We think it's safe to say that both of us are pretty selective when it comes to spending money.  I don't know...maybe it's because we've had our fair share of breadmakers, quesadilla makers, tortilla presses, juicers, cupcake makers, soda streams, Thigh Masters and the like.  All of which were especially good at one thing:  taking up space and cluttering up our lives, eventually making their way to Goodwill, along with many other well-intentioned Christmas gifts and impulse buys.

In the Spirit of the season, we have come up with a list of TWELVE of our favorite things we just can't seem to live without;  gifts we've given ourselves or have put on our own Christmas lists at one time or another.  They are those little special somethings that enhance, bring joy, and simplify our lives in a way that allow us to live a simply nourished life.

Cue the music and your inner Julie Andrews...

1.  belif The True Cream-Moisturizing Bomb:  This is my all time favorite moisturizer and I have tried A LOT!!  You know I avoid parabens and hate all the extra chemicals!!  This stuff uses no animal origin ingredients and promises never to include dyes or artificial fragrances.  It moisturizes skin quickly without leaving any stickiness or heaviness.

2.  Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus:  I really don't leave home without this little gem.  Sometimes it's the only friend I've got.  I love to use her for quick chopping of onion, garlic, celery, nuts and this can even blend up soups or hummus in a pinch!  

3.  Sushi-Rolling Kit:  If you are a sushi lover or have a loved one that is obsessed...this is the perfect gift!  It is so inexpensive and essential for rolling the perfect sushi roll.  The paddle and knife are included which make the sushi-making task so much easier.

4.  Dr. Bronner's Pure-Castile Soap:  A friend of mine got me on to castile soap a few years ago.  My absolute favorite is lavender and that's what you'll find in my shower.  What I didn't realize is the many ways to use this organic soap!  Shaving, shampooing, dental cleaning (???), hot towel massage, breath freshener...you can check it out here!

5.  Silicone Spatulas:  A MUST for any chef!  These can withstand the heat so they are not only great for baking but also sauteing and frying.  I use a silicone spatula every time I cook!!  Quality silicone spatulas are important because ones of poor quality will melt or the ends will break off...trust me, I know!! 

6.  Fresh Balsam Candle from Bath & Body Works:  I'm telling you, only the things that I love and truly cannot live without made this list.  Bath & Body Works puts out Fresh Balsam candles seasonally, usually in the fall and will sell only through the holiday season.  I must admit, I stock pile these candles and burn them year round.  

7.  Hot Cinnamon Spice tea by Harney & Sons:   This is in my life EVERYDAY!!  I can NOT survive without it!  This is the herbal version of Hot Cinnamon Spice tea, which is decaffeinated.  You can choose the black tea version, which contains caffeine.  But either way it is THE.BEST.DAMN.TEA.EVER.  I have had non-tea drinking friends (why are we friends?) that LOVE this tea!  If you buy only one thing from this list, make it this tea!!

8.  Pop Socket:  ​My daughter hooked me up with this little beauty.  At first my fingers were like...wth?  But I quickly grew accustomed  and now it's like I've grown another finger.  And who couldn't use one of those?  The pop socket sticks to the back of your phone, making for a sweet lil' kickstand for when you're binging some Netflix or You Tube.

9.  Nutra Ninja:  This is NOT just for smoothies, people!!  I use this powerhouse almost every day.  I make cream sauces, dressings, desserts and more with this sucker!  What makes it so great?  Clean up is a breeze!!  And that's why I love it so much!

10.  Cuisinart  Electric Pressure Cooker:  ​The other love in my life.  If the Cuisinart mini-prep is my bff, then the pressure cooker is like...my assistant.  The BEST part of having an electric pressure cooker is that you don't have to babysit the cooking process.  If I had to choose one appliance to keep, this would be it.  I can take it to a hotel and saute vegetables, cook potatoes or whip up a soup!  Besides the convenience, electric pressure cookers cut cooking time AND energy expenditure by 70%!  Wonder why I chose the Cuisinart over InstaPot?  Check out this Pressure Cooker Showdown!  Whichever one you choose, I think we are all still #winning and it's just a matter of preference and whether having an electric pressure cooker is really right for you.

11.  Frankincense:   I'm in love with essential oils.  I have many varieties and I could share with you many stories of healing in our home with these natural remedies.  If you can only choose one essential oil, opt for frankincense.  "The healing benefits of frankincense resin has traditionally centered on disease prevention and anti-inflammatory properties, and researchers have been able to confirm that boswellic acids contain a potent ability to modify the immune system as well. Part of having a more efficient immune system is the regulation of inflammation, as well, which can have effects topically or systemically." -US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health

12.  Meditation Cushion:  It's all the rage.  I'm actually not really sure about that.  My dearest friend gifted me my first meditation cushion  a few years back.  It's buckwheat filled, sturdy yet comfy and is just the right height for relieving pain on pressure points such as joints, knees and ankles.  It feels "proper" for practicing meditation and like a yoga mat, no matter where I find myself in the world, my very own meditation cushion helps ground me in my practice.

Please know that we are in no way being paid to market or advertise these products.  These are truly our favs, though if you purchase through our links we've provided,  we will make a few pennies (literally) through our Amazon affiliate.  Don't worry, these few cents will only help to bring you more free access to Living Simply Nourished. LLC and will cost you nothing at all.

