WHAT WE'RE EATING Summer Barbecue

As the temperature rises, so does our craving for summer barbecue bashes. Here are some of the JMC staff’s picks for the upcoming weekend. Leftovers potluck, anyone?

xo,

the Chicological chicks 

Grilled Corn on the Cob with Chile and Lime

Parsley Gin Julep

Watermelon Salad with Mint

Grilled Flatiron Steaks with Tomatoes and Tapenade

JOSIE LOVES Elizabeth Street

Elizabeth Street is a new blog dedicated to motherhood: the place “where stylish moms meet.” What's not to love about that? The site has everything from informational articles about whether kids should be on Facebook to great Father’s Day gift ideas to posts from mama-tastemakers like blogger Joanna Goddard (oh--and moi). The team over at Elizabeth Street proves that being a mom can be a pretty stylish thing, even if your kids don't think so. 

Love from one stylish mom,

Josie

ECO TIPS In the Garden

Grow your Own

Gardens aren’t just for flowers. Even if you don’t have much land, you can still grow enough veggies to keep your family eating yummy meals "from soil to soul."  Short on outdoor space? Plant high-yielders like zucchini, fava beans, and tomatoes. They'll keep producing all season long. And please, please, be good to Mother Earth, and keep your garden free of pesticides and herbicides. So what if a little bug chomps on your tomato? Cut around it, and wish the planet well.

Every Bit of Pollination Helps

If your fruit trees or vegetable plants aren’t producing as much as you'd like, you might have a pollination problem. With the rapid decline of honey bees around the world, getting enough of those little guys to pollinate your plants can sometimes be a bit tricky. The best way to boost pollination is to have a bee colony on your property, but if you’re a beekeeping suit isn't your style, try planting bee-magnet plants like lavender, sage, and basil. They'll pollinate your plants while they’re visiting.

Compost Happens

Instead of tossing your fruit and veggie scraps or the clippings from your garden, you can compost them to make a rich, dense soil that your plants will love. You can even compost paper towels and other paper products. If your compost is healthy, you'll see a happy, thriving tribe of earthworms crawling around in it. Measly worm population? Start composting your coffee grounds! Worms love coffee and your plants love the castings all those caffeinated worms leave behind.

With mulch, mulch love,

Josie

DO GOOD World Oceans Day

Incredible but true: the world’s oceans generate most of the oxygen we breathe—which is why one day each year (today!) is dedicated to protecting this great gift of water. The 2012 theme for World Oceans Day is Youth: the Next Wave for Change, meant to inspire adults to reach out to the children in their lives and help them revere the magical world beneath the sea. Since Ali, Rumi, and I are spending the summer in Pennsylvania, we’ll be admiring the ocean from afar. If you’re lucky enough to be seaside, why not take your kids to the beach on World Oceans Day to celebrate?

With love for lichen,

Josie

ECO STYLE Edun

From floral silk dresses to weightlessly cool mesh tanks, eco-brand Edun has captured our attention--and you might want to give them yours. We love their easy-to-wear styling, but what hits us where we live is the brand’s commitment to improving life for people in developing countries. Edun partners with small businesses like ‘Made’ jewelry in Nairobi, ‘Sawa Shoes’ in Cameroon, and ‘Wildlife Works’ in Kenya. Also, the brand was founded by Bono and his wife Ali Hewson—so we feel a bit like rockstars when we wear their wares. 

xo, The Chicological Chicks

WORKOUT WEDNESDAY giveaway winner

A big-bellied thanks! to all you moms-to-be who sent in your pregnancy workout tips. (Just in time for me to use them—baby #2 is due in just a few weeks.)  And big congratulations to Erin, whose tip to keep it moving made her the winner of our "For Two Fitness" giveaway contest. Erin, I know you ’ll look great breaking a sweat in your new workout gear. Send pictures, please!

