Chicken Salad Meal

One meal that I just love to make at the end of the weekend, and to set our family up for a good start to the week, is a warm chicken salad.  The salad’s delicious fresh flavours hit the spot for a fabulous dinner and it’s so easy to make – perfect for winding down the weekend.

I am very proud that tonight’s base salad ingredients for the meal are purely from our kitchen garden – a variety of lettuce leaves, Italian and curly parsley and torn basil leaves, all picked fresh from the garden less than an hour before eating them. 

Other ingredients I like to add to make this a really wholesome and hearty meal are tomato, capsicum, cucumber, egg, bacon and of course chicken.  Tonight I’ve also added pumpkin seeds (pepitas), quinoa (cooked for 10 minutes in boiling water with a teaspoon of powdered chicken stock) and a sprinkling of chia seeds.  I’ve topped the lot off with some shaved parmesan cheese – my 4 year old is a cheese fanatic. 

We also have some left over ingredients from a nacho/taco night we had recently which go well with this meal as dressings – guacamole, sour cream and mayonnaise.  Otherwise a dressing of olive oil and balsamic vinegar or balsamic glaze also works well. 

 

Delicious!

If you have a regular Sunday night meal that you’d like to share, please send me a post or email me at livewelllivesmart@gmail.com .  I’d love to try it!

Overcoming Sleeplessness

I appreciate that I can’t have my best day every day.  There are always going to be some times when things are tough and I feel stressed.  Times of change, issues to deal with at work or home, worrying about the kids, about family issues….. there are a myriad of things that can cause me to feel uneasy and may even keep me up at night.  This year, I reckon I’ve had the least amount of aggregated hours of sleep compared with any other year ….. and that’s even counting the years I had my newborn babies!  I’ve gone through a lot of change, a stressful restructure at work and some new beginnings have meant lots of new ideas buzzing around my head at 2am in the morning!

I really value my sleep, and know that the more sleep I get (I need 8-9 hours) the better I perform.  I heard a radio DJ say the other day that he can get by on 5-6 hours a night, but I really think that is just bravado and the reality is that everyone should be getting between 7-9 hours of sleep a night.  It’s a most frustrating thing to recognise that I need sleep, and really want to sleep but just not be able to.  Usually I don’t have trouble falling asleep, it’s when I wake in the middle of the night that I can’t go back to sleep.  I just can’t seem to still my mind. 

There are a number of things I’ve tried to give myself the best chance of a good night’s sleep:

-          Keep a list of important tasks to remember, so that I don’t keep them in my head.  Ideally these should be in my MS Outlook calendar as meetings or tasks, but a notebook on the bedside table also works well.

-          Don’t drink coffee after 12 noon.

-          Try to relax before bedtime by doing some mediation

-          Turn off my laptop/TV/tablet a good 30 -45 minutes before sleep and instead read a book or the newspaper.  The light and backlight can stimulate brain activity, preventing it from relaxing and preparing for sleep.

-          Eat dinner in the early evening

-          Get some exercise!

This last one I really need to work on.  I’ve found the perfect motivation, too.  I’m going to take part in the Steptember program (www.steptember.com.au) which promotes walking at least 10,000 steps a day, while at the same time raising money for Cerebral Palsy.  I really need the extra motivation, and hope that after 30 days of increased physical activity it will become a habit and part of my daily routine.

I’ve also found some other ideas from the website http://www.helpguide.org/life/sleep_tips.htm which have worked for me in getting back to sleep:

• Deep breathing. Close my eyes, and take deep, slow breaths, making each breath even deeper than the last.
• Progressive muscle relaxation. Starting with my toes, tense all the muscles as tightly as I can, then completely relax. Work my way up from my feet to the top of my head.
• Visualizing a peaceful, restful place. Close my eyes and imagine a place or activity that is calming and peaceful for me. Concentrate on how relaxed this place or activity makes me feel.

I also recognise that I need to let a lot of stuff go.  There’s no need to worry about things – it’s a waste of energy and clogs up my mind with negativity, leaving less room for positive, creative thoughts and solutions.  What gets me by on those days that don’t go so well, where I’ve got a lack of energy and no pep is that if every day was a brilliant day, then I couldn’t recognise a brilliant day!  There will always be an awesome day to follow a tough one.

