Heirloom Tomato and Strawberry Gazpacho
Strawberries may seem like an odd addition to gazpacho, but let us explain. Like tomatoes, a traditional gazpacho base, these berries are both sweet and acidic. And like tomatoes, they’re also a fruit, so they make more sense here than you might think. We love the complexity the berries add to the soup, and they are seriously brilliant in the salsa garnish.
Heirloom Tomato and Strawberry Gazpacho Recipe
Serves 8
Shopping List
4 organic heirloom tomatoes
3 organic Persian cucumbers
¾ pound organic strawberries
1 organic orange bell pepper
1 organic yellow bell pepper
½ organic white onion
1 organic serrano chile
2 cloves organic peeled fresh garlic
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar, plus 1 teaspoon
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 organic shallot
1 bunch organic fresh chives
Tools
Peeler, blender, fine-mesh strainer, 2 medium bowls, ladle
1. Prep the gazpacho ingredients
- Cut away the cores from the tomatoes; cut the tomatoes into quarters.
- Peel 2 cucumbers; cut into quarters. Set aside the remaining cucumber for the salsa.
- Remove the green hulls from the strawberries; set aside half the strawberries for the salsa.
- Remove the stem, ribs, and seeds from the bell peppers; cut the peppers into quarters.
- Peel the onion and cut into large pieces.
- Remove the stem, ribs, and seeds from the serrano chile. Cut the chile in half; cut one half into quarters. Set aside the remaining half for the salsa. Wash your hands after handling.
2. Make the gazpacho
In a blender, combine the tomatoes, cucumber quarters, half the strawberries, peppers, onion, chile quarters, garlic, ⅓ cup oil, 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar and blend until smooth. Strain the gazpacho through a fine-mesh strainer into a medium bowl, pressing with a ladle or spoon to extract as much liquid as possible; discard the solids. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, 2 to 3 hours.
A few minutes before serving, prepare the salsa and garnish.
3. Make the salsa; prep the garnish
- Peel and coarsely chop the remaining cucumber.
- Finely chop the remaining serrano. Wash your hands after handling.
- Coarsely chop the remaining strawberries.
- Peel and finely chop the shallot.
- Finely chop the chives.
In a medium bowl, combine the cucumber, serrano, strawberries, shallot, 1 tablespoon oil, and 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar; season to taste with salt and pepper and toss to coat.
Serve
Transfer the gazpacho to individual bowls and spoon the salsa over the top. Drizzle with olive oil, garnish with chives, and serve.
Nutrition per serving: Calories: 160, Protein: 2g (4% DV), Fiber: 3g (12% DV), Total Fat: 12g (18% DV), Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1.5g (8% DV), Cholesterol: 0mg (0% DV), Sodium: 45mg (2% DV), Carbohydrates: 14g (5% DV), Total Sugars: 5g, Added Sugars: 0g (0% DV). Not a significant source of trans fat.
Bonus recipe—ingredients not included in box.
Eclipse Season is Coming
A relatively peaceful if busy month, multiplex Gemini energy offers a great opportunity to get the details checked off the to-do lists, especially in the early days of the month. Use a light touch, sample the terrain, gather intel but don’t linger too long in any given spot. With eclipse season beginning next month, a storm is brewing, a topsy turvy time that often brings big shifts. Staying grounded while you flutter and bounce is the secret sauce to navigating the coming weeks. Now’s a good time to practice doing the things that best help you bend like grass in a strong wind.
By Lisa Lisa and the Star Jam*
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Happy birthday, Twins. As you celebrate your official new year, mind aligns with heart, and the floodlights beam onto your relationships. As you relate to yourself in an enlightened new way, you’ll come to find greater support and authentic relating with others. Meanwhile, an artfully choreographed exchange may keep you on the move. Geminis love a good road trip. Set off into the wild blue yonder with good friends. Who knows, you could end up meeting a new love at a rest stop somewhere. All this movement kicks up the dust with an easy, breezy money-making idea involving one of your many latent talents. Give it a go. It just might put extra dollars in your pocket. Or maybe you filed for an extension and now it’s time to tune into your taxes. Either way, a career dream comes down to earth.
