5 Natural Ways to Ease a Migraine

Migraines might possibly might be the worst, most excruciating pain I’ve ever experienced thus far in my life. I’ve tried everything from prescriptions from my doctor, to every over-the-
counter medicines I could possibly find. I tried Motrin, Tylenol, Aleve, Excedrin Migraine, and many more. Although I can suffer from a headache or migraine for countless hours, I have found some ways that seem to take the edge off that I’d like to share with you.

#1. The combination of heat & cold

I got this idea from Pinterest and it to works great for me. Instead of submerging my feet in water and covering my neck with a bag of frozen veggies I changed it a little. I take a bag of ice, wrap it in a cold compress and lay it on my neck or forehead, and for my feet, I actually bought microwaveable slippers from Bed Bath & Beyond, like the picture below. This way, I don’t have to keep my feet in a sink or bathtub of warm water for a long time.

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#2. Aromatherapy

Peppermint is your best friend if you suffer from headaches or migraines. You can add the scent of peppermint in your daily routine several different ways. You can usually add aromatherapy to your massage, you can buy a peppermint spray (I have one and I spray it on my pillow–I bought it from Whole Foods), or you can buy it as an essential oil and rub it on your neck, wrists, etc. Supposedly other scents like lavender, ginger, jasmine, chamomile, clove, and lemongrass help as well, but from experience I have only used peppermint so I cannot say how well the other scents work. 

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#3. Green Tea or Coffee

Besides just drinking green tea, it can be used for many other things, one being, to help with migraines. Green tea seems to help me because of the caffeine in it, but some people prefer coffee.Green tea works best because the amount of caffeine in it is very small compared to a cup of black, white, or other kinds of tea. Caffeine is paired with analgesics like aspirin, which is why it works so well. Caffeine can be ingested quicker than an aspirin tablet (which takes about 30 mins to kick in), so if aspirin or acetaminophen seem to work for you, but take too long to ease your pain, you you might want to try caffeine instead. 

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#4. Changing up your diet, and taking vitamins

Some people, like me, who are vegetarian, may be lacking certain vitamins. I take iron pills, Biotin, a multivitamin, CoQ10, and B12 on a daily basis. I never really thought about alternative reasons as to why I might be suffering from migraines, but I don’t eat any meat whatsoever, so I thought taking iron pills could help. Although I’e never taken it, riboflavin is known to help with migraines. You don’t have to take riboflavin as a pill either, it has been found in certain foods, like quinoa, milk, green veggies, and nuts. Talk to your doctor about your diet because you may be lacking a certain vitamin, so something as easy as taking a vitamin might solve your reoccurring headache problem!

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#5. Massage or Chiropractor

We’re all rushing around busy with work, school, children, whatever we have going on in our life, that sometimes it’s hard to remember that we need to take care of ourselves and our bodies. The tension in our necks can lead to reoccurring headaches and that is sometimes the cause of my headaches. This pain is brutal, but until someone adjusts you, or massages out the tight muscles, you won’t find much relief. 

Hope these tips are useful to you if you are a reoccurring migraine sufferer like myself.

Xoxo,

Chelsea 

Why Trader Joe’s is the BEST

When it comes time to do the weekly grocery shopping there’s always some sort of dilemma for me. I either find myself walking into the store when I’m hungry, so I grab everything in sight, throw it into my cart, then come home realizing I bought enough food for a family of ten…. OR I find myself going there when I’m not hungry so I end up aimlessly walking up and down the aisles. In this case, I don’t know what to buy, so I just grab a bunch of random things and end up coming home with something along the lines of cheese, 2 avocados, a box of pasta, and a carton of orange juice. wondering to myself, “Ummm what kind of ‘meals can I make out of this?”

Now I don’t want to totally turn you off to the idea of food shopping because some people love it, and although I do love food and cooking, it’s just sometimes hard to plan recipes for the entire week ahead. But when it comes to my food store struggles, Trader Joe’s is my savior. Walking into trader Joe’s you can get the usual produce, bread, detergent, flowers, cereal, cheese, etc., but you can also buy frozen or refrigerated pre-cooked meals. It’s kind of like a smaller, less overwhelming food selection than Wegmans, but you can still buy pre-packaged items that they’ve prepared for you there. When you first walk in everything is brightly colored, appealing and welcoming. The signs always have quirky sayings on them too.

