organic
Organic and natural recipes, tips, and tricks to live a health and wellness Longevity lifestyle.
The Best Natural Cleaning Products
Ammonia makes you cough and choke, Comet smells like the bathrooms of Miss Hannigan’s orphanage. But you want to make your home or apartment shine like the top of the Chrysler building! You just want everything to smell like French lavender or figs and pomegranates, not airway-damaging chemicals. Enter all-natural cleaning products with the scents and safety of your dreams. Of course, you can always make your own from simple ingredients like vinegar, lemon juice, water, and essential oils, but when you don’t have the time or the inclination to do it yourself, pick up one of these scrubs, soaps, or sprays and get to making everything sparkle.
Sarah QuinnPublished 7 years ago in LongevityNatural and Organic Makeup You'll Adore From Day One
Sometimes you feel like Ophelia, Hamlet’s tragic love, being commanded to “paint an inch thick” - and with ingredients that came from who knows where. If you’re intentional about what you’re putting in your body, it’s also important to know what’s going on your body, because pores (you know, those tiny holes in your skin that let things inside). While it can be discouraging to find products that you feel good about using, it’s getting easier to find organic-conscious makeup and skincare lines all the time. These fresh-faced choices from beauty companies who really care about where their ingredients come from will have you looking at your morning routine in a whole different way.
Sarah QuinnPublished 7 years ago in LongevityHerbs for Health
Herbal and holistic health practitioners have been extolling the healing values of certain plants for centuries, but until recently most western doctors dismissed herbal preparations as worthless and unscientific. Conclusive clinical tests and the standardization of herbal extracts has moved herbalism back into the spotlight. In light of this new information, vitamin and nutritional supplements have been offering herbs in a pill for years.
David McClearyPublished 8 years ago in LongevityA Vegan Thanksgiving to Make Carnivores Jealous
There’s one holiday meal each year that I just always kind of dread. It’s not Easter, with the ham and potatoes and luscious spring-themed desserts; it’s not the Fourth of July, with the burgers and lemonade and homemade ice cream. It’s definitely not Valentine’s Day, with the fancy chocolate desserts of your romantic dreams. It’s...Thanksgiving. I know! So American, right? But there’s something about staring at a monochromatic plate of turkey (tastes like turkey), mashed potatoes (am I supposed to be excited?), rolls (yum, but still bland), stuffing (mushy reconstituted bread what?), and gravy (it’s brown...again) that just doesn't do it for me. Everything that I do enjoy about Thanksgiving tends to be made of plants - the bright, tangy cranberry sauce, the green beans or asparagus or brussels sprouts, the complex, spicy pumpkin pie. So when it comes to creating a perfect vegan turkey-day feast, I’m all about ditching any lame tofurky poultry substitute and walking on the wild side. See if these brilliant vegan Thanksgiving switch-it-up meal ideas don’t have your meat-eating friends and relations turning sneaking forkfuls from your plate and asking for the recipe.
Sarah QuinnPublished 8 years ago in LongevityThe Most Incredible Vegetarian Tacos
When I was a kid, tacos always meant ground beef cooked up with some McCormick taco seasoning served in a flour tortilla with cheddar cheese and iceberg lettuce. Only I never ate the iceberg, because, you know, vegetables. Not exactly the first thing you think of when you’re trying to eat whole foods, or more veggies, or less fat. But today tacos are a concept borrowed by every possible food subculture imaginable, and this especially applies to vegetarians. Ditch the original “tacos” of your childhood for spicy sauces and salsas, a hundred different delicious veggie and bean and cheese combinations, and all kinds of crunchy, crispy, flavorful toppings that will make you wish every day was Tuesday (and that there was a taco truck on every corner).
Sarah QuinnPublished 8 years ago in LongevityHerb Magic
Think of Halloween and what comes to mind? Jack O' Lanterns, black cats, witches riding their brooms across a Sana moonlit sky, bats? Not too far-fetched, actually. Many traditions that we use to celebrate the autumn holiday comes from superstitions and the medieval use of herbs and charms to ward off evil spirits used for centuries.
Jillian SprucePublished 8 years ago in LongevityFresh Asian-Inspired Vegetarian Salads and Slaws You'll Want All to Yourself
Do you go through the Phases of Salad Enjoyment like I do? Here’s how it works. I realize I haven’t eaten a vegetable in two days and I’m like “Who am I? What am I doing with my life?” I get all excited about salads and start making them again. But after a while, salad boredom strikes and I feel like if I see one more tomato or cucumber on my table, I’m going to toss them out the window and watch them splat in vengeful satisfaction. Unfortunately, this leads me back to the part when my diet is sadly lacking in vegetable-rich nutrition. When you, too, reach this unfortunate point, you need something to get you motivated. I suggest Asian-inspired salads like these, fresh, crispy, crunchy, refreshing, spicy, and oh-so-flavorful and textured - just what you need to get you back in the swing of feeling amazing and eating well.
