Roasted Fennel and Spring Vegetable Salad

Someday I'm going to write a book called 101 Ways to Make Tacos because tacos are what we have for dinner. Seriously. Every. Single. Night.

Okay, maybe not every single night, but certainly most weeknights. At this point, my partner has basically stopped asking what's for dinner because it's obvious: beans and something else that's going to go inside of corn tortillas. Any questions?

Someday I'm also going to write a book called 101 Ways to Make A Salad because salads are what I have for lunch practically every single weekday.

The key to making a good salad is this: it has to have a good protein source (I usually opt for beans or lentils), a variety of vegetables with complimentary flavors and textures, and a good dressing. For most salads, I usually dress the leaves in a little plain balsamic vinegar, but the classic balsamic vinegar and olive oil mix is fabulous for almost any salad.

And if you eat an oil-free diet, subbing avocado in for oil is a fabulous way to still enjoy a creamy dressing. This sweet and tangy mango salad dressing and this jalapeno avocado lime dressing are great oil-free options.

My personal challenge to enjoying salads is that I don't typically crave raw veggies because Seattle is cold most of the year. However, I can get around this by roasting vegetables and adding them (while still warm) to a bed of cold greens. This salad is my newest favorite and it's a fabulous meal during these cold, drizzly days of spring.

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A Guide To Buying Organic

I get a lot of questions from readers and folks in my personal life asking for one simple change they can make to have a healthier diet. My response is usually "eat less sugar and eat more greens." Many of us struggle to get enough vegetables into our diet, period, so I don't often talk about the importance of the kinds of vegetables that we choose. 

However, I want to spend some more time today talking about the importance of buying organic and how to easily and effortlessly make the switch --with the least amount of impact on your wallet!

For the past few years there has been a lot of buzz going on around organics: Is organic produce really better for you? Is organic produce worth the cost? Does organic produce have more nutrients than conventionally-grown produce?

Here is my answer: organic matters.

Organic produce is grown without the use of pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and does not contain genetically modified (GMOs). Here in the United States, the USDA controls the organic certification and labeling process. They consider an item to be organic if:

• The food or other agricultural product has been produced through approved methods that integrate cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity. This means that synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation, and genetic engineering may not be used.
• The food contains a minimum of 95% organic ingredients.

I believe that organic matters for our health, the health of the farmers growing our food, and the health of our environment. From where I stand, the point of organic produce isn't whether it has more nutrients, but rather, that it does not contain the harmful chemicals that are used in conventional farming. When I hear about a study comparing vitamin levels between conventional and organic vegetables, I feel like they've missed the point.

Pesticides have been shown to cause liver, kidney, and blood diseases, as well as various forms of cancer. These chemicals build-up in our tissues over time, resulting in a weakened immune system. And, interestingly enough, researchers are finding out that many of these pesticides act as "obesogens" and are causing us to gain weight and keep it on. This makes perfect sense because many of these chemicals are stored in our fat cells as our body's natural defense to protect our organs. The last thing our body wants to do is allow toxins to float around in our bloodstream so it holds onto that fat to prevent this from happening. 

Many of my private health coach clients come to me because they struggle with losing weight and experience extreme "detox" symptoms as they do so. A lot of the resistance I hear from folks about buying organic is the cost. I'm not going to lie to you. Yes, buying organic is generally more expensive, but what is the price of your health worth to you? And, if you've been struggling with losing weight, think about how much money you might be spending on "diet" foods or products. 

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Roasted Baby Turnips with Spicy Mustard Dressing

No one should ever have to weedwack their entire lawn. Ever.

Unless, perhaps, you have teenagers and want to punish them... Unfortunately, I don't, so I got to experience the punishment for myself.

Earlier this year, my partner and I began renting a house from family members who are currently living overseas. I was excited at the thought of renting an entire house, however, it never occurred to me that with the amazing deal they were giving us, it also meant we had to do a lot of work.

It didn't even cross my mind that I would need to mow the lawn. That is, until I noticed that our grass was about a foot and half taller than the yards on both sides of us. Oops.

