{Recipe} autumn reminds us how beautiful if can be to let things go...

Autumn reminds us how beautiful it can be to let things go....

The weather has officially turned in Michigan. The colors are magnificent. The leaves are wet and fragrant. There's a chilly bite in the air. Coats, hats and gloves are resurfacing, but my son still went to school in shorts this week. It was 40 degrees. He's 11. I am settling into a style of parenting with him where I am letting him figure it out himself. So one day this week, he got into the car after school (in his shorts) shivering and smiling, "I was only one of two kids wearing shorts today. I see why! It's COLD! I guess it's time for pants." 

I guess it's time for pants. Code for "Summer is officially done." Seasons are changing.

For me, it can be hard to hear those words. I guess it's time for pants. To feel the warmth and memory of summer fade and the beauty of fall turn into what's waiting for us. My translation: a barren cold, bitter, grey, dry-air season of winter void of my favorite farmers market goodies among so many other things..including SUNSHINE and blue skies.

I love fall. I love the fragrance of the outdoors. Chunky sweaters. Earlier bedtimes. Chai tea. Soup simmering on the stove. Cozy movie nights with my kids.

But fall reminds me of what's to come. And I know I'm not the only one. I live in Michigan. I know what's coming. Some of you love Michigan winters. Skiing, snowboarding, icy roads and potholes and I love that about you. But if I'm honest, it's my least favorite season.  If you follow my instagram feed, you'll know how much I LOVE Lake Michigan in the summer and fall. You'll see how much I love sunshine, warmth, sand, beach time, water. So the end of fall reminds me that it's going to go dormant for awhile and also reminds me of changing seasons. For me, as the autumn leaves fall to the ground it invites introspection, reflection, and its own unique form of beauty as I get ready for a season of pause and hibernation, something that is inherently harder for me to embrace.

And because of this, autumn always nudges me towards the necessary cycle of letting things go. 

Right now, I'm waist deep in a season of letting some things go...contemplating what to keep and what to release. Some of it is physical space (i.e. my downtown office), some is emotional (frustration, fear, anxiety), some is relational (as hard as it is, what relationships have run their course?), some are responsibilities (I need to move on from "this" now).

Because what I know to be true for me is that in order to move to the next phase of growth in my life, I need to let go of certain things that I'm attached to that keep me from moving forward in my life. And boy is that hard! Because it imparts a certain kind of death, right? A chapter is done. It's over. There's such a feeling of finality and heaviness to it sometimes. So we cling so hard for the familiarity to make us feel safe and comforted, but in reality, it just prolongs the inevitable and it's often numbing and surely not life-giving.

And so...these words ring true for me as I contemplate letting go..."In order for things to change, I have to change." Eek! What does that look like?

For me, I am letting go of some "if only's" and the "but what if's". I am letting go old stories that no longer serve me. I am letting go of limited perception. I am letting go of stubborn pride as I move towards softening. It is a challenge to let go, no doubt, and also it can be a freeing experience, when I let it be.

So the past couple weekends, as I contemplate the larger things in my life to release...I've been sifting through drawers and piles in my bedroom. I organized and purged plenty of items from my clothes drawer. And that pile of orphan socks that has been sitting in the corner of my bedroom in a bin for over 9 months? Reader, do you quite possibly also have that pile? I finally let it go. I sat down for an hour, sorted them and got rid of the socks that had no match and I gave the rest away. The whole "But I might need them. But one day I might find his sock 'sole' mate. But I hate the waste of throwing it away" was actually not useful and making waste in my own bedroom! Wow was that a great feeling to let.it.go. 

And it was totally freeing to spend an hour in the practice of releasing. Which led to a clearing of piles in the playroom and I took my kids artwork off the walls to make room for new artwork. (Gasp! Take your kids artwork off the walls?)!) Freeing.

I'm starting with releasing practical piles and moving into the bigger more weighty decisions. Like my downtown office. It's time. For 9 years I've had a beloved space downtown and it's time to let it go and inside I've known this for 6 months. But it's been so hard to let it go. It represents an important part of me and work that I adore and love. It represents all the women who have trusted me with their interior life. It represents so many amazing stories of grace and healing, vulnerability and bravery.  It represents my identity and validity. It represents autonomy from my role as a mother and it represents 9 years of my professional life. But just because I let go of my office doesn't mean that I let these parts of myself go with it. Some things, yes, they must be shed, but because I have had such a difficult decision letting it go, I realized I needed to do some internal work to understand why. 6 months worth of internal work, and now finally, I'm letting it go in 3 short weeks. 

