Our modern lives are often missing a sense of community.  We all need a community of people for support, for sharing and for learning.  Creating Community is a series on Vintage Savoir Faire where we have a virtual “cup of tea and a sit down” with a kindred spirit.  This week we meet Jenny from Nourished Kitchen.

Jenny is the creator of Nourished Kitchen, which is a site all about reviving traditional foods.  In her own words:

“Nourished Kitchen’s goal is to promote sustainable agriculture and nutrient-dense, whole foods in everyday kitchens.  The focus is on whole, unrefined foods prepared according to traditional methods that optimize nutrient density.  Cherish your body, nourish your kitchen.”

Jenny shares her recipes and experiences with a traditional foods diet.  She also offers online courses to learn to incorporate traditional foods into your own life!  Her new How to Cook Real Food course contains over 45 videos and 100 recipes to teach you how to prepare healthy, delicious meals for your family.

If you’re not familiar with Nourished Kitchen, here are some recipes to get you started:

• Baked Oatmeal with Dried Apricots - the most popular recipe on Nourished Kitchen
• Easy Roast Chicken - Just getting started with whole foods?  Try this!
• Sourdough Focaccia with Grapes and Rosemary – Jenny’s personal favorite recipe.

Now let’s make a cup of tea and get to know Jenny including her Top 3 Simple Tips for having a Nourished Kitchen…

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Remember when I announced that it was Spring?

Yeah, that was a false alarm.  Here in London we seem to have gone backwards into dreary, rainy, cold winter!  And I’m not happy about it.

OK, it’s cliche, but I really struggle with the weather in London.  Gray, drizzly, moderate temperature year round.  Rarely really hot, rarely really cold, just on the chilly side of moderate.  And gray.

I know what you’re going to say #1:  ”But you’re from Boston!!”

Yes, I’m from New England where it was cold – but cold and sunny!  Blue skies and bright sun reflecting off freezing-cold glistening snow! Skiing! And then proper hot summers.  And gorgeous crisp autumn leaves.  (New Englanders, forgive me if my memory is getting rosier with the passing years of living overseas…)

I know what you’re going to say #2: “But the weather isn’t always bad in London!!”

OK true, when it’s warm and summery in England, it’s gorgeous.  Really, really nice. I love English summer picnics with jugs of Pimms, strawberries and cream… But that only happens a few weeks out of the year, and then the gray resumes…

So I get a bit sluggish, tired and cold, and start questioning why I’m living here again, and then I remember:

Even when you’ve chosen your path in life, there are things you can’t control, and things you won’t like.  C’est la vie.

The true art of good living is enjoying life as it is, not as you wish it could be.

How do you enjoy life, even when it’s not perfect?  Let us know your personal tips and reminders for appreciating every day in the comments.

Here are 4 of your very favorite Vintage Savoir Faire projects, in case you missed them…

Vintage Hair Rinse

Lissa:

“I’m actually doing this at the moment, only with spices: cloves and vanilla and cinnamon. Cloves is supposed to darken and bring out red highlights, and vanilla and cinnamon just smell so delicious!”

Hot Cloth Cleanser (aka Portable Oil Cleansing Method)

Carley:

“This is amazing!!! I have been buying a very well known product like this for a while now and costing a fortune! I tailored it slightly but kept to the 50g oil, 30g butter and 20g wax. I tried to recreate the expensive hot cloth cleanser by using.. 20g rosehip seed oil, 10g hemp seed oil, 20g borage seed oil; 30g shea butter and 20g beeswax. I then used 45drops of frankincense essential oil because it’s supposed to have amazing anti-wrinkle properties….Just perfect!

Thank you so much for this  Carley XXXX”

How to Bake Bread – Step by Step Video

Maure:

“Amanda, this is a GREAT video!  I have tried several times to bake bread but I never found a recipe which gave the correct way to knead the bread. People mostly use bread machines and add a comment “if you are doing this by hand, knead for 30 minutes”… Which is discouraging and does not show the way to do it.  My homemade bread is currently rising…”

Maple Pecan (no bake) brownies

Amy:

“Hi!! Just wanted to say, Bravo!!! These brownies were everything you promised, and more!!
Thank you sooo much for your wonderful blog and this amazing recipe! Everyone needs to make this!”

Want more great projects? Here are 3 of the most popular projects on Vintage Savoir Faire.

What did I miss? What’s YOUR favorite project? Tell us in the comments!

Happy Friday! Hope you’ve had a wonderful week.  Across Europe people are preparing for the month of May and its many, many holidays.  I’m a bit jealous.

I’m keeping busy this week with my Integrative Nutrition course, saw a hilariously vintage Fitzrovia Radio Hour show (if you’re in London, I recommend it!), am reading Wheat Belly and bought my next nutrition read: Primal Body, Primal Mind.

This week on VSF, I shared some of my experiences from Moscow, and spent a weekend on the Kent coast on a wild food foraging course! (More details to come about that soon!)

For now, here are some links for your weekend…

• Top 10 most underrated health foods
• Have you made yogurt yet?  Here’s a recipe for homemade yogurt in mason jars. Or try my recipe to make yogurt in your slow cooker.
• I agree, we all have a choice everyday.  And everyday, we can choose happiness.
• “A new study finds that many potentially harmful chemicals can lurk in household, personal, and cleaning products, and they aren’t always indicated on the ingredient lists.” Awesome. Don’t believe that label.
• DIY beach hair!  Not sure how the coconut oil would stay liquid in the cooled mix though… who wants to test it?

