Dirty Mouth?

Fabulous! Try Miswak, for a good clean feeling no matter what. 

Mis-whaat? Let me bring ya'll up to speed. 

Miswak is a twig of the Peelu tree which has been used for thousands of years in Muslim countries for oral hygiene. Often referred to in western culture as a "chewing stick," this twig is a must have, all na-tur-al way to get them pearly whites you've always wanted.

Ancient peoples did not have the facility of a toothbrush or tooth paste yet, amazingly, this "wonder twig" comprises the benefits and qualities of both. Scientific studies have revealed benefits include: kills gum disease causing bacteria, fights plaque effectively, fights against cavities, removes bad breath and odor from mouth, creates a fragrance in the mouth, effectively cleans between teeth due to its parallel bristles, increases salivation and hence inhibits dry mouth (Xerostomia). 

Miswak is nothing short of amazing and I can tell you from personal use, it really makes a difference in brightening up that smile. 

Try for yourself, just visit your local Middle Eastern 'halal' market or ebay it. To read more about Miswak and the studies done by Universities and companies like Wrigley visit http://www.dentalhealthsite.com/what-is-miswak/.

by Dre

The Imagine Project

Last night on Facebook I noticed a friend’s video post of a Céu and Herbie Hancock collaboration and I had to click on it immediately. In case you don’t know (although you should) Herbie Hancock is a legendary American jazz musician and Céu is a young singer-song writer from Brazil, with a sound reminiscent of Bebel Gilberto. Just a few seconds in to the song and I was completely hooked. With Hancock’s smooth, melodic composition and Céu’s honeyed voice, the results were pure magic to my ears.

I came to discover the song is just one of many collaborations featured on Hancock’s newest album The Imagine Project. There is also a DVD in conjunction with the album which follows the musician as he travels around the world to record with various artists in an attempt to create “global collaboration” through music. Participating artists include, Juanes, Chaka Khan, Seal, India Arie, and K’Naan.

I think the idea behind the Imagine Project is both brilliant and beautiful: using music as a platform to connect artists and people from all walks of life. I look forward to hearing the rest of this album.

I must have replayed this video 7 times before going to bed…

-Chubz

REINVENT

Every now and then i get an itch that tells me it’s time to update my wardrobe, get a fresh hair cut, or change up my room. It happens quite frequently with me, actually, as most of my friends will tell you my hair style changes as often as the weather in San Francisco…Unfortunately, my budget can no longer keep up with my periodic tendencies so I’ve had to find alternatives to satisfy the need for constant newness. While I wish I could change the color of my room at the snap of a finger, for example, time and money will not allow so lately I’ve become kind of obsessed with painting old furniture. It gives my room a new look and feel without spending more than a few bucks and in very little time.

Each piece took me less than an hour to do. I just wish I had some before shots so you could see how bland these looked before. (the mannequin went from white with a silver pole to pepto bismol pink with neon pink splashes, turquoise on the top, and a gold pole/ the desk: black to a deep orange/ the night stand (bought off a co-worker): wood with many scratches and water marks to a lovely olive green)

1 love
-Chubz

"A pledge for creation's soul"

Rainbow

By Dre

Sweet tooth anyone? This is my version of a candy shop. Rainbow is a Fantastic Co-Op Grocery Store with a phenomenal bulk food selection. In my opinion, it’s a staple of mindful San Franciscans who think as much about pleasing their palate as they do about maintaining an “Eco-friendly” environment. The dried fruit selection is nothing short of amazing, ranging from delicious dried bananas to the best white figs I have ever sampled- and I do love me some samples. They are a great “on the go” snack or sweet treat; without all the preservatives, added sugar or words you can hardly pronounce, dried fruit maintain max antioxidants and nutrients, all the while enrapturing your mouth in “deliciousness.”

Today’s Mission: Save the world one organic product at a time. Upon collecting ingredients for my latest “raw food” venture, I observed a small sign tactfully placed under the plastic produce bags I was reaching for to fill up with more goods: “Plastic bags and packaging account for a major part of our waste in landfills.” At this point I could no longer bear to contribute to the waste of a product said to take up to 1,000 years to decompose?! Luckily enough there is a solution: Compostable/Reusable Bags! Definitely worth the 10 cents.

Organic flowers. Yet another of Rainbow’s many treasures is their assortment of gorgeous flowers, plants and herbs.

Spices Galore. One of my favorite isles in Rainbow is home to jars upon jars of spices and herbs. The best part of these amazing powders and loose leaves are their versatile uses. As a self-proclaimed “nutritionista,” I’m always on the hunt for researching holistic or natural remedies. Many spices and herbs have been used for thousands of years for medicinal purposes while incorporating them into every day diet. Turmeric, for example, has been used in cooking as a spice for over 2,500 years and is also well-recognized as the best anti-oxidant, hypoglycemic, colorant, antiseptic and wound healer. (Read more about turmeric benefits at http://www.medindia.net/alternativemedicine/turmeric.asp#ixzz0sbiPJmLw)

Fresh organic locally grown produce. Supporting a local “Green” business is the way to go.

Meet Us (and our wacky adventures)

First blog post! We thought we’d introduce ourselves.

Consider us your “wise to” fashionistas on a mission to discover the best in what green and fair trade has to offer from beauty and fashion to delectable eats, not only good for your tummy but also good for the world.

Our most recent undertaking: Find you great tasting locally brewed Kombucha. For the Kombucha loyalist, its always great to support local brewers not just the mainstream big companies. For those of you wondering, “What’s KOMBUCHA?” Well, we are Kombucha enthusiasts who could go on about how delish and beneficial it is. However, we’ll try to keep it simple…

Kombucha is a fungus fermented into a tea that has been reported to have been used for over 2000 years in China for medicinal purposes. It does have a unique taste, but seriously if you have an open mind and allow your taste buds to warm up to it the health benefits can be amazing. I can tell your from personal experience! Here’s a link if you’d like to check out more: http://www.getkombucha.com/knabcoko.html (there is so much info on the web this is just one link).

Any how, we went on a mission Thursday to track down a friend of a friend’s mother who has his own Kombucha brewing company in the Bay. His line can be found at your neighborhood Whole Foods and Trader Joes. We had planned to purchase a few cases from him and share the various flavors he offers on this blog buuut we ran in to a few problems as you will see below…

The GPS took us to a blocked road!! And both our cells died on us so we had NO way of getting in touch with the guy!

So, naturally we decided to hop the fence.

Which took us to an abandoned parking lot!!! (The GPS was in our hand and said the location was right next to an empty building with boarded doors and broken windows...wtf?!)

So, we never found this phantom location and after an hour of driving around looking for the place we headed back to the city.

All that searching and illegal fence climbing made us tired and verrryy hungry so back in the city we decided to stop at a new restaurant in the Mission District, Gracias Madre. Gracias Madre serves 100% organic and vegan mexican food.

Quesadillas de Calabaza
Butternut squash, caramelized onion and cashew cheese folded into tortillas with a pumpkin seed salsa

Enchiladas con Mole Poblano
Mole enchiladas topped with mushrooms and cheese, served with sauteed greens and beans 

Mexican Wedding Cookies and Homemade Ice Cream

This delicious dinner definitely made up for the disaster that was the afternoon.

We hope you will check back with us to see more of our adventures and to find out about great organic/ vegan restaurants in the bay as well as posts on fashion, beauty, health, music, and the world.

xx

-Dre and Chelle