Alikay Naturals - Product Review

The philosophy surrounding the maintenance of my hair changed a few months back. This is personal growth for me.

I started wearing my hair natural instead of chemically straightening it so that I could become even lazier. I thought if I wore my natural curls, I wouldn't have to actually do my hair. I could just wake up and go. That's the perfect world. I never ever have to touch my hair. Unfortunately that's not realistic unless I just completely shave my head and trust me, considering how godly Erykah Badu looks, I'm always tempted to go there.

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Over the past year, I've learned just how important it is to take care of my health. But I also placed semi importance on taking care of body. Health...brush teeth, wash face, stay clean, eat right. Blah Blah Blah. Taking care of my body...hmmm, I'm not sure of the right terminology. It's the sort of thing of using body butter to moisturize my skin. That sort of thing. (Not particular about my health but not as superficial as makeup and clothes) As much as I was moisturizing my skin, I was just saying whatever to my hair. I wouldn't wash it for weeks. (Not as gross as you think.) I hardly ever added moisture..not even water. I wore it big and puffy and just never took care of it.

Now, I at least moisturize it and keep it pinned away 5 to 6 days out of the week. I'm not infactuated with styling, although I see amazing styles by women. I'm not infactuated with color, hair type, length or anything like that. Those things mean nothing. But keeping it healthy, moisturized and clean...that's simple and important to me.

For the last few months I've been intentional about moisturizing my hair. Mostly this just means adding water each day. I've been intentional about cleaning it. One a week I have a whole routine. And with that, my hair has thrived. I style it less, keep it pinned back and hardly let it wild out...but I know each night that its healthy just like my skin and such.

I've been in the market for some organic, natural and perferably homemade products for my hair. Therefore, I've been scouring the internet to find a shampoo, leave in conditioner, deep conditioner, detangling conditioner, and moisturizer.(Eventually I've make my own but I don't have the time right now.)

I found Black Onyx World. More specifically Alikay Naturals Hair Products.

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Black Onyx is a young lady who makes these hair products herself. She also makes jewelry. A lot of it looks amazing! I am impressed with the sheer variety and volume of her stock considering these are homemade. After watching many of her youtube videos.in which you see her using her products and you see the results, I was convinced I should try this. (Note to self, one thing may work for one person and not another.)

This is Black Onyx below. I think she has creative styles and her hair is healthy. My hair will never be styled like that because I don't know how to do that and I'd never pay someone else to do it but my hope is that it would be healthy.

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 My products arrived last week. I ordered her Black Soap Shampoo. Honey and Sage Deep Conditioner. LemonGrass Deep Conditioner. Shea Yogurt Moisturizer. and Betoninite me Baby Clay. (The clay was just an impulse. I've seen people use it and thought it might work. I haven't tried it yet.)


First Impression

The presentation was lacking. I know when you purchase products in the store, more often than not you are paying for the pretty little containers more than the product itself. I get that. I sometimes willingly pay more for something because it is packaged attractively. I know its a small thing and has little to do with the product itself but as a consumer and creator, for me presentation plays a significant roll. But the lack in hers was not enough to deter me. I saw it from the website and knew what i was getting myself into. But I wish she'd do a little more to make the presentation and packaging of it better.

The cost. I pay an average of $6 for my shampoo or conditioner. I splurged and paid over $15 for an Aubrey Organics deep conditioner but it is worth it. So cost is really relative. $2 more for her shampoo than my store bought organic one is fine...especially considering its homemade. But if you are on a tight budget maybe some other product is better for you.
  
Aromatic Qualities. Smell is important to me. I have posted in other blogs about my personal offense at crappy hand soaps in people's bathrooms. I'm snooty like that. I wear Marc Jacobs or Prada perfume and then I come to your house and you want me to wash my hands with Apple Spice scented soap. Oh my goodness. That is just gross to me. Its one of the unreasonably horrible things about my personality but if I don't like a certain scent, it might as well go straight to hell. So....Alikay Natural's. The lemongrass leave in conditioner and the honey and sage deep conditioner gave my nose an orgasm. Seriously.  The black soap shampoo didn't really have a smell. The shea butter yogurt moisturizer. It's no fault to her but I do not like the smell of shea butter. I love cocoa butter as a base scent to build off. But most naturals bow their heads before shea butter. So I tried it. And it was hard to keep putting it on my hands and then in my hair...because I really do not like the smell of shea butter. I'm going to assume that her other concoctions have just as much power of seduction with their aromas.

Quality. You know how you feel a product and it feels right.Or something is too chunky. Or too soupy? The shea butter. Along with not liking the smell, I didn't like the texture. I prefer creams in my hair. Butters can go on my skin. The shampoo...I just didn't know what to make of it. I couldn't tell if it was working or not. I think if it had a stronger smell, I'd know if I evenly dispersed it throughout my hair since its so concentrated and so soupy. Maybe i'll have to add my own essential oils to the rest of the bottle.


Quantity. I think the size and proportions relative to the cost are good. I wonder if she has a detangling conditioner. That would be more telling in regards to quantity since I go through a LOT of that.

