Category: Lifestyle

Nontoxic Deodorant

Published on by wellbymel_1 Comment

I started the transition to cleaner home and body products about a year ago.  I wrote a blog post about my transition, why I decided to switch to cleaner products, and some of the products that have worked well for me here.  To be honest, this was a pretty daunting process for two reasons – 1) because there are soo many products that we use daily that contain harmful chemicals and 2) it is such a challenge to find products that are actually clean. Several products are labeled “organic,” or “natural,” however these labels do not necessarily mean that the particular product does not contain harmful ingredients.
Continue reading “Nontoxic Deodorant” →

Chocolate Oat Milk

Published on by wellbymel_Leave a comment

I recently started making my own dairy-free milk using oats! I liked using oats because they are less expensive than nuts and it is quicker to make oat milk because there is a shorter soak time. I have noticed that separation does occur so make sure to store in a bottle with a lid and shake before use. Oat milk should last about 4-5 days in the fridge.

Continue reading “Chocolate Oat Milk” →

How to Make Your Own Almond Milk *Update*

Published on by wellbymel_2 Comments

I’m really passionate about eating real food. I believe (and feel my best) when I eat fresh, real foods in the purest forms and minimize the amount of processed foods that I’m consuming. In my opinion, we don’t need all of those additives found in many processed foods today and its not doing our digestion any favors. For the past several months, I’ve started to make my own almond milk. Making your own almond milk is super easy and only requires two ingredients- almonds and milk. It is super simple and devoid of any thickeners and preservatives found in many store bought almond milks. I wrote an entire blog post on making your own almond milk and the benefits linked here.

I recently tried using blanched, sliced almonds to make my own almond milk vs. regular raw almonds. It was a complete game changer! This almond milk comes out naturally sweet and so so delicious! The recipe is very similar to the one I recently posted using regular, raw almonds just replaces them with blanched, almonds. See recipe below!

Continue reading “How to Make Your Own Almond Milk *Update*” →

Date-Sweetened Cinnamon Almond Milk

Published on by wellbymel_Leave a comment

I recently posted about homemade almond milk and all of the benefits to making your own almond. If you missed it, check it out at the link here.

Homemade almond milk is so clean and easy to make. However, it is very plain- it tastes like almonds. Like it should because it is only made with 2 ingredients- almonds and filtered water. However, for a little more flavor you can sweeten the almond milk (the natural way!). This recipe sweetens the almond milk with fresh medoolan dates and cinnamon.

Continue reading “Date-Sweetened Cinnamon Almond Milk” →

How to Make Your Own Almond Milk

Published on by wellbymel_6 Comments

Almond milk is such a staple in my kitchen. I use it in my morning matcha lattes, my smoothie bowls, and oatmeal. If you’ve followed my blog for a bit, you know that I LOVE smoothie bowls! I’ve noticed that store bought almond milks contain a ton of ingredients including fillers and preservatives. I recently tried making my own almond milk. It’s something that I have been wanting to do for a while and it was seriously so easy! The craziest part? It actually tastes like almonds. The most basic almond milk is made with only 2 ingredients- almonds and water. You can also add additional ingredients such as dates and cinnamon to sweeten and flavor the almond milk (the natural way!), but in this post I will just include the most basic almond milk recipe.

Continue reading “How to Make Your Own Almond Milk” →

6 Ways to Start Your Journey Towards Non-Toxic Living

Published on by wellbymel_Leave a comment

Toxins are everywhere. They are in our water, in our food, our kitchen, our home products, etc. We are surrounded by toxins and interact with them on a daily basis. With all of the different places we are exposed to toxins, it can be overwhelming to determine where to even start to alleviate our interactions with them. Below are a few simple hacks that can be used to get started on a journey towards Non-Toxic Living.

Continue reading “6 Ways to Start Your Journey Towards Non-Toxic Living” →

6 Ways to Stay Healthy While Traveling for Work

Published on by wellbymel_2 Comments

So you travel for work? So do I. In fact, I get on an airplane twice a week, every week. I know the NYC terminals like the back of my hand. I frequent so often that the barista at Starbucks is convinced that I work there. I change time zones on a weekly basis. I am a Management Consultant.

I came into consulting about a year ago as an experienced hire. As excited as I was about starting my new job, I was also completely worried about maintaining my healthy lifestyle. You eat out everyday? Networking events are key? Is there such thing as ‘The Consulting 15’? It took some trial and error, but here are 6 ways I’ve been able to maintain a healthy lifestyle while constantly traveling.

Continue reading “6 Ways to Stay Healthy While Traveling for Work” →

4 Watchouts for Eating at Vegan Restaurants

Published on by wellbymel_Leave a comment

I’m not a vegan, but I lean towards the plant-based side of the spectrum. My favorite type of quick food places are raw vegan/ juice bar type places. When I first started consulting, I was disappointed to largely give up cooking, but then got over this quickly when I started researching all of the raw vegan juice bar esq places in my first city of work travel. 

I got into the daily routine of eating “healthy” vegan food for every meal. At first it was great. I was trying all new kinds of vegan meals, getting great recipe ideas to cook at home, and eating delicious plant-based sweets that would require me so much more effort for me to make at home. I was ecstatic, until I started not to feel well anymore. I started gaining weight. I felt super full but was still hungry at the same time. I was lethargic. I was off. I wanted to get back to feeling good so I knew I had to make a change. But I wasn’t quite sure where I went wrong? I was eating at the most seemingly healthy types of restaurants I knew. Shouldn’t I be feeling great? I took a step back and made a few observations at what I was eating. These learnings have helped me flag certain items on the menu and have enabled me to order more wisely:

Continue reading “4 Watchouts for Eating at Vegan Restaurants” →

Reducing my Sweet Tooth

Published on by wellbymel_Leave a comment

I have a HUGE sweet tooth, but recently I have been making a conscious effort to avoid added sugars to my foods. I haven’t gotten to 100% no added sugar to my diet, but I’m not quite sure that’s my goal. I try to avoid extremes because they mostly end up not being sustainable. My goal is to actively recognize an added sugar as an added sugar- whether it’s maple syrup, honey, coconut sugar, etc. it doesn’t matter what type it is. It doesn’t matter if it’s organic sugar.

Sugar is sugar.

Continue reading “Reducing my Sweet Tooth” →