My favorite thing…

If you followed my year of breakfasts & eating for recovery you know that I started out not liking oatmeal - at all. It was boring and mushy with zero thrill. I knew it was good for me though so I kept eating it and then one day, I woke up and realized I was in love with it. Finally, I had fallen in love with something that was good for me! Beyond being convenient, cost effective and versatile it is fiber rich and nutrient dense making it ideal for anyone in recovery. I personally prefer oat groats to the traditional rolled oat stuff they gave me as a kid. Technically they are the same thing but the groats (or steel cut oats) are less processed, have more texture and a nuttier flavor. Starting the day with them accounts for about 11% of my daily fiber which fuels my brain, is good for my guts and lowers any extra risk of cardiovascular disease I caused by years of drinking, smoking and eating like crap. It is also great for my bones (most alcoholics run the risk of developing osteoporosis) with its high phosphorus content and they have a fair amount of iron. About 20% of women are iron deficient. I know I was and the effects were shitty and noticeable. I got light headed, felt tired and weak, my hands were always freezing, my heart rate was high for no clear reason and my nails chipped all the time. Groats to the rescue! The copper and zinc doesn’t hurt either. These minerals support the immune and nervous systems. So vital.

Okay okay, enough raving about the nutritional benefits. I say all of this to throw a new recipe your way. It’s easy, delicious and I can not stop eating it! In fact I even had this dish for dinner a few nights ago.

Vegan Oat Groat “Risotto” aka Grisotto
1 serving (for all my fellow single ladies out there)
can easily be doubled, tripled or quadrupled

1/4 cup oat groats
1 1/4 cup veggie stock
1 heaping table spoon nutritional yeast

Soak 1/4 cup of oats in about 1 1/2 cups of cold filtered water and a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar over night. Just throw it in a bowl and leave it. This softens them and saves you time in the morning.

Drain and rinse before cooking.

In a small pot add the rinsed groats and the stock ( + salt if your stock is unsalted - don’t go nuts) and cook at medium heat while stirring every so often to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot. It will come together pretty quickly. Once the groats have absorbed the liquid take the pot off of the heat so it does not dry out and turn into cement. Throw in your nutritional yeast and stir. Viola!

The nutritional yeast has a cheesy flavor with none of the negative effects of dairy PLUS it is a great source of B vitamins which we desperately need - especially in early recovery.

This is as versatile as regular risotto. You could add mushrooms or top it off with tomatoes and artichoke hearts. Your imagination is the only limitation really. I had mine for dinner the other night with sautéed greens and a roasted portobello mushroom cap. A++

Bored?

An old friend - who I used to drink with a lot - reached out to me recently. They are newly sober and after telling me their story of how they came to the realization that they needed to change their relationship with alcohol they asked me about my sobriety. 

“It’s Friday night and you are at home - alone.. and you’re not drinking. Aren’t you f*cking bored?”

I glanced around my apartment with the wet canvas sitting on my easel, the newly created playlist dancing through the air and my stack of journals, sketchbooks and work papers on the kitchen table.. “Absolutely not.” I said. 

There is so much to do! That being said, in many ways I do less. There’s no hunting for my keys or debit card in the morning. No damage control. I don’t have to practice and anxiously deliver apologies while hungover. I don’t have to hustle to make up for the money I spent at the bar - that I didn’t have to begin with.  There is no boredom in the absence of all of this but this is a profound amount of peace. Instead of writing wounded and angry (or sad ass and regretful) text messages I am working on a book. I am painting. I am talking to you. I am putting the money I would have spent drinking into my savings account and dreaming up all the things that money will one day become. I think if you are feeling bored in early sobriety it is time to get curious. 

My friend went on to tell me how bored they had been and I lovingly joked “well shit - maybe you are boring.” Then I asked them “For real though - are you bored or are you afraid to allow yourself to change? Maybe you’re afraid to become the full expression of yourself?” I know that was true for me and having known this person for most of my adult life I thought it could very well be true for them too. They are hilarious, creative, intelligent, fashionable.. they are fucking memorable! To hear they were bored just did not track. I know my friend has dreams beyond nightcaps and happy hour. We all do.

