misc.

I took the stars from our eyes, and then I made a map
And knew that somehow I could find my way back
Then I heard your heart beating, you were in the darkness too
So I stayed in the darkness with 

*Florence & The Machine*

AUTUMN!!

Good Search

Hpw many times a day would you say that you do a web search? 10? 15? 20 times a day? How would you like to turn that simple, itty bitty action into an opportunity to donate money to an important cause or charity?

Well, if you install the Good Search tool bar, and use them to do your web browsing, (it's a simple tool bar to install...not a search engine like google/internet explorer....to the best of my knowledge) they'll donate money to the cause of your choice!! AMAZING! So simple and an easy  way to help a good cause.

The link below will direct you to their page.

Happy browsing :) !!!

http://www.goodsearch.com/

Seabuckthorn. Why I love it, and a bit of FYI.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea-buckthorn

Above is the link to wiki-s basic run down of Seabuckthorn.

Below are some pictures of it.

These tiny berries, found most abundantly in the Himalayas- are packed with Omega7. They're actually the only significant food source of it. The only other place you can get it is in macadamia nuts, and it's only in trace amounts. You'd have to eat a LOT of macadamia nuts (which would be awesome...but thats a LOT of fat...) to get what you could in regular use of seabuckthorn supplements and products.

And it's great that it's beneficial for both internal and topical use.

My experiences with this product started when I worked for a company that represented a seabuckthorn product. It had face cream, soap, a supplemental oil, and then a daily juice supplement. They all worked SO well, and my hair, skin and nails looked AMAZING.

Eventually I moved on and started work with another company and no longer represented Sibu- So I didn't have easy access to the products.
Recently when my skin started to flare up, for whatever reason- I tried everything to calm it down. I had weird red scaly flaky patches by my eyebrows. It was gnarly looking and I was not thrilled. To remedy this I tried ALL sorts of moisturizers. From OTC, to olive oil. All I could think about was how great my skin was when I was taking the seabuckthorn pills, using the soap. Well, at that moment I was nowhere near the store and couldn't buy what I had wanted- BUT I did manage to get some seabuckthorn oil. Not only within 10 minutes did it soften the dry areas, but after a day or so it eliminated the redness.

I wanted to share this little tidbit because I'm so happy with the results I have gotten. If anyone has hair skin or nail issues I'd look into getting seabuckthorn products- specifically Sibu. They're a great company and the products are stellar- They've got everything from face cream, to seabuckthorn seed oil. I love them!
Another company that makes wonderful seabuckthorn body products is Weleda. Then for supplements (which Weleda doesn't make), you can look to New Chapter.

And we have pickles!

I had a really nice couple of herloom tomatoes. One of my favorites is, the Zebra. Perhaps theres another name for them but I don't know it. Well- they seemed perfect for pickling. I really got excited about it and decided that it must be done. And in the later weeks of October and November they'll probably be great!

 These here above are 'Zebra' tomatoes. They're firm and delicious. Perfect for pickling! 

 They're so pretty sliced. I can't believe they're the same kind of fruit as the mealy gross tomatoes you'd see in December!

 And this blurry bad shot ;) is the habenero peppers that JUST stopped burning my hands (5 hours later!). These are going to be some hot tomatoes!

One jalapeno or two?

 Two. Definitely two.

                                     

Yum.

Like flowers!

                                                   
     My associate Samson, ever ready at my feet. <3 Him!!! He's such a good boy!

And here are the spices! They're so pretty.

                        

       Can't forget the garlic!

 More veggies.

                                                  

Jars!

 

  You've got to sterlize.

                                                        

  And here we are- pickled zebra tomatoes!!

It was fun, but I feel like if I were going to do it again I'd used a wider variety of veggies. Perhaps green beans, or other miscellaneous veggies.

Ooooh- but I forgot to mark which ones had XXXHabenero...and which were mild. Oops!

Heirloom Tomatoes. The good, the bad and the ugly. ALL delicious.

One of the most wonderful parts of the summer is the produce. Especially summer tomatoes. This time of year makes those beautiful red, (and if you're lucky enough to get heirloom tomatoes....green, yellow, mottled brownish purple....) globes burst with flavor.

Yeah, I'm a bit nuts about it- But who could blame me? You can't get REAL tomatoes after September as far as I'm concerned.

Here are pictures of some delicious heirloom tomatoes I ate tonight!

Delicious!

So what is an Heirloom tomato some of you may ask? Click HERE to learn more.

For a quick answer to that question, they are varieties of tomatoes that are not common (i.e. your average red, often boring- tomato). Often they vary in size, texture, color, and flavor. One of my favorites is the Zebra (first picture). They're great for pickling (which I WILL be doing this weekend... Pictures to be included in that follow up post). There are so few ways to make the delicious summer veggies last all year long.

This week will be the week where all I eat is tomatoes. Thats not bad right? Maybe some kale or spinach with olive oil and a smile. That could work.


Oh, and the best part about these tomatoes? LOCAL, AND ORGANIC. It's like a belated birthday gift.

breakfast-lunch-dinner and everything in-between

Sometimes I eat really really ridiculously (said like Zoolander) well. Like uber healthy, local, organic and balanced. And then there are those other times. We'll say that those 'other times' make up about 10% of all my food consumption. Those are the times when a meal consists of (organic) cheezey poufs (ONE serving by the way, measured out b/c I'm awesome like that....), a handful of peanuts, grapes, 4 veggie dumplings, and salad. Or other miscellanea. I feel like it's ok because it's like a tapas meal....but less sophisticated.

It can happen at any meal and usually starts with something that is disappointing- like an apple that is actually 3/4 rotten after the first bite, or a dropped bowl of hummus and crudite (which is usually the last of the hummus and veggies for crudite...) so I am forced to scavenge. What I come up with is usually a myriad of crap and things that don't alone make up a good meal, or even a solid snack...but when combined with other misfits makes for a an interesting pairing.

Does anyone else have food moments like that?