After losing our luggage for 7 or 9 days on our trip to Scotland last year, I knew I could cut down my packing list even further than previously imagined. While I’ll never be a two-weeks-in-a-backpack person, I felt like I nearly nailed it with my Ireland packing list, having packed only one thing I never wore and two I could’ve done without. Ireland Packing List When it comes to packing, there are a few considerations to make and a few facts to understand and therefore address first… Considerations – what are the laundry facilities? Air BnBs often offer laundry, so packing less is easier bec ..read more

I would say, tis the season for sun protection, but it’s ALWAYS the season for sun protection!! If you haven’t been so great, here’s everything to start TODAY! This list of non toxic sunscreens is a roundup of my favorite, highlighting the few I swear by. Non Toxic Sunscreens These sunscreens are broken up into those for your face (many tinted options) and those for your body. I’m religious about putting it on my face and I’m slowly getting better about applying it more regularly to my body – namely my shoulders and arms. What Makes a Sunscreen Non Toxic? There are A LOT of ingredients in su ..read more

We’re recently back from our trip to Ireland and I can’t wait to share more about it. We visited Dublin and Cork City with day trips to Belfast (in Northern Ireland) and Kinsale. I always like to share posts in the order of our trip, so first things first is where to stay in Dublin. Where to Stay in Dublin In looking for hotels in Dublin, we did a bit of research. Namely, we wanted something central. That’s always a factor for us, but especially with a 4 year old (who still naps daily) in tow, we can’t easily schlep into the city daily. Besides being a dreamy hotel with a magnificent breakfas ..read more

My mom makes delicious pies. Her daughter is scared to make pies. I can’t tell you why. A fear of not living up to the greatness? Maybe. Luckily, however, galettes exist – faster, easier, an entirely more forgiving. This cherry galette is just the latest of my many obsessions. Cherry Galette So what’s a galette? Basically it’s a pie crust with a fruit filling. You fold the sides up and over the fruit, bake it, and enjoy the heck out of it. The major difference, to me at least, is that there isn’t as much filling as a pie, so the crust is more of a factor in the dessert than a pie. Is that a p ..read more

Back in the early 2000s, my sister helped me pluck my eyebrows into matching brows that were totally in style. Unsurprisingly, the chunky center and thin brow style is gone, but my hair didn’t get the memo, so I’ve had patches where I didn’t need them. Finally last fall, I started using an eyebrow growth serum that works and doesn’t break the bank. Eyebrow Growth Serum You can see my early 2000s brow shape above. Considering how lackadaisical I am about plucking my eyebrows (I recently just started getting them waxed regularly), they’ve certainly had a chance to grow in – and they haven’t. Th ..read more

When I saw mini chocolate chip cookies featured in n issue of Food & Wine magazine a while ago, I knew I had to make them as soon as possible. I mean – the recipe is a familiar one – just a slightly different take on the recipe. I’m not usually a fan of mini desserts (oh, except mini s’mores too), but I am a major fan of anything that has to do with homemade chocolate chip cookies, so I’m bending my rules! Mini cookies require a bit more flour, so they aren’t too sticky to work with. And it took me a few batches before I realized how little batter each cookie needed, but when I got it, I ..read more

I stopped wearing perfume years ago. Without realizing the reason, my body started to tell me it didn’t like it – itchy throat, watery eyes, and headaches upon occasion. Now that I’ve tried Beautycounter’s fragrances – the first clean and fully transparent eau de parfum, I understand that I need nontoxic perfumes to prevent all those reactions. Ok. I know that seems over the top, but for me (and many others I know), it’s the absolute truth. Nontoxic Perfume When I stopped wearing perfume, I wasn’t interested in clean beauty. I didn’t understand the movement. I’m not even sure I knew there was ..read more

The inspiration for this vegan pea soup (a yummy recipe without ham) came from a long travel day years ago, but the recipe is so beautiful, delicious, and healthy, it was completely worth it (and worth updating the photos for). A cancelled flight from Los Angeles to northern California resulted in a memorable lunch of pea soup and potato chips that hit the spot so much, I wanted to remake it (the soup at least) the following week. Vegan Pea Soup There are plenty of recipes for pea soup without ham, but they are full of butter and cream. I’m sure they’re tasty, but they just aren’t what I wa ..read more

One of the most common questions about sustainable living I’m asked about is shoes – namely recycling them. They’re a complicated item because of all the various materials used in them. I have my roundup of sustainable shoes (and even sustainable kids shoes), but this is a roundup exclusively of organic shoes. Organic Shoes When it comes to the term organic, there are a few things to note. First, a company can only claim something is organic if they’ve been certified by a verified organization (e.g. USDA, CCOF, Oregon Tilth). The cost to become certified is sometimes prohibitive for smaller ..read more

As an advocate of clean beauty, I’m so grateful how many products and brands are out there, but the truth is that the same high quality product variety isn’t there for men’s skin. I’ve shared my husband’s picks for natural skin care for men, covering his bases for face and hair. But in trying to share more options (and hopefully encourage more brands to make products for men, here is a list of all natural soaps for men – bar soap and body wash! All Natural Soaps for Men The world of men’s personal care is so drastically limited compared to that of women, it’s no surprise all my high school bo ..read more