10 Simple Truths to Cut the Stress Out of Life

Life undeniably has a way of becoming a whirlwind at times. Add a family and a full-time job into the mix, and you've got a EF-5 tornado on your hands! Some weeks, it seems like smooth sailing and you pride yourself on your ability to multi-task and kick butt at life; other days, it feels like being trapped under a waterfall, gasping for air. Because of life's marvelous curve balls that inevitably test our will, sometimes it's not a matter of eliminating all stress, but learning to manage it and prepare ourselves for the impending rough waters.

A few weeks ago, I was enjoying a relaxing family vacation with my sweet son at the beach. Life couldn't have been more serene: we started our mornings off with sunrise yoga, took leisurely strolls along the shore collecting seashells, enjoyed daily arts & crafts and napped together every day. When we returned home to our usual routine, both Rylan and I were so out-of-whack with our schedules that it was causing him to feel frustrated and lash out and in turn, I wasn't able to process the effect that this normal toddler behavior was having on me amidst my mad scramble to catch up on my workload from my time away. We were both hitting a wall and I knew I had to do something quickly. I started putting my mindfulness reading into effect and came up with a simple list of guidelines to help combat some of the normal stressors that come with this beautiful gift called life.

1. Take time to do 15 minutes of yoga in the morning and 15 minutes at the end of the day to wind down. Not only does yoga stretch and work my muscles and limbs, but it gives me mental clarity and inner peace. 
2. Try to refrain from eating in the car. I used to always scarf down my breakfast in the car on the way to work but I realized that it only fueled that "go go go" mentality. Now I take time to sit down and eat, even if for only 5 minutes.
3. Take yourself out to eat on a lunch break at least once a week. Many of us (especially parents) never get a moment to ourselves to decompress. Give yourself that time to reflect and treat yourself, without the kids. 
4. Keep fresh flowers around the house. I cannot emphasize enough the wonders that a blooming bouquet on the kitchen table does for my soul.
5. Take a shower and wash your face before bedtime. Sometimes the days weigh so heavily on us, it's important to wash away the old day in preparation for the new.
6. Prep the night before. Whether it's packing kids lunches or ironing work clothes, the less you have to do in the morning, the less hectic your morning will be.
7. Enjoy family dinners! Not only will it give you something to look forward to all day, but it is quality family time and that is priceless!
8. Invest in a quality air purifier. Reactions to invisible allergens can cause mental fog and poor air intake (leading to fatigue). Air purifiers (including plants like ferns) will cleanse your living space in no time.
9. Limit your time on the scale. Nothing is worth the anxiety of constantly weighing yourself every morning. Go by how your body feels and how your clothes fit and check in on your weight once a week
10. Keep your sink free of dirty dishes! My anxiety levels sky rocket when I come home to a sink full of dishes or if that is the last thing I see before I go to bed. It's just one little thing to ease your mind.

I have also learned that sometimes anxiety can be caused by a deficiency of some sort. I started taking the non-essential amino acid called L-Tyrosine (supplement) and have felt my energy levels skyrocket, my anxiety levels plummet and I am hoping to boost my under-active thyroid as well! If you are feeling general lethargy and fatigue, check with your physician or naturopathic doctor to see what natural remedies would work best for you!

Be Our Guest: Part One of an Innkeeper's How-To Tutorial for Summer Houseguests

The number one question I get asked when I tell people about my experience as an Innkeeper is, “How can we make our home look/feel like a bed & breakfast?” This prompted me to start a how-to guide (with multiple installments of course). The guide will feature ways to make your bed look luxurious, how to make houseguests feel welcome, mouthwatering breakfast and dinner ideas (especially for multiple guests), picnic packing, plate garnishing, gardening tips, décor, and flower arranging 101. 

Today’s post will feature Welcome Basket varieties. My next edition will include diagrams on how to fold a fitted sheet like a pro (because it took me 30 years around the sun to even grasp the concept that a fitted sheet could be folded and not just balled up and thrown in the linen closet), and how to make the bed look like it belongs in a boutique hotel.

Part Un—Welcome Baskets

Making your home as memorable and inviting as possible requires attention to detail when it comes to those little touches. I have found that guests at an inn go bonkers for handmade items/amenities (fresh cookies, little soaps), feeling taken care of (itineraries available, maps, brochures, area guides) and out-of-the-blue gifts or tokens of appreciation. My number one recommendation is to present a welcome basket, either upon arrival or on their bed. The welcome basket can contain a variety of necessities or novelty items, but it shows your guests that you took the time to think of them and ensure that their needs were met from the very beginning.

In the hospitality industry, we understand that you may host many different types of guests (some outdoorsy, some higher maintenance, some foodie, some simple). Their personalities and their weekend itinerary should be reflected in the content of the welcome baskets.

