an end of the year check in...

Happy almost New Year! December has flown by, and for me the holiday season was filled with some pretty high moments and a few low moments... My husband and I got to video chat with our newly adopted nephews on Christmas for the first time, which was awesome and the highlight of my holiday (the video my brother in law sent the next day of his youngest son talking about talking to us, saying our names over and over really was my favorite moment of the season- can't wait to go visit those boys). Alas, the season was not without it's generally expected familial issues (we all have those, especially around the holidays!) and I am making sure to take extra good care of my heart these days, to help deal with a little bit of the sadness some of my family can make me feel. BUT! this is not meant to be a sad post. It is a happy time, a time of renewal and fresh starts and asking ourselves the question "how does _____ serve us?" It is a time to assess our lives, and how we are living them, and how well we are taking care of ourselves and our loved ones and the world. I am a huge fan of fresh starts and rituals, and many of you know I have a serious love for house cleaning (don't judge), so of course I spend Dec 30th and 31st cleaning cleaning cleaning! I love feeling fresh and new for the New Year- get all those cobwebs out of your house and your mind so you can move forward with a clean slate. Reflecting on where we came from and accepting where we currently are in our lives is a big part of being able to move forward with a fresh year, and I am taking the time to do those things a lot these days (meditation and journaling being a daily ritual right now). I have this deep feeling in my soul that 2014 is going to be a wonderful year, after the last (very hard but fruitful) year of self reflection and internal work and working towards healing as best as I can. I believe your life is what YOU make of it, no one else, and you will have the best year yet if you keep working towards creating your best life yet. I encourage everyone to enjoy their New Year's rituals (going to sleep early, going to a party, a glass of champagne, a kiss at midnight, cleaning the house... whatever floats your boat!) and I will be back in a few days with a bright, fresh blog post to start 2014! Wishing everyone a safe and happy New Year!

Why I am putting Ghee on my face... or rather, why my skin is itchy and dry and I'll try anything...

I have a dear friend from college (we have been friends for 10 years! whew time flies) who lives in Seattle, and is a fellow clean living/clean beauty person, and we frequently exchange long facebook messages about things were are doing/want to try/ have had success or failure with, etc etc, in the beauty and lifestyle arena. Mostly we talk about skin stuff, sometimes in conjunction with diet stuff, and basically lament that we don't live in the same town anymore because we could create an awesome business out of what we make for our personal body care products. ANYWAY, she mentioned that her skin, in particular her face, was feeling really dry lately and the oils she had been using have just not been cutting it. She described it like "I put a good amount of oil on in the am, and it seems to be just sitting on the skin, rather then absorbing like normal, and my skin still feels dry and uncomfortable". Well, wouldn't you know, I was having the EXACT same problem. I noticed a few days ago that I was having the same problem- lots of soothing oil that I normally love on my face was just not cutting it. It also happens to be freakin' freezing in Santa Cruz right now (literally), as it is across most of the US (and the entire Northern Hemisphere, really), so I am sure that A. my skin is reacting to the very cold and very dry air, and B. I am probably not alone here. She and I chatted about the various options to treat this, and I told her I have been putting on oil, then a thick face cream, and then sunscreen. It has been helping, but my skin is very sensitive, and if I put too much on it, it tends to get reactive- which it has been starting to do, as I glop on all this stuff to keep my face from being super parched. I suggested Tallow, (rendered fat- I know it sounds gross but it supposed to be a miracle on dry skin), since she and I are both on board with humanely raised meat consumption and other uses. I have heard that Tallow can be amazing for dry, chapped skin, and have been thinking of trying it. And then, while I was mulling over buying some Tallow, I thought "hey, what about Ghee instead?" I had a pot of fresh Ghee popping away on the stove already, so I sat down to do some research and see if slathering Ghee on your face was a legit thing or I was just the crazy lady thinking of putting butter on her face. After a little internet sleuthing, I found out I am not crazy! (well, at least not for wanting to put Ghee on my face). Ghee has been used for thousands of years as food and medicine, and is apparently amazing for skin issues. Ghee made from pastured cow milk is high in vitamin A (the main ingredient in all those retinol products people use for anti aging) and vitamin D (which is having a huge moment in skincare right now), and is very high in fatty acids to moisturize, nourish and soothe the skin. So, I decided to do a little experiment. As you may already know, I eat a lot of Ghee- in my tea, in my food, a big tablespoon first thing in the morning (in Ayurveda, it is thought that a spoonful of Ghee in the morning followed by warm water gets rid of toxins, stokes the digestive fire and gets things *moving*, if you will)... so putting it on my skin wasn't huge jump for me- I make a big batch about every week, and always have it on hand. I decided I am going to try a week long Ghee experiment, where in the morning and evening, I put Ghee on my face (and nothing else). I washed my face last night and slathered it on (and went a little overboard and had to wipe some off), and then waited to see if any red bumps or flushing would occur (my sensitive skin reactions)- and neither of those happened, and in fact my skin felt amazing- cool and soft and yummy. I let it soak in for about an hour before bed, and I didn't notice any coming off on the pillow when I finally laid down. This morning, for the first time in awhile, I didn't wake up with dry, itchy skin- woo hoo! So I am going to give it 7 days of twice a day application and see how my skin likes it. I'll update you when the experiment is over. Let me know if you try it!

Enjoy this cold winter weather, stay warm, and eat (or wear) some Ghee!

Chlorella shots with Chia seed chasers...

Today I want to talk about my daily superfood ritual- most days, I try to take a big ole' shot of Chlorella (a beautiful blue green algae, similar to Spirulina) followed by a big ole' glass of soaked Chia seeds. Most of you know what Chia seeds are (and if you grew up in the 80's and were super lucky, you had a Chia pet!!!). They are all over health food stores, touted as Aztec super energy food (which is true- Aztec and Mayan warriors would eat them on long journeys to keep their energy up and stay full longer). Since I am not eating grains right now (or gluten- ever), I have to make sure I am getting enough fiber to keep things running smoothly (wink). Chia seeds have a huge amount of fiber, besides being high in Omega 3's, and also contain a large amount of calcium, which is great for me too since I tent to avoid dairy most of the time. Chlorella is a blue green algae that has some amazing capabilities- it can bind to toxic chemicals (particularly heavy metals and Dioxin, chemicals that can be present in your stomach from the food you ingest, and accumulate in your fatty tissue). It is important to note that Chlorella only binds to metals and toxins that you have recently ingested (that are in your digestive tract at the time), not to metals and toxins that are already absorbed in your fatty tissue- so it seems that they will not "pull" accumulated toxins out of your body, but rather help to mitigate the ingestion of toxins as you eat them in food.  In terms of Dioxins in particular, the WHO reports that:

• Dioxins are a group of chemically-related compounds that are persistent environmental pollutants.
• Dioxins are found throughout the world in the environment and they accumulate in the food chain, mainly in the fatty tissue of animals.
• More than 90% of human exposure is through food, mainly meat and dairy products, fish and shellfish. Many national authorities have programmes in place to monitor the food supply.
• Dioxins are highly toxic and can cause reproductive and developmental problems, damage the immune system, interfere with hormones and also cause cancer  

(Source: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs225/en/)

Clearly, we don't want Dioxins (or heavy metals or other chemicals) in our bodies, and they need to be avoided especially in small children and pregnant and breastfeeding women. I am eating a fairly strict Paleo diet right now, and I try to eat about 4 tablespoons of grass fed Ghee (homemade) everyday (which is making my skin glow!). There have been some findings that even exclusively grass fed or organic butter has been found to have Dioxin in it- it is so prevalent in our world that even the most pristine environments may have Dioxin in the soil, and therefore it transfers to the cows grazing on the grass, and then transfers to the fatty tissue of the cows, and then goes right into that beautiful grass fed butter. But grass fed butter is a Paleo super food! What to do now?! I am not going to stop eating my Ghee made with gorgeous grass fed butter, because I have noticed an improvement in my health since I introduced it to my diet. But, it is possible that by making Ghee from the grass fed butter (which is essentially made by cooking out the milk fats and casein), I am removing the part of the butter that contains most of the contaminants. Just as insurance, I take a shooter of Chlorella a day, to trap up any toxins that I might have ingested, and then follow it with a big glass of Chia to move that bad stuff right out of my body. There have been some recent studies done in Japan on the effects of Chlorella and removal of Dioxins in breast milk in mothers who are breast feeding. Breast milk has been found to have high concentrations of Dioxin, and they found that taking Chlorella significantly reduces the amount of Dioxin that is present in the breast milk.  (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17472477) I think that is just amazing! What an easy way to protect your baby from a chemical that is ever present in our system, and may be very hard to avoid ingesting. My thought is, if Chlorella removes Dioxin from breast milk, it probably removes it from your body as a whole- so why not take it?! It is important for pregnant women to remember- the toxins that are bound up by Chlorella are the ones present in your digestive system at the time, and not the toxins that have already moved to your blood and fatty tissues, so it is seemingly safe for pregnant women and won't "transfer chemicals to the baby" as some people have thought (but always exercise caution when taking anything as a pregnant or breastfeeding woman!!!)

