Now that we’re on the road, traveling in the RV we seem to be chasing warmer weather, much the same as I have always done, but at a slower pace. We’ve experienced all of nature’s beautiful fury… from giant storms on the Oregon Coast, to monsoon rains in the Redwoods, to snow in Joshua Tree. We’ve experienced her wonder and beauty too… seal pups playing in a calm cove in Florence, the majestic energy of the Redwoods, the first signs of spring in Santa Barbara, hiking on “new to me” trails to discover hidden gems, exploring new cities and visiting familiar ones, and the warmth of the sun on my skin.

This afternoon I’ll throw my yoga mat down in the dust and sand of Joshua Tree N.P. and flow with the sun on my skin and savor every moment.

This is the season of kapha dosha… from the darkness of winter to early spring, soon we’ll begin to transition into pitta and the heat of summer, but for now, we’ll work on balancing kapha dosha. I find this time of the season to be the hardest to navigate, but with the pitta season right around the corner, it’s also exciting. It’s time to shake off the weightiness of winter and invite my energy to return.

Kapha dosha is associated with the elements of earth and water. When it’s in balance, the kapha person is loving, loyal, stable and dependable, but when kapha is out of wack and excessive they can be prone to lethargy, weight gain, and dullness (I’m just going to go ahead and raise my hand here). In Ayurveda, they use opposite qualities to bring balance to the out of balance dosha. If you’re in a season of excess kapha, you would want to incorporate dynamic movement and light, dry, and warming foods and spices into your day.

This time of year, I naturally want to stay inside, eat soup, and cuddle under a giant pile of blankets because I crave the warmth. But as we know, kapha creates more kapha, and I need to move. This winter I took the plunge and signed up for classpass, so I could, gasp, go to CorePower and take a hot yoga class… don’t judge me! While there is no spiritual aspect to a CorePower class there is heat and it does get the blood flowing, which is exactly what I need this time of year. I can weave my meditation practice and spiritual practices into other parts of my day OR invite my yoga practice to be a moving meditation.

Your Guide to Navigating Kapha Season

If you’re also feeling bogged down by kapha, here are my favorite practices to shake off the excess. And if you’re not sure what your dosha is, I really like this dosha quiz from Banyan Botanicals.

1. MOVE YOUR BODY

Yes, you’ve got to move your body. More than you’re naturally inclined to this season. This is the season where we walk the fine line between restoration and rest and doing and building. Do a more strenuous activity… hot yoga or a dynamic vinyasa practice, hop on the stair climber at the gym, do that challenging hike you’ve been eye-balling, but you think is just a little too long/too hard, take up skiing or mountain biking, etc. Do something that gets your heart pumping and blood flowing to clear out stagnation. It will help lift the mental fog while keeping your energy levels up.

If you’re practicing yoga at home, or wondering what type of studio class to seek, a practice to balance kapha dosha would include dynamic movement, lots of standing poses, and perhaps some heating pranayama techniques like kapalabhati, ujjayi, or surya bhedana (solar breath). If you prefer a guided practice at home, check out this dynamic, energy building prana vayu class on my YouTube channel.

2. TAKE TIME TO SLOW DOWN

This is a natural season for slowing down and laying the foundation for the season ahead, so take this time to meditate, create, learn new skills, clear out clutter, and set yourself up for success. Because when you feel the shift in energy you’re going to want to do it all. But don’t let this time for slowing down take over your life. Just a few minutes a day is enough.

3. EAT WARMING SPICES

Think cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cayenne, and cloves. Drink hot chai, golden mylk, and warm water with lemon and cayenne. 

4. EAT WARM FOODS

If you’re feeling chilled, eat warm food that’s easy to digest like hot soups, sauteed or roasted veggies and stirfries. Avoid heavier foods, like dairy, nuts, and fats (it’s so hard to cut back on avocado). If your digestive fire is still going strong, and spring is near, feel free to start incorporating more raw veggies and salads in your diet.

5. GET OUTSIDE

This is tricky, especially if you’re like me and HATE being cold. I will do almost anything to avoid being cold! LOL. But when the sun is out, get your booty outside and get those sweet rays of Vitamin D on your skin. Feel the warmth of the sun on your cheeks… in moderation, of course, no sunburns! Enjoy a cup of coffee in the sunshine, go for a walk/hike, or take a few moments to stretch it out.

