The Loft Autumn Series ~ Chocolate Night

Persephone Brown hosts Chocolate Night!!!

I am thrilled to welcome Persephone back to The Loft after her sold out (and then a few more squeezed in) Spring Feast where she brought us gorgeous food and wine and the understanding of each food's preparation. One of the women reported to having more fun than she thought possible at a cooking night!

The idea for chocolate night was cooked up I'm pretty sure as the Spring Feast dishes were being washed! I love food. I love Persephone. And I love bringing women together at The Loft, to feel kindred, to laugh, to rest while being nurtured.

Date: Friday, November 22nd, 6:30pm-10:30pm

Cost: $85 (includes a spot in The Holiday Joy Up, oh yes!)

 

"Happiness. Simple as a glass of chocolate or tortuous as the heart. Bitter. Sweet. Alive.”

― Joanne Harris

Celebration of life, settled on our tongue. Chocolate.

At the Loft we laugh. We celebrate. We dine, and wine, and sigh at the beauty and the goodness of it all. This chocolate night will be a heightened experience brought alive from the flavors, scents, and fluidity of this food from the Gods. The menu will vary from rich and raw to savory and simple. Wine is paired to take you further into the evening’s experience. Leave with a little something to take home with you, and an arsenal of new recipes which will bring love into your kitchen, the way only chocolate can.

 A perfect recipe starts with flavor, then color. A perfect dish grabs hold of all of your senses, you smile at the sight of its beauty, the textures dance on your tongue. A perfect meal nourishes you beyond healthy nail beds and belly, with story, and laughter, and soft colorful cloth napkins. A perfect meal is messy, and simple, and lovingly prepared. The first bite you dance, the last bite you sigh, and every moment in between, all that exists is love.

~Persephone

 

 

Our amazing menu:

Marinated Brussel Sprout Salad

White Chocolate Baba Gannouj

Cocoa ~ Mushroom Caponata

Cacao and Red Wine Braised Beef

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Lover’s Mousse

Wine, & plenty of surprises.

All dishes prepared will be gluten and dairy free.  Please let us know of any dietary restrictions you may have, and we will do our best to accommodate you.

 

 

 

 

Persephone Brown is a Certified Health Coach, with certification from the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. A graduate of the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and Columbia Teachers College of New York City. Spending a number of years cooking for herself (as a vegan, vegetarian, and now carnivore) and as the baker for the Juice and Java Cafe she learned the art of making healthy beautiful food that tastes good and warms your core.

Persephone uses her education and experience with food, to support women to clear the static and get real clear on what works for them. She has guided hundreds of whole food cleanses, teaching people to take that first step for their health and their life. Clarity is a beautiful thing when you're deciding where it is you want to go. A healthy digestive system and healthy mind help you get there.

 

 

Stepping into the ease.

Part of the post is from a letter from The Joy Up, A 30 Day Journey. Shared with love::

Learning to love myself, finally, after 37ish years came quite surprisingly at my highest non-pregnant weight. Spending years in yo=yo diets, and I mean since I was like 12, I finally stopped. Stopped all of the diets and rules and early gym mornings. I just let my body be.

I gained weight, my body had never, ever existed as an adult without some sort of diet or restrictions to keep my weight low. I had never found a way to love my body inside of all the deprivation. Not even after being a health coach for two years. I was still finding ways to convince myself that if only I could make one more plan...lose a few more pounds 'healthfully' I would find that love.

20 pounds over my post pregnancy weight at 150 pounds (on the scale at the Dr. office, not knowing my weight since obsessively weighing to stay 128 pounds for years), I stopped. Let it all go. Released. Started to enjoy food again. This last year of my life has been a turning point. I learned to love myself, to release all the old thoughts of having to control everything. I knew all of it intellectually but had never quite been able to live it. Until Joy and I started to dance and she took my hand and led me down a path that I continue to discover daily.

And this is only the beginning. It is still new and scary and feels deliciously fresh.

As I would eat foods, no restrictions, some things that were known to be healthy wouldn't feel good inside of my body. Other foods would feel delicious. It took me months to learn to trust that intuition, that deep body knowledge, what I always knew all along. This trust feels gorgeous. It is not deprivation, it is delicious knowing.

Eating to feel gorgeous felt gorgeous. It meant chocolate puddings with coconut milk, curries simmered with carrots and chicken, decaf coffee with coconut milk, eggs every morning, lots of salads in every shape and the occasional red wine in the evening.

It meant that I stopped trying to give up the morning cup of decaf I loved so much and never bothered me. But I gave up the gluten-free toast that was making me sick.

It also meant loving a wiggly, jiggly belly. A face that was fuller than I remembered it ever being.

It was me. Meeting my needs for feeling amazing in this body of mine. For easing the burden of brain fog and bloated belly. My needs for feeding myself with the same amount of love I finally felt for myself. It continues with that layering in movement, space, stillness, nurturing with time and energy.