Effectiveness. That is still pending. I used all the products last night. My initial reactions. I couldn't tell if the shampoo was effective. It needs a stronger smell to reinforce that its in my hair, if that makes sense. The deep conditioner seems effective..although I mixed in another deep conditioner too. My hair is THICK. The leave in conditioner is fine. Although for it to be as effective as my own concoction I need to actually mix it with other things like rosewater, vegetably glycerin, essential oils and water.  The shea butter...well, my hair is still pinned up right now. I'll know tonight the effects of it when I take my hair down to twist it tonight. I'm hoping that it works.

(Although I must say, using something once, may not be the best way to judge its effectiveness. I've been using my new regime for a few months and it was only until a few weeks ago that I noticed the huge difference in my hair. I'm going to have to use these products for a few weeks to even begin to know the true effects on my hair.)

Transparency. This was probably the area I had the biggest conflict with. While Alikay Naturals is a homemade natural product line, almost each product I purchased had a "special blend," or "secret blend" of natural ingredients. At this point in my life, I'm uncomfortable NOT knowing what is going in or on my body. I think its important that no matter how big or small the company, you as a consumer have a right to know what you are purchasing. Perhaps there are different rules for people who sell their own products from home, but even still there should be some sort standard. Since I purchased a number of the products, for now, I will continue using them. However, I'm not sure I could buy more of her products knowing that I don't know each ingredient. I'm sure she wants to protect her recipes, but I want to be an informed consumer. However if you don't mind not knowing, this could be the product for you.

I will post photos soon as well as keep you update to date with the effectiveness of this product over the coming weeks.

Would you purchase a product that had "secret ingredients"? Do you have any recommendations for homemade products being sold by entrepenuers? What scents do you love or hate? Do you have a hair care regime?

The One Time its ok to Bite the Hand....Buddha's Hand.

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I was doing some grocery shopping and perhaps because I'm reading Food, Inc. as my book of the week, I felt the need to be even more conscious of what I purchased. I decided I wanted to purchase fruit that was in season so I turned to google to find some answers.

The best website I came across was EPICURIOUS. com


I use Epicurious for many of my recipes at Cafe LaShay and therefore I trusted their site. What separated them from many of the other websites I came across was that they listed by month and by location what was in season. Sure, a mango may be in season...but in season halfway across the world. So I wanted to know what was good for this month and for New York. I didn't get many options but that's not the point.

For New York, it said that the growing season is currently dormant and that I should opt for items from storage such as apples, pears and root vegetable. (Side note, I'm currently looking for a CSA to participate in in Brooklyn and am excited!)

While searching for seasonal, local fruit I came across some things I had never heard of. Have you ever heard of Buddha's Hand?

 

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I didn't read too much on it yet. I couldn't tell you where it comes from or if its even available in the US but I just loved the name. It's like saying "God's Hand." "Jehovah's Hand." "Allah's Hand" "The Divine's Hand" or something like that. Who wouldn't want to eat it. Its one of my goals to try a fruit I've never even heard of. Depending on the availability and location of this fruit, maybe I'll be biting into Buddha's Hand.

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Do you consider the season and your location when shopping? Do you find the choices limiting? Have you ever heard of Buddha's hand and do you know more about it.

Homemade Toothpaste and Other Products

In October of 2009, after dropping over $80 on facial products at the Body Shop, I realized I needed to make a change. I wrote of my musing about this in a post titled. Natural Products vs. Homemade Products.  Everyone has their opinion on which better. Natural Products, Homemade Products, Unnatural Products.

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Is it better to use Neutrogene to wash my face? Yes to Carrots? Or my own Homemade Face Wash?

I can't answer that for you. I can only inform you of why I decided to make my own natural products.

I wanted to decrease the amount of things I purchased.
I wanted to spend less money on products.
I wanted to treat my body better, more naturally, and gently.
I wanted to generate less trash.
I wanted to know EXACTLY what was going in or on my body.
I wanted to take control of my life.
I wanted to live a simplistic life.

Another added benefit towards creating and making my products was a sense of empowerment! That feeling was amazing.

So if you prefer to use products seeping with chemicals and things you can't pronounce, use it. Plenty of functioning healthy people do. If you prefer to use natural products from sustainable vendors, do that. And if you prefer to make your own products...email me so we can swap recipes! Because that's what I'm interested in.

Currently, I am looking for the best recipe for a homemade toothpaste and mouthwash.

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I feel as if I've mastered my face wash, toner, exfoliant and mask. After mastering it, now I've been playing around with scents and consistencies and such. More recently, I've been playing around with mouthwash recipes and so far I haven't discovered anything that is amazing. Some of the recipes I've tried were listed in a previous post.

The problem is I can't get the scent that I want. And if I'm going to be swishing something around in my mouth for more than thirty seconds, I need the scent to be pleasant. When I tried making my toner, at first I was taken aback by the smell of witch hazel. Eventually the smell grew on me....essential oils help! (Which by the way, now that i use them for EVERYTHING...I need to find a wholesaler that sells them by the bulk! Any suggestions?)

