Recently the kind people at Kiss Me Organics sent me a bag of their organic matcha green tea powder to try:

 

I am a huge fan of matcha but haven’t ever made anything with it (other than tea) at home. In the past I have found good quality matcha to be really expensive and I haven’t been willing to use large amounts of it to bake, etc. This matcha is more affordable ($25 for 4 ounces on Amazon with free shipping for Prime members), so it is a better choice if you want to experiment a little!

First, I made a matcha latte:

I started with 1 teaspoon of matcha in my bowl...





…I added 1/4 cup of water (hot but NOT boiling- boiling water makes bitter matcha!) and whisked it until it was frothy...





…then I added about 1/2 cup of hot vanilla almond milk and a tiny bit of raw honey.

So good!

(Note: my milk frother did not create foam with the almond milk that I used. If you’re a big fan of the foam, soy or dairy milk may work better for you).



Next creation: matcha mint soft serve!

Several years ago there was a restaurant in my city that had a matcha mint blended drink on the menu. Of all of the wonderful things in their restaurant, that is the one that I miss the most since they closed! Using that idea as inspiration, I made some matcha mint soft serve.

(Recipe: Process 1 frozen banana, 3 large dollops of plain yogurt or a splash of milk, a dash of vanilla or vanilla flavored Stevia, 3-4 fresh mint leaves, and 1 teaspoon of matcha in the food processor until it is the consistency of soft serve ice cream. Serve topped with raw cacao nibs for extra yum!)



Thank you to Kiss Me Organics for the chance to review this matcha. I am looking forward to trying some new recipes- maybe some cupcakes next!

*Legal stuff: I received a free package of this match for review purposes. I was not compensated in any other way for this post.

Thank you so much for following through the winter with The Winter Project!
(What is The Winter Project?)

Through this project, I shared insight into my strategy for staying happy and healthy through the year's darkest and coldest season. I also offered challenges to help you begin to build tools for nurturing yourself through challenging times.

Below is a summary of The Winter Project challenges by week. Though longer days and warmer weather are just around the corner, I urge you to continue building and using the bag of tricks you have created this winter. The most powerful tools for me are the basics: adequate sleep, regular exercise, sunlight, and healthy food. From there, I know that spending good, quality time connecting with people and activities that I enjoy will keep me buoyant.

Summary of The Winter Project challenges by week:

Thank you again for following this project. I would love to hear about your survival skills, struggles, and successes in the comments or by email (you can reach me at getnatured@gmail.com). Feel free to reach out any time!

Don’t miss out! If you haven’t subscribed yet, sign up today to receive free Get Natured updates so you won’t miss any future posts. Thank you for reading! xoxo

Other ways to follow along:
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*Important note: I am not a licensed mental health professional. This advice is not intended to take the place of therapy or medications. Please seek professional care if you are suffering from depression or anxiety symptoms.

Welcome to week 13 of The Winter Project!
(What is The Winter Project?)

Winter play: Soak up some sunshine!

In this final week of The Winter Project, I encourage you to soak up some sunshine! In addition to squashing the winter blues, sunlight aids in our skin's production of vitamin D. Vitamin D greatly increases your absorption of calcium for strong bones, boosts the immune system, and reduces your risk of serious illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.

Challenge for week 13: Whether you can spend time outside or you must settle for an indoor spot near a sunlit window, try to get some sunlight each day this week. Just 10-20 minutes a day in the sun is enough. Keep in mind that sunscreen blocks ultraviolet light which is the key requirement for your skin to produce vitamin D. So apply your sunscreen after the first 10-20 minutes if you plan to stay out longer.

Ideas for catching rays (dependent upon your local weather, of course):

I hope that you find some sunny days wherever you are and that the "polar vortex" craziness that some in North America have been experiencing is behind us!

~..~..~..~
As we move through this project, I would love to hear about your survival skills, struggles, and success in the comments or by email (you can reach me at getnatured@gmail.com)!

