Eco Update- 2

It's been awhile since my last eco-update. I'm still going strong. Check it out!

 A few items I've been trying

The soy protein powder was on sale at half the price. I'm not a fan. I won't be repurchasing once I'm done I'll be going back to whey protein. It depends, I'm starting to think it's not necessary for me.  

Chocolate and Coconut granola bars. What's not to like. Yummy!!!

Crunchy coated edamame. I love me some edamame but I wasn't feeling these.

I switched to whole grain pasta and rice. I thought I wasn't going to like the taste of the pasta. But after I made it with garlic, shrimp, and spinach. I was sold!!!

Fast Food Alternatives

I'm addicted to Mickey D's fries. I will go to the drive through and order just that. Oh! and the chocolate chip cookies. Oooo Weee!!! It was my way of piggin out after eating fruits and veggies all week. Yuck! to eating healthy  :)

So one day I spotted a Panera Bread. I thought it would be a nice change from what I was used to. I pulled up to the drive through and noticed they didn't have a dollar menu. Where they do that at?  Da hell is wrong with this place??

I put my car in reverse so I can drive away but a car quickly pulled up from behind. Sh*t!! If only the car in front of me could just pull up a lil I can make a clean get away. But nooooo. Next thing I hear:  Welcome to Panera Bread! How may I help you?

I placed an order but the cash I had on hand wasn't enough. So, I gave my charge card *fingers crossed* Yay! It went through. The food is good. It didn't leave me saying why did I eat that while running to the bathroom. I signed up for a My Panera rewards cards and so far I've enjoyed some nice treats. The site is loaded with articles, recipes, DIY, and more. I've already bookmarked it. But seriously though, how about a $2 menu. ;)

Smoothie

I normally make my smoothie's with soy or regular milk. But I ran out of milk. The apple juice that I'd been ignoring was begging me to use it. I did and OMG!!! it was THEE best tasting smoothie I've  ever made.

Ingredients:

-1 banana

-handful of kale or spinach (kale has a bitter taste to it by itself but I hardly noticed it in the smoothie)

-2 tbsp of plain greek yogurt

-1 cup of apple juice 

-1 tsp honey

-1/2 tbsp of my crack

-frozen mixed berries(I eyeball it I wanna say about 1/2 a cup)

-a dash of cinnamon

-1 tbsp of soy protein or powder of your choice(it's optional I made with and without taste much better without)  

The Hair, The Hair ,The Hair

My hair is the reason for this blog. I wanted to document my hair journey and blogging was a creative outlet to do so. However, I didn't want it to be another natural hair blog. So I thought and thought and thought some more. Ding, ding, ding!!! Why not blog about my ups and downs of being more eco-friendly. I mean, I was already leaning towards that lifestyle anyway.

It will be 4 years this summer since I embraced my curls. It's been a roller coaster ride. Lots and lots of "this is too much work" and oh shoot! I found my holy grail. Then when I think I've found it all of a sudden it turns on me. 

I made an Aloe Vera Gel Custard. Prior to that I was using an eco styler custard that I made. The results were good the first few days. But, as time went on my hair was looking dirty. It had a lot of sticky residue. I said to myself why don't I get aloe vera gel and mix away.  I used....

2 Tbsp

1 Tsp

There was another reason why I bought this and I will post that later

I also used one tsp of vatika oil (which I'm trying to get rid of) and olive oil 

This is what it looked like after mixing

I did my henntonite, co-wash, then added the custard directly on my hair. I parted down the middle, clipped one side and flat-twisted away. When I was done I had 6 twists.

I normally air dry my hair but it was late and I didn't want to go to bed with wet hair. I used a soft bonnet to blow dry my hair. They next day...

My hair was soft, shiny, and defined

There was no hard crunchy feel  

I re-twisted every other day or pineapple

I used this to help re-style and I used my spritz

Of course I got tired of the extra work and opted for a bun. Using only aloe vera gel. I put on my satin scarf, went night night and woke up to a neat cute hairstyle

 

Look at my kitchen peeking out

Hmm... I think I can stop obsessing over these products. I've found a cheaper alternative

When I went natural I was a sponge soaking up every bit of info. Now, I don't know why but I'm so over it. *In my Chris Rock voice* I'm tired, tired, tired.

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One thing this journey has taught me is that I can do more with less. There are some things that I don't need and I'm ok with it. We're constantly being told this "thing" is going to change our lives forever and you just have to have it. Well, I bought into that and my life is still the same.

The lord is working on me. I'm a work in progress. I've grown spiritually, mentally, yada, yada yada. What I really want to say is the older I get the less I give a damn. Ha! I did say I'm a work in progress.


