Consignment Store Shopping

I am going to toot my own horn for a minute. Recently, I lost a good bit of weight thanks to a healthy diet (mostly veggies, local if at all possible, and grass fed pastured meats) and Weight Watcher’s portion control guidelines. Enough weight that I have to buy a whole new wardrobe, this I am really not all that unhappy about since I do love to shop. At first as a treat to myself I went and bought clothes from stores I couldn’t really wear before. I perused the sale racks at White House Black Market, Chico’s, and Calvin Klein and found some great stuff. I realized though that I could be saving more money and recycling to boot if I found a great consignment store. So, on the hunt I went. I tried Goodwill at first and a couple of them actually had some decent stuff mixed in with the other stuff but I didn’t seem to get the same shopping satisfaction that I would at a great clothing store. I tried Revante` in 5 points but it’s pretty small and didn’t have a huge selection, I also found the prices a bit higher than I expected. Then I found Roundabouts in NE Columbia. It’s in an old Stein Mart so it’s huge and the prices are great! Plus it is set up much like a Stein Mart so it feels like you are shopping in a “real store.” I got a great pair of very high end jeans for $20, an adorable denim dress from Chico for $18, and a pair of Coach Sandals for $35. They also sell home goods and furniture. Now, I have taken some of my old too big clothes to consign with them to support my budding addiction. I am sure there are other great consignment stores in my area and I look forward to searching them out. I am a consignment store convert and I think that will make my husband, the landfills, and the check book happy too.

Join the Food Revolution

Jaime Oliver, the British chef that stared as Food Network’s Naked Chef has a new show on TV called Jaime Oliver’s Food Revolution. This show is all about changing the way America eats. Jaime helped overhaul the School lunch program in Britain and obviously cares a great deal about eating whole unprocessed food. Huntington, West Virginia is the unhealthiest city in America and the base for Jaime’s show. I’d say I am pretty cynical about the way America eats but even I was surprised by what the kids were given on their lunch trays. This past Sunday was a sneak preview of the show and I am excited to see how it progresses. Catch the show Friday night starting at 8pm EST for a rerun of Sunday’s sneak peak and 9pm EST for the newest episode. Check out his website for a petition for change that Jaime intends to take to the White House at the wrap of the show.

Kale Chips

See those tiny little hands? They are holding the nutritional powerhouse known as Kale. Guess what those little hands did after we took that picture. Yep, they put that kale into the little mouth connected to the same body. Halleluiah! How did I do that you ask? I made them into chips.

This is probably the easiest way greens can be cooked aside from eating them raw. Kale has a bit of bitterness to them but cooked as a chip it was tangy and savory.

1 bunch of Kale
Oil
Salt

Trim Kale from the thick stems, then wash and dry. Next put on a flat baking sheet and spray with oil. I use Walnut oil in a Misto to lightly coat the tops with oil. Sprinkle with salt or whatever spice combination you’d like and bake for 10 minutes or until crispy. I think salt and vinegar would be yummy too. You’ll want to be careful that they don’t brown because then they just taste burnt.

The Fruits of Our Labor

Our project this weekend was to plant some fruit baring trees and shrubs. We started with two plum trees a Santa Rosa dwarf and a Methley. They were recommended to help pollinate one another. We also planted two blueberry bushes and a black mission fig tree. Later in the week we will plant strawberry bushes in containers, dwarf citrus trees in containers, and some additional blueberry bushes. It will probably be about three years before we see any yield from our fruit trees but at least we are on our way to growing our own organic fruit at home. From what I have read it probably won’t be an easy journey due to bugs and birds but the plants themselves are quite hardy. We had a pear tree at our previous house that was self pollinating and provided enough pears for us and the rest of the neighborhood. The tree seemed to need no intervention aside from picking the pears before they broke he limbs. Luckily my grandparents and parents have abundant supplying pear trees too so we get enough from them to not need to plant our own. I am hoping that these trees with be as carefree as those pear trees are.

Dressing a salad

Most people I know eat salad because they want to be healthy or at least appreciate the health benefits of the salad. So then why do we hide all that healthy lettuce and vegetable mix under high fructose corn syrup, sugar, xanthium gum, and salt? It’s easy and it taste good and often times it’s billed as low fat, I know, I know. Well, here is my recipe for a super tasty and super easy salad dressing with as much nutritional benefit as the salad under it.

1 tablespoon honey
½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ cup Balsamic Vinegar
1 tablespoon dried herb of your preference (I use Herbs de Provence, a blend of several herbs)

Put in jar and shake or stir. It will separate so you have to shake it before each use.

