Take A Breath and Cucumber Salad

From Shambhala Sun: “Slow Down, You Move Too Fast”

Speed comes from being overly ambitious. We aren’t content with our own mind, so we become aggressive in how we conduct our life. In an effort to match a concept of what success might be, we fill our calendars and spend the whole day holding on to our “to do” list. We chase after appointments, phone calls and meetings with jealousy, competition, fixation and irritation—whatever it takes to get us where we think we need to go. When life still won’t match our concept, we get mad—mad that others are late, or mad that we are early. We get mad at getting older, mad at getting sick, and mad at others getting old and sick.

I have always thought how fortunate to have a lot of energy, to be on the go, a body in constant motion.  At this point in life, I’m leaning towards the opposite belief.  It seems that there is no “Off” button.  Sometimes, the body physically screams “STOP!” and the mind listens….but only for a minute before the desire to move ahead takes over again. 

On a drive into work this week, I couldn’t help notice the sky.  It seemed an “ambitious” sky

It held promise.

It has been a week to give thanks.  The future is exciting. 

Young and eager eyes staring at me to go, go, go. 

My big, furry, lovable hunk of dog ready to protect.

Garden fresh foods to fill our bellies in healthy ways…

An employee brought to work loads of fresh cucumbers for anyone to take.  I grabbed 5 big, delicious, firm, bright green ‘cubers.  

Cucumbers, bell peppers, crispy celery, chickpeas and more, all topped with crumbled feta cheese.  This was my kind of salad.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 lemons,  juiced
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1 cup chopped parsley
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• Salt to taste
• 3  peeled, seeded and diced cucumbers
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 can chick peas or black-eyed peas, rinsed
• 1 chopped red bell pepper
• 5 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped oil cured black olives

Preparation

Whisk oil, lemon juice, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper in a large bowl until combined. Add cucumber, celery, peppers, chickpeas, onions and olives.  Toss to coat.  Top with feta. Serve chilled.

One, two, three helpings.  So refreshing. So crispy. So light. 

We paired our salad with baked haddock marinara.  Here’s to eating healthy and whole.

and, here’s to our ever faithful, furry, four legged friends.

Do you have a dog or a cat?

What’s your pet’s name?

What trick does your pet do that is your favorite?