Slow Down You’re Moving Too Fast You Got to Let the Morning Last...

By Mark Mulcahy

Does it seem like everything is fast these days? We race to work, run to yoga, feel as though the text sound is an alarm for instant action.

While the world whirls around us we can do some things that can help slow down our fast paced lives.

Lately I’m been slowing down by doing some food prep on my days off that makes my busy days seem less hectic when I want to eat healthy with quick easy meals.

Fresh squeeze! To get the most juice from your lemons this summer place your lemons on the counter and bring to them to room temperature. Then roll them around until you feel them get slightly soft. This will allow you to get the most juice from your lemons. Cut lemons in half crosswise and squeeze cut side down on a glass juicer. Strain juice into a Mason jar and viola you have a stash of tart golden goodness.

Juice several at a time and you’ll have fresh juice for grilling, homemade lemonade, or lemon ice cubes for your tea.

Enjoying the blues! When you find Melissa’s organic Blueberries on deal this summer buy extra and save them for the months ahead when the taste of summer will be sweet memory. Place a single layer of berries on a cookie sheet and freeze for an hour, then refreeze in a storage container, and enjoy in recipes for the next nine months.

I love them in oatmeal along with coconut and chopped hazelnuts. You won’t lose valuable nutrients either. According to the FDA, many frozen fruits retain their nutritional value longer than fresh.

Bean there done that! If you prep your Melissa’s organic green beans ahead of time you will have them for quick meals on hot summer days. One easy prep tip is to quick blanch them. Blanched beans are great for cold summer salads, throwing in weekend omelets, adding to a picnic veggie platter, grilling and much much more. A quick blanch boosts their color and is also recommended before you freeze them for winter.

Follow these easy steps from Cooking Basics: How to Blanch Vegetables for the best beans possible.

Fill a Pot with Water.
Fill a large pot with about 1 gallon of water. Bring the water to boiling. Fill a large bowl with ice water; set it and a slotted spoon nearby.
Immerse Green Beans in Boiling Water.
Working in batches, carefully lower the green beans into the boiling water. Boil small beans for 2 minutes, medium beans for 3 minutes, and large beans for 4 minutes.
Transfer to an Ice Bath.
Use the slotted spoon to carefully transfer the beans to the bowl of ice water. Once the beans are cool, remove them from the ice bath and drain in a colander.

My last little tip that has made a difference is to take daily 10 minutes breaks from my desk to do little chores (sweeping, dishes, recycling, etc.) each day. They need to be done but also act as a way to take in the world around me and slow down my brain and body many times a day.

I also have made a habit of placing my favorite summer fruit on the counter so when I take my mini break it's the first thing I see.

Lately I’ve bee sharing my break time with organic peaches and pluots and the result is pure gratitude and bliss!

Enjoy the slow end of summer that text and email can wait!