, and tossing, seemingly irregardless of the excess. Oh, it hurts.

After a quiet solitary stroll for fresh fruit I see "signs" of hope. First the drinking fountain below, recording the number of bottles saved through reuse and refilling. Then a poster promoting smart meters - also shown below. These  meters encourage the use of appliances off peak hours, to save the environment and money. A few steps later I stumble upon a reycling bin, right there, in an airport!

Yes, we are doing it! Awareness leading to changing behaviors.

I have just flown to China. What is the carbon footprint on that?! Then I come home to our house, obese in size by Asian standards.

Who is in the position to judge? Be aware, accept our own inconsistencies, and be open to changing habits.

So, shun, the paper towels for the hand dryers in public washrooms! Refill bottles many times before recycling. Little by little, we can make it happen!

Green Living Bites ~This past Sat March 31st, at 8:30pm local time, was Earth Hour. During Earth Hour communities across the globe turned off the lights from 8:30-9:30 pm. Did you? Think Global, Act Local. Together we can make a difference. ~ World Water Day was on Mar 22nd. Water is a precious resource, possibly our most precious resource. Don't wait for a shortage to become water aware and water mindful. Take a household challenge to reduce your consumption. The Earth will thank you, the bank balance will thank you!  ~April 22nd is Earth Day! Is there a theme here?! Spring is a time of renewal and awakening and blossoming. Allow the messages of these special worldwide days to awaken us to the value and beauty of a relationship with Mother Nature! The mothering Mother newsletter seeks to address how integral  food and its connection with the Earth is to our everyday lives. Eating healthy foods is easy if you buy healthy and natural ingredients. Get familiar with your produce and bulk bags. You do so much for others, now do something for yourself. Buy fresh produce, fresh seeds and nuts, and follow the recipe below to good and natural eating. Can we eat our way out of the environmental challenges? One thoughtful meal at a time. See the continued "Eating Our Way Out" article at the bottom of this newsletter. Share your joy for the world by using cotton mothering Mother bags and sharing your home cooked foods with others. Namaste Sydney An Earth Day Event! April 24  Come see a screening of the movie Bag It brought to you by mothering Mother. If you live in the Greater New York Area this is a great opportunity to see just why the switch from plastic bags are some important. Visit the mothering Mother website for more details. Reduce. Reuse.  Reuse Again. Joanna Falcone mothering Mother McGill University Spring is about renewal and rebirth. The vibrant life of the Earth begins to emerge once again, released from the clutch of winter's harsh grasp. Even your home renews itself with the help of a little Spring cleaning and some freshly cut flowers. Why not renew some of the items you would have otherwise thrown away? Instead of recycling some of the glass items you come across during cleaning, "upcycle"? Upcycling takes old, "waste" materials, and gives them new uses. This term is based upon the ideas of Michael Braungart and William McDonough (Cradle to Cradle). They propose, instead of the cradle-to-grave model that most of us abide by (this includes recycling), why not convert to the cradle-to-cradle model? This encourages things to be constantly reused in new and different ways rather than simply tossed. The process of recycling, although better than filling up landfills, still requires energy and most recyclable products do not even make it to recycling bins. Let us instead shift to this paradigm of reuse. There are plenty of ways that we can reuse things in our own home. Here are a few ideas, but the only limit is your creativity! Mason/Jelly Jars: Soap Dispenser:  Use both the jar and the lid. Drill a hole in the top of the lid that is wide enough to fit a soap pump in. Fill with your favorite soap, insert pump, and voila! This is also good because it encourages buying soap (hand or dish) in bulk rather than buying a new bottle every time. Drinking Glasses: Pretty self explanatory. Pretty much any jar you buy can be used again as a drinking vessel. Works for hot liquids too! Wine Bottles: Flower Vases: Fill with fragrant flowers from your garden. You can even mount them on your wall with a simple wall attachment that fits around the neck of the bottle. Mosquito Tiki Torches: Fill bottles with citronella oil*. Make a hole in the cork to feed a piece of rope through. Place the torches around your outside patio or deck. Once the rope is soaked with the oil, light and enjoy the warm nights mosquito free. **Lemon and eucalyptus oils are good natural mosquito repellent alternatives    If you have piles and piles of old magazines, there are a few crafty ways to reuse them. Everything from picture frames to hot pads to a rack to hold other magazines! Check out this DIY website for directions. These project require a bit more effort, but the results are impressive! Jewelry Turn old brooches or earrings into