Vegan Comforting Cauliflower Soup

This has become one of my favorite recipes to make because it is delicious, nutritious and so easy! 

Ingredients:

• Head of Cauliflower
• 32oz vegetable stock
• Garlic powder
• Turmeric
• Ginger powder 
• Salt/pepper

Directions:

1. Wash, trim and cut cauliflower into smaller pieces 
2. Place cauliflower, vegetable stock in a big pot and boil until cauliflower is tender and cuts easily with a knife. 
3. Season soup with garlic, turmeric, ginger, salt and pepper to your liking. 
4. Add to your Viatmix, blender or use a immersion blender until creamy and smooth
5. Serve right away or let it cool and store in glass containers in the freezer for future meals! 

New Year's Day Practice

Words are powerful. But what's even more powerful is when you connect words to action. As you enter into 2017, I want to welcome you to think about one word -- or a few words, a phrase -- that you want to use as your 2017 power intention. 

Grounding myself with a word or short phrase is one of the most powerful tools I practice year after year. Instead of feeling overwhelmed with all the individual "things" I could do in 2017, it helps to create a personal statement of intention that supports me when making decisions and creating priorities. My word in 2015 was connect. Connect meant I was going to spend time connecting to myself, to my community, my clients, to Seattle and to my relationships. I used my empowering word to take action. Whenever I felt stuck, I re-rooted myself into my power intention to help guide the way. Selecting an empowering word or phrase is a great way to clarify and prioritize what your desires and wants are -- supporting you living and loving your life.

My phrase for 2016 was to spread my wings and fly. This was an empowering statement my mom said to me before she passed, and these empowering sentiments guided me this past year to follow my heart and my dreams. Looking back on 2016, I see how much my wings have spread and I have even more clarity on where I want to fly.

In 2017, I welcome the word abundance as my new year's power intention. I am excited to wear the lens of bounty and inclusivity. I am excited to grow and learn as I dive deeper into the wealth of knowledge available to me in my higher education programs this year, focusing specifically on meditation and facilitation. I am excited to turn my attention and focus to where there is shared love, light, and opportunity versus living with the notion 'there's-not-enough'.

What is your one word or phrase you want to embrace in 2017? Please share (in-person, in the comments below email, social media, snaps, grams, phone!). If you did this activity last year, take a moment to reflect and connect. See what dots aligned and what you might want to do differently this next year. 

Healthy for the Holidays Interview with Lady Boss Adrienne Kimberley

Check out this very grounded interview with entrepreneur, fitness and wellness guru, Adrienne Kimberley. My Wade a Minute takeaway from our conversation was how we get to practice staying healthy and centered for the holidays by focusing more of our energy on being rather than doing. Adrienne highlights how as women during the holidays we can typically get caught up in the doing: the organizing, the gathering, the cooking etc, and that it is also important to create space to just be and breathe. I couldn't agree more. Check out the rest of the interview, and you will feel so calm and so chill as you head into the holiday season.  

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Adrienne Kimberley is one of Seattle's most sought-out instructors. She is the founder of Bohemian Studios Phinney Ridge and West Seattle, she is the creator of and trainer for the Barre Bohemian method, and she designs and leads The Craft of Teaching Yoga RYT programs. Adrienne also co-founded the Down Dog App, which has over 200,000 users and receives around 2,000 new downloads every day.

Connect more with Adrienne www.adriennekimberley.com/training/
Instagram: @adrienne_kimberley_yoga
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adriennekimberleyyoga/
Instagram: @bohemianstudios
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bohemianstudios

Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Paleo Brownies

Luckily there was one left to snap a photo of!

I would say I tend to have weekly creative time in the kitchen -- where I get inspiration off of Pinterest to play with various flours and and chocolate (everything must have chocolate in my book) and make something delicious! I love my sweet treats and I love to bake, but I don't enjoy indulging in treats made from white flour or sugar, so I add healthy twists and substitute in almond flour, coconut flour, coconut sugar, maple syrup or honey as a way to make that indulgent treat even more satisfying but nutritious. I love making these treats and sharing them with loved ones or keeping them frozen and enjoying them throughout the week, I haven't made brownies this delicious since they came out of a Ghirardelli box. Check it out and let me know what you think. 