Their food is reasonably priced…actually WAY cheaper than any grocery store I go to (Acme, Giant, etc.) Honestly, I would rather make the extra 15-20 minute drive to Trader Joe’s to save money than go to another food store near me. And if you’ve never been to Trader Joe’s you’re not saving money in the sense that you are getting lower quality food, they’re just fair to their customers. They don’t have coupons either, because they guarantee reasonably prices food to begin with.

The thing that makes Trader Joe’s stand out compared to their competing food stores, is that they only carry a few select brands of products, but they mostly offer their own lines of foods.

They have their “Trader Grotto’s/Giotto” section (Italian food):

Their “Trader Jose” section (Mexican food AND their beer and wine. YUP they make their own!):

…and “Trader Jacque” section (French food):

Also, not only do they great prices, they have the most unique foods too. It’s not like an organic, gluten free, specialty item that you would find at Wegmans that is highly over priced. They have their own recipes and food that they’ve designed themselves. Here are my top 5 must-have things I get when I go shopping there:

 

1. Belgium Butter Almond Thins — these are to die for. I don’t care for sweets or cookies, but I do love almonds. These are lightly sweetened and thin, so they aren’t like the regular thick, filling cookies you can buy…and the best news of all, they’re only 120 calories for 6 cookies!

2. Pomegrante Seeds — I know you can buy these at other stores, but these are much cheaper than the “POM” brand I used to buy. Also, why wants to spend more time digging out the seeds from a pomegrante than actually eating them? NOT ME! So these are convenient and delishh.

3. Eggplant Cutlets — Hands down the best eggplant cutlets I’ve ever had! One day they were sampling these in the store so I tried them and fell in love. They only take about 10 mins to heat up in the oven, so it’s a quick dinner option and it goes great with spaghetti 🙂

4. Mac n’ Cheese —  Ok this is definitely the least healthy of the bunch, but how could I not have my favorite food on my top 5 list?! The reason why I like their macaroni and cheese a lot is because it is the best microwavable mac n’ cheese I’ve ever had. It tastes like it came right off the stove top whenever I make it.

5.  Jasmine Green Tea — I never actually RAVE over tea, unless it’s like….Teavana, but I recently read that it is healthy to try to drink 3-4 cups of green tea per day. So on my Trader Joe’s shopping trip one day I was trying to decide which kind of green tea I should get, and  I randomly picked this one. Out of pure luck and random choice this has become my go-to drink of the day. I really only drink water, but now I just started drinking about 2 cups of this a day. The jasmine flower gives the green tea a less bitter taste and with a touch of agave it is very refreshing cold or hot.

Usually food stores near me like Super fresh have their weekly deals in the newspaper, but Trader Joe’s has something called a “Frequent Flyer.” You can sign up to receive a Frequent Flyer in the mail or through your email, but they also provide it online as well. The Frequent Flyer shows the new products that they’re carrying, certain fruits and veggies that are in season, and it even has a recipe list based on the products they have in the store. You can also make your own shopping list on their site based off the recipes or things you see online.

The last thing that Trader Joe’s does, that other stores don’t is their way of making your food shopping experience fun. They offer 99 cent reusable grocery bags at the check out, and if you bring your own reusable bag (it doesn’t have to be Trader Joe’s), they’ll ring their bells, all the cashiers scream in excitement, and you can spin their wheel and get something for free! That isn’t the only way to spin their “Wheel of Joe” though. If, when you pay your total comes out to be an even number which no change, (ex. $20.00) you also get the chance to spin the wheel. If you are a first time customer and you let them know they give you a reusable grocery bag for free as well.

Trader Joe’s is a unique grocery store where anyone would get a great vibe just walking through the door. Everyone that works there is helpful, nice, and fun. You’re not only welcomed as a new customer, but you feel welcome as a reoccurring customer as well. There’s no doubt that there are several different choices of foods for everyone here, so if you get the chance, I highly recommend taking a trip to your closest Trader Joe’s store.