CANCER (June 21-July 22) Retreat while you can, as energy ramps up for Crabs come next month. This month’s really an inside job. As you tune into your internal workings and get into the habit of setting aside regular quiet time, you find your energy increases and you can accomplish a lot out there. Keeping a journal, recording your daily thoughts and activities propels a reconfiguring of your overall routine. As you reshuffle your work schedule, be sure to include a mix of HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workouts into your exercise regimen to keep your moods on an even keel while building strength. All of this takes the pressure off of your relationships, allowing any rough patches to smooth over.
LEO (July 23-Aug 22) Have you been feeling an undefinable vexation burbling just behind the shadows? Do you know about primal scream therapy? Or simply take your frustrations to the nearest jungle and let out a roar. Rooting around in the outer reaches of your unconscious and letting off steam clears away the deadwood, allowing you to weather any storms that could hit during July’s eclipses. In between the catharses, ever complex as we all are, you’re itching to get out there and make new friends. Finding your proper pride of like-minded cats is paramount this month. Mingling with genuine congenial genius types feeds your creative side, like catnip for even the most timid felines. As you relax and have more fun (we encourage dancing, lots of dancing), you find your audience eating out of your hand. As Mercury goes into Leo, you’ll feel the impetus to report out at the end of the month. We’re all ears.
VIRGO (Aug 23-Sept 22) All the work you’ve been putting in has finally paid off in the form of a new position in the public eye or a career opportunity. As you settle into your new role, you find things may be shifting on the homefront, as well. Along with repainting the living room, you may be landing new digs, adapting to moving in with relatives or listing a spare room on Airbnb. Meanwhile, you’re motivated to connect in more heartfelt ways, i.e. finding your vestal tribe. At the end of the month, bring your discerning skills to the fore and dig deep into the esoteric realm of your choosing. The intel gained this month will come into play in July, informing another chapter in your work and home life.
LIBRA (Sept 23-Oct 22) You have travel on the brain. Maybe you’re returning home from a distant land or embarking on a summer abroad. Whether you’re coming or going, Libra, you’re ripe for a rewarding cultural exchange. If you decide to stay put, think about signing up for a course at the local community college or expanding your international business connections. In any case, now is the time to take what you’ve learned this year, update your core beliefs, and unify your big ideas. Speak your truth, edit your memoir, and get your message out there.
SCORPIO (Oct 23-Nov 21) Things heat up for Scorpios this month. As temperatures rise, consider releasing some of that intensity between the sheets or on the therapist’s couch, and you’ll tap into this month’s potential for deep healing. This deep cleansing clears some space for a new business opportunity, an angel investor, or a tax refund to pour in. Meanwhile, summer is coming, and many Scorpios will be planning or taking trips to parts unknown. A change of scene or delving into a new subject not only expands your range of view, but it also sets the stage for a fresh look at your financials. The time is ripe to commit to a new business plan.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22-Dec 21) With a new moon landing in your relationship house, you may find a match that’s truly a meeting of the minds. Yes, we’re talking soulmate territory, if you believe in that sort of thing (of course you do). And for the already committed archers, you may find as-yet-untried angles to breathe new life into your partnership. With things going smoothly in your relationships, it’s easy for you to take aim at sorting through your shared finances and managing your resources. You’ve been hard at work in these areas, so keep your cool if things heat up concerning inheritances.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22-Jan 19) This month the celestial omens nudge you to devise fresh ways to balance body, mind, and spirit. Your physical and mental health depends on it. Mountain goats are adept at relentless toil, selfless restriction, and utter denial of their own bodily needs. But with big changes ahead, wise goats would do well to proactively focus all their care toward their physical bodies and tend to their creature comforts to ensure they can continue to go the distance. All things sensual are also part of this month’s focus; goats are keen on a lover’s touch, more so than usual for this reserved sign. You get the picture, pillow talk is the name of the game.
