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The missing ingredient: Joy?

Tofu Stir Fry 

I have always avoided making tofu because it is very fiddly, the tofu crumbles in my hands when I try to slice it.  So apparently the trick is to freeze it and cut it while it is still frozen. It worked like a charm and was really easy to fry. 

Ingredients

1 block tofu 

2  tbs veg oil 

2 tsp crushed garlic

pinch chilli flakes 

1 packet chinese noodles

1 medium onion 

2 cups stir fry mix

1tsp hot sauce/fish sauce 

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 pinch pepper

1 teaspoon mixed herbs 

1 lime leaf 

salt to taste 

Heat 1 tbs oil in a pan, add 1 tsp ginger, chilli flakes and cubed tofu. Fry until golden brown and set aside.

Heat the remaining oil in a pan and fry onions until brown, add the remaining garlic, mixed herbs and lime leaf and let cook for a minute. Add the vegetables, lime leaf, mixed herbs, hot/fish sauce, salt and soy sauce. Cook for 10 minutes, add the chinese noodles and tofu  and let cook for a further 15 minutes or until noodles are cooked. 

Last time I posted, I was feeling a bit flat and after a change of scenery and a few interesting experiences, I realized that there is a missing ingredient.  I can confirm my belief that you should do everything with love and you do it well. Live in love, light and peace. 

But what about Joy? 

I thought I lost my creativity, my passion but what really happened is I lost my Joy.

Joy is beauty, joy is love, joy is God.

Love opens up your soul, joy gives it wings. 

Joy is awareness, joy is appreciation. Joy is underlined by faith.

We wanted to be adults so bad, now look at us. Just look.

It's been a long time since I have written a poem

Is it that I have nothing to say?

Or have I become self concious about my ability to communicate.

To use my words and create a picture, to use my words to inform, persuade, entertain?

Maybe the words didn't stick, maybe nothing was really pretty or new or fun

Something was pretty,I saw it.

Maybe once in a while there comes a time when you just have to be still and listen and absorb.

Maybe after a while,  the words come back and you find new ways to experience the joy and beauty of any given moment.

Or maybe, if you give in to the deadlines, the pessimists, the frowners, the checklisters, you eventually become one of them.

I think I will step into some sunshine now, and feel the breeze on my skin.

I'll know that even if the poet in me is quiet, a new spring creates songs all around me.

Roast Chicken and Baked Beans

I was studying for an exam the other day and my very sweet neighbour brought me a plate of food.  She had made roast chicken and rice with brocolli. Her brocolli was divine, not over or under - cooked. She told me that she steams her veg.

I also cooked and decided to go back to basics. I made baked beans.

2 tablespoons of sunflower oil
1 medium onion, sliced
1 large tomato, diced
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 can of baked beans
salt to taste.

Fry the onions until golden brown. Add the garlic and tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes are cooked down and add the salt, I used fine, table salt.  Add the baked beans and cook for 15 minutes at medium heat. I used oregano for flavour and it tasted ok. The oregano worked out, though,  I used the leftovers on a pizza and it tasted great.

tomato soup and grilled cheese and epiphany

I have been ordered to rest my feet due to a broken bone and have been spending a lot of time at home but not cooking too much. I am trying to make easy meals. The other day I made tomato soup and grilled cheese. The tomato soup was out of a Hienz can. It was surprisingly good.

I also had some kind of epiphany or something. I have realised that in certain instances, worrying about what people think of me and how they respond to me  matters less than what I feel, how I respond to people. My feelings are valid and provide an excellent compass with which I may navigate the world.

It seems obvious but for me this is a new learning. It's not about being arrogant but being self aware. This self awareness allows us to be kinder to the  people in our orbit, family, friends, lovers, even acquaintances - anyone who crosses our paths. Acknowledging one's feeling allows for honest, open hearted communications and interactions.


Also, love and light is a thing to strive for, it doesn't just appear. Sometimes you fake it till you make it, other times there is a visible path towards it.

Self honesty is not easy but it is essential. Communicating our authentic feelings is so difficult but unavoidable if we truly wish to live as  our best selves.

I don't usually sign off but today I will.

love and light, today and always.

A new day has dawned or something

I last updated more than a year ago, mostly because I started eating meat again. 

So much has happened in that time but I will just say that I am learning and growing.

with recent events that have occurred in my life, I believe that there are some things you just have to go through in life, you cant  avoid them. 

Life has truly humbled me but made me strong at the same time.

I continue to live in positivity and love.

During the time I was eating meat, I gained so much weight and I just started losing it recently. The plan is to eat as healthy as possible with as little effort as possible. Lots of protein and iron.

Madumbi's/taro root

I had a madumbi for lunch today.  It is known as taro root and is a sort of potato.  I had it boiled, without salt and it was delicious and filling.  Sometimes I cook it as a curry with beans.
Madumbi's are of flavour and very nutritious.  They have so many health health benefits and are also gluten free.

When cooking madumbi's you just have to make sure that they are properly cooked or you might feel a sort of itchiness in your throat or upset stomach.