I like to think of my Chlorella shots and Chia chasers as super food insurance- preventative care that I can easily do now to avoid getting sick later in life, and to help keep my future children safe from ever present chemicals in our food supply. It's all about preventative wellness- I want to do everything I can to live a long and healthy life, and Chia seed and Chlorella shots are a step in that direction. Let me know if you pick up some Chlorella or Chia (or both!) and what you think. Oh, and Happy Halloween!!!

new obsession... yes, I'm obsessed with soap...

I really love the Clean Well company- they use Thyme oil in their products (yes, like thyme from the garden), which is a potent natural antibacterial agent. I have used their "hand sanitizer" for a long time now- I like knowing that I am using something that won't chemically mess with my system but is good at killing bad bacteria! This soap is to die for, it gets the job done and it smells like an orange creamsicle! What more could you want?! I bet it would go over well with kids, since it smells like a sweet treat (although, on second thought, they may want to eat it... so maybe not...) I highly recommend this to anyone who loved creamsicles as a kid (I was obsessed- all that sugar!!!!) and wants to fight germs naturally. I actually use their surface cleaner sometimes as well, I alternate between homemade vinegar cleaners and their lemon thyme surface cleaner- I really like the straight up thyme smell, and it seems to fight germs really well. If you see this in your neighborhood natural foods store, give it a try!

Stay healthy and warm, and enjoy this lovely fall weather!

wellness tip! (or, a post about my neurosis)

Dr Bronner's soap is my jam! This stuff is amazing, and you can use it for a million different things (the peppermint works really well as toothpaste on camping trips). I use it for my body and in my cleaning products- we even wash our dog with it. But this post is not actually about the soap, so much as it is about my neurosis. I am totally freaked out by chemicals. The nasty, screw with your hormones and gut flora, give you cancer kind of chemicals. Many many soaps (and a host of other self care products) contain questionable ingredients that can make you sick, add to your toxin load, disrupt your helpful microbe population in your gut, mess with your hormones... I could go on and on. We all know it is super important to wash your hands frequently, especially in the colder months when colds and flu's proliferate. One of the most preventative things you can do to keep yourself healthy is to wash your hands frequently and well. But what if you are like me, and are trying to avoid these substances and the flu as well, and you walk into a restroom at a restaurant or somewhere, and you see that they have the scary bulk bright pink soap!  Or some other version of "antibacterial" soap... which probably contains triclosan (among other ickies), which as of this fall, the FDA deems "safe" (don't get me started!), but recent studies have shown that it alters hormone regulation in animals and contributes to making bacteria resistant to antibiotics- both things we do not want!!! I don't know about you, but I don't want petroleum derivatives, phthalates, parabens, or triclosan on my body (what goes on goes in!). So that's why, in my quest to be clean of disease and clean of chemicals, I carry my own soap in my purse. Yep, I am the crazy lady who whips out her own soap to wash her hands wherever she goes. I have a mini bottle of Dr. Bronner's Peppermint soap in my bag as we speak, and it is already half empty due to my avoidance of icky pink soap. I encourage you to take your own soap (find a little glass jar of your own and put some chemical free liquid soap in it if you can't find the mini bottles of Dr. B's) with you, so you can avoid cancer causing chemicals and the flu at the same time! No more choosing between the two, as long as you don't mind the funny looks you may get from people when you whip out your own soap in the bathroom.

And that is your wellness tip/ look into my craziness! Hope you are all well as the weather gets colder and the days get shorter! Ps. We are now on Facebook, so if you haven't already LIKED us, please do and get updates and FB only tips from the blog! (pumpkins-parsnips-and-parsimony on Facebook)

homemade yummy body butter and body scrub

Hello everyone! Sorry things have been a little quiet on the blog lately, we have been very busy and I keep meaning to sit down and write, and then in my downtime end up with my nose buried in my new book (the history of the Stuart family of Scotland- it's fascinating, and I can't put it down)... Today, by request (love to my BFF Ashleigh!) is a recipe for homemade body scrub and body butter. I have been making these two simple but so yummy products for awhile, and my husband and a few of my friends have tried and loved them, and I am thinking of giving them out as gifts for Christmas this year- we all need a little self pampering around the holidays, right?! I am seeing a dear friend tonight, who is pregnant with her first child (so exciting!), and I haven't seen her in ages and wanted to get her a little gift... I was going to go to the store and pick up some bubble bath for her, but then I realized a homemade gift would be so much better! I like to have different body oils and butters on hand, for just this purpose (I get all of my supplies from Mountain Rose Herbs online, they are awesome, have everything you could think of, and have a huge organic selection of stuff), and I love whipping up seasonal treats for the body! The beauty of having a few base ingredients on hand, plus spices and essential oils, means you can make a personalized/seasonal product with the same base ingredients whenever you want! So without further ado, the recipes: (Note: all ingredients listed are organic- your skin is a permeable membrane!)

Easy homemade body scrub:
-variable amount of oil (depends on the glass jar you want to use, but I used about a cup of oil for the little jars in the picture)- coconut oil/jojoba oil/grapeseed oil/olive oil, or other oil of your choice (using coconut oil will impart a slight coconut smell)

-enough brown sugar to fill up half your jar. The larger the grain of the sugar, the more "scratchy" the sugar will be on your skin, so you can grind it down in a mortar and pestle if you want finer sugar (or buy finer sugar).

-essential oils/spices of your liking- for this particular batch, I used 30 drops of vanilla essential oil and a few teaspoons of each powdered spice: clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger. It smells like pumpkin pie! I made a batch one time with just clove and grapefruit essential oil, and put some grapefruit zest in it, and it was amazing too. Play around with it, the possibilities are endless!

mix it all up in a bowl until it is evenly combined, and put it in your jar!  simple as that.

Easy homemade body butter:
-1 cup shea butter (or mango butter or cocoa butter... etc)
-3 tablespoons oil of your choice (remember, coconut will make it smell a little tropical on it's own, and if you want to have a nice essential oil smell you may want to use a different oil)
-essential oils of your choice (lavender, vanilla, grapefruit...)

Melt the butter in a bowl placed in another bowl or pot that has hot water in it (or if you have a double boiler, use that!) You don't want to put the butter in a pot directly on the stove, because you want to melt it at a low temperature to keep the butter from changing too much- you want all those good skin nutrients to stay intact. When the butter is semi melted (some clumps still), use a mixer and blend in the oil and the essential oils if you want them, and beat the hell out of it. I usually beat it like crazy with my hand mixer for 10 minutes, put it in the fridge to solidify for another 5-10 minutes, and then beat it again with the hand mixer for 10 minutes. The mixing time will be variable depending on the butters and oils you use, but the consistency should be soft and marshmallow like (best way I could think of to describe it!) It really does take a long time to get it nice and fluffy, you may have to beat it for 30 minutes but I swear, it's worth it! 

It comes out fluffy and thick, and you only need a little bit to keep your skin super moisturized- it is great for winter, and on chapped skin and cracked hands. My hubby uses it all the time at work, after he has been washing his hands over and over and working on equipment all day long. Both of these things, because they are organic and fresh, will have a expiration date, so use them up in a couple of  months or put them in the fridge to last longer. 

I hope you give making them a try, there is nothing like a pure homemade spa day to make yourself feel the self love! Let me know if you try it, and what you think!

A warming Moroccan stew recipe for this beautiful Fall weather!

Happy Friday! It has been amazingly beautiful here in Santa Cruz this week, lovely 75 degree days with 45 degree nights/early mornings... Fall is definitely upon us. The sky is bright periwinkle blue, and the sun is shining a warm orange color through the leaves. Slippers and sweaters have come out at our house, and we have even started turning on our pellet stove in the evenings. This is by far my favorite time of year, I love all things cozy- blankets, tea, smart wool socks... The other night I was craving a warm, spice-laden stew, and middle eastern food is my all time favorite, so I made this Moroccan inspired stew that was the perfect dinner for a lovely Fall evening. The beauty of this recipe is that it is very easy to tweak to your dietary needs- Paleo, Vegan, etc, just a few changes and you can make it work for you. It works well in a crock pot, and I promise you when you get home from a long day of work and smell this simmering in your kitchen you will swoon! My husband was outside planing a tree that fell down on our property to make it into a mantle for our pellet stove area (he is a rockstar, seriously), and he walked in the house and just about melted as he smelled the stew bubbling away. It is super easy to make and tastes even better the next day, as the spices really get the chance to meld together. Without further ado:

Fall Spiced Moroccan Stew:
(makes a big pot- I usually just make a lot and freeze the left overs)

Ingredients: (paleo/vegan swaps included)
Big dollop coconut oil or Ghee
Few (3ish) cups of bone broth or veggie broth
Grass fed ground lamb/bison or soaked beans of your choice (I always recommend purchasing dried beans and properly soaking them overnight instead of canned beans, because the soaking decreases the phytic acid in the beans- phytic acid = unhappy tummy- and can liners contain BPA)
1-2 sweet potatoes, chopped
1-2 large bell peppers, chopped
Few carrots, chopped
1 cup stewed tomatoes (I cook down and freeze my own tomatoes, but you could use fresh if you are trying to avoid store bought canned tomatoes- which I suggest you avoid- or if tomatoes are not in season, just leave them out)
2-3 dates, pitted and chopped up
garlic and onions (I go heavy on both, a whole head of garlic and 2-3 onions, but it's up to you)
3 tsp ground cinnamon
3 tsp ground cumin
3 tsp ground coriander
Salt and pepper
chopped up greens of your choice (we did a cup of chopped kale)
chopped fresh cilantro and lemon zest for the topping

Saute the onions and garlic in the coconut oil/Ghee, until the onions are translucent. Add the meat if you are using it, and saute until cooked- (add more oil/Ghee if you need to). Add the spices and let cook for a few minutes, being careful not to burn it. Then transfer this mixture to a large stock pot or the slow cooker, and add the broth. Add in all the chopped veggies (except the greens, cilantro and lemon), the beans (if you are using them), the dates, and the salt and pepper. If you are using beans, be sure to let them cook in the stew for 3-4 hours so they are nice and digestible. If you aren't using beans, just cook until it smells amazing, letting everything simmer together for and hour or two to really seal in the flavor. Add the greens about 20 minutes before you are ready to eat it, so that they are still nice and fresh when you gobble it up. Serve with fresh cilantro and a sprinkle of lemon zest on top, with a salad or for those of you who eat bread, a great loaf of something yummy.

