Author Archives: Sarah

Earth Day Round-Up to Inspire Action

by Sarah | Leave a comment

Happy Earth Day everyone! I’m so excited to be in Boulder for the week with Katie and her family. I typically visit at the end of April to celebrate Luc, Alex, and our Pop’s birthday. Without fail, it snows, but that doesn’t stop us from getting outside and enjoying a bit of fresh air everyday and especially on Earth Day.

Spending any moments in the sun, snow, wind, or rain is a required Earth Day activity, but today we also took a mini-adventure to the Ares thrift store here in town. A solid reminder to buy used whenever you’re able. Such an easy way to reduce the consumption and inevitable waste that we’ll all create during our lifetimes. Check our insta stories to see the great items we picked up!

We wanted to do a little bit of recycling and reusing this Earth Day ourselves, so without further delay, here’s a round-up of previous posts to inspire some action this April and beyond!

DO!

Pick Your Share! – Now is absolutely the time to join a farm share / CSA. Learn more here and pick your share OR make a commitment to visit your farmers markets several times per month. We are visiting the Boulder Farmers Market this weekend!

Donate With Me – Great reasons to donate your sh!t!

34 Alternatives to Single-use Plastic – I challenge you to follow all the suggestions on this post AND suggest new ones that I can add! I’ve already thought of one that I need to include in my next edit.

Five Best Earth Friendly Products for Outdoor Showers – No, you cannot wash directly in the river or even right next to a body of water, ever. However, these soaps and shampoos are biodegradable, meaning they can be broken down in the soil within a reasonable amount of time (about six months) by bacteria or fungus in the soil.

READ!

A Beautiful Book for Earth Day – The most perfect read for your little ones.

Our Favorite Nature Books – These are adult reads that we highly recommend. We cover the gambit from biographies to science to art and photography and more. Take a look and add these to your reading list today.

Our Favorite Wilderness Reads – Another list of novels, but these inspire you to really dive into the wilderness or stay safely in your bed and live vicariously through these books.

LISTEN!

Podcast Suggestions: Earth Day Editions – Specific episode suggestions to inspire a great connection with Mother Earth. Bonus points if you subscribe to The Wild podcast hosted by Chris Morgan.

DRINK!

Why not shake up one of Katie’s fancy cocktails?

Spring of Deception & Pisco Sour seem like great options for this week!

Cheers!

Waste Less Wednesday: Dye Eggs The Natural Way

by Sarah | 3 Comments

This week’s Waste Less Wednesday post was originally published in 2014, but we still approach egg dyeing the same way – with whatever we can find in the kitchen!

Have you ever dyed eggs the natural way, using veggies and spices? It’s a lot easier than you’d think and the results are terrific!  You gotta love that dyeing eggs the natural way allows you to use up some kitchen scraps and there’s no need to run out and purchase a dyeing kit. Start this project today as I let my eggs sit in the dye bath for a full 36 hours before removing them. That way your naturally dyed eggs will be ready for Easter festivities.

For these dyes, I rummaged around in my cupboards and used ingredients that I had on hand.  This post gives you the details of five different dyes, but there are many more options to explore. Once you get the hang of it, there is no need to use a recipe, just experiment and have fun!

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Easy Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry

by Sarah | Leave a comment

This Easy Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry is truly a 30-minute meal. It has quickly become a favorite in our house and we lean on it every other week. We also whip this one out when guests are over and we need to make something with little effort, but lots of pay off.

My beef about beef: some people hate on ground beef, but that’s likely because they’re buying the cheap and creep (as I call it) from the bargain bin at the grocery store. Whenever I go to the farmers market, I stock up on ground beef from a local farmer. Not only is the quality great, but I can ask them for fattier or leaner pounds depending on how I intend to use it. Plus I know the cows aren’t pumped with hormones and fed piles of grain and corn, instead they’re free-range mellow grass grazers. The $2 extra per pound is well worth it. If you have trust issues with ground beef, I highly recommend a visit to your local butcher or farmers market.

Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry Ingredients

  • 1 – 1½ pounds good ground beef – I typically use a leaner mix for this recipe
  • 2 Tablespoons of fresh minced garlic about 4-6 cloves
  • 1 cup uncooked rice
  • 2 small crowns of broccoli
  • ½ cup soy sauce
  • ½ cup orange juice – I often use fresh-squeezed from one or two oranges, but pre-squeezed works just as well
  • ½ cup brown sugar – it seems like a lot, but the final product is not sweet
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoons cornstarch – super important, this is what thickens the sauce
  • 2 sliced green onions for garnish
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds for garnish

Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry Recipe

Start the rice in a rice cooker or on the stovetop and cook as directed.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Rinse and chop the broccoli. Spread on a baking sheet, drizzle some olive oil over top and give it a liberal shake of salt. Place in the oven, check after 20 minutes or so. I bake mine for about 35 minutes because I love crispy charred broccoli.

Place the beef in a frying pan over medium heat. Break up with a fork while it’s cooking. Chop the garlic and add to the beef. Drain off excess grease if necessary though I rarely find I need to do this step.

Prepare the sauce – in a medium-sized bowl, combine ½ cup soy sauce, ½ cup orange juice, ½ cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Whisk until combined and then pour into the pan of cooked beef.

Reduce the heat to low – simmer for about five minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the beef.

Plate rice, beef, and broccoli in a bowl and sprinkle with a bit of sesame seeds and top with sliced green onions.

That’s that! The easiest Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry that truly only takes thirty minutes. Even though this dish is straightforward, the flavor of the glazed beef combined with the crispy broccoli is filling, delicious and perfect for those busy weeknights.

Good Stuff: 87 Great Podcasts

by Sarah | Leave a comment

In addition to sharing our resolutions this month, we’re also going to share some of the good habits that we’ve picked up over the years. We try many things, but these are the ones that stuck.

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What is a podcast? It’s simply a digital file that you can download on the internet, usually part of a series, and once you subscribe to a podcast it will automatically download to your computer or device each time a new one is released.  Think of a podcast as a radio show, but instead of catching it live, it is saved to your podcast app. You can use your phone’s podcast app or upgrade to an app like Stitcher, Breaker, or a number of others.

The following are my favorite podcasts spanning nearly nine years of listening. You’ll find a good mix of storytelling, comedy, science, true crime, and human psychology. I’ve listed them in alphabetical order and below that by category. Full disclosure: some of these have fallen off my listen list, but at one point in time I was keeping up with them weekly and really enjoyed them, so I’ve included them here for a full roundup.

Be sure to click on the podcast and read the description first so that you aren’t surprised by the content. I update this list a couple of times a year, so check back if you ever need a new suggestion.

I use the app Breaker. If a podcast is new to you, search by popularity and listen to the highest-rated first. Do you like it?

Because I listen to podcasts so often, I’m thinking of starting a new post series and linking to a few favorite episodes that fall into different categories. I’m wondering if people would be into that?

Here’s the Master List of My Favorite Podcasts

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Cuppow + Holdster: The Best Travel Mug

by Sarah | 2 Comments

With the new year, we’re starting a new weekly series called “Waste Less Wednesdays.” Our passion for preserving Mather Nature is strong, but we recognize that we live in a consumer-driven society. As such, we try to be honest with ourselves about our own consumption, our needs vs. wants, and the opportunities that we have to reduce waste. We are often sharing tips and tricks to reduce our consumption, and this series was born from those conversations.

Today’s post is actually a throwback from 2019, but hoooopdiehoo, this cup is still one of my favorites and standing strong in my beverage vessel rotation.

Did you catch Good Stuff : The Cup Part I? If not, check it out! Also, know that I’m totally joking when I pair them together. They both involve cups, we think they’re both good, but that’s as far as their connection goes.

The cup is really just a wide-mouth Mason jar. The brilliance comes in with its leather zarf (didn’t make that word up, I promise) made by Holdster USA and its sippy cup lid – the Cuppow. Sweet Katie actually bought me this set up about five years ago. She’s the best!

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Homemade Elderberry Syrup

by Sarah | 2 Comments

I’m letting you in on a little secret today, it’s easier than you think to make your own healing potions. After coming off of a homemaker high of making Katie’s Fire Cider, I decided to follow her lead and simmer some Homemade Elderberry Syrup as well.

