Wow, this year is flying by. It’s almost a quarter of the way through!
I’ve been so busy when it comes to work, farmer’s markets, cooking, writing, drawing, reading, & taking care of the couple canine companions while my partner is gone on vacation that I rarely think about the time going by. Sometimes it’s just good to relax & take in an hour or two to yourself.
That said, I do try to take about ten to fifteen minutes a day just to sit.
Yep, just sit.
Don’t think about anything, unplug, and SIT. Breathing is good too, and great if you focus on some breathing exercises, but just to relax & let everything go…that’s what it’s all about. Most people call it meditation, but you can call it whatever you want as long as you just relax.
Beyond that, makeup. Not for me necessarily, I have rosy enough cheeks under the beard.
I was approached by a girl who was selling makeup at one of the farmer’s markets(again, not really to me). She focused on the fact that I was slinging gluten-free vegan stuff.
I’m not gluten-free, but I have been working with the current company that is & I’ve taught myself some tricks when it comes to cooking & doing things gluten-free style. It adds an extra challenge, and I always like those.
Anyway, the girl’s name is Amanda & she is with a group called Fresh Face Girl, a gluten & paraben free lipstick company(it’s also vegan). This isn’t a giant plug for the company or anything, I just get excited when there are new options for my cruelty-free friends.
The fact that Amanda is new to this line of business shows–she was really nervous coming up to me & presenting her points. I loved this about her, because it takes an awesome type of person to try something new & go outside of the box; those are the people who eventually do great, and I told her so. I made sure to let her know that it’s so easy & a lot of people would love to see something like this on the market, so she didn’t have anything to worry about when it comes to her being new with this concept. I told her that she could relax & just be herself when talking to anyone, after all, what’s the worst that could happen? If she’s trying to help people with a gluten intolerance, why would they shun her?
She ended up relaxing & I hope she found some new confidence. I know she had a conference that she was promoting her product at this past weekend, and I hope she did well. I think she’ll be a natural & I hope all of the luck in the world for her. Check out the website & see what it’s all about, she gave me some samples that I probably won’t try out, but I’m sure I can find some people who would like to try them. I’d love to see Amanda thrive, because again, it takes a special type of person to jump out of their element & I have faith in her, even just meeting her for the short time I did.
For today’s recipe, I don’t have much, but this should help you out in everyday life if you have a canine companion.
Apple butter prep!!
See, I have been making apple butter lately(everyone has an apple butter recipe, right? If not, I’m sure I’ll post it sometime. Also, it is for sale by the jar!) and tonight I’m making a strawberry variety. I’ll actually post the recipe as soon as I know it is awesome. In the meantime, we are going to focus on those pesky byproducts of making apple butter:
APPLE PEELS.
Obviously, you want to throw the cores away(or do you?). You can always toss them in a compost bin or I’ve even had luck growing little trees. Unfortunately, they didn’t last too long in my environment the last time I grew them(maybe the hot Florida afternoon Sun), but I’ll try again soon. Just call me Johnny Appleseed.
All of those peels, just take them & throw them into a dehydrator. That’s it. So easy, so resourceful, so cheap, and your dogs LOVE THEM.
SEE???!!
I’ve been doing that with all of the peels & anytime I peel sweet potatoes for baked sweet potato chips(again, future post:)), I’ll do the same. The pups absolutely love them!
This is what they look like when they are done:
An easy month’s worth of treats right here.
So, the next time you think about throwing away those nutritious peels, save them, dehydrate them, & give them to good puppies.
Or ship them to me so I can do it. My pups aren’t really good all the time, but I spoil them like they are.
Have a good rest of the month & I’ll let you know how that strawberry apple butter works out!
Wow! As I was writing this, I was forwarded a feedback form from Amanda regarding our talk at the market & it sounded like she had a great weekend at her conference! So great, in fact, that she signed up to be at the Gluten-Free Living Conference in Orlando in April! I’m stoked that she did well & hope she continues on her path to awesomeness! Go Amanda!!
Vegan Mode 