This meal was super satisfying on a cool Autumn evening, and it freezes well for leftovers. It can be tweaked however you want, and other veggies can be used as well- say, winter squash instead of bell peppers.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and let me know if you try it, and what you think! Happy cooking!

How to be a wellness warrior this cold and flu season...

Cold and Flu season is upon us! My acupuncturist warned me of a nasty flu going around right now, and immediately I started my cold and flu season wellness routine. Throughout my childhood, and all of my adult life, I have gotten sick. Colds, flu, bronchitis, strep, chronic sinus infections... you name it, I get it. I mostly attribute this to my immune system being under attack from gluten ingestion, but after a particularly rough illness last winter/early spring (I swear I was sick for 5 months straight) when I had been off gluten for a few months already, I realized that I still wasn't taking care of myself enough (my therapist really helped me to see that one!) and I have seriously upped the ante on self care since I made it through my experience with the winter death plague of 2012-2013 (seriously, it was awful.)  I routinely go to yoga, acupuncture, chiropractor, and therapy all to help manage stress (I have some icky family issues that are unresolvable, but must be healthily managed in order for me to stay sane), because we all know that stress can be the tipping factor in getting sick or staying healthy. Aside from all that, I have a few key things that I do to ward off potential sickness when it seems like everyone around you is dropping like flies- if I could hole up in my house and just avoid all people (like that person standing behind you in the grocery store line, hacking up a lung), I would, but alas we cannot totally remove ourselves from the outside world... I am going to tell you the home remedies I use to ward off/treat sickness, and I am going to declare my goal of a sickness free fall and winter season this year! I am going to make self care my priority this winter, and I hope you do too, and for those of you who feel just too busy to take care of yourself because you must take care of others, remember that even a few minutes of self care a day will help you to stay sane and be better prepared to keep your family happy and healthy in the onslaught of flu season!

Wellness Arsenal:
-Black Elderberry Syrup: This stuff is the bomb! (sorry, I was a child of the 90's) I take a teaspoon every day, and it is super effective at warding off colds and flu's, especially of the viral origin. It tastes yummy, and is safe for pregnant women and children to take (in fact, I would encourage both of those groups to take it regularly!) I use it as a preventative measure, but you can also use it to decrease the duration of your sickness with a few extra doses a day if you are already sick.

-Probiotics: Woo-hoo for good bugs! I also take a probiotic supplement every day (right now I am doing a 100 billion culture pill) to make sure my gut is populated with happy healthy positive bugs that can help to knock out any bad bugs that come creeping in. We know now that your immune system is in your gut, so you must must must take care of it in order to not get sick. Diet plays a huge role in that, but almost everyone can benefit from a probiotic supplement. It is safe for pregnant women and kids as well. Side note: You can get probiotics from eating yogurt, kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, etc... but you would have to eat a crap ton of those things to get anywhere near the amount you need to kick the flu's butt and keep your digestive system happy. Take a probiotic, and keep eating normal amounts of happy bug laden foods.

-Colloidal Silver/Oregano Oil: Both are potent anti-bacterials, and really work to knock out any bad bacteria that find their way into your body. I don't take either of these as preventatives, but they are very effective when you have that "tickle in your throat/might be starting to feel icky/been around a sick person" situation going on. Oregano oil does kill indiscriminately, so make sure you take your probiotics (not at the same time!) when you are taking oregano oil so that you don't kill off all your good bugs too. Both taste pretty horrible, but I have be able to find Oregano Oil in capsules so that makes it a bit easier to handle. You don't want to take these for too long, and if you are pregnant, don't take them. I am not sure about children taking them, you always want to check with your doctor/naturopath first. I have found if I hit them pretty hard right when I first start to get sick, they work like a charm and knock those bugs right out, especially for sinus infections.

-Garlic: I could wax poetic about garlic for hours. We LOVE garlic in this household. My husband and I eat a clove raw everyday (we always both smell like garlic-it's a good thing we found each other!) I know that sounds super intense, and I am not going to lie, it is, but I have found it to be one of the most powerful preventative measures to do in order to not get sick. Cooking gets rid of the compounds that fight infection, so in order to use it as medicine you must consume it raw. If you can't stand the taste/get it down, chop it up and put it in a tablespoon of honey and eat it- it totally helps take the intensity of the garlic down. It is safe for pregnant women (no more then one raw clove daily though)

-FERMENTED Cod Liver Oil: it sounds disgusting, and it tastes pretty horrible, but it is the BEST form of Omega 3's and vitamin D for your body (aside from getting vitamin D from the sun, which most of us don't). I am not going to get into the nitty gritty of this amazing supplement (it helps regulate hormones, helps your sleep, helps your immune system, provides readily available vital nutrients) because soon here I am going to give it it's own post, but suffice to say this stuff is the most important supplement I take. I have seen very tangible results from taking it daily, and would recommend it to everyone, especially women and children. (Emphasis on FERMENTED- it is made in a traditional method, as opposed to regular cod liver oil that is stripped of nutrients when processed).

-Hydrogen Peroxide:  A dropper full of drugstore bought hydrogen peroxide in each ear works wonders on knocking out an earache/sinus issue. I lay down with a towel on my pillow, and put a dropper full in one ear (ear up) and sit with it in there until it stops bubbling (it feels really weird at first, but then it's kind of cool), and then switch ears. We do this at any sign of cold, flu, sinus infection, ear ache. It works.

-ACV/Manuka/Ginger/Lemon Brew: At any hint of sickness, I brew up this concoction and drink it throughout the day. Apple Cider Vinegar is amazing for your body (it will also get it's own post soon) and will help any digestive upset that sickness causes, as well as boost the immune system (you must get raw unpasteurized Apple Cider Vinegar, with "the mother", in order for it to be effective). It contains good bugs in there to help your system, and really works at clearing out congestion. Manuka honey is a wonder food from New Zealand, a honey that is from bees who forage on Manuka trees (a Tea Tree species), and it is full of anti-viral/bacterial/fungal properties, much more so then normal raw honey. It is expensive, but totally worth it (side note: I use it as a face mask and it makes your skin glow!). Ginger and lemon are both sickness fighting superstars, and when you brew up fresh ginger root to make the tea and add lemon to it, with a dash of ACV and Manuka, you will be doing your immune system a huge favor.

My other must do things to fight a illness that has started to come on: remove dairy from your diet (it is mucus forming, and you want your mucus membranes to be nice and slippery and healthy, not all gunky, so that the bacteria/virus can't stick to it), use the neti pot daily to wash nasal passages to clear any funk that might have made it's way up there, and refrain from drinking any juice/eating most fruits (these things increase mucus and are very cooling to the body, which is really bad for you when you are getting sick- if you want vitamin C, eat cooked peppers and other vitamin C rich, warming foods, or take a supplement).

That's everything! I am wishing you a warm, sickness free fall! Stay healthy so you can get outside and enjoy this beautiful season- I know that is my goal! Cheers!
Disclaimer: I AM NOT A DOCTOR- always check with yours when you are sick, and before you use home remedies, especially if you are on prescription drugs or have other illnesses. These are just personal things I do to stay well, and you should always do your own homework about any remedy before you take it.

Happy Fall!

We have been very busy on the homestead this week- between harvesting the tomatoes and the last two pumpkins (this is our fur baby, Miss Ptilota, posing next to the last two cinderella pumpkins we harvested from our garden today), and a glut of celery (I don't really know what to do with all of this celery that is ready all at once!), to taking extra care of our chickens (some of our older ladies are going through a rough moult this season, and they need TLC), to cleaning the gutters and making dump runs and cleaning out the sheds (my husband thought I was mildly crazy, asking to do all this work to "get ready for the rains", when we haven't seen rain in Santa Cruz in many, many months... but my spidey-sense was working, because it rained all day yesterday, right after we had gotten all that work done!) I will be posting some good stuff coming up, so stay tuned! Happy Fall (my absolute favorite time of year) to everyone reading this out there in the world! Much love.

a simple morning tonic...

