Breathing and being grateful go hand-in-hand: breathing is not only essential for our survival: when this action is performed mindfully, thinking about what we are doing, it will also allow us to take a step back, assess the situation, and give us calm.
With every breath I take, I am bringing more and more gratitude into my life.
There is a breathing technique that I have been doing lately and that has given me a lot of comfort, making me feel grateful for the present:. Take a deep breath in, to the count of three, hold it for the count of three, and then release at the count of three. Do it another couple of times. You can increase the count number, some people get up to ten! I hope this will be helpful!
Whether for reasons of work, friends, or family, we’re probably going to interact with a lot of people: stores are more crowded so even going to shop for groceries will inevitably be a busy chore; there are those friends who will want to see us before the end of the year to catch up and family dinners.
While this is great for the social butterflies, all this activity might be straining for others and there is potential for triggering social anxiety: if you think someone is suffering from this, please give them space; if they’re trying to set boundaries, respect them.
I always treat others the way I expect to be treated
In a time where financial struggles are perceived more strongly, we have to keep in mind that we have things to be grateful for: from your heath, to your family, your friends, your pets. Be grateful
I am eternally grateful for all of the blessings I have in my life
Last Saturday, I went out in the city with a friend and while we were going to the place we were supposed to go, we saw a person asking for money: he was leaning on a cane and trembling, and there was a dog near him all dressed in Christmas attire (a Santa’s hat and a red jacket). It broke my heart: I couldn’t thin about anything else for the whole day and was difficult to enjoy the day out thinking about all the people that are suffering and their pets. Their pain that is more visible now that everybody is just thinking about getting nice presents, and how they can give nice stuff to their loved ones.
Everything is so insignificant when you think about all those who can’t afford a roof on top of their heads, let alone getting nice stuff for their loved ones.
It is frustrating seeing these things, the inability to give them a safe place to stay – the rotten system that has them asking for money in the street and using (exploit?) their pets in the hope of getting more money.
So, while I am thankful that I don’t have to worry about how to pay my rent at least for a few months, I also think “What I can do to help?”. Find the nearest and most local charity and give something to them: if you can, donate money, otherwise you can give food, clothes, and other basic necessities.
It might not seem much to you, but it will help alleviate someone’s day.
Make a cup of tea, coffee, or hot chocolate, then sit down and start making a list of all that you need to do: from last gifts to food arrangements and people to see.
Make a list, meditate – this will help you get some clarity on the situation and get a better idea of what you can and cannot do. Don’t stress about what you can’t control, but learn what you can do.
Anxiety and stress are always ready to creep up, especially for the December Holiday season, so for today (and also for the next few weeks) let’s say
Anxiety has no place here
You have done your best and that’s enough – take a step back and breathe. It will help you regain control on your situation and assess what you can and what you can’t do. You got this!
Hi everybody! I hope you are well – as I said in the last post, things aren’t looking great for my library and this is contributing to the already stressful time of the year. As part of my morning routine, after I finish yoga I repeat some affirmations to get me through the day – I also chose one word that I can remember easily and that I repeat during the day (something like “balance”, “patience” or “serenity”). Because not everybody loves this period, as it can bring a lot of anxiety, social and family expectations and pressure. There is this idea that we all have to be jolly happy, ready to give and receive presents, participate in conversations with relatives that sometimes are not all that comfortable, and feel the absence of loved ones who are not with us anymore.
So, I thought I could share some affirmations, words, sentences that are helping me look at this time with more gratitude and try to find serenity and balance in the next few weeks or so.
Happy Sunday, dear cats! How has the past week treated you? Here it has been really cold: you know me, I love the cold, but the heating has stopped working in my library and it’s been really cold inside – luckily, we have quite a few portable electric heaters and we are allowed to wear hats, gloves, extra layers and have a bit more tea breaks to keep us warm. The price to repair the system is probably going to be too much for the current financial situation and this is causing stress and anxiety to my colleagues and me. It has been a long week and the whole affair just calls for some serious comfort food and what’s better than a Mac and Cheese? This 5 Ingredient Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese by TheBananaDiaries is a nice, easy, and quick recipe that will lift the spirit of anyone who eats it. Trust me! Also, I would suggest adding 1 tablespoon of mustard to the cheese sauce, I’ve tried it once and now I am adding it in most of the white sauces.
480 ml unsweetened dairy free milk (oat milk recommended), room temperature
8 ounces shredded vegan cheddar cheese
8 ounces shredded vegan mozzarella cheese
5 tbsp oat flour
66 grams salted vegan butter
Optional: 2 tbsp plain pea protein
Vegan Gluten Free “Breadcrumbs:”
45 grams rolled oats, ground into flour
66 grams salted vegan butter, melted
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400F. Grease a large casserole dish with olive or cooking oil and set aside. Measure out all ingredients before beginning.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add in the macaroni pasta, and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain the pasta and set aside. Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water. While the pasta is cooking, you’ll make the vegan cheese sauce.
In a medium pot, heat the vegan butter until melted, then add in the oat flour. Whisk for 2-3 minutes, until the mixture thickens. Then add in the dairy free milk, along with the reserved pasta water, and whisk until combined. Allow the mixture to begin to boil then reduce the heat to medium. Add in the vegan cheeses, and whisk together on medium-low heat until the vegan cheese has completely melted into the milk mixture. This should be about 4-5 minutes. (this is where I added the tablespoon of mustard).
