It turned out to be quite serendipitous that I posted on Friday about ‘trusting the process’; having no worries about the outcome and being comforted by the knowledge that the universe (the fabulous diva that she is) has completely got your back. I have a big complex now about making sure I walk the walk. I strive to not be someone who advocates for positivity and self love but instead gets caught up and lives a negative and ‘fraudy’ lifestyle. 

So you can imagine my anxiety when, after posting this on Friday, I started having a few mini panic attacks over the weekend about ev-er-y-thing. Finances, career, weight, health, family, relationships and anything else you can imagine! I was most certainly not walkin’ the walk – I was drunkenly pretending to walk in a straight line but wobbling all o’er the place! These thoughts and worries were lovingly squashed and doused with a big dose of optimism and positivity after chats with one of my dear and darling friends and after a chat with an amazing lady who I was fortunate enough to cross paths with. On Saturday I met a lady who works as an intuitive and reiki therapist – her work includes energy readings and connecting with higher energies to convey and deliver messages. Over the past few months (mayyyybe 6 months) I have become really open and interested in spiritual development and ensuring my life is overflowin’ with positive energy and light. So meeting this incredible woman was a complete blessing. She did a card reading for me and I drew a black panthar. This panther represented resolving fear in the unknown and that the panther would lead you fearlessly into the dark. The ultimate message was to not worry about the future and trust that everything is happening in perfect synchronicity with where I am meant to be. ‘Does this resonate with you?’ she asked. Um, freakin’ nail on the head sufficiently and completely hit lady! But the incredibly profound and most touching part of the experience was having her approach me later and having a one on one chat with her. She told me that I have an incredibly positive energy around me and that I should NOT be afraid of anything ahead of me as it is all unfolding exactly as it is meant to and I am perfectly capable of achieving all of my goals and dreams. I felt like she gave me a voucher for a ‘fail free existence’ and basically a big ole bag of tokens that I can cash in to ensure that I live carefree, successfully and without anxiety. What an absolute BLESSING.

It was also serendipitous that I posted about ‘trusting your experiences’ as, despite all my efforts and planning to ensure I had meals organised for the week – come Friday night I suddenly realised that I was out of vital ingredients for my planned mushroom soup. What theeee devil to do? I winged it – i winged it good. And what came from this likely culinary disaster? A tasteless soup? A boring bowl of mushies and water? Berm bermmm. Out of this ‘mistake’ was born a freakin’ incredible dish. A beautiful soup that packed so much flavour and love and creativity that I melted a little when I ate it. And, nothing would please me more, than sharing this recipe with you and having it remind you that – what seems like a ‘failure’ or ‘mistake’ or ‘flaw’ is provides the perfect environment for something incredible to come about.

This recipe was adapted from 101Cookbooks

500g mixed mushrooms (enoki, oyster and portabello) + 500g field or button mushrooms chopped into small bite sized pieces
1 brown onion finely diced
6 cups vegetable stock
1 cup barley
2 Tbspns sesame oil
Sea salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbspns coconut oil

Heat the coconut oil over med-high stove top and add mushrooms. Stir occasionally and wait for the beautiful mushies to release some of their liquid and become browned and aromatic. Set aside in separate bowl. Heat up another dash of coconut oil and add onion, sautéing them for a few minutes until onion becomes translucent. Then add your sesame oil and barley. Stir for a minute or so to heat the barley and develop its ‘nutty’ flavour. Then add your vege stock and pop on the lid. Turn the heat down to a low/simmer and allow the barley to slowly cook and take it the beautiful flavours. After approximately 25minutes – check on the soup and do a taster. Season with salt/pepper and add additional sesame oil if need be. To maximise your experience and enjoyment of this dish – pop on your ugg boots, grab a good book and snuggle up on an old rocking chair whilst treating your body to this clean and fabulous soup!

Blessings from my mushroom lovin’ tummy x