Tag: Japanese

6 Ways To Create A Zen Experience In Your Backyard

Are you looking for quiet and tranquility? Perhaps you could take a cue from the Japanese culture and create a Zen experience in your garden. You could even make a small Zen garden for inside your home.

 

6 Ways to Create a Zen Experience in Your Backyard

 

Beautiful gardens are an important part of Japanese culture. When you want to create a calming, meditative space in your backyard, take some inspiration from Japanese gardens. Raked sand, stone accents, and quiet spaces bring solitude and tranquility to your garden. Adding Zen inspirations to your garden will create a retreat for the mind right on your property.

Create Pathways

Your garden is your connection to nature in your backyard. Make sure you can walk through it and enjoy it by creating pathways. Make a plan within your landscaping, then place flat stones to craft an easy DIY path through your backyard. When you’re gardening, be sure to shape the trees and plants around the path to make walking easy.

Remove Clutter

Clutter is distracting, and it takes up space you could be using for bonsai trees, a fountain, or lovely flowers. Get any old garage junk, broken lawn equipment, or other clutter out of your yard before starting a garden project. If you’re not into landscaping, hiring someone to remove your clutter can improve the look of your backyard significantly. You’ll enjoy a calmer experience outside with a de-cluttered yard.

Use Sand

Japanese rock gardens, called karesansui or Zen gardens, feature raked sand on a dry landscape instead of lots of grass and plants. Create an enclosure with wood to hold your sand, kind of like a sandbox for adults. Pay homage to the origins of this practice by raking your sand. It’ll look amazing, and since you have to go slowly to rake it properly, you’ll get some quiet time in nature every time you rake.

Accent With Stones

Japanese rock gardens also feature stones placed strategically on the sand. Raking sand around the stones creates beautiful patterns and adds authenticity to the karesansui aspect of your garden. Stones are a wonderful accent for people who don’t have time to tend to plants or who aren’t skilled enough gardeners to keep many plants alive.

Make Space for Meditating

Create an open space on the grass with a bench or in a gazebo where you can be alone in silence. Whether you practice meditation or simply need some solitude, create that space for yourself within nature so you can use the relaxing ambience of the outdoors to de-stress.

Harness Running Water

The sound of running water is a wonderfully calming accent to your Zen outdoor space. Install a pond with a rock waterfall or fountain to add the soft trickle of water to your garden’s ambience. The water sounds will also help mask any noises that float over your fence from the street.

Design and install the garden that makes you happiest, whether it creates a space for meditation, helps you enjoy spending time in a beautiful outdoor environment, or simply cleans up backyard clutter. This Zen outdoor space is for you to look at and to relax in, so choose the elements that will bring you the most peace.

 

 

 

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Best Organic Sunday Dinner Recipes

Peter Minkoff brings us the Best Organic Sunday Dinner Recipes. These are simple and delicious; you’re going to love them.

Do you remember those major preparations for Sunday lunch in your family home? Few of us do something like that, but it seems that Sunday lunch is still firmly established as a time for family gathering. What about Sunday dinner, though? Then, I have to admit, that I myself am a little lazy. You know, I am waiting for this day for an entire week, hoping that I will be able to rest without doing anything other than cooking lunch.

Sunday Dinner Recipes

The Best Ideas for Simple Organic Meals

 

To make things even more difficult, I have made a firm decision to prepare healthy organic dishes for my family, so I have to consider many things when cooking. Although ordering a pepperoni pizza and watching TV would be the simplest option, I have found that there are many healthy and delicious meals which can be prepared in no time.

Prepare simple healthy Sunday Dinner with these Organic Recipes! #Organic #Recipe #SundayDinner

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Here are some great ideas for your organic Sunday dinner.

Japanese Rice

This is such a simple meal that requires almost no time for the preparation and it is cooked in about 40 minutes. I prefer to use brown organic rice because it is very low in saturated fat and cholesterol.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup uncooked rice
  • 2 tbsp finely diced carrots
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 2 beaten eggs
  • 1 ½ tbsp butter
  • ½ cup diced onion
  • 2 tbsp soya sauce
  • Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Cook the rice for about twenty minutes. Season with salt. Leave it to cool in the refrigerator. Scramble the eggs in a pan over medium heat. After the rice is cooled, add peas, carrots, onion and scrambled eggs and mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Melt the butter in a frying pan, add a dash of salt and pepper and soya sauce. Pour the rice mixture in the pan, and cook for 6 to 7 minutes. You can serve it in rolls.

