$15 Sale is going on NOW! #bestswimwear #linkinbio...

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Would You Or Wouldn’t You: The $300 Superfood Latte

Okay, okay,  this little potion doesn't actually cost us a twenty spot a sip, but raise your hand if you've become well aware of the cost of all your wellness pantry staples? We feel ya, and when we added up the bill for all the adaptogens, potions and powders in this superfood latte recipe from our friends at New York's CAP Beauty, we had a moment of sticker shock at the $300 tab. Shocking at first, until you break it down to about three month's worth of glow-inducing, anti-inflammatory latte breaks at about the same price as our fave urban coffee bars. 

While stocking up for this goji latte from scratch calls for a bit of an investment at first, we're soothed by the thought of all those cups full of wellness we'll be drinking daily well into 2017. When it comes to beauty investments, we're happy to splurge on nutrition - even if it means reigning in our shoe budget for a month. Looking to save rather than spend? Get all our smoothie and healthy latte recipes here and focus in on just one power-packed ingredient that'll boost your health without breaking the bank - good cheap choices include fresh turmeric and DIY nut milk!  

Do you make lattes and potions like this at home? What are your go-to ingredients and tricks to make your wellness pantry work for you?

You all know by now that we love to uplevel and always take our rituals to a higher place. So when we decided to add in goji berries to our morning or afternoon tonic we were thrilled with how it turned out. The goji berries add a layer of dimension that suits the herbs perfectly. This immune boosting, inflammation reducing and beauty promoting elixir is perfect for the seasonal transition upon us. Enjoy and drink to your health!

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Winter Is Coming: Why The Tone It Up Girls Want You To Put On Pounds

The last thing we expected to learn at a fitness retreat was advice on how to put on weight, but that’s exactly what we took away from our weekend at the beach with the Tone It Up girls. Between workouts and a rosé-fueled brunch we’re still drooling over, Karena and Katrina fielded questions on everything from how to build muscle mass (check out those guns above!) to the right way to approach rest days, and we loved their responses.

There's nothing wrong with wanting to slim down, but we're excited that, more and more, the focus is shifting from skinny to strong! Women are asking about how to gain svelte muscle tone and build sexy curves rather than just how to drop pounds. Whatever your approach, love the skin your in. Check out our notes from Karena and Katrina on gaining weight and muscle in healthful balance...

Don't Roller Coaster. Lots of fitness professionals put on weight with a two stage approach - by bulking up for a period of time, then switching to a phase of dramatic fat loss. This "roller coater" strategy is effective, but can seriously mess with our metabolism and is generally unsustainable. While sweater weather is a tempting time to enter a bulking phase, it's significantly healthier to take a more dynamic approach by building muscle and burning fat simultaneously.

Sweat, Double Time. Aim to work out three times a week, and twice on the days you're committed to it: once in the morning and then again later. Use the morning session to focus on twenty minutes of high intensity interval training (HIIT) to torch fat and give a boost to your metabolism. Use the afternoon session for strength training with weights to build muscle mass.

Challenge Yourself. Gradually increase the amount of weight you use for strength training, but not so it kills you or so you start compromising breath or posture. Increase the weight to a point where just the end of a set feels like a struggle. You need to rip the muscles a little to make them grow, but only on a micro level - it should never cause pain.

Follow With Protein. Be sure to consume a clean, high-protein meal or smoothie within thirty minutes of a workout to help muscles recover, re-fuel and grow!

Rest Up. Put maximum effort into your workouts, but be sure to allow your body to recover after. Get plenty of sleep and take active steps to reduce daily stress by meditating, soaking in an essential oil bath or doing anything else that makes your body feel relaxed and your mind feel at-ease. You earned it!

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HEIRLOOM LA’S BAKED PUMPKIN PASTA WITH PEPITAS + MAPLE SYRUP

pumpkin Overload? Not even a little. From lattes to loaves, fall is the time to load up on these fiber and vitamin-rich veggies - and hyper-local foodies, Heirloom LA, are serving them up everywhere, including this pumpkin seed-dusted dish prepared for a recent music education fundraiser with the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

If you're looking for an excuse to hit the pumpkin patch this month, this whole wheat pumpkin pasta dish is it. Heirloom’s recipe can be made with pumpkins (obviously) or any other squash you stumble upon: acorn, butternut, kabocha and sweet dumpling all work perfectly!

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The Ultimate Kitchen Purge: 4 Steps to Detox Your Kitchen Fast

Next time that bag of chips grabs you by the willpower and gets itself devoured, ask yourself: does it need to be in the pantry to begin with? We think the easiest way to build healthy habits that last is to clear out the junky deliciousness that gets in the way of better decisions, and give ourselves easy access to real, nourishing food. We're starting fresh for fall with these thoughtful kitchen detox tips from our favorite functional medicine pro, Dr. Mark Hyman...

Your body is not the only thing that needs a good detox once in a while. When I mention detoxification, you probably think about something your body does to lose weight, support your liver and generally feel and look better. Strange as it sounds, your kitchen could also use a good detox!

If you make your kitchen a safe zone, with only foods that nourish rather than harm, you will automatically make the right choices. If you fill it with crap, you will eat crap, no matter how much willpower you have.

