What a week!
Good food . . .
Good times . . .
Good kid . . .
(and it’s a good thing he can’t read!) (that’s my old college calculator – his new favorite toy. ha!)
Oi Oi! Haaaaaappy Friday! I had a long week full of highs and lows, and I’m so glad that the weekend’s here. Bring on the fun times! Do you have anything fun planned for this weekend?
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I just wanted to let everyone know that I’ve updated my Juice Beauty review from Monday. The kind folks at Juice Beauty are offering a special gift plus free shipping to Bonzai readers! Very cool – check it out!.
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And with business out of the way, we move on to the goodness, the greatness, Le Love List!
1. This article.
“It’s helluva hard, isn’t it? You’re a good mom, I can tell. And I like your kids, especially that one peeing in the corner. She’s my favorite. Carry on, warrior. Six hours till bedtime.”
I don’t usually put things like this on my love list, but this one really resonated with me. I think it will resonate with the rest of you parents, too. And just in case you’ve ever wondered – yes, I relate to and have felt EVERY thing expressed in that article. Yup yup.
2. New friends.
Awesome women coming into my life these days, from all directions, just when I need them. Thanks for the talks and the coffee and the coffee with vodka, for the baby wrangling and the longer-than-we-needed drives home, for the commiseration and the understanding, and for letting me look like an ass (literally) when I showed up with the ass of my shorts split wide open (unbeknownst to me) (NOT my finest moment). But really, thanks.
3. MY BIRTHDAY!!!
Sunday is the day, but the whole weekend will be for celebrating. Yay! Fun times! BRING IT ON!
Also! walking and talking in the rain with my baby zipped up completely under my sweatshirt // Grey’s Anatomy marathons that go past midnight . . . every night // our weekly trip to the library to pick a new book // Waits starting to make sentences // planning for future endeavors (what to do, what to do???) // dreaming of fermented adventures // snow // MY BIRTHDAY . . .
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Alright guys, now it’s your turn – tell me what you’re loving this week!
My darlings, this happy little post will stay at the top of the page all weekend, so stop by any time to leave your Love List, ask a question, or offer some feedback! Or if you’re new, please introduce yourself and say ‘Oi!’! This is your community, so get involved!
I hope you all have a spectacular weekend!
It’s snowing!
Tuesday night. 10:18 pm. Long day, late work, but at least the world is slowly disappearing under a quiet cloud of ivory crystals outside my window. And life is beautiful, no?
Sometimes it can be hard to stay on a healthy track in winter. Here’s how I made it work . . . at least for today:
Morning
We woke up to snow!
Waits enjoyed a small cup of almond milk while I brewed my coffee and fixed our breakfast. Breakfast!
We split a piece of sprouted grain bread with nut butter. I was going to use up the last of the peanut butter, but Waits ate it all off the spoon before I could get it onto the bread. I switched to a homemade raw hazelnut-almond spread. Side of banana slices. Bowl of pomegranate arils with sprouted buckwheat and sliced almonds, with a splash of coconut milk.
During breakfast we rocked out to the awesome musical stylings of one miss Laurie Berkner. To my parent peeps – this is super fun kids music! Free on Spotify.
It can be really tough to find fresh food in winter, especially in these northern latitudes. I often end up sluggish and run down come spring, and I’m determined to not let that happen this year.
Enter: sprouts! There’s nothing more fresh – they are literally alive! Full of minerals and amino acids, totally easy to grow at home. I made my first plate of sprouts this weekend (in the sprouting jar, I just finished them off on the plate in the sunny window) and today they went into the smoothie. I’ll keep them in rotation and this way, I’ll have fresh food all winter. Smoothies, salads, sandwiches. Delicious!
This was like a super-vitamin! I’m on a bit of a supplement kick, haha. This smoothie had water + banana + ice + spinach + sprouts, plus the following additions: Sun Warrior protein powder, spirulina, Cal-Mag Plus (the “plus” is zinc and vitamin D), Truly Natural Vitamin C powder, vitamin K2, Maca powder. Whew!
After I poured mine I added coconut milk, reblended, and then poured a glass for Waits. Need to get those calories in for him where I can!
