Cacao as a Teacher of Enoughness
Every time I make cacao, I’m reminded that she's not just a drink — she's a teacher.
She is ancient medicine. She is heart and soil, earth and love.
For me, cacao continues to whisper one simple truth:
You don’t have to be perfect to be potent.
Her spirit, wild, grounding, generous, has guided me through years of softening around enoughness, worthiness, and what it means to be fully here, fully alive.

Making cacao is one of my favorite daily rituals.
It’s simple, sensory, and reverent, and no two batches are ever exactly the same.
I make mine slowly, with gratitude, and always begin with a moment of thanks to the plant itself.
Whether you’re serving yourself or a whole circle, this process is a beautiful invitation to slow down, breathe, and receive.

I usually make my own almond and coconut milk, but you can use clean, simple store-bought versions too.
Some of my favorite options are:

• MALK (almond or coconut) – organic and minimal ingredients
  
• Native Forest organic unsweetened coconut milk
  

I love a ratio of ¾ almond milk to ¼ coconut milk — creamy but not too heavy.
If you prefer something richer, lean into the coconut.
If you like it lighter, reduce it.
The body always knows what it wants.

Ceremonial cacao is traditionally measured by weight.
For a gentle, heart-opening cup:

• Use ½ ounce of cacao per 8 ounces of liquid
  For a deeper, darker ceremonial dose:
  
• Use 1 ounce per 8 ounces of liquid
  

If you’re serving a group, scale up easily — for example, for 32 ounces of milk, you’d use 2–4 ounces of cacao depending on how strong you’d like it.

Cacao is so much more than flavor — she’s full of medicine:

• Antioxidants + minerals like iron, zinc, magnesium, potassium, manganese, calcium
  
• Theobromine, a natural mood elevator that opens the heart and enhances focus
  
• Bitterness that helps move stagnant energy and emotion through the body
  

But more than anything, what I feel from cacao is infinite love.
Unconditional, grounding, abundant love, the kind that reminds me that my presence is enough.
When we sit with her, sip slowly, breathe, and allow the heart to soften, we remember that we are never separate from the abundance we seek.

 To me, cacao is not about perfection — it’s about devotion. A practice of slowing down, tasting life, and letting yourself be filled.

Winter Greetings: Welcoming the Solstice
May you find peace, faith, and strength in the promise of the winter solstice. 
As we reflect on the year, light our internal flames, and release that which no longer serves us - we are offered the opportunity to magnify our efforts with the power of food. Winter Solstice marks the shortest day of the year. That is why today we are focusing on tips for supporting the body against Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) often triggered by changing seasons and decrease in sunlight during winter months.
A few ways to fight SAD with food:

1. Omega-3s (1): Getting adequate omega-3 fatty acids is not always easy, but including S.M.A.S.H. fish & plant-based sources like today’s Soaked Toasted Walnuts really help. Walnuts offer ALA or plant-based omega-3s with the recommended portion size of 1/4 cup (12-14 walnuts). This amount provides 2.5 g ALA + 4 g protein and 2 g of fiber (2) - pretty amazing! Friendly reminder, portion sizing on nuts is important and staying within the recommended amount supports weight management goals and a balanced diet.  
2. Blood Sugar Balance (1): Selecting minimally processed high fiber carbohydrates like brown rice or quinoa (Soaked or Sprouted) + adding protein & non-starchy veggies will help prevent big spikes and valleys in blood sugar levels. Since the body prefers to keep blood sugar levels in relatively tight control, eating carbohydrate and protein balanced meals and snacks really helps support that goal.
3. Dark Leafy Greens (3): Dark leafy greens like spinach, kale, collards, mustard greens, turnip greens, and arugula (to name a few) are LOADED with vitamins and minerals to support overall wellbeing. “The family of dark green leafy vegetables deliver many nutrients, such as vitamin A, vitamin C, antioxidants, fiber, folate, vitamin K, magnesium, calcium, iron and potassium. These nutrients perform a variety of functions in the body, including promoting good vision, supporting immune function, acting as antioxidants that may help prevent certain cancers, and regulating blood pressure, blood sugar and blood cholesterol” (4).
So, how can we roll all this goodness into one bowl? 
We got inspired by and adapted our recipe from: California Walnut’s Warm Winter Walnut Salad & Nina Olsson’s Rainbow Grain Bowls found in her book Bowls of Goodness on page 86. 
Winter Warming Bowls
Servings: 2 servings
Bowl Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 c water (adding a little extra water because cooking at least 1 cup of veggies. If using frozen - you can use the standard 2:1 ratio so for this recipe use 1 cup water.)
• 1/2 c rinsed and soaked* brown rice (½ c rice will cook up to 1.5 c)
• ½ tsp olive oil rice + 1-2 tsp for cooking the veggies
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1-2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 c chopped green onions (also called scallions) 
• Chopped fresh italian or curly parsley (if available)
• 1 c fresh spinach or other dark leafy greens like kale, arugula 
• 1 c cut veggies: Today, we are boiling veggies with the rice but you can use pre-roasted veg for this recipe as well! 

