A Fun Way to Store Tea Bags

As a follow-up to my last post, I wanted to share how I store my tea bags. Living in a really small apartment in Brooklyn, we've gotten creative with all of our space, putting every inch of it to the best possible use.

One day after digging through a ziplock bag for a flavor of tea that fit my mood, I decided I needed a different method for storing my tea bags.  My eyes focused on a display of antique mason jars that Dave's mom had given me.  I began sorting the teas and placing them in the jars.

You can find similar jars at a local antique shop or you might want to ask your parents or grand parents if you can go digging through their attic, basement or garage. You may find mason jars as well as other treasures.

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3 Ways to Use Coconut Oil

If you don't have a container of coconut oil in your bathroom or kitchen (or both!), use this blog as your inspiration to buy some. You've probably read one of the many articles that have been published about the benefits, but as a quick reminder here are a few:

• Helps maintain a healthy heart
• Fights infections (including conditions like candida)
• Boosts immune system 
• Improves digestion
• Supports healthy skin and hair

Below are a few of the ways to consider using Coconut Oil:

1. Apply to your skin and hair.

Coconut oil is a great moisturizer for your skin. It's a more natural and affordable solution than many of the beauty products on the market today. I cover myself from head to toe in this delicious smelling oil. Note: I do not use on my face due to my current skin care regimen (wedding prep!) but I know plenty of people who do. 

2. Cook with it.

Coconut oil makes for a great cooking oil because it can withstand high heat. I use it for frying eggs, sautéing, or roasting. I now prefer the taste over olive oil (although we still have plenty of that in our house too). 

3. Eat it by the spoonful. Frequently. 

I also consume it raw by mixing it in my oatmeal and by adding it to my smoothies. 

Note: When purchasing coconut oil, make sure you buy organic, cold-pressed, unrefined coconut oil. There is great option in the Stay Beautiful Shop.

How to Store Healthy Ingredients

Remember one of the very first blogs I posted about Smoothie Ingredients to keep on hand? Well, some of you were wondering how I store all of this healthy goodness in some sort of respectable fashion in our teeny tiny Brooklyn kitchen. 

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Let's just say, the mason jar is my best friend. I could dedicate an entire post to the many uses for mason jars (hey, maybe I will...) but all you need are mason jars, these cool plastic lids, paper tape and a sharpie.

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I'm not big into DIY but this is a project we can all do. Have fun with it, use different color tapes to spice up your fridge! This is what your final product will look like.

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Conscious Box

Always a fan of the convenience and novelty of the delivery subscription box services, I signed up to trial a month of Conscious Box after a co-worker recommended it. Anyone who makes suggestions for helping me discover healthier choices is instantly a friend of mine. And I figured it was worth the $20 to see if this company would stand up to it's promises of sorting through hundreds of natural goods like snacks, beauty, and cleaning products and picking the best ones. 

Initially, I signed up for a one month delivery to see if I liked it.  I had a positive reaction when the first box arrived.  As you can see from the pictures, everything is beautifully packaged (I'm a sucker for thoughtful details) and they provide a description card that allows you to quickly scan all of the products included and details on why you might enjoy it.

The following items were included in my first box:

• Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts Raw Shelled Hemp Seeds

• Two Degrees Bar

• Zarbee's All-Natural Cough Syrup 

• Slumberland Snacks Sleep Squares 

• Mighty Leaf Organic Teas

• BumBoosa Bamboo Baby Wipes

• Numi Organics Savory Tea

• Bee Rescued Propolis Toothpaste

• Nordic Naturals Vitamin D3 Gummies

• Flora Flor-Essence Supplement

• Quit Tea

• MRM CRAM

• Nordic Naturals Omega-3 Pet

• Naked Wines $100 Wine Voucher 

With everything from tea to toothpaste I give them an A+ for variety. Although, being a health conscious person, I was familiar with several of these brands (Numi, Nordic Naturals, Manitoba Harvest and Mighty Leaf -- all great companies) so the discovery part was lacking for me. But I like receiving validation that I'm on the right path in my choices, so seeing consistencies always makes me happy. Being a subscriber to other delivery box services such as Birchbox, GoBites, Nature Box and Stitch Fix, I was also surprised to see that Conscious Box felt more like a gift bag at a nice event versus providing full-sized samples as most subscription boxes do. 

I'll leave you by saying the Two Degrees Bars were my favorite find -- delicious! And I readily put that $100 wine voucher to use at Naked Wines. Dave and I have opened two of the six bottles we ordered and they were both great!

Introducing Food Babe

I am constantly experimenting with most everything in life, trying to get a better understanding about anything that I put in or on my body and that are part of my environment. I love reading health and nutrition based books, such as "The China Study",  "Fast Food Nation" or anything by Michael Pollan. I flip through magazines looking for new trends, recipes or recommendations that will better my life and it's certainly not uncommon to find me offering my personal opinion to those friends or co-workers who ask about subject matters related to food, health and fitness. 

So you can imagine how thrilled I was several months ago when my chef friend, Kendra Peterson, aka "Drizzle Kitchen" (more on her later), introduced me to Vani Hari aka the "Food Babe." As I started scrolling through the pages on her site, I sighed with relief knowing that most of the habits I'd formed, products I was using and travel tips I had provided others were in line with everything she believes. 

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And more importantly, I could finally relax, knowing that Food Babe spends 100% of her time investigating what is in food. She doesn't just know the fluffy stuff...she digs into politics, the environment or whatever is making headlines. She's most knowledgeable about harmful ingredients in processed foods and how we can avoid them. Let Food Babe do the investigative work for you too and subscribe for her updates. 

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