How to Make Your Own Cinnamon Powder

My kids LOVE our simple homemade cinnamon toast: toasted organic bread (gluten free for the one with Celiac) spread with softened organic butter and sprinkled with organic cinnamon powder. Well, while making toast this morning - woops! - we realized the cinnamon container was empty! What to do? What to do? Thanks to a cooking class I attended over the weekend with the Farmer's Market Groupie, an idea popped into my head. Why not grind our own cinnamon? Elisha Reverby (our cooking class instructor and owner of Farmer's Market Groupie) informed us that ALL spices, seasonings and seeds are best when FRESHLY ground. Those we buy in jars have been sitting on a shelf losing their flavor, scent and overall health benefits for months (maybe even years). Elisha used a mortar and pestle to mash the herbs and seeds we were using in our recipe -- and one of those ingredients (LIGHT BULB MOMENT) was a cinnamon stick. Then, this morning (2ND LIGHT BULB MOMENT) I recalled that some people use coffee grinders for such purposes - and that this might be a faster method for grinding up a whole cinnamon stick. So, we got out our 25 year old Krups Fast Touch coffee grinder (which still works as well as it did the day we bought it), popped in a stick of cinnamon, and PRESTO! We had fresh, aromatic cinnamon powder in seconds. My kids were totally very impressed! And, they found the flavor to be much yummier than the the old powder we were using. Looks like we've discovered a new way to make spices at our house!

Best Organic Face Cream

Let me tell you, I've tried dozens of all-natural moisturizers and face creams - and nothing compares to Honey Girl Organics Face and Eye Creme Extra Sensitive. Mind you - I do NOT have sensitive skin. I was simply looking for a good cream that would make my skin feel soft and hydrated and this particular product did the trick. I was willing to pay a high price if I could just find a natural moisturizer that:

a) Didn't make me break out or clog pores
b) Didn't have an odd smell or too much of ANY smell
c) Contained NO artificial ingredients, chemicals or fragrance
c) Contained organic ingredients
d) Didn't feel like it was sitting on top of my skin
e) Would not feel too light

Well, I didn't have to. Honey Girl Organics definitely doesn't break the bank. One 1.75 fluid oz glass jar of Honey Girl Organics Face and Eye Cream Extra Sensitive lasts for 30-60 days and retails for about $32 at Whole Foods, local health food stores, the Honey Girl Organics website, and Amazon. That price is a steal when you consider the fact that this product contains the USDA CERTIFIED ORGANIC label, a rare distinction in the cosmetics industry, and that it received the HIGHEST SAFETY SCORE POSSIBLE in the EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database.

Honey Girl Organics makes lighter moisturizers (and many other amazing organic skin products) but for me, the Face and Eye Cream Extra Sensitive is the ticket. So many skin "creams" these days feel too heavy for true absorption. Not this one. When I apply it (in the morning and before bed) I can literally feel the honey, royal jelly and olive oil ingredients penetrating deep into my epidermis.

I've purchased several jars just to make sure I never run out.

Delicious Affordable All-Natural Ice Cream

I just discovered affordable heaven in the freezer section of my local (aka REGULAR) grocery store: Old-Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream by Tillamook! I have not tasted ice cream this creamy and pure in decades. You will be shocked at the fat content - which is lower than far less tasty and less natural brands. To make matters even better - Tillamook's Old-Fashioned Vanilla uses 100% natural ingredients, NO corn syrup, and - like all Tillamook dairy products - it comes from cows NEVER treated with artificial growth hormones. Many of us don't have access to organic ice cream every day (or at all), which makes Tillamook Ice Cream the next healthiest choice. It's available at most major grocery stores, is priced right (at about $5 for 1.75 Qts) and - to be frank - tastes better than many pricey organic ice cream brands anyhow.

INGREDIENTS: Cream, Sugar, Condensed Skim Milk, Whole Milk, Egg Yolks, Vanilla Extract, Tara Gum, Guar Gum.

NOTE: Some question the use of tara gum and guar gum. Tillamook - and other dairy companies - use these natural plant-derived thickener to give their ice cream an extra creamy texture. It doesn't add or subtract from the flavor though, so personally, I'd love to see how it tastes without.

List of Most Toxic and Least Toxic Sunscreens

Every summer the highly-regarded health advocacy organization EWG (Environmental Working Group) produces their  "Guide to Sunscreens." It is literally my sunscreen bible. This section of the EWG website allows you to do two very helpful things (1) search the name of your current sunscreen to view a report on how safe (or UNSAFE) the ingredients are, and (2) view a list of the "Best Scoring Sunscreens" so you can purchase the safest sunscreens currently available on the market. Scores and recommendations DO change from year to year as manufacturers add (or remove) ingredients, so it is crucial that you review the EWG Guide to Sunscreen each year. Most of the sunscreens EWG recommends are available on Amazon (with FREE shipping) and many are affordable. Sadly, most of the LEAST TOXIC sunscreen brands are not available at your regular grocer or drugstore, although they are available at Whole Foods Market and other local health food stores. Be sure to check out the "Worst Scoring Sunscreen for Kids" section (which, honestly, applies to adults as well). And remember: ALWAYS avoid HIGH SPFs (anything above 30) and aerosol spray sunscreens. View or download the full EWG Guide to Sunscreens report now to find out why and to learn more about what you should be looking for and what you should be avoiding this summer.

Maya Rudolph Tells Us Why Tampons Are Toxic

Standard grocery store tampons and pads have been doused in chemicals for YEARS. If you love comedy and happen to CARE about your hoo-ha (or your wife's or your children's) then watch this hilariously honest video and buy Seventh Generation (or other organic feminine products) from now on. #ComeClean