Cosmetics

Cosmetics can be dangerous!

And I'm not talking about when your husband sneaks up behind you while you're applying mascara. I mean that cosmetics are full of toxic chemicals! Even the ones advertised as "natural" or "organic" can have some pretty nasty things in them.

I have spent several years researching different cosmetics products and lines that are safe both for my body and the planet. My biggest resource has been the Skin Deep Cosmetics Database.

Not only do they tell you which products are safe and unsafe, but they also tell you why! Listing ingredients that are carcinogens, allergens and more. Each product is given a safety rating and color code: 0-2 is green and safe; 3-6 is yellow and moderate in concern; 7-10 is red and contain products that pose a "high hazard."

While this data base has been a huge help to me, there are still some challenges in my research. I am continually trying to balance price, safety rating, and effectiveness.


1. Finding drug store (ie. affordable!) brands and products.
2. Finding products with-in brands that are safe (one company may have safe mascara, but hazardous bronzer or one color (ivory) may be safe while another color (fair) is hazardous)
3. Finding safe, affordable products that work!
4. Companies reformulating products (formerly safe products are now hazardous, formerly hazardous products are now safe).

I don't use a ton of make-up, but when you apply this thinking to your entire bathroom of products from hand soap and shampoo, to deodorant and moisturizers there are many more products than one would first imagine. Then broaden the concept to include dish soap and laundry detergent - it gets a little overwhelming.

(Side note: If you have been following the blog, you may have run across some of my attempts at natural, home-made housekeeping/cleaning.)

As I said, I have put years of leg work and research into the products I am currently using and I am no where near close to "loving" every product I use. In case you didn't know, mascara is a (forgive my french) be-otch!
Make-up products I am currently using (along with their rating). I would not be using them if they weren't affordable. Anything with SPF seems to automatically have a higher rating.

Moisturizer: Aveeno Active Naturals Daily Moisturizing Lotion (rating: 2). Now that the sun is out and I'm no longer bundled up in sweaters, I use the SPF 15 version of this moisturizer (rating: 3).

Daily facial moisturizer: Cetaphil, SPF 15 (rating: 3)

Night cream/ Facial cleanser: Yes to Carrots, fabulous for my uber dry, sensitive skin (rating: 3/2)

Eye cream: I once heard somewhere that if you want to minimize crows feet, you start using eye cream before they appear, not after. I have been using eye cream since my early 20s (about the same time I found my first grey hair. Coincidence?) I currently use an old Earth Science formula: "Azulene Eye Treatment." (rating: 3)

photo from: Erth Mineral Makeup

Makeup: I have yet to find a safe/affordable combination from my local drug store. So I went online. Skin Deep offered Erth Minerals as one of their top companies. So I tried them out. I use their foundation, concealer, eye primer (a must, I discovered, for mineral eyeshadows to "stick"), eye shadows, and mascara. I love all the products. Except the mascara. It's weak-sauce! My search for the perfect mascara continues. I love mascara (its the one product I'd want on a deserted island). Let me know if you have any good leads.

As far as liquid foundations go: For a while, I was using Physicians Formula Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Tinted Moisturizer. I found this product to be a bit on the "oily" side. May not be a good choice for some. My skin is VERY, chronically, dry and flaky - my skin was not bothered by this factor. I only went away from it because I don't need much coverage and wanted to try mineral makeup. 

Sunscreen: For the summer, it's the most important, right? Coppertone Water Babies Pure & Simple Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 50 (rating: 2 - by the way, I was shocked by this awesome rating for a cheap, drugstore product. Especially a suncreen! Score. Major score.)


So, I've been at this research for a while now. I've been trying my hand at home-made housekeeping formulas. I recently stumbled upon this while perusing Pinterest. Will this be my next route? Watch out!

Incase you're wondering, I use other products beyond this list (including a really unsafe hairspray, yikes!). These are just my researched, routine products.

Hope I didn't scare you off. 
 

Meal Planning

Meal Planning. It's every working homemakers' advice for saving money, facilitating smooth meal times, and expedited shopping. 

I meal plan every week. I write out my shopping list based on the meal plan. However...

my system was ineffective. 

I would have 0 inspiration for 7 nights worth of meals. My husband's response to, "Babe, what do you want dinners this week," is a predictable coin toss between "Whatever," and "I dunno."

I would write out the meals on the grocery list and throw the list away.

I would write out the list on a separate piece of paper and then loose the paper.

I bought a dry erase board. 

My markers were always dried out or the list got wiped away.

