Use It All!

Decades ago I was introduced to the concept of appreciating and taking responsibility for whatever was showing up in my life. Little by little, I began to implement that idea, eventually understanding that whatever was seemingly happening “to” me, was really happening for me. Whether it was some guy cutting me off in traffic or someone showing up late for an appointment that I’d hurried to be on time for, my opportunity was to look within rather than blame the offending party. In a nutshell, it’s how we react to whatever’s happening that matters. This practice is what I came to jokingly refer to as a growth opportunity (or, depending on my mood, AFGO, as in Another F*%king Growth Opportunity).

Awareness is key. It takes presence and patience and fortunately (or not, depending on how you look at it) we all get plenty of opportunities to practice. In the case of the unconscious driver (which admittedly still irritates the crap out of this former New Yorker) I recognize that it’s an opportunity for me to look at where I could be more conscious in my own life. Or sometimes it’s just a message for me to slow down. The bottom line is that we can look at these events as either fertilizer or a pile of poop.

Speaking of fertilizer, this seems like a nice segue to share how I recently I began extending more of my philosophy about how I use whatever is showing up in my life as an opportunity for spiritual growth, into my practices in the kitchen. It began as I was assessing the organic orange and lemon peel scraps bound for the compost pile, and wondered whether there was another way to use them.

I was already zesting my citrus peels and storing them in the freezer for use in various recipes, but what about all those wonderful nutrients contained in the remaining white fleshy part just under the peel?

Inspiration came when I was reminded of an article I’d recently read about how much of the citric acid (Vitamin C) being sold today comes from genetically modified black mold, which I found pretty unappealing. Suddenly, those citrus peels seemed even more useful. So, I sliced them into strips and tossed them into my dehydrator overnight at 110 degrees F so as not to destroy any vital nutrients with high heat.

By the next morning, I had crispy little strips of citrusy goodness ready to enhance my morning smoothie. I pulverized everything into a fine powder, which I added by the teaspoonful. The orange was particularly flavorful and the lemon a bit more on the tangy side. The oil in the peels left a film on my blender jar that I wasn’t thrilled about, so I was glad I’d used my Nutribullet rather than my Blendtec. Eventually I determined that I could just add a few strips to each smoothie and that worked really well.

From there I moved on to avocado pits, which several credible sources report to be antioxidant-rich and full of fiber.  I popped a couple into the dehydrator, along with those citrus peels and a few other goodies (i.e. dessert – more about this another time) for several hours until the skin turned brown and somewhat easily peeled off. Then I carefully cut them into strips and put them back in the dehydrator overnight. Next I threw them into the blender and ground them up. Even though I was using the Nutribullet Rx, which has a pretty powerful motor (2.3 horsepower, 1700 watts), it didn’t do a very good job. And it had a really funky smell.

Not to be discouraged, I decided to try again. This time I only left the pits in there long enough to be able to peel off the outside (somewhere around 4 hours). From there I cut them into quarters and used two quarter-sized pieces (½ pit total) in each smoothie. This worked out a whole lot better. Since the pit was softer, it was easier to pulverize.

On their own, the seeds have a bitter taste, but when added to a smoothie, it doesn’t adversely affect the flavor of your creation.

If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can still use your citrus peels and avocado pits. Citrus peels can be sliced, stored in the freezer and used as needed. And if you don’t have any citrus peels, then try my other “go to,” some high quality essential oils. Avocado pits can be rinsed and left out on the windowsill for a few days until they are dry enough to peel off the outer layer. Then simply slice and add some to your smoothies, storing any remaining bits in the fridge. Having a good blender is essential.

These are only a couple of ideas which I hope will get you thinking about what else you can begin using that you hadn’t previously considered, whether that be in the kitchen or in life. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination.

With love,