A Cleaner Granite Cleaner

When we bought our house a couple years ago we knew we’d be doing a lot of renovation and we tried to use as many green materials as we could. No-VOC paints, reclaimed cabinets, and energy star appliances all reside in our new kitchen and then there are the granite countertops. I am not proud, but I was less educated then about the environmental toll granite harvesting has on the earth. Never the less I must clean those countertops and I want to do it naturally. Acidic liquids can strip and stain granite so never use vinegar, ammonia, or bleach. Here is my simple and very effective homemade cleaner. It makes a great Lysol germ killer substitute too.

¼ part 91% isopropyl alcohol
¾ part water
1 tsp dish soap per liter

Mix and spray away. Shiny, clean, germ free, and non-hazardously cleaned counters, viola!

Natural Sinus Relief with a Neti Pot

Every year when the Bradford pear trees start blooming my sinuses go haywire. When I was younger I never had sinus issues and then in my mid twenties I worked in our city’s downtown where the streets are lined with Bradford pear trees. They are glorious when they begin to bud and since they bud early they are the foretelling of spring and a welcome sight to many. Back in those days they were for me too. As I later learned sinus issues can be triggered at any age and my overexposure to those beacons of spring triggered mine. I used prescriptions as well as over the counter meds. Some worked really well and some kept me up all night. Then a couple years ago I discovered the neti pot. I am a big fan of Dr. Oz and personally think he has one of the most relevant worthwhile TV shows on. Well, a few years ago he got his start on Oprah’s show and he showcased a neti pot and how to use it. The neti pot essentially fills your sinus cavities with saline (salt water) and clears the mucus and irritants out while the saline soothes the nasal tissue and reduces swelling. My husband also uses it to ward off and shorten colds. I was skeptical at first and the first time I used it, well, it didn’t go well. After some practice I have found it to be an effective useful tool to be drug free and treat sinus problems. Last year my sinuses got so bad they lasted all seasons and I admit I resorted to Zyrtec because popping a pill is easier than using a neti pot. Since I am trying to commit to living what I preach, this year I will try the neti pot as my sole allergy relief. (I'll let you know how that goes.) Here's a great video on how to use a neti pot.

Chocolate Coconut Frozen Yogurt

I have longed for warm weather for months and a nice sunny day finally broke free this weekend. This is cause for celebration and time for ice cream! Now I am a sweet eater and in the winter I liked baked goods but in the summer I am all about my ice cream, I eat it about every day. Last year on our way to Disney World we stopped off in St. Augustine and had what had to be the best coconut dark chocolate gelato on the planet and I have craved it ever since. Well, I have also been on a mission to get healthier, lose weight and stop eating processed food. What’s an ice cream lover to do? Pull out the old homemade ice cream machine of course! So here is my recipe for an amazingly low fat/calorie recipe for chocolate coconut frozen yogurt, for my fellow weight watchers, its 3 points for a heaping half cup. If you care nothing about the low fat part (helllooo husband!) then substitute heavy cream for the yogurt and add in coconut shavings. I will not lie it doesn’t touch that authentic gelato but it did turn out smooth, creamy, yum yum yummy and I can eat it daily without guilt.

1 can light coconut milk (14 ounce)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup honey
1/8 cup Sun crystals (stevia sweetner)
1 cup Fat Free Greek style yogurt
2 tablespoons dark chocolate chips

On stovetop mix the first 4 ingrediants over medium heat to dissolve the sun crystals and cocoa. Let cool and then mix yogurt and chocolate chips. Refrigerate for 1 hour and then pour into the ice cream maker and follow the manufactures recommendations.

My Morning at Big Moon Farm

Today was my visit to Big Moon Farm in Leesville, SC. This is where my vegetables starting in the spring will come from. I joined the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) at Big Moon for the 2010 growing seasons and wanted to go out to the farm to visit, meet the Oxner family who own the farm, and most importantly let my almost 3 year old see where her veggies will come from.

The visit didn’t disappoint. The Oxners are relatively new at the CSA business but John Oxner has a lot of agriculture experience having worked for the Clemson extension and still consulting farmers. The farm has been in the family for at least three generations.
John showed us the fields and animals and talked to us about how they came to form a CSA. Being a dad of young ones he took extra care with my daughter and spent time showing my her seeds in the packing shed, seedlings in the greenhouse, and much to her joy even let her gather warm eggs from the chicken coops.

