Last summer one of my very best girlfriends told me about a homemade deodorant she’d been having good luck with, made with coconut oil and some essential oils. SIX MONTHS LATER (read: February of this year) I finally got around to trying it out.
I have no idea what took me so long, it just seemed so… involved. You mean I have get four ingredients out of the cupboard and then put them in a bowl and stir them together? I don’t know girl, that just sounds really complicated.
Yesterday morning a mama friend proposed to meet up for an evening dinner picnic with our families at a nearby park. It was quickly decided “Yes! Let’s do it!” and with that I was on to figuring out what to bring.
With a look at what I already had on hand (quinoa, avocado, corn and red pepper), I made a short list (limes and fresh cilantro, plus a Kombucha and some dark chocolate too if you’re going to look at my receipt) and planned a quick grocery trip while the girls were at gymnastics for an hour in the afternoon.
I get a kick out of eating Brussels sprouts. In my mind, they are famous for being the most disgusting vegetable someone might ever threaten a child (or picky adult) with having to eat.
When I discovered that Brussels sprouts are not disgusting or gross, there was only one logical conclusion that I could make about myself:
I like Brussels sprouts, therefore, I am a bad ass.
Before I continue to congratulate myself on my vegetable badassery, allow me to whisper the secret to enjoying Brussels sprouts if you don’t already know it.
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I think I took my first yoga class in 2002.
I was 23. I talked fast, I thought fast, I liked things fast.
Yoga was slow. It was uncomfortable, it was kind of boring.
Did I mention yoga was slow and I liked things fast? I did not really like yoga.
Still, there was just something about yoga that kept me coming back to it.
Perhaps you’re a regular smoothie drinker, or perhaps you’re on a smoothie hiatus for the winter. Either way, I was recently amazed at the way the right combo of spices can turn an otherwise ordinary banana and milk smoothie into a Chai masterpiece.
If you like chai and you like smoothies, this is your drink.
Actually, this was my drink. You are going to have to make your own.
I recently happened upon this chai latte coconut almond smoothie through my Internet (err, Pinterest) travels. My version is definitely “inspired by” that recipe, but the beauty of this chai smoothie concept is that you can take cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and black pepper to chai-ify (new word!) any smoothie you might already make.
I am so excited to tell you about these cookies, you just won’t BeANlieve it!
OK, so that pun was really bad, but these cookies are really good! They’re made with chick peas – as in garbanzo beans – STOPMAKINGTHATFACE! They’re good! It’s true.
I have no problem making and eating “healthy” cookies or treats (like Secret (Spinach and Carrot) Brownies, Banana Oatmeal Cookies or Black Bean Brownies) but if it’s so healthy that it tastes healthy and no one will eat them but me (like White Bean Blondies), then there’s just no point.
I ate this exact turkey sandwich and soup combo for lunch for three days in a row,
for two reasons:
1. Because it was really good.
2. The recipe I’m about to share makes a lot of soup. Halve the recipe if you won’t be able to eat/share 10 cups of soup over the course of three or four days. Now that Zak works from home, we have no trouble eating this much soup in a relatively short period of time. You could also freeze the leftovers to have on hand when you don’t feel like cooking some time in the future. (I need to get better at remembering to do this!)
I’ve been on a muesli kick for the last two weeks or so.
And just in time, because pumpkin seeds are on the list of healthy, affordable foods – and pumpkin seeds go great in muesli!
If you aren’t in the know, muesli is a cereal combo (usually) made with oats, nuts, seeds and dried or fresh fruit. Bananas have been my fresh fruit of choice lately, but frozen, thawed strawberries have been known to make an appearance in my bowl too.
(Just a heads up, this post is 2842 words long.)
Healthy living is a journey. (Shocking, I know.)
photo credit: The Internet
This image is such a great reminder that progress toward any goal or habit change you’re working on is not going to be linear. You’re not a failure when you hit some bumps along the way and are not getting it exactly right. Ups and downs are totally normal and to be expected, we just have to keep on keepin’ on.
If you eat kale, do you remember a time when you didn’t eat kale?
I sure do. Kale was totally a “No, thank you” food as a former only-iceburg-lettuce-eating lady. But then I tried kale chips sometime in 2008 or 2009, and my love for kale began. I’m fairly sure that kale chips are the gateway drug to dark leafy greens. If kale seems dark and scary to you – try it in chip form. It’s hard to say “No Thanks” when it’s warm and crispy and delicious after being baked in a little oil and salt.
More Mama’s Weeds
