Quinoa Salad

Greetings all! 

As I was making a grocery list for my next store run, I was also looking for recipe inspiration – and found this quinoa salad in my bookmarks! Then, I also remembered my friend MK's super easy quinoa salad – and voila, you now have 2 recipes! 

Recipe: https://www.thekitchn.com/quinoa-salad-22955988

Photo: Joe Lingeman/Kitchn; Food Stylist: Brett Regot/Kitchn

MK Salad

• Quinoa, cooked and cooled
• Arugula
• Beets
• Red onion
• Mushrooms
• Feta cheese
• Creamy Balsamic dressing 

The Kitchn Salad:

• 1 1/2 cups quinoa, cooked and cooled
• 1 large English cucumber, chopped into rough 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 (12-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and coarsely chopped
• 1 cup pitted Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
• 4 ounces garlic and herb goat cheese, crumbled

Dressing:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

Instructions:

Combine dressing ingredients in a large bowl and whisk. Add cucumber, roasted red peppers, Kalamata olives, and quinoa to the bowl and toss to combine. Garnish with fresh parsley and goat cheese. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Bon Appetit! Let me know which version is your favorite!

How to Spend Less

Greetings all!

Do you want to be more intentional and thoughtful about your spending? 

Image: https://pixabay.com/photos/time-is-money-money-calms-down-sleep-1339781/

If your answer is YES, try this lifehack from financial advisor Suze Orman.

Every time you are about to buy something, whether it costs $10 or $1,000, stop and ask yourself:

Is this a need or a want?

If It’s a Want
If you are really serious about reining in your spending, forego spending on wants. Or build in guardrails: I will spend only $X a week on wants. Either way, by stopping and identifying a potential purchase as a “want,” you are elevating it as a potential source of saving - either by forgoing the purchase entirely or by opting for a less expensive option.

If It’s a Need
Even with needs, you might be able to reduce your spending. The less expensive brand - whether it be food or clothing - meets your needs and can save you money. And it’s even more in play for huge expenses, such as buying a car or a home (or the place you decide to rent). A car to get to work is a need. As is shelter. But what you choose to spend on both is up to you. Asking yourself if you might be able to fulfill the need and spend 10%, 15%, or 20% less can transform your finances.

I really like how simple this Need vs Want test is to help us pay more attention to how and when we choose to spend money.

Monthly Oracle Forecast for September-2026

Greetings all! 

Did you know that some astrologers call September a “wiggly” month, with a calmer start before the energy begins building again?

 “The dust may not have fully settled yet, but it's settled enough for us to start seeing what really matters. What feels sacred to you? What do you value? What is actually true for you?

September asks us to get very present with our own lives instead of waiting for the outer world, or anyone else, to tell us what to think, feel, or do. That's where discernment comes in.

Independence is key now as you step into your journey today. Others may not have the vision or resources that you need. Recognize that all the wisdom you’ve acquired along the way makes you particularly competent, capable of moving forward with assurance. Self-reliance is important.

Another aspect to consider is creating and maintaining clear boundaries between you and another. Be discerning about your partnerships at this time. When you know who you are, and have a healthy sense of where you end and others begin, you’re able to enter into the best kind of relationships and will attract people who mirror back your wholeness. Interdependent relationships are always mutually supportive, stimulating, and transformative. You can achieve anything at this time.

All manner of opportunities are presented to you at this time. You’re able to truly manifest your dreams, and your goals are in sight. Don’t remain small and contracted. Instead, expand your horizons beyond what you believe to be your limitations. You have a unique voice that needs to be expressed in the world. The universe is supportive of new ideas and approaches at this time, so speak up and speak out.

Allow for a greater vision to replace old ideas as you dream a grander dream.

And there's encouragement here too. Whatever you're being asked to release may be making room for something better, even if it doesn't feel that way in the short term.

You’re being gently encouraged to step into your power, into the dream of your life. New things are out there to be explored, and the nurturing power of the universe is giving you a nudge in the right direction. You will get the help you need and won’t be alone in your quest. Every step you take right now is supported by the wisdom of the universe!

