Those Diet Books are holding you back

May is the perfect month to add a Gorgeous Cookbook to your collection!

May 03, 2024

It’s May!

I love May for so many reasons. It’s my birthday. It’s Mother’s Day. 💐 It’s the start of serious gardening season. And the days are getting loonnngggg ….

Seriously, I tend to go outside when I get up and not come back in until bedtime. I love working on my patio table, and I’ll use any excuse to head into the garden.

I’m also leaving for a week to spend time with my Mom and sister. I’ve started a Mother’s Day tradition of visiting and spending time with them. It’s worked well in the past, as my daughter travels a lot. She’s home this year, but she’ll be working, working, working. So we’ll just have to do something fun when I get home.

Even with all this action, I have a story for you as we move deeper into May … one I KNOW you’re going to relate to.

It started with a stack of books. 📚

Way back when I first started writing books, a mentor had us craft our book long before we ever wrote it. We went shopping and found a book the size we imagined our book to be. We took a piece of paper and carefully covered this book. Then we added titles, photos, and graphics - it gave us something to hold that represented our imagined books.

I went the extra mile and whipped up a cover on my word processor. I added photos, and paid attention to the font. Even added the phrase “New York Times Best Seller” to the very top.

Yep, they say you have to “see it to believe it.” I was all in.

Around that time, I was also transitioning to a plant-based diet. I was working hard at changing my eating patterns, and playing with recipes in my kitchen.

I was having trouble sticking to a plan, when suddenly, I had an epiphany. 🤩

Even back then, I loved cookbooks. I had a shelf full of them. And as I planned dinners each week, I frequently grabbed a cookbook off the shelf and scanned it, looking for healthier options. They weren’t there. Not the foods I truly wanted to cook.

And that was the problem. Every cookbook focused on my old way of life. I had tabbed pages that the old me liked to use.

I was never going to be the NEW ME I wanted to be in the future with so many reminders of old-me thinking.

So I gave my cookbook shelf a makeover.

I started imagining who I wanted to be. Someone who frequently cooked, had a pantry filled with good food - the woman who was confident in the meals she prepared and had FUN planning, cooking, and eating them with her family.

I asked myself, “What cookbooks would be on her shelf?”

And I went and found them! Now my library is filled with Gorgeous cookbooks I can’t wait to use.

It’s May, so I have 17 cookbooks from my Cookbook Club alone! Every cookbook celebrates good food, plant-based food, food that’s a joy to cook AND to eat!

Yes, I had heard this little piece of advice before in so many areas of my life. But once again, I found it to be true.

What we surround ourselves with is who we become.

So let me ask you: What story have you been selling yourself about good food? About cooking? About finding joy in the kitchen?

If you don’t like the direction, maybe it’s time to change course.

And I have the perfect solution …

This month’s May Motivation will cover …

Cookbook Time!

What’s your reading ebb and flow?

Some months, I want to read romances because they’re just fun to read. 💖 Then, I spend weeks diving into memoirs and biographies because they’re such fascinating reads. And then I spend a month tackling really deep subject matters, the stuff that lights me on fire, educates me, and makes me think about my place in the world.

I subscribe to cookbook reading in much the same way. 📖 Some months, I want in-depth cooking, giving me lots of ingredients and concepts to discover just how good a cook I can become. Other months, I want more freedom and flexibility, a cookbook that lets me enjoy cooking simply for the sake of cooking.

It’s freedom month!

I knew I had to select this cookbook just by looking at the cover - I want her dress! The colors, the flowers, the food! And then there’s the title - Cooking From The Spirit from the bestselling author of Feeding The Soul. I was hooked even before I opened the book.

Quite honestly, I don’t know if I’ve seen a cookbook like this before. And that’s part of the fun. As I settled in to read the introduction, I found myself nodding along.

“You may have picked up this book expecting to see something that isn’t here. I’m talking about measurements in the recipes. Well, honey, that’s because I don’t cook from a recipe, and I don’t measure anything. I just add what I like and I do it until my spirit tells me to stop.”

What!

