Category Archives: BALANCE

5 Community Organizations Fighting to End Homelessness

The San Francisco Chronicle together with a coalition of other San Francisco media outlets recently led a media blitz addressing the ever-present problem of homelessness in the Bay Area. The campaign immediately went viral in print and online, lighting up headlines in national newspapers and inspiring other communities across the U.S. to redouble their efforts in the search for solutions.

Homelessness is a human issue that affects all segments of society, coast to coast, urban, rural, and everything in between. Homeless Americans are not the fictional too-lazy-to-work deadbeats and dangerous addicts of TV and movies: They’re our mothers, sons, spouses, widows, teachers, soldiers, employees, and community members; and indeed many houseless men and women are members of communities who are demonstrably more vulnerable to poverty and exclusion.

In the midst of our renewed national outrage over the more than half a million men and women who sleep on the streets each night, let’s applaud the big names like United Way and the National Coalition for the Homeless for their tireless efforts to bring housing security to every American.

But let’s also remember the little guys, those defying their much humbler budgets and capacities to serve the groups most at risk of becoming homeless in the local communities we all call home across the country.

Here are five of those organizations.

 

Project Homeless Connect

In the city where the homelessness epidemic regularly makes headlines, Project Homeless Connect is striving to provide basic services and the overlooked necessities of daily life to the women and men of San Francisco living life without a roof over their heads.

Of the many organizations working to combat homelessness in the Bay Area, Project Homeless Connect stands out for its attention to human detail. Striving to offer “holistic care in a dignified setting,” PHC goes beyond the standard housing and job training services to offer everything from haircuts, to wheelchair repairs, to providing people with the opportunity to call friends and loved ones on the phone. Neglected health and mistreatment of the body and the emotions are obstacles to finding employment and stability, and PHC’s success shows that paying attention to these details pays off.

project homeless connect
Photo courtesy of Project Homeless Connect.

If you live in the Bay Area, you can volunteer a few hours of your time to anything from assembling personal hygiene kits to participating in outreach walks; or you can make a monetary donation here.

 

Lost-n-Found Youth

Lost-n-Found Youth in Atlanta, Georgia is working to rescue the hearts and lives of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youths who together make up 40% of the nation’s homeless youth population.

Their 24-hour hotline is available to youths in all situations, and their six-bed, 90-day housing facility does its best to ease LGBT adolescents’ transition as they cope with fleeing or being forced out of their homes, placing teens and young adults in host homes until they’re able to support themselves. Alongside these services, Lost-n-Found works to provide clothing and food for young people stuck on the street, as well as mental health counseling and assistance recovering vital documents like birth certificates and ID cards that are too often withheld by families and present obstacles to gaining employment.

Lost-n-Found is currently seeking to triple their transitional housing capacity in order to serve more of the young people who find themselves feeling lost and discarded in the streets. You can make a donation to the cause; or if you live in the Atlanta area, volunteer a few hours of your time to empower young people and assure them that it does get better.

 

5 Star Veterans Center

Since 2012, the Five Star Veterans Center has been working to get homeless veterans in the Jacksonville, Florida area “mentally and physically healthy enough to return to work, reunite with families, and regain control of their own lives.”

Many veterans return from deployment to find insufficient healthcare structures in place for issues like PTSD and the physical disabilities that often prevented them from finding employment. Five Star Veterans Center seeks to combat this with its two residence programs: the Passport to Independence program and a mental health counseling initiative, both laid out in detail on their website. Their approach seeks to provide our veterans with safe housing, meals, and assistance obtaining VA benefits and medical care while also offering mental health and job training services to help them to return to work.

veterans
“A child of a New York area Coast Guard service member waves the American Flag while marching in New York City’s Veterans Day Parade, Nov. 11, 2013.” Photo by DVIDSHUB via Flickr under CC BY 2.0.

Five Star Veterans Center is a young organization funded primarily by individual donations, which you can make here. Jacksonville area residents can also volunteer their time in roles ranging from fundraising to computer assistance.

 

A Child’s Place

Too often, children in families experiencing homelessness watch their grades plummet and eventually drop out of school, lacking the stable support structure necessary for learning and a good education. A Child’s Place wants to change that reality for children in the Charlotte, North Carolina area.

A Child’s Place’s mission is “to erase the impact of homelessness on children and their education,” seeing this as one of the best intervention points for making real strides against homelessness. To make this investment in their community, the organization provides food, school supplies, and other necessities to minimize interruptions to the child’s life in the midst of an experience with homelessness, while also working with families to help them gain employment and housing.

If you want to invest in ending homelessness by ensuring all children get an education, you can donate here, or volunteer your time with A Child’s Place in their Charlotte office.

 

Michigan Ability Partners

Up to a quarter of men, women, and children living on the streets are mentally or physically disabled, left to struggle untreated or undiagnosed on sidewalks and back alleys. Michigan Ability Partners is working to support this population in southeast Michigan by creating opportunities for disabled persons and other at-risk groups like veterans in the area.

Aside from traditional housing support and services, MAP offers services like its Transitional Work Program and social enterprise work initiatives, which provide the men and women they work with with an income while building the crucial work experience that many have never had the opportunity to gain. MAP also maintains a vocational program to assist with job placement, and permanent supported housing to disabled persons struggling to escape chronic homelessness.

homelessness
Photo by Helen Taylor via Flickr under CC BY-NC 2.0.

To support Michigan Ability Partners in offering inclusive and empowering services, you can make a donation here, or learn about volunteering your time or supplies here.

