Hey there cats and kittens! Just a check-in here, to make sure we’re all taking care of ourselves right now. As you know, Autumn is my favorite time of year, but it’s also cold and flu season! And this year, with SARS or swine flu or monkey pox or whatever it is trying to kill us all, it’s looking to be an especially rough few months.
But there’s a lot of natural, non-invasive ways to keep your immune system going strong. The first is to make sure you’re eating right. I know we all want to chow down on comfort food when the cold weather sets in, but don’t forget the essentials like brightly colored fruits and veggies, plus lots of dark leafy greens. Luckily citrus season is right around the corner, so we can all make these – you know, for our health . . .
Aside from eating right, you can also load up on the good stuff via supplements. I’ve been feeling a bit low-energy lately, so I’ve been doing a daily packet of electrolytes + Vitamin C + bonus vitamins in water (there are a variety of brands). It’s tasty and keeps any lurking bugs at bay. On top of that I down my daily multivitamin and a few other supplements.
When I’m feeling like I really might be getting sick, I take a power dose of Vitamin C. That’s 1000 milligrams, 3 times a day, for 3 days. But don’t go longer than 3 days at this dose! Zinc is also an immune booster, and great to have on hand.
This year I’ve really begun exploring medicinal teas, for all sorts of afflictions. At the moment I’m drinking a ‘cold care’ herbal blend that’s simply delicious. Many brands offer a ‘throat coat’ or ‘sore throat soother’ type tea, that can really help ease a scratchy and swollen throat. Look for products with licorice root, ginger, and of course echinacea. If you’re not into store-bought stuff you can always boil some hot water with lemon juice and maple syrup. This wonderful (and cheap!) home remedy is perfect for calming an angry cough.
If things get really bad, I recommend investigating a neti pot. I’v never used one myself, but I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews. Hopefully I’ll never need one (knock on wood), but if I ever end up with a serious sinus issue, you can be sure the neti pot will be my first line of defense.
So them’s are the Bonzai basics for making it through sick season, the natural way. But what about you guys? What precautions do you take? What are your best home remedies, your most effetive tips and tricks? Sharing is caring guys, so bring it on!
And remember: ALWAYS WASH YOUR HANDS! (with plain soap + hot water; leave that antibacterial crap alone)
Oi there my Pucks and pixies! Happy weekend!!! It’s time once again for the weekend, and of course it’s time for comments, critiques, thoughts, support, and suggestions.
What’s on your mind this early Autumn? What are dreaming about? Where have you been spreading your fairy dust? What matters in YOUR world?!
As usual, the Feedback Forum will remain here at the top of the page all weekend, so if you’ve got an idea or a question or you just want to introduce yourself and say ‘Oi!’, you can stop back by any time.
And don’t forget: October is America’s National Co-Op Month, so why not check out your local collective?? And, it’s also National Fair Trade Month. Stock up on coffee and chocolate, right? Finally, it’s Vegan MoFo (that’s Vegan Month of Food), so check it out for tons of inspiration!
Have a most magical weekend!
What can I say, it’s soup season right? So bring on the soup! And this one’s got ‘seasonal’ down to a science, perfect for harvest potatoes, autumn apples, and of course, the rocket. I grew some garden rocket myself this year (you may know it as arugula, or roquette) but it couldn’t weather the summer’s heat. Maybe you’re growing a patch in your fall garden?
Regardless of whether it’s all store-bought or farmer fresh, this simple soup will certainly hit the spot. With a slight arugula spice, a nip of apple tart, and a heart that’s anchored in taters, you really just can’t go wrong. This is a seasonal celebration soup, so ladle up a bowl while you contemplate the awesomeness of autumn. And enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium potatoes, cubed
1 yellow onion, diced
2 stalks celery
2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely diced
1 tart apple (I used a lovely organic granny smith)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 cups veggie broth + 1 cup water
1/4 cup dry sherry or vermouth
1 pinch nutmeg
1 teaspoon thyme (or 2 teaspoons fresh)
1 teaspoon oregano (or 2 teaspoons fresh)
1 pinch ginger
1 teaspoon agave
2 cups tight packed shredded arugula leaves, stems removed
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions:
Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet, and add the potato, onion, celery, and garlic. Sauté the veggies until the onions soften, about 5 minutes. Add the apple, lemon juice, stock, booze, and spices. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the agave and arugula and continue simmering until the potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes. Transfer half the soup to a blender and puree, or use an immersion blender to blend in the skillet (don’t overdo it! you want those chunks)
Salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with fresh arugula, fresh thyme, or vegan bacon bits. Revel in the season!