So with my mouthwash...I can't get the taste right. I want a winterfresh type of taste. Hmmmm.

I've also changed my "toothpaste." Most recently I was using J/A/S/O/N's. That was a switch from a lifelong attachment to Crest. I had tried Nature's Gate, which has amazing hair products, but their toothpaste and deodorant...not so much!

Now I've tried just baking soda dipped in water or mouthwash to brush my teeth. And my teeth seem clean and I'm pretty sure my breath is fresh but I just want more. And perhaps a little flavor..since again, its going in my mouth. I came across a seemingly simple toothpaste recipe that I plan on trying. I found the recipe on  Fat Free Kitchen.

Ingredients

• Baking soda (5 teaspoons. This serves as your whitener)
• Salt (1/4 teaspoon. This serves as your antiseptic.) 
• Vegetable Glycerin (5 teaspoons. This serves as your base) 
• Peppermint, Spearmint, Pudinhara essential oil (10 drops. This gives you fresh breath)

Preparation

Mix all the ingredients thoroughly. Adjust the quantity of glycerine to get toothpaste consistency. Store in a wide mouth bottle. 

 This recipe is so simple. It also yields itself towards having the right consistency. And I keep those ingredients in the house readily. Remember my Sustainable Guidelines ? Now while those guidelines are geared towards products I purchase, they can also work for products I make. In addition to those guidelines.....

The homemade products that I make must... .

• Contains ingredients that I readily keep in the house such as oatmeal and honey and essential oils.(I know I'll have to buy a few things I don't normally keep such as rosewater or glycerin...but there are many other uses that I'll find for them. And isn't that sustainable...to have 100 ways to use oatmeal?)
• Is simple to prepare. (Five steps or less. I don't want to spend five hours creating a face wash that has forty ingredients. I don't have time for that. Even if I had time, I don't want to spend time doing that.)
• It eventually works once I use it. (If after trying the homemade recipe the results are not as effective, it's not gonna work.)

 I found another toothpaste recipe to try as well. This recipe came from Christian PF. 

Ingredients

• Baking Soda
• Salt
• Hydrogen Peroxide (Is it really okay to use this? My dentist uses this to whitenen her teeth and it just seems really weird to me. I'm going to have to google this and find out more. Does anyone know?)
• Peppermint Oil
• Stevia

Preparation

• Pour 1/2 cup baking soda into a mixing bowl
• Add a dash of salt
• Add 1/4 cup of hydrogen peroxide
• Add 1 drop of peppermint oil
• Add a dash of stevia (more if you want it sweeter)
• Mix it all up until it becomes paste like. You may have to add more hydrogen peroxide to get the right consistency.

I am running out of toothpaste now, so I will try these recipes this weekend.

There are a few other products I'm looking to make from scratch.

• Deodorant. I found a good recipe on SimpleMom I believe.
• Shower Gel. I cannot find one for this. Yes, I could use soap but I love the texture of shower gel. My mother found a vendor who makes it and is shipping it to me some time soon. The vendor who even made it said a prayer over it and though I'm not a praying woman, I like that my shower gel has been blessed. I think that's holy.
• Ultimate All Purpose Cleaner. Yes vinegar and castille soap and baking soda and all those wonderful things are great cleaning agents. But what I want to do is make the ultimate perfectly scented all purpose cleaner and I've been playing around with some recipes.
• Body Butter. I LOVE body butter. Lotion, Creams and Oils don't really do muchf or my skin. But some how my skin has a love affair with body butter. Specifically the Coco Butter Body Butter from the Body Shop. Yes there are a BILLION recipes for Shea Body Butter but I really DO NOT like the scent of Shea Butter. I like the scent of cocoa butter. Any good recipes that you know of.
• Facial Moisturizer. This is the last thing on my list to make my facial products complete.

Do you know how I can create a winterfresh flavor using essential oils for my homemade mouthwash? What do you use to brush your teeth? Is hydrogen peroxide safe?

Sugar and Coffee

I've pretty much given up coffee completely. Since December of 2009 I've only had two coffee drinks. I've also given up most forms of sugar even raw. I only use raw sugar for cooking and/or baking.

 

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I sweeten most things with agave nectar. Mainly my African Nectar Mighty Leaf tea. Because I've come to love agave nectar so much, I won't even use honey. Honey only comes in handy for baking, cooking, and homemade products now. Now if I run out of agave, I'll just have my tea by itself. Eventually I won't even need the agave nectar anymore!

I can't remember the last time I purchased granulater sugar. I like that. And the coffee that I still have in the house...that's just used for my Brown Sugar Coffee Body Scrub.

Taking coffee and sugar out of my daily nutritutional intake...adding more fruit, water, and vitamins, I've noticed my body feels lighter. Things are processed better. I wonder how enlightened I'd feel if I went completed raw. Perhaps I'll try going raw for just one day and then vegan for a day, just to note the differences.

Do you notice a difference when you eat only vegetarian meals versus raw meals versus vegan meals? How often do you drink coffee? What do you use to sweeten your drinks and foods?

