A NOTE FROM SUE & ALEX
Dear Ranch Alumni,
This fall, we are embracing the season as a time of transformation and well-being. We continue to welcome new and familiar faces to both our Malibu and Hudson Valley locations to help you reconnect with nature, rediscover your zest for life, and enjoy the simple pleasures of fall at The Ranch.
In Hudson Valley, guests are enjoying serene views of the lake and hiking through forests painted in vibrant fall colors. Our solarium is the perfect place for an afternoon swim and sauna, offering warmth as the air turns crisp. Chef Michael is hard at work crafting creative fall recipes that celebrate the best of fresh, seasonal ingredients.
In Malibu, guests are savoring lunch with ocean views and enjoying refreshing dips in our pool after morning hikes along the coast. Our Malibu garden is flourishing with fall vegetables and herbs, which Chef Meredith transforms into nourishing meals sourced straight from our garden.
We invite you to join us at either location and experience the unique joys of fall at The Ranch. Let this season be one of personal reflection, joyful discovery, and delicious nourishment.In health,
In health, - Sue & Alex
We are excited to announce that your next stay at The Ranch is now eligible for FSA/HSA reimbursements through TrueMed, offering an average savings of 33%. Our program supports a variety of health conditions, including weight management, diabetes, heart disease, and mental health concerns such as depression and anxiety. If you’re interested in applying this reimbursement to your upcoming stay, our reservations team is ready to provide the necessary link and details to help you get started. As you plan for 2025, consider setting aside extra funds to use toward your stay at The Ranch.
The Ranch is excited to introduce The Ranch Private Healthspan, a new program specifically designed for guests with targeted health concerns such as GLP-1 medication use, diabetes, perimenopause, and menopause. This tailored experience builds on the core elements of our programs—daily hikes, strength training, and a nutrient-rich plant-based diet—with added focus on muscle building, digestive health, and overall well-being. Personalized support includes consultations with Holistic Health Practitioner Bridgette Becker, colon hydrotherapy sessions, cholesterol testing, and energy healing. This comprehensive approach ensures lasting results, empowering guests to maintain a healthier lifestyle beyond their stay.
We are excited to announce the launch of our new private label coffee, The Ranch Roast, now available for purchase at The Ranch Malibu, The Ranch Hudson Valley and on our online store.
The Ranch Roast is a regeneratively-farmed organic blend, developed in partnership with SACACLI, a renowned Fairtrade-, Regenerative Organic-, and Organic-Certified Farming cooperative in Nicaragua. This collaboration reflects our unwavering commitment to environmental conservation, soil health, and community well-being. This low-acidic, light roast coffee is rich in antioxidants, particularly polyphenols, due to its shorter roasting time. It offers a smooth and authentic tasting experience, with delightful notes of apple, walnut, and chocolate.
This winter, The Ranch Hudson Valley is excited to introduce its Winter Wellness Programming, offering a perfect blend of outdoor adventures and indoor activities. Guests can enjoy hiking, snowshoeing, spin and fireside fitness, heated pool workouts, mindfulness practices, culinary immersions, sledding, and cozy lakehouse experiences—all thoughtfully curated to enhance both physical and mental well-being throughout the winter season.
The Travel + Leisure 2025 World's Best Awards are now live for voting. Please support The Ranch Malibu and The Ranch Hudson valley by voting through the link below.
Chef Michael Narciso of The Ranch Hudson Valley will be featured on the Late Night with Seth Meyers Thanksgiving cooking segment! Tune in on November 27th at 4 PM to get inspired with delicious vegan Thanksgiving recipes.
Carlos, a cherished guide at The Ranch Hudson Valley, brings a wealth of experience in mindfulness and meditation. Having honed his skills at The Ranch Malibu, Carlos recently joined our Hudson Valley team. His deep connection to nature and compassionate approach allow him to make meaningful connections with guests, fostering transformative experiences through mindfulness and meditation.
Read on for an insightful interview where Carlos shares his journey, daily routines, and wisdom.
How did your journey in mindfulness and meditation begin?
My journey in mindfulness and meditation began early in my life when I was 23 years old. I was going through the most challenging and stressful chapter of my life. At the moment I was in a state of despair, fear, and confusion. Little did I know, this was the perfect recipe for transformation. I had an epiphany and the following message was delivered to my mind: “It’s time for you to learn how to love yourself.” And thus my journey in mindfulness and meditation began.
What do you enjoy most about your role at The Ranch Hudson Valley?
What I enjoy the most about my role at The Ranch is the opportunity to meet incredible humans all the time, from my coworkers that I love so much, to our guests. This is my favorite part of my job. There is not a better place to open your heart and to have healing conversations than out there in nature, our human soul is in its element walking in the forest.
Can you describe a typical day for you at the ranch?
A typical day at the ranch for me looks like this:
6:30am to 7:30am - Arrival time, greeting my coworkers, reviewing our positions for the hike, waiting for the guests to finish their breakfast and then we start moving! We are doing foot care, filling up backpacks with water, and getting everyone excited and ready to go hiking!
