I WANT TO GIVE YOU MORE

Here we are in the second week of 2018. While most people take the holidays to reflect on the past year and put their intentions and resolutions out there on January 1st, I needed some extra time this year. Time to really think about what you want from me, how I can help you, what's been holding me back from giving it to you, and how to actually make it all happen moving forward. So if you want to get right to it, scroll down to THE TAKEAWAY. Or if you want to read the brief emo/reflective side of Kirsten, read on.

REFLECTION:

On a personal note, this past year did not pass by without challenge, questioning moments, or deep heartache, but it was also filled with SO much gratitude, excitement, growth, love, adventure, and motivation. All of you, and the experiences, conversations, frustrations, opportunities, hurdles, and moments in between the moments that have filled the last 12 months have been nothing short of strengthening and heart opening.

On a professional note, I have to admit, when I left Los Angeles 3 years ago, I had this underlying feeling that maybe leaving wasn't the best choice for my career, but thank you, Seattle, you proved me wrong in 2017. 

Now for 2018, I want to give you more.

MY REQUEST FOR YOU:

As you look back on 2017, I challenge you to reflect on the things you’re proud of, the moments you felt powerful and strong in your body and your mind, and also those moments that have taken you to your knees and made you vulnerably human. Because being human and striking a balance is what it’s all about.

Life is going to happen. And along with all of life's greatest moments, you're going to have the not-so-great ones that throw you off track, or maybe even prevent you from getting on track in the first place. You'll get sick, your kids will get sick, burnout will happen, you won't have enough time, you'll will eat that cake that you think you shouldn't eat (but I want to tell you why you should) and you're sometimes going to feel the weight of the world on your shoulders.

So the question is, moving forward, how do you work around and through "real life" and stay on track with your health?

THE TAKEAWAY:

Here's what I'm getting at. I chose this path years ago for the same reasons I have today. I want to help you, support you and guide you so you don't feel alone on this journey of figuring out what works for you and what will help you accomplish your goals amidst the chaos. I want to help you figure out where to start, how to continue, and help you live a healthy and balanced life. 

And that means more from me in new ways.

My priority for 2018 is to help you feel even more in control of your health and body, optimize what you're doing, help you understand the how and why so those adjustments you're making stick, and simplify it all. 

I want you feel you have a resource to the thousands of opinions out there on health and wellness. Because let's face it, there are more than thousands, there are a bagillion, and it can be really effing confusing!

As most of you know, RWF isn’t focused on any one particular style of fitness, nutrition or lifestyle. It’s not about gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo, whole30, keto, crossfit, HIIT training, yoga, or any other wellness trend (but those all have their place and they all work for different reasons and different goals).

RWF is about taking you, and where you're at, along with your health history, personal struggles, experience, and the real life that surrounds you daily, and building a solution that works for YOUR body, and YOUR life, right now.

WHAT I NEED FROM YOU:

SO, in 2018, What can I do to help you be your best this year? 

I want to help you through better services, tools, more communication, less communication, whatever your schedule and heart desire. So tell me what you need and want from me.

Here’s to good health, happiness and being more human in 2018,

xx Kirsten

10-Minute Asian Kale Salad

Let me guess...you raaaarely, if ever, have time to whip up a healthy lunch in the middle of your crazy work day. Me either! Even though I'm in and out of the house, I'm running around and need to be out just as quick as I got in, so lunch needs to be fast, easy, healthy and delicious. 

And while it helps to always keep healthy staples on hand, hours of food prep is out of the question for me. Find habits that work for YOU. If you know you'll never find yourself chopping and prepping your Sunday away, choose easy and ready-to-go staples and easy simple meals for the work week. And if you enjoy prepping ahead of time, you go, you!!

Whipped this salad up in under 10 min and topped it with some leftover turkey larb from our picnic in the park last night for an extra protein boost. (side note: it's been decided that summer picnics need to happen waaaaaayyyyy more often). Toss everything together in the morning (or night before) – dressed or undressed (referring to both yourself, and the kale) – and you're good to go. I'm all for nudity in the kitchen btw.

