The Day After

The day after Thanksgiving - also know as Black Friday - marks the beginning of the shopping season. For the faint of heart, beware. For the braver folk, grab your credit card, lace up your kicks, and may you score a good sale (or two!).

The holidays are officially underway. Dun dun dun...
The parties, the food, the family & friends, the magic, the loneliness, the joy, the consumerism, the abundance of it all. Some adore it, some deplore it. So it goes. I stand somewhere in between but closer to the adoring side. My mom loves the holidays in a way that's unfailing contagious. She goes above and beyond to make it a magical experience form start to finish, taking even the smallest details into consideration. Each year she manages to outdo the previous but what's most amazing is the joy it brings to her and through her to all of us. I love this about my mom and I love spending this time with and around her.

This will be the first Christmas in my 27 years that I will not be celebrating in the traditional way. No snow, no caroling, no glitter and sparkle, no mom. This year I will be laying on the white sand of Mexico celebrating instead the 80th birthday of my father's father. While I'm torn emotionally at this break in tradition I'm welcoming this new experience.

I might even enjoy the break from the inevitable stress that tends to creep in during the weeks building up. I will miss Christmas dinner, I will miss the joy on my little brother's face as he walks along Santa's chocolate path towards the tree, I will miss my mama making cinnamon toast in her bathrobe while we open stockings, and the sleepy but happy togetherness we share on that early morning among the shiny packages and one another.

In a wierd way this year marks the end of childhood for me. For us all the holidays change as we grow up and some are better at keeping the spirit alive than others. My mom being one of them. It takes more effort on our part to find that magic that was so real, to experience the excitement, and the simple joy of imagination. These are the reasons I love Christmas. It's the sparkle, glitter, lights, beauty, laughter, cozy evening and mornings spent with people we love.

As much as I love the day of I admit that I'm usually exhausted by it from all the build-up and so I welcome the day after. All the work is done and we're allowed to just sit back and relax. Most of the family is still around but the pressure is off. It's the "ahhhhhhh" moment, the deep exhale, the calm after the storm. The challenge is to find those moments throughout the weeks leading up to, the days of, and of course, the day after.

May you find peace in your holidays, may your imagination go wild, may you enjoy the time spent with the people you love, and may you survive the mobs if you have decided to brave Black Friday. Happy Holidays!

Best GF Granola

Summer in under-way despite the fact that the whole East Coast has been blanketed in what feels like weeks of endless rain and greyness. Thankfully we've had a few blessed moments of sunshine dispersed throughout, just enough to dash outdoors to tend the gradens, plucking the ruthless weeds and snails. Having limited access to the outdoors has inspired culinary adventures as well as longer and more focused time on my mat - all which I'm thankful for the time to be able to indulge in.


Here what's happening en la cucina:


Crunchy Omega Rich GF Granola Goodness
2 cups GF oats
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1/4 cup shredded coconut (I used unsweetened)
1/2 walnut pieces
1/2 sliced almonds
1/4 dried cranberries (or dried blueberries or raisins)
1/2 cup organic almond or peanut butter
1/2 cup maple syrup (or honey or agave)
1 tsp. vanilla
4 tbls. butter, ghee, or grapeseed oil (I used grapeseed oil for dairy free)

Preheat oven to 325. In a large bowl mix dry ingredients. In a small saucepan over low heat mix wet ingredients just until combined. Add wet to dry and combine well. Press into lightly greased pan. Bake 30 minutes. Take out and stir lightly (try not to break up the chunks too much), turn the heat up to 375 and bake until nicely browned and crispy. Let cool completely. Store in glass tupperware or jars. Enjoy!
*Like any granola recipe tweak it to suit your palette by using different nuts, seeds, dried fruit, sweetness level.

Our vegetable garden comes to life!

There's something so fulfilling about growing one's own food. Being involved in the process from start to finish. This summer we've expanded our vegetable garden by three extra beds - so far so good. I look forward each day to see the progress made overnight and wait with eager anticipation for the first harvest!

The Spunky Coconut

This website is worth checking out for some creative GF recipes and the chance to win a copy of her new GF cookbook:
http://www.thespunkycoconut.com/

Memorial Day Muffins

I've been experimenting recently with some new gluten-free recipes from Elana's Pantry. All of the recipes are gluten-free and dairy-free but chock-full of wholesome and healthy substitutions - such as almond flour, coconut flour, agave, arrowroot (they sound exotic but most healthfood stores carry them) - for the traditional ingredients. I wish I could take credit for these little gems, but at least I'm helping to spread the word. It is possible to enjoy baked treats that you don't have to feel guilty about. So far I have been very impressed. Here's a great twist on a classic fave:

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
¼ cup coconut flour
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs
¼ cup agave nectar
¼ cup grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1. In a medium bowl, combine coconut flour, salt and baking soda
2. In a large bowl, blend together eggs, agave, oil and lemon zest
3. Blend dry ingredients into wet
4. Fold in poppy seeds
5. Spoon 1 tablespoon of batter into each greased mini muffin cup
6. Bake at 350° for 8 to 10 minutes
7. Cool and serve

Makes about about 24 mini-muffins. Happy Memorial Day everyone!

It's finally starting to feel like summer here on the island. The buds are blooming, the grass is growing (at unbelievable speed), the sun is shining bright, and yesterday I would even go so far as to say it was hot! A perfect day to lounge in the garden with the puppy by my side and procrastinate on mowing the lawn.

Happy long weekend everyone!

Finding Our Way

Running for me is meditation. It's peace and quiet, time with myself where I can think or not, where I just go; it's healing and restorative, energizing and inspiring. I feel strong and empowered, and face the rest of my life with that perspective. When I don't run I miss it, I miss the monotony, I miss the high afterward, I miss the intuitive connection with my body. Yoga gives me all of this (and more) but in a different way. Together, my running and my yoga practice complete me. Without one I feel a void.

When I come to this island, running is especially special. It takes on a whole new space in my days and connects me to my surroundings in a very intimate and personal way. As I increase my miles naturally, effortlessly in some sense, I feel the natural progression and I thrive on it.

Two days ago, after a few months of avoiding the issue, I had to make the very very difficult decision to stop running for health reasons. It was a choice between keeping on with something that brings me such happiness and mental clarity or giving this up and taking care of my body's health in another respect. Both are positive for me, and so there was no clear-cut answer.

We're often faced with decisions we'd rather not have to make - choosing between two options, neither of which seems the obvious choice. Nevertheless, we must decide, choose, commit to one side. These can vary greatly in importance or relevance to the grander scheme, but when it's put before us, no matter the significance to others, it can often feel impossible to ourselves. Our lives, composed of relationships, health, work, love, discovery - all require decisions daily; most are done subconsciously, yet others take thought and consideration on a more meaningful level.

Being faced with one which would eventually play a crucial role in my overall well-being felt, and still feels, like a huge mountain that I just don't want to climb. My body needs me to stop running but at the same time needs me to run.

The point is that more often than not in life we are faced with decisions, sometimes without an easy or obvious "right" way to proceed. For the difficult ones, we search deep inside for guidance and we hope, we pray, we believe and trust that our intuition will lead us. We decide, we commit, and we stay consistent. Hopefully, we have support systems to encourage and remind us, but most important is to believe in what we're doing and carry with us that strength of knowledge.

Part of me is itching to lace up my running shoes this morning and head out but I know that I am committing fully, and so I will refocus my energy - I will roll out my mat and set my intention for good health, well-being, and peace of mind to support me.