Simplifying the Simple Life

What we’re reading: Simple Abundance

-By Lisa

I don't think having a box of tampons on my bedside table would scream "girl" more than Simple Abundance.

It's a very girly book.

I am not a very girly person.

But this book overcomes the shocking pink hue and the delicate, shiny ribbon bookmark. It overcomes those things for one simple reason; the words in this book are wonderful. Really wonderful.

It's somewhat outdated; it was originally published in 1995. At one point she talks about writing away for catalogues - which made me giggle. But the concepts are eternally relevant and this bedside companion brings my evenings to a peaceful and inspiring close.

Sara Ban Breathnach deals with all the things we love around here; how to get the most out of every day, how to practice gratitude and how to recognize beauty in daily life. These themes are not groundbreaking, yet I can never get enough reminders to take a breath and demonstrate gratitude for the everyday things around me. I love having a daily reminder of the miracle of life; the beauty in simplicity and the constant joy that is available if I just remember to tap in. 

The daily doses are short enough that I can read them even on those evenings when I am ready to fall asleep with a toothbrush in my mouth; the longest is one page. It's a lovely to have her words be the last thing in my brain before slipping into the subconscious. I also adore a great quote, and she offers up some perfect little nuggets about womanhood, simplicity and happiness.

Her list at the end of each month offers some ways to put these ideas into practice. Taking time out to care for yourself is a top priority. She recommends meditation and keeping a Gratitude Journal (which I now do - more on that to come) and an Inspiration Journal.

Some days I am dying to read ahead, but I try to practice patience because I love the fact that the readings are seasonal. Just as I was thinking about getting vegetable seeds, there was Sara, talking about gardening's effect on the soul.

Because this book is older and was very popular, so you can surely pick it up at a library book-sale or used bookshop for next to nothing. There are also companions to this book - a workbook, The Simple Abundance Companion and a Journal of Gratitude which are fantastic for making some of the concepts more tangible. 

So, every night, I tuck into bed with Simple Abundance for uplifting reminders of how to best live this amazing life I've been given. Not bad for a bright pink book.

For more from Lisa, check out www.justherejustnow.com 

 

Hello, red lentils, it's nice to meet you.

 

-By Lisa

For Christmas, I got the cookbook Super Natural Cooking: Five Delicious Ways to Incorporate Whole and Natural Foods into Your Cooking. Heidi Swanson has some wonderful recipes, but what I have found most helpful is the section in the front about building a natural foods pantry. It has introduced me to a wide variety of grains, legumes, flours, oils and natual sweeteners.

Sure, I’m down with rice and chickpeas, but millet and red lentils were unexplored territory. So, my newfound boldness with ingredients has led me to peruse the web for even more new recipes.

This stew is a wonderful way to have lentils. The red lentils have a particularly good texture for this recipe. (Check the bulk section of your health food store, you can often find them there.)

It’s been passed around the internet and given slight adaptations, but this particular version of the lentil stew is from Kalyn’s Kitchen. Check out her site if you are interested in tasty, healthy recipes. She even has them separated out into gluten-free, low-sugar deserts and the like.

The cilantro and lime really make this dish – don’t be tempted to skip them. We had this with Bob's Red Mill gluten-free cornbread – a perfect healthy, homey meal.   

Mexican Red Lentil Stew with Lime and Cilantro

(Makes 4-6 servings, but this freezes well and can easily be doubled. Recipe adapted from Mexican Lentil Stew at Budget Bytes and Spicy Red Lentil and Tomato Soup at Andrea Meyers.)

1 cup dry red lentils

2 cups water

1 T olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 cup finely chopped celery

1 T minced garlic 

1/4 tsp. ground turmeric

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. chile powder

1 can roasted tomatoes

2 cups vegetable broth

1 tsp. green Tobasco sauce 

salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (2-3 limes, or less if you're not that into lime)

1/2 - 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Put red lentils in a small pot, rinse and drain if needed, then add 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, turn off heat and cover. Let lentils sit in the hot water 30 minutes.

