Summer will still be with us for another few weeks but fall seems to arrive in spirit a little earlier than in date. My kids are back in school and I'm doing my best to stay organized and remember who needs to be where and when. It is still 95 degrees outside but I can see that the leaves are already turning yellow. When I run early in the morning, I can hear that the morning breeze sounds different too. More rustley and whooshy than quiet.

I did a lot of control freaky pre-planning for summer this year. I had schedules and charts and lists. The kinds of things that I usually stash away and forget about shortly after creating them. You know what, though? It made a HUGE difference! We were able to do more and experience more of what makes summer so awesome. I learned a lot this summer, too, and I thought I'd share a few of those lessons with you before I launch into pumpkins and such for fall.

In no particular order, here is what I now know to be true.

Summer's Lessons

1. I hate the gym. I'm sorry to say it, but I do. I've had gym memberships my entire adult life. Since I was 16, actually. Lately, though, I've found myself dreading going inside. I sit in my car in the parking lot and stall by reading email on my phone or listening to my iPod. It isn't the working out that I hate. It is the whole gym experience- cardio machines, the ridiculous line for spin class, people standing around talking loudly over me, texting, and otherwise annoying every cell in my body. For me, a morning run outside in nature or a workout with my bootcamp/tri training friends is so, so, SO much better.

2. Running and yoga go great together and not just for the one-makes-things-tight-and-one-stretches-them-out reason. When I'm running my brain is working. Ideas pop in and problems are crunched. This is good stuff in moderation but, just like swimming in the ocean, getting stuck in the churn can be overwhelming. Yoga shuts all that spinning down. It makes things quiet and gives my brain (and the rest of me) a chill pill. It is the flat water beyond the surf. Love.

3. At the right time of day our summer landscape is absolutely stunning. I used to think that everything was brown and dead in the heat of summer. Outside around here was not the lush green of late winter but a setting to be approached with forbearance and lots of sunscreen and ice water. This summer I discovered that there is an old almond orchard along the bike trail near my house. In the magic light at sunrise it is take-my-breath-away beautiful. Running or cycling to that special spot has become almost like a morning meditation or prayer of gratitude for me.

4. Homemade no-kneed bread with cinnamon and raisins is easy to make and delicious. We go through a lot of cinnamon raisin bread in our house. I've been wanting to find a good recipe so that we can have a fresh version of the store-bought one that we've been eating. I finally pulled out my copy of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day (that I've had for a few years) and tried a few recipes. My favorite is the oatmeal bread with a cup of raisins and a sprinkling of cinnamon rolled in before baking. The book says that the no-kneed method creates a "custard crumb" in the bread and I understood what that meant after trying the recipes. Breakfast awesomeness.

5. Picnics are even better when they are at unexpected times of the day. We have a lot of picnics and, since they are sometimes spur-of-the-moment, I keep a picnic blanket in my car at all times. My favorite picnic of the summer was at dinner time. We packed up our food and headed out to the lake to eat, play, and watch the sun set. Best picnic ever. Thank you to Melissa of Adventure Tykes for inspiring this idea and for leading my discovery of these containers (also available in orange, pink, and blue)!

6. Homemade "Magic Shell" is really easy to make and tastes like summer perfection on top of banana soft serve. To make "Magic Shell" (makes 2 generous, chocolate-lover servings): put 1/4 cup chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons of coconut oil (a little scant) into a microwavable container and microwave 10-30 seconds at a time, stirring often, until the chocolate is melted.

7. Embracing the best things about each season makes me (and my family) happy. This is where my control-freaky planning comes in. I spent some time in the spring thinking about what I wanted to do this summer. I created a summer manifesto and brainstormed a big list of outings, projects, and goals for the season. It was more like a menu than a to-do list and these things made it easier for us to get out of the house and enjoy the best parts of summer. Camping, swimming, bowling, berry picking, beach days, picnics- we did a lot of fun things!

How was your summer?

