Organic Girly

Vegan cupcakes based on Sex and the City’s famous Vanilla Vanilla Cupcake recipe.

From New York City to Dubai, we’re living in a sugar coated world of cupcake mania. Many reports (like this one from the UK Telegraph) put the addiction blame on the famed Magnolia Bakery.

What started 16 years ago as the tiniest of local cupcake spots on Bleeker Street in New York City’s West Village, has now become an over-heated sensation. Sex in City, followed by Saturday Night Live’s “Lazy Sunday” and The Devil Wears Prada, have all been accused of instigating and spreading the cupcakes-gone-wild craze. Flash through old episodes ofSex in the City and you’re sure to find the one where Carrie and Miranda munch on frosted treats outside the original Magnolia Bakery – back in the day before lines circled around the block.

“I have a crush,” Carrie confesses to Miranda, lips lined with pink buttercream frosting. Was it a cupcake crush? Tourists who happily fork over $48 and more than three hours of their time to take the official Sex in the City Hotspots Tour in New York City-  including a stop at this very spot – can answer best. Walk inside the flagship Bloomingdale’s, or simply follow the trend from New York to Chicago, LA to Dubai or the 120 new locations in the works, and you’ll see that a bad case of the Magnolia cupcake crush is taking the world by sweet-toothed storm.

My memories of Magnolia Bakery go back to those one-location wonder days, post Sex in the City. As a transplanted New Yorker, I recall once dedicating an afternoon standing in the Magnolia line – for what felt like hours – simply to snag a cupcake for a friend’s birthday. Five years later, I tasted a tiny crumble of the infamous Vanilla Vanilla Magnolia Cupcake.

Fast forward to today where I’ve masterminded a vegan, gluten-free edition – starting with the original Vanilla Vanilla Cupcake recipe, compliments of Magnolia Bakery and the Food Network. While this is no baking adventure for the weary, the results are well worth it.

For my complete article & recipe, please jump over to ecosalon… 

{Photos compliments of me, Organic Girly.}

Enjoy!

The Tagalong cookie gets a whole new nutritional label.

I was recently in the midst of a true food challenge. I’m talking about the kind that covers kitchens in batter. If I were going to share the inner perils and pleasures of veganizing and gluten-freeing a cookie, I thought, why not start with the ultimate? The snack that touts the highest of all cookie claims: “To help girls do great things” – from, you guessed it, the Girl Scouts.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2008, more than one-third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese. And, this number is only increasing. Just read a Girl Scout Cookie’s nutrition facts, and the irony is, it’s chock full of heart-clogging ingredients, like partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil, a trans fat. The kind that lead to less healthy children who are at early onset risk of chronic diseases like diabetes.

While the Girl Scouts have touted their cookies as being trans fat free – something they can get away with if a single serving has less than .5 grams of this artery stifling substance – the Chicago Tribune revealed that Girl Scout Tagalongs, Samoas and Thin Mints still contain trans fats. In the case of Tagalongs, eat one sleeve (five cookies) and you’ll most likely be taking in more than one gram of trans fat – a number directly linked to increased levels of harmful cholesterol (LDL) and a rise in risk for heart disease, stroke and type II diabetes. The even greater irony is that the Girl Scouts themselves have published a research review on childhood obesity titled “Weighing in: Helping Girls be Healthy Today, Healthy Tomorrow”.

The idea to transform this classic cookie into a vegan and gluten-free delight, but also to make it healthier was a task I was willing to accept.

To make this occasion less daunting, I started with an already vegan version of the Girl Scout Tagalongs, compliments of vegan bloggers and inspirers Annie and Dan Shannon and VegNews.

For the original recipe + my NEW gluten-free and allergy-friendly take on the Tagalong, please hop over to ecosalon.

(Photo compliments of Annie & Dan Shannon and VegNews.  Thank You!)

It’s all how you spin it.  As someone who’s worked in marketing and PR for a decade, it’s the blush in the face industry joke.  And, there’s truth to it.  Of course, some things are simple, authentic, truly beautiful.  No spinning required.  For other things, it gets a little dicer.  Take vinyl. 

