In 2008 during the financial crisis I left my job and traveled with my boyfriend at the time for five months.  It was my first time seeing the world (and only the second time I had used my passport), and I travelled with someone that I loved deeply.  We learned a lot about each other.  Fights in Peru, music and bliss in Brazil, laughter and inside jokes in Japan, long stretches of grumpiness in China, silent treatments in Thailand and then compromise and understanding in India. In terms of discovering how a relationship works, we ran the gamut and ultimately learned the importance of communication and trust.  But in terms of discovering myself in unfamiliar places, I had years to go.

Fast forward to present day, after being single for over two years I used the opportunity to travel, reconnect with friends and most importantly reconnect with myself.  The happy relationship that I am in now, only came after taking the time I needed to be alone. And I get it, being alone can be uncomfortable. I used to feel that I had to fill that “space” up with something or someone. I was terrible at being alone, and truthfully I hated it. Most of us just simply aren’t comfortable with the uncomfortable. Uncomfortable silences. Uncomfortable feelings of sadness, self-doubt, confusion or anger. As human beings we crave the presence of others when we are upset to vent, when we are crying to be comforted, and when shit gets complicated we seek advice from those closest to us.  It has been only lately that I have settled into the uncomfortable on my own and embraced it.  But I will let you in on a little secret… this is where the magic happens. When we become comfortable in our own silence and with our emotions, things start to become more clear. When we explore the scary spaces inside ourselves and begin to accept who we are, we ultimately learn to love ourselves.

Traveling alone kicks this up a notch. It hands you the gift of freedom and the ability to make decisions for yourself.  These are two things that most of us have when we are young and then later trade in for a career, marriage, children and settling down. We seek companionship from others, and for the love, stability and comfort that a partner, spouse or even a fulfilling career can offer. But what if you could provide all these things for yourself? And I am not saying that you should be alone forever and be a vagabond without a job, but take the opportunities that you have to explore the world and explore yourself.

Here is the thing about traveling by yourself. It is not as scary as you think it would be. The world is a great big place filled with gracious and giving and kind people. If anything I have learned from traveling alone, it is that kindness is everywhere. People want to help you, and will go out of their way to help you. If you are traveling internationally, you will meet strangers who are filled with pride for their country and will talk your ear off with recommendations, offer help with directions and even a ride to the airport or an empty room to stay when your flight is cancelled and all the hotels for the night are booked. You will also meet other travelers who are on their own and you end up sharing your life story on an overnight bus. These people will become your friends, you may travel with them for a while, part ways, and then keep in touch for the rest of your life.

You also get some really amazing quality time with yourself.  To read without interruption, to write, to journal, to stare off into space… whatever your full and beautiful heart desires. And the best part, simply put, is seeing the world and discovering new places. You will discover that being alone is not the same as loneliness. The world’s beauty becomes your companion and she takes your breath away. To stare in wonder at a sunset perched on a cliff, to hike through waterfalls with only the sound of gushing water surrounding you, to silently gaze at animals in their natural habitat. All these experiences convince you to slow down, to enjoy the moment and the experience. To breathe in life and exhale pure and uninterrupted happiness. To fill your life up with so much joy that can only be discovered in the quiet moments by yourself.

Let’s talk about unwinding. Many of us have a hard time relaxing from the go-go-go mentality that’s ingrained in us. If you have ever read Eat, Pray, Love you may remember the term that Elizabeth Gilbert picked up in Italy – Il Far Niente, which is English translates to The Art of Doing Nothing. To me this is the true definition of unwinding and relaxing.  Shutting your brain off, shutting your phone off and just doing nothing. Trust me, it’s harder than it sounds. I can say personally that the chatter in my head is a hard one to turn off.  I self-confess that I am horrible at meditation. And lately my idea of a good book hasn’t been a feat of fiction, but instead a heavy and thick one on nutrition theories and how plants cure ailments. Yup, nerd alert.

To unwind, we all have our own routines. Sometimes it takes more than a routine, instead a necessary plane ticket to a faraway destination where you talk about how you wish you could unwind, and then on your last day in paradise you finally do.

So how can we focus the mind and body more on relaxation?  Here are seven of my tips and tricks:

1)    Relax your mind by doing your favorite work out.  For me this is running or pilates (insert photo above of me being semi-awesome on the reformer), and for many it is yoga. Whatever it may be, working out can act as its own form of meditation to help calm your mind.

2)    A warm bath any time (oh yes I have been known to take a bath during the day and it is righteous). Make it your time with your own mix of salts or bubbles to calm and relax you.