Xoxo,

Chelsea

 

My Top 5 Favorite Farmer’s Markets in Bucks County, PA.

Hi all,

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Today I’m talking about…Farmer’s Markets. I have a new found love for farmer’s market that started about a year ago, and I feel like I just want to share it with everyone! With the beautiful summer weather, there has definitely been a lot more markets opening in my area and I love it. I know my area is very rural, so if you aren’t fortunate enough to live near a farmer’s market, I would definitely venture out to an area that has one to experience it. There are so many great markets, but if you live in the Philadelphia area I’d like to share some of my favorites.

1.) The Newtown Farmer’s Market. (http://www.newtownfarmersmarket.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi)

Newtown Farmer’s Market is in Bucks County. It is indoor and has a ton of different food vendors. They have sushi, pretzels, dutch treats, dairy products/cheese, Greek food (gyros, falafel, etc), a BBQ stand, fresh baked bread, fresh herbs, homemade peanut butter, nuts, fresh fruit, Mexican food, seafood, homemade baked goods, Smucker’s products, and more. I love how I can go into the market and walk out with a variety of products. Everything is fresh and tasty, and they’re open every Thursday-Saturday. I try to get here as much as possible, because all the food is delicious.

2.) New Jersey Stockton Market (http://stocktonfarmmarket.com/index.php/market-photos/)

Such a quaint little market located in the heart of Stockton, NJ! It is also indoors, but I’d say it’s a bit smaller than the Newtown Market. They have vendors that carry products such as – crepes, plants, flowers, organic produce, lavender oils/scents/candles, ice cream/sorbets, Mexican cuisine, poultry, cheese, marmalade, pastries, croissants, granola, cookies, fruit & veggie drinks, smoothies, hand-made soaps, knitted items, and many more! I do have to say, my absolute favorite vendor is Casa di Trevi…they specialize in making fresh pasta, sauces, and ravioli. They make their food fresh daily and you can really tell. I tried the goat cheese and roasted red pepper ravioli and it was like nothing I had ever had before. You could tell it was homemade and fresh. I can’t wait to make another trip up to this market so I can get more of these, and try other kinds as well.

3.) Bryn Athyn Bounty Farmer’s Market. (http://www.yelp.com/biz/bryn-athyn-bounty-farm-market-bryn-athyn)

This, I think, is the smallest of all the markets, but don’t let the size fool you. This farmer’s market is held outside on the Bryn Athyn college campus. The garden is used year round by school groups and there is a gardening crew that maintains it daily. With the help of the school group and gardening crew, Bryn Athyn college had the idea of starting a farmers market 1-2 years ago. It seems to be a great success with several different products such as produce from the garden, plants/flowers/herbs, homemade soup, a BBQ stand, baked goods, local honey and eggs, live music and more! I actually took some herbs that I bought from the garden and came up with a natural way to make my house smell fresh and clean. This stove top potpourri is a quick easy way to make your house smell great. I added sliced lemons and rosemary to a pot of boiling water and let it simmer for a few hours.

 

4.) Organnons Market. (http://www.organnons.com)

Although Organnons isn’t technically a farmer’s market, it is a local organic market that just recently opened up in Wrightstown, PA. Organnons is like a little Whole Foods in my backyard without having to make the trip all the way up to the closest one to me (which isn’t so close). They carry a lot of the same products as Whole Foods along with locally grown fruits, veggies, and other products so it’s really the best of both worlds. Everything in the store is organic, from the food- to the plants- to the plastic silverware! The best part about Organnons is the location. It’s located in “Indian Walk,” and there is a carousel and train rides for children, as well as an ice cream shop with very unique flavors (http://owowcow.com/).  Now if that doesn’t make you want to take a trip up to Organnons there’s even better news! Just within the past two weeks they opened “Organnon’s Grub Shack…” a food truck outside of their market with an amazing menu. (I took my mom here last weekend and we loved it) Everything on the menu is organic, healthy, and unique, like the food they have in their grocery store. Outside of the food truck there are several picnic tables and benches to sit and enjoy your food. You can look at the beautiful scenery (there are turkeys, chickens, and peacocks outside here too!) and enjoy some great food. I highly recommend going to Organnon’s.

