Succulents and other water wise plants are so in right now. Even though its on trend, there is definitely benefits of keeping these in your home.
Benefits may vary from plant to plant but the general consensus are as follows:
They Add Fresh Oxygen to Your Environment
They Have a Low Water Requirement
They Brighten a Home in Any Climate
They Help you Breathe
They Help Prevent Diseases
Lots of species have Medicinal Properties, for example, Aloe vera and Yucca.
I have also found that having succulents or any plants in my home, improves my general mental health. It really freshens up the space and brings me joy to look at. The best part are that some succulents flower, and when they bloom unexpectedly it always pops a smile on my dile.
The above few benefits simply highlight the importance of bringing nature indoors. There is something about making that connection that sparks well being in our hearts and peace to our surroundings.
Here are a few snaps of how i have introduced succulents into my home:
For those who have trouble keeping plants alive, succulents are low maintenance and no fuss. They simply require a few drops of water once in a while or even an ice cube for slow absorption. Should you still be unsure, there are a lot of faux versions out there that give the same effect, even through the benefits are not the same as having the real deal, they give the same vibe in your space.
Here are a few snaps of the faux succulents i have around my home, to spruce up some darker areas:
Whether real or fake, introducing a pop of green into your home is always a great idea and inspires me day to day.
Ah food! Our best friend, our comfort zone. Events are planned around you, our health depends on you and our celebrations are more fabulous with you. Coming home to a home cooked meal and getting that woft of fried onions is just the best.
Not only do i love food and making it, i also love capturing it. Sure i might annoy my friends by finding the perfect filter before i take that snap, but hey, it brings me joy. Besides, who’s picture do you end up sharing on your socials? Someone needs to capture the food perfection that blesses your plate.
My husband and i love to discover little niche places with the most flavourful authentic dishes. Its great to have a place for every food genre. In the mood for Indian, Greek or Sushi? We have the place!
Once i have discovered my favourite dishes, nothing brings me more joy than recreating them at home. The whole process brings me so much happiness and confidence in the craft, from deconstructing a recipe and researching online to finding the ingredients and consuming the finished product, nailing it is such a great feeling. Here are 3 of my fave dishes to make at home:
Butter Chicken
What you need: Chicken breast (cut in cubes) 250-500g, Tandoori paste (2 table spoons), Cream 250ml, 1x Yellow onion, Tomato paste (2 table spoons), Plain yogurt 150ml -200ml and 2x Garlic cloves.
Mix chicken with yogurt and Tandoori paste (for best results marinate chicken the night before). Chop and fry onion and garlic with your fat/oil of choice. Once onion is translucent, add your chicken mix. When the chicken is cooked, add tomato paste to the pan/pot. Once all ingredients are incorporated, add the cream. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with side dish of your choice like jasmine rice and naan. Garnish with coriander, ginger or chili for that extra touch.
Red Thai Curry
What you need: Meat 250-500g (I like using chicken, however, pork and beef will also work well), Red curry paste (add quantity to taste), 1x Garlic clove, Ginger (1 table spoon), Coconut milk 250ml, 1x Red pepper, Green beans (fist full), 2x Carrots and 1x Lemongrass stalk.
Chop and fry onion,ginger and garlic with your fat/oil of choice. Once onion is translucent, add your meat and curry paste together. When the chicken has browned slightly, add the coconut milk and the lemongrass stalk. Once all the ingredients have incorporated and it has started to boil, add your red pepper, carrot and green beans to the pot. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with side dish of your choice like jasmine rice and poppadoms.
Sour Cream Roast Potato
What you need: Baby potatoes (1kg bag), Garlic chives, Sour cream 170-250ml and Bacon 250g.
Cube and fry your bacon just how you like it (i like extra crispy). Slow roast the potatoes in the oven with the oil of your choice on 180 C. Season potato with salt and pepper or other complimentary spices. Once golden remove from the oven (don’t forget to check regularly to make sure the potatoes don’t burn or get stuck to the dish). Plate the potato, scoop on some sourcream, drizzle with bacon and sprinkle with chopped chives.
These are so easy to make and always impress. Why not make your cake and eat it too? If you are a little nervous trying new recipes, invite some friends or family over and do it together. Start your food adventure today – Bon Appétit!
Late in the afternoon, in the first week of February, my phone flashed incessantly. Unable to ignore it, I unlocked the screen and opened my messages. A group has been created and within seconds messages have already been posted. I eagerly read through the text.
This is an open invitation to partake in Deepak Chopra’s 21 day meditation and contemplation challenge on the topic of abundance……
Being in the unique situation I am in and having the time on my hands, I could finally chalange myself in new ways. I eagerly replied that I would partake.
Each day a task was posted including a mantra, phrase and audio for meditation. Some tasks I found more difficult than others, however I always felt at peace after each one. Like something I had been hiding (even from myself) is being revealed, dealt with and lifted from my soul.
