a little inspiration

I know you've heard all the buzz about antioxidants in the last several years, but do you know what an antioxidant is?  It is a substance that helps protect and repair natural oxidation (caused by free radicals) of your bodies cells.  This can happen through exposure to things like cigarette smoke or sunlight but also is part of the processes of the body (like inflammation and metabolism.)   So basically, there is no way to avoid the bombardment of free radicals we all face each day.  Enter the anti oxidants. There are plenty of medical studies out there that say that people who eat antioxidant rich foods live longer and have less incident of illness (like cancer, Parkinson's, heart disease, Alzheimer's and more.)  Less conclusive are studies that use supplements as the source for the antioxidants.  I tend to believe, as I think Micheal Pollan once said, that there is more magic in the carrot than just the beta-carotene.  Taking just one pie...

One of the biggest struggles for me as I changed over from almost never cooking to being expected to cook all the time was figuring out how to organize.  I knew how to cook, I wasn't afraid to experiment but I was spending too much time figuring out what I was going to make and when.  And when I finally figured out what I wanted I didn't have the ingredients.  Pair this frustration with a very strong dislike of being stuck in the kitchen for any amount of time and no wonder I hated cooking!  It was a tortuous adjustment with many bumps along the road.  We are still working it out a little but I can tell you three things that really helped: 1. A good, seasonally arranged cookbook.  A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen: Easy Seasonal Dishes for Family and Friends was it for me.  This was the first cookbook that I had ever seen that I wanted to make more than three recipes out of.  Having the dishes organized by season made sure I wasn't searching for...

I have a confession.  I started buying clothes again.  It started last month.  I feel like 10 months is pretty good...  Especially since I didn't make nearly the amount of things I expected.  I blame this on school and the small one.  But mostly, it was because I was lazy.  I need to find a new word for lazy.  One that isn't negative.  Because I like that I don't take life at a full out run.  Anyhoo-  Here is a simple summer nightgown I made this week.  I saw this last week and felt like I could just make it.  So simple right?  I happened to stumble across this tutorial and though the sexiness is way off I went with it.  I, of course, messed with the basic idea. I lined it because my fabric is sheer.  I made the straps wider and made them cross over in the back.  I made the upper piece and the lining from bed sheets so it is super, super soft.  It is also pretty long, below the knee....

Last week the temperatures stayed in the 95-100 degree range all week.  It was a little brutal and just a taste of what July and August will be like.   We hid inside with the air conditioners on and tried to keep from overheating.  And we drank lots and lots of water.  And brought it with us every time we ventured out.  No matter if we were going around the block or to another place to use their ac.  When it is hot like that we don't have much trouble remembering to drink our water because we can see and feel it leaving our bodies so rapidly.  I find, the hard time to keep up with hydration is when the temperatures are a little less extreme.  When we are just coasting along, this is when we "forget" to drink. The standard recommendation for water is about 64 ounces a day.  It sounds like a lot, but on a hot day it is easy to manage.  On a cool day (like today, thank goodness!) it gets a lot harder.  It also fails to take in...

  I was trying to figure out what was a perfect first topic and looked down at my hand to find the perfect inspiration.  Summer is the best time for fresh food.  And so, the snacks are good.  Really good. Today I cut open a cantaloupe with the Bug jumping up and down under my elbow asking over and over for "Mel! Mel!"  It is so refreshing when the thermometer is going up and up. I love being able to pull something simple out of the fridge and being ready to go for snack time (which, you know, with a toddler comes every few minutes ;-)  I am lucky that the Bug isn't too picky an eater. Here are a few of the things we have in regular rotation right now and some things I want to add more of: Hummus with just about anything.  He even puts grapes in it. Crackers- we are all a little addicted to these which I love because they have only about four ingredients. Grapes/melon/blueberries or other berries.  He would eat the whole container or me...

I have a secret to share with you all.  I am a Health Coach!  Wait- you already knew?  It can't be because I told you!  Okay, I am kind of kidding here.  Kind of. The truth is I have been in school since October at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition but I have hardly talked about it here.  I haven't written once about a health or nutrition topic.  I haven't told you once how excited I am to to have this new area of exploration.  Why?  I'm not sure exactly but I have a few thoughts: 1) I don't have strong opinions about nutrition.  You eat meat? Dairy? Donuts?  You drink coffee and alcohol?  Do you feel good? Yes- great! No- call me!  It would be hard for me to work with someone who ate fast food three meals a day and didn't want to change but other than that I'm just not that judgmental about (or sold on) any particular eating style or habit.  Each person is bioindividual.  Each person eats different...