Month: February 2011 (Page 1 of 2)

Refreshing Citrus Salad

February 27, 2011 / Lindsey / 0 Comments

I concocted this salad a couple days ago and have enjoyed it for lunch each day since! I just love the taste of it, and the macadamia oil really makes it special.
I wouldn’t normally have macadamia oil on hand since I’m not that gourmet, but I bought it several months ago for making mayonnaise. I’d read that it’s a “good neutral oil” for mayo, except in my opinion, nothing could be further from the truth! It has a prominent macadamia flavor which I really didn’t like in the mayonnaise, but in this salad it really shines.

Lindsey’s Citrus Salad

Lettuce

Cilantro (I love cilantro so I put about 2/3 lettuce and 1/3 cilantro in my salad)

Mandarin orange, fresh, sliced (click here for a good way to slice it)

Avocado chunks

Toasted nuts (macadamias, pecans, almonds, or other)

Macadamia nut oil

Fresh lemon juice

Salt & Freshly ground pepper to taste

Chop the lettuce and cilantro into small pieces and add the mandarin slices, avocado chunks, and toasted nuts. Drizzle fresh lemon juice and macadamia oil over the salad, in approximately equal amounts or to taste. Shake salt & cracked pepper over the salad. Toss and eat immediately with a spoon!

(Tip: If the lettuce and toppings are in small enough pieces, it’s much easier to eat a salad with a spoon than with a fork.)

Win This Gorgeous Necklace!

February 23, 2011 / Lindsey / 2 Comments

Remember when I told you about the beautiful things I bought from Jeff & Taryn’s ETSY store? Well they’re doing a giveaway of the beautiful inlaid pendant necklace in the picture above! If you want to be entered into the drawing to win it, pay a visit to Taryn’s blog, here! The giveaway ends on Monday, February 28th at Midnight, Pacific time. Good luck!

** This giveaway has now ended. **

Juice Your Kitchen Scraps!

February 22, 2011 / Lindsey / 6 Comments

I was inspired today by this post about raw vegetable juices over at Wooly Moss Roots. I’ve never been into juicing because separating the fiber from the juice just doesn’t seem natural, and it’s not the ideal way to consume vegetables according to what I’ve read. But then I’ve also read that as long as juicing is used in addition to your regular consumption of fruits and vegetables, it can actually be a very good way to boost your intake of vitamins and minerals. I can certainly see both sides of the story.

We actually have a juicer already (it came with my Hubby), so today I decided to go for it. I used some kitchen scraps that would’ve otherwise gotten tossed (cilantro and parsley stems, a mandarin orange with very tough membranes, and spent beet chunks from making beet kvass), as well as a carrot and some celery. It turned out pretty well! I was especially thrilled to be juicing the last drops of lacto-fermented, enzyme-rich goodness out of those beets! (I’ll share my beet kvass recipe soon. We love beet kvass in this household!)

Remembering that all those vitamins and minerals would probably need some fat in order to be absorbed properly, I added some grassfed whipping cream in a ratio of about 3 or 4 parts juice to 1 part cream.

OH YEA.

The cream was the key. Better nutrient absorption, better taste!

I even felt a sort of…uplift…after drinking this raw veggie juice. And I loved how it was such a clean, light way to start the day!

What’s your opinion about juicing? If you juice, what are your favorite veggie combos?

Pretty layers of juice!

Philosophy Friday: Gentle, Soulful Days

February 18, 2011 / Lindsey / 4 Comments

Ohh these gentle, soulful days — the heavenly opposite of my former workdays! I am so enjoying this. I feel like my soul is coming to life again because I’m spending my energy on things that actually matter to me!

Surprisingly, the feeling of lightness wasn’t immediate. Last week was a little unsettled and I felt like I was in limbo, dreaming, afraid I’d wake up and realize that Sike! Fun’s over. You knew that was too good to be true.

I also felt kind of…delinquent — which isn’t quite the word, but it’s close enough. Sort of like, shouldn’t I still be doing the wage-slave thing like everyone else? Hah; so ingrained is our cultural conditioning! Job=Good, No Job=Bad. And don’t forget the ever-popular Money Before Happiness! Sheesh. I’m slowly shaking off that kind of twisted thinking! 🙂

Right now all I want to do is be in a cocoon; lay low, recover, and heal my stress-worn body. Lots of sleeping, reading, preparing good nourishing food, drinking lots of nutrient-rich herbal tea, playing soothing Steven Halpern CDs as I go about my day, and following the sun around the house like a cat! But with each passing day, I’m feeling less groundless and transitional, and more into my new groove with a definite spring in my step!

Here are some random pictures of my days.

What are some of your favorite ways to spend a quiet February day?

Morning sunlight, (c) The Herbangardener

Glorious morning sunshine. I like to eat my breakfast there on the floor!

Nourishing Breakfast, (c) The Herbangardener

Nourishing breakfast of soaked teff porridge w/pumpkin seeds & dried cherries, organic fruit, and Russian Caravan tea

Baking some Almond Thumbprints & Chocolate Orange Macaroons

Trip to our favorite Natural Grocers health food store for some organic delights: Dandelion greens, StingStop for my venom shots, bananas for smoothies, apples for applesauce, grassfed cream, soybeans for making natto, banana chips (treat!), celery, lemons for lemon water & salad dressing, dried alfalfa for tea, and fluoride-free toothpaste.

Afternoon reading nook, (c) The Herbangardener

Sun-filled afternoon reading nook

Day's end

Tropical Greenhouse Afternoon

February 16, 2011 / Lindsey / 6 Comments

The weather was darn near tropical today which was a real treat, and I also spent the afternoon in a truly tropical place — a very warm, humid, and extremely fragrant greenhouse. I absolutely love greenhouses! Next time you’re near one, by all means stop by! They do the body (and soul) much good!