refrigerator magnets. Simply glue a magnet to the back after removing the pin hardware (needle nose pliers make this an easy task) A Recipe for Less Waste Recently there was an article discussing the amount of food that is thrown out each year. Sadly fresh produce is at the top of the list! Often vegetables and fruit are purchased with the greatest of intentions, and then "life" gets away on us, and the food rots. The thought of eating the same meal 2 days in a row is unappealing. This may be our natural nutritional instinct advising us! Food loses vitality after it has been subjected to heat (cooking), oils and vinegars (dressings and marinades) that alter it. Leftover food loses vitality in the first 24 hours following the meal. This makes leftovers great for lunch the following day, with fresh vegetables to add vitality and variety. Prepare meals with the intention of eating most of the food at that meal. This is not meant to encourage overeating. With practice learn how much food is eaten at a meal in your home. Try the Sea Vegetable Kale Salad, and the Simple Spinach Soup, both listed on the blog. In conjunction with the Eating Our Way Out article, the recent blog posting offers way to make a meal of fresh food at lunch! Start Earth Munching with the help of  http://motheringmothernature.blogspot.com     Eating Our Way Out (Part 11)  Sydney MacInnis Founder mothering Mother Holistic Nutritionist and Yoga Instructor This month I feel compelled to focus on the "eating" aspect of the title for these articles. After the darker winter months it is not uncommon to emerge into the spring with a few extra pounds on the body. When the body is cold there is a natural desire to feel the need to eat more, and to provide the body with more calories and extra protection. According to Raw Earth Living "In response to cold weather, the body constricts the skin pores and superficial connective tissue to prevent heat loss, which directs the heat away from the peripheral tissues and into the body's core, including the stomach. Agni [digestive fire] (and, therefore, your appetite) becomes stronger in winter." So it isn't just your imagination! We really are hungrier. Transitioning from the cold to the heat of spring is an adjustment for the body. Although the freshness and newness of spring is exciting, I feel myself lugging around the physical and mental weight from the winter, and the shift leaves me with confused eating habits during the changes. The hardest part of these changes can be the mind. Clinging to the feelings of satiation from the winter months holds me where I am now, and then frustration sets in as the weight remains and the layers of clothing start to come off! Begin by planning and preparing for each meal, especially the meal where overeating takes hold. Don't leave your food decisions to your appetite in the moment of hunger! Way too dangerous! All good intentions for change will be sidelined to satisfy the roar of hunger from within. Leave minimal work for mealtime to help you stay on track and focused on whole foods eating. There are so many many food temptations around us. Stay the course by making some personal commitments and boundaries. These will help to control the senses, which are constantly stimulated. Smell, sight, taste! When we eat for the senses alone there is a "sense" of guilt and disappointment that often follows. Eating for all of your being - your cells, your digestion, your elimination, your peace of mind - will give you riches far beyond immediate pleasure. Here are some General Guidelines that I follow: Make lunch the biggest meal of the day, and the meal NOT to skip Eat 2-3 meals a day, with 4 - 6 hours between meals. This allows the body to thoroughly digest the previous meal, and to become hungry. Eat fruit between meals. Nothing else. For digestive reasons, fruit is best eaten on its own.  Go to bed feeling slightly, or even very, hungry. The overnight fast of 12 - 14 hours encourages internal detoxification during the night when the organs are not busy digesting food. Complete eating by 6pm. This encourages healthy digestion and deep sleeping. Food eaten during the evening is stored in the body. Eat to serve. Be well. Namaste

Lighten Up!

The following are ideas on how to have a variety of delicious fresh foods without feeling repetitive!

Ideas for Salads and Vegetables
Nuts & Seeds, soaked and rinsed *
Tofu, rinsed, dried lightly and diced
Arame & Hijiki (Sea Vegetables)
Sprouted Legumes

Top with:
Chia Seeds
Sesame Seeds
Kelp Granules
Gomasio
Hemp Seeds


* To increase the digestibility and hence nutritional value of nuts and seeds, rinse and soak them before eating. Below is a rough indication of the soaking time for different foods.

To further the nutritional value, sprout the nuts and seeds by letting them stay in the sieve for several hours with a kitchen towel overtop. Rinse frequently and rinse before consuming.

Pumpkin, Sunflower Seeds - 4-6 hours
Walnuts - 6 hours
Almonds - 12 hours (best kept in the refrigerator)
Brazil Nuts - 8 hours
Cashews - 4 hours
Flax Seeds - 4 hours
Pine Nuts - No Soaking
Hemp Seeds - No Soaking

Sea Vegetables - 30 minutes
Dried Fruits - 2 hours