It is amazing how quickly emotions shift and energy changes. The only constant, is change.
I had a very stressful week, with family feuds, work stress, and being a single mom. On top of that my son recently broke his left arm severely, and he is left-handed. Ugh. He was in the hospital for two days and has had two surgeries. Things are settling now, but the whole experience was overwhelming and exhausting. Even now, when I recall the memory of his accident and how horrifying his arm looked, I become very emotional. Talk about depleted. Anyways, as stress piles on, it is hard to come to a place of stillness. My mind became so agitated and my body so tense that I instinctively knew my cure could only come from a strong practice. A strong spiritual practice. At times like these, I turn to Kundalini yoga. Amazing for cleaning and recharging. Amazing for accepting and forgiving. Amazing for letting go and learning to trust.
So I started my sunday morning with a cup of tea and a Kundalini practice. I really enjoy Sarah Klines 50 minute Kundalini yoga practice on youtube. Exactly what I needed. Feeling recharged, I dedicated my day to restoring and healing. And cleaning my messy house.
A friend of mine who is an organic farmer, stopped by in the morning and brought me two grocery bags full of organic produce from his garden. I was so happy. Fresh delicious produce. Talk about food as medicine! I made Kale chips in the oven and fresh veggie burgers with my food processor.. the veggie burgers are a favorite of my son’s.
I make up my own recipes and never measure anything—Be adventurous! Experiment!
Kale Chips
Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees or 250 max!
Wash kale and tear leaves off from the stem - medium size pieces
Prepare a mixture of olive oil and Braggs, Tamari or salt to taste, and a little cayenne pepper
Massage mixture into the kale.
place on cookie sheet
cook until crisp. Usually about 1 to 2 hours
mmm delicious, nutritious and quick.
The veggie patties
Ingredients: Tomato,red pepper,garlic,kale,sunflower seeds,uncooked oats ,salt and spices to taste
Puree everything in food processor, add in more whole oats and stir. Form into patties….cook with butter, coconut, or olive oil
I put the leftovers in freezer for a quick meal or snack. mmm. Delicious and nutritious.
The day gets sweet and sticky
Anyways, after my cooking adventure, I was motivated to clean….but I got an offer I just couldn’t refuse. “Come Harvest honey!”
My good friends called to see if my son and I wanted to come play with the bees and help harvest honey. So we spent the majority of our day building bee boxes, scraping off old wax and propolis, playing with bees, harvesting honey, spinning the honey, melting down wax, and laughing with good friends.
Covered in honey, I couldn’t stop smiling. Sticky and sweet, we drank and licked massive amounts of honey , and ate delicious pollen. I love bees.
This was not my first time being around bees, but it can be really scary when they begin to get upset. When I feel myself becoming overwhlemed with fear, I close my eyes and take slow deep breaths. The bees seem to relax when we relax. A good lesson, anytime we are overwhelmed with fear or anxiety, remember to breathe. Yoga and beekeeping. Yoga and life.
My son was always a little nervous around bees, especially when we had a hive in our backyard. BUT, through bee education and experiencing the process, he now wants to be a beekeeper too. He had a blast. :)
My friend gave me a honey bee education program for kids full of information, lesson plans, diagrams, and vocabulary. Perfect for my son’s homeschool portfolio.
The day was seriously amazing.
We came home with a nice jar of honey, sticky sweet clothes, and shiny happy eyes . I had a cup of tea with a good friend, and gave thanks for the day.
Full of gratitude. And full of yoga, kale, and honey.
~tiff








banbamama
Aw! What a great way to end the week. Lovely post, so jealous at your opportunity to harvest honey. Hope your son gets well soon.
Yogini Tiff
Thank you so much. It really was fun. I think all kids should get the chance to learn real skills like beekeeping. And thanks for reading.
rina
Tiff I enjoy reading your blog:) The veggie patties look really good and healthy
Marlin looks really happy with the honey and the bees:) So educational Bees are really important part of our life
We had lots of bees when I was growing up
I enjoy reading your blog and look for something new everyday
Have a cool day
Karla
Glad you had fun. I gotta get my recipe up for Kale Chips too……Kale chips sprinkled on popcorn with coconut oil and nutritional yeast. Yummers!
-kg
Christopher
How fun! The honey harvesting I mean, I would love to have that adventure. I make my kale chips with brewers yeast…
Yogini Tiff
Hi Christopher! Thanks for reading! Keep a look out for local beekeeping events or groups in your area, I am sure you could easily have that adventure too. I am hooked! I have a baitbox in my backyard and I hope this season a swarm will move in.
Last year a swarm quickly arrived but left after three days. boo. As for the kale chips, yes, they are delicious with brewers on nutritional yeast..I prefer them that way. But i was out when I made them…
Anyways take care. And thanks again.
quaintscribbles
Sorry about all your stress, hope things calm down soon. Bees make for a great study. We used to have a huge hive in our backyard. They made themselves at home. I loved watching them.
I tried making kale chips for the first time the other day….burned my first batch. My second batch didn’t burn, but they were not what I expected. I am going to use your recipe because mine was at a higher temp, but only 10 minutes. I think setting it at 200 for an hour will result in an actual chip. Can’t wait to try it again.
Joyfully,
Jackie–A Mom who takes the easy way out when it comes to homeschool portfolios!
My Attempt at Blogging
Yogini Tiff
Hi Jackie! Thanks so much for the kind words. Yes, I am totally in love with bees. We had a hive about a year ago, a beekeeping friend of mine gave them to us. It was a small hive from a late season swarm. Anyways, we went out of town, and a cold front hit, and the poor bees died. It was seriously so sad. I guess that happens sometimes. But yes, one of my favorite things to do in the morning was to wake up, meditate, make coffee, and sit with the bees. I love watching them. I hope your kale chips turned out this time. Longer cooking time, lower temperature seems to help. A couple of comments mentioned nutritional yeast on kale chips, which really is a delicious way to make them. So maybe try it that way too.
Thanks and be well. ~t
I am excited to check out your blog and maybe get some homeschool portfolio tips from you.
quaintscribbles
Going to have to try the yeast. Never would have thought of that.
Thanks for sharing!!
Joyfully, Jackie
My Attempt at Blogging