Find a peaceful "third place".

It happens, we all get stuck in the same path of going from work to home and then back. Not much in between, and getting into a rut of the same daily places. For many years now, sociologists have said we need to find a "third place" where we can go and get some perspective. Where you can stand outside yourself and get a different look at life in a whole new way. Some people find that place in a familiar restaurant, favorite shop, or a place they meet up with friends. Some would prefer to be around a large crowd of nobody they know. Others would just like to get lost for a little while and for a new change of place.There are many benefits to having a "third place". Do you have one yet? Think about how it would inspire you and shake up your day, your week, your life. If not, there no time like now to go find one.

8 Ways to Save Food

1. Make pesto with your extra parsley and basil. Then, you know what to do with the pesto. Why not add some extra olive oil for a marinade before grilling?

2.Use up tomatoes before they go bad by drying them in the oven. Then store them in extra virgin olive oil in the refrigerator.

3. Dry out herbs at the end of the growing season by hanging them by their stems in a dry location that is somewhat cool. Once dried, store in airtight containers.

4. What about those extra pasta pieces that are broken at the bottom of the box? Mix them into a rice and veggie dish , and add those dried herbs for a great side dish.

5. Got some bad apples? How 'bout some apple sauce? Not hard to whip up. Saute' chunks of peeled apple with a splash of lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and water and cook in a saucepan for about 15 minutes. Done! Yum!

6. Leftover cereal from the bottom of the box is perfect to mix in with your granola. Go ahead, try this one.

7.Check food dates on labels, and be sure to know when a food item is "best before". Make the most of your meals by doing this, and avoiding "throwing out old stuff"

8. Lastly, but the best by far, always try to plan your meals. If you know what you are preparing, you'll know what to shop for. Therefore you won't buy too much of anything.

It really does pay to plan!

Oh, Sugar Sugar!

There are so many sugars out there. No, really, so many choices its hard to decide what is good, and good for you to use in your food. For example, there are so many natural cane sugars that are available to us on the market now. How do you choose? Its best to look for a natural can sugar that is moist and has an appearance very close to that of brown sugar.

You want the grain to be fine, as fine as you would see in a white sugar. You don't want your sugar to be dry or dusty in texture. This is absolutely going to make a difference in your final dish. Do I even need to remind you that the package should say, organically produced and if possible, fair trade certified. Once you stumble upon the brand of sugar that you prefer, stick with it. Soon it will dissapear into that next batch of what ever you're making and the quality will be all that and more.

Let Go Of That Cookie......

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Sometimes its hard to let go of certain habits or ways that are so familiar to us.
We cling to the status quo because the familiar is so comfortable to us.
Soon, we finally realize we must let go of a bad habit, a relationship that does not work any more, or something that needs to be out of our world.
We realize just how much a part of nature we are just like everything else in the world.
Things are born, they blossom and grow, then wilt and die. So do the different aspects of our life. New ways about us are always being born,and we should not cling to something past its time. We should give that cookie to someone else and embrace something new!
You know how good that first cookie was!
Give this one away- embrace something new right now! You must let go of that cookie!

Oh Nuts

Make a mix of nuts....
then add on top of your muffins before baking.

So many different nuts to choose from. How do you decide? Nuts have between 12-29 percent protein. Ok, we like that! This protein is incomplete ,so its best to mix nuts up with grains or legumes for a better quality protein value. Ok, we can do that!
Most nuts are high in fat having a high percentage of oil.

They are a great
source of calcium,phosphorous, and potassium.
Keep a bag of mixed nuts in your car for when a hunger attack hits..better than stopping for something not so good for you! Yes, we do that already!

They can be chopped, ground, mixed into salads, muffins, sauteed with vegetables or topped on just about anything. Thats right. Anything! They come shelled, raw, roasted, seasoned, salted or spiced. There is no possible way to go into all the types of nuts out there. But, if there is one thing we want to leave you with is this.
Nuts are one of the most versatile foods out there, and there are no rules to where you can add them!

Reaching out to someone....

When was the last time you brought muffins to someone who needed a pick-me-up? When was the last time you called a friend you know you have not seen or heard from in a while? When was the last time you helped a stranger or held an open a door for an individual you didn't even know? Acts of kindness are all around us just waiting to happen. So what if you cannot bake. Buy the muffins or cookies and bring them to that someone you know could use a friendly visit.

Doing acts of kindesss for no reason at all can make you feel good. Its a way for us to connect with another individual, sometimes that we may not even know. Its a way to bring light into their day. Doing something nice for someone else is not only a spirit lifter for the other person, but for you as well. What are you waiting for ? Turn your oven on and bake someone something. Then reach out and share some cookies with that act of kindness.

Save The Chickens...........

Bananas, they are the fruit of a tropical plant that have been around for as long as life has been recorded. They grow on tall, treelike plants in bunches. It takes about a year for the fruit to develop and one bunch of bananas can weigh up to 60 lbs.

Bananas are rich in potassium, magnesium and many other minerals. They have twice as much vitamin C as apples. They are low in fat and protein. Ok, so what do bananas have to do with chickens?

Well, you said you want to save the chickens right? If you want to save the chickens and /or your are eating the Vegan way and/or you may have egg allergies ,then here is the scoop. You can replace 1 very ripe banana for 1 egg. Remember though, bananas have a very strong flavor and so you be sure what you are baking compliments the banana flavor. You should also add an extra 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder to help with the rising of your baked good. You see, in a cake, the egg serves as the leavening agent and helps to make the cake light and fluffy. In cookies and muffins, the egg acts as a binder to bring all the ingredients together.

So there you have it. You can have your cake, eat it , and save the chickens!