THIS IS FANTASTIC and in my mind, how Thanksgiving should be done. Even if you're not cooking this holiday, click through. It is hypnotic and lovely to watch Melissa and Sam in action.
A few other things that caught my eye this week...
Photo from NYT
“At some point, the priest during the Mass says, ‘Lift up your hearts.’ He does not say, ‘Lift up your cellphones to take pictures.’”
— Pope Francis
Applicable not only during Mass but in life. Here.
It was the perfect crisp, drizzly Saturday to make Judy Rodgers' roasted applesauce. I didn't even bother to peel and core the apples and just ran them through the food mill after roasting which worked beautifully.
This liquid zinc has been a lifesaver keeping us healthy over the last few months with the start of school and the change in season. I always have it on hand and take it daily. Elissa Goodman has a really good list of additional immune support here.
Inspired by my five year old's (currently six page) xmas wishlist, pictured above, I am starting to think about holiday gift ideas myself. Those lists are coming soon!
Most of the basic personal care products I love and use everyday are easy to find. Everything below (with the exception of Cocofloss) I find at my favorite local grocery, PCC. You can also find them at Pharmaca, Whole Foods and Thrive Market. All of them are incredibly effective, non-toxic and free of all the chemicals/fillers that are in most mainstream products.
I wash my hands a lot throughout the day especially when I'm at the studio teaching so I also go through a lot of hand cream to keep my skin from drying out. This sea buckthorn hand cream from Weleda is my favorite. It absorbs right away, is deeply moisturizing and never greasy. It's the only one I use...
Also from Weleda, this sea buckthorn body lotion is fantastic. It rubs in immediately and keeps my skin soft and moisturized all day even in the dry winter months...
A few years ago, an effective natural deodorant seemed impossible to find. I've long loved this one from Soapwalla. However having to apply it with your fingers isn't for everyone. Enter Schmidt's. It is aluminum and artificial fragrance free and equally important, it really works. There are two formulas, one without baking soda which some people are sensitive to. I've used both and love the tea tree one and the charcoal + magnesium one (which my husband also uses)...
Weleda's salt toothpaste is incredibly refreshing without any minty aftertaste. Xyliwhite is my other favorite. They also make one for kids that my son loves. All are fluoride free...
Cocofloss is really great floss. I prefer mint and we have a subscription that delivers every 4 months...
I also love this mouthwash my dentist recommended from BR...
This Dr. Bronner's shaving gel is a favorite of mine and my husband's. (If you prefer a cream shave, this one from Weleda is great as well, plus it is the perfect travel size.)
The only downside to the Dr. Bronner's shave gel is it's not really the right container for the thin gel consistency so it leaks and makes a mess. I picked up a squeeze bottle like this one at PCC and decanted it which solves the issue...
Lastly, I couldn't live without Burt's Bees original lip balm. I carry it with me wherever I go. I buy a four pack from Thrive...
“We call ourselves homo sapiens sapiens. That’s the species name we’ve given ourselves. And that comes from the Latin sapere, which means “to taste” or “to know. “ The species that knows and knows that is knows. And now maybe we need to live ourselves into owning that name by cultivating awareness and awareness of awareness itself and let that be in some sense the guide as to what we’re going to invest in, how we’re going to make decisions about where we live, where we are going to send our kids to school, how we’re going to be at the dinner table. Whether we’re going to take our bodies and our children and our parents for granted, or whether we’re going to live life as if it really mattered moment by moment.
The more we can sort of learn these lessons, the more we will not be in some sense running towards our death, but opening to our lives. There’s a huge distinction between the two. And all the scientific evidence is suggesting that when you choose life in the way I’m talking about, your brain changes in both form and function, your immune system changes, your body changes. I mean, we start to really take care of what’s most important. And there are very, very tangible results at the level of the body, the mind, and the heart, and most importantly our relationships with the world and with our loved ones and with our own bodies.”
The last few weeks have been full of re-organizing and tidying up. The kitchen is finally put together and I restocked it with a few of my favorite basics. I keep a stack of these kitchen towels in a basket on the counter...
