Spekboom: The Next Hot Superfood

River Goddess' Dwelling 

My first introduction to Skepboom was majestic, to say the least.  A goddess woman who lives where 11 rivers cross showed me the light in her surreal valley, here in South Africa.  To be honest, it was her granddaughter whom introduced me to it first, the angel toddler pranced over to the plant in one of their many gardens and said, "Spekboom" in that 'cute as can be' baby voice.  I thought to myself, this is magic, a two year old is teaching me about a plant which was new to me at the time.  She proceeded to pluck a waxy little leaf off, ate it and then passed one over to me for consumption. There we were experiencing the zesty plant together in peace.  After this first taste the river goddess grandmother made a home grown salad, which included much of this Spekboom.  It was amazing, lemon meets rocket meets caucus kind of vibe.  And from then on it was only matter of time till I became obsessed with the little sucker.  Like all river goddesses, this Mama gave me a huge bundle of Spekboom clippings, with easy instructions on how to plant it out.  Leaving the valley I was ready to plant and salad my way with this illustrious plant, never to look back on a life without it. All hail, Spekboom!
   

This plant is a survivor, there are no two ways about it!  It is fire resistant, drought resistant, can live through the hot African summers and the cold African winters.  Not only can it endure the seasons well, but it can even switch gears from a wet climate to a dry climate, Spekboom's adaptability is uncanny.  Once developed, Spekboom will literally grow and carry on with resilience no matter what odds come against it. Furthermore, Spekboom has a super power to capture carbon, and a ton of it!  It has recently become a symbol of carbon emissions here in South Africa, schools and farmers have been on a mission to plant as much of this super plant as possible to help relieve the ecosystem.

Planting Skepboom is too easy.  My river goddess simply clipped off a few branches from her plants and instructed me to simply stick them into the Earth, water them every other day till roots were established then simply allow them to adapt to our corner of the world.  Our plants are doing very well with these simple instructions, and we seem to constantly find more spaces to propagate more and more Spekboom around the property.

As for the nutritional benefits of Spekboom, the river goddess told me that if I eat 2 leaves of Spekboom a day that I will have my daily needs of Vitamin C covered!  Not only does Skpeboom have large amounts of Vitamin C, but it also contains protein, B vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, and iron. No wonder elephants live off of this super food!


Super Hot, Super Food Skepboom Salad Recipe

 Supplies List:

1. 5 Stems of Spekboom
2. 2 Large Tomatoes or 2 Cups of Cherry Tomatoes 
3. 1/2 Head of Red Cabbage
4. 1/2 Cucumber
5. 2 Carrots 
6. 1 Red Pepper 
7. 1 Big Hand Full of Fresh Herbs (Mint, Basil, Coriander, Parsly...or whatever you have in your garden)
8. 1 Lemon
9. 2 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
10. Salt and Pepper 

Instructions:

Dice up tomatoes, red cabbage, cucumber, red pepper and herbs.  Place into a salad bowl.  Peal and grate carrots. Place into salad bowl. Pluck Spekboom leaves off from stems and add to the salad bowl.  Juice lemon and drizzle olive oil over salad, season with salt and pepper. Toss your delicious Spekboom salad and enjoy!


Happy Spekboom-ing!

Lots of Love,

Trish

Girl Got Away : Namibian Wave Porn

Majestic, impalpable, elusive, jupiterious, something you can only see with your own eyes, something you can only feel with your own soul, no camera, no matter how fancy could ever capture Her. Not that She even wants to be captured, or cares for you at all. Like the girl who got away, She doesn't give a shit about you, if you get Her high speed spitting hurl once than consider yourself a very lucky human. Will you get Her again? I highly doubt it! Because She is unruly, She is very hard to get to, and you will spend a fortune to see Her. If you take on the very arduous journey to see Her than you will be frozen and fatigued the whole time in Her presence. She will be seldom and fickle in Her ways, She might even stand you up, but when She grinds with perfection you will become her slave. You will become an addict to Her waiting for your next injection, longing for your next fix...forever. Beware of Her, because She will eat you alive and spit you out and you will remain with the dead carcasses rotting on Her shoreline. Hahaha! Enjoy the free wave porn and give thanks to Mother Nature!