Homemade Apple Crisp

Awhile back I made homemade apple crisp with some apples from work. Rather than throwing them in the garbage. I've also brought bananas home and made banana oatmeal cookies too.

Here is the video I made.

After making my video, I felt bad that I didn't look for a more organic way to make my apple crisp. So I searched for a healthier version to try in the near future. So I'm going to be trying this one soon.

Organic Natural Breakfast

A few months ago I watched Food Inc. To say that move shook me to my core is an understatement. Watching that movie reminded me of when I watched Friends of God and Rosie O'Donnell's Gay Family Cruise. After seeing those two documentaries, in addition to having some life changing experiences, my "religious" perspective was shook to its core and I went on a two year journey of self discovery and spiritual enlightenment. Watching Food Inc, also reminded me of when I read and saw The Laramie Project and Angels of America. After experiences those two pieces of art, in addition to having life changing experiences, my paradigm of thinking of same sex orientation was forever changed.

Watching Food Inc, altered my view of food. I felt it in my gut! For a few years now, I've "wanted" to change my eating habits. Its pretty healthy but I could stand to be vegetarian/vegan/raw. I could stand to be more intentional about consuming only organic or natural foods. I could stand to eat more fruit. I could stop snacking on certain foods which have no nutritional value. I even bought a lot of cookbooks on eating raw, vegan and vegetarian. I even once dated a raw foodist! But nothing worked.

Then I saw Food Inc. Have you seen it? It's available to watch instantly on Netflix, if you have a subscription. Shoot, even if you don't have a subscription, I'd give you my login info just so you can watch it. It's that important. I started taking notes while watching it. I'd post those later. I bought the book too. It's next on my reading list. I had my entire family watch it over Christmas too. At some points, my mother cried. I understood the sentiment too. But I'll talk more about Food Inc. later.

Because of Food Inc, I've changed a lot of my eating habits. But I still have a long way to go.

My daily breakfast intact now consist of one of two things.

 

 On the weekends, I eat cereal.

Right now I haven't found a specific brand of cereal that I like but its always some form of granola. I'm really liking this AgavePlus Granola right now. I then add a spoonful or two of ground Flaxseed. And I've completely switched the milk that I consume to almond milk.

I'm not a heavy milk drinker. I only consume it when adding it to something. Before Almond Milk, I drank 2% milk. I have a homemade recipe for almond milk that I will start making. I plan on doing that when I move into my new apartment. (I'm in temporary housing right now as I continue to transition. Just recently moved to New York!)

So when I'm home, this is what I have for breakfast. And i tell you, I feel like a treehugger eating it. But its good. And I notice that my body feels better. I respond better to almond milk than any other kind. Plus, I DO NOT like soy milk. Ugh!

When I am at work, my breakfast is something completely different. One thing I lack in my daily nutritional intake is FRUIT. I don't like fruit, except mango. So I hardly eat it. But I've found a creative way to get me to consume fruit.

 

Smoothies!!!

Yum. Yum. I love smoothies. Jamba Juice has received too much of money. And the fraps at starbucks receive too much of my money too. And I doubt either is as oganic as it could be.

Just about every morning I make a fresh smoothie at work. It consist of...

Fresh and Frozen strawberries

Frozen mangoes

Half a banana

100% pomegranate juice

sometimes a splash of orange juice

Ice

Half a container of vanilla yogurt

 

Mix it up and drink up!

Yummy. Natural. No extra sugar. Just fruit, yogurt, juice, and ice!

I have no clue how many servings of fruit I add to my intake by drinking it.

I usually have half a banana and half a cup of yogurt left, so I eat that too.

This is a great way to start my day.

 Sometimes I make way too much so I freeze the rest and later on I have a homemade sorbet and its just as good too!

What do you consume for breakfast? Do you have suggestions on various fruits I could add to my smoothies? Have you seen Food Inc?

Granola Interview with Photographer Sam Schwartz

It's been long and coming but FINALLY, here is my interview with my dear friend, amazing photographer and fellow granola Sam Schwartz. I asked a lot of questions and she provided LOADS of information. But I promise you, it is worth the read. I learned so much more about sustainability and about Sam and I am so grateful she did this for me. Now I'm encouraged to interview even more people to learn more! Two performers in my most recent show are vegetarians and during our last break in between shows I grilled them with questions. I'm sure they were wondering just what I was up to. Now without further ado, here is Sam. I'll interject my responses and such, here and there, fyi.

I am the black girl in the picture. My fiend Megan is in the middle. And Sam is on the other end.

What is a CSA? How did you learn about? 