6. CAN’T TAKE THE COLD AND WET OF KAPHA SEASON? TRAVEL SOMEWHERE WARM

If you have the means, take a few days, a weekend, a week, or a month and go somewhere warm! Seriously, it doesn’t need to be anything fancy. Take a weekend in Santa Barbara, Palm Springs (there are tons of hot spring resorts here) or Sedona. Take a long weekend and go to Mexico. Have more time? Head further south… Nicaragua has amazing beaches, jungles, and islands… and it’s freakin cheap, same with Thailand. Just do it. You’re worth it. It will give you something to look forward to and will maybe even motivate you to keep moving your body throughout the winter.

7. SELF-CARE

There are so many ways that we can practice self-care and I know that the ones I’m about to mention aren’t that exciting, but they’re easy to include in your daily (or weekly) routine and have big results.

Give dry brushing a try… it helps improve circulation and you’re exfoliating your beautiful skin. It’s a win-win. You can find dry brushes at most health food stores. I’m on the road and I don’t have space for a dry brush, so I use a shower loofah that has a loofah scrubber on one side and the mesh side for soapy tasks… it works double duty for me. You can also find dry brushing gloves. Just a few minutes before you hop in the shower is enough.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE self-massage or abhyanga. Use a warming oil like sesame and set aside 15 minutes to give your body and nervous system a little TLC. Put an old towel down on the bathroom floor, strip down and give your entire body a massage. Use long strokes on your long bones and circles on your joints. This practice is super calming for the nervous system and such a beautiful way to practice self-love.

Kapha’s tend to be more mucus-y and prone to colds/congestion, so tongue scraping is another practice I recommend for kaphas and especially during this cooler kapha season. With tongue scraping, you’ll scrape off all that extra gunk that’s hanging out on your tongue. I use a copper one that I found for a steal on Amazon.

Wow, I know I just shared a lot of info here. If you want to learn more about Yoga and Ayurveda, check out my upcoming 300 hour yoga teacher training. You’ll learn how to incorporate Ayurvedic theory into your class planning for specific doshas, the different seasons, times of day and even seasons of life.

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Did you know that one cup of cauliflower provides over 70% of your daily vitamin C requirement? Yep, it’s true. Cauliflower is also a good source of Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Folate and Potassium. It even has a little bit of protein (2 grams in one cup). Who knew?

Quick and Easy Cauliflower Fried Rice

Serves 2.

Ingredients

• 1/2 head of cauliflower
• 1 large carrot, chopped up into smallish pieces
• 1 big handful of snow peas, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 eggs, whisked
• 1- 1 1/2 tablespoons of sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon tamari (or regular soy sauce)
• white pepper, to taste
• sea salt, to taste
• chili pepper flakes, to taste
• toasted sesame seeds to garnish
• diced green onions to garnish
• cilantro sprigs

Instructions

1. Prep your cauliflower. Cut the heads of the cauliflower off and feed the heads and top of the stem through the grater on your food processor. You might also be able to use a blender on pulse or hand grate using a cheese grater (but who has time for that). (1-2 minutes)
2. In a 10-12 inch saute pan, add about 2 teaspoons of your oil (not two tablespoons!) and heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, shallot and carrots to your pan. Saute until the shallots are transparent and the carrots have softened just a bit. (~ 5 minutes)
3. Add the remaining sesame oil, cauliflower rice, and snow peas to the pan. Turn the heat up to medium-high and saute another 7-9 minutes until the cauliflower is cooked, but not mushy. (7-9 minutes)
4. Create a well in the center of your pan by pushing all of the cauliflower rice to the side and add your whisk eggs to the well. Allow your eggs to cook a bit and then fold them into the rice. (2 minutes)
5. Add your tamari and adjust to taste. You may also like to add sea salt, white pepper, or chili pepper flakes at this point too.
6. Plate your fried rice and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and green onions.
7. Enjoy your cauliflower fried rice!

Love cauliflower? Craving something to warm you up on a cool fall or winter evening? Check out my Hazelnut and Cauliflower Soup. It’s also delicious and surprisingly healthy.

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Why should you eat pumpkin chia pudding? Pumpkin is an excellent source of vitamins, including Vitamin A, C, E, and K. It is also high in iron, magnesium, potassium, copper, manganese and dietary fiber. Boom! That’s a lot of goodness packed into one veg. Chia seeds are an excellent source of healthy fat and dietary fiber and provide calcium, phosphorus and manganese. Coconut milk, if you’re buying the pre-packaged beverage kind, like Silk Brand, it is fortified with other vitamins and minerals. If you’re going with the natural stuff, perhaps you’re hardcore and make it yourself or are blessed enough to have fresh coconuts at your disposal, your coconut milk won’t be fortified with vitamins and minerals, but it still remains a healthy source of fat. Remember that not all fats are bad for you. Our brains need fat to function.