(As a teacher, the phenomenon of dried out markers amazed me. At school, I always have a good dry erase pen at the ready.)

I finally got inspiration:

(from Pinterest)

http://clairsfairytale.blogspot.com/2012/01/ultimate-menu-board.html

I made a shopping list. I looked something like this: 

clothes pins, frame, scrapbook paper, little boxes

I went to the store and it all seemed like so much work...ugh. 

Then I stumbled upon these:

My mind said, "What crafty little magnets!" 

And I had an "A-ha!" moment. 

With these magnets, some index cards, a magnetic pen box (!), and the side of my fridge I was set.

I got home and wrote down meal options on 1 1/2-inch strips of index cards, placed them in the box (along with a Sharpie and a few blank cards for ever-expanding options).

Then I planned out a week's worth of meals. 

Now when I am uninspired at shopping time, I can ask my husband to look through the options and create a menu. 

Lean Times and (not) Enchiladas

Well, January has rolled around again and after the holidays, we're all feeling a little pinched. In the waistband and in the pocketbook. Am I right?

I literally revert to the most basic of meal ingredients during these times: rice and beans. I make a big batch on Monday and make it stretch as long as I can (though there's lots of "belly-aching" by the end. Ha! Another double entendre!).

The trouble comes along with how to make these simple ingredients have some variety.

I had a hankering for enchiladas the other night, but not the ingredients to make the real thing. It was a rice & beans week, after all. But I thought I'd experiment a bit, and it turned out quite well. My husband even commented after his first taste (He generally thinks my cooking is good and therefore only comments when I pry, or if it stands out).

So here you are, from my kitchen to yours:

Not Enchiladas

This made enough for my husband and I to have dinner and a "Left-Over's Lunch" 

(always my goal).

I started with pre-cooked rice and black beans. 

(I made a Crock Pot of beans on Monday and make the rice as I need it.)

The most important ingredient in any cooking experiment!

 I started by dicing half an onion, mincing 4 garlic cloves, and shredding a carrot.

Then I threw it all in a hot skillet with some olive oil until 

everything was soft and the onions were transparent.

I also added a dash of cayenne pepper and a cap-full each of cumin and chili powder.

 I mixed the cooked veggies with rice and black beans. 

 Then I wiped my pan clean and added a touch of oil.

I like to soften my corn tortillas by cooking them it a bit of oil.

This helps them to be more pliable as I form the enchiladas.

 Doesn't that look ready to eat now! 

(It's even better when you know its easy on the wallet and the skinny jeans)

But we're not done yet:

 Fill your baking dish...

Top with cheese...

And bake at 350 for 15ish minutes

(until the cheese is melted and bubbly).

While eating these, we decided they would be especially ooey-gooey good 

with cheese on the inside as well as on the outside. 

But since this is a post about being "lean," I didn't go there. 

Maybe in February when we've forgotten all about those pesky skinny jeans again.

 With hot sauce!

Holes in Life

Last night's meal was filled with whole, fresh food. We opened the good wine and even offered spirits.

But the food was utterly unimportant.

Yesterday, I listened as my heart-broken girlfriend related their most recent set-back through hot, angry, tears of despair. I didn't know else to do, so I offered her what I felt was the least I could do: offer her drinks after work.

Later on, I watched as our husbands played in a softball game. Our usually jovial friend was rather listless and said very little. After the game, I mentioned that I had offered his wife drinks when she got off work, but would he like to join us for dinner in the meantime? It was all I had to give.

By the time the meal was ready, the wife was able to join us. This was not the most lively meal we have shared with this animated couple. (And my house was a mess--Quelle horreur!) Sure we ate, drank, chit-chatted and shared a few jokes. But on this particular night, there were dark clouds on the horizon.

Later on, after we said our good byes and I started dishes, I heard myself stupidly repeating over and over, "The least I can do is feed you... At least let us offer you another drink."

I do not have pictures of a whole-some, home-grown, home-made meal (it is not to be remembered).  I have instead pictures of the mess afterward.

Because something occurred to me:

In the quest for "whole" living, we often find our lives (despite our best efforts otherwise) to be messy, difficult and full of deep, dark holes.

One of my favorite sayings is "Good food, good wine, good friends." I have always thought of this as an expression of the good times. But perhaps it is most important during the most difficult of times.

Maybe the simple offer, "Can I feed you and pour you a glass of wine" is truly the BEST we can do for friends on their journey to whole-ness. For this particular meal, the important thing was sharing it;  breaking bread in fellowship.

My constant prayer is that this family will very soon be whole.

