healthy living: knowledge is power.

Allow me to stand on my soapbox today! As my eagerness for learning more about eco-friendly and healthy living over the years has grown (and only continues to do so), I’m constantly trying to absorb as much information as I can in order to expand my knowledge on the subject. The variety of resources I came across this past week spotlighting America’s food industry proved to be a wealth of information and nothing short of powerful, eye-opening and definitely share-worthy! Okay, before you click away, hear me out here — even if you’re not necessarily crazed about the idea of “healthy living” or giving up your fast food Fridays, the resources I’m sharing contain basic information the general public should know about (and can only benefit from), regardless of your concern for the topic. Keep in mind that knowledge is power and ignorance is bliss so don’t be in the dark — educate yourself! The more you know about healthy living, the larger impact you can have in bettering your lifestyle and those you care about.

Take the time to check out the following links and you may very well feel baffled from what you’ll learn, but also enlightened and empowered.

Short video: How the food industry influences you and your kids // a 15-min. clip featuring a revealing speech by author and activist Anna Lappe in regards to the food industry’s marketing tactics/ploys specifically geared toward children. From snack packaging to school supplies, the ways in which companies such as Coca-Cola are targeting children and deceiving them into consuming (and getting hooked on) their product is just down right disturbing. For anyone who has a child in their life that they care about, this clip is well-worth your time!

Documentary: Forks Over Knives // a thought-provoking documentary on the negatively profound effects of the average American diet. The video exclusively examines the claim that most, if not all, degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled and even reversed by rejecting animal-based and processed foods. Clean eating as the answer to cancer prevention and obesity? Yes, that’s exactly right! It’s so simple, yet comes as such a complex concept for people to comprehend. This is hands-down the best documentary I’ve watched and has had the most lasting influence on me. In my opinion, it even trumps Food Inc., Vegucated, and Food Matters, which is not to say those aren’t excellent documentaries because they are also worth checking out!

Public figure: Birke Baehr // It’s people like Birke, a 14-year-old organic food crusader, who show promise for our future generations. This early activists’ self-taught knowledge of how today’s food industry is so wrongly effecting Americans has led him to boycott fast food chains and GMO-laden food in favor of eating and promoting local + organically grown. If one kid can say no to McDonald’s and soda laced with loads of high fructose corn syrup, then surely there is hope for the rest of America! Watch just one of Birke’s speeches and you will be instantly captivated and inspired.

Coming soon: GMO OMG // this documentary (currently underway) highlights the corporate ‘hijacking’ of our global food system through GMOs – genetically modified organisms. As our government is being bought out by giant food corps, how can we really know what is safe to consume anymore? Is it even possible to get back to the days of “real” food where we don’t have to scrutinize ingredients? For anyone who has been outraged by the recent Monsanto Protection Act signed by President Obama, definitely add this to your must-watch list!

The ‘Food Babe’ blog is also an excellent source of information that I recently wrote about here.

If you made it through this whole post, I applaud you! I would truly love to receive your personal feedback on what I’ve shared today. (I’d love even more if you’d share this post with others!) Have a wonderful and healthy week! :-)

you say tomato, i say tomato.

I’ve come to the conclusion that there are two kinds of people: those who love tomatoes and those who despise them. There’s really no in-between; you either like ‘em or you don’t. I just so happen to be one of the people who love them! If spring/summer ever decides to make its merry little way to us freezing folks here in Minnesota, I will gladly be in the market for these products that are ripe for the pickin.’

1. [Tomatoes] print via Etsy.
2. Burt’s Bees garden tomato toner. *I’m obsessed with this stuff!
3. Martha Stewart Living organic tomato seeds.
4. Tres tomates dishtowel via Crate & Barrel.
5. Orla Kiely for Method tomato vine-scented hand soap. {limited edition!}
6. ‘Growing Great Tomatoes’ by Mike McGrath.
7. Wild tomato vine-scented soy candle via Crate & Barrel.

So what about you — are you a fan or foe of tomatoes?

random new things.