That love will carry you to places you never imagined. Doesn't mean you won't have days where you kind of wished your belly was flatter or that your eyebrows could just go in one direction, but it means that deep down you are love. Loved.

I got to that love through joy. Through my allowing of joy to be present despite all of the past hurts, pains, regrets. Allowing joy to shine inside of my body, even when I felt down. In the very basic discovery that what I want, is made today. Love. Loved. Joy.

And now my body is starting to shift. It feels like love. It feels amazing to be losing weight that doesn't belong, but without any sort of 'rules.' Just following what feels really good to my body. 

I had a hard time letting go of wanting to eat the classic healthy foods. Brown rice, oats, green smoothies. I fought to keep those in my life because others felt good eating them. When I let all the rules go, let go of any restrictions other than I must feel good when I nourish myself, I felt like I was myself again. A self that feels gorgeous in her skin. Intuitive eating. Letting go of your need for any other outcome other than being totally in love with you.

It takes time. It takes the journey.

The only way it could have happened for me was to find that love in a weight that felt uncomfortable to the woman who had spent so many years dieting. In a body that had longed to be skinnier its whole life. (I recently saw a picture of myself in HS and couldn't believe  that this girl could feel so badly about herself, she was so cute and I just wanted to hug her. I was almost surprised by how small I was.)

To celebrate myself I went to a conference this past July and it was the first time before a very public event that I didn't spend time trying to lose just a few pounds so my stomach would be just a little bit skinnier. It was the first time I got dressed to be surrounded by my friends and colleagues and felt beautiful. Like glowing. Like me. Like the woman I have been trying to be my whole life.

Each morning at my hotel I had the most delicious eggs and sausage that I have ever eaten. I sipped decaf lattes. I ate gelato with my soul-sisters. (Ahem, Rachel, Tiffany, Michelle, Laura.) I felt like a woman. I should feel that way, shouldn't I? Honoring my curves.

When my husband says, "You look beautiful" I should feel that from the inside, shouldn't I? When we are together in that delicious way, I should want him touching all of me, not everywhere except my belly.

Spreading wings into joy. I want more of this. I want this for you.

Joy wants to take your hand, your joy sisters want to stand in a circle with you, celebrating this deep love.

The way I could be loved at 18 is so very different than the way I can be loved now. It is so much deeper, so much more intense and whole and can scare the shit out me.

Learning to accept that and truly be in that, this is the ease that is waiting. This is the softness and the healing mixing and feeling unexpected.

This is the journey into joy.

The Joy Circle

Friday, March 30th at Om Kids Yoga Center
7:00 (arrive at 7 we start at 7:15) -9:15pm
$20 - leave a comment below letting me know you are coming and call the studio to reserve a circle spot (space is limited)!  401.305.3667

The Joy UP comes to life! The joy circle is a place for women to come together with the intention of making space in their lives for more joy. We will talk about story, soulwork, ritual and stillness. This is for women who are ready to empower their lives through their thoughts and choices.

Can two hours of your time increase the amount of joy in your life? Come find out.

Highlights of the circle include a 3 minute exercise that will teach you the incredible power of your thoughts, sharing our voices as we dig into what you need to make space for in your life, gentle yoga* with our guest Erin Goodman, a guided meditation and lots of connecting and filling up with sparkly moments (aka =aha moments!).

Have you been saying to yourself that you need more time for you, for deeper connection with other woman who are on a similar journey into their truth and for joy?

This is your circle.

As my first live event in months, come meet me in person so I can give you a great big hug. ;)

Om Time Tea will be served at the circle and is sponsored by Love and Tea. A tasty and gloriously healthy treat will be there for everyone and sponsored by RAW Foods Inc.

Bring a water bottle and a small journal for jotting down some thoughts and inspirations that may arise.

*You do not need to have ever done yoga before, the yoga is gentle and is there to help us integrate the thoughts we will be learning and talking about into the body. The circle will be a sensory experience.

If you would like to host a Joy Circle on the East Coast, please email me at hello@hannahmarcotti.com and we can talk about the details.

Looking for Beautiful

I am the kind of person who sees beauty in a pair of yoga pants, a wooden Mala and a book just delivered on my doorstep via the mail.

I see beauty in a feather tucked in a little vase.

Jars filled with nuts, seeds and dried fruit become artwork in my kitchen.

A pile of white stones is beauty for my spirit as I am reminded of walks on the beach and children laughing.

Beauty is my children with baskets of colorful crayons and markers transforming white papers into art gallery shows.

My beautiful is quiet, clean, calm and simple. It has texture and colors that mix together in just the right way for my eye.

A meal that is full of colors and flavors and that I want to eat again tomorrow is so beautiful.

Beauty is deciding that our world deserves that level of joy and trusting that we will find the path to it.

My beautiful is starting to show up now that I am looking for it, feeling it and living it.

What a blessing to be able to find beautiful, hold onto and nurture it.

This is one of my favorite things ever. For years I have made quesadillas and will put anything in them to get kids to eat! I used to put lentils and seaweed in Eli's when he was little. When I tell him he laughs and laughs! But these, if you like shrimp (please invest in wild and not farmed) are beyond amazing.