AQUARIUS (Jan 20-Feb 18) Now that you’ve moved or rearranged your digs, it’s time to tidy up, get organized, and smudge the heck out of that new place. After all that effort, you deserve some downtime. Settle in and invite your friends over. After polishing off the cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, step out and take in the latest art exhibition or avant-garde theater. Tapping into creative spaces delights your genius and introduces you to uncharted communities that can inspire your vision. Now’s a good time to get going on your Couch-to-5K goal, too.
PISCES (Feb 19-Mar 20) While your mind is most productive at home or your home studio, your heartstrings may draw you into romantic intrigue. Don’t do it. This may not be the best time to get involved. Your star is really rising now, so best to keep the faith on career, where your globetrotting connections have translated your name into a worldwide brand. Well done. You’re seeing the results of your visionary power and feeling your executive influence. The sky’s no longer the limit for flying fishes. The universe is more like it.
ARIES (Mar 21-April 19) June gets the warrior sign out and about in the neighborhood. Maybe you’ll strike up an engaging conversation with some new neighbors. Or maybe you’ll feel compelled to teach or give a talk about an area of your expertise. Our notebooks are in hand. Either way, those ruled by the ram are riding the information highway for the next four weeks. Meanwhile, power struggles may teeter-totter between the job and the homefront; this back and forth begs you to let go of outworn achievement strategies, beckoning you towards a more elegant, pared-down version of success.
Taurus (April 20- May 20) Your mind is on the money. You’re dreaming up new ideas on how to increase your paycheck. Meanwhile, you’re investigating possible investment schemes. It could be a good time to take a class somewhere outside your usual subjects and stomping grounds. As you accrue new knowledge from fresh sources, you widen your world view and—in turn—boost your self-esteem, which could have a positive effect on building up your bank account.
If you know your rising sign, read that, too; it’s often relevant.
*Lisa Awrey and Lisa Carroll
illustration by @boccaccinimeadows
3 Steps for Building Better Relationships
“I know it feels like there are more wrong things going on in the world right now than right ones. But I can’t control all that. What I can control is how I act. How I feel inside. How I treat other people. How I raise my son, Max. How I fiercely protect my tribe. How I connect with everything around me.” -an excerpt from Sun Basket CEO, Adam Zbar’s new book, Shine An Entrepreneur’s Journey for Building a Highly Successful Business and a Healthy Life.
Zbar describes how he hit bottom at the age of 40 and put his life back together again by changing his relationship to food, exercise, work, and the people he loves.
Relationships feed our basic need for connection, belonging, security, and sense of purpose. Healthy relationships reduce stress and improve overall happiness, which empowers healthy choices, positive habits, and life-enhancing behavior. Zbar’s three-step plan helped him find the people who help him thrive.
1. It starts with you
The process began with Zbar looking at his relationship with himself. After years of ignoring his diet, he found himself facing a down a potentially fatal health crisis and a failing marriage. By taking the time to consider what his values were and where his passions lay, Zbar was able to strengthen his relationship with himself. And by addressing the health of his mind and soul, he built a foundation for healthy living.
2. Find your tribe
Part of becoming your best self is building a support group around you. Zbar writes that for years he was oblivious to the world around him. “It never occurred to me that I wasn’t the center of the universe,” he writes. That sense of self-centeredness created a distance from his family and friends. Zbar’s path back to himself came with the realization that “investing in and nourishing your tribe is as important as nourishing yourself.”
3. Connect to the people who support you
Zbar came to realize that the key to having great friends is not to have a ton of them but to have a few to really invest in. To truly thrive, he found that it’s important to cull the friends who drag you down and, in his words, “…make new friends who, like you, are positive, passionate fellow dreamers grounded by concrete goals and [have] the action plans to achieve them.”
Implementing these lessons in your own life can be daunting. After all, all relationships are complicated, and all are some mix of good and bad. But what you can start with is observation: How do I feel when I’m with this person? How do I talk to myself after I make a mistake or have a difficult day?
Once you take inventory of the positive and negative aspects of the major relationships in your life, then you can begin to invest more time and energy into those positives ones and work on ways to remedy the negative forces in your life.