Once I was a few months into sobriety and deep into the stifling pool of self reflection I had to ask myself - had I not been doing the things I talked about because I was too busy drinking or was I drinking because I was afraid to do those things to begin with? I am certain it was a little bit of both. Funny how creative we are about getting in our own way.

I tossed around some ideas on ways they could be filling the time (long walks, making art, spring cleaning, writing your congress person, writing the next great American novel, karate, etc) and then I posed it to my sober community on Instagram. The responses were awesome and live on in my highlights. Check them out. 

Are you bored? Does that feel like a choice? What are you going to do about it?

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!

Auld lang syne..

It’s New Years Eve and I am at home as I am sure most people are. Tea and candles and cartoons. The neighbors are popping off fireworks. A bath later with a book or maybe just the new Nick Cave record. Ring in the 2021 with a different kind of bubbles. New Years always makes me think of Dallas. I grew up there and sometimes on New Years I threw up there. No regrets about it though. Not anymore. Those memories feel sweet tonight and play through my mind with a fantastic soundtrack. Cheap champagne and house parties. All ages clubs and getting kicked out for lighting black cats in the bathroom. Bands that were too loud and things just getting started at midnight. Still up when the sun crept over the horizon - we called it gods flashlight.. I’m am grateful to have had those years and lucky to have come out of them in one piece and no handcuffs, more or less. They made me who I am - a lady who is going to be asleep sooner than later tonight and will wake up feeling awesome and knowing where her clothes and car keys are. We say “no regrets” but I think it’s okay to have them for a little while. How else would you learn that like a lot of things - they fade. Perspective comes in like a stream and wears down all the sharp edges of the shoulda’s and woulda’s so one day you can “tak a cup o' kindness yet - For auld lang syne.”

Happy New Year Everyone. I hope you are feeling peaceful, sparkly and loved.

Day 356: Yogurt, prunes, goji berries, pecans, pumpkin seeds, hemp hearts, cacoa nibs, Udo’s 3*6*9 oil and some maple syrup.

Zinc

Day 312: Waffles.. made with yogurt, chunks of bananas and a fair shake of cinnamon. Warm and crispy, ooey gooey but not exactly where I want them to be just yet. I’ll make them again soon and post a recipe. Topped with maple syrup, pecans, pumpkin seeds and bloobs. But you could put anything on them. I have been eating a lot of pumpkin seeds because well, they fit the season AND they are an inexpensive source of zinc, magnesium, fiber and protein. You have no doubt been hearing about the benefits of zinc in the news. Keep some around and put them on your salads, garnish your soup, waffles, oatmeal.. put them in your PB & J sandwiches, make pumpkin seed brittle, or use them to make a nut cheese… which has a regrettable name but is delicious none the less.

Whoosh!

The days are passing quicker than the leaves fell. The sun ducks out earlier and earlier it seems.
Fine by me. I excel at the art of cozy. My robe collection is finally getting to stretch it’s legs. My ever growing tea collection has become more soothing than wine ever was. That was my drink of choice in the winter. All the wine. I think back to when I believed the myth that drinking warms you up and using it as an excuse to have an extra glass or to finish off the bottle. Those nights usually ended in fuzzy disjointed pieces. Me talking too much, not eating nearly enough.. only ever putting my foot in my mouth. Truth is, alcohol actually drops your body temp. The liver gives off heat while it is processing all those rounds - fooling us into thinking we are nice and toasty but nah, we just just get toasted. Pretty happy to be sticking with the tea. It honestly does turn up the heat. Today I am drinking a tea I picked up at the apothecary up the street from my house. It was designed for Sagittarius season, my season. It’s delicious. Dandelion root, Star anise, Cinnamon, Ginger, Clove, Ashwagandha & Kava kava.

Day 311: Quinoa, buckwheat, chard kimchi from F-stop farm + a 6 minute egg.

