Plant-Based Living … In and out of the Kitchen

A November cookbook to get ready for the holidays …

Nov 01, 2024

November brings the holidays front and center for me here in the US. A few weeks until Thanksgiving, and a few more to Christmas and the New Year mean I go into overdrive with planning. I keep the holidays small - just my small family, maybe a few friends. We take things easy this time of year.

I’ve ordered a new planner I should be receiving in November from one of my favorite self-helpers, Danielle LaPorte. I became a fan way back when she released The Desire Map, forever changing the way I look at yearly planning. I’ve dabbled with lots of end-of-year planning tools over the years, but Desire Mapping is one I always seem to return to. When she sent an email about her newest Heart Centered Day Planners, I was hooked. I’ll be snuggling down with that and move into planning mode through the end of the year …

For me, that’s what this time of year is all about. The days are shorter. It’s dark by 5 o’clock. That means I can spend more time reading great books, playing games with my family, and dabbling in art projects I’ve put off for the past few months.

It’s also a time of reflection. What’s worked. What I want to do in 2025. And what I want to change to move in new directions.

I’m looking forward to planning this year. I knew last year, 2024 was going to be crazy. I guess I put it out to the universe. So this year, I’m changing things up a bit.

2025 is going to be Gorgeous …

This month’s November Motivation will cover …

Cookbook Time!

It’s countdown time to the holidays. Twenty-seven days til Thanksgiving here in the US, and fifty-three days until Christmas.

Of course, there are lots of opportunities for parties and friendly dinners in between. Which means you’ll have plenty of time to whip up some gorgeous meals for your family and friends.

So many still think: What’s Thanksgiving without a turkey? Or Christmas without ham or prime rib?

Nope, not happening in my house, now that I’m plant-based. I simply can’t won’t do meat anymore.

But it’s challenging when you’re first starting out. What do you eat if you change your eating patterns and no longer include meat on your holiday table?

Enter this month's cookbook (one I’m very excited to use this year!)

Plant-Based Cooking
By Gaz Oakley

It’s no secret I’ve become a bit obsessed with Gaz’s YouTube channel this year. (Look back at previous cookbook club posts for proof. 😉)He purchased a homestead a few years ago after rethinking life after a pandemic. As I jumped into my own gardening routine this year, I’ve found his “farm to table” videos more than helpful. And his plant-based recipes easy to create and yummy.

So when he talked about his holiday cookbook, I had to order it for my cookbook shelf. I’ve already started marking my favorites to use for Thanksgiving, and have dug into several of the recipes to use up veggies from my garden. Mmm…

No matter where you are in your plant-based journey, I think you’re going to love Gaz’s recipes. And if you’re pondering what to do for the holidays, this is the book you should order. Let me know what you make!

Nature Dosing

This was my third summer out at our community farm. The first two years, we worked a 10’x20’ plot - a half-plot of land we shared with another. This year, we increased it to a full plot - 20’x20’ of space to plant as we wished. If you want more …

Roots!

Garden Roundup - How Much You Can Really Grow In a Small Garden?

Three years ago, I put our name in to gain access to a small plot in a bustling community garden. It’s located on a farm given to the city by the original owners, to be used by the community as a place for educational opportunities. There is so much going on - they grow food for the food pantry, have 180 organic community plots they offer to residents, …

3 days ago · Lori Osterberg

The thing about gardens is that they are a year-round activity. From the moment we upgraded and visited it on a cloudy, cold March day, we started dreaming. But still, nothing feels better than digging in the dirt for the first time. Turning over the soil. Digging holes, and adding seeds or plants deep inside. Then, watering and waiting. Then magic started to happen.

Plants turned into zucchini, peppers, pumpkins, and tomatoes. And flowers, oh the flowers!

I remember the day I was feeling blue, more down than I’d been in a while. I headed out to the farm and within minutes, felt calm, almost peaceful deep down inside.

There’s a reason for that.

Studies conducted over the past four decades have found that spending time in nature:

Reduces depression
Reduces anxiety
Reduces stress
Reduces mental fatigue
Improves mood
Improves sleep
Improves cognitive function
Improves creativity
Boost immune function
Boosts energy
Boosts a sense of gratitude
Boosts longevity

Let’s put this in perspective. Let me give you something to think about.

