Category: Simplicity

Fermented foods

by angelaatl77, posted in Nutrition, Simplicity, Wellness

We are starting with fermented foods as part of the “No guts, no glory” series inspired by Pique Tea’s Gut Health cheat. If you haven’t downloaded the cheat sheet, I highly recommend it! (And tell you how to, here.)

Otherwise known as cultured foods, fermented foods are made with live bacteria, and are a true foundation for gut health. And good gut health is the foundation for the overall health of our minds and bodies.

Fermentation is a method of food storage that every ancient culture used in one form or another. The key to its life-giving benefits are the live cultures (or bacteria) that are used to preserve the food. Modern technology like refrigeration, and our growing addiction to convenience have taken us away from fermented foods, and our microbiomes have suffered as a result. I believe (as do many others) that unhealthy microbiomes have resulted in so many of the chronic mental and physical health conditions we face in our modern society. So let’s get back to basics.

Two awesome metro Atlanta companies that sell a whole lot of different types of fermented foods and drinks are Ancient Awakenings in Woodstock and Cultured Traditions in Suwanee. And Carlton Farms, my very favorite, will actually deliver these products to your door, as well as literally every other food on the Gut Health Cheat Sheet that you should eat. If you prefer just to shop at the big box store, never fear, there are plenty of non-local fermented foods, like Bubbies pickles. Look in the refrigerated section, you won’t find these pickles in the middle of the store. You may also look for kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha, and more.

Try one serving of fermented foods per day, for a week, and see how it makes you feel!

No guts, no glory

by angelaatl77, posted in Nutrition, Simplicity, Wellness

I recently reviewed the “Gut Health Cheat Sheet” I downloaded from Pique Tea. Somehow, the time was right for me to digest it, and I am struck by how simply this guide takes us through basically everything we need to know from a dietary perspective to improve the health of our bodies and minds.

I was inspired by this to do a series of posts on the elements of this simple but profound plan. It really summarizes everything I’ve learned (and that has “stuck” with me as truth), over the years.

Since I did not ask permission to re-publish the sheet, I encourage you to visit the Pique’s blog, The Flow, to get it. Follow the link, and once you are there, a pop-up should appear, asking you for your email. If you enter your email you can download the guide to keep. I love concise, pretty information. This fits the bill.

The first step is to use tea to improve your gut health. I’ll let Pique tell you all about that.

Then they get into the foods you should focus on. We’ll take these one by one in upcoming posts. Fermented foods is first. Pique even doubles up on fermented foods in the guide, so we know they are important! Tune in tomorrow for the skinny on fermented foods.

On purpose

by angelaatl77, posted in Simplicity, Wisdom

Some of us get caught up with our life’s Purpose. How quickly or well we are achieving it, or whether we have one at all. When the P feels capitalized, we judge. How far we’ve climbed the mountain, or whether we have even found the mountain we were meant to climb.

Some say our purpose is all the same: To allow God to see the world through us, to experience being in physical form, in 8 billion individual ways. This is the “Power of Now” perspective. I believe in it, as the beginning, but not as the end.

Mindfulness is crucial, and is a catalyst for what inevitably comes next.

When we are tuned into the moment, micro-purposes confront us in abundance. When we are gratefully tuned in, they feel like opportunities rather than obligations. We begin to take joyful stands, without feeling pressed to bite off more than we can chew. We may care more for the Earth, love better, practice compassion, or claim more freedom.

When we fulfill these micro-purposes, we contribute to the energy of the collective.

It’s not about God simply getting the pleasure of seeing the world through our eyes. It’s about giving God the space to gently lead us toward better versions of ourselves, however gradually. As we move in this direction, collectively, then we allow His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Austin Fletcher’s latest New Age Christianity podcast episode is the Purpose Driven Lie. Check it out. I am grateful for his study of the Bible and the conclusions he has drawn (see the earliest episodes of his podcast). I hope his ideas spread.

Be the change you wish to see in the world. ~Ghandi

Garden 2019: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

by angelaatl77, posted in Nutrition, Simplicity, Wellness

It’s almost harvest season and I wanted to include my takeaways from my first year of a real veggie garden since I have lived in this house. I had delayed planting one for the past couple of years because I wanted raised beds. This year I decided not to pressure my hubby into making them anymore, and look for what was readily available. I came upon these Big Bag Beds, and decided to give them a try.

Love them! We got a big yellow bag of compost from Super Sod, and it took about half a huge bag to fill the two beds up. By the time this all occurred, it was mid-May. This was a totally experimental year, and here are my findings.

The Good

Okra. What a beautiful plant!! Next year I will know that if you let the okra get too big, they will become tough and woody. Best to harvest when they are just a few inches long.

Herbs – most of my gardening experience has been with herbs, with an occasional pepper and tomato plant. This year I was heavy on the herbs: parsley, oregano, chives, thyme and lavendar. They are so neat and contained. Next year I will give them their own bed because I think they get offended by their sprawling veggie cousins. One herb that will not be welcomed back is the Thai basil. It is big and I like regular basil better.

Speaking of sprawling, the cucumber plant I will not do again. What a mess! My garden consists of two round beds, and really doesn’t have the room for cucumbers to creep. Besides, I don’t eat them that much and no one around me likes them.

I will do a few peppers next year, but not as many as I did this year, and I will be careful to get the bell peppers rather than the hot.

Tomato will be outside of the beds in a pot. Yes they are anti Plant Paradox, but a good homegrown tomato is the absolute best. Need to find a variety that will stay contained within my tomato stakes though.

Eggplant – these were my first pick this year and I was so proud of my little purple delights. I did like the plant, but like with cucumbers, I just don’t eat them that much. And Plant Paradox is in my mind. Next year I am going to try to adhere to PP a little more when planning my garden. This year I was late in planting, since it took me a while to get the beds and the soil. I’ll be ready at proper planting time next year, and will be more intentional with my choices. I may do more seeds as well.

We are going to just keep playing with which vegetables to plant so that the garden is neat and beautiful within the small space, and so that I’m able to take care of it.

I value the garden because it invites mindfulness, it is beautiful, and growing and eating variety of herbs and vegetables is good for the gut and good for the soul.

Somehow I feel like the more experience I get in gardening, the more I will come into my own as a wise person, and as someone who is able to sustain herself from home.

I’m Dreaming of a Brown Paper Christmas

by angelaatl77, posted in Simplicity

On December 23rd, this is how my craft room (affectionately called “the bead room” looked).

A mirror of my mind after 23 days of client well wishing, negotiating annual media campaigns, shopping, listing and planning. A jumbly-bumbly mishmash of mess.

Mid-way through the morning of wrapping, I had a vision.  Brown paper, in a roll. Accessorize with craft supplies I already have, like pipe cleaners, construction paper, stamps/ink, and ribbon. Be done.  Pleasing to the eyes, simple for the soul.

This vision involves the dear concept of using resources wisely, as opposed to constantly consuming. This concept always makes me feel creative and connected, but I only seem to remember it when I am sitting still.  In the middle of rushing around in the outside world, it seems more convenient just to buy an extra birthday bag even if you have 10 at home, to get that $1.99 roll of wrapping paper.

More to come on Simplicity. The Canton Friends Quaker website talks about five basic principles they call “testimonies.” Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality. SPICE.  I haven’t been to one of their meetings yet, but I like them already.

How else can we simplify the holiday season? I wonder if you could get gifts for your entire list at one bookstore…