It’s a nice touch to add some local flavor from the area that they are visiting. I live in Lancaster, which is a huge farming community with Amish roots, so I like to throw in seasonal fruits, Amish-made baked goods or jam, and Hershey chocolates (given our proximity to Hershey headquarters). If you live near the beach, it may be more acceptable to include salt water taffy, seashells, boardwalk kettle corn and a few postcards. If your guests are coming for a mountain visit, include local beef jerky or roasted nuts. This will entice your guests to explore the area and give them something delicious to snack on. 

Toiletries are an obvious. If you have people staying with you, it’s usually expected that you will provide at least the first night of toiletries. This can include mini shampoos/conditioners (any dollar bin at Target, Walmart or K-mart), soap (I recommend spending the extra few dollars on a bar of handmade, local soap—maybe a neutral scent like Goats Milk & Honey), a washcloth/tea-towel, and toothpaste are the basics. You can also include a toothbrush, shower cap, loofah, razors, pack of tissues, makeup remover packet, nail file/kit, lotion, eye drops, sewing kit, get creative! Really think outside the box and consider anything and everything small that could potentially make someone’s life a little less stressful if they forgot to pack something.

So you have your basic content: the local treats, the soaps, the necessities. Now it’s time to get creative with the fillers. I tend to lean toward adding two water bottles (maybe Perrier or Figi), or a mini bottle of champagne if they are celebrating a special occasion. Some people add cheeses and half a baguette wrapped in artisan paper, others lean toward candles, fresh flowers or a small potted plant. In my opinion, you can never go wrong with artistically packaged snacks or light reading material/crossword puzzles. Fillers should also include things like the WiFi password written on a nice handwritten card, the local to-do pamphlets mentioned above, any coupons for activities they mentioned doing, and a contact card with your information in case they get lost or run into car troubles. I like providing a description of my favorite restaurants because oftentimes guests want the encouragement to go off on their own for a night.

You got through the hard part of figuring out what to stuff in there—now you have to decide what to put it in! Remember, the key to making a welcome basket look professional is the contrast in sizing. You want to put your taller items in the back to give it some height, shorter items in the front and then a mix of short and tall in the middle. If you need to give the contents more height, boost them with fake straw, moss or even colored tissue paper. A basket should look full but not overstuffed, and if you are lacking in content, then go with a smaller container (maybe a strawberry carton).

 
Necessities:

· Local goodies, fresh fruit, baked goods

· Toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothpaste)

· Washcloth, hand towel, tea towel

Filler Items:

· Misc. toiletries (toothbrush, shower cap, loofah, razors, tissues, makeup remover, nail kit, lotion, eye drops, sewing kit)

· Beverage bottles (Fiji, Perrier, Champagne, wine, soda, cute plastic drinking cup with lid, mug)

· Gourmet snacks

· Candle

· Plant, flowers, herbs for scent

· Magazines, books, crosswords, newspaper

· Local brochures

· Contact card

Basket Ideas:

· Milk basket

· Small crate

· Wicker basket

· Strawberry carton

· Bushel and a peck

· Large tin

· Painted flower pot

· Large jar or canister

· Colorful box

Post Memorial Day Weekend Woes? Beat the Burger Blues with a Tangy Watermelon Avocado Salad

It's Tuesday morning and barreling around the corner comes the emotional “hangover” that comes with the acceptance that you are going back to your routine life after a blissful 3-day Memorial Day Weekend…I was dropping my son off at school this morning and as he sat down at the little breakfast nook, he locked his fingers with mine and said, “Best friends, momm-ay.” I felt my eyes well up with tears knowing that our perfect time together of splashing in the pool, playing Bocce ball and making campfire cones was coming to an end (even though we just planned our weekend wilderness getaway to the Pocono Mountains for late June!).

We spent the weekend at my parents’ house, as their community has a luxurious pool, spa and ice cream bar (err…for the kids, right?). Rylan loved sampling all of our ice creams and playing in the fountain at the shallow end of the pool. In the evenings after we grilled our dinner, we took waffle cones and filled them with marshmallows, chocolates, berries and nuts; wrapped them in foil and tossed them on the grill for a few minutes—Campfire Cones! Be forewarned because the undercarriage of the cone is prone to getting charred—but if you keep a watchful eye on them, the combination is ooey gooey amazingness! I especially delighted in the melted dark chocolate with the blackberries.

The relentless May sun began to do quite a number on my delicate and newly homed peach verbenas and royal purple salvia buds. I ended up venturing to the garden market for the fourth time in a week, bright and early on the morning of Memorial Day in search of a leafy banana plant to shade my
parched plants. The fabulous attendant scoffed at the thought of the poor banana plant scorching in the sun, and sent me home with none other than my absolute favorite plant in the world—a tiny Meyer lemon tree. The Meyer lemon is a phenomenon from China, brought back by Frank Nicholas Meyer in the early 1900’s. It bears similarities to both a traditional lemon and a mandarin orange, and is sweeter and less tart than the lemons we find on the rim of our iced tea. They contribute to tangy cocktails and your mama’s lemon bars will pack a punch at the next Memorial Day BBQ if you use Meyer lemons! Stay tuned as my little tree begins to yield fruit, and we will get into all the joys of making Meyer lemon soaps and curds (and perhaps, a very berry Meyer lemon trifle as well)!

