Simple seasonal stuff & the connection between gut & emotional health
Mental health and gut health are interconnected, and a key component in supporting both is through that whole-hearted, squeal-with-joy pleasure that comes from eating food you love—especially when it nourishes your body on a cellular level.
(See also: French lifestyle, seasonal living, stress-free cooking and eating, etc.)
It goes both ways: Eating a diet of mostly hyper-processed or refined sugar-packed foods can wreak havoc on our mood and various cognitive functions, and circumstances like life stressors or sleep deprivation can impact our digestion.
This doesn’t mean that we need to eat bland, boring salads to be healthy, though—as cheesy as it sounds, it’s true that food can be both delicious and nutritious.
Meals can be simple and flavorful and free from unnecessary or potentially harmful additives like pesticides, artificial flavoring, stabilizers, or ultra-processed oils.
Nature offers us food that tastes amazing as it is—no need to fuss with it too much—and when fresh ingredients are combined with one another in various ways, you can concoct an uncomplicated yet surprisingly satisfying meal.
Because Mother Nature is a genuine miracle (have you stared at a flower lately?!), She also offers us what we need, when we need it—for both physical and mental health.
Whatever grows in each season often takes care of us based on whatever we need to cultivate internal and external balance in both body and mind—whether for grounding in winter, cooling in summer, etc etc.
(See also: Ayurveda and other time-tested systems.)
One of the reasons I love my own go-to meals is because they’re both unfussy and flavorful (overall life goals?)—I love experimenting with cooking because even though there’s always more explore, there’s also always comforting, easy, satiating eats that don’t require a rigorous recipe, boatloads of ingredients, or hours or prep time.
And even if you never really get into a culinary flow or have the time to cook regularly, the more you play around the kitchen, the more intuitive it becomes—even if and when you make mistakes along the way. It’s an ever-evolving adventure.
As a holistic health coach and a forever student of Earth School, I’ve learned a lot from both experimenting on my own and supporting others around their relationship with food in ways that not only feel good to us personally, but that is also more in sync with Nature—just like the body and mind are linked to one another.
That said, I’ve also navigated and slipped down rabbit holes of body image challenges and anxious tendencies around “clean eating” in the past, but living in France helped me a lot with both. I’ve experienced my fair share of food-related mood symptoms, too—especially after late NYC nights in my 20s. Loved the 2am slice but not the hangover.
And I can attest to the fact that stress and anxiety—no matter how healthy the food we eat or even how vigorously we exercise—do not result in positive outcomes, either.
(See also: bloating, indigestion, cramps, nausea.)
My aim now has been to embrace a lot more joy and ease in my food choices alongside being a friend to the planet, and to support others in their quest to do the same. It’s also been really joyful and enlightening to see how clients have adopted and cultivated unique habits based on their own needs—they continue to inspire me, too.
Everyone is different. Every season is different. But we’re all connected—to one another, to our bodies and minds, and to Nature.
Voilà, I offer a few of my favorite simple eats from spring’s glorious bounty thus far—all of which has nourished me physically and emotionally. For what it’s worth 🙂
Salad Things
Basic template: Chopped carrot + radish or cooked seasonal veg; greens if desired; vinaigrette of mustard, honey, lemon or lime, olive oil, vinegar of choice, s+p; maybe a soft cheese; toasted nuts or seeds; fresh herbs.
A favorite boulangerie / café in Nice makes this simple but super tasty salad—served with baguette of course: salad greens, roasted zucchini + eggplant, cherry tomatoes, shredded carrot, pumpkin seeds, Italian herbs, chèvre, and balsamic vinaigrette
Spring salad with carrot + radish in a mustard vinaigrette; sardines or tuna with cherry tomatoes, parsley, olive oil + balsamic; sourdough with olive oil or salted butter. A fav seasonal lunch, especially when I can snag a good avocado 
Barley salad with carrots + radish, salad greens, 7-minute egg, toasted sunflower seeds, s+p; dressing of olive oil, balsamic, lemon, honey 
Eggs & Things
Basic template: Cooked eggs + veggies, side salad, sourdough + olive oil.
One-pan fried eggs with sautéed greens, herbs, cherry tomatoes; salad + toasted sourdough on the side 
Fried eggs with sautéed zucchini; carottes râpées salad; sourdough + olive oil 
German white asparagus—spargel—with parmesan + smoked ham, wrapped in French-style crêpes (a German-French burrito of sorts?)
Savory Bowl Things
Basic template: Roasted or steamed spring veggies, plant or animal protein, maybe grains, olive oil dressing / sauce of sorts, herbs, s+p.
Green lentils with radish greens; steamed green beans + roasted sweet potato with rosemary; topped with toasted sunflower seeds
Barley with roasted spring veggies—asparagus, radish, cabbage; lemon tahini dressing; topped with toasted seeds + balcony-grown parsley
Roasted zucchini, purple sweet potato, radish; steamed green beans + green lentils; toasted sunflower seeds; tahini-lemon dressing 
Roasted asparagus, radish, kohlrabi; quinoa + lentils; tahini balsamic dressing 
Ground beef sautéed with carrot, zucchini + endive; chili, ginger, paprika, soy sauce, s+p; light sauce of soy sauce, honey, apple cider vinegar + lime 
Breakfast & Sweeter Things
Basic template: Luscious spring fruits—eaten on their own; as jam or in pancakes; in overnight oats with almond milk or yogurt; cooked into oats or porridge…
Rhubarb jam with lemon and a little ginger—for my pancakes, oats, yogurt, or bread + butter. A spring delight
Rhubarb cake with spelt and quark + yogurt; simple streusel topping; not too sweet; 10/10 recommend—recipe here
Strawberry spelt pancakes topped with honey, white tahini and my rhubarb jam—I blended strawberries into the batter for a natural pink tint 
Maple tahini granola for yogurt and snacking—recipe here— with dried figs for one of my top flavor combos (tahini + fig or date = dream team)
Semolina almond milk porridge with blueberries, cinnamon + vanilla; topped with tahini + rhubarb jam
Blueberry almond milk oatmeal with sliced almonds, cinnamon + vanilla; topped with tahini + toasted sunflower seeds
*You’ll find a bunch of delicious breakfast concoctions and mindfulness / movement practices in my free Mindful Morning ebook—enjoy 🙂
Reach out if 1:1 health coaching would feel supportive, whether to address body-image, explore your relationship with food, or figure out how to make tasty, healthy meals without too much fuss—intro calls are free.
What food or meal lifts your mood and nourishes your body this season?
Take good care,
S
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