Stir the pasta into the cheese sauce until evenly coated. Then spoon the mac and cheese into the casserole dish and set aside as you make the breadcrumbs.
Combine the oat flour with the rosemary, thyme, and nutmeg. Whisk in the melted vegan butter, then sprinkle the oats over the mac and cheese.
Place the casserole dish into the oven to bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are lightly browned. Turn the broiler on for the remaining 2 minutes of baking to evenly brown the breadcrumbs.
Remove the mac and cheese from the oven, and allow it to cool for 10 minutes before serving and enjoy!
Happy Sunday, beautiful cats! How are you today? I hope you’re having a lovely weekend! Yesterday we started feeling some very cold weather and was happy to take out my winter boots so that I could enjoy a fresh and crisp walk to work: the view was beautiful with the clear blue sky over the hills, the light colours over the hills. For lunch, I had homemade baked mac and cheese, but more importantly, I had some delicious cinnamon rolls for breakfast. You know that I like easy and quick recipes so you might be surprised that I am sharing this with you, but listen, this is a recipe for a 1-Hour Vegan Cinnamon Rolls recipe by VeganRicha. I made it while I was cooking dinner – how great is that! So here it is.
1/4 cup (59.15 ml) aquafaba chickpea brine, (or use room temp non-dairy yogurt or 1/4 cup coconut milk + 1.5 tbsp flax meal. Though the rolls do best with aquafaba)
1 tbsp sugar or other sweetener
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 packet active yeast or 2 1/2 tsp active yeast
2 tbsp oil or use melted vegan butter. I usually use oil
1 tsp nutritional yeast (optional)
2.5 cups (312.5 g) or more flour I use unbleached white or a combination of white and wheat flour
1/3 tsp (0.33 tsp) salt
Filling:
1 to 2 tbsp Oil or melted vegan butter
1/3 cup (53.33 g) or more coconut sugar or brown sugar
2 to 3 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) salt
Add some cardamom or nutmeg for variation
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F / 180ºc. Line a 8 by 8 inch brownie pan or 9 inch pie pan with parchment. Mix the first 5 ingredients under rolls until the sugar is mixed in. Let sit for a minute for the yeast to activate.
Add in the oil, nutritional yeast and mix in. Add 2 cups flour and salt and knead. Add more flour, few tbsps at a time to make a soft somewhat smooth dough. 4 to 6 mins.
Roll the dough out using additional flour into a 10 by 14 inch rectangle
Spray or brush oil or vegan butter on the rolled out dough. (use as much melted vegan butter as you like :)).Sprinkle sugar, cinnamon and salt evenly. Roll the dough tightly along the longer edge to make a cylinder.
Slice using a pizza cutter or floss or a serrated knife. Place the slices in a parchment lined brownie baking pan or pie pan. Spray or brush oil on top. Cover lightly with a towel and Let the pan sit near the warm oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until just about doubled. Remove the towel.
Bake at 350f / 180ºc for 21 to 23 minutes or until golden on some edges.(just about starting to get golden)
Let the rolls sit for a few minutes, while you make the icing or frosting of choice. Frost and serve.
Hello kittens! I hope you’re having a nice weekend and managed to get at least 5 minutes to do something for yourself – we’re getting into one of the busiest times of the year, we just left Halloween and preparing for Christmas (and for the U.S. cats, Thanksgiving too!). Yesterday, my town had the first Christmas event of the season and it was so crowded! Plenty of lovely handmade stuff, though, from candles, soaps, and gin (!!!). Also, I had another Taek-Won-DO pre-grading, now going for a blue belt red tag! In addition to this, with my partner, we went to his brother’s birthday dinner: always lovely to see his family but at the end of the day I was happy to go to bed. And I won’t have a free Saturday until next year. I’m already tired.
2 tsp chili-garlic sauce (sambal oelek or Sriracha)
4 cloves garlic, grated
⅓ cup warm water
For the Noodles & Vegetables
250 g dry wheat noodles (Chinese-style lo mein), soba or ramen
3 cups green cabbage, chopped
3 cups sliced mixed mushrooms
1 small white onion, thinly sliced
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
Optional: 250 g tempeh or tofu, cut into small cubes
1 tbsp tamari
Garnishes
green onions, thinly sliced
sesame seeds
toasted nori, thinly cut
Instructions
Make the Miso Sauce: Add all sauce ingredients to a medium bowl. Stir until smooth. Set aside.
Cook the Noodles: Prepare noodles according to package directions. Once tender, drain and set aside.
Cook Tofu or Tempeh (Optional): If using tempeh or tofu, heat 1 tbsp oil in a large pan, over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the tempeh or tofu cubes. Cook for 6-8 min, breaking apart into smaller pieces, until golden-brown. Remove the pan from the heat, then drizzle over 1 tbsp tamari. Toss to combine. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Stir Fry the Veggies: Heat 2 tsp oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, cabbage and onions. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 4-6 min, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add green onions, reserving some for serving. Cook for another 2-3 min, stirring often, until tender-crisp.
Add Noodles & Sauce: To the pan, add drained noodles and miso sauce. Cook for 1-2 min, tossing gently, to coat noodles in sauce.
For Serving: Divide noodles between bowls. Top with tempeh (if using), green onions, sesame seeds and toasted nori. Drizzle more chili-garlic sauce over top, if desired.
The Vegan Cat Librarian 