I got it from my mama

As yesterday was Mother’s Day, I thought I would dedicate this post to my own awesome Mama. My mom is pretty much responsible for my interest in healthy eating, veganism, honoring life, and living with integrity and joy each day. In the interest of sharing, I’d like to tell you the top 7 things I’ve learned from my mom over the past 24 years.

1. Eat organic. This was probably the first thing my mom every taught me. I distinctly remember one day when I was in high school I threw a fit because no one ever wanted to come eat at our house. I said, “Mooooom, why do we always have to eat organic? Why can’t we just eat normal food for once? No one will ever eat dinner here!” Her response? You don’t have to do what everyone else is doing. And organic is better for you. So there.
2. Tofu rocks! No really, I was one of those crazy tofu-eating kids. Preferably in the form of tofu loaf. My mom’s tofu loaf can rival your mom’s meatloaf. No joke. If you missed the recipe in my newsletter because you don’t subscribe to my newsletter, well then, what are you waiting for??
3. If you eat animals, thank them. We rarely ate meat in my house growing up, but we always had turkey for Thanksgiving. In addition to saying what we were thankful for in our lives, we had to be sure to include the turkey in that – “thank you, turkey, for giving us your life so that we may enjoy this holiday.”
4. Green veggies should be the staple of any meal. My mom is the type of person to eat steamed broccoli and kale for breakfast. It doesn’t matter what time of day it is, it’s always time for green veggies! If you think I love green veggies, you really haven’t met my mom. The best part is she’s totally right! Green veggies should be the staple of any meal.
5. Take responsibility. This one is a big one in my mom’s life. Even if someone has done her wrong, she always looks to see where you can be responsible for causing that reaction in someone. She’s not excusing others’ bad behavior, but she’s taking ownership for her life and her reaction to things. If you were in a fight with someone and they suddenly took responsibility for everything, wouldn’t you find it hard to be mad at them still? Try it sometime - it really does work.
6. Live with integrity. If taking responsibility is big, then living with integrity is even bigger. This one used to kill me when I was growing up, because it essentially means following the rules to a T. If the sign says go 35 mph, you go 35 mph. If the law says you can’t drink until you’re 21, then you can’t drink until you’re 21. If the government says report all of your income on your taxes, then you report all of your money on your taxes. It’s like karma, except you don’t do it so that good things will happen to you. You just do it because life only works when you live it with integrity. No lying, cheating or swindling. If you do, you own up to it. I admire my mom every day for this, even when I can’t always do it myself.
7. Do what you want to do. If you think the last two items make my mom sound uptight, this one will change your mind. Integrity aside, when my mom wants to do something, she does it. If her body is craving chicken, eggs, cheese, steak, she eats it. If she wants to call a man, she calls him. If she wants to go to the movies but no one will go with her, she goes by herself. She certainly doesn’t impose unnecessary rules on her life. If that’s not a great way to live, I don’t know what is.

My mom is awesome, isn’t she? Thanks mom – I love you!

Why is your mom awesome? Brag about her in a comment, and then tell her to read it! It’s never too late for a belated Mother’s Day present.

Drink your greens!

Lately, I've been absolutely obsessed with green smoothies. What started out as a small love affair has turned into a full-blown scandal. Yes, I'm talking about my relationship with kale, spinach, chard and collard greens. Weird, right?

In all seriousness, for anyone who wants to feel more alive, experience more energy, and maybe even lose a little weight, greens are the food of the goddesses. And the best way to eat them is as they came - completely raw and in the nude (I mean the greens, not you!).

Greens have amazing benefits for our bodies. They are packed with essential vitamins and minerals - calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorous, zinc, and Vitamins A, C, E and K! They are also crammed full of fiber, folic acid, chlorphyll and more than a handful of other micronutrients and phtyochemicals.

Greens aid in purifying the blood, strengthening the immune system, improving liver, gall bladder and kidney function, fighting depression, clearing congestion, improving circulation and keeping your skin clear and blemish free.