After smoothies we had our bath and then I tried to put Waits down for his nap. But he was teething something fierce, and just wouldn’t settle down. So I loaded him up in the car. Sometimes a quick drive is the only way I can get him to sleep. Sometimes mama just needs a drive-thru coffee to get her over the hump . . .
Afternoon
I ate lunch while Waits napped. Homemade split pea soup with a side of blue corn chips (with a tiny bit of leftover hummus).
When Waits woke up we went straight for the juicer . . .
Juice!
Cilantro-celery-spinach-apple. PERFECTION.
Then I packed us up for our errands
I brought along the travel snack cup, with black beans + nutritional yeast + sunflower seeds. The sunflower seeds add a bit of fat since he doesn’t like it when I add oil to things.
On our way home from the library, we stopped by Trader Joe’s, where Waits tore into the carrots and peanut butter during his cart ride. Not pictured.
Night
Pizza! On a homemade whole wheat sourdough crust. I really loved this dinner, for two reasons. First, because it sprang from the mind of my dearest, who said to me: “Let there be pizza! And let it have pesto AND green olives AND savory soy curls!” And I was like “That just sounds crazy enough that it just might work!” It did.
And second, because it put to use some of my summer stash. Like bell peppers, which I’d chopped and frozen at their peak of freshness. And pesto, made by the gallon (and frozen in ice cube trays) when both walnuts and basil were super cheap and in season:
And these black eyed peas, which I made in bulk and froze in small batches. (not seasonal, just economical)
I actually blended about a cup of the beans into 1/2 cup of pesto, to make a creamy, protein-y pesto spread. It was great in big ol’ dollops on the pizza, burried under all those other toppings.
Savory soy curls, bell peppers, caramelized onions, and green olives. SO YUM.
I also made a salad:
Romaine, carrots, red onion, kalamata olives, nutritional yeast, fresh garlic, and red wine vinegar. SO YUM.
And Waits’s little plate:
Awww. He’s such an olive fiend.
Dessert
I made a cookie pie. Hey, it’s my birthday on Sunday!
But seriously, I couldn’t resist after Bonzai reader Joselle linked to this recipe. A flourless, chickpea-based, gluten-free soy-free dessert of awesome. It was too weird. I was too curious. I had to try it! And it was awesome.
SO YUM.
edited to add: I wrote this after tasting the cookie pie straight out of the oven, at which point it truly was SO YUM. However after it cooled, I could definitely taste more of the . . . bean-y-ness. I think it’s still good, but if you’re not used to “healthy” desserts, this might be sort of strange. Damian said, “It’s good . . . but it does have a sort of . . . er . . . *Mediterranean* flavor . . .” Ha!
And now, it’s 12:14 am. And now, I retire.
[source]
You may have noticed that I’ve never really written about my “beauty routine”. That’s because I sort of . . . don’t HAVE a beauty routine. I wash my hair once a week with baking soda, I wash my face with plain water, and a few times each week I’ll soap up (and shave) my armpits. Other than that, I don’t use lotions or potions or products. And for the most part, I don’t miss them.
However. A few months ago I received an email from a representative at Juice Beauty, asking if I’d like to sample some of their line. And where I would usually shoot back a polite “no thanks!”, this time I had to pause. Because here’s the thing: I don’t know if it’s from becoming a mother, or turning thirty, or just the dry air up here in the Pacific Northwest. Maybe it’s all three. Maybe it’s because I’m such a stress case. (Ha!) But whatever the cause, the results are clear: my face could use a little lovin’.
OKAY SO HERE’S THE THING! I know that “laugh lines are love tracks” and all that happy hippy jazz. I know that “natural is beautiful” and that the hypocritical patriarchy teaches us that men will blossom with age while women will wither, and I’m not supposed to care about my fine lines and impending wrinkles and Oh, Oh! how vain I must be.
But whatevs. We only get a few precious trips around the sun, and I’m all about maximizing pleasure on mine. Because feeling like I look good* makes me feel good, and confidence allows me to have more fun. Period. (*my definition of good, mind you, not anybody else’s)
And that was good enough for me. I said yes.
[source]
Juice Beauty
Part of maximizing pleasure, for me at least, is feeling like I’m making positive choices and doing my best to work towards a better world. Cheesy, I know, but it’s absolutely inseparable from who I am (believe me, I wish I could turn it off – that’s probably a whole other post – another time!) So even in the pursuit of vanity, it was important that I keep in accordance with my ethics.