The grass was so tall, in fact, that the lawnmower repeatedly stalled when I tried to mow it. And that is when I came up with the brillant idea to weedwack the entire lawn and then mow it.  Two and a half hours of the most intense work ever, I felt like the biggest idoit on the planet. Well, at least I did until I woke up the next morning and saw how amazing my arms looked.

So, in summary, don't ever let your lawn get long enough that you need to weedwack it, but if you do, just know that you'll look great afterwards.

And, if any of you have suggestions about a smarter way I could have handled the lawn situation, I'll take 'em. Maybe I can even trade you a recipe for some landscaping advice... Roasted baby turnips, anyone?

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I'm changing my diet...

Today I have a big announcement to share.

I've written and rewritten this post over ten times now and each time I've struggled with what I want to say to you and how I want to say it. I finally boiled it down to this: Living a healthy, happy life should be about eating whole, fresh foods that make your body feel energized and good -- and it shouldn't be about what we call it.

I have always felt strongly that this blog is a place to talk about seasonal, delicious food and healthy living and I wanted our blog community to be a welcoming space open to anyone curious about eating better -- regardless of what they ate or how they labeled their diet. I believe that food and what we eat is an entirely personal choice. And, as I mentioned last week, I feel strongly that there is not one diet or one way of eating that works for everyone because each of our bodies are different.

So with that, I want to share that I have recently changed my diet and don't feel that the "plant-based" label fits anymore, even though I'm still eating a ton of plant-based meals. When I found my way to being vegetarian in 2006 and plant-based in 2007, I was at a complete breaking point with my health and found myself rushing in and out of ERs due to gallbladder attacks. Being plant-based changed everything for me.

However, for the past year and a half, something has been feeling off in terms of my health and I finally decided it was time to switch some things around in my diet. This was really hard for me to consider because I had always believed that being plant-based was what my body wanted. In January, I began adding eggs back into my diet and last month I started eating small amounts of poultry and seafood. To my surprise, my body responded really well to it and I noticed I was feeling a lot better.

If I am being completely honest with you, then I have to share that I went through a period of time where I couldn't talk about this with anyone because I was an emotional wreck. Even though I had found my way to this diet for health reasons, along the way, being plant-based had become an immensely spiritual and emotional decision for me. I felt strongly connected to this earth and all of the creatures and beings on it. I never liked eating meat or eggs growing up and I didn't have any cravings for them. I certainly never thought I would go back to including them in my diet. I'm still coming to terms with this in a lot of ways because it's such a huge change for me, but I feel really strongly that this is the right decision for me at this time.

I am so grateful for my journey and everything I have learned on it. Over the last seven years I've learned the importance of eating real, whole foods, eating seasonally, and choosing quality food. I am excited to continue this journey through this blog and keep inspiring each other to live a healthy, happy life that we love.

So, even though I'm ditching the labels around my food choices, I'm excited to continue sharing my recipes with you that will always focus on real, whole foods, and seasonal veggies. Here's what you can look forward to:

• More creativity around grain-less meals. (If you're gluten-free or grain-free, I've got some recipes for you!)
• Lots of seasonal veggie recipes! We're heading into summer soon (my favorite season) and I can't wait to share some of my favorite summer dishes with you.
• More "how to" tutorials. (Including how to soak and sprout legumes and some dairy-free cheeses!)
• More posts exploring DIY green beauty remedies and ways to live a healthy, sustainable life. 
• And eventually, even a few recipes here and there including eggs or meat.

As I mentioned in my post on my three philosophies around food, health, and life, I'm not here to tell you what's best for you and I've never been the kind of person to be preachy about my diet. I think we all need to make the right decisions for ourselves and trust our guts when it comes to our health.

Wishing you the best in health and happiness,

Sonnet

Easy & Affordable Green Juice

I fell off the juicing wagon for awhile. I think this was the first time in over four years that my juicer sat in a corner of the kitchen, unused for over six weeks.  And for some reason, I felt compelled to pry myself out of bed at 6 am on a Sunday and rush to the market to find some veggies for juicing. Now that's dedication.

This morning I was thinking about the struggles I hear from folks around juicing. Most of the time, challenges are associated with time and money so today I wanted to create a simple and easy green juice with only 3 ingredients (but packed full of nutrients!) and was affordable.