Ingredients for Spiced Pumpkin Chia Pudding

Serves 2.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 Tablespoons chia seeds
• 3/4 cup coconut milk beverage (not the canned stuff… it’s way too high in fat)
• 1/2 cup organic canned pumpkin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons maple syrup (or 1 teaspoon maple syrup and one Medjool date pitted and minced)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice blend or make your own (ground cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg and cloves)

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, combine your chia seeds and coconut milk. Allow the chia seeds to soak 5-10 minutes.
2. With an immersion blender, give them a quick spin.
3. Add your pumpkin, maple syrup (and date if you’re using one), vanilla and spices. Spin again.
4. If your impatient, you can eat it now, but it’s best after it has had a chance to set in the fridge for 30+ minutes.

**If you’re kapha, cut your coconut milk with water or extra pumpkin.

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Ayurveda 101: What is Ayurveda?

Ayurveda is an ancient science that originated during the Vedic era in India, thousands of years ago. When one looks at the Sanskrit roots of the word Ayurveda we see Ayu = life and Veda = science or knowledge, so Ayurveda is literally the science of life. Ayurveda is not just a way to cure disease, it is also a way of life.

Following an Ayurvedic lifestyle leads to overall health, improved immune system function, weight loss/weight maintenance, lowered risk of disease and improved energy.

Ayurveda 101: Ayurveda and Your Whole Being

Ayurvedic practitioners take into account the person’s entire being: physical, mental and spiritual. They assess diet, lifestyle, daily habits, imbalances and instances of dis-ease. Ayurvedic practitioners look at your prakriti (or constitution) and your vikruti (current state of imbalance) and work on bringing the patient back into balance by balancing the doshas.

The Ayurvedic College defines “a person’s prakriti [as] the inherent balance of the three doshas at the moment of their creation.” To know a person’s constitution is to know their tendencies. And to know your own prakriti is a way to step into your own power and live a vibrant, healthy dis-ease free life.

Your prakriti, or constitution, is determined by the balance (or imbalance) of your doshas. It is common to have one or two dominant doshas. The three doshas are vata, pitta, and kapha. Each of the doshas has very specific tendencies and are identified by different characteristics of body type, energy, digestion, personality and so much more. Want to find out your dosha? I like the Banyan Botanicals quiz (although they do try to sell you their products). Here is a link to the Banyan Botanicals dosha quiz. I’m Kapha-Pitta, and almost NO VATA!!! I’ve been working on balancing my own doshas and it’s been a fun experiment in self-care.

Your vikruti is your current state of imbalance and is not static. Your vikruti changes at different times of day, seasonally, your stage of life and with lifestyle changes. Would you like to determine your vikruti? Here is a short worksheet from the Ayurveda Institute that you can take.

Once you’ve discovered your prakriti and vikruti, and therefore your dominant dosha(s), you can begin to make lifestyle changes to balance your doshas and thrive. Three easy ways to balance your doshas are to eat a diet to pacify your dominant dosha(s), establish a dinacharya practice, and align your lifestyle with the ayurvedic clock.

Ayurveda 101: Ayurvedic Diet

In Ayurveda they have broken down our tastes into six dominant tastes: sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent. Certain tastes increase or decrease the qualities of each dosha.

For example, pitta types typically tend toward hot and oily need to eat foods that are cooling and drying to balance the firey qualities of pitta. They do well with smoothies, fresh and raw foods and should avoid garlic and heating spices. Spicy foods can aggravate pitta and bring it out of balance. Salty, sour, and pungent foods increase pitta, while sweet, bitter and astringent foods pacify pitta.

Kapha types who tend toward heaviness will do best with astringent, bitter and pungent foods, while vata types who tend to be light and airy need foods that are warm, rich, and heavy or foods that are characterized by sweet, salty and sour.

