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Dr. Meg

@mindfullycraftedlife

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🏠Where Homemade Meets Mindful Living!
☀️Body, Mind & Spirit.
Doctorate in Philosophy

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Making bread is definitely a mindful process. One concentrates on the process only, leaving stressful thoughts behind during that time.
Bread rises slowly,
Gardens grow slowly,
Healing happens slowly,
May be the best things in life aren’t meant to be rushed!
💕 Meg

#awareness #mindfulness #kneading by @mindfullycraftedlife

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4 months ago

Homemade Kitchen Grease Soap 🫧🧼

Yes, you heard that right. KITCHEN GREASE.
🐖🐄🐓🐪

My mother and I have been making soap ever since I was a child and one of our favorite things to do is to save up leftover grease from the kitchen and use that as the fat.

*I keep my fat jars in the fridge so the fat doesn’t turn stinky and rancid.*

It’s like saving up vegetable and bone scraps to make homemade broth - you make something so valuable out of what someone else would’ve thrown away.

We ended up adding in tallow, shea, and mango butter just to meet the oil quantity we needed, but the majority of the oil was from our grease collection.

Benefits of homemade soap:
✨No harmful chemicals (phthalates, parabens, fragrance, and more) 💃
✨Plastic free 🌱
✨VERY budget friendly especially when you use kitchen grease (we made approximately 36 bars of soap for about $21!!) 💰
✨Easy on sensitive skin 👼🏻
✨Keeps unnecessary and valuable “waste” out of our landfills 🌎

Since the soap goes through a chemical process to fully break down the lye and turn the fat into soap we do have to let these cure for 6 weeks. In that time they will also harden.

Once the soap has cured we can then either use it in their unscented and raw form or melt it down to make different scent and exfoliating blends.

So stay tuned for PART TWO where we melt some down and make different varieties. 🧚🏻‍♀️🫧🧼

#sustainability #cleanliving #cleanbeauty #homemaking #soap #homemade #happy by @mindfullycraftedlife

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3 years ago

Dry canning food for long term storage

My lovely mother wrote out instructions for everyone <3

Step-by-Step Instructions:
1. Clean and dry jars
Wash jars and lids and allow them to fully air-dry. No moisture should remain.
2. Add empty jars to preheated oven 225F for 30 minutes.
During last 5 min, add lids to oven.
3. Fill jars
Add dry food, leaving 1–1½ inches of headspace. (no Oxygen pouch yet)
Lightly bang bottom of jar on counter to rid air space within jar.
4. Return filled jars to oven for 90 minutes.

Transfer from oven to counter for about 5-10 minutes or until the jar is cool to touch.
5. Add oxygen absorber pouch (optional)
The Oxygen pouch can be added to the jar, after the 5-10 min, when contents have cooled a little bit.
Recommended for long-term storage, do not for sugar.
6. Place lid on jar with screw band.
7. Check the seal
The lid should be tight and slightly concave after a few hours.
Check to see if the lid makes noise when you push in.
If it pops then reseal with above process again. Most jars will seal over the hours.
8. Label and store
Write contents and sealed date. Store in a cool, dark, dry place.
Approximate Shelf Life:
• Rice / beans / pasta: about 20 years +
• Sugar and salt: Indefinite (no oxygen absorber needed)

#prepping #health #wellness #foodstorage #healthyeating by @mindfullycraftedlife

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8 months ago

Nonna’s Homemade Pea Soup
Ingredients
* 1 Tbsp olive oil
* 1 1/2 cups chopped onions
* 1 1/2 cups chopped celery
* 1 minced clove of garlic
* 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
* 4 cups water
* 1 (16 oz) bag dried split peas ( rinse)
* 1 1/2 tsp parsley (garnish)
* 2 tsp basil ( dried)
* Salt & pepper to taste
* Meaty ham bone or 2 cups chopped ham.
* 2 cups chopped carrot
Directions:
* Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery and saute 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute longer.
* Pour in chicken broth and water. Add split yellow or green split peas to pot.
* If using a meaty ham bone - add into soup mixture. ( if using chopped ham pieces do not add yet)
* Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce to low. Cover and let simmer for about 1 hour while stirring about every 20 min to make sure the peas are not sticking to the bottom of the pot.
* If applicable: Remove ham from soup, let rest 10 minutes then chop meat into pieces, and set aside.
* With just cooked peas and liquid, use an immersion hand blender to create a smooth soup.
* Once blended add olive oil, carrots, celery, chopped ham and basil to soup. (Optional: you can add 1/2 cup of chopped yellow potato or 3 tablespoons of Patina pasta —> plus additional 1/2 cup water)
* Cover soup and continue to low simmer for about 45 minutes while stirring occasionally.
* Add salt & pepper to taste.
* Serve warm in bowls and garnish with parsley. �
Notes
* When adding the diced carrot to soup to make it even heartier.
* Note: The soup will thicken as it cools slightly. If needed you can add a little water.
This Pea soup is an economical family meal and absolutely delicious!!
** I serve with sliced fresh bread on the side and the side salad. 😊