And finally, remember, you have more time than you think.  I forgot that this week and started feeling scattered and stressed.  Thank you, wonderful internet, for a gentle reminder!

Have a great weekend!

xx

Amanda

Do you have questions about whole foods, handmade beauty products, home remedies, natural health or how to spark your creativity?

Send them to me!

I’m starting a new regular blog post where I’ll answer reader questions.

So let me know your questions, and what you’d like to learn to make!  Leave your questions as a comment on this post, or send them to me via the  contact form.  Look forward to hearing from you soon!

xx

Amanda

Just a quick one to share something that is really important to me.

I want to share this film that I just watched online.  It’s called Hungry for Change, and is available to watch free until the end of March (that’s 4 days!)

Go now and watch it.

Or read a bit more about why I think it’s important, and then watch it tonight.

Here’s the trailer:

What is Hungry for Change about?

Hungry for Change is about why diets don’t work, and what we can really do to improve our health (and lose weight … but more importantly, feel better!).  It talks about the problems in our food & diet industries, common misconceptions about nutrition and how what you eat impacts your health.  Then, it gives you some suggestions for how you can eat better, lose weight, and feel better!

There are interviews with nutrition experts like Dr. Mercola, David Wolfe and Dr. Christiane Northrup.

But really, I recommend this movie because it recommends real, whole, traditional foods.  I truly believe that what we eat defines our health and impacts how we feel.  I think a whole foods diet is the answer.  Let’s eat food that great-grandma would recognize as food.  Eat real, and feel better.  This film is all about that philosophy.

Why should I watch it?

Do you want to feel better? Have more energy? Lose weight? Learn how to truly nourish yourself and your family?

Or just learn more about nutrition and our broken food system?

Then you’ll be interested in this film.

Why are you so into whole foods recently?

I’ve always been into whole foods and the importance of cooking more  for health.

But with my recent effort to reduce refined sugar and my Institute for Integrative Nutrition program, I’ve realized that this is more than a casual interest in food – this whole foods information can help lots of people improve their health!   And that’s what we need right now in the world.

(By the way, if you’re interested in learning more about the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and what I think of the program, please send me a message!)

Here’s the link again: Hungry for Change

Go watch it today, and then come back here and let’s have a discussion about it:

What resonated with you?  What surprised you? What changes are you going to make for your own health and wellness?

You know when you have a really long to-do list, and it feels like there just isn’t enough time?

Or when you run across your art/craft/baking supplies and think “I used to enjoy doing that … but I just can’t get inspired to start it again.”

Or when you start to feel worn down and the world is just seeming gray and routine?

That’s when you need an Artist’s Date with yourself.  And that’s just what I did this weekend.

What’s an Artist’s Date?

The concept of an Artist’s Date was created by Julia Cameron, in her classic creativity-unblocking book The Artist’s Way.

Let’s get something clear right away – you do not have to be an artist to take an Artist’s Date.

The idea is to take yourself on a date once per week to “fill the well” of creativity.  Here are the rules:

• You must do the activity alone.  Having anyone else with you will change your behavior, and you want to get in touch with your inner creative!
• The activity should be fun!  Find something that appeals to you and do it.

Happy Friday!

What did you do to nourish yourself this week?

We’re well into the year, no holidays in sight … so how are you taking the time to take care of yourself?

I struggled with nourishment this week.  A hectic travel schedule and no time to go to the grocery store left me eating poorly and feeling frazzled.   I did manage to make a few homemade smoothies and a delicious carrot, coriander (cilantro) and sweet potato soup.  Yum!  I think the blender is my friend when I’m busy!

So this weekend I’m planning a photography-filled Artist’s Date at the seaside and meeting up with friends for lunch.  Time to regroup, refocus and nourish myself for Spring!

And now, some links for the weekend…

• Amazing but true, other people want to make kombucha too.  I have requests from 4 friends for Scobys to start their own batch.  My kitchen counter looks like a science lab.
• As Instagram-obsessed as I am, I still didn’t know all of these tips
• If you’re interested in the food system, diet industry and how that all impacts our health,  Check out this film.  I’m watching it tonight and we can discuss!
• Mmmmm Pho.  Deliciousness and comfort in a bowl.  Or make a version with your homemade chicken stock!
• Great explanation of why parabens in cosmetics are not safe, despite what the FDA says.  Thanks, Sprout!
• Here are 9 more mindful eating tips for you!  Have you tried this yet?

Have a great weekend!

xx

Amanda

Happy Friday!  What a week.  I’ve spent the week in Oslo, Norway – and while it’s always great discovering a new country, I’m looking forward to a weekend of projects at home!  Here are some of my favorite inspirations this week from around the internet…

Put some of your leftover almond pulp in this Green Monster Smoothie

I don’t have kids, but if I did, I would make these ribbon wands. Just like my beloved Get In Shape Girl rhythmic ribbon from the 80s!

I missed this for Valentine’s day, but make some moisturizing and melting bath candy.  Mmmmm luxurious!

Turn an old cashmere sweater into an aromatherapy pillow … I would add essential oils for even more relaxation.

{RANT} Just because diet soft drinks have no calories, it does not mean they are healthy!  Great grandma would not approve.  Thank you.  Need help kicking your soda habit? Contact me.

Since I’m on a nut milk kick, how about making homemade brazil nut milk and turning it into a chai latte? Yes. yes yes.