try new things
Welcome to 21 Days of Detoxing with clean, whole, real food – boy do I have some good stuff in store for you! From now until May 13th you can find a new recipe here each day. You can wait until the next time I run this program live, or get yourself the DIY version available here.
19 days in and our detox group is going strong. You know, it’s all about giving our bodies a chance to “breathe” – to lighten the toxic load and catch up with the detoxifying work that happens naturally. But it’s also about learning new skills and creating healthy habits that will last long beyond these 21 days. I think that’s the most important part.
Speaking of learning something new – let’s talk about nuts. They sit in a bowl at parties. They get chopped up and added to brownies.
It was a real eye-opener when I learned how many interesting other ways nuts can be used. I’ve made vegan “meatloaf” with mushrooms and nuts. Last year’s detox group enjoyed vegan cheese made from nuts. But ranch dip? This one was new to me! I’m so, so glad I begged another recipe from Sara at DStreetWellness.com because this is a keeper, my friends.
Whether you’re vegan or not, this is a great example of a food that many of us would buy at the store when it’s really quite easy to make yourself. And when you buy it at the store, the ingredients will be something a little less desirable…genetically modified soybean oil, MSG, and plenty of sugar. Here’s what the Hidden Valley Ranch ingredient label says:
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May 11th, 2012 | recipe, Spring 2012 detox recipes, try new things, vegan, vegetarian | No Comments »
Despite my love of kale and yoga, I have always sworn to shave my legs and wear “real” deodorant. It’s been one way I define balance in my increasingly crunchy life.
Years ago, I read an article about making homemade deodorant out of natural ingredients. It especially piqued my interest when I heard a nursing mom note that she felt better about wearing natural deodorant because baby’s wandering fingers often ended up in her armpit.
The ingredients in your standard stick are far from healthy. My son got his hands on mine once, and as I attempted to clean the white stuff out of his mouth I remembered reading how aluminum (the ingredient that prevents perspiration) is also linked to things like breast cancer and Alzheimer’s. Is that true? One of my readers is a breast cancer doctor and disputes the claim on that one. Whew. But I do know that the ingredient label on deodorant or pretty much any self-care product can be a scary, chemically place to be. Oy.
Anyway, I held out. Sweating and smelling are two things I’m not particularly interested in doing!
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April 4th, 2012 | detoxify, frugal living, natural remedy, quick and easy, self care, skincare, try new things | 21 Comments »
My friend emailed me the other day, as my friends often do, asking if I’d heard of the latest weird health trend:
“You didn’t eat your placenta did you? I am just reading about January Jones doing that. Dude, i have seen that thing up close and personal and I just don’t think I could do that.”
Um. Well, the short answer is no. I didn’t.
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March 29th, 2012 | baby, pregnancy, try new things | 22 Comments »
You know how you hear about a certain food or ingredient for a long time and one day you finally get up the courage to buy it? To actually make one of those recipes you’ve been eyeing? That was me this week. Michelle vs. The Fava Bean.
Ever buy favas? I hadn’t, mostly because I’d never seen them for sale. But there they were, in all their glory, in the Whole Foods bulk aisle. I grabbed ‘em.
This is courage, people.
To try learn something new on top of an already full to-do list. To take a risk that your husband will hate it. To buy those damn beans that are the size of quarters and say, “Hey. What am I gonna make with these?”
Good timing, actually. I needed to take our weekly menus from winter-ish chilis and pot roasts and introduce some lighter, spring type dinners.
‘Cause it’s been like 75 degrees this week. I love living in the tropical south. (I know, I know, DC isn’t the south.) (Yes it is.)
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March 19th, 2012 | beans, recipe, spring, try new things | 6 Comments »
When I was a kid my mom always made me a special birthday cake in the shape of different characters. I guess I always knew I’d bake Danny a cake for his special day too. But the thought of serving him sugary sweets made my heart feel sad. As I continuously say and believe: It doesn’t make sense to celebrate our lives with food that makes us weak and sick.
Off I set on a quest to find a birthday cake that I could feel good about. Maybe it would be a slightly adjusted layer cake recipe, maybe it would be a meatball with a candle stuck in it, I didn’t know. But I knew I was not going to make a normal white sugar/white flour cake.
(Hey, this is his first birthday we’re talking about. He doesn’t know the difference. I expect I have a year or two before I’ll have to sometimes give in to his requests for the white stuff.)
Anyway, I started searching for the perfect recipe. Let me tell ya. Not a lot out there. But I have an old cookbook from Annemarie Colbin (author of books like Food and Healing) that had just what I was looking for.
Whole wheat flour. No processed sugar. None. Not even honey or maple syrup. Just bananas and apple juice for sweetness.
And you can see in the photo, we’re talking a full-on layer cake with icing. Hello, dream come true!
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February 23rd, 2012 | baby, recipe, Sugar, try new things | 13 Comments »
“I don’t like yoga.” I hear those words a lot. Or, “I tried yoga. It was ok but, eh.”
When I hear those words, I am always in disbelief because I fell hard and fast for the mat at my very first yoga class. Ok, it wasn’t my FIRST yoga class because I’d taken some crappy gym yoga that didn’t make me feel particularly awesome. But the first time I went to a real yoga studio that was rooted in creating positive change in the world – that was it. I became a believer. Even though I was sore as heck. Even though it was hard work that I’d rather skip out on sometimes and go get a drink instead. For some reason…I kept going back.
Here’s looking at you, Back Bay Yoga. And you, South Boston Yoga.
