Try It Tuesday: Powdered Peanut Butter

Yes, you read it right powdered peanut butter. This stuff has made me a peanut butter convert. Before using it I was not the biggest fan of peanut butter, but now "I put that ish on everything!"

To make the peanut butter into powder they squeeze all the oil out, and then dehydrate it. What's left is a powder that you can mix with water (or the liquid of your choosing) to create peanut butter the consistency you prefer. You can also just add it straight into your smoothies, shakes, sauces, etc. The possibilities are endless! My favorite way to use it is in the following dip:

You will need:

• 4 Tablespoons powdered peanut butter (I used PB2 with premium chocolate, hence the brown specks) 
• 1 cap (cap not cup) almond extract
• 1 cap vanilla extract
• water

Simply mix it all together, adding water slowly until you reach your desired consistency. You can use it on apples as I have, or anything you like. I am thinking, this would be really good with bananas.





*Notes on the peanut butter powder:

• If you allergic to peanuts, don't eat this!
•  I like PB2 brand powdered peanut butter. I have found it at Target, Whole Foods, and on Amazon. 

Happy Dipping!

~Riss

Try It Tuesday: Buti Fitness

"Two booty pops, two booty circles." No, this is not audio from Miley Cyrus's choreography sessions, but what you hear as you are encouraged to pop that booty for fitness sake during a Buti Fitness class. Buti is a blend of yoga, tribal dance, plyometrics, and yes booty popping.

Buti was created by trainer Bizzie Gold when she was trying to add some spice to her yoga practice after having a baby. What she came up with is a challenging, fun, sexy workout not for the faint of heart. Don't let all the booty poppin fool you, Buti is a serious workout with down dog push-ups, planks, killer ab work and the like worked in with yoga poses, tribal dance, and booty shakin' fun. The beauty of the Buti is that it has yoga at its core, which means it is really all about you and your inner space. Most likely, you're not going to be an expert after one class, but will gain strength of body and spirit with continued practice.

My experience with Buti has been a good one. I bought the 3 DVD set, and love the workouts. To my surprise the 25 minute workout is now free for all on Youtube. If you're looking for something to spice up your workout routine (and possibly your relationship), give Buti a try. I doubt you'll be disappointed, out of breath yes, disappointed no. 

Here's the full 25 minute workout for free: 

If you want to know about the Buti and its creator, you can go to her Facebook page.

Be Hella Well and Get Your Tribal On,
~Riss

Have you tried Buti? Thoughts? Questions?

"Make Your Own" Monday (MYOM): Simple 3 Ingredient Sugar Scrub

No need to spend money on store bought body scrubs, that are loaded with preservatives that can harm your body, when you can simply and easily Make Your Own. This easy recipe can bring about great changes. It's fast, simple, effective, inexpensive, and safe enough to eat! (Please don't eat it, though.) 

Exfoliation (getting rid of dead skin) should be a part of your self care routine. Why? Our skin is our largest organ, and it is constantly exposed. You lose skin cells constantly, and without proper exfoliation your skin can look lackluster and ashen, not to mention the dirt that your soap misses. Using a scrub a couple of times a week is one of the easiest ways to take care of your skin, and give it its rightfully glowing appearance. You can whip this one up in less than 5 minutes using things you probably already have around the house. Let's get started! 


You will need:

• 1 cup of brown or raw sugar
• 6-10 Tablespoons of coconut oil (This oil is amazing for your body, if you don't have any, then: olive, grapeseed, or almond will do. However, when you get some time I recommend you get you some of this amazing stuff. If you don't know about it, read this article to learn more)
• Essential oils (optional) I used 10 drops of lime and 5 drops of peppermint (Smells like Coco-Mojito)

Here's what to do:
If the coconut oil has hardened, simply melt it. Then add the coconut oil to the sugar, and mix. I encourage you to stop after 6 tablespoons and check the consistency. Then decide how much more to add. Store bought scrubs tend to be oil-heavy; you should choose the consistency that you like. I tend to add just enough to coat the sugar without having it swimming in oil. Once its mixed to your liking, you can add in the essential oils you like. (If you don't have any of these on hand the coconut oil smells fantastic on its own.) That's it you're done. Now go spoil yourself with this simple yet amazing scrub. 