All of those terms may not mean anything to you, but what I'm trying to tell you is that greens are the super heros of our salads!

Despite all of the kick-ass benefits of leafy greens, they are still the number one food missing from the American diet.

So how do you form the same love-love relationship with greens that I've come to foster? By far the easiest way is to throw them in the blender with your favorite fruits! Green smoothies will do wonders when you turn them into a simple breakfast or a quick afternoon pick-me-up. 

And I'm going to tell you a secret. Here is the easiest smoothie recipe in the world, and you can whip it together in less than 5 minutes (I'm not kidding, I just did that!).

Easiest Smoothie Recipe on the Planet

1 part water

2 parts fruit

1 part greens

1 tsp vanilla

That's it - seriously! This morning I did 1 cup of water, 1 banana, 1 cup frozen strawberries (those are my 2 parts fruit), 1 cup of spinach, and 1 tsp vanilla. Mmmmm was it tasty! Don't be intimidated by the color (mine came out brown) - it's still delicious!

What's your favorite way to eat your greens? Do you have any questions about greens? Leave me some love in the comments below and I promise I'll respond!

Spring Cleaning

Oh boy, have I been a busy bee lately! Work, health coaching, enjoying the beautiful weather - I've been doing a lot of working and a lot of playing! Because of that, I find myself on a Monday morning without anything to write about for my blog, and without a newsletter ready to send out! Yikes! So, I figured since it's Spring it's a great time to talk about detoxing. For my faithful followers, you will have already seen this info, but maybe now you're actually thinking about doing a little spring cleaning and you can apply it to your life.

Today I'm going to talk about cleansing. What exactly is a cleanse, you may ask?

Well, a lot of people get cleansing and fasting mixed up. To cleanse does not mean to fast. Cleansing means paring down your food to just simple fruits and vegetables, lots of water and perhaps whole grains. Fasting, on the other hand, means limiting most foods and drinking lots of water, fresh vegetable and fruit juices, teas and soups. Without much energy going toward digestion, more energy is available to the rest of your body and mind.  

Cleansing and fasting can sharpen your concentration, help you gain insight and promote spiritual awareness. It can also bring improved immune function and better digestion by giving your body a break from rich and complicated foods.

Cleanses can last for 3 days, 21 days, 30 days - whatever your heart desires. While you can follow whichever cleanse feels right to you, here are some of the main aspects of a good cleanse:

• WATER! During a cleanse or a fast, it is imperative to drink at least half your body weight in ounces each day (and more if you have a heavy exercise routine).
• Vegetables and fruits. The best way to eat these are in juice form. Try making a green juice in the morning with celery, cucumber, apple, carrots and a little bit of leafy greens (such as kale, chard or lettuce). If you don't have a juicer, you can always make a smoothie in your blender with the same types of veggies.
• Generally, I don't like to talk about cutting things out of your diet (I'd rather advise you to add things in!), but for a cleanse, I have to say no to the following things: processed sugar and refined carbs, meat and dairy, coffee, and alcohol.
• Whole grains and cooked beans or lentils will go great with all of those veggies you're eating! I recommend brown or wild rice, quinoa, or whole wheat cous cous.
• Don't forget about your inner-cleanse! De-gunking your heart and soul is just as important as your stomach. Resolve old relationships, throw out negative thoughts, and make room for positive energy!

The most important aspect of a cleanse is to find support - either outside or inside yourself. Don't be too harsh on yourself if you slip up a few times. It's all about the big picture. Find a few friends to do the cleanse with you. That way, you can support each other through all of the ups and downs.

Everyone's talking about cleansing these days - are you just a little bit interested? Would you like to try one out with some support from someone who knows what they're doing? I'm putting together a 4-week cleanse package to help you jump start your spring cleaning. Leave me a comment if you'd like to be part of it!

Happy Spring!

I’ve got a secret.

And it’s not just any old secret.

This is The Secret.

I’m talking about what is considered to be one of the oldest secrets in time.

