A Day in the Life
Bonberi's Nicole BerrieIn the Morning
What's your morning ritual?
Wake up and meditate. I love Gabby Bernstein's guided meditations or Kirtan Kriya, which Organically Jamie turned me onto. Then I get the kids up and out for school! We do a green juice for the whole family, I feed them breakfast, then it's off to school/Zoom school. I'll then grab a coffee at Bonberi Mart, usually iced espresso with our house-made nut mylk. I then do my daily morning workout, usually Tracy Anderson at home. If I have time I'll hop in my infrared blanket, shower, then hit the shop for work.
Go-to breakfast?
Green juice or the Bonberi Green Smoothie with lots of fruit!
During the Day
What's a typical day at work like?
Ever-changing! Some days I have calls/meetings all day long, other days I'll be at Bonberi Mart all afternoon! Sometimes I'm shooting content, working with my team at the shop, or recipe testing.
Go-to lunch?
I'm usually raw most of the day with juices, smoothies and fruit (pre-dinner consists of a huge raw salad then a big abundant dinner, Mexican or pasta is usually my weeknight go-to). For a late lunch, I'm usually testing the new specials at Bonberi Mart (@bonberimart). Current fave is our massaged kale salad with carrot ginger soup.
When you need an afternoon pick-me-up…
I try to go with genmaicha toasted brown rice green tea, but if I'm really craving a coffee I'll go with iced espresso and a splash of nut mylk, sweetened with a little stevia!
In the Evening
This is where my creativity and abundance really comes through! I love to eat a big raw salad with kraut or kimchi added for probiotics, and always try to add in something "fun," i.e. olives, pickles, tortilla chips, or my favorite raw goat cheese. For dinner, I'll go with what I'm craving! I like to work off of a theme, so if I'm craving something warming, I'll make a brothy soup with grounding veg and starches or a GF pasta dish, or if I'm not in the mood to cook, I'll order from one of my favorite restaurants here in the city! It's especially important to me to continue supporting our restaurants in any way possible!
I'm a bit of a late-nighter so after the kids are down, my husband and I will eat dinner together and wind down watching a show. I like to try to put my phone away 30 minutes before bed, but that's a work in progress! I recently switched to doing the Kirtan Kriya meditation before bed with a little journal writing and reading a book and it's really shifted my nighttime routine to something more calming. Highly recommend it.
Meditating. I learned from my dear friend Gabby Bernstein that there's always time to meditate. In fact, it will give you MORE time in your day. It clears my thoughts and gives me the space to go about my day in a more organized, grounded manner. It revitalizes and energizes me, allowing me to prioritize what needs to get done, and helps me let go of the anxiety that can come with not finishing each and every thing. There will be more time for that project that you didn't get to today!
Loving, breathing, eating and sleeping what I do. I truly love what I do and feel so lucky to be able to call my passion also my career. It didn't happen overnight but believing in the work, in myself, got me here and I never take that for granted. Also two little kids that wouldn't have it any other way ;)
Q&A
It was gradual. I was still freelancing as a writer for many years while running the website. It was only until we had an opportunity to open a pop-up shop two years ago that I began to focus on Bonberi as a business. It's been overwhelming and the feedback from customers so encouraging, so we knew we had to make it work. We want to continue to provide a nourishing space for the community through the availability of amazing food/juice and plant-based products.
Since my switch was so gradual, it kind of happened without me realizing it! So my advice would be to focus on what you love and what makes you feel your best. The more good you feel, the more you'll be drawn to being in the right place at the right time. I don't believe it's necessary to "quit your day job"— just keep following your passion bit by bit and the universe will open doors you may never have imagined.
It's hard to narrow down nourishing yourself to "hacks" as everyone is so different; however, I do think everyone can benefit by eating abundant fruits and vegetables, whole foods, less processed acidic foods and more greens!
“I truly love what I do and feel so lucky to be able to call my passion also my career. It didn't happen overnight but believing in the work, in myself, got me here and I never take that for granted.”
Recipes
Bonberi Green Smoothie
Makes 32 ounces
Ingredients
1 cup of chopped very ripe bananas frozen (must have the spots!)
1 firmly packed cup of chopped kale or baby kale
1 firmly packed cup of baby spinach
2 cups of raw coconut water (Harmless Harvest)
1 Fuji apple, cored, not peeled
2 large stalks celery
1 cup of chopped frozen mango
1/4 cup of fresh mint leaves
Directions
Blend on high until creamy consistency. Enjoy right away!
Bonberi Bagel
Ingredients
Everything bagel.
Scallion cream cheese
1 avocado sliced
Slabs of juicy tomato
A mountain of sprouts
Hawthorne Valley turmeric kraut
Sea salt
Black pepper
Olive oil
Directions
Toast bagel. Stack ingredients, sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper, then drizzled with olive oil.
Creamy Curried Cauliflower
Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets, can chop core too to use!
1 heaping tsp curry powder
2-3 tbsp avocado oil
Sea salt/pepper to taste
2 heaping tbsp of vegan mayo
Fresh cilantro, chopped
Directions
Preheat oven to 425°.
Sprinkle curry powder, salt and pepper onto cauliflower.
Massage oil into cauliflower florets and chopped core.
Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast until browned and edges crisp, about 25 minutes. Let cool.
Transfer to a bowl and add vegan mayo and toss well.
Add cilantro leaves and toss again.
Serve with raw greens.
