"How are you participating in your well-being?" ~ Kris Carr

Maybe you've heard of Kris Carr and her "Crazy Sexy..." book series or visited her website, Crazy Sexy Life. She is a New York Times Best-Seller author, a motivational speaker, and wellness coach.
In 2011 she visited my friends at Wanderlust Vermont speaking in their awesome Speakeasy Series.

You may know of Wanderlust as a haven for yoga and music but it's so much more. It's a sanctuary for wellness and their Speakeasy series highlights wellness and engagement. Luckily if you missed the festivals you still can be a part of the Speakeasy series. This video featuring Kris Carr is the first to be released from the 2011 schedule. Visit their YouTube channel here to see more videos from the festivals and keep an eye out for upcoming Speakeasy videos.

Health isn't the absence of disease, it's the presence of vitality" ~ Kris Carr

Save the Pumpkin Guts!

If you're decorating with pumpkins this season, don't be so hasty to throw those Jack O' Lantern guts in the compost bin. While cooking with pumpkin can be intimdating it is well worth it. Check out these great nutritional benefits!

• Pumpkin Seeds contain about 7 grams of protein per ounce! They're great in trail mix or on salads.
• Free-radicals aren't safe around pumpkin thanks to the high amounts of carotenoids that neutrialize those devious free-radicals.
• Your eye sight benefits from the Leutein and Zeaxanthin slowing down free-radicals specific to the eyes and helping to prevent degenerative diseases.
• Pumpkin is a strong source for Iron, Zinc, and Fiber.

Here are links to some of my favorite recipes using pumpkin. I have made or taste-tested each. I love Chai so most of these recipes include it but another black tea or liquid could be substituted.

• Pumpkin Chai Coffee Cake
• Vegan Pumpkin Scones
• Spiced Roast Pumpkin Soup
• Pumpkin Chai Cookies
• Pumpkin Banana Chai Smoothie

What's your favorite way to incorporate pumpkin into cooking?

What's Cooking? aka Door-to-Door Organics New "Kitchen"

Eggplant and Artichoke Galettes

For many of us, the downside to having fruits and veggies delivered is figuring out what to do with them. Sure you can eat them raw, throw them in salads, but if culinary creativity isn't your strong suit, the fun ends there. Wisely, Door-to-Door Organics created their new "Kitchen" feature to help us out.

When I received a late summer Local Box of veggies I wasn't sure what to do. In all honesty, there wasn't a lot in there I would normally buy. I don't really eat squash and such but that is what we grow locally  so that's what I got. Then I remembered the recipe finder feature. I had submitted my own recipe not too long ago so I figured I would find something there.

The beauty of the Kitchen recipe finder is it allows you to search for recipes in various ways. It makes recommendations based on your current delivery or a submitted  list of items in your pantry or you can search by ingredient, meal or special diet needs. Even better, since the recipes are compiled by Door-to-Door Organics subscribers you know they're prepared in "real homes" not test kitchens. There is also the opportunity to rate the recipes.

I have grown to love this feature and use the Kitchen recipe finder even when I am not using my delivery items. If you've ever thought "I'd like to get my fruits and veggies delivered but what would I do with them?" well now is the time to find out. Still not sure? Enter the Coupon Code "CupcakeMafia" and save 40% off your first Bitty Box!

The Difference a Year Makes

As I settled into my Bhava Vinyasa teacher training last Saturday morning it felt like coming home. There were fellow students who were with me through my 200 hour journey as well as teachers I had mentored/assisted in their programs. It wasn't until my wonderful teacher, Shannon Paige, reminded us we were in the midst of Navaratri (a Hindu Festival) that I realized it was exactly one year that weekend from when I began my 2oo hour program.

So much has changed in the last year and as we move into Autumn I feel it's important to revist the changes. Here are a few of mine:

• My sweet dog, Murphy, passed away
• Finished yoga teacher training
• Completed my second Urban Adventure Race
• Taught over 55 yoga classes
• Opened a consulting business
• Opened and closed a yoga space
• Biked a few hundred miles
• Went to the Wanderlust Festival in Tahoe
• Made a lot of great new friends
• Let a few friendships dissolve
• Had many fun outdoor adventures
• Moved back to my hometown
• Learned how to keep going with a broken heart and experience grief
• Had LASIK surgery
• Adopted a cat
• Have grown more comfortable going to sleep at night knowing I gave the day my best.

I am sure there is a ton more but these are things sticking out in my mind at this moment. I find it's best for me to revisit the changes and success for the year before the holiday time hits. Everything gets so chaotic during the holidays if you let it. The stress then allows us to invite in feelings of doubt, feelings that we're less than, not enough.

I am enough.

You are enough.

We all have evolved, not into someone different but rather a new expression of ourselves. What has the last year held for you? How have you evolved and what have you let drift away?