Well, the weekend is here and while I can’t pinpoint the reason, this week was- well, kinda hard. I felt myself melting down on Thursday and knew I was in need of a reboot.

Here at Blue Barn Farm & Sanctuary, I know that I don’t have NEARLY as much going on as all the sanctuary heroes and heroines out there…we are just itty bitty in comparison. But whether you run a sanctuary or not, life can just be challenging and it’s important to know what we need to take good care of ourselves- am I right on that? I’m a firm believer that if you don’t take good care of yourself , you just can’t be much good to anyone else. Eventually, you’re just gonna run out of gas.

So today, instead of doing my usual solo deep clean of the barn, I did enough to get us through to tomorrow, when helpers will be around if I can’t catch up on my own. I opened the gate to the pasture, bid the piggie crew farewell and went inside the house to get right to it..

So just curious, what does good self care look like to you?

For me, I nest. I clean, organize, do the laundry and FOOD PREP (See, there’s going to be some recipes in here).

So today, after getting the laundry going and the house nice and tidy (relatively speaking), I hit the kitchen. Although it’s been a mild winter, it’s still soup time around here. My body was craving veggies so I paged through OH SHE GLOWS until I found the right fit.

Today’s choice was 10 Spice Vegetable Soup with Cashew Cream and a loaf of whole grain spelt bread in the bread machine.

They were both delicious, nourishing and good for both body and soul.

Since lunch was covered, I decided to get some breakfast options started.

My current favorite is another Angela Liddon recipe- Banana Bread Muffin Tops. I sub in applesauce instead of oil and add some coconut shavings. Mmmmmmm…..so good. These are usually my on-the-go-breakfast since my mornings are pretty full with animals these days. They are so satisfying and filling and EASY.

AND, I can say I’m eating a cookie for breakfast. WIN WIN WIN.

And the last thing on the list today was raw “granola”. This is super yummy over coconut yogurt, chia pudding or mixed with berries, bananas & almond milk (my favorite).

No recipe here. I just throw dates, coconut, and seeds of any kind (today was pumpkin, hemp and flax) into the food processor and blend. Store in the frig and you’re good to go..

And that was it on the food front for today. I wrapped up the laundry, did a little workout , showered and checked some things off my to- do list. My mind felt quieter. My space felt lovely, and that soup tasted GOOD.

I’m now ready to face the work of this weekend- barn clean up, bunny enclosures, hay/straw pick up and board meeting. Cross your fingers!

Hoping to hear how YOU bring yourself back to center and if you have a moment, what you think of today’s recipe choices! Thanks for following along and for choosing kindness, compassion and empathy every day.

With Gratitude,

Melissa