'Sweet and Spicy' Sweet Potato and Black Bean Plant-Based Tacos

Plant-Based Lettuce Tacos with Sweet Potato Cubes, Spicy Black Bean Paste, and a Cilantro Mint Green Goddess Dressing 

Quick and Easy Three Step Process

This meal is a super quick, super easy week-night meal that is both a nutritious and healthy plant-based option! The three main steps of this meal are as follows: 1. the sweet potatoes, 2. the black bean paste, and 3. the green goddess dressing.

Time: 30 min with prep time
Serves: 4 - but easily adjusted!  

Step 1: Sweet Potatoes 

Ingredients:

• 2-4 sweet potatoes (depending on how many people are eating - 1/2-1 sweet potato per person is a good measurement, so for 4 people, 4 sweet potatoes) 
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 1TBSP Garlic
• 1TBSP Cumin 
• These measurements vary depending on how many sweet potatoes you use ... season to taste!

Directions: Start with the sweet potatoes

1. Peel all the sweet potatoes and cut them into small cubes 
2. Drizzel olive oil over top and season with the above herbs 
3. Bake in the oven for 20 min at 180°C, until soft.

Step 2: Black Bean Paste 

Ingredients:

• 1 can Black Beans 
• 1 Big Onion 
• 2 Garlic Cloves
• 1TSP Ginger
• 1TSP Hot chillies 

Directions: Do the black beans while the potatoes are in the oven.

1. Wash and drain the can of beans.
2. Satay the chopping onion, garlic, and ginger until soft.
3. Put the beans in a blender and add the satayed onions/spice.
4. Blend, but not fully. Leave some texture by not fully blending the beans into a complete paste.

Step 3: Greengoddess Dressing 

Ingredients:

• Large handful cilantro
• Large handful parsley 
• 2 Garlic Cloves 
• Half an avocado 
• 1TBSP Lemon or Lime Juice 
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4-1/2 cup water (depending on how thin you want the sauce) 
• Salt & Pepper to taste 

Directions: Make the dressing last, so it's as fresh as possible!

1. Put all incredients into a blender or food processor and blend up.
2. If its too thick, add some more water.
3. Tip: the more garlic cloves you put in, the spicier it will be!

Other Ingredients 

• Avacado - for toppings.
• Tomatoes - for toppings 
• 1 Head of Romaine lettuce 
• Salsa - the cool taste is a nice contrast!

The Assembly 

1. Take a leaf of the romaine lettuce. 
2. Take a spoonful or two of the black bean paste and spread it across the middle of the lettuce like you would with a wrap. 
3. Add the sweet potato cubes, acovaco slices, tomatoes, and whatever else you like to have as toppings. 
4. Top with the green goddess dressing and some salsa. 
5. ENJOY! 

I always love to add some extra sauce on the side because I need to have an equal amount of everything for every bite!

Like & comment to let me know how you made your own twist of this meal, or just simply enjoyed it this way! 

Minimalist Technology Decluttering: Unsubcribing and Deleting

Begin Decluttering your Technological Life 

Lately, I have been posting a lot on my Instagram about decluttering. I made a post about a minimalist packing mentality and four crucial things to keep in mind. I have shared my own decluttering of my message apps on my phone and call log. I want to share a more "full" version of that experience in this post, along with some other ways in which I declutter my technological devices. This is about some easy steps you can take to begin decluttering, but at the same time, it's about the mental effects of a clean space. When we clean up our physical surroundings, even if those are virtual ones, our mental space feels cleaned up as well. We have air to breathe and room to focus without the distraction of unnecessary clutter.

1. Let Go, Let Go, Let Go!

I will share a few methods that you can incorporate very simply into your day to day life and activities are a few ways to declutter your phone or any other technological device. It's all about letting go!

A major part of a minimalist mindset and having a decluttered space is ensuring that the things you bring into your space are the ones that add value to your life. Yes, there are some things that we really need (like bank files) that do not add value, but that we need. This post is not about those things. This post is addressing all the things we really don't need but we never critically looked at them and asked ourselves if we needed them or why we were keeping them.

