Warm words, beauty & a recipe

I was chatting about joy dots on Monday, and how powerful these are over time for giving the positive neural networks in your brain a workout, which in turn creates those feel-good chemicals. An extension of this is to notice the beauty of things.

When we are stressed and the survival brain starts taking over, we become progressively more binary in our thinking and this leads to a loss of our ability to see the beauty in life. It becomes a viscous circle, the less we see things we like the less able we are to see them! That’s why it’s so important to do brain workouts, but sometimes the stress levels get so big we can’t do it for ourselves. So, on Wednesdays I’m sending you something I’ve written that lit up my positive neural networks, yours can start to light up in response.

If life’s experiences have caused a lot of stress in your life, this may take a couple of weeks to start happening.

The beauty I found this week was on a journey home by train after attending a weekend event with The Association of Sustainability Practitioners at the Schumacher College

Photo by Elesban Landero Berriozábal

Warm heart peaceful bones

The sun low in the sky, paints eyelids heavy and relaxed, my body nestles as countryside and sky pass by and the train engine chortles. Rich blue pink skies take me home, warm and cosy.

I look out of the window and there are trees to my right, with the last rays of sun dappling between branches. The earth momentarily rising up on each side now, into steep cool banks. And then, stillness, as the full moon rising up in lavender and pink blue sky accompanies my journey home. The carriage, full with the warm sounds of happy chatter, nourishing my senses.

A little further on now and a glistening body of water appears to my right. A still pool of shining lavender, pink and charcoal mirrors. And I find myself, reflecting; on possibilities, warm hearts, the beauty of “humanity”, wondering what had been looking out of my eyes this weekend, and what had been looking out of the eyes of all the people I met as mouths spoke, seeds were sewn and ideas heart-rooted, were surrendered; to be woven by life’s synchronicities. It all felt so good. These, are warm times. The whole weekend in my minds eye glowing now, like soft sunlight late on a summers afternoon, when the sun has sunk low in the sky and beauty, is all around.

I hope your heart feels as peaceful as mine did, let me know in the comments where you have noticed the beauty of things.

Eat happy

This is such a simple meal, and really satisfying. I’ve grown and tasted quite a lot of winter squash over the years, and this is one of my favourites. It has a good dense texture, and tastes like sweet chestnuts. It’s long lasting as well. I remember the first one I grew, it had been an exhausting and stressful year but watching my squashes grow and harvesting that first one, well it brought instant happiness into my mind and heart.

CROWN PRINCE SQUASH & TUNA

INGREDIENTS

1 tuna steak

A few pieces of the squash

2 tablespoons of butter

Olive oil

1 lime

1 tablespoon of capers

1/2 cup of freshly chopped herbs ( I used mint, coriander & parsley)

Rock salt

Freshly ground black pepper

METHOD

Cover the squash segments in olive oil, then pop them into the oven for about 15 minutes (my oven is very hot and I cook on high). While the squash is cooking chop up the fresh herbs and capers. A few minutes before the squash has finished cooking melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a pan, when hot and sizzling cook the tuna for one to two minutes on each side — depending on the thickness. Take the tuna out of the pan, then add the other tablespoon of butter to the pan with the capers, herbs and fresh lime juice, stirring for about a minute, then pour over the tuna and squash.

Simple but very fresh and tasty. If you know your Ayurvedic constitution this is a great dish for balancing vata and pitta types. Pitta types could add in a salad if bitter leaves while Vata types could add a bowl of roasted root vegetables. This dish is a little heavy and salty to balance Kapha types.

Look out for Fridays post where I will be weaving a few words about my stay in the Catalan Pyrenees at the eco-project I mentioned last Sunday, and I will be sharing a small plate recipe that all constitutions can enjoy.

If you let me know in the comments what your favourite ingredients are, I will use them to create some recipes!

Warmest wishes.

Lucy x