5 from 1 reviews
Japanese Rice
 
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A Rice dish that can be served as a side dish or as the main dish.
from:
Type: Main Dish
Ingredients:
  • 1 cup uncooked rice
  • 2 tbsp finely diced carrots
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 2 beaten eggs
  • 1 ½ tbsp butter
  • ½ cup diced onion
  • 2 tbsp soya sauce
  • Salt and pepper
Directions:
  1. Cook the rice for about twenty minutes.
  2. Season with salt.
  3. Leave it to cool in the refrigerator.
  4. Scramble the eggs in a pan over medium heat.
  5. After the rice is cooled, add peas, carrots, onion and scrambled eggs and mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
  6. Melt the butter in a frying pan, add a dash of salt and pepper and soya sauce.
  7. Pour the rice mixture in the pan, and cook for 6 to 7 minutes.
  8. You can serve it in rolls.
3.5.3208

 

Curried Coconut and Chickpea

This is actually my favorite recipe, because I am crazy about both chickpea because it is packed with magnesium, iron, phosphate, zinc, calcium and vitamin K, and it is delicious. I cook this meal using Honest To Goodness coconut oil, because I am sure that it is as healthy and natural as it gets.

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups cooked and drained chickpeas
  • 1 head cauliflower
  • 1 minced shallot
  • 4 minced garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp curry
  • 1 tsp red chili flakes
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 1 ¼ tbsp coconut oil

Preparation:

Cook the cauliflower for 3 minutes. Heat the oil in a sauté pan on medium heat and add all the ingredients but the cauliflower, chickpeas and coconut milk and cook until everything is translucent. After, add the cauliflower and cook for another 3 minutes. Then add chickpeas, stir and cook for 3 minutes more and deglaze with coconut milk.

5 from 1 reviews
Curried Coconut and Chickpea
 
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A great meal packed with magnesium, iron, phosphate, zinc, calcium and vitamin K, and it is delicious.
from:
Type: Main Dish
Ingredients:
  • 3 cups cooked and drained chickpeas
  • 1 head cauliflower
  • 1 minced shallot
  • 4 minced garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp curry
  • 1 tsp red chili flakes
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 1 ¼ tbsp coconut oil
Directions:
  1. Cook the cauliflower for 3 minutes.
  2. Heat the oil in a sauté pan on medium heat and add all the ingredients but the cauliflower, chickpeas and coconut milk and cook until everything is translucent.
  3. After, add the cauliflower and cook for another 3 minutes.
  4. Then add chickpeas, stir and cook for 3 minutes more and deglaze with coconut milk.
3.5.3208

 

Greek Pizza

Well, sometimes you have to have pizza, but if you do, make it a healthy one. Kids love it, and it is a good way to make them eat spinach, which is important for bone health, skin, hair, etc.

Ingredients:

  • Organic pizza dough (buy prepared or prepare by yourself)
  • 1 ½ cups yogurt
  • 1 cup spinach
  • 4 ounces feta cheese
  • 1 cup diced tomatoes
  • 2 ounces diced black olives
  • ½ cup sliced red onion
  • 1 tsp fresh peppermint leaves

Preparation:

Pre-bake the dough for about 10 minutes and set aside. Mix spinach and yogurt in a mixing bowl and spread it on a partially baked crust. Sprinkle with feta cheese, diced tomatoes, diced olives, sliced onions and peppermint leaves. Put it in the oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

5 from 1 reviews
Greek Pizza
 
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For those times when you just have to have pizza, make it a healthy one.
from:
Type: Main Dish
Ingredients:
  • Organic pizza dough (buy prepared or prepare by yourself)
  • 1 ½ cups yogurt
  • 1 cup spinach
  • 4 ounces feta cheese
  • 1 cup diced tomatoes
  • 2 ounces diced black olives
  • ½ cup sliced red onion
  • 1 tsp fresh peppermint leaves
Directions:
  1. Pre-bake the dough for about 10 minutes and set aside.
  2. Mix spinach and yogurt in a mixing bowl and spread it on a partially baked crust.
  3. Sprinkle with feta cheese, diced tomatoes, diced olives, sliced onions and peppermint leaves.
  4. Put it in the oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes.
3.5.3208

 

As you see, it is possible to make a healthy and simple organic Sunday dinner without breaking a sweat. Enjoy your meal.

Enjoy the Best Organic Sunday Dinner Recipes with your family! #Healthy #Recipes

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