Sick Days Never Stop the Hustle

It's Tuesday after a 3 day weekend, and what did my body do with the little bit of time off? I got sick. Of course. I had a lot on my plate for the past few weeks, and it has just been a crazy busy time. I'm convinced I only got sick because I stopped giving myself the care I needed.

I took a little break from yoga (mostly because my tuition package ran out and I was waiting to buy the next after payday... but still). I was NOT eating healthy, gluten or dairy free, and had amped up my sugar and alcohol intake from being at events, indulging myself, caving into period cravings... but for REAL. I think if I would have stuck to my guns and kept on my routine I would have been fine.

The US is majorly cold right now, everywhere! Us poor Californians are even wearing scarves for actual warmth this week!

Back to routine... How do you prevent yourself from getting sick? What are your sick day indulgences? (I made a grilled cheese and watched a Disney movie today, it definitely heals my soul).

No Makeup Monday

Beauty is only skin deep... or is it?

How you treat your skin can do a lot for your self-esteem. As I've previously noted, my skin improvements were one of my biggest takeaways from Whole30.

I love a good skincare regimen, and most days I don't feel like I need any makeup at all. My under-eye area tends to need concealer, if anything. Once I started eating better and caring for my skin, I felt more beautiful and my natural glow returned. But it does take discipline! It's hard to say "I will take off my makeup at night" "I will eat leafy greens" "I will avoid the bad foods like gluten and all the tasty sugars because my skin needs it" - All in moderation, of course.

I know that skin is important, and I want to put it out there that it is OKAY to allow yourself the time and allocate some of your essentials budget to taking care of skin. You will feel better, look younger, and you can EVEN PREVENT CANCER through good skincare. In all seriousness, moisturize, wear sunblock, and remember your skin is not just your face. Take care of the skin over your whole body.



That's my message for today! Short and sweet!

XOXO

L





Affiliate links to my favorite skincare!!

Love, love, love the GlamGlow & it smells like an orange creamsicle.
    

If I plan to be outdoors long and will want to look great, too, I reach for the 50SPF CC cream from IT Cosmetics. Good stuff & doesn't bug my skin (I do make sure to take it off at night, though, sometimes I will feel a little greasy by the end of the day).
 
Like I said, can't just protect the face, need to shield the whole body from sun damage!
 
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Your weekly GROCERY run!

Buying groceries is a chore, undoubtedly, and often leads to a lot of frustration, temptation, and spending too much money! Whole30 was tough on me in this regard because I REALLY had to change my grocery purchasing outlook. I miss the "grab and go" aspect of a lot of the foods I enjoyed pre-30. HOWEVER,  the decisions I make about groceries now are INFINITELY better.

How I Grocery Shop:

1. Check your fridge and cabinets and see what you have. You may find that you can get by another week or a few days without a trip to the store. If a trip to the store is inevitable, sit down and have a healthy snack while you plan your shopping trip. Everyone says it and it's true: Don't Shop Hungry.

2. Decide what you can make out of the food items you just looked through. If you're like me and make a lot of rice but can't use it up, plan to make a stir fry or some jambalaya!

3. Know what you can take out of your freezer for the week. I used to stock up on frozen goods and forget about them. Now I make sure to put them into the fridge to defrost before I buy my groceries so I know they're there! *exception: not frozen veggies, but check what you have before you shop.

4. Make your weekly meal chart or list and include the recipe suggestions based on your leftovers or things you already have, then fill in the rest of your list.

5. Check any coupon apps or weekly mail ads you get to see if anything on your list is on sale at a particular store (I do tend to stock up on certain things when they go on a good sale, like canned soup or wine).

6. Shop for your weekly things and remember to read the ingredient labels closely! Make sure not to impulse shop too much (I don't say never because sometimes it's totally worth it).

Free Colorful Weekly Meal Planning Chart for Download: PDF or DOC

Fall is on its way!

Nights are getting chillier, sunsets are starting sooner. Fall is in the air! Even here in California where it's usually warm until mid-October, I'm feeling a bit of that autumn chill. The Pumpkin Spice Cravings are REAL y'all!

