Hiking the Upper Peninsula

I get wanderlust. I get wanderlust bad. I love moving and traveling and I'm desperately trying to create a life where I can road trip at least one month out of every year.

I've spent a lot of time on the road and had many adventures, but I haven't figured out a way to make a living doing that and I also crave the connections and stability that come with having a home, so I have to find other ways to satiate my thirst for adventure. This can easily done with a nice hike in the woods.

Hiking is my way to experience something thrilling in my own backyard. When I'm walking on some path surrounded by nature and countless beautiful wonders I feel completely rejuvenated and at peace.

Hiking is what I turn to when I need a pick-me-up, answers, faith, inspiration, reconnection, self-reflection, and a reset. It's where I find myself, over and over again.

The fresh air eases my mind. Sweating releases anxiety. The smell of the earth encourages long, deep breaths. The rhythmic, repetitive movement brings me to a meditative state of self-reflection. It's my happy place.

I discovered my passion for hiking in California and got to explore so many amazing trails and discover breath-taking places.

Although I grew up in the U.P. and spent a lot of time outdoors, I didn't even scratch the surface of the endless opportunities for adventure. Since moving back, I've started to learn different trails and have been enjoying how quiet and beautiful this place is, but I also feel quite intimidated.

In California, most of the trails were well marked, well documented, had at least a few people to share it with, and did not lack cellphone service.

Now I find myself on backroads, deep in the woods trying to find the trail. I've gotten use to the couple of hikes I'm familiar with here and stick to those, but I don't want to. My wanderlust is coming back and it's time for me to start discovering. I'm hoping to keep finding hikes and sharing them with you, so that you can find them, too. See you on the trails!

Kitchen Gadget Essentials

My lifestyle involves a lot of time in the kitchen and requires some handy tools that make my life a lot easier. Here are some of my favorites:

Juicers

I love juicing. It makes me feel alive. I feel so energetic when I'm doing it regularly. Not to mention, it was a huge part of my healing journey when I transitioned to a healthier lifestyle. The idea behind it is that, by using a juicer, you're pulling the fiber out of the fruits and vegetables and you're left with a concentrated dose of vitamins and minerals. It's like nature's multivitamin. Here are some of the juicer's I'd recommend:

The Jack Lalanne Juicer

This juicer is more affordable running at about $115, but it's a little harder to clean and cannot juice greens very well. You'll get a wetter pulp, meaning that less juice is being extracted, but it's a great juicer for people who are just beginning or who prefer sticking to celery, apples, cucumbers, citrus fruits, carrots, beets, and other foods with a high juice content.

The Breville Juicer

The Breville brand is similar to Jack Lalanne, with similar pros and cons. However, you can find some higher powered Breville juicers that will make juicing a speedy process. Still doesn't juice greens very well, but if you're looking for something fast and still in the cheaper range, this is your guy. We used it a lot when I worked at a Raw Retreat Center and were making a lot of juice every morning for all the guests. You can find it for around $150.

The Omega Juicer

Now this is my ultimate favorite juicer. It's slower, but gets a lot more juice out of your produce. I can juice anything even kale stems and lemon peels. Great for anyone wanting to use a wider range of produce, which is why I like it because I can get a wider variety of nutrients in my diet. Plus, in some ways you save on money because you need less produce to get the same amount of juice as the others. And it's super easy to clean. Down side? It's pricier, around $250. However, I got lucky and found mine on craigslist for $150.

Blenders:

I'll admit it, the blender I use now is crappy, so so crappy. It was given to me by my parents, who had two, and it's the very same one I used as a kid to make smoothies. There are a few buttons missing and my smoothies can't necessarily be classified as "smooth," but I make it work because this girl is saving up for one of these amazing blenders:

THE Vitamix

Talk about smooth. I mean silk. It's ridiculous what you can do with this blender. Yes, the ~$500 cost is terrifying, but for anyone who spends a lot of time in the kitchen, it's soooo worth it. Smoothies are the least of the Vitamix's capabilities that include being able to blend soups, sauces, dressings, pates, dips, and even grind flour. Did you hear that?! Grind flour! We used to turn flax seeds into flax meal, I should say flax dust, in just a few seconds. It's a beautiful thing, the Vitamix. Downside? Well, the large chunk of change it takes to put this bad boy on your counter top.