8am to 12pm - We are having an amazing time hiking in nature, as guides we are constantly communicating with each other, checking in with our lovely guests, making sure everyone is feeling good, and of course I love witnessing the majestic views, peace and calmness that nature offers!
1pm to 6pm - We are back in the property from our hike, it is time to eat a delicious and healthy plant-based meal. After that, us guides manage the rest of activities for the day, we are making announcements every hour for our guests to participate in fitness, yoga, massages and other additional services. Afternoon hours are all about assisting our guests and making sure that they are having the best time possible!
7pm - We make the last announcement of the day which is dinner time! At The Ranch we have a tradition to start dinner with a moment of silent gratitude. And this concludes a typical day at our beautiful Ranch.
How would you define mindfulness, and why is it important in today’s fast-paced world?
Mindfulness is the ability to bring the totality of our attention to the present moment, and to do it in a loving, kind, and respectful manner no matter what our present moment contains. Mindfulness is the antidote against a fast-paced world. To be mindful allows us to slow down and observe our present moment without reacting to it. By being mindful, we learn how to create distance in order to gain a better perspective on life. This perspective gives us the opportunity to understand our current circumstances and as a consequence we make conscious decisions that will bring about greater results to our lives.
What are some common misconceptions about meditation that you often encounter?
The most common misconception about meditation is that people think that they can’t meditate because they can’t stop the activity of their mind. The mind is there for a reason and we simply need to learn how to not engage with the mind, but the mind will be there and it is perfectly fine.
For someone new to mindfulness, what is the best way to get started?
The best way to get started is to begin to observe our life without judging it, and without reacting to it. We practice watching our internal world (thoughts and emotions), and our external world (immediate environment) without commenting, simply being aware of everything. Observation without judgement is the first step to notice what adjustments we need to make in our lives.
Can you share a simple meditation exercise that people can try at home?
First, let’s understand that meditation is a date with your Soul.
You have to create your own sacred space. Light up a candle or two, or incense, or maybe both, dim the lights and allow yourself to relax. The atmosphere is key.
Find a comfortable seated position, say goodbye to the outside world and all your human responsibilities, and then close your eyes for the next 7 minutes (set up a timer).
During the next 7 minutes we are going to create the perfect internal environment by focusing on 3 different areas: breath, body, mind.
Breath. During the entire meditation your main focus is here, your breath. All you are going to do is to watch your inhales and exhales and expand them in slow motion.
Body. Relax your body and don’t move. You are going to make an effort to not move your body at all. Stillness is very important to transcend or to let go of the outside/physical world.
Mind. Let the mind be the mind. Get out of the way. Your work is to not engage with any mental activity. Don’t react, don’t comment, don’t fight, don’t entertain the mind. Simply watch and accept the mind. Your mind is beautiful, and if you learn how to befriend it, your mind will show you everything that you need to see in order to fulfill your purpose in life.
By supervising these 3 areas, we create the right atmosphere within ourselves to allow healing to take place.
PATIENCE, KINDNESS, AND CONSISTENCY ARE KEY.
What is your favorite book or resource on mindfulness?
Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn
An Invitation To Freedom by Mooji
What do you like to do in your free time when you’re not teaching or practicing mindfulness?
Mindfulness is not a practice, mindfulness is a way of living. I am mindfulness whether I’m teaching or not. In my free time, when I’m not working, I love to spend time in nature with my beautiful life partner, or with my best friend, or by myself. I love to read, I love to eat, I love to relax and have a good time. Living is precious to me.
Is there a particular mindfulness quote or mantra that you find particularly inspiring?
“I am not my body, I am not my mind. I am THAT which gives life to my body and mind.”
“I cannot be more spiritual than I already am. I am Spirit inside a human body.”
What are you grateful for?
I am so grateful for my journey. I’m grateful for all that life has taught me and continues to teach me. I am grateful for the ups and downs. I wouldn’t be who I am without the challenges I have faced. Thank you beautiful Life.
Head of Programing, Gina McAlpin joins our Hudson Valley team with more than a decade of experience in the health and fitness industry and nearly a year training at The Ranch Malibu. Most recently she completed a Master's in Integrative Nutrition, allowing her to share both fitness and nutritional expertise as she supports guests in their health journeys with an empathetic and personalized touch.
Join Gina in a 30-minute full body workout designed for a strong start to the day.
For this workout, we’ll focus on foundational strength training movements for the upper and lower body while adding in short bursts of (optional) cardiovascular work.
Block #1: Perform three rounds of the following four exercises for 1 minute each. Take a 30-second rest between rounds.
Rest for 30 seconds. Repeat 2 more times.
Block #2: 6-Minute EMOM (Every Minute on The Minute)
For this block, we’ll combine the exercises from block #1 into an interval style of training. At the top of each minute, you’ll perform the prescribed exercises for a certain number of reps and then rest for the remainder of the minute.