*Cable- It's been years since I've had cable and I don't miss it. Most of the time there's barely anything worth watching. I watch most of my shows (well, there's only one right now) online. I may be a day or two late but it's one less bill to worry about. I'll go to the library from time to time and check out some DVD's to watch movies. I can't remember the last time I went to the movie theater. I just can't with these overpriced tickets.

Getting cable didn't change my life. It pissed me off that I had to pay to watch a bunch of shows that made me lose a few brain cells. It's funny coming from someone who was a junkie to these shows.


*Smartphone- I had a smartphone and it died on me. I was on that thing 24/7 like I was Olivia Pope handling a crisis. At first, I went bonkers but as time went on I became more and more aware that I didn't need it. In a way I was glad it stopped working. The only thing I really miss is my c25k app.

Oh, and don't get me started on texting. Why do people want to have full blown conversations via texting? Pick up the dang phone and call me. I called my carrier and told them to change my plan. My bill is under $40 a month. No texting or surfing the net. Just incoming and outgoing calls.

A smartphone didn't change my life. It raised my blood pressure so I got smarter and.... *in my Martin voice* Hol up, Hol up!! Why that Samsung eyeballing me though?

Disregard that last part. I'll be back to finish. What was I trying to say again? Oh, the journey still continues.....

Product Review- Canus Goat's Milk Soap

I purchased these soaps from Whole Foods. They were 3 for $5. I did a post on another soap. I liked them but they didn't last long enough. They started melting the second I used.

I've tried liquid soaps and decided it wasn't for me. I like the feel of bar soaps. I'm just so used to them. These smell so good. Based on the scent (I didn't see a sign saying what scent it is) I'm guessing it's lavender.

These soaps are all natural, moisturizing, rich in proteins, and more. So far so good. I will be repurchasing them again.

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Green Light- Stephanie

An eco-sista who was raised to be eco-friendly

How long have you been eco-friendly? I can honestly say all of my life!! My mom was that way and I just created the habit of being that way.

Why did you choose to be eco-friendly? I did not choose initially because that is how we were raised. But, I chose to stay that way because I did not see a need to change what I was already doing. So, I stuck with my positive habits.

What do you like about it? I love that it allows me to feel like I am doing something good for my community. I like being able to do what I can to not be so wasteful and harmful to my community.

Did you face any challenges? If so, what is/was the biggest obstacle(s)? My biggest challenge was getting myself through college. I had to pay for school on my own. I was a full time student working about 40 hours a week to pay for school and other things I needed. It was a loooong 5 years but I managed to graduate with two degrees and I am currently working on my master's degree.

Any tips/advice for someone looking to be more eco-friendly? Create your own healthy habits!!! Walk to work when you can, recycle products that can be recycled, etc. The small things that you do add up over time so do what you can to help!

Going green can be complex. This discourages a lot of people. There's really no "right" way it's basically trying to do something than nothing at all. I sometimes feel like a green hypocrite. Do you feel that way sometimes? To be honest no. I think people worry too much about what other people are doing. Focus on what YOU want to do and that is all that should matter.

You know I gotta ask, How long have you been natural and how do you keep it so FLY? I have been natural all of my life! My mother was the same way. She did not see any good reasons for us to get permed or spend a lot of money at the beauty salon so we didn't. She did my hair until I was old enough to do it myself.  And to be honest I love to wear it any way that I can create. I usually mix up styles that I see online or I try to create my own. I am a health and fitness fanatic so I am always trying to find styles that will accommodate my crazy schedule and hard workouts! 

Is there anything you like to add? Feel free to stop by my blog at infinitelifefitness.com for health and fitness related topics :-)

Ricotta Cheese Stuffed Peppers

Ricotta Cheese, green onions, and seasoned salt were all I used to make this. I pretty much eyeballed what I used. It wasn't my favorite but I enjoyed it. I just mixed everything in with the cheese. The recipe was on the back of the bag with the peppers in it. It called for whole bunch of stuff I didn't have on hand but had most and did it my way.

Farm Raised VS Wild Caught

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Hmmm... something fishy is going on here. Can you tell which is which? What's the difference between the two? Why is one better than the other?

My first thought was... Ay dios mio, How can you raise fish on a farm??? 

FARM RAISED- fish that are born and raised/controlled in specially designed water tanks. They are fed a bunch of crap that most likely contain pesticides, herbicides, GMO's and more. Also they are/have:

-more fat

-low level of protein

-artificial coloring

-cheaper to buy

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Ok, yo comprende

  

WILD CAUGHT- fish that are born in fresh water then migrate to the ocean. They find their own food in the wild. Their diet consist of shellfish or crustaceans. Eating that gives them their beautiful pink color naturally. They are/have:

-less fat

-higher levels of Omega 3's

-low levels of PCB

-more expensive to buy

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Salmon is one of my favorite fish to eat. Well, as of now it's the only type of fish I eat. I wanted to look into the difference, just didn't have the time 'til now. Or maybe I just didn't want to know because what I buy is farm raised. Keeping it real I can't afford to buy wild caught all the time.

