That gentle, spring, powdery scent of fresh violets. It’s an old-fashioned smell. It reminds me of powdery old-lady kisses and victorian valentines and heavily-curtained, doily-covered sitting rooms. But violets also remind me of spring. That first burst of gentle spring, where you can’t quite believe that these delicate flowers are actually pushing up through the so-recently-frozen…
Dandelion & Rooibos Well-Rooted Chai
Do you ever have those days when thoughts are swirling in your head? You feel a bit spacey and scattered – too much to do, not enough time. In that state of mind, I’m never very productive. Instead of focusing on work, I seem to just get stressed and add more items to my…
Warming Herbal Teas
We’re in the depths of winter. And it’s cold. (Not nearly as cold here in London as it is in the States this year! But still. I feel the cold!) Who doesn’t like a cup of tea to warm them up on a cold morning? And with a little insight into traditional herbal remedies, you…
Summer garden herbal tea
Local. Seasonal. Organic. Those are the buzzwords of the day for foodie culture. And if you can reduce your food miles to just a few feet by growing food in your backyard, you’ll be the envy of many a food lover! While I would love a big garden for planting and pottering in the summer, my…
Do you know this trick for finding healthy food to eat?
Walking down a grocery store aisle, you might think we are the healthiest eaters ever. “Fat free!”, “Certified by the Heart Association!”, “Proven to lower your cholesterol!” At least, that’s according to the fronts of the food packets. In reality, we know it’s different, because we SEE the problems around us. Diabetes. Excess weight. High cholesterol….
Is this common food causing your skin problems?
You think you have your skin figured out. You’ve got your routine. You know the cleanser that works. You know how often (and how hard) to scrub. You’ve got your favorite moisturizer. And then it happens. Skin freakout! Seemingly out of the blue. Greasiness. Acne. Dry flakiness. Red, inflamed flare-ups. Itchy patches. This happened to…
Home Remedies for Dry Skin: What to Eat
You know that tight, dry feeling after you wash your face. The fine lines, flakiness and maybe even – gasp! – crepey skin around your eyes. So you slather on some thick cream. Depending on your skin that day it either soaks in immediately and goes dry again, or sits in a greasy layer on top of…
Mostly Purple Pickle
A bright red cabbage arrived in our veg box the other week. I’m not a huge cabbage fan unless it’s fermented (or if you use it to color Easter eggs!) I was feeling light and springy. I wanted something colorful. And purple is my favorite color. So I thought, why not make a bright purple…
Learning from the masters: Spaghetti a la guitara
“I can’t slow down. If I slow down, I’ll get tired.” says Anna, our adopted Italian nonna (Grandma) for the day. At 77, she has been making pasta several times per week for most of her life. In the beginning, she’s not sure what to make of us … English speaking ladies with cameras, who aren’t so…
Can you overdose on kale? I think I did!
[Update: See my follow-up post about the kale-thyroid connection] Ahh kale, everyone’s favorite green, nutrient-dense veggie. In my health coaching course, we all got a little obsessed with kale. Regular kale. Curly kale. And my very favorite, Cavolo Nero. In fact, I even wrote a post last December extolling the virtues of this vintage veggie…