Americans spend 92 percent of their time indoors. It’s impacting physical and mental health.

Yet spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature has proven results.

There are millions of medicinal compounds in nature. Out of the 374,000 known plant species, we’ve identified just a fraction of their healing potential.

According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, more than 90 percent of plant varieties have been lost. Most of our food comes from just twelve plant varieties, threatening our food security. Just three crops - wheat, corn, rice - account for 60 percent of our food.

This is loss of biodiversity.

And it’s something I believe really needs to be moved up in priority.

Of course, that’s for bigger goals. Let’s go back to talking about how it impacts us, here, right now.

Let’s go back to the proven results of spending 120 minutes a week in nature. That’s just a little over 17 minutes a day. That’s doable, right?

Enter: Nature dosing.

The People and Parks Foundation defines nature dosing as a regular, intentional, multi-sensorial connection with nature, including caring for nature.

We have gotten completely out of touch with our roots.

Once upon a time, we were at one with nature. We didn’t fight it, we worked with it. We understood our place in nature, and took care of everything around us.

As Dr Zach Bush puts it so well:

“Nature dosing is not just about healing the body; it’s about reawakening our relationship with the Earth.”

I walk out in nature almost daily. (I went a little crazy last year when an ice storm wouldn’t let me out of my front door for a week!) It’s one of the most healthful things I do each day.

It’s a commitment to visit nature independently every day.

It’s about nature walks. It’s about seeing what nature offers. Smelling the earth. Feeling the rain. Hearing the birds. Seeing the colors. Touching the ground.

It’s about respecting each plant for what it brings to our world. It’s about gardens and soil and the bounty they create.

Is nature dosing new to you? It’s time to schedule it.

Just 17 minutes a day could literally change your plant-based world.

I’ll get you started with a journaling exercise. Download my free guide, then use this for the journal prompts - I give you plenty of space to write. Or feel free to use your own journal if that works better for you.

Let’s get started. I’ll give you the prompts as well as a little guidance to get you started. Nature Dosing has become one of the most important parts of my daily rituals. I consider it integral with plant-based living. I hope you’ll learn from my tips.

Kitchen Joy!

Have you ever had a life coach change your world? I experienced this in 2020 when I needed her most.

The last five years have been crazy, haven’t they? I’m walking a path of burnout, stress from caregiving, overwhelm due to a changing business landscape … and let’s not even talk about politics.

Maybe that’s why I’ve started pulling out my notes from my life coach a little more frequently these days.

We met once a week via Zoom. One of the best assignments she gave our little group was creating a mandala.

Her concept of a mandala was getting in tune with nature. Nature dosing, if you will. Our assignment was to spend an hour in nature, collecting things that caught our eye. Then spend time creating a mandala that was meaningful, representative of who we were at that moment in time. We could create it deep in the forest, or design it on a beach. Or even place it outside beneath our own trees.

It was a way to honor our place in the world. The transition we were each going through at one of the craziest times in our lives.

Mandalas are geometric shapes that have a common design theme. They appear in many cultures, and often appear as the sun, moon, and earth. It represents the universe, and how everything is connected to life.

I snapped a photo and shared it with the class. I admired so many different approaches to one simple project.

This simple activity overwhelmed me with emotion. One simple activity - a walk in nature and choosing to be present in the moment - was an gorgeous way to observe natural patterns, express gratitude for everything currently in my life, and use it as a reminder of all connections … before and after me.

I think my time in the garden has brought that experience full circle. Mandalas are a way of bringing the goodness of outside back into the one place where connection and gratitude matters most … the kitchen.

Gentle reminders of this short time we have on Earth. And how we can share that with everyone we cook for, share a meal with, and nurture throughout our lives.

I’ve started bringing them into my home. And I’ve been noticing these:

Gorgeous coasters for the table

A handcrafted spoon

Metal wall hanging perfect for the kitchen

Kitchen towels in gorgeous colors

Dinnerware perfect for any table

Antique wine stem glasses

A beautiful way to connect with cooking - handmade tiles behind your stove

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