Our Stone-Fruit Sweet Tea Recipe is Summer’s Hottest Cooler
Time to kick the canned tea habit and take things into your own hands. With our easy DIY sweet tea, you control the amount of sugar and skip the weird ingredients and preservatives. This is a great way to use up any slightly bruised or damaged fruits.
Stone Fruit Sweet Tea
Serves 8 to 10
Shopping List
9 cups filtered water
9 organic black tea bags
1 cup coconut sugar
1 teaspoon sumac
3 sprigs organic fresh mint
2 organic peaches
2 organic plums
1 organic lemon
8 cups ice
Tools
Medium sauce pot, pitcher
1. Brew the tea
Bring 4 cups of the filtered water to a boil in a medium sauce pot. Turn off the heat, add the tea bags, coconut sugar, and sumac, and stir to combine. Let steep for about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the tea bags and let the brewed tea cool.
While the tea cools, prepare the remaining ingredients.
2. Prep the mint and fruits
- Strip the mint leaves from the stems.
- Cut the peaches and plums into quarters lengthwise away from the pit; then cut the quarters into ¼-inch-thick slices.
- Thinly slice the lemon for garnish.
3. Finish the sweet tea
Transfer the tea to a pitcher and add the remaining 5 cups filtered water. Add the mint, peaches, plums, and ice and stir to combine.
Serve
Transfer the sweet tea to individual glasses. Garnish with a lemon slice and serve.
Nutrition per serving: Calories: 80, Protein: 1g (2% DV), Fiber: 1g (4% DV), Total Fat: 0g (0% DV), Monounsaturated Fat: 0g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0g, Saturated Fat: 0g (0% DV), Cholesterol: 0mg (0% DV), Sodium: 20mg (1% DV), Carbohydrates: 19g (6% DV), Total Sugars: 17g, Added Sugars: 13g (26% DV). Not a significant source of trans fat.
Bonus recipe—ingredients not included in box.
Our Stone-Fruit Sweet Tea Recipe is Summer’s Hottest Cooler
Time to kick the canned tea habit and take things into your own hands. With our easy DIY sweet tea, you control the amount of sugar and skip the weird ingredients and preservatives. This is a great way to use up any slightly bruised or damaged fruits.
Stone Fruit Sweet Tea
Serves 8 to 10
Shopping List
9 cups filtered water
9 organic black tea bags
1 cup coconut sugar
1 teaspoon sumac
3 sprigs organic fresh mint
2 organic peaches
2 organic plums
1 organic lemon
8 cups ice
Tools
Medium sauce pot, pitcher
1. Brew the tea
Bring 4 cups of the filtered water to a boil in a medium sauce pot. Turn off the heat, add the tea bags, coconut sugar, and sumac, and stir to combine. Let steep for about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the tea bags and let the brewed tea cool.
While the tea cools, prepare the remaining ingredients.
2. Prep the mint and fruits
- Strip the mint leaves from the stems.
- Cut the peaches and plums into quarters lengthwise away from the pit; then cut the quarters into ¼-inch-thick slices.
- Thinly slice the lemon for garnish.
3. Finish the sweet tea
Transfer the tea to a pitcher and add the remaining 5 cups filtered water. Add the mint, peaches, plums, and ice and stir to combine.
Serve
Transfer the sweet tea to individual glasses. Garnish with a lemon slice and serve.
Nutrition per serving: Calories: 80, Protein: 1g (2% DV), Fiber: 1g (4% DV), Total Fat: 0g (0% DV), Monounsaturated Fat: 0g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0g, Saturated Fat: 0g (0% DV), Cholesterol: 0mg (0% DV), Sodium: 20mg (1% DV), Carbohydrates: 19g (6% DV), Total Sugars: 17g, Added Sugars: 13g (26% DV). Not a significant source of trans fat.
Bonus recipe—ingredients not included in box.
How To Cook Your Organic New York Strip Steaks
2 organic New York strip steaks (about 7 ounces each) Serves 2
Choose your cooking method
Stovetop
- Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel; season generously with salt and pepper.