For best results, use the scrub in the shower. After rinsing with your cleanser, use the scrub to exfoliate and condition the skin. Apply a handful of the scrub to wet skin and massage over the body. Be present. Really take the time to luxuriate. You can massage in a circular motion, or do long strokes on your body and circle around your joints. After you're done with the scrub, rinse away all the dead cells and dirt, and rejoice in the baby soft skin you have just revealed! But do be careful. Oil + Water = A Hella Slippery Shower Floor. Again, be present! 

This recipe makes enough for about one treatment. I recommend making it as needed. Keeping a huge jar of this stuff in your shower invites bacteria to the party as they live in water and thrive on sugar. You don't want this. Also a caveat: be careful using this scrub in your intimate area. If you want to exfoliate "down there" use clean exfoliating gloves. Sugar and salt are no nos in your most delicate of areas. 

One last thing, this is also AMAZING for your lips! Use it is a lip scrub, just be careful if you use a citrus essential oil as they are phototoxic, meaning they react to radiant light i.e., the sun. 

Be Hella Fresh and Hella Clean Clean, 
Riss

Do you regularly exfoliate? Sugar, salt, other? What oil do you like best? Comment. 

Feel Good Friday: Your Laugh + Kid President = Happiness

Feel Good Friday: Who are You Not to Be?

The other night I was fortunate enough to catch the movie Akeelah and the Bee on television. My seven year old daughter was with me, and I thought this was a great opportunity to inspire her. As we watched, I saw her light up, but also felt something in myself begin to stir. Here's the famous quote from the movie. Read it and remember your greatness. 

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

-Marianne Williamson

 You can find this in Marianne Williamson's A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles". I also love her book Illuminata: A Return to Prayer.(This is not Illuminati, please be clear.) It has prayers for everything from healing emotional pain to amend prayers, that seek to make amends to Native Americans, African Americans, and others who have experienced large scale injustice. If you're like me, and sometimes can't come up with the right words to articulate your prayers, this is a great ally. 

Announcing the HN Book Club!

If you know me, you know I think in books. "Did you read?" is probably the most used phrase in my vocabulary. I can't deny it; I LOVE books! They course through my veins and the lessons have help form who I am. I am a true believer in the power of story, and think there is nothing better in this life then the connections we can make through the sharing of our journeys and the journeys of others be they fictional or concrete. This being said I am starting an online book club. 

I have always wanted to be a part of a book club and figured that nothing could be better than creating one right here. 

Here's how it going to work: Every month we read one book. I will announce the book about a week before the month starts so you will have time to purchase, borrow, download, get the audio book (yes, audio books count!) or steal the book(Just kidding, if you do this you will def have a lot of time on your hands to read!).

 I will choose the first book, but hope that others will chime in with suggestions for subsequent reads. At the end of every month Hellanatural.com will host an online discussion of the book on this page of the blog. If you have already read the book, you are also invited to join the conversation. 

"No two persons ever read the same book" - Edmund Wilson

So who's coming on the adventure with me? In March we will be reading Queen Sugar by Natalie Baszile. I have read really good reviews for this book in O magazine and Essence, so I think it will be a great first book.  I am putting a link to this below, but feel free to get it where you can. I will be downloading the Kindle version.

Happy Reading!
-Riss

- See more at: http://www.hellanatural.com/p/hn-book-club.html#sthash.h8XtPKsZ.dpuf

New Name, Same Awesomeness!

Greetings!
I am so excited to back in action. I have changed my blog's name to represent the changes I have undergone. The new name epitomizes how I feel. Hella Natural! If you don't know what hella means see the definition below I nabbed off www.urbandictionary.com:

hella

"Hella" is an all-purpose word. It has its roots deep in the soul (I meant to type soil, but soul works here too, haha) of Northern California. It means something along the lines of "very" or "really," but it's much more than that. It's not just a word, but a statement of cultural identification, of a long-standing bond of trust and respect for fellow Northern Californians, and of a mutual understanding between you and the rest of the world that you are from (or, in the case of anyone who has lived with kids from NorCal, that you are an honorary resident) NorCal. As the subtle innuendos of the word can only be understood by absorption, one must experience and be engulfed by it (as Northern Californians are from birth) to truly understand when its usage is appropriate. Hella is a word. It's a symbol. It's a way of life. Hella.

