Weekly Words: "A Sanctuary for Our Souls"

"It took me a long time and a good deal of sweat to understand it — just how much our Earth is a sanctuary for our souls...

...As the gardener creates, so does the garden transform the inner life of its creator. The garden’s cycle mirrors our own growth, complete with floods, heat, drought, infestation; dying, resurrecting, blossoming, blooming, maturing, rotting; bounty, beauty, miracles.

In our deeper psyche we tend to our life’s garden of sorrows and joys. We pull out, cut back, dig up, bury, sow, support, and nourish hoping one day to harvest our life’s experiences into wisdom. Without all this soul/gardening work, our spirits are swamped under the weeds, our creative gifts choked, our true selves unable to flourish."

- Catherine Ann Lombard, "A Communion with the Earth: Gardening and Gratitude"

Happy weekend...

Happy June weekend! It has been a wonderful, fruitful week, and I'm looking forward to loving up my entire extended family this weekend. I hope you have a gorgeous few days as well. Here are a few things that I've been loving lately:

• Throwing back to the nineties amidst a recent Toad the Wet Sprocket kick.
• Loving Outside magazine's article "Man vs. Food" because even though it's a few years old, it still resonates. And because our diet looks eerily similar to that of the author.
• Continuing to meditate on the welcomed new quiet peace in my life with this appropriately timed piece from Pico Iyer on "The Art of Stillness." 
• And finally, a sexy poem from Billy Collins that somehow has always wrapped together many deep vibes and memories I hold from Cape Cod and Newport summers gone by:

"You are not the Mona Lisa
with that relentless look.
Or Venus borne over the froth
of waves on a pink half shell.
Or an odalisque by Delacroix,
veils lapping at your nakedness.
You are more like the sunlight
of Edward Hopper,
especially when it slants
against the eastern side
of a white clipboard house
in the early hours of morning,
with no figure standing
at a window in a violet bathrobe,
just the sunlight,
the columns of the front porch
and the long shadows
they throw down
upon the dark green lawn, baby."

Natural Summertime Skincare Essentials

It's no surprise that with the advent of summer comes the need to pay extra attention to your skincare routine. Below, I've lined up the power players in my summer beauty game after a few weeks of heat.

(Clockwise, from Top Left)

A floral water to hydrate. Strong summer sun zaps the moisture from your skin. I like to give my skin a spritz morning and night, followed by my daily and evening serums. Two favorites in my rotation are Evan Healy's Rose Geranium HydroSoul and the Heritage Store's classic Rosewater & Glycerin spray.

An easy-to-reapply sunscreen for the face and décolletage, like Mineral Fusion's Brush On Sun Defense. I swipe this on before leaving the house and keep it in my purse to reapply as needed.

A toner for greasy times. It's likely that you get a little schvitzy in the summer. I like to do a midday facial cleanse using the delicious Neroli Rose Facial Toner from Brooklyn-duo big & Baby, to keep excess oil at bay. 

A natural deodorant that actually works. And hands down, Meow Meow Tweet's Baking Soda Free Deodorant Cream is the only one I've found that doesn't irritate sensitive pits AND smells divine, thanks to grapefruit and sweet orange essential oils. 

A good natural sunscreen to protect your body. This is an essential, and with more exposed limbs throughout the season, you shouldn't go without it. I like local New England company Badger's All-Natural Sunscreen. 

A great refillable water bottle, like the clean and green bkr Bottle. I firmly believe that glowing skin starts from within, and no season requires more agua-intake than summer. To calculate how many ounces of water you should drink a day, divide your weight by two, and then add another twenty ounces for every thirty minutes of exercise or hour spent in the great outdoor heat.

Golden Zinger

A few years ago, I bought a juicer and used it for about six months. And then I remembered why I never truly hopped on the juice cleanse train in the first place: I'm more of a smoothie girl. I prefer getting the full fiber of the fruits and vegetables I blend, for their benefits and a more satiating drink. And so, my little juicer slowly made the journey north in a box, and went in a cabinet somewhere in our new apartments. 

