When we are ungrounded, it feels like chaos; all the thoughts in our heads are swirling, we don't feel solid or at peace, and we don't make the best decisions because we're not thinking clearly.
By connecting back to nature and eating more root vegetables and warm foods, we bring ourselves back to a steady, more powerful place. Roasting vegetables—especially root vegetables—gives them a grounding energy, which has an incredible power to connect us back to the earth's core.
This salad is a great balance of both: it not only quenches the desire for the greens of a salad, but it also includes hearty roasted veggies, such as Brussels sprouts, carrots, and potatoes, along with lots of great spices, to bring you back down into your root chakra.
Down-to-Earth Meditation
Ideally, you would do this meditation on a nice patch of grass or perhaps sitting on the beach; however, you can still connect yourself to the center of the earth in just a few minutes right in the comfort of your home.
Find a comfortable place to sit in an easy pose, close your eyes, and start focusing on your breath—in through your nose and out through your mouth. Bring your attention to where you are sitting on the floor and imagine a thick rope extending out of your being, all the way down and around the core of the earth, anchoring you to it. Feel that rope crystallize and strengthen, all the way from the base of your spine into the earth's core.
Take a moment to really embrace this connected, anchored, and supported feeling, knowing that you are being held so powerfully by this planet, and then carry that with you throughout your day. Sit anywhere from 3 to 20 minutes. When you are ready to release and end the meditation, gently move your fingers and toes, rub your palms together, and place them over your eye sockets as your slowly open your eyes and expose them to the light.
Grounding Salad
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons (75 mL) extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 4 baby potatoes, sliced (I prefer the colored ones, but any kind will do!)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt, divided
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder, divided
- 2 teaspoons onion powder, divided
- ½ cup (44 g) quartered Brussels sprouts
- 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup (31 g) sliced carrot
- 2 teaspoons slivered almonds
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 cup (68 g) chopped kale
- 1 cup (29 g) spring mix salad
Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C, or gas mark 7). Lightly grease 2 baking sheets with 2 tablespoons (30 mL) olive oil and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine the potatoes, oregano, 1 tablespoon (15 mL) olive oil, and 1 teaspoon each of the salt, garlic, and onion powder, and mix until thoroughly coated. Transfer the potatoes to one of the prepared baking sheets and roast for 10 minutes or until the edges turn crisp and golden brown.
3. Meanwhile, combine the Brussels sprouts and 1 tablespoon (15 mL) olive oil in a small bowl and toss with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. Arrange them on the other prepared baking sheet and roast in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the edges turn crisp and golden brown.
4. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon (15 mL) olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and shallot and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the sliced carrots, almonds, turmeric, curry powder, and ground coriander, reduce the heat, and lightly sauté for several minutes, until the shallots and garlic are browned.
5. Divide the kale and spring mix between 2 individual serving bowls. Add the roasted potatoes and Brussels sprouts, and then finish with the carrot mixture.
Excerpted from Race Point Publishing, an imprint of Quarto Publishing.
Cassandra Bodzak is a holistic lifestyle expert who helps people all over the world design a healthy life from the inside out through food, meditation, and self-care. She's the author of Eat With Intention: Recipes and Meditations for a Life that Lights You Up, an inspirational speaker and mentor. Her upcoming cooking show, "Eat with Intention," teaches people how to eat from a place of self-love, fuel their bodies, and nourish their souls. You may know her from from ABC's "The Taste" or her healthy, plant based cooking videos on SHAPE.com.