String Bean Christine

16/08/2018

My family is doing everything we can to get better sleep! This month's goal is no screen time 1/2 hour before bed. So far, so good.

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31/07/2018

Morning walk on the lakefront. There weren't many walkers today but LOTS of runners. Fast runners. And a few cyclist. And less people sleeping out than last week (I stopped to be sure one guy was breathing last week. I thought he might be dead. He was alive.) Gorgeous way to start the day - sunrise on the lake.

27/07/2018

Great interview on sleep, how much we need, and how we can get more of it.

"Human beings are the only species that deliberately deprive themselves of sleep for no apparent gain," says sleep scientist Matthew Walker. His new book is Why We Sleep.

30/05/2018

Summer has hit Chicago hard and fast. If you got sunburnt last weekend, here's some tips on how to avoid it moving forward

Almost three-fourths of the products we examined offer inferior sun protection or contain worrisome ingredients like oxybenzone, a hormone disruptor, or retinyl palmitate, a form of vitamin A that may harm skin.

14/05/2018

Old school remedies!

Cooking to soothe sick children is a ritual for moms around the world. In Korea, some foods are widely believed to help treat ailments and boost health. Here's a look at some popular healing dishes.

09/05/2018

I just watched The Magic Pill. I figured it would be a movie about food, eating real food, and avoiding processed food. I was right, but it seemed to push the Ketogenic diet. I have no specfic opinion for or against the "keto" diet, but feel EVERYONE can eat more veggies, some more fruit, and less processed foods. Each body has different needs. But the movie is worth seeing if you want a reminder of how bad processed foods are for you, and to see some dramatic before and after results.

See 'THE MAGIC PILL' in cinemas around the world with Fan-Force.com ----- What if most of our modern diseases are really just symptoms of the same problem? T...

30/04/2018

If nothing about The Plant interested you, this is my last ditch effort to convince you to go check it out. The Whiner Beer Tap Room. They're open Thursday-Sunday in the afternoon/evening/night. Call me and I'll go with you!

27/04/2018

As I conclude the highlights of our visit to The Plant on April 7, I want to explain one thing a bit better. Bubbly Dynamics (named after Bubbly Creek*) is the incubator. They renovate old industrail buildings and start amazing things. The building itself is so interesting. It's a former meat packing building (from the stock yard days) and there are still hooks in the ceiling from where they hung the pigs for production. The former smoke rooms are now bathrooms. They have done basic renovations, so it is still gritty and a raw loft space. They have plans to create a museum about the history of the building and the meat packing industry. I don't have a full grasp of the "closed loop economy" they have set up in The Plant, but it sounds cool.

*Bubbly Creek is a real creek in Chicago. I have canoed it, and it was still bubbling when I was there. It is called Bubbly Creek because back in the day (before regulations!) the meat packers would throw all the animal waste into the creek. As the meat decomposed, it off gassed and made the creek bubbly with gas. Yikes!

In 2010, Bubbly Dynamics acquired the former Peer Foods meatpacking plant in the Back of the Yards neighborhood of Chicago. The building was described by the real estate broker as a “strip and rip,” anticipating that the new owner would strip out the stainless steel, copper, and anything else of...

26/04/2018

This was the only company selling produce on the chilly day in early April. I didn't buy anything or chat with anyone, but did pick up their information to share with you all. One thing that sounds interesting to me as a city dweller is their compost club.

LOCAL GROWERS |  LOCAL EATERS | LOCAL COMPOSTERS

24/04/2018

If you don't know, saffron is expensive. I mean really expensive. Honestly I breezed past this booth several times thinking "I don't need any saffron". Eventually I chatted up one of the owners, a military vet who served in Afghanistan for 2 years, about saffron in general. He told me the story of how they started their company, showed me a video of their production, and explained how they pay their employee more than the average income ($1.50/ hour) in Afghanistan. I was so impressed with their mission I thought "of course I need to buy some saffron!" Ha. I did end up buying some "gems" (like gummies, but made of pectin). Pro tip: the small viles of saffron are $5 at The Plant Farmers Market, where the exact same product is $9 at Whole Foods. Worth the trip to the The Plant Farmers Market!

Rumi Spice was founded by a team of US military veterans looking to source quality Afghan saffron & empower Afghan farmers. Read more at RumiSpice.com.

24/04/2018

Studies keep showing how great journaling is for you. I don't like the diary type journal, but have had success with a gratitude journal. Some folks use journals to get organized, or get creative. Do you journal? If you are looking for just the right journal, here are some ideas.

Keep track of those brilliant ideas and innermost thoughts with these fine folios.

23/04/2018

We sampled some Katherine Anne truffles and I had a hot chocolate (it was 22 degrees on April 7 when we went!!) Hot chocolate hit the spot.

Katherine Anne Confections has been creating local-focused sweets in Chicago since 2006. Our hand-dipped truffles, soft honey caramels, and pillowy marshmallows are ridiculously good, partially due to our awesome ingredients. Cream is from a 500-cow herd of Jerseys in central Illinois, and local wil...