by Sam Tackeff | Dec 31, 2016 | Wellness
Ah, New England winter. The season of slipping on the ice, freezing through your boots, getting trapped in 12 feet of snow, and braving horrific public transportation. Oh and that feeling that becoming a complete shut-in is a good alternative to braving the bitter cold outdoors and the general societal grumpiness. It’s no joke. At the onset of every winter here I feel like throwing up a big SOS flag and jetting to the nearest warm place to hibernate for the season.
But because I’ve committed myself to living here (at least until I figure out a better idea) I make it a habit to roundup ideas big and small to get me through the seasonal shift and help me actually enjoy myself through the holidays, new year, and the big freeze. I’m a strong advocate of self care (and teach an e-course on it) and am my best self when I actually plan and visualize ideas before being threatened by the winter blues. Here’s this year’s list:
Food and Drinks to Ease the Chill
Weekly chilis, stews, and braises. Chili is a staple in my household – it’s holds high on the family favorites list. Tori Ritchie’s Braises and Stews, and Molly Stevens’ All About Braising are two seasonal favorite cookbooks.
Winter citrus. While you can pick up citrus all year long in the supermarkets, it’s my favorite time of year for it, and I make time to celebrate the season. A box of clementines or grapefruit overload take the edge off of the weather and always make me cheerful. I love Jamie Oliver’s clementine curd, and Jennie’s clementine, honey, and olive oil cake do the trick.
The Warm Boozy beverage. Mulled wine, hot nog, hot toddies, or my favorite: a shot of baileys in a mug of boiling water. On my to-cook list this month is my own homemade Irish Cream inspired by the brilliant Smitten Kitchen.
Revisiting Habits and Routines that Keep Me Healthy
Up the self-care routines; revisit old routines, habits, and streaks to see if there are ones that I’ve dropped that I’d like to go back on. Re-committing to a weekly number of sweaty workouts, upping the yoga classes, and planning out fun fitness activities help. I also try to make more time for meditation, embrace some “Woo”, and surround myself with green plants. I made my own self care bingo printable to encourage myself to keep up with the small self-care activities that make a big impact.
Simplify where you can! Fall back on some simpler routines – for me that’s shopping once a week instead of several, and re-committing to the “home court habits” that Darya Pino talks about in Foodist. Not just for nutrition but for overall health.
Take advantage of the new year’s momentum. Just because the majority of people fail their seasonal resolutions, doesn’t me that we all have to! Take advantage of the momentum and set some smart health and fitness goals for the year. Mine include training for a longer triathlon, consistent weight lifting and strength training, a faster 5k, and beating this year’s gym trip record.
Winter Tips for House and Home
Hot hands winter warmers. I acquired an entire case of them (before someone pointed out that actually you can get reusable ones). On the plus side, these are great for grab and go, and stashing a few in my car.
Seasonal housekeeping – I like to do some basic seasonal house care tasks as a way to usher in the change in weather. I’m not Martha Stewart, so you won’t see me going overboard with the winter homekeeping, but some basics are a great start. For me, this included doing some Marie Kondo wardrobe assessments, and taking on some household projects. This month it’s making a good 72 hour emergency kit for our home.
Candle season. I pick up a bunch of plain candles (unscented preferably, as I prefer not to inhale chemical fragrance) at Ikea and Trader Joe’s. I light a bunch of them in an area where they won’t burn the house down. These are also a useful part of our emergency stash incase the power goes out in winter.
Need more ideas for self-care this winter?
Download my handy dandy Winter Self Care Bingo printable:
by Sam Tackeff | Nov 22, 2013 | Lists, Random
This week I’ve been thinking about relaxation, and how I’m not very good at it. While I advocate self care to everyone I know, I’m not always as good at taking care of myself. Self care need not be about doing the right things all of the time, but it is about doing the right little things most of the time. Here are some of my most recent small comforts that I rely on to stay healthy and happy.
Small Comforts
1. Flowers – small, beautiful, colorful flowers. I don’t need to buy myself roses, or even a large bouquet – a single stem usually does the trick. But if you like bouquets, by all means, go all out!