5.) Hatboro Farmer’s Market (http://www.hatbororesidents.com/#!farmers-market/c8k2)

My favorite farmer’s market of them all! This market just opened up a little over 2-3 weeks ago. It is located outside of the Hatboro Baptist Church in Bucks County. This is my favorite farmer’s market because there is such a variety of great vendors, plus live music, and food trucks. It’s so awesome to get things to come home and cook, but to be able to order fresh food from the food trucks and sit outside on a picnic table when the weather is nice is even better!

Here are some pictures I took when I went here last –

 

Xoxo, Chelsea

photo credit:  http://www.spinsaver.com

Overnight Oats

Overnight oats is a quick, healthy, and delicious option for breakfast.

Ingredients:
◾1/2 cup oats
◾1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (from the box, not the can) or regular milk
◾1 1/2 tablespoon whole chia seeds and 1/3 cup plain yogurt

The above picture has strawberries and one sliced banana in it, but you can add any fruit(s) you like to yours.

How to make overnight oats:
1. Pour oats, milk, and seeds into a jar or bowl

2. Shake the contents well to prevent the seeds from clumping

3. Put the jar in the fridge overnight
4.  In the morning, shake the jar a little more, then pour into a bowl and top with whatever you like! (I like coconut, granola, strawberries, or nuts)

**TIP** Overnight oats are best when shaken, not stirred. So mason jars are great to make your overnight oats in.

You may be wondering, what chia seeds were and why they are so good for you. Chia seeds are tiny, dark colored seeds that can be found in most health food stores. They are a nutritional powerhouse of fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Chia is also a complete protein, containing all 9 essential amino acids.

I would love to hear how you guys like your overnight oats!

Thanks for reading!

xoxo, Davi

Influenster – the best kept secret

Hi all!

Happy Summer:) It’s been so long since we posted, but we’d love to get back in the swing of things again since there’s a lot more free time now that the semester ended.

Today I wanted to talk about the company, Influenster, which I’m so glad I found! Influenster gives away free “voxboxes” aka. a goodie box filled with a bunch of complimentary products.  Every month a new voxbox is sent out with different products for you to try. If you make an account and sign up, you could get as many voxboxes as you qualify for. In order to “qualify” for a voxbox all you have to do is fill out product reviews and fill out surveys based on the types of products you use and like. Also, promoting Influenster when you do receive a box if another great way to be more likely to get chosen for more voxboxes. Ex. post a picture on instagram or facebook…. Now you don’t HAVE to post a picture about them, but IF you do, your “score” on your profile will raise. The higher score you have, the more likely you’ll be to be picked for a voxbox. It’s easy and fun and you don’t have to do anything, everything is on your own time, and best of all, it’s free!

Davi and I have been a members on influenster.com for the past couple of years and we love it. It’s fun to review products we like, and to be able to try new products for free….what girl wouldn’t sign up for that asap!?! It is so exciting to me to get a box of products in the mail and even though they don’t guarentee a box sent to you each month it is for a reason. They send out boxes based on the answers to your survey questions, so once you fill out your profile and surveys they know the things you like, so you aren’t sent products you most likely wouldn’t use.

Here are some of the awesome voxboxes I’ve gotten in the past few years:

Davi and I have gotten more voxboxes than just the pictures above, but we forgot to take pictures of them. But the voxboxes I received were filled with various things from – Mary Kay make-up, to blueberry almonds, hand lotion, a foot pumice, candy, laundry detergent, tampons, protein shake bottles and the mixes to go along with it, etc. The list goes on….

Hope I’ve informed you guys about a great website. I think it’s the best kept secret, so why not share it with other girls my age who I  think would love it?!

Have a great Day! Xo,

Chelsea

The vegetarian lifestyle & Vegan Tempeh Kale Salad

Hi all!

