Shocking - all about wood!

To continue the theme of trees here is a link between wood and food that I certainly wouldn't have thought of.  http://foodfreedom.wordpress.com/2011/07/08/15-food-companies-that-serve-you-wood/

It just makes me more determined to eat only food that is made from recognisable ingredients or that I make from scratch myself.

If this makes me orthorexic then so be it! (by the way I am reassured that Bratman's description of this so-called eating disorder based on 'correct' eating has not made it's way into DSM which categorises mental health disorders)

Roots

This lovely tree has had it's roots exposed through years of erosion. Storms and a natural falling away of the bank have uncovered the roots as the tree aged and allow us to see the complex system which brings nourishment to it's trunk and branches.
What makes us who we are - the experiences, conditioned responses and belief patterns - usually remain hidden until life events expose them to view. We often bemoan the downs of life and yet stormy times and upsetting events can initiate a crucial process of self discovery. Perhaps with the help of family, friend or professional, we can choose to expose and explore what is feeding our behaviours and our emotions. This process of discovery is natural in our personal evolution and can enable the letting go of some of the assumptions about ourself that have held us in habitual patterns of behaviour. Seeing and accepting the causes of our current emotions tends to reduce the power of the past and allows us to  re-invent a lighter self based on who we are now.

wrinkles re-visited

You may remember this lovely photo of the wrinkly tree on the way up to Aira Force (easy to access waterfall near the shore of Ullswater in the Lake District). It made me think of how it is inevitable that we age and that this can mean wrinkles which can also hint at wisdom and experience if we let it be that way.

Today I saw the tree in a different light and, though that means the picture doesn't work very well, I was reminded of how we let go of concerns and change our focus as we grow and evolve. The tree only has branches at the very top which are only visible from the air or by craning one's neck. The lower branches have been shed by the tree as it matured.

If we could so easily let go of the events and emotions that have accompanied us to where we are today we would be lighter and more able to turn our faces to the sun (and the rain) and live in the moment whatever it brings. Our tendency to hang on to the past makes us heavier and cumbersome and less able to respond to todays opportunities with freshness and a new approach. We might need a helping hand to off load some of our baggage. Once we know that it is only old stuff that we don't need to carry any more it gets easier to let it go.

Tomorrow I will visit a tree that bares all.

Hens

I am very happy today as I have found two eggs in the hen house! We bought three point of lay pullets mid-august which we were told would be laying in a 'couple of weeks'. Two months later one started laying and we assumed that the others would quickly follow suit. Here we are another month later and a second chicken has got the idea at last. I did notice an almighty clucking noise this morning so maybe she was taken by surprise by her new grown-up responsibilities! I have been considering giving the hens away as the organic layers pellets are expensive and the hens make the garden very messy and have to be shut in every night, coup cleaned out etc. It had all begun to feel like a lot of work and expense for not very much return.

Though I knew that it was highly unlikely that I had ended up with the only healthy hens in Cumbria who were destined to never lay an egg this has got me thinking of the type of dilemma we often face in life. Should we carry on watering the seed that shows no sign of germinating or is it best to accept that nothing is happening and give up? So often we find that things happen just when we were beginning to give up. Getting it right is not an exact science and there is no doubt that sometimes it is logical and practical to move on to another challenge or opportunity. This reminds me of a definition of insanity attributed to Albert Einstein. "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results".
How can we know when to stop, when to change and conversely, when to trust and carry on?
We all have different examples of this in our lives. If you would like to share yours please make a comment.

Baked muesli magic

Having an urge for a carbohydrate breakfast a few months ago meant I had to find a healthy solution and as I didn't feel like rye bread and nut butter there was only one thing for it - make my own muesli.
I have been perfecting my recipe ever since and this is what I have found works best for us.

I start by making a mixture of olive oil,vanilla and almond extracts (about a teaspoon of each) and about half a teaspoon of stevia (more about stevia and it's new status in europe in a future post). I may add a couple of tablespoons of hot water to the mix to make it thinner.

Giant oat flakes are best and I mix with them some barley flakes and/or quinoa flakes (higher in protein but a lot more expensive). I get the organic oat and barley flakes from Little Salkeld mill - the best I have found. I use a big cast casserole dish on top of the Aga to heat a little organic coconut oil (we love the Royal Green and for economy buy a big tub). Then add the flakes and stir for a couple of minutes before adding the oil mix and trying to spread it as evenly as possible through the flakes.

