Healthful Thoughts

Eat close to the source. The healthiest food doesn't come in a wrapper.

"Quote by Terri Trespicio"

A Quote From Buddha's Instruction Book

In the end the things that matter most: How well did you love? How fully did you live? How deeply did you learn to let go?

Sunset In August

Discover peace by observing the world around you. Take time to drink it all in.

Quote by" Terri Trespicio"

One Sunflower Growing In The Meadow

The most memorable moments in life are often unplanned.

Quote by "Terri Trecpicio"

Nature

Don't rush. Savor the ripest, sweetest season.

Quote by "Terri Trespicio"

Fields Of Cow Corn

During the month of August, It's a pleasure sitting out in my yard. The cow corn that grows next to my property is a joy to look at. Some summers there are fields of it. Other times there may be corn on one side and peas on the other. The prettiest views out in my yard are the summers when the farmer plants rolling fields of corn, making my outdoor meditations so peaceful.

Summer Sweet Bushes

A few years ago I had a row of summer sweet bushes planted in my backyard. They come into bloom in August. The hummingbirds love these bushes as do the butterflies. They are just a joy to sit there and admire, because there's usually some adorable little critter visiting these bushes.

Fresh Tomato Salad

This is the perfect time to get the freshest tomatoes possible, so it's also the perfect time to load up on tasty summer tomato salads. They're very easy to make, very low in fat and packed with vitamins. Here's a nice recipe I put together for dinner a few nights ago.

Ingredients;
4 large assorted heirloom tomatoes, sliced thin
1/4 cup of halved and pitted kalamata olives
Parmesan cheese (optional)
Mozzarella cheese, grated (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbs of chopped fresh basil
Raspberry balsamic vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil


Arrange the assorted tomato slices onto individual serving plates. Place kalamata olives, (if using )Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, fresh basil and salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle the raspberry balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil over the top. Serve this fresh salad with your favorite main dish, or you can enjoy it as a main dish for a light lunch.

Swallow Tail Visiting My Butterfly Bush

I couldn't resist snapping a few shots of this beautiful swallow tail visiting my butterfly bush. It was a bit hard taking photos of her, because she was fluttering her wings like crazy.
I was able to get a bit closer to her in the photo above.

Above was one of the shots where she was fluttering her wings like mad, causing the photo to be a bit blurry. Wishing everyone a very pleasant weekend!

Autumn Sedums

When my autumn sedums come into bloom, I know the summer will be coming to a close. What a bittersweet ending. While admiring their dainty pink petals facing up towards the sun, I can feel a slight sadness inside myself, because this also means these sunshine filled days are slowly getting shorter.
What I do like about late summer is the bountiful harvests this season is kind enough to give us. It's so nice to walk into my now opened local apple store and see the newly harvested pares, the endless variety of apples, the delicious sweet apple cider and all of the fresh baked goods to choose from.

One apple store in my area lights their fireplace on the weekends during the months of October and November. People can purchase apple cider, coffee, teas, apples and fresh baked pies, pastries and donuts to enjoy on the sofa in front of the fire. We take our kids there for cider and a tasty treat of their choice on crisp, fall Sunday mornings.

Even though I'm bummed about summer's ending, I welcome the arrival of the autumn equinox. Autumn is a time of reflection.We may start to think back on all of those lazy summer, hanging out in nature with the sun's golden blanket wrapped around us and longing for it to return, while preparing for the cold, dark days of winter ahead.

Peach Salsa

There are so many different ways to make salsa. Summer is the best time to experiment with different salsa recipes, because of all the different fresh locally grown fruits and vegetables we have access to.
Last night I made a really nice peach salsa. It worked very well with the whole wheat lime tortilla chips (the whole wheat tortilla chip recipe is on my blog )I made to dip into it.
The recipe to this tasty colorful dish is listed below;

3 medium ripe, but still firm peaches, pitted and chopped
2 cups chopped cantilope
2 cups of medium tomotoes
2 1/2 tbs fresh lime juice
2 tbs olive oil
Salt to taste
1 medium chopped sweet onion
1 medium chopped and seeded jalapeno pepper
1 small chili pepper chopped and seeded
1/2 cup of chopped fresh cilantro

mix all of the ingredients together is a large bowl. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours before serving.
This salsa would taste great with tortilla chips, fish, chicken, vegetables, or in a pita pocket.

