Holiday Honey

Super Drink: Yerba Mate

One of my New Year's Resolutions isn't all that uncommon: Give up my dependency on coffee. I've become one of those people who simply shouldn't be spoken to before she drinks her morning cup of joe. Not cool, especially for the people that I live with. In lieu of this resolution, I've begun drinking a pungent yet powerful alternative called Yerba Mate (pronounced "yerba mahtay"). Have you heard of it? This super tea hails from South America, where residents of Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay meet over cups of Mate, just as we Americans do coffee. 

 

In fact, in Beunos Aires, many people carry their Mate with them and sip on it throughout the day. In honor of these South Americans, I've been sipping Mate all day long and wow, do I feel spectacular! Some of the benefits of Yerba Mate include: weight loss, increased longevity, colon cleansing, stimulation of mental and physical alertness. You can learn a whole lot more about Yerba Mate here. I buy the Guayaki brand and have gotten used to drinking it straight, even though its a tad bitter. Trust me -- the way I feel makes it well worth it. Plus, with South American exports like Alessandra Ambrosio and Gisele Bundchen, they must be doing something right =) 

Thinking Outside The Box: Fashion & Complementary Colors

Sure we love monochromatic looks, and we'd never dream of dissing black... But how about getting funky for a change? I've been revisiting art class basics lately, and embracing complementary colors... First a bit of history: The complementary colors are based on the RYB Color Model. RYB stands for Red, Yellow, and Blue; the three primary colors. The VOG Model stands for Violent, Orange, and Green, the three secondary colors. Yes, those six make up the colors of the rainbow.... And all of the gorgeous hues in between. 

 We can thank Sir Isaac Newton for finding that all colors can be created by combining the three primaries. Now for the cool scientific fact behind complementaries: Two colors are complementary if and only if, when mixed together, they form a neutral color (gray, white, or black). So the most obvious pairings are: red + cyan, green + magenta, blue + yellow. Now let's talk fashion... 

To determine a color's complement, look at the chart above. Some combos that we personally adore are #14 and #32, #18 and #36, and #27 and #9. If you really want to make an entrance, stand out in a crowd, or simply look a little different than everyone else (without anyone pinpointing exactly how or why), try playing with colors and their complements. Below you can see how striking complementary colors can be together. What do you think, honeys? Now prepare yourselves for endless "compl- i -ments.".

Quote of the Day

 

 "Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds."

 ~Albert Einstein~

Overcoming Impatience

Do you get antsy when stuck in traffic? Do you want those ten pounds off – NOW, and will you take drastic measures in order achieve it? Do you want to be in a good relationship by next month? Do you want your life to just fall into place the moment you think you're ready for it? Do you, in general, just feel anxious? If you want to kill the slow clerk at the drug store or the co-worker who's asking too many questions, you might be lacking one of the most important virtues and keys to happiness. You know that feeling of trying to will yourself to do something? To make something happen more quickly? It might be hurting you more than it's helping you.

Patience is something that only a select few truly possess. The opposite of patience is impatience, or, mentally willing things to happen on your time frame, rather than on the time frame of nature, the universe, or whatever else you find sacred. When these things don't happen in a certain time period, the impatient person becomes angry. Impatience is ultimately a control issue. It's you, resisting the present moment, because you can't control it or orchestrate it. Because you can't make your desires materialize. It's an ugly place to be in and can cause tremendous anxiety and self sabotage. 

What is the antidote? Surrender, or letting go of self-will, is the key to overcoming impatience.  Stop trying to force yourself to put your plans into action instantaneously. Life takes time, and things will never develop exactly in the fashion that you want them to. And we need to be at peace with time, not try and manipulate it. Trying to manipulate time isn't in resonance of the universe, God, your higher power. It says I want what I want, when I want it. And while that kind of thinking might be ambitious and of positive intention, its also highly stress inducing. Additionally, if you're that hell-bent on immediate gratification of your desires, you're probably not ready to accept them yet. Perhaps there's a reason you're being kept in waiting. Perhaps there's still a lesson for you to learn in the process. After all, life is about the journey, not the destination. Think of the phrase: Ready, Set, Go. If life were supposed to be instantly gratifying, that phrase would just be Go. So try and relinquish your grip on making things happen on a time certain time frame by embracing every moment as perfect. The universe will deliver you exactly what you need, precisely when you're meant to have it.

The (Fab) Color Purple

I've been living in various hues of purple the past few weeks. I didn't intentionally buy all this purple recently, it just manifested on it's own. Then lo and behold, I've been seeing tons of lilacs, violets, lavenders, jades, periwinkles, orchids, in the fashion mags.  But why purple? Well, several reasons. It's royal, it's girly, and it's eccentric, all at the same time. It's long been associated with royal empires and nobility. Purple as a status symbol stems from 4th Century BC when a shade of purple dye (called Tyrian Purple by the ancient Phoenicians) was available only to a privileged few. In fact, one could be "born into purple," i.e. the ancient aristocracy. Purples are the shades of color between red and blue on the glorious color spectrum. And guess what else? Purple is the color of your crown chakra, the part of your being that seeks empathy and unity. Need more reasons to join me in the purple crusade? Here you go:

Cooking Seasonally: Roasted Butternut Squash and Honeycrisp Apple Soup

My cousin writes a blog about eating and cooking for vegans and living a greener lifestyle. She had this awesome recipe for Vegan Butternut Squash Soup. And while it was deliciously palatable, I needed a slightly quicker fix (since I wanted mine for lunch!) . So I adapted it to my non-vegan, time crunched needs. I also ditched the agave nectar, since I don't like to add any extra sweeteners to anything, and came up with this recipe:

1 butternut squash (or about 3 cups of pre-diced squash --- this is much easier, but I did it the hard way!)