I’m talking about The Law of Attraction.

Have you ever been thinking about a friend that you haven’t talked to in a long time, wishing you could reconnect with them, only to have them call you on the phone in that very instant?

Have you ever woken up in the morning and stubbed your toe on your dresser or banged your knee on your bed? Have you noticed how you decide that you’re having a bad day, and throughout the rest of the day you spill coffee on yourself, get a parking ticket, and have your partner break up with you?

These are not little coincidences. Your thoughts have more power than you know, and through them you can create and shape the world around you.

“Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.” –Henry Ford.

Your first reaction to this may be to freak out. How do I control my thoughts? Sometimes they just shoot about in my head and I can’t do anything about them.

Don’t worry. I’m going to give you a simple step-by-step procedure for creating magic in your life. I’ve been practicing this over the past few days at work; each morning I wake up and decide how much money I’m going to make that day. I’ve accomplished my goal so far for each day that I have done this. Sure, it could be coincidence, but why would I take the chance in case it's not? It’s my life, why would I just leave it all up to fate?

So, your simple steps:

Decide what you want.

Take a few minutes each morning to decide what you want for that day. You can do this through meditation, journaling or whatever other reflective method works for you. You can make it big, but make it reasonable enough for yourself to believe it. If you don’t believe it can happen, it won’t.

Identify the emotions of having what you want.

Would making $200 in your shift make you excited? Would reconnecting with an old friend make you overjoyed? Would not hitting traffic on the way to work make you relieved?

Pick three words that connect you to that emotion.

Once you’ve identified the emotion that you would feel when you get what you want, come up with three words that correspond with that emotion. When I say that I’m going to make $200 in my shift at work, I know that I will be so excited. That excitement will make me energetic, spunky and fun because I won’t have to worry about money. So I create that my entire day will be energetic, spunky and fun. Repeat those words to yourself throughout the day as a reminder of what you will accomplish. Fully feel the emotion of having what you want as if you already have it, because you do.

Don’t worry. Just believe.

Don’t think about what you will have to do to make things happen. It may not come to you right away. You can have what you want in your head without having to know how you will get it. Just trust and feel the positive emotions. It may not happen right away. If you start to worry that it won’t come true, you’ll be sending those emotions out into the universe and the universe will respond to your worry and doubt by not giving you what you want. If you don’t think you’ll get it, you won’t.

There you have it, the simple steps to creating magic in your life. Start with something small, and then see what else you can create! I have a vision board in my room with pictures of places I want to go and things I want to have and words to remind me of the emotions that I feel in connection with going those places and having those things.  I keep reminding myself of how happy and grateful I am that I have all of these things and have gone to all of these places.

Try out these simple steps and see what you can create. What are your goals? What can you accomplish? Come back and tell me what you’ve been able to create at the end of the week!

Want to go even deeper with this? You can learn more about the magic of the universe by reading or watching The Secret.

What a one-handed gymnast taught me about excuses

This past weekend I traveled down to Richmond, VA, to watch the Cal Club Gymnastics team compete in Nationals. Whenever I watch big gymnastics meets, I’m always left feeling so inspired by the grace and skill of the competing gymnasts. At this meet in particular, I was amazed to see grad students in their mid 20s (way past the gymnast retirement age) who were still competing with their college teams. Even more, they were doing tricks that I was never even able to master at the peak of my career in my teens!

At this particular meet, there was a girl named Casey who really stood out to me. Casey was a phenomenal gymnast whose routines caught my eye from the very beginning of the day. She had stunning skills, solid routines, and a peppy attitude. When it came to her last event, floor, I realized that Casey was doing all of her tumbling on one hand. She tumbled with power across the floor – round off-back handspring-double full – and her right hand never touched the ground. I soon found out that Casey had a rod in her right hand, and instead of quitting gymnastics, she adapted her skills to be able to continue with the sport that she loved.