Last week, I literally laughed out loud on an airplane, when my lovely friend Mia left me a voicemail asking if I’d ever heard of “organic vinyl”.  Organic vinyl?  Sounds like an oxymoron to me.  True to self, I dug deeper.  And, you won’t believe it.  Organic vinyl DOES exist.  That’s right.  Certified by the United States Department of Agriculture and denoted with a little green and white label, just like you’ll find on your apple of your box of cereal. 

Vinyl will be the first non-agricultural product to earn the coveted designation, taking advantage of a little known loophole in the law that apparently does not restrict the label to agricultural products, but makes it available to all “products” made from at least 95% organic “ingredients.”

Vinyl Association President Don B. Fulde welcomed the decision: “Our member companies have long maintained that ours is essentially a natural product – common salt combined with natural gas, which is essentially a series of carbon and hydrogen atoms, in other words, decomposed plant matter. Now we have a label that confirms this.”

If salt and natural gas make our world certifiably organic, then the future ahead may be more interesting than we thought.  As for me, I’m sticking to the roots.  From the ground.  Organic.  Good.  And, tasty too.

(Photo compliments of Blunder.  Thank you!)

a mommy on the go gave to you…

a spork, yes, a spork.

There are some things in life we never know we need until we have them.  Enter the spork from one of my favorite companies, Bambu.  An essential stocking stuffer for moms and kids alike, this handy fork and spoon combo will quickly become your go-to utensil for babies, kids and adults alike. 

 As a New Yorker on the run, my spork is the best replacement for disposable plastic eating gadgets we so often use and toss away in 15 minutes flat.  According to the Clean Air Council, “Every year, Americans throw away enough paper and plastic cups, forks and spoons to circle the equator 300 times.” Not only does this little piece of organic bamboo cut back on heaps of landfill, it’s healthier too and simply fun. 

Here’s to lunching on holiday leftovers with the family, wherever your day may take you!

A friend who works for Bambu gifted me this fabulous new companion—made of organic bamboo and free of BPA, toxic glues and unhealthy coatings. 

The spork and all other beautiful Bambu creations are available via Bambuhome and select stores like Whole Foods Market.  

(Photos, top to botton, compliments of LucyDior (adult spork) and Bambu (kids spork).  Thank you!)

These days, I have new joy.  Let’s call it the Art of Eye Candy.  Here’s how it goes: I walk into a clothing shop like a kid in a candy story and flee the scene an hour later still gleeful and, here’s the kicker, shopping bag free.  If you had asked me 150-days ago, given the right shop, like the slow fashion boutique, Kaight, or like my new love, Treasure & Bond (pictured above and below), I would have guiltily murmured, “Impossible!” 

Now don’t get me wrong—I LOVE the rush of finding the perfect pair of upcycled, recycled, someday biodegradable booties or the organic jeans in just the right wash of indigo, and that will never change.  But, I also have to say that since I’ve been on a 150-day no shopping spree, I’m gaining healthy perspective and creativity that comes from browsing my closet each morning like a department store and walking into a shop and seeing it like a fine art gallery.  The way the light bounces off the shiny metal cuff; the stitch of the alpaca knit hat; the razor straight inseam of the high-waisted pants.  These are what I see now.  I’ve always felt that true quality fashion is art—masterpieces woven from a designer’s life story that I proudly hang in my closet and wear like totem poles standing for something monumental.  Now, I also just breathe it in for the simple love of the art, the craft and its beauty. 

Thanks to Treasure & Bond for its refreshing inspiration.  Owned by Nordstrom, where this Organic Girly spent her teenage years dressing customers head-to-toe, all of this shop’s profits go to local New York City children’s charities in exchange for the market research insights they are gaining through their new Soho store.  Imagine that—a retail store that says “Thank you” first!  Stop by and take a look.  While not solely dedicated to the sustainable realm, their selection and simple design and displays are captivating—nothing short of eye candy. 