I don't drink coffee. I know, I know, I am a crazy person, right?! I actually love coffee- I love the taste, I love the ritual... but I don't love the caffeine. It makes me jittery to the point of crazy shaky, especially because I love my coffee strong strong strong, and when I drink it (now) I feel the effects for days (and decaf just is not the same- I swear it does not taste right to me!). I still wouldn't give up those gorgeous morning (and afternoon) cappuccino's I fell in love with while traveling in Italy with my dad years ago, but I am really glad to be off the coffee roller coaster now, especially as my body is healing and I am finally feeling better and making some real progress with my health. I do indulge in a cup of black tea a day, but I don't even feel the caffeine from it, and I always make sure I have it before noon so that it doesn't have a chance to mess up my sleep that night. I remember in the beginning of my wellness journey, when I was so sick and felt like shit, when I knew nothing about healing my gut and my head and felt so overwhelmed with all the information that I found on the internet about healing yourself (sauerkraut! supplements! vegan! paleo! crystals! etc etc etc) and I needed to start slow and do a few easy things a day to make me feel good and slowly build up a wellness routine... I stumbled upon an article about the wonders of drinking warm water with lemon upon waking, instead of coffee or tea. I thought it sounded easy enough, and the benefits looked good to me (I'll get to that in a minute), and once I started, I was hooked. It helped my digestion SO MUCH in the beginning (not as much now, since I am so much better in that department these days, but it still gets my day "moving" in the right direction, if you will). My poor little fried adrenal glands became instantly happy with the switch from coffee (an adrenal killer- the caffeine spikes your cortisol majorly) to cleansing warm lemon water. In the beginning of my journey, I was exhausted and needed more support (read: liver help, digestive help, mental clarity) that the coffee was just a quick fix for, and it was actually in the long run detrimental to me. Now, I don't need that much support, but I do find that I still enjoy a warm cup of lemon water in the morning- it's very refreshing.

(Disclaimer about all that I have just said : I am not saying that coffee is bad for YOU. I am saying it's bad for ME. My husband can have three espresso's and then fall right asleep- he never gets jittery from caffeine, in fact he is so not affected by it he doesn't really drink it because it doesn't help keep him going... he must be naturally caffeinated. Everyone's body is so different, and I know there are a lot of health benefits to drinking coffee... I just feel so much better without it, and wonder if others might too if they could just step away from it for a few weeks...)

On to the health benefits of drinking warm lemon water in the am:

1. It aids in digestion. Lemon water helps to maximize enzyme function in the digestive tract, therefore helping the liver flush out the toxins that it needs to, and helps to produce bile, which many people have a hard time doing (via a crappy diet). Lemon is very cleansing to the entire digestive tract for all of those reasons, and the warmth of the water helps get everything moving- it gets that good digestive fire that you need for you day going.

2. It's good for your immune system. Vitamin C, baby! Lemons also contain a decent amount of potassium, and both are great for your immune system. So is re-hydrating after a long night of dehydration- your immune cells are happier when you are hydrated, instead of chronically dehydrated from the coffee.

3. It regulates the pH of your body- I know, lemons are acidic right? and don't we want to be more alkaline then acidic? Yes, you do want to be more alkaline then acidic, but lemons actually are not acidic when they react with your gastric juices in your stomach- the opposite actually, lemons actually cause you to be more alkaline internally. Once their citric acid is metabolized (which it is quickly) the wealth of minerals in the lemon lend alkalinity to your body, which you want. I could go more into depth, but this is not a biochemistry blog (although, how cool would that blog be?!)

4. It helps clear your skin- Happy liver, happy skin. Many doctors say the skin is the second liver, so anything that is going on with your skin (breakouts, rashes, etc) means you have an unhappy liver. We don't want an unhappy liver, it is working so hard to keep you happy and healthy, we should do the same for it!

There are many other benefits of drinking warm lemon water in the morning (or anytime, but on an empty stomach is the best way to get all the goodness you can get out of it) but those were the ones that were most important to me- and it is such an easy wellness practice to start, why not give it a try? Your body will thank you (even if you have a cup of warm lemon water and then a cup of coffee, it would still be better for your body then just the coffee).  Give it a try, and let me know what you think!

An extra tip to make your green cleaning supplies even greener...

Yesterday I was chatting with a friend and she mentioned that she enjoyed the last blog post, but wanted to know what I did about using plastic spray bottles for my cleaning supplies- she knows how much I try to avoid plastic- and I realized I should have mentioned just that topic at the end of the last post. It is almost impossible to avoid all plastics (not totally, but it takes serious commitment). I try to avoid using plastic as much as possible without becoming a fanatic about it, and we know what a thin line that is to walk! This is what works for me: I buy a few smaller bottles (still pretty large, but not the huge jug) of white vinegar in glass bottles (since you will use the vinegar, this is a win-win) and then take the spray nozzles from the old plastic cleaning bottles that you have (it is pretty easy to find ones that fit, most plastic spray bottle nozzle mouths are the same size as the vinegar bottle mouths) and put them onto the glass bottles. I know, the nozzle is still plastic, and this is where I throw in the towel with the plastic avoidance- someday maybe my husband can make me a glass and stainless steel nozzle, but that sounds really intense and time consuming, and we all have lives, and you just have to do your best. Then once you have those glass bottles, you can just refill them with the big jugs of bulk white vinegar, or take it to the next next next level and make your own vinegar (which happens around here sometimes when we let the kombucha go for too long- no one likes drinking kombucha turned vinegar!) And there you have it, no more throwing away all those small plastic bottles when you are done with the cleaning supplies in them! Give it a try, and let me know if you do this!

Non-Toxic house cleaning tips

Ahhh, cleaning the house. Some people hate it, some people love it- I am firmly in the love it camp. When I was a little girl, I would go over to my friends houses and clean up their rooms for them (no joke- their moms loved me coming over). I am a sucker for an organized, well cleaned house, sometimes to the point of obsessiveness. It gives me a sense of control and pride, that I can keep my tiny little part of the world clean (read: I probably have a mild case of OCD). The only part of cleaning that I hated, when I moved out on my own and had my own house to clean, was the smell and reaction I had to cleaning products. There is a reason why we all hate the smell of Windex and Pine Sol- because they are SO BAD FOR YOU! I stopped using "big chemical" products long ago, and have favored Seventh Generation and Mrs. Meyers products for years, but recently I started making my own cleaning products in an effort to take the sustainability one step further- less plastic waste, less money spent buying products... etc, etc. You only need a small list of things that are very inexpensive and easy to get at your grocery store to keep your house sparkling. Here is my list  of cleaning essentials:

The biggest jar of White Vinegar you can find (seriously, it's so cheap and the base for all the cleaning recipes)
A large bottle of Dr. Bronners Castile Soap- I get the baby mild unscented (which I also bathe with) and add essential oils to make my own fragrance combinations, but I do love the almond and peppermint versions of this amazing soap as well.
Lemons
Baking soda
Sea Salt
Olive oil (if you have wood floors)
Essential oils of your choice- I love lavender anytime, orange/lemon/grapefruit are great in the spring and summer, and pine or clove are yummy in the winter, but it's totally up to you-whatever you want your house to smell like.

A run down of simple homemade cleaning recipes:

All purpose cleaner: 1:1 ratio of vinegar to water, plus a few drops of your favorite essential oils if you like. I use this on just about everything- counter tops, door knobs, windows, mirrors, tile floors, the litter box, etc... vinegar is a powerful antiseptic and does a great job at killing common household germs.

Wood floor cleaner: 1 gallon of hot water, 3/4 cup of olive oil, 1/2 cup of lemon juice. Go to town on the wood floors with this and they will smell good and have a nice sheen with out the toxic Pine Sol chemicals (and that horrible fake pine smell that always makes me want to barf).

Bathroom cleaner: 1:1 ratio of vinegar to water, and a healthy squirt of Dr. Bronners soap, plus essential oils if you want them. Shake before you use it. I use this on the shower, the tub, the toilet...

Soap scum remover: 1:1:1 ratio of salt, baking soda and vinegar plus elbow grease = no more soap scum!

Stove cleaner: Scrape off bits of burnt food on the bottom of the stove. Sprinkle a fairly thick layer of baking soda on the bottom of the stove, and then spray it with water to make it look like a paste. The baking soda does the scrubbing for you. Let it sit for 2-3 hours, and spray again. Depending on the level of grossness at the bottom of your stove, you may have to let it sit overnight. When you have let enough time pass per funkiness factor, wipe the baking soda out of the stove with a wet cloth or sponge. I scrub a little bit with a small amount of baking soda after as well, just to give it an extra clean feel.

Kitchen cutting board scrub: wet the cutting board, sprinkle it with sea salt, and cut a lemon in half. Use the cut part of the lemon to scrub the cutting board well with the salt, and then follow the scrub with a good old fashioned wash with soap. 

There you have it! Why would you want to use toxic chemicals to "clean" your house anyways- that seems like it misses the point entirely! And all of these methods are much cheaper then buying cleaning products, so your health and your wallet both win. Let me know if you have any of your own DIY cleaning formulas, or if you try some of these! Cheers!

easy healthy salad dressing

Today is a quick post, I wanted to write a longer one but the garden is keeping me very busy (we already have huge ripe pumpkins!)...