You can see here that the Ayurvedic diet is one way to find balance and overall health. Quote by Hippocrates: “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”

I love these two Ayurveda cookbooks and use them weekly:

1. Ayurveda Cooking for Beginners: An Ayurvedic Cookbook to Balance and Heal by Laura Plumb

2. The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook: A Seasonal Guide to Eating and Living Well by Kate O’Donnell

When I started incorporating more Ayurvedic foods into my diet my digestion improved and I’ve felt lighter and healthier. It’s been an easy transition (probably because the recipes in Laura and Kate’s books are amazing) and I try to incorporate a few dosha specific meals into my weekly meal plans.

Ayurveda 101: Dinacharya

Another way to balance your doshas is to establish a dinacharya practice. Dinacharya is a daily routine, specifically a morning routine. The Ayurvedic morning routine begins with rising before the sun and involves a handful of self-care practices. For most of us, we don’t have hours to dedicate to our morning practice, but I’ve found it pretty easy to streamline.

For example, I wake early, sit upright in bed and meditate for a few minutes, I get up and scrape my tongue and brush my teeth, evacuate my bowls, hydrate, walk the dogs, and then hop in the shower. After my shower, I use a little oil to massage my body and joints and then I’m ready to go.

Do I do all of the dinacharya practices? No, but I have it down to a habitual flow and it works wonders. The trick with waking early begins with eating an early dinner and going to bed at a decent time the night before. The beauty of following Ayurvedic practices is that we immediately tune in and honor our body’s natural rhythms.

Ayurveda 101: Aligning With The Ayurvedic Clock and Your Physiology

Our 24-hour clock and the doshas are also aligned: certain times of day align with certain doshas, which means that certain tasks are better done at certain times of the day. Here is a simple breakdown of the Ayurvedic clock:

• 10 pm to 2 am Pitta
  • From 10pm-2am it is possible to get a second wind, want to snack, etc. It’s best to head to bed before 10 pm, so that your second wind doesn’t keep you up later than you intended. This is also the time of organ healing and restoration, so it is best to skip that midnight snack.
• 2 am to 6 am Vata
  • This is the time where energy is most fluid. This is also the time when many people need to get up for a late night bathroom break. It is best to wake up and start your day before 6 am. This time of day is also characterized by active dreaming and is a time of expansion and awe.
• 6 am-10 am Kapha
  • The morning hours between 6 am and 10 am are characterized by a steady energy and it is the best time of day to get your daily exercise in.
• 10 am-2 pm Pitta
  • Digestive fire is the strongest during this time, so it’s recommended to eat your largest meal of the day between 10am and 2pm. This is also the time of greatest productivity.
• 2 pm-6 pm Vata
  • This is the time to work on projects or do seated tasks and it’s a good time to tackle problems as you may feel both alert and creative. It’s best to eat dinner before 6 pm to allow for proper digestion before bed.
• 6 pm-10 pm Kapha
  • This is a time of slowing down. It’s a great time to spend with friends and family or to get your daily exercise in.

The amazing thing that happened to me was that my energy improved. I’ve had more energy to do the things I want to do. I’m also more in tune with my body and its needs. Do I need to rest? Do I need to eat? What foods make me feel good and what foods make me feel “blah”. I love it!

Over the next few months I will work on sharing more info about Ayurveda, changing your habits and living a healthier life, so if you have questions please ask!

So many blessings to all of you!

Love and Light,

Autumn

*Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. These earnings help make the maintenance of this blog possible. You can rest assured that I only link to products I know and love.

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Dinacharya is the daily ritual to live a healthy and balanced life according to the ancient tradition of Ayurveda. Ayurveda is yoga’s sister science. The two traditions have been practiced side-by-side for thousands of years. Yoga supports many of the functions of Ayurveda and Ayurveda supports many of the functions of yoga, so the two are often intertwined.

Most humans, especially in the United States, don’t have time to practice the full dinacharya practice… it’s just not practical with jobs, kids, etc. I’d rather not bore you with too much information, so here is a list of a fairly attainable morning practice of dinacharya…. but it’s still 13 items!!! Okay, but lets be honest you most likely at least do 5 of them already without thinking about it.

1. Rise early before the sun.

I’m not going to lie the morning hours are beautiful and peaceful, but I am kapha and getting out of bed in the morning is often the hardest part of my day. No joke. At least one day a week though I wake up before 5:00 am and I’m probably better for it.All my kaphas out there…. you understand how hard it is to get out of bed early (early I mean 6-7 am), but if you can stomach it just try to get up at 4:30 am or even 5 am before the first kapha cycle of day begins (first cycle: 6-10am; second cycle 6-10pm). According to Dr. Vasant Lad, the leading Ayurvedic doctor in the United States, “It is good to wake up before the sun rises, when there are loving (sattvic) qualities in nature that bring peace of mind and freshness to the senses. Sunrise varies according to the seasons, but on average vata people should get up about 6 a.m., pitta people by 5.30 a.m., and kapha by 4.30 a.m. Right after waking, look at your hands for a few moments, then gently move them over your face and chest down to the waist. This cleans the aura.”

