Mother Nature's Dryer

The wind is gusting outside, and calling us to bring out our laundry. After the cold and dark winter, it is time for the clothing to have some fresh air. Let your clothing experience the excitement of spring as it blows around on the clothesline. It is a beautiful sight!

And then when you bring the laundry in, take deep breaths of that fresh smell, perhaps reminiscent of childhood. So pure, so indescribable, not to be replicated in a lab and added to dryer sheets. No, this smell must be experienced first hand. Add to this experience the gentle brightening  agent of the sun, reducing the need for artificial brighteners.

So go ahead, do your laundry, your bills and your Earth a favor. Abandon the earth-costly dryer in favor of Nature's dryer!

Namaste,

Sydney

How far can half a burger go?!

Welcome to motherthemother. This blog is intended to create a dialogue around ways to mother Mother Nature. She is the ulitimate Mother, the Mother for all. At this period in time our attention and care is needed to mother her back to health.

There is much to focus on to help the Earth. We hear and see it in the media. It has become part of our daily dialogue. In this blog we are creating a connection between how we eat to the health of our being and the health of the planet. The two are intimately connected.

Tonight I am beginning to prepare dinner for our family. There is a half of a large hamburger leftover in the refrigerator. What to do with it? No one wants to eat it in its dense existence as a 2 days leftover.

I have taken this half burger and crumbled it with a fork, combined it with some sauted onion and tinned tomatoes. I added a few herbs and the mixture is simmering away. Nothing unusual in this. Simple spaghetti sauce for a western family. The amazing thing here is that the half burger will be enough to serve 3 people!

The concept of moving the meat serving to be a side bar on the plate, or even off the plate, is receiving increasing dialogue. The environmental cost of beef production and the protein that it provides is just not adding up on any scale. Twelve to fourteen pounds of grain to make one pound of beef. Think of how many would eat the grain before one, two or three ate the pound of beef.

Health wise there is little research that promotes a red meat diet over a plant based diet. Is there even any research supporting this?

So, the non-meat eater (me) will serve the half burger to her family tonight. A nice salad will round out the meal!

Namaste,

Sydney

Get the Green Light for Responsible Dining

Joanna Falcone mothering Mother  The Green Movement has undoubtedly taken the world by storm. As one who considers herself environmentally conscious, I strive to seek out options. I opt for reusable over disposable, fair trade over conventional, local over imported, and when it comes to restaurants, I choose green. A new criterion has been added to restaurant rankings. In the past, being a four-star restaurant meant your food, service, and atmosphere were exceptional. Now, possessing the coveted four stars can also mean that you are the greenest restaurant around! In the U.S., the Green Restaurant Association has established a system that ranks restaurants depending on how green their practices are. There is a wide range of standards that must be met in order to apply for certification. It is based upon how committed the restaurant is to water efficiency, waste reduction and recycling, sustainable furnishings and building materials, sustainable food, energy usage, chemical and pollution reduction, and use of disposables. Points are awarded depending on how dedicated the restaurant is to the green standards. Take energy usage. A restaurant receives 3.75 points if it utilizes an Energy Star furnace, while it gets 10 points for not having an air conditioner. In terms of waste, to even be considered, a restaurant must recycle all plastics, glass, paper, cardboard, and aluminum; dispose of its grease to be used for biodiesel or some form of energy; and compost all pre-consumer waste (food scraps etc.). They receive more points if they compost post-consumer waste (food and packaging), utilize compact fluorescent light bulbs, paperless billing, a reusable bag/mug program, or have no bottled water on site. Basically, as restaurants are assessed based on these standards, they rack up points and are given a two, three, or four star rating. Two-star certified green restaurants have to acquire a minimum of 100 points, while four-star certified must have at least 300 points. Another aspect of the program encourages continual progress on the green front. For a restaurant to maintain its certification, it has to show some form of addition to its green program year after year.   Personally, I would be more inclined to dine at a restaurant with the green certification. To me, it means the establishment values the environment from which our food is grown, which translates into a love for wholesome ingredients. Wholesome ingredients mean delicious food that makes you feel good- a key in any dining experience.  Now for most of us, going out to eat is a special occasion. But that does not mean you cannot take a doggy bag from the certification standards. Bring some tidbits from a green restaurant home with you. Your kitchen can be greener if you use locally grown or organic produce (grown under 100 miles away). While a vegetarian or vegan diet contributes the least to your kitchen's carbon footprint, if meat is prepared it should be grass fed beef, cage free chicken, or free range beef/pork. These livestock raising methods have less impact on the environment than commercial factory farms. After the meal is over, it's time for the clean up. Cleaning products should be non-toxic and disposable plates/cups/cutlery are a definite no no. A green kitchen will be sure to keep your family and the environment happy and healthy. To find a certified green restaurant in your area, visit Dinegreen.com