Wild Shrimp and Cilantro Quesadillas

1 package precooked, frozen, wild shrimp, thawed and chopped into bite size pieces
grated raw cheddar (this is my go to cheese, a nice raw high quality)
chopped fresh cilantro
corn tortillas
avocado
salsa
lemon

In a well oiled pan, place corn tortilla down and layer on shrimp and cheese and cilantro. You can put the avocado in or have it on top. Squeeze a little lemon on top and place the top corn tortilla on. Flip over after cheese starts to melt and tortilla starts to brown.

Top with avocado and salsa. Enjoy as you eat slowly and in bliss! And savor the beauty.

Food Intuition - Eat Gorgeous

During the 10 day cleanse I ask you to start to discover your food intuition. That part of you that knows how to feed your body in true gorgeous creature fashion. My cleanse includes some meat and I ask that you look for local farmer's or the best local source you can find.

My food intuition goes against my deep longings. I tried to live as a vegetarian goddess for a long time. I ate greens and beans and every so often I would eat a piece of salmon. When I ate the salmon my body came alive. I pulsed with energy and lightness.

One day I got sick. My emotional life was being tested and physically I was falling apart. I worked at a gym, exercised every day but my body was giving out on me.

I went to see a Naturopath. After many visits and exploring  candida diets, they asked me to try eating meat, lamb preferably. I may have gone into a mini-shock moment and I kindly said, no.

Eventually when I could not continue on with my body the way it was, I ate some chicken. And then a little bit more. Years later I would explore lamb which is a gentle and clean meat source. I would meet people who ate and lived in a way that our bodies asked us to, and I could start to believe that I was a goddess, just a grass-fed, local sourced and lots of greens goddess.

Grains are hard on my body. To truly be living inside of my food intuition I must eat mostly organic meats and lots and lots of vegetables. I do well with nuts and beans and have found a little bit of palm sugar is a nice sweet source for me in moderation. I have friends who thrive on rice and beans, whole grain breads slathered with butter. That kind of food makes me sick, it makes others glow.

That is why on my cleanse you get to choose meat (with some exceptions) or try going without meat and challenging yourself to try a new way. We won't know what is best for our bodies until we try, experiment.

Can you block out the voices of what others are doing and take on 10 days dedicated to discovering what makes you shine and find the foods that create an energy system within your cells?

Our food intuition is locked inside of us. To free it we need to stop looking around and wanting to be like her, and her and well, yes, her.

You gotta be you gorgeous. I'll help you get to her.

Join us on this 10 day exploration into your food intuition, your cleansing of body, spirit and space. I am going to challenge you during these 10 days to discover yourself in a new way. If you've worked with me, you know it is about the food as a gateway into exploring  our thoughts and accessing joy and change (yes, I said it) in ways that bring us to a level of connection with self that we long for. That is what I do.

Time to shine gorgeous, this is one that works for me. You may want to try this with tempeh if you know that meat isn't your goddess gorgeous vehicle.

Dill Raisin Chicken Salad

2 cups chopped chicken (look for free-range, or investigate a local farmer’s market)
¼ cup Grapeseed Oil Veganaise
juice from ½ lemon (1 1/2 Tb)
2 Tb raisins
1 Tb dill
sea salt/pepper to taste

Mix all together and chill for about 20 minutes. Eat over a salad or in a collard wrap, place sliced cucumbers and chicken salad inside. Enjoy!

Hey Gorgeous, Ratatouille isn't just a RAT!

Want to move into the gorgeous life and have a little raw kale, butterflies fluttering on your head kind of fun? Of course you do!

Each Sunday I will be posting a new Hey Gorgeous tip that is simple and fun. I am a believer that what we put out we attract and I am looking for some simple and some fun. I want my tribe to feel sexy and gorgeous and inspired. I want you to pay-it-forward when you feel inspired by a tid-bit and create the ripple that the joy of loving yourself up, healthy style brings. Yes, that means we might have to share this with the guys (*wink* at the guys who are here already)!

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The flavors of summer are starting to burst and as your gardens and Farmer's Markets start to overflow with squash you can get your seasonal glow on. The taste of a fresh picked squash or tomato will make you shy away from eating foods out of season and talk you into doing some harvest preserving (think jams, sauces, pickles)!

We can get our glow on with ratatouille, the meal, not the rat. Ratatouille is a pot full of summer freshness and can be served with pasta, rice, chicken, fish, eggs or mussels. To get your ratatouille started heat some olive oil and add onion, garlic, squash, tomato, eggplant, basil and if you want to be truly authentic some herbes de provence. Squash and eggplant soak up the oil so keep adding the olive oil until the vegetables are nice and covered. Do a quick high heat saute, try not to turn the entire pot to mush, but if you do, it is still gorgeous eating!