In my continuing quest to rid my life of harsh and harmful chemicals, I’ve been experimenting with another DIY recipe. Traditional cosmetics are so full of nasty toxins, and even the eco-sheik alternatives are not as natural as they may appear. For example, it’s nearly impossible to find a brand of toothpaste – even the seemingly ‘green’ ones – that doesn’t contain sodium lauryl sulfate.
I’m resigned to replacing each of my store-bought products as they run out. You may remember my first foray into kitchen cosmetics, with my homemade deodorant – a resounding success (I’ll never go back!) Just recently I’ve traded my shampoo for ‘no-poo‘, and we’ll see how that all pans out.
So what about the toothpaste?
Just like the deodorant, this recipe centers around baking soda and coconut oil. And of course, it’s crazy cheap and easy to make. It goes like this:
Sayward’s Homemade Toothpaste Recipe
4 tablespoons baking soda
2 tablespoons coconut oil (warmed to liquid state)
3 teaspoons xylitol
15 drops peppermint oil
Mix everything in a small bowl until it forms a uniform paste. Add more peppermint oil 5 drops at a time, tasting as you go, if you like it stronger (I added quite a bit more but I figure this is a good base). Transfer to a small glass jar or storage container with a tight-fitting lid. The toothpaste will keep unrefrigerated for months.
The only thing you may have trouble with is procuring the xylitol. The natural sweetener is excellent for this application, because it actually benefits teeth. Alas, it may be hard to find. It’s available online, but if you want to forgo it you can. Just use a dash of stevia – but just a bit! – that stuff goes a loooong way.
This toothpaste has been working great. Damian and I have been using it for a couple of weeks now, with no complaints. It *did* take a while to adjust to the flavor . . . eek. Sort of hyper-saline and hard on the tongue, but you do get used to it. Consider yourself warned!
And one last note: I’ve come accross a lot of concern regarding the potential for baking soda to damage tooth enamel. Apparently, there is an Abrasive Index for all toothpastes, called the RDA Index, which measures a product’s grittiness. After all, toothpastes are abrasive – that’s how they work! But according to the RDA Index, baking soda is the second least abrasive option, right above plain ol’ water. So no worries!
On the first Monday of every month, we take on a ‘mission’ – a shift or habit or inspiration – to work on together. There’s strength (and support) in numbers! On the last Thursday of the month, we reconvene to see how far we’ve come.
#7
Alright guys, are you ready to go no-poo?
No, this isn’t some sort of 30-day endurance test in constipation (ha!). It’s all about our most luscious locks, and taking the ‘crap’ out of the shampoo.
The method is simple. Can you take a wild guess as to what we’re using instead? If you know me at all, you probably said ‘baking soda!’ or maybe ‘vinegar!’ And either way – you were right!
Eventually we’d like our hair to be self-regulating with its own natural cleansers and oils (believe it or not, it can self-clean). But we have to get there slowly, starting with a baking soda cleanser and an apple cider vinegar conditioner.
In the shower, mix 1 tbsp baking soda into ~1/2 cup water to form a thin paste. Apply to hair at the roots, massaging thoroughly into the scalp. Remember that this will not foam up (no poo!) but that doesn’t mean it’s not cleaning. Rinse. Follow with 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar diluted in ~1 cup water. Massage into roots and shafts, and then rinse.
The baking soda is a natural cleanser, as we know. The vinegar is a natural softener. People who swear by no-poo claim that their hair becomes healthier, stronger, shinier, and more manageable/styleable. And it’s SO much better for our bodies and our environment. I can’t wait to try it out!
Remember that conventional shampoo is a chemical detergent, filled with nasty and unnecessary ingredients. These harsh additives strip your hair of its crucial oils and train it into dependence. Meanwhile, the hair overcompensates and oil production increases.