1 large Honey Crisp Apple, peeled and cored

1 medium sized onion

Dashes of nutmeg, cinnamon, and ground cloves

Sea Salt, White Pepper, Black Pepper

1/2 t curry powder

1.5 cups organic skim milk

1.5 cups vegetable stock

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Slice squash in half and bake side by side on a cookie sheet for 10 minutes until soft. When soft, remove from oven and remove skin and dice into one inch pieces. Take those pieces and put into a large plastic Ziplock bag, add nutmeg, cinnamon and ground cloves to coat, and shake vigorously until each piece is coated. Put diced squash back onto the cookie sheet and bake another 25 minutes. In the mean time, dice 1 large honey crisp apple (or variety of your choice), and 1 medium sized onion. When you remove the squash, place into a large mixing bowl. Bake the apple and onion for around 30 minutes. Add the apple and and onion to mixing bowl, along with milk, curry, and vegetable stock. Blend with immersion blender until creamy and smooth. Put all of the ingredients in a sauce pot and allow to simmer for 30 minutes on low heat. Garnish with sliced or diced honey crisp apples and enjoy.

**Note: If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender, doing half of both the liquids and the solids, followed by the other half.

Phillipa Hamilton Fired From Ralph Lauren

Her face was synonymous with Ralph Lauren. She rocked their preppy looks like no other. I've crushed on Phillipa Hamilton since my sophomore year of college, when I hung a picture of her in a beachy look (circa 2003) in my dorm room. As a matter of fact, seeing it here, really takes me down memory lane. I love her earthy coloring and her non-anorexic looking yet very fit body. After eight years, now 23 years old, Phillipa has been dropped by Ralph Lauren, for being "too fat" to fit into their clothes. Ralph Lauren claimed that their sample sizes no longer fit her and that therefore she was unable to meet "contractual obligations." Phillipa says she hasn't gained a pound in the past eight years (impressive!) and still stands at 5'10" and 120 lbs. Phillipa was also the subject of an extremely airbrushed photo recently, that sparked quite a bit of controversy as to why she needed it. We here at HH are all about being thin and fit. We're never ones to disagree that models should be anything but tall, lanky, and ethereal. And Phillipa most definitely fits that mold. We love models and see nothing whatsoever wrong with their slender bodies, as long as they aren't frightening looking. As a matter of fact, being 5'10' and 120 lbs. would be a dream! So Phillipa, we say forget Ralph Lauren, with that face and body, you're likely to get work in no time.

Get Your Flax On

In the past two months, I've added a ton of flax to my diet (6 tablespoons a day, to be exact). I absolutely love this nutty, healthy, rich vegetarian protein. I normally add it to a little Greek Yogurt with berries and I add it to a smoothie every single morning. I buy this in bulk, since I'm such a HUGE fan of flax seeds. I normally grind the tiny seeds in my magic bullet, but I know other people that eat them whole. So they're delicious, have tons of fiber, and add a nice crunch to your meals, but what else? Flax is one of the best plant sources of Omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3's help with weight loss/maintenance because they help your body react to a hormone secreted by the brain called Leptin. Leptin suppresses appitite, increases metabolism, and helps burn fat. Flax is also rich in a powerful antioxidant called lignans which kills free radicals and slows the aging process. Lignans have also been shown to decrease the risk of breast cancer. *Tip* Vegans can replace eggs with flax in recipes for pancakes, muffins, and cookies! Yum! A bag of flax at Trader Joe's gives around 20 servings for only $2.99. Might as well pick up two =)

The New Face of Street Style

The latest pictorial installment of my virtual bible features the likes of Lauren Santo Domingo, Leigh Lezark, Caroline Sieber, Olivia Palermo, Carine Roitfeld, and Anna Wintour just to name a few. Just feast your eyes upon all of the studded rock star boots, bad ass shoes, gorgeous pashminas, and painfully luxurious coats. One thing I noted, there's not a ton of color, but there is a great deal of embellishment. This is a seriously long album, and will give you tons of inspiration for your fall wardrobe, and if you're a die hard high fashion lover like me, it might make you a bit nauseous. Particularly because most of the items are so not within my budget. For that reason, I've selected some super inexpensive alternatives to what you see in the spread. Click here to see The New Face of Street Style, and shop our favorite cheapies below.

Viva la Lipstick

I love lipstick! I think we all went through an anti lipstick phase for a few years there, but we hope you've since welcomed it back into your life. I know I have! I have an awesome lipstick that I purchased from Victoria's Secret about a month ago. I've been using it daily, and I love the girlishness of it. Now imagine my upset when my friend last night saw me applying it and asked if it was 1995. I was a bit taken aback, for it hadn't even dawned on me that the rest of you might not be quite up to speed. New lipstick formulas are creamier and the colors are more natural an flattering. Whether you want nude, just a splash of color, or full on crimson, lipsticks create a more matte look, which is often more appropriate. I think I'm going to send my friend one of these, and hope that she jumps on the bandwagon. After all, fashion right now is a total 80s/90s revival, why can't beauty be too?