Minute #1: In 60 seconds, perform 8 reps of each weighted exercise (8 Rows, 8 Curls, 8 Presses). When complete, rest OR hold a plank for the remainder of the minute.
Minute #2: In 60 seconds, perform 10 pushups OR 10 burpees for an added cardio challenge!
Minute #3: Same as Minute #1
Minute #4: Same as Minute #2
Minute #5: Same as Minute #1
Minute #6: Pushups OR Burpees for 1 full minute! Count your reps and try to improve the next time you do this workout
Block #3: Perform three rounds of the following 3 exercises for 1 minute each, immediately followed by 30 seconds of squat jumps (or air squats to modify). Take a 30-second rest between rounds.
Block #4: 9-Minute EMOM (Every Minute on The Minute)
For this block, we’ll combine the exercises from block #3 into a 3-minute EMOM performed 3x. Take a 30-second recovery between each round.
Minute #1: In 60 seconds, perform 6 Deadlifts, 6 Squats, and 6 Lunges. Rest for the remainder of the minute.
Minute #2: In 60 seconds, perform 30 TOTAL squat jumps. If modifying the jump, perform 45 seconds of air squats. Rest for the remainder of the minute.
Minute #3: Hold a 60-second wall sit
Rest for 30 seconds. Repeat two more times!
This year in Malibu, we experienced another wet winter with mild temperatures. The precipitation lingered into spring, keeping us cooler than average so far this season. As a result, we are still harvesting beautiful heads of purple and yellow cauliflower from our spring rotations. The cooler weather also yielded great crops of red onions, leeks, cabbages, beets, radishes, spinach, and lettuces.
Now, we are planting many of our summer fruits and vegetables, including melons, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, corn, eggplant, squash, and beans. Our "Red Baron" peach and "Santa Rosa" plum trees are setting a ton of fruit, which we protect with bird netting.
We also have two new additions to The Ranch team: Lily and Rosey, Turkish Kangal livestock guardian puppies. They will grow to protect our new herd of brush-clearing goats.
The brush goats are an extension of our Regenerative Organic practices, naturally reducing the annual fire danger associated with this region while enhancing the landscape.
We are delighted to share that The Ranch Malibu has been nominated in Conde Nast Traveler's Annual Readers' Choice Awards and we would be grateful if you could support our team with a vote. You can find us at the link below, simply type in The Ranch Malibu.
Recipes
Ingredients
Makes 16-20 mini cheesecake
Crust
Cheesecake layer
Directions
1. Place the crust ingredients in the blender or food processor and pulse until a sticky dough forms. Press about 1-1 1/2 Tablespoons of the crust into the bottoms of a silicone mini muffin pan and place in the refrigerator while preparing the filling.
2. Place all the cheesecake ingredients, except the water, in a blender and puree on high until thick and creamy. Add the water if needed to blend and to get the mixture completely smooth. Spoon the cheesecake mixture over the crusts in the pan and spread it evenly. Tap the pan a few times on the counter to remove any air bubbles. Freeze the dessert for at least 2 hours. Once frozen pop out of the molds and serve.
Makes 12 patties
Cashew raita sauce
Make 12 Patties:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with either parchment paper or a silpat.
Place the diced squash on the baking tray and toss with the oil, salt and pepper. Roast 20-25 minutes until golden brown and soft. Remove and cool slightly.
In the bowl of a food processor, add the rest of the ingredients (except the almond flour) and the cooled butternut squash. Pulse several times to combine the mix until it comes together but still a bit chunky. If the mixture is too wet to hold together, add 1/4 cup of either almond or oat flour and pulse again to combine. If needed, add another 1/4 cup of flour. Remove to a bowl, cover and place in the refrigerator 20-30 minutes until cool.
Divide the mixture into 12 equal patties. Lightly dust them with cornmeal on both sides.
Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. In batches, add patties and cook 4-5 minutes each side until golden.
Serve with cashew raita sauce.
Make Cashew raita sauce:
Drain the cashews and place in a blender with 3/4-1 cup water. Puree on high until completely smooth and creamy, adding more water if needed to blend the cashews. Pour into a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
Beet Hummus with Roasted Vegetables
Beet Hummus
Season to taste with salt and pepper
Lemon Dressing
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Wrap the beet tin foil. Place the beets on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until soft. Allow the beets to cool and then peel/rub the skin away. Remove the skins of the garlic cloves. To the bowl of a food processor, add the garlic, chickpeas, tahini, spices and lemon juice. Puree the mixture until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. Add 1/4 cup water to start and puree until smooth. Add the roasted beet and more water if needed until smooth and creamy. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the lentils, pinch of salt and pepper and simmer 25-30 minutes until tender. Drain any excess water and set lentils aside.
2. Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper. Toss the vegetables with the oil, salt and pepper. Spread out on the sheet pan and roast 20-25 minutes until lightly browned.
3. While the vegetables roast, make the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together in a bowl.
4. Spread the hummus on the bottom of the plate, topping with the lentils and roasted vegetables. Drizzle with the lemon dressing.
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