Crunchy Betty
You Have Food On Your Face!
Get Crunchy Betty by: RSS
What’s All This Crunchy Betty Stuff, Anyway?
The very first entry in Crunchy Betty’s Food On Your Face category was written on May 9, 2010. It was called “Five Good Reasons To Put Food On Your Face.”
At the time, I was fumbling around in the world of blogs. I was dipping my proverbial toes in the metaphorical pineapple juice, often for the first time right before I blogged it. Some of you were there with me then. A few of you remember the first header Crunchy Betty ever had.
I can’t believe you’re still with me …
I’ve changed a lot in the last three years. My beliefs have changed. My reasons for doing things have changed.
This hasn’t always been easy for me, and I know it hasn’t ever been easy for those of you who read the blog. But you’re still here (or you’re here for the first time, and that’s awesome, too).
On August 1, 2010, I asked all 20 of my readers what they thought a Crunchy Betty was.
After I share with you some of my thoughts on what Crunchy Betty is now, where it’s been and where it’s going, I’m going to ask you similar questions. Your answers – your answers will become PART of what I share tomorrow in Boston.
In the original post, in which we talked about the defining aspects of being a “Crunchy Betty,” I said this:
read the full article ...
(Semi) Thoughtless Thursday
Quick. Think fast. What does Priceline, partially digested foam rubber, a goat’s beard, 8001 boxes, sore knees, and an industrial-size bottle of vinegar have in common?
They all …
Umm …
Me.
That is what they all have in common. Me, over the last week and a half.
You know how some blogs do Wordless Wednesday? Well, here’s my Thoughtless Thursday, because frankly, my dears, if there’s a brain left in my head after the last week and a half, I don’t know about it.
In the last 10 days, I have:
Spent the afternoon at a farm (this was luxury)
read the full article ...Do You Have Cart Anxiety? (Deal With It) – Part 2
It’s of utmost importance that I be transparent with you all right now, and not just about the pair of parachute pants I still own from 1987.
No, the truth you should know is this:
If there was one thing I would want to change in this world, it would be the “food wars” we wage against each other. In fact, this might be my new mission in life: To join the human race in one connecting truth. The truth that we’re all doing the best we can with what we believe in any given moment of our lives in order to nourish ourselves and our families.
The truth that there is no “one right way” for every single person in the world. The truth that diversity (in our beliefs AND in the way we eat and take care of our bodies) is what keeps us learning and growing, and is something to be celebrated – not ridiculed (yes, even in the case of processed foods, which we’ll talk more about in a minute).
The truth that we are ALL in this together. All of us. You and me. Us.
And that’s why I think “Cart Anxiety” is an important place to start, because it starts in the open. It starts in a place where we’re the most vulnerable. In public, where everyone can see our vices, our unmentionables, our triumphs and our weakest moments.
read the full article ...Do You Have Shopping Cart Anxiety? — Part 1
It was 4 o’clock in the afternoon when Amanda Worthington lay her life bare for all to see.
“It was the worst day ever,” she whispered tensely. “I was about to start my period, my boyfriend and I broke up the night before, and my sister called and begged me to pick up 10 two-liter bottles of Dr Pepper at the store for her kids’ soccer practices. I wanted to say no, but she threatened to tell our mother about the time I ate her lipstick.”
“Mom’s very protective of her lipstick,” Amanda added. “And it only happened last year.”
Despite Amanda’s terrible day, she found no care or kindness coming from her fellow shoppers that afternoon. “In fact,” Amanda says, “I felt like people were staring at me. Judging. Am I crazy?”
Amanda, a slightly pudgy hospice nurse, pushed a cart filled with a box of tampons, four chocolate bars, 10 two-liter bottles of soda, and 8 boxes of Hungry Man Salisbury Steak frozen dinners.
“Oh. The Salisbury Steak was for Mr. Vitols, an elderly man I shop for sometimes. If I don’t bring his Hungry Man, he waves his cane and curses me in Latvian,” Amanda added.
read the full article ...Trying and Troubleshooting the Oil Cleansing Method: Tips For Flawless, Oil-Cleansed Skin
There’s just something special about the oil cleansing method, yeah?