Lots of Love,

Trish

     

21 Days of Yoga

Ever since I was young I was addicted to movement, anything to get my heart pumping, to get the sweat dripping and anything that achieved that 'feel good' high.  I can remember when I found running and I was old enough to run on my own to a near by lake, it's as if the weight of the world was lifted and I could breathe again.  I would go back there anytime I needed it, which as an acne faced teenager was very often.  Like many teenage girls I danced, ballet was my favorite, something about the movement, so graceful and exact.  The best ballerinas making it look so effortless, as if they were feathers precisely floating around the stage.  When in all actuality, it took enormous amounts of strength and balance.  I will always have running, as it is easy to do anywhere I might be, ballet quite different since 'Adult' ballet classes are usually only found in cities, where I am usually rarely found. Thus, yoga.

Burke Lake, Virginia

I did the odd yoga classes through our dance studio growing up, then a few in college but it was only in Hawaii that I found for myself how madly beneficial yoga was for me.  It was as if it combined my teenage ballet classes with my lake runs, yet the movements were done in a small standing space and the lake was in my mind's eye.  Since then yoga and I have had a relationship, on and off, hard and soft, in classes and on my own.

It was 21 days ago that I found myself feeling flat, no even as if the weight of the world was upon me, but almost more like a misty day that wouldn't clear. So there I was, lost in the fog dedicating myself to 21 days of at least 1 hour of yoga per day.  Now after these glorious 21 days I can say I feel fresh like a white cotton sheet whom just finished Sun drying on a warm summer's day. Crisp and unwilted, I was lifted from the grey mist within the first days of my journey and as I am an addicted personalty type, each day seemed to keep on lifting me higher and higher and higher.  People even noticed my high, "You're always so yoga stoned!"

Getting zen-ed out everyday did more than get me high.  Here is a list of the other changes I noticed on my 21 Days of Yoga:

1. Eating:  My useless snacking became limited to obsolete, I found myself eating when I was truly hungry, rather than just eating to eat or eating our of boredom or depression.
2. Hydration:  I drank more water, I even started planning out all my glass water bottles for the day with different infusions, mint, blueberry, lemon, cucumber, heaven! 
3. Skin Health:  My skin noticeably became softer and firmer, nothing like I have had before, forget skin creams just do yoga!
4. Mental Health:  2 out of the 21 days I felt depressed or snappy, and 1 of the days I made a switched and chose happiness with eventual ease. This was an improvement for me!  I was simply feeling more content with well, everything.  
5. Sexual Health:  More love making than usual and more guru positioning and breathing.  Big bonus!  LOL!
6. Weight Loss:  I am not into scales, since my yoga practice builds muscle so I opted to take some measurements instead, just so I could scientifically see if there would be a difference. Overall, I lost 1 Inch on my waist, 1 Inch on my hips and and 1/2 an Inch on each thigh.  I usually simply gage how my skinny jeans are feeling, everyone has them, one pair of pants you know are usual a bit tight, now fit with ease. 
7. Improved Posture:  I feel like I stand, cook, clean, walk, work with a real purpose now!  More upright and proud, which not only feels good but looks much nicer too.    
8. Deep and Dreamy Sleeps:  I am not sure how dreams are linked to yoga, but I am sure there is a connection because I found that I was having more detailed, lengthy dreams during my sleeps.  I also felt much more awake in the mornings, ready to take on the day!
9. Connection to Breath:  I carried the breathing over from my mat to my day, this equated to less stress and more ease in my day to day interactions.  