 

Interested in learning more about homelessness in the United States and what you can do about it? Take a few minutes to read up on the 10 most essential stories from the San Francisco media blitz and what’s been learned from them. You can also take a hands-on approach by making homeless helper bags, or browse through the national directory of organizations working against homelessness to find out how you can start making an impact in your home community.

7 Simple Tips to Help Reach Your Fitness Goals

Trying to reach a fitness goal is difficult, and when we hit a plateau, we often look at tweaking the complicated stuff first. While there isn’t a ‘trick’ or a pill that’s going to speed up your progress, there are basic tweaks you can make to your routine that will greatly affect your chances of success. Sometimes it’s the most basic elements, like staying mentally motivated, maintaining a steady pace, being prepared, and enjoying yourself, that will keep you advancing toward your target, whatever it may be. Here are seven simple ways to help you continue making progress on your quest for better health.

 

1. Pace yourself

Once you’ve decided on your fitness goal, you might plan 6-7 days a week of cardio, classes, lifting weights at the gym, going all in all at once. That’s a great goal to work towards, but abruptly forcing yourself into a routine that’s difficult to maintain will come with a tough adjustment period and make it harder to stick to your commitment. If you don’t give yourself the proper downtime and recovery, you’re also at higher risk for injury and exhaustion, both of which will restrict your physical abilities until you’re recovered.

Start with just a few days a week and begin incorporating more days as the weeks pass. It will be less of a shock to your body and to your schedule. In the end, you might be the one dedicating six days a week and 3 hours a day to your fitness, but there’s no need to rush it – you’ll get there when you’re ready.

tired woman jogging

 

2. Pick a gym that’s on your way

If you’re just now getting a membership at a gym, or are able to switch your current location, find one that’s between work and home, on your way to your kid’s school, or near another location you frequent daily. Find something that’s in your way so it’s staring you in the face when you try to make excuses to yourself for skipping out on your fitness.

And while we’re on the topic of gyms, try to stay away from focusing on spending the least amount possible. Think about an item you’ve invested in, perhaps an expensive purse, or a nice piece of jewelry. You treat that item differently than other less expensive ones, understandably, because it’s worth more to you. You keep it in a dust bag, or in a secret place, and you would be upset, distraught even, if it were lost or ruined. But losing the faux leather purse or costume jewelry found in the same drawers wouldn’t really bother you.

If you spend a negligible amount on your gym membership, then the days you don’t ‘take advantage’ of it (the days you skip) won’t seem like a big deal to you, whereas an investment in your gym (personal trainer, nicer gym) will make those skipped days feel like a blow, not only to your program, but to your wallet.

woman driving

 

3. Plan your meals

‘Meal prep’ isn’t just for bodybuilders. Everyone can benefit from planning out the meals they’re going to eat throughout the week and preparing them all at once. It will keep you on track when you’re hungry and tempted by junk, and you’ll also save time and money when compared to eating out. Pinterest is a great resource for finding healthy meal recipes that can be cooked all at once and split up for every day of the week.

If meal prep feels too intimidating, or you simply don’t have the time, a healthy meal delivery service that suits your nutrition needs is no longer just for the rich and famous, nor does it have to taste like cardboard. Do your research and find one locally that will deliver you a variety of flavorful meals a few times a week. Frozen meals just won’t taste as good and if you get sick of them, it may derail your healthy eating plans, so Yelp ‘meal delivery’ in your area and find something fresh.

Image courtesy of Fork and Knife Kitchen
Image courtesy of Fork and Knife Kitchen

 

4. Think outside the treadmill

With so many different ways to get into better shape, there’s no reason to force yourself to do something day in and day out that isn’t any fun. If you like music and dancing, check out fitness dance classes. If you’re looking for a little more zen in your workout, swimming or yoga, while low impact, are excellent forms of exercise. If you want to prove to yourself that you’re a badass (we already know you are), sign up for a mud run with a friend and train for it like it’s your job.

You might think most of the people you see in amazing shape hit the weights every morning at 5:30 am with a cardio session a few hours later (and some of them probably do), but that doesn’t mean you have to follow their routine to get into the best shape of your life. Your fitness and your body is yours – no one else’s – and how you get it where you want it to be is entirely up to you. Anything that gets you consistently moving your body and makes you feel accomplished and happy will help you reach your physical goals.

woman flipping tire

 

5. Track your progress

Whether it’s keeping a journal, taking progress photos, or maintaining a log from a FitBit, keeping note of how you are achieving small milestones is key to making it to the end result. Finding motivation daily is necessary to stay interested and focused on your path and when you don’t have something concrete to look at or reference, it’s hard to stay motivated on your own.

On days when it feels like you aren’t making any progress, say, you strayed far from your nutrition plan over the weekend or a cold kept you off your feet for a few days, you’re inevitably going to feel down on yourself. Being able to look back to each small moment of success in your journey will remind you that there are always ups and downs and that each time you’ve fallen, you’ve gotten back up.