Actually, I learned about the CSA from my roommate Laura.  CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture.  Basically, we (along with many others) purchase a share of a local, Illinois farm.  For about 5 months a year, we receive 3/4 bushel of freshly picked, organic fruits and vegetables every week.  We have the option of getting bread, meat, and eggs from the same farm for an additional price.  Laura and I started purchasing the share two years ago.  We write a check to the CSA around March or April and then we are able to pick up the food once a week starting at the beginning of June until the last week or so of October.  Buying into a CSA program has several benefits.  First, you are getting freshly picked fruits and vegetables from an organic farm--which means no nasty chemicals or synthetic fertilizers AND your produce is only a few hours picked, so there are maximum nutritional benefits.  Second, because the CSA is local, you are supporting local agriculture, which is just better for farmers and for you.  You also have the option of helping with certain harvests if you want.  Related to being locally grown, you are also eating foods as common as carrots, but as diverse as kohlrabi or swiss chard.  Lastly, I have definitely become more aware of keeping food and planning meals around the food that is in season and provided.    

(Because of Sam's CSA involvement, we were able to take this apples........)

(...and turn them into this delicious pie!)

Another cool thing about CSA's:  if you live in a warmer climate (such as Florida) sometimes you can get this produce all year round--and it might even be cheaper and have awesome things like almonds!  There are also co-ops where you can get things like soap, paper products and other non-perishables.


 
Do you consider yourself "green"? In what ways would you say you live a "green" life?


Well, "Green" is a term I think we all need to use very loosely.  To be honest, I think it is all marketing!  Let's put it this way:  I recycle.  I try to turn things off and unplug them when they are not in use.  I don't buy those t-shirts at luxury brand stores that have weird "green" messages on them.

In what ways do you see yourself improving towards living a more sustainable life?  


Sustainability is always a goal.  Let me explain in the light of what I just said above:  "Green" to me seems like a really great way to make people spend more; consume more.  The idea of sustainability is about allowing life to be simpler while also trying not to drain a community or system of its resources.  I also think that sustainability has a lot to do with a process over time.  Being “green” is a trend, a tax break, a social status.  However, living with the goal of a sustainable lifestyle not only connects us to our communities, but makes us aware of our habits.  A sustainable lifestyle can also connect us more fully to our futures. Humans spend so much time figuring out how to get more for less.   More money for less work, more food for less cost, two for one…you see it all over the place, and frankly, this attitude disconnects us—from others, from the world, and ultimately from ourselves.  We don’t pay attention to where food or products come from.  We don’t know who harvests, or what it takes to grow.  We don’t know what chemicals enter into our bodies and homes.  Personally, I think living sustainably might take a little more time and effort, but in the long run, you get what you work for and it is more satisfying in the end.  I wish that we could live by that sort of mantra—you get what you work for.  Consider: 

“[H]uman brains…[have] become such copious and irresponsible generators of suggestions as to what might be done with life, that they made acting for the benefit of future generations seem one of many games which might be played by narrow enthusiasts—like poker or polo or the bond market, or the writing of science fiction novels.

[We] found ensuring the survival of the human race a total bore.”  --Kurt Vonnegut

I believe that taking these extra steps to be connected are more than just the trend that people make it out to be.  It is an important step to making certain that we can survive ourselves and our own technology and ideas.
    So, ways that I see myself improving...Over the past year I have started to wash out my ziplock bags (most of the time...if there is meat/dairy/egg product, I usually throw it out) and reuse them, I started an herb garden in my apartment, I unplug appliances such as the toaster, tv, cell charger, etc.  I also try to buy used if possible either through craigslist, freecycle, or the thrift store.  I've been trying to buy local groceries if possible.  I try to buy my spices and other herbs in bulk--sold in a small bag--to cut down on waste.  In fact, if I can find things without the extra packaging there is a better chance I will buy it that way.


I have also started to cut back on the chemicals I introduce to my environment and body.  It is very difficult because sometimes I rely on strange chemicals for medical reasons or because those are the things that are available and work the best.  I encourage people to take a look at the ingredients of things like lotions or cleaners.  I try my best to purchase cleansers that are not petroleum based.  Instead of buying a highly chemicalized prescription lotion for the very dry skin I get in the winter, I started just using olive oil, which has worked wonders….and I know exactly where it comes from!

It really helps to have a roommate who has these same goals also.  It doesn't help when your roommate doesn't care about things like saving energy or recycling.  My current roommate, Laura, is pretty awesome about stuff like this and I've learned a lot from her.  In that respect it is helpful to have friends who share the same values.  I get a lot of great ideas from friends!


Goals for the future: I would love to get one of those composters and start composting.  I would also love to start my own vegetable garden.  Going to the grocery store has become such a disappointment because it is hard to tell where that food is coming from.  Very few grocery stores and products label if something is genetically modified (because it is not something Congress sees as important…for whatever reason—food industry lobbyists, I’m sure.  Europe does it even for things like candy bars.)  That being said I would like to start buying more locally grown foods from farmers markets, and maybe even directly from local farms.
 

Is living a sustainable life in line with your personal goals for life? (for example, one goal of mine to be intentional in all that I do, to be present. one thing I've seen is that by trying to be more conscious of my energy consumption, waste reduction or intake of local food...i find that it makes me a more intentional person and it keeps me present. they just linked up naturally) Do you see examples of this in your life?  


