Re-Wire Your Brain 🧠

Abundance Mindset, Seasonal Grocery List & Coffee Cake Swirl Banana Bread

Good morning and happy Sunday :) I am sitting here sipping on my coffee, and while I am enjoying my delicious drink, I am thinking to myself, “I should probably cut out coffee for a week or two to reset.” Now this isn’t that crazy of a thought, I often take month long breaks from coffee and this year I barely have taken a day off, but how crazy that while I am sipping on something that is truly bringing me joy my mind is trying to tell me to cut that out - what??

So this got me thinking about how we view health, especially in America. So often we think to ourselves we need to cut out gluten, cut out dairy, cut out xyz in order to feel better. While that may be true in some cases, if you are trying to make long term sustainable shifts, starting out your health journey by “cutting out” all the things that once brought you joy isn’t always the best way to do that. 

One of the most important things I did when it came to health was I stopped thinking about health through the lens of all the things I “can’t” do, and began to list all of the things I CAN do. 

I CAN eat beautiful seasonal rainbow foods. I CAN make delicious home cooked meals. I CAN wake up with energy and without brain fog in the mornings. I CAN have more energy throughout the day. I CAN move my body and recover faster. 

This does not come easily. Our brains are wired to think from a scarcity mindset, and we must train them to start thinking from an abundance mindset. 

ABUNDANCE MINDSET 

Comparison is the thief of joy. We’ve all heard this one. It is true. Comparison can lead us down a path of negative thoughts: envy, jealousy, fear that we aren’t good enough, anger that we didn’t get the same opportunities. This is a SCARCITY mindset. The belief that there are a limited amount of resources and opportunity, that we are all competing and there is not enough for everyone. When you have a scarcity mindset, your brain subconsciously shuts off to all the potential opportunity there is out there. 

Don’t get down on yourself for having a scarcity mindset at times. This is unfortunately quite normal in today’s world. The first step to re-wiring is to acknowledge when you are operating in a scarcity mindset. Identify it. Now it is time for a shift. 

How to Cultivate an Abundance Mindset

1. Gratitude. Yup - it always comes back to gratitude doesn’t it. Gratitude is the first step to shifting into an abundance mindset. Gratitude helps to train your mind to think about the positive, beautiful things in your life instead of dwelling on the negatives. It allows you to move forward confidently with the things you HAVE versus complaining and giving up because of things you don’t. 

Gratitude is not the same as thinking your life is perfect. For example, If you HATE your job and it makes you unhappy every day, this practice is not meant to make you say, “well I am grateful I even have a job.” That actually will bring your brain back into its scarcity mindset, because you are telling yourself you do not deserve a job that brings you happiness. This article on Abundance of Joy states it beautifully, “When you’re practicing gratitude, it’s ok to acknowledge that life isn’t perfect. And it’s ok to recognize that you have things others might be grateful for, but aren’t right for you. These admissions only clarify and deepen the genuine gratitude you have for the things you truly love in your life.” Source: HERE

2. Succeed + Succeed. Just because someone else succeeds, does not mean that you don’t. There is room for EVERYONE. Believing this allows you to become genuinely happy for others success, while making room and opportunity for your own path to success alongside them. 

3. Take Responsibility. You are in control of your success and you are responsible for your decisions and actions. Blaming others or external circumstances for problems you are facing in your life only creates a victim mentality, and a victim operates from a scarcity mindset. 

4. Growth Mindset. You will fail. We all fail. It is how we perceive those failures that defines our future success. Each failure is an opportunity to learn and grow. Instead of doing something for an outcome, do something for the journey, THIS is where you find the ultimate value. There is always room to grow. Be curious. Don’t hold yourself back from doing something out of the fear of failing. Be excited to fail, knowing that there is opportunity here to learn and grow. When faced with a challenge or failure, first, don’t take it so seriously. Second, reflect on it and see how you can use it to your advantage.

5. Embrace Change. Change can seem scary, because we become attached to our “comfort zone”. But getting out of that comfort zone is what opens up new opportunities and allows us to learn and grow. We often limit ourselves by acting and looking through our comfort lens. But by detaching from that, and taking a step back to evaluate all perspectives, we open up so many more doors for ourselves. Do not regret or resent missed opportunities, each of these happens for a reason, and leads you to an opportunity that is meant for you. 

6. Surround yourself with people that operate with an abundance mindset. This is absolutely key. When you are surrounded by people who are constantly comparing themselves to others, not genuinely excited about yours or others successes, acting victim to their own actions, this WILL rub off on you. It is so important that we surround ourselves with people who GIVE abundantly, cultivate gratitude for life, celebrate your success with authenticity, and most importantly give you energy and excitement. 

7. Forgive yourself. Be present. Take one step at a time. Life isn’t easy, but don’t dwell and get down on yourself. Take a deep breath, reflect, and move forward. Don’t take everything SO seriously, be curious and have fun with life.

One thing you can do TODAY

1. Acknowledge when you are operating from a scarcity mindset (comparing yourself, imposter syndrome, victim mentality). “I do not have enough time, I am not good enough, everyone’s luckier than me, nothing works in my favor…etc.”. 

2. Actively change your language to reflect abundance 

3. Cultivate your gratitude practice 

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COFFEE CAKE CINNAMON SWIRL BANANA BREAD

I am on a cinnamon kick. More like a spice kick. I feel like when Autumn comes around it is cozy season and something I think about when it comes around is grounding and warming foods aka spices.

Banana bread is a comfort meal for me. I feel like it is such a universally loved food too. You can show someone so much love by baking them a banana bread. You can show yourself love by baking a banana bread. + the smell that this banana bread makes when you bake it… you are showing your entire home love. This coffee cake + banana loaf combo is a match made in heaven. This is light fluffy melt in your mouth deliciousness. Cuddle up with a cup of tea or coffee and a blanket, light up the fire, put on a move and eat it warm topped with a lil slice of butter and flakey salt….. doesn’t get much more comfort than that.

Ingredients

• 1 + 1/3 cup almond flour

• 1/3 cup oat flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 2 overripe bananas

• 2 eggs

• 1/4 cup melted ghee

• 1/3 cup maple syrup

• 2 tsp vanilla extract or paste

• 2 tsp ground ceylon cinnamon

• Pinch of salt

Crumble Ingredients

• 1/3 cup flour

• 1/4 cup coconut sugar

• 3 tbsp cold cubes of butter

• 2 tsp ground ceylon cinnamon

Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. In one bowl, sift together almond flour, oat flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda

3. In a seperate bowl, slightly mash bananas (don’t overmash), with melted ghee, maple syrup and vanilla extract

4. Whisk together eggs and then add into banana mash mixture

5. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix together until combined (avoid overmixing)

6. Remove 1/3 of the batter and place in a separate bowl, add in 2 tsp of cinnamon

7. Butter a loaf pan and add in 1/3 of the original batter, covering the whole bottom

8. For the second layer, add in the cinnamon batter and spread evenly without mixing with bottom layer

9. Add the rest of the original batter on top (if you want a marble loaf, use a thin utensil and swirl together

10. In another bowl, assemble the crumble

11. Whisk together flour, coconut sugar and cinnamon

12. Then using your hands, mix together with cold butter cubes until a crumble consistency forms. Add on top of loaf

13. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until its golden brown on the edges and putting a toothpick through the middle comes out clean

14. Let sit for at least 20 minutes before cutting into loaf

Top with butter + flakey salt and enjoy a lil slice of heaven.

GROCERY LIST + MEAL IDEAS