Breaking through your restraints and confinements.

Breaking through your restraints and confinements.

                You know, I was standing in the kitchen earlier with my sister and we were just having a good ol’ time eating green grapes. Suddenly, I took a grape and I threw it at her. After the initial shock of the moment, she looked at me and said, “Why in the world did you do that?” My answer was simple yet straight to the point. I did it because I wanted to prove to myself that I could.

                We all, meaning us humans, sort of just walk around and begin to feel as though we follow an invisible set of rules. It’s an invisible, silent set of regulations that keep us from doing the outlandish sort of actions that may be seen as random or absurd. If you don’t agree with me then call me crazy but it’s almost as if many people wouldn’t have thrown that grape at their sister just because there was no real need to. However, what I’m trying to say is that you don’t NEED to be a point to do anything in this life! Who’s to tell us what to do or what to say? Why do we need amendments telling us we have a freedom of speech? Did the cave men have amendments to such rights? No, not at all.  I’m not an except at cavemen-isms and maybe that wasn’t a good example but you get the gist of it. I read about the few people that really have done something with their lives and it didn’t have to be for a cause or to reach a goal. They did it because they could. Whatever it is we want to do is completely possible but we follow those invisible rules telling us not to do it. Here’s another example.  A middle aged man is just coming home from his nine to five job and sits down to have some dinner. He has a flash back to when he was younger and had a dream to travel the world. He laughs to himself thinking, “Ahh those were the good times, when anything was possible.”…………..dude, go travel the world. Quit your job, pack your bags and get out of the freaking house. GO LIVE YOUR LIFE! Break the invisible rules! Break your constraints! Rules were made to be broken and challenged. Regrets are heavier than the largest anchor.

Alright that was my rant for the day, if you have anything to say comment below, you may regret it if you don’t :p

-Gloria

Reason I dont like the Victorian era.

Reasons I truly cannot stand the Victorian era:

It’s amazing how much we think we know about a certain event or time period versus how much we actually DO know. People would be quite surprised to find out what a troubled and violent time the Victorian era was. Behind all the fancy dresses, balls and social manners, the Victorian age actually can be considered one of the scariest times to be born in, at least, if you’re a woman. During a time when domestic violence and rape was socially acceptable and even encouraged, you might have been lucky just to make it to one of those fancy balls alive.

First of all, women had no rights. Not just the right to vote or have any say so in daily affairs, you were also striped of all rights concerning money, property, and even your own children. Once you got married, which was usually at a young age such as 18, all your belongings and property went straight to your husband. In the face of the law, you were no better than a common criminal or child. Divorces and law suits were absolutely out of the question.  You were raised to be completely obedient and giving. Your main purpose in life was to satisfy your husband and do everything he asked, even if that meant surrendering your own body.

No other place was scarier for a young woman during the Victorian age then the bedroom. On a girls wedding night, the husband had every right to abuse and rape their new wife. One report stated that an 18 year old had been locked in a closet during her honeymoon because she had refused to yield to her husband’s harsh and cruel demands. When doctors found out that a woman’s sexual pleasure didn’t affect her ability to conceive, they encouraged men to engage in intercourse frequently and brutally.  Not having any education on sexual matters, young girls were completely unprepared and frightened. They grew up to hate and fear their sexual relationship.

Besides the sexual abuse that women suffered, they also had to deal with physical abuse such as whippings and punches. It was not illegal for a man to beat his wife, as long as the stick was not wider than the man’s thumb. Beatings were very frequent and were regarded by society as a way for a man to control his wife, who was always viewed as insuperior and irresponsible. If the woman spoke out of turn, it was common for the man to beat her down or threaten to send away, never to see her children ever again. Such threats were the very reason woman stayed submissive and quite.

You can watch as many gold trimmed movies as you want about the so called royal and noble Victorian age, but I will always think back on the savage and unmoral way woman were treated. I thank the heavens I was not born during that time.

