three grain cereal bowl
makes a heckuva lot. no measurements, just vibes. makes a mean bulk breakfast.
what you’ll need
~1 c amaranth
~1 c millet
~1 c buckwheat
herbs of choice (cinnamon, allspice, ashwagandha, triphala)
fat of choice (coconut oil, sesame seed oil, ghee)
chopped nuts of choice (pecans, walnuts, cashews, almonds)
how you’ll prepare it
warm generous splash of fat in saucepan.
add in grains.
toss in herbs of choice (~1/4 - 1/2 tsp).
mix all til aromatic.
add water til grains are covered and bubbling.
stir occasionally til water is cooked out.
add more water and choice of chopped nuts.
cook off remaining water.
ways you can consume it
sprinkle sweet morsels on top (chocolate, caramel, raisins).
add honey and assorted seeds (chia, flax, hemp).
topped with honey or seed milk of choice.
air fryer chocolate chip cookie
makes two (2) small ramekin cookies!
what you’ll need
1/2 c unbleached flour
2 tsp raw sugar
2 tsp brown sugar
3 tsp ghee
1 lg egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tbsp baking powder
1/4 c choco chips
a pinch mineral salt
how you’ll prepare it
cream melted ghee and sugars.
whisk in egg.
fold in flour and baking powder.
mix in choco chips and vanilla.
air fry @ 340 (f) for 10 minutes or until crispy brown on top.
ways you can consume it
topped with vanilla ice cream.
topped with chocolate sauce.
topped with honey.
raw, dawg.
pumpkin coffee sweetener
makes an unspecified amount of pumpkin sweetener (depends on usage)
what you’ll need
32 oz glass jar
1/2 c oatmilk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
a pinch clove
a pinch nutmeg
2 tbsp ghee
1/4 tsp ginger
1 c pumpkin puree
a pinch mineral salt
how you’ll prepare it
throw ingredients in a sauce pan on medium/low— wets first, dry ingredients last.
whisk with whisk.
ways you can consume it
serve warm or jar and refrigerate for use throughout the week.
September in Your Body
With the conclusion of LDW, we can officially bring out the Autumn decorations, start preparing our hearths for the cooler season, and modifying our schedules to honor the darker time of year. Here we are, at a time to delicately balance our preparation for the cooler/darker months while practicing routine for the heat and activity that we’ve been in the throes of for a few months.
Lifestyle & Routine
After the warmth of the earlier summer months have sweated out all of our moisture, September rolls in ready for rest and rejuvenation, hydration, and cooling practices. Take time to maintain solid oil massage routine (abhyanga) and hydration practices (aka this morning bev).
September is the new season, the new routine, and the fresh pages of soon-to-be-used notebooks. This change of routine feels rocky and uncertain but could become a practice to look forwards to, preparing for the year to come— the rebirth on the other side of the season of darkness. Find beauty in “making your bed”, preparing your home and hearth to be the sacred landing space for you and your family to rest their heads as the climate outside becomes less and less welcoming.
Inevitably, this change in energy asks for a change in routine to factor in new commute times, new weather patterns, and proper sunlight exposure. Our circadian rhythms begin to fluctuate and these fluctuations lead to insomnia and poor recovery/rest— prioritize early sun exposure and lessen night-time blue light where you can.
The big take away from this time of transition is to dress properly for the weather (layer up for the cooler mornings/evenings), keep our bodies a bit warmer at bedtime (to counter the insomnia of late summer), and continue to prioritize a solid bedtime (and bed time routine) to keep the nighttime repair cycles on track and efficient.
Diet Staples
As within so without. As the season shift slides into place, our bodies start to crave the sweet and nourishing foods of autumn. Building/fatty foods will lay a solid foundation for our fall preparation. some examples of these foods include yogurt, beans, nuts, fish, root veggies, avocado, oils.
Think about our favorite Autumn staples- warming herbs, pumpkin spice, cookies, pies, nourishing and heavy meats (like turkey), milks and hot cocoa. Having time to create with your hands is a great way to stay grounded in a mobile and lighter season, and preparing the hearth for a season of cooking good food, keeping nourished and warm, is a twofold value of maintaining a hands-on practice while also setting yourself and your household up for success with home-cooked, down home foods.
It’s also vitally important to continue staying hydrated with the Summer heat still on and the body sweating throughout the day. Hydrating with just water actually often turns into dehydration so liquid foods are a great opportunity to both hydrate and nourish. Foods such as grapes, cucumbers, melons, peaches, tomatoes, and squashes are a great fit with their juiciness keeping us fueled with vitamins and minerals to keep our bodies running properly.
What’s Next
Summer has wound-down and the days are getting shorter, so now is a good time to restore your energy and soak up the last bit of sun as you begin to lay the groundwork in your body for what’s to come. As always, reach out to your friendly neighborhood lifestyle consultant if you need a hand getting started.
passion pitta
we are comprised of the nature that surrounds us— as without, so within. we are elemental and just like nature transforms, evolves, and shifts— so, too, do our bodies. in ayurveda, we can fall out of balance both as we are born and as the result of the external stimuli on our body. we can characterize these faults via three doshas (or flaws). like the seasons, like the stages of life, like the progression of the day, we can differential three main categories: kapha, pitta, vata.
pitta is the dosha of fire, of heat, spice, pungency, of energy and activity, of sun and transformation. just like it sounds, pitta is embodied in the heat of summer, in the fire of our middle-life (from teenage years to retirement age), the midday sun, and the power of our digestion and perception.
pitta in balance
a transformative force, pitta in balance looks like strong digestion, solid build and purposeful drive. a pitta-type person can be competitive and strong-willed, singularly focused and ambitious. they are typically of a muscular build with healthy bones, clarity in their eyes and skin, and move with assuredness.
pitta out of balance
when pitta begins to rage unchecked, like a forrest fire without boundaries, we begin to see irritability, agitation, impatience, and volatility. like increases like, so pitta heat builds from the outside in and the inside out, burning up our fuel and leaving us (and nature) depleted just in time for the autumn season (vata time of year).
pitta in the body
pitta is embodied in our digestive enzymes and in our red blood cells. you can find pitta in the cellular level intelligence of our bodies mechanisms. pitta is in our liver and our gall bladder, hot organs that produce and store bile (which emulsifies the fat we eat). so when hotness increases hotness, these organs and systems are among the first culprits of fatigue and depletion.
as the seasons change, it’s useful to consider opposite qualities in our diet and routine to keep our systems relatively regulated so that our imbalances don’t progress into full blown disease. and, as always, if you’re uncertain about what to do to support pitta’s bodily process, reach out to your friendly neighborhood lifestyle consultant for help :)