my rituals: holistic health coach chassie bell

As I get more and more into the world of natural, holitsic, healthy living—a by-product of growing up + living in California—I’m discovering more and more health food blogs, something I never used to be that tuned into. Much to my delight, one of the blogs I found was by a San Diego-based holistic health coach. Chassie of Forkin’ Healthy shares recipes that are approachable and easy to understand without forcing us to buy all sorts of expensive natural food ingredients.

She also teaches cooking classes, offers detox programs and hosts events around San Diego. (The next one is March 22.) And much like many health food bloggers, Chassie didn’t always have such a well-balanced diet. Girl loved Slurpees! And if a girl who loved Slurpees can blossom into a holistic health coach, then we know there’s hope for all of us.

Today Chassie talks about her current favorite cookbook, raising chickens on her one-acre property (!) and how bunnies can be a total buzzkill.

Name: Chassie Bell
Age: 33
Hometown: Henderson, Nev.
Current city: Encinitas, Calif.
Professional title: Holistic health coach and blogger at Forkin’ Healthy

I am a homesteader at heart and every morning one of the most important tasks I do is feed all my girls—two Wheaten Terriers, Cera and Rylee and two Wyandotte chickens, Salt n Pepa. It’s one of the best parts of my day. Rylee spins and leaps around like she hasn’t had a meal in months and I thoroughly enjoy when the chickens squawk and holler as I come down the hill with breakfast. Not only are the chickens fun to watch, but those gorgeous eggs light up my day! Their bright orange yolks make me giddy with excitement, plus you get a ton more nutrients from homegrown- or pasture-raised eggs. Eggs are truly my favorite food. They are so versatile and delicious!

I’m also a wannabe farmer. We are lucky to have an acre of land to play with right in the heart of Encinitas and I’m just about ready to plant the seedlings I started on the patio into their home on the hill. It gives me great joy to be able to grow, cook and eat something that I was able to create from a tiny little seed. It’s empowering, exciting and rewarding—except when the bunnies or dreaded tomato hornworms try to share your garden.

Sundays are my favorite day of the week. My husband and I always go to Lofty Bean for our one-cup-a-week coffee habit. I love feeling the warm sunshine soak into my skin as I leisurely sip on a cinnamon latte while we discuss whether or not we should tackle the master bathroom renovation ourselves or wander the aisles of Lowe’s every day until Matt Muenster finds us.  Mornings don’t get much better than that.

I usually spend Sunday afternoons scouring through my favorite cookbook of the moment and gathering recipes from Savuer and Bon Appetit to experiment with the following week. Once my meal plan and grocery shopping is complete you can find me dancing around the kitchen cooking Sunday dinner or prepping food for the week. Some days that might mean rolling out homemade pasta and other days it might be roasting chickens, soaking quinoa or whipping up my simple hearty crunchy salad to eat throughout the week. Cooking ignites my soul and relaxes me at the same time. It is truly my passion. Plus, it’s great research for Forkin’ Healthy! ;)

Thanks, Chassie! You can also find her on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook.

Have a great weekend, friends!