2017 is almost upon us and, after losing several talented artists over the last year, I'm sure most people are with me when I say "I AM READY." For me, the new year brings a sense of hope, opportunity, a sense of adventure, and the chance to make a fresh start. I always get a feeling of renewed energy and this year is no different.

When you start to set your intentions for the year I invite you to ask yourself how you would like to FEEL, THINK, and BE.


Here are a few self-reflective inquiries to ask yourself as you set your intentions for the new year.

1. What do I want to be different?

2. What are my strengths and how can I use them to help me make a positive change?

3. What do I want to be doing more of?

4. What do I want to be doing less of?

5. What feelings do I need to embrace/let go of to help me move forward?

The final step in setting intentions is visualizing your success. When you can picture yourself  achieving something, it is much easier to see the path that will take you there.

Find a quiet spot where you will 5-10 minutes of uninterrupted time. Seat yourself comfortably and focus on taking deep breaths. Think about the intentions you created for the new year. Imagine having already achieved your goals. How does it make you feel?

*Made in the USA

Do you have any favorite vegan clothing resources?

I've always considered myself a "night owl" and it can be both a blessing and a curse when I get hit with creative inspiration at 11 PM, which puts me in the mood to work and get things done. I have never been much of a morning person and I'm sure my parents still have nightmares (haha) about the daily struggle to wake me up to get to school on time. It isn't until very recently that I've really put in a lot of effort to come up with an evening routine that ends with me going to bed at a reasonable hour so that I can wake up easier and have more productive mornings.

I'm sure I will still have the occasional struggle with winding everything down by 10:30 PM during the week, but I can already say that after putting this routine into place, I am much more relaxed and ready for bed. Here is a little insight into my new nighttime routine. Hopefully this might help spark some ideas if you are thinking of trying to put together your own routine.



9:45 PM- The first thing I do is soak my feet for about 10-15 minutes using the Purely Northwest Tea Tree Oil Therapeutic Foot Soak. This stuff is amazing, especially if you've been on your feet all day or had a good workout earlier. I am a fencer, and let me tell you, soaking your feet in the tub with these epsom salts feels so good after 2 hours of fencing. I am already on my third bag. I seriously talk up the evening foot soak so much that my husband has started to do it when he travels.

10:00 PM- My evening hygiene/skin care routine is relatively simple. I am usually to tired/lazy to properly wash my face so I rely on makeup wipes. I am currently using the Acure Coconut and Argan Cleansing Towlettes. I then apply the derma-e Hydrating Night Creme with Hyaluronic Acid to moisturize and keep the wrinkles at bay (as much as one can anways). I use Dr. Brite Natural Whitening Toothpaste to brush and rinse with Dessert Essence Tea Tree Whitening Plus Mouthwash.

10:10 PM- I usually take about 5 minutes to plug in my ultrasonic essential oil diffuser (with a mix of lavender and rosewood) and write in my new gratitude journal. I purchased both my diffuser (The Sparoom SpaMist Ultrasonic Fragrance Diffuser) and a set of 3 notebooks at TJMaxx. (Which I definitely recommend checking out as they usually have really affordable prices on stuff like this.)

I try to come up with three things that I was grateful for on that particular day. Cultivating an attitude of gratitude is really important to me and I think writing down something that you are thankful for is especially helpful if you've had a bad or down day. If you are worried that this might take up too much of your time in the evening, just remember that an entry can be as long or short (even just three words) as your time/energy allows for.

10:15 PM- I have really been loving reading actual books in bed, instead of staring at my iPad. I feel like it's better on my eyes and I'm not as distracted by social media. The picture above shows you what is currently resting on my nightstand. (The Star-Trek book may or may not have been purchased from my phone while going down the long, dark road of the ST extended universe with some friends at New York Comic Con this year.)

10:30 PM- Light's out. (Ok, sometimes I get caught up in a book and push it to 10:45. I'm a work in progress.)

Apple picking is one of my favorite fall activities. I love being outside in the fresh air, spending time with my family, and, of course, bringing home freshly picked apples. I live in Virginia and am so grateful that we have a lot of opportunities for outdoor activities with beautiful scenery. This is our second time in a row visiting Hartland Orchard in Markham, Virginia and we could not have asked for a better day.