If you have any tips on how to get a great night’s sleep please share them with me!  Write a post below or send me email to livewelllivesmart@gmail.com .

 

Image by Marin, FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Simple Living - how does the garden grow?

Living simply is a journey that I decided to embark on at the start of the year.  For me, it’s a conscience effort to slow down, live more in the moment and get back to the basics of life.  Growing my own vegies was one of the ways I wanted to get more in touch with nature and so I planted a vegie patch in April.  Time to see how the garden grows!

 

We’ve been enjoying many salads and sandwiches from our rather extensive lettuce crop!  The beauty of it is I just pick off as much as I want at the time, and then by the next time I make a salad… it’s grown again.  This mix is just lovely…. Grown from seed it is so inexpensive to grow and barely needs any care.  I’ve probably planted a bit close together, but the baby lettuce leaves are just so sweet and delicious.

 

 

Carrots that my daughter and I planted using newspaper pots haven’t fared so well.  Over winter they have barely grown at all.  Now that we’ve had some warmer weather though, they seem to be have a bit of a growth spurt.  I hope so! 

Unusually, a tomato plant that my daughter potted last year and we transplanted into the vegie patch has thrived.  It’s grown incredibly huge over winter – something I certainly didn’t expect.  It already has a baby green tomato growing, and plenty of promise for more to come with its budding yellow flowers. 

 

We had also planted broccoli seeds, but the seedlings ended up being overgrown by the tomato plant, and they didn’t survive.  I’d like to attempt broccoli again next winter. 

So, a few hits, a few misses.  Lots more to learn about what to grow when and happily I have replaced having to buy lettuce with growing my own.  I’m certainly proud of that!

If you have successfully grown vegies over winter, I love to hear about – please share your tips with me!  Write a post below or send me an email to livewelllivesmart@gmail.com .

Mindfulness - right here, right now

“I want two!  I want two!”  My 4 year old was whinging about not being able to have two slices of the delicious, fresh Tuscany loaf that we buy from the local farmers market every second week.   She had already struggled to finish off her fruit salad and yoghurt, and not being a big eater I was fairly certain one slice would do her.  A second slice would be wasted and we weren’t going to be able to buy another loaf for a fortnight.

“You haven’t even started the first one!”  I objected.  “Eat that first and then if you’re still hungry I’ll cut you another slice.”  “No, I want two, like her!” (big sister), came the retort.

I thought to myself what a perfect opportunity for a lesson in mindfulness … living in the present moment rather than thinking about the future.  So I told her this:  Enjoy this slice of fresh, soft Tuscany loaf.  Feel its texture, soft and crumbly.  Smell the wonderfully homely aroma of the durham wheat.  Look at the creamy colour of the slice, and the perfectly baked warm brown crust.   Smother the slice with a generous amount of butter and then savour the flavour of the bread in your mouth as the butter and bread melt together on your tongue.   Enjoy your slice of bread.

 

She was silent and I knew I’d struck a chord.  She did exactly as I had said, taking an enormous whiff of the bread, then smothering it in butter and eating it all, bite by bite without another word.  She’s not usually a fan of crusts, but this loaf was so delicious that every last crumb was licked off the plate.  She was in the moment!  She finished off her lunch and left the table without asking for another slice. 

Mindfulness is all about being in the moment rather than trying to make sense of the past or planning for the future.  It has been said to improve daily life in the following ways:

1.        Chronic pain.  By being relaxed in the moment rather than worrying about the future, sufferers of chronic pain have been shown to produce less coritsol and more oxytocin which increases ‘relaxation’ chemicals in the brain.  Patients have been able to cope better with the pain.

2.       Anxiety and worry.  Mindfulness teaches people to notice when they’re worrying and to return to the moment by recognising what they can see, hear and feel now. 

3.       Eating issues.  Eating mindfully and appreciating everything from the feel of the cutlery to how you cut the food, the muscles you use to rise the food to your mouth, the texture, smell and savouring the taste of the meal as you chew it slowly can all reduce overeating.

