My Reishi Cardamom Brazil Nut Mylk is a delicious base for elixirs, golden mylks, smoothies, and totally perfect for drinking as is!

It truly is a treat for your taste buds and body temple, as Brazil nuts are high in selenium, an extremely important mineral for fertility and thyroid health. Our thyroid governs our metabolism and temperature.

Selenium protects our fertility and supports our thyroid. It helps convert T4 (the storage thyroid hormone) into T3 (the active thyroid hormone), so we don’t feel tired all the time or gain weight from a slow metabolism.

A selenium deficiency can heighten TPO antibodies, deepening autoimmune thyroid issues like Hashimoto’s and Grave’s disease. These antibodies attack the thyroid and cause inflammation, which can worsen thyroid symptoms with puffiness, painful joints, challenges with conception and pregnancy, fatigue and weight gain.

Adding this nut mylk into my diet is the way I honor my thyroid, by giving it some supportive mineral-love!

Here...

The year of 2015 for me was a year of breakups and boundaries.

The six-and-a-half-year relationship I was in came to a confusing halt right before we put down a deposit on a dream wedding venue in Sedona, Arizona.

“I thought I wanted kids, but I don’t think I actually do.”

These words left me shocked. We had always discussed a family, since a few months into beginning our relationship.

I was left with a choice, to move across the country with him to Seattle from the Midwest where our families were, as planned, and hope he would change his mind as we entered into marriage… or honor my own life goals and desires.

The differences in desires brought the break-up, and simultaneously at this time, I had to leave my job as my health and hormones took a huge toll, causing massive burnout and two week menstrual cycles.

Everything I knew as my foundation came crumbling down, and I felt exhausted and unclear about what my future life would look like.

The Universe truly has divine gifts in ...

Your “Please Make Space” (PMS) time of the month is here. It’s been a long day at work, and all you are thinking about is a warm bath and some deep breathing…. Or possibly that pint of chocolate coconut bliss ice cream in the freezer waiting for you…

When you arrive home, the kitchen is a mess. Your beloved comes up behind you and gives you bear hug, while grabbing your ass.

You feel irritable, exhausted, and do NOT want to be touched.

So, you snap, tell him or her off- that you have had a hard day and need your space!

Ever had something like this happen before?

I am a firm believer that when we understand our monthly cycle and its fluctuations: our hormones, emotions, energy patterns, and libido… we are in a better position to communicate in our relationship about what’s going on, and share a generally predictable blueprint of how we wish to connect throughout the month.

When there is understanding and communication, the bond in the relationship can deepen… as together, you can ...

For all sweet potato lovers… this one is for you.

And for all the breakfast lovers who can’t do pancakes because of the grains, or are sensitive to nuts and can’t make my Easy Paleo Pancakes made with almond flour…

Here is a decadent alternative.

Warm, naturally sweet from baking the sweet potatoes, and loaded up with superfoods, this breakfast is both a hearty and mineral-rich treat!

And it may actually help improve  blood sugar regulation.

Fried white potatoes are typically a staple in western breakfasts, yet white potatoes may affect blood sugar regulation, as they break down in the body as a simple carbohydrate and can spike blood sugar levels, rapidly.

Sweet potatoes help to increase adiponectin in the blood, which is a protein hormone made in our fat cells that supports insulin metabolism. Studies have shown that those who have blood sugar issues (insulin metabolism) such as insulin resistance and Type 2 Diabetes have lower adiponectin levels.

It’s important to note the gl...

mmmm, milky, frothy and good for hormone balance?

I’m inviting you to taste what I’ve been making in my kitchen this winter, that’s been keeping me warmed up from the inside out, with plenty of energy as I work during these snowy winter days.

Hot Maca Matcha Latte….

My Hot Maca Matcha Latte made with coconut butter is what I consider a treat, giving me energy and healthy fats for brain function and hormone balance.

It has a vibrant green color and a creamy texture.

This latte is a great support for natural hormone balance with the added maca. 

Maca is a root vegetable from Peru, that has been crushed into a powder that is found in the supplement section at the local health food store. It has nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin B6, iron, copper, and is full of fiber. It can naturally boost stamina, and can assist in hormone regulation by supporting the the communication in the brain (pituitary gland- hypothalamus) for the right release of hormones each month. 