When we arrived at home with our apple haul, I only had one thing on my mind- DESSERT. I started scouring Pinterest for a pie, crumble, or crisp recipe. I stopped when I came across "The Best Vegan Apple Crisp" by the Minimalist Baker. I actually had most of the ingredients on hand with the exception of a lemon and pecans, so it wasn't very expensive to put together. It also made quite a large pan if you're thinking of preparing something for a party or for a family gathering.  I paired it with the So Delicious cashew-milk ice cream in Very Vanilla and it was a match made in delicious vegan heaven. (Writing this post now is making me sad because the entire pan of apple crisp has already been devoured. IT WAS THAT AMAZING.)

*As a note, I used regular cane sugar instead of coconut sugar, water instead of apple juice, and coconut oil when it calls for coconut or olive.

**I did a little bit of searching and found this coupon for $1.00 off any 2 So Delicious Dairy Free Products at Whole Foods if you want to check out the cashew-milk ice cream. I also highly recommend their French Vanilla and Hazelnut Coconut Milk Coffee Creamer.


What are your favorite fall-inspired vegan treats?

Recently, I've come to find that peaceful, productive mornings are actually made in the evenings.

Here are 5 tips to a more restful night's sleep.


1. Keep your phone charging in another room. I can't tell you how many hours of precious sleep I have lost to mindless scrolling on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. Knowing it would always tempt me on my nightstand, I have since started charging it overnight in my office. I knew I was going to have to invest in an alarm clock since I wouldn't have my phone handy and ultimately decided on this "retro-future" alarm clock radio by Electrohome (pictured above).


2. Switch from an electronic reader to physical books to reduce the blue light strain on your eyes. I really wanted to incorporate reading before bedtime, but trying to read on my iPad was starting to affect my eyes and I would tend to get distracted with the apps I mentioned above. If you are on a budget, or like to keep minimal books around, your local used book store or library would be a great resource. We happen to have a few book shelves filled with books, many of which I haven't read before. I read a lot of personal development and science books for school, so I like to chill out with some fantasy novels before bed. I'm currently loving the Wizard's First Rule series by Terry Goodkind and the Sword of Shannara series by Terry Brooks. (I JUST realized while typing this that there are two extremely popular fantasy authors named Terry.)


3. Be aware and bring attention to your body's sleep needs. We usually hear "get at least 8 hours of sleep" (which I try to follow) but everyone's sleep to functioning ratio might be a little different (more or less.) The right amount of sleep will leave you feeling alert and refreshed upon waking. For me that can be anywhere from 8-9 hours, depending on how much activity I've done during the day.


4. Try allowing 15-20 minutes to meditate before you go to sleep. Those evenings when I've allowed enough time to do meditation have provided me with some of the best sleep. I was using the "Body Scan" meditation from Palouse Mindfulness and really want to incorporate it back into my routine. There are also lots of meditation options available on the calm.com and Headspace apps.


5. Keep a gratitude journal. Cultivating an attitude of gratitude contributes positively to our well-being. Ending the night on a high note, even when you've had a rough day, can provide you with some peace before you fall asleep. Right now I am using a regular notebook and will probably upgrade to this beautiful yet simple option from Etsy seller The Lively Pen (bonus- it's customizable!).


I've also heard great things about The Five Minute Journal which has a space for both morning and evening entries. I will probably check this out in the new year, considering it's almost October.

I will be sharing my new nightly sleep routine soon so you can get a glimpse into the things I do to prepare myself to be well rested for the next day.

Did one of these tips resonate with you? My challenge to you is to find one tiny step you could take to improve your sleep.

1. Jane Iredale Glow Time Full Coverage Mineral BB Cream
I have a confession to make. I have heard of Jane Iredale over the last few years, in passing, but I made the weird assumption that it was a brand marketed towards older women. (Ugh, I know, such a weird thought!) Of course, to my surprise, Jane Iredale is a mineral based makeup line free of perfume, alcohol, artificial dyes, and nasty chemicals. Luckily for pale people like myself, most of her products also have SPF. During my research, I found a ton of great reviews for the Glow Time BB Cream and decided to give it a go. I was really looking for something that was full coverage to replace my Estee Lauder DoubleWear Foundation (which is, sadly, not cruelty free) and after checking out some color swatches I decided on the color BB 3. I am in LOVE with this BB Cream! It does, indeed, provide a full coverage and great finish. For reference, I am very fair, with a slight case of rosacea/redness, and normal skin. The BB cream retails on the Jane Iredale website for $48.00 US but I actually got mine on Overstock.com for $35.49 US which is comparable to most other mid-priced foundations.

