3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica
Oh holidays, when all those jazz-y christmas renditions and eggnog lattes attack the chinks in our armor. The holidays make me leave character, turning me into this gregarious alien eager to celebrate with friends and fam and go to crowded, noisy places. Maybe some of you share my weakness, so how in the world can we make it to December 26th crash-free?
As long as you take part in any holiday festivities, the bill always seem to comes on schedule, like a carrier pigeon carrying a death note even though it flew from miles away. You know the signs: the sore throat that spells the worst kind of panic attack known to mankind, the brain overexcitement that won’t shut up all night, the unusual achiness the next morning, all of which lead to days in bed watching The Christmas Story on TBS…and not because you still find it as funny as you did when you were in the womb.
So is it all worth it? Call me what you want, but I never think a crash is worth it (unless I’m still in the process of making it happen.) What hasn’t been talked about enough are ways to celebrate fully without killing ourselves or doing things halfway.
Instead of A. swimming or B. dipping your feet in the water while everyone’s swimming, why not C. soak in the mineral bath and sip on a tall glass of…creamy turmeric tea? (See below)
One of my most battle-tested ways to celebrate without inhibition is being a gastronome. I used to be a foodie pre-illness, but it’s really cranked up of late. Binging on tasty (but healthy) food and drinks is still binging, making me feel like I can one-up everyone else at the party without ever leaving my sofa, unless it’s to hit up the buffet line. Please call me fat. If you can relate to this, please continue reading. If you were hoping for an invention that lets you dance without moving…check back in a year.
United Plates of Turmerica
Turmeric © by Steven Jackson Photography
The theme of the week is Turmeric. Yes, that Turmeric which is better than drugs for Rheumatoid Arthritis, and a stronger antioxidant than Vit E and C. Its immune boosting props might ward off the sore throat when someone coughs from 50 feet away, you microbe magnet. What about taste? If you’re a curry person (and I don’t mean good at flattery), turmeric is the core of curry powder. But let’s admit it: authentic Indian food takes about a jillion spices to make, and the convenient spice packets are never organic. This week I’m gonna give you 2 quick-and-easy ways to indulge in Turmeric, a statement that makes you wonder if I’m smoking too much Turmeric:
1. Turmeric Hash
No not that kind of hash..Putting you on the naughty list this year. It all started when I was eating a sweet potato a day and realized no one told me I had to eat like a Kitavan tribesman. Here’s how I went from Mr. Potatohead to Explosion of Flavors:
- Chop up 1 sweet potato. (Make sure to remove the skin!)
- 1 avocado sliced up, or about 3 tablespoons of guacamole
- 1 tablespoon of Turmeric (or curry powder)
- salsa to taste
- Heat up your choice of oil in a pan, (I used coconut oil because it makes everything better!)
- After it melts, throw in everything else and stir
- Done! What was that, 5 minutes? (You can add eggs and/or any meat to this — carnitas go really well)
Turmeric Hash with Egg
2. Turmeric Creamy Tea
Eggnog latte? Screw you! But you know what won’t screw me? A creamy dairy-free beverage at night that doesn’t launch my neurons into orbits of caffeinated insomnia. This was inspired by Mark’s recipe. My head also starts orbiting when I see long lists of ingredients so I really wanted to simplify his version. Here’s how you can get a “creamy mug of warming deliciousness” without hurting your eyes going through the spice rack:
- 1 hot cup of coconut milk (or 1 heaping tablespoon of coconut butter, not oil, blended with 10 ounces of water)
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- dash of ground pepper (to activate the healing properties of turmeric)
- a dash of stevia
- Stir until the turmeric is no longer grainy
Creamy Turmeric Tea
That’s it! This is my 1-minute alternative to eggnog. Throw it in a mug, put on some snoopy PJs, and grab happiness by the balls when everyone gets drunk off the eggnog punch bowl.