CHICOLOGICAL GUEST POST Beauty Huile

Here at JMC, we can’t get enough of beauty blogger N.K.’s oil-centric blog, Beauty Huile. Focused on beauty products that contain large amounts of beneficial oils, Beauty Huile features smart and spunky reviews on everything from luxurious body elixirs to lightweight face serums. As fans of the blog, we were beyond thrilled when N.K. agreed to do a guest post for Chicological on one of her all time favorite oils: Argan! Check out what she has to say about Argan’s place in the beauty world, and don’t miss her fabulous blog. 

Argan’s Triumph As a Serum 

Every beauty consumer secretly wants to know the same thing – what’s the next cure-it-all ingredient? What she wants to know is what’s really going take away my lines, soften up the texture, and help my make-up look flawless when applied.

Argan. And, now she’ll ask – that’s it? Yes, lady, it is. Trends in beauty come & go faster than neons on the runway. Anyone remember when the alpha-hydroxys hit the market in the mid-90s & how the beauty cognoscenti jumped in glee over caviar creams? Probably not, but I do. I am one of those former counter girls, who kept a wait list for mega-hyped treatments.

One legacy from the 90s was the reign of the all-mighty serum: the linchpin of your skincare regime. It was touted as the fix-it-all-wrinkle-preventer, but upon closer inspection was nothing more than a sundry of unpronounceable chemicals that may have worked for some. Or not. In my case: not.

In recent years, beauty trends have been driving consumers down marketing’s erratic path. But, if one trend has emerged among cynical consumers, it’s that less is more. And, this philosophy of using less has undoubtedly detoured people of various skin types to adopt face oils in lieu of chemically filled serums for organic safety, for simplicity of use, or for tried n’ true results that really show. And, the consensus – beauty fans & derms - have spoken – Argan oil is the granddaddy of them all.

Looked at from one angle – science - Dr. Leslie Baumann reports, “Unlike other exotic resources such as caviar and marine algae, Argan oil offers the best of both worlds…It’s an anti-ager and it’s eco-friendly.” Rich in linoleic acid, Argan has been shown in several research studies (cited here) to increase moisture levels and reduce inflammatory bouts of acne.

Even though clever marketing can certainly draw consumer’s attention, ultimately a product has to deliver. And, this is what helps Argan steal the spotlight away from department store serums. “Oils are hugely misunderstood,” says Patricia Tortolani, beauty director at Allure magazine. “But a lot of the oils that women abroad have been using for years — in Europe, India and Japan — are plant-based oils. The good thing about plant-based oils is that, unlike mineral oils, they’re very easily absorbed by the skin and the hair, so you don’t have to worry about them clogging your pores or weighing down your hair,” says Tortolani.

Consumers have never been so well informed and had such easy access to information, which means they can cut through the crap in nanoseconds online & off. While I do see women appreciating the cornucopia of splendid serums, I also see the same lot of them tsk-ing at the roster of ingredients and opting for face oils—dispensing with any irrational fear of clogging pores. The best of the oils lack the usual offenders (sulfates, parabens, mineral oil), and some may even be scented, but will tempt you to extend the contagious aromatic experience all over. I like Josie’s Moroccan Rose Argan Body Oil, which conveys a sensual slip of sweetness on skin and makes for an easy to use hair mask once a week as it washes out with one shampoo rinse.

Whatever your Argan fix – be it a balm, gloss, or even an illuminizer – you can’t deny that it’s an authentic artifact of natural beauty.

IN THE KITCHEN Moroccan Argan Salad

Hi Argan Beauties!

I recently spent some time over at Access Hollywood sharing some of my healthy eating tips and a recipe for a super delicious salad. One of my healthful tricks is to incorporate a little bit of Argan Oil into my diet. As you know, Argan Oil has some amazing benefits when you apply it to your skin, but it’s also so good for you if you eat it! It has a ton of vitamins and essential fatty acids to nourish you from the inside out. One of my favorite ways to serve it is in a Moroccan salad. While my 100% Pure Argan Oil is technically edible, I recommend that you look for food grade Argan Oil to use in your cooking. Keep the super pure stuff to pamper your skin. Here’s my recipe for Moroccan Argan Salad that I shared with Access Hollywood on air.