4.       Household chores.  Mindfulness can put you deep in the moment of the chore you are doing, whether that be the dishes, vacuuming, hanging the washing or gardening.  Being appreciative of the objects or appliances you’re using, taking the time to look at your house or garden in detail and to take it all in.

5.       Being stuck in a traffic jam.  Turn a negative into a positive and use the time focus on the feeling of your hands on the steering wheel, the sun on your arms, if you’re alone in the car – the time for yourself, and the music on the radio.

6.       Relationships.  Mindfulness teaches you to recognise negative scripts in your head and gives you a chance to counter them with a more positive frame of mind before they have a chance to play themselves out to your partner.  This helps to improve your relationships

7.       Parenting.  Being a busy working parent it can be easy to dismiss the relentless questions that children have.  Busy routines mean that the day’s structure becomes important and time cannot be wasted.  But using mindfulness can help parents to be really present with their children and tune in to their needs.

According to Wikipedia:  “Mindfulness is gaining a growing popularity as a practice in daily life, apart from Buddhist insight meditation and its application in clinical psychology. Mindfulness may be seen as a mode of being, and can be practiced outside a formal setting.  In 2000, The Inner Kids Program, a mindfulness-based program developed for children, was introduced into public and private school curricula in the greater Los Angeles area.  In the U.S. business world, interest in mindfulness is rising strongly. Many companies are providing training programs in mindfulness. These include Fortune 500 companies (such as Raytheon, Procter & Gamble, Monsanto, General Mills, and Comcast) and others (such as BASF Bioresearch, Bose, New Balance, Unilever, and Nortel Networks).”

Do you use mindfulness in your daily life?  Have you seen the benefits of practicing mindfulness?  I’d love you to share your insights and experiences, so post a comment or send an email to livewelllivesmart@gmail.com .

Just....APPRECIATE

We had the most amazing last week of the school holidays, getting away to a beautiful area in Western Australia’s South West region.  The best thing about going away in winter time is that it’s better value for money, and there aren’t so many crowds to contend with.  And winter is our family’s favourite time to visit the South West region, savouring the crisp, country air and gorgeous green landscape against the mint green and aqua hues of the glorious coast.

It was great to have down time, and to really just be in the moment.  We didn’t plan a hectic schedule – we barely planned anything at all.  We rose in the morning when it felt right, ate leisurely meals or missed them if we were engrossed in activities and didn’t worry too much about keeping up a regular routine.  We spent some time at the beach, clambering over rocks.  Some time at local attractions, climbing up and down steps of the local caves.  It was just an awesome time.  And we all felt so appreciative.

We appreciated the time we could spend together.  We appreciated the beauty of the environment and landscape, and amazing sunsets.  We appreciated the quality of the local produce we ate and drank, and the people that brought it to us.  We appreciated the place where we stayed and the owners’ ability to cater for all our needs. 

And on hearing of the most terrible act affecting Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 on the 18^th July 2014…. all those lives lost – many children, all of them innocent; the unimaginable pain of their grieving families and friends….. it just brought home the importance to appreciate what we have here and now. 

I really like the following quotes on the topic of being appreciative, and I hope you do too:

“I would rather be able to appreciate things I cannot have than to have things I am not able to appreciate.”
― Elbert Hubbard

“I wake up in the morning and I see that flower, with the dew on its petals, and at the way it's folding out, and it makes me happy, she said. It's important to focus on the things in the here and now, I think. In a month, the flower will be shrivelled and you will miss its beauty if you don't make the effort to do it now. Your life, eventually, is the same way.”
― Dan Buettner, Thrive: Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way

“Be happy with who you are and what you do, and you can do anything you want.”
― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

“Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough”
― Oprah Winfrey

Do you ensure that you appreciate the goodness in your life?  Have you felt the benefit of acknowledging that appreciation?  I’d love to hear your thoughts, so post a comment below or send me an email to livewelllivesmart@gmail.com .

Buyer's Remorse

The day after can be cruel – oh, so cruel!

This week I experienced buyer’s remorse and it was not a pleasant experience at all.  The only positive I can draw from it is that it’s something I definitely don’t want to experience again!  And I’ve promised myself (and my husband, too) that I won’t ever put myself in that situation in future.

