It’s easy when you’re feeling overwhelmed and stressed to forget the importance of taking care of yourself. When you take care of yourself first, you have more to give to others in your life - family, friends and co-workers. When you treat yourself well, you are naturally more productive, motivated and energetic and have more to give to the world. What are some easy ways to nurture yourself?

• Eat Breakfast and Lunch - Skipping breakfast and working through lunch is a recipe for afternoon slumps and late night binges.
• Get your Beauty Sleep - Whoa, dark circles! Sleep 7-8 hours a night to look and feel your best.
• Active Relaxation - Take 5-10 minutes every day to meditate, do yoga, stretch or just breathe.

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I recently spent a week in Sedona visiting a friend. It is always good to get away on vacation, but I was especially happy to find myself catching up on important self-care - hiking, feeling my connection with nature, breathing the fresh clear mountain air and eating lots of healthy good food. It’s easy to forget how much I need these things!

I had a lot of yummy food inspiration while I was there. We made a trip to the Bliss Cafe almost every day. Their food is organic, vegan, mainly raw and made with love - absolutely delicious! Their raw sushi and nut cheeses were amazing and the raw cacao was to die for!

I’ve been particularly fascinated by nut cheeses since I’m always trying to balance my love of cheese with my need to eat less dairy (it makes me congested!). My first foray into the world of nut cheese was a delicious sunflower seed cheese that was a big hit at a recent girlie get-together (see recipe below).

Since there isn’t any raw cacao in my neighborhood, I’ve also been experimenting in my kitchen with making my own raw cacao treats. When I discover the best combination of flavors I am looking forward to spreading my newfound love of raw cacao around Boston. Oh yes, the taste tests are going well so far! Maybe a little too well…