Tag Archives: Wellness

Orange Sugar Scrub

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I’m starting to dabble in making my own skincare products (scrubs/bath bombs/facial moisturizer/facial wash, etc.) – super fun and educational with the added benefit of knowing what goes into the products I put on my body…which if you think about it, my skin absorbs and is an organ just like all of the internal ones affected by what I put IN my body. How many skin or hair care products do you use that come with an ingestion warning because they’re toxic…I mean, if it’s toxic to your internal organs, perhaps you shouldn’t be applying it to your external largest organ? Just a thought.

So I google, I look for recipes, buy ingredients (mostly via Amazon Prime) and then try my hand at making things (aka, switching out ingredients)! At first it seemed daunting and like a pain in the ass – but it really isn’t and I tend to pick and choose my recipes on the easier side of mixing/setting, etc.

This is a recipe my sister tagged me in on Facebook, and I thought it seemed not only easy, but I LOVE citrus scents. I also happen to have all of the ingredients on-hand to make. Per usual, I improvised (I rarely if ever follow a recipe, for anything). I apply it last in the shower, and the coconut oil leaves my skin feeling refreshed, like it just took a big drink. So clean you could ingest it (okay I tried it, it’s super tasty)!

Orange Sugar Scrub

  • 1/2 cup raw cane sugar
  • 3/4 cup soft coconut oil
  • 20 drops orange essential oil
  • 5 drops peppermint essential oil
  • Zest of one orange

Mix all ingredients together and place in airtight jar. I have 8 oz quilted glass jars with plastic reusable lids. I’m able to keep it in the shower and keep it airtight.

Original recipe is grapefruit peppermint sugar scrub, with more peppermint oil. I had oranges and orange oil on hand, and prefer a more citrus note. Enjoy!

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Cabbage Bacon Slaw

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It’s hot in San Diego…which means…light, cool meals and sides! The next time you attend a BBQ or party and want to take a fabulous side dish that isn’t A) soy and corn syrup filled potato salad, or B) blood sugar spiking inflammatory grains macaroni salad, whip this together!

Cabbage Bacon Slaw

  • Shredded cabbage
  • Walnuts (I used pieces)
  • Diced red onion
  • Fried bacon pieces
  • Himalayan pink salt
  • Cracked black pepper
  • Olive oil
  • Bacon grease
  • Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Toss everything in a bowl, season to your liking with salt and pepper, squeeze the juice of 1/2 the lemon over the mix. Drizzle just a little olive oil, and 2-3 large spoonfuls of fresh bacon grease (from frying your bacon pieces) over top, and toss!

You could definitely add fresh apple, if you choose, the lemon would help the fruit last 🙂

Cabbage Bacon Slaw

Mexico Recap V.2 – Progress through Baby Steps

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I can count on two hands the number of times I’ve publicly worn shorts or a short skirt, in my entire life. I’m 33. I’ve always wanted to hide behind fabric because my legs looked and felt different (not knowing then, why).

Once I received my diagnosis of Lipedema (stage 1), I understood better. Not sure what it is about lipedema that scares the living hell out of me, but it does. It’s a fear that is ever present for me, that I work to manage regularly. A cut on my calf – will that turn into cellulitis? Sprained ankle/contusion – how long will it take that deep lump/bruise to heal? Why are my legs covered in bruises and why do I bruise with the slight touch of a finger or a bump into something? Why are my legs so tender and painful? Will the added stress on my vascular system have diabetes implications in the future? Why do my legs feel so “heavy” and “thick” today? Why is the lymphatic buildup so bad right now – my insulin pump sites won’t work.

You get the idea.

I’ve worked really hard to change the way that my legs look and feel, and my mental thoughts. The last few years have been transformative in all areas and some have asked if it’s possible that I’ve put my lipedema into remission (don’t know if that’s an option?). They’ve changed shape, become lean, toned, and I’ve almost mentally arrived. Our trip to Mexico played a huge role in this. For the first time in my life, I wore nothing but shorts and skirts! And I felt completely comfortable in my own skin. For the first time, I thought, “hey! I’ve got real, visible ankles – look at all of my hard work!” Mexico was empowering for me, and it’s been many baby steps to get to this point, but here I am!

First two pics, are after flying/dehydration – they were extra puffy!

Puffiness! 2 Puffiness!

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Walking

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I walk everywhere, and then some. I absolutely love walking and I rarely go a day without doing it. It has become a drug for me, and helps keep me balanced. If I have stuff going on during the weeknight, I still go walking by the time I make it home even if I am tired, because it’s that important for me. If I only have 15 minutes, I still go – because that 15 minutes of fresh air is priceless. I’ve been thinking lately what am I going to do if/when we have to leave San Diego where I can’t walk outdoors year around?

A couple added bonuses: regular walking greatly helps with maintaining weight, and if you’ve lost weight, helps keep it off over long periods of time; it’s less impact on your body, all around (joints, stress response, etc.); and a major added bonus, it keeps my blood sugar (having type 1 diabetes) stable with consistent insulin sensitivity. Major wins!

I was downloading my Garmin this morning and decided to look and see how many miles I’ve walked so far this year: 545.37 miles. Holy hell! Guess I really do love it.

Follow-up Post-Ox Bile

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I realize, I haven’t been so great at following-up on previous blog posts, things I’m doing or trying, cooking or making (example: I still haven’t posted about my experiences growing my kombucha SCOBY [process started in January!] and subsequently how I’m now continuously brewing my kombucha). Ahh well, life is busy.

Anyway, I wanted to post a short follow-up to my original post about starting the supplement Ox Bile, found here. Believe it or not, I have received lots of emails, questions and comments from many who are still suffering post gall-bladder removal, correlation? I think not. Oh, you’re having GI issues, let’s just remove an organ! 

When I ordered the Ox Bile (from Amazon), I only saw a 500mg option. I ordered it, and followed the directions for supplementing, with 1 capsule before each meal. I noticed that my GI system was far more active (also loud!) than it typically is, however, it was too active and I encountered stomach upset. Because of my sorted and chronic GI struggles, I stuck with it to see if this was just an initial issue and my body would get accustomed to it. I took it for 30 days, and then I stopped as things still had not improved. There was a very noticeable improvement upon stopping the Ox Bile, almost immediately. Upon further research, I saw there was a 125mg option, somehow I completely missed this on Amazon, so I am going to try this smaller dose to see if it helps with digestion. I haven’t started it yet as I’m trying a few other things, but will let you know when I give it a go. My initial experience definitely isn’t a deterrent from trying to supplement with it again.

Mark Sisson of Mark’s Daily Apple just had a post in his Dear Mark series from a reader who wishes to eat primal, but is lacking a gall bladder. It’s a good read and I’d recommend it for anyone struggling along the GI path.