It’s Chelsea. Sorry we haven’t posted much yet. Life has been so hectic- between school and work, but our goal is to blog about 1-2x+ per week. So for today I want to talk about something that I’m very much into; healthy food/eating organic, and being vegetarian. I’ve been vegetarian since 2010, when I saw a video of animals being slaughtered for food chains like Mcdonalds and KFC in the most inhumane ways. That video honestly scarred me, and I couldn’t imagine eating meat after that.  Also, I grew up on a farm and we’ve always had a ton of animals and in 2010 we also bought chickens for the first time. When my mom told me we were getting chickens I just laughed and thought okay…. but as silly as it sounds, the more I was around them, the more I grew a bond with them..they really had the cutest little personalities. We bought ten chickens and I fell in love with one of them, so I decided she was going to be mine and I named her Beyonce (yes I named my chicken after the singer Beyonce…) I never in a million years thought that chickens could be as loving as a pet dog but I was wrong. I probably sound crazy, but I’m not even kidding, she would follow me around when I left her out of her cage, she would hop up for me to hold and cuddle her, and sometimes my mom let us bring her inside and she would sit on my lap while I watched TV. Here is a picture of her 🙂

So those two factors are the main reasons I couldn’t imagine eating chicken, or any meat in general at all anymore. So in the past year I’ve gotten into eating healthier, and I honestly feel a lot better ever since I started doing this.  Although my boyfriend isn’t vegetarian like me, he is very open to trying new things and I’ve definitely introduced him to a lot of new things. We had always cooked together but recently we’ve been getting into it more and coming up with/finding some great healthy recipes that I’d like to share with you!

This recipe is very easy, and it’s a good option for a quick and healthy lunch. First I chopped up a mixture of lettuce and kale and tossed it in some ginger miso dressing (I like the brand Bolthouse). Then I cut up some strips of tempeh and cooked them in a pan with coconut oil until each side was brown. I like tempeh because I like it has better texture/taste than regular old tofu. After adding the tempeh, I added some chopped carrots and honey crisp apples (I personally like to chop them up in the food processor because it’s quick and easy). Next, you can add a few scoopfuls of guacamole, and the last step is to sprinkle some seeds/nuts on top, I chose- chia seeds, flax seeds, pine nuts, and sesame seeds… and there you go ! A healthy and easy salad to eat now, or later! Just place it in the refrigerator for later with the dressing on the side and it’s just as good.

Blog #1: Get to know us

Hi all!

My name is Chelsea. My best friend, Davi and I decided to start a blog where we can share some of our favorite things with you!

So for a little background about me. I live in a very affluent area, but I also live within an hour of many different areas. So pretty much, I walk out my front door and I have my barn with chickens. I can drive down the road to local farmers markets, but also drive an hour the opposite way and I am in the city. I like my town because I live in a rural area, but I can also take a 1-2 hour drive to the city or beach.

I’m 21 and I go to my local community college, and soon will be transferring to Penn State. I  recently changed my major and I am now a part-time psychology student. I’ve always loved psych courses I’ve taken, and the field is so broad. I feel like there’s a wide variety of things I am able to do with this degree. I’m still unsure of what I want to do, so this gives me time to get a degree while also exploring other interests I have, and seeing if I can somehow turn them into a career. In the meantime, I am also taking an online business course at the University of Maryland because my dream would be to open my own business that has to do with healthy/vegetarian food (very broad I know…but I haven’t figured out what exactly). I’m still young and have time to figure it all out!

Hey Guys, I’m Davi! Chelsea’s best friend, of course. We met in college 4 years ago, hit it off, and have been best friends since. I’m also 21 yrs old and I’m currently take classes online to finish my business major. It’s honestly so stressful at our age to decide on something we want to do for the rest of our lives (AH, rest of your life sounds scary). I still don’t know, but like Chelsea, I hope one day to open my own business (our dream would be to start a business together). Right now I am a nanny for a one year old boy full-time, you will definitely hear about him in upcoming posts. My favorite things are going out to eat, cooking, baking, fashion, makeup, music, doing crafts and many more things that you will find out along the way. I am living in New Jersey right now down the shore with the family I nanny for, but my family still lives near Chelsea, so we see each other whenever I come home to visit. I can’t wait to share all of our adventures, recipes, and tips!

We don’t want to give away too much or we’ll have nothing else to talk about 😛 Thank you for taking the time to read our first post. Please excuse us while we try to get a hang of figuring out this blog, we’ve never had one before.