In a large frying pan over high heat, warm 1 to 2 tablespoons oil until hot but not smoking. Add the steaks and cook, turning once, until well browned, 1 to 2 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes. Serve whole or, if desired, cut into ½-inch strips.
Grill
Prepare a medium-hot fire on one side of a grill. Set the steaks on the grill directly over the heat and cook, turning once, until lightly charred, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to indirect heat, close the grill, and cook without turning to the desired doneness. Transfer to a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes. Serve whole or, if desired, cut into ½-inch strips.
Nutrition per Serving: Calories: 490, Protein: 39g (78% DV), Fiber: 0g (0% DV), Total Fat: 35g (54% DV), Monounsaturated Fat: 17g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 12g (60% DV), Cholesterol: 130mg (43% DV), Sodium: 95mg (4% DV), Carbohydrates: 0g (0% DV), Total Sugars: 0g, Added Sugars: 0g (0% DV). Not a significant source of trans fat.
Mexican Chile-Lime Fruit Cups Are the Season’s Freshest Snack
You’ve likely seen colorful fruit cups like these at your favorite Mexican market; they make an ideal afternoon snack. Seasoned with the much-loved Tajín blend of lime, chiles, and salt, they’re an irresistible combination of savory and sweet. Here, we mix the spices ourselves. It takes only a few minutes, and you can keep the blend on hand for several weeks. We’ve included many of our favorite fruits and vegetables here, but this stuff is seriously good on almost everything. Try it with any kind of melon, stone fruits, apples, tomatoes, bananas, berries, and even avocados.
Chile-Lime Mexican Fruit Cups Recipe
Serves 10
Shopping list
For the spice blend:
1 tablespoon pink peppercorns
2 teaspoons Aleppo chile flakes
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon sumac
1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
For fruit cups:
1 organic mango
1 small organic jicama
1 organic pineapple
3 organic Persian cucumbers
1 small organic watermelon
2 large organic limes
Tools
Rolling pin, optional, 2 small bowls, peeler, optional, fine-mesh strainer, large bowl
1. Make the spice blend
- On a cutting board, using a rolling pin or the bottom of a small pot or bowl, lightly crush the pink peppercorns.
In a small bowl, stir together the pink peppercorns, Aleppo chile, salt, sumac, and chipotle chile powder.
2. Prep the fruit
- Trim the ends from the mango; cut away the peel, then cut the flesh away from the pit into halves. Cut the fruit into ½-inch-thick sticks.
- Using a sharp knife or a peeler, remove the peel from the jicama; cut the white flesh into ½-inch-thick slices, then cut the slices lengthwise into ½-inch-thick sticks.
- Trim the top and end from the pineapple; cut away the peel, then cut the flesh away from the peel into quarters. Cut the flesh into ½-inch-thick sticks.
- Peel the cucumbers, if desired; cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise then into ½-inch-thick sticks.
- Remove the rind from the watermelon; cut the fruit into quarters, then cut the fruit into ½-inch-thick sticks.
- Zest and juice the limes.
3. Assemble the fruit cups
In a large bowl, toss together the mango, jicama, pineapple, cucumbers, and watermelon. Add the lime zest and juice and toss to combine. Sprinkle with as much spice blend as you like and toss to coat.
Serve
Transfer the fruit to pint glasses and serve.
Chef’s Tip: For single servings: Toss every cup of cut fruit with ½ teaspoon spice blend. If you like your fruit chilled, store the seasoned fruit in a covered container in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (or up to overnight) before serving.
Nutrition per serving: Calories: 230, Protein: 4g (8% DV), Fiber: 7g (28% DV), Total Fat: 0g (0% DV), Monounsaturated Fat: 0g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0g, Saturated Fat: 0g (0% DV), Cholesterol: 0mg (0% DV), Sodium: 400mg (17% DV), Carbohydrates: 59g (20% DV), Total Sugars: 49g, Added Sugars: 0g (0% DV). Not a significant source of trans fat.
Bonus recipe—ingredients not included in box.
