How not to get clutter in the first place...

From Zen Habits... via Suzy Greaves....via John Williams' scanners' site Avoiding The Accumulation of Stuff. Zen Habit's ideas:
  • Rediscover a passion for life. Get outside and feel nature, appreciate the beauty of the world around you. Get active, do some gardening or yardwork, play a sport, go for a walk, take a hike, go for a swim, ride a bike. Feel the life coursing through you. Breathe it in.
  • Give experiences as gifts, not stuff. Instead of shopping for someone come birthdays or Christmas, think of an experience you can give them instead. A date with you, doing something fun, hanging out, cooking, playing, talking, exploring. A fun time at a park or beach. Something other than everyday. An experience is much more meaningful than an object.
  • Connect with others. In real life. If you haven’t hung out with a friend recently, give him a call and go hang out. Get your kid away from the TV or video game player and take her outside to do something. Go on a date with your partner. Visit your mom or grandparents. And be present while you’re with them — really listen, really be there.
  • Deal with your emotions. If you have a need to buy things, to shop when you are having emotional issues, be more aware of this. Then deal with the underlying emotions, rather than using shopping as a way to forget about them. If you’re depressed, or anxious, or lonely, deal with those. Find solutions, figure out what’s causing them. Good news: experiencing life, getting active, and connecting with others all help you deal with those emotional issues.
  • Disconnect your attachment to stuff. Sometimes I find myself reluctant to give something up, even if I don’t really use it. And that’s when I ask myself, “Why?” What is holding me back from getting rid of this possession? Sometimes, the item has an emotional connection, but then I realize that it’s just an object, it’s not the emotion or the actual source of the emotion. Then I’ll take a picture of the item, upload it to my computer, and get rid of the object. I feel liberated, because I’ve broken an attachment to a physical object (but saved the memory). If you are attached to an object, figure out why — it’s not healthy in the long run.
  • Realize that life, not stuff, is what matters. Objects are just objects — if you lose them, if they get stolen or destroyed … it’s not a big deal. They’re just objects — not your life. Your life is the series of moments that is steaming through your consciousness right now, and how you use those moments and what you fill them with is what truly matters, not what you fill your home with. At the end of this short journey, you’ll look back and remember your experiences, the people you loved and who loved you back, the things you did and didn’t do. Not the stuff you had.
Yep yep yep. I know all that.
Tagged Healthy Personal

Films that will change your life... hopefully

I've been compiling a list of films that are life-changing in some way. In style, they may not be cutting edge or even deserve to be thought of as a real 'film', however it's the content I'm interested in for the purposes of this list. How many have you seen? You may have seen many of them already. And I'm aware the list is not comprehensive ! Feel free to add any you feel should be on the list. In time these will have synopsises. Documentaries and links will also be included eventually FOOD ISSUES:
  • Fast Food Nation
  • Supersize me
  • Food Inc
  • The Future of Food
  • McLibel
  • Supersize Me
  • Supermarket Secrets
  • A Farm for the Future
BODY AND EATING:
  • The PH Miracle
to continued SPIRITUAL GROWTH:
  • What the Bleep do we know?
  • Celestine Prophesy
  • The Secret
  • Peaceful Warrior
  • Bruce Lipton: The Biology of Belief
  • Doing Time Doing Vipassana
  • tbc
ENVIRONMENT /THE PLANET/SOCIETY
  • Who Killed the Electric Car
  • The End of Suburbia
  • An Inconvenient Truth
  • The 11th Hour
  • Outfoxed
  • The Corporation
  • The Age of Stupid
  • Adam Curtis' films
  • Flow
  • A World Without Water
  • The End of the Line
  • Crude Awakening
  • Baraka
to be continued...

How the blood of the human and the blood of the plant are THE SAME!

and arguments for eating raw food... [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_ZCLbHDXWg&hl=en_US&fs=1&]

Are you interested in a lot of different things?

Then you are a scanner. I have a few scanner friends, and they are usually working in something quite dynamic like radio-producing or docco-making, because those professions need a curious mind, a wide general knowledge and a desire to keep moving on. See www.scannercentral.co.uk for a monthly event run by a coach who specialises in helping ideas people. Some people have a lot of ideas but there is only so much time to devote to them. Ideas are like seedlings, and they ain't much unless you nurture them, focus on them and give them the right kind of attention. If you have too many, you need to thin them out, or none of them will grow very well. But what if you have a problem deciding which to thin out? You need to choose. But you just can't, because you are so interested in all of them. This is the crux of my problem right now. (and for as long as I can remember! )

Green Food

Green Smoothies For Beginners

Basic Balance

1 mango 1 cup kale 1 cup water Yields 1 quart

Rocket Fuel Smoothie

2 cups green or red seedless grapes 3 golden kiwis, peeled 1 ripe orange, peeled, seeds removed 1 small leaf of aloe vera, with skin 5 leaves red leaf lettuce 2 cups water Yields 2 quarts

