10 Things to Do Besides Shop

I used to buy things I didn't need.

Sometimes I shopped because I felt great and wanted to celebrate. I found $100 tucked away somewhere. I lost weight. I aced an exam. I was dating a hot new guy. I found something brilliant or beautiful for supercheap.

Mostly I shopped because I didn't feel good. I was lonely, bored, or aimless. I wanted to skip a meal. I was anxious because I had spare time between appointments. I wanted to have some reason for working long hours at a job I hated.

Call me un-American but I'm just going to go ahead and say these are all terrible reasons to buy stuff. Shopping for any reason other than the need to use the item or service you're purchasing is like scratching your head because your foot itches. It's just plain silly and doesn't do any good. I'm grateful that I learned this before I acquired mountains of crippling credit card debt and crap I don't need.

If you use shopping as a way to manage your moods, like I used to, here are ten healing and empowering things you can do besides shop. They all work really well for me.

1. Get tea with a friend. Allow yourself to be healed by the lovefest that is hanging out with your best girlfriend or even someone amazing and new that you'd like to know better.
2. Write and snail mail a thank you or just because note to someone you really appreciate. Who has time for handwritten notes these days? You do! That is when you don't waste time shopping!

How to Brighten a Coffee & Tea Stained Mug

I love this mug. If you visit my house and I serve you a beverage in this mug, it means I love you too.

Ever since we started cleaning my mug in the dishwasher, I noticed it doesn't look as bright. The insides are have a dull brown tint. It is certainly not guest worthy.

Fortunately, I know of two easy ways to brighten up a coffee or tea stained mug without chlorine bleach or harsh chemicals.

DIY Upcycled Christmas Tree Potpourri

At the start of the year, I made this easy natural potpourri using upcycled bits of my Christmas tree (collected before composting the rest of it) along with other seasonal kitchen scraps and spices. You can get a head start making Christmas tree potpourri by collecting scraps from a tree salesman or using the bits that will inevitably fall off your tree as you transport it into your home.

This recipe makes a small batch of potpourri (about a quart). Triple or quadruple the recipe and put into vintage-feeling mason jars to make fantastic holiday hostess gifts.

You'll need:

• two branches from a small Christmas tree
• dried clementine, orange, and/or tangerine peel (Hang peels to dry or just leave on the counter for a few days. I know from experience that both work equally well!)
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• a small palm full of whole cloves
• 2 cotton balls or pads
• lemon essential oil
• pine or cedar essential oil (I actually used Wondercide, a cedar oil natural insect repellant. It was great to get some off-season use for it!)
• medium brown paper bag 

Meatless Monday: Healthy Holiday Eating Tips & A Vegan Eggnog Recipe

Last week, I attended Shira Hirshberg's Surviving the Holidays workshop at Momentum Fitness in Providence, RI. Shira is a registered dietitian with lots of practical tips for mostly healthy holiday eating. Here's what I learned:

Don't let the liquids fool you.
Drinks contain calories but not many nutrients. When you arrive at a party, drink plenty of water to first satisfy your thirst. Later move on to non-alcoholic beverages (sparkling grape juice contains 160 calories for 8 oz) and booze (vodka cranberry is 183 calories per serving) more selectively.

Work the room.
This is a two part strategy. First, survey everything in the buffet. This will help you make an informed decision about which things you'd like to eat and in what amounts before you start loading it up. The second part of the strategy is to stand at least an arm's distance from the snack table to prevent mindless snacking.

Get your plate right.
At least half of your plate should be high-nutrient, low-calorie veggies like leafy greens (kale, collards, salad greens) and green beans. The veggies part of the plate is unlimited refills section so go wild. The other two quarters are protein (beans or tofu) and starch (winter squash, sweet potatoes, peas, rice, millet, bread, pasta).

A healthy holiday plate

5 Ways to Reheat Food Without a Microwave

Whether you have broken up with your microwave to protect the nutritional value of your foods or just to save counter space, you shouldn't be condemned to a life of cold leftovers. Here are some simple ways to warm food without nuking it.

Steam
Use steam to reheat foods that were originally cooked in water or steamed. It's ideal for rice, quinoa, pasta, dumplings, and plain veggies. Don't steam foods you want to be crispy or saucy foods.
Place food in a bamboo steamer or stainless steel steam basket. Put that into a saucepan or pot that has about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of water. Using medium-low heat, allow the steam rising from the boiling water to heat your food. Most foods will heat in just a few minutes using this method.

Saucepan
Reheat beans, soups, gravies, and saucy foods that don't need to be crispy in a saucepan on the stove top over low or medium heat. Warm cereals like oatmeal can be reheated the same way, but you should stir often and add a splash of water or your favorite milk to keep it from burning.

How to Clean Stinky Uggs Boots

I was reading Leslie Reichert's book The Joy of Green Cleaning and discovered this treat for winter feet: Ugg Boot Deodorizer.

All you need is baking soda, corn starch, and your favorite essential oil to make this all natural boot freshener.

Meatless Monday: Gluten-Free, Vegan & Kosher Thanksgivukkah Recipes

Thankgivukkah, the first and only Thanksgiving and Hanukkah of our lifetime, is coming soon! Use this guide to prepare yourself to host guests with various health, ethical, and religious dietary restrictions. Learn the restrictions of gluten-free, vegan, and kosher diets. Enjoy a cornucopia of delicious seasonal holiday recipes that celebrate the abundance available to an intersection of all three groups. 

What is Gluten-Free?
A gluten-free diet (GF diet) is a diet that excludes foods containing gluten. Gluten is a protein complex found in wheat (including kamut and spelt), barley, and rye. Oats may also sometimes contain gluten because of cross-contamination in processing.

Foods made from grains and grain-like plants that do not contain harmful gluten include: corn (corn flour, corn meal, grits); rice (white, brown, basmati); amaranth; buckwheat (kasha); Montina; millet; quinoa; teff; and sorghum. All meats, eggs, dairy, vegetables, fruits, legumes (including soy), nuts, and seeds are also gluten-free in their natural, unprocessed forms.