Don’t miss out! Subscribe to receive free Get Natured updates so you can be included in The Winter Project. The weather outside doesn’t have to be frightful! xoxo

Other ways to follow along:
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Twitter
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*Important note: I am not a licensed mental health professional. This advice is not intended to take the place of therapy or medications. Please seek professional care if you are suffering from depression or anxiety symptoms.

Welcome to week 12 of The Winter Project!
(What is The Winter Project?)

Winter play: Make room for joy!

I joined a book club this year and we have just started our second book. Or, rather, the rest of the group has started the second book and I have been trying to finish the first one. Because I’m on-the-go a lot, I tend to do more “reading” by audiobook. I listen when I run, drive, walk the dog, fold the laundry, etc. Tonight I peeked at my Audible app as I was heading out the door to walk the dog- only 35 minutes left of the book, thank goodness. The book is far less interesting than I expected and I am ready to move on…one more click in my Audible app...ugh, that was 35 minutes left in the FIRST HALF of the book. Bloody hell.

What do you do in moments like this?

Following what brings you JOY is how you fill your tank and find your superpower.

Challenge for week 12: Think about the ways that you are spending your time and what keeps you busy. Are there any goals or projects that no longer feed you or serve your life in a positive way? If you are someone who writes New Year’s resolutions, what about your goals for 2014? Do they give you energy or are there any that feel more like something that you are holding over your own head? Release the old to make way room for new joy! Creating a little space in your life will make room for whatever you invite in- new experiences or things that you would like more time for. You get to decide!

~..~..~..~
As we move through this project, I would love to hear about your survival skills, struggles, and success in the comments or by email (you can reach me at getnatured@gmail.com)!

Don’t miss out! Subscribe to receive free Get Natured updates so you can be included in The Winter Project. The weather outside doesn’t have to be frightful! xoxo

Other ways to follow along:
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Twitter
Instagram


*Important note: I am not a licensed mental health professional. This advice is not intended to take the place of therapy or medications. Please seek professional care if you are suffering from depression or anxiety symptoms.

Winter has finally arrived in Northern California! We had planned to head up to the mountains for snow tubing and winter fun over the weekend but canceled our plans at the last minute. A rainstorm settled in late in the week and didn’t quit until today. The mountain passes were windy and the snow and ice made them risky to traverse. While we were sad to not get up to the snow, we also knew we were safer holed up at home by the fireplace.


Welcome to week 11 of The Winter Project!
(What is The Winter Project?)

Winter play: remember when...

Do you remember the feeling of doing a cartwheel or handstand? How those things seemed so simple and effortless and how you couldn't even imagine a time when you wouldn't be able to do them? I spent hours on our backyard lawn as a kid doing round-offs and cartwheels and imagining our square patch of grass was the tumbling floor at the Olympics. I roller skated in our driveway, doing “fancy" turns when I got to the garage, and rode my bike until it was too dark to see anymore. It felt like if I kept doing these things, I would never lose them and they would be part of me forever.

Challenge for week 11: Think about how you used to spend your time as a child or teenager. What did you spend your free time doing? Think about how you can recapture that feeling of flow in your life today. Schedule some time this week to give it a try!


~..~..~..~
As we move through this project, I would love to hear about your survival skills, struggles, and success in the comments or by email (you can reach me at getnatured@gmail.com)!

Don’t miss out! Subscribe to receive free Get Natured updates so you can be included in The Winter Project. The weather outside doesn’t have to be frightful! xoxo

Other ways to follow along:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram


*Important note: I am not a licensed mental health professional. This advice is not intended to take the place of therapy or medications. Please seek professional care if you are suffering from depression or anxiety symptoms.

Welcome to week 10 of The Winter Project!
(What is The Winter Project?)



Our theme for The Winter Project for this month is: Winter play

Are you familiar with the concept of “flow”? Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a psychology professor and expert on the psychology of happiness and creativity, has written much on the subject and defines "flow" as being fulling immersed in a pleasurable activity with energized focus (hear him talk about it here). In this state you are enjoying what you are doing and thinking of nothing else- you may even be unaware of time passing or what is happening around you. Spending time in play can help to balance feelings of being overwhelmed or too busy in other areas of life.


