Hello Beautiful Readers,

Have you been enjoying Spring?  We are experiencing a break in the rain and enjoying some sunshine up here in the NW.  It is such a beautiful time with all the flowers blooming and everything coming back to life.  We were even able to go out on our paddle boards this past weekend, which is one of my favorite things to do.   Another thing that I enjoy doing is reading, especially books that inspire, challenge me to grow and support my wellness journey.  I always like to hear what other people are reading so I thought I would share with you three books that I have recently finished and loved... and I would love to hear from you.  What have you read lately that you enjoyed? 

Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes- I loved this book for so many reasons, but one is that I was laughing out loud throughout the book.  I first fell in love with Shonda’s relatable and incredibly honest sense of humor when I saw a video of her Dartmouth Commencement Speech.  If you haven’t seen it you can click here to watch it.   But it was when I read her book that I became a huge fan.  In this book she tells about her year of deciding to say yes to all the things that she would normally say no to because they scared her or made her feel uncomfortable.  She takes you through her realization that she had become way too comfortable in saying no and that she was actually disengaging from life.  This leads to her uncomfortable adventure in learning how to say yes to herself and as it turns out she begins to say yes to life.  She is a single mother of three girls and is an incredibly successful writer.  She tackles all of the real struggles of being a working mother in the most honest way.  She clarifies this idea of having it all by saying you can have it all, but not all at the same time.  

“Whenever you see me somewhere succeeding in one area of my life, that almost certainly means that I am failing in another area of my life.”  

I relate to this so much.  It’s a struggle... and a dance, some days I’m so much better at it than others.  She goes on to say that she wouldn’t have it any other way and I have to agree.  Since this year of yes, Shonda’s life has improved so much that she hasn’t stopped saying yes. Relatable, funny and empowering- my kind of book.

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert- Most people know Elizabeth from Eat Pray Love and Big Magic is her latest book.  She dives into all that is creativity, and gives us permission to be creative (by us she means everybody).  You don’t have to qualify yourself as an artist to be creative but rather we are all creative.  

She even says “Human beings have been creative beings for a really long time--long enough and consistently enough enough that it appears to be a totally natural impulse.”  

The other point of her book that I found to be such a great reminder is that your creativity doesn’t have to be something that you must labor through and complain about, but rather something you enjoy.  It’s your choice!  And the more you choose to enjoy it the easier it is to be creative.   

Miracles Now by Gabrielle Bernstein- I have had this book on my nightstand for a couple years now and have read this over and over but not in the typical way.  This book consists of 108 Life-Changing Tools for less stress, more flow and finding your true purpose.  Most mornings I open this book and trust that the page I land on is the lesson I need for that day.  It may come in the form of an intention to set for the day or a supportive tool.   Some of the tools she teaches are meditation, tapping, breathing and mindful exercises and much more.   This is a great guide to a more spiritual and mindful life.

Have you read any of these?  If so, did you enjoy them?  What have you read lately that you love?

-love and gratitude

There are so many self-care rituals to embrace, it can be completely overwhelming.  How do you know which one is really going to make a significant impact on your life?  When I started my journey into conscious eating and living, which was more than a decade ago, I was completely overwhelmed with all the beneficial things I could and should be doing in my day.  

If I adopted all of them I would have a full time job!  

So over the years I have slowly tried them on, experimented with them, and kept the ones that work for me.  It's important to recognize that there isn’t one right way for everybody, we’re all different.  And it's crucial that you find what works for you and it's okay if that changes over time.

I've tried a lot and I’ve sustained the self-care rituals that work for me and make me feel better.   Check out some of the self-care rituals I’ve tried...

When I decide to try out something I usually commit to it for at least a few weeks and see how it makes me feel.  If I feel better and enjoy it then I’ll keep it around. A lot of these things I still do on most days, but I only have one thing that I have to do everyday and it’s my non-negotiable.  

It’s warm lemon water when I first wake up in the morning.    

Drinking warm lemon water first thing in the morning hydrates you, helps your liver detoxify, brings your body to a more alkalized state, reduces water retention, aids digestion, improves your skin and more.  Check out this article for more info on the benefits.

But the reason why I have kept it as a daily ritual, and now it has become my non-negotiable, is because I feel better when I start my day with it.  I feel less bloated, my digestion feels better and my body feels clean and healthy.   

I do it because I feel better... it's that simple.  

If you are interested in experimenting with what warm lemon water can do for you, then give it a go for a few weeks.  It’ll take about a week before you feel a physical difference in your body. Try it and see how you feel.

Here's what to do: Take half a lemon and squeeze it into a mug of warm water (about 10oz) and drink it first thing when you get up in the morning.  This might taste sour at first, but you will get used to it… do NOT add a sweetener.  Then you can go about your normal morning coffee or tea drinking and breakfast.  

Whenever I try a new ritual I’m always shocked at how my regular habits are so ingrained.  

When I first decided to try the lemon water I found myself drinking my coffee before I would remember and then it was too late.  After a few mornings like that I decided to set myself up for success by placing a lemon in front of our espresso machine at night.  That way in my morning haze I didn’t have to remember.  The lemon was right there to stop me in my tracks.  

I would love to hear from you.

What's your non-negotiable self-care ritual?  

Are you interested in finding out more about some of the items on my list?  

Let me know in the comments below.

Hope you have found this helpful.

-love and gratitude

Hello!  Hope you all enjoyed your extra day yesterday!  I read that if we didn’t have leap year it would be July 15th of 2017!  Kinda crazy to think about, it leaves me feeling grateful that we are slowing the clock a bit;)

Today I’m going to share something a little different with you.  It’s my favorite granola recipe.  I’ve tried lots of different recipes and I came up with this one a few years ago.  It’s very basic and you can easily play around with it.  I usually use raw almonds, raw walnuts and raw pecans for the nuts.. but any of your favorites will work great!  The bulk bins at your local grocery is the best place to find raw nuts.

I also have two variations to share with you.

Chocolate/Hazelnut Granola

• 3 Cups Rolled Oats
• 2 Cups Raw Chopped Nuts
• ¾ tsp Salt
• ¾ tsp Cinnamon
• 3 TBSP Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• ½ Cup Maple Syrup
• ⅓ Cup Melted Coconut Oil
• 1 Cup Raw Chopped Hazelnuts
• 1 Cup Raw Chopped Almonds
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• ½ tsp Almond Extract

*Combine dry ingredients then stir in wet ingredients.  Bake at 300’ for 45 minutes on a rimmed cookie sheet.  Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Pumpkin Granola

• 3 Cups Rolled Oats
• 1/2 Cup Raw Pumpkin Seeds
• 1 Cup Raw Chopped Pecans
• 1 Cup Raw Chopped Almonds
• ¾ tsp Salt
• 1 TBSP Ground Cinnamon
• ½ tsp Ground Nutmeg
• ½ tsp Ground Ginger
• ¼ tsp Ground Cloves
• ¼ tsp Ground Cardamom
• ⅓ Cup Unsweetened Plain Pumpkin Puree
• ⅓ Cup Melted Coconut Oil
• ½ Cup Maple Syrup
• 1 TBSP Vanilla Extract

*Combine dry ingredients then stir in wet ingredients.  Bake at 300’ for 45 minutes on a rimmed cookie sheet.  Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Hope you enjoy!

-love and gratitude