HEAVENLY SPINACH SOUP

#VEGGISVEKO DAY 4

Ingredients

• 450g fresh frozen chopped spinach

• 1 yellow onion

• 1 clove of garlic

• 2 tablespoons avocado oil butter

• 1/2 can organic coconut milk (full fat)

• 1 cup water

• 1 cube vegetable broth

• 2 ts nutmeg

• 2 ts black pepper

• A little olive oil

• Fresh chilli gives it a kick

• Bonus points for decorating with parsley

This is what you do

This soup is soooo easy to make and really yummy!!!

Peel and chop onion and garlic. Cook in iron skillet in avocado oil. Take a bigger pan and add coconut milk, water, broth and nutmeg. Boil on low to medium heat. Turn down the heat and add the spinach. Let is soak into the broth. Season with pepper and olive oil and cayenne pepper if you like. Decorate with parsley and serve.

Serves 3-4

To follow the challenge visit my instagram story @kjerstibuaas & give @protectourwintersnorway some love in their quest to help make this planet a cleaner more sustainable place to thrive. and make sure to tune in at the following links:

https://www.facebook.com/events/847922492045050/?event_time_id=847922528711713

OR

http://www.protectourwinters.no/2018/11/26/veggisveko-2018-1/?fbclid=IwAR2jzqf1xk8tseKB2WbfBTCHL9rCKmF4PSl1n7BxBEBNE-gRIbN8hSl8-Pc

We already know how to reduce emissions from the livestock industry, reducing the consumption of meat is one of the simplest and most effective ways to achieve this. What we lack is the will to implement and carry through the solutions. Therefore, POW Norway urge you to have a meet free week this February! We'll be posting inspirational recipes and facts regularly - to show you just how easy, and important, this is.

Sweet Potato Gnocci

#VEGGISVEKO DAY 3

Ingredients

• 500 g = 2,5 cups sweet potato

• 150 g = 1/2 cup ricotta (you can also skip the cheese or use goat cheese)

• 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

• About 2 cups of flour

• Salt to taste

• Butter or use olive oil (if cooking on low heat), coconut oil or avocado oil for high temperatures

• Cayenne to spice it up if you like spice :)

This is what you do

I added sage to an iron skillet and ate it like this :)

Boil the sweet potatoes until they are completely soft and cool. Then mashed together with ricotta, parmesan and salt. I skipped the cheese and it is completely fine. The add flour little by little, until you get a dough. I actually altered with sorghum and organic corn flower to try to make it glutenfree. I had to add two eggs to get it to stick so if you are not using wheat and eat eggs that is a good option for gluten free. You can even use green banana flour and tapioca flour if you like. Its all about getting a good consistency on the dough. It may be a little sticky in shape, but as long as you have flour on the workbench and hands, it should be fine. Divide the dough into six pieces and roll each piece into a long strip. Cut each strip into gnocchi-sized pieces and roll a fork over each piece to get the classic gnocchi look. Boil a saucepan with water and a little salt. Add the gnocchi and cook until they float up, then they are ready. Heat a frying pan and add butter or I use refined coconut oil. Add the gnocchi and fry until they have a golden color. Serve right away. I added sage to an iron skillet and ate it straight off the pan but you can use the gnocchi in a salads or with a pasta sauce like pesto. It can be enjoyed in many ways :)

TIPS: You may want to make the pasta in advance. Complete all the steps, even the cooking, and gnocchien store in the refrigerator and fry it just before serving. if you have leftover dough the gluten free version made great pancakes :)

Chana Masala

#VEGGISVEKO DAY 2

Chana Masala 1-2 servings

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons oil (coconut oil or olive oil)

• ½ yellow onions 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

• 1 whole chili without seeds, finely chopped (add more or less according to how spicy you want. It becomes medium spicy with a whole chili)

• 1 handful of finely chopped fresh coriander

• 1 topped ts cumin 1 topped

• tsp malt turmeric

• 1 topped tsp malted coriander

• 1x finely chopped ginger or 1 tablespoon of ground ginger

• ½ teaspoon of salt

• 1 box of canned tomatoes

• 1 box of canned chickpeas

• 1ts garam masala (optional, both in paste and spice mix), possibly ½ teaspoon cardamom, 1/8 teaspoon ground mashed potatoes, a little pepper, ¼ teaspoon of malt carnations.

