Subject: Voting with our $, product tips, & my seaweed salad recipe

kaleifornian

Hi Friend,

I hope this message finds you well! I'm sending this out a bit late because I used my usual work time to sleep in a little and enjoy the beautiful weather with my family this weekend. I hope you've been able to do something that fills you up also!

Here's a recap from this week, including an easy recipe, non-toxic personal care tips, and a couple products that support great causes:

Voting With Our Dollars

Nutmeg's Nut Butters

I've been thinking about how I can be a better ally in this space. One way is how I "vote with my dollars" and what products I share with this community. Here's a post I wrote on this, highlighting Nutmeg's Almond Butter and one of their non-profit partners. Not only is this the best packaged almond butter I've ever had (and 100% clean ingredients), they're also a mission-based business that gives back to the community through non-profits that do important work. You can learn about the owners and shop here to place an online order. I think you'll love it!

Thrive Market

By now you know I'm a big fan of Thrive Market*, but you may not realize that they've been giving back in a big way, even as a relatively young business. They do a one-for-one membership matching program, which means that every paid Thrive Market membership provides a free one for a low-income family, student, teacher, veteran, or first responder. Healthy food is desperately needed in many of these communities, so getting these items delivered at Thrive's discounted prices is a game-changer. They've also distributed over $1.5 million in donations from members in the past 5 years. And last week they outlined how they're working to combat systemic racism.

Quick Tips: Personal Care Products

I shared an Instagram Story about a few products in my most recent Thrive order; here's a quick round-up of the non-toxic personal care tips I mentioned in case you missed it:

Sunblock: non-mineral sunscreen chemicals are full of toxins and hormone disruptors that are absorbed into the bloodstream after a single use. I recommend: something with a physical barrier (i.e. zinc oxide) rather than a chemical barrier (i.e.oxybenzone, avobenzone, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate and octinoxate); sticks or creams (rather than aerosols). Perk: these also don't burn your eyes like conventional sunblock.
Dry shampoo: avoid conventional products made with parabens, fragrance, and aluminum; your scalp has 4x the absorption rate of other parts of your body!
Mouth wash: skip products made with alcohol, parabens and dyes.
Anything you put down there! I mentioned the Thrive Market sale on Women's Health products (unfortunately, it's already passed), which turned into a reminder that you should always look for non-toxic feminine care products, condoms, lubricants etc. to avoid absorbing harmful chemicals through this part of your body.

Our New Face Masks

Check out the Food52* Adjustable Face Masks if you're in the market for a quality mask that supports a good cause. They are 100% cotton and sustainably made using upcycled deadstock fabric. They have wire at the nose bridge and adjustable ear elastics for a more comfortable, secure fit.

These have kept a Chicago-based sewing team working during the economic downturn. Plus 10% of the retail price will go to No Kid Hungry, which is helping children in need, who normally depend on public schools for meals.

Recipe of the Week

Here's an easy and delicious recipe I've been loving for seaweed salad. And it's actually a pantry meal (apart from the optional avocado and green onion)! Thrive Market sells two kinds of dried seaweed salad that I like to keep stocked: Sea Tangle and SeaVegi seaweed salad mix. This is perfect for the days when I've run out of salad greens (those are always the first to go, amiright!?).

Seaweed also happens to be extremely nutritious. Check out the post for some additional health tips!

That's it for this week. Thank you so much for reading! Wishing you a safe and healthy week ahead.

Be well,

Jess XO

P.S. Please pass this along if you know someone who'd enjoy the content! Here's how to stay connected: weekly newsletter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. You can also reply directly to this message. I'd love to hear from you!

*Note: I partner with a select handful of companies (that I shop from regularly!) and I'm also an Amazon Associate. I receive a small commission on qualifying purchases made through the provided links at no additional cost to you. In fact, I'm usually able to get you something extra, like a $.01 bottle of wine or a shopping credit when you make a purchase -- so just ask if you need a link! These partnerships help cover some costs of running this site. Thank you for your support!

Please feel free to ask if you have questions about any of these products. I will always give you my honest opinion and do my best to point you in the right direction!

Subscribe