We walk through life, focusing so much on having and buying and keeping so that we have things to show for ourselves, our hard work, and our accomplishments. But the truth is that half the things we have, we unconsciously picked up along the way.

2. Delete Old Text Messages 

Timeframe: Weekly.

I am really starting this post off with the most difficult one here, but it is also a crucial step in truly evaluating all the things we hold on to and place value on. Be really honest with yourself when asking this question: have I ever gone back and re-read text messages with friends/family/etc.? If the answer is yes, can you say which texts those were specifically? Who were they with? What was the context? If it's about information like addresses, flight info, or even anything financial, a text is not the best place to be storing that anyways. Find a safer place. Make a file or save it to their contact. Literally anything else!

If keep chats so you can go look back at pictures sent, save the pictures to your camera roll. Done!
You do not need texts with mundane or logistical content. Delete them!

If you go back and look at texts for any other reason ... like maybe it is a significant other and the chat is "important to you", ask yourself why the non-tangible virtual chat is so important to you? There are definitely reasons to keep certain things and I am not telling you that you have to delete everything. Just be really critical about why you feel the need to keep them. Maybe your relationship is long distance and this is all you have for a while. If that is reason enough for you, then that's good enough! When you are clear with yourself as to why you are holding onto things, it becomes easier to clean up the rest.

3. Delete Your Call Log

Timeframe: Weekly.

Same as with your text messages, I suggest deleting your call log once a week. Unless you really really really need to be able to go back and see who called you, there is really no reason to be keeping this. If you need a particular number of someone who called you, save it to your contacts. You can always delete it later. This is all just extra clutter that takes up space that we don't have in our phone, and that we do not need to and never actually end up looking at any of it.

4. Unsubscribe to Emails that don't Add Value 

Timeframe: Daily.

Each time you check your emails, unsubscribe to any of the emails that you were planning on deleting without reading. So often I found myself deleting emails that I never read anyways. I started realizing how ridiculous it was that day after day I simply kept deleting the same emails instead of doing something about it! It was as though I didn't realize that by simply clicking one little button, I wouldn't have to spend time deleting anyways! Maybe I was finding it meditative ... I don't know! Either way, it takes 3 seconds to unsubscribe from an email that is clearly not adding value to your life since you are not reading it, in comparison to the 5-10 minutes you are spending deleting all of them. And if you miss a day of deleting them, then you have 50 extra emails in your inbox the next day.

Some emails that I still subscribe to (and recommend) because they add value to my life:

• Oprah and Deepak Meditation 
• The Good Trade 
• The Representation Project 

5. Unfollow on Social Media 

Timeframe: Daily.

This one is similar to the idea of unsubscribing to emails. If you are scrolling through Instagram for example, do you know who each person in every picture on your feed? Sometimes we follow people back because they followed us or we follow a page because we scrolled down it for 2 seconds and it looked interesting. However, when the posts of those people actually show up on our feed, we have no idea who they are. I can't tell you how many profiles I would have click on in order to find out who I was following and what they were about. This is just one example of how we clutter our social media sites with information that does not necessarily add value to our lives. If this happens, consider unfollowing them. This will allow for the profiles you actually want to see to come through.

My point is this: follow the people who inspire you but know who they are. Know why you are following them and why they are adding value to your life. Does what they speak about inspire you? Does their advice help you? Whatever it is, care enough to know who you are following (or friends with - whatever social media site applies to you) ... for your own sake.  That way every post you see will be meaningful and add value to you in some way.

6. Delete Your Photos 

Timeframe: Daily

Don't worry! Not all of them! I recommend you go through your photos at the end of each day or at the very least at the end of each week. Delete all duplicates - you only need ONE of each photo. Trust me. I then suggest that you upload all your pictures to your computer weekly, or at the most monthly, maybe seasonally. I say this for people giving reasons such as wanting to show their photos from their past year to their parents/friends. Then, delete them from your phone! Keep the keep-sake photos and declutter your phone!

