Hello from Colorado

A few weeks ago, my husband, 2 dogs, 3 bikes and I drove across the country from Pennsylvania to our new home in Colorado. We are happy to be settled in the Denver area and are enjoying the abundant sunshine (in between the snow storms). I will be practicing health coaching in Denver, and all over the country via phone, Skype and FaceTime. 

If you are interested in learning more about health & wellness coaching, I offer a free Health Strategy Session. You can schedule an appointment here.

Here are a few of my most recent blog posts if you’ve missed them:

How to Keep Your Sanity When You’re Moving Across the Country

My Favorite Morning Coffee

3 Days on the Road, What to Eat?

3 Days on the Road... What to Eat?

Last week my husband & I, two dogs, and three bikes set off on a 3 day drive across the country from Pennsylvania to our new home in Colorado. Now, as someone who eats a 100% plant-based diet, and gluten-free, a big concern for me on this trip was - what am I gonna eat? Because, in the middle of the country, right off the interstate, there are not any healthy options within my eating guidelines. Which means, I had to do some planning and prep work.

The problem was, I was pretty limited on time and resources to prep a bunch of uber-healthy eats for myself! I was getting packed to move across the country, getting ready to leave our current house, saying good-bye to friends and family, tying up loose ends at my job AND most of my kitchen equipment was boxed up.

I managed to make do pretty well with what little food I had left, and what I could find at the local supermarket. And, I have to say, it worked out really well! I felt like I had good options for meals and snacks AND I felt better not eating a lot of junk! Below is a list of what I brought - these ideas could work for a multi-day drive, a day trip, or even in your everyday life if you are busy.

1 :: Quick Quinoa and Lentil Salad

I had some quinoa and sprouted lentils left that had to get used up. I simply cooked the quinoa and sprouted lentils together, then made a quick dressing of mustard, olive oil and apple cider vinegar & mixed together. I then packaged into individual sized containers & kept in the cooler - and that was lunch for 3 days!

2 :: Pre-bagged Oatmeal

The oatmeal that they serve at the free motel/hotel breakfast buffets? It’s nasty. Try this... mix whole oats, cinnamon, pumpkin seeds and cacao nibs in a big bowl. Then put into baggies in individual size portions - about 1/2 to 3/4 cup. In the morning, add the oat mix to a thermos container and cover by 1” with hot water. Wait a few minutes and you’ve got oatmeal! Add a banana and you’re good to go.

Ok, so those last 2 required some prep time. But trust me, I was frantic busy and I still found 10 minutes to make both of those items, which covered breakfast and lunch every day. And I saved some money.

3 :: Hummus and Baby Carrots

You can find this at every grocery store now, buy the carrots organic. This was our favorite car food snack.

4 :: Fruit

We took oranges and bananas. The doggies enjoyed this too:)

5 :: More Snacks
We also got nut/dried fruit mixes from the grocery store, as well as some Saffron Road spiced chickpeas in the Falafel and Bombay flavors. Good “eat while driving” snacks.

6 :: Bars

I stocked up on a bunch of premade bars from Larabar, Raw Revolution and The Gluten Free Bar. I’m not a big fan of buying and eating premade bars ... these were last resorts in case I got hungry and there was no where to eat. I think I ate one of them while driving for an energy kick. I had so much other food to eat these weren’t that necessary.

This is what we did for dinner... Our first night, we went to a Chipotle, where I got a veggie burrito bowl. The next night, we found a local brewpub with a huge selection of beers that made my husband happy, and a kale superfood salad that made me happy (Barley’ Brewhaus in Overland Park, KS).

For beverages, we brought our own coffee, tea, and Aeropress (for coffee brewing) and a hot water kettle. We are particular about our coffee & tea so this was worth it. I love having hot water with lemon in the morning so I brought lemon wedges in the cooler. We also brought every water bottle we had and continually filled them at rest stops for ourselves and the dogs. I also brought a kombucha tea for each day on the road as a treat.

I hope this gives you some ideas for your next road trip! What are your favorite snackies for a road trip?

You may also like:
My trail mix recipe

My Favorite Morning Coffee

Ok, so this isn’t a blog post about if coffee is good for you or not. That’s for another day. Today we’re talking about my favorite way to indulge in a morning cup of coffee - cardamom coffee with cashew vanilla creamer. First, let’s make the cashew creamer. Make a batch of it and keep it in the fridge to use over the next 5 days. It’s also good in tea.

Cashew creamer:

1/2 cup of raw cashews (soaked, preferably, but its ok if you don’t)

A pinch of vanilla powder (or vanilla extract)

Put these ingredients into your blender. Add water and cover by about 1/2 inch (I’m guessing this is about 3/4 cups of water - but I never measure). Blend.

Then make your coffee using your preferred method. Add a generous pinch of cardamom (and cinnamon if you like) to the coffee grounds before you brew. Once your cup is ready, add the cashew creamer to taste. Yum! Enjoy on a snowy morning like I did!

Eat your way to glowing skin

So, I hope you are all finding a way to thrive even with the cold, ice and snow! I have been well, except for one nagging problem that haunts me every winter season - dry, chapped skin on my hands and face.

