help me be

[FOOD] As part of a deeper shift toward a homesteading lifestyle, I recently made tofu for my family. It was fascinating to discover that tofu is simply just soy milk that’s been curdled and pressed (i.e. bean curd), and that its high calcium is not natural but due to an added calcium coagulant. Such a simple and interesting process - who would have thought? With the right supplies, it's relatively easy to make.  Your turn now! I had fun sprouting the soybeans, and making them into my own soymilk, but you can purchase pre-made soymilk. Either will work great. Here's a soy milk recipe .  Supplies: Tofu Mold +  press Cheesecloth Tofu Recipe Using Store-Bought Soy Milk Ingredients: 1 quart (4 cups) unsweetened, plain soy milk Coagulant (choose one): 1 tsp calcium sulfate (best texture), OR ¾–1 tsp nigari, OR 2–3 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar Instructions: Heat the Soy Milk Pour soy milk into a pot and heat to about 180°F (just before boiling). Stir occasionally...

[HEALTH] One of our body’s greatest superpowers is its ability to clean out old and dysfunctional cellular debris. This repair process is so cool, it even has its own name: mitophagy . Through mitophagy your cells find old mitochondria, break them down, and recycle them with newer, healthier mitochondria. Mitophagy can influence how we feel, age, and recover from stress. And what's even cooler is that there are phytonutrients found in oak trees, especially French oak wood extract (aka robuvit ), that have polyphenols the body metabolizes into antioxidants called urolithins, and studies show urolithins may activate mitophagy.  Oak trees have actually been used for centuries- the Aztecs used oak root bark to treat depression, locals in Asia use acorns as food, and early North Americans too, as well as consuming drinks made of oak bark.  In one article published to PubMed Central in 2021 [ 1 ], researchers confirm that ellagitannins from French oak wood extract are metabolized b...

[RELATIONSHIPS]  Recently, a silly yet surprisingly effective parenting trend has gained popularity online. Called the "Jessica" trick , instead of meeting your child's agitation with more words, you firmly (but not aggressively) yell, "Jessica!" as your toddler screams inconsolably. This seems to stop the escalation instantly. Who Jessica is doesn’t matter. The point is breaking the behavior pattern. Toddlers gain emotional momentum quickly, and something silly and unexpected interrupts it just as quickly. With this hack, kids shift from crying to curious within seconds! I feel this trend certainly runs counter to many popular parenting methods, such as validating feelings, and discussing emotional management. While these approaches are definitely important and valuable, sometimes your kid is beyond words during a tantrum. Sometimes kids don't need a perfectly thoughtful response. In those heated moments, a simple and quick redirection can do the trick!

[BEAUTY] You crack open an egg, throw away the shell with hardly another thought. However, tucked just underneath that brittle shell, easy to miss is a small treasure for your skin!  It’s a thin film you likely didn’t even know existed: The eggshell membrane. Eggshell membrane contains collagen (type I, V, X), hyaluronic acid, glucosamine, chondroitin, and other proteins and peptides. These are all things your body naturally produces to support cartilage, elastic tissue, and connective tissue. The unique aspect of eggshell membrane is that it delivers these nutrients in a whole-food matrix rather than as isolated ingredients, which may help absorption and efficiency. Studies have shown eggshell membrane literally regenerates the skin. And the super thing is that it comes free with the egg!  The Studies   The most cited study enrolled 88 individuals and gave them hydrolyzed eggshell membrane at a dose of 450 mg/day for 12 weeks. After just 4 weeks, participants showed mea...

[HEALTH]  Many of the most effective remedies are made up of minimally-processed ingredients that help support the body’s natural healing process. One must be prepared for an emergency and here's a way to do it with natural or super simple products, and a box to store them all snugly in! 1 Burn  Calendula Burn Ointment   First Honey Burn Salve    Aloe Vera Gel (Super simple) + 1 Healing  Green Goo First Aid Salve   Herblore Healing Salve Raw Manuka Honey (Super simple)  + 1 Bruise  Bruise Gel Pure Witch Hazel (Super Simple) + 1 Pain  Dr Hoy's Pain Relief Gel Tiger Balm Organic Magic Balm   Sore Muscle Rub   Magnesium oil (Super Simple) + 1 Anti-Bacterial  Simply Neosporin   Firsthoney Ointment   ThursdayPlantation Healing Balm Lugol's Iodine (Super Simple) Tea tree oil (Super simple)  + -1 box of bandaids + 1 box of variety-sized bandaids -20 variety-sized sterile gauze with medical tape -1 Saline spra...

[FOOD] These incredibly easy lentil wraps, made with only two ingredients (if we're counting water), are rich in nutrients and protein and are unbelievably healthy. They’re soft and pliable, making them perfect to use in place of bread or tortillas. Made with just lentils and water, you can whip them up for lunch or dinner whenever you need a nutritious meal in a flash! 2-Ingredient Lentil Wraps Ingredients: 1 cup dried red lentils 2 cups water (for soaking) ½–¾ cup water (for blending) Instructions: Rinse lentils well and soak in 2 cups of water for 2–4 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse the lentils. Add lentils to a blender with ½–¾ cup fresh water. Blend until smooth (like thin pancake batter). Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and lightly grease if needed. Pour about ¼ cup batter into the pan and spread thin. Cook for 2–3 minutes until set, then flip and cook another 1–2 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter. Notes: Add more water if batter is too thick. Stack wraps and co...

