Fed up? Lighten Up and Brighten Up with Wings Up! / Fed up? Lighten Up and Brighten Up with Wings Up!

Fed up? Lighten Up and Brighten Up with Wings Up!

With summer on the horizon, the days are getting warmer and lasting longer. We all long to savor them! It’s time to make more space in our space and consciously make an extra effort to enjoy these moments and lighten up! Lighten up our minds, hearts, bodies and souls. Things are entirely too serious and intense right now in the “real world”, but we truly do have some control of what we will allow and not allow into our personal space.  It’s time to lighten up! Here are some tips on how to spread your wings and create your own magnificent air stream of dreams!

 

 

Put your toes in the grass and let Mother Earth do the rest. As you do, gently say, “Thank you Mother Earth for allowing me to release the things that no longer serve me.” You’ll be amazed how much anxiety and unwanted baggage you’ll rid yourself of. This works especially well if you do it every day! *Bonus: If you can, stand near or lean against a giant tree. Then say the Hawaiian Ho’oponopono Prayer – “I love you. I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you.” It may feel funny at first, but you can fake it till you make it!

 

While planting your feet on gorgeous mama Gaia, stand toward the morning sun if you can and spread your arms open wide. Say, “I am open and receptive to all the love, compassion, gifts and opportunities the universe has to offer me. Thank you!” If you don’t make a space to allow the wonderful things the universe has to offer you, where are they going to live?

 

Keep fresh cut fruit (especially lemons) handy. Your body needs the foods that are in season for a reason and this will keep you extra hydrated. A juicy mind, body, heart and soul creates a loving space for desires to grow. It also quenches out toxins, including unwanted weeds (aka toxic Velcro gremlins. Yep, that one that just popped into your mind!)

 

Be the voyeur in your own voyage and PLAY! Find a magnifying glass and an ant hole or maybe a secret garden. Run under the sprinklers and eat watermelon in your bathing suit. Create a sand castle or go on an adventure, even if the adventure is in a really good mystery novel in your own back yard.

 

Laugh at yourself as often as possible! Dump any preconceived expectations you have of yourself. No matter where you’ve come from, you have never lived this summer before. You have no idea what amazing things might happen, nor what the summer has in store for you if you believe in magic. Expect the best and dump the rest. Abracadabra!

Get Dirty! Grow something(s) and eat it. You’ll never taste anything better! (See the recipes at the end. Perfect to keep you cool and revived this summer!)

 

Learn how to say NO. No is a sentence. You are not being selfish, you are being self-full. Make sure you tend your garden first. After that, you can take of anyone else you allow to be a blade of grass in your field of dreams.

Shed some tears. It’s okay to feel what you feel when you feel it. Just don’t swim in it until you get all prune-y.

Give yourself permission to do NOTHING. Turn your phone off. (Okay, mute it.) Feel the wind on your face and listen to the breeze. It has a special message for you!

Find a patch of earth. Lay on your back and gaze up at the stars. Remind yourself that you have your own light, shining from within, that no-one can ever dim!

Rise and Shine and consider taking the time to come to my Wings Up Meet Up the first Sunday of every month. Register here This is one of the best hours you can spend, creating more space in your space and feeding your soul!

The being that you are becoming will cost you people, relationships and many other things… choose YOU yes, fabYOUlous YOU, over everything! If you need a goal this summer, let it be this: That by the time fall arrives, you’ve been kissed by the sun, hugged by the earth, sung to by the birds, loved yourself up and have been illuminated by the moon and the stars! You’ll find yourself rested, revived and ready to dive into a new adventure this fall, even more vibrant and alive.

Pretty soon, people will start noticing that you are simply glowing and lighting up from the inside out. Of this I have no doubt. And here’s the best part….By the time that rolls around, the only person measuring your self-worth, will be Awesome Flawsome You!

Try one (or all!) of the yummy recipes below, given to me by my guest this week on “Angel With an Edge” radio show, Robert Underwood.

Robert Underwood is an L.Ac Licensed Acupuncturist and Clinical Herbalist. All of the recipes can be made in advance and enjoyed throughout the week!