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice.

RESULT: I made mine with a lot of veggies and ditched the chickpeas and it tasted so good!!!

This is what you do

Oils, onions, garlic, fresh coriander, chili are cooked in a pan of high heat together with cumin, salt, turmeric, ground coriander and ginger for a few minutes. Add more oil if it is too dry on the pan. Then add canned tomatoes and canned chickpeas with either garam masala or spice mix. It's not a crisis if you do not have all of these spices. Add some water if necessary, the masala should have a slightly thick, juicy consistency. Let simmer for 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally. Season with salt, sugar, chili etc. Remove the heat and stir in 1ss lemon juice. Can be eaten as it is, then it is enough for one person or server with rice or quinoa, for example, it's enough for two.

What is The easiest way to reduce our Greenhouse Gas Emissions?

If everyone in Norway eats one vegetarian meal a week, it has the same effect as removing 170 000 cars from the roads for a whole year (1). If everyone in the world turned vegetarian, it would reduce the Greenhouse Gas Emissions related to food production by 60 %. Moreover, if everyone turned vegan, it would further reduce the emissions by 10 % (2). Since food-related emissions account for about 15% of total global emissions (1), this will, in other words, have a very big effect. It may not be realistic to expect everyone to turn vegan or even vegetarian overnight, but if we all eat a little bit less meat, it will help! It might even ensure our children and grandchildren can experience the same wonderful and snowy winters we've been so lucky to live through.

We already know how to reduce emissions from the livestock industry, reducing the consumption of meat is one of the simplest and most effective ways to achieve this. What we lack is the will to implement and carry through the solutions. Therefore, POW Norway and I urge you to have a meet free week this February! I will be posting inspirational recipes and facts regularly - to show you just how easy, and important, this is.

Kilder/sources: 

1. http://www.framtiden.no/201409246561/aktuelt/mat/kjottfri-dag-=-200.000-farre-biler.html

2. http://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/news/201603_Plant_based_diets 

Take the challenge, JOIN THE VEGETARIAN WEEK!

Protect Our Winters Norway challenged me to have a meat free- week this February! Off course I said yes, and now we invite YOU to join POW´s vegetarian week with us. To make it easy and fun, we've made recipes for the whole week, and they're all cheap, timesaving, simple, delicious, healthy and most of all - good for the environment!

Take the challenge, JOIN THE VEGETARIAN WEEK ——->>>>> https://www.facebook.com/events/847922492045050/?event_time_id=847922528711713

The easiest way to reduce our Greenhouse Gas Emissions is to eat less meat. If everyone in Norway eats one vegetarian meal a week, it has the same effect as removing 170 000 cars from the roads for a whole year (1). If everyone in the world turned vegetarian, it would reduce the Greenhouse Gas Emissions related to food production by 60 %. Moreover, if everyone turned vegan, it would further reduce the emissions by 10 % (2). Since food-related emissions account for about 15% of total global emissions (1), this will, in other words, have a very big effect. It may not be realistic to expect everyone to turn vegan or even vegetarian overnight, but if we all eat a little bit less meat, it will help! It might even ensure our children and grandchildren can experience the same wonderful and snowy winters we've been so lucky to live through

Take the challenge, JOIN THE VEGETARIAN WEEK!

