CULTIVATING WELLNESS at Home
This spring couldn’t come soon enough! I’m so excited to finally get outside and start gardening and playing outdoors with my kids. I don't know about you, but I'm in need of a spring refresh, in the home and for my mind/body. As a mother and designer, I’ve become very health conscious and passionate about using natural materials and finding safe and beautiful products for my family and in our home. In my postpartum journey I’ve become even more health conscious, enlisting my great friend and talented health professional, Lauren Good of Lauren Good Wellness, to guide me on my wellness journey as a mother of two. Lauren has changed my mindset and helped me make lifestyle changes that are actually attainable and sustainable. She has been an incredible teacher and partner over the last few weeks and we've covered so many aspects of my health, so I wanted to get her take on wellness in the home and share a few takeaways on how to lead a more wellness-focused life where it all begins: at home! Keep reading for more including a Q&A with Lauren and quick tips for how you can start your wellness journey today.
Q&A WITH HOLISTIC HEALTH COACH LAUREN GOOD
As a certified Health Coach, Lauren Good believes in the power and strength of women to change their lives, as it relates to health and wellness. Her goal is to help women evaluate every area of their life so they can make changes that are simple, straightforward and last a lifetime. Helping women feel happy, confident, energized and full of life brings her immense joy. Lauren offers her clients a safe place to feel seen and heard as they embark on their journey to wellness. Clients can expect guidance, openness, curiosity and gentle accountability throughout their time with her.
“Creating a sense of wellness in your home, however you see fit, will affect your mood, productivity, happiness and dedication to a wellness lifestyle.”
How do you help your clients promote health and wellness in their homes?
Lauren: A very vital, but often overlooked part of creating and nurturing a wellness lifestyle is creating space - both physical and emotional - for wellness rituals and routines to unfold. I encourage my clients to build a physical space within their homes that motivates them to carry out their personal health journey. This space does not have to be complicated or expensive, but should promote relaxation and self-care. Important to me are: lots of natural light, living plants, soft and warm textiles, incorporating a speaker system to play music, space for exercise/informal movement, open and closed storage spaces like natural weave baskets are also important so that the space is free of clutter and organized, a serene color-palette, and a scent (via candle, diffuser, essential oils, etc.) that is soothing to your soul. Being able to enter this space when you feel a sense of frenzied energy or overwhelm and come back to yourself will help you stay true to your wellness goals. Instead of running to the pantry for a snack in stressful situations, or yelling at your spouse or kids, I urge my clients to retreat to their wellness space for a pause to regain a sense of control and calm.
How does beautiful living translate to the world of health and wellness?
Lauren: I believe strongly in the idea of making mealtime beautiful. As busy women and mothers, balancing children, partners and careers (among a million other things), it can be hard to carve out time for meals, let alone sitting down and creating an enjoyable dining experience. However as challenging it may be, taking time for yourself to sit down to a quiet and calm meal surrounded by beauty is so important for your physical well-being. So many of my clients tell me that they skip meals altogether or shove food down their throats while standing over the sink with 2 kids hanging off of them. When you eat in that sort of scenario, your brain barely has time to register that it consumed nutrients, and you may leave the meal feeling unsatisfied which can lead to uncontrollable snacking and less-than ideal choices later in the day. When you don’t satisfy your physical and emotional hunger in a real way you will end up binging on junk food later when the kids are asleep and you finally have a minute to yourself. To combat this, I suggest building even just 10-15 minutes of time into your morning and afternoon for a peaceful breakfast and lunch. It’s non-negotiable and it’s built into your calendar. If that means you have to wait until the children are at school or napping in the morning to have a real meal, that’s what it means! You could wake up with water, coffee/tea and a piece of fruit, and hold-off on a proper breakfast until you have the time to make it special. This could mean finding a placemat that brings you joy, buying beautiful dinnerware and serve ware, designating a certain coffee mug just for you or placing a single floral stem in a small vase to place on your table during the meal. Bring a sense of meaning, beauty and ritual to your meals and see how it changes your health journey!
Where is one place you would tell your clients to invest at home if wellness is an important part of their lifestyle?