The thought of washing your face with oil either attracts or violently repels people. But, in the four years I’ve been immersed in natural living blogging (and the two years since I wrote the following introductory post), I’m not sure there’s a single thing that’s matched the OCM’s wild successes (and occasional trials and failures).
I’m not going to reinvent the wheel, though, so I won’t be writing extensively about HOW to do the oil cleansing method. For that, you want to visit this post right here. If you’re unfamiliar with it, or if you just need a refresher, please (I implore you with my whole crunchy heart) VISIT THIS POST HERE ON THE NITTY GRITTY OF HOW TO DO THE OIL CLEANSING METHOD. And then come back here. We miss you already.
Now, for the rest of you – those who’ve braved the askance looks of doubting friends when you tell them how you’re going to wash your face with oil, those of you who’ve discovered smooth, radiant skin beneath the product residue, and those of you who’ve given up, crestfallen at breakouts, after an attempt to make the oil cleansing method work for you – this post is for you.
read the full article ...Hyssop Rediscovered – And a Mask for Your Gorgeous Skin
There’s this magical box that lives in my “crunchy corner.” In it are wonders ne’er before seen, like unicorns and fairies and men who ask for directions.
Just kidding, men. (You’d never fit in this box.)
Actually, what’s in this box are small baggies full of herbs and roots and flowers and resins. Every so often, when I go to our local natural food store, I’ll pick up an herb that I’ve recently learned about, but never worked with. I bring it home, smell it, touch it, and occasionally just toss it in the box and forget about it. Not for lack of interest, but more for an abundance of distractions.
You know how it goes. There’s always bread to be made, dishes to be washed, friends to be served tea, or cats to be dressed up like German barmaids. Priorities.
About a month ago, as I was planning a few of the plants I’m going to grow in my new rooftop garden, I ran into hyssop seeds. (Isn’t that just about the prettiest word you’ve ever seen? Hyssop. Hyssop. Hyssop.) And while I was familiar with it, I remembered that it was an herb I’d tossed into the box a few months before.
read the full article ...Hear Me, For I Am The Nudge
Yesterday, I stood up in front of 500 people and asked a question that changed my life.
And, you know, if you’re going to stand up in front of 500 people, it had better be a danged good question. Or you’d better have a danged good reason for asking it. Or, mostly, you’d better be pretty brave and not at all self-conscious about excessive sweating.
Or, there’s another option. You feel something inside of you. A push, a nudge, a voice, or a concrete wordless knowing that you’re moving in a direction intended only for you.
It was the latter that prompted me to ask the question. While being brave. While being nervous. While sweating. None of these things are mutually exclusive.
read the full article ...The Lean, Green Avocado Hand Moisturizing Machine Recipe
There are three things you’ll always find on the verge of going bad in my kitchen:
1. Sauerkraut, which I’ve made religiously by hand every six months for the last two years, and I’ve never eaten. I buy a cabbage, ferment it, and then forget that it exists. By “forget,” I mean ignore. The idea of sauerkraut is good in theory, but when it comes to actually eating it, well … my sock looks more appetizing. By “looks,” I mean “smells.
2. A quarter cup of homemade hamburger helper. We have “hamburger helper” every two weeks or so here, and no matter what, no matter how hungry everyone is or how full everyone is or how many dogs I threaten to adopt to eat our leftovers, we always have exactly one quarter cup of it still in the pan when dinner is over. It’s enough to where you feel a guilty pit in your stomach for even considering throwing it out. But it’s not enough for another meal for one person the next day. So into a glass jar it goes, and in the refrigerator it stays, for three weeks, until my conscience is clear enough to say, “Well, if anyone tried to eat it now, they’d just get sick. Even that imaginary dog. Might as well throw it out.” It’s a system; who am I to change it?
3. One mushy, brown avocado. If you want to ripen avocados quickly, you store them in your cupboard for two or so days. And then you take them out and cook with them, or put them in your fridge to slow the ripening process. Unless you’re me. Then, you buy three avocados, even if you only need two, and forget that there’s one in the cupboard for a week. Then, one day you’re filling your water glass, and a little voice from the cupboard goes, “Hey. Hey. If you don’t pay attention to me, I’m going to grow legs and hair, move to Portland, and start an indie band called mono:unsaturated.”
