EATING PLAN FOR IMBOLC

  When I was fifteen I became interested in eating healthy. That´s when I quit eating meats, fish, and eggs.
   Some years ago I reduced my consumption of dairy, and noticed an even further improvement in my health. I no longer had mucus in my sinuses (which never was a problem overall, but still there was a noticable difference). Today I call myself nearly vegan (because I do eat honey, and occasionally have some  milk chocolate). And I feel great!

  My eating plan for Imbolc is based on something I came up with in my teens, when first starting to eat healthily. I became even a bit too thin then (for my own standards), so I know this can´t go wrong now either.
  (Now I must point out, again, that my goal is not to lose weight now, but rather maintain my current state. If I do see a drop in the scale, that´s just another excuse to have an extra dessert!)

Home-made gluten-free muesli. A staple food in my diet. The recipe for a big batch: 4dl toasted rolled oats (toast in a dry skillet until fragrant), 4 dl puffed quinoa, 4dl coconut shreds, 2dl cacao nibs, 2dl sunflower seeds, 3dl chopped cashews, 4dl dried pineapple, 2tsp vanilla sugar. Mix everything and store in a glass jar. Eat as much as you like. For each new batch you make, I recommend changing the recipe a bit. For example use buckwheat instead of oat, or try dried figs instead of pineapple. You get the point.

Waking up:
 a glass of water + a splash of lemon juice

Breakfast:
1/2 liter green tea
a green smoothie (The base: 1 banana, a handful of greens, a handful of nuts/seeds, a pinch of salt, and water. To this I add on Mon: ginger, Tue: lemon zest, Wed: cocoa powder, chili, and vanilla, Thu: goji berries, Fri: any kind of frozen organic berries, Sat: cocoa powder, chili, and vanilla, Sun: any kind of frozen organic berries)

Lunch:
1/2 liter water
Mon: a big salad with beans
Tue: any kind of greens (spinach, broccoli, kale, green beans...) with vegan margarine and beans
Wed: vegan soup and home made bread/scones
Thu: gluten-free pasta with vegan bolognese sauce
Fri: stir fry with tofu
Sat: ANYTHING I WANT (and have craved for during the week)!
Sun: mashed potatoes and carrots with smoked tofu (ready from the store) and fresh veggies

Dinner:
1/2 liter green tea
home-made gluten-free muesli with soymilk

Supper:
1/2 liter herbal tea with soymilk
2 dl plain soy yogurt with a swirl of honey
(on Saturdays also some dairy-free dark chocolate)

  Now I don´t have to ponder about my eating. I simply go by the plan. Easy and healthy, just the way I like it!

SNOWFLAKES

  Oh my goodness! I just caught these on our front porch:

This is the reason white, grey, and light blue are the key colors in my Imbolc-palette. Beautiful!

  A proof that the old saying, "it´s the little tihings in life that matter", is correct. I try to have time to notice them, everyday.

BOLLYWOOD-INSPIRED SLEEPWEAR

  Sandman goes to Bollywood:

In my search of the perfect tunic, I came accross with this one. An Indian costume pattern, with both, the tunic and pants included. Just perfect for sleepwear! I love fancy fabrics, but can´t use them in daywear without looking too dressed up.

A kiss goodnight.

If I can´t sleep, I read a bit.

Sometimes a bit more, while waiting for Sandman.

Finally. Zzzz...

  I used a stretchy cotton-based jersey for this "pajama". Jersey is more comfortable to sleep in than non-stretchy materials. The tunic has slits on the hips, allowing movement to every direction freely. The pants are carrot-shaped (which makes my bum look huge without this long tunic, but don´t tell anyone =) and I would never wear them during the day. But in the evening and night they keep my ankles warm and are easier to roll around in bed with, than my usual wide-legged-pants. All in all a very comfortable, pretty, and cozy sleepwear.
  Goog night!

P.S. I couldn´t find the exact same pattern I used on the net, but here is a similar one.

IMBOLC-HOME

  The time has come to put up Imbolc decor around the house and garden. It used to make me so sad, and the house so empty, after taking down Christmas decoration. But no more baby!

  Some years ago I realized the importance of Sabbats, and started living from one festival to the next. Now my life is one big, continuous, celebration (that is the attitude I have adapted, and find most rewarding in life). I don´t need huge plans about upcoming, rather rare events, like a trip to Hawaii (which would be nice though!), to keep me going and motivated. I enjoy nature and beauty around me, everyday.

   Here´s how I beautify my Imbolc this year:

Kitchen table. Above the candle swirl six metal snowflakes by the heat from the fire.

Bringing outdoors in. These evergreens are sprayed with some fluffy white "snow" (I bought them ready made, very cheap on post-Christmas-sale).

Entrance hall.

Saintpaulias are a classic. I like to combine store-bought items with natural ingredients from nature. They bring forward each other´s qualities.

The opposite side of entrance hall.

All white flowers go at Imbolc. Here chrysanthemum.

Outside needs it´s touch up too. Nature itself is quite plain this time of year, so all I wanted to add to these spruce twigs was a snowflake.