Correct:

This is hella whack.
I just ate hella brownies.
I'm hella going to the library this weekend.

Incorrect:
I'm going hella to the library

That being said, look out for new hella fresh dopeness as it relates to you, and I achieving supreme awesomeness through love for the mind, spirit, body, and hair (I know hair is a part of the body, but if yours is like mine, it is an entity all its own)! 

Love, Light, and Hella Freshness

~Riss

Gaining Some Weight in the New Year!

HNY! Maybe you have been wondering where I have been. Too be completely honest, I went on hiatus because I was brooding over what I imagined was a lack of interest and support. The amazing thing, and I suppose the lesson for me, was that while I was gone my blog got almost 10,000 hits! I guess people really were interested in what I had to share. Brooding, and feelings of lack have been vanquished, and a new sunnier outlook has emerged.

So generally, I write about health but this year I am focusing on becoming fiscally and physically fit! Since becoming an adult, I have struggled with saving money. I just can't seem to do it. Something always comes up that demands my attention and dollars, but this year I am putting that to a stop, and challenging myself to gain some substantial weight in my wallet.

A while ago, I saw Iyanla on tv and she stared directly at me and informed me that my current situation (being financially challenged) was caused by a lack of discipline, and only discipline could save me. Dang, I was hoping for the lotto, but I know she is right. So my plan is to do the 52 Week Savings Challenge, try a No-Spend month, and continue my own version of Keep The Change.

If you haven't seen it on Facebook then here it is: The 52 Week Savings Challenge:

Simple yet effective! I know this is possible, and being the overachiever that I am think I am going to double this. Who else is down?

The No-Spend Month, is going to be the toughest challenge. For those of you who haven't heard of this it is where you pay everything, then put a certain amount away for variable expenses like gas and food. Then you don't spend anything else while sticking to your budget. I still haven't decided which month I am going to tackle this one. Check back for updates!

Lastly I have been doing Keep the Change before B of A ever launched their program. I simply do not spend change. You will never see me rifling through my purse and counting out pennies to make 31 cents. I know plenty of you do that, but I have found that instead of holding up lines at retail stores searching for change, that money could simply be taken from a bill, then any change be put away. Even if I buy something totally $20.01, I will break the bill and keep the 99 cents. It may seem strange to some of you, especially you change-counters, but it actually works. 

Just today I took this to the coin counting machine:

And got this: 

Not too shabby! May not be impressive to some of you ballers, but I am grateful for small things.


So, what plans do you have to become fiscally fit this year? Do tell! 

Lovin' the life: Food Cancer Warning?!

Yet another reason to stop eating, and feeding your children McDonalds! 

Lovin' the life: Food Cancer Warning?!: If you been in McDonalds lately and looked around patiently waiting to place your order, you may see a warning about food being served a...

Immunity Building Apple Cider- How I Keep My Family Healthy During the Cold/Flu Season

Use any pure apple cider you like and add to it:

 2 parts dried elderberries (great for coughs)
1/2 part dried orange (for taste)
1 part echinacea  or astragalus root (for immunity)
 a couple of cloves (for taste)
1 cinnamon stick (for taste)

I used parts because sometimes I make the whole gallon of apple cider, and sometimes I do small batches. The easiest and best way to prepare this is in a crock pot. You can let it simmer all day, allowing all the goodness to be released from the plants. If you can't do this, bring the mixture to a boil then simmer for as long as you like.Serve warm and enjoy!

*You can find any of these herbs at your local health food store. If you are in Oakland try The Food Mill, they have a great selection of bulk herbs. You can also order your herbs online. www.mountainroseherbs.com is my favorite supplier.