I am no farm expert. I do however read a lot about sustainable farms. I know that I will happily eat the food from Big Moon. The chickens have a nice area to run around inside and out. This allows them to forage for grubs and bugs in addition to the specialized food they are fed. From the little I know, this creates a healthy egg richer in nutrients. Plus, I really want to support farmers who treat their animals humanely and not big factory farms that house egg layers in cages so small they can’t even turn around.

Big Moon farm also raise cattle. They sell their humanely raised pastured cows along with the produce and eggs. The cows are pastured and supplemented with grain. John says he supplements with grain to produce a more tender meat. A traditional pastured cow who eats only grass takes significantly longer to get to processing weight, and an older cow is a less tender cow. His cows looked happy and healthy and were curious enough to come up and greet us at the fence. I always rethink my desire to eat these beautiful animals when I look eye to big brown eye with them. I do feel much better about my desire to be a carnivore when I know they were taken care of like God designed the animal human relationship to be and the Oxner’s are doing just that.

I encourage all my friends to find a CSA farm or a local farmer at a market to support and then go meet your farmers. We need to be informed about what goes on with our food, who grows it, and how they grow it. Plus, it brings you back to a place where you are reminded of what food should be: fresh and healthy, not boxed or premade and frozen. I know many of us are short on time and boxed pre-packaged meals are easy but we put energy into things that are important in our lives and food isn’t just important it fuels everything else in life. I find I can make do prep all one day to make cooking in the evenings quicker. More and more science is proving we are what we eat. So be a living vibrant fresh and humane person.

Update: This morning we cooked some of the eggs our daughter gathered at Big Moon Farm yesterday. WOW….I mean WOW. Now, we are no stranger to fresh local free range eggs, actually that is all we buy. We have seen bright orange yolks that are firm but these eggs were like super eggs. Yolks so bright and firm that I had to pierce it repeatedly to break. I could have picked it up out of the bowl with my hand to separate the whites and our omelets were about a shade lighter then the cheddar that filled it. I was so impressed that I wanted to share a picture. Happy eating!

Vitamin Water Recipe – the natural way

We all know water is an essential part of our diet but do you know why? Well, first it is great from your skin. It keeps it hydrated and protects it from getting dried out. Hydrated skin is less prone to wrinkle! Since our skin needs water so badly it can also retain water, sort of like a camel hump, if it isn’t getting a consistent supply so you may also have puffy skin if it isn’t hydrated. Add to that a glowing complexion and you can’t deny waters benefits to your body. Water helps flush toxins from the cells in our body, and in turns gives us a glowing complexion.

Flushing toxins isn’t just for your skin though it’s important to keep our bodies healthy and disease free, toxins in the body can case all sorts of illness including possible cancer. Water allows our bodies to shed toxic buildup we gather from environmental factors like smog, chemicals, and the toxins our bodies create themselves. We also shed bacteria and waste more with increased water consumption and that is good for the kidneys and bladder.

Water also keeps our blood thin and helps our heart pump effectively. Blood transports oxygen through our body and the oxygen gives us energy and helps us properly convert fat to energy. This can help increase your metabolism and keep your energy high. There has been recent data showing drinking adequate water actually keeps your heart pumping longer too.

Drinking water also wards off hunger and acts as an appetite suppressant. It also aids in food digestion and reduces stomach acids which can lead to heartburn. Water also helps your bowls from becoming constipated.

So, I hope I have convinced you to drink your water now. I sometimes get really bored with my plain old filtered water so I add fresh fruit to give it an added zing and vitamins. It’s like the original vitamin water but actually good for you and the planet since you will be making it yourself and not buying up all those bottles. I found a great recipe for water from the Flat Belly Diet that I personally like very much. I have included it here but remember you can add pretty much and variation to flavor the water as you like. In my experience a good ratio of fruit to water is one cup to 1 gallon of water. I often refill my water pitcher for two days using the same ingrediants.

Flat Belly Diet Sassy water
1 TSP/ Grated Ginger
1 MED. Cucumber peeled and sliced
1 Lemon sliced
12 Mint Leaves bruised to release the oil

Lemon Strawberry Water
1 Medium Lemon sliced
3 large strawberries sliced
12 mint leaves bruised to release the oil

Mix with 8 cups of water and refrigerate overnight; drink the next day.

The idea here is the cucumber and lemons are natural diuretics and gingers and spearmint help relieve bloating. Strawberries have powerful antioxidants. I also often use just a couple of the ingredients at a time say lemon ginger water or cucumber mint. Find a flavor you like to help make drinking your water more tasty and fun and remember to use a BPA free reusable bottle!