Speaking of tantalizing food—my, oh my were there some amazing dishes churned out this Memorial Day Weekend! My favorite epicurean delights were simple grilled basil & lime grilled shrimp kabob,

tangy strawberry and spinach salad with walnuts; and a mixture of diced watermelon, tomato, avocado, cucumber, balsamic vinaigrette and fresh herbs. 

For the Salad:
1 pack of grape tomatoes, in assorted colors, cut in half
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 cup 3/4-inch-cubed red seedless watermelon chunks
1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and cut into 3/4-inch cubes

For the Dressing:

1 tablespoon chopped mixed fresh herbs, in any combination: basil, tarragon, chives, cilantro, lemon thyme
1/4 teaspoon coriander seed
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Assemble chopped ingredients in large bowl. In separate bowl, mix balsamic, olive oil, coriander seed, and herbs/seasonings and drizzle over the chopped ingredients and gently toss.

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Three-day weekends are a fantastic opportunity to spend rare quality time with your loved ones while enjoying outdoor fun in the sun, but it's also a great time to really, truly feel the gratitude in the depths of our souls toward those who have suffered for us to have those freedoms (and those who continue to sacrifice so that we can maintain our privileges). Carve out time to reflect on where you are in this moment, hopefully with food on your tables and joy in your hearts, and know that you are so very loved--and return that infinite love to others. They say the truest concept of "enlightenment" is to be able to look up at the sky and want nothing more from life than to be where you are; to feel the absence of desire or suffering. Let's all strive to feel a fraction of that calm and content, and project our positivity onto those around us. You are enough.

Sultry Summer Recipe for Turning a Day at the Farmer's Market into a Sizzling Date Night

Social Experiment:

Walk into a crowded room- be it a break room at work, an OBGYN’s office, a salty biker bar, whatever you please…and discreetly utter the words…”Farmer’s Market.” I guarantee about 95% of the occupants of that room will squeal and say, “Oh I just LOOOOVE farmer’s markets!!!” This is because farmer’s markets are a veritable Mecca of local delights, farm fresh produce and an exquisitely opportune time for people watching. And almost every town across the US of A boasts some sort of farmers bazaar. 

Lancaster County is home to the country’s oldest functioning farmer’s market, appropriately named Central Market. As soon as you push open the magnificent side doors, your senses are awoken by the convolution of heavenly aromas: gooey sticky buns dripping with molten cinnamon butter; flowery cardamom dusted delectables from the Middle East stand, the musky perfume of freshly smoked meats and cheeses, the fragrant potpourri of hundreds of colorful flowers transported in pretty papered bouquets up and down every aisle. Wafting in and out of your eardrums are muddled Pennsylvania Dutch exclamations and the sublime sound of the choir singing from the rafters. 

My dream date night would be embarking on a “Market Mystery Basket Challenge.” Once you’ve entered Market, split up and one person visits a spice stand, a produce stand and a cheese stand, and the other selects the meat and additional accompaniments. Remember, you will not be basing any of your purchases off of a pre-planned recipe! Together at home, you can create culinary ingenuity using the random ingredients that you picked up from Market. It would be a brilliant way to fuse teamwork with imagination while supporting local flavor. 

Not feeling inventive? Here's an easy example anyone can do at home!

Protein:
Orange roughy
Vegetable:
Purple Cauliflower
Accompaniments:
Apricot Marmalade
Dijon Mustard
Tarragon
Lemons
Almonds

Apricot and Dijon Glazed Orange Roughy with Roasted Purple Cauliflower Almondine

In a hot pan, melt 2 tbs butter, 2 tsps Dijon mustard and ¼ jar of apricot marmalade. Add in 3 tbs freshly chopped tarragon. Pour over baked orange roughy filets (or marinate them before you cook them). Salt and pepper to taste.

Cut cauliflower into bite sized florets. Toss in a bowl of paprika (or Old Bay), salt and pepper, then squeeze lemon over florets. Place in oven heated at 375 degrees until florets turn golden brown. While cauliflower is roasting, melt 2 tbs of butter in a pan, then add a clove of minced garlic. Sautee slivered almonds in the pan and remaining lemon juice. Pour mixture over roasted cauliflower florets. Serve with fingerling potatoes tossed in olive oil, fresh chunks of garlic and rosemary.

End your evening with a light vanilla panna cotta with mango mousse and a crisp glass of Chenon Blanc under the stars and that, my friends, is a recipe for bliss.