[HEALTH] I hate to make this awkward, but… have you ever stopped to think about what you’re wiping with? Considering you do so every single day on very sensitive areas (save for the drip-drying minimalists, or those living the bidet life). Turns out most toilet paper, even many of the natural ones, has nasty substances in them that you probably wouldn’t knowingly put anywhere near your body!  Instead, look for paper that's guaranteed  free from: synthetic fragrance bleach dyes PFAs (Forever chemicals) (if you want to know how harmful these are, just check this out) Paper free from these is: gentler on your body. less irritating.  better for the environment, especially if it's bamboo or recycled.  less likely to cause health issues with long-term use. Many of the bamboo ones fit the ticket! Check out Plant Paper or Reel Paper .  [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]

[MIND] Work has been busy this season; it’s still hard to believe. The higher-ups showed me the numbers - bouquet sales for vday this year are up over 1,000%, potted plants increased by 430% - and they said the only difference this year is me. I’m floored, to be honest. Humbled. Thankful. Shocked. There are obviously many reasons for that spike (there’s a lot of heaviness in the world and flowers are a small, beautiful way to soften it) but it’s nice knowing I may have helped facilitate even a tiny drop of positivity in the bucket. I feel lucky to be surrounded by such a great group of people doing work that I adore.  The other day was Valentine’s Day, and my heart has been overflowing with gratitude. I hope yours is too. To have love, stability, and peace in my life feels like a gift. It is a gift. And not only that, i have two new businesses blooming right before my eyes. I feel like I’m opening up and growing in the areas that I’m most aligned with, and it feels really good. M...

[HEALTH] Need some shut-eye? Try adding these foods to your evening routine and report back , for science, obviously. Tart Cherries   In one randomized, placebo-controlled trial, adults consuming Montmorency tart cherry juice slept approximately 40 minutes longer each night and had 6% better sleep efficiency when compared to placebo. A pilot trial involving older adults with insomnia found that tart cherry juice consumed twice-daily significantly improved total sleep time by 84 minutes and sleep efficiency. Another study showed that consuming tart cherry juice increased blood melatonin levels and was associated with modest improvements in sleep quality and duration among healthy adults. Tart cherry juice's sleep magic may be due to its content of natural melatonin, as well as tryptophan and antioxidants.  [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ] Walnuts Results of a randomized controlled trial published recently in Food & Function suggest that consuming a handful of walnuts per day with dinner ...

[HEALTH] Holy basil (Ocimum sanctum), commonly called tulsi (meaning “the indefatigable” in Sanskrit), known as the "tonic of life" has been used for millennia in Ayurvedic medicine as an adaptogen that supports the body’s natural rhythm. Researchers took a step back to analyze all available studies on holy basil in 2017. Across 70 studies involving almost 4,000 total participants, holy basil consistently showed beneficial effects for modulating stress, immune function, blood sugar, lipid levels, and inflammation with very few adverse effects.   Few herbs have been studied this broadly and come away with such a consistent, reassuring track record, so enjoy!  STRESS   Holy basil seems to help people handle stress more easily. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled human study, healthy adults received a standardized holy basil extract for 8 weeks. The researchers measured cortisol levels, physiological responses to mental stress (including blood pressure reactivi...

Years ago, I made my own laundry detergent for my family, spending hours grating soap by hand. Now I’m back at it, but with a better, much easier recipe. There are many benefits to making your own, including cost, simplicity, and reduced environmental impact, but the most important to me is knowing exactly what’s in it, and that every ingredient would rate green on the EWG scale. I also love that there are no plastic bottles to recycle anymore, and a single batch lasts a long time. Blend all ingredients together (wear a mask!) and store in a mason jar. Add a few drops of essential oil (I like grapefruit) to each laundry load for scent.  

[OPINION]   There’s a lot wrong with the new dietary guidelines , but let’s start with what they get right. It’s encouraging that both the new pyramid and written guidelines now advise to only consume whole rather than processed grains, and the emphasis is on eating “real food” over processed foods. It’s also a major win that they advise avoiding added sugar, rather than simply limiting it. “While no amount of added sugars or non-nutritive sweeteners is recommended or considered part of a healthy or nutritious diet, one meal should contain no more than 10 grams of added sugars.” The vegetable section makes up a larger percentage, compared to previous US guidelines and pyramids, encouraging higher fruit and vegetable intake, which is excellent. But then things start to fall apart. Meat and dairy are front and center for protein in the new pyramid (do we really need that giant chicken?) yet in the written portion, they state: “In general, saturated fat consumption should not exceed ...

[HEALTH]  Aloe vera usually gets invited to the party to deal with sunburns, not thyroid hormones - but some researchers have been asking the question, “What else can this plant do?” One 2018 study had women with subclinical hypothyroidism from Hashimoto’s drink 50 mL of aloe juice each morning for nine months. Not gallons - literally a couple of sips.  Over that time, researchers documented measurable changes: TSH levels decreased significantly , moving many participants into normal thyroid function Thyroid peroxidase (TPO) antibodies dropped , indicating reduced autoimmune activity The control group showed no improvement , suggesting aloe wasn’t acting by coincidence or placebo A 2022 in-vitro study helped explain the possible mechanism. Researchers found that aloe compounds can influence how thyroid cells express thyroid peroxidase (TPO) - an enzyme essential for the production of thyroid hormones - and reduce inflammatory activity within cells. This provides ...

[OPINION]   What a heartbreaking month. I want to take a moment to recognize and honor the lives of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Jeffrey Pretti , two non-violent Americans who were tragically killed in Minnesota this month during public encounters with federal immigration “agents.” The unjust circumstances that surround these high-profile shootings are devastating and unimaginable. Even more painful is that anyone would attempt to excuse and justify their deaths. Both killings were driven by rage, not professionalism, common sense, or self-defense, and in no civilized society should anyone, in particular those acting in an official capacity, be permitted to use lethal force in the reckless manner that they did, especially when alternative actions and de-escalation were completely possible in both situations. As others have said, in moments like these,  we must believe our eyes, not the lies .  That may be one of the most important things to remember right now .  We ar...