Spring Feast on the Equinox!

Planning a healthy meal is simply more fun and makes most sense when done in conjunction with the changing cycles of nature. It's time to celebrate Spring and our bodies with delicious and healthy recipes that honor this great time of balance and rebirth.
Why not plan a Spring feast?



The spring (or vernal) equinox is one of the four great solar festivals of the year. Day and night are equal, poised and balanced, but about to tip over on the side of light. The spring equinox is sacred to dawn, youth, the morning star and the east. The Saxon goddess, Eostre (from whose name we get the direction East and the holiday Easter) is a dawn goddess, like Aurora and Eos. Just as the dawn is the time of new light, so the vernal equinox is the time of new life.

It is a day for all to celebrate longer daylight hours,
returning warmth and the start of planting.

So, what's on the menu for your Spring Feast?

Here's some food for thought. A Spring feast typically incorporates foods associated with birth or new life, including eggs (the promise of new animal life), seeds (the promise of new plant life) fresh greens finally growing again after a long winter, sprouts, fresh vegetables and fruits with lots of seeds.



How about a giant fresh greens salad with spinach and dandelion greens, sprouts and strawberries, sunflower seeds and some goat cheese?


You can dress it with a mixture of olive oil, vinegar, mustard, lemon, and sea salt.


Wonderful Spring veggies include asparagus (also an afrodisiac!), squashes, tomatoes, Spring onions and lettuces. Some people also include a roots soup (potatoes, carrots, beets and other roots that keep well throughout the winter) to pay respects and bid farewell to the winter veggies that keep well in the cold.




Deviled eggs are always a big hit at an Equinox feast, but you can also hard boil your eggs and decorate them to dress up your table and then add them to your salad later.

Fresh milk, cheese and butter are often present at a Spring feast to represent that young goat and cattle are being born and these foods are more readily available. If you're serving meat, lamb and fish are the traditional Spring feast choices.

Sprouts of any kind and grasses such as wheatgrass and barley grass are perfect symbolic foods and packed with nutrients and phytochemicals that ignite your immune system. You can juice them and serve them with dinner or add them on top of your salad.

Don't forget seeds! Sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, caraway seeds, pumpkin seeds! They are delicious raw or roasted and can make a great snack as well as represent new life.


Ritual and Celebration


Have fun with creating your Spring feast.

- Decorate your table with candles, greens and fresh flowers.
- Ask your guests to each bring a food that reminds them of Spring.
- Invite each guest to plant a seed of an idea for what they hope to cultivate or create for themselves in the coming season.
- Try to balance and egg on its end!
- Teach your children the importance of adding meaning to your nourishment.

Most importantly, give thanks to mother Earth for providing all that we have and for continuing to grow new plant and animal life to sustain us.

Happy Spring Equinox! Have a great feast!

Deborah

SPRING CLEANSING

Spring is in the air!
As we approach the Vernal Equinox, we can feel our bodies’ subtle (or not-so- subtle) cries for balance. The time has come to shed winter layers and come out of the darkness into the light!

We feel an energy building inside us to connect with that sensation of potential energy surrounding us: the snow melting, the days getting longer and the first signs of new green peeking up at us from the earth.

Buds on trees are preparing to burst into new life and flowers are pushing themselves up through the soil. In no time we will be basking in the warmth of the sun again!

What does your body need at this exciting time of transition?

Are you anxious to get moving and feel your muscles toning and trimming again?

Have you noticed any particular cravings at this time of year?

Have you ever considered a Spring cleaning for your body that mirrors the one you will most likely do for your closet?

Spring is the perfect time to cleanse away toxins and impurities that have been taking up valuable real estate in your body throughout the winter months. There are wonderful health benefits to cleansing including: relieving stress on many of your vital organs, increased energy, clearing out toxins that can lead to discomfort and disease in the body, and more time to accomplish your goals.

A cleanse can range from a gentle pulling back from your normal diet to remove chemicals and processed foods, to a full-on fruit and vegetable juice (liquid only) diet.

As a part of your cleanse you may choose to include a trip to the bath house for sauna or massage, a colonic, or a specific yoga regimen. Cleanses can be done solo or in a group for support and can be altered to suit your personal schedule or dietary needs. A cleanse doesn't have to be something that you suffer through either! It can be fun and full of activities and education that set you on a path for maximum overall health leading into the warm weather seasons.

What are you letting go of at this time of year?

During any transition, it is a valuable process to check in with the needs of the physical self and find systems of support to help us maximize our energy and make the most of every day. If you are considering a Spring cleanse for the first time, make sure to do so with the support of a health professional or nutritionist who can guide you in making the strongest choices for your body.

For information about a Guided Spring Detox & Cleanse Program, please visit Deborah’s Holistic Nutrition website.