© Vadymvdrobot | Dreamstime.com - Woman Using Activity Tracker Photo
© Vadymvdrobot | Dreamstime.comWoman Using Activity Tracker Photo

 

6. Find a workout buddy

Find someone who enjoys the same workouts you do, maybe a friend or even someone new you meet at the gym, who might be following a similar workout regimen. Set a meet up time or try brand new classes or activities together and help each other reach your goals.  It’s a lot more fun, provides another way to be accountable to your commitment, and you’ll expand your social circle at the same time.

women mud run

 

7. Get comfortable being uncomfortable

You’ve heard it before: if you want something you’ve never had you’ll have to do something you’ve never done. That means that along this journey, you’re going to do things and feel things, emotionally and physically, that exhaust, pain, and frustrate you. There are going to be days that you tell yourself the reason you’re uncomfortable and frustrated is that you’re not cut out for this, but that’s just another excuse to quit, i.e. stay exactly where you are, which is where you don’t want to be. If it were, you wouldn’t have set these goals in the first place. So whenever that sneaky little voice comes into your head, remind yourself that you’re uncomfortable because you’re changing, and that means you’re making progress.

workout woman tired

 

It isn’t easy to stay dedicated to fitness and nutrition goals at first, but keeping a few simple things in mind can help you create a plan that’s easy to incorporate into your lifestyle and help you remain on course. And if you happen to stray, don’t fret; the ability to pick up where you left off or even start over when necessary is just as important as hard work and commitment and will make you appreciate your journey even more once it’s complete.

Say Hola to Mezcal

Have you met tequila’s slightly more diabolical cousin, mezcal? If your palette has grown from frozen swirl margaritas, to rocks with salt, to sipping straight as an aperitif, mezcal might be your next stop.

The potent spirit comes from Oaxaca, Mexico’s culinary capital, home to such famous savory delights as mole sauce and Oaxaca cheese. Like tequila, mezcal is distilled from the extract of the agave plant. Whereas tequila is made exclusively from blue agave — its production and labeling are governed by laws similar to those for wine — mezcal can be made from 11 different varieties of agave, resulting in a wider array of flavors. Mezcal gets its signature earthy smokiness from fire-roasting the plant for two to three days in underground pits prior to distillation.

Mezcal packs such a smoky punch, it can be off-putting to the uninitiated. Think of it as splitting the difference between a good tequila (like Herradura) and a peat-intensive Scotch (such as Laphroaig). When choosing a mezcal, look for the type of agave used to make it. The most widely available category is espadin, which is rich in sugar with subtle fruit and floral notes — a good choice for mezcal newbies. Another common variety is tobala, which has a minerality and brininess along with bolder fruit flavors.

If you’ve never experienced mezcal, try it straight. Sip slowly to experience the full range of complex flavors. If you’re ready for some mezcal mixology, give one of these tasty cocktails a shake. ¡Ole!

 

Cocktail recipes The Happy Burro Mezcal

Instructions: Combine ingredients in cocktail shaker and stir to combine. Strain into martini glass garnished with lemon twist.

 

Cocktail recipe The Smoky Negroni Mezcal

Instructions: Combine liquid ingredients in a cocktail shaker over ice. Shake vigorously; strain into chilled glass garnished with orange twist.

 

Cocktail Recipe Sangrita Mezcal

Instructions: In a large pitcher or punch bowl, combine all ingredients except for sparkling water. Allow mixture to sit overnight. Top with sparkling water and serve chilled.

 

Cocktail Recipe Oaxaca Old Fashion

Instructions: Combine liquid ingredients in cocktail shaker over ice. Shake vigorously; strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Holding a lit match over the glass in one hand, quickly squeeze orange strip (orange side facing the flame) until oils spark. Drop orange peel into cocktail and serve.

 

Cocktail Recipe Mexican Grasshopper Mezcal

Instructions: In the bottom of a chilled glass, muddle mint leaves until fragrant. Combine liquid ingredients in a cocktail shaker over ice. Shake vigorously; strain into glass. Add one squeeze of fresh lime juice. Serve garnished with additional mint leaves, if desired.

You Have Body Image Issues, and That’s Okay

Finding a reason to love ourselves is not as easy as most people think. For some, it may come as human nature. But there are many people out there who find it an everyday battle to face the mirror, much less find something beautiful in what they see. And no, if you’re experiencing it, that doesn’t mean you’re a defective creation of this universe. Body dysmorphia is one of today’s familiar concerns in both men and women. But people who don’t identify as man or a woman, and those who don’t prefer labels also deal with body image issue just as equally.

shutterstock_373003033

I asked author-poet Ashe Vernon about it. An out and proud agender person, Ashe has been vocal about the various issues society is facing today, including body image.

Ashe Vernon
Ashe Vernon

 

For starters, how would you describe a body image issue?

I think it’s anytime someone is unhappy with their body; it can be weight-related or gender presentation- related or any number of things.

 

What can you share about your personal experience with this?

I’ve had issues with body image my whole life. For me, body image gets even more complicated because I’m both overweight and agender, so I’ve had all different kinds of dysphoria when it comes to my body. But honestly, one of the very first things I can remember was being at a sleepover when I was in middle school. All the other girls there were slender and beautiful and I was chubby and kind of awkward. The girls all started tying their t-shirts up to show their stomach. I laughed and made a joke when I did it too, and most of the girls laughed at whatever I had said. But I’ll never forget the girl who turned with this disgusted look on her face and said “please DON’T”. That’s the first time I remember feeling actively ashamed of my body.

I was bullied in elementary school, too, for my weight. There was an older boy who used to follow me around singing “she’s Roly Poly Oly, she’s small and fat and round.”

 

Did you have any self-denial about it?

I think there was a period of time right when I started college where I tried to convince myself that I was “over” my body issues. After all, I’d worked SO hard to love my body, and I think I saw it as a personal failure if I relapsed into self-loathing. I wasn’t willing to admit that it was going to be a life-long process with ups and downs. I was also a theatre major, watching all of the best female roles go to girls with tiny waistlines and that was discouraging, and made it feel like trying to climb a tower of sand. I spent a huge part of my college years convinced that no matter how much I loved my body, nobody else ever would.

What’s the process of trying to understand these issues like?

