Tag Archives: Natural Health

Workout Wednesday: Loosey Goosey Plane Ride

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Our visitors this weekend live very similar healthy lifestyles to Mike and me. Amber, a new friend of mine, is a fitness and nutrition enthusiast and we found common ground in our health goals. It was a breath of fresh air to be around someone just as analytical and knowledgable about natural health.

Before they got on the plane, they wanted to get in a workout. I totally understood their plan. It always helps to have exerted yourself before a long flight. It gets fluid to your joints, stretches out and activates your muscles, and frees any built up energy so you can relax more easily once you finally board the plane. It can even help you sleep!

So try to squeeze in one of my workouts before a flight, and lessen the discomfort and staleness.

16 minute total body 2

I hope you’re all having happy days :)- Ash

Delectably Delicious Honey Mustard Dressing

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Making your own dressing can become complicated very quickly. You start with a few ingredients and keep adding more until your tongue gets beyond confused. When it comes to dressing, the simpler the better.

I happen to LOVE honey mustard dressing. But it wasn’t long before I found out all the crappy ingredients in the processed stuff (so annoying!). Luckily, this is one of those simple dressings that is absolutely delicious and super easy to make. Plus, all the ingredients are really great to keep around for other recipes.

I make a big salad every week and keep it in the fridge. Each morning a serving goes in tupperware with this on top. It makes for a really easy greens fix for lunch or just a snack. So try it out. SO YUMMY.

HoneyMustardDressing Continue reading →

Mindful Monday: AHH! Too Many Options!!

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For the last year or so, I’ve been deeply entrenched in the exponential growth of the natural health industry. People are realizing, slowly but surely, that the typical Western diet and lifestyle leads to a very unhappy and diseased body. Finally.

Thanks to my Mom, I was exposed to the alternative diet and exercise routine from a young age. Natural health in ingrained in me. But as I grow older and talk to more and more people about their personal stories I have realized: there is no such thing as the correct health routine. Continue reading →

Womanly Monday: The Cup

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Men by warned, THIS POST IS DEFINITELY NOT FOR YOU. It concerns menstruation and, unless you’re very curious, don’t read any further.

Ladies, welcome! For the last several months I’ve been testing a product called the Diva Cup. It is a long-lasting, eco-friendly, healthier, cheap alternative to tampons and pads. Continue reading →

Fabulous Friday: Mexican Poached Eggs

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This week has been completely and utterly exhausting. I forgot how draining it is to adjust to a new schedule, especially when that schedule involves 6am workouts … but I’m getting the hang of it and next week I WILL have more energy! Haha.

So last night, my mom invited me to a cooking class! My dad is sick so I took his place. It was us and two other couples and it took place at a gorgeous winery in Rancho Bernardo, CA. We cooked three dishes and drank as much wine as we could stomach in the 3 hours we were there. YUM. My favorite dish by far was the Mexican Poached Eggs. I am trying to go full vegan (at least during the week) but when the dish is as tasty as this, it’s definitely worth eating. Continue reading →

Mindful Monday: A Week of Groceries Around The World

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There is a photo series circulating right now. It is AWESOME. I originally hear about it from Mike, then a fellow natural living blogger (HumbleLore), and now I bring it to you.

Check out the differences in food, quantities, and if it’s processed … but also check out the families themselves. You can see the cultural differences, relations between male and female, adult and child, family leader and followers. Very, very interesting.

Get the original post here at WallToWatch.

Australia
Australia

Bhutan
Bhutan

Canada
Canada

Chad
Chad

China
China

Ecuador
Ecuador

France
France

Germany
Germany

Britain
GreatBritain

Guatemala
Guatemala

India
India

Italy
Italy

Japan
Japan

Kuwait
Kuwait

Mali
Mali

Mexico
Mexico

Mongolia
Mongolia

Turkey
Turkey

USA
USA

 

Thoughts?

 

Thriving Thursday: Health By My Rules

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Not too long ago, I hit a point where my body was in the best shape it had ever been. I don’t mean I have ripped abs or buns of steel, it’s just that there isn’t anything WRONG. I have as much energy as anyone could ask for, I sleep through the night, for the most part. None of my joints hurt and my stomach isn’t bloated. I don’t get headaches or allergies and, if I feel like getting up and running three miles, I do. Continue reading →

No Poo Shampoo is not for the weak.-UPDATED

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I don’t wash my hair. Say what?? Well, I don’t wash my hair with shampoo or conditioner. And I haven’t for 2 months now. It’s quick, it’s effective, it’s super easy, and holy bajolies it is CHEAP. I love it. (Don’t forget to check out the UPDATE at the bottom of the page.)

