my parents were hippies (the legit kind from the 70’s) so i grew up with a lot of bohemian influence. my mother made beaded jewelry that she sold at craft fairs, my father had a ponytail for as long as i can remember and i think i popped out of my mother’s womb singing neil young’s “heart of gold“. all of this means that if i spot anything turquoise or with even a hint of 70’s style i have to get my hands on it, immediately. and it also means that sometimes i wear three too many accessories. occasionally even more than that. it really can’t be helped. but at least i weaned myself off the classic rock…for the most part… kind of. OK I DIDN’T! get off my back!
it is with a very humble thrill that i present to you the new site design today! remember on friday when i wrote “should all go as planned you’ll be looking at a freshly remodeled house in the hills…” well that was a TERRIBLE thing to write! i was practically BEGGING for trouble! so of course, only a matter of a couple hours after i hit publish on that post, what had been a completely smooth and perfect design / construction process with aileen and scott turned into a mad scramble to REBUILD and modify the entire site in the course of a weekend! this was due to a last minute realization that squarespace (my hosting platform) has a major and unforeseen flaw that makes their latest software version completely useless to me. AHHHHHH! i spent the entire weekend worshipping scott for being the best programmer to walk the face of the earth and cursing squarespace for wreaking havoc on my site launch. but, it’s done! and i couldn’t be happier with it! more after the jump…
before i go back to gushing about aileen and scott, here are a few updates i hope you’ll appreciate…we have a search bar, people! finally, no more looking through every recipe i ever posted just to get to the sweet potato tacos from late 2011! i also now offer subscribe by email (yay! get yerself signed up if that’s your thing!). and my crafty photoshop icons have been replaced by aileen’s sleek designs. SO MUCH BETTER! what do you think? i hope it’s a much nicer place for you to come and spend time with me!
now, the gushing must continue. aileen, i’ll never be able to thank you enough for all the hard work you put into this! you so far exceeded my expectations it makes me think i lack imagination. as always, your attention to detail and beautiful, clean, well-thought design inspires me and makes me feel so lucky to have the opportunity to work with you! i so look forward to many more design projects together. scott, i am blown away by your skill and level of professionalism. you made this process a breeze, and when things went south two days ago i was only mildly panicked because you’d already shown me that i was in the best possible hands over the course of the project. i am so grateful for your hard work and the attention you gave this.
to you friends, thank you for hanging in there with me over the past 6 months as i’ve been working on this! you are my favorite part of this blog and i promise to work my hardest to make it worth every minute you spend here! and last but most certainly far from least: mr. lou mora, thank you for looking at every design revision with me, wiping my meltdown tears yesterday morning and being the best husband and dog-father i could ever ask for. *on the off chance i ever win an oscar i will modify all of this into an acceptance speech*
hiya friends, happy friday! i have something exciting brewing over the weekend… should all go as planned you’ll be looking at a freshly remodeled house in the hills on monday! that’s right, the blog design is done, the programming is almost done, and very soon we’ll be hanging out in a much prettier place. i can’t wait to share with you, i’m so beyond excited! *sneak peek here.
now, to keep you entertained on your lazy sunday…(after the jump!)
if arranged dog marriages were a thing, i would set bean up with this pup- her obvious soul mate
i need to eat these immediately. also, a bit of a crush on her blog. and maybe her too.
i just bought these shorts (in cream) for next month’s trip to tulum and i couldn’t love them more! also, this dress is on it’s way. i’m really, really hopeful.
i loved this model’s bravery, candor and willingness to bring awareness to an important topic
well, this just made my heart melt into a sloppy puddle
a fun and creative take on hair tutorials, i dig it. you will too.
a DIY project i’d love to tackle. someone lend me their sewing machine! and waffle maker. i’ll sit around eating waffles and crafting all weekend. please!
allright now, you have a great weekend and i’ll see you on monday! xx- sarah
chili roasted chickpeas, that’s what! these suckers are so good it defies understanding. i mean, there are four ingredients and none of them are unhealthy and yet i want to wolf them down like a box of cheez-its on the beach. (that’s a good thing, in case there’s a question). make them, please. you won’t be disappointed.
hello sarah, i was just wondering if you still follow a macrobiotic diet? or are you more on the vegan program? i was curious how long you followed it and how it effected you? it seems so strict, but i have a digestive disorder and i have heard it’s a pretty helpful diet to follow. i’d love to hear your insight. thanks!