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp coconut flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
• 1 cup pumpkin pure
• 1 cup coconut sugar
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup 
• 1 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 350F
• In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients with an electric mixer, except for the chocolate chips 
• Stir in chocolate chips before transferring batter into a brownie pan 
• Bake for 25 minutes and then let cool completely before cutting into pieces. (If they are too hot they might be more crumbly, so it is best to let cool as long as you can resist). 

Recipe adapted from: http://www.paleorunningmomma.com/triple-chocolate-pumpkin-brownies-paleo-nut-free/

Healthy for the Holidays Interview with #LadyBoss Jenny Blake

I had such a great time interviewing Jenny Blake and learned how she stays healthy and centered for the holidays. My Wade a Minute takeaway is how important it is to give ourselves permission. Jenny discusses how she gives herself permission to listen to her body and stay true to what her body and energy wants versus what she "should be doing." I also love that Jenny emphasized the importance of giving herself permission to practice some self-care and enjoy her morning routine before jumping into emails because "work will always be there." For most Lady Bosses, that is a hard thing to do since we are such hard workers and go-getters, but as we know, if we are not taking care of ourselves first, then we are no help to anyone else. Check out all the other great tips and practices Jenny and I discuss in our interview below. (ps. she shares a bomb paleo recipe at the end). 

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Jenny Blake is an author, career and business strategist and international speaker who helps people organize their brain, move beyond burnout, and build sustainable, dynamic careers they love. Jenny is the author of PIVOT: The Only Move That Matters is Your Next One (Portfolio/Penguin Random House, September 2016), and Life After College (Running Press, 2011), which is based on her blog of the same name. With two years at a technology start-up as the first employee, five years at Google on the Training and Career Development teams, and over five years of running her own business, Jenny combines her love of technology with her superpower of simplifying complexity to help clients through big transitions — often to pivot their career or business.

Today you can find her at JennyBlake.me, where she explores systems at the intersection of mind, body and business. Jenny is based in New York City, where she imagines she’s starring in a movie whenever she walks through its crowded streets. Subscribe to the Pivot Podcast and follow her on Twitter @jenny_blake.

Healing

How are you feeling today?

Personally, I am struck by how hard I am taking the results to this election. My heart aches for our country in anticipation of the future... yet, when I pause to think and just be present in this discomfort and heartache, I realize I don’t actually know what the future holds. I can spend a lot of time getting anxious and worked up about the thought of ObamaCare being revoked or gay marriage rights and abortion laws dismantled, yet when I find my feet and come back to this moment and my breath, I realize I have no clue what will be. All I know and can do is take this moment to feel and acknowledge myself and be the change I want to see. So, I want to invite you to join me as I feel and acknowledge our individual and collective emotions.

Give yourself permission to experience what is true and alive in this moment. Express yourself, instead of numbing the sensations with booze, food, or TV. Take a moment to practice any or all of these self-expression techniques so that you can learn to let your emotions move you forward versus hold you back. Remember, you get to take personal responsibility of how you show up in your community and your world. 

- - -
 

Journal - Take as much or as little time as you want to sit down and be with your journal. Ask yourself the prompt: “What is alive in me in this moment?” Keep your pen to the page the whole time and let the thoughts and emotions roll through you onto the page.

Dance - Dancing is a great form of physical self-expression. Whether you lock yourself in a room by yourself or join a class, take that space and place to process the energy that is alive and true for you. My current fav song to bust a move to.
 
Connect - Make a conscious choice to reach out to your community and connect. Whether that is a phone call or an in-person meet up, share your feelings and connect with someone who will listen, acknowledge and support you.
 
Meditate - Maybe you are craving more solo time to just be with yourself, to breathe and feel your emotions and notice your thoughts without judgment or external noise. Try setting aside at least 20 minutes to be still. Taking some quiet space for you to hear yourself on a deeper level could be just what the doctor ordered. Meditations to check out. 
 
Nature Walk - Spend an hour in nature and notice the beauty that is still alive in the world. Taking this mindful nature walk creates a place to think and feel as you take each step and breathe in fresh air. Getting outside helps connect us to mother nature and the wisdom and knowledge that lies in the greater world around us.