Salad dressing- one of the most expensive (for what it is) and laden with crap products in the grocery store. Most conventional salad dressings contain high fructose corn syrup, canola oil, maltodextrin and many other preservatives in it to make it shelf stable. I personally don't eat any of those ingredients- HFCS we pretty much all understand, by now, is evil. Canola oil... well, that is going to get its own post here in a few weeks- in a nutshell, you really don't want to be eating any Canola oil- if it's not organic it is made from GMO plants, it is usually made by heating at high heats, which creates cancer causing compounds in the oil, and too much vegetable oil in your diet throws off your Omega 3: Omega 6 ratio, which we know is already totally screwed up via the Standard American Diet.  And preservatives- well, why would you want to eat something that is supposed to preserve a food to be on a shelf for years? Also, homemade salad dressing is actually really easy to make, and if you have a food processor or an immersion blender with a processor attachment (which is what I have) it is all the more easy. You could whip up a basil feta vinaigrette, a honey lemon vinaigrette, or my personal favorite, an herbed balsamic vinaigrette... the list goes on. You get the health benefits of your healthy (unheated!) oil that you choose (we generally use cold pressed organic olive oil or avocado oil, but cold pressed organic walnut oil and sesame oil are great too) and all the antioxidants and nutrients from the fresh herbs- a nutritional powerhouse on top of your already healthy salad! For basic herbed balsamic vinaigrette, follow these "steps"... (well, "step" actually!)

you will need:
cold pressed organic nut/seed/fruit oil of your choice
fresh herbs (I like oregano, thyme, rosemary, a little bit of parsley- but whatever you like)
1-3 cloves of raw garlic (if you don't like garlic or just don't like it raw, omit this. We love raw garlic for its antibacterial/viral properties, and put it in everything, but some people can't eat it raw. You could also get fancy and roast the garlic first and then put it in the recipe)
juice from one half of a lemon (you can also omit this if you want)
Balsamic vinegar

Just throw it all in the food processor, run it until it is a blended, slightly creamy consistency, and serve! We make a batch every week and store it in a jar in the fridge so we always have it on hand- its also great on eggs, potatoes... really whatever you want. It is SO MUCH BETTER then store bought dressing- it has no scary ingredients, and it really does taste great. Let me know what you think, and if you give it a try!

the wonders of Ghee

Yesterday, I made Ghee for the first time. Many people have never heard of Ghee, or if they have it is in relation to yummy Indian food- Ghee is a traditional food of India, used for cooking just about everything. It is essentially clarified butter, and it has a lovely caramelized, rich, buttery taste that I have grown to love so much I put it in my tea instead of cream. It has a very high smoke point (about 485 degrees) which makes it excellent for cooking at high heat (cooking vegetable/seed/nut oils at high heat is very bad for you and causes the oils to be converted into toxic substances- more on that in another post). We have been buying it from the store for a few months now and cooking with it and eating it, but it is quite expensive to buy and I figured that it couldn't be too hard to make at home- so I decided to give it a try. In India, cows are sacred, and very well taken care of- people drink their raw milk and make butter and Ghee and some other things from the milk, and the cows are raised in such a healthy environment that the foods made from the milk have high levels of vitamins and minerals in them- much different from our cows here in the states, for the most part. The Ghee I was buying was wonderful, and organic, but not made from butter from pastured cows. Pastured butter is a huge "health" food at the moment, especially in Paleo circles. The butter from cows who have been 100% grass fed (i.e. "pastured", meaning a life ranging and feeding on grass only- no grains, even organic ones) has the most vitamins and nutrients of any butter, specifically vitamin A and D and especially K. These are of course, vital nutrients, especially for pregnant women and small children. The draw back to butter is that many people are dairy and casein intolerant, and therefore can't eat that yummy pasture butter... here is where Ghee swoops in to the rescue- Ghee is created by cooking the butter at a low temperature and separating the lactose and the casein from the pure golden clarified butter, therefore eliminating the lactose and casein and making it safe for those with allergies, while still retaining all the nutrients. Woo hoo Ghee!

I have been increasing the amounts of healthy fats in my diet- using pasture butter, coconut oil, olive oil (only cold, never cooked), Ghee, and eating more avocado. The eczema that I have battled all my life, which got a bit better when I stopped eating gluten, is responding very well to this- I have noticed a huge decrease in symptoms since I started eating more good fats. Ghee is also reported to be helpful for your digestion, helping to lubricate and soothe the stomach and intestines, which I have also noticed. And, it tastes amazing. I really do make a cup of tea every morning with a spoonful of Ghee in it- organic black tea, a spoonful of ghee, and a tiny bit of raw honey. It's divine.

So onto the Ghee creation process:
You will need:
1lb of unsalted pasture butter (Organic Valley, Kerry Gold, etc) (or the best butter you can find)
small pan to cook the butter
cheesecloth or fine mesh sieve of some sort
funnel
mason jar for Ghee storage

Put the butter into your pot/pan, simmer on low as it melts. It will begin to sputter and pop, which is what it should do.  It will then begin to separate, with a white floaty layer on top, clear bright yellow butter in the middle, and a layer of white stuff at the bottom. These are the milk solids, the casein and the lactose that you are getting rid of. The sputtering and popping will start to stop, and you can skim of the top layer of solids, to reveal the lovely rich bright yellow Ghee in the middle. It should smell sort of like popcorn, a sweetish caramelized smell- if it still smells like butter, let it cook a little longer. Be careful not to let the milk solids on the bottom burn, that will ruin the Ghee. Once it has that beautiful sweet smell, that is when it is ready. Pour the Ghee through a sieve or cheesecloth into the jar, making sure no solids get into the jar and you just have the liquid Ghee. You can also sieve it and then put it back on the low flame and keep cooking the Ghee, if you are afraid you are going to burn the milk solids but haven't gotten that smell yet. That is what I did this first time, 'cause when I poured it off to separate it from the bottom milk solids it still smelled like rich butter, not like Ghee, but after another 10 minutes on the stove it got that lovely Ghee smell and I knew it was done. That's all there is to it! It took me about an hour total, but now that I know how to do it it will probably take less then that- and I got the beautiful jar of Ghee pictured above, for much less then a jar of it in the store.

Let me know if you try making Ghee, if you cook with Ghee, or if you give cooking with it a try- I promise it lends a very amazing flavor to foods, and is oh so good for you.

the scary stuff lurking in your mattress...

As my friends know, I am a little on the crazy side when it comes to avoiding nasty chemicals. I worked for 4 years in a lab where we regularly breathed in formaldehyde, and because I loved my job I just took it in stride- just part of the job of being a biologist. Thankfully, I don't work with formaldehyde anymore, but I still breathe it in on a daily basis, because it is used in so many things in our world... particle board... plywood... couches... mattresses... all which off-gas chemicals. Things are changing, new standards for using (or not using, more appropriately) formaldehyde and other chemicals in mattresses and furniture are being adopted, and the prevalence of eco friendly furniture and mattresses is increasing. That being said, it's still not that common for people to know that their furniture and mattresses are off gassing potentially cancer causing (among other things) chemicals right into their homes- it's not like Pottery Barn is going to advertise their couches with a sign that says "this couch will off-gas harmful chemicals for 6-8 years!". I know that this sounds scary- the first time I read about off gassing of chemicals in household furniture, I was like "we have to get rid of all of our furniture NOW!!!". Clearly, that is not possible. So, baby steps. A few pointers for dealing with potentially harmful off-gassing chemicals if you can't afford to go out and refurnish your entire home (if you can do that, by all means, do).

1. Don't freak out. It is easy to get freaked out by all the scary stuff that may give us cancer in this world, and remember that there are things you can do to mitigate the dangers (eat organic, filter your water, exercise around trees to breathe in all that clean air, etc).

2. Open all your windows, daily. Crack one in the winter if you can, just to get some fresh air in and that chemical laden air out. This really does a lot for your indoor air quality. You could get an air filter, but I don't know which ones work on chemicals- I am lucky enough to live somewhere that I can open a window (or all of them) most of the year, at least for some part of the day.

3. Get some houseplants. If you have been to our house, you know it is a jungle in our little living space. Many houseplants are excellent at filtering out toxic chemicals- We have peace lilies and spider plants and ficus that all do a great job of keeping our air clea.

4. If you can, replace your furniture. When I learned this info, about 3 years ago, I started saving a little bit of money a month to buy an organic cotton and natural latex mattress. I figured that the mattress was the way to start- we spend a ton of our lifetime sleeping, and lying on that mattress breathing in everything it is off-gassing... Next will be the couch, hopefully at some point we will be able to afford an organic cotton and chemical free one...

Since we bought our mattress (which is AMAZING, but was pretty expensive- $3000 all together for the queen mattress and slat system for it), we have slowly been able to turn the bedroom into an eco-sleeping heaven- organic cotton and wool pillows and comforter (wool is actually more breathable then down and naturally fire retardant), organic cotton sheets, unfinished red alder beside tables and dresser, and a (gorgeous) unfinished red alder bed (which was handmade by my husband). I know that sounds like a lot, but when we started trying to get pregnant, I really wanted to make it a priority, since everything I breathe a fetus breathes as well. (Sidenote- if you can, buy your baby a mattress of the same caliber for their crib- I cringe when I think of little ones breathing in all those chemicals as they are developing). But, even if you can't replace anything anytime soon, adding some plants to your house and opening the windows does a huge amount of air refreshing, and helps to keep the chemicals you are breathing in to a minimum. It helps to remember that there are many small, inexpensive things you can do to stay healthy, and then when you are ready to replace your mattress or couch or whatever needs replacing, make sure you replace it with something that will nurture and take care of you, not poison you (not to sound all doomsday!)