Yes, a little.  A lot of these new habits started in an effort to save money.  This summer, I started baking my own bread because I realized that purchasing "the good bread" was costing me as much as $4.00 a loaf, but if I made it from scratch it cost me about $1.11 a loaf.  The same with herbs.  Buying them fresh from the grocery store can cost upwards of $3 (or more) and then they go bad before I can use them up.  But I can have fresh herbs all year round just by investing $1.25 in seeds and some dirt.  The same goes for buying used things. You can usually find things just as good as new for much less--and you don't encourage mindless spending.  Because you have to spend the time looking for something worth your money AND time, you are less likely to just buy whatever is stocked on the shelf at a department store.  It's all out there, folks.  Everyone thinks they need everything at one point, and when they decide they don't, it goes to the thrift store.   
All that to say, I've saved money, but I also found that things become much simpler when they don't come in a package.  Things seem to exist better, to flow together.  By simplifying I feel like I am doing something good for myself as much as possible.  It’s one of the only ways I feel like I can be a little selfish, without actually negatively impacting others. The effort adds balance to life. And I think that is the purpose now:  to find a better balance every day.

Why are many of your products in your home organic, natural, sustainable or raw? Such as the raw sugar, unbleached flour, seventh generation tissue, recycled aluminum foil?  

 (photos I took around Sam's home)

Here's another side of the story:  I don't want processed foods in my body!  Did you know that European countries won't import our meat and other foods because they are appalled by the way we produce our food?  American food won't pass any standards tests in Europe.  The way we produce and slaughter animals.  (By the way, did you know that raw meat in America is treated with Ammonia to keep out contamination?) The pesticides and hormones and genetically modified seeds we use.  It's really horrific.  As for the raw sugar--I'm a vegetarian (although I still eat some fish every so often) and often times sugar, when it is refined, is filtered through an active carbon source--usually animal bone char.  I'm usually not one of those crazy vegetarians, but I just find this kind of nasty.  All of this may sound kind of fundamentalist, but the way I think about it, every little bit counts.   

(photos I took around Sam's home)

Were you raised in a granola home?


Not entirely...We did eat a lot of granola! I was raised in a home without a ton of money.  So a lot of the things we did revolved around trying not to spend a lot of it.  Turning off lights, shopping resale, all that. My mom was an avid recycler though.  Before there were recycling programs in our town, I remember every Saturday we packed up all our recycling in the car and drove it to the next town over to recycle it.  And after we got a pick-up service, we had these huge bins where we put the recycling after we washed it and removed all the labels and reduced it.  We were recycling MACHINES!

Why did you choose to become a vegetarian? Have you noticed a different in your life since doing so? Have you felt that your meals are limited because you've taken meat out? 


I'm a little embarrassed to say that I first started eating vegetarian in high school because of a bet.  My best friend bet me that I couldn't last a month and I was determined to prove her wrong!  I've gone back and forth since then.  Reasons that I eat vegetarian:  Health reasons--I've found that eating less processed, simpler foods helps digestion, helps me to sleep more soundly, I feel more energetic because I'm eating several times a day in smaller portions and eating things that have more available nutrients than, say, a lean cuisine.   Other reasons have begun to emerge as well.  As I've continued exploring a vegetarian diet, I've found that it can also support a more sustainable ecosystem, a more balanced agricultural system.  I know that one person cannot change the way our farming system works.  But I also like the idea that I can explore other options like the CSA, not eating meat, buying more natural, organic foods, fair trade products. 

(If you go to dinner at Sam's place, you will eat things like Stuffed Tomatoes with Risotto, Ginger Carrots and Homemade Dill Bread.)

What is your favorite green product?  
Trees?

What is a great green tip? 


Evaluate the things you buy, such as cleaner, shampoo, lotions.  Take a look at the ingredients and see if you can find products with ingredients that you can identify right away.  If you have to Google more than 2 or 3 things, you might want to find an alternative.


Try to buy more locally grown veggies, eggs, and meats.  They taste better!

I notice that your apartment has lots of plants and herbs that you grow and take care of? Is there a particular reason?   

Having plants in the apartment makes it seem a little calmer and a little more inviting, especially in the winter.  It also increases oxygen, humidity in the winter, and has a cooling effect in the summer.  Also, they are easier to take care of than dogs…or kids…and I kill fish all the time…so, plants it is!

(Sometimes, Sam even has tomatoes and lavender growing at her place. It's wonderful!)

 

Tell me about your chair project and why you didn't just go buy chairs from ikea?

I needed some dining room chairs and I found 2 sets of 2 matching chairs from freecycle.com.  The upholstery was dirty and ugly, but this was fine with me because I wanted to reupholster the cushions myself.  Why? First I wanted to have chairs that were unique from anyone else’s!  I also like the idea of refinishing old things and making them usable and hopefully stylish.  So I got the chairs for free, and then I went to a cute little fabric store in Wicker Park www.theneedleshop.com and found some fabric that I liked.   

Also some other questions that will be good for people to know....

Where are you from?  


I am from Pell Lake WI.  It’s ok if you don’t know where it is.  We didn’t have paved roads until 1999.
 
On a Saturday afternoon at 3pm what are you most likely to be doing? 


