This week we'll explore electrolyte-rich coconut water and how to make eye-catching blue drinks naturally. We'll also delve into a silly baby bird story and reclaiming our own desires.

Eat Colorfully

Seasonal Ingredient Spotlight: COCONUT WATER

As the temperatures warm up, it becomes increasingly important to be more mindful of hydration and electrolytes. If you don't already incorporate coconut water into your routine, why not give it a try? It's relatively low in calories, carbs, and sugar, but is very high in important electrolytes like potassium, calcium, magnesium, and manganese. It's actually one of the best potassium sources in nature. This season, I'm encouraging you to ditch the sugary electrolyte drinks and try natural, delicious, and refreshing coconut water instead.

What can you do with coconut water? The options are endless! It's great served over ice, especially on a hot day. But you can also use it in smoothies, add it to oatmeal, and even use it to make matcha (like this Tropical Ocean Matcha, which is perfect for summer).

Curious to give it a try? Look for coconut water that has ONE ingredient; avoid products with added sweeteners. There are some nice carbonated options too, which are fun for a hot afternoon.

Try This Week: NATURALLY-COLORED BLUE DRINKS

Have you ever wanted to make a cocktail for a party that really captures attention? Or a matcha latte that awes your brunch guests? If so, then how about trying a BLUE drink? Blue cocktails, mocktails, lattes, and smoothies are eye-catching, whimsical, and fun. They're total show-stoppers at an event and will have everyone snapping pictures.

And no, there's no food coloring needed. Instead, you can make blue drinks naturally using a very unique (and healthful!) edible algae called blue spirulina. I recently published a really fun new guide to making drinks with blue spirulina on my blog, which is filled with tips, tricks, examples, and specific recipes.

Given that this weekend is the unofficial beginning of summer, why not try a blue drink? I just shared this whimsical Blue Vanilla Lilac Matcha Latte, which would be perfect for a warm morning. Or, if you're mixing up some cocktails for a party tomorrow, this brand new Mermaid Cocktail is sure to impress.

Live Colorfully

In the Natural World: BABY BIRDS (IN OUR BEDROOM WALL?!?)

I'm beyond excited to report that the bird family who nests in our bedroom wall every spring is doing great. In fact, their eggs hatched two weeks ago (on May 11). I've been delighted every day since then to hear the little chicks chirping happily as mom and dad bring food into the nest.

Yes indeed, we have birds living in our wall (I acknowledge that this is a bizarre thing to allow in one's house). This is their eighth spring with us. They're European Starlings and they enter through a hole in our siding created by a woodpecker. Their nest is between the drywall and the outer wall, so we can hear them but not see them. Every spring I track their hatch date and their fledge date; I also spend countless hours sitting outside and watching the parents swoop in and out with food, and eventually watching as the chicks start poking their heads out of the nest.

Any bets on what day they'll fledge this year? I have seven previous years of data, so I have my own personal guess. The number of days the chicks spend in the nest is pretty variable year-to-year though, so we might be surprised.

A Podcast to Explore: ZEN FOUNDER, RECLAIMING DESIRE

When is the last time you did something purely because you WANTED to? Are you able to listen to your own internal desires, or do they get drowned out by societal expectations, other people's desires, and guilt?

This week, I listed to a really thoughtful podcast that I wanted to pass along: episode 406 (May 16) of Zen Founder. In this episode, Dr. Sherry Walling (who is a clinical psychologist) explores how we often override our own wanting in favor of making the decisions that other people expect from us. In particular, she asks how often we use the phrase "because I wanted to".

This podcast made me contemplate the process of growing up from childhood and how we're taught (by society, by adults in our life) that our own wants are somehow impolite. As children, "I want" is usually one of the first phrases we learn, and we use it loudly and proudly for years. But somewhere along the way, people tell us that "I want" is selfish, impolite, or presumptuous. We're taught to ignore (or at least to hide) our own desires.

Obviously there's a middle ground here, and we of course need to think about others. But sometimes it's okay to truly listen to our own yearnings, and to let them guide our decisions. So this week, I challenge us all to do something for ourselves and then to happily and without shame justify it with "because I wanted to".

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Thanks for joining me for this issue of Eat Colorfully, Live Colorfully! I'd love to hear from you, so please feel free to reply with questions, thoughts, or requests. If you missed a previous issue, you can view all my newsletters here. Have a great week!