Anam Cara Forest

A Spiritual Wonderland

So here I will touch on all things beautiful, organic, spiritual, and pure that will in my opinion aid in the nurturing of the mind, body, and spirit....the happy magical threesome! It is an ongoing informative and advisory page developed from my own experiences, education, research, and humble insight. Receive and use at will anything and everything that might resonate with you. I will break it down into catagories: MIND, BODY, and SPIRIT! And of course, I will add things as i go along my journey of discovery!

 

SPIRIT: I do believe that this eternal energy that we are made of is the core of who we are therefore if we nurture and allow this energy to be our driving force in all we do...this human existance will be a beautiful one! As I have mentioned throughout my website..to begin is as simple as taking a Spirit Moment. Stop, breathe, and be One with that energy of Love that you are. Eventually, you will want to meditate for longer periods of time. It is in that quiet that you will connect fully with the Spirit. Again, if it is something that you are not used to...start by just focusing on one thing...perhaps light a candle and stare at the flame. It will help you stay focused on one thing and clear your mind. If thoughts come into your head, dont stress...just let them float by on a cloud and wave to them. :) Eventually you will be able to settle into a quiet place and those thoughts will pass. There are many wonderful guided meditation CD's out there and listening to soft music helps too.

MIND:  Albert Einstien once said,"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited; imagination encircles the world."

Reading and gathering knowledge is a beautiful thing and I do believe it builds brain cells, but when Im creating that is when my mind is truly at it's happiest. I can almost feel the cells tingling and the neurons firing in excitement! Nurture your imagination...dont forget the gifts of your Spirit, whatever they are...we are CREATORS! It frees your mind of worry and stress..it brings you back to your inherant treasure...your soul! Draw, paint, write, make a luscious recipe, plant a garden, just create...it doesnt have to be perfect either, just yours!!!

BODY: Well the simplest way to keep our bodies healthy is diet and exercise, but there is so much information out there about what is best for us.

I will suggest some basics:

1.Eat organic as much as possible, if not, wash your fruits and veggies thoroughly with a good veggie and fruit cleaner. Add a variety of colors to your diet...greens, yellows, reds, etc.

2. Remove all things white from your diet...flours, sugars etc. There are many alternative flours to bake with: oat bran, coconut, and almond are some of my favorites. Some sugar alternatives: Stevia, pure maple syrup, and raw unfiltered honey.

3. Read labels! If there are additives, chemicals and such, put it back on the shelf. :)

4. Buy meats and dairy products free of hormones and antibiotics.

5. Drink plenty of pure water and please be careful of the plastics our water is stored in...I would suggest a good water filter system for your faucet and get a stainless steel water bottle.

6. Move, move, move! You dont have to join a gym to move your body...dance, walk, garden, yoga...jump on a trampoline! I do believe muscle toning is important, but a few days a week with dumbbells works just fine! :)

RECIPE OF THE DAY  I created these cookies as a healthy snack. My daughter loves them. They are a quick and easy one batch snack. We all need a treat now and then. :)

Chocolate Drop Cookies

1/3 cup almond flour( add a little more if needed for the right consistancy)

2 tbsps coconut flour

1 scoop of protien powder (the best brand I could find is called American Whey)

1 tbsp baking powder

1-2 tbsps of organic cocoa

1/40 of a tsp of stevia(you can get this at any health food store, make sure it is the pure stevia) You only need a pinch, but play around with it if you want your cookies sweeter.

1 egg white

1/2 cup of almond milk

1 tsp pure vanilla

1 tbsp of dairy free Tropical Source chocolate chips

Add a tbsp of crushed almonds or walnuts if desired

Mix dry ingredients well. Mix wet ingredients and add them to dry. Mix and add chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls on greased cookie sheet( I use organic pure virgin coconut oil). Preheat oven to 350 and bake for about 10 minutes. Makes about 20 cookies. Each cookie is about 25 calories! :D ENJOY!

Also keeping our environment and homes free of toxic chemicals will keep our Mind, Body, and Spirit clean!  So many of our household products contain harmful chemicals. Some helpful hints here taken from www.squidoo.com 

 

It's Easy to Go Green! 

10 (or more) easy steps to choosing healthy products for your home and environment.
  • Let's Get Started Going Green!

    Change your light bulbs to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). You can find CFLs where light bulbs are sold.

    CFL's use less energy and last up to 10 times longer. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, if every American household were to swap just one bulb to CFL, we would save enough energy to light more than 2.5 million homes for a year and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of nearly 800,000 cars.
  • Change your dishwashing, laundry and cleaning products to vegetable based, soy based non-toxic and non-petroleum products. They are easy to find! Ask me if you need help locating non-toxic, vegetable based cleaning products.

    According to Seventh Generation Inc: If every household in the U.S. replaced JUST ONE 25 oz. bottle of petroleum based dishwashing liquid with vegetable based product, we could save 118,700 barrels of oil, enough to heat and cool 6,800 U.S. homes for a year! Now imagine if we also replaced a bottle of laundry soap and a cleaning product!
  • Save over $100 a year and use less energy by raising your thermostat two degrees in the summer and lowering it two degrees in the winter. YOU CAN DO IT! I keep mine at 64F at night and 67F during the day in the Winter and RARELY use air conditioning. Change your heating and air conditioning filters often! Clean = more efficient!
  • Sign up for green electricity through your local energy company!
  • Travel Smarter! Complete your errands in less trips. Convert your diesel car/truck to vegetable oil.

    Purchase gas efficient or alternative fuel vehicles, carpool, walk, ride your bike, use public transportation. I bet you can think of many more ideas to travel smarter!
  • Change your water fixtures to low-flow. I have a low-flow + chemical filter on my shower. Removing chemicals is great and so is saving water!
  • Improve indoor air quality! Indoor air can have 5 times more pollution than outdoor air. This is a serious concern, especially if you live in a high ozone alert city and/or have health concerns. You can breathe cleaner, healthier air indoors. You can detox the air your breathe and kill 99.999% of germs on surfaces including the avian bird flu, e.coli and strep, elminate odors, pollen, dust, mold. Take steps to detox the air your breathe in your home or business. Salt lamps are awesome! And so pretty!
  • Buy local fruits and veggies! One of my favorites! Support your local farmers by purchasing from farmer's markets. You will find a good selection of healthy, organic foods that has traveled a short distance to you. Some communities even have farms that deliver to your door! YUMMY! Buying local fruit and vegetables in season reduces transportation expenses.
  • Telecommute! (I love this one too). If you can telecommute, do it! Save gas, reduce toxic emissions, and traffic congestion, lower your stress and blood pressure. Use your commute time to have breakfast at home with your family!
  • Use non-toxic pesticides and fertilizers in the yard and garden. Compost! Composting your vegetable scraps provides healthy rich organic material for your garden and reduces your garbage volume. Grow your own vegetables!