While lentils are cooking in the water, finely chop onions and celery and mince garlic (or you can use minced garlic from a jar like I did.) Heat olive oil in heavy soup pot, add onion and celery and saute for 3-4 minutes, just long enough that vegetables are starting to soften. Add garlic and cook a few minutes more. Add ground turmeric, ground cumin, and chile powder, stir, and cook 1-2 minutes more.

Add diced roasted tomatoes, vegetable broth, and hot sauce. Add lentils after they have soaked for 30 minutes, then let soup simmer for 15-30 minutes (or until lentils are as soft as you'd like them. I simmered it about 25 minutes.)

While soup cooks, wash, dry and finely chop 1/2 - 1 cup fresh cilantro and squeeze limes to get 1/4 cup fresh lime juice. When the lentils are softened as much as you'd like, stir in chopped cilantro and lime juice and cook 5 minutes more.

Serve hot, with additional cut limes to squeeze into the soup. 

For more from Lisa, check out www.justherejustnow.com

What I’m reading about: Therapeutic Lifestyle Change

By Katherine

I’m a sucker for a good self-help book. Pretty much anything published in the last four years with “happiness” in the title is either on my nightstand or in my Amazon Wish List.

I read them with my highlighter late into the night, circling passages about how the hectic pace of our modern lives is slowly killing us with stress, and I nod voraciously in agreement: Yes, yes, I need more sleep! More time in nature! Must find my passion!  Time to retrain my brain with positive affirmations for every negative thought!

I'm constantly interrupting my husband while he reads Car and Driver magazine on the pillow next to me to read aloud and make grand and incoherent pronouncements:

We need to spend less time commuting, Honey! We must practice being grateful! We should thank the universe for every early morning diaper change! We absolutely must plant native blueberries in the garden this year!

Typically, he just nods and goes back to devouring a review of the newest Audi Quattro concept car, but me I'm furiously taking notes and planning my next dramatic life change.

Still I'm far from actually achieving bliss (or convincing my husband that reading Car and Driver is just, I don't know, hypocritical?).

Most days I wake up with the alarm clock to the usual anxieties and struggle just like everyone else to combat the daily complexities and pressures of modern life. 

But Dr. Stephen Ilardi’s The Depression Cure: The 6-Step Program to Beat Depression without Drugs might be just what I need to get happy.  

This book isn't only for those who are clinically depressed; Ilardi’s program seems bound to create a healthier, happier lifestyle for just about anyone willing to stick to the program.

“Our bodies were never designed for the sleep-deprived, poorly nourished, frenzied pace of twenty-first century life,” explains Ilardi. “In fact,” he says, “our genes have changed very little since the days of our hunter-gatherer ancestors and are still building, in effect, Stone Age bodies.”

To get back to that happy-go-lucky, hunter-gatherer demeanor, he promotes the following course of action:

1. An omega-3 rich diet

2. Exercise

3. Lots of natural sunlight

4. Ample sleep

5. Social connections

6. Participation in meaningful tasks that leave little time for negative thoughts

But Ilardi doesn’t just speak in generalities—he gives specific instructions on the right type of omega-3s, the right ways to get natural light and exercise and the right kinds of social connections. It’s more a recipe for than a theory on happiness. Ilardi calls it Therapuetic Lifestyle Change (TLC).

Critics suggest TLC is just common sense, but if that’s the case, then all of us in western civilization are buffoons, because we’re getting wrong.

One in four Americans are destined to suffer from depression at some point in their lives. By contrast, the aboriginal Kaluli of Papua New Guinea rarely get depressed, says Ilardi. (I always figured we’d taken a wrong turn from the fields to the cubicle, but who knew that all we really needed for a fulfilling life were a loincloth and a spear?)

I’m embarking on the six steps to determine if I can stop merely reading and talking (and blogging) about getting happier and actually do it. Stay tuned for my progress.

And now I’m off to buy some fish oil from Rebecca’s.