10-MINUTE ASIAN KALE SALAD

Serves 1 | prep time 10 min

*No need to measure any of these ingredients - use your eyes, but here's a simple guideline.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 c lacinato kale, chopped

• 1 tsp olive oil

• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

• pinch of sea salt

• 1 tsp or splash of rice vinegar

• 1 tsp or splash of tamari

• 2 inch piece of cucumber, thinly sliced

• 1 radish, julienned

• 1 green onion, thinly sliced

• 1 Tbsp toasted pepitas or pumpkin seeds

• 1/2 Tbsp black sesame seeds

• 1/2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:

1. Massage kale with olive oil, toasted sesame oil and sea salt.

2. Add rice vinegar and tamari.

3. Toss in a cucumber, radish, green onion, pepitas, sesame seeds.

4. (Optional protein boost: ground turkey, soft boiled egg, chopped nuts, etc. Feel free to add in any other greens you have on hand. Thinly sliced green cabbage is a great addition!)

Soup for the Soul and all the Healing that goes with it...

It's that time of year. Everyone at the office is running around with a runny nose, coughing and sneezing and you've got someone with a Man Cold at home (the man cold is REAL people. and if you're a woman reading this, you can sympathize. and if you're a man, be honest, you know it's true)

I have a few staple tricks in my back pocket that work like a charm, every time.

If you, or anyone in your life is feeling achy, sluggish, drained and like you're about to fight something you don't want, or need your man to NOT catch the Man Cold, apply these 4 things and I'm certain you've got one up on whatever's coming your way.

First things first...there is a magical tincture that I keep close at all times. Dose up on this potent tincture COLD AND SINUS BLASTER by Vitality Works (*not sponsored). Even if it's not a cold OR in your sinuses, the primary ingredients are exactly what your system needs to battle the demons. I've tried other brands and other tinctures and this is the only one that has proven to work without fail, every time. Instructions will tell you to add to 8oz of water, skip that, take a full dropper-full straight and follow with a few sips of water if needed. Potent magic. Take 2-3 times a day for 2 days.

Second, make a little concoction of 5 drops of Oregano Oil (or whatever the dosage is for a brand you like) and a dose of an Echinacea Goldenseal tincture in 4 oz of water and take it down. Take once daily for 2-3 days.

Third, give yourself some delicious love with 1-2 Tbsp of raw Manuka Honey a day. Unlike any other honey, the nutritional benefits of Manuka are 4x that of regular flower honey giving it a UMF (unique manuka factor - a global standard in identifying and measuring the antibacterial strength). Make sure the manuka honey is labeled with the standard UMF rating of 16+ or greater for the medicinal benefits. Take it straight by the spoonful, but if that's too sweet for you, add to your warm tea.

And lastly, make this delicious soup or any variation of the basic recipe below. Use whatever root vegetables you have on hand, swap the orzo for pasta or rice, add extra greens, and slurp away.

Just what the doctor ordered ..

And perhaps you're just in need of cozying up with something warm, hearty and inviting. Let's face it, we all need to feel swaddled at times and this comforting soup does just that. 

Chicken and Lemon Orzo Soup

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil

• 1 onion, chopped

• 3 carrots, chopped

• 3 celery stalks, chopped

• 3 parsnips, chopped

• 4 c chicken broth and 2 c water

• 1 c orzo

• 1 small parmesan rind

• zest and juice of 1 lemon

• 1/2 a rotisserie chicken, separated into bite-sized pieces

• 4 c chopped kale

• 1 c chopped parsley

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat olive oil in large dutch oven or soup pot. Add onion and a pinch of salt and saute until translucent. Add carrots, parsnips and celery and saute until fork tender.

2. Add chicken broth and water and bring to a boil. Add orzo and parmesan rind and cook until orzo is al dente.

3. Add chicken, kale, lemon juice and zest, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

STAY WARM, STAY HEALTHY PEOPLE.

Your New Healthy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is only ONE WEEK AWAY .. crazy to think how fast this year has been flying by! I've been oogling over all the beautiful recipes out there in the world while working on this year's menu collab with Barre3, the Portland based studio and wellness magazine.

The flavors and traditions of this holiday are limitless, heart warming, nostalgic and .. usually, along with your gratitude, you leave you feeling utterly stuffed. Keeping in line with the Barre3 rules of balancing FAT, FIBER and PROTEIN I've created a menu that can help you avoid that feeling, while keep it healthy AND delicious.