2. Drink a large glass of warm lemon water.

Well this one is easy. Slice up a lemon and squeeze it into some warm water. Drink your lemon water before anything else goes in your body (including coffee). Warm lemon water helps jump start your metabolism and digestion and also flushes the kidneys.

3. Wash face and clear out sinuses with neti pot.

Likely you already wash your face in the morning, but using a neti pot might be new to you. To be honest I don’t neti pot everyday, but I do use it when I feel congested, when I am experiencing allergy symptoms, or suspect that I might be getting sick. I also will use my neti pot if I plan on having an extensive pranayama session. Want to try out using a neti pot? Watch this Web MD video first (also, please feel free to contact me if you have questions).

4. Scrape tongue.

Yep, give it a good scrape before you brush your teeth. The build up of ama (toxins) in the body is what causes that white filmy layer on the tongue. The practice of tongue scraping takes just a couple of seconds and helps improve overall oral health. You can purchase tongue scrapers at most natural food stores like Whole Foods or Natural Grocers.

5. Brush teeth.

Brush your teeth. Please tell me you’re already doing this!

6. Evacuate your bowels.

It’s time to go number 2. The warm lemon water should assist with emptying your bowels. In a perfect world you would relieve yourself within one hour of getting out of bed. When we are unable to evacuate our bowels a build up of toxins within the body can occur. Anyone else get headaches when the plumbing isn’t working right? I do… and it’s terrible. If the whole morning routine is new to you it may take a couple of days to get into the rhythm. Don’t stress.

7. 10-20 minutes of yoga.

Once you’ve had your bowel movement begin your yoga practice. A few simple stretches and movements to the body can help “clear out the cobwebs” that built up overnight and improve mood and overall wellbeing.

8. 5-10 minutes of pranayama or breathing exercises.

A very simple pranayama exercise would be 1:1 ratio breathing. An example would be inhale for 4 counts and exhale for 4 counts. Another option would be to practice nadi shodana (alternate nostril breathing). If you will be venturing into more stimulating/challenging pranayama exercises please consult with your yoga/pranayama teacher. You may even want to consult with your doctor.

9. 5-15 minutes of meditation.

I recommend practicing meditation seated and not lying down. Find a comfortable seat in a comfortable quiet place. A simple meditation would be to follow the breath as it flows in and out of your body. There are also plenty of meditation apps that you can use for a guided practice.

10. 5-10 minute abhyanga.

Abhyanga, the self massage, is the best part of dinacharya. Use a warmed sesame or coconut oil and massage the limbs in long strokes, the joints and abdomen in circular strokes. Don’t forget your back, scalp and face. (I have sensitive skin, so I use a different blend on my face than on my body.)

11. 10-20 minute oil pulling.

Oil pulling might take a little time to get used to. Oil pulling clears out any residual bacterial buildup in the mouth. It improves breath and overall dental health. Use a tablespoon or so of coconut oil and swish it around in your mouth for 10-20 minutes. Spit it out when you’re finished. Do not swallow the oil. You can oil pull while you’re doing your self massage or while showering to save time.

12. Shower or bathe.

Yep, hop in the shower or bath and you’re good to go.

13. Eat breakfast.

Eat a healthy, balanced breakfast.

I’d love to hear about your morning ritual. What do you do to make sure your day gets started on the right foot?

Love and Light,

Autumn

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Jamu is a healing Balinese elixir made of turmeric, ginger, lime, tamarind and honey. I drank Jamu religiously during my yoga teacher training at Zuna Yoga, and will likely drink it religiously again this fall at my upcoming yoga retreat in Bali, Indonesia.

The flavor of Jamu, especially when it hasn’t been sweetened much, is an acquired taste for sure. Jamu packs an intense turmeric punch… made even punchier with fresh ginger added to the mix. On top of the basic ingredients you can add other spices for flavor or for Ayurvedic purposes. I like to add black pepper and cayenne to mine, and sometimes cloves. Jamu’s main ingredient, turmeric, is rich in curcumin, a fantastic anti-inflammatory. Combining turmeric with black pepper (which contains piperine) helps our body absorb the curcumin. Want to learn more about the amazing benefits of turmeric? Check out this article at AuthorityNutrition.com.

