Recipe of the day...

Vegetable Dip

1/2 c. Sour cream or Greek yogurt
1/2 tsp.dill
1/4 tsp. seasoned salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Place the sour cream or yogurt in a bowl.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Taste and adjust seasonings according to your own tastes.  Serve with broccoli, cauliflower, pea pods, carrot sticks, celery sticks, jicama sticks, or other vegetables for dipping. 

Garden idea for the day...

We are enjoying (?) a cold spell here in Minnesota.  The freezing temperatures (or a freezer) will allow you to make an ice sculpture.

Take a bowl (or pail or other type of vessel that will withstand freezing temperatures) and fill it 3/4 full of filtered water.  Go outside to find greenery, sticks, acorns or pine cones and place in bowl in a pleasing arrangement, being sure to put the heaviest items or items you want to show the most on the bottom center of the bowl.  You can use chopsticks to help position the items.

Freeze and when ready to use, warm the outer edge slightly (you can run cool water along the outside of the container or warm the outside with your gloved hands) to allow the ice sculpture to slide out. 

Place on a tray to bring inside for a special dinner and surround with additional greens and pine cones, veggies or fruit for a stunning centerpiece.  You could make a number of sculptures and line them along your sidewalk or driveway as a welcome to all who enter.

Question of the day...

What excites you?  What do you enjoy doing and look forward to doing?  What is stopping you?

Affirmation of the day...

This day I trust my instincts, my feelings.  When something excites me, I move in that direction.  If I think of something and get a feeling of dread, I avoid going in that direction. 

Recipe for the day...

Ham Pickle Roll-up  (Snack)

Take a slice of ham (I use organic deli ham) and dry with a paper towel.  Spread cream cheese (I use whipped--about 1-2 Tbsp.) on the ham and top with a dill pickle. 

Roll up and enjoy as a balanced snack--protein, fat and carbohydrate. 

Garden Idea for the day...

I save the 2 eggshells from my morning breakfast and put them into a pitcher and cover with about 2 cups of water.  I let this sit for a few hours or overnight (any longer and the water will smell) and use it as a fertilizer to water my houseplants.

Question of the day....

What does this day bring to me?  Have I already decided to enjoy or dread the day?  Can I change this decision if this is not what I want for myself?  How can I do that--what steps should I take to alter this situation?

Affirmation of the day

I am in the present moment.  I notice whatever is around me with all of my senses--I feel the breeze, smell the air, listen to the wind, see the trees and nature around me and taste fresh snow upon my tongue.    Inside I cut a lemon for the water I am to drink-- I revel in the bright, mood-enhancing lemon color, I touch the smooth/bumpy skin of the lemon, I hear the knife slicing through the rind, I inhale the tang and freshness, I taste the astringent/sweet/bitter flavor it lends to the water,.  A simple task with so much to enjoy.

Affirmation of the day          August 2, 2013

I treat everyone I encounter today with kindness and compassion.

Whenever you come into contact with someone, especially someone you normal would not be friends with, think of that person as your brother or sister.