Kilder/sources: 

1. http://www.framtiden.no/201409246561/aktuelt/mat/kjottfri-dag-=-200.000-farre-biler.html

2. http://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/news/201603_Plant_based_diets 

RIDE THE BEST POWDER ON THE PLANET WITH LIKEMINDED WOMEN

PRSNT WOMENS ADVENTURE RETREAT

NISEKO, JAPAN

JANUARY 29TH - FEBRUARY 5TH 2019

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PRSNT FOUNDERS CHANELLE & KJERSTI

WOMENS ADVENTURE RETREATS

ALL WOMENS ADVENTURE RETREAT WHERE WE AIM TO DIP A LITTLE DEEPER THAN THE NORM. WE FOCUS ON CREATING A SAFE SPACE WHERE YOU CAN SHED B.S AND BE YOURSELF. WE TUNE INTO THE PRSNT MOMENT OFTEN, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THIS IS WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS. THROUGH THE WEEK WE WILL RIDE ENDLESS POWDER, ONSEN, EAT, LAUGH, CRY, LOVE, FEEL, SHAKE & PRACTICE TO SHED IDENTIFICATION WITH THE MIND. WANNA REINVENT, REFUEL OR SIMPLY JUST SHRED GOOD POWDER AND CONNECT WITH OTHER LIKEMINDED WOMEN? THEN THIS IS THE RETREAT FOR YOU

A central goal for PRSNT ADVENTURE RETREATS is to inspire as many people as possible to spend time in the elemental outdoors, developing a deeper connection to nature, to each other and to themselves.

Get out of your mind - The Reason Why Modern Society is stressed

We all know that feeling of rushing through our day, disconnected, unfocused, feeling behind on our to do list and stressed out of our minds. In fact, I believe that last saying “stressed out of our minds”is not used properly to describe this situation. When we are stressed we are actually very much into our minds, in fact so much that we believe we are our minds and our identity is the content of our minds. This identification and the absence from the present moment are two things that tend to cause lots of stress in the body.

The key to elimination of this stress, is to bring awareness and attention to the #PRSNT moment. In this moment it is nothing to fear, nothing to be stressed about, because stress and fear belongs to the ego and the ego simply can’t live here. The ego feeds on thoughts and identification, labeling, drama, future and past. In the present, time doesn’t even exist, because this is the only moment that is. It doesn’t need time. Time is future and past. The ego likes time and tries to tell you you are sooo busy and have no time.

So, next “time” you are running around, stressed and crazy, stop yourself & take a second to tune in with your breath. The breath lives in the moment so you can always trust that it will help calm you. It’s like an inner GPS for peacefulness.

EASY TIPS YOU CAN DO TO BRING YOURSELF INTO THE PRSNT MOMENT

• If you extend your exhales and make them about twice as long as your inhales you will notice the instant benefits that happens due to a neurological switch of your nervous system.

• Extended exhale triggers the relaxation part of the nervous system and is a great way to channel peacefulness.

• You can’t be present and stressed at the same time.

• You will not feel chaos when you are peaceful.

• Embrace this moment & reconnect with who you truly are. Then, as you keep going with your day and feel stress arise, return to the Prsnt moment with your breath as a guide

5 Ways To Use Fresh Herbs

I love and enjoy the process of planting from seed to full grown flower or harvest. Bringing my presence into this process is beautiful because it connects me to the natural world in such a special way. Reaping the benefits of what we plant is like an added gift. Life and gardening is quite similar. We plant seeds. Water & nurture. Love & give patience. Let go. And then, suddenly, we get to harvest the fruits of our labor of love. But, we need to give our attention and presence to each step along the way. And accept and love it just as it is. The fruits are equal to short moments of pleasure, that eventually will be gone (eaten) Then, the cycle starts over again.