Nothing gets your taste buds bursting with freshness like this beautiful blend of harvest offerings. If you are feeling like connecting to the seasonal goodness without taking too much time in a hot kitchen, go get your glow on with ratatouille. Think backyard with your favorite people, sipping a fragrant wine and enjoying a bowl of ratatouille topped with mussels or over rice pasta, oh honey! Set a beautiful table, pick some fresh flowers and just enjoy the glowing that comes from being a part of the summer season.

That's the gorgeous life.

My crazy fast gourmet tacos

I used to make about 3 good meals out of 7 a week. Then my stats rose a bit and I hit 5. Now I rarely screw up because I'm all about methods rather than recipes. I was craving a fish taco and Trader Joe's had frozen wild turbot already seasoned which had thawed by the time I got home from the store. It is hot.

My kids ate these. My kids would pop flippers and live in the ocean if given the chance. They are seafood luv-ahs! There were no left-overs.

It came together sort of in this manner. I had a box of taco shells. I had a Trader Joe guacomole frozen. I had salsa and raw cheddar cheese. I had lettuce. I had sweet potatoes. The fish was all thawed.

Fish and Sweet Potato Tacos

1 pound or so of Wild Turbot from T.J.'s - quick pan fry in coconut oil

3 sweet potatoes, chopped and boiled until soft, mashed with some earth balance and seasoned with sea salt

Taco Shells, guac, salsa, cheese, lettuce...whatever else you like when you are having taco night.

Layer it in your taco, gobble it up. Repeat.

What now? A part two post with recipe

Part 1 is over here...

What is the next step after determining it is about the weight? A plan of action. I'm really good at those, my coaching superpower is that I help people feel amazing. That means this can happen before the weight has dropped, it can happen despite of the weight, it can happen because of the weight!

Yes, I said it. Because of the weight!

After we have closed our eyes to feel our body more light and free it is time to find a way to get there. We all have an intuitive knowledge about what our action plan should be. For instance, I have candida. When it flares up I start to gain weight, those little creatures in my gut want more and more and more. My intuition says to me, "Dude, stop eating bananas, and you know you are going to have to lose the smoothies and Larabars for a while right?" My intuition calls me dude, it's cute. I am listening, fruit feeds candida, which is a yeast overgrowth. Many of us live with this and have no idea.

Can you tap into your tuition just a little bit and notice what the first action step needs to be for you? It might be that you are gobbling calories at night and you should just be going to bed. So why don't you? Go to bed when the munchies hit. My kids try to eat 5 minutes before bed. They do it because they are trying to stay awake, or distract themselves. It is not due to hunger, and even if it is, I promise it will go to sleep when you do. Often we stay awake just to continue to feel bad about ourselves. But if you really have to stay up and accomplish something have a proper meal for lunch or dinner and include the foods that make you feel satisfied. Have your dark chocolate at 4pm and put it away! Don't nibble it at 8pm, you'll just be keeping yourself up and continuing your cycle of de-struc-tion!

Here are a few questions to move you deeper towards your intuition and your feel-amazing-now power.

1. Listen to your intuition, what one thing are you doing right now that is sabotaging your joy and allowing you to continue to feel bad about yourself?
2. What food do you know fuels you and yet you make other choices?
3. Think about one outfit that when you put it on is your power clothes. It might be a dress, or that awesome pair of jeans and heals. When will you find that outfit and wear it?
4. There is something you are doing that you need to stop. Replace it with something joyful. Ice cream every night replaced with a good book and some tea or staring out the window replaced with moving your body in ways that feel so good.

Here is a way to make a bowl of pasta a bit more satisfying to your body and soul.

Pasta Salad with Kale, Capers and Chick-peas

16 ounce package of gluten free pasta

1/2 jar pasta sauce - use your favorite

3 cups kale, chopped

3 Tb capers

1 can chick-peas drained

Cook the pasta just under the time suggested on package, you want this to have bite, gluten free stuff can get mushy fast, so test it. Run the pasta under cold water to rinse. Return to pot, adding sauce, kale, capers and chick-peas. Give it a gentle stir and just allow the pot to heat it up a small amount. Enjoy with some Romano cheese or as is.

Hey Gorgeous, Some Like it Raw!

Want to move into the gorgeous life and have a little raw kale, butterflies fluttering on your head kind of fun? Of course you do!

Each Sunday I will be posting a new Hey Gorgeous tip that is simple and fun. I am a believer that what we put out we attract and I am looking for some simple and some fun. I want my tribe to feel sexy and gorgeous and inspired. I want you to pay-it-forward when you feel inspired by a tid-bit and create the ripple that the joy of loving yourself up, healthy style brings. Yes, that means we might have to share this with the guys (*wink* at the guys who are here already)!

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Enzymes, life force and the power of healing the body are found in food just as it is harvested. You may have heard of the raw food movement going on, people ditching their stoves and pots and pans for dehydrators, blenders and spiral slicers. The transition into lasagna made from zucchini slices and cashew cheese might sound like a wild ride you never want to be part of, but I'm going to show you how to embrace the raw without intimidation.