2. Hot Water Bottle. I fill mine and put it under the covers to warm up the bed before I get in at night.
3. Slippers. I have the Wicked Good Moccasin from L.L. Bean. Classic. Warm and toasty.
4. Chai Hot Chocolate. I tried the kind from Starbucks this week, even though I don’t usually purchase their sweetened beverages. I was seduced by the red cups. It wasn’t terrible. (Usually I make my own with black tea, spices, and cocoa.)
5. Hot water with ginger and honey. I try to drink hot water all day long. Ginger and honey when I need a little zip.
6. Verbena Tea. I steep verbena leaves in water (technically a tisane.)
7. Baby Cacti (and other succulents). Nothing I do will kill them, and they remain bright and happy on my windowsill.
8. Eggs. In the kitchen, always.
9. Grapefruit. With a little sprinkle of maple sugar on each half. A coworker today mentioned that she had never had grapefruit. I am concerned for her well being.
10. Chocolate. For curing all the things.
by Sam Tackeff | Jan 8, 2011 | French Fridays, Lists
[First there was ‘Tuesdays With Dorie‘, where each week food-lovers across the internet united to bake a recipe from Dorie Greenspan’s ‘Baking: From My Home to Yours‘. And now Dorie is out with a wonderful new cookbook ‘Around My French Table‘ where she shares her favorite French recipes, and I’ve decided to cook along. Check out French Fridays with Dorie if you’d like to join the fun.
This week’s recipe is Dorie’s Paris Mushroom Soup (p.72), a warming soup for a cold winter day. The ingredients: butter, onions, garlic, mushrooms, rosemary, parsley, white wine (or sherry) and stock are minimal, but provide great depth of flavor. Instead of as suggested over a little salad of mushrooms and herbs, I added Rancho Gordo christmas limas to my soup, and a little swirl of Bariani olive oil. In accordance with ‘French Fridays With Dorie’ rules, I’m not posting the recipe – you must buy Dorie’s book to get the details. But believe me, it will be money well spent.]
Gretchen Rubin, author of ‘The Happiness Project‘, asked in this week’s happiness challenge: “Are there little things in my life that I can do, that can make my life happier?” Rather than tackling massive problems, so much good can come out of making tiny changes, and keeping up with them regularly.
While I don’t write out specific resolutions each year, I do write lists for myself regularly, and find that I get more done by doing so. Lists make it easier to live purposefully. Instead of watching life pass me by, lists help me spring into action. Some of my lists are short, easily manageable tasks, others contain lofty goals for my lifetime.
I also like my lists to be flexible. Rather than write out resolutions, I chose a word of the year that can be applied to all aspects of my life. This year’s word is Habit. Habits are the little changes – the rituals – that help me do more.
This winter, my fascination with books has overtaken my fascination with food, for the moment at least. When I feel an inkling… I find it fulfilling to throw myself into things. I’ve been reading, and reading, and reading, so much that at times I think my head will explode. I’ve started a new 52 books project, which at this rate might become 150 books, although I suspect I’ll need to take a break now and then.
I’ve been making a bigger effort to journal, document and blog. I’ve found inspiration here about journaling. I’ve been attempting to take more photos and to take better photos.
After moving to San Francisco, I found myself forgetting rituals that I’d held dearly for years. There was something about the less pronounced seasonality perhaps – each season here is fleeting, blink, and it’s gone. So I started a list for that too. Here is my list for winter:
:: Winter To-Do List, 2011 ::
1. Make home-made Biscoff Spread.
2. Decorate the house with succulents and grass.
3. Winter dinner at Ad Hoc.
4. Work on my 2011 Happiness Project.
5. Bake parsnip fries. More than once.
6. Read! Write! 52 books project.
7. Make space for new books, dust book tops.
8. Flush drains with boiling water.
9. Clean out my closet, again.
10. Go through catalogs and magazines to recycle.
11. Drink hot chocolate. With marshmallows. (Home made, preferable).
12. Spelunking! (Antique shops – for vintage spoons and bowls, that is.)
13. Send Valentine’s day greetings a la Julia Child.
14. Plan a spring trip to a geologically significant area.
15. Continue X-Files Marathon. (Yes, I missed out when it was actually on TV.)
16. Broil a grapefruit with brown sugar.
17. Hunting! *For white ceramic animals.
What are your plans for this new year? Do you have things that you like to accomplish in the winter time?