 

 

I guess I'm committed now: detoxing

My holiday breakfast routine: Nutella filled croissants and a cappuccino.

-By Lisa

I had a really fun holiday season.

I traveled around and ate a lot of foods that were not very good for me. I drank copious amounts of wine. It was a total blast.

I regret nothing.

But now, it’s time to cut it out.

Please note. This is not about depriving myself or freaking out about a scale or a measuring tape. I’m not going to use words like "losing" or "trimming" or anything else that patronizingly implies that my body is not just fine as it is. I am just feeling a little sluggish and I want to kick-start my body back into the routine I was in before I replaced yoga and smoothies with gelato and red wine.

I’m not exactly sure what I’m doing here, so I need to start with a little research. I’m going to look at some detoxing eating plans and see what works for me...we’ll just see what happens. I think most of my issues will be psychological; I like to eat. As I’ve mentioned, I’m a grazer, so it will be interesting to see what happens when I have a more structured eating plan that doesn’t include walking by the kitchen and saying “Oh, hey, crackers!”

Option 1 – Not an Option.

Husband tried out the Master Cleanse last year. That’s the one with the lemon juice/maple syrup/cayenne pepper concoction. It was…extreme. He felt great when he was done and is talking about doing it again, but he’s a weird California dude who grew up thinking that fasting was normal. I’m just not sure something that aggressive is right for me.

Option 2 – Juice 

We got a juicer for Christmas, so I am excited to explore the idea of juicing. Juice fasting and detoxification is supposed to be good for cleaning out all that gunk that gets stuck in your colon over time. It increases your energy while still providing all those yummy vitamins and nutrients that we love in fruits and veggies. Plus, you can even juice things like greens, which I know I don’t get enough of.

Option 3 - Raw

Cooking kills the nutrition and enzymes that natural foods contain. This plan includes only uncooked and unprocessed foods - nothing can be heated above 118 degrees. It sounded a little scary, until I started thinking about all those things that I can eat raw - like fruit, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and sprouted grains and legumes. Plus, I'm hippy-dippy enough to love the whole idea of "preserving the life energy" of foods. Some of these recipes look pretty good!

Option 4 – Clean

"Clean eating" makes sense to me. It’s simple and logical and sounds do-able. I really liked this information from goop.com and the recipes from Dr. Alejandro Junger's book Clean: The Revolutionary Program to Restore the Body's Natural Ability to Heal Itself It seems to have a few straightforward rules:

• Eat lots of fresh fruit and veggies.
• Eat primarily foods that are not processed (don’t eat things that come out of a box.) 
• Nix the soda and alcohol – stick to water and tea.
• No saturated or trans fats.
• Combine lean protean and complex carbs at each meal.
• Eat several small meals a day, never miss a meal.
  

He reccomends eliminating foods that are common allergens, like wheat, dairy and eggs. By doing so, your body can heal properly because it isn't expending all that energy digesting things that it doesn't really need.

Option 5 – You Tell Me

If any STSL readers have recommendations or tips about detoxing, please, educate me! What have you tried? What worked and what didn't?

It feels good to take charge of my eating habits, especially in the wintertime when all I really want to do is eat mac and cheese and then wash it down with hot chocolate. This isn't about being drastic and shocking the hell out of my system, it's just about figuring out what my body actually needs.

I'm feeling pumped - help keep me motivated, dear readers!

For more from Lisa, check out www.justherejustnow.com

Back to school: PVCC workforce services

-By Lisa

The University of Viriginia looms large around here. We also have other impressive institutions like William and Mary, VCU and that other one down in Blacksburg.

But smaller colleges are wonderful, too. Piedmont Virginia Community College here in Charlotesville offers classes for community members through their Workforce Services. It's a great chance to persue interests or learn a new skill. The fees range depending on the length of the classes, but I see it as a very worthwhile investment in yourself and your self-reliance.

They have many classes that fit in with our simple living ideals, so below you can find a listing of the offerings that caught my eye. Many start in mid-January, so there is still time to join in the scholastic fun!