Ditch the Diet Mentality
Sun Basket CEO Adam Zbar’s new book, Shine An Entrepreneur’s Journey for Building a Highly Successful Business and a Healthy Life, he tells the story of how he transformed his habits and saved his life.
Zbar was running a Silicon Valley tech venture, and to counter his stress-induced late-night pizza binges, he’d skip breakfast in order to limit his calorie intake. The result? A hangry, foggy state of mind that led to more stress and inevitably, more poor food choices. Though he was only 39 years old at the time, Zbar’s doctor told him if he didn’t make some changes to the way he was living, that he might not make it to 50. That moment came as a wakeup call. Zbar knew it was time to replace processed foods with nourishing, whole foods instead.
The best decision Zbar made was to resist the temptation to go on a diet. He wasn’t looking for a temporary fix. He wanted a new set of habits he could sustain for a lifetime. Zbar set out to make small, simple changes that delivered slow, steady, lifelong results.
1. Do You
Instead of searching for the latest diet, Zbar simply did what felt right. “Not having a life coach to help me learn how to exercise and eat right, I just did what seemed and felt right to do. Like few times before in my life, I let my inner voice guide me.”
2. Eat What Makes You Feel Good
The first thing Zbar did was rethink his diet. A longtime breakfast skipper, he started eating oatmeal every morning. Instead of a fast-food burger, fries, and soda, Zbar found an Indian restaurant where he could get dal and chicken tikka for lunch. For dinner, he rediscovered broccoli, a vegetable he once hated, with a piece of fresh fish. Soon Zbar noticed that he was more productive, had more energy, and felt much happier. He slept better and was more energized to exercise.
3. Slow Down
Zbar had a bad habit of shoveling food into his mouth without thinking. But once he changed what he was eating, he realized that he needed to change how he ate, too. To help him slow down, Zbar, who is left-handed, switched to eating with his right hand. He also came up with a strategy that he would chew each bite 20 times. While he felt ridiculous at first, Zbar writes that he “…found that it was an amazing way to slow down and actually enjoy food.” He also discovered that when he ate more slowly he got better at recognizing when he was full and was less likely to overeat.
Of course, making healthy choices is easier said than done. The key is to start small. Slow down when you eat and focus on how your food makes you feel. Listen to what your body is telling you and make adjustments as needed. In this way, you’re using food as a form of self-care that serves you far better than counting their calorie or macro-nutrient content.
The best part of making these small changes is that they have a huge positive impact on how you feel. And when you feel great, you’re likely to make more and more healthy choices.
Zbar found his kind of healthy, not by going on a diet or focusing too harshly on calories in versus calories out, but by making lasting changes that enhanced his entire life.
Mexican Chili-Lime Fruit Cups Are the Season’s Freshest Snack
You’ve likely seen colorful fruit cups like these at your favorite Mexican market; they make an ideal afternoon snack. Seasoned with the much-loved Tajín blend of lime, chiles, and salt, they’re an irresistible combination of savory and sweet. Here, we mix the spices ourselves. It takes only a few minutes, and you can keep the blend on hand for several weeks. We’ve included many of our favorite fruits and vegetables here, but this stuff is seriously good on almost everything. Try it with any kind of melon, stone fruits, apples, tomatoes, bananas, berries, and even avocados.
Chili-Lime Mexican Fruit Cups Recipe
Serves 10
Shopping list
For the spice blend:
1 tablespoon pink peppercorns
2 teaspoons Aleppo chile flakes
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon sumac
1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
For fruit cups:
1 organic mango
1 small organic jicama
1 organic pineapple
3 organic Persian cucumbers
1 small organic watermelon
2 large organic limes
Tools
Rolling pin, optional, 2 small bowls, peeler, optional, fine-mesh strainer, large bowl
1. Make the spice blend
- On a cutting board, using a rolling pin or the bottom of a small pot or bowl, lightly crush the pink peppercorns.
In a small bowl, stir together the pink peppercorns, Aleppo chile, salt, sumac, and chipotle chile powder.
