Morning Oats with Caramalized Banana's

Your New Favorite Oatmeal Topping

 A healthy plant-based way to sweeten up your morning

I must confess, I'm not a huge breakfast person. If my mom didn't make smoothies for us in the morning when I was growing up, I think there would have been many mornings where breakfast would've have been skipped, not even a thought crossing my mind. I'm the kind of person who just isn't hungry that early in the morning - usually - and even if I am, my stomach is not capable of digesting a huge meal right off the bat.

Basically, the point of my story is that I got really into smoothies, and they are still my go-to standard breakfast. But, having smoothie after smoothie, day after day, sometimes gets a little boring and I need to switch it up. This switch-up usually only happens on weekends though, when I can wait to have breakfast a bit later when I'm actually hungry and I have the time to make a nice bowl of some sort.

This oatmeal topped with caramelized bananas is one of my absolute favorites. I'm still not over it since I tried it the first time this summer. Even though it looks and tastes slightly more gourmet, it takes no time at all.

For the Oats 

You can make these however you like. My standard is simply putting a cup of steel cut oats in a pot and pouring almond milk in so that it covers the oats. I don't like my oatmeal dry but also not runny... so it needs to be just right! 

If I'm feeling it, I'll add some chia seeds to the oatmeal and almond milk too before it starts cooking. I also add cinnamon and nutmeg into the oatmeal while it cooks.

For the Caramelized Banana Topping

Total Time: 5 min
 
Ingredients:

• One banana 
• If you are making this for multiple people I would say one banana is probably good for two people, so based the quantity off of that. If I am making this for just myself, I sometimes use half a banana and sometimes a whole ... just depends on how much of it you want!
• 1/4-1/2 cup date syrup OR maple syrup
• 1 TBSP Coconut oil 
• A handful of walnuts or pecans to your liking

Directions:

1. Peel the bananas and cut them length-wise so that there is a large surface area
2. Put about a TBSP of coconut oil in the pan on medium to high heat
3. Pour half of the maple or date syrup into the pan
4. Lay the bananas into the pan and add the walnuts or pecans and the remainder of the syrup
   
   Tip: you can add more syrup to your liking, more nuts or more bananas ... there is really nothing you can get wrong with this recipe!

Mix it all together ...

Put your cooked fluffy oatmeal into a bowl and then remove the bananas from the pan and into the bowl to top off your oatmeal! Drizzle the remainder of the caramelized syrup from the pan on top of the bananas and oatmeal.

Optional: You can add many other toppings to this oat bowl as well, like blueberry compote (just throw some frozen blueberries in a pot and let them heat up and thicken), coconut shavings, chia seeds (as a topping or to the oatmeal), some extra cinnamon, or anything else that your heart desires!

New Season Wardrobe Declutter and Organizing

The Turn of a Season is an Ideal Time to Evaluate last seasons clothes and prepare for the upcoming one

At the beginning of the new season, when the summer clothes are no longer needed and the warmer sweaters are needed to be put to the front of the closet, it's a great time to evaluate your wardrobe for the upcoming season. It's time to go through what is in your closet at this moment and see if there is anything you can get rid of now. Time to make note of things that you don't love anymore and see if there is anything you can get rid of that you already weren't in love with anymore last season.

Step 1: Clothes to "pass on"

Take a moment right now. Stop what you're doing. Think about your closet. Really visualize it. Most likely, you could tell me exactly where you top three favorite items are placed. What about the other ones? Can you identify right now, just by thinking about them, which items are not your favorite? Can you start a mental list of what pieces you know you don't wear often/at all that you need to let go of? Are there any you want to try to wear more, before getting that stage of giving them away?

Now, actually go to your closet.  Take out the pieces that you identified in the exercise above. My thinking, if you are doing this seasonally, is that a lot of these clothes will be from the past season that you didn't get around to wearing or didn't want to wear. Those are pieces that you can let go of NOW, and pass on to someone else who can make better use of it! If there is still a pile left of clothes you are not ready to let go of yet, move on to step two!