Fresh herbs like rosemary, basil, sage, oregano and thyme have been abundant lately and I am integrating them into different recipes. We have planted our herbs in alignment with permaculture principles in zone 1 so they are easy to access. I love to snip off the herbs straight from the raised garden bed and mix and match into my meals. Below are some ideas for ways I like to integrate the herbs. I am not a vegan. Nor am I a carnivore. I actually work to not label myself as anything that my ego easily can take and turn into separation from others. I like to eat plant based and avocado is often present in my choice of plant fat. Coconut tortillas (found these on amazon) are so yummy and I use these to substitute for bread. When my body is asking for more carbs, I source for sourdough bread (the real kind http://www.pragerbrothers.com

Brussel Sprouts and farm potatoes with fresh rosemary & cold pressed extra virgin olive oil

Okra Bowl with sauerkraut, avocado, sweet potato and farmers market lettuce topped with garden herbs

Farm Egg and avocado sourdough toast with garden herbs

Heirloom tomato and avocado sourdough toast with garden basil, thyme and oregano, garden chili, roasted garlic and drizzled with olive oil

Farm Egg on coconut tortilla, radish and fresh oregano and thyme (my friend has chickens and quail and these are amazing. So different than the store)

THE ANSWER TO OUR "LIFE PURPOSE"

“I am at peace with that it does not really matter what I do or that my “doing” is secondary. It’s how I do it and if I am bringing my full presence to it that leaves me feeling fulfilled and is my primary purpose”

— Kjersti Buaas

BRING YOUR FULL PRECENCE TO WHATEVER YOU DO

P: @BPRSNT

Some of us love what we do and some don’t at all. Some things and tasks feels overwhelming, boring etc & some are simply things we care for & love doing. The truth is that if we are doing a job, task or activity that we really enjoy, we are naturally tapping into our Being. Then it feels like a dream, we are creative and feel purpose. If we are doing a job that we don’t like, we most likely don’t care to bring our full focus into it. Many of us are doing jobs that we don’t like or connect with or find any purpose in. We might feel stuck and “unhappy” and not fulfilled at all. For some of us our health is compromised by what we do. Yet, still, we might not want to change that job because it is stable and secure. Or maybe we are scared of change because we are identifying ourself, our value and self worth so much with what we do. It’s not uncommon for us humans to do so, in fact that how we typically condition our selfs.

P: @davelehl

If we don’t want to we don’t necessary have to change the job or task, but rather look at how we are doing what we are doing. Ask your self questions like: Am I present in my job? Does what I do get my full attention? Am I bringing laughter and playfulness into my “doing”? Am I taking my “self” very seriously or can I be lighthearted while doing this task? Am I just doing this task as a means to an end? Am I depending my self worth on this outside condition? How identified am I with what I do? When your “doing” is filled with presence, you allow for your Being to shine & you start to shed the layers of identification. The ego can’t tolerate the sun rays from your being - it will dissolve when you bring awareness to it. When you allow for your Being to ripple into what ever you are doing, your doing suddenly comes to life, becomes creative, vibrant and will therefor also be experienced as joyful. My favorite place to be is in the now. It’s when I feel fulfilled

URBAN PERMACULTURE

I loooove and enjoy the process of planting from seed to full grown flower or harvest. Bringing my presence into this process is beautiful because it connects me to the natural world in such a special way. Reaping the benefits of what we plant is like an added gift. Life and gardening is quite similar. We plant seeds. Water & nurture. Love & give patience. Let go. And then, suddenly, we get to harvest the fruits of our labor of love. But, we need to give our attention and presence to each step along the way. And accept and love it just as it is. The fruits are equal to short moments of pleasure, that eventually will be gone (eaten) Then, the cycle starts over again. We humans have everything in common with nature. We just tend to forget sometimes. During winter time we bundle up to protect ourselves from the cold and hide as we prepare for lighter times to come. When spring comes, we shed our layers, gain color and start blooming like we are born a new. We are connected to everything and there are no walls separating us. Our primary purpose is not what we do, but to Be fully PRSNT in what we choose to do.

Farming and gardening brings me into the now so easily. Its a meditative act where I connect with the plants and myself. I have been practicing permaculture since I earned my permaculture design certificate back in 2014. It´s such a beautiful approach to gardening, landscaping, farming and more. I use principles from permaculture in my day to day life. Getting to grow the food I eat is such a beautiful bond. What we eat becomes a part of our presence, energy, spirit, footprint and essentially our performance, I have become such a big fan of eating clean and supporting good practices. My dream and goal is to be able to live and eat mostly straight off the land. 