So, there may be a transition period while switching to no-poo. You may notice your hair is a little oilier than usual. Don’t worry! This should clear up as your hair and scalp re-acclimates to its natural state. If you currently shampoo your hair every day, begin no-pooing twice per week. If you shampoo your hair less frequently (I wash mine about every 4-5 days), try starting off with just one no-poo per week. Eventually you’ll be able to fuss with it less and less frequently.
So, my silken-tressed eco-mavens, do you choose to accept this mission?
BONZAI!
Oi there! Hello to the weekend!!! It’s time once again to unwind, and here at Bonzai Aphrodite, it’s also time for comments, critiques, thoughts, support, and suggestions.
So, what have you been pondering this 7 days past? What are you anticipating? What inspires you and what is pushing you forward? I want to know what matters to YOU!
As usual, the Feedback Forum will remain here at the top of the page all weekend, so if you’ve got an idea or a question or you just want to introduce yourself and say ‘Oi!’, you can stop back by any time.
Also a little reminder: October is America’s National Co-Op Month, and National Fair Trade Month, as well as Vegan MoFo (that’s Vegan Month of Food). Why not get involved??!
And have a lovely weekend, darlings!
On the first Monday of every month, we take on a ‘mission’ – a shift or habit or inspiration – to work on together. There’s strength (and support) in numbers! On the last Thursday of the month, we reconvene to see how far we’ve come.
This month’s mission was about our grocery habits, and trying to make some different choices. Specifically, we aimed to cut down on the amount of plastic we consumed in order to feed ourselves. This would manifest differently for everyone, but certainly each of us could be more mindful of our purchases.
For me, I found parts of this mission to be natural, and other parts to be difficult. For example I’d always bought my Earthbalance™ in a new tub, because my co-op only carries the non-organic in bulk. But this month I switched to bulk, by bringing my own pyrex tupperware. Ain’t it cute? Earthbalance™ uses non-GMO and pesticide free ingredients anyway, so organic isn’t totally necessary. And buying this way was so much cheaper! Like, really really cheaper!
But in other ways it was harder. I took a couple of trips and found it difficult not to use plastic packaged ‘convenience’ foods. And I feel like I tried all these new items this month, stuff I normally never buy! I really feel like I was so much worse this month than I could have been, damn it. Here’s my 30 Days Of Plastic, all laid out:
It may not be a lot for most people, but as far as I’m concerned it’s WAY too much for me. So I’m going to keep this challenge going another month. I’ll collect all my plastic again, and see if I can’t cut down even farther. I’ll make sure to let you guys know how it goes.
So tell me guys, how did this mission go for you? Do you consider yourself successful? Did you learn anything, or make any permanent changes? Let me know how it went!
Last year I embarked on my very first solo canning projects, and the first recipe I made was a simple plum syrup. I have this huge and bountiful plum tree, you see, so it only made sense. But there was something ‘not quite right’ about the flavor. I couldn’t figure it out until I did a bit of research. Apparently, the ‘problem’ was that I was growing Italian pruning plums. Score!
I love prunes. Love love love them! So this was an awesome revelation. I couldn’t wait to try my hand at pruning!
Pruning is actually reeeeally easy. It goes something like this:
Halve
Pit
Set
Wait
Seriously. It’s that easy.
Start with slightly under-ripe fruit. Not totally under-ripe – not hard and green – but not soft and sugared either. They’re going to sweeten up a lot as they dry, so you need them to start out on the tart side.
Wash the fruit and cut each plum in half. Remove the pits and throw them away (you cannot compost these, so sad).
Spread the fruit out on dehydrator trays and load up the machine. Dehydrate between 105-115º for roughly 24 hours, or until prunes are shriveled and darkened.
Alternately, prunes can be made in an oven by placing the fruit on baking trays and roasting at the lowest possible setting. Leave the oven door open a crack and set up a portable fan to circulate the air. This is not so energy efficient, but it will get the job done.
And that’s all there is to it! Store your prunes in an airtight container in the fridge. And enjoy!
Oi there, Happy weekend!!! That means it’s time to relax, and it’s time once again for comments, critiques, thoughts, support, and suggestions.
So, what’s on your mind these lazy last days of summer? What has inspired you lately? What do you want to finally put away? I want to know what’s exciting you guys, what YOU’re interested in!
We’re working on building a community here, and every voice counts. Every weekend the Feedback Forum remains at the top of the page, so you can have your say whenever you feel like it. If you’ve got an idea or a question or you just want to introduce yourself and say ‘Oi!’, come back here to have your say!