3)    Use a meditation app like Headspace. For meditation novices like myself, this one is beginner friendly. Meditation is an amazing way to unwind.

4)    Play your favorite album.  You know, so Sade or Maxwell will always bring out the mellow vibes.  But if you’re not a self-confessed slow jam addict like me, have some fun on Spotify or iTunes and make your own relaxing mix.  Mellow music always does wonders to bring things down a notch.  

5)    Cook or bake something. Now I know this one is not for everyone.  I mean, my hairdresser told me yesterday that he hates cooking but doing dishes helps him unwind.  Imagine that!

6)    A cup of warm herbal tea before bed to help your brain unwind. I like a combination of chamomile, lavender and valerian (check out ALOHA's sleep tea) which help induce relaxation and trigger a calming effect on your body and mind.

7)    Breathe! The practice of mindful breathing can do wonders for stress, especially when trying to calm yourself in a stressful moment. If you are stressed in the moment, it might help to start by taking an exaggerated breath: 

-       a deep inhale through your nostrils (7 seconds)

-       hold your breath (4 seconds)

-       and a long exhale through your mouth (8 seconds). 

Simply observe each breath without trying to adjust it; it may help to focus on the rise and fall of your chest or the sensation through your nostrils. As you do so, you may find that your mind wanders, distracted by thoughts or bodily sensations. That’s okay. Just notice that this is happening and gently bring your attention back to your breath.

Mindful breathing can start with a daily practice of just a few minutes at your desk each morning, increasing to 10-15 minutes of focused meditation.  A regular practice of mindful breathing and/or daily meditation will do wonders to combat stress!

NOW GO AND RELAX! Your body and mind deserve it.

I was cravings pancakes today and also wanted a kick of protein to fuel my body and brain.  Enter these little cakes of goodness. I used to make almond flour pancakes all the time.  Why did I stop? I was asking myself that question with every delicious bite.  These are definitely going back into heavy rotation.  And dropping the recipe like it's hot for you lovely people so they can be in your rotation as well. These pancakes are gluten-free and paleo.  So enjoy as many as you would like!! I eat them as a savory snack topped with sheep's manchego cheese and prosciutto, or go straight for the sweet version with maple syrup, berries or bananas. They keep really well at room temperature for a couple of hours too and therefore are great for road trips or plane rides! The flavor combos are endless with these.  Pictured here with classic bacon, grass-fed butter and maple syrup. ENJOY!

Want some more healthy breakfast inspo? Check out my Healthy Breakfast Recipes ebook!

Ingredients:
- 1 3/4 cup Almond Flour (I used Bob's Red Mill super fine almond flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons arrowroot powder
- 3/4 unsweetened almond milk (or any nut milk)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 2 scoops Collagen Peptides Protein Powder

Method:
Combine the eggs, vanilla and milk in a medium bowl.  Whisk to combine.  In another medium bowl combine the dry ingredients.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk to combine. Using a 1/4 measuring cup, scoop batter onto a pan with grass-fed butter, ghee or coconut oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes each side. 

Oooooh baby these little guys turned out good.  There is something to be said about buying grass-fed lamb straight from the butcher or your local farmer’s market. It. Just. Tastes. Better. To help find local farms and butchers in your area check out localharvest.org or eatwild.com. 

If you can’t get to a butcher or your farmer’s market just make sure to ask for 100% grass-fed. Don't get sidetracked by the confusing array of labeling terms like natural" or "pasture-raised." Labeling laws allow products to display these terms even if lambs spend little or no time outdoors in a pasture setting. Unfortunately, even the term "grass-fed" is not sufficient since grass-fed lambs may have spent a relatively small amount of time grass feeding. The standard to look for on the label is "100% grass-fed." Talk to your grocer or butcher/farmer and find out how the animals were actually raised.

The tzatziki sauce is dairy-free but could also be made with a whole milk yogurt.  Seen here are my drizzle skills in some avocado butter lettuce cups.

LAMB MEATBALLS

Ingredients
- 1 pound of 100% grass-fed lamb
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red peppers
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper

Method
Preheat oven to Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix gently together with hands or spatula.  Form into balls (this batch made 14 balls) and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake for 15 – 18 minutes.  

LEMON TZATZIKI SAUCE

Ingredients
- 7 oz. dairy free yogurt (check out Kite Hill and Forager Project which have no added sugar)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
- zest of one medium lemon
- juice of half of the lemon
-salt and pepper

Method
Mix all the ingredients together and use as much as you like for dipping or drizzling.

