Being a bit of a lazy girl, I am all about easy, multipurpose products. And I get even more excited when these amazing do-it-all products work even better than the 20 individual things they can completely replace.
Argana Vita makes just two amazing products, but these puppies are so powerful, effective, and versatile that you can literally toss out half the content of your bathroom!
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ontrary to the expectations of pretty much everyone who knows me well, I have become quite the little camper. But being out in nature certainly does not mean giving up any of my ethos as an Organic Beauty. I love finding great natural products that make staying beautiful and protected from the elements out in nature easy and effective. I’m obsessed with finding healthier alternatives to typical camping foods. And there is nothing better than creating an atmosphere of luxury and ease out among the trees. I may rough it a bit, but that doesn’t mean making sacrifices.Below are my healthy camping essentials that keep me living the Organic Beauty lifestyle, even while out in the middle of nowhere, with no running water.
Since I met my husband 4 years ago, I have become quite the little camper. But, as you can imagine, camping for me isn’t about hot dogs or dehydrated food. It’s about creating delicious, healthy meals over a blazing campfire and sharing them with friends! It’s been a really interesting challenge to find great vegetarian recipes that lend themselves well to cooking on a fire, but I’ve discovered and adapted a few favorites that we keep coming back to trip after trip.
The key for creating healthy meals while camping is prepping in advance. For all the recipes below, I prepped a bunch of the ingredients (chopped veggies for the succotash, chopped onion and garlic and mixed spices for the chili, pre-made pancake batter) the day before we left, which minimizes the mess and cooking time, while maximizing the fun and goooood eating.
Enjoy!
Being a lover of all things raw, green and juicy, I tend to get a little sad when the warmer months come to an end, and I have to start replacing my daily green juices and smoothies with more warming foods. Unfortunately, these amazing nutrient powerhouses are just too cooling for most bodies during the cold weather months (you may notice that you just feel colder in your hands and feet, or feel more spacey or anxious when you eat a lot of raw foods or drink green juices in the winter). But the fall is still a lovely middle ground. It’s starting to cool, and there is still tons of great seasonal produce to rock in some delicious green concoctions, as long as you add some warming ingredients that add a little bite!
At The Organic Beauty, we’re obsessed with all things Ayurvedic. From the keen insights the ancient science gives us into how to eat for our bodies, to the amazingly potent beauty ingredients that fill our favorite products — Ayurveda, sanskrit for life knowledge, is truly where it’s at in natural beauty and radiant health.
So you can imagine how excited we get when we discover a beauty brand that is making amazing use of potent Ayurvedic ingredients and philosophy in creating effective products that are also organic, vegan, handmade, and cruelty-free. It almost seems too good to be true! But alas, it is no dream. It’s Ayushi, and we just can’t get enough.
From head-to-toe, Ayushi has you covered, with powerful herbal ingredients infused into natural beauty products you’ll keep coming back to.
One of the blessings and curses of living in my little Brooklyn-yoga-meditation-farm-to-table-CSA-kale-quinoa-organic universe is that I get a little out of touch with the rest of the world. I find myself assuming that everyone (well, if not everyone, than at least most people) is on a similar path. Then I’ll have a conversation with someone and be swiftly disabused of this naive notion. There is still so much work to do.
One of the areas in which my naiveté gets the best of me is soda. I have truly been living under the subconscious notion no one really drinks soda anymore. True, there has been a marked decline in our nation’s consumption of soft drinks over the last 5-10 years. As a country, we’re guzzling about 450 cans of soda a year, on average, per person — a number that hasn’t been this low since 1986. But to me, this still sounds crazy, and it’s got to stop.
I don’t know about you, but I think long luscious locks are totally timeless… the perfect accessory. But growing out your tresses can be tough if you’re dealing with dry, damaged hair that breaks and splits. I’ve dealt with this myself since I was a teenager and first starting coloring my hair. But I’m happy to report that I’ve nailed down the perfect recipe for stronger, healthier, shinier hair that grows out beautifully. As with everything, it takes a holistic approach, inside and out!
If you’ve been reading The Organic Beauty for awhile, you know that my number one secret for gorgeous skin and hair is oil. I use it to wash my face, moisturize my skin, and condition my hair (among many other beauty tricks). Being a slightly lazy organic beauty, I opt for simplicity — pure jojoba, argan, and coconut oils. But simple can definitely get a little boring.
Those of us who have spent torturous hours tossing and turning in bed, or who wake up in the middle of the night with a head full of thoughts unable to get back to sleep know the power of hitting the hay with a calm and restful mind. Though managing your stress throughout the day and having a really good pre-bedtime routine go a long way towards improving sleep in the longterm, you can commit to just 5 minutes of relaxing stretches to sleep better TONIGHT.
This sequence calms the mind and relaxes the body, priming you for a restful night. Best of all, you can do it in bed… No mat required! Spend at least one minute in each posture, though longer is better!
1. Seated Twist: This detoxifying posture helps with digestion (which in turn helps you sleep deeper) and calms the nervous system. Repeat on each side.
Key West is a super fun, quirky beach vacation destination, but with a pretty dominant party/drinking/fried food scene, having a healthy stay can be a bit of a challenge.
Our quest for healthier food options (or even a decent salad) took us off the beaten path and into some surprisingly awesome restaurants and even a few adorable health food stores. Our craving for a bit more of a mindful vacation gave way to some great yoga classes and a luxurious Ayurvedic spa experience. And our thirst for adventure yielded some unexpectedly fun times.
Below, our top picks for super fun and healthy Key West vacation.
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I'm Natasha Uspensky, holistic nutritionist, Ayurvedic practitioner and healthy lifestyle expert. I created The Organic Beauty to be your resource to celebrate and learn about everything from healthy eating and living for your whole family, to natural beauty and sustainable style. I hope to inspire you to live beautifully and healthfully, in a life you love!
Click here to learn more about me!
xoxox