(Photos compliments of Organic Girly.)  

Balance.  Just the mere mention can cause a tinge of angst.  You see, the very notion of balance has been an ever-moving seesaw since I seriously thought about what it means to be truly balanced.  That was seven years ago.  I worked for an organic company rooted in the idea of balance—balance for your health, balance for your beauty, balance for our planet.  I wrote about balance and talked about balance.  Ironically, I never felt I lived in balance.  In fact, looking back, always striving for the perfect point of equilibrium probably made this vague concept even less attainable. 

Pointing to its very elusiveness, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary cites nine definitions.  It’s described as “physical equilibrium”, a means of “judging or deciding”, “mental and emotional steadiness” and of course “an instrument for weighing”, to name a few. 

Immediately, I cross out the ideas of weight or measurement devises.  I try to stay away from scales.  Frankly, I feel less out of balance—mentally and emotionally—when I stand on one.  Instead, I think about inner balance.  Waking and sleeping.  Feeling happy and sometimes sad.  And, on the current subject of detoxing, indulging in copious chocolate chip cookies, only to let it all go for deep green liquid chlorophyll.  

 Life on the Edge

 As humans, we’ve been conditioned to live on the edge—aim higher than high, stay up long enough to see the sunrise and sunset (possibly with the help of a double shot espresso), push harder up the mountain of life.  After all, isn’t progress—stemming from life on the brink—what evolved us to the advancements of today?  “To a point,” I’d respond.  As we know from reports of temperatures sliding up and down, land mass eroding and water flooding, our world can use a little loving shift back to balance—a return to us living in harmony with the same planet that’s invited us here. 

As for you, and I, how can we live closer to a place of balance?  Sorry to say, I don’t have an absolute answer.  We’re all unique, and balance for one is something else for another.  Although one thing that we do all share is nature—the forest, the ocean, flowers and trees.  And, I believe, it has a magical way of bringing us back to ourselves in the moment.  To me, that feels a lot like balance. 

Living on the edge (and the final day) of liquid-only living is showing me that balance is simply the healthy middle point between perfection and imperfection.  It doesn’t demand that we sit in a magazine-style lotus pose with hands perfectly mudra-edover our knees.  Instead, I like to think it’s about tumbling and getting up.  Ready to face the next fall with grace, humility and compassion. 

So thank you, dear detox, for these lessons.  And now, it’s time to keep your company with food.  I’m craving good, healthy balance.  

With Love,

Organic Girly

(Photos compliments of Karrah Kobus (top) and Keoki Seu (bottom).)

Blush, Blush, Blush…

I recently sat down with Brandie, the fabulous, inspiring and all around beautiful founder of Organic Beauty Talk.

Here’s an excerpt from our all-about-organic-beauty (and organic living) chat.  You can read the whole interview on her uber educational site. 

OBT:  How long have you been using organic and natural products?
Jennifer Barckley:  My true, organic journey began seven years ago. Many famous philosophers say that we encounter a new life stage every seven years, so in my mind, it was no coincidence.

OBT:  What made you decide to start using organic and natural products?
Jennifer Barckley:  I’d been working at Jane Magazine in the beauty department—destined for a glossy career in fashion and beauty. Days were spent covered in every shade of magenta lipstick—my editorial research.  It was at that time that I began to have a shift in consciousness. I began to seek out companies, brands and products that were doing something really meaningful and good. One day a cobalt blue bottle landed in my hands. It didn’t say natural; it didn’t say organic, but somehow I knew it was very special. One sniff and touch of that product (Weleda Wild Rose Body Lotion), and I fell in love. Three months later, I was working for that company—one of the world’s oldest and leading natural skin care and medicinal companies—heading up their PR and Communications. With that, I fell deep into the world of natural, organic and Biodynamics, and there was no going back. From beauty, to food, to cleaning products, to clothing I was an outright Organic Girly.