The first step to detoxify your kitchen, then, is not to load it with junk and clear out whatever junk currently is stocking your cupboards. If it’s not there you won’t eat it. It’s that simple I’ve created a four-step process to effectively detoxify your kitchen and restock it with healthy foods...

Step 1: Set aside an hour to purge your kitchen

Schedule it into your planner if you need to. This requires some detective work. Read food labels for added sugar and other junk ingredients that don’t belong in a healthy kitchen. Have a big garbage bag ready (better yet, recycle containers if you can) to dump the junk. It might take longer, depending on how much hidden junk and toxic ingredients lurk in your cupboard or fridge.

Step 2: Scrutinize labels

Ideally, you’ll replace anything that is questionable with real fresh or whole foods without labels. A fresh avocado or a kiwi doesn’t come with a nutrition label, bar code or ingredient list. If you decide to keep foods with labels, follow these rules:

Focus on the ingredient list. Not the “nutrition facts” that are mostly designed and developed under huge food industry lobby efforts to confuse and confound your efforts to eat healthy. Be conscious of ingredients that may not be on the list. Some ingredients may be exempt from labels. Get rid of these foods.

Be Able to Pronounce It. If you don’t recognize the ingredient, can’t pronounce it, it is in Latin or you don’t have it in your cupboard and you wouldn’t use it in a recipe – maltodextrin, for instance – then don’t use it.

Know What You're Eating. On every ingredient list, note that the most abundant ingredient is listed first. The others follow in descending order by weight.

Don't Rely on Buzz Words. Beware of foods with health claims on the label. These claims usually signal a marketing ploy to make you think they’re good for you when they’re really just healthy pretenders. Things like sports beverages, energy bars and even multigrain breads (which often contain high-fructose corn syrup) fall into this category.

Step 3: Ditch These Foods

Now that you know what to look for, I’ll walk you through the process of determining what can stay and what needs to take a permanent vacation on your kitchen detox. When you detoxify your body, you eliminate harmful toxins. Likewise, when you detoxify your kitchen you’ll want to get rid of any food that contains these harmful ingredients.

Sugar. You probably know obvious sugar culprits, but be aware of hidden sugars that lurk in salad dressings, processed foods, drinks and even “healthy” foods like cereals and wheat. Sugar goes by many aliases. Just as boys named Andrew often go by Andy or Drew, sugar might be called organic cane juice, honey, agave, cane syrup or molasses. There are 257 names for sugar, most made from corn, with names that you wouldn’t recognize like maltodextrin and xanthan gum, which make you fat and addicted. Look carefully at condiments like salad dressing, barbecue sauce or ketchup, which are often high-fructose corn syrup traps.

"Bad" fats. Don’t be afraid of fat. Fat doesn’t make you fat, but the wrong fats can wreak serious metabolic havoc. Toss out any highly refined cooking oils such as corn and soy, fried foods you may have stored in your freezer and margarine or shortening. These have dangerous trans fats that create inflammation and cause heart disease. Scour labels for the words “hydrogenated fat” (another phrase for trans fat), which has finally been declared unsafe for consumption by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Artificial sweeteners. Throw out food with artificial sweeteners of all kinds (aspartame, NutraSweet, Splenda, sucralose, and sugar alcohols — any word that ends with “ol,” like xylitol or sorbitol). Stevia may be better than aspartame but only whole-plant extract, not Pure Via and Truvia, which are chemical extracts of stevia. Use it sparingly. A new non-caloric sweetener that comes from monk fruit that is rich in antioxidants can also be used in small amounts. But remember, any sweetener can make you hungry, lower your metabolism, create gas, and store belly fat.

Anything with Questionable Ingredients. If you purchase something with a nutrition label, there should be less than five ingredients on it and all things that a third grader would understand like “tomatoes, water, salt.” As mentioned above, focus on the ingredient list, not the “nutrition facts.” Make sure you recognize the ingredients (and can pronounce them!). Seemingly safe foods like spices and seasonings can contain maltodextrin, autolyzed yeast extract and even high-fructose corn syrup that have no place in a healthy kitchen.

Step 4: Stock Up on These

Now that you’ve purged unhealthy foods, you want to replace kitchen cabinets and cupboards with fresh, healthy foods. These are the ones you’ll want to load your kitchen with:

Produce. Non-starchy veggies are freebies. Eat as many as you like! Limit fruits because they increase your insulin levels. Berries are your best bet. When possible, choose organic, seasonal and local produce. When you can, avoid the most pesticide contaminated fruits and vegetables by consulting the Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen” list and instead choose from the “Clean Fifteen” list featuring the least contaminated options. Just make sure you’re buying unseasoned or unsweetened varieties. Also check out your local farmers market or community supported agriculture (CSA).

Dry foods. These staple foods usually have a longer shelf life and include raw or lightly roasted nuts and seeds, legumes, quinoa and gluten-free grains.