Let me know what you decide to practice by emailing me or tagging a friend in a social media shoutout. As always, I am here to support you, so feel free to reach out for more connection.

Lots of love & healing energy,
Wade

Healthy for the Holidays Interview with Lady Boss Arielle Haspel

Loved chatting with Arielle Haspel about how she practices staying healthy and centered during the Holidays. Arielle shared so many great nuggets of wisdom about how to say YES to the events you really want to go to, savor your food without overindulging, and host with lots of love & grace.  My Wade a Minute takeaway is how important it is to ground yourself before an event or party and feel good in your body first, before getting distracted by the external stimulus and/or any monkey-mind thoughts. That way, when you show up to the party, you feel good from the inside out and are more likely to make more conscious and intentional choices in tune with the energetic vibration you want to feel. Arielle shares some great, simple ways to do just that. Check out the whole interview and leave your comments below! 

Check out her favorite holiday and seasonal recipes here: http://www.bewellwitharielle.com/blog

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Arielle Haspel is a dynamic Healthy Lifestyle, Nutrition and Entertaining Expert and Public Speaker.  

She is the host of healthy cooking shows, “Treat Yourself” on Glamour Magazine and “Clean Eating” onHealthination. She is also a weekly contributor for Glamour Magazine.

Arielle has appeared on national television shows and in national magazines, including The Doctor Oz Show,NBC’s Today in New York, ELLE, Glamour, People, Seventeen, Women’s Health and WellandGood. 

She is the spokesperson for elite brands in the wellness space and speaks regularly at events and for corporate companies.

She is also the creator of Be Well Events, a series of seasonal cooking classes and wellness gatherings for women. Arielle hosts private cooking classes and creates healthy, delicious and easy-to-make recipes for busy, professional women at BeWellwithArielle.com

Healthy for the Holidays Interview with Lady Boss Loren Brill

My Wade a Minute takeaway after speaking with Loren Brill was how she practices balance during the holidays. For Loren, balance is about making things delicious, abundant and indulgent--in and out of the kitchen--while not sacrificing a healthier approach. 

Balance is obviously a huge focus of mine. Many of my clients are torn in our "all or nothing" society. Yet there are so many ways to live in the realm of "both/and" where we don't have to restrict or deprive ourselves. Loren's ability to be mindful of her mind and body's energy levels inform her decisions. Do I network again tonight? Make plans or go home and rest up? It's important to remember that we can enjoy the deliciousness of life yet not hold onto the guilt of setting boundaries or making choices. Check out the whole interview below and share your comments!

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Want to know where you can find Sweet Loren's closets to you? Check out their store locator: http://sweetlorens.com/store-locator/ {find the best all-natural cookie dough in the refrigerated section} 

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Loren Brill is a 31-year old, New York City-based healthy lifestyle advocate. She is the Founder & CEO of Sweet Loren's, a cookie company founded on the promise of delicious taste and only natural ingredients.  In her early twenties, Loren was faced with and overcame cancer, which was ultimately the catalyst for the creation of Sweet Loren’s - with the goal of providing wholesome delicious treats and ingredients you can feel good about eating. Shortly following the start of the company, Loren won The Next BIG Small Brand for Culinary Genius and People's Choice Award, 2011. She was chosen as Marie Claire’s Top Entrepreneur in the Women on Top Awards, 2012. Additionally, Loren has been featured on NBC’s The Today Show, Rachael Ray Magazine, Vanity Fair and appeared in a Microsoft commercial for use of their products in small businesses. This organic, naturally occurring press has accelerated the launch and growth of the brand while proving the concept that the country is ready for more natural, better-for- you products.

Loren is a food blogger for The Huffington Post and a contributor to AOL's Kitchen Daily. She is a graduate of the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Southern California. Loren is a certified Hatha Yoga instructor and tri-athlete. She completed the Master Class in Cooking at The New School and studied with The Natural Gourmet Institute. Loren is committed to building a brand of better-for- you sweets; supporting female entrepreneurship; and inspiring delicious, healthy, balanced lifestyles.