Sydney's Granola

Making granola in your own home ensures freshness while also reducing costs. Buy your ingredients with mothering Mother bags at a store that offers good quality ingredients. Measure, stir, bake and enjoy! 4 cups rolled oats 1 cup almonds, chopped ¼  cup pumpkin seeds 1 cup sunflower seeds  ¼  cup safflower oil ¼  cup maple syrup 1 rounded t vanilla 1 rounded t cinnamon ½ t salt Dried fruit (raisins, dates, apricots) t = teaspoon                          Warm the oil and syrup over low heat.  Remove and add vanilla.   In a large glass dish, such as a Pyrex® dish, combine remaining ingredients, except the dried fruit.  Pour the liquid mixture over the dry ingredients and stir well to coat all grains.  Bake in a 300F oven, stirring every 20 minutes, for 45min to 1 hour.                          Let cool completely. Add dried fruit, if desired, and mix to combine. Store in airtight containers. To avoid rancidity, eat within 3 weeks. This is good as a cereal or as a snack.  Makes approx 6 cups.

Eating Our Way Out (Part 3)

Sydney MacInnis Founder mothering Mother Holistic Nutritionist and Yoga Instructor It is the time of year for new beginnings. Nature is telling us that with the bulbs that have pushed up out of the ground and the buds that are on the trees. "Spring cleaning" is an old expression that is based on this connection to Nature.  Spring cleaning in the home gives us a feeling of lightness, a shedding of winter's clutter and the newness of spring. Can we "spring clean" our bodies? Although it is a new and radical concept in the west, fasting can offer similar effects for our body and hence our health. Right now I am in the midst of a spring cleansing. Initially it is a scary concept to consent to not eating for several days. Fresh vegetable juices provide the sustenance to maintain an energy level, and minerals, vitamin and enzymes to provide nutrients that support the systems of detoxification that are now in high gear. During a fast, the digestive system gets to take a break, a much needed holiday, and we all know what that feels like! Now the attention has gone from digesting to detoxifying.  So what happens during this process? The toxins are unwanted leftovers from digestion. They exist throughout our system, and during a fast they begin to retreat from the extremities and make their way to the organs of detoxification through the blood stream. Some toxins are dumped into the digestive tract and carried out through the bowels. As well, the lungs provide a location for detoxification and this is when yoga breathing practices help to expel toxins. The kidneys filter out toxins and expel them through  the urinary tract. Drinking copious amounts of  liquid, water in particular, aids this process. And then the largest organ in the body, the skin, detoxifies as well. Dry brushing of the skin activates this center. Beyond the physical aspects that require attention and care, what happens on the mental and emotional level? Fasting offers an opportunity to retract from the high energy needs of living, and gives us a chance to become quiet, to be stiller, to be more of an observer than a contributor in the activities of day. Stepping back gives us a chance to explore the quieter part within us, a chance to experience our emotions unmasked by food and drink, and an experience with the world around us that is unique.  Fasting is a temporary activity. To live our lives without contributing to the world around us is out of balance. But living our lives without pausing, without opening the door to that inner world, is out of balance. Bring balance to your body, your mind, and your spirit through the fasting adventure. I invite all of you into this space that we share. Namaste, Sydney

Treat-ing the Largest Organ of the Body - The Skin!

Isn't it a surprise to think of the skin as an organ? Or maybe not! Like other organs in the body it requires ongoing attention and care to run at an optimal level. Although our focus on the skin is often cosmetic, the immune power of the skin is essential for our health. But healthy looking skin is usually a sign of healthy skin, so create habits that are beneficial inside and outside!