I was at a dinner fund-raiser, which followed a half days’ golfing with some colleagues and customers.  It had been a sensational day – the weather could not have been better, and everyone was feeling thankful for the sunshine following the dismal weather we’d had in the lead up to the day.   After 18 holes of golf, we were looking forward to a hearty, hot meal and so the dinner was very much welcomed.

And then, between dinner and dessert, came the auction!

There were about 20 items up for auction, and to be honest I wasn’t really interested in any of them.  The items had been donated by various companies willing to contribute their wares or services to the charity, and most items were snapped up at a fraction of the listed value.  By the end of the auction, I was thinking that maybe…. maybe… I could have a go at this.  After all the items on the list were exhausted there came a couple of bonus items – one which I thought would make a sensational gift for a family member for Christmas.  And I could afford it, after all my disciplined saving.  So when the item was offered, I put up my hand.  Was I dreaming, or really doing this?  It’s so uncharacteristic of me.  Then another bidder put up their hand to offer a bid.  Why, oh why didn’t I just let it go there?!  I have no idea what I was thinking, I put up my hand for another bid and not only did I get this bid, but the auctioneer doubled the value, so that I actually ended up bidding for a much higher amount than I intended.  Goodness, what a novice….. no, what an idiot! 

I chastised myself on the drive home.  I chastised myself as I told my husband about it when I got home (and earned the scorn he delivered, rightly pointing out that I don’t let him spend that kind of money without discussing it first.  Yes, you’re 100% right, dear).  I chastised myself as I went to bed, and then again in the morning when I woke up.

And I woke up feeling an enormous dose of BUYER’S REMORSE.  Wikipedia’s definition:  “It is frequently associated with the purchase of an expensive item such as a car or house. It may stem from fear of making the wrong choice, guilt over extravagance, or a suspicion of having been overly influenced by the seller.”  I can’t blame anyone else for this except myself.  I am usually such a careful shopper that I very rarely experience this feeling.

So, what to do about it.  It’s not a question of not being able to afford it, because I can.  But should I have?  Heck, no!  I have a few options from here:

-          I can cop it on the chin and just move on. 

-          I can try to sell the item on Gumtree or Ebay to get back part of the money spent (I’m sure I won’t get the entire value back).

-          I can keep the item and try to work out how I can make up for the value of the item. 

I have decided that I’ll do the latter.  I have been holding on to some outgrown baby and kids clothes and clothes given to me by a friend that I’ve been meaning to sell on Ebay.  Tomorrow I’m going to get off my butt and do just that. 

I’ll be killing two birds with one stone really, as I’m sure the decluttering will help to free my mind of this task I have long been putting off, as well as free my mind from regret of the purchase.  And then I can only hope that the recipient appreciates the gift at the end of the year.

13 Ways To Make Money

Every week I look forward to reading the advice of Scott Pape, Australia’s “Barefoot Investor” who writes articles about finance in our Sunday papers.  He has a no nonsense and common-sense approach to building wealth.  It relies heavily on ways to better manage and save money, and invest in smart options for long term returns.  People can write in to Scott and he’ll answer their questions at the end of his article and on a number of occasions he has suggested to his readers that they should increase their income by taking a second job.  I’ve often wondered how people deal with that advice – I could not have imagined taking on a job in addition to the one I have.

Then just last week I picked up a book from Kylie Ofiu (www.kylileofiu.com) titled “365 Ways to Make Money”.   I thought at first it would be all lemonade stands, carwashes and dog-walking, but the ideas were actually  whole lot better …. I could even see myself getting started in a few of them.  It was quite exciting to read the possibilities so I’m recording the ones I am most interested in here:

1.   Rent a room to a boarder

This one is not for everyone, and really isn’t for me right now either, but a dear friend of mine has had several boarders share her house, enabling her to earn an extra $250 a week!  What a quick and easy way to earn decent coin.   She advertises for boarders on websites such as www.gumtree.com.au and interviews people, ensuring they sign a tenancy agreement.

2.    Host an exchange student

This would be a great way to introduce an overseas student to the Australian way of life.  Some programs will pay about $200 a week for the student’s room and meals.