Here's how this juice breaks down in terms of cost:

• 1 small bunch (about 8 stalks) organic celery: $2.68
• 2 large organic kale leaves: $.99 ($2.98 for the bunch)
• 1 organic lemon: $.99

This comes to a total of $4.66 for a 16-oz juice which isn't that bad considering you are essentially getting two 8-oz juices for $2.33 each. I bought my produce at the market closest to me out of convenience, but I know that the co-op a few miles from my house has celery that is about $.50/lb cheaper than what I bought and Whole Foods often has deals on kale for 2 for $4 and sometimes 2 for $3. With this calculation, this could actually bring the price down to $2 (or less) per 8-oz of juice. That's more affordable than a morning latte!

A typical juice bar here in Seattle can run you around $6 for an 8-oz juice and around $10 for a 16-oz juice. Yikes. Juicing at home is much more affordable option over time, especially if you pick the right juicer. (If you're just getting started with juicing, see my guide for Picking The Right Juicer For You.)

So now that we've solved those dilemas, let's drink some juice!

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My Philosophy on Food, Health, and Life

What does it mean to you to be healthy? What does being healthy look like and feel like for you?

One of the things that I love most about this blog and our blog community is that although we talk a lot about food, this blog is really a place to talk about what it means to live our healthiest, happiest, and fullest life. As a certified holistic health coach, one of the greatest lessons that I could possibly share with anyone is that your health is not just about your physical body -- it's about emotional, mental, and spiritual health too. So, I thought we'd spend some time today talking more about what it really means to be healthy and my philosophies around food, health, and life in general. 

When it comes down to it, I really have three simple guidelines that I follow:

#1 Moderation and The 80/20 Rule

For a big part of my life, I categorized foods in two ways: either a food was "good" or it was "bad." I don’t know about you, but as soon as I am told that I can’t or shouldn’t have something, that’s exactly what I want. As a result, I spent many, many years trying to guilt myself into avoiding the forbidden "bad" foods, only to wind up with failed willpower and eating way too much junk overall. Several years ago as I began to clean up my diet and eat more fresh, whole foods, I found a better balance by using The 80/20 Rule. 

The 80/20 Rule is essentially this: 80% of the time I focus on eating fresh, healthful foods that make my body feel strong and vibrant and 20% of the time I allow myself to have treats (or less-than-optimal foods). 

Over time, I've found that eating with balance actually helps me to eat better overall because I get to enjoy healthy foods that I love while not feeling deprived of treats from time-to-time. And as I have applied this rule to other areas of my life, I have found myself enjoying my workouts more, focusing on quality time (instead of the quantity of time) spent with those I love, and feeling more balance in all areas of my life. 

#2 Listen to my body and trust what it tells me

Listening to my body is a huge one for me. I have personally experienced a variety of health issues throughout my life and the way I have managed to get through each one is by listening to my body and trusting the messages it sends me. When I say that I listen to my body, I simply mean that I notice how I feel after I eat certain foods. I believe in the concept of bio-individuality and that everyone's body is a little different. This means that foods and exercises that makes me feel great might not work for someone else, and vice versa. 

There are hundreds of different diets and ways of eating, and I do not believe that there is one perfect way of eating that works for everyone. One of my biggest pet peeves with the nutrition world is that there are so many different "experts" out there preaching that their way is the best -- and, most of these diets are at complete odds with one another. I don't know about you, but if I tried to follow every new nutritional fad out there, well, it wouldn't be possible and I would drive myself crazy. The world of nutrition and health is constantly changing and evolving and I have found that trusting my own body makes the most sense for me. 

I have also found that what my body needs and wants changes over time. As my workout routine shifts, my career shifts, or my social relationships shift, all of these things have an effect on my body. As we grow and change, I believe that we constantly need to be re-evaluating what we are eating, how we are eating, and how we are living in general. 

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DIY Dry Shampoo

When it comes right down to it, I can be a little lazy sometimes.

I am happy to make my own vegetable stock, soak and sprout lentils, make my own kimchi, and cook practically every meal of mine from scratch, but styling my hair everyday? Now that's a lot of work.