There's probably many more things that altered inside of me that I am unaware of, the benefits just seem to be endless and outpouring like Marilyn Monroe's champagne. No matter where you are in life, no matter your age, your gender, your flexibility, your strength, even if you are recovering from an injury or depression or whatever, YOU CAN DO YOGA.  This thing that is yoga is just so absolutely beautiful that literally anyone can do it.  And I also like that similar to running you really don't need too much to do it, just a small space, a comfy outfit and you're in yoga business.  Of course, classes, instructions, YouTube tutorials, and books help, especially if you want to improve and learn new postures and spice it up.  This is another beauty of yoga, there's a kind of yoga for everyone, whether you are into fast or slow, Vinyasa or Yin, and everything in between, you will only find out what suits you best if you give it a yoga-go.

Oddly enough, I kept telling myself I was going to rest on the 22nd day but you know what?!  I'm going to class, my big heart already breaks at the thought of tomorrow with out it.

Happy Yoga-ing

Lots of Love,

Trish

Namibian Tidings

Travel, oh I could say so many clichés about you right now, but I won't.  We all know what travel does, how it makes us react, how it teaches us to have graduated and enjoy the simple pleasures of life.  It opens our soul up to true connectivity with old fashioned, eye to eye interaction and heart to heart emotion.  It is quite possibly the best education that money can buy at this point in human history and has arguably always been.  It's what brought your people to the lands they dwell in today. There's an ancient feel to it, exploring the unknown, meeting with odds and mysterious faces.  Yes, I am officially hooked like a heroin addict waiting for the next rush to hit my veins.  

Photo By Dawn Rouse

And so it is.  I found myself with a lover whom also is an addict of the Earth and there we found ourselves moving along together.  He, a wave rider for many years, simultaneously hooked on the great blue abyss, bounces around from shoreline to shoreline finding the bigger and badder wave to plunge himself into.  It was only natural for me to assume the role of the one woman film crew.  So there I was and here I am and ever since then I have been getting my brain massaged by waves of all kinds, hours upon hours of carefully examining each crest, each lip, each spit, extremely medicinal and heavily meditative, it has been a detoxing venture.  Andre calls it sea therapy and yes, it heals us.  I could not ask for better nor be any richer.  And I am not at all talking about money.

Low and behold, travel came a knocking once again to our humble door and it would be Namibia, a place utterly indescribable, a place where there are many different cosmic energy fields aligned to create some kind of freak show display of Mother Earth.  Now, I'm not one to normally go spouting off about energy fields, but trust me, if you have been to this place than you would know that what I am saying is pure fact.

The Earth in Namibia is raw, it's harsh, and for lack of a better term, very National Geographic worthy. Everywhere you look crystals glimmer at you, thousands of flamingos nod at you and billions of sand specks exfoliate you. Change is dramatically apparent in the Earth of Namibia, the sand dunes shift and cover my footprints within hours, salt cures here like large snow sheets, minerals and crystals alike are carefully composed here till found, if ever they are found.  Long and vast landscapes look at you through a single narrow and extremely straight road for miles into infinity. And that's not even getting started on the wave.

There is a wave there, a wave that last for what seems miles down an empty stretch of sand far off the beaten track.  In between sightings of hungry jackals, decomposed seal caucuses and a few other surfers there are no remnants of civilization. This wave is literally the most stunning wave of perfection that you will ever lay your eyes upon. Breaking and barreling for miles, there is a powerful and infinite feeling about witnessing such a glorious creation. And like most glorious things in life, there is a price one has to pay. Imagine the harshest and most chilling wind imaginable paired with morning mist thick as a brick and then a sweltering sun which blisters your lips. Needless to say, it isn't easy, it's not like filming in Durban, bikini suited up, catching a tan....but for some reason it feels more.  Perhaps I am a masochist?!  But really, when travel takes me to the outer edges of the Earth, away from the structures of society, I find my most true and my most authentic peace.  And fuck, it's nice to check in with that from time to time.

So here's to the Earth and this tiny Namibian corner of it, you have replenished my soul with what once was and now is.  I will surly see you and your sparkling crystals again.

And here's to you and your travels, and to whatever allows you to check in with your most true and most authentic peace.

Blessings!

