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?

How to Clean a Coffee Grinder

If you've ever used your coffee grinder to grind whole spices, you know how gross your next cup of coffee can be if you don't clean it out well enough before you use it again. But do you know the easiest and most effective way to do it?

Here's the best way to clean your coffee grinder after grinding spices:

Interview with Susie Schnall for The Balance Project

Check out my recent interview for The Balance Project. You'll see why I don't think everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur and discover my favorite time management tool.

The Balance Project is a recurring interview series that features fun, brief, relevant, informative, and refreshingly candid interviews with inspiring and accomplished women who are in the midst of trying to balance work, life, and, for some, kids as well.

Writer Susie Schnall has published over 100 interviews so far! A few of my favorites are those with entrepreneurs including Sara Blakely who founded SPANX, Anita Shepherd who founded Anita’s Yogurt (it's made in Brooklyn and vegan), and Institute for Integrative Nutrition grad Adina Grigore who founded S.W. Basics (a super natural skincare line, also made in Brooklyn).

The project ties into one of the main themes of Susie's first novel On Grace as the main character tries to find her own balance upon turning 40 and re-entering the work force. It’s also the theme of her second novel The Balance Project: A Novel which was inspired by the interview series and has been called The Devil Wears Prada meets a fictional Lean In.