On a daily basis, during morning oblutions, dry brush the entire body. At first this may be very uncomfortable, go slowly and build up to swifter strokes. Brush from the extremities toward the heart. Dry brushing encourages exfoliation, allowing the surface layers of old skin to let go to fresh layers of skin. Experience the tingling sensations that follow!

Hydrate the skin with oils. Sesame oil is a wonderful choice, or for those with lots of heat and anger, sunflower oil is a wonderful choice. Avoid soap as much as possible. The abrasiveness of a washcloth or shower luffah can do much of the cleansing work. Soap tends to dry out the natural oils of the body. Drier skin is more porous, and less of an immune barrier.

Namaste,

Sydney

Simple Squash Lunch

Sometimes I am hungry for a warm and filling lunch but I have not taken the time in advance to prepare it. Nibbling endlessly on little bits of food never satisfies me, and leaves me feeling bloated hours later.

Here is a quick warm idea. Take a squash, I used an acorn squash, cut it in half and remove the seeds. Lay half of the squash in a saucepan with cold water, cut side down, and bring to the boil. The water needs to be only one inch deep. Once the boil is reached turn the heat down and cover with a lid so that the water continues to simmer and the squash steams. The squash will cook while you prepare the filling.

I had some homemade applesauce on hand and a roasted nut and seed combination. Chop the nuts and seeds.

The squash is cooked when you can easily press on the skin or a knife easily goes through the skin. Do not undercook. Leave the squash in the skin. Turn it cut side up, fill the shell with a couple of tablespoons of applesauce, a couple of tablespoons of chopped nuts, and season with a little salt and pepper.

It's that easy! Using the stove top to cook the squash cuts down on time and electricity. Use what you have on hand to sweeten the squash (maple syrup), to add protein (today it will be some kidney beans) and to season the squash (add herbs). This is a meal that comes from the mothering Mother reusable bags. The apples, the nuts and seeds, even the salt and pepper all came from cotton bags.

Get down to Earth and enjoy the rewards of simple healthy eating!

Shanthi

                            

 Pinto Bean Dip

1 cup cooked pinto beans, drained, not rinsed

1/3 cup pumpkin seeds, lightly roasted

1/2t cumin seeds, lightly roasted, OR 1/2t ground cumin

1/2t red pepper flakes, roasted

pinch cayenne pepper

1/2 a lime, freshly squeezed

1t salt

1T olive oil

Paprika to decorate

Optional: Using a mortar and pestle, crush the cumin seeds and red pepper flakes. Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Add additional water if the dip is too thick.

Chopped fresh cilantro would be a wonderful garnish, if you have it on hand. Even dried thyme sprinkled decoratively is nice. This dip is good to serve with chopped vegetables. It is also delicious with a salad. If you are mindful of fat consumption, use the dip as the dressing for the salad. The salad can be topped with pumpkin seeds for extra texture.

Namaste,

Sydney

Kitchadi (From Detox)

1 T ghee or sunflower oil

1/2 t cumin seeds

1/2 t coriander seeds

4 T basmati rice (brown or white)

2 T split mung dal

1/2 t tumeric

3 cups water

1/4 t salt

1 t freshly grated ginger

1/4 cup kombu, broken into bite-size pieces

2 cups freshly chopped vegetables

Handful freshly chopped coriander leaves

Warm the ghee or oil over a medium low heat. Add the cumin and coriander seeds and roast lightly. Add the rinsed rice and split mung dal to the spices. Dry roast, stirring, for about 3 minutes. Add the tumeric and stir for a further minute. Add the water, salt, ginger and kombu. Stir and bring to the boil. Stir again, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 45 minutes.

Add the chopped vegetables and stir to mix in. Cover again and let cook a further 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the food rest for 10 more minutes.

Pour into a bowl and top with chopped cilantro. Sit, give thanks and enjoy.

Eat 2-3 times a day during a cleanse. Eat whenever digestion is disrupted or there is a need to calm and regroup.

This intended for a generous single serving. Adjust portion size to your needs.

T = Tablespoon

t = teaspoon

Namaste,

Sydney