Unplugged

A colleague of mine suggested or rather challenged me to unplug for 24 hours. I was complaining that I wasn't getting great sleep and felt like my brain was on overload. So she wanted to see if unplugging would calm the mind. For 24 hours I was going to give up my iPhone, iPad, computer and TV. Yes TV too!

We picked January 16th since it was a holiday and would be an easy day to be unavailable. I was OK going without the gadgets, I wasn't too gadget heavy during my holiday break but the thought of no TV was tough. My favorite way to spend a holiday is in front of the TV cuddling on the couch with the boys and Lola in my lap.

I decided to create a plan beforehand to make sure that my day was full. I had a list! I also had a list of things to do when I was back online, wow you don't realize just how plugged In you really are until you lose it.

Back to my list:
Cleaning
Reading
Vision board

Cleaning up after our annual Regifting party was a no-brainer. Catching up on some reading was pretty obvious too but the one thing that I saved for my unplug day was my vision board.

I really enjoyed working on it. I was also able to go through a few more magazines and add more photos. The images are really in categories: mind/body; healthy food; learning and the world. To show mind/body I have plenty of meditation and yoga photos, even a set of great abs. The healthy food is pretty obvious, beautiful photos of food I love, including coconuts which I intend to conquer this year, that means open a young Thai one myself. I also included ads from the Natural Gourmet Institute and Living Light to continue my education. I included images of the world and beautiful places. I think to fully live life you have to be aware of the world out there. And while I accept that my lifestyle sometimes strays from the average I am very aware that there is an entire world out there waiting for me.

As you can see I still have open space on my vision board. Like me it's still a work in progress. I won't know what I will be adding until I see it and it resonates with me. But you better believe it's going to be something good. I just hope I don't wait until I unplug again to find out.

Gadget-free Guacamole
2 ripe avocados
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
Juice of 1 lime
Salt & pepper to taste

In a bowl with a spoon mash up the avocado, mix in the condiments and juice and add salt and pepper to taste.

Cleanse-Worthy

This past weekend I lead a group cleanse, it was a 5-day cleanse that is now morphing into a 21 day cleanse for a couple of us. I like to cleanse. The first one I ever did almost 2 years ago resulted in my going vegan. I felt so good that I didn’t see the point in adding back the animal products. My last cleanse helped reduce my 2 biggest nemeses: Alcohol (aka wine and beer) and Gluten (aka lots of bread, especially Jared’s homemade)

The cleanse that I am doing now has me looking at food in 2 categories: Cleanse-Worthy and Not Cleanse-Worthy. I try to stick to the cleanse-worthy foods. It’s not easy though, my beloved raw cacao with it’s caffeine is not cleanse-worthy. I did for the first time have a square and a half tonight of the Endangered Species chocolate (72%) meh, I don't know if I am a raw chocolate snob or what but it really didn't do anything for me. I much prefer the nibs on a bowl of fruit, in a smoothie, raw desserts or even in baked goods.

Also since this was a bit of an adrenal cleanse I removed oranges and bananas, well it’s day 6 and I am adding back in oranges or at least seeing how they make me feel. The one I am eating right now is not yet half way through and already making me feel stuffed... it’s not a very good one either so it’s not making want to finish it.

There are a couple of cleanse-worthy foods that I haven’t had like grains and beans. I'm trying a more raw approach this time around and it’s working well. I have to admit I do feel better not having them, however, I am concerned about eliminating them entirely as they do have their health benefits. I think if I make one of my one-pot meals and add a cup a day to a salad it would be OK. Since these are foods I tend to overeat it will help to control portions.

Here’s a lovely cleanse-worthy dish:

Zucchini Noodles with Mushroom Sauce

2 Small Zucchinis Spiralized or Julienne Cut on a Mandolin

Mushroom Sauce:

3 Carrots,
5 -6 White Mushrooms
1/4 Red Onion
2 Garlic Cloves
2 tbsp Ground Flaxseed
1/4 cup Sunflower Seeds (Unsoaked)
1/4 cup Almonds (Unsoaked)
1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tbsp Udo's Omega 3 Oil
1 - 2 tbsps Fresh Basil Chopped
2 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
1 tbsp Tahini
1 cup Grape Tomatoes Chopped
1/2 cup Olives Chopped
1 tbsp Fennel Seeds
Water to thin
Salt and Pepper to taste

Put everything from the carrots to the tahini in the food processor and process until smooth. Mix in the tomatoes, olives and fennel seeds. Add water to thin out to desired consistency. Mix well with noodles and serve.

Holiday Gift Ideas $25 and under

I can't believe the year is almost over. I feel like I just did last year's Holiday Guide. Low budget doesn't have to mean low WOW factor, here are a few ideas for those that are thrifty yet thoughtful!

Live Butterfly Garden

Live Butterfly Garden

I don't understand why there is a photo of 2 kids on this package because this would be great for anyone of any age. I mean really who wouldn't love to have a gaggle of butterflies flitting about. Especially for those of us with gardens, they can make great pollinators!

$14.25

Recycled Glass Big Bowl Glasses

Recycled Glass Big Bowl Glasses

These pretty glasses are perfect for that stylish eco-minded friend. They can sip organic sulfite free wine while watching the butterflies flittering about.

