Have a Very Merry Christmas!
And a Happy Kwanzaa, Eid, Yule, Hanukkah, Yalda and Winter Solstice!
See you in the New Year!
xo Talia ox
10 Cheap and Holistic Gift Ideas for the Naturopathic Medical Student
If we weren’t broke before coming to this program, after about 2.5 years you’ll bet we are now! There’s no time to get a job and no money to be spent on expensive, luxurious gifts. So, what’s a naturopathic student to do? In order to partake in the materialism of the holiday season (and I actually do love giving gifts), here are some very cheap, fun, healthy and easy gift ideas for the entire family that will actually be used and enjoyed!
Congratulations, Class of 2014!
Well, it’s been one heck of a semester and an incredible 2.5 years! So far, the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine class of 2014 has written a grand total of:
90 Exams!
What a bunch of troopers we are. This calls for a celebration!
Gluten-Free Holiday Fruitcake
Christmas fruitcake. I’ve always hated that dry, brown loaf with its bitter, plastic-tasting chunks of “fruit”. Only my dad would eat it; I guess nothing says Christmas like dipping a piece of dry, tasteless plastic/bread into an espresso cup, and then picking the gummy fruits out of your teeth for days afterward. It’s all a part of the holiday cheer! This Christmas fruitcake, however, is not like that. It’s even (dare I say it)… good!
Now that my family is gluten-free, it seems like the skies have opened and baked goods (baked at home) have become reinvented. Old, store-bought staleness has reinvented itself as warm, moist deliciousness.
Goat Cheese and Roasted Red Pepper Cucumber Canapes
For the last Monday of classes for the 2012 school year we had a cleverly named “Ugly Potluck and Delicious Sweater” party at CCNM. Much fun (and good treats) were had by all and people did wear quite delicious sweaters, including some homemade masterpieces featuring Christmas trees that actually lit up via a battery pack. Celtic Christmas songs droned on in the background and it was a nice study “break” to foster school spirit and a sense of community before the real heat of exams set in and then we all disperse for the holidays.
DIY Natural Dry Shampoo
Since puberty I’ve had fine, oil-prone hair that used to require daily washing. However, washing hair on a daily basis can be time-consuming and expensive. It’s also not recommended that we wash hair often (it’s better to cut shampoos down to once or twice a week) to avoid stripping our scalp and hair of their moisturizing, natural oils. If I don’t wash my hair often, however, my head becomes a limp, dull greasy mess that only looks partially presentable when pulled into a pony tail or buried under some kind of hat. Hence, the magic of: dry shampoo!
How Coco Can Change Your Life
I realized it one day, while spending a particularly delicious Saturday in one of the armchairs of the living room, feeling the sun warm my back as it streamed through the shutters: for the first time in a while, I didn’t feel stressed. Coco was draped across my back, lying on the back of the chair. As if on cue, he let out a long puff of a sigh, his eyes closed. Coco is never stressed, I thought to myself. And then I realized it: Coco is more naturopathic than any doctor could hope to be. As Dr. Stargrove said, at The Gathering in Chicago, “nature knows more than doctors ever will.” And Coco, with is furry body and leathery paws is much closer to nature than any of us will ever be.
Cherry Tomato Clafoutis (with Coconut Milk)
Oh man, is it ever easy to make things taste good using bread and cheese. Especially cheese. It seems like all the covers of artfully designed cookbooks feature simple-looking recipes that you just know are absolutely delicious because of the presence of one magical food: cheese.
Study-Buddy Blueberry Lemon Olive Oil Muffins
Muffins are exactly what I’ve been needing lately: soft, tender, sweet and loving, these pillow-y treats, with their oatmeal and chia seed content, are full of fibre and lemony-blueberry flavour. These babies are the perfect antidote to the long, dreary days spent in the library as my classmates and I head for the final stretch of the semester. Eat ’em up, we’re almost there!
Gotta Love the Recognition!
So, I was pleased to find out that I’ve been featured in the Psychology of Eating’s website as one of the top 100 Natural Health Blogs!
Among the recognized are some of my favourite CCNM bloggers:
My Journey to Becoming a Naturopathic Doctor and, one of my favourite Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture blogs: Acutake as well as 94 other awesome-looking blogs that I can’t wait to peruse (probably instead of studying). Check out the rest of the chosen here!