Recently while I was getting a haircut, I eavesdropped on the conversation next to me. The woman and her hairstylist were talking about their issues with dry winter skin, and all about the dermatologists they've seen and the skin creams they had tried. I knew where they were coming from. In the past, I have used a prescribed steroid cream to deal with my chapped hands.

These days, I take a more holistic and natural approach to dealing with winter skin issues. You don’t need to spend money on expensive medications or creams in most situations. Instead, nurture your skin from the inside out by choosing to eat foods that will nourish and calm your skin. And, in addition to having great skin, by eating whole foods you’ll have more energy, better immunity, feel better, sleep better and protect yourself from chronic disease.

Before we check out this little list of foods that are amazing for glowing skin, let’s talk about hydration. It’s super important to keep yourself properly hydrated, and it’s something a lot of us slack off on when its cold outside. During the winter your best best bets are filtered or spring water, herbal teas and coconut water. I like to sip warm lemon water throughout the day.

Ok, now onto the list!

Pumpkin
Why it gives you a glow: Loaded with vitamins A,B, and C - all essential for skin health. It’s also high in carotenoids (protective antioxidants that gives pumpkins it’s bright color), which help reverse UV damage and improve skin texture.
How to eat it: Add pumpkin puree to a smoothie or oatmeal, pumpkin soup
*Check out my Pumpkin Smoothie recipe here*

Avocado
Why it gives you a glow: High in healthy fats, supports cellular repair and keeps skin from drying out. Learn more about healthy fats here.
How to eat it: Guacamole (is there anything better?), in a green salad, avocado toast, smoothies

Cucumber
Why it gives you a glow: Rich in silica which improves skin hydration (making your skin glow) & calming to the skin
How to eat it: Salads, green juice, green smoothies

Dark Leafy Greens
Why it gives you a glow: The most nutrient dense food you can eat for a healthy body and healthy skin. And, the antioxidants found in leafy greens help prevent inflammation, which can cause eczema and acne.
How to eat it: green smoothie (see recipe below), kale salad, sauteed with garlic and coconut oil

Glowing Smoothie
1/2 head Romaine lettuce
Large handful of spinach
1/2 avocado
1/2 cucumber (peeled if not organic)
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 Granny Smith Apple
10 almonds (best if soaked overnight)
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 tablespoon hemp seeds
Optional add-ins: 1/2 frozen banana, 1 teaspoon spirulina, handful of parsley

Blend the lettuce and spinach with 2 cups of water. Add additional ingredients and blend! Expect comments on the beautiful green color of your smoothie:)

How to keep your sanity when you’re moving across the country.

In a few days, my husband and our 2 large dogs will get into a car and drive from Pennsylvania to our new home in Colorado. Moving can make you crazy! I’ve moved around more than most, and I have to say the process of packing and moving is not my favorite. This I’ve made an effort to NOT lose my sanity with the move. I’ve been more mindful of my stress, more organized and more focused on self care.

Here are my top 5 tips for keeping your sanity during my move across the country:

1 - Move less stuff. My husband and I have spent the last few months doing a major downsizing of our stuff. We moved into our current house 2 years ago and there were some items we haven’t used at all in that time! Those were the first to go. We also decided not to take furniture. We gave some items to friends and family, donated some to charity, and sold things on craigslist and Facebook yardsale groups. It’s really freeing getting rid of clutter and things that we don’t love & saves us time and money to move it.

2 - Stick to your routine. My morning routine is something like this... get up, let the dogs out, have a large glass of water with lemon while reading, meditate, walk the dogs, exercise. I get up really early so that I can do this every day - it is like a reset button for me. My evening routine is more calming and is supportive of a good night’s sleep... meditate when I’m done working, have a cup of herbal tea, and reading (fiction) before I go to bed. Whatever your routine, try to stick to it.

3 - Do one thing a day for your move. Instead of getting overwhelmed with all you have to do, just do one thing a day towards getting yourself moved across the country. There is a lot to do, and it still gets done if you do it bit by bit. For instance, one day you’ll clean out your closet, the next day head to Goodwill to donate your clothes, the next day change your address with US Postal, etc. Try using the “small step” approach with other goals.

4 - Pay attention to your nutrition. It’s really easy to slack on eating healthy at this time. But it’s more important than ever to take care of yourself during this chaotic time to keep your energy up. If half of your kitchen is already packed up, just eat really simply... like a green smoothie or oatmeal for breakfast, soup or salad for lunch, then some quinoa with roasted veggies for dinner. And, don’t forget to drink lots of water and stay hydrated!

5 - Take care of your back. Ok, so moving involves packing and moving heavy boxes, furniture, etc. Really is time to nurture your back. If you’re feeling stiff, try to make time to go for a walk or do some yoga. There are some great yoga videos free on Youtube, like this one and this one. An Epsom salt bath is a great way to relieve sore muscles and detox too.

I hope these tips help you whether you are moving across the country, to another country, or down the block! What are your tips for keeping your sanity when you move?