A lovely reminder..

I am not generally a rule person but I believe that one should always leave a note. It was something my parents did and it stuck with me. As I was working out this morning I came to see my tattoos as littles notes I have left for myself over the years. There are a few that really mean a lot me. Both lovely little reminders of who/ where I have been in this life. One of them I got in sobriety.. the other is from the beginning of my heaviest drinking. They usually live tucked away under my clothes but I thought I’d share them since their messages help me every day and well.. who doesn’t love a good tattoo? About 9 years ago my friend Larissa and I went down to get a “bro tat” (that thing where you and your bro have matching tattoos). The tattoo shop was conveniently stacked on top of our favorite bar. We got poked and then went downstairs to drink all the tequila. While I am done with tequila this tattoo lives forever on my chest - above my heart. A litter German autobahn sign that basically means ‘Drive what you got as fast as you can, just keep it on the road’ or as I like to say ‘shiny side up, rubber side down’. My life was chaotic and reckless at the time but I wasn’t miserable or questioning my drinking yet. I was only getting started. There are no regrets about getting this tattoo. I am still in love with it, it’s message and the woman I share it with. It serves as a daily reminder as to how far I’ve come and encourages me to keep going. Shiny side - rubber side down. The other is much larger and personal, so it’s placed on my ribs. The most tender place I could think of. It speaks to transformation, the beauty within it and protection. The ouroboros eating it’s own tail, the journey back to yourself.. Death, birth and resurrection. The thorny rose in full bloom reminds me that nothing is simply one thing. It is delicate and savage. Fragile and able to defend it’s self. The rose has good boundaries. No regrets with this one either - despite the fact that it hurt like hell. Ten out of ten - would do again.

Do you have any tattoos related to your sobriety?  Tell me everything!

Deck the halls…

Day 350: Reality Check Hot Cocoa

With Poly-phe-nols! Fa-la-la-la-la la la la la.

Merry Christmas y’all! I woke up this morning after some lovely sleeping in and decided that it felt like a brunch kind of day. Instead of breakfast I made myself a hot cocoa. It’s something festive that I love but you can’t find it in the wild without a lifetime of added sugar. That is a bummer for me, my nervous system, my skin and anyone who might have to suffer my sugar high. I make a pretty stellar cup of cocoa so I thought I’d share the recipe and give you some reasons to up your cocoa intake this holiday season. Whether you are spending the day without family and feeling a touch disconnected or you are with them right now and they are making you cuckoo f*cking bananas - I want you to know a couple of things.. 1. I totally feel you and I think you’re doing a good job. 2. Chocolate helps. Before you feel tempted to reach for some egg nog or mulled wine - I’d like to remind you that alcohol is a known depressant and will likely cause you to say something shitty at dinner. Chocolate on the other hand has been found to boost serotonin levels due to its tryptophan content. Serotonin is the happiness hormone. It enables your brain and nervous system to communicate with each other. It also helps with sleeping, eating, and digestion - which comes in handy when there is gravy and toasted marshmallows on damn near everything. While we are talking about boosting things.. chocolate stimulates your immune system and we all need a little bit of that right now. That immune boost also improves your complexion and your oral hygiene (so long as your chocolate isn’t paired with a truck load of sugar). Chocolate is also a fantastic source of polyphenols - an antioxidant packed macronutrient found in plants that has been shown to help treat neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and even weight issues. If polyphenols sound familiar to you it’s probably because someone was trying to make a case for wine by saying something like ‘red wine is good for your heart. It’s got poly-blah-blah-nols’…. And that’s true. Wine does have a lot of polyphenols but it is also flammable, inflammatory and can cause you to forget words such as polyphenols. So, I’d say it cancels itself out. Do you want a cup of cocoa yet? Make extra for the fam if there around. It lowers your risk of stroke and can decrease your risk of cancer. It will have your chaotic family feeling calm and content plus everyone will think you’re a gem for bringing them a cup.

Here’s how I take mine.. I call it a Reality Check because the flavor profile is pure and direct since it is not railroaded by a bunch of processed sugar. The mint makes me feel clear, fresh and focused. And the chocolate.. it helps me feel calm and aware of how good life honestly is.

Reality Check Hot Cocoa
this recipe is for one since I am spending the holiday alone. Adjust as needed.

