Sustainable & Creative Living
This Creamy Artichoke Dip is a big fan favorite in my house whether it’s Superbowl Sunday or any other game day, a holiday, or any day I make it! It’s warm, tasty, and so simple to make. This batch size serves 5 – 7 people– depending on how hungry everyone is! You may want to double it for a larger gathering.
January is coming to an end, and many of us are settling into our busy routines. If you’re like me, you’re probably already working away on your resolutions and goals for the New Year. Many of my goals have often centered on getting better at or doing more of something I’m already working on. Yet regardless of what time of year it is, or what I’m already doing, it’s always a good time to start something new.
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, many of us will be looking for special treats and gifts for our sweeties! Of course, there will be all kinds of candy to choose from but I have a feeling that, like me and my family, many of you may still be suffering from Christmas candy overload. A good way to avoid candy overload at Valentine’s Day but still enjoy a delicious treat, is to make Chocolate Coconut Covered Strawberries.
Not only are Chocolate Coconut Covered Strawberries tasty, but with my recipe, they’re guilt-free and healthy. Chocolate Coconut Covered Strawberries are also extremely simple to make. Anyone who knows me, knows I don’t do complicated when it comes to cooking. I do, however, do delicious—and that’s what these are!
One thing in my life that gets frazzled after the holidays is my hair. Normally, I wash, blow dry, and curl it every other day. I may curl it again or use a straightener on the off day. I definitely do all of it more often during the holiday season when I go to parties and extra events. Combine that with the dry weather we have during the winter and my hair needs extra help.
To keep my hair healthy I primarily use Rusk Deep Shine Keratin Smoothing Shampoo and Conditioner, a product line that my hair stylist, Evan, recommended. She also recommended using coconut oil on my hair as a deep conditioner. Sometimes I do use straight coconut oil on my hair and sleep with it on all night. In the morning I just wash it off. Shampooing two to three times gets all the oil out.
I came up with a hair mask that combines the benefits of both coconut oil and honey. It leaves hair moisturized and free of buildup. It’s also simple and easy to make at home with ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.
The New Year’s celebration is one of my favorite holidays. New beginnings can be so hopeful, exciting, and scary all at once. Who doesn’t love a chance to start over?
I like to think that any day is a day to begin again so I’ve never been one to make New Year’s resolutions, but it can be very motivating to use this time as a marking point for a newgoal or for tightening up existing ones.
A goal I shoot for every year is being as productive as possible. I’ve found the number one tool to accomplish this goal is list making. But not just random list making. I use a method based on what’s called the Ivy Lee Method. Ivy Lee was a businessman and productivity expert in the early twentieth century. His method is simple but effective.
After the holiday season, with its sweets and treats, we’re probably all going to be thinking about cutting back on the calories for a while. We are, after all, going to have to fit back into our skinny jeans! We might be cutting back on sweets, but this recipe is full of flavor and is a really tasty and healthy treat.
People often give and receive plants as holiday or hostess gifts this time of year. One of the most popular is the Christmas cactus. Normally at holiday time they are healthy and in full and beautiful bloom. This plant can live many years and bloom again seasonally with the right care.
A couple of weeks ago, I was standing in line at Publix chatting with the young cashier and bagger as they rang up my groceries. I made a comment about needing to hurry up and put up my Christmas decorations. The cashier told us that her family decorated the tree on Christmas Eve. “Decorating the tree on Christmas Eve was more traditional when I was little,” I told her.
I’d like to say that I decided right then that I would slow down the decorating process and focus on really enjoying it, not just crossing it off the list–but that’s not what happened. The truth is that I just wasn’t in the mood for rushing and stressing, so I gradually decided that I wouldn’t. As I gave up worrying about when and how fast all the Christmas preparations got done, it was easier to enjoy what I was doing and become more mindful in the process. If there’s ever a time to practice mindfulness, it’s definitely at Christmastime!
When Meagan and Christina suggested I write about holiday budgeting, I wasn’t too keen on the idea. I’m not a meticulous budgeter. I am a person who lives within their means and keeps debt to a minimum. I’m frugal at times, but [Read more…]
Women tend to give their time and attention to everyone and everything but themselves. We’re all so busy! Most of us don’t have the time for all of our basic needs let alone day-long spa visits. Indulge yourself today with one of my simple, at home skin treats.
Sugar scrubs are a simple and easy way to pamper your skin. Not only do they feel luxurious while using them, they make your skin feel soft and smooth afterward. The sugar’s granules act as an exfoliant and slough off dead skin cells. Sugar scrubs are a great moisturizer because sugar is a natural humectant—meaning sugar retains and preserves moisture. The scrub’s honey or oil also make it moisturizing.
These simple sugar scrubs are easy and quick to make at home with only a few ingredients. Make them for yourself or give them as a thoughtful, homemade gift.
Waiting for Christmas morning to come is almost as exciting as Christmas morning itself! This is especially true when you have small children at home, but the excitement seems to fade a bit with teenagers. They don’t always get as excited over the decorating, the baking, and the crafting.
One way to keep Christmas excitement alive for teenagers is by using an advent calendar.
One of my favorite snacks are baked apple chips because they’re healthy, tasty, and easy to make. They can be baked simply plain or sprinkled with cinnamon, but they’re a real treat when coated with fruit sauces. Cranberry flavored apple chips make a delicious holiday snack. They’re flavorful and have an extra zing. You can also try other fruit sauces like raspberry, which is one of my favorites.
The holidays are a time when many of us honor our most heartfelt traditions. Those traditions usually revolve around our families, our spirituality, and our religion. Sometimes our traditions are deeply intimate. Sometimes they are light and fun. Whatever they are, our traditions are meant to bring us joy and satisfaction.