 

Savory Congee Recipe
https://thecuriouscoconut.com/blog/how-to-make-congee-in-the-instant-pot-pressure-cooker

Congee is a traditional healing rice porridge used in Chinese Medicine. Learn how to quickly and easily make it in your Instant Pot Pressure cooker! You can play around with the ingredients to suit your tastes – this is just one combination I really enjoy.

Ingredients

  • 1 TB lard or fat of choice
  • 3 ribs celery, sliced thin
  • 1 small turnip, peeled and diced
  • 2-3 radishes, diced
  • 1 large shallot or small onion, diced

NOTE – the goal here is to have about 2 cups of aromatics – you can also simply use 1 small onion and a few cloves of garlic, or a mirepoix (mix of onion, celery, carrot). I had a lot of radishes and turnips over the winter, so that is why I used this recipe.

  • 1 pound of ground chicken or ground pork. May also use shredded cooked chicken or pork.
  • 6-10 cups homemade bone broth – any variety (I prefer chicken)
  • 1/2 to 1 TB coarse unrefined salt (if your broth is salted, use less)
  • 1 to 1-1/2 cups short grain rice, rinsed until water is clear
  • 1-2 TB grated fresh ginger
  • 2-4 cups shredded cabbage (SAVE THIS until the very end)
  • green onions to garnish
  • optional: fish sauce and/or coconut aminos to taste

NOTES
For the broth – yes, that is a wide range for the broth! Use less for a thick, rich congee and more for a watery, soupy dish. I personally prefer a ratio of about 8 cups water to 1 and 1/2 cups rice.

For the meat – I have tried browning the meat in a separate pan, then adding it to the rice; browning the meat in the Instant Pot insert and then adding the rice and cooking; and adding the raw meat and letting it cook with the rice. They all taste basically the same to me, and just putting the raw meat in with the uncooked rice is by far the easiest method, so that’s what I normally do.

Instructions

  1. Begin by rinsing your rice until the water runs clear.
  2. Press the saute button on the Instant Pot and then the “more” button. Melt the fat in the pot and add the aromatics. Cook about 3 min, until soft and fragrant. Turn off the Instant Pot.
  3. Add the ground chicken or pork, salt, ginger, and the rinsed rice and stir to combine with the aromatics. Pour in broth.
  4. Attach the lid, close the vent, and press the “porridge” button on the Instant Pot. It will take about 1 hour for it to pressurize, cook, and depressurize.
  5. Stir the cooked congee and break up any large chunks of meat that cooked together. Stir in the shredded cabbage – it will wilt down and cook enough from the residual heat in the pot. Serve with a garnish of green onion slices and a splash of coconut aminos and/or fish sauce to taste.
  6. Keeps well in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in a 350F oven or in a pot on the stovetop.

Prep Time: 00 hrs. 10 mins.

Cook time: 00 hrs. 20 mins. (in reality about 60 for pressurization/depressurization)

Total time: 70 mins.

Kale BLT Salad (Bon Apetit)
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/kale-blt-salad

Ingredients

  • ½ preserved lemon, chopped
  • ⅓ cup crème fraîche
  • ⅓ cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 12 ounces slab bacon, sliced ¾ inch thick
  • 8 cups chopped Tuscan kale
  • 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

 

  Process preserved lemon, crème fraîche, mayonnaise, and vinegar in a food processor until smooth; season dressing with salt and pepper. Cover and chill until ready to use.

  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high and cook bacon, turning halfway through, until brown and crisp, 8–10 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels and let cool slightly. Slice crosswise to yield 12 pieces.

  Toss kale and dressing in a large bowl until coated; let sit 5 minutes.

  Add tomatoes and gently toss to coat. Divide salad among plates and top each with 3 pieces of bacon.

Robert Underwood, L.Ac.
Licensed Acupuncturist & Clinical Herbalist

Specializing in Family Medicine, Men’s Health and Pediatrics
www.goodlifelongmont.com
303.772.0598

 

Written by angelwanedge


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