answer after the jump!
answer:
this is a question i’ve been asked a few times and i’m really looking forward to answering (i’ll also be posting this in the crohn’s section so that as time passes it doesn’t disappear into the archives!) let me preface my answer by saying that i am not a trained health professional and my advice is just coming from personal experience. i do recommend seeing a macrobiotic counselor, a holistic health care provider, a naturopath, and/or our physician before making any changes.
i love the macrobiotic diet (learn more about it here) as it’s truly such an incredibly healthy way to eat. when i was recovering from this i tried to eat as macro as i could. i never fully grasped the whole yin/yang thing which is a major part, but found that just the basic principles and using the food pyramid helped me understand what i should be eating and what i should be avoiding. so this meant i ate a lot of whole grains, vegetables, beans, soups and small amounts of fruit. i added all kinds of new foods to my life and started a love affair with vegetables. i avoided dairy, meat, fish, eggs, sugar, flour and almost all processed foods. i made sure that my seasonings were mild- no excess in either salt or sweet. i chewed my food until it was liquid (amazingly helpful for your digestion!) and i tried to eat mostly local, seasonal produce. it was incredibly good for my system at the time and helped me get back to health so quickly. for this reason i swear by it for anyone looking to heal their body-from anything!
macrobiotics is a lifestyle, not just a diet, which is another part of what i think is brilliant about it. i believe that stress is a huge contributing factor in modern health and illness. i have to make sure that i manage my stress levels or i see my health deteriorate. i’ve learned from experience- if my diet is poor and my stress levels are high i am pretty much guaranteed to start having pain in my stomach. if i continued down that path i would no doubt end up with a full blown crohn’s flare up. for me it’s always a great reminder that my life is out of balance and i go immediately back to clean eating and take time to do the things that reduce stress (exercise, transcendental meditation, sunbathing, movie dates with my husband, bike rides, etc).
as time passed and my health improved i started to trust myself a little more and began being a little less restrictive in my diet. this means that if i’m out with friends and everyone is sharing dessert- i’m the first to pick up my spoon and the last to set it down. when we vacationed in greece i tried all the local fish dishes and ate my weight in feta cheese. i would have been fine had i come home and immediately transitioned back into my clean eating but instead i continued to have “treats” until i started to feel it and was reminded that i really have to eat a certain way to feel healthy.
my dietary focus now is eating healthy 95% of the time. this means that 95% of the time i’m eating lots of (ORGANIC!) veggies and fruits, whole grains, nuts, beans, and some macrobiotic favorites (miso soup & sea vegetables). i avoid animal products, refined sugar and processed foods. lately i’ve been trying to eat more raw foods as they offer the most nutrition and i’ve been starting each day with a glass of warm lemon water and this juice. i’ve also found that giving my digestive system breaks (through juice cleanses) has been incredible. i feel my very best when i’m eating very light (ie: smaller, raw meals) and drinking lots of fresh juices. i’ve been teaching myself how to cook and have so much fun playing in the kitchen. i don’t feel at all deprived, instead i feel like there’s a whole world of foods that i’ve become aware of since starting to eat this way. the 5% of the time is when i’m traveling or socializing and i still try to eat healthy but will also have some of the things i normally avoid. especially sweets, i love a sugary treat.
i know it sounds crazy but i feel so fortunate to have gotten sick. i feel better now than i ever have, and i attribute that entirely to my change of diet and lifestyle. if you’re reading this and you’re completely healthy- there is nothing better than preventative medicine! i consider every green juice i drink a little bit of preventative medicine and feel confident that this way of life will keep me healthy for the long haul. autoimmune diseases like crohn’s are on the rise in this country and women are the most likely to get sick (statistics here if you’re interested- the numbers are staggering). i believe that we can prevent and treat most (if not all) autoimmune disease with dietary/lifestyle changes.
here are two cookbooks that played a major role in my recovery: the kind diet, the hip chick’s guide to macrobiotics. both books offer insight into macrobiotics and recipes that aren’t overwhelming. the recipes that i post are most often things that are a part of my regular diet, but i also post the occasional treat. it’s all about balance! wishing you all the best, health and happiness! xx- sarah
hello sarah, i was just wondering if you still follow a macrobiotic diet? or are you more on the vegan program? i was curious how long you followed it and how it effected you? it seems so strict, but i have a digestive disorder and i have heard it’s a pretty helpful diet to follow. i’d love to hear your insight. thanks!