I loved how I felt walking out of those classes. My head pleasantly buzzed, humming the Ashtanga opening invocation long before I learned the words. Accidentally leaving my water bottle at the studio or walking down the wrong street because I was so on Cloud 9.
Anyway, when other people told me they went to yoga and left unimpressed, I’ve always been confused. But – Aha! I finally get it. See, I got REALLY lucky that I found some of the best yoga in Boston on my first try. I didn’t know any different.
When we moved away, I was psyched that our new home was a mere block from the closest yoga studio (which I’ll refrain from naming.) As soon as we got here I took prenatal classes. After Danny was born, I started going as often as I could. It was a pleasure to be back on my mat. Yet something was missing.
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September 6th, 2011 | Boston, try new things, Washington D.C., yoga | 15 Comments »
I’ve never cooked with okra in my life. Back in Boston, I’d sometimes see it at Whole Foods but it always looked old and dusty sitting untouched by New England shoppers. Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle – it showed up in my CSA the other week looking fresh and green and young and, well…
I took it as a challenge. Okra, I must cook you!
When I mentioned that I was cooking this meal on Facebook, a friend commented that clearly I was from the North. Oh yeah. I know DC doesn’t count as the South to some people. But based on the number of mosquitoes and availability of veggies like okra, I’m pretty firm in my declaration that this is southern living compared to what we’re used to!
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August 30th, 2011 | recipe, try new things, Washington D.C. | 8 Comments »
They don’t strike you as a summer food, do they? Turnips. Huh. At least I’d never thought of them that way. But suddenly they appeared in my CSA and I have to say…there really are a shortage of grounding foods in the summer so I was happy.
Grounding foods?
Yeah, stuff that makes you feel centered, grounded, secure. In the winter we have the dense, round pumpkins and squashes. Sweet potatoes. Stuff like that. They grow near or on the earth and carry a feeling of calm and content. Comfort. This idea of the energy of food is kind of woo woo but a very strong component of macrobiotics and I dare say…it kind of makes sense, doesn’t it? We don’t crave salads when we want comfort. Greens are too airy, light, all over the place. Dense root veggies are much more likely to satisfy.
So. Comfort food in the summertime? Who needs it?
I do.
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June 27th, 2011 | macrobiotics, recipe, summer, try new things, vegetarian | 7 Comments »
Doesn’t that sound dreamy? I mean, can you really melt fruit?
Turns out, yes you can.
I saw this recipe online and it was a miraculous day because I had all the ingredients on hand. Yup. I suppose apricots and raspberries are popping up everywhere because it’s the season for beautiful, colorful fruit! Go grab yourself some.
(Sorry, apples and pears from Argentina. It’s summertime in North America, suckas!)
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May 31st, 2011 | healthcare, quick and easy, recipe, summer, try new things, vegetarian | 9 Comments »
Pro – That sweet baby smell. Duh.
Con – Trying to not lose teensy baby socks that with poop on them going through the laundry.
Pro – Award winning smiles first thing in the morning.
Con – Having no idea what it means to ‘put baby down for a nap.’ I mean, I just leave him lying there? That does not work. This whole nap thing is ridiculous – noise machines, pacifiers, rocking, walking in the carrier…but it clearly is not just a matter of ‘putting him down.’
Pro – The feeling of “I MADE this.”
Con – The feeling of “I MADE this.”
Pro – Suddenly I can be friends with practically any other mom because we have so much in common.
Con – Having nothing in common anymore with childless friends. Yes I’m sorry your party starts at 5pm and that’s much too late for us!
Pro – Grins from everyone in the grocery store admiring your baby.
Con – People asking, “Are you going to have another???” Grrrrr
Pro – Baby starting to laugh real laughter when Daddy plays with him.
Con – Waking up every hour even though the kid is asleep at night. I’m always listening, listening for the rustling and god forbid he lets out a little cry in his sleep, I’ve already leapt out of bed with a boob out before realizing he’s still asleep.
Pro – Having a family. One day, he will come to Thanksgiving dinner and bring his wife and kids and we will take a family photo and eat lasagna. Yes, I like to make Italian food on Thanksgiving.
Con – One day he’ll probably be in therapy because of something I said or did. Oops.
Pro – Re-prioritizing life, seeing what’s really important, letting go and making space.
Con – Never remembering to scoop the cat boxes. EVER. It’s gross.
Pro – I think he looks like me!
Con – Arguing with my husband from lack of sleep and frustration about why this kid is crying again and should we or shouldn’t we bring those two twin mattresses back to Ikea now that we bought a King mattress that actually fit up the stairs. Because yes, you really need a King bed if you’re going to nurse lying down at night.
Pro – The amazing support system of other moms, sharing knowledge, tears and tidbits.
Con – Comparing myself to other moms, comparing my baby to theirs. Oh, your kid just GOES DOWN for a nap. F you.
Pro – Not feeling obligated to do my hair or wear makeup. See, I have this KID and he’s wearing a clean diaper and that’s as good as mascara, right?
Con – General lack of personal hygiene. At one point I only was shaving 1 leg per day. Just not enough time. Oy. Don’t worry, am back to 2.
Pro – Leisurely strolls through the neighborhood.
Con – Realizing the awesome wheels and features of our City Elite stroller do not matter when I can’t fit the damn thing through narrow doorways.
Pro – Baby falling asleep, head on my chest.
Con – When I have to pee and baby is asleep, head on my chest.
May 25th, 2011 | baby, try new things | 9 Comments »