Just a few ounces of Jamu each day is enough and should be thought of as a natural medicine, so you don’t want to overdo it… although I’ve definitely guzzled it down on more than one occasion and survived.

Here is a simple Jamu recipe to follow:

Ingredients

• 7-10 inches turmeric root, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
• 3 inches fresh ginger, peeled
• 3 T. tamarind paste
• juice from 2 limes or 1 1/2 lemons
• 1 T. honey or 1 cup of pineapple juice
• 1 liter of water
• Cayenne, to taste
• Black Pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. In a large pot on medium high heat add water and turmeric. Once the water begins to boil turn the heat down to a simmer and cover. Simmer for 18-20 minutes.
2. Add the ginger and tamarind paste and simmer for another 4-5 minutes.
3. Allow mixture to cool. Once mixture has cooled add the turmeric mixture and honey to your blender in batches (just a warning: if your blender is plastic it will be stained yellow afterward). Blend until smooth.
4. Using a fine mesh strainer you will strain the ingredients over a bowl to separate the solids from the liquids. You may need to use a spatula to press some of the moisture out of the solids. Discard the solids.
5. Add citrus juice, cayenne and black pepper to your mixture. Stir, taste and adjust… maybe add more sweetener if you feel like you need it… maybe dilute it with some extra water.
6. Poor mixture into glass jars, seal them up and store in the fridge. Jamu will keep in the fridge for 3-5 days.

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My mother made potatoes doused in it and the glass dish would be covered with neon yellow oil while they cooked. The intense color blew my little mind. Along with the taste.

So, 20 years later I am still using it in everything that I can think of. Sweet or savory, you can find it a place.

The health benefits of turmeric are widely regarded in Ayurveda and many remedies call for this nifty little gem of a root. Anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and it’s ability to heal those stomach issues that ail you, turmeric should become your new BFF.

Here are some delicious ways I utilize turmeric in my cooking:

Turmeric Hummus

My children will demolish an entire container of this in a day. It usually never even makes it into the fridge. This recipe is ridiculously easy and not to mention, SO YUMMY.

• 2 cans of chickpeas; drained & rinsed.
• 1 clove of garlic (or more if you like it intense)
• Juice of 2 lemons
• Approximately 1/2 cup of tahini
• Turmeric (the amount is up to you. I add maybe 1 1/2 tablespoons and will add more if I feel it needs it)
• Sea salt (to taste. I would start with 1 tsp and adjust)
• 1 cup avocado oil (add more to adjust thickness. avocado oil is my preferred choice since it’s mild, but olive oil is traditional)

*Throw ingredients into your blender and turn it in. It’s really that easy. Adjust your salt and oil and then dig in with fresh veggies or crackers. I also love a big dollop on top of a salad.

Carrot-Orange-Turmeric Juice

You’ll need a juicer for this, or else you can use a powerful blender such as a ninja or vitamix and then strain it.

• Carrots (I buy a big bag of organic juicing carrots. I will usually use about half of a 5lb bag for this juice. And save the pulp! It goes great in muffins.)
• Turmeric root (If you can’t obtain fresh turmeric, feel free to use powder in an amount that suits you. Fresh turmeric is intense so I usually use about a 1 1/2 inch piece)
• Ginger Root (I like it ginger-y! Feel free to use as much as you like.)
• Orange Juice (I buy organic fresh squeezed oj and use about 2 cups or more depending.)

*Juice all of your ingredients and either chill in the fridge for a few hours or serve over ice!

Golden Mylk

This is one of my favorite treats before bed time. On days when I make fresh almond or cashew mylk, this is most definitely a must.

• Milk alternative (Avoid milk substitutes that contain the icky ingredient carrageenan gum. Califa Farms almond milk is a great choice and can be found in the refrigerated section of whole foods and the like. Otherwise, soak some almonds or cashews and make your own!)
• Vanilla extract (Or vanilla bean)
• Maple syrup
• Turmeric
• Black pepper
• Cinnamon
• Cardamon

*This “recipe” is really up to your own taste. I’ve simply listed what I use in my golden mylk and then I think it’s up to you to see what your preferences are for the spices. Heat up in a saucepan and then enjoy warm.

There are so many delicious ways to use turmeric – curries, ice cream, golden mylk, hummus…the options are endless!

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