Grounding This Winter

If you’ve read my blog for a while or have had enough converstations about my belief in health, one thing that may have came up is Ayurveda. Ayurveda is translated as the science of life.

For about eight years, I’ve kept Ayurveda in the front and back of my mind when taking care of my health. It’s how I use my body constitution and whatever season it is to stay well. For example, I have a very flighty mind. Different ideas and emotions come up, that even loved ones always had a hard time keeping up with. I tend to get cold very easily partly because of my small frame. My mind and body is ruled by air and ether. Constantly moving and changing, I work hard every winter to stay afloat, which is why winter is my season to show up and ground.

From the food I eat, to my morning routines, I am constantly aware. Working with the cold and dry air among us to stay calm, warm, and nourished. How? I use simple practices and tools that work for me. As I said we may have different body types and constitutions, but seeing as I have the opportunity to work with the winter with more attention and awareness, maybe you can see what you might need when feeling a bit… off.

How to Ground Yourself this Winter

Routine

During the summer, most of us stay out, vacation, and revel in the long warm days. Rightfully so, we should take advantage of the seasons warmth and tolerable weather to enjoy! In the winter, my routine is more important than ever. Waking up early to make the most of the shorter days is most important to me. I make sure to keep to my morning and night routines. Lemon water to start my day, teas to end, three or four cups of coffee in between. I make sure to dry brush and get my daily oil massages to keep my skin hydrated and lymphatic system flowing. These can be expanded, but for now pick what you love and stick to it!

Listen

Listen to your body. Listen to the season. Listen. For myself, it’s my digestion. I try to remember that I need a decent diet of some vegetable and whole grains in the day. But sometimes, takeout and laziness takes over, and I find myself backed up more than I like. Rather than do a quick fix, I work on it for the long run. Taking supplements, fiber, and eating better. I get myself back on track in a lasting way. Quick relief for constipation, body pain, or irregular sleep (which are usual season ailments) don’t feel as good as the long run would.

Keep it seasonal

Foods grown in your area are your best friend. They have the most nutrition and are most delicious so your body comes to crave them. Hearty soups filled with carrots, squash, potatoes, and sturdy greens. Roasted and cooked dishes that give you warmth and comfort on the coldest of nights. When your body needs it most, mother earth delivers. In the winter these root vegetables allow you to feel stable as that’s how they grow themselves. Bigger gourds, larger leaves, sturdy grown closest to the ground, it’s what you need the most during these colder brutal months.

Move

I work from home teaching, write from my living room, create menus using my pillow as a desk. Although there are times when I bust my ass in the kitchen for a whole day, those days get to me. My body becomes stiff in a way that I start to fear leaving my apartment and the 10 flights back to my door. Yoga a few times a week, simple stretches, and walks do wonders for a body that may tend to stiffen up a little more during these colder months. If you can work up a sweat, I applaud you, I’m not there yet.

Enjoy. Now.

Now more than ever it can be tough to get that motivation. Cooking everyday is not for everyone, moving when all you do is work from home can be difficult, and beating the seasonal depression can seem impossible when social distancing, closures, and sickness is all around. I’m not big on thinking about the future. I’m a present kind of girl, but these circumstances are not forever. So as you save for that house, put money towards your retirement, build your business. That’s all still going to happen, so keep yourself grounded and focused for now and then.

Curry Kabocha Squash Soup

You know, I never actually cared for soup.

I remember enjoying some sancocho at my grandmas, clam chowder on Ash Wednesday, and my mom’s chicken soup when you were feeling under the weather. But to actually ask and crave soup? It was a rarity that came with a cold at hand. If I ever made soup for myself, it was to heal with simple bone broth and whatever vegetables I can get from my fridge.

I was on a mission this fall and winter to change that. Why? Because soup is simple and still yummy, and I’m jumping on the bandwagon. Since being home more often, I realized taking time to make a simple meal didn’t have to be a to-do. I’m a rice and beans kind of girl through and through. Throw in avocado and vegetables for me and a pork chop for him, we are happy everyday of the week. But I’m a chef, who still appreciates to try something new for both myself and to share. We expand our knowledge and palates in the field no matter the preference, just for the love of food.

So I started with traditional fall favorite. Squash. It can be cut and roasted for a side dish. Baked and pureed to become soups, dips, or pie. Yum. Caribbean Latinos love calabaza to add in our beans and stews, ask any abuela. Considering it’s a nutritional powerhouse, I would say it makes anything healthy. You can fight me on it, but I enjoy pumpkin pie and sancocho like it’s healing my body and soul.

