Newsletter Feb 2014

mothering Mother in Daily Life Green Living Bites ~ Meatless Monday – a small global action that has a large positive impact on the environment, and connects us by engaging in an action together. Take a babystep each Mondayand embrace vegetarian and vegan options for the day! ~ What are the 3 R’s? Reduce, reuse and recycle. Keep reduce in our mind and heart when you are out shopping and eating! No one can do everything, but everyone can do something (weaddup.com) ~ There are two new R’s to add to the ones listed above. They are Refuse (louder sounding than Reduce) and Repurpose (finding a way to use an item in a new way).  An example is using old clothing for household rags. Upcoming Events Yin Yoga March 2, 30 – 8am Praasanthi Yoga StudioMeditation Series March 6, 13, 20, 27 – 8pm Christ ChurchWorkshop “Eating Our Way To A Healthy Body & A Healthy Earth” April 5 – 2pm Recologie Join Our List What does mothering Mother nurturing Nature mean? It means taking care of Mother Nature through our daily actions. Mother Nature has given us so much and now it is time for us to be aware and active in creating a reciprocal relationship. N – Nourish body-mind-spirit A – Aware of the impact our choices have on Mother Nature T  –  Thankful for Earth’s bounty U – Use cotton mM bags to nurture Nature R – 5 R’s – Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle & Repurpose E – Eat vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds Namaste Sydney Blogger Connecting Lisa Dawn of “The Year of the Egg” story below wrote an inspiring and thorough testimony of her experience with the mothering Mother bags. mothering Mother is not about selling you a bag – it is about inviting you into a lifestyle that is more harmonious for your health and the health of Mother Earth. Expand your awareness of conscious living with Lisa’s unique perspective at lisasprojectvegan.com The Year of the Egg Really it happened quite by accident that I decided to make this the year that I remove eggs from my culinary lexicon. Up until this point I had been vegetarian for many year. During yoga teacher training I learned that eggs are not a part of some vegetarian diets. Baked goods containing eggs had been the final frontier in my diet.   In early December I shared lunch with a woman, a vegan, a yoga teacher, a fellow blogger, and a mother, whose story changed the context for me. I met Lisa through Anna’s Adventures on the mothering Mother blog. Lisa is committed to veganism with a spirit that reminds me of my passion for the environment.   Do you know that feeling when someone else is doing something similar to what you are doing, but to a greater extent, and while they are talking you are busy justifying to yourself why you do not need to budge from what you are already doing? Well, I know that feeling, and experienced it strongly while Lisa was talking about their commitment to animal compassion.   My internal dialogue shifted when Lisa explained the experience her son had at preschool.      Lisa explained,  it was “a few weeks into preschool when Luke was 3, the teacher brought a hard boiled egg for lunch. Luke saw the egg and said what is that? And she said an egg. Luke said, is there a baby chicken inside? The teacher was speechless. She didn’t know how to answer him. So she mentioned it to me and we explained [to Luke] how eggs are eaten as food but there is no chicken inside when that is the case.”   Out of the mouths of babes – is there a chicken inside?? When I heard that sentence I could feel something change within me. Suddenly I looked at an egg differently. It really was not just about me, it was about the chicken that delivered the egg and the potential life within it. Did I really know the quality of life of that chicken? Could I spare a chicken from the excessive work by cutting down on our own consumption of eggs? Throughout the remainder of December and the holiday baking I could hear those words from Luke reverberating witihn me, and shaking the habitual ways of using eggs in baking that has been part of our family’s baking. One month into egglessness, and the creative egg replacement-energy is rising! Here is a link to Peanut Butter Cookies. They passed the family litmus test, disappearing quickly without a question about taste or consistency.   Happy, peaceful baking!   Shanthi Creamy Root Vegetable Soup with Cashew Milk This Root Vegetable Soup was inspired by a nice round Rutabaga that was calling out to me from the crisper. After surveying a few recipes online, and looking at what I had on hand, this is the recipe that evolved. Anna (of Anna’s Adventures) had made broccoli soup with cashew milk, following a recipe she found on Lisa’s Blog. This inspired me to try out making a creamy soup with homemade cashew milk!   So, I brought this to my family to see how it would go down with the boys in the house. I have not seen our teen eat soup so fast, and then ask for a second bowl! The creaminess of the soup, with the root vegetable flavors (minus the fat and heaviness of cream from a cow), made this a favorite. It was so satisfying and easy to make my own cashew milk! The extra milk I stored in a glass milk bottle that we had on hand, and I found it to be so cozy and satisfying to look at the milk in the jug!   Play around with the root vegetables that you have on hand at your home. Just keep the quantities of each vegetable the same, and you will be on your way to kitchen creativity!   With real winter weather in our midst, this soup gives warmth, grounding and comfort.   Root Vegetable Soup 1 cup chopped onions 1 T ghee butter, or olive oil ½ t powdered ginger ¼ t cinnamon ½ t dried thyme 1 cup chopped rutabaga 1 cup chopped carrots 1 cup chopped sweet potatoes 1 cup chopped squash 2 cups vegetable stock 1 cup water 1 t salt 1 cup cashew milk * (see Lisa’s recipe below)   In a large saucepan heat the ghee or oil, and add the onions. Cook for 5-7 minutes, then add the ginger, cinnamon, and thyme. Cook for a further minute, then add all of the chopped vegetables (rutabaga, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash), the vegetable stock, water and salt. Bring to the boil, lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cover the pot. Simmer until the vegetables are soft.   Let the soup sit for 10 minutes (if possible) before pureeing. Return to the saucepan, add the cashew milk, stir and check for seasoning. Adjust if necessary.   Makes 3-4 servings.   * Cashew Milk 1 cup raw unsalted cashews 3 cups water   Rinse the cashews in a sieve and pour into a bowl with 2 cups of water. Let the cashews soak for 4 hours (I always recommend soaking to enhance nutrients and absorption, as well as neutralizing digestive inhibitors). Pour the soaking water out using a sieve to catch the cashews, and rinse the cashews under fresh running water. Into a blender add the soaked cashews and 3 cups of fresh water. Process the water and nuts on high to fully breakdown the cashews.   If using a Vitamix the milk is ready to use. If using a standard kitchen blender, strain the milk through a cheesecloth (line a sieve with the cheesecloth) to remove any chunks of cashews that remain. These chunky cashew bits can be added to a salad, and the cheesecloth can be rinsed well and reused.   Cashew milk requires refrigeration. Use the milk within 3 days. Need a little inspiration, or a little humor? Follow Anna at Anna’s Adventures as she progresses further into natural cooking and eating, despite family reviews. Follow Anna’s lead into shopping with cotton bags. Purchase a Tote Set at a 10% discount using this coupon code AATOTESET. Use this Tote Set (produce bags and tote) to start you on your way to Nurturing yourself and Mother Nature!