*yes, this was an extremely random post but I just watched “the duchess” and I felt a sudden urge to pour out all my feeling about the Victorian era LOL! Thanks for reading, comment below if you want to contradict me or agree with me, either one is ok with me.

-Gloria

Baked apple and banana oatmeal

Healthy apple banana oatmeal; a filling, nutritious breakfast.

 

                Guys, I’ve made a break through… this oatmeal is completely healthy, super yummy, and did I mention it was healthy? People now days fill up on empty carbs like donuts and white flour bagels for breakfast but I say NO! I’ve made it a priority of mine to eat in a way that is good for my body inside and out. I’m in the process of learning ways to sweeten my foods naturally and I’m telling you, I’m beginning to see why god put bananas on this great green earth. A slightly overripe banana will pass up sugar any day. As for syrup? Forgetttt about it. I’m sooooo done with that store bought, sugar filled, and chemical laden poison. (Real maple syrup is a different story; however I haven’t exactly found any in my area yet.)

 The apples add a nice, apple pie flavor when mixed correctly with classic spices like nutmeg and cinnamon. This has totally become my fav breakfast ever. Try hang get your hands on some organic whole oats and make sure your bananas are a little brownish; I promise you it’s not rotten or uneatable.  To bake your apples just stab them with a knife a couple of times and bake them in a shallow dish at 400 degrees for about half an hour. That’s for a pretty big apple though so just use common sense when adjusting the heat or whatever. For those of you that are wondering why I didn’t just add freshly chopped apple into my oatmeal then know this, I think baked apples are a whole lot sweeter and softer. I cannot stand crunchy apple in my oatmeal, instead I like it very soft and pie-like, know what I mean?

 

Appley banana oatmeal!! 2 cheers for a healthy start to a great day!!

 

1.       1/4 baked apple

2.       1 cup organic oats

3.       2 cups full fat milk or skim milk if you so desire, I personally think natural whole milk is healthier than any watered down version.

4.       ½ tsp. cinnamon

5.       1/8 tsp. nutmeg

6.       1/8 tsp. salt

7.       ¼ mashed banana

*optional: nuts, prunes, butter, hemp hearts, or flax.

 

Directions:

1.       Start to cook the oatmeal by combining the oats and the milk in a little pot over medium high heat.

2.       When it looks like it’s almost done add the apple.

3.       Add the salt and spices. At this point you can tell if it’s done or not, the whole process is about 7 mins for me, though some stoves are quicker or slower. It really all depends.

4.       Pour into a bowl and top with the mashed banana. At this point you can add whatever else you would like such as walnuts, sunflower seeds, chopped prunes, or a tad bit of organic honey.

 

Well that’s all I have for you today, I hope you enjoyed my recipe and if you have any feedback then don’t hold back! Hey that kinda rhymes…. Anyways have a splendid day and enjoy your awesome breakfastJ

Mushroom farm!!!!!!!!!

MY IDEAS AND VISION FOR CREATING A MUSHROOM FARM:

I’ve been stuck by a lightning bolt of revolutionary genius and random-ness….. I’m going to start a mushroom farm! Yeah! Actually it’s not completely random. I attended this amazing VABF (Virginia Agriculture Biological Farmers) convention and took this workshop where Tradd Cotter of Mushroom Mountain explained the entire process of mushroom cultivation and mycorrhizae (the symbiotic relationship between plants and fungi.) it was an extremely visionary and enlightening class, Tradd explained that mushrooms could not only serve as a food source (that happens to be richer in protein than meat *wink wink vegetarians* but can also help create more top soil and decompose waste. I never knew that mushrooms could be used to clean up oil spills!! The knowledge behind fungi is freaking mind blowing!!  Anyways I absorbed every last drop of info Tradd had to offer, I picked up every pamphlet and researched mushroom cultivation for days on end. I can now confidently say that I am mentally prepared to go on this journey where I am going to grow mushrooms and possibly, yes, become a mushroom myself…. Kidding ha-ha

WHAT IM PLANNING ON DOING:

