Please allow me to introduce myself..

Lately I’ve been noticing a lot of new readers and I thought “Maybe I should re-introduce myself…” and then I realized that I had never formally done that to begin with. So, hey! I am Bonnie Rue and I really, truly appreciate you taking the time to visit this little virtual corner of the world. A little bit about me… I have been called woo-ey, empathic, bratty, sarcastic and challenging. All compliments, clearly but I would really like to be remembered as omnivorous, curious, perceptive, creative and kind. I work as a private chef and integrative nutrition coach in Austin, Tx (originally from Dallas, in case the big hair didn’t give it away). I am sober and loving it. It is what lead to me studying nutrition in the first place. I wanted to work with people in recovery. To teach them how to stabilize their mood, care for themselves and heal their systems through colorful, healthy and nutritious food. This new direction presented itself to me while I was working as a chef at a small recovery center. It became obvious that nearly everyone who changed the way they ate felt less anxious and were in turn less likely to relapse. I loved seeing them transform and commit to it. So I enrolled in school and now I get to support and cheer people on as they change their lives and become the fullest expression of themselves. I never imagined any of this for me but I could not be more thrilled! This is the first job I have ever had that gives me a true sense of purpose. I have found my path! Trust me, I looked everywhere. Over the years I have worked as a… Booking agent, fashion designer, head of marketing, phone psychic, bar tender, nanny, PA, stage manager and pizza slinger extraordinaire. To name a few. I did really love making pizza.. pizza makes people very happy but, not very healthy. Ergo, pie and purpose are two different things.

Beyond work and sobriety? I am crowding 40 and feeling 25. My hobbies include painting, drawing, talking to my plants, feeling awesome, solo dance parties, collecting vintage food themed jigsaw puzzles, yoga, foraging, thinking about minimalism, thinking about every-thing.. cruising around on my bike, befriending neighborhood cats and playing with my food.

So, that’s me. If you or someone you know could benefit from working with a health coach I will have room to take on 5 new clients at the end of August. Consultations are free. Email me to schedule yours today, bonnie@nakedandeggs.com.

Day 194: Arugula, avocado, beet kimchi (spicy!), sunflower sprouts, mango, bloobs, serrano peppers and pumpkin seeds, dressed in foraged lime and Udo’s 3*6*9.

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.

Tonglen

Heading out into the world this morning, I felt.. heavy. Physically. Emotionally. Like overcooked oatmeal that you have to scrape out of the pot and thwack off of the soon. It was a tired kind of miserable that takes some elbow grease to scrub off of you… just when you’re out of elbow grease. I tried to stretch it out last night as I watched the thunder dance around in the windows. I told myself I would wake up and feel better, lighter. It didn’t happen though. My mood drew me back to the pages of Pema Chodron’s When Things Fall Apart. I think everyone would benefit from having a copy of this on their shelf. It’s full of gems like “we can make ourselves miserable or we can make ourselves strong. The effort is the same.” Fair. Ouch. I’ve leaned into this book a few times in my life while I swept up a sad mess. The biggest take away has always been Tonglen. This Tibetan Buddhist meditation practice dates back to the 11th Century when leprosy was running rampant and suffering was at all time high. Tonglen is contrived of two terms “tong” which means “letting go” and “len” which means accepting. Two things you could say I have struggled with. This is exactly the sort of thing that the smoking, spitting, riotous little punk rock girl that lives inside of me scoffs at. But she’s a young angry jerk and so I send a little tonglen to her too when I practice. The goal is to shift our attitude towards pain and to open up the heart. To become more loving and kind as we melt through the pain around us. The practice is focused on taking the pain of others and breathing it in fully. Allowing them to relax and find peace. It is designed to help awaken our compassion and use it to help and heal others. I highly recommend it and if you want to join me there is a guided meditation below.

Day 138: Marinated Salad: Kale, mint, cucumber, peach and blueberries marinated in a quick summery dressing. Garnished with sun flower sprouts. It works like ceviche. You that raw experience but the citrus and oils break down the greens a bit blend with the fruit making it delicious and easier to digest. Kale works well because it is so sturdy. This would not be something you want to do with spinach or arugula. It will faint, fold and wilt in this application. Cabbage, kale, Romaine hearts.. they can handle it.

Dressing:
1 lime juiced
1 Tbs coconut oil
Pinch of Himalayan sea salt
1/2 oz of kombucha (I added this just before I started eating it simply because it was in my hand and it was the last splash before I tossed the bottle in the recycle. 10 of 10 would splash again).

Toss the greens in the dressing and give them an aggressive squeeze to begin the “cooking” process. Then add all the other goods, give it a toss and let them settle in together. Let it chill for 20/30 minutes and then eat! Huzzah!

P.S. I am pretty into how intense my mask + adult blanket (Kaffiyah) combo is.. I’ve been dragging this kaffiyah around with me for 5 or 6 years now. It saves me from the arctic style air conditioning that Texas loves so much during the summer and makes me feel less socially anxious.. although I think this look might make others anxious. What can you do?

The obstacle is the path…

Last night I set out for a late night bike ride to burn off the energies and clear my mind before bed. My bike choked up and I ended up kicking rocks and walking home in the dark. Dragging my bike with me like a cat on a leash. Wanting someone to know where I was (and desiring to complain about the injustice of it all) I called my best friend. She was awesome as always. She just listened to me conjure up new curse words for the situation until I got it out of my system without interjecting or offering a sunny spin on things… like I probably would have done. *shame* Once my pouty party was over we started talking about the day ahead. The things we needed to do, the things we wanted to do and ultimately the many things we were dreading and ways we could potentially avoid them. After throwing out some playful ways we could skirt responsibility and turn procrastination into a pro sport she said “yeah but the obstacle is the path. We know this.” And we laughed until we sighed. She is right. What stands in the way becomes the way. It doesn’t feel great but it’s comical... That thing you want is on the other side of that thing you don’t want. Leaving us to wonder ‘who put that there?!’ and reminding us that to truly have it ALL means you are probably not going to like it all.. but as my mother would say “It’s good for you!” In conclusion.. Tuesday is the new Monday. I hope you are feeling well rested from all that celebratory social distancing you did yesterday. That you’re rah-rah-ready to examine, devillainize and tackle the obstacles that lead your way. Success lies on the other side. Be it sobriety, a baller career, an ass you can bounce quarters off of or that dreamy partner in crime your heart has been searching for.

Day 136: Last nights soup… Round 2. Bone broth, carrots, potatoes, cabbage, mushrooms, mung beans and kale. Seasoned with Turmeric, cinnamon, garlic, fenugreek, salt, brown mustard seeds, coriander, cumin, ginger, cayenne, cardamom, black pepper and cloves. It’s soupier than it looks. I shredded some fresh greens and ladled the soup over it. Then I put more greens on top. Because? As above, so below. Plus bonus greens are good and it adds texture.