Your Well Being Tip of the Day
Put yourself out there today. Be totally brilliant. What other people give
or don't give is not the point; what you give is everything.
… Marianne Williamson
Healthy and Delicious Food!
Delicious Black Bean Hummus
A twist on classic hummus, this dip absolutely meets my criteria for being
both delicious and healthy. I once brought this dip to a team retreat and my
colleagues and I cleaned the dish pretty quickly. Enjoy.
Place the chickpeas, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, water, cumin, salt,
parsley, olive oil, and hot sauce in the bowl of a food processor fitted
with a metal blade. Pulse until the mixture is well blended but still
slightly course. Add the black beans and pulse until the beans are combined
but still course.
1 cup chickpeas (cooked and drained)
1/8 cup tahini
2 tsp finely minced garlic (4 med cloves)
1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
½ cup water
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp finely minced parsley
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ tsp hot sauce, or to taste
1 cup black turtle beans (cooked and drained)
*for a variation, you could try adding a little minced cilantro.
From: The Whole Foods Cookbook
Inspire Health Smoothies Recipe
All I have to say about this is "yum". … Lee
24 oz rice milk
2 scoops hemp protein powder
1 cup raspberries
1 ½ cup blueberries
1 banana chopped
Blend for 5 minutes or until seeds are broken down. Makes approximately 3-4
good size servings.
From: Inspire Health Recipes
Happiest Moment Today
I love to spring clean. There’s something so freeing about clearing out the
old and creating space for the new. There’s also something so fun about
finding some treasure you’d forgotten about or didn’t realize you’d lost.
Last spring I re-discovered my "Happiest Moment" journal. I don’t remember
where I got the idea but it sure was a gem. At the end of each day I would
tune in and ask myself "What was my happiest moment today?" And I’d write
down the date and the answer.
One October day I wrote that my happiest moment was spending 3-4 minutes
with a couple of students that I ran into on my walk near the college,
between classes. They were sitting on the grass with books open and they
called my name and suddenly we were given this precious moment to refuel
each other with laughter and fun - the three of us glowing with the joy of
simple connection. They shared their excitement about their Thanksgiving
dinners and I shared mine about something new I was learning at the time.
Then on a July day I wrote "Today, as I walked to a downtown appointment, I
approached a man who looked like he might have been homeless (standing by
store with hat and sign). He asked me how I was today - with a big and
clearly genuine smile on his face. I said "Great, how are you?" and he said
"I'm great! - I woke up breathing and here I am!" Amazing. What a master
teacher he was.
Since re-discovering the journal I've kept it handy and written in new
entries here and there; and each entry helps me to recognize and honour the
most important things in life. For example, I notice that most of the
moments I choose to write about have to do with simple human connections and pleasures, the kind that most often happen spontaneously. Meeting someone
you haven't seen for a while in a coffee shop or on the sidewalk, watching a
toddler's face fill with glee as a puppy licks his face, or maybe something
as simple as eye contact and a smile shared between you and a driver who
stopped so you could cross the street. Special.
Writing these moments down also reminds me that I've waited my whole life to
get to each moment. That's how special each one is. I waited for this one,
then this one, the next one, and so on. I waited my whole life to share
those special three minutes with those two students and I waited my whole life
to feel the joy in the eyes of the man who might have been homeless. I'm
reminded to savour the simple pleasures, for the smallest of things are very
big indeed.
Reflecting on these moments also reminds me that happiness is an inside job
and that we typically feel it when able to be mindful of these simple
connections and pleasures, when we take time out to enjoy the people, places
and activities that that really fuel us. This really beats waiting for
circumstances to change in order to be happy (i.e. losing weight, buying a
better car, moving, etc). Yes, the way we choose to act and think daily has
the biggest impact by far. And happiness research confirms this.
So here's to savouring the happy moments around us, more and more all the
time. We'll be happier for it, and so will others. Because, as you probably
know, not only is happiness mostly an inside job, but it really is
contagious.
What is your happiest moment so far today?
Carpe diem (seize the day – seize the moment),
....
Lee
Spring Fever!
Spring Fever - A feeling of restlessness, excitement, or laziness brought on
by the coming of spring - a physiological and psychological shift in the
body's response to changing seasons.
It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it,
you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just
fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!
… Mark Twain
Tips for celebrating spring fever:
Take advantage of the increase in energy and consider:
- organizing and cleaning out your space to give it a fresh feel
- getting outside to enjoy a brisk walk and the breath of new life
that we see in nature
- getting back into hobbies that provided you with pleasure and
enjoyment
… Audra Foveo
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