Tea & Tarot

I was drawing some cards for a client this morning and thought I would pull a few as a message for today’s post. The four of cups and the seven of pentacles popped out. The imagery of the four of cups in nearly every deck has always hit me as an attempt to tempt. Although I haven’t heard other readers way read it that way. It is an offering followed by rejection. The person in the image never accepts the cup. This card comes with a message of boredom, dissatisfaction and at times an unwillingness to see the opportunity in a situation. The seven of pentacles on the other hand, speaks to investment, persistence, patience and sustainability. Here together my intuition tells me that the message is to hold out for what is yours. If you have planted the seeds They will eventually bloom. It also tells me that if you need help don’t fail to notice when it is offered or be too proud to take it. That is something I know I could improve on. I always want to do everything myself. Requiring help has been known to freak me out. If you can relate - this message is for you.

I love the tarot. I picked it back up in sobriety. It has been such a great tool for getting back in touch with my intuition. I have a cup of tea and pull cards at least once a week for myself or friends and clients who want a little guidance or just an energy read. Today I am having my daily cup of adrenal support tea. It has been such a big help in managing the stress of this year and remaining patient with everything that has happened. Huge fan. I mail it to friends, gift it to clients and recommend it to customers at the herb bar any chance I get.

Day 295: Kale, garlic, serrano and potato hash with left over strip steak and an egg fried in ghee with some rad herby green sauce on top. Sort of a remix from last nights dinner.. I had an ex-coworker over. I cooked us a steak with a bunch of sautéed veg and a mini cheese board with apples, seedy mustard, herbed chèvre and a sharp aged cheddar. She brought me some honey from her bees (so very cool) and a selection of coconut milk ice creams from Thai fresh. Huzzah! I tried the honey lavender and the Thai basil.. I can not tell you which I liked better. Both were perfectly sweet, bright and gentle. Such a treat.

What is new & good?

In the past few weeks I have had quite a few friends reach out to me about wanting to change their relationship with alcohol or quit all together. I feel honored that they felt comfortable talking with me about it and pretty excited that so many are looking to make a change. That’s what is feeling new and good around here today. So I thought I would share a little piece of advice for anyone who has recently started down the path of sobriety. Take it slow. When we are newly sober life can feel even more overwhelming. We are a bit raw. Things feel uncertain and our confidence comes and goes. It makes sense that it would. I know that when I was drinking I mostly learned that I could not trust myself on so many levels. I was truly unreliable. I called it spontaneity but that was just a fun way to describe what was ultimately my epic self abandonment. Each time I called it quits I did not fully believe I would/could stick to it and actually get sober. I had betrayed myself too many times before. I talked a good game while waiting for myself to fall back. In an effort to combat this self doubt I would pick up loads of new healthy habits. Looking back I realize it was partly to keep me busy but a big part of me was thinking that this fierce influx of new shiny behaviors would make the transformation happen faster and maybe even absolve me from my past. I went from drinking away to literally running from my problems. Of course it was too much too fast every time and when I fell off my exercise routine or ate like crap or skipped my meditation practice I would deflate. With my confidence on the floor I would find myself at the bar again. I had not yet embraced “progress not perfection”. I was still in ALL or NONE territory. I did not realize that I didn’t need to be absolved. I needed patience. I needed to rebuild trust in myself and let new habits settle in. That takes time and luckily sobriety affords us a lot more of that. So if you are newly sober (or hey, maybe you just need a reminder) take it slow. Pick up those new healthy habits but don’t overwhelm yourself. Focus on one thing at a time, one day at a time and as life becomes more comfortable, build on it. Lasting change does not happen over night. I mean, imagine if you broke up with someone on Monday and they called you Friday telling you they changed and things would be different.. no one is buying that. Don’t be that ex for yourself. It’s not a race. You are on your own trip. Be patient. Try to enjoy the process (and the opportunity) of winning yourself - and your trust - back.