Maybe 2011 is the year for me to get some welding skills?

Simple & green classes at PVCC

How to make it as a farmer

Soil preperation and planting

Exploring the small farm dream

Seed saving

Introduction to beekeeping

Vegetable production for profit

Introduction to sustainable living

Blacksmithing beginner

Introduction to welding

Precious metal clay

Book binding

Weatherization and home performance

Applied energy efficiency technologies for residential retrofits

Reflexology

Medicinal herbs

Tai chi for health

Introduction to traditional decorative woodcarving

For more from Lisa, check out www.justherejustnow.com

What we're reading: Food Rules

-By Lisa

Thanks to Swap.com I received this lovely slim volume in the mail recently.

Of course, I have read Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto and Second Nature: A Gardener's Education and love the in-depth, well-researched and important information. In this book, Pollan boils down his knowledge to the essentials. It's like a finely reduced sauce; a condensed, rich, yummy read that I inhaled in less than an hour. But the information I gleaned has endured.

Food Rules: An Eater's Manual is broken down into three sections:

1. What should I eat? 
2. What kind of food should I eat? 
3. How should I eat?

The answers are pretty straightforward:

1. Eat food
2. Mostly plants
3. Not too much

The remainder of the book details ways to stick to those rules in the form of quick, catchy one-liners. A few memorable ones for me:

"The whiter the bread, the sooner you will be dead."

“Eat all the junk you want as long as you cook it yourself.”

“If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don't.”

“Avoid foods you see advertised on television.”

This book doesn’t contain anything that is revolutionary territory for Pollan fans. Sure, it’s interesting to know about William Prout and his discovery of macronutrients in the early nineteenth century, and you sound smart spouting the properties of the principal constituents of protein, fat and carbohydrates -- but sometimes you just want to get down to the brass tacks. When I'm standing around, wondering what I should be eating, I find it more helpful to remember the little sayings from Food Rules. All due respect to Mr. Prout. 

Some have critized Pollan, saying he is dumbing down nutrition in order to spoon-feed the masses. I figure if we are spoon feeding this kind of information - instead of a Double Fudge Cookie Dough Blizzard – it’s a step in the right direction.

For more from Lisa, check out www.justherejustnow.com

Top 5 - Charlottesville bookstores

-By Lisa

The town of Charlottesville is an enabler of bibliophiles.

I prefer to skip past the big shiny chain bookstore, with its brand new best-sellers poised attractively on a well-marketed end caps, and hit up the smaller places instead. C'ville local and used bookshops are little havens to explore and enjoy -- and any hardcore booklover isn't scared of a few cracked spines.

5. Random Row - Part bookstore, part art gallery/performance space, I just love the vibe of this place. They offer a plethora of events and goings on as well as their collection of both new and used books. Become a Facebook fan to keep up to date. 

4. The UVA Bookstore - Yes, I am a Wahoo and I bleed the Orange & Blue, but that is not the only reason that I love the UVA bookstore. If you can get past all the stuff emblazoned with a V, you will find a great resource for Charlottesville authors. There is an extensive section of books written by UVA faculty, so it's yet another way to support our local talent. 

3. Read it Again, Sam - I’ll just admit it, I totally get sucked in by those carts out front on the Downtown Mall. I could stand there, head cocked awkwardly to the right reading all the spine titles until I get a neck cramp. Mystery books are their specialty but although that is not personally my thing, I have still found plenty of other interesting and rare books inside -- when I can get past the carts.

2. The Quest Bookshop - This store is just a happy, peaceful place with a wide selection of all things spiritual. They accept donated books for their “Books Behind Bars” program and host special events at the shop. The result is a lovely Quest community worth checking out.

1. Daedalus Bookshop  I’m embarrassed to admit how much time I have spent rummaging around in the basement of this place. It’s fun in a super spooky kind of way – I always think the librarian ghost from Ghostbusters might be just around the corner. It’s a book nerd's dream and the perfect way to spend a rainy day. Or a sunny day. Pretty much any day.

Happy reading, readers. 

