Winter Cooking: Nature’s Nourishing Messages

More than anything else, the events of this past year have given us perspective. Home has become our base—for just about every aspect of life. So instead of running to the grocery store for one or two missing ingredients, we get creative, and stretch out the time between our shopping trips. While our pantries may be a little more sparse, we learn to buy just what we need, and use everything we have on hand. In our nation of excess and plenty, let’s hope waste becomes a thing of the past.

When you think about food—the seed that was planted, nourished by the soil and encouraged to grow by the rain, sun, and wind; the plant that sprouted and the fruit or vegetable that grew from it; and the farmer who harvested that food from the field—we see so much more than something sitting in our refrigerator. Food is nourishment in the simplest sense of the word. But it feeds much more than our bodies. Food provides conversation, fuels stories and allows us to reconnect—three times per day—to the source of that goodness: Nature herself.

So when you take your weekly (or bi-weekly) trip to the grocery store, linger a little longer in the produce aisle. See which foods are calling out to you, and what messages they are sending you. Begin to rebuild your connection to Nature and allow it to nourish you.

Winter is a time of dormancy, rest and solitude—all for the purposes of exuberant rebirth in Spring. So, as you prepare your meals, be cognizant. Use fewer ingredients and those that spent the most time growing in Nature—these will have the most healing benefit for your body. Feed yourself warming foods, such as soups, stews, and those with warm spices, such as cinnamon, ginger and turmeric.

Buy only what you need. Use all that you have.

If you are unsure of what to cook, use our recipe section as a resource. Start by searching for “soup” and see what peaks your interest. Or simply get creative, mixing leftover rice with a few chopped carrots, tomatoes, chives and seasonings to make a delicious soup all your own.

 

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Looking for more Healing Tips to support you throughout the rest of the Winter? Read on!

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