2 cups milk (sippers choice)
2 Sprigs of mint - pull the leaves off the stems
2 pitted medjool dates
1 1/2 Tbl of high quality cocoa powder
2 tsp maple syrup
1 Tbl coconut cream

Heat your milk on the stove (watch it so it doesn’t boil over) let the mint and dates steep in the milk for 5 minutes. Add the cocoa powder and maple syrup then blend all of it - dates and mint leaves too - with an immersion blender (or whatever gadget you use to blend things). Top it off with a dollop of coconut cream. Huzzah!

Ritual

A big part of addiction is ritual. The happy hour and the nightcap. The uncorking of a wine bottle. The salt, tequila, lime. Crushing an empty beer can. Flipping a cigarette in a new box of smokes because it’s “lucky”.. These little acts serve to reassure us and create stability. To bridge the past and the present. To give us sacred moments in the mundanity of our day to day. Applied to the wrong stuff and these sacred moments can hurt us. Over time we unconsciously glorify hurting ourselves and then I t becomes part of who we are. These rituals can be so hard to let go of as there is a romance to them. The memories of them play out in our mind like a soft porn, rosy, dream sequence with perfect lighting - without the reality of consequence. In recovery it can haunt us though. Especially if we do not take the time to craft new rituals. For me personally, when it gets cold I get nostalgic about an evening cigarette outside, with a book and a glass of red wine in the dark brisk air. When I got curious about the desire I found I liked the coziness between the contrast of warm and cool sensations. Because I am forever a person who wants it both ways, apparently. So I started drawing nightly baths with a dose of magnesium. I read in the tub and then finish with a cool shower - for contrast, to have it both ways. The magnesium is not only great for my skin but it makes my muscles feel amazazing and soothes my nervous system, bringing the day to a close… it gets bonus points for creating zero headaches and not making me smell like an ashtray.

I mentions magnesium quite a bit because it is imperative to a healthy functioning body. Most of it lives in our bones but it is found in every cel of our being and having a magnesium deficiency (which 50% of Americans are believed to be lacking) can really leave our bodies and minds limping.
Over imbibing on the reg and the poor diet that comes with it often leads to magnesium deficiency. This is why chronic alcoholics often end up with osteoporosis. It also causes high blood pressure, arrhythmia, anxiety, apathy, depression, muscle twitches, cramps and over all fatigue. So.. bathe in it and get it on to your plate. Some of my favorite sources include:

• Dark chocolate

• Pumpkin seeds

• Quinoa

• Avocado

• Spinach

• Cashews

• Almonds

• BATHS - Magnesium bath flakes are made from magnesium chloride which is different than Epsom salts. They contain magnesium sulfate. Although both are a form of magnesium, magnesium chloride is much better suited for topical application. Magnesium chloride is the best choice because of its clinical and pharmacological effects, and its lower tissue toxicity as compared to magnesium sulfate. Magnesium chloride is more easily assimilated, and therefore more bioavailable or absorbed and utilized by the body.

Day 318: baked sweet potato with kimchi, avocado, sunflower sprouts, a soft boiled egg and some bloobs.

Give a little

If you’re out shopping or clicking through free shipping offers take a second this give a little to your local food bank or shelter. A lot of people go without during the holidays and this year has more of us down and out. I keep reading about how severe food scarcity has become during this pandemic and it’s just unreal. In a country where 40% of the food is wasted it’s heart breaking to read that our food banks are struggling to meet the needs of its community. Together we can do something about that. Check out FeedingAmerica.org to find a food bank in your area and give them whatever you can.

Day 309: Brown rice cakes with almond butter, bananas, bloobs, pumpkin seeds and cocao nibs.

Next Level

Day 299: sautéed Kale, scallions, garlic and cherry tomatoes from my mother’s garden with a 6 minute egg.

This weekend a Berkey moved into my life. It’s kind of a big deal! This thing is the Rolls-Royce of water filters. I have wanted one for a long time and now.. I want for nothing! If you are unfamiliar with the berkey water system - allow me to familiarize you. It removes lead, mercury, chlorine, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, heavy metals and fluoride.. ya know - so I can drink water that is simply water. It will purify 6,000 gallons of water before I need to replace the filter. So convenient! Christmas came early this year - Huzzah! I am stoked and very happily hydrated. It’s funny... I have officially gone from being a girl who once handed a glass of water back to a bartender (after he refused to give me another shot of tequila) and yelled “I said I was thirsty, not dirty” across the bar - to being a girl who’s big weekend event was setting up her new water filtration system. I was once The Worst. Now I am very well hydrated and able to laugh at myself. We really can change.