You can watch her amazing routine here:

After watching Casey’s routine, I began to think that if Casey can do gymnastics on one arm, then I should be able to accomplish anything in my life, too.

So this week, instead of letting the excuses rule my decisions, I’ll be living by the mantra “Oh heck, go for it anyway!”

It’s amazing, but I can’t even think of the things that I’ve wanted to do but haven’t done because of the excuses – all I can remember are the excuses that I have! I’m not good enough; I don’t have enough money; I’m too tired. Those are the phrases that I can remember most from my past few months. So whenever I hear those phrases this week, I intend to stop everything that I’m doing and write down what came before that phrase in my head. I’m expecting something like “I really want to lead a cooking class, but I’m not good enough.”  I’ll be scratching that excuse out of my journal, and focusing all my energy on the first part of the sentence. If I ever get stuck, I intend to come back and watch Casey’s floor routine. If she can do that, then what can’t I do?

What are your excuses? What are they holding you back from accomplishing? What do you plan on doing this week instead of giving in to the excuses? I’d love to hear from you!

You don't have to be a master chef to make a good meal

I’ve had some requests lately to talk about how I manage to cook so much, eat so well, and still have time for so many other things. So today’s post will be pretty straight forward…you asked for tips, I’ve got ‘em!

Believe it or not, I didn’t used to be the kitchen queen that I am today. When I went off to college, my mom actually sent me with a book of recipes for the foods I liked to eat – tofu loaf, baked potatoes, and spaghetti.  I may have opened it once. I was never interested in cooking and hadn’t learned the basics of how to make my meals work. And while I still haven’t tackled the tofu loaf (I leave that one up to my mom) I now know exactly what to do in the kitchen to save time and energy, and still come out with some great tasting food!

So here are my top 5 tips for eating healthy foods without having to become a master chef: 

Think ahead.

You may have heard this before, but it will save you a lot of time (and last minute trips to the grocery store) if you plan your big cooking meals for the week. You don’t necessarily need to plan out every single thing you’re going to eat (see step 3), but it’s good to have an idea of a few big things that you’re going to make.

For example, before I went to the store last Sunday, I knew that I really wanted to make pesto lasagna and a lentil and bean soup for dinner that week, and that I also wanted to make some tofu egg salad for my lunches. I made my list and bought all of the ingredients that I would need. I planned that I would cook them on my nights off, so that I would have plenty of time to get it done.

Cook once, eat twice. Or three or even four times!

In addition to thinking ahead, you also want to know that you don’t have to cook something new for dinner each night! When I thought about the two main meals that I wanted to make, I made them large enough so that I could eat them for the next few nights. I made that pesto lasagna last Monday night, and ate it for dinner again on Tuesday, and again on Wednesday. By the time I was sick of it, it was my night off again and it was time to make my second meal for the week! It’s now Monday, and I just finished the last of my lentil and bean soup last night!

This goes for salads, too! It’s so important to get those raw veggies into your diet every day, and ideally after every meal (okay, you can skip them at breakfast). Raw veggies help the digestive process, so it’s great to eat a salad after your lunch or dinner. To make salads easy and simple, pull out the veggie drawer, pick out your lettuce and a few other veggies of different colors, chop them up, throw them in a bowl of soaking water, drain them, and you’re ready to go! My favorite combo is red tomatoes, orange carrots, yellow pepper, purple onion, and green lettuce. When you make your salad, make sure to make triple or quadruple the amount that you want to eat that night. Throw all the leftovers into some Tupperware with a few paper towels, and it will keep for days!

Be prepared.

What happens if you run out of your big meal before it’s time for the next cooking night? Well, you make sure that you always have things on hand that you can prepare in 10 minutes flat. This is where I tell you that not all frozen and canned foods are bad. I always keep a box of quinoa burgers and some gluten-free tortillas in the freezer, and some canned beans in the cupboard (my favorite brand is Eden’s Organic – the cans are BPA free, the beans are soaked and cooked in seaweed so they don’t make you toot, and there’s no salt added!). I also always have some hummus on hand.  Those four things alone can provide endless possibilities: a hummus and quinoa burger wrap, or a bean and Daiya cheese burrito. If you have the basics on hand, you can always throw together something at the last minute!