Warm Peach Dessert

This past weekend I tried making a warm peach dessert recipe I had gotten out of my body and soul magazine. Even though I ended up revising the recipe some, it turned out absolutely mouth watering. It's still a pretty healthy dish, while at the same time satisfying most people's sweet tooth. Here's the recipe below.
Ingredients;
1 Cinnamon stick
1 sprig of fresh thyme
2 tbs of brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup of water
4 medium to large fresh peaches ( picked up at your local farm market if possible), pitted and cut into quarters

Place 1 cinnamon stick, the sprig of thyme, brown sugar, vanilla extract and 1 cup of water into a medium skillet. Bring to a boil and let cook for 8 minutes. When the 8 minutes are up add the quartered peaches, cover and reduce heat to medium. Cook while stirring occasionally for about ten minutes or until the peaches are well coated and softened. Once the peaches are cooked, remove them from the heat. Scoop either vanilla frozen yogurt or soy vanilla ice cream in individual bowls and top with warm peaches. Garnish with fresh springs of thyme and a fresh cinnamon stick before serving.
Warmed fresh peaches are a perfect and healthy dessert for those hot late summer weekend evenings.

Freezing Tomatoes

Freezing tomatoes is one method that my mother used besides canning. It's much easier to freeze tomatoes than it is to can them. It's also much cheaper, because you don't need to buy jars and lids.

All you need to do is make sure you have a fresh harvest of your favorite variety of tomatoes. They should be very ripe. Core them, squeeze the seeds out and pop them into a freezer bag. You should be able to fit at least 5 tomatoes into one large freezer bag. You can add a handful of fresh basil to the bag before removing the air out of the bag, sealing and freezing it.

Frozen tomatoes should be used within one year.

When ready to use for sauce you can remove your desired amount from the freezer and either thaw the tomatoes in the sink, or the microwave oven. You will have to discard the excess water as they are thawing. I also squeeze the moisture out of them a little just before putting them into the pan.

Once they are all thawed and the excess water is removed, you can make your tomato sauce. Frozen tomatoes can also be used in soups and stews.

Golden Gazpacho

"Lemon boy tomatoes I harvested from my garden"

Right now I have a lot of lemon boy tomatoes ripening all at once in my vegetable garden. While flipping through my August issue of the body and soul magazine, I came across a golden gazpacho recipe . I've been very eager to try it out and I finally made it as a part of our last night. The chilled gazpacho turned out fabulous. For this recipe you can choose any variety of yellow heirloom tomatoes. I happened to use lemon boy because these are the type of yellow tomatoes I have growing right now. This is yet another quick, low fat and super easy recipe to put together.

Ingredients;

2 lbs of yellow heirloom tomatoes, cored and quartered

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 medium yellow squash, halved lengthwise and thickly sliced

1/2 cup of carrot juice (fresh or jarred)

3 large cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

1 yellow bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed and chopped into chunks

3 tbs of red wine vinegar

2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil

Course sea salt

1 avocado

1 small red heirloom tomato

In a blender of food processor, combine yellow tomatoes, onion, squash, bell pepper, garlic, carrot juice, vinegar, and oil. You will have to make this in batches. Pulse in blender until finely pureed. Season with salt and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.

At serving time scoop into individual bowls and garnish with chopped red tomato and sliced avocado.

Italian Bread Salad

Just recently while looking though my "Body and Soul" magazine (which I just love and am a dedicated subscriber to), I came across a few recipes which I intend to try and share here afterwards on my blog. Well I've just tried the Italian bread salad, and It's absolutely delicious. It's definitely worth a try for all you tomato and bread lovers out there.

For this recipe you can use many different colored heirloom tomatoes that may be found at farm markets, if you don't grow your own.