All to say, I am letting things go in order to make room for something new. Releasing....

In our 28 Days Calm Your Cravings course this week, we're coaching women through the process of releasing. Releasing old stories. Judgments. Limited perceptions. Victimhood as well as speed. Moving through life so fast, they're "missing" their life. We're working on releasing the judgments and labels we give ourselves that keep us stuck. Wow, it's such a beautiful process to listen to these women making huge shifts in their life.

And so....my question to you in this autumn season:

Is there anything you need to let go or release that no longer serves you?

And old story you're clinging to about your body, your health, your marriage, your child?

Do you need to let go of guilt, worry, control, shame, blame, resentment, victimhood, your limited perception...

Or possibly stuff. You've accumulated so many things in your home or in your basement or in your closet  or car and it's impeding on your ability to find peace, rest, space, sabbath, simplicity... 

Or time...do you need to let go of some time-sucking activities in order to create more space and time for the things that matter more?

Could the releasing be a gift waiting for you to experience more freedom and joy and connection in your life?

Autumn reminds us how beautiful it can be to let things go....what is life inviting you to let go today?

As I leave you with this question, I leave you with a cozy, warm and simple soup. I have been making this soup for over 15 years with a real pie pumpkin. However, you can create this soup with so much ease simply by using canned pumpkin and dumping it all in your slow cooker. Either way you choose, SAVOR & ENJOY!

PUMPKIN SOUP

3 pound pie pumpkin or *two 15oz cans pumpkin from BPA-free lining cans (see notes below)

4 TBS avocado oil, olive oil, coconut oil or ghee 

2 large onion, finely chopped 

2 leeks, trimmed, cleaned, sliced thin

2 ripe pears, peeled, cored, cut into chunks 

3 carrots, peeled and cut

4 cups bone broth + more to thin it to desired consistency – homemade bone broth is the most nutritious and gives depth of flavor 

1 tsp. sea salt 

2 TBS fresh sage leaves finely chopped  

Preheat oven to 425°. 

Cut pumpkin crosswise, scoop out seeds. Place cut-side down in a roasting pan and fill with 1 inch of water. Cover tightly with foil and roast for 45-60 minutes. Skin should pull away from pumpkin flesh and be very soft to touch. When cool enough to touch, pull skin off and discard. Place pumpkin flesh into pot when instructed. 

While pumpkin is in oven, in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt olive oil/ghee/coconut oil. Add onion and leeks. Saute until tender , but not brown, 5-7 minutes. 

Add pears, carrots and bone broth. Cover, simmer for 30 minutes until vegetables are tender. 

When ready, scoop out pumpkin flesh and add to pot. For a thick and creamy soup, broth should just cover the contents in the pot. Cook for 5 minutes. Stir in chopped sage. 

Puree the soup with immersion blender or high speed blender until velvety smooth. 

Season to taste with sea salt. Garnish with fresh sage, if desired, and serve. Swirl a dollop of plain organic goat milk yogurt or amasai on top if desired. 

NOTES:

*Alternatively you can substitute a pie pumpkin for canned pumpkin from 2 non - BPA lined 15oz cans and add with pears, carrots & broth. Make sure the only ingredient in the can is pumpkin. 

Slow Cooker option: Reset Participants have raved about the easy peasy option of using canned pumpkin and dumping all ingredients (minus 1 TBS sage) in a slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours and garnish bowls with remaining 1TBS fresh chopped sage.

Practicing Rest This Weekend... + {Recipe} Sloppy Joes

Friend, listen to this deep wisdom:

"All life requires a rhythm of rest. There is rhythm in our waking activity and the body's need for sleep. There is a rhythm in the way day dissolves into night, and night into morning. There is a rhythm as the active growth of spring and summer is quieted by the necessary dormancy of fall and winter. There is tidal rhythm, a deep, eternal conversation between the land and the great sea. In our bodies, the heart perceptively rests after each life-giving beat; the lungs rest between the exhale and the inhale. 