Healthy for the Holidays Interview with #LadyBoss Krista Petty Raimer

Krista shared so many great tips in our conversation about how we get to practice realistic self-care during the craziness of the holidays. My Wade a Minute takeaway is that we get caught up in the superficial details of how we "should look" or what the table decorations "should be" instead of focusing our energy on how we want to show up. It is all about finding and creating meaningful connection so we don't stuff our faces or numb our emotions. Check out the full interview below and share your comments about what resonates with you!

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Coach. Trainer. Evocateur. Possibilitarian.  Krista believes there is an innate wisdom in the body that can open us to greater possibilities of living, loving and learning.  Through her body-centered coaching, she is passionate about championing others to move beyond limitations and live a life they love!  She has devoted her skills and talents to creating experiential learning environments that evoke the depth and greater dimensions of human being.  This is her life's work. What an amazing dance!  Krista Petty Raimer is the CEO and Founder of Boldly Embody Life.  She lives in Seattle, WA and brings her power-house coaching and phenomenal workshops to various cities and countries around the world.  

Discover more about Krista and her offerings: boldlyembodylife.com

Krista's current song: Secret Garden: Sigma

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3 Easy Tasks to Help Prep your Space and your Energy Before a Trip

Photo credit can be found here

The summer and fall months are for playing, traveling and being outdoors before winter sets in. We are constantly jetting in and out of our home for weddings, vacations, trips with friends or work travel. The packing, re-packing, laundry and the desire to have a stocked fridge haunt the “pre-trip to-do list.” In order to help you make the post-trip transition a lot easier, add these three simple tasks to your pre-trip regime.  When you can transition back from a trip with ease, you reduce the pain of a vacation hangover and can enter into your workweek feeling more grounded and energized.

1.     Clean your sheets before you leave

There is nothing better then coming home from traveling or camping and jumping into your clean, comfortable bed. Make an effort to wash your sheets before you leave so you can transition back into your routine with more ease and comfort. Instead of laundry becoming another “to-do” on your list, multi-task while you pack. If you end up having to stay up a bit longer because you are waiting for the sheets to dry, don’t fret. The wait will be oh so worth it when you return from your trip to a great night’s sleep.

2.     Clear out the fridge

I am a huge fan and believer in knowing what is stocked in your fridge at all times, but especially when you are leaving town for more than two nights. Make sure to clean out your fridge and discard anything that might go rancid while you are gone. There is nothing worse than coming home to a smelly fridge that has no edible food. Also, a pro tip is to make sure there is some food that will stay fresh in the fridge while you are gone so that you can come home and have something to munch on in case of a hanger attack. For instance, unopened turkey meat, canned tuna fish, a box of lettuce will usually last a week, eggs, carrots or even cabbage. You can also freeze most forms of leftovers lingering in your fridge so you don’t have to feel guilty for wasting food. The important thing is to ditch anything questionable so you don’t have a rude odor welcoming you home.

3.     Clear the Clutter

Before leaving for a trip, try to tidy up and remove scraps of paper, mail, notes, books etc that you find laying around on tabletops or shelves. It doesn’t have to be a deep clean, but 10 minutes of organization can go a long way. Removing the clutter will create a more fluid, creative and welcoming vibe when you return home. When your space is clear, all you will need to focus on is unpacking your bag and doing laundry versus thinking: “oh boy, I have to clean all of this up in addition to laundry and feeling unorganized for my work-week ahead.” If you just don’t have the time to actually deal with each item, throw them all into a single box or pile that you can deal with when you get home.

Home should be a place you want to return to. Mindfully planning ahead helps you make yourself a priority so you can breathe easier. Give your space some love and attention before you leave with these simple tips so that you are welcomed back into your home with open arms.

What to Harvest Vs. Let go?

Follow me @Wadebrill for stories of harvesting vs. letting go this month

I can’t believe I am saying ‘Happy September!’ Wow did this summer fly on by. When you transition from the high energy of summer to a slower pace, walking down the street with a pumpkin latte, wearing your bomber jackets, it is only natural that your rhythms and routines change. As you welcome in a new season, ask yourself: What are you ready to harvest and enjoy and what are you ready to let go of?