Lots of Love,

Trish

Homemade Raw Chocolate - Very Easy - Very Yummy - Very Sexy - Very Healthy

How sexy is chocolate?  Very sexy.  It got me thinking, let's start using sex to sell it.  Oh wait, the big corporations already beat me to it!  And oh wait, I'm not talking about most of the store bought chocolates available...because those are sooooo not sexy!  I'm talking about RAW chocolate!  If you are too busy to make your own I highly suggest Righteously Raw, a very good plant based company working hard to change the face of chocolate.  So if you want to be sexy, go buy a bar or make this easy recipe yourself at home.  It's the melt in your mouth, or your partners mouth kinda orgasmic delight that will get your magnesium levels balances and your heart pumping.

Oddly enough, when I first encountered raw cacao I was living in Hawaii, in a very odd, very poetic, and very melancholy state.  I went to a local farmer's market and the cacao/coffee farmer gave me some for free and told me, "This will heal your broken heart."  So really cacao goes much further than sex.  It's LOVE, straight to the heartstrings.  Literally, it helps your heart!  So there I was, hooked from this beautiful moment, never looking back at the major name brand chocolates again!

So, enough about sex, love and chocolate.  Here is the recipe and a little video I made to show the method.

Enjoy your raw chocolate, your sex and most importantly, your LOVE!

Lots of love, Trish

Detox Water

Okay, so if you are like me than you have tried many different varieties of home brewed flavored water.  And if not, give it a try for a week and I guarantee that you will become hooked!  I have been infusing my water for the last year now and have found that it is not only amazing in its taste but also curbs my hunger and helps me keep properly hydrated.  Not to mention the long, very long list of health benefits!

After many attempts I have found that my favorite infusion recipe is lemon, cucumber and mint.  It is really very simple, all you must do is prepare your water in the evening, leave it stored in the refrigerator overnight and enjoy your magically infused water that next morning.  I personally do my best to finish off my jug of infused water first thing upon waking up, to ensure my organs get a good start to the day!  After I finish off my jug I usually go ahead and refill it with purified water.  It is recommended to allow the infusion to take place, so let it brew for at least 3 hours till you indulge in your infused water.

Depending on your jug and taste, you can add more or less of the ingredients.  I personally use an old wine carafe so my recipe will be based on using .75 Liters of water.

What you will need:

• 1 Lemon
• 1/2 Cucumber
• 1/4 Cup Mint 

Instructions:

1. Clean lemon, mint and cucumber thoroughly!  
2. Optional:  Peel lemon and cucumber if they are not organic or home grown
3. Thinly slice cucumber and lemon
4. Place in clean glass jug
5. Cover and store in refrigerator for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight  

The benefits of drinking water are endless. Science says that our bodies are roughly 60% water and that the Earth is roughly 70% water. Hence, water is the star, water takes the cake, and water is in fact most essential beverage available.

Water aids digestion, maintains body temperature, energizes muscles, helps in weight loss, promotes clear skin and hair, aids in nutrient absorption, assists your kidneys with waste removal, and on and on and on!

It is recommended that adults consume any where from 9-16 cups of water a day.  This is all dependent on contextual factors, like your weight, activity levels, and the climate you find yourself situated in and so on.  There is a great calculator available here if you would like to find the appropriate amount of water you need to receive all of the benefits.

Hydration Calculator

Lastly, forget the plastic bottles PLEASE!  There's enough waste on this glorious Earth and with the population currently over 7 billion, let's all do something simple to pitch in and get reusable water containers.

Imagine if everyday, every person consumed 1 bottle of water, for 1 week???!!!  That would be 7 billion X 7 days = 49 BILLION plastic bottles! Now that is a shit load of plastic, even all of the recycling plants in the world will not be able to keep up with this, sad but true.

All we can do is our best.  So let's do just that for our bodies, souls and our Earth!

ONE EARTH - ONE RACE - ONE LOVE

Lots of Love, Trish

Coming Soon Mint Tutorial!

Mint - The easiest herb to grow at home, the herb that just keeps on giving!  So give up on buying it and start growing it on your own.  