3.   Rent your house out while you’re on holidays

I’m probably a little too suspicious of people to rent my house out to strangers, but would consider doing this for acquaintances or if someone I was close to needed a house for visiting family etc.  You could potentially make up to $500 per week – much cheaper than if the family were to stay in hotel accommodation.

4.   Be a product tester

Won’t probably make big bucks, but will save you some money on your grocery bill, providing some of the items you try are substitutes for what you might normally purchase.  Websites to try are www.freestuff.com.au and www.soup.com.au

5.    Record your shopping habits

This is one that is not featured in Kylie Ofiu's book but one that I currently do through AC Nielson (homescan.acnielsen.com.au.).  Each week I scan through the grocery, butcher and fruit & veg items I purchase with a hand-held scanning machine.  The information is sent back to AC Nielson who compiles it and sends it out to their clients.  I am rewarded for this on a points system and when I get to about 500 points, I can order a $50 voucher. You can keep accumulating points for better rewards, but I like to use the vouchers – it takes about 3 months for me to hit this target.

6.    Sell potted bulbs or herbs

I have recently planted some seeds, some of which have sprouted and I can see quite a few basil plants growing now.  I’ll need to split these out into individual pots and then, once they are mature enough, I’ll be able to sell them either on www.gumtree.com.au or www.ebay.com.au or www.ripenear.me .

7.    Type resumes

The friend I mentioned earlier who has a boarder is very astute, and always looking to improve her financial situation.  She’ll give anything a go – she has great drive and tenacity.  She has investigated Express Mobile Service’s franchises, and found that typing resumes was one she could do for little cost, and decent reward.  She’s a very good writer and has had experience in developing her own CV and resume with successful outcomes.  Once a template is in place it can be easily adapted to others’ situations and then tailored to meet the needs of the job for which the customer is applying.  Sounds like an excellent business idea, considering the current climate for jobs in Australia at the moment.

8.   Become an editor

I’m really interested to pursue this one, as I enjoy the process of editing for marketing material and tender submissions at work.  I’m pedantic about correct grammar, and find it so irritating to see spelling mistakes in published works (my own included!). Kylie suggests that a way to attract work is to contact websites where there are errors in copy and ask if they are interested in paying you to provide an editing service for future published pages.

9.   Design and print restaurant menus

The menus might also be used for a direct marketing campaign as part of a letter-box drop, so the order could be quite large.

10.                 Creating a local real estate website

This business has small start-up costs – just a domain name and some web design software – but may require some funds to advertise and get some traffic onto it.  By only showing houses for sale or rent within a specific area means you can provide more information about that area – what the amenities are, what the demographics are like, even some statistical information about property sales.  You could provide stories of families that have lived in the area for a long time, or are new to the area and are enjoying it.  You can make money through the property listings on your site, and possibly make commissions.

11.                 Become a household organiser or a “just moved out of home” coach

“Many people live in absolute chaos and could do with someone teaching them how to organise their home.…..Visit your client’s homes and help them to declutter…create a budget, and organise realistic schedules so that their domestic lives can run more efficiently.  You could charge around $20 per hour for your organising services.”

People who have just moved out of home could also benefit from a similar service, although tailored for their needs.  This might involve cooking, regular household chores, ensuring adequate insurance cover is in place and more.

12.                Prepare homes for sale

Many real estate agents are so keen to list a property that they don’t even allow time for the owners to make simple improvements before the first home-open or photo shoot.  I could offer a service where I advise clients what furniture to keep and where to place it, what needs to be gotten rid of, and complete some simple styling improvements.  It would be reasonable to charge from $800 for this service.

13.                 Offer your services as a frugal living consultant

This is definitely up my alley – I would love to build up the skills and knowledge to do this.  And I’m quite certain that over time I will have a stack of information and personal experience to draw upon to offer this service.  I could offer an in-home service and charge around $50 per hour.

There are plenty more ideas in the book, so try to get your hands on it or go to the website www.kylieofiu.com.au  to find out what might suit you.  If you have any good money making ideas I’d love to hear them!  You can drop me a post or send me an email: livewelllivesmart@gmail.com