I didn’t grow up cooking. My parents worked, and we found the usual American solutions to having no time to prepare food. We ate at restaurants, picked up fast food, and microwaved frozen dinners. At the time, it wasn’t clear to Americans how negatively those habits affected our health. When I got married and had a kid, I wanted to prepare real food for my family. But I felt totally overwhelmed by the responsibility of cooking. And frankly, I resented it. Even though I knew it was something I could enjoy. But then I developed these simple cooking ideas that saved my sanity and my family’s health. And I want to share them with others who feel they just do not have time to handle dinner every night. …
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It seems like microplastics are all over the news right now. We knew single-use plastic wasn’t great for the environment. But in recent years we’ve learned it also has serious effects on our health. Not only from microplastics entering human tissues, but also from endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) like BPA and phthalates that are emitted from the plastics in our environment. But the question of how to avoid microplastics in our plastic world is not an easy one. To me, starting at home – where I have control over the environment – was the first step. I recently started a project to reduce the amount of plastic exposure my family was getting at home. There are many excellent sources of information on microplastics and EDCs in common household products. But I…
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The transition to a new calendar year is a time when many of us want to start fresh. We write resolutions and goals to create the lives we want. But sometimes, especially for those of us in the Northern hemisphere, the bitter cold and dark of January 1 is not exactly a high-energy time to implement change. But that doesn’t mean you can’t start new habits at this time. You just need a little extra motivation. If one of your goals is to start living a minimalist life this year, here are the best ways I’ve found to get inspiration. Most of these suggestions are super low effort – you can do them even while hungover and sleep deprived on New Year’s Day. But…
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Christmastime is fraught for minimalists. In many countries, the winter holidays mean big spending. Every person is obligated to buy things for every friend, family member, and coworker in their lives. Lists go online about what to buy the person who already has everything. People exchange useless gadgets and ugly sweaters, which then become clutter. And often we receive gifts from our closest loved ones that make us wonder if they even know us at all. Certainly, where I am in the U.S., we’re indoctrinated as children through the Santa Claus myth to the idea that Christmas is all about giving and getting stuff. All of this is in stark contrast to minimalist values. So, you might ask, is it even possible to have a minimalist Christmas? And if so,…
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When I boarded the minimalism train years ago, one of the first steps I took was to purge my closet. My goal was to build a capsule wardrobe that would last me for years. Basically, I wanted to look nice every day without having to think about it much. I had no idea where to start at the time. Knowing nothing about fashion, I started my quest by searching for capsule wardrobe ideas on Pinterest and YouTube. And I learned a lot of important lessons in the process. Through that research, plus trial and error over the last few years, I discovered some great minimalist clothing brands that are my go-to’s for basics to build a capsule wardrobe. My Approach to Minimalist Clothing Brands …
