Friday, April 25, 2025

Declutter Your Home: Clear Space, Clear Your Mind!

Clear Space, Clear Your Mind


Reducing clutter minimizes distractions, allowing your brain to concentrate on more important tasks at hand. The act of organizing your space can also provide a sense of control and order, which can alleviate feelings of stress and promote a sense of well-being.

Are you unsure whether Clutter is affecting your life? Take this Clutter Assessment Quiz to find out whether Clutter is holding you back from living a more Happy and Prosperous Life:

1. Do you often find yourself in a state of avoidance, procrastination or indecision?

2. Do you feel at ease and welcomed when you walk in to your home?

3. Do you often think about clearing your home but somehow can't ever bring yourself to do it?

4. Do you have trouble figuring out what to wear even though your closet is full of clothes?

5. Do you have piles of books, magazines or newspapers you have never read and probably never will?

6. Do you save broken items just in case someday you may fix them?

7. Do you keep things that you don’t need or use just because they were a gift?

8. Do you have a spare room or garage that you can’t use because it’s full of stuff from you, your grown children and others?

9. Do you have a house and garage plagued with unfinished projects?

10. Do you own a shed/storage unit on your property or rent one elsewhere?

If you answered ‘yes’ to 50% or more of these questions, your home is experiencing a moderate-severe degree of Clutter!

The fact is decluttering and organizing can save you countless hours by creating an organized, efficient home. With less clutter, you'll spend less time on chores and more time on activities that bring you joy.

Client’s Testimonial: ‘Ellie helped us to declutter, organize and Feng Shui our whole house, which was neglected for many years! Once, we declutterd, organized and applied Ellie’s creative and inspiring interior design’s solutions, our house was transformed into a beautiful home, a place of joy, comfort and relaxation. The two areas, which needed the most decluttering and organization, were our children’s bedrooms. The immediate positive impact became apparent when we stopped asking our 9 year old daughter and 12 year old son to do their homework, pick up their things, stop arguing, etc. Pleasantly, we noticed our constant nagging had turned into praising them for keeping their bedrooms clean and doing their homework. We are also delighted that every Saturday morning they bring their dirty clothes basket to the laundry room and empty their trash cans, which have helped to keep their bedrooms clean and organized. Our daughter and son are now much happier and calmerThey also sleep better, argue less, and are more focused on their school work. For this amazing transformation and so much more, we can’t thank you enough, Ellie!’ Cathy & Steve , Almaden Valley

Please feel free to contact me if you, your parents, friends and neighbors are looking for inspirations and appreciate the comprehensive level of decluttering, organizing and Feng Shui services that I provide! 

Ellie Lavender 
Certified Feng Shui Practitioner
Green Interior Designer
Decluttering & Organizing Expert
Lavender Design + Cuisine

Plant-Based Recipe: Tartine Végétale Salée (Savory Vegetable Tartine)


Tartine Végétale Salée

 (Savory Vegetable Tartine)

Roasted Sweet Pointed Peppers

Greetings French Cuisine Lovers,

Roasted-caramelized-to-perfection colorful Sweet Pointed Peppers — my inspiration for this gorgeous and delicious Tartine Végétale Salée.

A Tartine is an open-face sandwich, very popular in France enjoyed as breakfast or lunch – it can be sweet or savory depending on the toppings to your liking! The word ‘tartine’ is French for ‘bread with something on it.’

You’ll love making and enjoying this Tartine, so let’s get started with the recipe.

Tartine Recipe (serving size 2)

Ingredients:


4 Sweet Pointed Peppers or 2 large orange & red bell peppers 

4 Garlic cloves

2 Slice of sourdough, wholegrain or any other bread to your liking 

1 Tsp. Cappers

6 Cherry Tomatoes halved

1/4 Tsp. dried herbes de Provence

3 Tbsp. Olive Oil


Instruction:


1. Preheat the oven to 400F

2. Wash, pad dry peppers, remove the core and seeds. Next slice the pepper into 2 inch strips horizontally, toss them in 2 tbsp. olive oil and 1/3 tsp. sea salt, then lay them on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

 

3. Place garlic cloves in double sheets of aluminum foil, drizzle 1 tsp. olive oil, a sprinkle of sea salt and wrap them tightly.

 

4. Roast peppers and garlic gloves for about 30-45 minutes (depending on your oven temp., they may get roasted in 30 or 45 minutes, so, check the peppers after 30 minutes, garlic most probably will need 45 minutes, so you can leave those to be roasted more). Let pepper cool for 15 minutes, then thinly slice them and roll them into a spiral shape to make rosettes. Next remove garlic shell.

 

5. Toast your favorite bread, place it on a plate, arrange peppers, halved cherry tomatoes, roasted garlic, capers, add fresh herbs such as oregano, drizzle olive oil, a sprinkle of herbes de Provence & sea salt and enjoy! Perfect by itself, with double shots of espresso or a glass of Pinot Noir or Chenin Blanc.

Bon Appetite!

 

Chef Ellie Lavender 

Plant-Based Mediterranean Personal Chef

Culinary & Wine Pairing Instructor

Event Caterer 

Lavender Design + Cuisine

Monday, January 27, 2025

Plant-Based Recipe: Simply Divine Chocolate Hummus

      


Decadent  Chocolate Hummus Appetizer Plate   

Chocolate Hummus in a Jar - Decadent Valentine's Day Present


 Photo 1


 Photo 2

Greetings Chocolate & Hummus Lovers!

Delicious roasted rainbow carrots, warm-aromatic garam masala spice and decadent cocoa powder make this hummus simply divine. So many ways to enjoy this decadent hummus, with cookies, crackers, apples, pears, oranges, carrots, radishes, as spread on plant-based wraps and lavash bites with purple cabbage citrus slaw and even as a creamy pasta sauce --just let your culinary imagination run wild and have fun in your kitchen!

Chocolate Hummus makes a great appetizer and kids will definitely love it too. Put it in a jar and you’ll have a decadent Valentine's Day Present for family and friends too.

Roasted Rainbow Carrots Chocolate Hummus Recipe:


Ingredients (serving size 6):

1 Bunch rainbow carrots

1 Can (15 oz.) chickpeas, drained, rinsed and pad dried with paper towel

1 Tbsp. cocoa powder (unsweetened baking cocoa)

1/4 Tsp. garam masala spice

2 Tbsp. olive oil  

1 Tsp. orange zest

1/4 Tsp. sea salt

1/2 Cup fresh orange juice

1 tbsp. grand marnier (optional)

 

Instructions:

Carrots: Peel carrots with a vegetable peeler, wash, pad dry with paper towel and cut them diagonally into 1-inch thick wedges (1 inch for the thick end of the carrot, 2 inch for the thin end). Place carrots in a bowl, add olive oil, sea salt and toss them well until they are evenly coated. 

Roasting: Arrange carrots on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or in a Pyrex glass pan and roast at 450F (pre-heated oven) for 25 minutes. Remove carrots from oven and set aside to cool for 30 minutes.

Hummus: In a food processor (photo 1), add roasted rainbow carrots, chickpeas, cocoa powder, garam masala spice, orange zest and orange juice and process until the mixture is creamy (photo 2). You can add, some more orange juice if you find the mixture a bit dense.

Serving: Put the chocolate hummus in a bowl and garnish with orange or blood orange slices and a few rose petals and enjoy it with sliced carrots, apples, pears, crackers, almond cookies, and much more!

 

Wishing you a delicious Valentine's Day! 

Chef Ellie Lavender 

Plant-Based Mediterranean Personal Chef

Culinary & Wine Pairing Instructor

Event Caterer 

Lavender Design + Cuisine

 

 

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