Just like the farmer’s markets this time of year flow with an abundance of yumminess that took all summer to grow, you too have been planting seeds and working hard (even if you don’t realize it). Fall is the time to become aware of what you want to harvest and enjoy/store for winter or what you are ready to say goodbye to, just like the leaves that will fall off the trees.

Both harvesting and letting go can be challenging for different reasons. For instance, a lot of my clients have a hard time celebrating their growth, beauty and their life’s deliciousness. They think they don’t deserve it or the “harvest” isn’t ready because it is not perfect enough. Sound familiar?  I know I used to feel that way about the book I wrote. I wasn’t “ready” to send it out to publishers and agents because that voice of not being perfect constantly buzzed in my ears. I then realized I can’t keep growing and evolving if I am not reaping the benefits of what I produce, so I changed my frame of mind and said ‘yes’ and ‘thank you’ to my beautiful harvest. And now I am currently in contact with a few publishers… crazy how the universe works.

Letting go. Letting go is really fucking hard to do. When I start to work with clients, I often witness them hold on to toxic energy because they don’t know how to manage their emotions and feel in control of their reactions. Instead, they lash out, shut down or they get stuck in the past—memories of painful relationships or devastating experiences are common. When we practice letting go, it doesn’t mean we have to pretend those hurtful events never happened or you never felt pain. Instead, you start to practice detaching that emotion from your current experience so the emotion is still real and raw, but the emotion doesn’t have to dictate how you respond or react. The emotion doesn’t have to define you. So, think about your own life and experiences. What ideas, past events or current beliefs are you ready to let go of? Remember, letting go is a continual practice, not perfect.

In order to help you decide what you want to harvest and what you want to let go of, I have a bunch of amazing tools and supports that I am so excited to share with you this fall! They are all geared towards supporting you making yourself a priority in your life.

The first tool I want to share with you is my NEW Tap-in Express Workbook. There are 25 pages of empowering & enlightening questions for an at-home, self study. Make doing the inner work a priority so you can grow into fall. Also, stay connected with me on Snapchat (@Wadebrill) this month as I will be sharing stories of ways I am enjoying my fall harvest and things I am ready to ditch and say goodbye to. 

WTF is Self-Care

When you read the words “self-care,” what do you think of?  Spa treatment? Weight-loss? Exercise?  I define self-care not with one word, but with a collection of five: Mind, Fuel, Movement, Space & Renewal.

Self-care is about how you mentally treat yourself, what you feed yourself, the way you move your body, the space you choose to be in and how you restore your energy.

We are holistic, multifaceted creatures who live in a complex world.  We are a reflection of our reality, the world we’ve chosen and created. I love helping my clients wake up from their sleep-walking habits and routines to take an all-inclusive picture of what is and isn’t working in their life. Self-care is about helping them pause to think about how they are prioritizing their self first so that they feel fully alive and energized, are able to give to others, and can do what they love. When you are running on low batteries, it is hard to show up and support your partner, co-worker, friend or even have the energy to be creative and passionate about your own projects! You may find yourself lashing out because you are irritable, sleep deprived or fueling yourself with crappy food, which in turn, perpetuates your draining cycle. When you notice you can’t seem to escape from that sensation of constantly running up hill, it might mean it’s time for a self-care tune-up.

Practicing self-care was what healed me during and after chemotherapy. Without prioritizing my own needs I would have never had the energy or passion to follow my heart and do what I love. I felt unhappy, had low energy and felt I couldn’t do anything right. Practicing self-care gave me strength, a positive outlook on life, deeper love and appreciation for my body, more awareness of my tribe and knowledge of how to fuel my life. It all started by committing to myself, shifting my mind-set, finding community and taking powerful and purposeful action

The flight attendant saying is true: “be sure to adjust your own oxygen mask before helping others.” When you aren’t breathing—when you’re not taking care of yourself—you are no help to yourself or anyone around you. So ask yourself: Am I breathing? Is my breath deep enough to truly feel my best?  To truly feel alive and thriving?

My self-care practices shift, but I have a few staples I consciously incorporate into my daily being.

