Who says that to rekindle your love or romance, you have to purchase a load of plastic-wrapped rubbish? Why contribute to animals dying to buy cruel foods for a St Valentine’s meal, or pollute the waters with plastic-wrapped perfumes that are tested on animals? True love is priceless, and does not need you spending money, just a simple walk by the beach is usually not just nicer, but more interesting! Here are a few ideas to rekindle your love – naturally!
- Just be nice! You don’t have to say ‘I love you’ every hour, it cheapens the phrase if you say it too often.
- Open up your heart chakra. This simple meditation will help you to love and forgive others (and yourself), and make you more open to love – and nicer to be around!
- Make a playlist of your favourite songs about your love, and let him or her hear what you chose. Sometimes people who are quite shy, can speak true feelings better this way.
- Take a nice walk in nature.
- Do kind deeds, like volunteering for something local, to show the love you have for others, not just between you two. Going zero waste also shows love for the planet.
- Cook a nice plant-based meal, to show love for all beings, and that you care for the health of your loved one too.
- Get off social media and the negative news, to stop comparing what you have with others. If you love each other, it’s priceless, so appreciate what you have, don’t compare others to you.
- Don’t dump all your own personal stuff on the other person. Sometimes talking to someone else can help alleviate worries, so you don’t burden the other with things that bother you. But if the problems need to be dealt with together, then do so – using therapists if needed.
Recipe for St Valentine’s Day
St Valentine was of course the Roman saint of love, but also apparently of epilepsy. Living in the 3rd century, his skull is still on display in Rome. It is believed he may have been a priest who performed secret weddings that were outlawed at the time, and he was executed, when found to be breaking the law. There is another legend that he helped captive prisoners to break out, and may have sent one of the first ‘love letters’ to a girl who would visit him.
Keep fresh pastry/bread dough away from pets, as it can expand in the stomach. Keep these pies away from pets, due to toxic ingredients like stone/dried fruits, spices, nutmeg, chocolate and nuts. Also never sweeten foods with xylitol near pets, as even a few dropped crumbs could be lethal.
These Strawberry Cupcakes (Rainbow Nourishments) contain 3 whole cups of berries, there’s never been a prettier or tastier way to get your fruit.
Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes (Rainbow Nourishments) are based on the traditional American flavour combination of chocolate and beetroot (which gives the cakes their pretty colour).
Vegan Linzer Cookies (Crowded Kitchen) are ideal winter treats, with a hazelnut base and tangy raspberry centre. They are also gluten-free.
Blood Orange Linzer Cookies (Short Girl, Tall Order) use Spanish oranges for a deeper flavour, though you could use regular oranges, if you can’t find them. These are made with almond flour and a homemade citrus curd.
Floral Tasting Vegan Desserts
Rosewater is simply the water distilled from roses. Often used as a facial toner, it’s very popular in Middle Eastern recipes, and you can also add rosewater to vegan ice-cream, icing/frosting or cocktails and drinks. Here are some nice recipes to try. Steenbergs makes nice organic rosewater in zero waste glass bottles. Made with freshly picked petals from a Bulgarian rose farm, try it on fruit salads and in chocolate puddings.
These Vegan Rose Water Cupcakes (Full of Plants) are very decadent. Use vegan palm-oil-free butter for the frosting. These are gluten-free with brown and white flours, sweetened with maple syrup and coconut sugar.
Rosewater & Saffron Vegan Ice Cream is from the book Incredible Vegan Ice Cream Recipes. It’s made with coconut milk (saffron is very expensive, so just leave it out if you’re on a budget)
How to Heal a Broken Heart, Naturally
Had your heart broken? We’ve all been there. Whether you believe in the notion of a ‘soul mate’ or whether you simply think that there are many soul mates out there, having someone dump you (or realising that the person you trusted is not who you thought they were) can be wrenching. Of course, someone may die that can also cause a broken heart – see how to help someone deal with grief, and how to cope when pets die.
How quick it takes to heal from a broken heart, often depends on the kind of person you are. A highly sensitive person who is very emotional, is likely going to take more time. But that’s okay, oranges are not the only fruit.
- Don’t be angry. If someone has been unfaithful or dishonest, this is the obvious one. Not eventually forgiving can lead to festering emotions, that could destroy you. There was once a woman in the media whose husband left her for another woman. We all sympthatised. But years later, she was still writing on how he betrayed her, and this can lead many to lack sympathy. Eventually it’s time to move on. Why hang on to someone who treated you bad?
- Find new friends. You don’t have to get rid of joint friends, but finding some new friends for your ‘single life’ is a good idea, ensuring they are people who are in line with your values. Don’t join a club of bitter ex-wives! But take up hobbies that resonate with your new life. This can help you to put you in a better place, where you are not spending time ruminating on what has happened in recent weeks or months.
- Self-care. Get a new haircut, change habits to a healthier lifestyle, to make you feel and look better about yourself. This is especially important say if someone has been dumped for a much younger woman or man. Feel good about yourself, before you get out on the dating scene again.
- Don’t even think of ‘revenge’. This keeps you focused on your old life. Just move on. If you find new love and have no further contact with whoever hurt you, you don’t have to let them know.
- Let yourself grieve. Don’t stuff up your emotions and not cry or get counselling etc, this is really unhealthy and can make healing a lot harder and longer to deal with.
- Take up meditation. This is good to avoid you going over and over what happened. Many people (in all areas of life) just torture their minds by reliving the same scenarios in their head over and over, until it drives them batty. The blog Always Well Within has lovely posts on learning to live in the moment, to find inner peace.
Raspberry Mousse with Coconut Hearts combine a simple 3-ingredient mousse topped with raspberry coulis, then topped off with hearts made from frozen coconut milk (extra hearts can be used to top pancakes or hot chocolate).
Music Break: All The Way Over
