Vegan Christmas Lentils!

It's grocery shopping day, so no tabouli. No red bell pepper goodness in this house, nor olives, nor...

You get the point.

Rummaging through the cabinets to feed my poor starving self (ha!)I concocted a delicious vegan meal with essentially staples.

1 box of Melissa's Steamed Lentils http://www.melissas.com/Products/Products/Steamed-Lentils.aspx
1 can of petite diced tomatoes with olive oil and garlic
1 chunk of thawed frozen spinach (about 3 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon Organic Chopped Garlic
2 tablespoons of Italian seasoned bread dipping olive oil
Cumin to taste

Heat spinach and garlic in olive oil, then add lentils and tomatoes, stir/heat through. 

Voila! 

I heated a multigrain tortilla in the microwave, and cut up some fresh mozzarella.

Mmm, so good! Lunch for 4, or several meals for one. (Yes, I know the mozzarella cheese spoils the vegan aspect) :)

Nutrition info: Unknown, but probably really good for you. :) Time to cook: 15 minutes.

Off to go ride my bike

~Hippie Therapist

How Strong is Barbed Wire? or Business Ideas

I requested another subscription today: Clay Collins of Project Mojave and sent him the following list of possibilities for me. His "supervisor" Tracy wrote a post which gives me heart though:

*Steve Riley-you should read this-sounds exactly like us! http://tinyurl.com/y32kcsl

1.Rural Public transportation-there's inter city public transport but no intra city transport in Oklahoma and I'm          sure other places as well.
2.Rural Recycling and transport to appropriate places (The nearest glass recycling place is 1.5 hours away and I'm pretty close to Tulsa)
3.Teaching farmers how to collect rainwater with fence gutters (which will stand up to cow/horse butting  & no, I haven't invented this quite yet...)
4.Garden/Tool/Bike/Car share in less dense population centers
5.Environmental education about pasture/trash/tire burning and reasonable alternatives for busy/poor farmers
6. As a mental health therapist, I feel "stuck" semi helping one child or one family at a time. I want to help millions of people treat each other and themselves better.
7. How to raise money for (after my own & family's freedom) Habitat for Humanity, Bill & Melinda Gates' AIDS Foundation and free higher education in the United States.


Yes, the first 5 would be in real life businesses, unless of course, the expanding broadband into rural areas federal legislation passes!

At this point, I think I want to provide services and inspiration and education to the great uneducated masses.


Signing off now to complete day job responsibilities-

HippieTherapist

The Secret to Life

Many people have written about the search for the meaning of life...

TONS of people, actually.

So why am I writing about it too?

From a mix of my own experiences and others in the blogosphere, I've come up with a formula which works.

1. Sleep well for at least 7 hours daily
2. Eat well, with as few chemicals/processing as possible
3. Exercise frequently (more on the benefits later)
4. Allow plenty of time for play and daydreaming
5. Develop a strong, SUPPORTIVE network of people
6. Treat your parter as though you just met them, when they were truly fascinating, sexy, wonderful
7. Listen to your children with as much respect as you want from them.
8. Examine your belief systems and get rid of the ones which no longer fit, much like that pair of pants in your closet

That's it. The whole of existence, condensed into 8 steps. No, I do not follow the 8 fold path currently! :)

Interesting tidbit I picked up-exercising in a natural setting has long lasting stress relief benefits-up to a week later! I'll have to make sure to continue biking in the forest.

This photo was used from Free Nature Pictures