For some reason, I’ve been really intimidated to make this Homemade Elderberry Syrup. Maybe it had to do with the “elusive ingredients” (they weren’t hard to find) or simply my own procrastination, but whatever was stopping me, don’t let it stop you! Homemade Elderberry Syrup is easy to make and I’ll be adding it to my monthly/bimonthly kitchen routines. Here’s how it’s done:

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Waste Less Wednesdays : Albatross Razor

by Sarah | 2 Comments

With the new year, we’re starting a new weekly series called “Waste Less Wednesdays”. Our passion for preserving Mather Nature is pretty strong, but we recognize that we live in a consumer-driven society. As such, we try to be honest with ourselves about our own consumption, our needs vs. wants, and the opportunities that we have to reduce waste. We are often sharing tips and tricks to reduce our consumption, and this series was born from those conversations. Read Katie’s previous post about the cup.

Today I’m here to tout my newest purchase, an Albatross Razor. For years, nah, a decade, I’ve used a simple 3-blade Venus razor. The amount of waste involved has always bothered me, like why does each razor head need to be individually wrapped in plastic inside of another box or piece of plastic? Strike one. The pain of chucking one of those plastic heads into the trash every two-three weeks without a way to recycle them, Strike two. The cost, about $5 per head, Strike three. Beyond that, I’m trying as hard as possible to purchase from companies with more integrity and while I won’t talk smack on Gillette, I wouldn’t say we’re aligned in our values.

Meanwhile, Albatross Designs is built around, “a desire to take back the metaphor of the albatross and return it to a symbol of good luck. If we give nature the respect it deserves, good fortune will follow.” The Schu family is already big fans of albatrosses and honestly, that’s why this particular razor company caught my eye early in my internet search to begin with. They ask customers to, “Please help us in our mission to “SHAVE” the World from Plastic.” and we’re so down with that.

There are many, many “zero-waste plastic” razor companies out there, but I’ll quickly note the reasons why Albatross stood out.

  • Integrity, mission, and motives behind the company – seriously, they cannot be beaten. Read all about Albatross here and you’ll want to support them.
  • Very minimal packaging! The razor is mailed in a cardboard envelope that contains a little burlap sack holding the razor and refills.
  • Simple design. Simple razor. Less waste. The butterfly razor design is pretty neat – you simply twist the bottom of the handle and the top splays open. Then you can easily take out the old blade and place the new one in.
  • This type of razor allows you to buy a year’s worth of blades at once without breaking the bank.
  • There’s no subscription hook or big starter pack filled with lotions and creams I’ll never use.
  • Albatross features a Take Back Program. You can send up to 40 used blades at a time back to the company. Albatross will then turn them into Take Back Ware! Pretty neat.

I will admit, I was a little worried I would cut myself to pieces with this razor. I’m not sure why, but they just seem more intimidating than the Venus razors. I appreciate the moisturizer on the Venus razor during the very first use, but by the second use they are enveloped in that gooey, lotiony, slime stuff, ick. Anyway, obviously not the case with Albatross. I use a bar of soap instead of shaving cream and then just glide away. It’s really no different than other razors. The ridged edge on the razor (not on the blade, but on the holder) provides a good guide for how much pressure to apply when shaving and I haven’t cut myself yet! It took me about a week to become brave enough to shave my armpits, I’m happy to report that it all worked out great!

I’m already loving the ease of use and not leaving a weird slime on my shower shelves. I also appreciate how easy it is to remove and store the blade, making this a safe razor to travel with. I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve cut myself multiple times in my life just by reaching into my disorganized toiletry bag and somehow grabbing the blade of a razor. Yikes! Never again. Another plus? Now that I’m the proud lucky owner of a hot tub, I’ve already had a friend or two wishing they would have shaved before soaking – no problemo now. With this razor, I can easily swap the blade and let them shave. Bonus? Each blade comes in a tiny paper envelope, so I write my friend’s name on the envelope and slide their blade back in for the next sleepover, hot tub time. It’s the tiny perks my friends! Seriously, this razor is a simple pleasure, but it truly does delight me.