Party in Your Mouth Green Smoothie

1 small pineapple, cored 1 large mango, peeled ½ head romaine lettuce ½ inch fresh ginger root Yields 2 quarts

Morning Zing Smoothie

4:½ bunch dandelion greens 2 stalks celery ½ inch fresh gingerroot 2 peaches ½ pineapple Yields 2 quarts

Parsley Passion Smoothie

1 bunch fresh parsley 1 cucumber, peeled 1 Fuji apple 1 ripe banana 1–2 cups water Yields 2 quarts

Savory Green Smoothies and Soups

Mediterranean Soup

3 cups spinach 3 stalks celery 1 sprig oregano 1 sprig thyme 1 red bell pepper 1 large avocado 1 cucumber 1 jalapeño pepper 1 lime, juiced 2 cups water Enjoy with dulse leaves or flakes. Yields 3 quarts

Soup Gazpacho

3 leaves kale, stems removed 1 bunch basil 3 large tomatoes 2 stalks celery 1 red bell pepper 1 large avocado 1 lime, juiced 1 cup water 2 cups love Yields 2 quarts

Thai Soup

2 cucumbers 1 large avocado 1 lime, juiced 3 cloves garlic 6 leaves curly kale, stems removed ½ teaspoon dried turmeric powder ½ inch fresh gingerroot 2 cups water Yields 2 quarts

Cucumber Dill-icious Soup

2 cucumbers ½ bunch dill 1 large avocado 5 leaves dinosaur kale, stems removed 2 stalks celery 1 lime, juiced 3 cloves garlic Yields 2 quarts

Green Puddings

Kent Mango Bliss

2 Kent mangoes 1 bunch chard, stems removed 1 pear 1 banana Serve with kiwi. Yields 3 cups

Green Pudding

1 bunch fresh parsley 5 grape leaves ½ pineapple 1 Abbot pear 1 orange, peeled 1 cup water Yields 2 cups

Persimmon Pudding

3 fuyu persimmons, peeled, seeds removed 3 cups baby spinach 1 ripe banana Yields 2 cups

The Pear-fect Smoothie

2 d’Anjou pears 7 leaves purple kale, stems removed 1 leaf aloe vera 1 banana Yields 2 cups

Applesauce

4 apples 1 banana 1 head romaine lettuce ½ teaspoon cinnamon 2 cups water Yields 3 cups

Green Smoothies for Body Care

Aloe Facial Cleanser

½ cucumber ½ avocado 1 large leaf aloe vera, with skin Apply on skin as a sunscreen, or after sunburn, or to improve overall skin health. Keep on skin 10–30 minutes, then rinse off. Yields 1 cup

Super Green Smoothies

Victoria’s Favorite Dark Green

1 bunch dandelion greens 4 Roma tomatoes 3 cups water Yields 2 quarts

Heavy Metals Be Gone

1 bunch cilantro 2 cups stinging nettles 1 bunch fresh parsley 3 stalks celery 1 lemon, juiced 2 mangoes 2 cups apple juice Yields 2 quarts

Green Smoothie Monster

4 leaves kale, stems removed 4 leaves chard, stems removed ½ bunch fresh parsley 1 leaf aloe vera ½ bunch dandelion greens 3 pears 1 banana 3 cups water Yields 2 quarts

Dark Green Love

1 bunch dandelion greens 1 medium cucumber 3 cups water Yields 2 quarts

Green Smoothies for Adventurous Souls

O-mega Aphrodisiac

3 cups wild purslane 1 small watermelon 3 limes, juiced Yields 2 quarts

Revitalizing Energizer Smoothie

6 young grape leaves (they contain resveratrol, which triggers longevity genes) 3 leaves dinosaur kale, stems removed 2 mangoes 1 pint strawberries 2 cups orange juice Yields 1 quart

Summer Splendor Smoothie

4 leaves chard, stems removed 3 stalks celery 1 head fresh parsley 6 apricots 3 peaches ½ vanilla bean Yields 2 quarts

“Bitter Delight” Cocktail

1 large leaf aloe vera, with skin 4 leaves chard, stems removed 3 cups chickweed 1 banana 1 peach 1 pear Yields 1 quart

Green Smoothies for Children

Miner’s Lettuce Smoothie

3 cups wild crafted miner’s lettuce (wild edible) 2 ripe pears ½ pint blueberries 2 cups water Yields 2 quarts

Coco-Tango

Thai coconut, meat and water 5 leaves kale, stems removed 2 nectarines 2 peaches 1 mango Yields 2 quarts

The Laughing Gorilla

½ head romaine lettuce 2 ripe bananas, peeled and frozen 2 oranges, peeled, seeds removed 1 mango 2 cups water Yields 2 quarts

Emerald Applesauce

4:5 apples 1 bunch fresh parsley ½ inch fresh ginger root Yields 3 cups

Green Smoothies for Pets

Poochie’s Gourmet Green Smoothie

1 cup kale 1 banana 1 cup water 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon kelp (granules or powder) Add some torn nori sheets; dogs love it!