Moroccan Argan Salad

Ingredients: 

1 large cucumber, chopped 

1/2 red onion, chopped 

2 - 3 large tomatoes, chopped 

1/3 Cup cilantro, finely chopped 

2 TBSP Argan Oil

2 TBSP vinegar (I like apple cider or red wine vinegar)

Juice of 1/2 lemon, fresh squeezed 

Feta Cheese (not Moroccan but yummy!) 

Preparation: 

Chop cucumber, onion, tomatoes and cilantro. Mix all ingredients (except lemon juice and feta cheese) in large bowl. Then squeeze lemon juice over the top of salad and mix. Sprinkle feta cheese to taste. 

Images via: Seven Spoons Flickr, Houry Wordpress

WORKOUT WEDNESDAY For Two Fitness Giveaway

Hello there, beautiful mamas-to-be!

I hope you’ve enjoyed the pregnancy workout tips I've shared with you over the past few weeks. 

Today's the last day of our Workout Wednesday series with maternity activewear company For Two Fitness. To bring an extra happy ending to the series, "For Two" has generously donated one of their great rayon/spandex stretch tops AND a pair of their fab Ultimate Maternity Fitness Pants to be gifted to one lucky Chicological reader. 

I can personally attest to how cute and comfy "For Two" gear is. Check out the pic of me rocking my own outfit. 

Entering the contest is easy. Just share your favorite pregnancy workout tip as a comment to this post—and be sure to do it before midnight on June 5th. We’ll announce the winner on June 6th. 

With love and Lycra,

P.S. Here is some extra info about the outfit from For Two. I know you'll just love it! 

"Celebrate your shape - you're officially one Hot Mama! Add some fun to your workout in this bright, playful tank and Ultimate Maternity Fitness Pants from For Two Fitness. Whether you're sweating it out or just relaxing with that pregnancy glow, you'll stay comfortable and covered in our ultra-comfy, high-performance activewear.   The racerback style tanks features generous long length, our rayon/spandex four-way stretch fabric, and side ruching for a perfectly flattering fit as you grow. Pants are made from the highest quality brushed supplex/lycra blend, and the three-way belly panel lets you customize your fit and support.  This ensemble will become your go-to favorite for your entire pregnancy and beyond. "

A DAY IN THE LIFE memorial day crab feast

Memorial Day is kind of a strange holiday, isn't it? I mean, the purpose of the day is really serious—to commemorate the soldiers who gave their lives for our country. Most of us celebrate the day with BBQs and picnics. I guess it makes sense to want to spend Memorial Day with friends and family. I know I always do. It seems like the best way to honor everything I'm grateful for.

Our family had a great day on the farm in Pennsylvania, where we're staying till our new baby's born. Ali, my mom, some friends from QVC, and a few of our neighbors celebrated with a crab feast at our place. We chowed down on bushels of Old Bay-seasoned crabs and fresh corn on the cob. Rumi Joon and her new friends splashed around in a kiddie pool, and a few of us tried our luck at fishing in the pond. (Plenty of fun, no fish!) 

We did a taste test on two cheesecakes—one that my mom made, and one we got at a roadside stand. As usual, my mom’s won. When the sun started sinking, we took a walk around the farm to work off all that food. Rumi Joon and I finished off the night with a snuggle in the hammock. 

On the more serious side, President Obama spent the day honoring Vietnam War soldiers at Arlington Cemetery. I love this quote from his speech:

“For all of you who carry a special weight on your heart, we can strive to be a nation worthy of your sacrifice. A nation that is fair and equal, peaceful and free."

I'd love to hear about how you spent Memorial Day. I'd also like to know what you think we can do to make our country more fair, equal, peaceful, and free. Share, please!