Juice Beauty was borne out of necessity, when the founder became pregnant and couldn’t find any products that both a) met her high standards of quality, and b) actually worked. So she did it herself. Yay DIY! You can read the whole story here.
The company offers a range of products, targeting everything from oily skin to dry skin, to sensitive skin care and sunscreens. They also have a makeup line which I’m dying to try! (2012 will be the year I actually make an effort with makeup – again, another post!)
And for me? This is an excerpt from the email I sent to Shankar, their Managing Director, after he contacted me:
“I’m especially interested in “wrinkle” creams/facial care/anti-aging face products, that sort of stuff. On my blog I promote living as naturally as possible, so I tend to just skip most beauty products entirely – shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, etc. I don’t use that stuff at all, so I wouldn’t feel right reviewing it.
I haven’t used any products on my face or body in about a year. My body is fine, and my skin seems hydrated and happy. But I feel like my face is sort of dry and showing a bit of age. I used to use eye creams and stuff, back in my “chemical cosmetic” days, and unfortunately, they worked! Now, I want something like that – something that can give the same results but that I can feel good about rubbing into my skin every day.”
And this is what he sent me:
The Stem Cellular Repair kit, which includes Booster Serum, Repair Moisturizer, and Repair Eye Treatment.
I used this system daily until it was gone, and all I have to say is: THIS STUFF IS AWESOME. In the middle of winter (dry air, no sun), in the middle of the holidays (lots of sugar and processed foods), my skin looked amazing. It looked the kind of amazing that it looks like after a few weeks of all-raw in the middle of summer. Over Christmas, Damian’s grandma kept telling me “You look positively radiant!” and “You’re complexion is just amazing!” and “I just can’t get over how incredible your skin looks!”. Like, over and over. And people have been saying that to me a lot lately.
Dudes, if that’s not a testimonial then I don’t know what is.
The only sad part is that I ran out a few weeks ago and now my skin has slipped back into its standard winter slump. I need to re-up. Oh Juice Beauty, I miss you so!
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There are a few downsides I should mention if I’m going to give a well-rounded review. Cons:
1. The scent is very strong, so much so that the first time I used the product, right before bed, it actually interfered with me getting to sleep. It’s not a bad smell necessarily (sort of lemony), it’s just very strong and I found it a bit cloying. To be fair, I hadn’t had a scented product on my face in a LONG time, so that may have had something to do with it. Regardless, I just switched to using the products in the morning instead. I got used to the smell pretty quickly; problem solved.
2. This stuff ain’t cheap. And the portions are pretty small. For something that’s SO healthful and works SO well, I understand why it costs a lot and I do think it’s worth it. Still, many of us live on tight budgets so I thought it was an important point to mention. This stuff is amazing but it’s not exactly budget-friendly.
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All in all, I adore Juice Beauty and consider myself a convert. I’m thrilled to have an anti-aging cream that does its job, but that doesn’t rely on nasty toxic ingredients. As far as I’m concerned that’s a dream come true!
EDIT!
After posting this review, and with so much interest in the comments, I recieved this email from Lauren over at Juice Beauty:
“Please share with your readers that they will receive a free full-size Organic Facial Moisture Concentrate + Free Shipping for orders $30 or more with promo code BONZAI
Promo will be valid only through the end of January!”
Wahoo! I’ll definitely be taking advantage of this generous offer (birthday present to myself, w00t!), and I hope you guys enjoy it too! Also please know, I don’t get any commission for this, or anything shady like that. I just really dig this company and I’m happy to have found something natural that WORKS, and I want to share the love.
My week
What a week! And it’s Friday night and it’s after 10 and I’m just now able to sit down and write, so I’m going to keep this short and sweet. Straight into . . .
. . . Le Love List!
1. Dentist!.
It’s been over three years, oh god, and I was scared. But I have NO new cavities and I have EXCELLENT bone health and my gingivitis is minor and a direct result of nursing-related hormones (ie, will clear up when Waits weans). Fixed a cracked crown. Polished up the ol’ chompers and whattaya know, underneath the green juice and coffee stains, they’re still pretty pearly white. Wahoo!