Fluffy’s Delight

1 cup wheatgrass clippings (or any other grass, not sprayed) 1 cup water 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 capsules fish oil (pour on the smoothie, in the bowl) Pinch of catnip (optional) Yields 7 servings: You may freeze it in an ice-cube tray and serve it by the cube. Recipes courtesy of the Boutenko family

Green smoothie...

You should drink this every day if poss.. But you need a juicer. After you've juiced each veg/fruit, scoop out the pulp and put it in a container in the freezer. You can add this to the pan next time you are making soup. Or muffins. broccoli, 3 heads celery, 3 sticks ginger, an inch lemon, a half or whole apples - 2 or 3 spinach, a handful barley grass powder get from health food shop spirulina, get from healthy food shop.

Raw colourful salad yum number1

Mash up an avocado with some feta cheese, lemon juice salt and pepper. make a vinaigrette. Chop up - small - the following : (obviously you can bung in any veg you have in the cupboard/fridge) a couple of sprigs of spring onion some french beans (don't steam, leave raw) a pepper - red or yellow grate a carrot maybe some home grown sprouted seeds Throw on a handful of mixed nuts, sunflower seeds - and a few raisins. Mix the vinaigrette in and put some dollops of the avocado cheese on top. and feel virtuous!

Coconut water - miracle food number 1

Our miracle food for the week is: Coconut Water ! The natural electrolyte! Coconut water happens to be one of the purest liquids known to man, and the health benefits of coconut water are numerous. Don't bother with those sachets of manmade electrolytes when you have a runny tummy; this is what you should be drinking as it's packed with organic electrolytes, sodium, potassium, magnesium. When you need rehydrating, or a sports drink - THIS is the one to pick, don't let any of that fake artificial Lucozade stuff go near you. Drinking coconut water helps in breaking down and eliminating all forms of kidney and bladder stones. It is also known to calm nervous and emotional imbalances. Coconut water aids in flushing the liver, since it contains lauric acid, which gives it anti-microbial properties and makes it suitable for treatment of some liver ailments like hepatitis. And it contains glucose, which acts as sugar for energy in the body when taken, vitamin B's, for  replenishment of worn out cells and tissues, and vitamin c, for the immune system
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etc. Of course, Polynesians, Asians, Brasilians, etc have known this for centuries. And now Madonna & Demi Moore and co are investing in the Vita Coco brand. If I had any money and knew how to invest, I would too! Although - I have to say - it's far nicer out of  a chilled and freshly macheted coconut on the beach than out of my fridge in freezing London. see more on electrolytes and why they could be the key to understanding your body under the tag "electrolyte" .

Amazing dairy-free milk

Hurray! I've finally discovered a non-dairy milk I actually like the taste of! Kara Coconut milk - it's drinking milk, not the coconut milk you'd use for Thai curries. And, it's better than soya and rice milk as it's even healthier. It only got released on the market recently - it's cholesterol and lactose free, and contains the richest source of Lauric Acid of any kind of milk. Lauric Acid is a medium chain fatty acid, which is healthier than saturated animal fats and also helps control cholesterol. http://karadairyfree.com/ Coconut milk is from the coconut flesh, not the same as the coconut water, which sits in the middle of the fruit, which is also full of electrolytes - a natural isotonic beverage. (see other posts) http://www.talkingretail.com/products/product-news/14219-kara-dairy-free-the-...

Sprouting - the joys of

I've given up using the 3 tiered sprouter from Planet Organic as it didn't work - seeds went mouldy, water went stagnant, seeds all clumped up, etc. Turns out you just need a large jar anyway. 1) wash the seeds. Lentil, mung bean, alfafa, chickpea, fenugreek, try 'em all. Bigger ones take longer to sprout. 2) Fill the jar with an inch or 2 of water and leave the seeds in there for 24 hours. 3) Rinse out the water and leave the jar on its side with the seeds spread out. Cover with a teatowel - they have to germinate in the dark.Don't screw the jar lid on too tightly so a bit of air can escape. 4) Every 24 hours or so, rinse the seeds. 5) after 3 days, check to see if you can harvest them.... It's absolutely worth getting into the habit of doing this because they're so yummy in salads - and they are the healthiest food you can eat, full of living enzymes. See these for inspiration: http://www.sproutpeople.com/cookery.html https://www.livingfood.co.uk/