Until this week.

Over the past two months, I've been undergoing a bit of a dental overhaul, and, as a result, have been dealing with a bit of jaw pain while recovering. After sleepless nights, dentist adjustments, and one too many ibuprofen, I determined there had to be a better solution. And then I remembered turmeric.  

Turmeric is a relative of the ginger root, and long praised for it's anti-inflammatory capabilities, which are found in the curcumin within. Remembering how a friend used the root to help manage pain in the past, I decided to pull out the juicer, and extract it's golden magic, along side ginger, which is an equally as powerful anti-bacterial adaptogen, and citrus-boosting lemon. A swirl of raw honey also adds some good immune system boosts and a touch of sweetness to balance out the bite.

This shot is a true zinger, and also helps warm and invigorate the body, while infusing some good healthy benefits. While I'm hoping that time might also be doing it's job, I'm happy to report that the pain is finally subsiding, as is my increased use of allopathic medicines. Give it try, and let me know what you think!

Golden Zinger Shot

Juice of a 4-inch piece of turmeric

Juice of a 3-inch piece of ginger

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

1 teaspoon raw honey

Put first ingredients through the juicer, as directed. (I put mine through whole, but follow directions for your juicer!) Pour into a glass and mix with raw honey, to taste.

Weekly Words: "Stand Still"

"Stand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside you
Are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here,
And you must treat it as a powerful stranger,
Must ask permission to know it and be known.
The forest breathes. Listen. It answers,
I have made this place around you.
If you leave it, you may come back again, saying Here.
No two trees are the same to Raven.
No two branches are the same to Wren.
If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you,
You are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knows
Where you are. you must let it find you."

- David Wagoner

Green Mango Smoothie Bowl

I'm now at the end of my time between jobs, and I find myself doing things that are truly nourishing to my soul. Facial massage that lasts a little longer than usual. Chia seeds in my water. Long walks for the hell of it. I'm determined to squeeze out every ounce of "me" time before starting this exciting new journey. 

Several moons ago, I was a food blogger, and old habits die hard. Quite often, styling food is simply just cathartic to me, as if placing things just so had the same effect as a brush stroke or a good stretch for the soul. And so, what better way to really get into it than by making smoothie bowls? A smoothie bowl is a delicious, spoonable smoothie, yes, poured into a bowl, and topped with goodness that is otherwise not easy sipped: chopped fruit, nuts, granola and seeds. I don't know about you but there's something about the art of spooning that really makes me savor a dish.

Below is a new favorite recipe that combines luscious soft fruits like banana and mango, which deliver a potassium and beta-carotene boost, along with Vitamin C-packed citrus and a healthy dose of cruciferous kale. I've topped with more mango and banana, and a slew of Omega and fiber-filled seeds like Hemp, Chia and ground Flax, as well as immunity-supporting bee pollen. Add a bit of protein powder, and you've got yourself the perfect summer breakfast.

Green Mango Smoothie Bowl

1 small banana, sliced

1/2 lime, peeled

1/2 orange, peeled

1/4 grapefruit, peeled

1 small bunch of kale, de-ribbed

1/2 mango, cubed

1 packet of raw protein powder (I prefer this kind)

1 tsp bee pollen

1 tsp chia seeds

1 tsp ground flaxseed

1 tsp hemp seeds

Chopped fruit (I used banana and mango, but feel free to add berries, stone fruit and more!)

Combine first six ingredients in blender, and top with filtered water or preferred nut milk and 3-4 ice cubes. Blend until combined, and pour into a bowl. Top with bee pollen and seeds and enjoy. 

Summer Rolls with a Spicy Peanut Sauce

We're amidst a bit of a heat wave here in Boston, and despite the fact that we have yet to install our air conditioners, I'm still filled with joy over the change in season after a very long winter.