With wedding planning and garden reaping and back to school music teaching, life is starting to feel hectic again! I am being very good this year about keeping some sanity in my schedule and making sure things don't get too overwhelming. I know that eventually more projects will come along and take up more of my time but for now, I'm keeping sane. I'm preparing home-made dinners. I'm sitting down for a breakfast or lunch everyday (that's significant for me)!

This fall, I'm looking forward to some fresh apple cider, some pumpkin pie, and maybe even a roasted chicken or turkey with homemade stuffing (my favorite fall dish), and some good old fashioned chili. What I need to watch carefully this season is whether I am keeping up with the good choices I've been making after Whole30 and carrying on with a healthier lifestyle.

I feel like I fell back into a bad habit of drinking a glass of wine every night, so I have cut that out for the week. We also went back to eating rice, which I am okay with because I need a hiatus from Cauliflower Rice FOR SURE. While the weather starts to turn colder, I crave heartier foods. I need some ideas for filling, hearty meals that are either Paleo or Whole30 compliant so as to not throw myself back into my old cooking habits.

Anyone else feel the season change? Are you ready?


-L

Clean Living + Clean Eating + Wedding Planning

Does getting your house organized make you want to organize your diet as well? Or vice versa? I definitely felt like getting my diet in order made me want to get my house in order.

We celebrated Fiance's 30th birthday and I gave a fundraiser concert a week ago, so I felt like my house fell apart for a couple days... things didn't get put away, the paperwork piled up, and my diet went to hell! Now that I'm mostly recovered, I am happy to say that most of the house is back in order (waiting on some bags from Thred Up to get rid of MORE clothes I decided don't spark joy for me - this is seriously such an ongoing thing for me... maybe I didn't do it right the first time, or maybe I changed my mind, but mostly, I will blame it on the 9.5 lbs I lost and had to get things that fit differently).

Saturday I cleaned up my workspace, and it is SO liberating! I WANT to sit down and write again. I love having a space that is JUST MINE. I need to help create that space for Fiance (though he loves his old, ugly Lazy-Boy chair and I'll never be able to get rid of it 😒 but I love him so I deal with it). AND I have a space to work on wedding plans. I picked up swatches of colors from David's Bridal (and I have this zany idea to send some color ideas to my Best Gals/Bridesmaids and let them find dresses at thrift stores!) and I started looking at locations again. My mom and I have very different ideas, and compromise may not exactly work... I will blog about this in more detail in another page/article I think. I feel like there are so many beautiful, sustainable, and affordable ways to do a wedding and for it to STILL be lovely. I have to get more things organized, though, so that I don't succumb to cheap crap made in foreign countries that costs an arm and a leg.

So that is my current update! I wish I had more to talk about, but for right now I'm just enjoying the quiet of the holiday weekend, and looking forward to sharing more LOVLIE ideas with you all!


Love,
L

Yes, I went to Disneyland on Whole30

I know, I'm nuts, right? A few days free, Dad and I went to see the Happy Mousetrap. And I was just entering reintroduction on my Whole30. My Dad was definitely NOT going to be "on a diet" at Disneyland, and happily partook in two ice creams a day, plenty of churros, and no holding back. I brought several Larabars, a tupperware container with chicken sausage and mustard, and drank lots and lots of water.

Granted, this was nothing like a "Once in a Lifetime" Disneyland trip for me. I am a super-Disney Veteran and have been going with my dad for years and years. We used to be annual passholders until about a year ago, so there was nothing I was going to miss out on. If you are visiting with your family for the first time - don't stress. Enjoy the food! You can still find some pretty healthy options for just feeling good in general, but don't go there for the first time and miss your chance for your first ever Dole Whip or Churro. I've had them. (& I'm going to make my own paleo Dole Whip one of these days!)

Here's what I experienced at restaurants:

Tony Roma's (across the street from the parks on Harbor Blvd) is willing to sub the rice for an extra helping of veggies, but be prepared to eat a LOT of broccoli. A comic amount. Really. But hey, no butter or mayo on it, and they gave me a lemon. And I got some salmon, too. That was pretty nice.

The restaurants at Disneyland (sit down places) mostly offer Allergen menus, which came in VERY handy for finding the dairy/gluten free options. Some things will have added sugar, like bacon, some salad dressings, and sauces, but in general, I felt that I could find delicious, filling foods that were compliant. Or at least compliant enough for reintroduction/paleo meals.