Have you thought about replacing your mattress? Do you try to get fresh air in the house as much as you can? Have any other tips for keeping your air nice and clean? Let me know. Cheers!

oil pulling for mouth health...

Today I am going to talk about oil pulling. This is a bit of an obscure oral health practice in the western world, but Ayurvedic practitioners and other traditional cultures have been using oil pulling for thousands of years to keep mouths healthy and disease free. If you read my post on oil cleansing the skin, then you have some idea that certain oils can actually pull bacteria and other funk (for lack of a better term) out of the skin, so it is no surprise that it can also do so for the mouth. Oil pulling is largely "detoxing" the gums and tongue and throat, and aside from helping with gum issues and oral bacterial issues (gum disease, bad breath) it can also help to re-mineralize your teeth (more on that in another post) and also helps to clear sinus and throat congestion (a huge plus for me with all my sinus issues). Some say it helps to strengthen gums, helps with tooth sensitivity, whitens teeth, and possibly even helps to clear up skin conditions. I mean, with all of those possibilities, why WOULDN'T you try it? I will say, it does take some time to get used to, but my husband and I have both made it a regular practice, and we both have some teeth issues that seem to have improved- it would be hard at this point to say how much the oil pulling contributed to better mouth and overall health, I think changing our diets has been the biggest thing that has improved our oral health, but I think oil pulling is a piece of the healing puzzle). I have a good friend who has spent a significant amount of time in India and also went to a school in the US where Ayurveda is practiced, and she would tell you oil pulling is definitely something that everyone can benefit from (along with using melted Ghee in your eyes to help pull out funk- our husbands are firefighters together and sometimes come back from fires all congested up from the smoke- maybe I will ask her to guest post about that practice, since I haven't actually tried it on myself yet). Traditionally, sesame oil is used, but I use coconut oil since I like the taste a little more. I do this in the morning, before I have eaten or had anything to drink, since you get the most benefit out of it then (there is a whole routine of self care steps that Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners and followers do each morning, oil pulling and using the neti pot being two of those steps). You can do it at night as well, before bed. It is very simple:

Take about 1 tsp coconut oil (some people say 1 tbsp, but that was too much for me- experiment with the amount that is right for you) and put it in your mouth, and move it around so it melts. I like to do this right before I get in the shower, it makes it a bit quicker instead of sitting around, twiddling your thumbs while swishing oil in your mouth. Swish it around in your mouth, pulling it through your teeth and getting it on the back of your throat if you can, for as long as you can. It is generally supposed to be done for 20 minutes, but even if you only have 5 minutes it will still be totally beneficial. Then just spit it out (but make sure you spit it in the loo, if you spit it down your sink you could clog up your pipes) and then floss and brush as normal. And there you have it, easy as pie and so many benefits! Once it become part of your routine, you won't feel clean with out doing it regularly.

Let me know if you oil pull and love it, or if you try it and notice a difference- I know it has made a difference in our oral health, and hopefully it will work for you too. Cheers!

how are we supposed to eat? trying Paleo without the side order of smugness...

Good morning blog friends! I am back from my short birthday trip to LA to see my family, and even though my husband and dog and I had a fantastic trip, it is always good to be home. Jared and I talk a lot about food, and how we eat, and what we should eat... food has been on the forefront of our minds since we realized that gluten has been wreaking havoc on me for years. We ate some great food this past week (lots of birthday celebrating with food), but we are both feeling a bit sluggish after all the indulging (think lots of fantastic cheese). We have been talking about eliminating some foods from our diet for a while now, but we decided to wait until after our trip to make travel a little easier on us. So today begins our first day of Paleo eating. The Paleo "diet" (I HATE THE WORD DIET) is very popular right now, with people who follow it claiming weight loss, clear skin and increased energy. Now, I have a very strong opinion about "DIETS". I basically think diets are crap. I think you should eat foods that don't have ingredient labels (think: kale. salmon. kidney beans. sesame seeds. peaches.) I think you should cook at home as much as possible. I think you should do your best to eat the best available foods, but I also strongly believe you have to live your life and not punish yourself when you indulge in things that are not as good for you. The stress of following a strict diet will do more damage to your body then the occasional brownie or burger! That is why I have never really followed a "diet" (except now being g-free).  Now that I know so much more about digestion and our bodies ability to heal, I am a firm believer that most of us probably have some foods that are just not good for us individually.  And I don't mean not good in a "oooh onion rings" way, I mean in a "I have an intolerance to _____ and it makes me feel like crap but I keep eating it because it is too yummy to cut out so I'll just deal with the consequences" way. You may only be noticing gas and mental fog after eating dairy, and think "no big deal", but it IS a big deal. Depending on how severe your intolerance/allergy/discomfort is, your poor little intestinal lining could be under attack and you might not notice until things get really bad (I am a prime example of this- I had years of varying symptoms, but it took it getting really sick before we figured it out- no more gluten, EVER.) My husbands D.O, my Acupuncturist, and my M.D  have encouraged us in the past to do an elimination diet, and it has helped both of us so much to learn what we can tolerate and what we can't (my hubs has some issues with dairy- he is not lactose intolerant, but he has some side effects after he eats it). I don't have any diagnosed issues with dairy, but when I eat it I break out, and my sinuses get yucky and clogged- so clearly something is not happy when I put dairy into my body...

Now, back to the Paleo thing. I can't tell you how much I hate the smug label "Paleo". Ugh. I am educated in biology, and I smirk every time I hear someone talk about how they eat Paleo, and how it is how our bodies are supposed eat, and how it is how our ancestors ate and so that's how we should eat. I want to yell "did you miss the section on Evolution in science class??!!" We haven't been cavemen for quite some time. Grains and legumes are traditional parts of most diets across the world, and have evolved with us (and by us) as ancient hunter gatherer cultures became agricultural cultures. (Also, if you were truly paleo, you would be eating already starting to decompose meat that you found more then you were actually hunting and killing that free range buffalo. And cavemen didn't sit around churning grass fed butter. Just saying.) Many traditional cultures that still eat their traditional foods (including grains and beans) are some of the healthiest populations in the world. That said, we in the western world are seriously screwing up our systems with our crappy diet. Clearly, our current system of food is making us sick. And in order to heal ourselves, we have to stop eating that way. I have been doing a lot of reading on healing the gut, which is a must after being diagnosed intolerant/allergic to a food- some damage, mild to severe, has been done to your intestines if you have an intolerance or allergy. Damage may even be happening if you have no diagnosed issues, but you are still feeling bad and can't figure out why. This is when you should consider removing inflammatory foods from your diet- whatever you think might be making you feel crappy, remove it for a few weeks to a few months, and see how you feel. Jared and I are "going Paleo" for a few months because I know now that (besides being Celiac), we both have some issues with grains and legumes and dairy, but we both actually function better eating meat and good fats. So Paleo it is for a few months. Jared told me last night "I am worried because I think I am going to feel better." I told him to look at it differently- be happy because you might be feeling so much better!

So we will see how this adventure into the "Paleo lifestyle" goes. I am predicting increased energy and happier bowels. I am excited to try out some new recipes, and will share the ones that turn out particularly yummy with you guys. Let me know if you have done an elimination diet, or you eat Paleo, or if you have cut out anything and feel better- I love hearing peoples stories about taking back their health. Cheers!

Neti pot love...

Today I am going to talk about the wonderful world of the Neti pot. This will be familiar to some, and to others using a Neti pot is going to sound pretty crazy. A few years ago, when I was in the midst of being sick and worn down, I had an allergy season that kicked my butt. It was rough, particularly because I had never had allergies before in my life. Now I know that my immune system was seriously compromised, so of course I would react to environmental allergens, but at the time I was so irritated by the constant sneezing and drippy nose that I would have done anything for some relief (enter Benadryl and Sudafed- neither of which actually helped anything at all). Then I heard about the Neti pot. Nasal irrigation is a great way to alleviate sinus/nasal congestion, keep your mucous membranes happy and not dried out, and to remove anything from your nose that may irritate your sinuses and throat. I was also dealing with serious sinus headaches, so when someone told me about using the Neti pot to alleviate headaches and allergies, I went right out and bought one without even knowing how it was used. If you haven't seen a Youtube tutorial on Neti pot usage, you should watch one, they are hilarious. There is no possible way to not look disgusting and totally weird while using a Neti pot. Essentially, you use the little pot pictured above to pour water through one nostril and out the other, with you head tilted forward and to the side you are pouring the water out of (so the water doesn't just go down the back of your throat). This takes a few tries to get it process down, but trust me, it is worth it. The first time I used one, I was so congested the water didn't move AT ALL through one side of my nostrils. Totally blocked. But I didn't give up, and finally that nice warm saline water was able to move through and move out the gross mucous and pollen that had been sitting in there, stuck up on my nasal membranes, and it brought so much relief I nearly cried. Now my husband and I regularly use the neti pot, especially after cleaning the chicken coop, being in the garden, being around a sick person, after surfing, or anytime my head hurts or my nose feels dry. That way I am always making sure my nasal membranes are functioning happily (moist clean membranes=happy membranes) and that I am washing away any pollen, dirt or bacteria that may have gotten up there in a quest to aggravate me.