I can't be bothered with this. I mean, I have more important things to do. Like... watch my cats chase their tails. Or watch Arrested Development on Netflix. Or figure out how to make my own soap (someday!).

This is where a simple dry shampoo comes in.

Much to my surprise, my post on How to Wash Your Hair with Baking Soda and Vinegar has become the most popular post on this blog. Lots of readers have had great results with making the switch away from conventional shampoo, but some folks have struggled with an 'adjustment period' where their hair is a bit oilier than normal. This gave me the idea to create my own natural dry shampoo that could be used to keep hair looking fresh in-between washes as well as help folks transitioning to the 'no-(sham)poo' method.

It only requires two ingredients - which I'm pretty sure you already have in your kitchen. So, let's get started!

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Albion Fit $100 Gift Card Giveaway

When I share recipes or talk about seasonal vegetables, what I'm really talking about is healthy living -- and being healthy is about so much more than just food.  One of the things I talk with my private health coaching clients about is the importance of evaluating health in all areas of your life - spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical. Unfortunately in America, many of us have this crazy idea that being healthy is the same thing as being skinny. It's not. 

I am constantly appalled that our idea of beauty for women is about being overly sexy and/or too thin. It breaks my heart when I hear about women starving themselves, pursuing dangerous restricted diets, spending hours doing cardio, and being miserable because they hate their bodies. This really hits home for me because I spent years and years of my life judging my worth based on how my body looked.  Believe me when I say that I've done the crash diets, the starvation methods, and the body-hatred-b*ll$ht. It wasn't until I started eating real food in 2006, working out because I wanted to feel strong and empowered (not skinny), and loving my body for everything magnificent it does (and not how it looked) that things began to shift for me.

I'm sharing this with you today because I have the amazing opportunity to introduce you to a cool athletic wear company that I adore and we're going to be talking about clothes. I don't know about you, but when I think about clothes, this immediately brings up my old body anxiety. (Anyone out there relate?)


About a month ago I had the pleasure of being contacted by Albion Fit, a manufacturer for women's fitness and swimwear, and asked if I would be interested in trying one of their pieces of workout clothing. When I started researching more about their company, I became so excited. Here's why:

ALBION'S MISSION IS TO PROVIDE WOMEN WITH THE MOST LUXURIOUS, FLATTERING, AND HASSLE-FREE  FITNESS AND LEISURE APPAREL ON THE MARKET.

Woo hoo! One of the problems that I always have with workout clothing is that it's not flattering. I'm a pretty simple gal when it comes right down to it and I have no problem working out in a tee shirt and yoga pants, but sometimes when I work out, I want to feel really confident and I've found that clothing is a big factor in that.

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(Sugar-Free) Vanilla Rosemary Soda

The first sunny weeks of the season finally hit Seattle. And, apparently, it's all we can talk about right now.

Last weekend I spent all day sitting on my back porch working on my laptop under the shield of an umbrella. Somehow a three-inch section of my wrist didn't quite make it under the shade and now I have a funky tan rectangle on my arm. I like to think of it as my Vitamin D patch.

Before we get to today's recipe, I just wanted to say thank you again to everyone who joined us the other night for Conscious Money, Conscious Eating. I teach a lot of classes in Seattle, but this was my first time doing a workshop where I didn't get to see you all face-to-face! I loved all of the emails and responses we got about the material we covered and it's so great to hear that it's already changing the way many of you are planning, prepping meals, and cooking at home! Awesome! (Psst, if you're sad that you missed out, you can actually purchase the webinar recording package-- which includes our awesome 55-page ebook! Details here.)

Now, onto the most amazing drink that only takes 3 ingredients to make!  This one is going to be a must-make as we head into late spring and summer!

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Vulnerability is not a weakness

This post is part of a series based on the personal development work I have been doing in Danielle LaPorte's The Desire Map. To read the previous posts in the series, click here.

Thank you to all of you who commented on my last post on abundance and shared how it impacted you. I know that this series is a bit different than the recipe posts I usually share, and to be honest, I was hesitant about sharing it. The internet can be a scary place sometimes and being a blogger means that I am constantly putting my personal life out into the public. (The thing that lets me sleep at night is imagining that this blog is still only being read by three people and possibly a cat!)

