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L.

Rhubarb & Red Berry Crumble  

Recipe by Mowielicious (I added a few vegan substitutes.) Makes 3-4 ramekins.

200g rhubarb

180g mixed red berries

3 tbsps unrefined sugar

1 tsp mixed spice

40g plain flour

50g buckwheat flour

60g jumbo oats

40g unrefined sugar

1 tsp vanilla paste

80g cold earth balance

Preheat the oven to 180˚C.

Wash, peel and slice the rhubarb into small chunks. Place in a bowl and mix with the red berries, add the sugar and mixed spice. Mix well and distribute equally into the ramekins.

In a separate bowl, mix the flours with the oats, and sugar. Add the vanilla paste and earth balance. Mix well with your hands until crumbly.

Spread the crumble over the fruit mixture in the ramekins. Place in the centre of the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the red fruit juices start to bubble under the crumble topping.

Serve piping hot topped with coconut “ice cream”.

L.

⊹⊱ Inspiration Friday ⊰⊹

This website about white tigers reveals how many zoos practice inbreeding in order to produce white tigers.  What!  This needs to stop now!

Thousands of people gathered in Budapest to protest the war in Iraq.  What an inspirational-looking assembly!

Melissa Febos writes about crying in public, & does so in an intelligent, hilarious way.

I’ve admired The White Stripes for years, so this moment from “Under Great White Northern Lights” just impresses something profound into my heart.

Happy Friday, everyone!

L.

To Thyself Be True

Valentine’s Day is over, but the chocolate still coats our teeth.  What happened yesterday that made you so happy? Well, if you’re in a good relationship, then it was probably your partner’s obligatory gesture.  Flowers.  Cards.  Candy.  Sex.  Whatever.  But did it last through the night? That’s the harder question to answer.

I believe that every person seeking love needs to start with themselves first.  Real love means loving yourself.  Taking the time & energy to boost your confidence, ripen your experience, & accept your reality is what attracts other people to you.  Have you ever noticed that the most interesting people don’t care what you think of them? They are deeply interested in their own lives, & as a result, so are you.

Living with intrinsic joy is like an invisible love magnet.  People cannot resist the allure of your positive identity – they see your inner peace & long to share in it.  And best of all, it quickly becomes contagious! So, this February 15, I urge all of you to strive towards a radical priority of self-acceptance.  By truly delighting in yourself, this life will become an adventure worth having.

L.

L.

Escaping The Frost

A NYMPHET’S GUIDE TO WINTER WARMTH:

❄ Drink plenty of pink hot chocolate

❄ Sit by a roaring fire & brood with Mr. Rochester

❄ Wear a cool hat

❄ Watch an 80′s classic, The Blue Lagoon

❄ Snuggle with someone special!

L.

EFT: Is it for real?

You may be  familiar with EFT (emotional freedom technique) — you may not.  But in light of certain recent events, I feel the need to address this particular therapeutic practice, of which I’m only just beginning to explore.  If you’re anything like me, then you probably turn your nose up at most self-improvement gimmicks.  So many systems, diets, regimes, & rituals promise the world to each participant, but the results are usually inconclusive or contrived.  When I first heard that tapping a series of meridians on your body could improve anything from headaches to stuttering…let’s just say I felt doubtful.  It just didn’t make any sense! How could something that simple actually work?

Well, I’m going to be honest.  EFT is not magic.  It doesn’t “cure” things.  And it may not work for everyone.  But, having said that, it does influence our thoughts, & the human brain is more powerful than anyone gives it credit for.  Stress, negativity, denial…these things can suppress our goals.  By simply altering our thought process, EFT can introduce a lot of success into everyday life.

For example: A few days ago I started doing some EFT exercises before I went to bed, hoping the positivity would give me good dreams.  I chose to focus on love — giving, receiving, finding, & accepting it.  The idea was to open myself up to the love all around me.  I went right to sleep & thought no more about it, but I never imagined that a little EFT would affect my entire next day!

After that night, I proceeded to have an amazing 24 hours; full of conversation, progress, & fun…more than I’ve had in a long time! As I reflected later on my successful day, it suddenly struck me that EFT could have been the reason behind it.  But it also could have just been a coincidence, so I decided to find another “theme” to focus on during my next EFT session.  Just in case this shit was real.  I chose  to address my monthly problem (what up, ladies) & reverse all the negative things that it brought along.  Sure enough, the next day I was feeling better & even able to take a full ballet class without getting dizzy.  This is huge for me.  I just couldn’t believe it.  People pay years of therapy for this kind of thing! The only explanation I could figure out, is that when I’m feeling sick, my mind is stressed & negative.  By being specifically positive & psyching myself into thinking things were good, suddenly they were.

I still don’t know if EFT “works” or not, but I do know that it’s helped me so far.  And I’m going to continue tapping my problems away if good results keep pouring in! So go ahead & try a session of EFT below…it’s important to do the whole thing (not just a few seconds).  You may feel silly at first, but trust me, things will feel so much better afterwards!

L.

Quote of the Day

“The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, & hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new & different sun. If you want to get more out of life, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security & adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning & its incredible beauty.” -Into the Wild

I plan on backpacking through Europe sometime — it’ll be a unique opportunity to experience the world in a brighter, purer way.  But until then, Chris McCandless inspires me daily.

L.

Scientia Est Potentia

Books I recommend:

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

The reasons for this are numerous, but let’s go with Nabokov’s unforgettable prose for now.

The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien

Beyond epic! I experienced every human emotion possible while reading this.

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe

Ken Kesey’s adventures make for some interesting reading.  Could literally feel my mind expanding.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (cover design, Heather Fulton)

Profound, provocative, haunting.  Esther’s narrative is like looking into my own brain.

The Doors of Perception by Aldous Huxley

If you’re at all curious about psychoactive substances, read this book! It’s very methodical & honest. (P.S. I do not do drugs.)

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

It’s a classic for a reason.  The upcoming movie just gives me another reason to re-read it.

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

This book is life-changing.  It will alter & inspire.

Mere Christianity  by C.S. Lewis

Nothing but truth – it doesn’t get any better than this!

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Basically, I am Charlie.  This book is my adolescence. I love everything about it.

 

And about ∞ more…But since I’m always looking for a new read, what book do you recommend?

L.

The Beautiful Lie

This is the most important video I’ve ever seen on Youtube.  Power! Go share it with someone today.

L.