A Good Scrubbing: OZ Naturals Ancient Orient Bamboo Dermafoliant Review
So, you guys may remember, a few weeks ago my skin started acting up. Sometimes I start having issues when the temperature or season changes and it can also be brought on by flying from one climate (sunny and humid Hawaii) to another (dry and hot Arizona). After our last trip, I had enlarged pores across my upper cheeks, a patchy oil slick for a forehead and my poor nose was flaking and angry from all the extra tissue action during my last cold. I did an Aztec Indian Healing Clay mask and spot treatments, and, while it helped a TON, I still needed some help getting my skin’s texture back on…
Easy Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Muffins
First off – shout out to Cherryvale Farms for making vegan baking so easy. Their mixes are plant-based and non-GMO. You just add fruit, oil and water then bake and enjoy. Now that that’s out of the way… I love baking. I mean, it helps that it usually results in something delicious, but I also find it fundamentally satisfying. When I first started thinking about veganism it was the desserts that I expected to suffer the most. How do you get creamy, fluffy, or moist out of plants?! In an effort to convince myself that dry, crumbly, naked baked goods were not my future I started experimenting with vegan baking…
Things to Do on Oahu: Manoa Falls Hike
I have very simple goals on vacation. I’m trying to eat all the things, drink all the things and lounge contentedly. My brain thinks this is a great plan, my jeans…notsomuch. So, I trick my brain (and my body) into getting some work in with outdoor activities. Luckily, Oahu offers dozens of fantastic hikes of varying difficulty. I was able to override the groaning of the rest of my party long enough to convince them to go on a few, including Manoa Falls. Manoa Falls is a 150ft waterfall nestled 30-45 minutes into a gorgeous, prehistoric-looking jungle. We saw everything from guava to super tall bamboo and some breathtaking vistas.…
Things to Do in Oahu: Snorkel & Sail with Holokai Catamaran
We booked our trip to Hawaii kinda last minute for the busiest part of the year so, naturally, I was primarily concerned with finding a place to stay. I lucked out with a great deal at Vive Waikiki – but more on that later. Once flights and accommodations were settled we were left with trying to find activities that weren’t already overbooked with the influx of tourists. While most of our evenings were booked with family dinners, our days were free and we needed to find ways to entertain ourselves and two boys. B and I actually sailed on Holokai Catamaran 2 years ago when we went to Oahu for…
Vegan French Toast is a Thing, Y’all
At this point, I know I shouldn’t be surprised at some of the vegan options available. More and more I realize there’s nothing a determined vegan with a full pantry and a strong blender/food processor can’t replicate or improve. However, I had no idea this extended to a classic breakfast favorite like french toast. I knew about the vegan pancakes. I’ve MADE them even. But, in my mind, french toast was an entirely different beast because eggs were the foundation of the recipe. This example from Scramble here in Scottsdale proved otherwise. Concocted using a vegan vanilla custard and sturdy, French baguette, it was equal parts sweet and satisfying with a great texture.…
Pic Dump: Things I Ate on Vacation
Full warning: lazy post ahead. I fully intended to blog while on the road but then, I fully intended to attempt to style my hair every day and wear more than the same 3 T-shirt dress in a continual rotation, too – things happen. A key component of my transition to veganism has been my love of cooking. Finding alternatives and seeing the possibility in ingredients was easy for me because I was already used to looking at them that way. But on the road, a B ain’t got a kitchen and stress of near-constant travel will make it want to drown your sorrows deep in a family size bag…
Blueberry Bliss
I realize breakfast was hours ago, or, depending on the quality of your local brunching options, is currently headed blearily into a 3rd mimosa, but, BUT, I made these muffins for B and had to share these muffins.
