Uncategorized – Plum Joyful

Last minute easy Halloween costume and decor ideas

PlumJoyful — Fri, 28 Oct 2016 06:19:11 +0000

If you are anything like me than you know what it’s like to be going about your day only to realize that Halloween is four days away and you haven’t figured out your kids costume, let alone your own. And while I did have the foresight to get pumpkins two weeks ago, they sit on our kitchen table uncarved and threatening to go soft like a preteen girl at a One Direction concert. So like the true procrastinator that I am, I have only today begun to kick into real holiday gear and cheer so I can finish out Halloween strong. What I need are easy and affordable ideas that can help me make some spooky magic so the Little Plum can enjoy what I hope will become one of her favorite holidays. I know it was mine growing up. Here is a little accessible inspo for all my fellow procrastinating peeps. For the kids Most parents have some grocery bags and construction or tissue paper hanging around. Check out this awesome ands easy DIY hula girl costume from The Gold Jellybean. I love how simple and fun this costume is, and totally recyclable! Woot woot!!! I love this Shark […]

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Paleo Caramel Apples : Dairy free, gluten free, refined sugar free

PlumJoyful — Fri, 21 Oct 2016 07:00:26 +0000

I LOVE caramel apples. Well really I love caramel, and I like apples. But something about the combination really works, and brings back many childhood memories. When I was a kid, on very special occasions, (mainly Halloween), my mom would buy these caramel discs that came on wax paper that you were meant to wrap around an apple to make caramel apples. I loved them so much I would generally just eat the discs straight off the paper before we could even get to making the apples. Hence my lifelong love of caramel began. When I went dairy free almost 15 years ago (Holy moly!), I mourned my beloved caramel. I could never find a dairy free alternative. About four years ago, while on an incredibly restricted diet to heal some autoimmune issues I was having, I discovered this caramel recipe out of sheer desperation. Necessity truly is the mother of invention. I NEEDED something that felt like a treat. I knew I could have coconut milk and I could have honey. I figured if cream and sugar made caramel, then couldn’t coconut milk and honey do the same thing? Luckily for me and for all of us it did! After a little […]

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Stop a cold before it starts : My favorite natural remedies

PlumJoyful — Wed, 19 Oct 2016 07:05:00 +0000

The weather her in Los Angeles has been all over the place. We had an unbearable heat wave, followed by very cool temps, followed by rain, and now we are back to 80 and 90 degree days. The drastic swings in temperature coupled with the change of seasons make for the ideal conditions for catching a cold. I am currently fighting one as we speak. I woke up with what I thought were allergies, and as the day progressed it became clear that a cold was trying to take hold. But my defense game is tight, so that cold better watch it’s back is all I’m saying. Anyhoo, with cold and flu season gearing up, I thought I would share my favorite ways to stop a cold before it can really take hold. Natural Cold Remedies 1. Zinc Zinc is one of the best ways to fight a cold as long as you start right when you begin to feel symptoms. It has been shown in studies to reduce the duration of a cold if taken within 24 hours of the first symptoms. It has been shown to inhibit the rhinovirus which is the virus that causes the common cold. […]

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A Nature Prescription: TED TALK by Dr. Nooshin Razani

PlumJoyful — Fri, 17 Jun 2016 22:34:05 +0000

If you’ve been following my blog then you know how I feel about nature. It is my church, my solace, my place of grounding. I would be lost without it. I need it for my equilibrium and I need it for my happiness. So I am so honored to share with you this amazing TED TALK by my dear childhood friend Nooshin Razani. Nooshin is a brilliant pediatrician in the bay area who works with UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland on finding ways nature can relieve stress in low-income communities. She not only talks the (TED)talk but she walks the walk. Seeing her own children reconnect with nature and thrive led her to study the effect nature can have on the health and wellbeing of our children and also ourselves. She actually conducted and completed the first ever randomized and controlled trails for “park prescriptions” evaluating the quantifiable effects nature has on our health and stress levels. She is single-handedly changing our world for the better one “park prescription” at a time. I am beyond honored to share this with all of you. Please SHARE this (Facebook, tweet etc…) with everyone you know, especially if they have children. This message needs […]

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