First of all, I’m going to start off small, I’m going to invest in some white button mushroom and portabella mushroom spawn. The spawn is basically a mix of saw dust (also called the substrate) and mushroom mycelium (stage of mushrooms before they actually fruit.) I’m going to add some spawn to a mushroom bed that I’m going to develop in my backyard and nurture it until mushrooms pop out of the ground. As I probably should have mentioned before, mushrooms can eat essentially anything, wood, compost, coffee grounds, anything. I definitely have a lot of compost due to the fact I have a large family and we eat a large amount. After I perfect the art of growing a small amount of mushrooms I seriously hope to market them and I have already spoken to some neighbors as well as some of my teachers who expressed great interest in buying from me. After all, mushrooms are delicious and well as pretty expensive. I’ll be growing them 100% organic so that’s a huge plus in my opinion. I’m super excited to start this experiment and I’ll be sure to post on every part of it.

Go mushrooms!! :D

Organic Farming Convention

VABF convention

I went on an adventure!! Yeah, it’s called an organic gardening/horticultural convention. I really had an amazing time and learned loads of stuff that I would absolutely love to share with everyone! The convention was focused on self-sustainability and organic food. I went to this convention with my mother, who actually runs a CSA (community supported agriculture) in our backyard! She has a few clients who have come to rely on her for fresh produce every week. She also throws in freshly made bread along with the nutritious, 100% organic vegetables. I always tell her she’s too generous and honestly she is. She won’t let anyone visit our house without giving them a bag of food to take home with them. ANYWAYS, back on track. At this convention I met so many interesting people who all went to either take the classes offered there or to promote their business. Some grew mushrooms for a living, (see my post about my idea to start a mushroom farm) others were soil scientists spreading the word about pesticides and the harm it does to the dirt. I felt completely at home due to the fact we were basically all environmental hippies striving to live off the land and learn as much as we can about eating healthy and growing organic food.  I really learned the importance of growing your own food and avoiding pesticides which poison us inside and out.

One guy who was there was named Tradd Cotter who actually runs Mushroom Mountain, a mushroom growing and researching facility in South Carolina. His workshop was mind blowing and inspired me to go out and start my own mushroom farm. He was such a pro that it took my breath away. Another workshop I attended was about this amazing couple that own a CSA in New York, they have about 250 clients and own a huge farm as well as horses and cows. They supply their clients with everything, milk, vegetables, eggs, meat, and even fire wood! My mom particularly enjoyed this class due to the fact she has a CSA, I think she definitely felt inspired to expand her business and gain some more clients as well as her gardens. There was another class that was really interesting. This man made a speech on how he raised hundreds of chickens solely on compost that restaurants gladly supplied him. Do you know what that means? No more buying grain, which happens to be quite expensive nowadays.  I was so shocked that I quickly asked him if that meant he made a humungous profit, but he told me that he paid the workers that worked on his farm well. Understandable. Overall, I had the most amazing time and I learned more than I would ever learn just reading a book. I fully intend on using what I learned to my best interest by helping my mom in the garden, eating more locally grown food and attending more conventions in the future!

Vegetarian shepherds pie

 

Once upon a time, deep in the heart of Scotland, a lonely shepherd roamed the grassy hills with his beloved sheep. The sky was a fresh opalescent blue and the grass was green and lush. He spent all day outside so when he came home he was ravished. He was delighted to see his mother had made shepherds pie for dinner, his favorite meal of all. The potato topping was so delicious and buttery, the vegetables so tender, the meat was so… WAIT A MINUTE! Oh no no no that’s not going to work, whatever happened to vegetarian shepherds pie?…. I guess I’m going to just have to make one to complete this story, here we go!

FILLING:

1 small zucchini, chopped into little pieces.

1 small onion, diced.

½ cup green beans chopped into bite sized pieces (or peas if you have them, I didn’t)

2 cups fresh spinach

2 veggie burgers chopped into little tiny bits. (Any veggie burger will do, they all tend to crumble when chopped)

1 cup grated cheese, I used Colby jack.

