Check out my favorite poses, songs and brands that i can’t get enough of and of course the occasional plant based recipe!
Sometimes people give me really cool stuff to try, if I love it and think you will too I'll write about it and be sure to tell you it was free. Sometimes people give me not so cool stuff, I can promise you I will not write about that.
Everything on this page is either something I bought and use or was given to me and I use. I will never push a product that I don’t personally stand behind.
DIRTY WATERWORLD
Cancer causing, hormone disrupting, ocean/earth polluting… Want to know one super simple way to make a giant impact? Your water choice.
You probably already know your body is over 60% water, and you already know that drinking a lot of water everyday is important. So here is what you may not know
. . . . Tap water ISN’T GOOD ENOUGH . . . .
Ask anyone in Flint, Michigan.
Okay yes, thank goodness most of our homes have a water supply that is not nearly that polluted. However, all tap water has contaminants so bad that if you knew what was in there you would no longer be okay drinking it.
In Morris Country there are 9 pollutants caused mostly by industry contaminants and 1 is regularly above the health guideline’s safe limit, in Alameda County (San Fran) 4 are above the safe limit, in Arlington County there are 8 contaminants above the health guideline’s safe limit. . . WHAT?!?! How is this is legal? Probably because of the word “guideline” so it’s a legal grey area… Here are some of the things you’re drinking and bathing in:
+ Bromodichloromethane (cancer causing and pregnancy problems)
+ Chlorodifluoromethane (aka freon.. causing heart, nervous system and liver damage)
+ Chlorate (impairs thyroid function)
+ Chromium hexavalent (cancer causing)
+ Strontium (metal that accumulates in your bones, can cause bone cancer and leukemia)
+ Molybdenum (increased levels of uric acid; gout)
+ Vanadium (metal found in steel and alloys, toxic during pregnancy and childhood)
+ 1,4-Dioxane (likely cancer causing)
+ 1,1-Dichloroethane (cancer causing)
+ Trihalomethanes TTHMs (aka chloroform-causes cancer)
+ Radiological contaminants (cancer risk and fetal development problems)
And there are way way more…
Your body uses this water in all of its cells, organs and tissues. Drinking water helps maintain your balance of body fluids.
Your body fluids function to help the creation of saliva, digestion, absorption, circulation, transportation of nutrients and oxygen, as well as the regulation of body temperature.
Which equals = You are what you drink.
Put good clean water in.
The NRDC (a nonprofit environmental advocacy group) found that in 2015 at least one-quarter of all Americans drank water from systems that violated rules set by the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Do yourself and your family a favor and invest in a great high quality water filter. Of the research I’ve done, Berkey Water Filters are a fantastic way to go (and my personal choice). There are no tools needed, no drilling holes in your counter tops, and no messing with the water lines. The Berkey Black Filters filter out over 99.9% of all pathogens and pretty much everything you don’t want in your body, including pharmaceuticals other people have peed out…
To check out the contaminants in your tap water, click here.
To check out Berkey water filters, click here.
When you get a real home water filter (brita, pure and zero pitcher filters aren’t good enough) you can skip the plastic water bottles and refill your glass or stainless bottle for years to come. This saves you so much money in the long term, cuts down on your plastic use (mother earth thanks you) and gets rid of the harmful contaminants you’re drinking from your sink.
Eat Like you Give a F***
Eating plants has never been so easy or so vulgar.
The Thug Kitchen cook book delivers amazing recipes even meat eaters will love. It is easily one of my favorites in my kitchen.
Give a Dog a Bone
We all know dogs love to chew; sticks, raw hides, bones, your furniture… Sticks, bones and raw hides have been known to block doggy intestines or splinter and make their gums bleed. And let’s face it, furniture replacement is expensive.
Enter antlers! Yes like off of an elk’s head, but before you call peta these antlers are 100% naturally shed off wild free to roam elk and THEN collected by humans, and delivered to your dogs mouth.
My pup Kaia loves them, there is no smell or mess, and they last months. She prefers the split antlers, but wouldn’t turn down a whole one.
can i get your mantra?
At its core meditation is the quieting of your mind and relaxing of your body. But meditation isn’t something that can be practiced, meditation is a state of being. So we practice the tools used to help us arrive in a state of meditation.
Here is a silly analogy - being in a state in which you have blonde hair. You can’t practice having blonde hair, you can’t sit down cross your legs close your eyes and convince your body to now grow blonde hair. However you can use the tools to achieve the state of having blonde hair, follow the steps needed to go to the salon and have your hair colored.
Meditation is basically the same, you can’t just sit down cross your legs and be in a meditative state. However there’s good news... it’s free and simple to practice the tools to find yourself in a meditative state.
