Give gratitude, the voice inside my head said very clearly. My immediate response was to question. What would giving gratitude yield? What was its purpose? These words were first heard back in the mid-nineties, and since that time gratitude and I have undergone a lengthy transformative journey of learning, healing, and manifesting. 

A simple and delicious dish perfect for entertaining!  Enjoy at a spring picnic, backyard BBQ, fabulous brunch, or party!

Rachel Portnoy, co-owner of Chez Nous Bistro with Chef Franck Tessier, shares her delicious gluten-free brownie recipe.

I’ve been making these brownies for literally two decades. They truly are my ultimate, as they arefor many people. I knew the recipe would work great with Jeanne Sauvage’s flour blend, since it has very little flour and lots and lots of chocolate and butter, as any self-respecting brownie should.

I’ve mentioned on Twitter that I’ve been making bone broth and some of you asked for the details. And so I oblige! I’ve become a big fan for a bunch of overwhelming reasons, which I’ll outline below. Sally Fallon introduced me to the stuff in Nourishing Traditions and since then I’ve followed a community of people who can’t stop raving about it. A lot of nutritionists steer their clients to simply drink bone broth. That’s it. It is so full of good stuff . . . who needs supplements?

Making it is easy and cheap, albeit not very attractive. When describing the final stages of cooking says, Sally Fallon says, “You will now have a pot of rather repulsive-looking brown liquid containing globs of gelatinous and fatty material. It doesn’t even smell particularly good.” Nice, but regardless . . . 

We didn’t invent outdoor music in the Berkshires, but it’s usually much sweeter here. Tanglewood is the most elegant option and some of us will go there several times each summer. But music lovers with a little ingenuity and a willingness to drive a few miles can find great concerts just about every night in July and August, most of them outdoors and free!

The very best option for free outdoor music lovers is The Clark Art Institute, which provides free events on the South Lawn every Tuesday evening during the month of July. This summer you can drag your blankets and chairs to 225 South Street in “Village Beautiful” (Williamstown) for bluegrass, soul, folk, and even a Beatles tribute band. Go to www.clarkart.edu for details. Arrive earlier than the 6pm start and you can tour the galleries and the spectacular grounds.

You’re busy, right? If you’re nodding your head, then the answer is yes and we have something in common: not enough time. And perhaps the sense that large things can’t be created or conquered because we don’t have the big time they require.

I offer a simple solution: Make intentional ten-minute efforts every day.

This idea was born out of necessity in my life. During a recent summer, I was still in the labor-intensive phase of raising my young son. I longed to put in a flower garden, but as a single parent with neither partner nor family nearby, time for such endeavors did not exist. Still, I wanted that garden.

elody Lea Lamb’s vibrant, detailed, lifelike miniature paintings of woodland animals and whimsical fairies (as well as a wide array of other creatures great and small) capture the vitality and essence of her subjects. Working mainly with a combination of rich-toned colored pencils, India ink, and acrylic, Melody’s love of art, animals, and nature is evident (see our cover art this issue below).

Hydro Health of Western Massachusetts
Colon Hydrotherapy & Sauna Therapy

The Healing Power of Detoxification

The Secret - If you are serious about healing, regenerating,  and revitalizing your body, starting a detoxification program will be the most important paradigm shift of your life. 

The Reality - On a daily basis, we are exposed to and steadily accumulate disease-producing toxins through the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat. Even negative emotions can add to our toxic load. In this age of environmental stressors, these toxins must be removed on a regular basis or we set ourselves up for chronic illness. 

Ginger is a herbaceous, perennial plant native to southeastern Asia. It is commonly called ginger root but it's actually a rhizome, or a horizontal underground stem that gives rise to shoots above the ground.

This gift of nature can be used internally or externally with similar effects of warming the body and improving circulation. It also helps digestive problems resulting from the consumption of too much fat, protein, or oily foods.