Chicken and Vegetable Soup, Moon Baths, and Yoga in the country

It has been a busy time for me over at my homestead. The past couple of weeks I have slowly been preparing my home for winter. Last week I prepared a large batch of chicken and vegetable soup. I also did an in-depth clean of my apartment and put away the Halloween decorations. However my Christmas decorations are not up yet, but the fall decorations remain. I got out my stuffed turkey and he sits perched on top of my bookshelf. I organized and cleaned up a bit as I cleaned and at the end of the day I collapsed into bed for a nap and wind down for the evening. I worked on some drawings for projects, ate two big bowls of chicken and vegetable soup and watched The Haunting of Bly Manor on Netflix, which was just spooky enough to give me nightmares. In the morning I did my herbal studies, worked on my drawings some more and then made a trip to the craft store and book store. Sunday evening I celebrated the November new moon with a moon bath for my crystals and a refreshing yoga sequence.

The week before last I escaped to the country to help take care of my mother who just had knee surgery. I took my creative energy with me and in tote all of my supplies to be creative. I finished up some Christmas presents that I have been knitting away at. I got them all tied up and ready to be sent. I also worked on some more drawings and went out into the open field and did a revitalizing yoga flow. On Sunday we traveled to Loudonville for more Christmas shopping and for a nice lunch at the Black Fork Café. There food is mighty yummy! And their sweet tea reminded me of warm summers in the south.

Chicken and Vegetable Soup

I love a good hearty bowl of homemade vegetable soup, especially if the weather calls for it. And on this particular day it was. The wind was whistling my name, whispering sounds of the coming winter. My cast iron Dutch oven sat patiently waiting on the stove top for me to fill it with a nice batch of vegetable soup. When the soup is homemade you are in control of what vegetables and spices go into the soup, you have complete freedom to choose from the wide variety of vegetables and spices available. This year I chose to go with a hearty chicken and vegetable soup full of a variety of spices.

Ingredients:

1 whole rotisserie chicken

1 package of carrots – peeled and chopped

1 lb. of fresh green beans – trimmed and cut in half

1 large yellow onion

1 large shallot

1 package of fresh peas

4 small baking potatoes – 2 red and 2 yellow (or your choice)

Fresh ginger root – about 2 tbsp peeled and chopped

Garlic to taste – I use about 5 cloves… I use a mix of a specialty garlic and store bought garlic

1 bunch of parsley – about 2 tbsp washed and roughly chopped

1 small container of chicken bone broth

4 – 5 cups – veggi boullion

Directions:

1.     1.  Melt butter in a large pot, I use a Lodge cast iron Dutch oven, and sauté the onions, shallots and garlic until they produce a pleasant aroma and the onions become translucent.

2.     2.  Throw in the ginger and sauté a bit longer, until you can smell the ginger.

3.     3. Once those are done pour in 1 cup of veggi boullion and the container of bone broth. Stir to combine.

4.    4.  Toss in the potatoes and carrots, then the peas and the green beans, lastly add in the parsley. Stir to combine, pour in more liquid as needed (see note below for measurements) and turn the heat down. Let this mixture simmer in the hot liquid for about an hour.

5.    5.  In the mean time prepare the chicken. Pick apart the chicken and separate into shredded chunks. Eat some as you do this <grin> because the chicken I picked up from Whole Foods was too good not to snack on.

6.      6. After the vegetables have cooked for about an hour add in the chicken, stir to combine. Heat the chicken thoroughly, then enjoy.

If you are like me the soup will be too good to only enjoy one bowl. And you can enjoy those two bowls while you watch a terrifying show on Netflix to end your night, which is exactly what I did. <grin>

Veggi Boullion Recipe

1 Tbsp celery salt

4 Tbsp dried parsley

3 Tbsp garlic powder

3 Tbsp salt

2 tsp thyme

2 tsp dill

1 tsp sage

1 tsp mustard powder

1 tsp paprika

2 Tbsp onion powder

Blend all ingredients in blender.

Stir 1 tsp with 1 cup water.

(double for container size or as needed)

* I used about 4-5 cups in my soup

** Recipe from the kitchen of Abby Johnson. She is a wonderful friend of mine who tends to her own homestead with family values, wellness, and kindness. She is also an incredible hair dresser. When I lived in Florida she always made my hair look beautiful. Thank you Abby for this delightful and flavorful recipe!

Crystal Moon Bath is a cleansing bath for your crystals. Crystals have the ability to absorb energies, whether that be positive or negative energies. It is a good idea to cleanse them of these energies once in awhile. I chose to do my crystal moon bath at the new moon, since the new moon is the time to shed the old and pick up the new I thought this would be the perfect time to cleanse my stones and crystals of their negative energies. Below is the way I do my ritual, you may choose to do your ritual differently.

Crystal New Moon Bath Ritual…

I use filtered water and a small porcelain dish. First I gather all of my crystals, this can be a process since I leave many different ones around different parts of my home. I prepare my place for the bath by first laying out a towel and filling a cup of water. I then separate all of my crystals into color categories. Next I fill the dish with the filtered water and then light an incense stick. I allow the smoke to fill the space and then proceed with the cleansing ritual. I do most things in color order according to the rainbow, so I began the cleansing part of the ritual with red, then orange and yellow, green, and then blue and lastly purple and clear. As I cleansed each color category I repeated the phrase: cleanse these crystals of their negative energies and wash them anew. I laid them crystal grids on the carpet next to my mat to dry. I said a prayer over the ritual and let the incense burn out. I then used the leftover crystal charged water for my Rose of Jericho. Once this ritual was completed I moved into my yoga practice Sunday ritual.

Now I am busy preparing myself for the holiday next week, Thanksgiving. I did the grocery shopping for the ingredients for the delicious casseroles and tantalizing pie I will be making. I am also preparing for Christmas, by working on some handmade Christmas gifts and putting gifts together. I am also working on a restorative yoga practice and a winter seasonal living post. Winter is a time for all of us to slow down and move inward, physically and mentally. Our activities become more home based, spending cold winter evenings in the heat of our homes, watching TV, cooking nourishing foods, and spending time with loved ones. We gather inside to read our favorite books, drink herbal tea, and watch the snow falling outside. And this is the time when my yoga practice is more about restorative routines and slowing things down. It’s a great time to go inward spiritually and think on the things that are most important to us. The things that are good for our spirit, our soul, our person.

Find my yoga in the country video below:

Namaste, my friends.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving with your families.

Remember why we celebrate the holiday this season in a time when our worlds have been turned upside down. Remember those that we love, even if we can’t be with them this year. Remember to reach out to those people. What are you thankful for this year?

I am thankful for my cat, my home, my family, my friends, my creative ability, books, movies, knitting, the fact that I have a job, for my love of knowledge and yoga.