We had a great time tent camping in Big Sur, California at the end of June. Here are a few images from our trip!

Getting ready...


All set up at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park:

Hello! I have officially survived the first full week of summer vacation and I feel like things are going well. I am even discovering new things about my kids- like that they both love bowling! Who knew?!
One concern that I had this season was about how I was going to manage finding enough time alone to get my workouts in. After considering my options- either take the kids to the gym with me or get up really early, I decided that I would start getting up early to exercise before my husband leaves for work in the morning. It isn't always easy to get out of bed but, I must say, that I am LOVING this time that I have carved out for myself. Not only do I get the exercise that I need physically, but I also get a little head-clearning "me time".

For the past 22+ years I have done the majority of my exercising in a gym. I am finding lately that I MUCH prefer being outside and away from crowds and annoying grunters and machine-sweat-coverers. Getting my nature fix first thing in the morning is almost meditative for me too. I have loved greeting my days this way!

Some early morning scenes: 

A mama turkey and two babies on the bike trail:

I am in the process of getting organized for summer and, as a part of this giant undertaking, I have been trying to make meal planning a little bit easier for myself. I am not really all that control-freaky about it now, but I would like to be a bit more organized with my sources of inspiration (cookbooks, websites, emails from friends' recipe exchanges...)

Today I sorted through an old email folder labeled "recipes" that contained a ridiculously huge number of recipes that I've never attempted. Big deal, right? Well, some of the emails were dated all the way back to 2007. Either those recipes didn't sound good enough to get my attention over the course of FIVE YEARS (!) or I am just too scattered to remember to look in that folder in the first place.

So, for my own sanity (and so that you can benefit from my hoarding too!), I have pinned as many of those as I could find online to my Pinterest "Food" folder, here. I am still a recipe hoarder, but at least I have more of them in one place!

(PS- I also have many Get Natured recipes, with photos, pinned here).

"There is a restless place inside me, and if I don't intentionally access and relieve it, it groans at me, distracting me. There are too many thoughts in my head, too many feelings in my heart, too many things I want to do and say- and if I'm not careful, I can get overwhelmed with myself. Running restores my equilibrium, quiets the noise within, reprioritizes my list, repairs my state of gratitude, and returns me to myself, but a better version, nice and roomy in my own skin."

• The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley
• Imagine: How Creativity Works by Jonah Lehrer
• Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
• Charlotte Au Chocolat: Memories of a Restaurant Girlhood by Charlotte Silver

As expected, this book is full of yummy and healthy recipes! We don't have a need to follow a gluten-free diet in our house, but this book does offer many naturally gluten-free recipes as well as alternative ingredient suggestions for others. I love how each recipe has a few thoughts or comments from Dreena and suggestions and tips for serving or slightly changing the ingredients for a different result. It is like she is in my kitchen with me and helping me to decide what to make for dinner!

So far we have tried the Krispie Chip Cookies (of course I started with cookies- ha!)- they are great for all the reasons that I love chocolate chip cookies (who doesn't?!) and the rice cereal adds a really nice crunch.

I also made the French Lentil Soup with Smoked Paprika, which was the best soup that I have had in a long time! So, so good!

I know that I will be making many more of the recipes in this book and I will share more as I do. I can already say, though, that the book gets two thumbs up from me!

What are you thoughts on cookbooks? Do you have a favorite?


*Legal stuff: I received a free copy of this cookbook to review here. I was not compensated in any other way.

1. Heat a little olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute tofu until lightly browned. Reduce heat to medium-low and add enough teriyaki sauce to generously coat tofu and to have some sauce in the pan and cook a couple more minutes. Set aside.
2. Heat a little more olive oil over medium heat and add mushrooms, garlic, and carrots. Saute until veggies begin to soften a bit then add ginger, green onions, and bok choy. Cook just until bok choy is wilted and slightly soft then add tofu and teriyaki sauce and remove from heat. Serve over brown rice.