happy weekend

For me, one of the greatest things about cleansing is it encourages me to be in the kitchen. Yesterday, I worked all day and night, so I brought this easy salad along in a tupperware.

black lentils
arugula dressed in lemon juice
raw shaved fennel
haricot verts
cucumber
avocado
fresh parsley, cilantro, and mint
turmeric, freshly grated
drizzle of olive oil
salt and pepper

Fascinating. This month's video from Food for Nine Billion.

In researching my own project for how different cultures look at food and their relationship to it, I'm reading The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan. Both his book and the above video touch on similar topics. It's really interesting to see how Americans eat and how small changes can make a huge difference, not only in the States but world wide.

smoothie love.

My friends know how obsessed I am with my smoothie. I really do believe this thing keeps me alive and well. I have it every morning... sometimes for dinner too. I just can't get enough. It might not look very appealing, but it tastes great, and it makes you feel amazing.

1 banana (or sub any fruit you like. frozen blueberries are a great option.)

8 oz. hazelnut milk (rice, almond, or any non-dairy milk - oat milk is yummy, when not cleansing**)

1 Tbl. flaxseed meal

1 Tbl. chia seeds or powder

1 tsp. maca powder

(when not cleansing, add 1 Tbl. raw cacao powder**)

1 tsp. raw almond butter

2 small to medium leaves of collard greens, stems removed

ice

Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender, until completely smooth.

*If ever the smoothie tastes too "green," I usually do one of the following: add more milk; add a tiny bit of vanilla extract, or if you have them, pure vanilla beans are outrageously good (but, quite pricey); or add more fruit or dates, but that increases the sugar content, which I try to avoid.

Day One.

The cleanse officially starts today. I have been "pre-cleansing" for the past five days, slowly cutting things, like alcohol, refined sugar, caffeine, gluten, and dairy, out of my diet. Already, I feel a huge difference: my eye-sight has become more vivid; my sense of smell has heightened; I have more energy and mental clarity. I am always astounded by the power in eating simply what nature provides for us. When I did this cleanse last year, it completely changed me. It greatly influenced the way in which I eat and look at food. Eating this "clean," allows room for you to look much deeper at yourself: I realized that I wasn't happy anymore in Boulder, I wanted to quit my job, and go to Bali to learn more about yoga.

In wanting to study the human relationship with food, across different cultures, I think it's crucial that I start with my own relationship with it. For me, this cleanse isn't about losing weight (obviously, that's a plus) or restricting my diet; it's about listening to myself and seeing how vibrant my life can be. Food can either give me energy and bring happiness or can make me depressed and sluggish. So, how do different foods affect me? I've said it before, but I have always had a love/hate relationship with food, and I believe so many others have. I think food can be a huge root to our suffering but also to our success.

Our bodies spend 80% of our energy on digestion alone. So, if we can make the digestive process easier on ourselves, by eating more whole foods and less processed items, don't you think that will leave us with more energy? Not only more energy, but it creates space within ourselves, and space leaves room for growth. "Creating space" was one of the biggest things I learned in Bali last year. I will touch on it more soon.

Check out Conscious Cleanse.

Never Mess With Sunday

Stumbled upon this song a few months ago on Pandora, and every time it comes on, I get soooo happy and relaxed...

findings from notcot

oh my. i want.

findings from notcot

demetriades + walker architecture: boardwalk house

Round Two

Last year, I did a cleanse that two of my yoga teachers in Boulder put together. It's called Conscious Cleanse, and they do them a few times a year. Honestly, this cleanse completely changed the way I look at food. I learned so much about myself, how food affects me, and the power of eating whole foods.

I have been struggling with trying to quit smoking for far too long now. Since I did my inversion challenge, I have significantly cut down, which is really inspiring. I started running again, practicing yoga (actually even started teaching private lessons twice a week), and continue to eat super healthy. So, I feel like the cleanse will only continue to push me in the right direction, and keep up this pace I've started. Falling back into bad habits can happen too easily, and I hope to finally put this vice to rest. So, if anyone feels so inclined to do the cleanse too, it starts on August 12th, but they start transitioning your eating habits a few days before, so sign up by Wednesday. The link is above.

Craving a sleek and quiet getaway. This will do.

And so, the research begins: diving into the relationship between humans and food, from culture to culture. I stumbled across an incredible project that has given me a lot of insight and inspiration: Food for 9 Billion.

from architectural digest to aubrey road to you are the river

I couldn't agree more: the open shelves are fantastic.

28 days later

Today is the last day of my inversion challenge. Can I say my life has changed solely because of the inversions? Most people would probably say that's debatable. Who's life doesn't change in 28 days? Can I say that I feel better, I think more clearly, and I have more motivation? Yes.

If we change one thing about our everyday, doesn't that cause a ripple effect? Whether it be inversions, sitting down for your meals instead of eating on the go, walking to work instead of driving, whatever it might be, it will gradually affect how you go about your life.

But, for something as simple as flipping upside-down for three minutes, I have noticed quite a difference in myself. I've tried to put into writing the exact results. In order to do so, the blog becomes far too personal or so vague that it's not worth mentioning. So, take it upon yourself.

Happy Summer