It's January 1, 2012. (2012!) You're rejuvenated. You're excited. Or maybe you're feeling something else too. Either way, its a clean slate. A fresh start. Time to change your ways. This year is the year!
Come January 15 (or maybe the 4th) you watch your goals crumble and you wonder why you even bothered to create them in the first place.
But is New Years resolutions an outdated form of goal making? Maybe we're so engrained with goal making that by the time another new year comes 'round, we're tired of making goals and it just doesn't really matter?
Create goals anytime. Everyday. All the time. You are limitless. Don't let a new year (or a new year resolution "Fail") bring you down. What do you want? Who do you want to be? Where do you want to get to? Imagine yourself the way you want and your goals as they manifest into reality. Trust that it can happen. If you think negatively, you bring that negativity into your reality. If you think "I'll never be ______" Then you won't. Instead... Picture yourself doing it. Imagine it. Believe it. Dream it. Share that dream with everyone. Then you start to make choices and take paths that lead you to that goal. Here's to a Grand New Year! Cheers!
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Can't pronounce ingredients in your cereal?Probably best to make your own breakfast granola.
You can eat it like a granola bar on its own, grab it and go if you're in a morning stumble, or crumble it in into your yogurt or put in smoothies for a little crunch.
Simple, delicious recipe for homemade granola:
You need:
- 4 cups rolled oats (soaked and dried always preferred)
- 1 cup walnuts (soaked and dried) (I used almonds!)
- 1/2 cup dried flax (I didn't use this!)
- grade B maple syrup (best flavor and more nutrition) (I didn't have any on hand, so I skipped it! I did add some almond butter to the coconut oil and butter mixture. Just a tbsp or so.)
- 1/3 cup coconut oil-melted
- 1/4 cup grass-fed butter-melted
- 1/2 cup raw honey
- 1/2 cup coconut flakes
- 1 generous Tbls. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
choose extra add ins: dried cranberries, apricots or other dried fruit, raisins, pumpkin seeds, almonds or other nuts or seeds.
The How to:
Now combine all of the ingredients and mix everything very well in a large bowl and spread on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. If you have it, that's great. If not I just greased mine with coconut oil. EVOO would work too. You can do it in two batches so the layers are thin - then it won't take all day to dry. If you cook it longer please note that the granola does crisp up quite a bit as it cools-so don’t OVER cook them. Experiment with how chewy or crispy you like it.
So, after you have spread out the granola on the lined cookie sheets, just pop it in a 250ish degree oven for 15-30 mins. Just be sure to check it every few mins or so after the first 12 mins so you don’t burn it!Cool and enjoy! Store in airtight containers.
What is a moonchild to do on her 1 day a week off ? Give friends' samples of her homemade honey mead of course! This recipe was simply fantastic --- the recipe is as follows: honey + water + time = wine! No whining! Okay that's my simplified recipe. But the real recipe is from Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz and it is actually called T'ej which is Ethiopian-style honey wine, however, it is a variation of traditional European mead. Here it is:
1 cup of honey to 4 cups water. Stir well. Cover with tea towel for 1 week. Stir everyday, twice if you can remember. Trust that the yeasts will be drawn to the honey water. (And yes, thats actually a step in the recipe book. Fermenting is very holistic..!) When it starts to bubble a bit after a week cap it with a lid and let sit for 4-6 weeks. Mine was ready just after 4 weeks and I could've left it longer. The color is beautiful and it smells lovely - with a sweet, bubbly champagne taste. The option is there to rack the wine and let it age - but that's a whole other blog post. It's ready to drink after the initial waiting 4-6 weeks. Who needs BC Liquor Stores?
Gorgeous.
The original recipe called for 3 cups honey to 12 cups water, but I thirded that and did a small batch to see if the grand experiment would work. I had the mead in the jar fermenting in the same cupboard as my kombucha. I think that would help. Since the wine ferments by gathering yeasts from the air, and yeast is in my kombucha it just made sense to have the mead near the kombucha. Success!
Fermentation is easy!
Reject the cult of expertise! Do not be intimidated... all fermentation is easy and anyone can do it - the microorganisms are flexible and adaptable. Try it yourself - tame and keep your own herds of wild microorganisms. Yee haw!
Cultivating your own little farm of microorganisms in a cupboard reminds me of a funny story of the moonchild being young and having the choice open up to her one day ... of a huge table of toys ... just tons of cool stuff... to pick whatever your little heart desired. . . and even an awesome little scooter --- after my team (rink) winning first place in a Jr. curling bonspiel. Yeah, you heard it right. And what did I choose? Why, the Sea Monkeys of course. Who in their right minds would pick a brand new toy over sea monkeys? But you know why that's cool, of course, is because to this day I still prefer cultivating weird things in jars over playing with electronic toys with my friends.