Ingredients;

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tbs of fresh squeezed lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 lb mixed heirloom tomatoes, cored and cut into thick wedges

1 cucumber, peeled in strips, halved lengthwise, and sliced

1 small fennel bulb, stalks removed, bulb halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved

4 half inch thick slices of (whole wheat country bread) or Italian bread

1 garlic clove, halved

1/2 cup of fresh basil leaves

Cubed fresh mozzarella cheese ( Vegans can omit the cheese, as I did)

In a large bowl, whisk together oil and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. Add tomatoes fennel, onions, cucumber and olives. Toss well. Refrigerate up to 4 hours.

Heat broiler with rack set 4 inches from heat. On baking sheet, toast both sides until light brown. Remove the bread and rub both sides of the bread with garlic cut side down, then discard the garlic. Cut bread into 2 inch pieces and place into 4 shallow bowls. Top with tomato salad, then scatter basil and cheese over the top.

This salad will go nicely along side of many different main dishes.

The Corn Moon

"The Corn Moon"

August's full moon is known as "the corn moon". It's also called: the barley moon, dispute moon and when the cherries turn black moon. August was originally called Sextilis by the Romans. It was later named August in honor of Augustus Caesar. Gathered Harvests were celebrated in many lands during this month.
The Romans had a festival during August called Consualia when sacrifices to Consus were made. Consus was the god of the underground storehouse where grains were kept. They also celebrated the Opseconsiva, a harvest festival for the goddess Ops. Wine and fresh bread were placed at her alter. Near the end of the month they had a thanksgiving feast called the Charisteria.
The very early Greeks had holy day for Hecate, the dark mother on August 13 and 10 days later for Nemesis, the goddess who balanced the scales of justice with rightful revenge and punishment.
The Egyptian Blessing of the boat was quite similar to the Roman festival of the Ludi Pistalari in June during the mead moon. Each boat was considered to have it's own personality and a need of protection and blessing.

Bruschetta With Tomato And Basil

With all the tomatoes I'm getting out of my garden right now, I find myself freezing and making all kinds of tomato recipes. It's so nice that I'm now able to keep fresh Italian bruschetta on hand daily. I have a very easy and delicious bruschetta recipe for those of you who have an overload of tomatoes in your garden right now, or just love the fresh taste of tomatoes in the summer.
Ingredients;
7 large ripe tomatoes
3 large cloves of garlic
1 tsp of balsamic vinegar
2 tbs of olive oil
10 large fresh basil leaves
1/2 tbs chopped fresh parsley
Salt & pepper to taste
1 loaf of French or Italian bread
Olive oil for the bread
Place a pot of water on the stove. Bring water to a boil, then add tomatoes. Let them boil for 1 minute. Remove the tomatoes from water and peel the skins with either a knife, or your fingers. Once the tomatoes are peeled, quarter them and discard pulp and seeds. Chop the tomatoes into small chunks and place into a bowl. Add garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, basil, parsley and salt & pepper to the tomatoes and toss well. Let the mixture set for 30 minutes or more before using.
When ready to use slice a loaf of either Italian, or French bread in half and brush the cut side with olive oil. Toast in an oven that's been pre heated to 450. Once the bread has toasted remove from the oven, then cut into slices and serve by spreading bruschetta over the top.

Drying And Freezing Fresh Basil

"Italian Sweet Basil Growing In My Garden"

With the end of summer soon approaching, it's time for me to start freezing, drying and canning the many herbs and vegetables that I have grown in my garden. Basil is one herb I make sure to always have on hand in my kitchen. In early spring, I plant about 30 to 40 basil plants. After they've started to grow, I pick and dry them all summer long. Another way to store basil is by freezing them while they're still fresh. Both freezing and drying take very little time.
To dry fresh basil, simply wash and pat dry with a paper towel. Once dryed lay the leaves flat on a baking sheet. The baking sheet can be left on the kitchen counter. Every once in a while it's good to move the basil around the baking sheet as it's dryed, to make sure it does not mold during the process. When the basil has dried store in mason jars or a plastic zip lock bag.

Baked Summer Squash

"Summer Squash in my vegetable garden"

Every summer I make a very easy side dish, using both green and yellow summer squash. It's not only easy to make, it's also super fast to whip up, extremely low in calories and fat, and you don't need much to put it together.

