Around this time of year, this time of pumpkin hunting and turkey serving and family and lights and sweets galore, we hear the word gratitude quite a bit. And so, we would like to speak about something else, a close relative to that of gratitude: mindfulness.  Well, specifically, mindful eating.

Mixed Bean and Winter Squash Stew with Fresh Basil

I woke up this morning, had a green drink with frozen blueberries sprinkled in, wedged myself into tied running shoes, and hit the nature trail in Mountain Park.  There really is something to moving the human body.  There really, really is.  Promise. 

The green drink.  Yes.  The kale, the spirulina, maca, mango, apple, chia, olive oil, juice of orange...yes.  The green drink.  

In the summer, we are blessed with the berries.  These little gems are packed with flavor and flavonoids.

*Side Note:  In more digestible, hah, terms, flavonoids are natural chemicals found in plants, fruits and vegetables.  They belong to the antioxidant-rich polyphenol family and are also known as phytochemicals. All flavonoids are antioxidants, but some have greater properties than others, depending on their chemical structure. 

And so, we have the berries... balck raspberries, blueberries, cherries, blackberries and strawberries!  A quick sketch of the berry profiles...

Black Raspberries:  Fighter of oral, esophageal and colon cancers.

This morning, I woke up to an overcast sky and luscious vegetation beaming and peering into the bedroom windows from outside.  It amazes me that these dense poles of wood which stand like statues through the fall and winter months can create such a dissimilar material during the other half of the year.  It is the nature of nature.  Gratitude.