Keep it simple.

While it can be nice to make yourself an extravagant meal every now and then (hence my epic gluten-free vegan pesto lasagna), it’s also a good idea to keep it simple most of the time. Stick to recipes that have 5 ingredients or less, don’t require much chopping, and can be made with as few pots, pans, and bowls as possible.

I’m also a big fan of steering clear from the recipe books. My favorite easy meal consists of a protein (usually canned beans with some Daiya cheese), a grain like quinoa or cous cous that will cook in 15 minutes or less, and a vegetable, like steamed asparagus or broccoli, or sautéed kale or spinach. While the grain is cooking, you can open that can of beans and put it in a little pot to warm up. While that’s warming up, you can wash your broccoli and throw it in a pot to steam too. In 5 minutes, everything should be done at about the same time, and you can throw it on a plate and enjoy! 15-minute meal, achieved!

Have a pizza day!

By the time Sunday rolls around, you may be out of leftovers and too tired from planning for the next week to spend any time in the kitchen. That’s why in my house when I was growing up, Sunday nights were pizza nights! It’s perfectly okay to have a day off. Don’t feel guilty about ordering in or eating out. As long as you’re eating healthy the rest of the week (which you will be if you try out these tips), it won’t mess up your goals in the long run.

 So there you have it. I’m obviously not a master chef, and you don’t have to be either to eat healthy meals every day of the week!

How do you save time in the kitchen? Have you tried any of these tips before? Do you have a favorite easy recipe? I’d love to hear from you, so leave me some love!

When life hands you lemons...

...pack up your lemons and your juicer (and the rest of your veggies) and maybe your dog, and head to your aunt’s house in North Carolina.

At least, that’s what I did this weekend.  Since I like to be completely candid and honest with you, here’s my deal:

I got a 3-day suspension from my restaurant job for doing the crossword puzzle. Yes, perhaps I should not have been doing the crossword puzzle. In my defense, I didn’t have any tables and it was before the lunch crowd was coming in. In any case, a 3-day suspension seemed a bit harsh for a minor infraction, but all that is neither here nor there. Whatever the circumstances were, I was pretty upset about the situation.

So what did I do this weekend when I was not working? Well, I gave myself a much-needed vacation! Instead of wallowing in self-pity, I just got out of town and left all of my troubles behind.

Which is not to say that I avoided dealing with my problems. First I wrote my manager a nice little letter in my journal. I never intend to send it, but it felt really good to get all of my feelings out. After I finished that, I packed up the car and started driving.

When I have a lot to think about, a long drive can be the perfect cure. Something about the solitude and the open road gives me the chance to mull everything over, get out some tears, and see new opportunities in front of me.

While I was in Greensboro, I made sure to breathe in the fresh air, enjoy the beautiful blossoming trees, partake in some delicious homemade meals, and relish the company of family. It’s so easy to get caught up in going at the speed of light in our everyday lives that you forget how nice it is to let someone else take care of you for a few days.


I believe that everything happens for a reason. Not only did this basket of lemons give me an opportunity to get out of the city, take some deep breathes, and nourish my body, but it also got me thinking about my next plan of action. If I’m so unhappy in this job, why don’t I do something about it? I’ve been saying for practically a year now that I’m going to move back to San Francisco, and a job that makes me miserable is no reason to keep putting that off. Pretty great and empowering realization, don’t ya think? Now I’ve got a time line and some monetary goals to turn my dreams into reality.

So thank you, manager who shall not be named, for that lovely gift. I guess I don’t hate you so much after all.

Molasses needed a vacation too!

What do you do when you have a lot on your mind? What’s your favorite way to get out your emotions? Where do you like to escape to? I’d love to hear from you!

P.S. – If you want to help me get out of my job even faster, sign up to be my next client! :)