And of course, have a fantabulous weekend!
A few months back, I got this crazy email. This very nice lady was claiming to work for a PR firm representing Ford Motors. They were promoting the new-and-improved Escape Hybrid, and loaning out free wheels to bloggers across the US. Nigerian bank scam? Really? You want to give me a car??!
I was excited until my husband reminded me of one key fact: the Escape is an SUV.
*sad trombone*
Deflated, I emailed the nice lady back, with a copy of my integrity policy (here under ‘give me stuff’) and a brief explanation – something along the lines of “Um, you’re really nice and I’d love to try out the car, but I kind of despise SUV’s and I’m going to write an honest review no matter what. So maybe not such a good idea for you?” She assured me that honesty was what they were after, and they’d still like to send me the vehicle. Um, okay!
We had the beast for a 4-day adventure that couldn’t have come at a better time. It was Damian’s 30th birthday weekend and a crew of old friends were in town. I sure felt spiffy rolling up to the airport to pick them up in my fly new ride. They were impressed, but I was still a skeptic.
There are a lot of reasons to dislike SUV’s, including their obscene size, the reduced visibility for cars around them, the dangerous ‘backover’ rate (also related to poor visibility), the high rollover rate, and the aggressive, superior attitude they bestow upon their operators. But for me, it really comes down to environmentalism.
An SUV is essentially a station wagon, lifted onto a lightweight truck chassis. Because they are classified as light trucks, they are considered ‘work vehicles’ (ahem, yes, even the luxury ones). This means they are regulated less strictly under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, which determines fuel economy standards, and the Clean Air Act, which deals with emissions.
This ‘light truck’ designation also affects their Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) ratings. CAFE is the federal standard for improving average fuel economy, which takes a manufacturer’s entire fleet of vehicles into consideration and averages their mpg – except it only considers vehicles under 8,500 pounds. That was a loophole that exempted most SUVs, making manufactures less likely to produce fuel-efficient models. However, in 2007 the gross vehicle weight rating (gvwr) was expanded to include light trucks/SUVs up to 10,000 pounds. This gvwr is set to increase again in 2011, although the new CAFE standard has recently been rejected by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals for reconsideration. They called it ‘arbitrary and capricious’.
A lot of people think SUV hatred is all about gas mileage (average passenger car = ~28 mpg, while the average SUV = ~14 mpg), but as you can see it’s a lot more complicated than just that. These vehicles are classed differently and are therefor set to different standards of safety, pollution, and fuel economy. A good summary of the SUV criticism can be found here.
Anyways, back to the beast. It sure was fun to drive! It’s been a while since I’ve driven a brand new car, so it’s hard to disentangle my excitement about the gizmos and gadgets and sparklies of new cars in general, from the whos-its and whiz-bangs and shininess of this car in particular. But it sure was purty.
It was pretty high-tech, with a computer in the dash and everything digitized (I’m sure they gave us the top-of-the-line models to review). It handled well and was relatively maneuverable (I used to drive a minivan – long story – and I’ve also driven a giant humungous research truck for my field work in college, so I do have plenty of experience handling larger vehicles). I definitely, *definitely* noticed a certain . . . confidence . . . that came over me when I drove the SUV. I think it’s the result of sitting so up high, combined with this [false] sense of security, even invincibility. I found I was a much more aggressive driver, and that made me quite uncomfortable. I guess you could say that there were both positive and negative components of my overall driving experience.
Now, how about some specs:
The Ford Escape is a ‘full hybrid’, which means it can run entirely electric, entirely gas, or in any combination of the two. This allows it to maximize efficiency in most situations. It also uses regenerative braking, where the momentum of braking is converted into energy and stored in the battery. It gets about 28 mpg, combined fuel economy. Bonus: it’s made in America, in Kansas City Missouri!
So here’s my final thought: You do not need an SUV. No, really, you don’t. No see I knew you would say that. And really, you don’t. Good luck convincing me otherwise.
But, to each their own. Who am I to judge? We all have our vices (hello, do you think this is my natural hair color?). So if your vice is road bling, and you simply insist on driving something tall and wide, well you could do worse than to buy the Ford Escape Hybrid. And I will still love you, anyways.
