Month: May 2019

Evening Poetry, May 2

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I’ve decided to continue with a poem each evening simply because I wish to share the power and beauty of poetry with whomever visits this blog.

Here is a poem written by my dear friend, Laurie Petrisin. Laurie is a gifted artist and writer. You can view and purchase her work on her art website here,her jewelry website here or on Etsy.

Hiding

Will you hide your whole life?

Your whole existence?

Is life not yours

To do with what you will?

Bad things happen

It’s not a clear path

Or a smooth ride

And you’re not perfect

But don’t sentence yourself

To victim status

You’re more than that

Fight!

Let out the primitive roar

The unpolished You

That the world tries

To sand away

Little by little

Bit by bit

Until you disappear

You won’t find yourself

By hiding

Sweet Potato-Leek Soup for Spring

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Last Friday afternoon, my dear friend Britt came over for lunch and, as I usually do, I served soup and a tossed salad. Soup is a favorite of mine because it’s easy to make and fits in with my lazy cooking preferences. Alan laughed when I called myself a “One Bowl Johnny” last week, but if I could be that minimalist in the kitchen, trust me, I would!

Most of the gluten free, dairy free, from-scratch food I make tends to require many bowls, spoons and pots with plenty of steps. So when I find a recipe that is simple enough to use only one pot, I rejoice. This is why I love soup so much! Well, that and the fact that it’s such comfort food if one is feeling a bit under the weather.

This particular soup was created because, like most other home cooks, I am frugal and wanted to use up the ingredients in my pantry and fridge. And I had a hankering for the combination of sweet potatoes (yams, and yes, I know the difference!) and leeks. Get ready for one of the easiest soup recipes in existence!

Sweet Potato-Leek Soup (serves 6)

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 really large yams (or 4-5 smaller ones), peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks

2 leeks, trim off the bottom and the tough green stalks. Use the 3 inches of white part, cut in half lengthwise, slice across, and rinse thoroughly before using.

6-8 cups water with vegan bouillon (I use Not Chick’n brand)

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 can coconut cream (open a can of coconut milk and use the solid fatty part and save the water for a smoothie)

In a large soup pot, sauté the leeks on low-medium heat for a minute or two. Stir often and watch them–leeks burn quickly!

Add the water with bouillon and the yams. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until yams are tender.

Turn off heat, add coconut cream, and using an immersion blender, purée the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

See, I told you it was easy!


Evening Poetry, May 1

KimLeave a comment

I’ve decided to continue with a poem each evening simply because I wish to share the power and beauty of poetry with whomever visits this blog.

Now I Become Myself

by May Sarton

Now I become myself. It’s taken

Time, many years and places;

I have been dissolved and shaken,

Worn other people’s faces,

Run madly, as if Time were there,

Terribly old, crying a warning,

“Hurry, you will be dead before–“

(What? Before you reach the morning?

Or the end of the poem is clear?

Or love safe in the walled city?)

Now to stand still, to be here,

Feel my own weight and density!

The black shadow on the paper

Is my hand; the shadow of a word

As thought shapes the shaper

Falls heavy on the page, is heard.

All fuses now, falls into place

From wish to action, word to silence,

My work, my love, my time, my face

Gathered into one intense

Gesture of growing like a plant.

As slowly as the ripening fruit

Fertile, detached, and always spent,

Falls but does not exhaust the root,

So all the poem is, can give,

Grows in me to become the song,

Made so and rooted so by love.

Now there is time and Time is young.

O, in this single hour I live

All of myself and do not move.

I, the pursued, who madly ran,

Stand still, stand still, and stop the sun!

You can find this poem in Collected Poems.

Versatile Sweet Orange (Wellness Wednesday)

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Each Tuesday I go Live on Facebook at 12pm ET and Instagram at 12:15pm ET with a series called “What Should I Do With My Oils”. I focus on one essential oil each week, sharing benefits, ways to use it, blends and recipes, as well as any safety concerns. And on Wednesday I share the info here on the blog. This week I’m focusing on Sweet Orange. S

Latin name: Citrus sinensis; Family: Rutaceae; Part of plant used: Peel/zest of fruit. Aroma: fresh, fruity, citrusy.

Safety info: Store Sweet Orange in a cold, dark place. The fridge is a good place! Shelf life is 1-3 years. If the oil is stored improperly (been exposed to heat and sunlight), or is old, it can oxidize and cause dermal irritation. 

Like Lemon, check to see if your supplier distills or cold-presses their Orange oil. Cold-pressed Orange is not phototoxic, but distilled is. This just means you shouldn’t slather on a product with a high dilution of Orange in it and then go out in the sun. If you do use a product with lots of Orange, Lemon, or other Citrus oils and are unsure about how it was processed, just avoid exposing your skin to the sun for 12 hours. Example: no tanning beds or lying poolside.

OK on to the good stuff:

Sweet Orange is anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antiviral, sedative, nervine, digestion aid, diuretic.

It’s a great oil for digestion: can help to relieve indigestion, nervous or upset stomach, gas and bloating

It is a friend to the nervous system/emotions: calms anxiety, agitation/irritability and restlessness, can relieve insomnia and depression.

Three Aromatherapy Blends with Sweet Orange:

Anytime Soothing Diffuser Blend

5 drops Sweet Orange

4 drops Lavender

3 drops White or Black Spruce

Study Buddy (Mental Clarity) Inhaler

4 drops Black Spruce

6 drops Sweet Orange

2 drop Peppermint

Happy Belly Lotion

(In 2 oz bottle with fragrance free lotion or use a carrier oil like Jojoba or Sweet Almond Oil)

10 drops Sweet Orange

5 drops Cardamom

3 drops Bergamot

In my Live videos, I recommended the free Introduction to Aromatherapy course from New York Institute of Aromatic Studies. You can find it at www.aromaticstudies.com.

OK, that’s all for now! Happy Wellness Wednesday and let me know if you try the blends.