Sarah QuinnPublished 8 years ago in LongevitySuper Delicious Vegan Sandwiches for Fall
Back in college, my BFF Karen’s then-boyfriend, now husband Eric was part of a Sandwich Club. It had only two members: Eric, and his friend Brian. I don’t know why, but for some reason, I pictured this guy as a chubby, sweaty Dungeons and Dragons kind of guy complete with awkward facial hair and zero social skills. Imagine my surprise when I eventually met this “Brian” and he turned out to a strikingly handsome, very funny guy with perfectly rolled up sleeves and high cheekbones. Also my future husband. Uh...who’s awkward now? (The answer is: me, for judging people I don’t even know and then totally eating my words by marrying them.) ANY WAY, the only way you could get into the Sandwich Club was by marriage (or so Eric and Brian said), and that was definitely a plus. I always forget about how healthy and texturally amazing sandwiches can be. They’re the perfect vehicle for all your crispy, crunchy, chewy, creamy, fresh, and flavor-filled favorites. Just shove your favorite edible goodness between two slices of bread (or lettuce, if that’s the way you like it) and mash your face into it. But if you need some sandwich-making confidence or just new ideas, read on for a list of seriously delicious vegan sandwiches that are perfect for fall.
Sarah QuinnPublished 8 years ago in LongevityCruelty-Free Ways to Care For Your Skin That Will Make You Feel Like a Goddess
When you’re slathering, rubbing, or scrubbing something onto your skin, you want to know what it’s made of and where it comes from. Many supposedly “all-natural” and “organic” options have a long list of questionable ingredients or can’t prove anything about their suppliers and their testing process. The following five brands stand ahead of the competition in their quality, their transparency, and their committment to cruelty-free, truly natural ways to care for your skin. Find your favorite (or a mix of them all) to feel refreshed, relaxed, and kind to the earth.
Sarah QuinnPublished 8 years ago in LongevityHomemade, Energy-Packed Vegan Snack Bars You'll Love
What’s currently hanging out in your snack cupboard? I’ve got...let’s see...1/4 of a bag of off-brand BBQ potato chips, 3 partially crumbled cheese-flavored rice cakes, some extremely stale Wheat Thins from a camping trip several weeks ago...and, oh, goody! Two alarmingly bendable graham crackers! I do also have lots of fresh fruit, but the thing about fruit is...it just doesn’t feel like a snack on its own. To avoid opening the giant bag of Reese’s Peanut Butter cups I just bought for Halloween, it’s going to have to be vegan energy bars TO THE RESCUE! Shun your own stale snack cupboard and stir up some of these fresh, crunchy, sweet and salty bars to munch. I can’t promise I’ll stay away from the candy stash completely, but at least it’ll have a fighting chance of lasting a little bit longer. (Tying yours up in brown paper and twine is completely optional, albeit adorable.)
Sarah QuinnPublished 8 years ago in LongevityWhy I Stopped Washing My Hair and How the "No 'Poo" Method Works For Me
Before you’re totally grossed out, let’s get things straight. When I say that I stopped washing my hair, I don’t mean that my hair never comes in contact with water. What I mean is that I’m no longer using shampoo and conditioner like you buy at the store or salon - and my hair has never been shinier and healthier. What prompted this obviously insane change? I’m not a scientist, a stylist, or a healthcare practitioner of any kind, but I can tell you all about my personal hair journey and what worked (and still works!) for me.
Sarah QuinnPublished 8 years ago in LongevityHealthy Up Your Pasta, the Veggie Way
It's not that you don't LIKE vegetables. It's just that there's so much delicious pasta to eat. But you don't have to choose between the two, and you don't have to relegate your veggies to an afterthought of a side salad. Mix your carbs and your produce together for outstanding, flavor-packed main dishes, cold or hot, that are even better for lunch the next day (or breakfast, if you simply can't wait to taste more). Grab your best knife and get chopping, dicing, and julienning while the pasta boils, or toss it all in together! Either way, you'll meet both of your food goals. One, eat vitamin and fiber-rich vegetables because you like a healthy strong body and two, eat delicious, delicious spaghetti and linguine and penne and soba noodles as often because pasta is bae.
Sarah QuinnPublished 8 years ago in Longevity