Clean, Green Bathroom Routine

30 days ago, I joined Groundswell Community Project in a #NoPlasticNovember live-a-thon. The goal of the challenge was to get rid of one type of single-use plastic (or all plastic!) for the month of November and I decided to eliminate plastic-packaged bathroom toiletries.

It was a good place to start too, because I happened to have 80 of them lying around. 

The thing is, single-use plastics are killing our oceans. And the $432 billion dollar beauty and personal care products industry could really care less. Probably because every product we buy that's packaged in a single-use plastic is us voting for them to make more!

I used to not think that way. I used to pick up a plastic-packaged product and think, "Well. It's already made, so I might as well buy it, right? Also, what difference is one purchase by one person going to make?"

In fact, honestly? At one point, I used to not care at all. But now, after doing more research and watching documentaries like "A Plastic Ocean"on Netflix, I am heartbroken and ashamed. 

So I have officially started my plastic-free journey with a strong disclaimer: I don't claim to have the whole plastic-free thing totally figured out yet. I am simply committed to figuring out my personal approach and sharing that here in a way that's as personal and educational as possible. The last thing I want to do is come off as self-righteous or preachy... I have no right to be. And I'll share this all with the sincere hope that others will share their journeys with me in return or be inspired to try to reduce their own use of plastic. 

But, back to my bathroom. 

Giving up single-use plastic toiletries was a start, but it was only one step I took over the past month to make my bathroom a little more green and a little more zen in the process. And I did it all in four easy steps. 

Savory Thanksgiving Turkey

Ready for the oven!!!

After three years of cooking Thanksgiving turkey in a row, I think I've finally got my recipes down.

Which is a really good thing, considering this year I cooked Thanksgiving dinner for 17 people and 5 dogs and hosted them all in our 500 square foot beach bungalow. #yikes

But after sharing my methods while talking a few first-timers through their turkey prep this year, I realized that I should probably take the time to write it all down. So I decided to put together a little guide to my no-fuss Savory Thanksgiving Turkey: from the kitchen essentials to the shopping list to the day-of timeline right down to the recipes for the roasting pan, herb butter, and gravy... I compiled it all here for future reference.

If you're into a relatively uncomplicated bird and have a local Trader Joe's nearby, this guide may be all you need for a delicious, stress-free Thanksgiving turkey!

Colorfornia

Up until a couple of weeks ago, it had been a year since I last went for a run. 

Well, 364 days to be exact. The last time I ran was this little race on the east coast called the New York City Marathon. It was a perfect day, a perfect run, a perfect race. And a perfect excuse to take a little time off after training for five months. 

Only a little time turned into a month and then a season and before I knew it, it had been a year. 

It almost certainly would have gone longer than that had the running angels over at The Color Run not reached out and offered me a couple of free entries to the San Diego 5k. 

I decided that a little 5k fun run was the perfect way to kickstart my return to running. Better yet, I decided it was also the perfect opportunity to achieve a lifelong dream... to get Ryan to run a race with me. 

Plastic Free For the Sea

How much plastic is in your bathroom?

A few weeks ago, I couldn't answer that question. And a few months ago?

I wouldn't have cared about the answer.

But then I spent time with Groundswell Community Project's surf program for women this summer and I started to learn about how plastics were hurting our oceans. I learned how more mindful changes to my lifestyle could actually make a difference.

So I pulled every single piece of plastic out of my bathroom. And I counted.