Stop the USDA from approving Monsanto GMO Alfalfa

If any of you have watched the movie Food, Inc. you were introduced to the craziness that GMO's (genetically Modified Organisms) and Monsanto reap onto the agriculture industry. They are a chemical giant that market themselves as an agriculture company, their most popular mainstream product being RoundUp weed killer. So, they have created these genetically altered seeds which they sell to American farmers. The seeds are so special because they can withstand the Monsanto chemical "treatments" allowing farmer's to spray for things like weeds without killing the crop, typically corn and soybean. Now, why are GMO's bad you may asks? Well, they have not undergone much testing thanks to some very well placed Monsanto board members in the US government. The theory that exist now is they may be less nutritious than non GMO crops. But most importantly they cross germinate with non GMO crops. So lets say you are an Organic farmer with a field across from a farmer using Monsanto seed. Your field will be cross pollinated with the GMO pollen. Now, you have a crop dependant on a weed killer to produce properly, not exactly Organic. Alfalfa is important because grass fed cows eat this. I personally don't want my grass fed cow to eat a GMO alfalfa and I have to wonder how will this effect those farmers who strive to raise organic grass fed meat? We also risks an extinction of seeds that are not GMO, a very bad thing even for those who don't eat organic. The nice people over at Legacy Family Farms, who aside from being super nice people sell fantastic grass finished and pastured meat, forwarded me this petition to stop the USDA from approving Monsanto alfalfa, it has to be entered by tomorrow evening so act quickly!

Dry Skin Relief

This has been a hard winter for my skin. My skin has always been a bit sensitive and dry particularly in the colder months. I recently tried using Dr. Hauschka skin care products after a convincing and beautifully skinned consultant sold me on the quality and homeopathic nature of the line. I am not going to review it just yet but so far my skin has been screaming for more moisture. However, the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database doesn’t shine too favorable on most of the Haushka line. If you are not familiar, this agency reviews cosmetics based on the ingredients and the toxicity of each one, then it ranks them from 1 to 10 based on the danger level to your health. Since the cosmetics industry is a wholly unregulated industry it’s tough to know what claims to believe and which are hog wash. This database helps decipher that. The Dr. Hauschka line promotes a belief that skin can heal itself and no cream should be used at night to prompt the skin to produce its own oils. So, I am going to put it aside for now (except for the toned day crème which I really like) and try to rehydrate my skin. It should be said here that drinking plenty water and running a vaporizer are also important for dry winter skin, both of which I do.

Continuing my theme to live sustainably and naturally I decided to do some research on natural dry skin cures that I could make at home. I found several recipes but wanted to search out specific ingredients to help my skin repair and rehydrate. I settled on honey, milk, olive oil, and oatmeal.

Honey has antibacterial properties and is a recommended to kill germs and diminish acne. It is also a humectant, which means it draws moisture from the air onto the skin and holds moisture. It has been used for thousands of years and is rumored to have been used by Cleopatra in conjunction with milk for baths.
Milk has vitamin A and lactic acids. It can heal dry skin and even sooth minor burns. It also softens dead skin cells. The lactic acid in milk can also lighten dark circles under the eyes sooth puffiness. It’s important to use a fatty source of milk here: whole milk, cream, sour cream, yogurt, you get the idea.
Olive Oil contains vitamin E which is a very important ingredient for supple skin. It also is able to help cells regenerate faster by absorbing UV radiation and being a powerful antioxidant.
Last, oatmeal absorbs impurities and sloughs off dead skin cells all the while soothing and replenishing dry skin.

With all these wonderful natural skin care treatments at home why do we as a nation spend the millions of dollars each year on skin care? Well, effective marketing, busy schedules, and the disbelief that we can make something ourselves as miraculous as the big companies claim their products are. My recipe took me less than 5 minutes to make, all the items were in my pantry or fridge and it was pennies to produce! You can find recipes all over the web to deal with various skin issues here is mine:

Dry Skin Mask
¼ cup dry oatmeal (ground in a coffee bean grinder until fine)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons full fat milk product
2 tablespoons honey

Mix into a dough like consistency and store in the refrigerator. To use take a dollop onto your hands and mix in a little warm tap water spread onto your face, do not scrub, and leave for 5 to 10 minutes. Rinse with luke warm water and follow with a natural remedy moisturizer if needed.

Natural Face Moisturizer
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 teaspoon vegetable glycerin
1 tablespoon Coconut Oil