Challenge for week 10: Brainstorm a list of your favorite leisure activities, ways to play, or things that give you energy. Try to spend time doing at least one of those things this week. Notice how you feel during and after- did you lose track of time? Are you a bit more happy or content?

Winter play ideas:

I made granola today for us to have for breakfast this week and got a few requests for the recipe. This is less of a recipe and more of a formula. In other words, feel free to add or take out ingredients to your liking!


Whole Grain Granola With Dried Cherries and Cacao Nibs
3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
1/2 cup uncooked amaranth
1/2 cup sliced almonds or pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup pecans
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1/4 cup cacao nibs
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon honey (or more syrup to make vegan)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons almond butter
1/2 cup apple juice or cider
1/2 cup dried cherries

 

1. Preheat oven to 290º F (143º C). Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl (oats through cacao nibs) and mix well. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together maple syrup, honey, vanilla, almond butter, and apple juice. Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well.
3. Spread granola onto two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20 minutes, stir, then bake for another 15-20 minutes or until it has begun to brown. Let cool then add the dried cherries. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

As I write this my dining room table is covered in Legos. COVERED. My oldest son turned eight on Thursday and it has been a week of cake and presents and celebrations. Wonderful, yes; but tiring too. I have been so thankful to retreat to our cozy nest at the end of each day.

How is your nest coming along?


Welcome to week 9 of The Winter Project!
(What is The Winter Project?)

Surviving the cold with warmth and comfort: Nurturing bedtime ritual

Challenge for week 9: I mentioned before that having a simple ritual to close your day can be very comforting. After sipping a hot drink or watching your favorite show under a soft blanket, consider how you prepare your body for sleep. Whether you have a full bedtime regimen or you simply crawl into bed at the end of the day, think about treating yourself to one simple nurturing step to ease you into sleep mode. Again, you want to choose something simple that you can look forward to (and not dread as an extra step) at the end of the day.

A few of my favorites: 

What are some of your favorites?

~..~..~..~
As we move through this project, I would love to hear about your survival skills, struggles, and success in the comments or by email (you can reach me at getnatured@gmail.com)!

Don’t miss out! Subscribe to receive free Get Natured updates so you can be included in The Winter Project. The weather outside doesn’t have to be frightful! xoxo

Other ways to follow along:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram


*Important note: I am not a licensed mental health professional. This advice is not intended to take the place of therapy or medications. Please seek professional care if you are suffering from depression or anxiety symptoms.

In spite of the 70 degree weather here, I found myself fighting a head cold for a couple of days last week. No matter what the weather, that always has me looking for extra comfort- room in my schedule, warm blankets, my favorite tea, etc. I have been focusing on starting my days gently instead of in a mad rush and, since I have two kids who need to get to school on time, that isn’t always easy. Bringing a little more intention to my morning routine has helped a bit. I even moved my early morning runs to later in the morning so that I could get some sunshine. Typically I enjoy the sunrise time, but last week called for some warmth!

How did your week go?


Welcome to week 8 of The Winter Project!
(What is The Winter Project?)

Surviving the cold with warmth and comfort: Making a nest

When I left my corporate job to be home with my kids, I struggled a lot with the experience of never being alone. I had a baby and a toddler with me everywhere I went and could be woken at any time during the night by one or both of them. I felt as if my new job had zero time off around the clock and there were no periods of time, awake or asleep, that were mine only. To help ease my overwhelmed soul, I began to think of our master bedroom as our sanctuary. The room is decorated in relaxing shades of blue and cream and toys are no longer allowed in. It is a relaxing harbor in the sea of kid-crazy that engulfs the rest of our home and I so need that.


Challenge for week 8: This week I want you to build a nest! Think about where you sleep at night and consider what you might do to make it feel just a little more cozy. Are your sheets and blankets soft and comfortable? What about your pillow- is it time for a trip through the wash or to buy a new one?