Thinking about this willingness to be vulnerable inspired me to write today's topic on courage and vulnerability. I recently watched Brené Brown's TED talk on the Power of Vulnerability and Listening to Shame. (If you haven't seen these before, I definitely think they are worth watching. The first time I watched them I was so memorized by her message and her presence that I watched them twice.)

After working through my Desire Map, I realized that one of my core desired feelings is courage. I desire to feel courageous and bold. I desire to stand in the face of fear, push past it, and continue to grow. I desire to speak my truth, even when it's not easy.

I think where some of us go wrong when thinking about courage is thinking that courage is the absence of fear. Being courageous doesn't mean you aren't afraid. Being courageous means that you have the inner strength to embrace being afraid and still move forward.  

CLICK TO TWEET IT!

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How to Make Massaged Kale Salad

What was the hardest part of your week last week?

While you ponder that, let me share mine: having to watch as a teacher took kale away from a preschooler and made him cry. (Yep, ladies and gentleman, apparently I am so good at getting kids to love kale that they cry when it is taken away.)

Last week I was making my famous kale smoothie for kids with a group of preschoolers. One of the boys was so excited about getting to try the smoothie that he started eating one of the raw kale leaves that had been passed around the classroom for the kids to touch and explore. After taking a bite of the kale he liked it so much that he continued to gnaw his way through most of the leaf. (I was quite impressed!)

Of course, a child snacking on a germ-y piece of kale caught the attention of one of the teachers who promptly took it away from him. Sure enough, crying ensued. Which actually seems pretty fair because if someone tried to take my kale away, I would probably cry too.

Luckily, the nice thing about being an adult is that you can eat as much raw kale as you want. Especially if you massage it and turn it into a delicious salad. Just wash your hands first. :)

By now you might have heard of "massaging" kale and wondered what all the fuss was about. Massaging raw kale transforms it from a tough, somewhat bitter leaf into a sweet, delicate salad. And it only takes a few minutes!

Let me show you how!

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5 Easy Vegetarian Meals (for Cinco de Mayo)

With Conscious Money, Conscious Eating happening in just a few days, I wanted to write another blog post focusing on the idea of quick, healthy meals that come together in a snap!  And, with Cinco de Mayo this weekend, it seemed very fitting to focus on a Mexican theme. 

Vegetarian tacos are one of the easiest and most delicious options that we frequently enjoy in our house so today I'm sharing my three favorite veggie tacos recipes, along with two other hearty meals and a side dish. Enjoy!

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Pico De Gallo Juice

Can I share something strange with you? I am obsessed with cilantro. No, really. Obsessed. It's always interesting to me when I hear about people who don't like the taste of cilantro because I absolutely crave it. 

This strange phenomenon goes back awhile too. In fact, in my high school marketing class we were in charge of coming up with our own unique recipe and brand for salsa. Can you guess what mine was called? Cilantro Sensation. Hey, I still stand behind my product. :)

This week in the spirit of Cinco de Mayo, I got inspired and wanted to see if I could turn the fresh flavors of pico de gallo into a juice. Mission accomplished! And, it's pretty dang good if I say so myself...

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Crazy for Kale Giveaway!

Photo by Hallie Klecker

You may not believe me when I say this, but, you can pretty much put kale in anything these days.

Sure, we all know about kale being great in caesar salads and fabulous as crunchy chips. If you've been around this blog long enough, I'm sure I have you putting kale in your smoothies and encouraging kids to drink it as well. I've even been known to make kale into chocolate smoothies (a must-have for any sugar cravings!) and baked into chocolate kale chips.

But geeze, now someone has gone and put kale in a brownie. (In a brownie, people!) That's my kind of dessert!

That someone is my blogger friend Hallie Klecker. Hallie writes at Daily Bites and is a professional recipe developer, author, and gluten-free foodie. Hallie just released her newest e-book, Crazy for Kale, and I wanted to share it with you because I love the concept of a cookbook focused entirely on kale! I get so many requests from readers asking for recipe suggestions and exciting ways to cook greens so they taste flavorful, not bland. I love Hallie's creativity for finding ways to incorporate greens into various dishes and I think you will too.

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