You can't separate gorgeous from life force so let's look at why we must like it raw. Our body has it's own enzymes that help us digest food, heal our body and stay oh-so-young looking. They are our gorgeous. When we eat food that is cooked it no longer contains its own enzymes, which means that our body must contribute its own. It is like a withdrawal from the bank, you can keep spending but if you don't put more in, you are going to go into debt. Our enzyme debt is dis-ease, old skin, gaining weight, feeling tired and just plain old blah.

The best time to make a deposit is during the spring and summer when sprouts are popping up and gardens are filling up with raw bounty. You feel hot and sweaty, you don't want to turn on your oven. Time for the raw. Let's start simple and then you can move into the lasagna.

• smoothies, some frozen fruit, greens and water
• salads layered with sprouts and chopped or grated veggies
• salad dressings with olive oil, lemon, and fresh herbs
• marinated green beans, broccoli with some olive oil, salt and vinegar
• my favorite, raw strawberry cheesecake (it's a recipe from my cleanse, but I'll share it)

Ready to add some raw into your life? Time to feel the gorgeous and maybe even break up with your microwave, because you are just too hot for that appliance.

Around the House

The day is full of clean sheets, new socks for a child who seems to lose every pair the day of wearing them, good food, lots of water and listening the the wind blowing down tree branches and knocking at our gate.

Wind makes me feel calm and motivated. When I hear it whip through the trees I feel an energy, like the passion inside of a storm. If you feel this too, try to harness it while it's there.

I am putting the finishing touches on my first e-book, gearing up for the cleanse and going to the bathroom every 15 minutes (bladder). Lucas is being indulged in some movie time while I putter around. He has a nasty cold and we are TLC-ing together.

We had sweet sausage for dinner last night and no sauerkraut was to be found. I made a quick salad of cucumber, carrot, olives and tiny gherkin and dressed it with a nice balsamic dressing full of fresh garlic. Quick and easy and a beautiful side to the sausage. A cup of tea after dinner, a teleclass about gratitude and connection (will be available soon) - complete day. The only thing missing was Harry Potter, we'll make up for it by reading two chapters today, I'm sure.

The other salad? Romaine, green olives, some shaved Romano cheese and raw cashews with my favorite honey lemon dressing (included in the e-book I mentioned), this is my go-to salad on busy days.

I'm off to putter some more, enjoy your time around the house today.

Oh Gwyneth!

Oh Gwyneth, thank you for sharing your joy with me, because it reminded me of my own. There is enough for everyone, it just may look different. Sort of like Gwyneth and I. ***

Are You in the Best Shape of Your Life?

"Yes. I never thought that I'd be considered to have a good body. I was bony up top and kind of dumpy on the bottom. But my trainer, Tracy Anderson, completely changed my legs, butt, arms and stomach. I feel better than ever, too." - From Self Interview

Are You in the Best Shape of Your Life?

"Yes, mentally. I never thought I could love my body until I had the flat stomach, the perfect media body. The day I gave that up and started to connect to the amazing person I am now, even with my post 3-babies-belly, my life felt calm, real for the first time." 

So What's Your Secret?

"I do 45 minutes of cardio five days a week, because I like to eat. I also try for 45 minutes of muscular structure work, which is toning, realigning and lengthening. If I'm prepping for something or I've been eating a lot of pie, I do two hours a day, six days a week for two weeks." -From Self Interview

So What's Your Secret?

"Whenever I start feeling overwhelmed, fearful, I am not in the present. I am dwelling in what-ifs, or I should haves, all that does is draw more of that into my space. If I am stress eating, it is a signal that something it is out of whack, that I need more support. When I focus on what is beautiful and true, I receive more of it."

How Consistent Are You, Foodwise?

"I say I always eat right, but last night, I had fried clams, pasta with duck sausage and two glasses of red wine. When I want to lose, I eat less pasta, bread and potatoes. Before last year's Iron Man 2 premiere, I did green juices and salads for three days." -From Self Interview

How Consistent Are You, Foodwise?

"I love, love, love food. Food that makes me feel good. I love having a big lunch with lots of courses, like sauteed chickpeas, sausage from a local farm, gluten free cookies right out of my oven. I drink a green smoothie or juice every day. Tea time is one of my favorite rituals. Whenever I am tempted to diet again, I remember what is was like to live in the yo-yo world of body image."

ON HER BODY:

"I saw a shot of myself in Barbados and was, like, all my hard work paid off! I'm 38, I have two kids, and I feel good," -From Self Interview

ON HER BODY:

"Giving up dieting has meant looking at my body in a new way. I appreciate it, I am grateful for it. When I fill up with foods and thoughts that allow me to love who I am, I know that all my hard work has been so worth it."

Squeeze Out Winter :: Cleanse Time

It's time! The Ulitmate Cleanse for Women with Busy Lives is filling up and we want you in our group. This cleanse is 10 Days with a week of preparation before hand. You can ask questions and do your shopping all while being inspired by this incredible online group of women.