Lauren: Investing in a water filtration system in your kitchen for fresh, clean water. Hydration is an integral part of a wellness journey!
What are a few small changes people can make in their homes right now to make a big impact?
Lauren: I love to keep fresh herbs out on the counter. It inspires healthy nourishment, fresh cooking and the scent is wonderful and spreads throughout the entire kitchen. I also love non-toxic, soy-based candles throughout your home to create a signature scent (Flamingo Estate and NETTE). Creating a sense of wellness in your home, will affect your mood, productivity, happiness and dedication to a well-lived life.
To learn more about Lauren and inquire about her Health Coaching Programs, click here.
LAUREN’S CELEBRATION OF SPRING SALAD
This salad celebrates fresh ingredients that become bountiful in spring. Asparagus and peas, fresh herbs, and crisp gem lettuce inspire a reinvigorated approach to your wellness journey. The jammy-eggs provide satiating protein while the baby new potatoes lightly coated in Primal Kitchen mayonnaise feel ultra-nourishing and delicious!
INGREDIENTS
· 2 1/4 cups of clean "new" potatoes.
· 1 sprig of fresh mint
· 2 hard-boiled eggs
· 1 1/2 cups asparagus
· 1/4 cup cooked green peas (frozen are ok)
· 4 TBSP mayonnaise (I recommend Primal Kitchen brand)
· 1 Granny Smith apple, chopped
· 2 spring onions, finely sliced
· 1 TSP capers
· 2 TBSP olive oil
· 1 TBSP white wine vinegar
· 1 head of little gem lettuce, split in two
· 3 handfuls of fresh, soft herbs (parsley, mint, chives, tarragon)
DIRECTIONS
1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the potatoes, sprig of mint and 1 TSP of salt and simmer for about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and discard the mint.
2. Bring another pot of water to a boil. Chop the asparagus sprigs into three and boil for 3-4 minutes until just tender. Scoop out with a slotted spoon and refresh them in cold water.
3. Bring the water back to a boil and add in the frozen peas with a small pinch of sugar. Cook until just tender and drain.
4. Toss the cooked potatoes with 2 TBSP of mayonnaise and the chopped apple, spring onions and capers.
5. Whisk the olive oil and white wine vinegar together, season with salt and pepper and use this to dress the lettuce and herbs, along with the cooked asparagus and peas.
8. Spread the remaining 2 TBSP mayonnaise on the bottom of the plate, top with the potatoes and dressed salad. Halve the eggs and place on top.
9. Garnish with extra herbs.
LAUREN’S ORANGE, GINGER & TUMERIC DETOX TONIC
Lauren recommends making this or a similar type of hydrating tonic 3-4x a week. She suggests drinking upon waking or right after a large, 16-oz glass of water. She loves this recipe for its healing and hydrating properties. The Ginger is anti-inflammatory and helps soothe the tummy; The Turmeric is a relative of ginger, and also fights inflammation, boosts immunity and has antioxidant properties. The lemon is detoxifying and refreshing. It can help jump-start your digestion if taken in the morning. Lastly, the orange is packed with vitamin C and potassium to aid in hydration, and is great for your immune system
INGREDIENTS & DIRECTIONS
· 1 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice (usually 3-4 large oranges)
· 1/2 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice (usually 2-3 large lemons)
· 1 TBSP of freshly grated turmeric root
· 1/2 inch of fresh ginger, crushed
· 1/4 cup filtered water
Combine all ingredients in a blender. Strain and serve over ice with a sprig of fresh mint.
To learn more about Lauren and inquire about her Health Coaching Programs, click here.
IN OUR STUDIO
Connecticut Country House
We are so excited to share that we recently broke ground on our Connecticut new build. Follow along at #CONNECTICUTCOUNTRYHOUSE on Instagram- it’s going to be a good one!
WESTPORT LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
In case you missed it, we were honored (and surprised!) to see Grace land the cover of the April, 2023 Westport Lifestyle Magazine. Check out the full feature here or pick-up your own copy on newsstands now.
Photography for this newsletter was provided by our friend Chloe Steinberg of Cookies & Steak.