Sure enough, her ingredient lists attached to every recipe are void of measurements. Don’t let this intimidate you. In fact, I now find it even easier to cook this way. (Because I’ve been cooking this way for a very long time, I just didn’t know it. I’m a cinnamon junkie, and NEVER add the small amounts most recipes tell you to mix in. Same goes with oregano and cumin, and …)

What you’ll find in this gorgeous cookbook are recipes you can really relate to. Once you decide on one, you’ll easily be able to put it all together. The day I brought this cookbook home, we selected the Nachos recipe, and I’ll never look at Nachos the same way again.

Cooking From The Spirit
By Tabitha Brown

Like so many “vegans” or “plant-based eaters,” Tabitha went down this road after being diagnosed with a serious illness. In her quest to feel better, she moved toward better eating. And once she felt better, why stop?

I find this theme so familiar as I’ve moved into a plant-based lifestyle myself. For me, it started with asking why my dad died at the age of 54 from a massive heart attack. And what I found out about food has made me a plant-based believer 🎉 - it’s who I am.

Since reading this cookbook, I’ve been playing with “adding a bit of this and a bit of that” a lot more. I can definitely say it’s changed my approach to daily cooking.

Maybe it’ll change your approach too.

Gut Health

There’s a new show on Netflix a lot of people are talking about. Hack Your Health is an introductory documentary about gut health, and I highly recommend you watch it.

What are my takeaways from the documentary?

In short, 80 percent of your immune system is in the gut. If your gut isn’t healthy, your immune system won’t function, and you're more likely to get sick.

We all need bacteria; it is essential to overall health. With hundreds of trillions of microbes living in your digestive tract, your gut microbiome of bacteria helps you live a healthy life.

When you hear people talk about leaky gut syndrome, they’re talking about the occurrence of protein molecules getting through the intestinal wall and entering the bloodstream. This causes the body to engage in an immune response that can trigger inflammation.

What heals a leaky gut? Dietary changes can help treat leaky gut syndrome. One of the top recommendations is increasing fiber intake, which means eating more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Meat doesn’t contain any fiber. Animal products such as beef, pork, chicken, fish, eggs, and dairy products like cheese and yogurt don’t have fiber. Nor do fats, whether they are plant or animal-based.

Generally, the more natural and unprocessed the food, the higher it is in fiber.

While this is oversimplified, diversifying your diet is still one of the best ways to potentially heal the body and mind, and keep them in better condition for life.

Five Plants and One Meal I’m enjoying now …

Avocado

Avocados are high in healthy fats and a good source of fiber. One cup of raw avocado provides ten grams of fiber.

Seeds and Nuts

Chia seeds are highly nutritious, packing high amounts of magnesium, phosphorus, and calcium, as well as 9.75 grams of fiber per ounce. And they aren’t the only seed/nut that offers fiber benefits. For a 100-gram portion, pistachios provide 10.6 grams of fiber, walnuts provide 6.7 grams, and sunflower seeds provide 8.6 grams.

Sweet Potatoes

If you’re going to eat potatoes, make sure they’re sweet potatoes. They provide 3.8 grams of fiber per 100 grams of sweet potato.

Legumes

Most legumes are high in protein, fiber, and a host of various nutrients. Chickpeas provide 7.6 grams of fiber per 100 grams. Black beans provide 8.7 grams, kidney beans provide 7.4 grams, and lima beans provide 7 grams of fiber per 100 grams of cooked beans.

Cabbage

Cabbage comes in red, purple, white, and green, and is loaded with vitamins, minerals, and fiber. It’ll give you 2.5 grams of fiber in 100 grams of cabbage.

Let’s put it all together in a simple meal

Want an easy, fiber-rich meal? Just put the five ingredients together.

Place freshly scrubbed sweet potatoes on a baking tray. Pierce several times, then back at 400 degrees F for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on size. Slice them in half.

Heat a can of black beans.

Chop cabbage into bite-sized pieces.

Prepare avocado how you like it. Slice it into bite-sized pieces, or mash it to a creamy consistency.

Build your sweet potato burrito! Place two sweet potato halves on a plate. Pile black beans, cabbage, avocado on top, followed with a sprinkling of chia seeds and sunflower seeds.