There may be many of you that have heard of the “No Poo” shampooing. It’s a natural beauty trend that’s been sweeping the blogosphere. It’s for those of us who are trying to get away from chemicals BUT only if the alternatives actually work. And I’m here to tell you, this works better than conventional shampoo and conditioner. Continue reading →

Tasty Tuesday: Sweet Potato Home Fries

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Happy Tuesday! In an effort to cut back on our grocery bill, I’m only buying produce for the entire month of April. It seems that it’s really the organic, natural packaged crap that’s expensive, so we’re doing a lot of fruit and veg this month. In that vain, I had no idea what to pair with the salmon I cooked the other night, so I made it up … sweet potato home fries! These babies keep great in the fridge. They’re delicious warm and really yummy cold too.

SweetPotatoHomeFries-Published

Sweet Potato Home Fries (serves: 4, cook time: 30 minutes)

Ingredients:

  • 2 large sweet potatoes
  • 1 cup mushrooms
  • 1 onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 cup high heat oil
  • sea salt and ground pepper

Instructions:

  1. Chop the potatoes, mushrooms, and onion into bite-sized chunks. Mince the garlic on top of the potatoes.
  2. Heat the skillet to medium first, THEN add half the oil. Coat the bottom of your skillet.
  3. Add sweet potatoes, garlic, and onions and spread in an even layer in the skillet. Cook on medium-high heat, uncovered until potatoes are browned and onions are caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add the rest of the oil, slowly, as needed. Take care not to mess with them too much, flip potatoes once or twice in the entire 10-ish minutes.
  4. When your mix is pretty well cooked, add the mushrooms. These are already soft so they don’t take much cooking. Cook for a few more minutes to heat up the mushrooms.
  5. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve and enjoy!

photo 3photo 1

Ashley Life Update: I had a wonderful weekend at a friend’s wedding in Louisiana. Got to hang out with my immediate family (see my sister’s and I above) and a lot of friends I haven’t seen in a long time. And the 13 hour drive there and back wasn’t too bad. We set up a bed in the back of the car and then whoever was driving listened to books on tape. Man those things pass the time!

We also stopped at an epic Country Buffet in Arkansas (the best in the state). I swear I had no idea that America had areas like that. Just VERY southern. That’s why I love road trips, you see cultures you never would have explored otherwise.

AND, another plus, we finally got some communication from Mike’s job. We should be finding out our next stop in the next couple weeks and the options are looking good!

I hope you all had great weekends too! Love and hugs – Ash

 

Tasty Tuesday: Sweet and Salty Popcorn

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What do you cook when the entire meal will be appetizers? I knew that most people wouldn’t be hungry for a full meal so I planned out four appetizers instead. They all worked perfectly, except for this one. This took two tries but it was SO worth it. I got the original recipe from Sammie Kennedy. This stuff melts in your mouth. It’s gooey and chewy and crunchy. Salty AND sweet. YUM

I still had the microwave at this point but I was trying to wean myself off it. Turns out popping popcorn on the stove can be kind of tricky. This is where the first attempt failed. When I tried again the next day I was significantly less distracted and followed the instructions below to a tee. And of course it worked.

How to Pop Perfect Popcorn on the stove! – Simple Recipes

SweetSaltyPopcorn-Published

Sweet and Salty Popcorn (servings: 6, cook time: 25 minutes)

Ingredients

  • 2 cups popped kernels
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil
  • 1/3 cup coconut sugar (barely increases blood sugar)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 Tbsp sea salt

Instructions

  1. Pop the popcorn in an air popper or over the stove.
  2. In a small saucepan, melt the coconut oil and coconut sugar. Stir in the vanilla, honey, and cinnamon. Stir frequently. When it reaches a boil, remove from heat.
  3. Pour the liquid mixture over the popped popcorn. Add the salt on top. Mix gently with a wooden or plastic spoon so you don’t crush the kernels.
  4. Lay popcorn out on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes or until hardened.
  5. Break off the sheet and serve. Enjoy! It will keep a couple of days until the popcorn goes stale.

Ashley Life Update:

Vitamix

 

We went and got the Vitamix last night! I’m so flippin’ excited. My week is insane so I won’t have much time to experiment but I’ll be using it whenever possible and I’m sure you’ll all be hearing about it. Also, we found a fantastic deal on Stainless Steel cookware. 20% off and a rebate for a Cuisinart bowl set. It’s gonna take a little bit of saving to bounce back but I am SO excited to use this stuff. This night was better than Christmas. YAY!