Women who were with us for the first cleanse are still coming back each season to squeeze themselves out.

Here are some of the words from the last group of cleansers:

"I had no idea that the effects of poor eating went beyond a few extra pounds and a bloated belly. I now realize that what I eat has a profound effect on my emotional well-being as well. I (and my family) cannot thank Hannah and all of you enough for the guidance and support to get me here!"

"This cleanse has really helped me jump start my self-care.  I am not as crabby as I was before and I have energy to tackle decluttering my kitchen, my house.  The kitchen is hard to organize and I know it will be a process, but it already feels better."

"I don't know how much weight I lost because I don't weigh myself, but I definitely feel lighter and my clothes fit better. It's amazing to not feel like there is not a ton of bricks in my stomach.  I know now how to check in with my body and seeing how different foods make me feel."

"The results I have had, include, having energy without the caffeine and my face has started to clear up (I have been having major breakout issues over the last couple months)."

"Feeling really grateful for what I have learned during this cleanse, for all of you giving me inspiration and being a sounding board, and most of all learning I really can do it!"

"This cleanse got  me closer to how I want to eat EVERYDAY."

"I was thrilled on this cleanse with the amount of food I was able to eat, while still feeling like my body was really detoxing."

"I feel that the cleanse has been a positive experience for me.  I realize how much I eat due to stress , being at home with two boys, etc.  I really did not feel very hungry during the cleanse so I don't need all the extra food I was eating.    I think all the processed foods, sugar, and salt also had me craving more than I needed to have, too."

"Thanks Hannah for all your words of wisdom and encouragement.  Thank you everyone for all your emails sharing your stories and support."

"After all the worry about cutting out foods, I have chosen to continue the cleanse way of life as closely as I can until the next one. I have not felt this good in YEARS! "

"Thanks for all of the amazing support, Hannah. Fellow cleansers, you rock! What an inspiration. I'm already looking forward to the next cleanse :)"

"Hannah THANK YOU for your guidance!  After I got your email yesterday morning I went and poured my kombucha in a champagne glass.  I think I will have it that way from now on. (it really does taste a little like champagne!)"

"I have also realized lately (and maybe I said it before) that coffee makes me completely unstable, so NO more!  We have a hectic schedule and I thought the highs and lows through the day just came along with that but I'm realizing that is not necessarily the case.  Without the coffee it is so much easier!  I still have my moments, but today I went through a hectic 9 to 5 with the kids and walked in my door at 5 feeling like I needed a little quiet, but relatively calm!  Alleluia!  I've also lost about 4 lbs. which I am pleased about and would like to keep going!!"

"I came along slower than the rest - I think I had a lot of bad stuff to get out - but I am happy to report that I have so much energy and I am sleeping so well! And I really do feel steady during the day, without all the afternoon fatigue. It has helped me to be more present as a mom during the day and I'm getting more done than I was. I, too, did the fall cleanse and then fell off the wagon during the holidays and it was really a struggle days 1-7. I don't want to lose this feeling or momentum so I'm sticking to it as much as possible."

"I lost about 3-4 pounds and I made it through the cleanse without one major sugar slip-up so I got my giddy moment!  Congratulations to everyone! I'll miss the emails....."

"As a single mom I am always struggling for time and I used to stress over a healthy dinner, workout time, sending a good message about food to my daughter. Well this cleanse which I thought for sure would be harder than it was for me, did it."

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Still here? Get over to the registration page and join us! It's affordable and oh-so-do-able. Can't wait for you to feel the results from this cleanse.

Hey Gorgeous, Be an Herb-an Woman!

Want to move into the gorgeous life and have a little raw kale, butterflies fluttering on your head kind of fun? Of course you do!

Each Sunday I will be posting a new Hey Gorgeous tip that is simple and fun. I am a believer that what we put out we attract and I am looking for some simple and some fun. I want my tribe to feel sexy and gorgeous and inspired. I want you to pay-it-forward when you feel inspired by a tid-bit and create the ripple that the joy of loving yourself up, healthy style brings. Yes, that means we might have to share this with the guys (*wink* at the guys who are here already)!

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It would adorn women who sang at feasts in the Middle Ages and now makes a wilty appearance atop a slice of orange on the side of your plate at a restaurant. The Greeks may have intended the parsley garnish to be a powerful part of the plate, but have we down graded it? If we want our gorgeous we need to connect to our Gods and Goddesses and listen to Hippocrates. This man knew the power in the herbs.

Parsley helps to regulate a woman's menstrual cycle (minimum parsley if you are nursing), serves as a diuretic and is a vitamin C/ iron powerhouse. Parsley power will help you get your lovely on! It's part of your dark green routine so start munching, blending or juicing this pretty plant. Don't forget to rotate your greens gorgeous, parsley is just part of the green circle of health. Start there and move through the basil, cilantro, thyme, sage and other beautiful leaves.