Maybe taking a walk with a certain dog, cooking, if I’m being good I’m exercising.  Taking photos around town…shooting a wedding.  As I write this, I am sitting with two dogs, a handsome man and some good tunes, brewing my first beer recipe—Pear Walnut Oktoberfest!

Anything else you'd like to add? 

http://www.illinoisfarmdirect.org/index.html
http://www.plowcreek.org/farm/    (our csa)
http://www.foodincmovie.com/about-the-issues.php  (the website for the movie Food, Inc., but also includes links to other sites with information about food)
http://www.wbez.org/Program_WV_Series.aspx?seriesID=143  (podcasts/online listening on public radio about food)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120013107   (part I of an interview about overfishing on Fresh Air)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120049590  (part II of an interview about overfishing and how to eat fish more sustainably)
www.michaelpollan.com   (he is not only a phenomenal writer but also writes about sustainability, farming, consuming, and nature in the books he writes, but also for print such as the New York Times, Newsweek, Time, National Geographic, etc.  This is a link to his site, which links to articles he has—beautifully--written)

Sam is a photographer who currently resides in Chicago, IL. To learn more about Samantha Rose Photography, please visit SamanthaRosePhotography.com.

(Would you like to be interviewed next on granola tendencies? Do you live a granola life? Do you have amazing tips and advice that would help others learning more about sustainability? If so, email me at SheenaLYoung at gmail dot com and I'm sure readers would love to hear from you!)

Grocery Shopping and Cooking Vegan/Vegetarian

This past Sunday (or perhaps it was two Sundays ago) I went grocery shopping. I do my bulk grocery shopping about once a month and then every week I'll buy a thing or two. Such as one bell pepper here or there. Cooking for one while trying to be organic while not wasting food but not really liking to freeze things...is sometimes a daunting task!

Since I knew my schedule for tech week of Winter Pageant at Redmoon Theater would leave me no time to do anything else, on top of my regular "9-5" which is really "7-5", I decided to make a few meals in bulk and portion them out so that I'd always have lunch and dinner. Without planning to, they were all vegetarian or vegan. I'm still struggling with trying to create a raw dish. (Actually my homemade salsa is a raw dish. YEA!)

Due to this crazy schedule there is has also been a lack in posting and reading of other great blogs. My apologies for the absense. My day went something like this.

6 am to 6:30 pm -Wake up. (microwave water to brush teeth and wash face in - by the way I found a homemade recipe for mouthwash and I am starting to use baking soda as toothpaste). Get dressed. Use extra water to water my plants.
6:30 to 7am - Travel to work and try to sleep on the train. 
7am to 5pm - work like a horse at my wonderful job that is a bit understaffed. Hopefully the empty positions will be filled SOON!!!!! Please, gods of positons filled for understaffed companies...pretty please give us someone.
5pm to 5:30pm - travel to Redmoon Theater
5:30 to 12:00 am - TECH Winter Pageant. (Do you know what tech is? Holy crap. I forget what tech is till it slaps me in the face!)
12:00 to 1:30am - Travel home. (If I drove I could be home in 15 minutes. But since I take the bus and train everywhere and they run slower this time of night...morning...it takes a long time to get home. Shoot, I could fly to New York in that amount of time when put in prespective!)
1:30 to 2:30am - Send reports for theater, browse facebook when I really should not, take my shower.
2:30am to 6:00 am - Sleep
6:00am - wake up and remind myself I chose this life.

THAT HAS BEEN MY SCHEDULE FOR THE PAST WEEK. AAAAHHHH!

So as you can see, if I didn't bring my lunch and dinner with me, I would not eat.

I made my tofu veggie stir fry, vegan black bean soup, homemade salse, corn chowder with jalepeno parsley puree, and spicy potatoe soup. I don't have pictures of the later two right now, but will soon!

Some of the ingredients for the Vegan Soup.

 

This time i added a few more ingredients. Diced tomatoes. Corn. And Salsa Verde.

 

Next time I'm going to take out the diced tomato. I didn't like it that much.

 

And this time I let it simmer for about an hour as the recipe called for. And I didn't like that either.

But it was still good and I was eating it ALL WEEK LONG!

I also made my homemade salsa. I tried to keep track of the ingredients I was putting in it so I could compile a recipe later. Also while I was making all the dishes...half the salsa disappeared. I guess I kept eating it throughout my marathon cooking day.

Some of the ingredients were green, yellow and orange bell peppers, serrano peppers, jalepeno peppers, onions, diced tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, cilantro, salsa verde HOT, and lots of seasonings including hot shot, chili pepper, and cayenne pepper. (I noticed that everything I made was spicy)

These are the some of the veggies for my tofu stir fry.

TOFU. There are many ways to prepare and cook tofu and there are many kinds of tofu. If done incorrectly, it is gross, tasteless and people will never try it again. If done to perfection, people will beg for more! I had friends eating my stir fry all week.

The stir fry when complete! And this time I prepared it with brown rice instead of white rice. It was still the instant minute rice but at least it was brown!

Once everything was done, I started putting them in separate containers so that I could grab two or so each day. I've been saving all my containers and others containers as tupperware. All of it finally came in handy!