Just a few random new things I’ve purchased in the past month + my thoughts on each…

New running shoes: Saucony Kinvara 3. I signed up for a half marathon in May so for the past month I had been searching for a new running shoe to train in. (This was after discovering that my favorite Asics Gel-Arianna shoe (which I re-purchased the past two years because I loved them so much) was sadly discontinued). I first tried the Mizuno Wave Inspire 9, but returned them just a day later after getting blisters from wearing them on a 45-minute walk. An employee at the local running store said the Saucony Kinvara 3′s were relatively similar to the Asics I liked, so I decided to give them a go. I haven’t done a long-distance run in them quite yet, but just from the few short runs I’ve done so far they seem promising. Do you have a go-to running shoe?

New book: All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew. This summer Rey and I will be trying our hands at organic gardening. It’s definitely an investment (both time and money-wise) once you factor in all of the work and supplies needed, so I want to make sure our efforts don’t become a flop. As with any new endeavor, I figure the more research done beforehand, the better chances for success. This book was recommended to me as the ‘classic go-to book’ for all the info a beginner gardener is after — planning, building, growing, & harvesting. I’m only a few pages in but I can already tell it was $20 well spent!

New kitchen/garden tool: Oggi Eco-friendly Compost Pail. From the basic garden reasearch I’ve done this far, I’ve learned that compost rich in organic matter will make your garden thrive and is a vital piece in the successful garden puzzle. Since we’re always tossing out coffee grounds and pulp from juicing on a regular basis, this seemed like an essential item to have in working towards our [hopefully successful] organic vegetable garden this summer. (I opted for this particular pail over other stainless steel versions because it’s made with bamboo fiber – a renewable resource).

New beauty item: Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm in ‘Red Dahlia.’ I finally caved and purchased one of these tinted balms after resisting temptation for about a year. I’m a big fan of Burt’s Bees original lip balm, and now I can say the same for this tinted version. It gives just the right amount of color and moisturizes at the same time. My only complaint is that the tinted balms are $4 more than an original balm, yet the tint is really the only difference between the two. But now that I’ve given this a try, I’m also curious about the new lip glosses and lip shines… Have you tried any of the Burt’s Bees lip color products?

What new products have you purchased lately?

A+ for american blinds.

This past week we finally received the shades we ordered back in December from American Blinds (they were placed on backorder twice), and I can now say it was four months worth the wait! The shades were super easy to install and we love the way they look.

Out with the standard vinyl roller shades, in with the new custom woven wood ones!

Instead of taking a picture of almost every room in the house with the new shades (we installed 16 total), I thought I’d make it simple and show you just this one window. You get the jist!  (Note: we went with ‘Sumatra 87′ if you’re after a similar look. It lets a small amount of light in but not enough for anyone on the outside to see in).

At first I was wary of ordering shades online, but based on my overall experience and despite the wait, I highly recommend American Blinds to those in the market for [affordable] custom blinds or shades. We saved hundreds of dollars going with them instead of the big box store. Another bonus – you have the ability to order as many free samples as you want prior to purchasing so you can make sure you are getting exactly what it is you want. We were also extremely impressed with the customer service. All in all I give them an A!

homemade organic vanilla syrup.

Happy Monday, friends! I’ve got just the thing to make your week a little brighter tastier — a recipe for organic vanilla bean coffee syrup! Not only is this syrup ridiculously good and easy to make, it’s also much more cost-effective than buying the pre-made stuff from the store, which typically has artificial flavoring and preservatives — no thank you!

Here’s what you’ll need:
1 cup organic cane sugar
1 cup filtered water
1 organic vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 tsp. organic vanilla extract
a container for storing  (ours was $3.99 from Home Goods)

Directions:
Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the pan and throw in the pod as well. Heat the mixture over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from the heat, discard the vanilla bean pod and stir in the vanilla extract. Let cool. Store in the refrigerator.

Have a great week!

target strikes again.

Let’s talk about Target… you know, the store where you always go for just one thing and end up leaving with ten… nine of which you didn’t even need. 