If you recall, last year I created the Barre3 DIY Thanksgiving Pies and the Autumn Greens Panzanella Salad and due to them being such a hit on the table last year, we decided to keep them on the spread as a classic along with a few new staples. Mix a few of these new healthy recipes in with your family recipes passed down from generation to generation for a beautiful, timeless and healthy holiday.

Here is how we set our table this year .. perhaps it will ignite and inspire a bit of your holiday menu planning! 

Autumn Greens Panzanella Salad – The first thing you’ll notice about this nutrient-rich salad is that it’s absolutely stunning, thanks to the colorful pop of pomegranate seeds and sweet potatoes against the dark leafy greens. The next thing you’ll notice? That it’s absolutely delicious.

Savory Roasted Root Mash – One taste of this savory, creamy blend of parsnips and celery root, and you may never make mashed potatoes again.

Sausage, Kale + Pecan Stuffing – The sausage, kale, leeks, and onions make this stuffing gloriously hearty, while the pecans and dried cherries round it out with just the right amount of sweetness.  

B3 Skillet Cornbread – Made with stone ground cornmeal, almond flour and coconut milk, this cornbread is both gluten and dairy free. The slight sweetness of the cornmeal is the perfect complement to Thanksgiving’s savory flavors.

Honey-Orange Cranberry Sauce – Cranberries, one orange, and honey. That’s all that goes into this simple cranberry sauce, and yet the perfectly tangy flavor makes it one of the highlights of the meal. It needs to chill for at least six hours, so it’s the ideal make-ahead recipe.

DIY Pumpkin Pie – In the barre3 spirit of Make It Your Own, this recipe is designed so you can choose your own filling. It’s delicious as a traditional pumpkin pie, but the almond-oat crust works just as well with apples, chocolate—you name it! 

Supermarket Survival

Shop more efficiently, navigate the grocery store like a pro, reduce temptations and distractions and ensure you’re filling your cart with healthy foods!

I don't know about you, but I could spend houuuuuurs strolling through the aisles of my local market.  And the farmer's market?!...forget it, just leave me be and I'll see you at dinner. Most people know that the market is one of my happy places but I know for a fact that some of you absolutely hate it, put it off until the last minute, and then don't have enough time so end up picking up take-out.  You barely have time to throw dinner together, let alone navigate the grocery store to find the healthier items that should be finding their way into your cart.  

Well, I have a few tips when it comes to just that.  

First things first. MAKE A LIST:

Plan ahead and take the time to put a list together and ALWAYS shop with one. If it's not on the list, don't buy it. Just you, your cart and that list! This not only saves you time and money, but it saves the waste from impulse purchases.

DON'T GO UNDER-NOURISHED OR HUNGRY:

I know when I'm hungry, I shouldn't talk to people, make decisions or drive a car. I'm cray. Always be prepared for the grocery store. Have a healthy dose of vegetables, healthy fats and protein before making your way to the store and if you're on the go, never leave home without a little stash of nuts, veggies or a healthy bar in your bag.

MAP IT OUT:

Shop the perimeter of the market.  The healthy items are found along the perimeter, so shop mostly here, where the produce, dairy and meat can be found. Try to avoid the inner aisles as best you can, which is filled with processed, frozen and junk food. If you should have to grab something from an inner aisle, enter and exit from the same side...no need to wander all the way through.  Get what you need and head on out!

BEWARE OF THE AISLE-ENDS:

Markets tend to prop up sale items at the end of aisles and majority of the time they are not items that are going to help you shop efficiently and healthfully. Eeevery once in awhile there might be a good find , but that'll be a gem.

CART HALF-FULL:

Unless it is filled with bunches and bunches of kale and swiss chard or you're feeding a family of five, there's probably not a reason to fill your cart.  

LABEL READING CHECKLIST: 

When reading labels, there are a few things that you should look for.  

 - Whole Foods

 - No more than a few ingredients

 - Food that is close to it's original state

 - Organic and local if possible

 - Minimal or no packaging

And a few things to avoid.

 - Sugar (Look for tricky words such as "syrup", words ending in "-ose", words beginning with "malto-", made with/contains real fruit, fortified with)

 - Artificial sweeteners, additives, preservatives, coloring

 - Hydrogenated oils

 - Any ingredient you don't recognize

I hope this helps!  I'm off to my happy place! xx