1.     Meditating

2.     Eating lots of vegetables

3.     Walking a lot (it’s my principal mode of transportation)

4.     Drinking lots of water (preferable with lemon)

5.     Making eye contact with others

6.     Morning gratitude

7.     Journaling

8.     Eight hours of sleep

9.     Seeing friends

10. Talking/spending time with family

The more I dive deeper into understanding my self-care practices, the more I notice the importance of striking a balance between scheduling certain non-negotiable staples into my day (i.e. actions from my list of 10) and working to stay present and tuned into my body’s needs. I notice that when I don’t practice meditating or don’t move my body, my whole energy and demeanor feel off.  My self-care staples keep me breathing and aligned—full of life and energy to give back to my community and world around me.

So what are your self-care staples that keep you breathing? Brainstorm your ten daily staples in the comments below or feel free to email me and share!  If you’re saying to yourself:  “oh shit,… what are my daily staples?” then reach out to me for more support.

Life is too short to allow yourself to not breath fully. Take a moment to make yourself a priority and decide how you get to give yourself some extra love and attention everyday without guilt or shame.

It is Time to Celebrate! For Spring, for Birthdays and for Life!

Celebrating is an important part of life that we sometimes forget to do, oftentimes because, once we hit our goal or cross a task off our list, we jump right to the next challenge. Does that sound familiar? Or time goes by so fast that we don’t pause to acknowledge how far we have come and all that we have accomplished. Instead, we keep our attention geared on how far we still have to go or all the never-ending tasks that we still have left to do!

I know I’m guilty.  For instance, I just celebrated a birthday a few days ago and took some alone time to reflect. I cuddled up in the sun with my journal and dove into my being-ness. I realized that as I began the next year of my life, my mind kept returning to all that’s missing and how far I still am away from my ideal life. My mind raced to how my career isn’t where I thought it would be at this age, my friendships could be stronger, how I wish that I’d taken that cool Ayurvedic course or that my health isn’t just a little better.  I observed my mind spin, spiraling into thoughts of doubt, sadness and lack-of. This only occurred for a few minutes, but it felt like an eternity.  

Instead of getting sucked into the vortex of my negative self-talk, I practiced my SELF (Stop, Exhale, Listen, Focus) method to combat these destructive thoughts. I said to myself, “ STOP, Wade.” I EXHALED loudly out of my mouth to release tension/toxicity. I LISTENED to my body and mind, and then I FOCUSED on the facts.  I focused on the fact that it is my fucking birthday and I get to celebrate me instead of attacking myself. Thank goodness, my SELF-method kicked in because I realized my self-talk was being the “Debbie-downer” of my birthday.  I had the opportunity to snap out of it and switch my thinking and celebrate instead of having a pity party! I was able to focus on the facts this year and celebrate all that I have done, seen, tried, learned, tasted and experienced. I celebrated the fact that my business has grown. I bought a house last summer. I have a growing, loving community in Seattle. I hit my five year clear-of-cancer marker. I am partnering with Whole Foods on some cool workshops. Centered in the City is flourishing. I am the Director of Pilates at a fabulous gym. I am deepening my meditation practice. I have a loving and supportive partner, loving friends from all over and my family and I are still close despite our distance…the list could go on!

There are so many things in life to celebrate and be grateful for, and it can sometimes be hard to remember that. The way we talk to ourselves has a huge impact on how we take care of ourselves and how we show up in our lives, hindering out ability to boldly live.  Celebrating doesn’t just have to be because of a holiday. Instead, every moment is an opportunity to change your thinking and celebrate! Notice how much more energy and enthusiasm you will have in your life, relationships, career and experiences.

So what are you celebrating? Celebrate and dance with me in my monthly Wade a Minute video!

Realizing you want more support in the realm of self-care? You don’t have to do it alone! Apply to my virtual Summer of Self-Care 7-week program. Get ready to drop the toxicity in your life, feel balanced and have energy for the life you want to live!

StartsMonday June 6th-July 24th 6:30PT/ 930ET.  Click Here to learn more. 

Rainbow Salad

I love cooking with color! The idea of fueling my body with a variety of vegetables that have a variety of nutrients gets me so excited! Not only do I love hydrating my cells with vegetables, but I love the concept of keeping my body strong from the inside out. One of my favorite ways to make a salad (or any dish for that matter) is to tap into my inner artist and use color for inspiration! There are no real rules or directions with a Rainbow Salad, but all you get to do is make a rainbow by using as many colored vegetables that you have in your fridge.