Step 2: Clothes to "mark" and remember

If you can't get rid of it but you are still unsure of it because you feel like you "might" use it or "might" need an extra sweater, then mark it. A lot of times you don't want to get rid of clothes before a new season starts in case you find a use for them during the cold weather. Still, there are always a few clothes you could pick out of the pile that you can remember not liking last season. For example, summer is ending, so you have let go of the summer pieces you did not wear. Fall is only just beginning so you might want to make a deal with yourself to keep the item for the next 3 months of the season to see if you wear it. Still, if you think back to last fall, you can probably remember whether or not you neglected it back then; if so, it's time to let it go.

 Mark the pieces of clothing that you are somewhat unsure of but are reluctant to get rid of because the new season is only just starting. Take a picture of the piece of clothing and hang the hanger up backward in your closet. If you don't hang the piece of clothing up since it's not an option in terms of space, don't worry, that is was the picture is for.

Use this as a test to see if you wear the pieces during the season. Give yourself a time frame and deadline for when you will go back to look at the pictures and the backward hangers and get rid of the things you did not wear during the season. At this point, you have given yourself time and proven to yourself that it is time to pass these items on.

30 Day No Buy Challenge: You Made It!

Let's Reflect on your last 30 days   

Final Week Reflection Time

The 30 days of your "no buy" challenge is up. How are you feeling? Think about the last four weeks. What items did you end up buying that you did not need? Did you have any realizations about how you were using things and buying things? Did you end up using more of what you had, and being grateful for what you have now, instead of always buying something new right away?

Interested in this challenge but are just starting? 

If you have just stumbled upon my blog and this challenge, welcome! You can do this challenge on your own anytime. I have been posting about it this past month in order to motivate people and help everyone stayed focus. Even if you are doing this challenge on your own time, head over to my Instagram where I explain each week's challenge on my "30-Day No Buy Highlights," so you can hear all my tips as we go along. All of the weekly challenges are posted here on the blog as well. Check out the breakdown below to find each post! 

"30-Day No Buy Challenge" Challenges

Week 1: Putting your 'wants' into lists

Week 2: Food and Groceries

Week 3: Reshop your closet

Week 4: Entertainment


As you go along, keep in mind that this is just about increasing your awareness around what you buy and purchasing intentionally. Slip-ups happen, especially when you are trying something new; don't beat yourself up about them. All you can do is acknowledge them and remind yourself you are human and start again. Please share your journey with me using the #30daynobuychallenge and tag me @detoxdeclutterdesign on Instagram! 
 
Good luck in your next 30 days of no buying!

Do all organisations today require a social media presence?

Social media: your big break or money pit

One concern when launching a business may be based around the social media strategy and how to best utilize social media to attract an audience and spread the word about this new company. Even though having a social media presence can be very beneficial to many companies, I would argue that it is not always necessary, especially when the platforms become a money pit for the business. 

There are many reasons for an organization to situate itself on social media. Based on information from the National Institute for Social Media, having a strong presence on social media can inform the company on what customers are saying about the organizations products and social media can provide an efficient way to communicate with customers and make improvements based on consumer feedback. Additionally, social media can provide a platform of involvement, where organizations can share pictures of their products in use, repost photos of their customers using the products, and host “giveaways” of their products to grow their following of users interested in their products. Constistancy is vital, as it will make the cost of social media presence worthwhile and keep the organization at the forefront of customers minds since they are constantly seeing the company’s posts.

Regardless of all of the positives reasons to have a social media presence, not all companies should be focusing their effort towards these platforms. According to the Online Marketing Institute, companies who work B2B and whose target audience is not on these platforms may not benefit from social media. The employees of the company which the main organizations sell to may be present on social media, but the other business is the customer, not the individual employee. Additionally, an article on Marketing Land states that if the organizations' target audience is not using social media due to age, ability, or socio-demographic, then money is being wasted marketing in the wrong direction. The social media platform needs to be communicating with the public about a product, service, or issue that could benefit various different groups of people, in order to make marketing to the vast void of people on social media cost effective.