For me, the first thing I did was remove the word ‘ugly’ from my vocabulary. I made an effort to find something beautiful about every single person I saw, even if it was just a small thing. Instead of mentally criticizing the people around me, I praised them. She had gorgeous hair and he had a genuine smile and her blouse looked great on her. After a while, the positives started to outweigh the negatives, in everyone. A little while longer, and it started to become easier to see the positives in me.

 

Was it easy to get friends and family on board? How much has changed since you became more open about it?

Without a doubt. These days, I have a very supportive network of people in my life. I don’t let negative influences into my personal circle. Even on the days where I don’t feel all that beautiful, there’s always people who love me and who accept me for who I am.

 

Can you describe what a bad day and a good day look like?

These days, bad days aren’t quite as bad as they used to be. Usually when I know I’m having a bad day I try to avoid mirrors and be gentle with myself. If I catch myself being overly critical, I redirect my attention to something else and distract myself from it, and usually by the end of the day I’m at least calm if not positive. But it’s taken me a lot of years to get to this point.

A good day has me glowing. Some good days I’m wearing makeup and other good days I’m not, but those are the days when I have no doubt in my mind that I’m beautiful and worthy of love.

 

Is there one thing about body image issue that you’ve already conquered but is still sometimes knocking on your door?

The hardest thing for me has always been my breasts. I’m a 38FF, so they’ve caused me a lot of grief throughout my life. On top of the back pain and just general inconvenience of having large breasts, not to mention how many men in my life have blatantly stared at them while talking to me, but also when I was younger I hated them because I felt like they made me look even bigger than I was. I had friends of similar body types but smaller breasts and I always felt like they looked more slender than me.

But it went deeper than that, and for a lot of years I had trouble understanding. As I started to figure out my gender identity, I realized that part of my hatred for them was tied into that.

I’ve put a lot of work into accepting my body for it what it is, but sometimes I still struggle accepting them. Honestly, I’m planning on getting a breast reduction once I can afford it.

 

What is your current perception of a “perfect body”?

Every body is perfect.

 

Anything you want to tell women dealing with body image issues?

You’ve been brought up in a world that tells you that you were intended to be consumed–that you should be pleasing and fit into the mold that was made for you. It’s not true. Your body is already perfect because it’s already yours. Loving yourself is so much more important than any dress size.

 

 

Google has 22.5 million results if you search “body image issues” and almost 10 million if you search “how to deal with body image issues”. But more often than not, we don’t really need a how-to guide. Sometimes, we just need a raw voice. Like Ashe’s. Sometimes we just need to know that someone out there is living in this dysfunctional world we call home, and they are doing okay. And we will do okay too.

 

Note: Ashe prefers gender-neutral pronouns  (them/their).

You Can’t Expect People to Like Everything You Create

It takes a good amount of courage to get yourself to share your work in public. And by public, I mean family, friends and the rest of the world. Many of us tend to shy away from this idea because we’re too consumed with “What if they don’t like it?” or “What if I actually suck at painting/writing/etc?”

When I was in the process of convincing myself to share my poems on Instagram, I used to refer to the little voice in my head as “toxic voice.” But now, I don’t think it’s that toxic. I think it’s part of how this process works.

I’m starting to believe there are three stages in the Creating & Public-Appreciation relationship:

First is when you create and hide your work from everyone.

Second is when you create something and you’re actually ready to share it but are anxious about the reaction, and afraid no one would react at all.

Third is when you create, screw up, keep creating, sharing it to the world and don’t care whether or not they appreciate your work.

Time and time again, I find myself on the second stage of said relationship. It’s probably the most difficult to get past. With the kind of world we live in today, it seems innate for us to expect our social media followers to like, comment on, and share our work. And when we don’t get the public appreciation we expect, day after day, it can be borderline frustrating.

But how do we work our way around this and learn how not to expect so much from our followers?

I asked Jon Westenberg about it. Jon is a writer, entrepreneur, and founder of Creatomic. I first encountered his work through Medium and I’m in awe of how he talks about vulnerability, imperfection, and pretty much anything and everything most people today are afraid to discuss.

Jon Westenberg
Jon Westenberg

What have you been creating for the past 5 years? And at what point in life were you when you realized you were on stage three of the Creating & Public-Appreciation relationship? How did it feel, realizing that?

I’ve been working on a lot of things – the most public, obviously, being my blog. I think it’s safe to say that I’m definitely on the third stage of the creative relationship – at this point in my life, I make what I want to make, when I want to make it. I’ve spent years, absolutely years, stressing about how an audience is going to receive my work, and whether or not it’s good enough. I’ve wasted, and thrown away so much creative work out of that crushing fear, and I realized that it was preventing me from growing in any way!

How did you get past the stage where every like and every page view matters a hell of a lot more than it actually should?

Sure, so a big part of it, was just being mean to myself. I know that’s going to sound pretty negative, but it’s true. I have this system where I’ve started blocking my analytics platform throughout my week, and only view it once every seven days. That’s tough to stick to, but it means I can’t keep checking and rechecking and getting too caught up in the clicks and the views!

What’s your take on the idea of “if my product/output didn’t get as much interaction from the public, then it’s probably a sign I’m not good at it”?

I think that if you always give people what they want, you’re going to end up with a lot of shallow fans – because you’ve never given them what they need. You’re going to be the McDonalds of content creation, where everything you make is tasty, and delicious, but if it’s all people consume, it’s going to destroy them. That’s the way I’ve always seen it.

Do you think public appreciation and negative feedback differ from someone monetizing his product and someone who isn’t?