Getting into this habit will keep photos to a minimum because you'll only be keeping the good ones. It will in turn, allow you to manage your phone space and keep the photos app of your phone clean. It will also save you massive amounts of time in the future, where you want to look at old photos and half of them are stupid ones and duplicates. Or, alternatively, you are running out of space and need to delete all those silly blurry photos. JUST DO IT NOW!

The Test: Adding Value vs. Knowing when to Let Go

 
Ask: Does this add value to my life? 
This is the question you should be asking yourself each time you go through any of these categories. I have written about this quite a bit in this post, but what does it actually mean? How do you know if something adds value to your life?

Here are a few tells. Does it excite you? Does it have something to do with your passions or something you are super passionate about? Do you read whatever it is through in its entirety all the time (or almost all the time at least)? I am asking these questions with things such as Instagram/Facebook pages or email subscriptions in mind.

Ask: Why am I holding onto this? 
This will be the question you ask yourself when it comes to deleting your texts at the end of each week. What is my reason for wanting to keep this particular text or blurry photo? Is it adding value or am I simply holding onto it because it gives me a sense of security to have all these potential people to text as soon as I open my iMessage or WhatsApp? Us as human beings like security. We like to feel safe and attachment is the response. We attach ourselves to material things and technological things because we place value on them and they give us that sense of security. However, sometimes we place that value onto things out of habit; Not because they actaully have the value but because we are so used to putting importance onto things. That is why it is so important to ask yourself why you are unable to let go.

Physical Decluttering = Mental Decluttering 

My experience of incorporating these declutter methods into my technological space has made me feel calmer. I no longer am following tons of people who I don't even know or who post things that do not resonate with me. I don't spend 5 minutes every day deleting emails that I am subscribed to from clothing stores that I no longer want to spend money at. Deleting my texts allowed me to focus only on the things I am doing in this moment. It reminded me to let go of the past and focus on the now. If a chat with someone is finished for the time being, delete that chat until you reach out to that person again.

As soon as you understand why you were not able to let go and then do it, you almost have to ask yourself what you were so worried about this whole time. We think we need to hold onto certain things, but as soon as we let them go, the energy spent holding onto them is free.

My mom always told me that my headphones represented my state of mind. And let's be honest, everyone's headphones are tangled 99% of the time. Obviously, my headphones don't directly equal my mind, but the point still stands. Every little bit of our physical lives have an effect on our mental state. When the headphones are tangled, then your bag probably isn't organized, and in that case, your bed is unmade and the kitchen is a mess. You can be organized in many aspects but even the smallest areas of clutter can subconsciously weigh on you. We never think about technology as a place that needs to be organized. Many people don't organize their files and simply keep everything on their desktop (please let me help you!). Most of us probably never delete our call history and we have texts with friends from 5 years ago ... that's way too far to be scrolling back to re-read.

Let it go. Organize and declutter your technological space. Make it a nice and calming environment since so much of our lives is spent on it. Honor and respect your time enough not to waste it on things that don't add value to your life. I know you can do it.

Subscribe if my blog adds value to you, and email or comment if you have any questions, suggestions, or ideas that could add value to my life too!

Minimalist KonMari Packing Must Knows

Quick Breakdown of Packing Minimally for a weekend Trip using the KonMari Method

This post is a short extension of a recent Instagram post I made about crucial minimalist packing to do's.

Crucial Minimalist Packing To-Do's

1. Plan an outfit for each day ... that way you are only bringing what you need for each day and you have an outfit planned for each day so you can eliminate the time-consuming struggle of picking an outfit! Don't hold up the group because you don't know what to wear! Don't be that person! 
2. Check the Weather! The weather cannot always be guaranteed; however, it can pretty much tell you if it's shorts and t-shirt weather or sweater weather. If you are going to a place where it might be hot one day and cold and rainy the next, try to create outfits that could be used for either... maybe all you need to do is bring one pair of pants and a sweater that can be thrown over any warmer weather outfit you're packing. 
3. Mix and Match Pieces and use them more than once! This is crucial because if you plan a completely different outfit for each day of a 5-day trip, then you will be lugging 5 pairs of pants and 6 different sweaters (if you're planning on those "just-in-case" items), and that is just totally silly! Try to bring as little as possible and mix and match with what you have. Can you bring a maximum of 10 items for a week trip and see how many you can mix and match together? 
4. KonMari Packing ... It's all about the folding. This method creates SO MUCH MORE space in your bag and it also allows you to see everything ALL THE TIME, ensuring that your bag stays neat and orderly and you don't need to unpack if you are only staying in a place for a few days. 
5. Reflect. If you bring anything you do not wear, make a note of it. Do you wear it normally and the weather/event just was not fitting for this item? Or were you hoping that this would finally be the time and place to wear this piece that has been neglected in your day to day life? If that is the case, perhaps it's time to be honest about it and pass it on.  