HEALTH & WELLNESS

"The way I think, move, behave, eat... will influence my life & the people around me profoundly"

PERMACULTURE GARDENING I ABUNDANT HARVEST

Permaculture design is a system of assembling conceptual, material, and strategic components in a pattern which functions to benefit life in all its forms. The philosophy behind permaculture is one of working with, rather than against, nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless action; of looking at systems in all their functions, rather than asking only one yield of them; and allowing systems to demonstrate their own evolutions. (SOURCE: https://permaculturenews.org/what-is-permaculture/)

Red onions from our recent harvest. We pulled, cut and picked our dinner fresh out of the soil and the trees

Lilikoi from our recent harvest. We picked these from the ground as the fall when ripe

Red onions from our recent harvest. We pulled, cut and picked our dinner fresh out of the soil and the trees

Lilikoi is also called passionfruit.. We picked these from the ground as the fall when ripe

Turn our passion into purpose - Protect our winters

P @chanellesladics / @bprsnt

We can’t ignore the fact that the health of our planet is in a state of urgency, meaning we need to act and do something different in order to reverse and rebuild what has been worn and torn down... natural playgrounds are being polluted and resources are being depleted, rapidly. I think that the outside is a reflection of what is happening on the inside. Can the state of our planet be a reflection of what is happening on our inside? I feel like as a collective we humans are not so healthy. We have so many individual problems. We waste. We care about what we look like, what others think about us, if we are good at something and so on. We let the ego sit in the driver seat, wrapped up in our thoughts and beliefs, comparing and constantly finding ways to separate us from each other and from our surroundings. We have more disease than ever. Meanwhile, earth is getting warmer, oceans are getting contaminated and animals are trapped in our mindless line of trash... This blog post is not meant to be negative, yet I think it’s an important topic to speak about. I´m not saying that I’m doings something better than you, that is the ego again. I’m just saying that we have the opportunity to help turn things around for the better of our planet...

I’m a part of the @protectourwinters athlete alliance and I see what an amazing job #pow is doing to help protect our winters and beyond. With this message I hope to reach outdoor people who care for our planet, to get involved in the electoral process. I also hope to reach YOU, as everyone can be an environmentalist. @protectourwinters have just launched the @pow_action_fund where real action on policy can happen!!! Since there is power in numbers we hope you will join us on this new and important venture. Head over to POWActionFund.org to learn more about our mission, initiatives and ways to get involved. Together, let’s turn our passion into purpose and realize the true potential and power this community holds. And show the climate deniers in office the door.

P @chanellesladics / @bprsnt

During @bprsnt women’s adventure retreat in Lofoten Norway we got together a global community and brought a #pow flag out with us hiking the mountains. As a community of mountain loving, outdoorsy women, we hope to help create awareness around #pow

I love being outdoors & aim to help protect our natural playgrounds as much as I can, so future generations can enjoy it too 🌎 I experience that temperatures are getting warmer and snow seasons are getting shorter and I know that the environment is in a state of emergency. But in order to help the glove getting warmer we need everyone. We need a global cooperation

In April 2018 we hosted a @bprsnt women’s adventure retreat in Lofoten Norway. The week we were in Lofoten we saw rapid snow melt and we had to hike with our boards on our backs for a while before we even found snow. We still had such a good time,

connecting with each other and the outdoor. Speaking of, spending time outdoors is amazing, but with the current state of the globe & in order to keep our natural playgrounds accessible, we need to merge our passion for the outdoors with action that actually help protect it. Whether we have a large, medium or small stage, we are all role models for someone in our life’s and we have a footprint that matter... because in order to change everything we need everyone

If you want to be a part of @protectourwinters or any of their national extensions you can follow their account or go to powactionfund.org and www.protectourwinters.org to find out how, when there is a climate march near you and how you can get involved in general.