Even more containers of food! You can also see that I catch up on tv shows as I cook or clean. Because when else am I going to watch last season's episode's of Lost?

One thing I enjoyed about this process was that by making a few different recipes I was able to use a whole bell pepper or a whole onion. Sometimes I'll make something to eat and still have left over unused bell peppers and whatnot. And by the time I get around to using it again, it has spoiled. By cooking in bulk with a variety of recipes that had similar ingredients, I was able to keep my waste down!

A few things I noticed while grocery shopping.

• Because of the tons of vegetables in my cart, it looked like I had just robbed a farm. My cart was colorful, I didn't use any of those plastic bags and just about all of the vegetables were organic
• While the vegetables were organic, I forgot to even consider whether or not they were locally grown. If I want to become a more eco-conscious eater, I have to be more mindful of that. I am definitely going to participate in a local CSA next year.
• I went down the toiletries aisle to find some mouthwash and I saw so many products. Twenty differen face washes and shower gels and this and that and with pride I thought, "Either I have made my own versions of these or I am on my way to doing so. I can by pass this aisle now!"
• But I also thought, "Wouldn't it be great if I could by pass the vegetable aisle too? Wouldn't it be great if I had my own garden? Then I'd be saving loads! And what if I made my own bread and what if the only milk I drank was almond milk. But I like store bought popsicles. I still have to buy that. And that cream cheese fruit dip. That's too good to give up. But still, I really want a garden. Maybe my boyfriend will let me use his backyard.)
  

Taking the time to preplan and sort my meals came in handy. During a week when I normally do not eat at all, I always had healthy homemade food at hand. While I missed out on sleep, at least I was eating a balanced, organic and vegetarian diet for the week!

The Price of Convenience

For the past year I have been consistently purchasing my facial products from the Body Shop. I enjoy MANY of their products. This is a picture inside my bathroom mirror where you can see I have almost the entire line of their seaweed facial collection.

I tallied the cost from their website.

Face Wash 12.00

Toner 12.00

Exfoliating Scrub 14.50

Mask 22.00

Did you calculate that? Thats $60.50 for my freaking face.

I will say that it yielded impressive results. My skin wasn't in the perfect shape this time last year and after I adopted a regime after the best facial in the world, my skin became better after using the Body Shop products.

But this isn't about who's version is better. From what I could feel after making my own products, it felt the same. My toner was too potent in smell and needs a stronger essential oil. But then, my exfoliating scrub was a lot gentler but still just as effective.

What this is about is taking more control in how I spend my money. This is about having a sense of freedom in knowing exactly what I am putting on my body. This is about finding other ways to spend my time that shopping and consuming and purchases nonstop. This is about finding somewhere else to invest $60.50 since I have the ingredients in my pantry. This is about me attempting to generate less trash and stuff. And tonight, I found simple, easy, quick ways to do that.

I like that instead of products, I have ingredients...to make whatever I want to concoct.

I know have completely natural, organic facial products. I can tell you every single thing I put on my face and I kind of like that. I like having full control over my body and my choices and my money. (well, sort of. Uncle Sam still takes what he wants)

Now, I'm not saying everyone should start making their own products. Although I encourage you to at least try. What you have to do is way what its worth. The price of convenience no longer outweights the price of all natural products, the price of trash produced, and the price of money spent.

I will say, essential oils are costly. I'm sure there are some websites that sell them in bulk for better prices that I found at Wholefoods. But it is an investment. However, essential oils can be used for EVERYTHING. So it may be worth it to buy an essential oil for $15..knowing that you have all the other ingredients in the house to make your own products and knowing that you'll use that oil for many other things as well...as oppose to spending $15 on a toner or something.

Just saying.

Pop Tarts, Made with Real Fruit

I've seen this commerical one too many times.....



First off, it always annoys me how so many toys, snacks, and all around products are geared towards children and not the adult who's buying the item. The commercial above is for a child to see and then beg their mom in the grocery store for.

"But mommy, its made from REAL FRUIT!" the kid will whine.

If by "made with real fruit" you mean 10% of the filling is made from dried "real" fruit. But is that 10% of fruit even organically grown fruit or infused with pesticide and genetically altered fruit?

10% Really! 10% and you get to say its made from real fruit.

Nevermind greenwashing. I say green bullsh!t.

You want to give your children something to snack on give them a box of raisins or real dried fruit. Dried mangoes taste amazing. Give them blueberries. Fresh squeezed orange juice. Give them almonds. There is even a bubble gum recipe in my book Raw: The Uncook Book made from natural ingredients.

Yes parents have limited time and sometimes can't make a full breakfast and their kids are whining and they hate apples and its just easier to give them a pop tart and really it only happens once every now and then so its not so bad...... Really, you don't have the time to give your child something more wholesome than a pop tart made from 10% "real" fruit. Ok. Go right ahead.

The Washington Post wrote an interesting article about this new marketing scheme ploy technique from Kellogg's.

What kind of snacks do you give your children? Is "made from 10% fruit" good enough for you?