Two stems in a smoothie or through the juicer is a shot of chlorophyll on these final days of cold and brown on the East Coast. Throw a handful into a pot of soup right before serving with a small squeeze of lemon and your meal instantly brightens. Chicken soup in our house isn't the same without a broth full of herbs, save your parsley or other herb stems in the freezer and use them as part of your healing stock.

Be an herb-an woman, connect back to your inner Goddess and glow from parsley beauty.

1 cup frozen mango 1/2 pear 1/4-1/2 cup parsley 1 big kale leaf (optional - little extra green) 1 1/2 cups water Blend away baby!

Hey Gorgeous, Soak Your Nuts!

Want to move into the gorgeous life and have a little raw kale, butterflies fluttering on your head kind of fun? Of course you do!

Each Sunday I will be posting a new Hey Gorgeous tip that is simple and fun. I am a believer that what we put out we attract and I am looking for some simple and some fun. I want my tribe to feel sexy and gorgeous and inspired. I want you to pay-it-forward when you feel inspired by a tid-bit and create the ripple that the joy of loving yourself up, healthy style brings. Yes, that means we might have to share this with the guys (*wink* at the guys who are here already)!

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We had so much fun channeling our inner creatures last week, that I think we'll have to do it again. What happens to that nut or seed that the little creatures bury and forget about? It sprouts of course.

Nuts and seeds have enzyme inhibitors in them. Brilliant on the part of nature, it ensures that the nut will only sprout under the correct conditions and will be stored in it's dry state. Let's think of enzymes as another name, life force. This life force allows our body to heal, detoxify and are the gift of our energy and health. As our enzyme stores become low, our life force also does, leading us to disease, aging and without that spark for life.

Eating foods full of life force gives us...life force! You got it my little forest friend.

Here is what you do. Soak the nuts and seeds in some filtered water with a little bit of sea salt. The sea salt will help further break down the enzyme inhibitors. Hard nuts soak for about 4-8 hours, softer ones less time. After they have soaked you must rinse. Rinse off the water that is now full of the muck. You can then use to snack right away, in recipes or you can dry them out. If you have a dehydrator, set to about 104 degrees and they will crisp up. Most ovens don't set low enough to dry so you can also set them out on a baking sheet and let air dry. You will still want to consume these quickly, so just soak what you will use within a day or two.

Have at it and see if your body won't feel much happier about consumption of nuts and seeds, the way nature intended them.

Hey Gorgeous, Rotate Your Greens!

Want to move into the gorgeous life and have a little raw kale, butterflies fluttering on your head kind of fun? Of course you do!

Each Sunday I will be posting a new Hey Gorgeous tip that is simple and fun. I am a believer that what we put out we attract and I am looking for some simple and some fun. I want my tribe to feel sexy and gorgeous and inspired. I want you to pay-it-forward when you feel inspired by a tid-bit and create the ripple that the joy of loving yourself up, healthy style brings. Yes, that means we might have to share this with the guys (*wink* at the guys who are here already)!

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Today's gorgeous tid-bit is all about foraging in the wild for our greens. Let's become a little creature running around looking for some tasty leafy snacks. Does your little creature see a kale garden and set up tent for life? No, this creature takes a few nibbles and moves on to a spinach garden and then explores fields of dandelion greens. This inner creature that we are channeling has a little deep down knowledge of how these plants make their living.

Each of these plants contain tiny, homeopathic amounts of alkaloids. By rotating our greens our body avoids build up of harmful amounts, in fact, we strengthen our systems by eating an assortment of plants. These alkaloids are little protectors for the plants, allowing them to never be eaten to extinction as this would be toxic to our little creature body, oh so clever.

The best way for you to think of rotating is with seasonal eating. Still in winter we are focusing on dark and hardy greens and waiting anxiously for those first dandelion leaves which cleanse us from winter mucus build up. Rotate the locally available winter greens weekly or bi-weekly. Nature makes sense, if you listen to it. Just because fresh basil is available year round in the grocery store, doesn't mean we should be buying it every week.

So channel your inner-fuzzy-knowledgeable-beings and get chomping. Or blending. Or sauteing.

Hey Gorgeous!

Quick Tid-Bits Towards the Gorgeous Life

Want to move into the gorgeous life and have a little raw kale, butterflies fluttering on your head kind of fun? Of course you do!

Each Sunday I will be posting a new Hey Gorgeous tip that is simple and fun. I am a believer that what we put out we attract and I am looking for some simple and some fun. I want my tribe to feel sexy and gorgeous and inspired. I want you to pay-it-forward when you feel inspired by a tid-bit and create the ripple that the joy of loving yourself up, healthy style brings. Yes, that means we might have to share this with the guys (*wink* at the guys who are here already)!

Stay tuned next Sunday for your first tid-bit and hey gorgeous, I take requests! Leave a comment, say hello and give me some areas where you could use some advise.