With the heat comes a positive shift towards spending as much time as possible outside - grounding feet against the grassy earth and taking full inhalations of every blooming tree and flower as they ripen in our neighborhood, allowing ourselves to get fully intoxicated by the earth, in bloom.  We've also been squeezing out every minute of daylight, only to head indoors at a final glimpse of the pink and gold sky.

This weather also has me craving cold foods, liquids and little else. While woman cannot subsist on smoothies alone, salads and bowls for every meal can get old fast. Enter the new favorite bite in our household: homemade summer rolls. Filled with fresh vegetables and paired with a delicious spicy peanut dipping sauce, we totally ate these for three days straight this week.

Summer rolls pack delicious flavor for something so quick and easy to make (you can whip up a batch in twenty minutes flat). They are a nice way to get an abundance of raw vegetables and herbs, which are naturally hydrating on hot days and add a nice crunch. Speaking of the crunch factor, feel free to mix in whatever vegetables you have on hand. Some favorites to include are peppers (bell and jalapeno), cucumbers, carrots,  and some good leafy greens like spinach or kale.  You can also add in simple lean protein, such as shrimp, chicken or egg, to help sustain energy.

My suggestion? One evening this week, whip up a half-dozen rolls, pack them between parchment and bring to the park, along with a vat of the spicy peanut sauce. While this summer weather may be temporary, it's a sign of what's to come. Spring is still full in her breezy splendor. Enjoy as much time outside as possible and soak up that natural air.

Summer Rolls

(Makes 4 small rolls)

1/2 cucumber, sliced into thin 2-inch strips

2 carrots, sliced into thin 2-inch matchsticks

1/2 avocado, sliced into small wedges

1 jalapeno, sliced into thin circles (seeds in or out, depending on preference)

1 scallion, sliced into rings

1/4 cup cilantro leaves, stems removed

4 rice paper sheets (I prefer brown rice paper, and use these)

For summer rolls, first make a clean surface. Soak one rice paper round in warm water, until slightly soft (about 20-30 seconds), and transfer to surface. Arrange 1/4th of each of the vegetables neatly towards middle and left half of the sheet, leaving a one-inch border along edge. Roll up rice paper tightly around filling and fold in sides and continue rolling. Transfer summer roll to a plate and cover with damp paper towels.

For Spicy Peanut Sauce: 

1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter

1/2 tablespoon tamari (low sodium) or soy sauce

1/2 tablespoon mirin sauce

1/2 tablespoon lime juice

1/4 tablespoon red pepper flakes (to taste)

1/2 tablespoon sliced scallions

Combine first four ingredients in a bowl, and whisky until creamy. Add more liquid or peanut butter, depending on consistency. Mixture should be smooth and easy to pour. Top with red pepper flakes and sliced scallions and serve in a small dipping bowl.

Happy weekend...

Happy Friday, and happy May! Apologies for the radio silence, but I think I've just wrapped up one of the most busy weeks in quite a long time. I feel a shift towards newness and light, and I'm excited for what's to come. I'm looking forward to settling into this new space (literally, and physically) and enjoying some warm weather. Here are a few things that kept me grounded this week:

• Revisiting Paul Simon's "Concert in the Park" this time of year feels so fresh and right, and has me yearning for my years of concerts on the Great Lawn, at Rumsey Playfield and along The Mall, as the sun set in New York City's beautiful refuge.
• Bringing all good vibes to our new apartment by burning some Palo Santo incense sticks.
• Loving this travelogue of a drive up the California coastline, and jonesing to get back to that windy and unplugged open water highway soon.
• And finally, a few gorgeous lines by Katrina Kenison that speaks volumes to the type of things I've been meditating on over the course of a few tough months. I highly recommend checking out the rest of the piece, and sitting with it during times of difficulty or unrest:

"When the going gets tough may I resist my first impulse to wade in, fix, explain, resolve, and restore. May I sit down instead.

When the going gets tough may I be quiet. May I steep for a while in stillness.

When the going gets tough may I have faith that things are unfolding as they are meant to. May I remember that my life is what it is, not what I ask for. May I find the strength to bear it, the grace to accept it, the faith to embrace it."