Herbs, spices and seasonings. You’ll want to have a range of pantry ingredients, including seasonings and spices, on hand. Buy organic when you can. Because you only use a little of some of these, they tend to last a long time so you get a lot of value from them. Among my favorites include extra-virgin olive oil, extra-virgin coconut butter, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and seasonings and spices. Just read your labels to ensure they don’t contain hidden sugar, gluten, or other problem additives.

Fresh foods. Get in the habit of keeping your fridge and freezer stocked with these items. When selecting beef or meat, choose grass-fed, hormone-free or organic, whenever possible. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) mandates that all poultry is raised without hormones, so look for the terms “antibiotic free” or “organic” when buying poultry. Check out the Environmental Working Group’s “Meat Eater’s Guide” to choose meat that’s good for you and good for the planet.

Optimal protein. Boneless, skinless chicken and turkey breasts. ground chicken and turkey. lean cuts of beef, lamb and bison (buffalo) meat, omega-3 enriched eggs, whole forms of non-GMO soy food, like tofu, tempeh and gluten-free miso (organic, when possible), wild or sustainably farmed, low-mercury seafood like sardines, salmon, herring, flounder, clams, crab, oyster, perch, pollock, shrimp, sole, squid, trout, whitefish etc. (Avoid those fish that are high in mercury such as tuna, swordfish and Chilean sea bass. Refer to the National Resources Defense Council website to download their wallet guide to choosing the fish lowest in mercury.)

With these strategies, you’re ready to begin detoxifying your kitchen!

The Chalkboard Mag and its materials are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. 
All material on The Chalkboard Mag is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health related program. 

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An Introduction To Chinese Herbs: What to Take Daily, Seasonally + Sparingly

Like Ayurveda, Chinese herbalism is an ancient philosophy with many layers.  We're had great success with Chinese herbs for a variety of wellness and beauty needs and can often be found frequenting Dragon Herbs for tonics, pills and consultation. If you've yet to discover traditional Chinese medicine for yourself, a consultation with an acupuncturist is an excellent place to begin. Most acupuncturists are also Chinese herbalist trained in traditional Chinese medicine as a whole and their ability to pinpoint the root causes of health concerns is fascinating.

For an introduction to the herbs themselves, we love this simple guide from Jess Ng, founder of Asian-inspired apothecary Reorient who sees the herbs as a gentle on-going way to keep the body in balance through life's ups and downs...

The study of Chinese herbalism is one of science and history, and most of all, natural materials. With literally thousands of herbs documented over the years, it can be challenging to navigate without consulting an herbalist or studying a textbook. Growing up in Hong Kong, I learned the basics at a young age. To get you started, here’s a breakdown for beginners...

The Everyday herbs

There’s a whole category of accessible herbs that are inexpensive, widely available and gentle enough to be used as food so your body can absorb their tonic powers in a low-risk way. Rather than addressing acute symptoms, their effects are ongoing and harmonizing. Also hydrating and nourishing, they’re great for the skin.

Favorites: Goji berry, schizandra, dried jujubes, dried figs, solomon seal, lily bulb.

How to Use: Nourishing soups are great for maintaining healthy skin and high energy. The herbs are also excellent added to a pot of bone broth or a vegetable stirfry. Goji berries or schizandra are easy to add to smoothies too. TCM Editor's Pick: Schizandra lemonade 

The Seasonal herbs

Legend tells of flowers buried deep in the snow of the high Himalayan mountains, which, upon consumption, immediately warm all organs. These special Chinese herbs lend their thermal energy to help protect you from environmental stresses and extreme weather that can wreak havoc on the skin.

Favorites: Flowers like chrysanthemum, prunella and honeysuckle in hot weather; ginger, cinnamon bark and cloves in cold weather.

How to Use: Whenever you feel a cold coming on, ginger is a magical herb and has many uses. I always have pre-sliced ginger in the freezer, which I can brew into tea and add to a bath or use as facial steam. Soak a towel in the ginger-infused water and place it on your body and skin to better absorb its benefits. In the summer, brew an ice tea using cooling herbs to soothe sweaty, inflamed skin.

The Treasures

These precious herbs nourish the body and skin over time, strengthening all organs and channels. The Cantonese word for “nourish” is the same sound as the word for “treasured.” And they really are just that (once upon a time they were kept in boxes and presented as gifts). Even today, they’re often expensive and used sparingly in the Asian kitchen. These herbs require time to brew, extract and brew again. The process demands patience and is an art.

Favorites: reishi mushroom, cordyceps mushroom, white ginseng.

How to Use: While best decocted into a brew, try exploring the powder or oil supplements. These herbs can be difficult to work with in the kitchen and also very bitter. Medicinal mushrooms are, in particular, worth trying in supplement form (see the mushroom latte) because there are great technologies that help capture the full spectrum of the mushroom and all its nutrients.

The Chalkboard Mag and its materials are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. 
All material on The Chalkboard Mag is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health related program. 

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7 New Deeply Hydrating Solutions For Dry Skin

What can a clay mask, a moisturizing pencil and "glacial oil" do for your dry skin? Bring it into perfect balance, if you ask us. Even for those who don't usually suffer from dry skin, the change in weather can wreak havoc on skin head to toe. These seven stunning picks from our natural beauty closet promise to hydrate and heal that thirsty skin stat...

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