Day 294: Veggie Toast with Greek yogurt, avocado, smoked salon and everything bagel seasoning. Aces. Lots of Omega 3’s happening here. I do everything I can to get my omega 3’s in a wide variety and not rely on supplements. It’s pretty easy, totally delicious and come with so many benefits. They fight anxiety, depression and reduce mood swings. Omega 3’s also improve symptoms of ADHD, raise your good cholesterol (HDL), reduce inflammation (the root of all dis-ease and famous compadre of over imbibing). Not sold yet? Omega 3’s are great for your skin AND they can even alleviate menstrual pain. For real. In fact one study showed omega 3 supplements to be more effective than ibuprofen in treating severe cramps. I can personally say that since I started mindfully incorporating more of it into my diet my period pains have been much less lethal. Pretty thrilling stuff. Where to find it?

FISH - Salmon, Sardines, Mackerel, Sea bass, Oysters, Mussels, Anchovies (the bacon of the sea..).
SEA VEG - Nori, Chlorella, Spirulina
SEEDS - Pumpkin, Chai, Hemp, Flax
BEANS - Kidney beans, Navy beans, Northern beans
LEAFY GREENS & BRUSSELS SPROUTS
AVOCADO
EGGS
BLUEBERRIES

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.

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.

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.

Tea is the new wine

Last night I stayed up late playing around in the kitchen cooking up this and that while having a cup of tea. I was sipping away, pinkies out and thinking about how tea has replaced wine in my life. Instead of popping a cork I just drop a bag. They have many similarities, honestly. There’s a wide variety of tea and wine from all over the world. Both are consumed ceremoniously and will stain the hell out of your carpet. One could discuss their flavor profiles and aromas at length if you wanted to sound pretentious and or just clear a room. I’m mostly kidding about that. I have definitely been guilty of swirling my glass and spouting off fruity adjectives without anybody leaving. Finally, you can cook with either of them. We’re all familiar with how to incorporate wine into your meals. A quarter cup is for the pan and the rest is for staining your teeth and telling people how you really feel. On the other hand tea can be made into a compound butter or added to short bread cookies or batters and doughs and frostings. Oh my! It works pretty well as a rub too. You could also swap out your stock for tea and cook your grains in it. Last night I set out to make a compote out of some waning blueberries that were hiding in the back of the fridge. I added some ginger, cinnamon, lemon and jaggery then topped it off with the tea I was sipping on and set it to simmer. The results were a win. Full bodied, fruit forward, tart, spicy and just a whisper of herbs in the back. Like a note passed in class. It got a little sweeter in fridge over night. As if I had put it in time out and by breakfast it was on its best behavior. I’m happy these days to have a cabinet full of tea rather than a recycling bin full of empty wine bottles. The clean up is easier, both physically and emotionally. Tea has never made me slurry or caused a scene or woken me up with a headache (or a stranger). So yeah, tea is the new wine. Cheers!

Day 174: Overnight oats with leftover quinoa, Greek yogurt, almond butter, coconut butter and blueberry compote. Garnished with fresh blueberries and seeds. The compote was made with an Ayurvedic tea. Rooibos, peppermint, sprearmint, ginger, rose, osmanthus, hibiscus, almond, apple and rosehips.

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?

Everything I love is bad for me.

I am being a little dramatic but I gave up coffee today. So I’m going to use what little energy I have to throw a minor fit (or two). I already quit smoking. Tequila is out. Now coffee. It’s not fair! I love coffee. It’s part of my daily ritual. It’s who I wanted to wake up with forever! But.. I need to give my adrenals a break. Seems that I am suffering from adrenal fatigue. This makes me feel old. In all the icky ways and none of the wise and wonderful ways. Fingers crossed that giving up coffee will help my adrenals spring back to life and I can fall in love with something else. Maybe this tea I picked up from work…

Day 34: Quinoa with kimchi, fried egg, avocado, cilantro and seeds. Side of fruit.

*The radicchio and cabbage were chilling on the table dying to have their picture taken too. So pretty. Fresh from the farm.