TASHA REIN

So I just realized that Christmas and Chanukah are less than two weeks away, yikes! Now some of you that know me are aware I often mix up what day it is, so it was no surprise to me that the holidays just snuck up on me. Since less than two weeks is not much time and I still need to do all my shopping I have been checking out the online shops of my favorite friends and family. This week I want to share them with you in case you are a late shopper like me (insert my sheepish grin here). Happy gift giving!

Plan C Knits: For all your handmade knits check out my friend Caitlin at Plan C Knits on etsy. I just got one of her bandidient cowls and I love it. I now adoringly call it my “neckie” and wear it just about everyday, staying cozy in the chilly LA mornings. www.plancknits.etsy.com

OTISREIN: To add some crow themed goods to your life check out the dynamic duo OTISREIN, made up of my mom and her partner, Susan. They love crows and I love their wing and a prayer ladies t and my rockin’ jean jacket with their crow logo on the back, it makes me feel like a badass, even though I am totally not. www.OTISREIN.com

Regarding Style: If you could use a little less clutter in your life then Raspberry Rosen is the one to call, and lets be honest, who doesn’t need a little less clutter and a little more organization? Raspberry will get you whipped into tiptop shape in no time. Give yourself, your aunt, your friend or your mom the gift of an organized house this year. www.RegardingStyle.com

Rachael Ann Design: For some beautiful, creative cards you have got to see Rachael Ann Design (one of the guest designers for the soon to be coming im-pressed letterpress!). Her cards are absolutely gorgeous and different than any others I have seen. www.rachaelanndesign.etsy.com

4 Ways to Fight Infection this Winter

If you tend to get sick when the weather changes and it begins to get chilly, here are four of my favorite ways to stay healthy and fight off infection.

1. Goldenseal extract fights bacteria, viruses, parasites, and yeast. It boosts your overall immunity and one of the compounds found in it, berberine, may also activate your white blood cells, making them more effective at fighting infection. Dosage: 1 capsule 3x daily or 1 to 2 full droppers 3x daily mixed with a little water (tastes very bitter)*.

2. Oregano oil helps prevent infection by inhibiting bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi, and candida yeast. It is also a powerful antioxidant and has been shown to slow the development of diabetes related health complications. Dosage: 1 capsule 3x daily or 4 drops 3x daily mixed with a little olive oil*.

3. Neti Pot or Nasal Flush (cup and dropper) removes pathogens from the mucous membranes of your nose and swiftly clears breathing. Add ½ t. sea salt to a cup of warm water. If using a net pot, tilt your head and pour into one nostril until it streams out the other until half of the water has been used, gently blow your nose, then switch sides. If using a cup fill the dropper with liquid, tilt your head and fill one nostril, gently blow your nose, then switch sides*.

4. Green Tea with cayenne, lemon, honey and ginger. This potent and comforting cup of tea will dial up your internal temperature to fight infection, flush out toxins and infection, coat your dry, sore throat, manage inflammation and pain, and is antimicrobial to boot. Add boiling water to a mug containing ½ t. freshly grated ginger, a heaping t. of local, raw honey, 1 green tea bag and the juice of half a freshly squeezed lemon*.

*Always consult your doctor before starting any new treatment.

Read this article on MindBodyGreen

The Perfect, Delectable, Herb-Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey

Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away! This is hands down one of my favorite days and meals of the year. I am already dreaming of the tempting aromas wafting from the kitchen, the sound of clinking glasses and laughter coming from my friends and family, and of course, leftovers. For the past 5 years I have had the honor of roasting the turkey for my friends and family, and each of the last two years I have roasted two turkeys to ensure adequate leftovers for everyone.

Good things to know ahead of time

Estimate 1.5 lbs. of turkey per person, so for 8 people you would need a 12 lb. turkey.

A 12 lb. turkey will need to thaw in the fridge for 2-3 days beforehand. 

Thanksgiving morning let your turkey stand at room temp for 1-1 ½ hours. 

Roasting time is 15 min/lb so that the temp reaches 160 in the thickest part of the breast. Estimate that a 12 lb. turkey will take around 3 hours plus cooling.