Meditation was the hardest part for me. Shutting of my mind is not easy. It’s like so many voices are thinking about so many different things at the same time. While I repeated the mantra a thought would pop in thinking about what I am making for dinner and at the same time another though would interject by reminding me that I must water the garden later. It took a while to snap back my focus on the mantra but it started getting easier.
Half way through I realised I have tapped into something. Reflecting on past trauma was a revelation. Getting in touch with my true desires and what abundance really means to me, has shown me the path I must take. I am dealing with the past and now moving forward in a new meaningful way.
Continuing with the journey became exciting now. I could not wait for the next task to be posted so that I could tackle it. Trying to be more creative with each one i started doodling on the pages and taping some meaningful items from the task to that days entry. I am gathering some sort of understanding about myself and my connection to what was and what is to come, the seen and the unseen in the universe.
Now at the end, I reflected. I flipped though all the pages in the notebook and viewed my progress. I have grown. I have released my wants, needs and desires into the unknown. I have let go of the anger and anxiety that i carried for so long and replaced it with abundance and connection to inner peace.
I have learned the rules and now I can play the game of Abundance on my own.
With every new year we delude ourselves with what great things we can do staring in January. We pledge new year resolutions that never stick.
We drop our guard and indulge in the festive time with the thoughts of what is to come. Don’t get me wrong, everyone deserves an extra piece of Christmas cake, but what is it about the new year that has that new you vibe.
2019 was not a great year for me, as I can gather not for most people. My year ended with something I never thought could happen to me. Sure it happened to other people and in South Africa this is a huge issue, but never me…… well here I am…retrenched. If you are not sure what that means, basically, the business you work for has reached a certain point where the struggle is too real and they need to cut some loose ends…in this case I was the closest end to grab. So there I sat in November, the cheerful festive period upon us, and I do not have a job to return to in the new year.
Even though this sucks…and there is a certain level of stress and anxiety attached… I realized that I have been stuck in a situation for so long with so many bad habits that I could not see the way out. I felt like maybe.. the divine has intervened (though in an unconventional method) and this was perhaps what I needed.
So, I enjoyed the family festivities putting the nagging voice away for December.
Here we are… January…the fresh start. The nagging voice has returned. What now? What will you do? How will you survive? Is this my fault? Scrolling through endless job listings, updating my profiles and breaking the news to my closets friends (watching the pity in their eyes) I decided that is not the party I want to be invited to.
I reached into my soul and thought to myself, what have I been missing?, as I sent an SOS out into the cosmos.
A few days later, when my fate has sunk in, a little voice in my head said…make a list. What would make me happy in 2020? The real clean slate.
I thought long about this (while I mindlessly doodled on the side of the page)….. 1. Why not Yoga? LETS DO THIS! I have always wanted to it. Something about listening to your body “the breath” and feeling every inch of you stretch out to the sky is actually so calming and great for your body and self awareness. I started a 30 day Yoga challenge on YouTube – Yoga With Adriene check it out here if you want to give it a go starting at day 0 → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWBfQjuwp4E . I have really found this to be a great experience in the comfort of my own home.
2. More Fruit (Being Summer here makes this allot easier). I know this is cliche but finding and consuming all kinds of fresh fruit is the best thing to nourish your body. Great for snack time, breakfast or even lunch I have found a new love for fruit, exploring the different tastes and finding what I enjoy. Even trying different techniques like freezing and making smoothies.
3. Spiritual time. Who ever you subscribe to, taking the time to connect with your beliefs is so important. I must admit I have been slacking and I have noticed how this effects me in my day to day. I found a book gifted to me in 2018…..still unused. Each page has a point of reflection, a piece of scripture and a prayer. It also has a handy coloring section # adulting. Using this or any other form of daily activity in faith, is great for grounding you when starting the day or ending it.
4. Reminders, stay connected. Setting up simple reminders on your phone is a great way to ensure you take that action or do that thing. A great example is another item on my list – more tea! At 2pm the alarm will go off and remind me to make a cup of tea. To take 5 min out of what ever I am doing and take a moment for myself. Good for the body, mind and soul.
Going through my list I realized all these items has a strong connection to self care. Anxiety and depression is not in the shadows anymore. There is nothing wrong with taking that moment for yourself. The better you care for yourself the better you care for others. The stigma around woman being perfect and happy and taking care of others before themselves has become so great we cannot tunnel out. It is not selfish to spend time on yourself, to take that bath, to read that book, heck to shave your legs. This is OK. Taking care of yourself mentally and physically is so important. If all you can do is get out of bed today, GREAT, tick it off your list and pat yourself on the back, you have achieved something today.
As my trial comes to an end, I can say this. Wow! I have never realized what a difference this can make. Sure I have more time than most right now, however you can incorporate one or more of these things in any schedule. It might just be one easy task, it does not have to be recurring, but the action of slowing down, listening to what you need and making sense of all the thoughts in your head will do you wonders.
Well here we go, as we head into February I recommend for you all to start your trial of what feels right for you and head into your subscription of self care and a happier, healthier you!
Life Stuff with Tania Snyman 