answer after the jump!
answer:
this is a question i’ve been asked a few times and i’m really looking forward to answering (i’ll also be posting this in the crohn’s section so that as time passes it doesn’t disappear into the archives!) let me preface my answer by saying that i am not a trained health professional and my advice is just coming from personal experience. i do recommend seeing a macrobiotic counselor, a holistic health care provider, a naturopath, and/or our physician before making any changes.
i love the macrobiotic diet (learn more about it here) as it’s truly such an incredibly healthy way to eat. when i was recovering from this i tried to eat as macro as i could. i never fully grasped the whole yin/yang thing which is a major part, but found that just the basic principles and using the food pyramid helped me understand what i should be eating and what i should be avoiding. so this meant i ate a lot of whole grains, vegetables, beans, soups and small amounts of fruit. i added all kinds of new foods to my life and started a love affair with vegetables. i avoided dairy, meat, fish, eggs, sugar, flour and almost all processed foods. i made sure that my seasonings were mild- no excess in either salt or sweet. i chewed my food until it was liquid (amazingly helpful for your digestion!) and i tried to eat mostly local, seasonal produce. it was incredibly good for my system at the time and helped me get back to health so quickly. for this reason i swear by it for anyone looking to heal their body-from anything!
macrobiotics is a lifestyle, not just a diet, which is another part of what i think is brilliant about it. i believe that stress is a huge contributing factor in modern health and illness. i have to make sure that i manage my stress levels or i see my health deteriorate. i’ve learned from experience- if my diet is poor and my stress levels are high i am pretty much guaranteed to start having pain in my stomach. if i continued down that path i would no doubt end up with a full blown crohn’s flare up. for me it’s always a great reminder that my life is out of balance and i go immediately back to clean eating and take time to do the things that reduce stress (exercise, transcendental meditation, sunbathing, movie dates with my husband, bike rides, etc).
as time passed and my health improved i started to trust myself a little more and began being a little less restrictive in my diet. this means that if i’m out with friends and everyone is sharing dessert- i’m the first to pick up my spoon and the last to set it down. when we vacationed in greece i tried all the local fish dishes and ate my weight in feta cheese. i would have been fine had i come home and immediately transitioned back into my clean eating but instead i continued to have “treats” until i started to feel it and was reminded that i really have to eat a certain way to feel healthy.
my dietary focus now is eating healthy 95% of the time. this means that 95% of the time i’m eating lots of (ORGANIC!) veggies and fruits, whole grains, nuts, beans, and some macrobiotic favorites (miso soup & sea vegetables). i avoid animal products, refined sugar and processed foods. lately i’ve been trying to eat more raw foods as they offer the most nutrition and i’ve been starting each day with a glass of warm lemon water and this juice. i’ve also found that giving my digestive system breaks (through juice cleanses) has been incredible. i feel my very best when i’m eating very light (ie: smaller, raw meals) and drinking lots of fresh juices. i’ve been teaching myself how to cook and have so much fun playing in the kitchen. i don’t feel at all deprived, instead i feel like there’s a whole world of foods that i’ve become aware of since starting to eat this way. the 5% of the time is when i’m traveling or socializing and i still try to eat healthy but will also have some of the things i normally avoid. especially sweets, i love a sugary treat.
i know it sounds crazy but i feel so fortunate to have gotten sick. i feel better now than i ever have, and i attribute that entirely to my change of diet and lifestyle. if you’re reading this and you’re completely healthy- there is nothing better than preventative medicine! i consider every green juice i drink a little bit of preventative medicine and feel confident that this way of life will keep me healthy for the long haul. autoimmune diseases like crohn’s are on the rise in this country and women are the most likely to get sick (statistics here if you’re interested- the numbers are staggering). i believe that we can prevent and treat most (if not all) autoimmune disease with dietary/lifestyle changes.
here are two cookbooks that played a major role in my recovery: the kind diet, the hip chick’s guide to macrobiotics. both books offer insight into macrobiotics and recipes that aren’t overwhelming. the recipes that i post are most often things that are a part of my regular diet, but i also post the occasional treat. it’s all about balance! wishing you all the best, health and happiness! xx- sarah
*please feel free to email me any questions you have for my ASK SARAH series at [email protected]