So, did you find out which is which?

I guessed wrong

The one on the left is Wild Caught and the one on the right is Farm Raised. I thought the one on the left was farm raised because of the color. 

The one on the right "seemed" more natural to me because of it's color. Also, it has more fat because of the large streaks on it. 

I want to know, Why can't they just let nature be?

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Cheesy Quesadillia with Avocado Salsa

A delicious new addition that I will def be making more of. It was quick, easy, and left me full. I paired it with another easy to make avocado salsa. Of course I had to have more dressing and jalapeño on the side.

 I used a spinach wrap 

 added my Spicy Jalapeño Ranch Dressing
I know it looks like someone threw up on it 

 then added a handful of queso then put in the oven to warm up  

My Supplement Challenge-Update

It's update time. I talked about doing this supplement challenge back in January and let me tell y'all....

Mutli-Vitamins (Maxi-Hair)

The Good- *crickets* I got nothing. What had happened was.... I seriously thought I took a before picture of my hair. I was scrolling through my library and couldn't find any pics. In order to have an after pic I need a before. So it's back to the drawing board with this one. But, I can tell there's been some changes. I can't say for sure if it has anything to do with it.

The Bad(I think)- I was a little concerned when I started noticing the color of my urine was Big Bird Yellow. But turns out it's "normal" when taking multi-vitamins.

Fish Oil

The Good- My heart is beating meaning I'm still alive and breathing well. Woop Woop!!!

The Bad- I still hate the taste of it. I take all three at the same time but, I close my eyes and pinch my nose mainly because of the fish oil. And why was I reading this all it did was raise my blood pressure. 

MSM 

The Good- I started taking it for joint support. But, I noticed that my once deflated boobs were more fuller than before. I did some research online and found a few women who have experienced the same thing. I didn't grow a cup size, just had to adjust my bra strap.   

The  Bad- Ummm..... there is none. This is a good side effect to have ;)

Overall, I haven't gotten any bad side effects from taking these supplements. Just that they are hard to swallow sometimes. They're all good for hair, skin, and nails. Each one providing their own unique benefits. I will continue taking these supplements and observing my results along the way. The journey still continues.....

Disclaimer: These products were purchased with my own money. I did not receive any compensation for this review. I am not a doctor, nutritionist, or health expert. I'm sharing my knowledge through my own research, experience, trails and errors. 

Red Meat Concerns

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Interesting article on the importance of reducing meat consumption 

DIY- Vision Board

A vision board (also called a treasure map or creativity collage) is a poster board in which you paste images/words that represent what you want to be or do.

I'm going to use it as a useful tool to help me reach my goals. Having positive thoughts won't hurt either. I don't want to stare at it and do nothing. Because all those cutting and pasting would be just a waste of time.


Getting started on this vision board has helped me achieve one goal. I had a small notebook where I wrote down my goals for 2013. One of them was to find a new job. Guess what? I got a new job. Yay!!! I flipped that book open and scratched out that goal with a big ol' smile on my face. I'm taking it as a sign that 2013 will be a good year.

I started out with this cork board I got from Micheal's

A few words that caught my eye

I didn't want to paste directly on the cork so I found an old poster, gave it a lil trim, turned it around so I can use the blank side as a base for pasting the words on

The finished product I'll be adding more to it as I find more words of inspiration

RRFM- April '13

This was my first visit to the RRFM since July 2011

About the Really Really Free Market

Because there is enough for everyone

Because sharing is more fufilling than owning

Because corporations would rather see landfills overflow than anyone get anything for free

Because scarcity is a myth constructed to keep us at the mercy of the economy

Because a sunny day outside is better than anything money can buy

Because "free trade" is a contradiction of terms

Because no one should have to do without food, shelter, entertainment, and community

Because life should be a picnic, but it only will be if we make it happen

I picked up a few items and brought some to give away. I got some really nice gently used sweaters. J.Crew and Banana Republic, I couldn't believe how ridiculously soft that J.Crew sweater was. It's 100% cashmere. No wonder, I know most of my clothing is not made out of that material. Anyways, I love going to the RRFM I never know what I'm going to get and the best part it's FREE.

Yummy trail mix

This little guy was not free. Dang!!! I almost took him home

Chess anyone? This was in like new condition

On my way back home I find out that Florida has it's first Trader Joe's. It's about a mile down the street from Whole Foods. You know I had to go in and get some stuff.