Start by focusing your mind on something; could be a candle’s flame, physically relaxing your entire body, repeating a mantra, focusing on a desired outcome, or becoming present with your breath. By simply trying to induce a meditative state you can help your body recharge in as little as 5 minutes.
Can’t fall asleep at night because your mind is scattered? Try meditating; intentionally switch your thoughts from tasks and to do lists to counting your slow intentional breath. Inhale 27, exhale 27, inhale 26, exhale 26, inhale 25, exhale 25… you get the picture. By intentionally slowing down your breathing and bringing your mind to a repetitive task you are switching your brain waves from the more active (beta) to slower (theta) waves which will help induce rest and sleep.
Overwhelmed by the week ahead? Take 5 minutes in the morning after your cup of tea to envision all of the positive outcomes you’d like to have happen.
What’s the worst that could happen?… It works?!
Remember Peach Rings?
You know the fruit flavored candy, in the shape of a ring and covered in sugar? Well Nature Box’s apricot oil shampoo smells exactly like that, hold the sugar.
Nature Box Beauty sent me these products that are free of sulfates, silicones, parabens, and artificial colors to try a couple of months ago. As you can see in the picture I have been using and loving them!
My hair is soft and silky with no greasy after shower residue.
Their products are vegan and the bottles are made from 25% post consumer recycled plastic.
Divine orange juice
The glove fits, but this is definitely not your classic OJ. Here is my recipe for my family’s favorite “orange juice”
3 heavy navel oranges (peels removed)
2 honey crisp apples
3 large carrots
3 stalks of celery
1 thumb of ginger (skin removed, don’t chop)
Depending on the season makes around 20-30 oz of juice, feel free to double the recipe or swap out the apple variety with your favorite.
Wash everything well. If using organic produce you may leave any leaves on the carrots and celery and the seeds in the apples. If not organic you may discard before juicing. I recommend using either a centrifugal or masticating juicer and not a blender for this juice.
BookWorm
Marie Kondo says you should only have 30 books in your home. I wonder if she means on the nightstand??
I mostly hoard cookbooks and yoga books and I feel the more the merrier! I mean who doesn’t love new recipes and furthering their practice. Head over to my amazon affiliate page to see the books I love.
What’s on your night stand? Email me at yoga.w.jessie@gmail.com with your favorite books so I can broaden my horizons.
Have you ever struggled to "de-cling” some bunched up cling wrap?
In addition to letting go of the static fest, these organic food wraps are also plastic free.
I am a big supporter of the “ditch the plastic” movement. I have stopped using Plastic Wrap and started using Organic Reusable Food Wraps by Etee. They are biodegradable, non-toxic & plastic free!
Made from certified organic cotton fabric infused with USDA certified organic beeswax, coniferous tree resins, and a touch of non-gmo soy wax, organic jojoba oil, organic cinnamon essential oil, and organic clove essential oil.
To learn more go to: https://www.amazon.com/shop/yogawithjessie click the ‘Healthy Kitchen’ List to see the Etee wraps and more sustainable kitchen ideas.
Diary of a Stinky Kid
I've tried countless other natural deodorants and none passed the sniff test... until I came across Native. Not only does it keep me dry, but I actually smell good at the end of the day. My favorite sent is the Charcoal, followed closely by Lavender & Rose, third place goes to Coconut & Vanilla.
It’s time to ditch the aluminum (and the other chemicals found in most popular antiperspirant/deodorant brands), even if there’s a 5% chance it contributes to breast cancer and Alzheimer’s, I don’t want it on my skin or in my blood stream. Do your body a favor and find a natural brand with ingredients you can pronounce.
Unleash The Dragon
Sisqo said it best, it's time to swap your standard Acai bowl for something new, a Dragon Bowl. Pitaya, also knows as dragon fruit, is not only super rich with antioxidants and vitamins it's HOT PINK. I mean how pretty is that. It tastes like a sweet earthy watermelon with the consistency of a kiwi.
For this bowl I blended frozen pitaya with a frozen banana and a little homemade almond milk in my Vitamix and then topped it with chopped pineapple, strawberry, banana and some granola. I am very happy my local ShopRite grocery store starting selling this delicious fruit!
Forget the sugar-filled unicorn drink this is one naturally beautiful Instagram worthy bowl.
Ingredients
1 Pouch Pitaya
2 Bananas
1/2 Cup Almond Milk
1/2 Cup Strawberry
1/2 Cup Pineapple
1/4 Cup Granola
Some of the products shown here I have linked to my amazon affiliate page, where if you purchase it I may get a small percentage back. However I want you to remember the majority of these companies are NOT paying me to promote their product, and I will never work with a company I don’t personally respect, and use.