Bike Riding, Bread Baking & A Book To Complete

If you haven’t heard already, I am full swing into my next book on Gemmotherapy support for babies and young children. It’s been percolating for well over a year and I’ve finally found the space to commit to some consecutive weeks of writing. While I am so excited about this book, I realize what excites me is the prospect of it being finished and sitting on a bookshelf, not necessarily the process I am in right now.

What I’ve come to learn is that I absolutely LOVE the idea of being an author yet, at the same time, I absolutely agonize over the discipline it requires. There is no doubt that I can be disciplined, but I know the discipline comes with an expiration date. That free spirit in me just doesn’t stand for the same routine weeks on end and, because of that, I tend to set ridiculously tight deadlines. This one means waking daily before the sun to write as much as I can before my ‘normal day’ begins and then also dedicating as much of my weekends as I can stand.

This all sounds great in theory and then the weekend comes around and that free spirit starts getting a little louder. I shared last week how the win from that struggle was a delicious Indian inspired meal. This past weekend turned out slightly different… And my horoscope didn’t help.

While getting down to work may be easy at first, you might find that your concentration could wane throughout the day. Giving yourself short breaks to recharge and let your mind rest could go a long way toward making you work much more efficiently today. Getting up and taking a short walk, for example, can do wonders toward reenergizing and refreshing you enough to get back down to work, and you may notice that these breaks are more valuable to your work than you ever could have imagined.

I may have pushed the idea of short breaks. But, along with revising seven chapters, I felt the need to bake this lovely loaf.

Nut & Seed Bread

Combine In Large Mixing Bowl:
300g gluten free organic oats
270g mixed raw, unsalted sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds (all organic)
180g ground organic flax
130g ground nuts (hazel, walnuts, or almonds)
4 Tbl  chia seeds
8 Tbl psyllium susks
3 Tbl sea salt

Mix With Dry Ingredients:
2 Tbl maple syrup or honey
6 Tbl melted coconut oil
700 ml filtered water

Instructions:
1. Blend with hands until all dry ingredients are moist.
2. Press into a 10 x 5 inch bread pan, cover with a cloth, and let stand on counter for minimum of 6 hours or overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 45 mins.
4. Gently remove from pan onto baking stone or cookie sheet. (Consider leaving loaf on it’s side to prevent it from breaking.)
5. Continue to bake for another 45 mins.

This loaf must cool completely to slice! I find it helpful to turn off the oven and let it cool inside by itself. It can store in the fridge for one week or be frozen into single slices. It is even more excellent when toasted.

Ah, and then we had that beautiful cold front blow in Saturday night which made a Sunday morning bike ride after some predawn writing sound like a perfect reward. While Austin has its bike enthusiasts, I am not one of them. It’s not that I don’t like biking, I just don’t like to share the road with Texas drivers. So I was delighted to hear about the new stretch of Walnut Creek Trail opening and couldn’t wait to give it a try. It was gorgeous! The 15 mile loop was just what my tired brain needed to recharge and certainly added great value to the next chapter I took on.

Check back next week when I may officially be celebrating the halfway point!