New Year's Reflection & Resolutions

The last day of the year is a great day for reflecting on and making peace with the year that has passed. It's also a great time to set intentions for the following year.

My major accomplishments and milestones of 2013 are:

• I joined Soka Gakki International and started practicing Nichiren Buddhism.
• I enrolled in the health coach training program at Institute for Integrative Nutrition.
• I stopped taking birth control (after having some really awful side effects) and learned I can have (mostly) clear, acne-free skin and feel happy and balanced all month without it.
• I finally wrote an eBook on green cleaning.
• I co-hosted my first food swap ever with RI Food Swap and co-hosted a vegan book swap in Boston with Jamie Hagen (our first for New England, but the fourth of all). 
• I got love from an additional 330 Facebook page fans. I was hoping to reach a total of 1K in 2013. Doesn't look like it will happen, but I'm so happy and encouraged by the community that is happening there. At one point, I think 87 people were "talking about" my page. Wow!
• I recovered from my addiction to doughnuts, and sugar in general. Doesn't sound huge, but it's a big deal for me. It's nice to not be controlled by food cravings.

The biggest milestone of 2013 was an internal shift. I stopped wishing I was different than I am- to be faster, less sensitive, less detail obsessed, and more independent.

Meatless Monday: 5 Resources for a Vegan Diet in 2014

Whether you're interested in going whole (soy) hog and adopting a vegan diet in 2014 or just wanna incorporate more plant-based meals in your weekly menu, it's good to have some support. Here are five resources that can help.

Cooking with CSA
Sarah and Peter have created a fun community centered around their seasonal, gluten-free, kid-friendly recipe subscriptions. Join their club and not only will you get five wholesome, totally do-able vegan recipes and a shopping list sent to your inbox each week, but you'll also get weekly cooking demo videos and access to a private Facebook group where you can get more support. All that for as low as $8/month! Get more info and learn how to join here.

Kris Carr
If you like a little glitter and magic blended into your green smoothies, Kris Carr is your gal! 10 years ago, Kris healed herself from cancer using a plant-based diet and an unapologetically positive regimen of self-love and has been on a mission to heal the rest of the world since. I love her book, Crazy Sexy Diet: Eat Your Veggies, Ignite Your Spark, and Live Like You Mean It!. It includes a "21 Day Adventure Cleanse" that goes well beyond just recipes, but is an experiment in living large. Check out KrisCarr.com to join the Crazy Sexy Wellness Revolution.

The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia
Shopping for ingredients to make wholesome recipes can be overwhelming at first-  ("What's Qwin-O-Wah?"), especially if you've been eating a standard American diet your entire life. Rebecca Wood's  The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia makes it easy to learn how to select, prepare, store, and use more than 1,000 familiar and unusual foods. There's also info on how to use the foods to maintain and improve health. I think it's pretty handy for when you've gotta explain to a skeptical spouse why you're serving a particular food.

I'm Hosting The Artist's Way Group Online

Feeling blocked? Yearning for more creativity in 2014? Join health coach Melissa Danielle and I for a free virtual Creative Cluster of The Artist's Way beginning Sunday, January 5th.

The Artist's Way is Julia Cameron's spiritual workshop aimed at freeing people's creativity. She describes it as "for anyone interested in living more creatively through practicing an art; even more broadly, anyone interested in practicing the art of creative living." Through her best-selling book, she's empowered millions of people to cultivate their creative selves.

It takes about an hour a day to do the activities in the book, which are spread out over a 12 week period. Each week, you"ll begin by reading a chapter which focuses on an aspect of creative recovery. During the course, you'll begin each day with morning pages, three pages of flow-of-conscious writing to clear your mind. You'll also treat yourself to a weekly Artist's Date, a fun solo outing nurturing your creative, sensual self. There are eight other tasks to complete each week. While you needn't do all of the tasks, Julia Cameron recommends doing at least half. At the end of the week, there is a quick check in.

Read why I'm doing The Artist's Way.
Read why Melissa is doing The Artist's Way.

Beginning January 5th, Melissa, I, and fellow creatives will meet live via Google Hangout for twelve Sundays 7pm-9pm, sharing our experience with the activities and supporting each other to nurture and embrace our creativity. In between, we’ll connect with each other in our private Facebook community.

Merry Christmas! Check out my book for free!

I hope you have a lovely day today and tomorrow, whether or not Christmas is your thang.

I'd love to gift you a sample of a few pages of my eBook, Baking Soda & Bliss: The Healthy & Happy Guide to Green Cleaning. The 10 page preview includes information about how conventional cleaning products affect your health and three awesome, easy recipes to get you started cleaning green.

My Approach to Health and Wellness

©2013 Integrative Nutrition Inc.

I practice a holistic approach to health and wellness, which means that I look at how all areas of your life are connected. Does stress at your job or in your relationship cause you to overeat? Does lack of sleep or low energy prevent you from exercising? As we work together, we will look at how all parts of your life affect your health as a whole.

My approach is not to dwell on calories, carbs, fats, and proteins. It is not to create lists of restrictions or good and bad foods. Instead, I work with my clients to create a happy, healthy life in a way that is flexible, fun and rewarding.

Together we’ll work to reach your health goals in areas such as achieving optimal weight, reducing food cravings, increasing sleep, and maximizing energy. As we work together, you’ll develop a deeper understanding of the food and lifestyle choices that work best for you and implement lasting changes that will improve your energy, balance and health.

Here are some concepts that we will explore during our work together:

What Do Health Coaches Learn at IIN?

I'm receiving my training as a Health Coach from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition's cutting-edge Health Coach Training Program.

A few people I'm learning from at Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Clockwise from top left: Joshua Rosenthal, founder and director of IIN; David Wolfe, raw food evangelist; Dr. Joel Fuhrman, MD and plant-based diet advocate; and Deepak Chopra, holistic health/New Age guru.

I am studying over 100 dietary theories, practical lifestyle management techniques, and innovative coaching methods with some of the world’s top health and wellness experts. My teachers included Dr. Andrew Weil, Director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine; Dr. Deepak Chopra, leader in the field of mind-body medicine; Dr. David Katz, Director of Yale University’s Prevention Research Center; Dr. Walter Willett, Chair of Nutrition at Harvard University; Geneen Roth, bestselling author and expert on emotional eating; and many other leading researchers and nutrition authorities.

What is Health Coaching?

Have you ever received good advice that you were unable to follow? Has your doctor ever recommended a lifestyle change that you found to be unsustainable? Have you ever wanted something in your life, but found you couldn’t achieve it alone?

Health Coaches are knowledgeable advisers who provide ongoing support and guidance as you set goals and make sustainable changes that improve your health and happiness. As your Health Coach, I will listen carefully and help you to navigate the world of contradictory nutrition advice to determine what changes are necessary for you.

Your personalized program will radically improve your health and happiness. Together, we will explore concerns specific to you and your body and discover the tools you need for a lifetime of balance.