In this salad, I used mixed greens, red cabbage, red peppers, a shredded golden beet  and shredded carrots. Shredding the beets and carrots helps to bring out the sweetness in the vegetables and also adds a softer texture to the salad when there is already some crunch thanks to the cabbage and red peppers.  

Garden Dressing (my measurements are not exact since I use my intuition to create). 

In a blender I combined:

• 1 garlic clove
• 1/4 tsp mustard seed (seedy mustard would also work!)
• 2 pinches of dried thyme
• 2 pinches of dried basil
• few celery seeds
• salt
• pepper

What are your favorite recipes that use a lot of color? Share below! 

Green Smoothie Time

Here is a simple recipe for those mornings you want a quick veggie fueled bfast to help jump start your day. 

In a Viatmix or quality blender add all of the ingredients until fully mixed. 

Ingredients: (Serves 2 people. Cut in half to make for 1)

• 1 ripe banana
• 2 big handfulls of spinach
• hand full of frozen mango slices (~1/2 cup)
• ~1/3 cup frozen strawberries
• 1 TBS chia seeds 
• 1 TBS hemp seeds
• 3 cups water

So smooth, creamy and delicious! Careful to not drink it too fast so your body has time to digest all of the nutrients. 

Emotional Hygiene

Post meditation cry/glow session 

This past weekend, my business sista, Kellye, and I traveled to Whidbey Island for an all day silent meditation retreat. I had no idea what to expect. I was meeting new meditation teachers and meditating in a new space with a new group of people. The excitement and curiosity of the day ended with me in tears. These tears don’t signify I had an awful experience, instead, they signify the raw emotions that were alive inside of me.  

Oh man, I have not cried like that in so long. Slowing down to sit in silence, to connect deeper to myself and to the world, unleashed pain and sadness that I didn’t realize resided so deep within me still. As mindful as I try to be and as often as I meditate, I had never experienced such a rush of emotions. One of the principals of meditation is to maintain a beginner’s mind—to be curious in the moment and not assume or judge. So, as emotionally mindful as I thought I was, I re-learned that coming back to my meditation practice always gets to open up new messages or signs. Each time I experience pain, sadness, joy or love, I get to be curious with it. Investigate and make space to explore it.

This Saturday, the sadness and heartache of missing my mom showed its face loud and clear. I know this pain will never disappear, but I realized that I don’t let myself cry for her often. I realized, when I am moved to cry for her, I quickly try to “shut up” my tears so that I can be strong and keep going and get shit done because that is the American way. But if I don’t recognize my emotions when they come up, they get stuck in my body.  They take up space and energy that could be used for more supportive resources.

It’s interesting because its something I see in my clients all of the time. They are so busy and goal-oriented that they don’t create the space in their day or week to feel what they are feeling and release it. Out of habit, they often choose to numb themselves and push the emotions deeper into their body. It can be easy to have a few glasses of wine, overindulge in food, stay occupied by social media or schedule so tightly so as to not have “time” to acknowledge emotions and properly release them. Going to yoga weekly may help; running might be a quick release, but being curious about the emotion is necessary to understand, process and eventually release it.

For both my clients and myself, I enforce the practice of emotional hygiene because I recognize it is key to de-cluttering life so there is more energy for the things we love. Some of my favorite ways to practice emotional hygiene are to journal, talk to a support system like a coach or therapist, meditate or have a creative outlet. My current personal declaration of emotional hygiene is to give my self-permission to cry without forcing myself to stop. And when I say cry, I mean big, ugly tears that might leave my eyes puffy and red.  The idea of letting myself feel sad doesn’t sound like the most fun thing in the world, but I know I will be stronger for it. Otherwise, that tightness in my chest and sorrow in my heart will always linger and hold me down.

What aspect of emotional hygiene do you want to practice? What can you give yourself permission to do? If you want more support creating an emotional hygiene practice, reach out to me here to schedule a time to connect. This is one of the most important tasks of self-care we can practice.