These are my favorite sponges. I first found them at Trader Joe's years ago but now I can only find them on Amazon. They clean beautifully, never smell and can be sanitized in the dishwasher.
I finally got rid of all of our random face cloths that had seen better days and upgraded to these super absorbent, soft and affordable washcloths that I keep stacked in the bathroom...
With the beginning of school, so too came the first cold through our house. This year I have a new cold-blasting weapon...Fire Cider.
I've been a long time fan of drinking raw apple cider vinegar for better health, but this stuff has a few extras giving it a serious, but delicious kick. Oranges, lemons, onions, ginger, horseradish, habanero pepper, garlic and turmeric are steeped in apple cider vinegar for six weeks and then raw wildflower honey is added making a super immunity boosting elixir.
I'll sip an ounce or so on its own or add it to sparkling water with a splash of unfiltered apple cider which makes for a mighty tasty non-alcoholic cocktail. I'm addicted and am easily making my way through my half gallon.
I have about a dozen draft posts saved but nothing fully written. I've been hibernating a bit the last few weeks recharging. I started the new year feeling exhausted and it was time to go back to the basics of good self-care which for me includes taking a break from coffee, a break from the news, putting myself in bed by 9:30pm and doing my daily Pilates exercises. It's working. I'll be back soon but in the meantime...
An oldie but a goodie from last fall if you missed it, Sherry Turkle's NYT article "Stop Googling. Let's Talk."
"We've gotten used to being connected all the time, but we have found ways around conversation - at least from conversation that is open-ended and spontaneous, in which we play with ideas and allow ourselves to be fully present and vulnerable. But it is in this type of conversation - where we learn to make eye contact, to become fully aware of another person's posture and tone, to comfort one another and respectfully challenge one another - that empathy and intimacy flourish. In these conversations, we learn who we are."
“Studies of conversation both in the laboratory and in natural settings show that when two people are talking, the mere presence of a phone on a table between them or in the periphery of their vision changes both what they talk about and the degree of connection they feel. People keep the conversation on topics where they won’t mind being interrupted. They don’t feel as invested in each other. Even a silent phone disconnects us.”
The value of solitude is something that speaks to me personally so this passage especially resonated with me...
"In solitude we find ourselves; we prepare ourselves to come to conversation with something to say that is authentic, ours. If we can’t gather ourselves, we can’t recognize other people for who they are. If we are not content to be alone, we turn others into the people we need them to be. If we don’t know how to be alone, we’ll only know how to be lonely...when we are secure in ourselves, we are able to really hear what other people have to say. At the same time, conversation with other people, both in intimate settings and in larger social groups, leads us to become better at inner dialogue."
My most favorite pair of jeans just busted a hole in the knee so I had to order a new pair. They are the best slim boyfriend style I have found. Baggy in just the right places but not sloppy. I wear them slightly rolled at the top of my high tops, ankle boots, heels, you name it.
This sweater from Uniqlo is a good one. It is super affordable (and super warm with the Heattech blended right in). I wanted it to fit slightly loose so I ordered it one size up.
I drink a lot of GT's ginger kombucha but just tried this limited edition flavor with carrot and turmeric and cannot get enough...
I am a beer lover through and through but am also someone that does much better when I limit the amount of gluten I consume. Thankfully, there are some mighty fine gluten-free beers being brewed out there and this one from Ground Breaker in Portland is my current favorite.
Now that my son is in preschool, it seems like some kind of cold or flu is on constant rotation so I'm all about extra immune support. This is my current favorite. You can also find it at Thrive Market.
I've also started using these infused salts from Baraka with my NeilMed that I really love. They stock them locally at PCC (and I'd imagine at Whole Foods as well).
After a few days of holiday indulgence, the minute we were back in our home just the three of us the only thing I craved was this simple nourishing soup.
I had a chicken carcass in the freezer and put that in my Instant Pot with six cups of water, two bay leaves, a carrot broken in half and an onion, peeled and cut in half. It cooked on high pressure for a half hour and made a perfect, light and clean tasting broth.
