Conscious Living: Ten Ways to Nurture a Nature Connection Through Food
I've been vegan-ish for about eight years now. I still eat honey, goat cheese, and the occasional egg. But meat is off the table. For me. We all have our own dietary needs, wants, limits, etc. And I don't ever want to preach to the masses about the perfect dietary plan. No thanks. What I do want to write about is the fact that food is power. It holds power over us and it can be an amazing way to power our connection to the outside world. And that's a pretty awesome thing if we can reign it in, right?
With the new year upon us, many of us are including some sort of change in diet to our resolutions this year I'm sure. Whatever it is we plan to eat this year, making it a conscious choice to eat for the planet and for our souls can never steer you wrong in my book! Eat what makes you feel good and what makes sense for the planet can be a win-win. And it can be delicious and not that hard to do. So, what do you have to lose? No matter what you are currently eating these days, these ten changes will nurture a nature connection through the food you eat and leave you feeling a little more amazing every day....guaranteed!
These are tried and true tips based on research and experimentation in my kitchen and yard over the last eight years. Try one, two or all to kick start the new year! Every week for the next ten weeks I will be writing up a yummy motivation on one of the topics below so check back for WEEKLY INSPIRATION!
TEN WAYS TO NURTURE A NATURE CONNECTION THROUGH FOOD
1. Eat more Plants 2. Food as Medicine
3. Simplify
4. Cook More
5. Eat for YOUR Body
6. Grow Something
7. Understand where your food comes from (Factory Farms to Wild Foraging )
8. Eat or Drink Something Outside
9. Make more meals that make you smile
10. Local and Organic when you can
EAT MORE PLANTS
Supercharge your day with plants at every meal. Seriously, kale, spinach, collard greens, bok choy, swiss chard, endive, and all the other greens are packed with vitamins and minerals. These are nutrient powerhouses and can easily make their way into smoothies, simple salads, toast toppings, and more!
My favorite way to eat greens for each meal:
BREAKFAST: Avocado Toast with a sprinkle of sea salt, raw spinach leaves, sliced radishes
LUNCH: Rice Bowl with Brown Rice, Pile of leftover seasoned greens, and whatever leftover roasted veggies I have in the fridge
DINNER: Buddah Bowls! You can pack it with greens for a super-powered ending to your day.
GETTING KIDS TO EAT MORE PLANTS!
This is a topic I'm sure many of us have struggled with at some point in time. Some kids might munch up their greens straight on but there are others out their that need a little persuasion (aka trickery) to get all that goodness.
If your kids are in the camp that need a little help with greens then here are the winning recipes from my house to yours...
Peppermint Pattie Green Monster Smoothie from Oh She Glows. Awesome.
Pumpkin Muffins from Cookie and Kate. I follow this recipe but add in a cup of finely chopped greens or maybe a little zucchini.
Sneaky Veggie Pancakes from Happy Healthy Mama. I often use the pouches of pre-mixed baby blends of fruit and veggies that you can pick up from the store. Pour of a little of that into the batter and you are good to go!
What are your favorite ways to sneak more greens into you and your family's day to day eats?
