Fertility, Wild Woman

Damiana-Rose Sensual Massage Oil

Kristine

Physical intimacy is an essential part of the human experience. Modern research supports what we intuitively know: touch is important to overall well-being, as well as the health of our relationships (Sreenivasan & Weinberger, 2021).

Studies show that physical affection reduces levels of cortisol (Ditzen et al., 2008), a stress hormone that is released to help your body react to a perceived threat, but can be detrimental to your health if levels stay elevated long term (WebMD, 2020).

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Recipes, Sourdough

Buckwheat Sourdough Pancakes

Kristine

These buckwheat sourdough pancakes are a healthier spin on a classic breakfast favorite. Buckwheat flour adds high-quality protein, minerals, and antioxidants. Sourdough fermentation boosts the availability of nutrients and improves the digestibility of the gluten. 

Make the batter the night before and then it’ll be ready to go in the morning for a low prep breakfast.

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Cookies, Holidays, Recipes

Pine Needle Shortbread Cookies

Kristine

These pine needle shortbread cookies are perfect for the winter holidays. The herbal, citrusy flavor of pine pairs beautifully with spicy cinnamon & clove and tastes like Christmas —in cookie form.

Winter is a wonderful time to forage pine, which is one of the few things that’s still lush and green in the colder months, if you live in the Northern hemisphere. Pines are fairly common in most parts of the world, so chances are good that you have some type of pine growing near you.

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Cookies, Holidays, Recipes

Mom’s Sugar Cookies

Kristine

Growing up, one of my favorite Christmas traditions was making sugar cookies with my mom and sister. I loved deciding which shapes to cut out of the dough and mounding the cookies with frosting after they’d cooled. But, looking back, it was the quality time with my mom and sister that made this holiday ritual extra sweet.

Now, that Ayla is getting a bit older, baking with her has become one of my new favorite ways to celebrate the holiday season. Last year I asked my mom for her recipe and we’ve since enjoyed making Nana’s Christmas cookies together. It feels so special to be able to carry on these cherished family traditions with my daughter.

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Recipes, Sourdough

Sourdough Potato Buns

Kristine

These sourdough potato buns are a favorite in our house. Light and fluffy and a bit sour, they would make a lovely accompaniment to Christmas dinner, but also pair well with a bowl of soup or with a cup of tea.

This recipe calls for sourdough starter. If you don’t have a starter, don’t worry, you can make your own very easily, it just requires a bit of time. Check out this blog post for more details about getting started with sourdough.

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Condiments, Recipes

Papaya Hot Sauce

Kristine

Store-bought hot sauces often contain added sugar, over-processed ingredients, and other more nefarious additives, including chemical preservatives & colorants. Homemade hot sauces, on the other hand, can be a great way to boost health while adding flavor & heat to your food. 

As of late, I’ve become quite the hot pepper enthusiast. I make a small batch of fresh hot sauce nearly every day. Typically, these are “five minute hot sauces,” which are incredibly quick & easy to make. This method involves tossing a fresh pepper (or two) and a few other whole food ingredients in a blender and whirring it all up. Super simple. 

This Papaya Hot Sauce is one of my favorites. It’s creamy, naturally sweet, and pairs well with a variety of dishes. It is also rich in nutrients and health boosting properties.

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Drinks, Recipes

Spicy Dandelion Root & Reishi Hot Cocoa

Kristine

Spicy Dandelion Root & Reishi Hot Cocoa is my favorite spin on a classic cold-weather beverage. While this recipe is definitely more involved than stirring a packet of Swiss Miss into hot water, it only takes about 10 minutes to whip up and is well worth the extra bit of effort.

Unlike pre-packaged hot chocolate mixes, this healing beverage is made with herbs & whole food ingredients. Which means that in addition to tasting delicious, this cocoa is rich in protein, healthy fats, and essential nutrients.

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Recipes, Snacks, Sourdough

Whole Wheat Moringa Sourdough Crackers

Kristine

Lately my daughter & I have been obsessed with these sourdough crackers. Perfectly crunchy and a little salty, they are amazing on their own, paired with your favorite dips & toppings, or added to a charcuterie board. They’re also a healthier snack option than store bought crackers because they contain only whole food ingredients with no preservatives and no added sugars.

Better yet, these crackers are fairly quick and easy to make. You’ll just need a sourdough starter, dried moringa leaf, and a few other ingredients you likely already have on hand.

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Condiments, Recipes

Nourishing Herbal Vinegar

Kristine

Vinegar has long been utilized as a menstruum to extract the vitamins, minerals, and other healing constituents from herbs. This nourishing herbal vinegar is infused with a few of my favorite nutrient-packed weedy greens, and a bit of garlic, of course, for its lovely flavor and potent healing action.

Nettle (Urtica dioica) is well loved by herbalists for its strengthening and toning benefits for the entire body. It’s incredibly rich in important vitamins & minerals, including iron, calcium, potassium, silicon, magnesium, copper, manganese, zinc, chromium, and vitamins A, C, D, & K.

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DIY, Non-Toxic Home

Introduction to Cold Process Soap Making

Kristine

Have you ever wanted to try making your own soap? Likely it’s much easier than you think. 

I’ve been making soap for a few years now, and was selling soaps at the weekly local market, in pre-pandemic times. 

For me, soap making is a lot of fun. I enjoy crafting all sorts of botanical concoctions, and making my own soap allows me to infuse the soap my family uses daily with lovely, nourishing ingredients.

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DIY, Non-Toxic Home

Soap Making Essentials

Kristine

I wanted to try my hand at cold process soap making for quite some time before I actually made the leap. For me, working with lye felt intimidating and the whole process seemed difficult & complicated.

Now that I’ve been making soap for a few years, its hard to believe how long I waited to give it a try. I’ve found that soaping is actually pretty easy and is really quite enjoyable. Crafting my own dish soap has been one of my favorite swaps for toxic conventional products to date!

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Drinks, Recipes

Cherry Limeade Electrolyte Drink

Kristine

Electrolytes are essential minerals that are vital for many key functions of the human body. We depend on electrolytes — including potassium, sodium, calcium, bicarbonate, magnesium, chloride, and phosphate — to keep water levels balanced, move nutrients & waste, send nerve signals, relax & contract muscles, and maintain brain & heart function.

Electrolytes are depleted by vomiting, diarrhea, not drinking enough fluids, not eating enough, and excessive sweating. In the hot summer months, especially, it’s important for those who are exercising or working outdoors to replenish fluids & minerals lost through sweat.

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Holistic Healing

Herbal Allies for Anxiety & Depression

Kristine

We certainly have been living in strange and difficult times. This last year and a half has been hard for nearly everyone I know, and many folks have been struggling with varying levels of anxiety and depression.

Among other important things (i.e. good diet, plenty of exercise, therapy, supportive family + friends, etc.) herbs can help to bring a great deal of comfort in these troubled times. The following are a few well-loved herbal allies for anxiety + depression, and related issues.

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Natural Beauty

Nourishing Hair Mask

Kristine

According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), “We each use about 10 personal care products each day, repeatedly exposing ourselves to tons of unique ingredients. Some may be benign, but others may be harmful. Some chemicals, like those that affect our hormones, can have an effect even at low doses.”

They state, “Research shows certain chemicals may cause long-term, gradual changes – changes that you may not notice for years, if not decades. For example, some common ingredients are ‘sensitizers.’ Repeated exposure may cause you to develop an allergy. Many chemicals associated with health hazards accumulate in the body. Some are passed through to the fetus. Some cosmetics ingredients have been linked to cancer or developmental problems.”

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