OK so, how much do you love hot fudge?

If your answer is ‘I don’t like hot fudge,’ then we really shouldn’t be friends.
I mean, c’mon. Who doesn’t like hot fudge?

Anyways, that’s beside the point.

Back to the point: hot fudge is awesome sauce.
No literally, this hot fudge is “awesomesauce,” as named by its creator, Meg the Boho Mama.
Mother to two adorable twins – Ruthie and Afton.
Love that lady.
Love this sauce.
You, will, too.

So readers of my blog know I’ve been on a serious simple kick that has weened most of my ingredient lists down to a limited number of items. And this, in my opinion, is awesome. I mean, who wants to use 20 ingredients when they can use 10 – and even better if they’re healthy.

Am I right. I mean, am I right?!

Speaking of simple, this sauce only has five ingredients. Count e’m FIVE: coconut milk, cocoa powder, sugar, salt and vanilla. That’s it. Another perk? It’s completely vegan and way healtheir than your traditional hot fudge sauce, loaded with butter, melted chocolate and who knows what else.

But the best part? This sauce tastes exactly the same as the other stuff – perhaps even better. Yeah, I said it.

Vegan Hot Fudge and Chocolate Sauce
yields 1 jar | adapted from bohomama  

Ingredients
1 c full-fat coconut milk
1/3 – 1/2 c cocoa powder
5 T sugar or other sweetener (or to taste)
1/2 t vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Method | Heat the coconut milk and cocoa powder in a saucepan or a double boiler over medium heat to combine. Whisk in sugar, vanilla and salt. Pour into heat-safe container – like a pyrex bowl – to cool. Once it’s cooled, transfer into a glass jar and store in the fridge for up to a month. Pour on top of ice cream, fruit or eat straight from le jar.

Friends, I can’t even tell yo how awesome this sauce is.
It’s creamy, chocolatey and oh-so fudgy.

It really does taste like hot fudge, but more sophisticated, which is a step up in my humble opinion.

I wasted no time pouring this over a delicious bowl of *cookie dough* *cough* ice cream. But if you’re strictly vegan, put this over soy or coconut ice cream for an equally delicious treat. I haven’t tried it with the vegan variety yet but will surely do so in the future.

All I know is this sauce is delicious.
Try it for yourself. Yo.

Enjoy!
xo, Dana.

Last week I was on vacation in Portland (Oregon) and it made me realize how much I miss it.

Portland is a city that, in short, encourages individuality. So when someone branches out and starts doing their own thing – like riding a unicycle to work or shaving the sides of their head and rocking a full-on horse mane – instead of being ridiculed or mocked for it, they’re celebrated. Because who cares? It’s their life.

That’s the kind of culture you don’t find in many cities. Topeka, the city I used to I live in, for instance, is quite the opposite. I have two examples of this.

One: John and I went to Panera one morning for breakfast and he was wearing a green bandana over his longish hair when this old guy walked up to us at the coffee bar. He looked at me and said, “You gotta watch out for guys like that,” to which I replied, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” And then he looked to John and said, “You know what I’m talking about.”

What? You’ve gotta be kidding me – for a bandana and long hair?

Example #2: John and I rode our bikes to meet a friend for coffee one day and we’d stopped at a stop light to wait for a break in traffic to cross the street. Around this time a guy drove buy honking at us with his window down yelling, “BOOOOO, BOOOOO.” Thumbs down out the window and all.

For riding bikes? Really?

This, in short, is why I miss Portland.

During our one-week trip in Portland alone I saw four girls with the sides of their heads shaved and curly locks down the middle.
One van that was spray painted gold, and another that looked like 80s art-deco on wheels.
Too many full sleeve tattoos to count.
More cyclists than cars.
Farmers markets at nearly every corner.
Like a thousand people with face piercings.
Zero people going to Starbucks because it’s the worst coffee in town. And it’s corporate.
And the most hipster child ever wearing a fly-boy cap and spandex denim shorts overalls. Yes, overalls. And it looked good.

Getting the picture?

So do you know what happens when you’re in a city like that?

You do crazy things like get your nose pierced.
And eat ice cream cones twice in one day.
And jump off a dock into a lake with the rationale that life is short.

