As you’ve likely heard on the national news, our hometown, Boulder, CO, has been faced with a 1000-year flood this past week that has caused life as we know it to come to a screeching halt.
While the floods did not directly affect my family or my home, my community has been hit big time. In a place that I’ve called home for more than 14 years, where the sun shines more than 300 days a year, where breathtaking mountain views and daily hikes among Mother Nature’s finest are all the norm – things are far from normal right now.
Having been holed up in my house for many days with my 2 young boys while my husband was away on business, I noticed all my urges to want to de-stress and comfort myself with food.
I thought about everything from cookies to chocolate to coffee to wine. Luckily I don’t keep this stuff in my house anymore, but it’s interesting just how hardwired we all are to turn to food in times of distress.
At one point, the rain was coming down so hard that I could barely hear myself think, the flash flood sirens were going off on both the TV and cell phone, and both my boys were screaming over something stupid like a plastic golf club. Retreating to my bedroom to take a breath, the thoughts that went through my head were these:
“Keep calm and drink a green smoothie.”
Food has the power to nourish us just as much as it has the power to abuse us if we let it. Knowing what I know after years of eating the Conscious Cleanse way, I knew that now was not the time to go astray even though all I could think to do was eat or bake.
As I write this the sun is shining and Colorado’s big blue sky is back so that is good news. Nonetheless, here’s a glimpse of some of the “healthy comfort food” I made over the past 5 days.
- When I wanted to bake cookies, I opted for Elana Amsterdam’s Cranberry Coconut Power Bars, which were delicious. (In full disclosure, a few days later, my 4-year old and I made almond flour double dark chocolate cookies sweetened with honey. As you might suspect, they came out tasting more like hockey pucks, so needless to say, I need some work in that department).
- When it got cold and I wanted something comforting, I made the Conscious Cleanse Curried Carrot Soup, which is extremely nourishing and a family favorite (served over quinoa).
- For breakfast one morning, craving something different, I made a variation of the Acai Chia Breakfast Bowl, adding a handful of Swiss chard and ½ avocado to get in some more greens. I had to fight my 2-year old for the spoon on this one.
- Lastly, wanting something snacky and salty, I turned to the abundance of kale in my backyard and made at least 6 batches of Kale Chips (recipe in our book). These are so addictive (a good addiction to have) and a real crowd pleaser.
The moral of the story is that there are plenty of ways to find comfort from food that are delicious, nourishing, satisfying and good for you!
Boulder and the surrounding areas have a long road ahead of clean up and rebuilding, but we are no doubt stronger as a community because of the 1000-year flood that will go down in history.
Now it’s your turn. What healthy alternatives do you turn to in times of stress? Leave me a comment below. I’d love to hear from you. We’re you affected by the flood? Tell us how you’re doing. We’d love to connect!
With love and green smoothies for our Boulder-community,