For more from Lisa, check out www.justherejustnow.com

Top 10 - green, simple and frugal holiday gifts

-By Lisa

Please don’t hate me for writing about the holidays already. I know it’s eons away and I certainly don't intend to contribute to the obsessive mass marketing of Christmas - which is exactly why I am writing about it now. If I don’t start thinking about the holidays early, I don’t have time to create handmade, meaningful items and I find myself on December 24th abandoning all of my values and good sense by going to the mall. Unacceptable.

So, here are my Top 10 favorite gifts to give. And if my family or friends are reading – read on if you have no desire to be surprised.

10. Knit dishcloths and soap - Because I am not a skilled knitter, I love making dishcloths/washcloths in these simple patterns. They are so easy and can be done without stitch counting or concentration or anything else that is hampered by a loud football game in the background. I’ve not ventured into soap making yet, but thankfully we have local folks who do a great job with that. I love Made by Mieka soaps, which are available on etsy.com or locally at the Charlottesville City Market and Rebecca's Natural Foods. Tie up a couple washcloths and a handmade soap with a little raffia and it’s too freaking adorable for words. 

9. Pie in a jar -  Katherine and I went to a meeting of Charlottesville bloggers, and the multi-talented social media guru Marijean Jaggers happened to bring a few of her amazing pies in a jar. I was the lucky recipient of a pecan version and I have been obsessed with them ever since. They travel much better than their full-sized equivalent and the best part? No need to share. 

8. CSA gift certificate – it’s no surprise that I love food. Therefore, I love giving people food. If you live in C'ville, Horse and Buggy Produce offers gift certificates so you can try out their food co-op and get a huge variety of local, seasonal goodies. If you live elsewhere, Local Harvest can help you find a CSA in your area. Preserve local agriculture by supporting farmers and make sure your loved ones are eating well in the process! 

7. Cookies – there is something so fun and festive about a simple cookie cut out in the shapes of candy canes and stockings. It’s a classic. You can't go wrong with America’s Test Kitchen Brown Sugar Cookies.  They even hold up well when wrapped in wax paper, packed in a tin and Fed Ex-ed to the opposite coast. 

6. Buckwheat heating pad - I made one of these for myself and now I've decided everybody needs one. It's fantastic piping hot out of the microwave and refreshing when it's been chilling in the freezer; perfect for a twisted ankle, cramps or just cold toes. It's soft and smells good and I swear it loves you back. 

5. Handmade body scrubs- Winter inevitably means dry skin. Mix ¼ cup of organic sugar with 1 cup of coconut oil or olive oil. Add a couple drops of your favorite essential oil. I like to give the scrub in small jars wrapped in ribbon. These do a great job exfoliating and moisturizing -- saving those dry, mangled cuticles.

4. Photos – We have lots of photos digitally on our computers and phones, but we don’t often have pictures to hold in our hands anymore. Therefore, people tend to love receiving real, actual photographs. This doesn't require some cheesy Sears portrait session, just find a quirky photo that is meaningful, or ask a friend to come over and just take some quick family shots. I’ve done this for friends with great results. Digital photography can be easily fixed up on your computer, so you don't need to be Annie Leibovitz to get a good picture. Print at home, or check out Snapfish for prints that start at just 9 cents each. Second-hand stores often have a nice selection of photo frames. 

3. Books – I still think that passing along a favorite book is one of the most meaningful gifts ever. If you are in C'ville, don’t forget about the Friends of the Library Book Sale November 13-20th at the Gordon Ave branch. They have an incredible collection of books for both kids and adults. They are inexpensive and you get to support a great cause at the same time. If you go, look for me - I'll be the one who's almost buried under the weight of her purchases.

2. Get outta town– I am a travel junkie. After years of trying to come up with significant and unique gifts for Husband who is the I Don’t Need Anything Guy– I realized that what we both enjoy most is traveling together. So, we gave up buying needless stuff and instead plan a trip every year as our gift to each other. The trips have been bigger or smaller, depending on money and circumstances, but it always ends up being much more satisfying than that year I bought him the hammock that never got used.