Here are some more ideas to get you started on creating your cozy nest:

• Bedding: Sheets, blankets, and pillow covers should always be soft and comfortable! I prefer flannel sheets in the winter but you have to buy good flannel or else it pills and feels like sandpaper. Check Costco, Amazon, or Overstock.com for good deals. 
• Lavender: The fragrance of real lavender is soothing and can help to make your space extra relaxing. Over the holidays I made a simple homemade lavender linen spray (try this recipe) for gifts. I also love the lavender laundry bags from Trader Joe’s (or make your own refillable bags with muslin bags and lavender flowers)- I toss them in the dryer with our sheets…ahhhhh. Avoid artificially scented products as their fragrance can be a little strong (and possibly toxic).
• Light: I know that the good ol’ incandescent bulbs that I have lived with this far in my life are soon to be extinct due to their inefficiency, but there is nothing even remotely calming about fluorescent or LED lighting. Lights with a dimmer can be helpful as are natural candles if you don’t have an allergy to them. I know that there are many people who can’t sleep without blackout curtains or shades to make the room really dark. I love waking up to a sunny room, though, so that is not for me. Make it work for you- pitch dark or simple privacy curtains, follow your preference. 
• Screens: Turning off backlight screens (TVs, iPads, computers, phones, etc.) an hour before bed can help you to unwind and sleep better. If you really don’t want to give up your favorite on-screen activity for that hour, at least consider keeping them out of the bedroom. The more technology-free your room the better, in my opinion!
• Music: Music can energize or relax you. After a busy day, I tend to prefer quiet. Sometimes, though, soothing music can help me to relax in the evening. Music or nature sounds may be something that you choose to add to your space or you may prefer quiet- it is up to you!

Try to do at least one thing to make your nest just a little bit more cozy this week!

~..~..~..~
As we move through this project, I would love to hear about your survival skills, struggles, and success in the comments or by email (you can reach me at getnatured@gmail.com)!

Don’t miss out! Subscribe to receive free Get Natured updates so you can be included in The Winter Project. The weather outside doesn’t have to be frightful! xoxo

Other ways to follow along:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram


*Important note: I am not a licensed mental health professional. This advice is not intended to take the place of therapy or medications. Please seek professional care if you are suffering from depression or anxiety symptoms.

This has been the strangest winter. While some of the country is experiencing a “polar vortex”, California is in full-blown drought mode. The temperatures have been in the 60s during the day and no rain is falling. As I write this, there are clouds in the sky and a small chance of rain in the forecast. My fuzzy socks and scarves are on standby, just waiting for the temps to dip back into winter!


Welcome to week 7 of The Winter Project!
(What is The Winter Project?)

Surviving the cold with warmth and comfort.

Now that we are all settled in and back to “normal” days, I have been thinking about how I tend to think of the cold season as time that I just want to get through quickly. It can be easy to forget the pleasures that can be found during the winter in favor of thoughts of warm island vacations and swim-up bars. One thing I know for sure is something that I wrote about when I reflected on turning 40 over the summer. That is this:

Some days will make you smile so big that you laugh out loud. Some days will break your heart. The days in the middle, the seemingly boring ones, are the currency of life. We spend them in our routines. They go by unnoticed. They are the place and the time we are living. They are Mondays and Thursdays and laundry days and grocery days. The repetition of them keeps us comfortable. Spend them all well because they matter more than special occasions.  

So, what pleasures are to be found in winter? How do we spend our days well and soak up joy even when it is cold and wet out?

My thought is that we create warmth and comfort in our lives. Everyone needs a little TLC and a little goes a long way when the small, happy things we do for ourselves accumulate in our hearts.


