Kohlrabi Kale Coleslaw Recipe [Vegan, Gluten-free, Raw]

Have you tried kohlrabi yet? It's the texture of broccoli stems and has a mild, slightly sweet flavor. I love it sauteed with other veggies, but it's also yummy raw and really shines in this coleslaw.  This unique and impressive simple slaw is a great vegan and vegetarian dish to serve at your BBQ or picnic.

How to Make Iced Coffee at Home [Cold Brew Coffee Recipe]

You don't have to be a genius to figure out that your iced coffee habit is expensive. Why not make your own? It's easy and it costs just 32 cents to make a pint of this cool beverage using fair-trade organic beans! Making your own iced coffee is great way to redirect 90% of your coffee allowance and the cumulative hours that'd be spent waiting in the coffee bar line for summer adventures.

IIN's Spring Cleaning Guide [Free Printable!]

Looking for a fresh and holistic take on self-care? Get the new Spring Cleaning Guide from Institute for Integrative Nutrition.

A healthy home is as important a part of self-care as diet and exercise. (Just think about how light you feel when you enter a freshly cleaned room or think about how down you feel when your home or office is messy.) This FREE exclusive guide will help you:

• Cleanse your home using ingredients right from your pantry.
• Balance the energy flow in your home to nourish your mind and soul.
• Enhance your quality of life!

My favorite part of the guide is "5 ways to use house plants to enhance your quality of life." I knew plants are useful for cleaning the air of toxins, but I was surprised to learn that plants increase dopamine production in the brain, which contributes to feelings of happiness, enhanced cognitive ability, and even heightened creativity.

Check out the free spring cleaning guide now while it's still available. (It's downloadable and printable too!)  

Leave a comment and let me know if you feel a connection between your home and your personal well-being.

Olivia Lovejoy is a Blogger, Green Living Educator, and Health Coach trained at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She's also author of Baking Soda & Bliss: The Healthy & Happy Guide to Green Cleaning.   

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Thai-rrific Cilantro Kale Smoothie Recipe [Vegan, Gluten-Free]

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day, a new green smoothie recipe!

Thai-rrific Cilantro Kale Smoothie

Not only is this smoothie healthy but it's a great way to use up fresh cilantro when I've used some for garnish in Mexican or Thai dishes but have no idea what to do with the rest. 

This recipe comes from my fabulous surfer friend Jane.

Course: Beverages

Cuisine: Vegetarian

Serves: 1

Ingredients

• ¹⁄₂ frozen banana
• 1 cup frozen pineapple chunks
• ¹⁄₂ bunch cilantro
• 2 kale leaves (Frozen is fine. Spinach and romaine are tasty substitutes.)
• 3 or more ice cubes
• Seeds or vanilla protein powder if you wish, (I do seed cycling for hormonal balance so I usually add the seeds I'm supposed to be eating that week.)
• Almond milk or coconut milk beverage or water) to cover, then add more to taste

Directions

1. Put all ingredients in a high speed blender. 
2. Blend on high.
3. Taste.
4. Add more pineapple or banana (then a bit more liquid) if you'd like the smoothie to be sweeter.
5. Enjoy!

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I Haven't Used Shampoo in Over 2 Years

...and I swear I don't smell like a hobo!

One day I ran out of my beloved Alaffia shampoo. I figured I'd try the No-Poo method before replacing the bottle. No-Poo method simply means washing your hair without shampoo and using just water, conditioner, or baking soda instead.

Why No-Poo? Many people find that shampoo leaves hair dry and frizzy, especially curly and kinky hair. Personally, I've never experienced this. I think it's because I don't wash my hair as often as most people do. I wash my hair once a week in the summer and sometimes just once a month in the winter. If it feels un-fresh in between, I just rinse and scrub with water. Why waste time removing the naturally perfect oils in my hair just to replace them with products that don't work as well?

It's been over 2 years and I have yet to buy shampoo. I love washing my hair with baking soda! It gets my hair at least as clean as shampoo. It might even be cleaner because baking soda is much easier to rinse out. Plus, there's no plastic bottle to recycle, no ingredients to investigate for safety, and each cleaning cost just pennies.

Here's how to clean your hair with baking soda instead of shampoo:

Peek Inside My Cosmetics Bag

I'm sharing the contents of my cosmetics bag because I think you know someone better when you know what's inside their bag. Also, I'm curious if you carry around any of the same stuff. 

Here's what in my Sustain organic cotton pouch cosmetics bag:

What is Dry Brushing and How to Do It

Dry brushing is exactly what it sounds like. It's literally brushing your body without using any oil, butters, or other moisturizer.

Why dry brush? My first experience with the holistic skin care ritual proved that it makes your skin smoother and softer almost instantly. I felt it removed much more dead skin cells than using a brush (or even my beloved exfoliating gloves) in the shower.

In short: Dry brushing keeps you from being ashy. 

It's also supposed to be really good for supporting your body's natural detoxification system. Refinery 29 reports on dry brushing:

According to aesthetician Susan Ciminelli, dry brushing increases the circulation of lymphatic fluid and blood flow. It helps circulate nutrients through the body as well as waste, helping to take pressure off the kidneys to regulate the amount of water in the body. Excess water is secreted, and Ciminelli even claims that it "helps to keep the layer of fat under the skin's surface very thin. The thinner that layer of fat, the easier it is for the body to excrete toxins through the skin."

I also love how dry brushing makes me feel warm and energized. If you often crave a good back scratch like I do, you're gonna really enjoy dry brushing.

How exactly does one dry brush? Is there a specific way to do it?