2. Midwife.
All’s clear on the southern front! I also relinquished eight or so vials of blood for various hormone, nutrition, and general health tests. Results are trickling in but so far my thyroid is spectacular, my hormone levels all seem normal, and my serum B12 is in the upper range of normal, yay! (I use this spray, by the way) So far so good (great, even) but I’m still waiting for a few tests. I’m quite curious about my vitamin D levels . . .
NO I’M NOT PREGNANT! haha
Ironic apron for the win.
3. Bread From Scratch
Last weekend I baked my first loaf of soaked and soured (ie fermented) bread, using the sourdough starter I inherited from my father-in-law over the holidays. I can’t quite describe the feeling I got from baking my own bread, lovingly getting it started late the night before, waking up early with Waits to knead together on the kitchen floor, checking in on it throughout the day, and then finally, that smell that crept through the whole house as it warmed in the oven for dinner. It was maybe the best bread I’ve ever had, and making it made me feel indescribably, inexplicably happy.
There will be more bread, oh yes but there will be more bread!
Also! raw lemon bars // Waits riding on my back as I crawl around the house on all fours // long walks with the ones I love // triple batches of my raw tahini dip // Waits getting giddy over “burfs” and “fwaps” (burps and farts, of course) // Waits starting to string multiple words together // spinach salad with kalamata olives, red onions, raw garlic, nutritional yeast, and grated carrot, oh my god I just can’t get enough! // the couch which is calling my name . . .
~~~
Alright guys, now it’s your turn – tell me what you’re loving this week!
My darlings, this happy little post will stay at the top of the page all weekend, so stop by any time to leave your Love List, ask a question, or offer some feedback! Or if you’re new, please introduce yourself and say ‘Oi!’! This is your community, so get involved!
Have a wonderful weekend guys!
And so it settles down. We did the holiday food and we did the New Year’s food. And it was good, wasn’t it? Well I don’t know about you, but for all that goodness, I’m actually quite excited to get back into my normal food. I love my food!
Last Friday was just another boring day. Another boring day of delicious, healthy, high-raw homemade vegan food. It looked like this:
Morning
I had my usual bowl of coffee (up top) and Waits and I split a breakfast plate (below). Waits eats his breakfast on a step ladder sitting in front of our bedroom mirror. The plate sits on the top step, he stands on one of the lower steps, and he watches himself eat. Weird, I know, but it works! He’s a picky eater, and that’s good enough for me!
We split a bowl of oatmeal with cinnamon and almond milk, a spoonful of peanut butter, and a clementine. Waits had more fortified almond milk on the side.
Waits stole my coffee cup. Because Lion was thirsty, obviously.
Then it was walk time. We took the poochies on a long meandering walk while I caught up with an old friend on the phone. After we walk, we blend.
Local Farmer’s Market bok choy! It went into the blender along with some homemade kombucha, spirulina, raw rice protein, frozen banana, and some maca I think. That was damn good. Waits agreed:
Beautiful, bright, and brimming with nourishment!
While we drank our smoothies I prepped my lunch, which was raw sprouted buckwheat soaked in [non-raw, store-bought] almond yogurt.
Afternoon
After smoothies we bathe, and after bath we nap. Well, Waits naps. I work. And eat buckwheat yogurt mix, topped with peanut butter and apricot jam.
Damian came home from work early. He fed Waits peanut butter straight from the jar, while I made us a tall glass of green juice.
See? Cucumber-kale-parsley-celery, with 1/2 an apple for sweetness.
I had some more coffee somewhere in here too. Unpictured.
Night
Homemade chili.
Spinach salad.
Cornbread in the cast iron.
And together:
And for the wee man:
A little bit of everything, but he likes the olives the best. Smart boy.
Dessert
Raw chai cheesecake left over from Christmas night (don’t worry guys, it was in the freezer!) Epic.
And that was it, just another day back in the swing of life. And you know? Life is precious and dynamic and beautiful all on its own, every day. We don’t really need holidays to tell us that.
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Most days I actually wear more than one outfit, did I ever tell you that? Yeah, I change my clothes at least once, if not twice, as my needs change throughout the day. Here’s what I wore on Saturday.
Vintage for my morning appointments and errands:
And a bright hoodie with black skinnies for afternoon relaxing:
So, how are you liking life post-holidays? New start inspiration or back-in-the-grind slump?