$24 for a set of 2

Recycled Keyboard Frame

Recycled Keyboard Frame

For the tech lover in your life this 4x6 frame is a great gift. You can give it to them with a photo already in there to remind them that there's life in the meat space - j/k, but not really.

$16.50

Softest Hands Kit

Softest Hands Kit

I'm a big fan of 100% Pure products and absolutely love their hand creams so I was thrilled to see this hand cream set. I know where I would keep my 4: computer, purse, work desk, night table.

$22 for the gift set of 4

Davidson's Tea

Davidson's Tea Bulk, Classic Chai

For the tea snob in your life delight them with a pound of organic chai tea from Davidson's Tea. Chai not their thing? No worries, they have a huge variety teas to choose from.

$13.50 for 1lb

Moleskine Sketch Book

Moleskine Sketch Book

I love pretty notebooks. Moleskine books are one of the best out there. They're durable and make you look good. This notebook is a sketch book but can also double as a journal - you can use it to skournal!

$20.25

Donations
Not really sure what to give the person that has everything - how about giving in their name.

Farm Sanctuary

Bat Conservation International

Children's Defense Fund

Environmental Defense Fund

Lighthouse International

International Rescue Committee

Physicians for Social Responsibility

For more top rated charities go to: Charitywatch.org


Honorable Mentions
While these items are a little over budget I thought they were neat enough to include:

Wine Bottle Tumblers

Upcycled Recycled Glass Wine Bottle ... FOUR Tumblers made from Reused Repurposed Bottles with blue

$36

Davidson's Organic Tea Sampler

Davidson's Organic Tea Sampler

$25.95

Ventricle Vessel

Ventricle Vessel

Price: TBD Custom Made

Agate Coasters

Agate Coasters

$65

You are only as old as you feel!

I had a milestone birthday last week. I can look at it 2 ways, I'm middle aged now OR I'm in the prime of my life with an exciting future. I bet it's not hard to guess which way I'm looking at this...

I've been celebrating with friends and family all month long and have been loving every minute of it. So I ask myself why wait until a birthday to celebrate? Insert all those cheezey cliches that "you only live once" and "you're only as old as you feel" cause they are all true!! Thank you to all of my pumpkins cause you make me celebrate every day.

And speaking of pumpkins...

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

1 med pumpkin chopped, peeled and seeded
1 med yellow onion with peel on
1 bulb garlic (or whole if you like) with peel on
1 - 2 tbsp coconut oil
3 cups water or low sodium veggie broth
2 tsp salt (if not water add salt according to taste test)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp ground clove
1/8 tsp cayenne

Preheat oven to 400. Peel, chop de-seed the pumpkin. Cut the ends off of the onion and slice the top of the garlic bulb off, making sure the rest of the bulb stays intact. Coat everything in coconut oil, also coat the bottom of the pot. In a good dutch oven roast the pumpkin, onion and garlic (both with the peels on) until soft.

When the veggies are soft take out of the oven and add 1/2 the water or broth. Blend until smooth keep adding water until it is the consistency you desire. Add the spices and more coconut oil if you need fat.

Variation: Substitute 1 can of coconut milk for 1 cup of water to give it a creamier consistency.

Serves 6 - 8 small bowls
Cook time 65 min
Equipment: Dutch oven, hand blender or blender

Every superhero can fly...Sometimes

OK - so I liked that title for an album and since I am utterly tone deaf the next best thing is a blog post... For those of you that follow Kris Carr you will have seen an email and blog post from her that talks about making November "Prevention" month. Similar to Breast Cancer awareness month in October. I loved that idea. I'm sick of the pink everywhere - especially where it really doesn't belong:

Source: examiner.com

I mean REALLY?? Another area that burns me is when cosmetics company start their pinkwashing - YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE. How dare they stand there with the thousands of women that have had breast cancer and sell them the products that have the very carcinogens that contribute to their illness... This is plain old wrong, wrong, wrong. For more info please check out this article from my friends at The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. 

So great, you read that article and now you want to do something about it - here's what you can do or at least what I'm trying to do... 

The NO list: 

NO animal products, 

NO alcohol (except at my 40oz themed 40th birthday bash and Thanksgiving)

NO gluten, 

NO processed foods that contain flour, gmo corn or soy

NO added sugar (I have had agave nectar which I am trying to cut down)

NO caffeine (raw cacao is my downfall here)

The YES list:

YES fruits

YES fresh beautiful colorful veggies

YES beans

YES plant-based healthy fats

YES whole grains (think rice, millet, quinoa & buckwheat)

YES raw nuts and seeds
YES green juices
YES green smoothies

YES meditation

YES communing with nature

YES moving your body

YES journaling

YES counting blessings (or gratitude journaling)

YES quality time with the family (especially the fur babies)

As you can see the YES list is a lot longer than the NO list. That's no accident - it's because you are saying YES to a healthy, happy and loving life.

Happy Prevention Month!