You are on the right path . . . keep going.”

The Essential Message is: You are capable and competent! 

What you might want to reflect on: What dream, goal, or possibility are you being encouraged to take one more step toward today? 

Source: https://www.colettebaronreid.com/ / Image: https://www.facebook.com/colettebaronreid/posts

August 27, 2026 Lunar Eclipse

 

Source: https://www.cpr.org/2026/08/28/photos-lunar-eclipse/

Thought of the week – Your Time Is Thin

 

“Whether you have ten years left or a hundred years left, your life is an incredibly brief moment. We know for sure you won’t be here in a century.

But today? Today you are in the Great Game. And this moment you have right now might as well be the most important moment in the universe. Your time is thin. Go out and live fully now.” 

~ James Clear, https://jamesclear.com/3-2-1/july-23-2026

Image: https://deepai.org/

Amazing Gardens Around the Globe

Gardens by the Bay, Singapore

Image: Kjersti Joergensen / Alamy Stock Photo

Jardin Majorelle, Marrakech, Morocco
Image: Jacek Sopotnicki / Alamy Stock Photo

Monet’s Garden at Giverny, Eure, France

Image: Oleg Bakhirov / Shutterstock

Palace de Versailles, Île-de-France, France

Image: Andre Quinou / Shutterstock

Pukekura Park, New Plymouth, New Zealand

Image: Hanna Tor / Alamy Stock Photo

Quinta da Regaleira, Lisbon, Portugal

Image: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock

Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden, Port Louis, Mauritius

Image: Natalya Sterleva / Shutterstock

Villa d’Este, Lazio, Italy

Image: Marco Rubino / Shutterstock

Source (and more!): https://www.loveproperty.com/galleries/amp/136509/the-worlds-most-amazing-gardens

It’s Good to Do Nothing

Greetings all! 

Today, I had an amazing meditation session! In fact, it was so good that I listened to it three times in a row. And then one more time so I could transcribe it for you! 

“It’s good to do nothing. In meditation, you sit around and you do nothing, and at the same time, this doing nothing is an exploration that makes your life better.

 

And it all happens at once: the doing nothing, the exploring, and the making your life better. Somehow doing nothing improves everything.  

You arrive here, in this present moment, and you let yourself be here. You let everything be here - the sounds happening outside you, and these feelings and thoughts and sensations happening inside you. 

You just sit right here, in the middle of your life, and you do nothing and it’s good for you. 

So this sitting here, doing nothing, is absolutely the essence of meditation. And sometimes it’s easy, and sometimes it’s hard because our mind can be skittering around like a squirrel on the linoleum floor.  And if this is you today, you are in good company. [Side note: that made me laugh.]

And the move is to give your skittery mind something to do, something of your own choosing. You can choose to focus on your breath or on a sound outside. You choose something and then you do your best to stay with it. 

And you are just sitting here, being here, in this moment, sinking in, not trying to change anything or upgrade your situation. 

And you keep doing not much of anything. 

Sometimes subtle resistance can come up - It’s hard doing nothing, I need to do something. And that is fine. You can try to notice any impulses like that with some humor, maybe even compassion. And then you go back to doing nothing. And you are trusting as you do this, that something deep down is getting calmed, down in the depths, ever if the surface still feels jumpy. 

Nowhere to go, nothing to do. All these sounds and sensations are happening all on their own.  

Part of what’s good about doing nothing is this clearing out that can happen. It’s a bit like the noise of our busyness, all this constant pushing and pulling and scheming, it starts to cool out, just a bit. And as it does, then it can be this very simple feeling of being just a little more available to life. Like you have a little more space. It was just waiting here, all along. All you had to do was nothing.” 

I have to confess: I did 'upgrade my situation' before I started for a more relaxing experience - I wore toe separators, put a strawberry mask on my face, and had my legs up the wall. And after 3 rounds of doing nothing, I felt amazing and refreshed!

What did you think? Drop me a line! Or actually, don’t - go sit and do nothing! 

Sources: CALM