Day 298: A smoothie of a different color.. I was driving blind on this one a little bit. Everything went in, Kale, banana, sweet potato, peanut butter, bloobs, cashews, goji berries, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds tulsi, chaga, rhodiola, wheatgrass and ashwagandha and almond milk. The sweet potato made the texture a little weird but I’ll definitely give it another go. My with coconut milk next time.

Airplane Mode

Friday night was spent celebrating International Self-Care Day. I put my phone on airplane mode, cued up a Leo Sayer based radio station on spotify and rain danced around the apartment while a new batch of grain free granola was in the oven. It is remarkable how ones definition of a good time can change so drastically. Putting the ole phone on airplane mode is like cancelling plans, taking your bra off after work and that “catch me if you can” feeling you get when you speed past a cop who has already pulled over someone else, all at once. You’re off the hook. Literally and figuratively. Free AF. The rain dancing paid off, the granola is absolutely addictive and so is airplane mode. Peace of mind and partially cloudy skies for the win. I am going to let this theme roll through the weekend and straight to voicemail.

Day 192 : Grain free granola made with all of the nuts, tahini, maple syrup, soft rock disco vibes and love + bananas, bloobs and almond milk yogurt. I have to say that I am not wild about the yogurt… It seems like something I would enjoy, like trivia night. All signs point to “Bonnie would love this!” but NOPE. No dice. Not my jam. Not my yogurt.

Inflammation

Work life has been hectic and somewhat stressful lately, hence the sporadic posting. There have been frustrating setbacks, a fair amount of pivoting and a lot of stink eyeing my computer. Stress is a natural part of the human experience. So is the inflammation it causes. I can accept that and I know I am not alone. The whole damn world is stressed in old, new and challenging ways. When we are experiencing higher levels of stress or more persistent/chronic stress the inflammation response hurts more than it helps. We have all heard it before, inflammation is the cause of all dis-ease. Imagine a tiny isolated forest fire. That is not such a terrible thing as can be part of a natural cleansing process with many real benefits. They do what they need to do and then burn out naturally. Now imagine several tiny not so isolated forest fires. They spread and join forces in the blink of an eye. Now you have a natural disaster instead of a serene place that many adorable and majestic creatures call home. Not ideal. Stress can lead to this very not ideal reality and generally leads to behaviors that double down on the inflammatory situation. Fire. Everywhere. We jam junk food, sweets and coffee. We lose the energy to exercise and our internal dialogue can become negative, limiting and unrealistic. This may be why so many people drink.. and I have to mention that drinking causes inflammation as well. How could it not? Booze is FLAMMABLE. We know this. But did you know that inflammation is what they find when looking at brain scans of depressed people? At first they thought the inflammation was a side effect of the depression. Researchers are now flipping this theory and starting to approach treatment differently. There are a lot of tools to keep these internal fires under control, but it takes awareness. Are we breathing? I mean deeply, truly? Are we getting enough exercise? AND of course, WHAT the hell are we eating? Your diet plays a big roll in all of this. I could remind you to eat your greens and all those omega 3’s we talked about before but lets look at herbs and spices. They can can be kept in your pantry or grown on your patio and have major benefits. Ingredients that are just laying/growing around to be added to anything and played with to switch up flavor profiles while doing a body honest good. Below are the MVP’s when it comes to fighting inflammation. Keep these things on hand and learn how to use them. Play around with them. Imagine if we played half as much as we stress..

• Turmeric

• Green tea

• Chili peppers

• Rosemary

• Sage

• Cloves

• Ginger

• Cinnamon

• Garlic

• Cayenne

Want some ideas on how to use these ingredients? I’ll post some recipes in the coming weeks but for now… Make oatmeal with golden milk instead of water or OG milk. How about you keep a jug of peppermint green tea in your fridge.. all summer long. Put a mega load of garlic in everything.. no one is really kissing much these days anyway. Add peaches and slivers of ginger to your drinking water.. or maybe rosemary with lemon and cucumbers. Sprinkle cinnamon in your coffee grounds before you brew it, that’s a favorite of mine… damn, I miss coffee.