I don’t think that’s entirely possible. I think public appreciation affects everyone the same, whether they’re a small fashion blogger on Instagram or Kanye West – negative feedback still hurts the same and positive feedback still buoys the spirit!

Is there a generic, cookie-cutter way of describing success?

I like to think of success as being relative. For example, one of the most successful bands ever, in my view, is a band called Fugazi, an alt-rock and post hardcore group from Washington DC. They never reached mainstream status, never had a hit song, and they turned down million dollar contracts – as a result, they were never superstars. But they appealed to, and found love in the audience they wanted. It’s the same with any creative work –  your success is only dependent on what you’ve determined to be your metric.

Throwback to when you were on stage two of the Creating & Public-Appreciation relationship, did you have angry moments like “I have 30,000 followers… why is this post getting only 50 likes?!” If so, how did you deal with it?

Oh, constantly. I still have those moments. Essentially, I just think well, it doesn’t really matter. Because 50 people is still a lot of people who liked my work. Here’s an interesting fact – Rihanna has over 120 million fans on social media – but only sold 450 thousand copies of her last album. That’s just the way it goes.

What are your tips for managing public appreciation expectations?

I think you have to expect that not everyone will like everything you do – and understand how positive that can be, because you’ll always be challenged by different points of view on your work. I think the real trick to being able to live with that, is realizing that some people will hate anything. There were reviewers who thought the Great Gatsby was a piece of sh*t when it was first published. As long as you’re making the work that you love, public reaction doesn’t have to dictate or control you. It can be useful, but it’s never the end of the world.

Jon Westenberg
Jon Westenberg

Getting all those fancy hearts and re-shares is definitely a great thing. Having more sales this month than last month is definitely something to celebrate. But at the end of the day, it’s actually just us, the art that we love and we do, and the people appreciating it – be it 10 people or 1,000 people. There are tons of products out there and millions of people post stuff online everyday. To get even five people to like your work – that is something.

5 Cocktails to Make at Your Summer Soirée

The days are getting long, lazy and hot. The perfect way to cool them down or spice them up is with a summer soirée. The last thing that should happen at your party, however, is you stuck behind a bar. You’re the host, not an on-call mixologist. Enter big batch cocktails. We asked some of our favorite bartenders to share the recipes that top their summer extravaganzas. From a Passion Pom Margarita to a Blueberry Maple Lemonade to a Sparkling Sangria, there’s a festive cocktail for every summer weekend BBQ, beachside bonfire, clambake or whatever else you’re throwing this summer.

 

Passion Pom Margarita

Passion fruit is having a moment. The small, oval, purplish red fruit is the number one flavor of margaritas according to Cassandra Rosen, who creates recipes for Soltado Tequila. And as we all know, margaritas are the ultimate summertime party drink. Rosen combines pomegranates with passion fruit for a cocktail that is chalk full of antioxidants, great for the “red” in your Red, White and Blue Independence Day plans and of course ready to party.

passion pom margarita by Soltado Tequila
Passion Pom Margarita by Soltado Tequila

Serves 8-10 cocktails

What you’ll need

8 oz. Soltado Spicy Añejo Tequila

16 oz. Passion fruit juice (like Ceres)

1/3 cup Fresh Lime Juice

2 tbs. Pomegranate Grenadine Syrup

2- 12 oz. Bottles Dry Ginger Beer

Garnish: Orange Slices and Fresh Mint

 

How it’s done

Mix the first four ingredients in a pitcher, chill overnight. To serve, fill a punch bowl with the passion fruit mixture and stir in ginger beer. Garnish. Serve over ice in mason jars or tall glasses, filled with ice.

 

The Leonardo Punch

Brandy cocktail doesn’t exactly conjure up images of the beach; but brandies actually make a great cocktail base for punches. This Leonardo Punch uses apple juice to balance out the brandy’s heaviness, while the citrus and cardamom give the drink depth and the ginger ale a pop. Make a big batch for that summer bonfire when you’ll be up all night talking around the fire.

The Leonardo Punch
The Leonardo Punch

Serves 6 cocktails

What you’ll need

2oz of lemon sugar

8 1/2 oz of clear apple juice

8 1/2 oz of ginger ale

4 oz of Amaro Lucano

4 oz of Brandy

4 bar spoons of bitter cardamom

citrus slices

 

How it’s done

Place 60 ml of lemon sugar, 250 ml of clear apple juice and 250 ml of ginger ale in a punch bowl. Add 125 ml of Amaro Lucano and 125 ml of Brandy, four bar spoons of bitter cardamom and last add the citrus slices.

 

Sparkling Sangria

Celebrating always calls for something sparkling. And while mimosas may own brunch, they’re not the only bubbly you can toast summer with this year. Simple, yet chic, this sparkling sangria from Arizona’s Salty Sow is basically summer in a glass. Light and refreshing, the effervescent, bright and fragrant elderflower and hints of citrus taste of long, lazy days. Consider it an easy departure from your old brunch standbys.

Sparkling Sangria by Salty Sow
Sparkling Sangria by Salty Sow

Serves 4 cocktails

What you’ll need

8 oz. of Elderflower Liqueur

4 Lemon Slices

4 Orange Slices

4 Grapefruit Slices

1 bottle Sparkling Wine

4 Purple Basil Leaf

Garnish Red and Green grapes

 

How it’s done

In a shaker glass, add liqueur along with fruits, basil and ice, and shake  it. Pour it into a glass and top with sparkling wine. Garnish with red and  green grapes.