Ingredients

Organic Turkey

3-5 c. Organic Chicken Broth

1 c. White Wine

¼ - ½ c. Organic Olive Oil

4 T Organic, Salted Butter, softened

2 sprigs each Organic Sage, Rosemary and Thyme

1 T each dried, Organic Rosemary, Thyme and Basil

1 Organic Bay Leaf

Sea Salt and Cracked Pepper

1 or 2 each quartered/chunked Organic Parsnips, Carrots, Potatoes and Lemons

Directions

1. Rack the oven so that the top of the turkey will be in the middle of the oven.

2. Preheat oven to 425.

3. Rinse the bird inside and out and remove the innards.

4. Rub olive oil, butter, salt and pepper over entire turkey (inside and out).

5. Using a sharp paring knife slit the skin and place fresh herbs under breast and thigh skin. 

6. Stuff turkey with the vegetables and lemons, then tie the legs together.

7. Pour wine and broth into pan with bay leaf and dry herbs.

8. Place buttered rack in pan.

9. Place bird breast side down on rack, roast 30 minutes, basting after 15 minutes.

10. Turn turkey over (this is tricky when the turkey is big), reduce heat to 325, and place a foil tent over the turkey.

11. Baste hourly.

12. Remove foil 30 minutes before finished and increase temp to 450 for a beautiful, golden bird. 

13. Carefully remove from oven (don't spill the juices) and let cool for 30 minutes before carving.

14. Eat and enjoy!

This is the start of what's to be an ongoing series. I have a running list of quotes that I look to and read for inspiration. I am going to share them with you one by one. Feel free to email me some of your favorites too and I will share them as well.

This week's quote is about being in your center. It has been my theme of the week for yoga, and I realized that physically and energetically being centered is basically the thing. When we are physically in our center we are stable, balanced and strong. We cannot be pushed over, pushed around or moved, we are grounded right where we. Energetically (or emotionally) when we are in our center we are also stable, balanced and strong. We cannot be pushed over, pushed around or moved, we are grounded right where we are, knowing that we know the right answer to the question or situation and there's no need to change our mind because we believe in our answer and stand strong for it.

Lao Tzu said it well: “At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.” 

So stand up for who you are, what you want and what you know to be true. 

Skin Brushing

Your skin is a key organ for detoxification. Many of the itchy rashes and break-outs such as adult acne and histamine reactions on the rise in today are linked to the body’s attempt to detoxify from high sugar diets, high stress lifestyles, medication overload and liver exhaustion. The body’s normal cleansing mechanisms are thrown out of whack and the skin is a fairly easy exit organ.

Dry skin brushing helps remove these toxins and open pores for better assimilation of nutrients. Dry skin brushing removes the top layer of old skin, stimulates circulation, cleanses the lymph system and increases cell renewal. Dry brushing before your shower once or twice a week will keep your skin beautiful and help keep cellulite down.

I started skin brushing a couple years ago and since then I rarely apply lotion anymore. My skin is much softer and smoother now. It helps wake me up in the morning and gets my blood flowing. It has become part of my regular routine and I love it!

Tips/Technique:

Use a natural bristle brush, not synthetic which scratches skin surface.

Dry brush before your bathe in the morning (before bed it can cause too much stimulation).

Always brush dry skin, if you are wet it will stretch your skin.

Brush the whole body for best results. Start at your hands and brush up towards your heart with quick, short strokes. Then up the legs from the toes to the hips. Especially brush the bottoms of your feet, nerve endings here affect the whole body. Do circular, counter-clockwise strokes on the abdomen; lighter strokes on and around the breasts. Always brush towards the heart (except for the circular abdominal strokes).

Wash your brush every few week in water and let it dry.

Shop here to buy a skin brush.

Pickled onions are a delicious accompaniment to short rib or beef tacos, layered on sandwiches to add some zesty flavor and crunch, mixed into braised cabbage with bacon, chopped up in tuna fish, slipped into a grilled cheese to add a surprise flavor, mixed into a cold pasta salad, added on top of a burger, etc…

Ingredients:

2 large organic red onions (about 1 ¼ lbs. each)

1 ½ c. organic red wine vinegar

¾ c. organic granulated sugar

Directions:

Slice onions lengthwise into 1/8 inch thick slices.

Pack the onions into a 1-quart canning jar; reserve any slices that do not fit.

Combine the vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the onions.

Once the onions begin to wilt you can add any remaining onions slices to the jar.

Let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours, or for up to 1 month.

The other day in yoga the teacher asked us to, “think of something good about our self.” I was in down dog and couldn’t think of anything! The teacher then went on to say, “you can probably rattle off a long list of things you don’t like about yourself, right?” Unfortunately for me, the answer was yes. It being the astrological sign of Virgo, which is inherently self-critical, analytical and nitpicky, I have been thinking about this since it happened.