Furthermore, some companies simply do not have the means to have a social media presence. The company’s target audience may be on social media but the cost needed to obtain an ROI is not available. The Online Marketing Institute claims that social media is the “DIY” of marketing; you can choose how much to spend and make it cheap. I would argue that if a company wants to have content that is worth engaging with, it cannot be cheap and large amounts of time and or money must be put towards the platforms. If the budget is not available there is not a justified return on investment (ROI) to make the costs of social media valuable

Social media is a great tool for companies whose audiences reside on social media. However, companies who use social media must have the tools, means, and time to create content, post frequently, construct a visually appealing page and engage with their community. If the company’s means or audience are not present, then the ROI will not exist and having a social media presence is simply a waste of time.

30 Day No Buy Challenge Week 4: Entertainment

The Big Question: Is everything you do, really stuff you want to be doing?
Weekly Challenge: Only commit to events and buying if it's something you really want to do!   

All About Entertainment

We tend to not think about things that fall under the entertainment category as "things we buy". Even though I would promote "doing" things and making experiences over "buying" things, it is still easy to get pulled into spending money where you didn't need to. Have you ever said "yes" to doing something even though you weren't really interested in seeing that movie or going to that concert, or have you ordered something to eat even though you weren't really hungry?

One huge part of minimalism is saying no and doing what works best for you. The more you say yes to the less time you have, so make sure the activities you are saying yes to are "true yeses"! We sometimes forget that "no" is a word in our vocabulary and that we can use it without feeling guilty or needing to justify. Let go of all the times you said yes and felt overwhelmed with your commitments. Remember how you felt in those moments to help you make the best choices for yourself in the future. 

This Weeks Challenge

Weekly Challenge: With every choice and opportunity that is presented to you this week, ask yourself if this is really something you want to do. Would you do it alone if no one else could come? Does it align with your values and interests? Make sure that the things you are spending your money on this week, you are doing for yourself! If you have already committed to things that might not have been full and true yeses, that's okay. Simply acknowledge that in order to help grow your awareness.

You have made it to the final week of this challenge! You have made it this far, don't give up now! Throughout this final week, start thinking about your experiences from this challenge. Has your urge to buy slowly started to fade away or are you still struggling just as much as you were in the first week? Are you becoming more aware when you buy something and what you buy, making sure it was on your list and that it was a necessity? Reflect on these last couple week and see whether or not your mindset has started to shift. 

Why and how the things you belief shape your life

Just some thoughts on the stories we tell ourselves that become the beliefs and perspectives by which we live our lives  

‘Letting go of the past means you can enjoy the dream that is happening right now. If you live in a past dream, you don’t enjoy what is happening right now because you will always wish it to be different than it is. There is no time to miss anyone or anything because you are alive. Not enjoying what is happening right now is living in the past and only being half alive. This leads to self-pity, suffering, and tears.’ - The Four Agreements

We all carry and hold onto so much of what has happened in our lives. It is important and has shaped us, but too often it becomes unconsciously imprinted in our brain. Past Feelings, experiences, and pain write stories that we tell ourselves about how life should go and how we see ourselves. That we believe is "Truth". That we end up living by. The most difficult part about this is that we don’t even realize that they are there and that we are confining our perspectives on life to what these stories tell us. These can derive from little things or big ones that determine how we view relationships, break-ups, jobs, money, and desires.

There are so many of these stories that I am beginning to acknowledge in my own life. There is no one to blame for why I believe the world should be this way, but it is so important for me to identify the beliefs and be aware of when I take them to be true. All of these beliefs and story’s come from my past and I am grateful for the lessons I have learned but they don’t need to determine my beliefs in the future and identifying and acknowledging them is a lesson I need to learn and continue to practice in order to free myself from them and change my perspective.

Take a Look at your own life and beliefs

What are some things that are holding you back? What is something that you are holding onto? What are your beliefs about money or relationships or friendships or money or work? Are those stories you believe about them holding you back and weighing you down? If you believe these stories then they will be true because you will live your life with the idea that they are true. If you believe relationships can only end badly because perhaps that is what you have experienced in your own life, then you may be scared to leave or enter into one.