I have a few recommendations that are very important with the Neti pot about the water you use- there has been one incident in the news in the last few years saying that a person contracted a brain parasite via Neti pot usage, from the water that they used in their Neti pot. Who knows if that is actually how the person got the parasite, but it is always good to be safe, so: use distilled or filtered and then boiled water, that is then cooled down to a little above room temperature (play around with the temp you like- mine has to be just right, not to cold, not too hot). It is imperative that you use clean, filtered/distilled and then boiled water, to make sure there are no little buggies that are going to crawl into your brain (I Neti almost daily and always used filtered boiled water, and so far, no brain parasites). I don't used distilled water since my only way of getting it would be in plastic bottles, and I don't use any plastics (another post for another day), but my Berkey filtered water (Best water filter ever- another post to come as well) that I then boil and cool and use is nice and clean. Tap water is not a good idea, since the chlorine put into it will dry out your membranes and make using the Neti pot pretty useless. I also buy sea salt (I actually have the exact Neti pot and salt pictured), but Kosher salt works as well- just don't use table salt (ever, but there is yet another post!)

So go watch a Youtube video on using a Neti pot, get in a good chuckle, and then go out to your nearest health food store and pick one up and give it a try- I promise you, it will be worth it. Cheers to no allergies!

Homemade Almond Milk

Hello everyone! a note before we jump into today's post- I have been having major computer issues, which is why I haven't posted in a week- I am hoping to get them fixed next week, so until then I will be trying to post whenever my computer is having a good day... but I will be posting more frequently after I get the old machine tuned up. Onto more interesting things...

Did you know most "convenience" foods that we buy in the store to save us time can actually be quick and easy to make from scratch? My husband and I made the switch from dairy (organic whole milk) to organic almond milk a few months back, after noticing that we both get congested and break out when we eat too much dairy. For those of you that know me, you know how much I love my cheese, but I have cut back on it drastically and have noticed such a difference! And now when I do eat dairy, I have a sinus headache for days afterwards... so fast forward to almond milk. We decided not to go the soy milk route, since soy is almost always GMO, and is very inflammatory to the body (if it is fermented, then it is not inflammatory but actually very good for you- yay miso!). So we settled on almond milk, and I bought a few of cartons of organic almond milk and I was excited to make the switch. Now, normally I am a label reading fiend in the grocery store, but perhaps that day I was off my game, and when I came home I realized that not only do the cartons have BPA in them (duh) but my almond milk listed carrageenan as an ingredient (mainly used as a stabilizer and a preservative, sourced from algae), which is a very controversial ingredient that has been linked to severe digestive complaints and disorders as well as cancer. As you know, I have an auto immune disease, and many doctors believe that the cause of all auto immune diseases is leaky gut (abrasions and holes in the gut lining that allow food particles to pass from the gut to the blood stream and are then attacked by the immune system as invaders that then leads to an auto immune response any time that substance is ingested, basically). and I try to avoid anything that is a known gut irritant while I am trying to heal my gut (which I am trying to do as I write this). Therefore packaged almond milk was not an option, so I poked around the internet and found out that almond milk is crazy easy to make on your own! so without further ado, here is the recipe:

You will need:
a blender
a mesh "nut bag" or cheesecloth
almonds

Simply soak a quantity of almonds over night in a large pot that is filled with enough water to cover all the nuts. The amount of almonds you need will vary on your usage of the almond milk, but remember since it's fresh it's best to make a smaller amount every few days since it will go bad after a week or so in the fridge. After the almonds have soaked (about 8 hrs), put them into a blender and add water (you also have to play with this ratio of almonds to water, depending on how thick you like your milk to be- more water, thinner milk) and blend away. When it is all blended up and nice and smooth, place a pot or a pourable container on your counter and pour the almond slurry into your nut bag or cheese cloth over the pot/container, and squeeze the liquid almond milk (milk the bag!) out of the nut bag into the container. You will have a lot of left over almond meal when you have milked all of your milk out, which I use for cooking (pies and tarts are super yummy with almond meal crusts) or we give it to our chickens who love it, and you will have a fresh batch of almond milk with only two ingredients: almonds and water! No preservatives or BPA to worry about, and it only takes 5 minutes to do the "milking". Voila!

I hope you try making this at home, and remember, you can use any nut you want- cashew, hazelnut... I am sure if you wanted to get fancy you could get hemp seeds or flax seeds and do the same thing to them. Let me know what you think!

Natural Jewelry Cleaner

Ahhhhh, baking soda. Oh how I love thee. When you make the switch to a "nasty chemical" free home, baking soda is one of those extremely versatile substances that you will have to buy in bulk. I recently went into my jewelry box and realized that a lot of my stuff was tarnished. Mostly my pretty delicate silver necklaces that I love to layer, that don't look so fantastic on when they are dark and tarnished. Now, this is a normal thing, and it is actually quite easy to clean without toxic chemicals. As some of you may know, jewelry cleaners and silver polishes are HIGHLY toxic, and can cause rashes (of which I have seen some really nasty ones that took months to heal from jewelry cleaner) and are terrible for you to breathe in. I promptly sat down at the trusty computer (what would we do without google?!) and found an easy technique for cleaning silver and gold jewelry with... you guessed it... baking soda. This "recipe" is courtesy of the awesome website, Organic Authority,  which I urge you to check out- it is a great place for health information, recipes and other insightful articles. So without further ado, here is the recipe:

You will need:

Aluminum foil
Baking Soda
Hot water
a shallow dish/bowl (I used a pyrex lasagna dish)

Simply lay foil along the bottom of the dish, covering it as best you can. Place your jewelry onto the foil, and try to make as much of the jewelry touch the foil as possible. Boil a pot of water. While it boils, spread baking soda all over your jewelry, as much as you need to make sure it is covered well. When the water is boiling, pour it into your dish and over your jewelry, and wait for the magic to happen! This takes anywhere from a few minutes up to 30 minutes.

When I did this the other day, the concoction fizzed like crazy and I could see (and, oddly, smell) the tarnish lifting off the jewelry. I let it sit for about 15 minutes, and then inspected the pieces, and a few of them were bright and clean and didn't need more time, and some of them still had some tarnish on them, so I actually did a whole second round with fresh baking soda and boiling water, and then they came out nice and clean.

I encourage you to try this if you want your tarnished jewelry to look like new, and are trying to avoid nasty chemicals. It really does work, and I was so pleased that it was so easy to do. Please let me know if you try it and what you think!

Oil cleansing

So today, I thought I would talk about some skincare stuff. As my friends know, I am pretty obsessed with my skin. I have had struggles with it in the past, mainly when I was super sick and on gluten, and then when I went off the pill (hello cystic acne on my chin for the very first time!). Once I changed my diet*, learned some tools to deal with my stress, and started getting my hormones back in balance, my skin has gotten much better. When I did the major "chucking everything with any kind of crazy horrible chemical in it", I got rid of 99% of my body products, which is a lot (my husband will tell you- I am a body product junkie!). And then I went, "well shit, what do I use now?". So I started researching. I had used oils on and off when I was living a gluten heavy life, and they had worked for me, so that was the direction I went. There are some great clean-ish bath product companies, but I am very very staunch about putting no weird chemicals on my bod, so even those were out. I like to frequent healthy living blogs, and was realizing that I was going to have to start becoming a body product chemist (which is cool 'cause I love chemistry) in order to make stuff for my skin that was chemical free and worked for me (I do use some things from the Annmarie Gianni and Pratima lines, which are both amazing and satisfy my need for fancy face stuff). And that is when I stumbled upon the "oil cleansing method". What is the oil cleansing method, you ask? Well, it is exactly what is sounds like- you wash your face with oil...

Ok, I know to some of you that is going to sound crazy- those of us that have grown up any time in the last 40 years or so have been sold a bill of goods, being told that in order to get rid of acne we have to dry the hell out of our faces with intense astringents and chemicals. Now we know this is bull. If you use the right oil for your skin and the time of year, it actually cuts down on the skins production of its own oils (think about it- if you dry out your face really badly, your skin wants to make more oil to help with the dryness. Hence, more acne). Oil cleansing is super easy, and my skin LOVES IT. Overnight I felt a difference, and I have been doing it for 6 months and haven't looked back. I don't think I could buy face cleanser ever again. The oil is also the best makeup remover I have ever used, so if you wear makeup this is a plus (I am addicted to mascara). So, without further ado, here is how to Oil Cleanse:

(all oils should be Organic and cold pressed- you don't want to put chemicals and pesticides on to your beautiful face!- I love Mountain Rose Herbs oils)

Castor Oil
Other oil of your choice:
         -For dry skin: Olive oil, Macadamia nut oil, Avocado oil (think nice of yummy fats)
         -For oily/combo skin:  Grapeseed oil, Jojoba oil, Sunflower oil, Rosehip oil
          (Rosehip oil is great if you have sun spots, it helps to lighten them)
         -Oils that are good to add if you have dermatitis: Evening Primrose oil, Borage oil
Depending on your skin, mix the Castor oil and other oil as such:
         -Dry skin: 1/3 castor oil to 2/3 other oil
         -Combo skin: 1/2 castor oil to 1/2 other oil
         -Oily skin: 2/3 castor oil to 1/3 other oil.