A Breakdown of the Outfits I brought... 

All of them can be mixed and matched (in the photos I only show one usage of each outfit - but read the captions for some alternatives. I was also sharing a small roll along bag, so in the picture above, my clothes are on the left-hand side... I'm not just showing you a few things below and then packing a bunch of other clothes! I Promise!

I can take off the white shirt underneath to make the strappy dress on it's own a little fancier!

With the jeans, I can wear the white blouse, the black camo, or even the bodysuit (if I wanted to make it a bit more casual than the option with the black silk pants below).

This is a bit of a fancier outfit, but i can also wear the white or even black top with this to give it more of jumpsuit look.

Same goes for this... I can wear any of the three tops I brought with this skirt... See below!

The one item missing in these pictures is the flowered sweater I brought that you can see in the suitcase picture. That sweater is colourful and pairs with any of the solid neutral colours I brought! 

Important Reminders for Minimalist Packing...  

Remember, it's not about packing as little as you possibly can... it's about packing SMART! Only bringing what you need, wearing everything you've brought, knowing what you are going to wear, and not getting hung up on things you think you should be packing for those "just-in-case" events... Let me tell you a secret... those "just-in-case" times never actually happen.

Letting go of all the things you "think you need"makes packing, travelling, and unpacking so much easier! And you'll always have cute outfits that you love to wear on your travels!

Happy Packing!

How to Identify Your Values - A Truthfully Honest Post

Finding and Aligning your Values with your Life and in Decision Making

Do you know your values? 

What is important to you? What is important for you in your day to day life? In a partner? In a friendship or a relationship? Are you making decisions based on the answers to these questions in order to create the kind of life that you want?

Creating a life that aligns with your values results in a meaningful, fulfilled, and happy life. I don't claim to be an expert of anything that I just wrote in that sentence - I am still learning, growing, changing - but I am definitely committed on my journey in the right direction so that every day I live a life that makes me truly happy. Maybe you are as well, in which case this post can contribute to your journey and perhaps help redirect you in the right direction!

What are Values?

Knowing, identifying, and living by your values can help you make sure you are living your life in a way that is meaningful and important to you and not anyone else. It's easy to ignore your values and continue simply living your life the way it comes, but when you do not honor your values, you are not honoring your potential best life. Whether or not you choose to recognize them, values are always there. You might have a few thoughts that come to mind when you think about what is important to you, such as family, good friends, having a clean and warm home, eating healthy, and working out.  But have you ever sat down and thought about why these things are important to you and really made that clear to yourself through writing it out?

But why should I care?  ... Because Life is all about decisions.

I have found that identifying my values has helped me in my decision making so that every choice is made in regards to what things are important to me and what I want in my life. These values can be general or specific... but your decision making will become easier the more specific you are about your values. If you know what is important to you in your career/job, family life, adventure life, etc. then you are able to make decisions accordingly. Choices such as "should I take the promotion?", "should I start my own business?", "Should I compromise or should I hold my position?", "what job direction should I pursue?", "Is this relationship right for me?". If you know what kind of life is important to you, you can make your decisions with those in mind. If a life of travel is important to you, maybe you should find a job that allows you to do that!

 Exercise- Identifying YOUR values! 

Write out your values... all the ones you can think of. If you are struggling, keep this question in the back of your mind: "What is important to me in a particular category?". For example, in terms of health, what is important to you? What values and way of life do you want to internalize for yourself? Ask yourself the same question in categories such as friendships, relationships, career/job life, family/children, travel, hobbies, etc.