Warmth and comfort ideas:

• Create a ritual for greeting the day with self-kindness. It can be as simple as slowly making your favorite hot beverage and watching the sun come up while the house is quiet, going for a walk or run, making a healthy delicious breakfast, lighting a candle and choosing an intention for the day, or using handmade soap in a favorite scent to cheer you up in the shower. The point is to find a happy habit that you look forward to when you wake up.
• Soak: in an epsom salt bath, a hot tub, a mineral spring…whatever you have access to. This place is weirdly fantastic if you’re anywhere near Southern California or Las Vegas and up for a road trip!
• Find a good yoga class. Many classes are held in warm (if not hot) rooms. 
• Treat yourself to a massage or facial if it is in the budget. 
• If you can, sneak away from your normal work area and head to a coffee shop or public library reading room to work for part of the day. Find a cozy spot by a window if you can. 
• Have you made the Magic Mineral Broth that I keep mentioning yet? Here’s the 2.0 version with extra garlic- yum! Make it. Sip it by itself or use it for a big pot of nourishing soup. Your warm body will thank you. Bonus points if you also make homemade bread! This is a great one.
• If you’re going to be outside, don’t suffer through it- layer up! It is amazing the difference a soft scarf, hat, warm boots, and gloves can make. Stick to soft fabrics- itchy things are not comfortable!
• Flannel sheets...I don’t think anyone should live without them! 
• Just as you may have started the day with a wake-up ritual, try to close your day gently as well. Sip a hot drink or enjoy a square of good chocolate while watching your favorite show or reading a book by the fire or under a soft blanket. Choose something simple that you can look forward to at the end of the day.  

Challenge for week 7: Consider how you start and end your days and think about how you might make those times something that you look forward to. Think about what brings you warmth and comfort and add more of those things into your life.

Doing what you can to be comfortable when it’s cold out can make it possible for you to spend your winter time well. All of the little things that you do add up!

What is your favorite way to get cozy when it’s cold out? 

Recently I received a wonderful surprise in the mail...


The Mohawk Valley Trading Company sent me an assortment of their products to review!

Here are the things that I had the opportunity to try:

Soaps: Lavender Goats Milk Soap and Olive Oil Castile Soap



My skin is very dry in the winter but these handmade soaps are really gentle- I loved them!

From their website:

 

 

Beeswax: A beeswax candle and beeswax bars.




There is something magical about the smell of beeswax products! From the Mohawk Valley website, their candles are "hand poured, hand dipped and made with 100% cotton wicks and 100% pure, all natural, unbleached, yellow beeswax produced by our bees in the USA."

I have been making my own body butter (which I love!) and I plan to try a new recipe that uses the beeswax bars soon.

Honey and syrup: Raw Autumn Wildflower Honey, Raw Summer Wildflower Honey, and Maple Syrup

The two honeys are different from one another. The summer honey has a milder flavor but both are wonderfully flavorful and delicious- a world apart from the plain store-bought variety.



About the raw honeys:

"The Mohawk Valley Trading Company offers the highest quality raw honey we can produce; it has not been heated, filtered, blended or processed. All of the pollen, enzymes, propolis, vitamins, amino acids, antioxidants, minerals and aromatics are in the same condition as they were in the hive."


I love this honey in my current favorite breakfast: a smoothie made with frozen mixed berries, 1/2 banana, 1 cup organic yogurt, flax meal, a handful of greens, water, and a dash of vanilla stevia.



I think it would also be wonderful on toast or breakfast bread, added to oatmeal, on ice cream, in tea (or another hot beverage), in baked goods, or in anything that needs a little extra sweetness.

The maple syrup has a great deep maple vanilla flavor.



I used the syrup and the autumn honey together to make granola.



So good.

Next up for the syrup: pancake Saturday! Can't wait.

A huge THANK YOU to the people at the Mohawk Valley Trading Company for the chance to try these lovely products. I have honestly enjoyed (and am still enjoying) each and every one of them!

You can find these and more wonderful things on the Mohawk Valley Trading Company website (here).

**I received free products for the purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated in any other way and all opinions are my own.

Happy New Year! 

Did you make any resolutions for 2014? I am all about simplifying my life by getting our home organized this year. We have closets to purge, digital photos to sort, and all things in between. When my home is neat, my brain feels it too.

How about last week’s challenge- did you find a little more movement? Start anything new?


Welcome to week 6 of The Winter Project!
(What is The Winter Project?)