For an added topping, consider your favorite salsa. Or mix up a batch of pico de gallo with fresh tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and cilantro. Have fun with it - enjoy!

Kitchen Joy!

A few years back, we spent a couple of months in Spain and Italy. We started in Madrid, flew to Venice, stayed in Tuscany for a month, then returned to Gerona, Spain, for a few days before finishing our trip in Barcelona and flying home.

Gerona wasn’t on our radar, but after booking a flight and discovering it landed in Gerona instead of Barcelona, we decided to stay a few days and discover the area!

We weren’t disappointed. It became one of our favorite places - I’d happily go back any time!

We’d wander the city, poking our heads into shops, standing in awe of the architecture, and spending hours talking over great meals.

I wandered into one shop on our last night, and fell in love with their dishes. I wanted those dishes. Alas, my husband said it was impossible to load them into our suitcases and arrive safely back home. I agreed … I didn’t want to find out how to ship them back home. 🙂 Maybe another trip …

I loved them because they were so colorful! They exuded joy. And when I got back home and opened my cupboard to light-colored dishes, I knew it was time for a change.

Did you know color can change your mood in the kitchen?

I remember, as a teenager, walking into a friend’s house and walking into the most amazing kitchen I’d ever seen. The cabinets were bright red, with splashes of yellow here and there. It was cheery, sunny, and so energetic I couldn’t help but smile.

Here’s what I’ve learned:

Red is an energetic, passionate color that fills your cooking with love and passion. It helps you create dishes that show off your heart and soul. Maybe that’s why appliances are often red, and look great sitting on the counter.

Orange tones it down from red but still provides energy and is crafted to inspire playful creativity. It can help you relax after a long stressful day, and is a good color to encourage others to help out.

White inspires cleanliness, but be careful with pure white, as it exudes confidence and precision. Kitchen designers often love using white, but remember to pair it with colorful decor or appliances to tone down perfection and introduce playfulness back into the kitchen.

Blue is synonymous with calmness. It’s a good choice for the kitchen if you don’t take food seriously and like to keep things simple. It’s a color for dreamers, and encourages peacefulness into the way you cook.

Not sure if red or blue is right for you? Turn to green instead. It symbolizes growth and is most likely to inspire you to move in new directions with your cooking. It’s a great color for creating new dishes.

Of course, there are lots of ways to incorporate color into a kitchen. If you’re all-in, make your cabinets a glorious color. Looking for something smaller? Why not make backsplashes pop? Or add gorgeous appliances in a brilliant color.

Or just let your accessories take over.

When you’re ready to add Kitchen Joy …

I remember when I didn’t think much about kitchen design. Sure, I had the wood floors and the granite countertops. But I never thought much beyond the basics.

That’s changed.

Have you ever worn a brightly colored shirt or dress and everyone noticed? Maybe you chose it because of how it makes you feel. Select it on a blah day, and it might even cheer you up.

I find the same thing happens just by introducing color into my kitchen.

You can add pops of colors in so many ways - and it really makes a difference. Think small - this doesn’t have to be a costly endeavor.

A colorful rug in front of your kitchen sink
Colorful dish towels and pot holders
Colorful lights hanging from the ceiling
Colorful cookware and bakeware
Colorful cabinet hardware
A gorgeous bouquet
Wall art in vibrant hues or bold patterns
Colorful bar stools

With so many great ideas, where do you start? Glad you asked!

Color is such a personal choice, and it changes a lot from year to year.

In the last few months, I’ve added more color to my life than possibly ten years before. Why? Because it’s what I need in my life right now.

You too? Not sure? I have a message and journaling prompts for you.

Whether you’re tired of using the same old dishes, or just need a boost of energy to get into the kitchen each day, you’re going to find these journal prompts eye-opening and motivating.

Start by downloading my free journaling prompt guide.

Then, watch my video and journal along with me. No matter how you’ve felt about your kitchen and cooking before, I know with just these five journaling prompts, they’re going to open up something deep inside. And bring out Kitchen Joy!

Whatever you choose to do in May, I hope you thoroughly enjoy it.
Here’s to Gorgeous Living!

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