It is especially he...

I’ve always felt my dharma as a Women’s Health Educator was to provide an open safe space to explore concepts of female health that weren’t taught to us in formal education systems, as well as explore our shadows… the taboos of society we feel hushed to speak about that cause secrecy and shame. 

Because what is NOT Expressed IS Repressed, particularly when dealing with emotional health as a women. 

So today I’m inviting you into the perspective of how your emotions as well as trauma affect the health of your Yoni, which means vagina, or “Sacred Space” in Sanskrit. 

… if we have had abuse or trauma, our yonis can lock up in tension and we might feel pain during sex as well as vaginal dryness. 

If we go throughout our days doubting ourselves, feeling overwhelmed by our schedules, burning ourselves out by taking on too many roles because we don’t have clear boundaries… 

..our yoni muscles will energetically store this emotional tension, and areas inside can become de-sensitized and n...

Why Your Weight Changes in PMS and Menopause

There’s no need to be alarmed if your weight fluctuates throughout your 28-day menstrual cycle.

Before you bleed, there is an increased volume of blood flow that goes to the uterus. The uterus swells, along with other areas of your body. You might feel heavy… bloated from additional water fluid retention and notice you weigh a bit more.

No worries, this is quite normal, unless the bloating is excessive.

High progesterone levels are culprit here, as they draw fluid from the blood vessels to other tissues of the body… which is why your breasts feel fuller too!

Additionally, high estrogen levels towards the end of your luteal phase can also affect the swelling, causing breast tenderness. Really sore breasts are also a sign of a hormonal imbalance.

At this time, it incredibly important to lay off the sugar, salt and caffeine…. which is typically what we want at this time of the month to boost our energy and fulfill our cravings!

Caffeine ...

The health coach in me is wanting to help prepare you mentally as we go into the holiday season… as this is a time that includes more access to sweets, spirits, and scrumptious family traditional meals.

What to prepare for mentally?

Let’s combine the stress of travel, the changes in normal routine, those awkward conversations you might have about the recent election with your family which end up rehashing old childhood wounds of not being understood…

You see where I am getting at?

These experiences of stress and anxiety can set off old patterns of behavior…

Causing us to eat a little too much, masking our emotions in delicious sweets and cocktails…

Which have an impact on our blood sugar levels as well as gut microbiome, which afterwards, can enhance yeast and bacterial growth, as well as additional unwanted weight gain, bloating and foggy thinking.

So, what’s my main tip?

Honor your inner goddess temple by bringing recipes to the table that you know are digestive-friendly with...

A great way to support your colon during this autumn season is through eating fiber from root vegetables, which are abundant at farmers’ markets from autumn harvests.

The sweet potatoes and parsnips in this “Sweet Potato, Parsnip and Kale Soup with Coconut Milk,” make eating enough fiber easy- peasy!

How Does Fiber Help Hormone Balance?

Adequate fiber from vegetables in the diet has been shown in studies to decrease excess hormone levels, particularly estradiol, the form of estrogen that fluctuates within the menstrual years.

Estrogen (estradiol) is needed for reproduction- it’s a building hormone, giving us our curvy hips and breasts, as well as it’s responsible for building the uterine tissue which would be implanted by the fertilized ovum if conception occurs. This is the same uterine lining that sheds during our menstrual phase if we did not become pregnant that cycle.

However, too much of it can cause Estrogen Dominance, an issue where there is too much estrogen in relation t...

Maybe you crave salty over sweet, causing you to reach into that potato chip bag over and over… as cravings arise during stressful times and before your menstrual flow comes.

If you know you’re a salt lover and want to amp up your snack choices, I invite you to make my favorite kale chip recipe! I have been keeping this one a secret for years, planning on saving it for my cookbook… however, I am bursting to share this with you! 

Or how about craving chocolate before your flow comes? Raw chocolate is high in magnesium, a mineral that many standard American diets are deficient in. Perhaps your body could benefit from more dark leafy greens such as kale, collards, arugula, etc as greens are rich in magnesium! Kale chips are a great way to increase magnesium levels while snacking.

Magnesium is vital for reducing unwanted symptoms during PMS as well as Moonpause… it helps reduce bloating, irritability & anxiousness (anti stress), as well as can increase bone density and improve sleep!

S...