Because you know what? Life is short, and when you’re around people living life in such a way that realizes that, it makes you want to do the same. Because living life any other way just isn’t worth it. It’s black and white and I prefer color.

So what does this have to do with a pina colada protein shake? Nothing, but I got to share a story that’s way more important than you’re next breakfast or post-workout snack. I got to tell you that if you aren’t living life free from the fear of what others think of you; if you aren’t living like a Portlander, you’re seriously missing out. And I beg you to reconsider.

Enjoy,
Dana

This summer I shared my new hair cleansing routine, the No-Poo Method as well as my recipe for super cheap (read: pennies per load) homemade laundry soap. Well, I’m happy to report that I’m still practicing at least one out of the two: The Homemade Laundry Soap lives on and is working quite well for us. John has even mentioned how fresh and clean our clothes have been, so we’ll be sticking to it for now.

The No-Poo Method, however, died a few weeks ago. I went two months strong with NO shampoo and NO conditioner  – a sheer miracle for this grease ball – opting instead for baking soda and apple cider vinegar washes as “shampoo” and “conditioner” respectively.

While I did find that my hair was fresh, clean, more voluminous and produced less oil, what didn’t work for me was the tangling issue. I have long, fine hair that’s been highlighted several times and has left my ends brittle and tangly. I gave it plenty of time and employed numerous methods to get around the issue (less baking soda, brushing my hair before showering, using the vinegar wash on all of my hair). It didn’t matter how much apple cider vinegar rinse I put in my hair, it just wouldn’t comb out. It was literally a 10-minute process just to get a paddle brush through all of my hair and even then I couldn’t get a brush from root to end.

Needless to say, the No-Poo method is a great, natural hair cleansing method for some people, it just isn’t for me. But the good news is my hair has still been producing noticeably less oil since starting no-poo and though I’m back to using traditional shampoo and conditioner (Pantene and Fructis) I’ve only been washing every other day, no exceptions. For now, I’m happy with this routine.

Another fun hair tip for my fitness friends? My friend Lisa told me that the day after shampooing, she just blow dries her hair after working out instead of washing it again. Even though your scalp is technically sweaty, the blow dry airs it out and freshens it up and even leaves your hair’s texture in a better state for styling. I gave it a try myself a couple times and must admit it works pretty well. For the most part though, I stick to shampoo/conditioning every other day (no matter how sweaty my scalp gets on the second day – hello top knots and messy buns!).

OK, onto the Oil Cleansing Method. I heard about this from Tsh at Simple Mom and was absolutely intrigued.

I’ve had mildly troublesome skin ever since my freshman year in college – oily skin, occasional breakouts, blackheads almost all of the time. Like most girls with similar skin issues, I’ve tried just about everything out there to stabilize my skin and keep it clear: Proactive, clean and clear, retin-a, Neutrogena washes, masks, scrubs, etc. The last method I tried was using sulphur-containing medicated wipes from my dermatologist. But realistically, I don’t want to spend the money on those wipes as they’re quite expensive, or pay for semi-annual trips to a dermatologist. Plus, they contain sulphur; I just don’t feel comfortable with that in the longterm.

So with that being said, I started using the Oil Cleansing Method about 2 months ago and have been faithfully doing so ever since. For a brief explanation of why using oil on your skin is healthier than soapy, chemical-based washes, read Tsh’s original post. Based off of her recommendations, here’s how I went about implementing the oil cleansing method into my routine.

Because my skin is on the oily side, I do a mixture of 2.5 Tablespoons castor oil (read about castor oil here and here) and 1.5 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil. Then I add a few drops of tea tree oil as it’s supposed to help with breakouts. If you have drier skin, use more olive oil and less castor. Normal skin types should go for a 1:1 ratio.

At night on dry skin with my makeup still on, I pour about a teaspoon (quarter-sized amount) of oil onto my palm, rub my hands together and then start massaging it all over my skin and eyes. It’s important not to “scrub” and instead focus on gently massaging it all over your skin.

Next, I run a clean washcloth under hot (not scalding) water, ring it out, and quickly place it over my face and let it steam for about a minute. Then, I rinse and wring the cloth and proceed to gently wipe off all of the oil (and eye makeup) from my face. It should feel clean but not over-dried – you don’t need to go over areas more than once maybe twice.

