~The 3 R’s just grew! Reduce, Reuse and Recycle have been around for awhile. New to the group, and the acclaimed new leader is “Refuse”! Take the single use plastic “refusal” commitment and watch your choices form around Earth awareness! Refuse, Reduce, Reuse & Recycle
~To keep the bugs away from you and your gatherings this summer, try Citronella candles and Citronella topical spray. Save yourself from the exposure to chemicals, and enjoy the refreshing smell of lemon! It may even stir up some memories from your past!
~Using a dehumidifier in the summer consumes lots of electricity, but makes good sense. Take the collected water, pour it into a bucket and use it to water your plants, both inside and outside. Save the drain, save the water bill, and enjoy using what is already readily available!
mothering Mother Blog
For even more wholesome food for thought, presenting the
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
Waste-Free Lunch
Katie Beatrice mothering Mother
Whether you are packing lunch for work, camp, or school, reusables are not only environmentally friendly, but great for your wallet! Instead of buying plastic or paper, use our cotton bulk and produce bags as well as our canvas lunch bag! They are the perfect size for sandwiches, snacks, and holding all sorts of goodies. If you want something a little more durable (nobody likes squashed grapes or tomatoes!) how about mini containers? They are light and won’t get crushed if your lunch bag shares space with textbooks or laptops. For snack items like chips and crackers you can also stick those into a small container, purchasing large bags as opposed to the ‘snack size.’ And don’t forget about those campers! It’s not unusual for kids to throw their lunch pack into a pile on the ground. The last thing anyone wants is to open their bag and see juice that has leaked or a sandwich that is so flat it is no longer recognizable.
(Waste-free vs. Waste-full)
Here is something else to consider- why not keep a tupperware, container, and cutlery with you? More often than not, you will find that many food vendors are happy to put food into your own containers (they save on packaging). Additionally, fill up an old Snapple bottle or any water bottle ahead of time (if you’re using plastic, make sure it’s BPA free, and if it is aluminum, avoid any copper lining. If you’re in an office, keep these items in your desk so you’ll always remember. Just as bringing a tote bag into a grocery store becomes second nature, bringing your own take out container will feel natural.
There is no better time to enjoy green vegetables than in the summer. With an abundance of local produce, enjoy the bounty that is in your neighborhood, and maybe even in your backyard! All of the vegetables listed in this recipe can be replaced with something that is available to you, and the Tahini Sauce gives anything a finishing touch!
We served the stir fry with French lentils, which cook in about 35 minutes. The finished meal is a mixture of flavors as the spice of the jalapeno is ever present along with the subtle flavors of the arame, parsley and Tahini sauce.
Summer Vegetable Stir Fry 2 T ghee butter or sesame oil ½ cup diced onion ½ jalapeno pepper, remove seeds and chop finely 1 zucchini or summer squash, cut lengthwise and slice into half moons 4 large Swiss chard stalks, separate stems from leaves, slice stems, chop leaves ½ bunch beet greens, stems removed and leaves chop lightly ½ cup chopped parley 1/3 cup arame, soaked 30 minutes, rinse and drain ¼ cup sesame seeds, lightly roast
Heat 1 T ghee in a wok or frying pan over medium high heat. When melted, add the onion. Toss for a minute or two, then add the jalapeno and zucchini. Stir to cook for about 4 minutes. Remove from the pan, add the remaining 1 T of ghee, and cook the sliced Swiss Chard stems, about 3 minutes. Add the lightly chopped greens, cook for 2 minutes. Toss in the parsley, drained arame, and the cooked onion/zucchini mixture.
Serve the vegetables with the cooked French lentils (or another legume or protein based grain such as quinoa), drizzled with the Tahini Sauce (below) and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Tahini Sauce 2 T tahini (ground sesame) 2 T warm water 1 T fresh lemon juice Salt, pepper
Whisk together the above ingredients. Pour over lentils and vegetables.
Sydney MacInnis Founder mothering Mother Holistic Nutritionist and Yoga Instructor
This past month I spent a weekend at an ashram, not far from our home. It had been a long time since I had stepped out of everyday life for quietude.
Meals at the ashram were delicious! For me it was a special treat because I could have vegetarian food all weekend, and did not have to question the list of ingredients! The food was vegetarian, which means that there were some dairy products but no flesh foods and no eggs (eggs contain some flesh).
Food at the ashram is simple; it is food that is prepared and cooked to calm the mind and to enrich the heart. Stimulating foods disturb the mind and sleep. These would include onions, garlic, caffeine, sweeteners, and spices. Sweeteners not only stimulate the body and mind, but they also ferment in the digestive tract and create acidity in the body.
According to Swami Satchidananda “Food not only makes the body, it makes the mind. It has a direct connection to the attitudes of the mind… Every one of your thoughts has a certain power over your body. The actions of the mind are clearly visible in certain areas. Your glands change first. Isn’t it true that the moment you think of a delicious candy your salivary glands act? That is how your thoughts affect your body…Think well, you become well.” (excerpt taken from To Know Your Self)
The mixture of fresh air, calming foods, no blackberry and 2 yoga classes each day kept me sleeping well at night, and feeling free of excess thoughts during the day. It gave me a place to go back to, a home base in the form of an experience, a knowing. When the activities of life started to creep back in the days that followed, I found this knowing place very grounding.
Looking at the recipe that we featured in this newsletter, calm it down by taking out the onions and jalapeno pepper. Give your body and your mind the gift of whole foods. Ensure a restful sleep by eating simple and readily digested foods in the evening, eating at least two and a half hours before bed.
