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.

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.

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.