Because olive oil has the same pH balance as human skin, it’s really an ideal moisturizer, meaning you don’t need to add any additional moisturizer after cleansing. If I have any trouble spots, I’ll dot the blemish with a little tea tree oil or Clean & Clear On-the-Spot Treatment with salicylic acid. This usually clears it right up.

Though it’s only recommended to do the Oil Cleansing Method at night and simply rinse with water in the morning, I work out most mornings and don’t feel comfortable going without washing before applying my makeup. So I lightly wash with Olay Total Effects 7-1 Anti Aging Blemish Cleanser followed by an oil-free moisturizer that’s supposed to help with breakouts that I found at Target. It’s a good routine for now and I have very minimal breakouts as a result. Plus, I feel like my skin has a bit more “glow” and dewiness to it, which I love.

To help with blackheads (which I tend to get in my T-zone) I simply use a baking soda paste. Every few days while washing my face in the morning with the Olay wash, I simply tap my finger in some baking soda a few times and dot it on my forehead, nose and chin. Then, I scrub lightly for about a minute, rinse it off and apply my moisturizer.

This little trick has helped keep my skin noticeably clearer even when I lean in close to the mirror to really examine my skin.

Sorry for the long-winded post, but I suppose there was much to say! If you have any questions, suggestions, tips or otherwise, please share them below! I always love hearing about what methods work for other people and how I can make improvements to my own skin care routine.

toodles, Dana

Sometimes you see something or hear a song and feel immediately drawn to or inspired by it.
And I love that.

Like January Wedding by the Avett Brothers.
Or this motivating fitness pin.
Or anything involving chocolate and peanut butter.

Swoon, swoon and swoon.

So being the relentless foodie that I am, while writing an article for work this week I came across several recipes for buckeye candies and I simply couldn’t resist. I was drawn to them like a bug to one of those annoying neon zappy light things.

‘can’t. stop. looking. at the liiight. must go to the liiiighht. aaaanndd zzzzzzzzzaaap!’

After finding a more traditional recipe I noticed it called for an entire stick of butter and SIX cups of powdered sugar, and I was all like, “uh uh on no she di-int. RUDE.’ And then I was all like ‘Ima make that healthy.’ And that’s what I did.

I slimmed the butter down to a mere two tablespoons and the powdered sugar down to about 1.5 to 2 cups. Not bad considering that’s close to a thousand calories saved. UH THOUSAND. Think of all the other places you can go and spend those calories now. Like pancakes for breakfast! Or ice cream! Yeah, I like that second idea. I think I’m onto something…

Healthier Buckeyes
adapted from all recipes | makes 25- 30 candies 

Ingredients
1 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 cups powdered sugar
1 bag semisweet chocolate chips (about 3 cups)
chocolate sprinkles, crushed peanuts (optional)

Method | Mix peanut butter, vanilla and butter together in a large bowl. Add powdered sugar and stir until batter is stiff – about 2 cups or a little more. Roll dough into 1-inch balls – about 30 total. Place balls on a parchment or silicone-lined baking sheet or plate and stick a toothpick in the top of each for dipping. Once they’re hardened – about an hour – melt your chocolate chips over a double boiler, remove pan from freezer, and work quickly dipping the balls into the chocolate leaving a small space on top so it resembles a ‘buckeye.’ Roll in chocolate sprinkles or crushed peanuts while still wet, if desired. Place back in freezer to harden and store in the freezer or fridge until serving.

Oh my dear word.
These are like a Reese’s Easter Egg but shaped like an eyeball.
They’re like a pillowy cloud of peanut butter bliss enveloped in a crunchy chocolate shell.
They’re like a chocolate, peanut butter addict’s dream.
They’re like, totally awesome.

I think backing off the powdered sugar gave these just the right amount of sweetness to balance the salty peanut butter. I wouldn’t alter these one bit. And who needs all that butter anyways? Not me or my favorite skinny jeans. Uh uh, no want.

Tee hee. Look. It’s like a little buckeye butt. How cuuuuuuuute.

Enjoy! And try not to get addicted ; )

Dana