Lately, we've all been spending a bit more time at home than usual. We've found these indoor activities have helped keep our adventurous spirits high while we stay close to home.

Try a new recipe. We think Minimalist Baker recipes are delicious and we can keep them vegan using our coconut-based products. Try this gluten-free chocolate chip cookie recipe and substitute the chocolate chips with our Treehouse Originals Coconut Drinking Chocolate (we used 1/2 cup instead of 1/4 cup of chocolate chips as the recipe recommends). We were also out of brown sugar so substituted with coconut sugar (my favorite low-glycemic sweetener).  https://minimalistbaker.com/perfect-vegan-gluten-free-chocolate-chip-cookies/

 

Get the Juice: Ginger & Turmeric are some of the most powerful readily available items you can find in nearly every grocery store in America.  We highly suggest doubling down on your intake of these two root herbs these days.  Typically and 80/20 ration is best (80% Ginger / 20% Turmeric)

Get your Gear Ready (and make a playlist to whistle while you work!): We've been putting off this canoe-painting project for a while, but took advantage of a bit of outdoor space and this weekend's sunshine to get after it. A playlist of reggae favorites really seemed to make this process meditative, so we thought we'd share the 1hr playlist with you to enjoy. Or make one of your own!

 

Read a Book.  This is the best time to brush the dust off of that juicy romance novel you've been saving up for a rainy day.  Here's a list of our favorite novels:

*Another Roadside Attraction, Tom Robbins

*Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates, Tom Robbins

*Desert Solitaire, Edward Abbey

*100 Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez

*Out of Africa, Isak Denisen

*Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert Pirsig

*Wilderness Essays, John Muir

*Norwegian Wood, Haruki Marakami

Workout With Your Dog. This never gets old - we think we'll keep this up for a while (so long as Tonto lets us). Here's a home workout, if you're looking for some inspiration: 20 bodyweight squats; 10 push-ups; 10 lunches left leg; 10 lunges right leg; 10 kettlebell upright rows (use a gallon of juice/milk or a small dog if you don't have a kettlebell); 15-second plank; 30 jumping jacks. Our oatmeal are a great snack before or after a workout because they contain 2 plant based protein powders and coconut milk for healthy fats to renew.

If you're trying to figure out which kettle-bells to get, we suggest either Rogue or Hampton Fitness.  Hampton Fitness also happens to make an sweet jumprope which has weights and speed bearings built in.

There are tons of free options for fitness video classes right now.  Here is a list of our favorites:

Portland Yoga Studio Yoyoyogi is offering online classes for free.

Portland spin studio hero is doing home workout classes on Vimeo.

NYC Based Aarmy Bootcamp Fitness is hosting free classes on their IG Live Channel.

 

Take time to pause and do activities that slow you down. Meditation is a practice we encourage - if you need a kickstarter, try out Headspace! In addition to meditation, we're also finding pleasure in those activities that tend to stay in the cupboard until holidays or family gatherings. We found this puzzle of the Great Wave of Kangawa to keep our surf spirit alive while we can't get to the ocean (now let's hope we can finish it!).

 

     

And last but not least...Camp Inside. Then call a friend to swap adventure stories and make plans for adventures to come once we're all able to be in the wild again. 

Stay Cozy & Stay Home🌲