Melissa (Whole30 founder) says that if you are slow-rolling out of the Whole30 to ease up on the no added sugars rule. I went ahead and followed that so that I wasn't so worried about having a salad or something that may have been sweetened somehow.

Favorite restaurants/dishes:

Steak Frites with Chimichurri Sauce

Carnation Cafe: All American breakfast. Eggs, Bacon, and Potatoes. I asked to sub bacon for fruit, but they subbed my potatoes for fruit instead... I did eat one strip then gave the rest to my dad, he didn't complain. I know the bacon was cured in sugar, but again... I wasn't going to stress over a tiny bit -- especially when we ended up walking 9 miles the first day and 11 miles the second!!

Storyteller Cafe: Allergy menu Steak Frites and Potatoes and Carrots with Chimichurri sauce ($32) Delicious. In fact, my dad ordered the same thing off the regular menu. I'm not sure if maybe they cooked his veggies with butter or not, but basically, the two dishes looked identical to me. Delicious option, and nice quiet restaurant to have some mid-day calm after being in the parks in the hot sun.

Flo's V8 Cafe: Allergen menu of simple dishes, this is definitely the most affordable option if you're looking for a filling meal on more of a budget. ($9) Scrambled eggs with bacon & diced potatoes (my bacon from the allergy menu was different from my dad's and I don't know why... soy?). Since I'm reintroducing things, I put a little ketchup on the scrambled eggs (they were pretty bland with no butter or milk, etc) and OMG the ketchup just tastes like... so sweet! SHOCK! So I threw on some tobasco sauce instead! 💥

Ceviche Trio at Tortilla Jo's

Tortilla Jo's: Ceviche!!! ($18) You can get a trio of ceviches and try different flavors! Yes! Yes! Yes! Was tasty, fresh... perfect for the nearly 100 degree day we had! They also have a "burrito bar" like chipotle, so if you want a taco salad, that would also be a good option. But man, oh man, I miss regular old beans.

Loose Leaf Rooibos at Carthay Circle

A little disappointment at Carthay Circle Bar ~~ Usually this is one of my favorite restaurants in the park but the regular dining room was totally booked up so we tried to eat something in the bar. The bar doesn't have an allergen menu. I considered trying the poke bowl, but thought I should keep avoiding soy until I got home. I ordered something that sounded fairly compliant: a baked sole with roasted peppers, onions and tomatoes. But, it didn't specify that it was more like a cioppino sauce, and must have been made with butter or wine or thickened with flour? Because, even though I only ate a little bit it gave me insane heartburn for an hour or two. I DID get a lovely pot of loose leaf tea while I was there, though! And thankfully I had a Larabar left in my purse still, so I wasn't starving. So, conclusion -- Nice pot of loose-leaf tea ($8): Yes! Appetizer menu: No... If you're okay with soy, or you want to have poke with no sauce, that could be an option, but might be kind of bland.


Snack Mistake: I bought a package of dried fruit and nuts from one of the Disney shops. I was like... well, a little added sugar on dried fruit is better than gorging myself with crap, right? I was so surprised that this sugary "health" snack gave me a terrible headache and made me feel absolutely AWFUL (it went away after a little bit, but WHOA)! So... bring your own snacks. I couldn't find any nuts or trail mixes in the park that worked. I needed to bring more Larabars than I thought, I guess! I also wish I would have brought some of those individual servings of Justin's Almond Butter. I didn't want to spend the money on them and brought a whole jar of a cheaper almond butter, but that was ridiculously impractical, so I never even brought it into the park... Next time!!!

Thoughts. Rants. Sustainable living requires PATIENCE.

Let's be honest: sometimes it is just EASIER to order exactly what you need from Amazon and or pay a lot for something through some supposedly "sustainable brand"... then, of course, fossil fuel is used to deliver said item, you don't always know the manufacturer's policies - and the item can come from anywhere. We are learning this with fashion, organic food, and basic necessities.

I am a big fan of technology when it is used to help us be more efficient. Everybody has lots of crap to get done, and if an iPhone or a tablet can make that job easier, I say GO FOR IT. But the last few weeks have also taught me that it doesn't always make sense to just get whatever I want as fast as I can. Part of living a more sustainable lifestyle is having the patience to wait things out. It also helps being a bit of a frugal person. While the clothes from Walmart fit my budget and I can pop in and grab a clean white tee, I can certainly hit up a secondhand store just as easily, get the same white tee that someone else discarded, maybe give it a good wash, sew up a tiny hole, and I've given a garment a new life, and maybe when I'm done, I can give it to the same donation shop and it can have a THIRD chance!