 

Blueberry Maple Lemonade

Make summer even sweeter with a fresh maple syrup drink. Omni Hotels & Resorts is celebrating the sweet nectar from the mighty maple tree with maple syrup cocktails, and this Blueberry Maple Lemonades proves maple syrup is not just for breakfast. Made from Tito’s vodka, blueberry puree, fresh lemon and amber maple syrup, you can enjoy nature’s bounty with a bit of booze. The maple adds depth while the lemon cuts through the sugar.

Blueberry Maple Lemonade by Omni Hotels
Blueberry Maple Lemonade by Omni Hotels

Serves 4 cocktails

What you’ll need

6 oz. Tito’s Handmade Vodka

4 oz. Lemon Juice

4 oz. Maple Syrup

1 oz Blueberry RE’AL Puree

Garnish: Skewered Blueberries + Lemon Moon

 

How it’s done

Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake moderately and strain into an iced plastic cup. Garnish.

 

Summer Garden

Give your summer soirée a bit of Gatsby era glam with a gin cocktail. No extra work required. Simply throw all the ingredients in a shaker, shake and strain, and full up that pitcher for cocktails even the choosiest flapper would approve. The refreshing finish of the Rutte Celery Gin marries perfectly with lemon grass and ginger tea, creating a cocktail that can stand up to the hottest of days so you can dance the night away.

Summer Garden by Rutte & Zn.
Summer Garden by Rutte & Zn.

Serves 6 cocktails

What you’ll need
2 pints Rutte Celery Dry Gin
2 pints lemongrass ginger tea
2 slices of cucumber
2 mint leaves
1 pint honey water; 2:1 honey to water.
Extra cucumber slices and mint leaves for garnish

 

How it’s done
Shake all ingredients and double strain into a Coupette or Martini glass, or build in a pitcher to share with friends. Garnish with a cucumber slice and mint leaves.

Day it Forward – July 2016

We believe that every individual has the ability to make a difference in our world, and we want to give our readers a chance to bring attention to a cause that is important to them.

Every month, we will ask you to submit the charity of your choice (send submissions to contact@beyondwords.life with “July Day it Forward” in the subject line). Tell us what the charity is about, why it is important to you, and anything else you feel is important to share.

Your submissions will be reviewed by bestselling author Sylvia Day and she will select one to personally contribute to for the month. The selected charity will be featured in the next month’s Day it Forward to bring more awareness to its cause and allow for readers of Beyond Words to donate as well.

The submission chosen for the month of July is Equality Florida.

Equality Florida

Equality Florida consists of two organizations – Equality Florida Institute, Inc., our 501(c)(3) educational charity and Equality Florida Action, Inc., our 501(c)(4) advocacy organization. Together, these organizations form the largest civil rights organization dedicated to securing full equality for Florida’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. Through education, grassroots organizing, coalition building, and lobbying, we are changing Florida so that no one suffers harassment or discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Sylvia will be donating $1,200 to Equality Florida. You can donate, too, here.

If you would like to submit a charity to Day it Forward for the month of July, please send submissions by July 25th, 2016 to contact@beyondwords.life.

Start the Morning with Toast: Healthy Recipes for Breakfast

Nutritionists often stress the importance of a hearty, healthy breakfast – a difficult rule for most of us in the midst of a chaotic morning. Most weekdays, we’re lucky if there’s time to grab an apple before hitting the road. This can wreak havoc on your metabolism and overall productivity throughout the rest of your day. Next time, try these quick, healthy toast recipes before reaching for the butter.

 

The Apple-tizer Toast

Apple-tizer toast
Apple-tizer toast

What you’ll need:

White, rye or wheat bread

1/2 granny smith apple

1 tablespoon apple butter

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Spread apple butter. Thinly slice apple and place on top. Lightly sprinkle cinnamon and enjoy. Optional: Top with granola or nuts for extra crunch.

 

Sweet and Sour Sunrise Toast

Sweet and Sour Sunrise toast
Sweet and Sour Sunrise toast

What you’ll need:

Sourdough bread

2 tablespoons small curd cottage cheese

1 peach or nectarine

1 basil leaf

A touch of salt and pepper

Wait for toast to cool before spreading cottage cheese. Top with sliced peaches or nectarines (or fruit of your choice) and add basil. Add salt and pepper for flavor.

 

Caped Crepe Toast

Caped Crepe toast
Caped Crepe toast

What you’ll need:

Whole grain wheat bread

1 large banana

1 tablespoon hazelnut spread

2 tablespoons granola

1 tablespoon chia seeds

Top toast with hazelnut spread. Thinly slice banana and layer on top. Sprinkle granola and chia seeds for texture.

 

Jam-Boree Toast

Jam-Boree toast
Jam-Boree toast

What you’ll need:

wheat or rye bread

1 tablespoon strawberry jam

1/2 cup raspberries

1/2 cup blueberries

1/2 tablespoon chia seeds

Spread jam. Top with fresh raspberries, blueberries and chia seeds.

 

Cordial Crunch Toast

Cordial Crunch toast
Cordial Crunch toast

What you’ll need:

whole grain wheat bread

1 tablespoon peanut/almond butter

2 tablespoons mixed nuts of your choice

1 tablespoon raisins

1 tablespoon granola

Spread peanut/almond butter. Top with your choice of nuts and raisins with a dash of granola.

 

Eggomaniac Toast

Eggomaniac toast
Eggomaniac toast

What you’ll need:

Sourdough or wheat bread

2 tablespoons liquid egg whites

1/2 cup fresh kale

pinch of black pepper

2 teaspoons grated parmesan cheese

Fry egg whites in nonstick pan until fluffy. Top with fresh kale, pepper and light parmesan cheese.

