Muir Aingeal ~ Sea Angel: Simplicity

I have been working on healthier eating and exercising. This has consisted of meats, fresh veggies & fruits--I had cut out grains, legumes and dairy. This past week I found myself ill with fluish symptoms and I have been eating more of what I have craved---toast & tea. Simple foods, comfort foods can nurture us when we need it...finding simplicity with in our food is that. So I have put aside my newer eating habits to allow myself to find comfort in tea & toast along with some fresh fruit while I'm not feeling well and it is okay.

Simplicity, stated in a wikipedia article says this "simplicity can denote freedom from hardship, effort or confusion. Specifically, it can refer to a simple living lifestyle."

I was thinking about this and realize that in many different aspects of my life, that this simple living lifestyle is what I have been seeking. With the beginning of 2011, I cut my work schedule back to 4 overnight shifts per week. I needed to find balance in my life and with my family, to nurture the simple parts of life that I crave & find a need for. Sometimes we have to be willing to take a chance, to make change so that we can find that simplicity.

The way I have been preparing my foods has also brought into my life a sense of balance of simple pure flavors. My favorite way to dress my salads now is with a drizzle of olive oil and to squeeze fresh lemon juice over my salad and then to sprinkle sea salt & fresh ground pepper, lightly tossing it. The flavors are simple & pure of the vegetables & fruits with out all the complicated flavors of a heavy salad dressing. Steaming or roasting vegetables is another favorite of mine. Meats/poultry/seafood, I have found that I simply like to take some olive oil mixed with dried herbs in preparing & seasoning them. Fresh lime juice with a little sea salt & fresh ground black pepper is wonderful on steak after letting it sit like that for 30 minutes before cooking/grilling it...simply delicious.