And with that being said, today I’m sharing with you some of my favorite home-related items from Target, all of which I conveniently don’t “need” but could definitely talk myself into buying. (Bonus – everything goes on clearance sooner or later…)

1. These sunshine-colored curtains (featuring a lovely paisley pattern) would liven up any room.
2. I’m all about the modern-ness of this glass terrarium, and I think it could make a cool candle holder as well.
3. Stylish storage alert! Canisters with colorful lids + chalkboard labels? I’m sold.
4. Basically this dragon-fly pillow just needs to fly its way on into my living room… end of story.
5. Two of these classy table lamps would be the perfect addition to our bedside tables (in place of the mismatched ones we are currently using).
6. I’ve packed away the wool throws for the winter and these organic blankets seem like the perfect replacement for the spring months.

I’m also a big fan of Target’s selection of soy candles. You should definitely check them out! (Why soy, you ask? I steer clear of standard paraffin wax candles because they emit a smoke which contains carcinogenic toxins (not safe to breathe) and after time those toxins create a film of black soot on the walls.)

*To see more of the items on my ‘home goods wish list,’ go here.

What are some of your favorite items you’ve spotted (or bought) at Target recently? 

guest post @ arc’s value village.

Today you can find me over on the Arc’s Value Village Thrift Store blog sharing my top 5 thrift tips!

Click here to get the full article!

penny-pinched planters.

Over the weekend I did a little thrifting with my mom. I didn’t get enough items to render a full-on “haul” post, but I still wanted to share my two favorite finds that became homes to a few new plants in our house.

First is this cheery red pot I picked up for $2.25 (orig. $3) from Empty the Nest in Burnsville which I used to hold a Jade plant ($5.98 from Lowe’s). I love it because it totally reminds me of this leaf bowl from Target, but a tenth of the price! And there is always the option to spray paint it yellow or some other fun color if I ever get tired of the red.

Another plant item I picked up was this small .99 cent jar from the Goodwill in Roseville which I turned into a mini terrarium, thanks to an Echeverias plant ($1.98 from Home Depot) and some soil and rocks that I already had on hand. Project total? Only $3!

Not only are terrariums a unique decor item, they also boost the oxygen in your home. (You can read more about the benefits of having plants in your home (and workplace) in my ‘power of plants’ post here). If you’re interested in making your own terrarium, I really like this tutorial.

Have a great week!

spring-ified mantel.

In my recent ‘mantel makeover’ post I mentioned that the mantel could use some spring infusion, so this past weekend I gave it exactly that. I kept the lantern and ampersand the same, but swapped out the mirror for an old windowpane, added some blue Ball mason jars (one filled with small river rocks, the other with wine corks), and a white pitcher with faux flowers. Come summer time I think it would be fun to add some cherry blossoms in place of the faux flowers in a variety of different-sized jars and have it look something more like this.

Item details: lantern – wedding gift via Target; ampersand – $5 (orig. $10) @ Hobby Lobby; weathered windowpane – $15 @ Northwestern Architectural Salvage in St. Paul; Ball mason jars – free (from my mom’s house); white pitcher – $1.99 @ Goodwill in Rochester; faux flowers (two sprigs) $3.14/ea (on sale) @ Shopko.

I also worked on a few other small projects around the house this past weekend but those will be for another post.

Have you made any decor changes around your house to make it feel more spring-like?

friday favorites: media.

image via

Happy Friday! Any fun plans for the weekend? If you happen to have some free time, I highly recommend reading/watching one or two of the following (aka a few of my favorite media items as of late)…

Article: 22 Things Happy People Do Differently // a wonderful article pin-pointing 22 simple things that are characterized by ‘happy people.’

Book: Gone Girl // a hard-to-put-down suspense that comes with a real curveball and will keep you at the edge of your seat from start to finish.

Movie: Side Effects // similar to ‘Gone Girl’, this movie is chock-full of suspense and delivers a twist that slowly but surely gives way to a rather shocking ending. (currently in theaters)

Documentary: Food Matters // an eye-opening documentary on the power of whole foods for treating chronic illnesses rather than the [harmful] pharmaceutical drugs that our society seems to rely all too heavily on.

Blog: A Beautiful Mess //a quirky blog featuring a fun and eclectic mix of DIY, beauty, fashion, home decor, recipes & more.