This is one of my favorite appetizers at a Japanese restaurant. It is so simple yet so tasty. There are plenty of variations that include chili paste or chili oil, but I used what I had at home! This recipe was made for 1 large cucumber, but you can easily do 2. It's best served cold, so pop it into the fridge for a few minutes before enjoying. And an extra tip, it tastes even better the next day when the cucumber can soak up all that goodness! Check it out below! 

Ingredients: 
1 large english cucumber 
1.5 tbsp of rice wine vinegar (or white wine vinegar) 
3 tsp of soy sauce
1tsp of sesame oil
1-2 packets of sugar (see directions for amount) 
Pinch of salt
Pinch of garlic powder
Sesame seeds 
Red pepper flakes (to taste) 

Directions:
Mix all of your ingredients in a bowl. Slice your cucumber thin or use a mandolin for even cuts. Once mixture is made, add cucumbers to the bowl. Toss and enjoy! 
Extra directions/tips:
I didn't have rice wine vinegar, so I used white wine vinegar which is a bit more acidic. To balance out the white wine vinegar I used 2 packets of sugar instead of 1. If using rice wine vinegar begin with mixing only 1 packet in and then taste to see if it sweet enough for you. I like mine a little spicy, so I added a decent amount of red pepper flakes, but that is optional! 

We all glorify being busy. If you're not busy you must be lazy. If this pandemic has forced our hands at anything, it has been to slow down. it has made us stop and smell the roses, literally. The amount of time I spent outside this last year vs. other year's is sad to admit. We were told to stay home, look inward and get creative when home became not just home but our office, our gym, our movie theater, our restaurant, our bar, even our staycation. With all of that, one thing that keeps popping out to me is that it's okay to slow down. It's okay to do less. But not do less for yourself, just do less "busy" work that really leads to no where. 

Due to this glorification of being busy, we all constantly over book and over work ourselves. Which means in essence, we are putting our personal needs last. I know I was going 100 mph before the pandemic put my life to a screeching halt. But it did give me the opportunity to re-evaluate what was important to me. I was doing things that I didn't even value. What I found was that I wasn't beginning to do less "stuff" I was just doing less of the things that didn't bring value to my life. 

Sometimes doing less is more. Doing less of the things I didn't enjoy or that actually weighed me down, has given me the opportunity to do more of the good stuff. So try this exercise with me. 

What is something you wish you had more time to do? 
What is something you do frequently that you don't enjoy? 
What is something you spend too much money on monthly? 
What is something you want to do but don't have the money for? 

Answer all of these questions, honestly to yourself. You'll find that you can shift things around to make your life look more like the one you want to live. Maybe you're going out to dinner often, but want to plan a vacation. Why not try date night at home with a home cooked meal, and save that out to dinner money for your vacation? Or maybe you really dislike going to the gym, but you've always wanted to try yoga. Scrap your gym membership and pick up some yoga classes which brings you more joy. See the shift? You're doing less of the icky things you don't like, and giving energy to the things you've wanted! 

Let me know your results in the comments, below! :) 

Goodbye 2020, welcome 2021! Although the year has changed, plenty of things have stayed the same. I was going to write a post on how you can set yourself up to have your best year yet. But I think my recent podcast episode captures all of that, so click the link below and pop on over to listen! 

Bye 2020, Hello 2021!