 

Much Ado About Avocado Toast

Much Ado about Avocado toast
Much Ado About Avocado toast

What you’ll need:

Wheat or rye bread

1 ripe avocado

2 teaspoons feta cheese

1 tablespoon sliced almonds

Blend one half avocado until it is a spreadable paste. Spread like butter and dice other half of avocado. Place on top with feta and almonds.

 

There’s Something About Berry Toast

There's Something About Berry toast
There’s Something About Berry toast

What you’ll need:

1 tablespoon cream cheese

1/2 cup fresh mixed berries

1 tablespoon granola

Optional: 1 teaspoon fresh or grated basil

Spread cream cheese evenly, place berries and granola on top with basil (optional for extra kick).

6 Female World Leaders Shaking Up the System

As Hillary Clinton prepares to officially clench the Democratic nomination at the convention on July 25th, she joins the ranks of women around the world who are shaking up global politics by fighting their way into the driver’s seat and steering their countries in a different direction.

Including two reigning queens who inherited their titles, halfway through 2016 there are currently 21 female heads of state and government among the world’s 197 countries.

Of the six women below, three are the acting leaders of their countries, two others are rapidly blazing the trail to become such, and another is battling for democracy against an attempted coup. Five are or will soon likely be the first woman to hold her position, one of whom being the first person ever to hold the position she single-handedly created to insert herself into politics and bring justice to her country. One is a pirate, another an unmarried academic, and another has evolved from scratching at to pounding against the glass ceiling over the course of the last two decades.

What they all have in common is that each woman, simply by existing unapologetically in the public eye, is a living counternarrative to local and global cultural narratives that tell us that leadership is men’s work.

Angela Merkel: Leading Europe by Way of Berlin

Officially she’s the Chancellor of Europe’s largest economy. Unofficially and in all reality, she’s something closer to President of Europe.

There are few political leaders in the world right now with as much power as Germany’s Angela Merkel, who’s jumped into the international spotlight with her role as “the Decider” during the Eurozone crisis, and again more recently with her controversial leadership of the European Refugee Crisis.

Forbes has not only named her most powerful woman in the world an incredible nine times, but she currently comes in at #2 on their list of most powerful figures in the world. News headlines are screaming about how her support has dropped, down to 45% as of last month; but in Germany’s multi-party parliamentary democracy, with six major political parties currently in its parliament, that’s a strong number going into her 2017 reelection campaign.

 

Tsai Ing-wen: Taiwan’s Tough New Leader

Tsai Ing-Wen of Taiwan may be the woman on this list with the most “firsts” behind her name: Not only is she the first female president of Taiwan, as well as the first Taiwanese president of indigenous descent, and the first Taiwanese leader to take such a distinctly assertive position toward neighboring Mainland China, but she’s also an unmarried female.

During her campaign, Mainland Chinese officials smeared her for her “extremist” views, not because she’s fiercely pro-LGBT rights or nearly as fiercely anti-Beijing, but instead warning the Taiwanese of the dangers of having an “emotional” unmarried woman lead their government.

Ing-Wen was once in favor of clearing up Taiwan’s “it’s complicated” relationship status with China by breaking it off completely, but now she may have moderated her tone a bit. While Ing-Wen has been politically careful with her Democratic Progressive Party’s known pro-independence politics, she’s pushed the envelope further toward Taiwanese independence than any of her predecessors.

 

Dilma Rousseff: Transforming Brazil and the Global South

Dilma Rousseff is a titan in global economics and poverty reduction. The suspended President of Latin America’s largest population and economy, Rousseff and her party have led Brazil to lift an incomprehensible 30 million Brazilians out of poverty in a short two decades.

Rousseff’s contributions begin nearly 30 years before she became Brazil’s first female president, when she fought against and was later jailed and tortured by the ruling military dictatorship that took over Brazil in 1964. In 2016, this time in the name of preserving the democracy she helped to create in Brazil, she’s fighting a parliamentary coup attempt in an impeachment case being carried out by her political rivals. As her impeachment hearings begin, Rousseff continues to publicly fight against the interim government of her rivals, the first government made up exclusively of white men in Brazil, more than half of whose population identifies as Afro-Brazilian.

 

Birgitta Jónsdóttir: Iceland’s Potential Pirate Prime Minister

In the wake of the Panama Papers scandal, Iceland’s (now former) Prime Minister Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson, was among the first to fall, leaving a vacancy to be filled in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Nothing’s official yet, but all Icelandic eyes are on a figure that’s expected to make Iceland’s next eccentric leader, a woman who will be a first in many ways.

While Iceland’s glass ceiling was already broken by Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir in 2009, Jónsdóttir is maybe most remarkable for being the leader of Iceland’s Pirate Party, a pan-European movement focused on internet security, freedom of expression, and government transparency beyond all else. While the Pirate Party has had some success in European elections, it looks like Iceland’s answer to financial scandal will be to vote in the first Pirate-led government in Europe, and Jónsdóttir is leading up the effort.

 

Aung San Suu Kyi: Fighting for Democracy in Myanmar

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi spent most of living memory under house arrest, and now she’s leading her country into a more democratic future.

In 1990, she and her party won an astounding 81% of seats in parliament, but the ruling military dictatorship nullified the vote, instead placing Suu Kyi under house arrest for 15 years between then and 2010. Ever since she’s stepped back onto the political stage in Myanmar, the nation has made its longest and most promising strides toward democracy under her guidance.