Get the word out: #preventionrocks

Beauty Evolution

You are probably thinking what on earth is Beauty Evolution, what is she talking about now... It’s the glowing look that people have when they are healthy and happy. I was fortunate (my new outlook in life is that I think in terms of good fortune - but that's for another post) enough to be able to attend a raw food demo recently, looking around at all the fresh glowing faces of all ages made me think of how they evolved.

I know my daily skin brushing (face too!) has made my skin look amazing. Add to that a diet of fresh fruits and veggies, nuts, beans, herbs and spices, minimal processed foods, no animal products, and plenty of water.

That’s just part of the beauty evolution, another just as important part is mental or spiritual, whichever you prefer. A good attitude goes a long way, a smile can take you miles away. It’s been proven that people who are sick get better quicker if someone prays with them, doesn’t matter how, you can pray to Yoda if you like. I also know people who have healed their physical ailments with meditation. Stress is a killer as we all know. I'm slowly but surely getting more into the mental part of my beauty evolution, I've discovered guided meditation using Mediation Oasis podcast and often I meditate with Lola purring on my belly.

The final piece of the health and wellness trinity is exercise. Now I'll be the first to admit that I don't exercise any where near as much as I should. I've signed up for bootcamp and a friend of mine turned me on to Intensati - it combines cardio with affirmations, I'll be killing two birds with one stone with this one.

I've also come to love my evening walks with Luke and Jared. It's exercise and a great opportunity for Jared and I to have some time on our own without the outside world intruding. For me the journey has just begun and I plan on making the most of it.

How is your Beauty Evolution journey going? I would love to hear how your journey is going and any tips that you may have. Please leave a comment below.

Hummingbird Garden & Birdseed Pilaf

So a couple of weekends ago I saw a hummingbird. This is important because I am fast approaching a new decade and it is the first hummingbird I have ever seen in my life. Yes people, this urban raised girl has never seen a hummingbird before. I had heard of them and really thought they weren't in Jersey but lo and behold one of those mystical little creatures was loving my orange cosmos.

Photo courtesy of: Red Bubble: Ruby-throated Hummingbird on cosmos by Michaela Sagatova

Now we're inspired to plant a hummingbird garden next year. So what exactly do hummingbirds look for? According to Defenders of Wildlife "They primarily eat flower nectar, tree sap, insects and pollen." I've also heard they are attracted to red flowers, that's why so many hummingbird feeders have red in and on them. The red can be obtained from various sources including sugar water with food coloring... YUCK. Our approach will be to plant flowers that will attract the hummingbirds - we're doing it the good old fashion way.

So what are these hummingbird attracting flowers? Well right off the bat I would say the cosmos are a winner, they didn't bloom until late July and are much bigger than I expected but they got us two birdies (I missed the second one, or the first one coming back for more).

According to Wild Bird Watcher there are a ton of natural wonders that can work

Annuals	Perennials	Vines	Shrubs
Fuchsia	Bee Balm	Coral Honeysuckle	Butterfly Bush
Impatients	Canna	Cypress Vine	Flowering Quince
Jacobiana	Cardinal Flower	Morning Glory	Lantana
Jewelweed	Coral Bells	Scarlet Runner	Manzanita
Petunia	Four O'Clocks	Trumpet Creeper	Mimosa
Salvia	Foxglove	Canary creeper	Red Buckey
Shrimp Plant	Hosta	Carolina jasmine	Tree Tobacco
Snapdragon	Lupine	Glory vine	Turks Cap
Nicotiana	Columbine	Cypress vine	Weigela

You will notice that my cosmos aren't on this list - this goes to show that there are lots and lots of flowers out there that can make a nice hummingbird playground. I wouldn't mind a nice patch of cosmos, fuchsia, impatients, mimosas, petunias, salvia and jacobiana. I'll have to see the bloom rates to make sure we have something going from spring into fall.

Speaking of fall and birds, here's something to try while we wait for spring:

Birdseed Pilaf

1/2 cup Millet*
1/2 cup Red Quinoa*
1/2 cup Spelt*
6 cups Water Divided
1 - 2 tbsp Coconut Oil
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
1 tsp Coriander Seeds
6 - 10 Cardamom Pods
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Ground Cumin (I like Cumin a lot)
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 tbsp Sesame Seeds
3-6 Garlic Cloves**
1/2 Onion or 1 - 2 Shallots**
1 Thumbtip Size Piece Ginger**
1/4 cup Dried or 1/2 cup Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms 

1 Large Bay Leaf
1 tsp Salt (Sea Salt, Pink Salt etc...anything but table salt) OR Kombu

After soaking the grains overnight rinse and discard water. In a good pot heat coconut oil and add the spices through to the sesame seeds. Let them cook for a few minutes and then add the garlic, onion or shallots and ginger, let them cook for a few minutes. Add the grains and incorporate them well into the spice mixture, let them cook for about 3 minutes to get a nice spice coating. Then add the remaining 3 cups of water, the mushrooms, the bay leaf and salt or kombu. Bring to a boil and then simmer on low for 30 - 45 min depending on how soft you like your grains.

I also use this same recipe to make brown rice and different beans. Feel free to play around with the spice combos too.

* Soaked overnight in 3 cups water
**Minced, I like to put it all together in the mini chop