Day 184: Kitchari Bowl from Curcuma with a Chlora Vida shot. Quinoa, mung beans seasoned with Ayurvedic spices (read: anti-inflammatory)with spinach, pickled red onion, carrots, hemp seeds, lemon, nutritional yeast and avocado. I didn’t have time to cook for myself today so I found a healthy option on my way to the office.

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!

Know your farmer..

Today is a twofer! Breakfast AND dinner! Started off nice and easy with a juice. Put a bow on the day with a bowl of ramen made by my friend Ryan Farnau who owns and operates F-Stop Farm. Shio style ramen topped off with some of his OG kimchi, local eggs and veg. I am so ridiculously lucky to live in a spot that has so many urban farms, local markets and people who care about their community in this way. It makes me feel nourished and cared for. Like there may be some hope for us humans yet. That is mostly what we talked about tonight. All the bad and beautiful shit that is going on in this world and can be done to balance it all out. Suffice to say we had a lot to talk about. He sipped his whiskey and I had my Mircalo sparkling kefir. It was a real treat to hang with the dude who grows a lot of my food. His energy is infectious, his level of self awareness is inspiring and his ramen is A++. My advice. Get to know your farmer.

Day 181:  Kale + Pineapple + Cucumber + Ginger and Coconut Water. Have you ever seen anything so green? It did the trick. Spicy, sweet and everything in between. If you have been following me for a while you know I do not advise on replacing meals with juice and or smoothies. I am a fan of chewing and fiber. They are ultra important and our bodies dig these things. BUT I had pizza last night. Which was enjoyable but left me feeling heavy and not all that hungry this morning. Sometimes juicing is the answer.. I swear I live to contradict myself.

Dinner and photo credits go to Ryan Farnau

What is new and good? V

Welcome back for the fifth edition of What is new and good?

Mercury retrograde is over! If the last three weeks have felt like a long and not so funny blooper reel you’re about to get a break. As Mercury goes direct we can all look forward to better communication, fewer misunderstandings, less technological glitchiness and generally smoother times.

Twitter CEO, Jack Dorsey donated $3 million to introduce universal basic income to several US cities that want to give the idea a go. It’s awesome to see someone with means give a crap about the wealth gap. High fives to Jack!

Today is Sir Patrick Stewarts 80th birthday! No, he’s not new BUT his longevity definitely falls into the category of good. He has done so much with in his career and so many awesome things with the celebrity it has brought him.

last but not least.. these Pecan flour pancakes are new and good. My best friend came upstairs for breakfast this morning and she is currently keto and I wanted to throw something together that she could enjoy without breaking her stride. We share a love for pancakes so I danced this keto friendly idea around. They were good but they could be better. I’ll play with the recipe and post it in the future.

Day 180: Pecan Flour Pancakes with yogurt, banana, blueberries, chia, pumpkin seeds, crunchy quinoa, honey and nasturtium flowers.

What is new and good? II

A while back I mentioned that all of my work calls start off with a little round of “What is new and good?” I want to turn that into Monday ritual here on Naked and Eggs. Kicking the week off with some gratitude couldn’t hurt. So let’s get into it! I’ll go first. What IS new and good?

1. I have taken on a few private clients as a health coach and they have all been a lot of fun to work with! This new line of work is proving to be even more satisfying than I originally imagined. I feel more optimistic right now than I have since maybe January. Can’t spit at that.

2. My handstand game is getting strong! It is amazazing what daily practice will do for you.

3. All my tomatoes are starting to come in and they are beautiful! I generally do not eat a lot of night shades. They can cause inflammation. BUT in an effort to eat more (or strictly) seasonally I’ve decided to just let myself enjoy all the tomatoes, peppers, potatoes and eggplants the world is dishing out right now with wild abandon. My gut tells me that the Mother Nature knows what I need to be eating and when so I’ll roll with it until I am given a reason not to. Come what may!.. As they say.

That feels like a good place to stop. I’d love to hear from all of you in the comments! Let me know what is new and good in your world.

Day 159: Kale salad with coconut oil and brags amino acids, cucumbers, zebra tomatoes (grown by yours truly), marinated tofu and sesame seeds. Not pictured: The banana I ate while I made this salad situation happen.