Right now I'm stoked on all the lovely avocados everywhere --- and even better that many are from California! I'm also super into eggplant, squash, and tomatoes for the time being, and it works because they're in season. But asparagus... mmm, it's so easy to grill! Tastes fresh and delicious (squeeze some lemon on it & cracked pepper) but STOP! Where is this asparagus from? It's definitely not asparagus season in California, because the Asparagus Festival is usually in what, February? March? So.... how much fossil fuel was used to get my tasty asparagus? And broccoli? Cauliflower? I'm clueless. (Ok, yes, I have technology: Google tells me broccoli is in season all summer. Good.)

Grocery stores are so competitive with pricing that there's no way to tell! And California has higher wages than most of the countries sourcing our fruits and vegetables so that even when they aren't in season, you can't even tell that they were sourced in a different hemisphere! So my plan: either buy frozen or be patient! (Frozen veggies truly are the best for busy nights, anyway).

But I do what I can when I can. It's not about perfection, it's about making the effort. Of COURSE I'm going to have to buy certain things like ink cartridges, miscellaneous office supplies I really can't find anywhere else, etc; But I can always remind myself: The eggplant doesn't need an additional plastic produce bag, we're washing it at home. And really, America... why on EARTH do you always support foreign farmers instead of your next door neighbor. Farmers and their families struggle to make it, yet the same families are shopping at Walmart and other grocery chains buying produce from China, Chile and Argentina while their neighbor leases out his soybean ranch because farmers in the US can't earn enough income to support their families. HELLO! CAN YOU SEE WHERE PART OF THE PROBLEM IS? You can always blame Monsanto for it, but I think we need a revolution in supporting our own economies. I hate to admit it, but, as someone has been saying: America First...  If you hate the guy who has been using that saying, then go ahead and support the foreign economy and use up the earth's fossil fuels on out of season vegetables... Or you can give him the middle finger (since I'm sure he owns stock in all the major corporations anyway) and Think Globally, Act Locally (Yes, I stole that phrase, too). Don't support the large corporations, and look for what's available in your own community. Local vegetables are available at some grocery stores (Nob Hill, Bel Air and Raley's have a program where they buy from growers within 50 miles). Vote with your wallet.

Now how about that back to school shopping??? I always want a couple little things to spruce up my style before tackling a new academic year! I'm very happy with my latest Goodwill finds! I'd been perusing eBay, looking for the right shoes, blah blah (p.s. you can sort items by distance and many sellers have local pick up for free)! BUT I decided I needed to get out of the house. I found a few things at Goodwill, cleaned them up at home with the right cleaning materials, and will enjoy them very much as the seasons begin to change (here's where patience comes in handy)!

So, can I carry most of this on through the new school year? Will I turn down the chance to buy that super discounted dress from questionable manufacturing at some store or will I continue to dig through the crap at thrift stores and consignment shops and give a garment a second life? I'm sure I won't be perfect, but I like making the effort (and I really quite like saving the money, too).

My charge: go forth and DO NOT MULTIPLY (as a favorite voice teacher would say) --- do not multiply your fossil fuel use, do not multiply your credit card debt, do not multiply the impact your eating and wardrobe has on our planet. Enjoy a local lifestyle. Support small businesses in your community who buy from small scale fashion designers. Give secondhand shops a chance to impress you (or get that fast fashion thing a month after it came out. Someone's already sick of it, I guarantee). Check out books from the Library! Or read ebooks! Encourage your area's local farms by purchasing THEIR food when in season, rather than sourcing from a foreign country with wages that aren't livable and more danger with equipment, pesticides, and herbicides (same for fashion re: toxic dyes, unsafe factories, and mistreated textile workers). Donate your old stuff to a secondhand shop rather than discarding it (ok, maybe discard your old underwear... cuz that'd be gross -- though I've seen it in some thrift shops). I think that it's really about being AWARE of the companies influencing the global marketplace and choosing to support a more local marketplace.

Choose Local.