Here we have my version of a simple soup. Using my new favorite, kabocha squash, and a few other ingredients, this soup comes together easily and smoothly. It’s perfect to be paired with homemade croutons or a grilled cheese sandwich. Or on it’s own. Exactly how I intended it to be enjoyed. Simple ways to nourish the body and give it a little something special. Curry Kabocha Squash Soup.

Curry Kabocha Squash Soup

Ingredients

1 medium kabocha squash, roasted*

1 small yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoon oil (olive oil, coconut oil)

1 tablespoon curry powder

4 cups vegetable broth

1/4 cup heavy cream (sub coconut milk for vegan option)

pinch of cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste.

Directions

In a dutch oven over medium heat, sauté onions and garlic in olive oil. Wait until onions become translucent or soften and add the curry powder. Let the curry powder release oils over the heat. Add your vegetable broth scraping the flavor from the bottom of the pan if needed. Add the squash and stir until combined. Turn off the heat.

Now, transfer the soup into a blender. To avoid spillage and letting the soup have the opportunity to cool off a bit, I used a ladle until the end. Blend on medium speed until everything seems to have come together nicely, small chunks of onion are okay.

Transfer soup back into dutch oven, turn on heat to low and add your heavy cream, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Stir over the heat until soup becomes silky and thick. Add whatever herbs or toppings on hand. Enjoy!

*To roast the squash, preheat the oven to 375. Cut in have and drizzle the inside with oil, salt, and pepper. Place cut side on to the baking sheet and bake for about 45min to an hour. Top should be soft to touch.

What A Peach Pie Means To Me

Specifically this one. The one I made last Sunday, to celebrate the end of Summer, the end of the longest month of my life (exaggerating, but whatever), and also the beginning of a new practice. Does that all make sense? If not, that’s cool, because I have this whole post to get through.

Somehow, I found the energy to even write this post, still dark from the early morning with just my lemon water in hand. I tried writing this many times at my job, that I’m actually starting to outgrow, even at night in the midst of an Anthony Bourdain’s, Parts Unknown episode. Somehow, after a 16 hour day in the city and four hours of sleep, I chose this morning. Wide eyed, somewhat tired, and motivated. That, my dears, is not a normal habit for myself, if we’re being honest.

You see, there was always a reason. Whether it wasn’t the right time or I wasn’t sure I could do it successfully, I pushed one of the many things I told myself I would do aside. Am I talking about pie or a real life event? It can go both ways. My world feels like it has been turned upside down in the last month. In order to mentally cope and most literally slow down (not an easy task when walking the streets of New York and taking six trains a day), I put away MANY of my Summer Goals. One of them, making a peach pie.

This peach pie represented my biggest obstacle of the season, my biggest practice in life. I found the task intimidating, time consuming, and more intense than I’m used to. These are some of my obstacles when it comes to my biggest dreams. Maybe yours too. Could I make time to do this? Was it even necessary in a time when I “had to” focus on everything else presently going wrong? Why do I even want to do it?

Emotions were becoming mixed with reality and I couldn’t pull them apart.

I wanted to end this month with something beautiful. A reminder of why I strive to do what I love, everyday. Even writing this post, ending a very busy week, I knew this is what I needed to do, right now at this very moment, at least.

This post was unplanned and thought through on a whim, just like the doctor visits, health scares, and new bills that lined up for me to figure out. I made this pie on my last free day I would have in two weeks. Sacrificing a few extra dollas, time with friends, and doing what I “should”, I chose to make a pie. I chose to follow my dream. I chose to end a time, a season, a relationship, that taught me how imperfect and bumpy this thing called life is always going to be.

Yet, I’m not as intimidated. To just do it, is to make it possible.

I rolled out dough and made a beautiful crust. Not perfect, but beautiful. A filling made with the last of the season peaches, still sweet on their very own. With some practice and new adventures to come (a new job? homemade bread?!), who knows what exactly is next. Although, I do hope it’s delicious.

I used Joy The Baker, Peach Blueberry Pie. No blueberries or corn starch. I recommend corn starch and patience. Something my family did not have. Still delicious and devoured.

P.S. It’s September. Fall is about to begin. I. Smell. Apple. Pie