This week we'll explore tasty kumquats and an anti-inflammatory turmeric hummus. We'll also delve into a beautiful podcast episode about conquering the fears that prevent us from living big and some healthy travel tips.

Eat Colorfully

Seasonal Ingredient Spotlight

Now that we're through Super Bowl and Valentine's Day, how is a foodie supposed to find joy in late winter? My answer: citrus! Citrus is at the height of its season now and is such a bright, sunny spot in these late-February days. Today I'm excited to celebrate my absolute favorite citrus: kumquats.

You've probably heard of this delightful little fruit before; they're essentially tiny oranges. They're deliciously tart, absolutely beautiful, and the best part is that you can eat the skin. Yes, that's right, the skin is very thin, very flavorful, and 100% edible. There's no peeling or other prep needed; just pop them in your mouth whole or slice them thinly to add to salads or just about anything else.

You'll see kumquats in numerous dishes on my blog because I love them so much. They make a fabulous garnish on a slaw (especially my Rainbow Vegan Citrusy Slaw, shown below), this pretty Tropical Fruity Brunch Salad (bookmark it for spring brunches!), these succulent Orange Ginger Sesame Brussels Sprouts, and these spicy Orange Jalapeno Brussels Sprouts.

This week, I challenge you to get your hands on some kumquats (or their close relative, mandarinquots) and experiment with them. Look for them at artisan grocery stores like Whole Foods or at your local health food market.

What I'm Loving Right Now

If you follow my Instagram stories, you probably noticed that I absolutely lived for my favorite Golden Hummus (a.k.a. Turmeric Superfood Hummus) during our last couple weeks on Kaua'i this winter. This hummus has good plant-based protein, is a great way to add anti-inflammatory turmeric to your diet, and is easy to make. It's also a versatile recipe that you can enjoy as a dip, a sandwich spread, or dolloped onto a salad or into a bowl meal.

New to turmeric? If so, this is actually a perfect recipe to start with. Because hummus requires no cooking and can easily be tweaked, you can adjust the flavors to your own palette. If you're a turmeric newbie, I suggest starting with less turmeric than the recipe suggest and working your way up (it can be a bit of an acquired taste).

My biggest advice before diving into homemade hummus: get a really good tahini. Some store brands can be bitter, grainy, or clumpy, which doesn't make for a pleasant taste or texture (especially in hummus, where tahini is a stand-out flavor AND texture component). Look for an artisan brand with a really creamy, silky-smooth texture and just a single ingredient: sesame seeds. My go-to brand is Seeds of Collaboration and you can save 20% if you use the code ROGUE at check-out, but you'll also find good options at stores like Whole Foods (check out Soom or Artisana Organics brands).

Live Colorfully

What I'm Listening To

Last week, I was blown away by a really thoughtful and beautiful podcast episode that I wanted to share with you all. This was episode 397 of the Zen Founder Podcast, called The Possibility Gap. This episode explores the gap between the life we're living and the life we dream of living. It asks the question of why we're afraid to live big.

I always love this podcast from Dr. Sherry Walling, who is a clinical psychologist, but this episode really spoke to me. It delves into the fears we all have that can hold us back from dreaming big. This includes fears of change, of disruption, of being uncomfortable, of having to re-learn, and of managing our commitments as our lives evolve. These fears keep us living small and prevent us from pursuing the most luscious, juicy, scary goals we have.

Personally speaking, living bigger, forcing myself to try new things, forcing myself out of my comfort zone, taking risks, and overall trying to move though life in a more intentional way are all things I've specifically been working on over the past year. For me, this has encompassed scaling back to part-time in my primary career so that I can focus more on living and on my creative work; it has also meant arranging our lives around moving seasonally, thereby making time for a true exploration of my wildness and freedom. These changes have been terrifying, but the results are so juicy.

How would you live bigger, if you didn't have fear holding you back? Would you make changes to your job? Move somewhere new? Explore new areas of the world, learn a new skill, or pursue a new relationship? If any of this speaks to you, I highly recommend checking out this podcast episode.

Self-Care Pick

I have travel on the mind right now. As I write this, I'm in the midst of a 24-hour, three-flight haul making our seasonal migration from Kaua'i back to Vermont. Therefore, I figured this would be a good time to share some of my favorite healthy travel tips for when you're in transit from one place to another. You can also check out my healthy travel shopping list to see all my personal must-haves.

• Bring snacks. Don't trust fate to deliver you good food on the road; you could end up disappointed (or hungry or forced to eat something you otherwise wouldn't). My favorite travel snacks are these homemade Larabars because they're not fragile, they store fine at room temperature, and they pack a lot of nutrition in a small package.
• Bring veggies. I like to fly or drive with baby-sized veggies like cukes, peppers, and carrots; they're less temperature-sensitive than cut veggies and are a great snack or addition to whatever airport meal you can find.
• Plan ahead. If I'm forced to eat on the road, the Whole Foods salad bar is my #1 choice if we're driving. If we're flying, Chipotle or Qdoba are good bets since they have lots of great, customizable options. All airports have their terminal maps online, so look them up before you arrive at your layover location.
• Take Vitamin C. I like to take Vitamin C supplements for a week before I fly and a week after. I also carry Emergen-C packets with me to add to water and drink on the plane.
• Stay hydrated. Almost anything that can go wrong in our bodies is exasperated by dehydration. Flying is an especially huge culprit because the air on the plane is so dry. Having some fun drink options (single-serve electrolyte packets, matcha packets, dehydrated coconut water packets, etc.) can help.
• Take breaks to move. If you're driving, pull over at a rest area with a place to stroll around for a while. If you're flying, use layovers as a time to walk the terminals and get some exercise.
• Think ahead about time zones. My tried and true strategy: I start acting as if I'm in the destination time zone right as my travel starts. That means I try to time everything from my wake-up to my breakfast to my subsequent meals and my sleep as if I'm already there. When you arrive, jump right in to that schedule rather than allowing yourself to remain stranded between two time zones.

Hope some of those travel tips help. I travel a huge amount both for my day-job and in my personal life, so don't hesitate to get in touch if you have questions or want some additional ideas.

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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!