Your values can be specific, such as, "a value of mine is to have a job in which I can still be family orientated and make a significant amount of time for my kids". On the other hand, they can also be more general, such as having a value of wanting to travel the world and live in many different places. You don't need to know all the details now, but having a general idea of what is important to you is a good place to start!

By writing out your values, you are internalizing them, reading them, and knowing them, so that they are so clearly in your head. You could see this process as a means of manifestation; however, the core of manifestation is simply focusing your energy on what you want and working hard towards it. "Working towards your values" means making decisions that align with them. Therefore, focusing on your values by writing them down and knowing them creates a really clear picture of how you want to live your life and seeing that life will encourage you to make decisions that honor the life you want in terms of your values.

Choose 3, keep it simple! 
Try to write out at least 3-5 if you are having a hard time coming up with and being clear on your values. I'm sure you can think of way more than that, but it's a good starting point so that this exercise about something a massive as "how I want to live my life" doesn't feel as daunting. It's a process and it can take time!

Choose three of your values to really focus on in your every day life. Which three are the most important to you? Write them out separately and hang them in your bathroom or by your front door or in your office. Have them in a place where you can read them everyday and remind yourself to make decisions based on those core values. As you realize that your decision making is becoming quicker whilst keeping those values in mind, feel free to add a few more to the list! But I suggest starting with three, to keep it simple and slowly get into the habit of consciously considering your values.

My Values - Some insight to get you started 

I began thinking about my values and what was important to me when I was looking at my relationships. I did not like the way certain things were developing and I realized I wasn't saying anything about them because I was not acknowledging that they were bothering me. It was hard to acknowledge those things in the first place because I didn't even realize why they were bothering me. The problem was that aspects of the relationships weren't alligning with my values. I realized, that if I was honest about what kind of relationships I wanted in my life, and really wrote it out, my current choices would not be highlighting my values.

I started researching, trying to better understand what values are and what kind of things I was supposed to be writing out in the process of identifying values. The hard part was is that people were explaining what values were, but no one was giving in-depth examples of them. I didn't know if I should just write "friendships" as a value or if I needed to be more specific than that. (I have personally decided to be more specific than that!). So, because of my experience, I wanted to hopefully change yours, and give you a few examples of what I have written out as being "my values". If they resonate with you, don't copy them word for word, but re-use the ideas in a way that apply to your own life. I have realized that values need to be more than just one word because how are you going to base a decision off of the word "friendship"? It could be a really shitty friendship but because you have decided friendships, in general, are important to you, you are going to make choices to prioritize this one. Instead, I suggest you write out the kind of friendships you want: truthful, honest, kind, open, communicative, fun-loving, etc. 

So without further-a-do, here are some of mine:

• To live, to my best ability, an environmentally aware and sustainable life.
• To be honest with myself and always speak my truth. 
• Continue living a minimalist lifestyle to my best ability in terms of what it means to me.
• Part 1: Be conscious about what I buy and buy sustainable products as much as possible.
• Part 2: Have the ease that minimalism brings, to know that I have everything I need, so that I can put the rest of my earnings towards travel and memories, not stuff.
• To have, make, nurture relationships/friendships that are based on honesty, trust, communication, forgiveness, support, and love.
• To have a healthy and balanced lifestyle.
• Feel great physically and mentally: working out, eating healthy, also indulging from time to time, being outdoors in nature 
• Practicing yoga, meditation, journal, self-reflection.
• Live in many different places 
• Family! To have great relationships with my family members, have my own family one day, and be close geographically to those who are important to me. 

The list goes on still. If it helps, I suggest even writing out your values under different headings. Have a heading for friendships, for relationships, for the kind of home you want, the job you want, and so on. I have found that we generally have many smaller values under the big ones.

If you are completely lost, journal for a few minutes about what you love about your life, what you would currently like to change, and feel what aspects make you really excited!

It's time to be honest with yourself about what is and is not working for you in your life, and through identifying your values, you can work towards creating a life where you are in control and the choices you make are exciting and not only stressful!

Now, go be awesome!