pr-oat-ein oats
makes 2ish servings
what you’ll need
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 tbsp flax seed
1/2 cup oat milk
cinnamon, all spice, nutmeg, any warm and sweet herb
1 tsp poppy seeds
maple syrup or honey
fruit of your choice
how you’ll prepare it
put dry oatmeal, flax seed, oat milk, sweet herbs, poppy seeds, and eggs into stove top pot.
turn stove to medium-low heat.
stir until eggs are no longer runny and ingredients are blended.
eat fresh or store for bulk breakfast options.
ways you can consume it
add a drizzle of maple syrup or honey.
top with seeds like chia, hemp, more flax.
add dry or fresh fruit sliced, diced, and bite sized.
tastes great cold or warm.
late spring quinoa salad
what you’ll need
2 cups beets
1 can chickpeas
2 cups quinoa
2 apples
1 white onion
apple cider vinegar
olive oil
2 cups spinach
himalayan pink salt
how you’ll prepare it
preheat oven to 450°. add prepared beets when oven indicates “ready”.
wash, peel, dice beets. toss with olive oil and a dash of pink salt.
drizzle olive oil in pot on medium-low heat, add quinoa and brown.
peel and dice apples and onion.
add 1 cup of water to quinoa and bring to a boil. hang out for approximately 8 minutes.
mix onion and chickpeas into quinoa. let boil for about 12 minutes.
add cut up apple and spinach to quinoa pot. turn heat off and add a splash of apple cider vinegar. cover pot.
turn off oven and bring out beets when tender enough to skewer with fork.
eat fresh or divide up into lunch portions for the week.
ways you can consume it
add a splash of italian dressing and parmigiana cheese.
top with light meats like fish or poultry.
tastes great cold or warm.
we are star stuff
a new perspective
variety is the spice of life. as we age, it’s easy to let certain constants fall to the back-burner as we face the onslaught of uncertainty that life offers us. some of these constants are as simple as having awareness of the way you sit down or carry your groceries. others of these may be a bit more complex, like our approach to new political ideas. somewhere in between these poles, we get use to our perspectives on wellness and we go on autopilot as we travel our avenues for health care. there is room for both reactive and preventative medicines, eastern and western disciplines— you just have to be willing to find the space, and offer yourself the grace to explore something slightly outside of your typical path.
we are elemental
in ayurveda, the whole of the cosmos is made up of just five elements. in an alternative story of creation, space began to move and created air, that air moved so much that it combusted into fire, the fire cooled and thawed into water, and the water solidified into the earth and planets. these elements can be found in all matter (organic and not) and are qualities in all things tangible (or not).
this perspective offers us an opportunity to simplify the way we see the world and our interactions with it. imbalances can be viewed through this elemental lens and the steps that we take to resolve them can be pared down based on simple understandings of ether, air, water, fire, and earth.
if you’re dealing with insomnia, you could notice the etheric/airy quality disturbing your sleep— so something that invigorates these elements in your body will probably not be of much help. as the saying goes— like increases like, opposites balance. on the contrary, if you’re sleeping a ton and having a hard time getting up in the morning, looking for comfort in more earthy-quality behaviors will most likely exacerbate the issue.
what does this mean
before we get big sick, or body sends little warning signals towards us. unexpected freak accidents aside, it’s uncommon to wake up one day with cancer having had no other red flags (such as systemic dysfunction, lethargy, pain, constipation, inflammatory responses). it’s in these small memos that we can begin to take preventative steps in our wellness and longevity— allopathic medicine reacts to the instance of disease, ayurveda (and similar disciplines) acts as “quality control” daily to keep your human system in balance in order to keep any progression of disease from happening.
i circle back to my earlier statement about there being space for both. you can’t make a painting if you don’t have paint or you don’t have a canvas— when you are ill you see the proper medical professional, but how episodic is that. the point i’d like to wrap up with is this: when you’re not urgently seeking care for an unavoidable ailment, what are you doing to keep yourself healthy and through what lens are you looking through.
bulk batch granola
makes 5 servings
what you’ll need
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup raw nuts
1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
1/2 cup coconut oil or ghee
a healthy dash of seeds (hemp, flax, chia, poppy)
spices to taste (cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, you name it)
how you’ll prepare it
pre-heat the oven to 350.
combine oats, nuts, seeds, and any other dry ingredient you have a taste for.
add in wet ingredients and fold it in til oats are coated in a tasty sheen.
spread uncooked granola on greased cooking sheet.
keep in oven for ~ 25 minutes (or until aromatic and lookin crunchy).
let cool.
ways you can consume it
currently obsessed with adding it to my morning cottage cheese parfaits (super easy to bulk batch).
can also eat as a quick snack.
try it as a crush on a berry crumble.
the options are unlimited.
june in your body
coming up on the midway point of the year and things really start to heat up. the cycle of the seasons are reflected in the cycle of life and even the cycle of the day. the beginning is cool and damp, the middle is the hottest part, and the end is chilly and dry. life imitates art imitates cycles and nature understands the concept of “work smarter, not harder”. she follows the same pattern all throughout without reinventing the wheel. with june’s arrive comes warmth and sun that winter-us dream of— so instead of immediately longing for the cold winter, let’s unpack some ways to make the most of the season without throwing your body out of balance.
lifestyle & routine
as the old adage goes, like increases like— so, as the temperatures outside rise, a lifestyle that is also hot and rajasic with minimal rest will exacerbate your hot quality. while we all may be drawn to exacerbating our hotness, heat in the body contributes to ailments such as inflammation, restlessness, anxiety, and volatility. because likeness is drawn to likeness (birds of a feather, after all), the longer days, warmth, and liveliness of the summer time fosters that in us. though the day is longer, continue to aim for sleep before 10pm so your hot organs (heart, liver) are able to reset and heal properly.
as another adage goes, opposites create balance— imbalance is the spice of life but encouraging too much imbalance makes everything harder on yourself. remember, work smarter, not harder. when you feel yourself getting caught up in the summer-y vibes of summer and need a bit of balance, try adding in a cool shower (or ever a cool face wash) in the morning.
with heat and humidity comes accumulation— this is particularly taxing on the lymphatic system which, when improperly set up in the spring, may be in a persistent state of stagnation. dry brushing (called garshana) helps to get the lymph moving. when your lymphatic system is movin and groovin, your immune response is more effective and your waste removal system gets to fire on all cylinders.
diet staples
so, in the hot time of year (and not too different from may’s staples), cooling foods and herbs will be your best bet. cucumbers, berries, bitter greens, tropical sweets, and melons will all quench your thirst and satiate the dry heat in the mouth. cilantro, fennel, coconut oil, quinoa, fish, and citrus add a splash of flavor to your meal without adding the weight/strain on your digestion.
though nothing hits like a summer-time day drink followed by some afternoon carb-loading and evening round two, alcohol is a ferment (like cheese, bread, kombucha). ferments contain the metabolic waste products from the “biotic additions” to the foods— essentially, we ingest a little bit of bacteria metabolites as a result of consumption. now, all things in moderation, but ferments in particular increase heat in the body and contribute to inflammation systemically. minimizing (or just moderating) ferment intake will support your system and save inflammatory energy for when it’s really needed.
what’s next
things are only going to get hotter and plans are going to continue to pop up, so be sure to schedule in your down time— rest, relax, recovery and then repeat so that you’re time out in life is most fulfilling. and, as always, reach out to your friendly neighborhood lifestyle consultant if you need a hand getting started.