I've made a few product switches over the past few years I wanted to share.
Moisturizer: I've used organic sunflower oil for to moisturize my skin the last few years and a few months ago I started to use if for my face as well. It leaves my skin very soft. I have had problems with break-outs and contact dermatitis on my face in the past and have experienced no problems using this. I was a little worried about using oil, but it has been great. For the body I sometimes scent the oil with orange or lavender. I've used unscented sunflower oil on my daughter since birth. It helped with cradle cap and when she gets diaper rash during teething.
Baking Soda: I haven't bought exfoliator in years. I use baking soda on my face and body as well as my teeth.
Salt or Sugar scrub: For a luxurious body exfoliator I make a salt or sugar scrub with sunflower oil and essential.
I am working towards making my own deodorant and laundry detergent. I haven't gotten there yet but I've found some good recipes you can find on my Pinterest site.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Valentine's Day Treat- Nourished Kitchen's Coconut Cake
I've been wanting to make this cake for a long time and Valentine's Day was the perfect opportunity. I found the recipe very easy to follow with minimal steps and nothing complicated. It was my first time baking with coconut flour and I wasn't sure what to expect. The flavor was definitely different than previous coconut desserts that I had, more subtle. The cake is very dense and filling, owing a bit to the rich and fibrous quality of the coconut flour. I did add unsweetened raw shredded coconut to the frosting for texture. I am a bit of a sweet tooth, so in the future I think I will sweeten the frosting with a bit more honey or a dash of maple syrup. Overall, the cake is delicious and very pretty.
View the recipe and further information here:
http://nourishedkitchen.com/coconut-flour-cake/
View the recipe and further information here:
http://nourishedkitchen.com/coconut-flour-cake/
Sunday, February 12, 2012
The Dirty Life
A Memoir of farming, food and love by Kristin Kimball.
I loved this book. I have a crush on Essex Farm and the food they are raising. The memoir entered in and woke up a part of me that fell asleep years ago. The part of me that used to pick beans in the garden, mow acres of our Georgian pasture, race our horses Smoke and Nugget through the pasture and along the trails of Hard Labor Creek State Park. I feel most alive and invigorated striding up a mountain path, swimming in the ocean or using my body to work on the land, lifting, digging, pulling, running, cultivating. As a dance/movement therapist I am aware of the importance of our connection to nature and the devastating impact it has on us as human beings to be separate from the natural rhythm of life. In my own life it is an awareness that ebbs and flows as the demands of daily life build.
Kimball brought all that back with life, vigor, and love. Her own journey, from a NYC writer to a sustainable farmer and wife, was well written and inspiring. She portrays the stark contrast between cerebral city life and the hardships and fulfillment of life lived in close contact with nature very astutely. Her description of farm life was at once idyllic and harsh, bringing in the reality of grueling work, death. loss, and a tether to the farm that cannot be escaped. One of the best aspects of the book was her descriptions of the undeniable superiority of organic, unprocessed, fresh food. My mouth watered throughout the book for the food she described. My only complaint was that it ended too quickly. It felt like a race at the end and I wanted to know more. I was very happy to find an NPR segment about the farm and her book, as well as a blog (http://www.kristinkimball.com/blog/) that reads much like the book. Farm tour dates are also listed... I see a trip in my future.
There were so many ideas in her book that I am inspired to adopt and incorporate into my own life. The most pertinent that I am starting with included: sourcing local grass-fed milk and butter from jersey cows, trying farm fresh scrapple, growing beans and herbs and creating my own sourdough starter for bread.
For now I will start with my own little patch of earth. The first ever garden to call our very own will be planted this Spring. Eventually I want to find a farm where I can go and work/volunteer to be closer to the miracle of growing food, where my body can be taxed in the process of sustaining life, and where I can be in a community of farmers. With a small one at home and minimal childcare, I don't see that happening just yet, but I have it on the list.
I loved this book. I have a crush on Essex Farm and the food they are raising. The memoir entered in and woke up a part of me that fell asleep years ago. The part of me that used to pick beans in the garden, mow acres of our Georgian pasture, race our horses Smoke and Nugget through the pasture and along the trails of Hard Labor Creek State Park. I feel most alive and invigorated striding up a mountain path, swimming in the ocean or using my body to work on the land, lifting, digging, pulling, running, cultivating. As a dance/movement therapist I am aware of the importance of our connection to nature and the devastating impact it has on us as human beings to be separate from the natural rhythm of life. In my own life it is an awareness that ebbs and flows as the demands of daily life build.
Kimball brought all that back with life, vigor, and love. Her own journey, from a NYC writer to a sustainable farmer and wife, was well written and inspiring. She portrays the stark contrast between cerebral city life and the hardships and fulfillment of life lived in close contact with nature very astutely. Her description of farm life was at once idyllic and harsh, bringing in the reality of grueling work, death. loss, and a tether to the farm that cannot be escaped. One of the best aspects of the book was her descriptions of the undeniable superiority of organic, unprocessed, fresh food. My mouth watered throughout the book for the food she described. My only complaint was that it ended too quickly. It felt like a race at the end and I wanted to know more. I was very happy to find an NPR segment about the farm and her book, as well as a blog (http://www.kristinkimball.com/blog/) that reads much like the book. Farm tour dates are also listed... I see a trip in my future.
There were so many ideas in her book that I am inspired to adopt and incorporate into my own life. The most pertinent that I am starting with included: sourcing local grass-fed milk and butter from jersey cows, trying farm fresh scrapple, growing beans and herbs and creating my own sourdough starter for bread.
For now I will start with my own little patch of earth. The first ever garden to call our very own will be planted this Spring. Eventually I want to find a farm where I can go and work/volunteer to be closer to the miracle of growing food, where my body can be taxed in the process of sustaining life, and where I can be in a community of farmers. With a small one at home and minimal childcare, I don't see that happening just yet, but I have it on the list.
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