Pokomon Go has many haters; I see it all the time online, and hear about it in remarks from random people I run into. Acquaintances on Facebook are now bonding with each other over their mutual disdain for people who play Pokemon. Some sources say the game is dangerous or will only lead you into traps set by thieves. One Facebook friend of mine said, "What if if all these Pokemon Go players were doing something valuable to society with their time, rather than hunting for imaginary monsters?...| A Life Unprocessed
Living just outside Seattle, Washington, our community buckled down early due to the novel Coronavirus. We've now been homebound for several weeks. While others around us were lining up early outside stores to buy all the hand sanitizer and toilet paper, we found our own rhythm at home, relearning ways of using less and still buying nothing. (Click here to read more about our decision to buy nothing for one year.)| A Life Unprocessed
This striking loaf is incredibly easy to whip up in the blender, and if you use a base of sunflower seeds, your bread ends up a marvelous dark green color. Impress your family & friends!| A Life Unprocessed
At the very end of December 2019, I made the last minute decision to enact this resolution: to make no purchases for the entire year. Of course, we'll still buy food & toilet paper; we'll still go to the occasional restaurant, and if necessary we'll buy replacement items if something essential breaks. This decision followed on the heels of a string of random purchases I made during November & December, more than my usual. We spent not only money on these items, but time in installing and lear...| A Life Unprocessed
Straining yogurt is a hassle. It's a messy, extra step that people use to get a nice, thick yogurt. But you don't need to do it! With this simple technique, you don't have to. My yogurt is always thick, delicious, and really hassle free. By the way, I have made yogurt without a kitchen thermometer, but it's much easier to be sure you are doing it correctly with this tool, so you might want to pick one up or borrow one from a neighbor before you get started. Also, you'll need a pressure cooker...| A Life Unprocessed
This fantastic, easy recipe will impress your family & friends. Anyone who thinks of gluten free cookies as being a dry and punishing experience will disabuse themselves of that notion after their first bite. These coconut flour based cookies are rich and buttery, and so delicious. The frosting is equally rich, and a perfect adornment. Both are quick to whip up, and not at all fussy.| A Life Unprocessed
Cooking pasta in the Instant Pot is simple and rewarding, provided you use the right amount of liquid, and the right type of noodles. While you can definitely cook actual spaghetti in a pressure cooker, it has more of a tendency to clump together and remain crunchy than corkscrew fusilli. Fusilli noodles are a fun, helical shape, easier to fork than spaghetti, and hold onto the sauce better as well. We love the gluten free quinoa and brown rice fusilli that we've been using for years. It has...| A Life Unprocessed
For years I struggled with insomnia: waking each night around 2 a.m., tossing and turning, and finally just getting up. I learned to nap during the day if I could squeeze one in, but I was sleep deprived in a chronic, dangerous way. Sleep deprivation can lead to all kinds of health problems, and mental & emotional issues as well. I was very aware of these risks, having read nearly every article and book out there on how to sleep. Teaching myself to sleep right became kind of an obsession; I m...| A Life Unprocessed
This easy to make dip is a crowd pleaser. Feel free to use any nut butter you like, but peanut butter is definitely my kids' favorite. It's amazing as a dip for apples, as you can see, but it's also a delicious topping for pancakes & waffles. Use your imagination and let me know what other creative uses you come up with for this versatile dip.| A Life Unprocessed
I love natural solutions for everyday purposes, and had been making my own natural dish tablets for years, before finding a less labor-intensive recipe for a simple dish powder consisting only of baking soda, salt, and a few drops of soap. I recently wrote an article about that experience and how to get naturally clean dishes, which you can read here.| A Life Unprocessed
Have you ever had conditioner that didn't work on your hair, or that you just didn't like for whatever reason? What did you end up doing with it?| A Life Unprocessed
You don't have to buy dishwasher detergent. Your dishwasher won't be ruined by homemade dish soap. You won't have suds erupting all over your kitchen floor. Just follow the simple instructions below, and you'll have clean dishes with no mess, no hassle, hardly any expense, and all natural ingredients. (For a recent update on this experience, please check out my article What Happened When I Used Homemade Dish Powder... & How I Fixed It)| A Life Unprocessed
This is a great way for younger kids to practice addition and quickly learn the value of currency, while older kids can hone their multiplication skills. This is fun, and it's easy to modify the game lots of different ways in order to make it interesting for kids at any level. I think the fact that it uses real money makes it appealing for most kids, even ones who have an aversion to math.| A Life Unprocessed
This is an idea I've been wanting to try all summer. We finally made it to the beach with our egg cartons, and this simple scavenger hunt ended up being a really engaging activity. It went so well that my son immediately asked if we could do it again!| A Life Unprocessed
Buying raw lacto-fermented condiments gets crazy expensive. Ginger carrots are not only delicious and easy to make yourself, they will cost you the low price of some carrots and a nub of ginger.| A Life Unprocessed
Each morning for the past few weeks I've been harvesting a giant bowl of this tender wild green vegetable, right from my backyard. We use it in our green smoothies instead of spinach or kale (click here for my green smoothie recipe) and in salads instead of buying the mix of salad greens that I would normally get. It has a really mild flavor, which makes it suitable in anything you'd use raw spinach or lettuce for. I've never tried cooking it, but it would probably cook up like spinach as well.| A Life Unprocessed
We've lived in our house for nearly two years, and I've never scrubbed our tiles. There are SO many things I'd rather do! But dirty, funky grout looks nasty, so obviously we want to prevent it. This one very low cost shower tool will do it for you (along with the commitment to spend 30 seconds using it after every shower). Best part is, it doesn't require any cleaning products. Ever.| A Life Unprocessed
If you have an Instant Pot, or any other brand of electric pressure cooker, you should definitely start cooking root vegetables with it. Not only is it extremely easy, but everything made in a pressure cooker somehow tastes better. Using broth as the cooking liquid, as I do here, takes it to a whole new level. | A Life Unprocessed
Staying cool without AC: I know, it's unthinkable for a lot of people. I grew up in Seattle, where thanks to our mild summers, no one really needed air conditioning for most of my life. However, in recent years air conditioners are selling like hotcakes every summer, as each year gets hotter than the one before. We've considered getting an expensive home AC unit installed, as our house has full western exposure and can really cook during hot afternoons.| A Life Unprocessed
This time of year, our little apple tree produces a ton of apples. They're tasty enough, but sadly all are a little buggy by the time they're ready to eat, which makes them perfect for cooking. I often make things like crisps with the apple windfall, but the past couple of years my family has been more into using them for applesauce. Here's how we do it.| A Life Unprocessed
It's the saddest thing to me, when someone doesn't like mangoes because they seem like too much of a hassle to eat, since there's no obvious way to peel them, and they have that big pit. I think mangoes are the most glorious fruit on earth. I have a couple of techniques for peeling them and removing the pit; one that I grew up with, and one that I learned as an adult and now prefer. I'm going to show you my favorite way, which takes me no more than a minute to execute, and hopefully eating ma...| A Life Unprocessed
Elderberries are my favorite wild plant. They require so little work to produce so many easy to eat, nutritious berries, and the bush itself is lovely to look at. It has large, beautiful leaves and pretty clusters of edible white flowers in Spring.| A Life Unprocessed