Yes. You can steal that band name.
Anyway, if you’re anything like me – although you’re probably not, because you actually eat your sauerkraut – you’ll have an avocado ready to go for this easy-peasy, food-on-your-hands, super mono:unsaturated hand treatment.
read the full article ...Oh, The Things You Can Make If Only You Try
The other night, as I was writing the post announcing this quick sale, I started to read the books. Really read. Before, I had only read one or two, and cyber-thumbed through the rest. But, as I immersed myself in the recipes and instructions contained therein, I was overtaken by an entity. An entity that seemed so familiar, yet nearly forgotten.
The pure and clear entity of the essence of Crunchy Betty.
Yesterday. Yesterday, I came back to life. In one day, I made FIVE things from the pages of these books (and let me tell you, five things is but a ripple on the ocean of what I want to make from the books in the Healthy Living eBook Bundle).
I documented ALL the things, which you’re about to gaze at lovingly. And while I can’t give you the recipes for four of the things – you have to buy the bundle to manifest this yumminess yourself – I will give you a recipe straight from my very own book in the bundle – Crunchy Betty’s Food On Your Face for Acne and Oily Skin. At the end. So keep scrolling.
read the full article ...Good News, Everybody! 48-Hour Cyber Monday Flash Sale on the Healthy Living Ebook Bundle – With Extra Bonuses!
I know, I know. It seems like that’s all you’ve been getting from me lately. But I promise two things:
ONE: This is SUCH good news (especially for those of you who missed out on the first round of the Healthy Living eBook Bundle sale).
Even though it was unfortunate (very unfortunate) news that Hurricane Sandy happened, we had so many people asking for an extension on the sale, because they missed out during the weather atrociousness. Due to this, the big bosses at the Healthy Living eBook Bundle Headquarters decided to bring the sale back for a flash 48-hour sale. If you didn’t pick this bundle up the first time, you have a second chance! (Isn’t it nice when life offers you second chances?)
A portion of the proceeds is actually going to Hurricane Sandy relief efforts, as well. You can read below to find out more about that.
TWO: I promise there won’t be any other posts dedicated to selling things for the foreseeable future. We’re about to start MAKING things now, instead of buying them. Soooon.
But, in the meantime, this is – absolutely, positively, without a sniggle of a doubt – the last time you will be able to buy this eBook bundle. Ever. Period. Nada more after this.
Buy one for yourself, and buy one as a gift for a naturally-minded friend. Hello, high-tech, nourishing-wisdom Christmas gifts – perfect for someone who has massive love for their e-reader or tablet!
Best news of the sale: The bonuses got BIGGER! (Like, $73 worth of free product bonuses, in addition to the $300+ worth of eBooks in the bundle. Read below to see the goodies.)
Here’s the official word on the flash Healthy Living Ebook Bundle Sale (and you can read the post here for what I had to say about it earlier) … for the last time it will ever exist in this incarnation.
read the full article ...The Crunchy Day of Gift Giving and Radio Listening
I really questioned whether or not it was a good idea to run a coupon code for the “sales” days coming up here, mainly because we’ve been so busy with orders already, we have a hard time keeping up with it. (Believe me, my loves, I am NOT complaining.)
However, it IS the holiday season and I DO want as many of you as possible to give your friends, loved ones, and family members handmade gifts (even if they’re not handmade by you), so please, please use this coupon code before it expires. (And, if you don’t want to buy anything handmade from me, that’s okay. Just PLEASE peruse Etsy or other places this weekend for more sales from conscious small businesses. SO many amazing deals to be had.)
So … SAVE 20% today through Saturday at Crunchy Betty’s Natural Market. USE COUPON CODE GRATITUDE to save some dinero and give the gift of natural loveliness this holiday season (or just give it to yourself, doggone it). PLEASE read below for an important note about applying the coupon code (sometime Etsy’s a bugger to make sense of when it comes to coupon codes).
read the full article ...