Most of you who know me well, know that I am OBSESSED with real food and it's power to give you energy.  Which is why I cannot believe that I have never made energy balls before; complete madness, I know! These Walnut, Cocoa + Date Energy Ballz turned out so delicious yesterday that I have to share them with you. The main ingredients are dates, walnuts, and coconut which makes them high in fat.  Yes, FAT.  Good traditional fat that is high in Omega-3's that have amazing health benefits.  Peep this, fats are needed for:
- Mental, Metabolic and Muscular function (your brain is made of 60% fat)
- Food digestion, to break down the nutrients in your food properly for absorption
- Energy!  Your body burns fat for energy.  So yes, by eating good fats, you are burning fat.

The ingredient list below contains two good sources of healthy fats: walnuts and coconut oil.  I had some leftover walnut pulp from making walnut milk which I used in this recipe. Although this ingredient does give them an amazing and perfect cakey texture, I do acknowledge that not everyone is a nutzo like me (how's that for a pun, eh?!) who makes their own walnut milk. So you could definitely sub for all walnuts and they will still be oh so tasty.

Hope you enjoy these tasty treats, and warning, they are HIGHLY addictive. I love them for a pre or post work out snack.  Or just any time of the day!

Ingredients:
↠2 cups pitted dates
↠3/4 cup walnut pulp leftover from making milk
↠1 cup walnuts (or two cups of subbing for pulp)
↠1 heaping tbsp. cocoa powder
↠1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut + a lil' extra for rolling
↠2 tbsp. coconut oil 

Method: Add the walnuts, pulp and coconut to a food processor and pulse until the nuts are broken up and combined with coconut. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until combined and the "batter" is sticky and moldable. You might have to use a spatula to scrape down the sides a few times. Roll into tiny ballz, place on parchment paper (makes 18-24 depending on size of ballz). You can eat them at room temp for a softer texture, refrigerate them to firm up a bit or freeze to eat throughout the week. 

You know when you have those cooking moments… like dang, I made something really good? That just happened. And trust me, I am not the queen of the kitchen where every recipe turns out perfect every time. Oh no no no. My kitchen is a disaster of pots, pans, spilled ingredients, confusion and sometimes stove fires (I am working on this).  But the food orchestra came together perfectly for these meatballs and sauce, and all ingredients worked in a beautiful mouth-watering unison.

I had recently stocked up on five pounds of walnuts for making nut milk, throwing in salads, as an everyday snack and also for this recipe of basil pesto. I also picked up organic ground turkey decided to throw the basil into the meatball recipe as well. A little ad hoc ingredient combining turned out delicious.

I like to make a big batch of meatballs, cook up half to eat in a few dishes over the next couple of days, and then freeze the second half for an easy mid-week grab. The trick is to freeze them flat on parchment paper first and then store them in a Ziploc or stasher bag. (Yes, I know, the environment, blah blah blah, I am working on that too). I may be a work in progress, but hey, these balls turned out glorious, so do it!!

THE GOODS:

Turkey Basil Meatballs

-       One pound ground turkey (organic and free-range)

-       One handful chopped fresh basil

-       1 egg (I used pasture-raised)

-       1/3 cup of almond flour (can sub oat flour or gf four although I haven’t tried)

-       1/2 teaspoon black pepper

-       1/2 teaspoon salt

-       1/2 teaspoon onion powder

-       1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

-       2-3 garlic cloves

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. With wet hands, form meatballs with your hands and place on parchment paper on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. You can also cook in olive oil over medium heat in a cast iron skillet like I did (too hot the day I made these to turn on the over, yowza).

Walnut basil-pesto sauce

-       2 cups fresh basil

-       1/4 cup olive oil

-       1/3 cup walnuts (raw almonds or pine nuts would work too)

-       1/2 teaspoon salt

-       1/2 teaspoon black pepper

-       1 – 2 garlic cloves

-       1/2 lemon squeezed

Drop everything into a food processor except for the olive oil.  Turn on and pour the olive oil slowly in to combine all the ingredients.  Scrape down the sides if necessary and pulse again.

WHAT’S IN MY BOWL:

Chopped fresh romaine lettuce, roasted butternut squash, blanched asparagus, half an avocado and the turkey basil meatballs with a scoop of the pesto. 

You could also add the pesto to a bowl of brown rice pasta with the asparagus and meatballs on top.  I did this as well with a new almond flour pasta I found from a brand called Cappello’s that I picked up at Whole Foods.  It was absolutely amazing and did not taste like gluten-free pasta AT ALL.  Promise.