Jeanmare

I do love the mornings.  It’s that time that belongs to me, alone.  Everyone is usually sleeping, it's quiet and no one is expecting much of me.  I mean...there were those days when my kids were really young and  I felt like my time  began only after I put them to bed.  In hindsight, those were  unhealthy years...it just went against my nature, really...but I had to take what I could get.  ​

Here’s how my ideal morning would go for an optimal day:

5:00am       Wake up. Prayer of gratitude for 5 minutes
5:10am         Yoga or meditation  followed by drinking 1 liter of water to re-hydrate
5:30am        Personal development reading or podcast listening
​5:45am        Facetime my husband (he works away) and tidy kitchen for the day
6:00am       Creative Writing
6:30am       Get ready for the day, make bed, greet and feed the dog
7:00am       I’m ready to take on the world and give it all I’ve got!
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So, clearly, this has just gotten all out-of-whack.  I’m wanting to re-group so I can get back to feeling like a sane person again.  It has dawned on me exactly what’s missing here.
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It seems to me, when I back up from this whole picture, for all of these activities or blocks of designated time to happen, the preparation for them needs to begin the night before. Laying out the yoga clothes or meditation cushion, filling my water bottle and placing it beside the chair next to my book, pre-packing a healthy lunch, getting out my tea bags, mug and putting water in the kettle, organizing my work outfit, setting my alarm and turning all electronics off 30 minutes before I go to sleep.
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Now, truthfully, I have to be careful to not wait until it’s too late in the evening to do these tasks, because getting up at 5am can make for a loooooong day.  I start to fade around 7:00pm.  (In other words, I don’t get many invites to a late night movie or dinner and dancing.  I simply can no longer hang with my night owl friends).
​

Cristy

​I'm going to change things up this week...I'm not going to talk about food (what?!?! I know crazy, right?!). You all know I'm a big holistic health advocate so that means focusing on every aspect of health in the entire body...the body as a whole. So, if you'd like to hear about the healing of my spirit read on....

I had always been fearful of the word God. As a child, the God I learned about was vengeful, judgmental, a magician. I was told stories of a God that sent a vengeful storm for the sins of humanity, a god who judges based on the choices made in life, a god who magically creates. I didn't want to believe in that God. I would ask myself "why would a God punish people?" "Why would a God 'test' me?" "How could a God create something out of nothing?" This was heavy in my heart for a long time. As my world grew bigger, so did my understanding of God. I searched through religions trying to find something that would explain God more clearly to me. I learned that God is many things to many different people. Each of us has to find our own meaning and understanding.
I've found my own path and my own God. It's hard to express the ideas that we have of our own God in a world filled with dogmatic religious philosophy. Buddha has said, "Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing; not upon tradition; nor upon rumor; nor upon what is in scripture. But when you yourselves know: 'These things are good; these things are not blamable; these things are praised by the wise; undertaken and observed, these things lead to benefit and happiness,' enter on and abide in them." That Buddha was a smart guy! He told us to believe what we feel is right and what we have experienced for ourselves and not follow along with things we've been told or rumors we've heard.
I am putting it into the Universe that your God may be different than my God and that's OK! I am finally finding peace in my God. I am no longer questioning my virtue in seeking my God. I have my own path for whatever reasons that the Universe has chosen. Whatever those reasons may be, I would like to share with you. My hope is that this reaches someone who is also searching for their path and they can find some solace in my thoughts.
My God doesn't punish.
My God doesn't judge.
My God is love.
My God is light.
My God is compassion.
My God is kindness.
My God has no face, no form.
My God doesn't create because my God shares the energy, essence, spirit in which all things are brought into the universe.
Imagine God as an ocean and all things as waves. Waves are not separate from the ocean. They are the ocean. As a part of the ocean, waves are a transfer of the ocean's energy. As a part of God, we are a transfer of God's energy. Energy cannot be created nor destroyed; therefore, I am God, You are God, trees are God, animals are God...

At an earlier time in my life, I never would have had the courage to share these words. These words have come to me after meditation. Only through my experience could I believe that such a thing could be so powerful!! Through my practice, I have found so much peace, joy and abundance.
The power of meditation lies in its creation of mindfulness...living in the now. When we live in each moment there is no time for worry, guilt, regret, fear....I'm not telling you I no longer feel/think these things because I do! We all do!! Our minds are computers that never power off, but we CAN have power over our thoughts. As Douglas Adams says, "So much of our suffering happens between our own ears."  How powerful is that statement?!  Our worst critic is in our mind, our demise creator is our brain.  We need to learn to take control of our thoughts.  This is where meditation comes in; it is a PRACTICE of having power over our thoughts. That power comes in the form of mindfulness. In their innumerable forms, mindfulness and meditation can look like many things! I encourage you to find your THING! In all their forms, it allows you to find that silent space between your thoughts where peace, light, and joy reside.
Each morning, I dedicate 10-30 minutes to a silent, seated meditation practice, but another important part of my practice is getting outside...being a part of nature. When I am immersed in the silence of the forests and mountains, I find myself clearing my mind without thought of doing it. I find peace and joy. I've taken to photography during my nature adventures and this has helped me stay mindful, as I put all of my energy into focusing on the beauty around me. It is so easy to get lost in the miniscule details of the mountains and forests.