The Blentec

The Blentec is another high powered juicer and there are a lot of debates about which one is better, but I think it just comes down to preference. I haven't worked with the Blentec as much as I have with a Vitamix, but the one thing I liked about it was that it seems to mix better on its own with out needing the tamper mixing tool. Either way they're both amazing and expensive, but you can't really go wrong.

Food Processors

Food processors are pretty essential unless, of course, you have a Vitamix, but they're great for making dips, pestos, nut butters, etc. I use mine all the time.

Cuisinart

This one is my favorite and one I've used for years and years. Not too pricey and very effective. I love using the other attachments to shred or grate vegetables super fast. Plus, it's lasted me for so long.

KitchenAid

KitchenAid is a great company and they make quality products. I haven't worked with this processor as much, but it's similar to the Cuisinart and I think either one work great.

Gadgets

Garlic Press

This is essential for me as a Massage Therapist. It keeps me from having to smell like garlic, which, in turn, keeps my clients happy. I've noticed you have to be picky about garlic presses as lots of them don't work. The one above is my favorite.

Lime / Lemon Juicer

These are awesome! So fast, so easy, and cheap!

Microplane

These are great for grating fresh nutmeg or ginger and as a zester.

Coffee / Spice Grinder

This is a fast, easy way to make fresh spice blends, by grinding whole spices together. It's the faster version of a mortar and pestle.

Spiralizer

This is my newest addition and I love it. This gadget makes certain vegetables into noodles and ribbons. I originally bought it to make zucchini noodles as an alternative to spaghetti, but I'm loving how it adds to plating. I like my food to look beautiful, so I'm having a lot of fun adding spiralized veggies to my plates. The only downside is that there are only a few vegetables that work well with it.  Zucchini is the best.

Multiple Blade Peeler

It took me a long time to learn not to go cheap with peelers. A bad peeler is such a pain in the a**! I use a triple blade peeler that also has soft skin and julienne settings. I use the julienne setting a lot to speed prep along.

Sprouting Trays

Sprouts are so good for you and it's an easy, economical way to get tons of nutrients in your diet. These trays are the best I've used and make the already easy process easier.

Happy Birthday Sage & Spry

I can't believe it's already been a year since I started Sage & Spry. What a wonderfully wild year it's been. I originally started Sage & Spry as lifestyle blog that would help me teach others about health while having a tool to keep me motivated and accountable. In my mind, I was going to continue to embark on adventures and take odd jobs for three years, while I continued my blog. I thought that'd give me enough time to establish a direction for Sage & Spry, so that I would know what services to offer the public. You see, with my background and education, Sage & Spry has the potential to grow in many areas, currently I'm working to discover what our community needs or wants.

Opportunities, self-reflection, and serendipity landed me back in Marquette pursuing Sage & Spry full-time. What a whirlwind. I thought I was moving to Colorado to hike and soak in hot springs, while continuing my career as a Massage Therapist, but I'm so excited to be back in my hometown rediscovering the wonders of the U.P. Yes, it's been scary and hard, but now more than ever I feel at peace and I feel like I'm doing what I'm meant to be doing.  I couldn't be more grateful for that. I'm learning so much about myself and others and I can't wait to continue to help them on their journey. I've lifted myself out of physical, mental, and emotional hardships and I could not have done it without the love, support, and knowledge of my teachers, friends, family, and mentors. I strive everyday to find ways to play the role in others' lives that my support group played in mine. Nothing makes me happier than teaching others how to feel better and become more in charge of their lives. So, thank you. Thank you for encouraging me and supporting me as I find ways to reach, serve, and connect to others. I look forward to another year of discovery, inspiration, wellness, and, of course, fun.

In case you weren't around in the beginning, check out how it all started:

Let's Start at the Very Beginning...