2 tbsp. olive oil

Salt, oregano, sage, pepper, basil, rosemary to taste

Instructions:

Sautee the chopped onion, burger pieces and zucchini in the olive oil medium high heat till tender. Then add the green beans and spinach till the spinach is nice and steamed. Now season to taste. Put this mixture aside till you have the topping ready.

TOPPING: (I deviated from an original recipe and added mashed carrots for the sweet taste and high nutritional value, feel free to omit if you want, but I highly consider you try it at least once.)

2 small sweet potatoes or white potatoes if you don’t like sweet potatoes. (Chopped for quicker cooking)

2 medium carrots, chopped into chunks.

Pat of butter

2 tsp. sour cream

Pinch of salt

2 cloves garlic, crushed

INSTRUCTIONS:

Boil a pot of water and add the carrots and potatoes, cook till very soft and mashable. Next, mash it all with the butter, sour cream, salt and garlic.

Now for the fun part; layering the pie. Take a pie pan that is big enough to fit all the ingredients. First put a layer of the veggie/cheese mixture, or you can just layer cheese over a bottom layer of veggie mix. Finally spread the potato/carrot mash on top and cover everything, make it look all pretty and picture worthy. Pop it into the oven and bake for about 20 minutes at 340 degrees.

 

Sprinkle some chopped parsley or chives on top when you take it out and serve immediately, preferably with a cup of sweet iced tea.

Meanwhile… the little shepherd boy ate his veggie shepherd’s pie and was very content. He looked forward to having a piece for breakfast with a glass of fresh milk.

The End J

"Into The Wild"

         I just recently I watched a profound movie that literally changed my life and resulted in a dramatic emotional meltdown on my part. It was “into the wild.” I hear there’s also a book out so I might also try to check that out because sometimes books are better than the movie. Anyways, it’s about a true story of a guy, Chris, who had just graduated college when he decided he was tired of trying to live up to his parents expectations. Actually let me rephrase that, he was tired of trying to live up to society’s expectations. He noticed how everyone was becoming greedy and ignorant, caring only about themselves and obsessing over “objects.” He realized he didn’t need fancy cars or lots of money to be happy and he knew that he wasn’t living the life he wanted to live. So, what does he do? He burns his social security card and money, cuts his credit cards and ID’s, and goes on what turns out to be a long journey to Alaska, taking many trips to various places such as Mexico and Arizona. Along the way he meets an assortment of wonderful and sometimes crazy people. He also takes on different jobs and activities such as wheat harvesting and kayaking. He completely breaks the chains of modern society and lives on his own taking on challenges you only see on TV or read in books. The entire time he’s working his way toward Alaska with nothing but a backpack and a dream to live off the land. He finally makes it to Alaska and you get to watch amazing scenes of him living in the wild, finding food and staying alive. I wasn’t sure whether or not I would tell you the ending of the movie, but I decided I will. He ends up eating a poisonous plant and dies at age 24. HOWEVER; I’ve never watched a better movie in my entire life. It was filled with energy, rebellion, freedom, liberation, revelations, epiphanies, danger, and overall a message that will stay with me forever. The message that you can do WHATEVER you want in this life, all you have to do is seize the moment and live all out. When he died at the end, I literally broke down and cried for 20 minutes straight. I realize that the chances of you dying in the wild after eating a poisonous plant are pretty prominent but I just became so attached to the character that I felt devastated when it was over. I felt a surge of emotions overcome me and there I was, at 1 o’clock in the morning blubbering like a baby.  I realize now I learned so much from that movie and I immediately contacted a few of my closest friends urging them to watch it. It’s so good that you really have to watch it yourself to believe it. If you question authority, the government, modern society, then WATCH THIS MOVIE!! Seriously, go get it. It’s the best. Alright I’ll stop writing now so I can re-watch it. Hope you enjoyed this review and if you do end up viewing this film, by all means comment below or email me so we can talk about it!! :D

 

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photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/frankfarm/166871650/">frankfarm</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">cc</a>