2. Evolvh Leave- In Conditioner
I have recently become a huge fan of  the "green" beauty movement and was perusing Credo Beauty when I came across the Evolvh hair care line. I decided to try the Smart Start Leave-In Conditioner as an introduction to brand. For reference, my hair is colored, a little dry, and prone to tangles, and this product delivered on it's claims to detangle and soften. I love that there are no harsh ingredients and my hair is left silky, shiny, and lightly scented. I bought the full sized (8.5 oz) bottle which may be a little pricey for some at $27.00 US, but I feel like it will last a while. If you want to try it before committing, Credo Beauty does have a 2 oz bottle for $10.00 US.


3. Pacifica Dream Big Mascara
I had some extra time before meeting a friend one day and so what else is a girl to do but check out the local Target? I was browsing the beauty aisles when I came across some new Pacifica products. I was familiar with their perfumes and candles, but recently they have built up their line of beauty products and cosmetics. Let me rave about Pacifica here for a moment. All of their products are vegan, cruelty-free, marketed at a great price point, and can be found at Target and Ulta. I purchased the Dream Big Lash Extending 7 in 1 mascara at Target that day and (full disclosure) perhaps it was partly due to the fact that there were stars and unicorns on the packaging. (It was basically calling my name.) I think this is a fantastic mascara and reasonably priced at $15.99.


I've also been working hard on my personal health and fitness goals so I'd thought I share some of my recent favorites from that category.


4. NuGo Bars
Of course whole foods are best, but when I'm traveling or out for a day, I really like a snack that I can toss in my bag or leave in my car for emergencies. Also, I have a sweet tooth and the fact that these have really nice ingredients (especially considering this is a packaged, grab-and-go snack) and are vegan gives these bars a lot of bonus points! They even passed my husband's taste test and he does not like very many bars.They come in lots of different flavors but my personal favorites are the NuGo Dark Mint Chocolate Chip and the NuGo Dark Chocolate Pretzel with Sea Salt. You can find them by the box on Nugo Nutrition Website for $19.00 or (as with most things) for slightly cheaper on Amazon.com. I also buy them individually at my local Whole Foods.

5. New Rules of Lifting for Women Workout
 I bought this book years ago after it started getting raves in some of the fitness forums I frequented. I tried it for a while and started seeing results so I have no idea why I stopped. I think it's because I didn't belong to the gym at the time and didn't have enough equipment to do the workouts at home. I've tried many other workouts since then, with varying degrees of success, but decided to dust this book off about 2 months ago. I had not lifted in a while so starting this workout program definitely left me struggling to get up the two flights of stairs in my house. As the weeks go by I can definitely feel myself getting stronger and leaning out. Bonus- the Stage 1 workouts are about 30 minutes if you do them at home with the "home workout alternative exercises" that they provide. This book can be purchased on Amazon for $14.00. (I also encourage you to check out your local library.)

6. Vega One Sport Performance Protein Powder
After transitioning to the vegan lifestyle about a month or so ago, I was on the lookout for a tasty plant-based protein powder that I could use in smoothies. The Chocolate flavor tastes like chocolate caramel and I love it! I also like the extra calorie boost that it gives me, especially on days when I'm weight lifting. I usually add this to almond milk, bananas, and spinach for a delicious snack that tastes like a milkshake. I purchased mine at Whole Foods but it is also available at Amazon for $41.00 and comes in Berry, Vanilla, and Chocolate.

They say that knowledge is power and when it comes to wellness, I couldn't agree more. When asked for advice regarding wellness related issues like needing more movement, better nutrition, and more sleep, one of my first questions is usually "Have you ever tracked <insert wellness metric here>?"

Some people track their metrics daily, but if that seems overwhelming, or too much of a commitment to start off with, I encourage people to track for one week. Tracking is  a great way to check in on your progress and goals. I use it as a wake-up call when I am not feeling my best. (Especially when it comes to food...a little bit o' this and a little bit o' that can add up fast!)

If you want to start using trackers to measure your goals, there are lots of different ways to go about it.

For those of you who prefer the good old fashioned pen and paper method, keeping a journal is a great way to track. Journals come in all different shapes and sizes and can be purchased at every price point.

JOURNALS

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