Cumin imbues deeply warm flavor to beans and soup. 
Auspicious Turmeric possesses major health benefits and is currently the subject of a number of studies. Sprinkle the yellow spice on almost anything for pleasing color and miraculous anti-inflammatory properties.
Paprika spikes dishes with antioxidants and color. Try it on homemade mac-n-cheese to create a mysterious smokiness.
Pair Black Pepper with all the aforementioned spices. It dramatically increases the bio-availability and absorption of other nutrients and minerals like selenium, vitamin B, beta-carotene and curcumin and also amplifies serotonin and beta-endorphin production in the brain.
You guys juice? I go back and forth. I definitely feel more energized and hydrated after a good juice. To clarify, when I say “juice,” I mean self-squeezed from my home juicer. Juicing is an efficient way to include a variety of produce. When done at home it can be relatively cost-effective. Some claim juicing has profound health benefits. I would like to believe that is true, but I’m not aware of anything more than anecdotal evidence to back this claim. 
Juicing has its drawbacks too. When done at home, it’s annoyingly messy. When done at juice bars, it’s annoyingly expensive. Juicing requires work, preparation, and clean-up. Just gathering and cleaning the fruit and veg can feel like a pretty daunting task. 
I know some super hardcore everyday juicers. I don’t have the devotion for all that, but occasionally getting some fresh juice in the system can do a body good. By the way, you can juice a wide variety of fruits and vegetables and the taste can be rather bland. Include ginger for spice and digestion, and add some lime without the peel for zest. 
I confess I loathe the supermarket. It is too bright. I feel like the florescent lights are sucking my soul away. Lately while I troll the aisles, I wonder what the fuck I am supposed to put in my cart outside the produce section? 
Canned section? Maybe a bean. Cento. Boxed aisle? In a moment of weakness mac-n-cheese. Dry lentils. Veggie stock. Most cereals are garbage, as are most cookies, crackers, and shelf-stable prepared foods. The freezer section isn’t any better. Waffles, frozen dinners, pizza – all crap, right? I pass up 95% of the product because we are learning it is mostly poison. Eating healthy is hard. 
Cat lovers scroll on through. I’m about to go on an anti-cat rant that’s going to make your pussy hurt. (Michael, Katie, I mean it.) Why am I filled with feline vitriol you ask? Because I spent the day bleach mopping cat piss out of sub-flooring, that’s why. WHAT THE FUCK IS UP WITH CAT PISS ANYWAY?
I know, I know, you love your cat. Your cat does for you what no person could. I get it. Do you get that when cats get old they piss everywhere and it is FUCKING IMPOSSIBLE to remove the smell? Do you realize a nuclear apocalypse would not eradicate that stank of cat pee from your apartment? 
In addition to destroying your home with their incontinence, cats can transmit diseases and parasites to people including, but not limited to: Toxoplasmosis, Leptospira, the Plague, Rabies, roundworm, hookworm, ringworm, Salmonella, and tapeworm. Yeah, keep letting kitty climb all over your kitchen. Add a side order of tapeworm to that PB&J. 
As you all know, I’m a staunch defender of our animal friends. I don’t eat or wear them. But I also don’t keep any pets for a variety of reasons. Do I really hate cats? No. Do I really hate irresponsible dirty-ass cat owners? Fuck yes. 
And while I’m getting up after all you pet owners, dog people CLEAN UP FIDO’S SHIT. Why don’t I take a dump on your lawn? How about that? Fucking gross yo.
My optimism and supplements weren’t quite enough to kick this persistent flu. I checked my temperature, 101°. Scary right?
Check these frightening stats.
So needless to say, I will not be going to the hospital. I’m working a fresh-squeezed juice regimen – carrots, celery, orange, and apple for nutrition. Currently, food is a repellent thought. They say to starve the flu, right? Silver lining? At least I’ll take a few pounds off before Coachella. We’ll just call it a cleanse, yeah? Don’t judge me for that last part. This flu is making me delirious. 
Good morning muffins. Sorry to kick off the day with a whine, but I’m so fucking sick with the flu I can barely see straight. I don’t know if I have ever experienced body aches and pains so intensely. Sitting hurts my ass. 
Supplements. I go back and forth with supplements because there has been quite a bit of research on their efficacy or lack of efficacy, but right now I’m desperate, so I’ll load up. On what? How about probiotics, cellular forte, alpha sun, and omegas? Hopefully these immune boosters will do the trick overnight, and by the time you read this I will wake up shiny and new. 
Hope you are all feeling healthy and happy today. 
After 27 days of sleep deprivation, I’m totally exhausted and annihilated. This got me wondering how long it will take me to catch up and recover. The most recent studies suggest that sleep debt can’t be repaid in one or two nights of longer snoozes. 
The average American gets 6.9 hours of sleep. Subjects restricted to 7 hours of sleep had slower response times during cognitive testing. Those restricted to 6 hours of sleep performed so poorly after several days of limited sleep they actually fell into micro sleeps during simple ten minute cognitive tests. 
Folks performed consistently well on tests with 8-9 hours of sleep, though I feel best with a luxurious full ten. This is one of the main reasons I’m not interested in children. Children steal sleep. 
With my cognitive capabilities greatly diminished by the chronic sleep deprivation, this math may be be wrong. By my calculations, I have 108 hours of sleep to recover. How much sleep do you owe yourself? Are folks bitchy or just tired? 
If the day after Christmas has left you with a holiday hangover, consider using the last precious days of the year to accomplish a few unmet goals. Rather than waiting until NYE to make some phony resolution, begin the new year with the confidence that comes from triumphing over obstacles. 
First off, your space is filthy, so a good pre-New Year purge wouldn’t hurt, right? Like when is the last time you really mopped? What difference would 3 hours dedicated to tidiness make in your life? What impact could a donation of all your unused crap mean to someone in need? Now is your chance to make up for snubbing that Salvation Army bell ringer this year. It is never too late for generosity.
If your goal this year was to cultivate fun, you still have 5 days to plan an execute a bitching NYE party. How about a trade-your-most-hideous-gift exchange party? The fiesta provides another avenue to declutter (see #1) and an opportunity to trade it for something you might actually like, even if only ironically.
Here’s to rising to the challenge of accomplishing more in the last week of the year than bong hits and Teen Mom 2 marathons.