While the broth was cooking, I softened a chopped onion, some diced carrots and celery in a little olive oil then added a handful of rinsed basmati rice and poured over the strained broth fresh from the pressure cooker.
Simmer until the rice is cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and a good amount of lemon juice (I used 1 1/2 lemons) and chopped parsley.
And just like that, I'm almost feeling back to my pre-holiday-indulgent self (though that midday glass of bubbles still sounds sooo right).
A doozy of a cold hit our house this week. I've been following my usual protocol of lots of rest, lots of water and extra immune boosting foods...raw garlic, mushrooms and soups made with bone broth. I add apple cider vinegar to my water, take extra vitamin D and a good probiotic. Also, my NeilMed continues to be a lifesaver during times like these. And I drink A LOT of ginger tea. Instead of grating ginger on the microplane for each cup like I used to, I've gotten smarter and make ginger juice in bulk in my Vitamix blender.
Slice enough ginger to fill 1 cup. Add to the blender with 2 cups water and blend thoroughly. Strain through a nut milk bag (a fine mesh nylon one like this) and store in the fridge.
To make tea:
Add a Tbsp or two your mug, juice from half a lemon (a pinch of cayenne is optional) and top with hot water. Add honey to taste.
It is hot and sunny in Seattle and it looks like it's going to stay that way for a while...
A few things I will be relying on...
Good sunscreen. My favorite for the body is this one from Beautycounter. It's a great mineral sunscreen with zinc oxide that is lightweight and rubs in easily, never white or chalky. Good mineral sunscreens can be expensive and this one is also one of the best values.
This stick is especially good for getting little necks and faces covered as they duck and dodge anxious to get back to playing.
And this tinted face sunscreen from Suntegrity is really amazing. It provides great non-toxic protection from the sun but also acts like a medium coverage foundation and beautifully evens out your skin tone. It comes in five shades. (Plus zinc-oxide has anti-inflammatory properties that help skin conditions like acne and rosacea.)
Next up...deodorant.
A good natural one that actually works can be tough to find. I've used this one from Soapwalla for the last three years and it's the best deodorant I've used natural or otherwise. I've only used the original but when I'm ready for a refill I'm ordering the new citrus version.
It is also important to have a good ice cream shop at the ready...if you can, get to Kurt's Farm Shop on Chophouse Row. You can get two flavors in your single scoop. I opted for Flora's Cheese and Tomato Jam which were out of this world.
And yet another mention of rosé. It just exudes Summer to me. I'm currently enjoying this super affordable one (around $10 at PCC). And don't forget the ice.
Finally, if you are still in need of a fan (seeing as most Seattleites do not have A/C) we continue to love this one that I wrote about last summer.
“Health depends on being in harmony with our souls.”
— Dr. Edward Bach
I first learned about Bach Flower Remedies a few years ago and now use them daily. They are homeopathic, gentle and yet incredibly effective at helping to bring us back into harmony or balance.
Dr. Bach developed his remedies in the 1930s, believing that certain pure flower essences can clear the energy that holds us in a stagnant or hazy state. They are intended to help restore a lighthearted mindset, in which the body is free to heal itself.
One of the most well-known remedies is Rescue Remedy, which is actually a blend of five Bach Flower Remedies designed to help with immediate problems. This mix "was created by Dr. Bach to deal with emergencies and crises - the moments when there is no time to make a proper individual selection of remedies. It can be used to help us get through any stressful situation, from last-minute exam or interview nerves, to the aftermath of an accident or bad news. Rescue Remedy helps us relax, get focused and get the needed calmness."
Many people (myself included) keep Rescue Remedy in their purse, at the office, in the car or in the diaper bag for challenging days or situations you might encounter.
If you are working through an underlying problem – or if you need rescuing every day – you will find a longer-term solution by selecting a personal blend of remedies.
I also like to keep White Chestnut handy at home and take it before bed whenever I have too much going on and have trouble turning off my brain, making it tough to sleep. It clears my head immediately.
To learn more about how the remedies work, this is a great resource.
They are widely available at natural markets like PCC, here in Seattle, Whole Foods or Pharmaca.