#homecooked #homemade #peasoup #familymeal #familytime family life craftedwithcare recipe recipes by @mindfullycraftedlife

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6 months ago

Home-made laundry soap Ingredients
Materials for 1 Gallon
* 2 cups of Arm & Hammer washing soda (sodium carbonate)
* 2 cups of 20 -Mule Team Borax
* 2 cups liquid castile soap (I use Yoken Organic Castile liquid Soap)
* 27-28 cups of water
Tools
* I use glass Mason Jars you’ll need enough for 32 ounces. Wide mouth work best.
* (Some people store the gallon of laundry soap in a plastic container, but my thoughts on that is to use glass to avoid plastic particles leaching into your laundry soap)
* Ladle and/or funnel
* Large pot
Instruction:
* Bring 28 cups of water to a low boil on the stove.
* Turn off stove and add the liquid castile soap, washing soda, and borax to a large pot.
* Stir until everything is dissolved.
* The Natural laundry detergent will be a clear liquid and yellowish in color.
* Pour into jars or container. Place a lid on the container, give it a few good shakes to make sure everything is dissolved, set it aside, and wait 12-24 hours for it to gel before using.
* The laundry detergent will be an even consistency and white when ready to use.
* Use 1/4 cup per small & medium size load of laundry.
* Use 1/2 cup per large & X-Large size load of laundry.

Enjoy!! 🎉✌️❤️ Meg

#laundry #recipe #diy #soap #lifeskills by @mindfullycraftedlife

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2 years ago

My daughter had an awesome idea to add chickens to her yard
Raising chickens isn’t just about fresh eggs—it’s about raising conscious, capable kids. Learning responsibility, connection to nature, and the beauty of sustainable living… one small daily rhythm at a time.
Meg

Photo credit to @homeswithhart_sell
#sustainability #chickens #family #familytime #children by @mindfullycraftedlife

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6 months ago

Did you know you can make homemade jam in 10 minutes using frozen berries? I keep frozen berries on hand so I can make summer in the middle of winter! As the berries heat up they break down naturally, so there is no need to thaw first. I like my jam, a little chunky and rustic, but you can certainly use an immersion blender to smooth if you prefer. No preservatives, no mystery ingredients just fruit, sugar, pectin, some lemon if recipe requires, and a teaspoon of butter added to avoid foaming. The recipe can be found in any cookbook or in the box of pectin. A jar of jam makes a great gift and is absolutely delicious.!!
Enjoy, Meg

#jam #homemade #berryjam #cooking #family by @mindfullycraftedlife

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7 months ago

Family is the thread
that holds us together, through laughter, love, and every moment in between.
Grateful for the hearts that make our life whole!
🌸💕 Meg

#awareness #life #themindfulmetaphysician #love #growth #be #higherconsciousness #emotion #familytime #family by @mindfullycraftedlife

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a year ago

Depression is not just sadness.
Often, it is numbness. It is retreat. It can grow from past trauma, loneliness, despair, or isolation. It can make even the simplest things feel overwhelming.

People struggling with depression find it difficult to get moving, spend time with friends and family, or participate in everyday life. Their distance is usually not about the people in their lives but about the heavy burden they are carrying within themselves.

The person you know is still there. They have not stopped caring. They are simply having a very hard time finding their way through the fog.

Whether someone lives in the mountains, the suburbs, a busy city, or by the beach, depression can affect anyone.

What many of those suffering from depression need most is love, patience, understanding, and the reminder that they do not have to walk through it alone. They are still loved. 💕🙏

▫️Be kind. You never know who is fighting a silent battle.

#depression #kindness #understanding by @mindfullycraftedlife

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4 months ago

Hope you enjoyed this one minute virtual forest bathing - light meditation. Breathe easier with less stress and enjoy the rest of your day.
Namaste, Meg

Photo credit to @falconbowse
#forest #meditation #mindfulness taken in Japan by @mindfullycraftedlife

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4 months ago

IG

Mindfulness isn’t only found in meditation. It’s in making fresh bread and cooking for your family. It’s walking through a wooded path or enjoying time for an outside meal.
Mindfulness is especially effective in hobbies and crafts, such as placing flowers in the home, making soap, or photography.
It’s quietly observing nature!
It’s in being fully here for life’s simple moments.

Enjoy the happiness of crafting your own life, Dr. Meg

#mindfulness #simpleliving #awareness #life #growth #higherconsciousness #be #nature ##mindfulmoments #presence #slowdown #family #hobbies #mindfullycraftedlife by @mindfullycraftedlife

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a year ago

Mountain life teaches us to slow down while preparing to have fresh garden food until next season.
Whether it is homemade meals, making bread, canning projects, creating homemade tea for enjoyment and medicinal purposes, and pickling some of the fruit/vegetables.
I will share these projects with you throughout this season.
With food so outrageously expensive lately, it makes so much sense to grow your own food, make your own laundry soap and enjoy homemade meals.

Namaste, Meg

#mountainlife #homemade #mindfulmoments by @mindfullycraftedlife

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4 months ago