Unplug and Recharge

I traveled to Laguna Beach, California in March to serve as executive chef at the Whole Woman retreat that was designed by my good friend Lindsay Hinton of Soul Inspired Wellness. It was an incredible experience and my first go at designing a menu for a weekend-long retreat. I had full control over our vegan|vegetarian, gluten-free menu which was liberating. Since then, I have been retained for two more retreats for the same purpose. It's an honor to serve with my gift with a platform from which I can divulge all of my favorite recipes and tips for sustainable, healthy living.

My next retreat is at the St. Francis of the Woods spiritual retreat center in Coyle, Oklahoma on June 22. This is in the beautiful, North Central region of the state. This is a one day event set to include meditation and mindfulness practices, an essential oil mini workshop, a flow of consciousness art project, a delicious and nutritious vegetarian lunch designed and prepared by me with a hands-on demonstration as we make our own veggie burgers. I will also be giving tips on how to incorporate quick, healthy dishes into your kitchen. We will end the day with a hike into the woods as we reflect on the benefits of unplugging ourselves from the media and the devices in our lives that can drain our internal batteries of the organic chi that is generated by the psyche and the consciousness. I am confident that anyone who attends will leave feeling nourished, alive and aware.

If you would like to attend, you can register through the official site at Persimmon Whole Health where you can ask questions and get details. Registration closes on June 12 and space is limited. Stay tuned for a post coming later with details on my July retreat!

Composting 101

Getting started can be overwhelming, but in fact, it's incredibly simple. It begins with your trash and your household waste. Most people already separate their recyclables. The second step is to designate a bowl for your kitchen with a lid that you can start to separate your organic waste into. You can purchase compost bowls at kitchen stores, but I've found that a good, big bowl with a lid is sufficient. What is suitable to compost? Fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags, egg shells, egg cartons and most plant based scraps in moderation. Be wary of cartons that contain dyes and print, however. The rest of your household paper and cardboard can be recycled instead. What is not suitable to compost? Animal products or waste and inorganic materials. When my kitchen bowl is full, I empty it into a large bucket that I keep on my back porch. When that bucket is full, I dump it into the active bin. I keep everything separated into three bins and stages of decomposition. The active one is where I deposit the current waste, grass clippings and small yard waste and leaves. The other two are in two stages of material based on rough waste that needs more time to break down and one which holds the overflow of amendments. The basic principle to compost is that food waste is mixed with dead leaves or dried plant material which emits carbon and with green material which emits nitrogen. The food waste is always covered. You will need to water your pile occasionally to keep the bacteria active. A good pile is hot in the middle which means it is active. It needs to be turned once a week and tended a little. You can purchase an organic accelerator at any garden store that is a granular bacteria you add to a watering can and add to your pile in order to stimulate the production of good bacteria. Designate a place that is away from the house where you can begin. It attracts bugs and pests, which is good, but that's why you don't want it close to your house. You don't have to have any special equipment like a tumbler or a store bought bin. Enclosing it on three sides with any material works to keep it contained and will increase the heat.

 

This is the active pile where I have just added a bucket of new material that now gets turned into the existing material and completely covered.

When the compost is ready to use, it looks like dark, rich soil. We call it black gold. This can now be added to your garden as a top dressing and used like fertilizer for existing plants or turned into the top inch of a new bed you want to prepare to receive new plantings.

My four year old loves working in the garden as much as I do and since I home school him, we are in our outdoor classroom every day, even in the winter. He has his own set of long handled tools and a wheel barrow too. Here, he is helping me turn our new batch into our Spring beds.

Homegrown compost (in lieu of store bought bags) will always be superior. The food you grow with it is later recycled into more compost for more food. It is the ultimate in sustainable practices. I love digging through my beds and finding the shell of an egg I ate or a dried up avocado skin. Look at these incredible beets that we grew this winter with it!

Our beds are so green, happy and healthy because of the quality of the soil we grow. Your plants will reflect the integrity of the nutrition content in the ground and will return the favor!

Pictured here is the pathway leading into the perennial herb beds featuring Lavender and Rosemary and an abundance of greens on the right such as romaine, mustard greens, swiss chard, beets, spinach, Dill and Chervil.

In the Spring and Summer, it is tough to do anything else but luxuriate in the beautiful mazes of The Fortress. Pathways lead to strawberries, garlic and lettuce, flowers swarm with bees and butterflies, hummingbirds dart about, birds are in constant song, fragrant herbs stimulate your senses as you brush by them and cats lounge in the cool shade. This is my faithful head space, my heaven.

I am truly happiest when I am surrounded by flora, fauna and the wonders of nature.

Accessorize Your Food

You can take a simple breakfast and more than double it's nutritional value by adding the right accessories. Let's face it - who doesn't like beautiful food? The art of dressing a plate is something that is often overlooked and underrated. I think that when we take the time (a few extra minutes at most) to create something that is healthy and beautiful to look at, it not only gives us pride in what we are feeding ourselves and our families, but it forces us to be CONSCIOUS about it. It allows us to develop a true relationship, complete with dialogue, with the most important ritual of the day. For example, not everyone has the time or the right ingredients to make something entirely from scratch for every meal. So when you are shopping for your convenient foods, it is important to choose products that are still quick but don't tank on nutrition. You can stock your dry and refrigerated pantries with super food accessories that can ramp up the nutrition by more than half when you add them to your dish. I always keep things like bee pollen, chia seed, flax seed, walnuts, almonds, coconut, nutritional yeast and green powders on hand for exactly this reason. In fact, when you use the right combinations with fresh fruit or vegetables, the accessories themselves can have more nutrition than the base for your meal. 

This was a frozen, organic buckwheat waffle. I added plain greek yogurt for my dressing and topped it with strawberries, walnuts, chia seed, bee pollen, shaved coconut, flax seed and tangelo slices. It was incredible!

• CHIA seed is an energizer that has been used since the American Indians were on desert marches and runs. They would sustain long days with it. You can achieve stamina by roasting and grinding a handful before you exercise or do physical activity. Second to flax seed, it is highest in Omega 3 fatty acids.
• FLAX seed is a decongestant, demulcent, emollient, expectorant, laxative and purgative. It works directly on the digestive tract. They are also energizers. They can relieve asthma, chronic cough, enrich the blood and strengthen nerves. It contains all 8 essential amino acids.
• WALNUTS strengthen the kidneys and lungs and lubricate the large intestine. Astringent and antiseptic, they can address athlete's foot, ringworm and impetigo. They regulate blood sugar and improve metabolism.
• COCONUT contains organic iodine that assists with thyroid function and soothes internal membranes. The water contains the highest, naturally occurring amount of electrolytes known. It is identical to human plasma, making up 55 percent of our blood.
• YOGURT is a known pro-biotic and contains millions of beneficial living bacteria that assist our digestive tracts. It is high in protein and organisms that keep our gut happy. The plain variety treats candida overgrowth and is low in sugar, which is optimal.
• BERRIES are the powerhouses of the fruit family containing large quantities of vitamin C, retinols, and easily digestible fiber that requires little energy from the body as they are almost immediately assimilated. They are astringent and laxative. They clean the blood and the skin.
• BEE POLLEN is always best when consumed locally. It aligns the immune system with the local pollen and allergens and helps create a resistance to foreign particles. It is incredibly antibiotic, anabolic, antifatigue, anti-infective, diuretic, nervine, stimulates immune response and is certainly one of the most essential items you should have in your pantry.