Yellowstone National Park

We spent last week camping in beautiful Yellowstone with my brother and his lady. We saw lots of wildlife, tons of Bison, beautiful mountains, waterfalls, canyons, geysers and wildflowers. Enjoy a sampling of photos:

We drove through Grand Teton to get there. (Nice face, babe)

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

Bison herds everywhere!

Good Ol' Faithful

A chipper chipmonk

Lamar Valley

I will spare you from ALL of the flower pictures I took.

Can you see the grizzly bear on the horizon?

Camping

This project is about to hit the road!

I was still a youngster the last time I went on an extended camping trip, so all the preparations were done for me. As I got ready for a week of camping in Yellowstone National Park, I wanted to keep the food prep simple, but delicious and wholesome. This lead to me pre-making and freezing lots of homemade comfort food.

Take a look at our dinner menu for the week:

Day 1: black bean burgers, baked beans, corn on the cob
Day 2: spaghetti with marinara sauce
Day 3: veggie pot pie with corn muffin tops (recipe coming soon!)
Day 4: veggie chili with corn muffins
Day 5: soup and sandwiches (I cheated here, I'm bringing cartons of yummy Pacific organic soup)
Day 6: tacos
Day 7: Mac and Cheese


Extra fun aspect: one of our fellow campers is gluten free. So everything I made for this trip fits her bill. Though she will help make it possible by bringing gluten free pastas, breads and muffins. I substituted gluten free flour into my sauces and gluten free bread crumbs in the black bean burgers. We're good to go! Do we have enough room in the car?

Some of the frozen made-aheads: spaghetti sauce, chili, black bean burgers

The Little Things

They say it's the little things in life. For me, one of those little things is the arrival of Cook's Illustrated in my mail box. It makes me feel like this inside.

I become giddy finding out which gadgets work best and what brand of Greek yogurt the taste testers approve. Vegetarian me finds herself tearing through an article about how to braise perfect ribs and suggest to my meat-etarian husband that he ought to try this method to a perfect burger (forgetting in my euphoria that he doesn't cook--not even a little bit).

My one problem: I have a hard time following recipes (unless I'm baking, then I'm meticulous). I tend to give them a once over for inspiration and then improvise. Cook's Illustrated has very detailed recipes, with articles on how and why to use such and such methods for the best results. Without fail, I get half-way through preparing the dish and realize I've skipped half the instructions. It usually turns out fine, but leaves me wondering "What if..." and finish eating the meal thinking, "Next time I'll be sure to use that tried and true method and see how it changes things." Which I inevitably forget to do the next time.

Oh well, today is a day of bliss as I devour my latest issue. I wonder which dish/trick/gadget/brand I will try first...

It happens...

We fell off the wagon! 

Life got hectic and I said (very sweetly), "Babe, will you go to Walmart (insert cringe here people) and pick up a frozen pizza?"

He did. We ate.

A Start?

I was raised cooking with whole foods, though I had no idea until it became trendy. I remember turning the crank as my mother hand-made pasta, and cookies were always from scratch. We dried our own fruit in the summer and always had mason jars of preserves in the pantry. To this day, when my brothers and I return home, we gather in the kitchen to prepare a meal and trade new recipes. 

Last August, I became a wife and will (someday, by the grace of God) become a mother. I want to ensure that the people I love eat good, tasty, quality food as I carry on the tradition of  handmade meals. However, this is not always easy as I spend my working day chasing after 6 year-olds in another endeavor to "leave no child behind." It can become easy to fall back on something that's been processed and made for my ease.

But I find it a misconception that home-cooked, from scratch meals are difficult. I am continuing to open my awareness of just how simple real food can be. Follow along, as I attempt to make my own bread, marinara sauce, and as the weather warms, garden.  

Saying this is all well and good, but sometimes not everything goes according to plan. Today, for instance, I made a blueberry pie with frozen summer berries I'd picked at a local farm. Unfortunately, it became the pie that wasn't. I was to bring dessert to my husband's grandparent's wedding anniversary dinner. I decided I'd make a blueberry pie that is (usually) quick and easy. Today, however, it took twice as long to bake.  Then, it turns out, the bottom never did "crust." A pie mess resulted and left my husband and I an hour late after a stop at a local bakery for a substitute. 

The recipe really is easy:


Use your favorite pie crust recipe and roll it out extra wide. Sprinkle cinnamon, sugar and lemon zest over the berries and place in the center of the dough. Fold the excess edges of the crust over the berries leaving a hole in the middle. Bake at 350 for about half an hour. The left side of this picture looks pretty good actually...unfortunately, it just fell apart.