Due to a technicality of the Myanmar constitution, Aung San Suu Kyi is ineligible for the office of president—her late husband and two children hold UK citizenship, legally disqualifying her for the job. However, after becoming the first female Minister of Foreign Affairs after the 2015 election, Suu Kyi helped create a new government position, First Counsellor, from which she’s now calling the shots de facto in Myanmar.

 

Hillary Rodham Clinton: First Female Leader of the Free World?

Like some of the other women on this list, Hillary Clinton hasn’t quite made it to her country’s highest office yet, but in 2016 it’s the world’s worst-kept secret that she’s very likely headed that way.

Clinton has been a US Senator representing New York, as well as President Obama’s Secretary of State, but long before filling those roles, she emerged in the 1990s public eye as President Bill Clinton’s First Lady. Rewriting the rulebook of the traditionally ceremonial position, Clinton made herself known as one of the President’s closest advisors, and took on meaty policy issues like universal healthcare that many of her political opponents deemed inappropriate territory for the First Lady.

Ever since becoming the first prominent, assertive woman in modern American politics, Clinton has suffered high disapproval ratings from an American electorate unaccustomed to seeing strong women asserting themselves in positions of power. But just as these other five women have broken the mold in their own cultures, carving out spaces for women’s voices in public discourse and decision-making, Clinton has done the same, with her career and in famous retorts like “would you ask a man the same question” when asked in an interview about her favorite clothing designers.

Current polls give Clinton the distinct upper hand going into November’s election, taking a turn for the better after President Barack Obama’s recent endorsement of her, in which he said that “I don’t think there’s ever been someone so qualified to hold this office.”

It’s no coincidence that the countries these women represent find themselves leading the way in social and economic progress around the world. As more presidents, prime ministers, activists and CEOs add their names to lists like these, we can only hope that these women will leave behind a political culture in which women are empowered to participate, and in which the world’s 3.5 billion women have more than 21 global leaders speaking on their behalf.

Unique Summer Recipes to Bring to a Party

We have all racked our brains over what to bring to a summer cookout or potluck event. You want to be creative and not have to ask the host what to bring, but if you don’t, you run the risk of showing up with a duplicate dish. Welcome to your cookout nightmare: You arrive to your event and just what you did not want to happen happened – someone else also brought a boring potato salad. Could this get any worse? Absolutely! Your potato salad is not a hit, meanwhile people cannot get enough of the other one.

Here are a few of my favorite recipes that are sure to impress so you never have to worry about bringing another boring dish.

 

CALDO DE CAMARON

I bet you didn’t know you were getting a Spanish lesson today! Caldo means soup and camaron means shrimp. This dish is a Mexican shrimp soup served chilled. It’s a perfect dish for hot summer months, but don’t let it fool you – it still packs some heat!

caldo de camaron shrimp soup

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

Jumbo shrimp (deveined, cooked and peeled)

vegetable juice

lime juice

lemon juice

1 bundle cilantro

2 red tomato

1 red onion

1 garlic clove

red hot sauce of choice (best with Valentino, Tapatio, or Cholula)

Avocado

 

PREP: chop cilantro, dice tomato, dice onion, finely chop fresh garlic

HOW TO: Use vegetable juice as base; add about 2 oz of lime juice and 3 oz of lemon juice. Add all prepped ingredients including shrimp. Add hot sauce to preferred level of spiciness, and salt or garlic salt to taste. Let chill. Avocado is best sliced and added immediately before serving.  Don’t forget to bring bowls!

 

PINEAPPLE MANGO CEVICHE

You won’t be the only person to show up at the cookout with a dish requiring tortilla chips to dip, however I guarantee you’ll be the only one to show up with this delicious twist to a classic favorite. (You could also make this a simple mango pineapple salsa by just leaving out the seafood.) mango pineapple salsa

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

Your choice of seafood (best with shrimp)

1 whole mango

Diced fresh pineapple

1 bundle cilantro

lime juice

lemon juice

red onion

salt

1 jalapeno (optional for added spice)

 

PREP: Cook seafood. Let chill while marinating in lime and lemon juice. Dice mango, red onion, and chop cilantro. If using jalapeño, chop finely.

HOW TO: Once seafood is chilled and marinated combine all other ingredients. When adding pineapple, add about an ounce of pineapple juice, and salt to taste. Keep chilled until served. Best served with plantain chips or tortilla chips.

 

ELOTES SUMMER SALAD

Elotes are Mexican street corn on the cob. With this dish we’re forgetting the cob for ease of serving as a salad.

mexican grilled corn

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

Corn on the cob (every 6 serves about 4 people)

Cilantro

crumbled cotija cheese

1/2 garlic clove

2 limes

Tajin seasoning salt

mayonnaise

PREP: Shuck corn, chop cilantro, chop garlic

HOW TO: Grill Corn (you’ll want to see about 15% of each cob grilled to blackened) and remove kernels from cob. Lightly coat with mayo, and begin to mix in garlic, lime juice, and desired amount of Tajin seasoning salt. Top with or mix in crumbled cheese, and garnish with a generous amount of finely chopped cilantro. Serve chilled.

 

CINNAMON SUGAR HUMMUS

Sure, it’s a favorite of many that is sure to make its way through the door at any cookout but is any of the hummus homemade? I’m guessing not, and it’s probably not a dessert hummus, either!

apples cookies dip

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

1 can chickpeas (rinsed and drained)

1 oz lemon juice

1 tbsp tahini

1 tbsp granulated white sugar

3 tbsp cinnamon

1/2 oz olive oil

1 oz water

 

HOW TO: Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth; let chill. That’s it! Best served with apple slices or cinnamon sugar pita chips. Also good as a spread for warm pita bread.