Why is it so hard to think or say something (or anything) good about our self? Why can we easily think of a million things that bug us about our selves? We can easily give a whole host of reasons why we love our friends, wives, husbands, and family. They are generous, caring, loving, thoughtful, fearless, sensitive, good listeners, supportive, funny, intelligent, daring, carefree, light-hearted, strong, pro-active, quirky, bold, and fabulous (just to name a few), but when the question is turned on us it can be so difficult to say (or even think) those things about our self. Why?

Are we taught to be modest? Not flatter our self? Not self-promote? Not think good about our self? Not think great about our self? I have been grappling with this question for almost a week now, and I still do not have an answer.

Last night before bed Traci asked me to say 10 good things about myself. It was not easy. I did it (it took awhile), but I felt embarrassed (why???) and I could not speak the answers with conviction or a strong, certain voice. So I have decided to try and fix this problem. I am going to begin by writing down a list of things that I am good at, things that make me a good person.  I am going to look at it everyday and try to add something each day. If I can easily say why I love and respect my best friend I should be able to do the same about myself, right?

If this is something that you have a hard time with too, try it out. Make a list. Maybe start with listing what you admire about your friends and then go through the list circling the traits that you share with them. Then add to it. Little by little you will see what an amazing person you are, and you really are amazing, I am not just saying this.

Crystals can help us on this path too. Stones that are pink or green (relating to the heart chakra) will help to soften and open your heart. Allowing you to receive more love and as this happens we can find it in our self to recognize and say all the things that make us wonderful, unique and genuinely us.  See some of my jewelry with pink and green stones here, here and here.

Chilled Avocado Citrus Soup

Courtesy of Nadsa de Monteiro's The Elephant Walk

Serves 8

Ingredients: 

1 small onion, chopped

1 T salt

3 c. orange juice, freshly squeezed

1 c. lime juice, freshly squeezed

1 T sugar

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp garlic, chopped

2 T olive oil

4 avocadoes, cut into chunks

2/3 c. baby bella mushroom, chopped

2 c. roma tomatoes, halved without pulp

1 T per serving cilantro, chopped 

Directions:

• Cover the chopped onion with 1 T salt for 20 to 30 minutes. Rinse the salt completely off the onion, drain and squeeze off excess water

• Add OJ, lime juice, sugar, salt, pepper and garlic to a blender, mix well

• Add olive oil, mix well

• Add avocado, mushroom, tomatoes and onion, mix well

• Let chill for 1 hour before serving

• Stir in cilantro just before serving

Grilled Kabob Marinade

It’s summer and that means the grill is ready to go. This easy marinade will add a great, light, flavorful addition to your kabobs on the grill.

Ingredients:

1 lemon

1 lime

1 small orange

1/3 c. olive (or vegetable) oil

thyme

sage

salt + pepper

Directions:

Zest each citrus into a bowl.

Then juice each citrus into the bowl.

Add oil and spices to taste.

Whisk and then pour over your meat (or tofu) that you want to grill later.

Let marinate, refrigerated, for up to 3 hours.

If using wooden skewer’s soak them in water for 5 minutes so that they do not burn on the grill.

Skewer the meat (or tofu) and add veggies. Brush or drizzle the marinade over the whole skewer and grill.

Enjoy!

Some of you know my love for making quiche, especially in the summer when the veggies are so fresh. Now, I know last year I did an egg pie Goodie Bag!, but I could not resist doing it again. This week I made a zucchini, onion, tomato and goat cheese quiche, and it was so delicious that I wanted to share the food love with you. I hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients:

4 baby zucchini

1 small-medium onion

Handful of grape or cherry tomatoes,

6 organic eggs

½ T. butter

½ c. whole milk

½ c. fresh goat cheese, crumbled

salt and pepper to taste

fresh or dried herbs (optional)

Preheat oven to 350

Slice the zucchini and lay them flat on a  paper towel. Sprinkle with salt so they can “sweat out” their water and let them sit while you prepare the rest.

Chop the onion and sauté until soft and almost browned.

Slice or chop the tomatoes.

In a large mixing bowl whisk the eggs.

Then whisk in the milk, cheese, salt and pepper (and optional herbs).

Pat the zucchini dry with a paper towel.

Using a large spoon, mix in the onion, zucchini and tomato

Pour into a lightly greased pie pan and bake for one hour, or until a knife comes out clean.

Serve alone, or with a salad and enjoy!