Alkaline Living Kitchen

There's a lot of pressure surrounding Valentine's day and what you should and shouldn't do. Really how you celebrate love should be completely up to you and not manufactured by the media. Working in hospitality for years made me adverse to dining out in major holidays so instead I always choose to celebrate at home. This menu was delicious but simple enough to prep all the elements and have a great flow for dinner. As a special treat it was a bit more seafood heavy than I usually eat but was non the less delicious.
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Part 2 Oaxaca City! Glorious pastries for days and Mezcal everywhere you turn. The artists in the area are just amazing. There are so many beautiful murals, galleries filled with all types of art and even events like the Radish Festival! This Christmas eve tradition has artists carving incredible scenes from radishes! Travel really pushes you beyond what you know and helps you see the world in a different lens. You appreciate the history, the culture and the struggles of holding onto history through a modern world. I'm so glad to have witnesses all the magic that Oaxaca City had to offer for the holidays. Now off to the beach!

Christmas Dinner looked a little different this year! Oaxaca City delivered in the food department as well as in the street art and Christmas spirit! Such a vibrant, colorful place with constant delights around every corner ss well as immense pride in their culture and heritage.
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One of the best part of traveling is trying new foods! I'm always on the hunt for natural beauty, historical sites and yummy treats, Iceland did not disappoint on any of those levels. Completing the Golden Circle allowed for hot springs, waterfalls, homemade ice cream with the cows looking on, a trip to the tomato farm for amazing cocktails, tomato soup, bruchetta and sauce, a little bit of offroading and vast beauty that can't even be described. The sky is just so big there.
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The past year has been a quest for self, a reflection on who it is that I wanted to be for I had begun to stare at an unrcognizable face in the mirror. A person who had lost their passion and zest for life. One who had lost their wonder. As often happens, in that quest to rediscover who I was many things had to fall away and change. I left behind the palm trees and endless sun that no longer seemed to echo my name and started over in every possible way. There were many moments of self doubt and uncomfortable self reflections in the process but there was also a strong knowing that the universe would provide me what it was that I needed in order to find the joy that had somehow escaped my grasp. Slowly my anxiety left and my wonder returned. The simplicity of a warm breeze rustling the leaves overhead, sunshine streaming through a window, and even brisk winter air on a long walk, realigned the pieces of me that had become lost over time. And over and over the universe sent me the very things I had been calling forward. During this time I savored great food, sipped strong coffees and even stronger cocktails, did yoga everyday and tried my hardest to stay present and appreciative in all moments, even the dark ones. This meant not a lot of food pics hence the giant lull. I dont usually post pics of myself, probably out of some deep seated form of embarrassment that I cover with the adage of not selling myself to the world and instead focusing on the nourishing quality of food but today I'll post a few as a representation of my growth! It feels weird to do so but it also seems strange that we don't celebrate our transformations. After that back to the regularly scheduled program - delicious, nutritious food!
xoxo
C.