For added flavour and sweetness I snip up a couple of dried figs and apricots and roughly chop some almonds and freshly cracked walnuts and add them to the pan. Then I add in some sunflower and pumpkin seeds and stir it all well. I have to be very careful not to overcook at this stage so I recommend the cooler plate of the Aga or a medium temperature if you are using a hob. Once the muesli is very lightly cooked it is ready to go into the oven for a few minutes. This is the best time for adding the sesame seeds and dessicated coconut as they make their way to the bottom of the pan and burn too quickly so can't be added sooner. I leave the dish in the oven for only around four minutes and usually stir it once during that time just to very lightly brown some of the ingredients.

Leave it to cool if you can manage to resist the gorgeous tempting smell or eat it warm with some oat milk or un-homogenised cows milk. I usually add some ground linseed after cooking for extra goodness. This is a wonderfully satisfying way to enjoy  healthy grains and is very useful to keep in a tin in case I don't have time to make my usual egg and vegetable breakfast. I add different nuts and seeds or dried fruit to change the flavour. Though dried fruits are really too sweet to be eaten regularly they are perfect added in quantities like this. I add only two to four fruits (figs,dates, apricots) to a whole mix which will provide at least eight servings. If I was to sit nibbling dried fruit I know that I wouldn't be able to stop at half a fig!

Mist in the valley

It was impossible to see even the garden wall today as the mist was so thick. The world felt small and closed in, I accepted that my bike would have to stay idle for today and I got on with things inside. When I found that friends over in the east were enjoying sunshine it occurred to me that I, too might find  the sun if I headed for higher ground.
I drove towards the Pennines and was surprised and delighted to come out into brilliant sunshine part way up Hartside pass. I set off for a brief walk on the soggy moorland to marvel at the view of the whole Eden valley full of mist with the hill around Penrith rising like an island in a huge lake of white. I was so carried away that my afternoon outing turned in to an epic hike and I only just made it back to the car before it was really dark. It was worth it and the smile on my face lasted even when I sank back down into the mist and the dark to come home.

Thank you

Thank you to everyone who attended on monday evening and thank you to Sue for providing such a comfortable venue . It was good to meet new people and reconnect with some I hadn't seen for years. Your feedback has been wonderfully encouraging and as requested I am looking at dates for saturday workshops here in Cumbria.

The homemade chocolate was a great success and I will post the recipe here tomorrow.
I arrived home late yesterday after a seminar on business finance and though tired after a very full few days and a lot of driving I am delighted to say that at last  I understand the difference between balance sheets and profit and loss accounts. I even know why some of the numbers are in brackets!

The electricity has been off all day here so I haven't had chance to fire up the computer since monday evening. After all your encouragement I will have another go at scaling the 'wall' of Facebook tomorrow.

The next talk  " Playing all your cards " will be at the beginning of december and will focus on living life to the full with lots of health tips on different aspects of healthy lifestyle - date to be confirmed as soon as the room hire is confirmed.

Chocolat!

Here is the recipe on which I base my homemade chocolate bar. This is not simply a replacement for chocolate - but something new -  and much healthier as you are getting the benefit of healthy fats, cocoa (great antioxidant), the balancing effect of the proteins (powder and nuts/seeds), and all with low glycaemic load so it wont cause your blood sugar to yo yo.  I buy my stevia as a green powder on the internet. It is very sweet and has a sharp after taste so I find need to use it in recipes which include such flavouring as vanilla.

The measurements are aproximate because I tend to throw in handfulls or spoonfuls of ingredients depending on what I have in the cupboard.  For now I wil try and be restrained and record the basics as a starting point for anyone who would like to make their own healthy and nutrition packed sweet. I recommend that all the ingredients are organic (Email me if you need any help sourcing them).

Cacao butter - one tablespoonful (tblsp)

Coconut oil - two tblsp (I use Royal green)

- melt these together in a pan on very low heat (I put it on the top of the Aga without lifting the lids). Add all the following ingredients in the order below, stirring as you go.

Half teaspoon (tspn) of Stevia powder, 

1 tspn almond essence

1 tspn vanilla essence

2 tblspn nut butter (peanut will do though almond is better) crunchy or smooth.

about one inch root ginger finely grated

1 serving of protein powder ( I use chocolate or vanilla)

3 tblsp cocoa powder ( you can substitute carob for a very different flavour)

about 4 tblsp ground almonds

small handful of sunflower seeds, same of sesame seed, 1 tblsp ground linseed

handful chopped nuts 

If you find the mixture too soft just add some more ground almonds until it is feeling very stiff and put it on a board covered with parchment. Use a big enough piece of paper so that you can bring the edges up to overlap and then squash into an oblong shape through the parchment. Leave to set in the fridge and chop up when solid. It is best kept in the fridge though is fine to take out with you to nibble a few hours later.