Lush Henna Caca Brun: Review and How To Tutorial

So it's been a while, a solid, 5 year while since I've made a change to my hair. To be honest I was getting bored, so it came time for a change! Now, what's a green juice sippin' girl to do if she wants to dye her hair? Get a box dye? Ohhh no! Go pay a fortune at a salon? Nah. Then the light bulb flickered on! Nichole,  a natural women I've always looked up to and friend I made while living in Hawaii came straight into my mind. She once told me, years ago about the benefits of henna for hair.

So there I went, researching henna, googling instructions and brands and so on. Here in South Africa there's not a huge amount of health food shops around so I decided to go with Lush and their henna hair dye line. Lush has it's up's and down's. On the up side they have a fresh and minimalist approach to packaging, as not to waste unnecessary cardboard or plastics. They fight against animal testing! Something much desired, who wants to think of sweet puppies getting tortured while you dye your hair?! And for the most part, their products include natural ingredients.  On the down side, there are some upsetting ingredients in their products like sodium lauryl sulfate in their shampoos...which my scalp absolutely hates! Needless to say, the henna line is 98% better for you and for the Earth when comparing the list of ingredients to the rest of the home dye treatments offered up by the beauty industry. The dye comes in a range of four colors, from black to red.  I went with the Caca Brun because ultimately, when it came down to it I wasn't ready to make a drastic change.  Haha!

What you need:

1. Depending on your hair length 1-4 blocks of Lush Henna Dye (I used 3) 
2. A knife to chop and dice henna blocks 
3. 2 Tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar 
4. Fresh Pressed Coffee 
5. Mixing Bowl
6. Vaseline 
7. Hair Bands
8. Saran Wrap
9. Gloves
10. Old Beanie and Old Clothes
11. Lots of Newspaper
12. Time (4 hours at least) 

How to Henna: 

1. Section your hair off so it's easy to dye when you are ready
2. Vaseline your hair line, neck and ears 
3. Place many layers of newspaper onto the surface and ground where you will be applying your henna, with mirror. 
4. Prepare a batch of strong coffee
5. Cut your henna blocks into a fine chop and place in bowl
6. Add 2 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar 
7. Slowly add your hot coffee to the fine chopped henna, add and mix till you have a yogurt like consistency
8. Go to your newspaper area 
9. Put gloves on
10. Start from the back and work to the front till your hair is fully drenched in henna, use every last bit of henna mix on your head and work your hair into a classy up do
11. Saran Wrap your hair tightly 
12. Clean up any messy bits that got onto your hairline, neck and ears
13. Cover Saran wrapped head with old beanie (Optional, but henna works on heat so this helps keep heat on your henna head) 
14. Wait at least 4 hours till you rinse out
15. Once ready to rinse out apply lots of conditioner over the bathtub or shower area
16. Rinse with hot water, apply more conditioner and rinse out with hot water, repeat a few times till the water runs clear 

Results and Other Tidbits: 

I was pleased with this product and I will use it again.  Although, I found that my hair color only came in gradually, and that it was only three days after the dye job till I had the results I desired.  It was strange, each morning I woke up after the experience my husband told me, "Your hair is even darker today."  I think this kind of dye takes time, so patience is the key.  It was a gradual and natural change, something that suited me perfectly.

It was easy for me to apply, and easy to clean up since I was prepared.  The smell was enjoyable to me and lingered in my hair for days after the application.  My hair is also much nicer, healthier and stronger after this treatment.  The addition of organic, fair trade coco butter in this product really, really conditioned my hair, it was such a wonderful bonus!

I loved this so much that I think of doing this once a month or once every other month simply to rejuvenate my locks and add richness to it that it deserves.  Lastly, I highly recommend setting a free day aside to do this, make it a full on spa day, whip up some home made face masks, sip on some coffee, cozy up to your current book, bask in the sun or just do whatever it is you do that keeps ya chill.

Many thanks Lush!

Lots of Love,
Trish