The Power of Gratitude

Gratitude is a very powerful tool that helps us appreciate the joys in our lives and find new ways of looking at our struggles.  With every challenge, lessons can be learned and feeling grateful for these lessons is an empowering way to find the sweet among the sour. When I first began looking at life this way, everything changed.  I swapped out my victim mentality for a more empowering outlook, which catapulted me forward.  Lots of people get stuck in a limiting way of thinking, where the world feels big, mean, and scary and they're left defenseless.  I used to think this way until I discovered how freeing it was to be thankful for the hard pills I had to swallow and to learn from each painful gulp.

Now, gratitude is part of my everyday life, especially when times are tough.  Being grateful helps me reframe hardships into something positive, something I can build off of and learn from, which allows me to cope, heal, and move forward.  It also helps me reflect on the people and things that enrich my life, giving me an opportunity to share my love and appreciation.  The more we take the time to generate positivity, the better this world will be.

That being said, I want to express my gratitude to two very special people in my life.  My sister and our dear friend, Ashley, are huge sources of love, laughter, and fun in my life.  They were there for me while I was making my dreams a reality and were instrumental in the creation of Sage & Spry.  Ashley took on developing my beautiful logo and both of them were a constant source of feedback, advice, brainstorming, love and support.  I could not have done this project without them.  Thanks, ladies, for supporting my quest to find a vehicle for my passions. I love you both to pieces!! xoxo

Lacking inspiration? Clean your cupboards!

The other day I was sorting through all the grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and beans I've accumulated and decided it was time for me to do something with them. I'm now determined to, one by one, tackle each one of these random ingredients to free up some space and get out of my cooking comfort zone.  This week I honed in on some pine nuts and polenta I had stored and this is what I came up with: Non-dairy Creamy Herbed Polenta with Dijon Asparagus Herb Salad

See what I did there? I made it all fancy sounding when, actually, it's quite simple.  See for yourself:

Herbed Polenta:

I put 6 cups of water on to boil and then stirred in 1-1/2 cups of polenta, lowering the heat to med/low.  Stirring almost continuously it took about 20 minutes to become nice and tender (you may need to add more water if it thickens up too fast).  I then added salt, minced garlic, and chopped chives and rosemary.  I poured in about a cup of almond milk, 3 tablespoons dairy-free "butter" (I use Earth Balance), and 1/4-1/2 cup of nutritional yeast (adds a cheesy flavor).  I kept stirring and adding more almond milk until I reached the desired consistency.  It turned out pretty darn delicious, if I do say so myself. ;)

Dijon Asparagus Salad:

I whisked together 2 tbsp. lemon juice, 2 tbsp. dijon mustard, and 3 tbsp. olive oil.  I thinly sliced 1/4 of a red onion and mixed it in with with dressing.  Marinating onions will remove their bite.  I chopped up equal amounts of chives, basil and cilantro (about 1/4 cup each) and added them to the dressing as well.  I steamed about 1-1/2 pounds of asparagus after cutting them into 2-inch pieces.  Once tender, I rinsed them in cold water to cool them off and stop the cooking process.  I toasted about 1/2 cup of pine nuts and then tossed everything together with some sea salt.  I serve it cold and it actually paired really well with the polenta.

There you go! See what you can dig up in your pantry; it's fun! :)

***Polenta dish cleaning tip: soak in cold water and it comes right off.

Connect to the Source: The Bee's Knees

The Bee's Knees

Unfortunately, we live in a society where it is all too easy to be detached from our food supply.  This is our nourishment, our bodies, our survival and we're completely disconnected.  This detachment gives birth to ignorance and a lack of responsibility and accountability.  There is some pretty nasty stuff being done to our food and it continues because we're ignorant of it and turn a blind eye.  Now, I'm not going to concentrate on that stuff because, as you will learn, I am firm believer in focusing on the positive.  Let's steer our energy away from the problem and put our efforts into the solution.

This last weekend I had the opportunity to accompany my good friend, Natasha, when she acquired her very first bees.  This was a perfect example of getting connected to the source.

The great thing about beekeeping is that the fruits of that labor go way beyond honey and beeswax. Bees are an essential part of nature and Natasha is passionate about doing her part to support their existence.  Not to mention the lessons learned just by interacting with bees.  They have an amazing system of survival and their keen senses require people to be calm and peaceful in their presence.  It's a beautiful thing to be apart of and to witness achieving a zen state in an extremely intimidating situation.  Powerful spiritual exercise, check!

I'm not asking you to go all Tom Hanks in "Cast Away" and you don't have to run out and buy some bees, but anything we can do to get more connected to the source of our food, the better choices we will make.  If everyone was aware of exactly what went on with our food from beginning to end, I guarantee we'd make choices that are better for our bodies and better for this earth.  This doesn't have to be super inconvenient; start anywhere that interests you.  Look in to visiting local farms and dairies, ask questions at the local grocery store or food co-op, check out a farmer's market or take charge of your own food supply by gardening or raising chickens.  There's a level of pride and gratitude that comes with putting faces to the people and animals who help feed you.  Even more so when you produce your own food. Enjoy the benefits of supporting people you believe in and the earth you live on.  Your food will taste and feel better, trust me.

Roasted Radishes

As I said before, I'm currently obsessed with radishes!  I try to eat seasonally as much as I can, which makes each season special.  With spring upon us I'm loving all the radishes, artichokes and asparagus available.  Here's a great recipe that is a different take on radishes.  If you aren't a radish lover, don't rule out this dish as roasted radishes taste completely different from raw ones.  Enjoy!

Roasted Radishes

Ingredients:

Radishes, thoroughly cleaned and roots and green removed

Coconut oil

Sea Salt

Dill (for garnish)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Halve or quarter your radishes, depending on the size.  You want them to be uniform so they cook evenly.  Generously coat them in coconut oil and sprinkle with sea salt.  Cook until tender 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Garnish with dill and serve.  It's that simple!  Be aware that coconut oil smokes when heated, so don't worry nothing is burning. :)