The science of daydreaming (and why it is absolutely necessary)

There was an interview in New Scientist a couple of weeks ago with neuroscientist Daniel Levitin about how to negotiate an age where we are bombarded with information. The big take-away I got from his message is that it is essential that we allow ourselves time to daydream.

Why is it important to daydream?

Here’s the theory: Our brain essentially works to two modes, our ‘executive’ mode and our ‘daydreaming’ mode. When one is switched on the other is off.

Our executive mode helps us negotiate and engage in our everyday activities- from remembering to buckle the kids in the car, buy milk on the way home, to fulfilling our office and work tasks throughout the day. It’s our busy state, the ‘think on your feet’ state that is so important in every activity.

Our daydreaming mode is our default brain setting. It’s leaving our thoughts to float and not actively paying attention to one thing. Kind of like our ‘stand-by’ mode.

Because we are bombarded by so much to think about; home life, work issues, social media, social interaction, every day problem solving, it’s easy for our brain to get locked in executive mode. ‘Why is that bad?’ I hear you say. ‘I’m getting so much done!’

You may be juggling a huge weight of tasks but it doesn’t allow you to work out the BIG problems or ideas. We need our daydreaming time to work through issues that need more time than just a fleeting thought. Our daydreaming mode helps restore our mind and allows our thoughts to connect in ways other than the obvious.

Have you ever noticed that you get your best ideas when taking a shower, putting on your favourite album or going for a walk? Felt inspired when you’ve wandered though a beautiful garden? You can ‘turn on’ your daydreaming mode by listening to music, connecting with nature or just generally relaxing. Though you may not realise it, your brain is still busy in the background, beavering away, turning over possibilities and outcomes.

Give yourself time to daydream, it’s great for your creativity and your soul.

Links

• Here’s the article in New Scientist
• Daniel Levitin has written a book called The Organized Mind, which looks like great reading for anyone overwhelmed with too much to do. Let me just add that to my reading list.
• You may also like our post on how exercise can boost your creativity
• Or this one on the Six Thinking Hats creativity tool

 

We love breakfast. Awesome homemade baked beans with no sugar

I am obsessed by home-made baked beans. Maybe they take me back to my childhood, when the tinned ones were such a treat (and of course now taste sugary and horrid with your adult tastebuds!).

So whenever homemade backed beans are on a restaurant menu, I order them for breakfast. Some are great, some I find the beans a little too crunchy. So my version uses a mix of tinned beans (washed) so that they’re tasty AND nicely soft. It also means that most of the ingredients for this recipe are staples that are usually in your fridge or pantry, so you’re always ready to make this easy recipe. You can prepare a day ahead if you want a more intense flavour too.

I serious love the way these hearty beans taste and Caitlin backs me up. She also thought it would also make a great kids dinner for her little boys. Everyone’s a winner with this recipe basically! (If you’re more an egg person, check out our baked eggs recipe, also good for a warm and healthy brekky!)

Preparation time

10-15 minutes

Cooking time

1.5 hours (slow heat)

Ingredients

• Two tins of 400 gram beans – I use butter beans and kidney beans
• A  400 gram tin of crushed tomatoes (you can use one with added herbs if you like the taste)
• A 140 gram tin of tomato paste
• 2 medium carrots
• 2 stalks celery
• One onion, finely chopped
• A picked onion chopped and generous amount of the vinegar it’s marinated in
• Garlic – I am lazy and use jar garlic, about three teaspoons
• Approx 2-3 cups of water (depends how long you cook it for, as you need to add more if it gets too dry)
• Liberal amounts of worcester sauce – I used around 3 tablespoons
• 1/3 cup of splenda
• 3 teaspoons of cummin (not pictured)
• Pepper to taste (not pictured)
• Vegetable oil for the pan (not pictured)

How to make

1. Chop up onion, celery and carrot. Add to warm pan, with some vegetable oil splashed in the bottom. Cook on a medium heat for about 5-10 minutes to soften.
2. Add all other ingredients except the beans – so the tomatoes, tomato paste, a cup of water, garlic, pickled onion, splenda, worcester sauce and cumin. Stir all together and cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Rinse the beans to remove the brine they’ve been canned with. The add to the pan and stir through.
4. Turn heat to low and cook for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add another cup of water and cook for another half an hour.
6. Serve with some crusty bread and top with fresh herbs if you have them to hand.
7. Eat and enjoy!

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We love breakfast. Layered fruit, oat and yoghurt treats. Berry or Peach?

I miss cereal. Milk doesn’t really agree with me so I haven’t had it in years. So when a friend served me a fruity/oat combination a few months back, I loved it. I’ve been wanted to create my own version ever since – and these came out so well they’ll be on the breakfast menu again…and again.

I made two versions – the peach from tinned fruit and a fresh fruit version. The first was sweeter, the latter more tart, but both were delicious. I can’t decide which is my favourite – maybe you can. (Prefer savory? Check out the yummy easy baked eggs from last week).

Preparation time

10 minutes

Cooking time

None! But you have to leave these in the fridge for at least an hour to soften the oats. You can make them a couple of days in advance too!

Ingredients

These will vary a little based on the type of vessel you use. Mine were Riedel shiraz glasses.