2. Prep the fruit
- Trim the ends from the mango; cut away the peel, then cut the flesh away from the pit into halves. Cut the fruit into ½-inch-thick sticks.
- Using a sharp knife or a peeler, remove the peel from the jicama; cut the white flesh into ½-inch-thick slices, then cut the slices lengthwise into ½-inch-thick sticks.
- Trim the top and end from the pineapple; cut away the peel, then cut the flesh away from the peel into quarters. Cut the flesh into ½-inch-thick sticks.
- Peel the cucumbers, if desired; cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise then into ½-inch-thick sticks.
- Remove the rind from the watermelon; cut the fruit into quarters, then cut the fruit into ½-inch-thick sticks.
- Zest and juice the limes.
3. Assemble the fruit cups
In a large bowl, toss together the mango, jicama, pineapple, cucumbers, and watermelon. Add the lime zest and juice and toss to combine. Sprinkle with as much spice blend as you like and toss to coat.
Serve
Transfer the fruit to pint glasses and serve.
Chef’s Tip: For single servings: Toss every cup of cut fruit with ½ teaspoon spice blend. If you like your fruit chilled, store the seasoned fruit in a covered container in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (or up to overnight) before serving.
Nutrition per serving: Calories: 230, Protein: 4g (8% DV), Fiber: 7g (28% DV), Total Fat: 0g (0% DV), Monounsaturated Fat: 0g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0g, Saturated Fat: 0g (0% DV), Cholesterol: 0mg (0% DV), Sodium: 400mg (17% DV), Carbohydrates: 59g (20% DV), Total Sugars: 49g, Added Sugars: 0g (0% DV). Not a significant source of trans fat.
Bonus recipe—ingredients not included in box.
5 Ways to Use Fitness Apps
Feeling like you’re in a rut with your regular workout? One of the easiest ways to stay motived is by changing up your fitness routine. A change of scenery means a new challenge and an opportunity to have fun, and when we enjoy our workouts we’re more likely to turn exercise into a consistent habit. Here, Sun Basket copywriter and resident yogi, Jenny Fant, shares her go-to fitness apps for when her workout routine needs a reboot.
1. Find your fit fam
The benefits of building a fitness community are plenty: new friends and strong relationships, plus, increased accountability and motivation. But, when you’re not part of a tight-knit CrossFit box or on an intramural soccer team, it’s not always easy. With the help of community-based fitness apps, you can find like-minded people in your area who can help you reach your goals and have fun doing it.
Try: My Crew to start a new run club or BVddy to find your new activity BFF
2. Flow your heart out
Yoga studios are great, but they’re usually pretty expensive or have schedules that don’t always match our own. And you can only repeat sun salutations by yourself so many times before you give up in favor of a 20-minute savasana. Enter: yoga apps–a perfect way to bring your practice with you, whenever and wherever you need to get your asana in motion.
Try: Asana Rebel for a fierce flow or Serenity Yin Yoga for a calm mind/body reset
3. Get outside
When was the last time you saw the sun? Were exposed to the elements? Breathed some fresh air? If you’re like most people, the answer is “not recent enough.” Lucky for you, REI has A TON of apps geared to help you get outside on the best trails, slopes, and rock walls in the country–from your neighborhood running trail to national parks.
Try: REI’s Collection of apps for hikers, bikers, trail runners, climbers, and more
4. Make the most of your gym membership
So you paid the initiation fee, bought a new pair of sneakers, and got yourself in the door. Do you just go in, pick some things up, and put them back down? Charge full speed ahead on whatever treadmill is closest to the door? A gym without a guide, trainer, or class can get boring, unmotivating, and even make you prone to injury. For anyone who’d like a little guidance, these apps have you covered.
Try: Peloton for cardio routines and Stacked for weightlifting tips
5. Synergize your health routine
Although physical activity is an essential component of healthy living, it takes more than a workout regimen to feel your best. This app pairs fitness, nutrition, and lifestyle tools to help you find your kind of healthy, holistically.
Try: 8fit for a “fitness and nutrition companion”
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