Of course, it all ties back into that minimalist mentality. Minimalism isn't just about cleaning and decluttering your physical belongings but it’s also about your mental state and baggage that we lug around with us. What you think and believe attracts more of what you think and believe. If you have the belief that you are not smart enough for a promotion, then your views and emotional state will weight you down and prevent you from doing your very best and every little failure will simply reinforce that belief. If you believe you are a bad ass intelligent powerful person, then the failures will only be small setbacks you need to overcome and they will not break you.

Take a moment and scan your body. Think about your relationships. Think about your relationship with money. Think about your relationships to your family. What are the "truths" about these things for you? Do you believe money is evil because you have always struggled with it? Do you believe relationships are dangerous because that is what you saw growing up? Do you believe you are not enough because of a situation or experience? Write it down. Then give gratitude for those experiences and those beliefs because your mind was implementing them in your brain in order to protect you. Let them know you no longer need protection and that you need to let them go now. Then write down what kind of beliefs you would like to put in place of the ones you just let go of. You need new beliefs that you have consciously chosen in order to fill the empty space. Hold and carry these new perspectives with you for the next few days and remind yourself of them. You have the power to change your perspective so 'you can enjoy the dream that is happening right now.'

30 Day No Buy Challenge Week 3: Re-shopping your Closet

This weeks challenge: "re-find" a piece (or multiple pieces) of clothing in your closet that has/have been neglected too long and create a new outfit!   

The Halfway Mark 

Week 3 is upon us and with that, you have made it halfway through this 30 day 'no buy' challenge! By this point, if you have been honest with yourself and have truly refrained from buying everything outside of essentials, you might be getting to the point where you are craving a retail fix. We all know it... it's that dopamine rush you get right when you buy something. The excitement of having something new and the act of purchasing it can take control over our rational thinking. This weeks challenge is meant to help direct that need in a new direction and to uncover something "new" in a different way.

We are neglecting our clothes 

We only wear about 20% of the items in our closet. That means that the job of the other 80% of the clothes is to simply sit in our closets. Maybe they are occasionally worn but most of the time they are being neglected. This becomes a huge problem to our habits in this consumer society, since we constantly want 'more' and 'new' while we are simultaneously we are not appreciating the items we currently have. I'm sure you can think of a handful of things, right now, that you don't wear a lot ... Or maybe not because you have so many items that you start forgetting about most. Just take a moment and become a bit more conscious about which kind of person you are. Do you know you have things to get rid of but can't seem to let them go, or are you unaware of everything you have and the way in which the filled stuffed closet adds stress to your life?

Our closets fill up with new pieces, the older items are neglected, and we constantly feel like we have nothing to wear! Sound familiar? When there is too much stuff, we have a hard time identifying what we really like, especially when close to 80% of the stuff isn't your favorite (at all). When you can eliminate the excess from your closet and minimize it down to the basic favorites, you will always have something to wear. Additionally, you will be more picky regarding the pieces you bring into your closet, ensuring that you are absolutely in love and need each one and that it adds to your overall style.

Craving a Retail Fix? Shop your closet this week! 

If you are craving a retail fix and are wishing for a stroll through the mall, but are maybe nervous of actually going in case you end up wanting to/actually buying something, go for a stroll through your closet instead. Find an item that has been neglected and try putting it into a new outfit. Maybe you can find a new combination that will re-spark your love for that piece again. Pretend you are at a thrift store of unique and special items, and perhaps an item will attract your attention in a different way.

This weeks challenge: "re-find" a piece (or multiple pieces) of clothing in your closet that has/have been neglected too long and create a new outfit! 

Share your new found outfit on Instagram or Facebook with me using the #30daynobuychallenge!   

Bring in Some Decluttering 

This basis of this weeks challenge is not to make you declutter, but it might end up coming to that. If you pull out a piece of clothing for this challenge that you haven't worn in a while and it doesn't fit right anymore or you don't feel amazing in it, that is a sign. It's time to let go of it and free up space in your closet, just for the purpose of having some breathing space. This exercise will not only help, at least partially, fulfill that retail therapy craving but it will also help you identify what your favorite pieces are while encouraging you to eliminate the rest.