Ingredients:
2 medium yellow squash
2 medium zucchini
3 large cloves of minced garlic
4 Tbs of extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt & pepper to taste ( You can also use regular salt if you want)

Cut zucchini and yellow squash in half length wise. Continue to cut making long match sticks out of them. Place the already cut summer squash into a baking dish. Add the rest of the ingredients and toss well. Place uncovered in a oven that's been heated to 425 degrees. Turn occasionally while cooking. This dish should take 20 to 25 minutes to bake or until they are soft.
Once done, remove from the oven and serve along side of your favorite vegetarian or meat dish.

"Photo By Me"

A day spent judging another is a painful day. A day spent judging yourself is a painful day. You don't have to believe your judgments;

They're simply an old habit.

Roses

Choris Godward " A summer rose- 1902"

It is strange that the chemist, with all his scientific wisdom, has not yet been able to produce a sweeter smell than the perfume of a cabbage rose on a hot summer's day.

Princess Grace of Monaco (1929-1982)

From " My book of flowers"

Lilies and Roses

Painting By John Singer Sargent "Carnation, Lily, Lily Rose"

When roses are in full bloom, the most magical place to be is in a rose garden. There the senses are bombarded with the glorious colours, shapes and perfumes of the flowers. And we easily can enjoy all of these tributes indoors. It takes no more than a single rose in a vase, a bowl of fragrant potpourri, a deliciously scented perfume or soap, or a delectable sweet to take us back into that wonderfully perfumed garden at any time we wish.

Malcolm Hillier

Rounding The World

"Photo By Me"

...roses in bloom are like music, they need no interpreter, they reach out beyond all barriers of race and language.

Antonia Ridge

From " for the love of roses"

The Lovely Rose

Photo By "Me"

There are so many unexpected moments of rare beauty associated with roses. Even when the flowers are hidden in the fading light their perfume is held on the air: an all pervading reminder of the loveliness that will be there for us to enjoy through long, sunlit days. Though time may erode all things, yet the rose continues to build truth on legend until the position this flower holds in public esteem is assured for as long as there are gardens and gardeners to care for them.
Geoffrey Smith
From" A passion for plants"

My First Sunflower Bloom of the Season

"Photo By Me"

This is the first sunflower bloom of mine this season. I planted about fifteen mammoth sunflowers in my garden this year. Only 8 of them came up, because the family of chipmonks that live in the trail behind my garden love to dig my seeds up to store as tasty treats for themselves early in the summer. Oh well, I figure they need to eat too, so this is why I always plant extra sunflower seeds in my vegetable garden every spring.Photo of bee on sunflower By "Me"

In times of difficulty take refuge in compassion and truth.

Tiger Lilies

Tiger lily in bloom in my backyard

Tiger lilies are so pretty. They've just bloomed in my backyard. They're very interesting to study and paint, because of their unique markings. The bright orange color of a tiger lily is so eye catching.

Close up of a tiger lily

Polenta

A few weeks ago while remembering my dear mother and all her delicious Italian meals, her tasty Polenta came to mind. Unfortunately this is one dish I didn't watch her make. While on my quest to figure out how to make Polenta, I remembered that most of my aunts knew how to make this recipe. I decided to call one of them and I'm happy I did, because I now know how to make this Italian favorite. My aunt gave me the recipe, but never measured it out while she cooked it, so I had to do a bit of experimenting myself. Today I finally made Polenta and it turned out great. Here's the recipe for those who wish to try and make it.

Ingredients;
1/2 bag of cornmeal(I bought a 24 oz bag and used 1/2 of it)
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste

Fill a 9 inch pan with warm water and add oil and salt. Place over medium to medium low heat ( you may have to turn the heat lower as it's cooking). Slowly add the cornmeal to the water and stir frequently through out the whole cooking process, never bringing it to a boil. This dish will take about twenty to thirty minutes to cook. If it seems too thick add more water, or vice versa. Once The cornmeal is of a thick, pasty consistency, but still spreadable, remove from the stove and pour into individual plates. Spread it around the plate with the back of a spoon until it's the size of a large pancake, but a bit thicker. When it's evenly spread, let set for a few minutes to stiffen.
When your ready to serve the Polenta, you can top it with tomato sauce, escarole and beans, or any other of your favorite toppings.