Kitchen Books I Love

Kitchen Books I Love

Food is a huge and essential part of creating a healthy lifestyle, so it's important to find ways to eat healthy food that you enjoy and that inspires creativity.  The more you enjoy the healthy food you're consuming, the more likely you'll stick to a diet that supports you.  Sometimes it's hard to know where to start, so I want to share with you the books that have helped me the most. I hope you can find some tools that help you incorporate healthier foods into your lifestyle.

The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg

This is the ultimate book for inspiring creativity in the kitchen.  You won't find recipes, but what you will find are flavor pairings.  This was my go to book when I lived on a farm.  The farmer would come into the kitchen and tell us what was  ready to be eaten and I'd have to find ways to incorporated that into our menu.  Sometimes it was beets, cauliflower, kale, a ton of green beans, radishes, etc. I would look up what flavors pairs well with those foods and start creating.  It's also a great book to nurture your skills and creativity since you don't have a recipe to fall back on.  Extremely insightful and educational.  Every chef, cook, home cook, should own this book.

The Vegetarian Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg

Same as The Flavor Bible this book will inspire ideas and hone creativity.  There's a lot of educational information in the beginning and then features a wide variety of vegetarian foods and their tasty pairings.  Great for anyone interested in a vegetarian lifestyle or just to get an idea on how to incorporate more vegetables, fruits, and grains into your diet without sacrificing flavor.

Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero

This is one of my favorite vegan cookbooks.  I sometimes have a hard time finding ones that are also healthy.  I think lots of people adopt the vegan lifestyle and start eating a ton of processed fake cheese and fake meats to create foods that taste like the foods they've given up.  I get this, but my focus has always been on health, so lots of those ways of cooking aren't my thing.  This book has a lot of great ideas that feature vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, seeds, and the less processed protein soy products like tofu and tempeh.  I used this a lot when I ran a kitchen at a yoga retreat center because they have great family style meals that I could serve to a lot of people.  Great for cooking for a family or for friends.

Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People by Jennifer Cornbleet

This book fell into my lap.  I was volunteering at a raw foods expo doing chair massage and ended up massaging this author.  As a thank you she gave me this book.  Little did I know, it would end up being one of my most used recipe books.  Raw foods are a great way to add nutrient-dense foods into your diet and can be really exciting and delicious.  I love her recipes because they're very simple and easy.  I think sometimes raw foods can be too complex and hard to digest, which kind of defeats the purpose.  Her recipes are straightforward and delicious.

Thug Kitchen by Rodale, Inc.

Good food and a fun attitude. This book is edgy and full of great recipes and colorful humor and tips.  Be warned: there's a fair amount of cursing, which is personally why I love this book. It's a down-to-earth approach to healthy, vegetarian food with lots of creative ideas meant to reach the average joe wanting to incorporate more fruits and veggies into their diet without going broke.   

Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi

This is a slightly more refined approach to vegetarian cooking using delicious, unique recipes to showcase vegetables and grains. What I like about this book is that his recipes are greatly influenced by his exposure to European and Middle Eastern cuisines, which creates unique flavors and allows me to step outside of my comfort zone and learn new, delicious tastes.  I also like that he himself is not a vegetarian because I agree with his philosophy: that even if you aren't a vegetarian it's still good for you to find new ways to incorporate vegetables in your diet.

The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray, M.D.

As a chef who sometimes works with food in a more therapeutic manner, I use this book as a reference tool. It's a wealth of nutritional education describing the nutritional benefits and healing properties of specific foods. Also, and probably my favorite part, it tells you how to eat for a large number of common ailments.  It's great for anyone who wants to approach food as medicine.

Crazy, Sexy Diet by Kris Carr

I love, love, love this book.  Kris Carr is an incredible woman who used her battle with cancer as an opportunity to learn about her body and find a lifestyle that supports her.  There are lots of great food ideas, but, more importantly, it's a guide on how to adopt a healthy lifestyle.  She approaches health the way that I do, by looking at the whole picture and dealing with all aspects of your health, this includes physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health.  This book provides the stepping stones for a nutrient-dense healing journey that helps develop self-awareness and allows you to know your body and how to support it.