• carrots, peeled & cut into smallish pieces
• Broccoli or cauliflower florets
• Cabbage, celery, onions, mushrooms - really whatever you are feeling
• Winter squash like delicata, acorn, or kabocha (roast ahead)
• 1/2 c soaked, toasted, and chopped walnuts (soak 8 hrs up to overnight - check out our post to learn to soak)
• Optional Protein Adds: diced chicken, hemp seeds, green peas, & nutritional yeast
• Optional topper: 1/4 c sliced red bell peppers - loaded with vitamin C & vitamin A

Tahini Dressing inspired by the Minimalist Baker: 

• 1/2 c Tahini (contains sesame)
• 1/8 -1/4 tsp sea salt, adjust to taste
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder or 1 clove chopped raw garlic, or leave garlic out entirely if sensitive to this fructan
• 1/8 tsp dried dill
• 2 tsp nutritional yeast
• Pepper to taste
• 1 tsp lemon juice, adjust to taste
• 1/4 c warm water (add a bit more water to thin texture as desired)

Instructions:

1. Bring water, salt, & olive oil to a boil in a large saucepan. Add rice and stir.  Allow the pan to return to a boil and add the cut veggies and additional olive oil. Once veggies are added, reduce heat to low & cover the pan. Simmer for about 15 minutes or based on rice package instructions. Set cooked rice & veggies aside off the heat and still covered for 5-10 minutes and then fluff with a fork.
2. Add the lemon juice, chopped green onion, and parsley to the rice/veg mix and combine. 
3. In a small mason jar, combine all dressing ingredients, replace jar top, & shake! Taste to see if water, lemon, or salt adjustments are needed. 
4. When ready to serve: grab your favorite bowl and add the rice & cook veggie base. Add a layer of spinach. The spinach will start to wilt from warm rice and hot veg & the vitamin C from the lemon juice will help boost the iron in the spinach!
5. Top the dish with chopped walnuts, add in the extras, and drizzle with Tahini Dressing.

Extras: The above recipe is high fiber and contains about 10 g protein on its own. To boost the protein in the dish, top with diced chicken, hemp seeds, green peas, or extra nutritional yeast. For a lunchtime twist, top dish with oil-packed sardines for a low mercury omega-3 fatty acid boost, drizzle with toasted sesame oil, and top with sesame seeds!
We love these bowls SO much & we think you will too! Enjoy!
Resources:
1. Mahan, L. K., & Escott-Stump, S. (2011). Krause's food & nutrition therapy. 13th ed. St. Louis, Mo., Saunders/Elsevier.
2. Walnut FAQs. California Walnuts. 2022.
3. Eating to Lift Your Winter Blues.Clevelandclinic.org. 2019.
4. Ellis, Esther, MS, RDN, LDN. How to Get Your Kids to Eat Dark Leafy Greens. Eatright.org. 2020.

Sometimes you (I mean I!) just need a delicious chocolate treat!  Wouldn't it be wonderful if there was a delicious, nutrition packed, easy chocolate gummy recipe?  This healthy chocolate gummy is yummy and easy to make.  The gummies store well in the fridge or freezer, and are silky smooth unlike some of the other gummy recipes out there! High quality gelatin from pasture raised cows is full of amino acids and soothing to the gut.  Coconut milk is rich in non-PUFA fatty acids. Cacao is full of magnesium and other minerals. Finally, raw honey is soothing to the gut and nourishing to the immune system!

Ingredients: 
1 can full fat coconut milk (unsweetened and with no fillers)
3 tb gelatin.  I use Great Lakes
½ cup raw cacao powder. I use Navita
1 tb vanilla extract
⅓ c raw honey plus 1 TB
1 c boiling water (allow to cool before adding raw honey)

Instructions:
1. Combine boiling water and gelatin in a separate bowl.  Stir well to dissolve completely. Set aside to cool for five minutes.
2. Combine coconut milk, cacao, and vanilla in a Vitamix or high speed blender.
3. Add warm (not too hot) dissolved gelatin into the Vitamix and blend on high until fully combined.
4. Add raw honey, pour into pan or molds and refrigerate overnight.
5. Enjoy!