The Shakti School

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Recipe

Sweet Dreams Milk: An Ayurvedic Sleep Tonic

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This is a milky beverage that counteracts insomnia and nervousness before bed.

Ayurveda provides nourishing and grounding remedies that help settle both body and mind. 🌀☁️

Warm milk is traditionally used as an ojas-building tonic that supports deep restoration, while valerian helps calm the nervous system, ashwagandha supports stress resilience, nutmeg is used for its gently sedative qualities, and saffron eases the mind toward rest. 🫖

When taken together, you have a soothing ritual that reduces excess movement in the mind and invites deep ease before bedtime. 🌙

You can also enhance the effects of this milky medicine by rubbing some warm sesame oil and a few drops of jatamansi essential oil on the soles of your feet before covering them in socks.

Here's How To Make It:

Ingredients

Directions

  • Put the ghee in a saucepan and heat on low with all the spices, except for the saffron. Once the mixture becomes aromatic, add the milk and saffron and whisk until hot.
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Wake Me Up Juice

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Sometimes we need a little *jolt* to get our Kapha moving this time of year (or to get going in the morning!) this is one of my fave recipes for an invigorating boost- which is why I like to call it “Wake Me Up” juice 😉

This ginger-heavy juice is amazing for Kapha!

Ingredients:

  • 3 stalks of celery
  • 1 handful of parsley
  • 1 big chunk of fresh ginger
  • 1 tbsp of fresh turmeric
  • 1/2 grapefruit
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 1/2 apple (optional for taste)

Add all ingredients to a high powered blender. Blend on high for 1 minute. Pass through a strainer into your favorite glass and enjoy.

*This juice is best if consumed on an empty stomach and away from other meals. Make sure to add enough ginger to keep it spicy!

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Sacred Cycle Sweets

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Cooling, grounding and hormone-nourishing, these Sacred Cycle Sweets weave together shatavari, fennel and cardamom to support women’s cycles while offering a naturally sweet treat for body and spirit.

Here's How to Make My Sacred Cycle Sweets:

Ingredients (makes ~10):

  • 1 cup shredded coconut
  • ½ cup cashews, soaked 2 hrs
  • 6 Medjool dates
  • 1 tsp shatavari powder
  • 1 tsp cardamom
  • ½ tsp fennel powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Pinch pink salt
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil

Instructions:

  • Blend cashews + coconut into a paste.
  • Add dates, shatavari, spices + vanilla. Process until dough forms.
  • Roll into balls, coat with extra coconut. Refrigerate.
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Raspberry Oat Hormone Bars

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Sweet, tart and chocolatey comfort! These bars blend magnesium-rich nuts, fiber-filled oats, and antioxidant raspberries to steady mood, ease PMS cravings, and nourish your hormones the Ayurvedic way.

Here's How to Make Them:

Ingredients (makes ~12 bars):

Base:

  • 1 cup rolled oats (ground to flour)
  • ½ cup walnuts or almonds (magnesium powerhouse)
  • 1 cup Medjool dates, pitted
  • 2 tbsp almond butter
  • Pinch sea salt

Raspberry Layer:

  • 1½ cups fresh or frozen raspberries
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • ½ tsp vanilla

Chocolate Topping:

  • ½ cup dark chocolate chips (at least 70%)
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • Sprinkle of cinnamon

Instructions:

  1. Process oats, nuts, dates, almond butter + salt until dough forms. Press into pan.
  2. In a saucepan, simmer raspberries, chia, maple + vanilla for 10 minutes until jammy. Spread over base.
  3. Melt chocolate + coconut oil, stir in cinnamon, and pour over raspberry layer.
  4. Chill until firm, slice into bars.
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How to Make the Perfect Summer Salad

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Summertime is the time for salad—the possibilities are endless. 🌺🌱🍅 In the Virginia summers, greens grow in abundance, fruit starts popping off and there are edible flowers galore! It’s one of my favorite times of the year. ⁠

Of course Ayurveda suggests not over consuming raw food, but there are plenty of ways around this. Salads are appropriate in the hot summer months and if your digestive system is a little sluggish, you can always pair your greens with a cooked element or additional spices to support your specific needs. ⁠
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I love going to the farmer’s market in the summer and seeing what creations I can make with the various colors and shapes of the vegetables. Making food should feel like an art (of course it’s not always going to feel easy), but it is an act of creativity that can really serve you well. ⁠
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When it comes to making salads you can get really creative. Just simply think of what flavors and textures you love most and create a salad from that. For me, I love crunch, I love FAT and I love citrus. I usually end up making a big bowl of greens, some sort of seed sautéed in ghee, avocado, radishes and all of it topped with a lemon vinaigrette. I often will always add some sort of protein source. Grilled chicken, fried tempeh and hard boiled (farm fresh eggs) are all my favorite go-to forms of protein.