• 1/2 cup Rolled oats each
• 3 heaped tablespoons plain yoghurt
• Fruit nectar (sweeter/more intense than normal fruit juice) – 125 ml
• Fruit – in one version half punnet pf blueberries and 4-5 strawberries, the other 125 gm diced peaches in juice

How to make – Berry version

1. Add a layer of oats to the bottom.
2. Pour over the nectar.
3. Add a layer of blueberries.
4. Slice strawberries in sections and layer.
5. Add yoghurt on top and sprinkle with a few oats and a blueberry to decorate.
6. Refrigerate for 1 hour up to a couple of days.
7. Serve and enjoy!  (Scroll down to find instructions for peach version)

How to make – peach version

1. Add a layer of oats to the bottom.
2. Pour over the nectar.
3. Add a layer of plain yohurt.
4. Pour in the diced peaches, including their juice.
5. Refrigerate for 1 hour up to a couple of days.
6. Serve and enjoy!

We love breakfast. Easy vegetable and chorizo baked eggs.

I make these easy baked eggs at least weekly. They look gourmet, taste amazing, are healthy – and take about 10 minutes to put together. They’re also flexible so you can work with what you’ve got in your fridge. Caitlin has experienced several variations during our Monday blog-work sessions.

I’ve made and photographed two variations here, but you can add (or leave out) whatever you like – other than the eggs of course.

Preparation time

10 minutes

Cooking time

15-20 minutes (or until you’re happy with firmness of egg)

Ingredients

The only essentials are some vegetables, oil or butter and eggs. Cheese can be nice too!

For the two serves of baked eggs pictured I used:

• 4 free range eggs (2 per serve)
• Half a chorizo sausage
• 3-4 Mushrooms
• Half Capsicum
• 5-6 Sundried tomatoes (used in one version)
• Half Onion
• Butter
• Fresh oregano
• Pepper

Preparation

1. Set your oven to 180 degrees celcius
2. Choose a baked egg vessel – I use these earth-ware tapas dishes – and spray with oil.
3. Chop onion, add some butter and pop in microwave for 90 seconds. This softens onion nicely and melts butter (you could do on stove top but I’m all about minimal dishes).
4. Split the onion between the two dishes. Then layer with vegetables, herbs and pepper to taste.
5. Add eggs. I crack one egg over and ensure it’s broken up and spread through. Then crack the second egg in. You can leave yolk whole or break it too.
6. Pop in the oven to cook for about 15 minutes, until you’re happy with how it’s looking.
7. Remove with oven mitts, garnish and serve on a (cold) plate.

I love breakfast. Strawberry & lemon no-sugar muffins.

In the sweet vs savory camp, I’m firmly in the latter. Yet with ‘Four punnets of strawberries for $4’ at the supermarket last week I found myself with a whole lot of berries and a breakfast to make … then inspiration took hold. These awesome strawberry and lemon muffins were the result – with ‘five stars’ delivered from Caitlin!

They have a lot of flavour – and no sugar – so they’re not even naughty. And they have a little spicy kick thanks to the pepper. (If you don’t know how well sweet and ‘heat’ can go together, you haven’t tried chilli chocolate. Go and buy some today to rectify this situation!)

I hope you enjoy these easy and tasty treats….and if you’re looking for savoury brekky inspiration, check out our corn and basil fritters recipe or easy vegetable and chorizo baked eggs.

Preparation time

10 minutes

Cooking time

15-20 minutes

Makes

8-10 muffins

Ingredients

• A punnet of strawberries
• 1 and a half cups of plain flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 cup of canola oil
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1 egg
• Finely grated rind (zest) of one lemon
• Half a cup of lemon juice
• Half a cup of splenda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• A teaspoon of white pepper

How to prepare

1. Turn on your oven to 180 degrees celcius and oil your muffin tin (I use non-stick spray).
2. Chop your strawberries into chunky pieces and grate the zest of the lemon.
3. Place the oil, milk, lemon juice and egg in a small bowl and mix together. Set aside.
4. Put the flower, baking powder, salt and pepper into a bowl and mix together. (The pepper seems odd, but trust me, it add that extra bit of spice to make these sign).
5. Mix through the stawberries and lemon zest.
6. Add in the liquids and mix it all together well.
7. Spread the mix in the tin recesses.
8. Bake for around 20 minutes – until the tops are lightly brown and they spring back from touch.
9. Remove from tin, allow to cool for 10 minutes – then serve and enjoy!

You can dust with icing sugar to serve – which technically makes them ALMOST no-sugar muffins. Don’t hold it against me.

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I love breakfast. Easy corn & basil fritters recipe.

My favourite meal of the day is breakfast. (This is surprising when you consider my favourite beverage is wine, but hey, I’m a woman of contradictions.)

I love eating breakfast out – but I really love cooking it if I have time. You feel you’re really starting the day right.

Mondays Caitlin and I meet to work on DailyInkling and it’s becoming a ritual that I cook us breakfast. So I thought I’d share my latest easy but super-tasty brain food recipe that will leave your tummy happy.

Preparation Time:

10 minutes

Cooking Time:

8-10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 can corn kernels (420gm)
• Around a third of a leek
• 1 small red capsicum, finely chopped
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup self-raising flour
• 1/2 cup chopped Fresh basil
• Salt & pepper to tast
• Olive Oil

Topping:

• 1 roma tomato
• 4-5 sundried tomatoes
• Reduced balsamic vinegar (to taste)

How to make:

To make the fritters, heat large non-stick frying pan to medium-high and drizzle with olive oil.

While the pan is heating, chop leek and red capsicum.

Then mix corn, leek and red capsicum together and season well with salt and pepper.

Add eggs and stir them through. Then add the flour and stir through well.

Drop a heaped tablespoon of mixture per fritter into frying pan, pressing down lightly.

Cook on one side for 2-3 minutes, then flip and cook the other side.

Chop the tomato and sundried tomatoes and then drizzle with reduced balsamic vinegar. Mix and add pepper if you like.

To serve, place the topping on each fritter – then eat and enjoy!