We’re half way there!

Alright guys, I want you all to take a second and sing the chorus of Bon Jovi’s Living on a Prayer with me because we are officially half way through a year of breakfasts here at Naked and Eggs! This project has been such a fun and nourishing way to make sure that I am taking care of me first. If you are someone who is prone to prioritizing others needs above your own I highly suggest you carve out some non-negotiable time in the morning just for you. Every day.. And put a egg on it! Wake up, look in the mirror and ask yourself how you feel and what you want. Going into each day knowing what you want saves time. I have also noticed that creates less space in your life for other people who do not know what they want. What a gift! So today I am feeling accomplished and I want EGGS and Bon Jovi on blast! 182 days down.. 182 day to go!

P.S. I am 100% positive that if I had not been sober this entire time I would have given up on this project long ago.. I would have woken up feeling like steaming trash and not had the energy or desire to make myself something beautiful to eat. I would have ordered a taco (outsourcing my self care) and eaten it in bed… I do not miss that.

Day 182: Cheesy egg with sautéed kale, potatoes, bell pepper, shi-shi’s (shishito peppers) scallions and tomato confit. Berries on the side.

DID YOU KNOW… Blueberries have the ability to control the release of cortisol in your body? That is the stress hormone that is produced by the adrenal gland during stressful moments. It travels to the hippocampus and unleashes an emotional response (aka potential freak out). Blueberries help in controlling this hormones impact on your mood. Keeping you calm and relaxed. So eat up!

Overwhelmed..

Damn y’all.. Yesterday was an emotional day for me. 24 hours of reflective celebration will do that. I was caught off guard and truly overwhelmed by all the response to my one year soberversary. It had me blushing, honestly. All the comments, messages, texts, phone calls and even kind words from several people I ran into at the farmers market. It blew me away! So, thank you for your support.. for being my community.. for cheering me on. Y’all totally, 100%, completely rule. I’m am forever grateful. If you are struggling with sobriety reach out to someone. Times are strange and incredibly challenging. There’s no shame in falling off. Get back up. Fuhk shame.

I mentioned that moving forward I would be focusing more on nutrition in recovery. I will be covering more than simply what to eat. We will discuss some ways to nourish your energetic body as well. We will take a look at how WHAT we eat greatly effects our mental state. HOW we feed ourselves and the way it effects our sense of self worth and how sometimes looking into WHY we eat a certain way can help us heal our emotional wounds. So, please stick around, click subscribe and if you know someone in recovery please share this with them. Once again, I am forever and ever grateful.

Day 179: Quinoa, tomato and pepper confit, pesto-mole (recipe to follow) + 6 minute egg.

Pesto-mole:
I like this treat for people in recovery because.. It is high in Omega 3 fatty acids which help us fight anxiety and depression while reducing the frequency of mood swings. It can also combat autoimmune disease. Which, substance abuse has been implicated in many autoimmune disorders.

Pesto-Mole is simply pesto mixed with avocado so.. we gotta make pesto! We are going the classic route today but we will explore other options in the future.

You are going to need…

• ½ cup pine nuts

• 3 oz. Parmesan, grated (about ¾ cup)

• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated

• 6 cups basil leaves (about 3 bunches)

• ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 tsp. kosher salt

• Toast nuts on a baking sheet at 350° for 5-7 minutes. You will want to toss them nuts once halfway through. Take them out when they are golden.

• Cool them down. This is important. The cheese and basil want nothing to do with your hot nuts. Things will melt and oxidize and you will be sad.

• Throw them in the food processor. Add garlic and cheese. Pulse until finely ground, 1 minute or so. Add basil. With the top on and the motor running, add your oil. Slow and steady here. You want a consistent stream so it emulsifies. Dump all the oil in at once and you will have a sloshy mess. Blend until pesto is mostly smooth, with just a few green flecks here and there, about a minute. Salt to taste.

• Now that you’ve got pesto… grab a large avocado. Pit it. Mash it up. Add 3-4 Tbsp of pesto and fold it in. Huzzah! Now you’ve got pesto-mole.

This stuff will stay happy in the fridge for a long while if you top off the finished product with a 1/4 inch of olive oil to keep it from oxidizing.

..existentially punked..

During my morning meditation I had many more intrusive thoughts than usual. I was on the verge of yelling “quiet down now!” But I have never been the kind of person who shuts up on demand so.. I sat there just letting my mind run it’s mouth. It reminded me of the anxiety I used to feel when I was hungover. Yuck. Thought after thought in a wheel.. I was trying to give myself a break. Things have been stressful lately. Everything is so up in the air right now. Literally and figuratively. Day by day I feel like I have less control. Within the hour, as I was cleaning out a drawer and I came across a note I had scribbled who knows when, it read..

“The quality of your life is directly related to the amount of uncertainty you can comfortably live with..”

WTF.. I would be lying if I said it didn’t creep me out a little. It was too on the nose. I mean, I looked over my shoulder. It felt like I was being existentially punked. I decided to steer clear of the other drawers as I was uncertain as to what other poignant truths lurked inside of them. Just as I felt my spirit sink from reading this timely message the little voice in my head said “wait a minute.. I LOVE UNCERTAINTY!” I would even go as far as to say I get off on it. Historically I have been bored nearly to death by the predictable. In fact “predictable” was once one of my favorite insults to sling around. So one of two things is happening here. Either the level of uncertainty has reached critical mass OR I have some how forgotten who The Fuhk I AM. I’m going with the latter. I can manage a perspective shift but have little control at the moment over all this external mayhem.

I am curious though.. What perspective shift would benefit you right now?

Day 175: Coconut milk yogurt with watermelon tossed in lime, mint, basil and serranos + strawberries, bloobs, crunchy quinoa, chia and nasturtium flowers.

Quarantine Breakout

I truly believe that damn near anything can be fixed with food. Even adult acne. Recently my skin has been breaking out. Am I alone? I blame the usual suspects. Stress, hormones and.. if I’m being honest, my sugar battle rages on. I want that sweet stuff! After all, ice cream in the tub may as well count as sex in these dark times of social distancing. I am human. I have needs. However, my skin has spoken up to let me know it needs me to dial it back on the chocolate chip cookie dough and crowd it out with nutrient dense treats. A solution I can manage and enjoy. My top picks? Mango and blueberries. They help regulate my hormones while pleasing my insatiable sweet tooth. Avocado for it’s world of antioxidants like B-carotene, lecithin, and linoleic acid that helps moisturize from within. Kimchi (my go to fermented food) has stellar amounts of omega 3’s and vitamin A, boosting hydration, preventing acne and staving off the aging process.. so I don’t look like a 900 year old teenager when it’s time to emerge from my apartment. You can save yourself some much needed cash right now by skipping the many topical skincare products that promise rejuvenation by just switching up what you eat. Killing two birds with one stone and saving face at the same time.

Day 104: Avocado, kimchi, mango, bloobs, sunflower sprouts, Briggs amino’s and seeds (chia, hemp hearts, sunflower and pepitas.