We have lost this essential rhythm. Our culture invariably supposes that action and accomplishment are better than rest, that doing something - anything - is better than doing nothing. Because of our desire to succeed, to meet these ever-growing expectations, we do not rest. Because we do not rest, we lose our way. We miss the compass points that would give us succor. We miss the quiet that would give us wisdom. We miss the joy and love born of effortless delight. Poisoned by this hypnotic belief that good things come only through unceasing determination and tireless effort, we can never truly rest. And for want of rest, our lives are in danger." Wayne Muller in his book, Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight In Our Busy Lives.

In January of this year, we were gifted this beautiful book by a friend. In a time where life was moving so fast and there was an unyielding list of responsibilities, it was more important than ever to marinate in the wisdom of this book and cultivate a practice to create space to rest. This book is a goldmine if you're wanting this in your own life. Truth after truth is woven throughout this book and at the heart, this is what this book is teaching us:

"Our core human value, the deepest and best of who we are, require the nourishment of time and care, if we are to grow and flourish."

After reading this book at the start of the year, I (Jill) have been intentionally practicing Sabbath rest each week on Sundays...turning off the phone, the computer, social media. Getting out for a long walk, going to the beach or a walk in the woods. Playing more with my kids. Being more attentive to the present moment. Cooking nourishing meals with my hubs. Bonfires in the backyard. Jazz music. Slower breathing. We moved our grocery shopping days away from Sunday to a different day of the week so we could literally go off the grid and have more stillness in our day. No running errands. No traffic. Less noise. More quiet. No doubt. It's been a rich experience. I wouldn't want it any other way.

Here's more to ponder: 

"Sabbath is more than the absence of work; it is not just a day off when we catch up on television and errands. It is the presence od something that arises when we consecrate a period of time to listen to what is most deeply beautiful, nourishing and true. It is time consecrated with our attention, our mindfulness, honoring those quiet forces of grace or spirit that sustain and heal us."

Friend, this also happens to be an underlying theme of our 14-day Reset. Carving out a period of time (14 days) to bring our attention & mindfulness and honoring those quiet forces of grace or spirit that sustain and heal. To learn what most nourishes you - on the plate, in conversation, in your work and play, relationships. It all matters. And it all feeds you. If you read the dozens and dozens and dozens of testimonials you'll see that this is so much more than a 14-day meal plan. It's an invitation. 

As we mentioned earlier this week: our lives – no matter the season - require moments to slow down and RES(E)T or we can lose our minds, and feel like we’re in a hamster wheel of survival. It’s not a nourishing way to move through your days and weeks and months if you want to look and feel your best. (Think: bloating, indigestion, heaviness, stress, sugar coma, rush, skipping meals, lower than low energy...)

Our Reset creates a space for you to get back to those foundational practices that nourish you on those deeper levels and help you course-correct when things need more of your attention...without dieting, skipping meals, restricting, counting or obsessing....and all in a positive community of support. 

Here's our Nourish To Flourish invite for you this weekend:

1. Below, we're sharing one of the classic faves on our reset: The Sloppy Joe. Put this recipe on your upcoming weekly meal plan and be nourished by it.

2. Experiment with taking a Sabbath. It doesn't have to be the whole day (but we encourage it!), consider setting aside a period of time to power down your devices and get outside in nature and be nourished by food + self care + connection with those you love. It's a BIG part of what we teach in our fall reset, because you can eat all the right foods but if you're eating under hurry and rush and disconnect, it's not serving your body. And also, your body is really happy when you're loading up on nourishment from non-food too: i.e. quality relationships, life giving conversations, down time, meaningful connection, nature, disconnecting from work and your to-do list - your body mind & spirit will breathe a sigh of THANK YOU! because it's all connected.

SLOPPY JOES

• 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef, ideally grass-fed 

• 1 onion chopped

• 1 red or green bell pepper seeded and chopped

• 6 oz. can tomato paste

• 1 cup water

• 3 cloves garlic minced

• 2 tsp. chili powder

• 1 tsp. paprika

• 1 tsp. ground cumin

• 1 tsp. dried oregano

• 1/2 tsp. unrefined sea salt

• 1/2  tsp. ground pepper

• 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

• 1 1/2 Tbsp. maple syrup

• Bibb lettuce cups

DIRECTIONS:

In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté beef for 5 minutes. 

Add in onions and peppers. Cook five more minutes.

Add remaining ingredients and simmer until mixture thickens.

Spoon into crisp lettuce cups and top with chopped avocado or guacamole.

Serve with a side of sweet potato fries, steamed broccoli or roasted brussels sprouts