OBT:  What are some of your favorite organic and natural products?
Jennifer Barckley:  I’m partial to European brands because they generally follow more stringent ingredient and manufacturing guidelines. Naturally, I love Weleda products. Dr. Hauschka also makes beautiful products. I use their cosmetics. Two somewhat new (to the U.S.) brands, Sante and Logona are among my new favorites. Sante makes very nice, well-pigmented makeup. From the U.S., Dr. Bronner’s is great—especially their Peppermint Castille Soap—so fresh! Pangea is another nice, clean brand. I also love Primitive’s lipsticks and glosses. I’m starting to do some work with a brand called Puremedy. They make really efficacious herbal skin care products that are deeply healing. That’s the beauty of natural products—they work so well naturally with your skin and your body for true, lasting health.

OBT:  What do you hope to accomplish through Organic Girly?
Jennifer Barckley:  I’d like to help elevate our individual and collective consciousness and help others make simple, gratifying everyday shifts toward living the most vibrant life possible.

Read the complete interview here… thank you Brandie & Organic Beauty Talk!

John Patrick showed his 19-piece, spring 2012 collection on a rainy New York morning just steps from the Hudson River. With a diverse troop of models looking relaxed and even happy, Patrick’s presentation was in stark contrast to what one usually identifies with New York Fashion Week shows.

Patrick says, “I don’t do trends,” allowing him to take the idea of sustainability to his own metropolis where other designers want to emulate him and where in fact, he becomes the trend setter. Patrick says this collection comes from his personal quests: “It’s about going on a journey, but you don’t know where you’re going. It’s where I am in life.” If not by intent, his designs nonetheless feel very relevant – light, ethereal and make for an effortless and natural life.

For the complete article, please visit ecosalon.com.  Many thanks to Amy & Sara @ ecosalon!

Mmm.  There’s something deeply delicious about chicken.  This oft devoured animal is actually sweet.  Complex.  Simply divine.  So says a vegan. Chicken-eating I am not; chicken-loving, I am. 

I am a vegan who loves chickens—birds imbued with perplexing and wildly entertaining personality.  Chickens, I’ve experienced, are as fun, fascinating and loveable as any dog or cat.  Sure you don’t walk them, cuddle with them (although you certainly can) or play fetch, but you can watch them in absolute wonder.  Squawking happily, bathing in soil and dust, pecking at seeds, running over rolling blades of grass.  I never would have imagined that domesticated fowl could be so calming, so serene, so grounding.  With chickens, the slow life seems to be the only way to live, reminding you of the simplest things—the pure beauty of nature and all creatures, great and small.

As I begin my chicken-sitting adventure—a caretaker of 21 chickens for 16 days—I’m reminded of all the reasons I’m happier not eating them.  Thanks to my dear friends (the adopted chickens’ mum and pop), these 21 diverse birds, who each go by name, are free—truly cage-free, free-range and humanely treated.  Unlike those lining supermarket shelves, they lay a tapestry of eggs—blue, green, brown, cream, white.  While I choose not to eat eggs, these are the only that have ever been truly tempting.  It’s simply magical to collect a warm (unfertilized, of course) egg from a happy hen’s home.  And, it’s such a stunning departure from the 250 million egg-laying hens made into machines in factory farm systems.  According to the organization, In Defense of Animals (IDA), 95 percent of eggs in the U.S. come from chickens raised in inhumane, industrial conditions.  Most, if not all of these birds, are de-beaked, deprived of food, air and daylight and crammed so tightly into indoor “ranges” that they can’t move a feather without stepping on another.  In human vernacular, it’s a holocaust. 

To be happy and free seems so basic, so deserved—for us, that is.  Chickens yearn for no less.  As the sun broke this morning, the 21 chicks clamored to be set-free from their mansion of a coop.  The door opened and they ran toward me as if to say “Thanks ever so much!”.  Fresh air.  Freedom.  Pure bliss, for chickens and humans alike.

To learn more about the truth behind egg labels (cage-free, free-range, organic and the like), click here to see the Humane Society’s quick and useful guide. 

(Chicken modeling shots compliments of the 21 chickens and the gracious permission of their very human—and humane—mum and pop.  Thank you!)