Raw Coconut Lemon Pudding

Raw Coconut Lemon Pudding

• 4 meyer lemons, sliced in half, flesh scooped out, seeds removed

• 16 oz raw cashews, soaked for 4 hours

• 1/2 cup coconut oil

• 1/2 cup agave

• 1 tsp vanilla

• pinch sea salt

• 1/4-1/2 cup water

• 1/2 cup coconut flakes

In a high powered blender, or you may use your food processor, combine first 6 ingredients. Slowly add water as needed to keep the mixture blending and smooth. This should be pudding like so add the water until you get that consistency. Once blended really smooth, place in small cup or bowls, about 1/4 cup each serving. Sprinkle generously coconut flakes on top. This made about 11 servings for us. Great for company.

Curry Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah

I love a meal that jumps into the pot with a little zip-a-dee-doo-dah. Keeping some broth in the freezer and jars of lentils and beans in the cupboard is my secret weapon for those nights when I really don't want to cook. In this soup, mung dahl (tiny yellow lentils) softened in the lemon/clementine broth leaving a smooth fragrant bowl of winter love. The smell was enough to make Chloe run to the table, and that doesn't happen easily.

Hope it inspires you to find your own zip-a-dee-doo-dah!

Winter Citrus Curry Lentil Soup

1 onion, diced 2 carrots, diced 2 celery stalks, diced 2 garlic cloves 1 TB curry powder 1 cup mung dahl 8 cups broth 1/2 cup (or more if you like) almond milk juice of 1 lemon juice of 2 clementines salt and pepper to taste 1/4 cup chopped parsley

In a soup pot heat some olive oil and add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Saute for 5 minutes until vegetables soften. Stir in the curry powder and cook gently for about a minute until the fragrance from the curry becomes powerful. Add the mung dahl, broth, milk, and cover, simmering for about an hour. Before serving, squeeze in citrus and taste for salt and pepper and add parsley. We enjoyed this with a quick coleslaw that added a little raw to our meal.

The Morning Container

There is a special red tin container that makes it's home on a shelf in the kitchen. It is the container that holds something quick to eat, usually in the morning, when appetites are high and energy is low. A hungry mama might find herself peeking in when she realizes it is 2:55pm and time to pick up the kids from school. She might have forgotten to eat while the baby was sleeping and she was working. From time to time a little girl, age 8, will sneak her favorite bar out of the container and put it away somewhere safe, so on chicken and roast vegetable night she has a back up plan. I'm a whole foods advocate. You know this. I prefer that we make at least 80% (or more) of our food ourselves. As someone living gluten-free it is tough to eat outside of the home. As a mama who wants her kids to understand the difference between healthy and junk, I get excited when I can fully support a product I believe in. Especially if it is something resembling what I am whipping up in the kitchen.

Recently I did a favorite things week and mentioned Larabars. I encourage my clients to keep one in their bag so that if they are out and the need for something quick hits, they won't go squealing into the drive-thru. And they are gluten-free.

Larabar would like to offer a giveaway on the blog with a really cool bag of mixed mini bars (about 50 bars in the bag). That would fill a morning container a few times over. The minis are only available in 3 flavors so this is a special treat for the winner as they will have lots of mini flavors arrive through the mail. Larabar also wants to add a t-shirt to the gift. I'm wearing mine now. It's a nice t-shirt. My daughter will steal it after it comes out of the wash and I will never wear it again. That girl loves Larabars, chocolate chip cookie dough is her favorite, if you were wondering.

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To enter today's giveaway from the fabulous Larabar, tell us what your favorite flavor is, or what flavor you would create. Comments will close Tuesday, January 4th and the winner will be announced on the 5th.

Eggplant Fritters and Layered Salad

Having made these fritters a couple of times, they have become a favorite breakfast food of mine. Full of protein and easy to heat up and lay over a salad, this is a lovely start to the day. I have started to keep a nice round glass container full of a layered salad in the fridge. I take some help from the store with baby spinach, shredded cabbage and pea shoots. All the work involved was taking the things out of their packages and putting them in the bowl. When it's time for a little nourishment, I just grab a handful or two out of the container and onto the plate.

Sitting here in a snowstorm I'm thinking that brownies are in my future today, I will share the recipe with you this week. For now we have fritters to top all of your layered salads.

Here is your step by step starting with the roasted eggplant. The recipe makes about 22 fritters.

Dice one large eggplant and lay onto a baking sheet. Cover it generously with olive oil. Add half of an onion, diced and a sprinkle of sea salt. Roast in a 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes or until soft. Allow to cool.

Give the eggplant a quick chop, this will be about 2 1/2 to 3 cups of eggplant.

Add eggplant to a mixing bowl with one beaten egg.

Add in 2 tablespoons of capers.

One cup of Romano cheese, grated, goes into the mix.

One cup of finely chopped kale leaves (about two kale leaves) and

gently mix it together adding in 2 cloves of garlic, chopped and 1 1/2 cups of almond meal (or flour).

Place generous tablespoon sized balls onto a greased piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Press down slightly on each ball. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and firm to the touch. Allow to cool. Serve warm or room temperature. These are great topped with a yummy dressing and over salad.