Mix the oils in a glass container with a pump, and every night pump a little bit onto your fingers and rub it all in your skin. Don't take your makeup off first, since the oil will get it all off. When you feel like it is all nice and rubbed in, take a hot wet washcloth and put it over your face and let the steam work its magic. I usually "re-hot water" my washcloth a few times, to really open up my pores. As you do this, the Castor oil works to pull dirt and bacteria out of your pores. Then when you are done, simply wipe off the oils and you are fresh and clean and your face won't have that weird tight feeling like when you strip it of all it's happiness with soap. Viola! You look gorgeous! and your skin will thank you.

Let me know if you try it and what you think, and if you have any questions! 

*If I over indulge in dairy, which I did other night with homemade clam chowder (do you know how much dairy is in clam chowder??!!), I have a breakout the next day. I can also feel increased congestion in my body, so it makes sense that it would increase my skin congestion. But mostly my skin likes my diet of lots of veggies, good protein and no gluten, as long as I go easy on the parmesan.

**a note on coconut oil- I have used coconut oil before, and in the summer sometimes still use it because it does have a small amount of spf occurring in it naturally, but I find that for many people it makes them break out due to the medium chain fatty acids (which make it so yummy!) so use caution on your face with it at first if you choose to try it.

Bone Broth

I thought I should follow up that doozy of a first post with a simple one. One of the easiest, yummiest, and healthiest things I have done to improve my health and heal my gut was to start making and cooking with/drinking homemade bone broth. The stuff in the store is crap, do not buy it! Cans and cartons have BPA in them, and most store bought broths have chemicals in them that you don't want to ingest. And making broth is so freakin' easy!!! If you have a crock pot it is the easiest, but doing it on the stove is doable too, you just have to be home to do it. The calcium and minerals in bone broth are readily available to your body (great for healing deficiencies) and the gelatin from the cartilage in the bones helps heal the mucosal lining in your gut (if you have an auto immune disease or a food allergy, this is imperative). I prefer organic grass fed beef marrow bones from one of our fab butchers in SC, but you should be able to get marrow bones from the butcher at most grocery stores. You can also make broth with a chicken carcass, but you won't get as much gelatin from their smaller bones. Here is how I do it:

3-4 marrow bones (organic grass fed beef)
1 knuckle bone- if I can get it (organic grass fed beef)
2 tablespoons vinegar per quart filtered water (I use Bragg's ACV)- the vinegar helps pull the minerals out of the bones.

I plop the bones in the crock pot, fill the pot with water, add the appropriate amount of vinegar, and turn it on low for 48 hours. Beef bones take longer, and it is recommended to cook them like this for at least 48 hours. Chicken bones can be cooked for less time. I usually leave my broth on for 3-4 days, stewing away, because I like my broth really nice and rich. I usually have a batch going on the counter in the kitchen, since we cook with it and sometimes just drink mugs of it, and I like to have a least one gallon mason jar full of it in the fridge to use when I want it.

If you try it, let me know what you think! Cheers.

In the beginning...

  

Well, here we are. This blog has been bouncing around in my brain for about 6 months, living way in the back dusty cobweby area, filed under "things I want to do but haven't and just need to get off my butt and do them 'cause what the hell is stopping you??!!" (It's a big file back there... I'm working on it). I am really still not sure what the flow of things will be around here- mostly recipes for nourishing foods and homemade body care, healthy tidbits and personal stories here and there- but I am going to let it evolve into what it wants to be on its own (no pressure!)

Maybe the best thing to do is to tell you who I am, and why I am here, sitting in front of my computer on a sunny July day, starting this blog. My name is Stepheni. I am 31 years old, soon to be 32. I am married, and I have two furry babies, a dog named Ptilota (I'll get to explaining her weird name) and a cat, Miss Cosmo. My husbands name is Jared, he may appear on the blog from time to time (he has been encouraging me to write for a long time now, so look honey! I'm doing it!) I have an education  in Marine Biology (sidebar- my dogs name is Ptilota, which is a marine red alga -a seaweed- I LOVE SEAWEED. We call her Pty, and to make it more complicated the P is silent, 'cause she is cool like that). I live in Santa Cruz, California, and I grew up in Manhattan Beach, California. I love all things nature, love dogs, love all animals really (except I am really freaked out by spiders- I know, being a biologist, that they are super important for many reasons, but they scare the crap out of me none the less). I really like cooking, which is becoming more of a love lately, I love gardening, I love really strong black tea, I love kale,  and I love red wine (only a little though, 'cause man do I get wicked hangovers!)

About 3-4 years ago, I started to get sick. It started gradually, a bloody nose here or there, increasingly bad headaches, tummy troubles, occasional random chronic full body hives that lasted for weeks. Horrible, but honestly nothing that I really paid much attention to or thought might be caused all by the same thing (I was in grad school at the time, I was busy... and not in tune with my body at all). Then, in the spring of 2011, I broke my knee. How does one break their knee, you ask? Well, in my case, I was training to run a 10k and apparently was so vitamin deficient (my vitamin D level was at 17- healthy is between 80-100) that the repetitive motion of running caused stress fractures and a tibial bone bleed. How does a late 20's "healthy" woman have such severe vitamin deficiencies?! At the time, my doctors couldn't figure it out, and told me to just eat more dairy (now I know better). The other crap continued, and got progressively worse. I got to a point, in fall/winter of 2011/2012, where I had a headache EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.  A pounding headache. Nasal bleeding. Polyps in my sinus cavities that the ear nose and throat "specialist" told me to take Sudafed for the rest of my life to deal with. I actually named my sinus polyp (Sally) and would tell my husband that Sally was acting up on a bad headache day. That, combined with some really lovely digestive trials and tribulations that I won't gross you out with, was not awesome. On top of it all, I was just starting to process a family trauma that had happened to me when I was 17 and had internalized and never dealt with. I was a mess. And it all came to a head. And that's when I freaked out, and decided to overhaul my life.

We moved, out of the fog, into the sun. I stopped speaking to some family members who were treating me like I didn't deserve to deal with my sh*t and wanted me to just shut up about it. I started going to acupuncture weekly. I stopped working. I started sleeping more.  I spent hours online and reading books, learning about food allergies and trying to figure out what the hell was going on with my body. I started going to therapy weekly. I started going to the chiropractor. I eliminated gluten and dairy from my diet entirely, as that I had a suspected that gluten was the cause for many of my ailments. I went off my birth control pill (all those artificial hormones- no good). I got rid of as much of the plastic in the house as was humanly possible. I removed anything with an ingredient in it that I couldn't pronounce from my kitchen and my bathroom. I was a CRAZY WOMAN. Luckily, my husband is very open minded and supportive, so he went along with all of the craziness (and maybe even added some of his own- more on this another time). And I started to get better. Slowly but surely, the pain lifted. 

I ate bread (a few slices of gorgeous bread with olive oil) one evening in the summer of 2012, after a few months of avoiding obvious gluten sources (but not the tricky weirdly labeled sources that are hidden in lots of foods). I looked like I had two black eyes the next morning. My head was pounding. I had hives starting to break out. I had horrible digestive upset. My doctor and my acupuncturist were both like "That's it! you're allergic. No more gluten." I didn't have formal testing done for Celiac disease, since my doctor felt that the required 3 months of ingesting gluten daily before the testing process would be too damaging, and it was clear that I was having an autoimmune reaction. So there went all forms of gluten, and along with it most processed foods. Most of my favorite places to eat out were no longer safe, and at parties and social events I became the girl who couldn't eat (thank god I live in Santa Cruz, where living g-free isn't weird at all). And I got better. A lot better. I haven't had a gluten exposure in 10 months. And almost all of my symptoms are gone. Hallelujah! 

The one last thing that was sitting, waiting to be looked at a little closer, was that, since I chucked my birth control pills in April of 2012, I have been hoping to get pregnant. Now, I knew my body needed to do a lot of healing, and that it still may. I still had that little hope that once I got the poisonous gluten out of my system, and started processing my family trauma/grief, that I would just get pregnant, like *poof*! Here we are, 15 months later, and I am not pregnant. They say it can take Celiacs years. So we are working on that too. Always a work in progress. 

Sooooo.... long story, NOT so short, this blog is my foray into putting information into the world, about my health and experiences and recipes and lifestyle tips in the hopes that it may encourage other people to take charge of their health. Who knows, maybe some of this will resonate with someone the way that some blogs resonated with me when I first started learning about food and the body and how toxic we make ourselves, and most importantly, how to heal.  And if not, maybe someone will like a recipe or a tidbit and take it with them in their life. Either way, it's mostly about me putting something out there. Hopefully you enjoy it. Mazel Tov!