Cucumber salad

So yesterday we went for a picnic. It was amazing.  We live very close to a lake but yet we hardly ever go.  There is always something to do with home projects, work, out of town commitments, and a slew of other "to do lists".  It was in fact our 1st picnic together. Ever. Seriously Ever.  How sad is that.  Well this started off a new tradition and a deep need to slow down a little and enjoy the beauty that is all around us.

What could go better then cucumber salad on a warm spring day?  Cucumber salad is one of my favorite go to's for something quick, light, and refreshing in the summer.  It is great for a snack, take to a cook out, or as a side with most any dish. 

Ingredients

2 cucumbers

3 small tomatoes

1/2 small onion diced

3-4 TBSP olive oil

3 capfuls of apple cider vinegar

Dash of stevia- I would add a little at a time tasting as you because depending on the flavor and sweetness of your tomatoes and cucumbers you may need very little. 

Salt and pepper to taste

1 TBSP of oregano dried

Fresh basil 3 leaves chopped (optional if you have on hand but not needed)

Go ahead and chop your veggies and add to a mixing bowl.  Add your olive oil and apple cider vinegar.  Add your salt, pepper, and oregano.  Go ahead and start adding your Stevia, a little at a time taste testing as you go.  If you have never worked with Stevia before it is much sweeter then sugar and a very small amount goes a long way.  To the point that I don't ever have measuring spoons small enough for the amount I used.

Add some fresh basil. This part is optional but if you have some add it. Go ahead and mix! 

Had to include a shot of our picnic.  Everything was clean and organic.  Obviously not necessarily low cal as I splurged for some really yummy rustic Italian bread from the bakery. Just remember to check your labels and if it has ingredients you can pronounce and the fewer the better you know you've got something clean.

Raised bed gardening

I have currently entered the world of raised bed gardening.  I am super excited to take on this challenge and take my gardening skills to the next level.  Last year I grew bell peppers, tomatoes, jalapeños and herbs in pots on the deck. Which was a great way to test my environment and learn some tricks before expanding the garden to raised beds.

By doing the pots on the deck I quickly learned that our squirrels are relentless pesky pests. They initially devestated my crop by digging through the pots to plant and store their pecan nuts.  Then I discovered they would dig up all the plants and flip them upside down before they had matured.  Then I learned that the only way to protect the crop was to completely cage the plants because even when they had matured my vegetables kept disappearing. To say the least is was  a huge learning curve.

This time around I'm feeling really prepared.  I knew I would need to do a raised bed as our dirt is hard black clay and not full of the nutrients needed to support vegetables at this time. I also knew that the beds would need some kind of covering to protect against the squirrels.  

My husband who is amazing, built my beds out of untreated cedar planks.  Why cedar and untreated?  Well , great question!  Cedar is rot resistant and weathers  the elements very nicely. Untreated? For an organic garden untreated wood is a must because the chemicals that are used for the treatment of wood can leach into your soil and your vegetables. 

The next step was my husband attached PVC pipping and I bought netting to be drapes and used as a covering. All items were purchased at Home Depot and took an afternoon to build.  A helpful hint, Home Depot will cut all your wood and PVC pipping to any measurement.  So you don't have to buy a saw or spend the time cutting the products when you get home.

Next I bought organic planting soil.  I know that if you compost and such you can use that and not need to spend the mone in soil. I do not compost as we did have a compost bin from the previous owners of our home.  Unfortunately it attracted multiple animals to our yard who also decided to make our attic their home.  Boo.... So composting for us is currently out of the question.  But I'm researching and exploring other options.  

I used about 12 bags of 2 cubic square feet soil to fill my beds. My beds are approxmentlay 4'x4'. My goal is to maintain and treat the soil  throughout the year so it maintains it's nutrients. Which will allow me to not have to invest in more soil. This was the most expensive part of this project. 

The end project after planting my starters and seeds.

That text message can wait...

I'm BACK!!!   I want to go ahead and apologize to all my readers for my lack of posts.  In the past 2 months I  have left my past job and started a new one.  It has been a blessed change that was none too soon in making.  For those that do not know I am a social worker who works in the mental health and substance abuse field. I left a job where my primary duties was intense crisis situations in the emergency room setting. 

Now to be honest the crisis situations were not why I left but the  burn out that was occurring due to poor management.  I have now transitioned to a role as a therapist at another institution and I am very happy.  I want to talk about self care in this post. Start the conversation here and continue it throughout my upcoming posts.

Self-care is a concept I throw around on the daily with clients.  Checking in, educating, and empowering them to care for themselves.  It is probably the most under utilized coping tool out there.  

We spend our days in a flurry of emails, texts, meetings, school programs, art projects, homework, chores, carpooling, and I'm sure 100 other things.  We become so entrenched in the day to day and just getting by we lose sight of the big picture which is "us".

"Us" is who completes these tasks, carries us through life, and is with us at the end.  It is the carries "us" through life part we miss out on most often.  The whole "you can't see the forest through the trees" thing is so true, and the forest is "us".

We wonder why we have headaches, stomach problems, weight gain, fatigue, anxiety, depression, relationship problems, irritability, and a slew of other problems.  We experience these things because our bodies are desperately trying to get our attention and we just keep pressing forward. " I'll pop some Advil, pepto, and ambien" and it will be ok.  Well it won't.  Stress kills.  It affects our body's natural rythem and ability to stay healthy ( more on this to come).  

Now I know I just painted a grim picture but take a minute and just breathe.  Breathing in and out.  Imagine a ballon in your stomach inflating on the inhale and deflating on the exhale.  Visualize a different picture for yourself.  I picture without the constant need to struggle through another day.  Visualize a day of serenity and peace. Visualize a restful sleep, a headache free day, no stomachs pains day.   Paint that picture.  Wether your in a garden, on a beach, top of a mountain, or cozy in your bed. All while breathing in and out.  Feeling your stomach rise and fall.  Go ahead take a minute.. The rest can wait.

Now I hope you took a minute to paint that picture and breathe.  What you did in that moment is self care.  While you were breathing and visualizing you were resting, rebuilding, and revitalizing.  You used a form of mindfulness: deep breathing and imagery.  You took a moment to care for yourself.

There are so many ways to care for yourself.  It starts small with the intention to be kind to oneself, to love oneself, and to start caring for oneself.  

Choosing to eat differently or recommit to a healthier lifestyle is one but so is taking time throughout your day to reconnect with oneself. To be present in your moment in time: hold it, taste it, and love it.  

For me leaving a job that was slowly killing me through stress was my self care.  I'm reconnecting and recommitting to love myself everyday.  It starts small and it will grow if you foster it.  

I hope through this blog I can not only share recipes but also the need for love and caring for oneself.  We only get one life to live... That text message can wait.