And when it darkens in the evening, I light a canle outside. There is something heartwarming in a flickering candlelight. Imbolc is the last Sabbat when it is still dark enough for candle burning.

I hung a decorational snowflake inside the lantern to give it more detail.

 

  This feels like a head-start to Imbolc, because normally I would turn the wheel-of-the-year two weeks before the event itself. But I really needed to get rid of Yule decor.
  Days have gotten longer already, and my mind is all set for approaching Imbolc. I think I even heard a bird singing yesterday!

BY THE SEA IN WINTER

 Although I prefer summer and warm weather above all the rest, I had a ball hiking to our summer cabin the other weekend. It was the first time I went there in winter (we only bought the place two summers ago). The cabin is located on a very small island, to which there are no bridges or public ferries, and the only way to get there is by our own boat. This time we hiked on ice.
  The view was spectacular:

Our boat bay.

Right at the root of this hay laid a seagull´s nest with two eggs in it last summer.

The view to the sea from our cabin´s porch.

 
A sense of calm relaxation spreads through my body every time I see something as beautiful as these sceneries. And each time I do, I remember to respect and love the Earth even more. We truly are lucky to get to live on this beautiful planet!

BABY´S WINTER DRESS

  In the spirit of my own "Cottage Look" I made a matching dress for my baby girl.

I made this piece from a leftover slice of fabric from a year ago, when I made a maternity shirt for myself. That is one reason why I love making baby clothes - they use up so little material that recycling is easy!

The only detail in this dress is around the neckhole. The print in this fabric is so strong that it doesn´t need more to it.

The material is wonderfully warm, but surprisingly thin and stretchy, wool blend. Just perfect for these cold winter days.

  Babies don´t always need to wear pastels, although they suit them well, I admit. This grey dress allows my baby to look like herself, rather than a doll-wanna-be. It is traditional, yet modern, in it´s simplicity.



  The pattern for this dress I got from Ottobre Magazine.

YULE FASHION: COTTAGE LOOK

  This look comes from the back of my mind, where I have a vision of an old-times little peasant cottage in winter. I imagine people wearing wool knits with pretty wintery patterns, in earthy colors. In poor, but happy and appreciative lives. They have everything they need, but nothing in excess (something I, too, admire and aim for).

Mde of knit fabric, this tunic is both comfortable and  warm. I have tuned the pattern myself by combining a normal t-shirt and a mini skirt. So far it is the only tunic shape that flatters my body. Jewelry  is made of bronze.

 I don´t wear pantyhose no matter how cold it is, and therefore made these pants from fleece to keep me warm. Braiding is a traditional way to wear hair, and two braids like these give a youthful appearance.

Makeup is also in earthy, natural, almost nude tones. Brows are of course brushed and filled in with a little color to make look even, accentuating the natural arch. On the eyes I added matte off-white on the inner 2/3 of the lid, and then matte medium brown on the remaining 1/3 of the outer lid, carefully fading out. Cheeks got a slight dusting of basic red, hinting that I spend a lot of time outdoors, you know, feeding the animals and shoveling snow and chopping firewood (even though I don´t in real life =). On the lips I added a coat of clear, but shimmering and a little glittering, lipstick over lip balm.

  This look is very modest, and it looks like I just naturally look this good (ha, what a sham!).

WINTERY EVENING SKY

  It is amazing how beautiful a scenery mother nature can create! This is the naked truth about what it looked like in our back yard the other night (or a day, actually, because it was only 4pm). No filters or anything used in this picture.
  I stood with my mouth open, and eyes even more so, when I stepped out to go sleding with my kids. My body just goes limp every time I see a scenery this beautiful. I can but admire and enjoy. Life and nature.

HEALTHY SOUP LUNCH

 After over-eating during the holidays, it is time for me too to get my energy levels back up by eating more healthily.
  I have not had the courage to hop on the scale yet. And I don´t think I will for another week...
  Meanwhile I try to eat foods like this:

Broccoli soup and gluten-free bread. (The soup is slightly over cooked since I was upstairs playing with my kids, while the soup was simmering... and of course I forgot it´s existance! The taste was still good, but the color is thus more yellow than in an ideal world.).

 

I´m still breastfeeding, so I feel like I need to add some vegan margarine on my bread. Otherwise I would leave it out.

    The soup recipe is from Gwyneth Paltrow at Goop, where she shares her detox plan (for 2009). I think it´s totally cool that she shares diet tips that work for her! Ms. Paltrow, after all, is recognised as one of the most beautiful and stylish woman. Thus she has the pressure to look as good as she possibly can, her career depends on it, and must search and try things the rest of us beautiful women might not otherwise come accross with. What better way to beautify the world than that? So thank you for sharing!

  The bread recipe:

4dl gluten-free flour
2tsp  baking powder
1/2tsp salt
2Tbsp olive oil
2dl water

+ Combine the dry ingredients. Add the liquids and stir.
  On a baking sheet covered tray, form either one big or several small flat breads. Bake at 225 c for 15 minutes, or until edges get a little color.
  (This is the basic recipe to which you can add finely grated vegetables or fruit. In thebread pictured above I added two apples and little cinnamon.)