What about you? What razors are you using? Who do you purchase them from? Are you happy with your current setup? Let me know if you have any questions!

Six Easy Infused Alcohols for your Valentine (or Yourself!)

by Sarah | Leave a comment

Six delicious and dare I say simple DIY infused alcohol recipes. Perfect for a pal or a gal or sippin’ by yourself. These recipes take anywhere from a few minutes, to a few hours, to several days, whichever you pick, you’ll be loved for it!

We’re giving you a solid heads up, so you have a few days to think about what an easy and awesome gift infused alcohol is before gettin’ to it and mixing these up to be ready in time for Valentine’s Day. Don’t worry, we’ll remind you in another couple of weeks.

My only pro tip? Just click on whichever infused alcohol recipes catch your eye tastebuds, read through the post to ensure you have everything on hand for when you’re ready to brew. You’ll also find a great suggestion for your first drink. Cheers!

New Year, Same Me: Resolutions for 2021

by Sarah | Leave a comment

Happy New Year, inauguration day, and almost the end of dry January! That’s right, I’m attempting dry January. Yes, I wanted to give up on January 6th, but here I am with only 11 days left. Do I want to toast to democracy today? Of freakin’ course. #PrayForMe #DrinkForMe

Riding off the momentary high of creating a monthly goal like dry January, I decided to create mini goals for each month of the year. I’m typically a goal setter, note that doesn’t mean that I accomplish them, but I love dreaming them up! Each year, I have a handful of resolutions, but this year I have a whole flippin’ sheet and I’m pretty psyched on it.

My daily goals are teeny tiny. I have a group text dedicated to ticking off these daily goals. It’s comprised of Katie, two friends, and myself. We’re just there to remind each other to take five minutes to crunch, squat, walk, or whatever we’ve chosen as our daily motivators. These goals are meant to be little reminders that we have bigger goals on our list and each day is an opportunity for progress.

These are the big ones. Honestly, if there are any goals on the list that I won’t accomplish, it’s probably a few of these. I’m telling myself this year will be different and I hoping by creating the daily and monthly goals as markers of success – I’ll stay focused on achieving these as well. Full disclosure – half of these were on my list last year! For some reason I do not take my health in terms of doctor visits very seriously. It could be because I’m typically a healthy person and don’t often need care or maybe it’s because I move cities every few years and never form solid relationships. Whatever the deal is, I’m determined to seek out a primary care physician that I trust and see some other specialists to make progress on this goal. Totally typing this so I can reflect on it in twelve months. Make future Sarah proud.

These are all meant to be enjoyable goals to grow in the hobbies I’m already into. I find I need goals within even the “fun” spheres of life or else I feel stagnant. Let’s just say I was a sticker chart kind of kid.

These monthly goals are a mixed bag. Some goals are meant to focus my time, others to challenge my habits, and a few to propel me into a more consistently active lifestyle. I would consider myself fit and active, but I usually just cram it all into the weekend and I’d like to force myself to find that balance during the week to work out my body as hard as I’m flexing my mind. Some of these months could probably use another goal or two, but I’ll figure that out as I move through the year. I’m particularly interested in the ‘no spend’ months – have you ever tried anything like it? Or any others? What resolutions are you working on this year? Did you find any of mine to be surprising or inspiring? Or are you shaking your head and saying ‘f resolutions!’ whichever camp you’re in, leave a comment and let me know.

Vance Creek Bridge Hike – The Safer Side

by Sarah | 7 Comments

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This past weekend, we set out on an adventure to the Olympic Peninsula. At the start of our drive, we had no particular destination in mind, we just knew we needed to get out of the house and into the woods. After reaching the peninsula, both Robbie and I arrived at the same conclusion: we should go see that bridge. That bridge is the Vance Creek Bridge, the second-highest railway arch bridge in the United States.

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The Vance Creek Bridge was built for a logging railroad owned by the Simpson Logging Company in 1929. It’s 347 feet high and second only to the nearby High Steel Bridge, which is right down the road and worth a quick drive after you finish your hike. The Vance Creek Bridge was decommissioned in the 1970s during the decline of logging on the Olympic Peninsula.  Continue reading …