1. Heifer International- One way to beat the Christmas consumerism blues is to donate on the recipient’s behalf to a charity. One of my favorite charities is Heifer International. With the idea of a hand up, not a hand out, Heifer provides livestock and training to people in developing areas to create sustainable self-reliance. The recipient agrees to pass on the offspring of the animals to other folks in need. You can give anything from rabbits to a camel. What's a cooler gift than a camel? 

Happy holiday prep to all, and remember the best way to stay sane this season - simplify, simplify, simplify.

For more from Lisa, check out www.justherejustnow.com

What we're reading: When Things Fall Apart

-By Lisa

Buddhists can be downers.

I guess this is what one Amazon.com reviewer meant when she included the helpful tip that you shouldn’t read this book if you are suicidal, because it could make you want to kill yourself.

But for me - mostly mentally stable and with regular joe problems -  I found it to be a very uplifting book. 

Pema Chodron is an American Buddhist nun. While I am a sucker for anything that the Dalai Lama and Thich Nhat Hanh have to say, I was interested in hearing from a western woman about Buddhist thought. Before I read the book, I watched a few of Chodron’s talks on Youtube. I immediately liked her straightforward, non-flowery persona. She begins one of her speeches with “I became a Buddhist because I hated my husband.” I knew this was going to be a little different.

When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times delves into some intense concepts, but Chodron puts them in a simple context for those of us who are just interested in just getting through the day, not trying to become Buddhist scholars. There is no proselytizing of religious dogma, just the offering of a perspective on the commonalities that bond us as humans. As Buddhists (and realists of all stripes) know, pain is an inextricable part of life. Chodron presents a way to minimize the suffering involved in that pain. Death, anger and fear are universal experiences; learning to recognize, accept and manage them can bring us inner peace. 

“If we’re willing to give up hope that insecurity and pain can be exterminated, then we can have the courage to relax with the groundlessness of our situation.”  - Pema Choderon

This way of looking at the world requires taking a courageous path; the truth is scary. Personally, it’s never worked for me to turn a blind eye to the difficulties of life. It makes more sense for me to face them full on, with my honest and flawed self standing strong, rather than fearfully running away in the pathetic hope that life will never catch up with me.

I find it empowering that Chodron’s message is not restricted to times when life is falling apart, rather this idea actually allows for greater appreciation of when things are holding together quite nicely. The result is that I find those times to be even sweeter, because I’m not naively and artifically sugar coating the rest of life. 

For more from Lisa, check out www.justherejustnow.com

Ladies who do a lot more than lunch: Iris & UVA women's center

-By Lisa

Last week, I spent a wonderful evening at the UVA Women’s Center, celebrating the release of the fall issue of Iris magazine.

The UVA Women’s Center does some great work in our community, promoting gender equality through various education and support services. They cover a variety of women's issues, offering lectures such as “Words Not Swords: Iranian Women Writers and the Green Movement”  and hosting vigils for the promotion of a healthy body image. They also provide counseling for individuals and groups, including a sexual assault recovery group.

The hot-off-the-press issue of Iris contains a variety of stories, from a profile of Cheryl Mills (Secretary Hillary Clinton's Chief of Staff) to book reviews and memoir excerpts. Subscriptions to the magazine are just $10 for the year, or you can pick up a copy at the Women’s Center on 14th street. 

The highlight of the evening was a reading from UVA alumna and “local literary luminary" Emma Rathbone (I'm sorry, but I just had to quote that awesome alliteration from the invite.) Rathbone read from her witty and sarcastic new book, The Patterns of Paper Monsters. She discussed her inspiration and creative process but in the interest of maintaing good writing ju-ju, she remained tight lipped about the novel she is currently working on. Because seriously... you don't want to mess with the ju-ju.

If you are interested in obtaining help from the UVA Women’s Center or want to support the center and the 20,000 people they serve annually, please check out their website. 

For more from Lisa, check out www.justherejustnow.com