Welcome to January!

This month's theme for the Winter Project is “Surviving the cold with warmth and comfort”.

To begin experiencing “warmth and comfort” in this time of mid-winter, it is important to do your best to support your physical health. Physical health and mental health are tightly connected and, for me, feeling rested, well-fed, and worked out makes all the difference in the world for my happiness.

We are back to our normal routine as of today. The kids are back to school and I have no more excuses for eating pie for breakfast! After the winter holidays, I always crave sugar and comfort foods more than I want to admit and I feel like I need to go into “detox mode” to reboot my system.

Challenge for the week: Ease some healthy foods back into your life. Start each day with a healthy breakfast (maybe a smoothie with a handful of spinach or plain oatmeal doctored up with fresh fruit and nuts). Try planning your meals for the week (at least for dinner), drop the sugary treats, brown-bag nutritious leftovers for lunch, and work on staying hydrated.

This is a good time to take another look at basic needs and make changes where there are struggles. I need to work on getting to bed at a decent hour and easing the sugary treats out of my evenings. I find that adding healthy foods back into my meals helps me to ease out the junk.


It doesn’t take much to convince me to wimp out on cooking dinner in favor of take-out at the end of a long day, though. Planning quick and easy (but healthy) meals helps to keep me on track.

My plan: I am not planning a “cleanse” or other common January detox diet. Instead, I have planned a week of healthy meals and will put a little extra time into cooking so that we have healthy, homemade foods. Eating and serving my family real food is intensely important to me so the extra time investment is worth it. This may not work for you- find what does. Whatever feels good to you is perfect.

Some ideas for making healthy food fast:

• Make a large pot of soup for dinner one night. Pour leftovers into individual serving containers like these (affiliate link) for grab-and-go lunches or dinners.
• Double recipes that can be frozen and put an extra pan in the freezer for another day (e.g. lasagna, pizza dough, enchiladas, casseroles, etc.)
• Use the same ingredients in multiple meals (e.g. tacos become taco salad or enchiladas; butternut squash can be roasted as a side dish, stuffed as a main dish, or pureed into a sauce; leftover roasted veggies make great tofu scrambles, frittatas, or can be used as pizza toppings).
• Make extras when cooking lentils, beans, rice, sweet potatoes, etc. These things can be put together for quick and easy salads or rice bowls.
• Double crockpot recipes and place extra portions in freezer bags. This makes for quick crockpot meals from the freezer.

I will also be putting some extra focus on getting more sleep and staying hydrated. In spite of the spring-like weather in California, I still don’t feel like drinking cold beverages.



Warm ways to hydrate:

• Green, white, rooibos, or herbal tea (maybe one of these homemade versions).
• Ginger tea (pour boiling water over grated or sliced fresh ginger. Let steep for 10 minutes or so then strain and drink. You can add honey or other sweetener or lemon juice to taste.)
• Homemade broth (try the Magic Mineral Broth) or clear soup. 
• Hot water with lemon and honey (or sweetener of choice), add a dash of cayenne for extra warmth.
• Homemade detoxifying mint tea (recipe here).
• Raw hot chocolate (this is natural but does have a high sugar content from the dates. Use sparingly as a treat! Recipe here.)
• Turmeric tea (bonus points for this one as the turmeric is a natural anti-inflammatory! Recipe here.)
• Warm almond milk steeped with chai spices (use your favorite milk).

Remember, happiness is cumulative! Find what works for you to nurture your physical health and know that whatever feels right to you is just perfect. xo

~..~..~..~
As we move through this project, I would love to hear about your survival skills, struggles, and success in the comments or by email (you can reach me at getnatured@gmail.com)!

Don’t miss out! Subscribe to receive free Get Natured updates so you can be included in The Winter Project. The weather outside doesn’t have to be frightful! xoxo

Other ways to follow along:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram


*Important note: I am not a licensed mental health professional. This advice is not intended to take the place of therapy or medications. Please seek professional care if you are suffering from depression or anxiety symptoms.