Definition of simplify:
sim·pli·fy /ˈsɪmpləˌfaɪ/
To make simple or simpler, as:
a. To reduce in complexity or extent.
b. To reduce to fundamental parts.
c. To make easier to understand.
Why I think we should simplify our lives:
- We'll be happier. The opposite of simplification is complication. Who wants that?
- By eating eating less, we'll feel healthier, and we'll save a lot of money.
- By purging junk sitting around the house that we don't need, we'll feel freedom.
- By shedding overcommitments, we'll find peace.
In summary: we save money, we feel freedom and we find peace. With this extra money, freedom and peace, we can take better care of ourselves and those we love. With this extra money, we can also be more generous to those truly in need.
When these principles are put into action, everyone wins, including these girls I met in the slums of India (because of the generosity they could feel from those living the simplified life). They don't go to school so that they can help their parents sift through the trash to find recyclable materials to earn about $1/day.
Recent donations totaling $353 have come in to bring us up to $4,053 of my $5,000 goal. This is amazing news! This means we already have enough scholarship money in place to rescue 8 of these children from the trash heaps to enroll them at The Children's Hope Center in the slums of Hyderabad, India.
Peace Gospel is going ahead and wiring this initial amount to India tomorrow, and I really look forward to reporting back to you with the images of these children coming into the education center, getting their new uniforms, shoes and supplies--embarking on their new journey of hope!
Sure, you might argue that 8 or 10 children is just a tiny number in a sea of millions and doesn't seem like much progress. But to those 8 or 10 kids, it means the world to them. Their lives will be forever changed. Thank you for supporting this amazing cause, it's very dear to my heart.
If you'd like to chip in whatever amount you can afford, just know that every single dollar, pound, yen or euro makes a huge difference. It certainly has made a difference for these two girls at The Children's Hope Center.
For those of you who enjoy following along on what I'm managing to cook up for $1/day, here's the daily recap. Overall faring pretty well and adjusting to barefoot life. Sticker burrs are my new worst enemy. Oh, what we take for granted.
Breakfast. Standard 1/3 cup oatmeal & raisins preparation, lightly seasoned. Cabbage omelette which I rolled up in a corn tortilla to invent a new variety of breakfast taco! Not bad at all for about 33 cents! ▼
Lunch. Now this was really good! Seasoned beans and rice topped with a chopped hard boiled egg. Cubed and boiled potato & carrot mix, lightly seasoned. With a side of homemade corn chips, perfect! ▼
Dinner. My evening schedule was full so I ended up eating pretty late. Since there was no good light for photography, I just decided to have a candlelight dinner with my daughter. We shared this pasta/ramen noodle bean and rice tortilla soup. She said it was really good! I agreed! ▼
Take Action!
1) Please consider giving toward my goal of 10 scholarships for children of the Indian slums. So far we've raised $4,053 of my $5,000 goal to cover 10 scholarships. Every little bit helps!
2) Please visit my unofficial sponsor, Amazon.com through this link. 7% of your purchases made through the link are given to Peace Gospel. If you're in the UK, use this link.
3) If you're compelled by my effort here, please share it with friends. One of the main goals is awareness. So if you can help with that, huge.
4) Leave me feedback. Please comment on this post, especially if you have any ideas about what I should try to cook with these ingredients I have available. I love hearing from you! It really helps!
I think you've done really well so far (with everything, including recipes) The candlelight dinner was just so sweet to read :)
ReplyDeleteAnyway I think you've covered a lot of ideas already but throwing some more out there.
Eggs - you can scramble and season as you like, for either breakfast or dinner.
Don't forget boiled eggs, chopped can go well with any main noodle dish, likewise to omelettes sitting on top or side of a dish.
Oats - mix with raisins and water (don't have it too runny) then top with sugar (gives it a sugar crunch) and place in the oven for an instant oatmeal brekkie.
The next is an experiment (not sure you want to trust me on this lol) But there are several ways to finish this. Ok so here goes -
Simmer oats, raisins in the pan on a low heat. Seperate egg white from the yolk. Put in a pinch of sugar then add in the egg white into the mixture. You can either stir it in and leave it to cook like that then eat, or if you feel brave enough to make "oat, raisin egg white cookies" you can. I think try the first way and see what that looks like/tastes like then judge from there!
I'm pretty sure if you cook raisins long enough with a tiny bit of water, you can make some kind of syrup to pour over dishes (great for sugar levels) or may even mix well to cook slices potatoes in!
Slice cabbage and carrots and throw it into ramen noodle soup.
Ok I think I'll leave it here for now because that's a lot to take in! :D So the above should keep you busy for a while!