Here's How to Make my Perfect Summer Salad:

Salad Ingredients:

  • ½ cup cooked quinoa
  • 1 ½ cups summer greens (mix of your choice-diced)
  • 1 tbsp lightly toasted pumpkin seeds
  • ½ cup summer cherry tomatoes (halved)
  • 1 handful of summer sprouts
  • Optional protein add ons: ¼ cup cooked chickpeas or grilled chicken

Dressing Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp vegan mayo
  • ¼ cup fresh mint & parsley mix (diced)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Directions:

Assemble all of your salad ingredients into a bowl (except the sprouts) organizing however you would like. Whisk dressing ingredients in a bowl using a fork (adding more or less apple cider vinegar depending on preference). Generously pour dressing over the salad. Garnish with fresh edible flowers and sprouts!

Enjoy! 🥬🌱🍅🌼

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Simple Spring Pea Soup

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One of the keys to good digestion in Ayurveda is keeping things SIMPLE. Less complicated meals give our digestive fire a chance to rest and truly metabolize the fuel we’re feeding the fire. ⁠
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Peas are light, astringent and slightly drying—aka they help balance kapha’s natural heaviness and tendency to hold onto all the things (mucus, water, emotional clutter... you name it). Plus, they're packed with protein and fiber without being overly dense.⁠
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On top of that, soup is basically kapha’s best friend. It’s warm, light AND easy to digest. Broth and veggie-based soups are the perfect go-to option for spring dinners that aren’t too heavy! Enjoy! 🌿

Ingredients:

  • 2 teaspoons sunflower or olive oil
  • 4 spring onions, finely minced
  • 1 leek, chopped
  • 1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
  • 1½ cups fresh peas, shelled
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a small saucepan, sauté the spring onions and leek over medium-low heat for about 2 minutes, until translucent. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Add the peas and cook until bright green and slightly tender. (This depends on their size, but should only take a few moments.)

Using a blender, purée the soup until very smooth. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle a little extra-virgin olive oil on top or add a dab of yogurt for garnish. Serve warm or chilled.

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Beet & Chickpea Hummus

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To further support you during this kapha season, I want to offer up one of my go-to recipes for one of my favorite grounding veggies: the beet! ⁠
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Beets are loaded with health benefits and when I eat them regularly I feel like I have some sort of super strength. ⁠
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Their rich color is a key indicator of their richness in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory effects on the body. ⁠
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In Ayurveda, beets can be eaten in abundance by all doshas as long as they are prepared appropriately. Vata & pitta individuals can tolerate cooked beets more so than kapha. If you are prone to have more kapha, try adding a little extra mustard seed and black pepper to your beets. ⁠
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Other benefits of beets include: ⁠
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🫜 Improves circulation ⁠
⁠🫜 Supports healthy skin⁠
⁠🫜 High in iron ⁠
⁠🫜 Good for liver detoxification ⁠
⁠🫜 Cleanses the blood ⁠
⁠🫜 Good for the brain ⁠
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I love making all sorts of dishes with beets. I’ve added beets to chocolate cakes, roasted them for salads, hummus and dressings, and have even added them to smoothies. The possibilities are endless when it comes to the beet! ⁠

Now let's get into the recipe:

Ingredients: 

  • 1-2 beets (already roasted or boiled)
  • 1 can of chickpeas drained (or you can use 1 cup freshly cooked/drained chickpeas)
  • 1 juiced lemon
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 2 large cloves garlic
  • 3 Tbsp tahini (if you’re looking for an even more kapha-friendly version, you can use sunflower seed butter)
  • ¼ water
  • Olive oil for topping

Directions:

  • Add all the ingredients to a food processor (except for the olive oil). Blend until smooth (you may need to add more water to reach the desired consistency).
  • Top with a drizzle of olive oil, a little parsley or some sesame seeds!⁠

Save this recipe for the next time you need to spice up your dinner rotation or add some color to your plate. 😉🫜🌺🌿

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Rose + Mint Sun Tea

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For this recipe, just let the sun do the steeping. 🌞 Steep dried rose petals and fresh mint in a glass jar under direct sunlight for a few hours. (No need to measure perfectly - just add what you’ve got on hand!) Sip room temperature or slightly chilled throughout the day to stay hydrated and soothe Pitta. What do you get? A cooling, heart-opening, Pitta-pacifying potion that’s as beautiful as it is nourishing.⁠
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Here’s a little bit about how these plant allies help support us during the warmer months of the year…⁠
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🌹 Rose - The ultimate flower of the Divine Feminine:⁠
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• Cools the heat of both the body and our emotions (hi, Pitta spiciness 😅)⁠
• Soothes the heart and uplifts mood with its subtle, floral sweetness⁠
• Some studies have demonstrated that rose also has the potential to support the reproductive and nervous systems, and even impact dopamine levels⁠
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🌿 Mint - The crisp, clarifying herb we all need in summer:⁠
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• Helps to clear excess heat and inflammation from the gut and skin⁠
• Stimulates digestion without aggravating Pitta (exactly what we want!)⁠
• Awakens the mind while calming overactive fire in the head + heart 🔥⁠

Sip this floral elixir all day long to stay hydrated, radiant and keep your Pitta chilled out. Your inner fire goddess will thank you. 🧘🏼‍♀️

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