All of these things are obviously not possible- unless you eat healthy. It genuinely starts there. With your gut. And water. DRINK WATER. DO not eat sugar or milk. Those things will help. 
But also topical products can help as well.
But focus on the inside first and foremost.
These products above are the ones I currently use. In addition to my diy turmeric mask I make.
Also coconut oil, evening primrose & rosehip oil not pictured, but use a LOT.

My current favorite face oils I use are pomegranate & carrot seed oil. 
So far they have been really working great for me.
*Cocokind is also one of my new favorite brands! 
What are your favorite products?

So about a month ago... my boyfriend and I decided we wanted to do a cleanse. And not a super simple one. We wanted to do a diy version of the Clean program. Or I did- and I persuaded him to get on board. As we were just about to get ready to do it- thankfully we didn't buy anything for it- cause I got extra sick, for almost 2 weeks actually. I still have a cough. I actually went to a Dr. and it turned out I had bronchitis. Not fun. It was really bad- anyway that is mostly over now. My voice is almost fully back. Anyway- I was sad when I was sick because I had planned all of this cleanse stuff out and then felt like I was unable to do what we had planned. Obviously recovering from being sick takes a bit of time. I haven't worked out in almost a month now. Terrible! But starting over tomorrow. Things are changing. 31 days begins. I was going to do 30 days- but since I turned 31 in January. I'm doing 31 days. Blah blah blah. SO I'm sure you might be wondering why this challenge? Well I have been living in a weird space the past 6 years. Weird space in my head honestly. I haven't been taking care of myself the way I know I need to. And I mean that with my thoughts and also my choices. I have over indulged in things that don't serve me while also not talking to myself in the most loving way. After watching Will Smith's instagram story about 'self love is self discipline'... I just know the time is now for me to give myself some extra deep self love that I have definitely not been giving. SO with that being said. I'm going back to the start. Where I started with this entire blog.

• Making sure I have veggies/greens at every meal
• Working out/ being active every day
• Not drinking alcohol
• Eating fully vegan/plant based
• Taking probiotics/supplements daily

These are just some of the things I'll be doing for myself. Because this is what I need to do for me.
I want to create new healthy habits and let go some of the ones that just aren't good for me anymore.


Follow along on my journey! I'll be adding daily entries here if you're interested :)



p.s. this is the coconut yogurt I made at home! I followed the recipe from @minimalistbaker
It only uses 2 ingredients! 

• 2 cans of full fat coconut milk
• 3 capsules of probiotics

So with all this talk about veganism (Thanks, What The Health!) ... I thought I might lend some basic advice. (Please know, I'm not 100% vegan- but eat vegan most of the time, but I am actually a pescatarian, as I do have fish & eggs sometimes) I find that what most people think of 'veganism' is that it's hard to commit to, it's unobtainable, it's expensive (nope), and again that it's hard. I'm here to help you realize- it can be really really easy.
I am mostly vegan (for 6 years now)- Most days of the week. However, If I want pizza with cheese on it once in a while- I do. Cause PIZZA. Well that is my absolute favorite food. Not gonna lie. But vegan pizza is good too! I love that a 'vegan option' anywhere is becoming more normal.  Cashew cheeze is my favorite thing- as most of you know, if you follow me on instagram @TheDailyKale - I put it on EVERYTHING. I'm in the works of creating new forms of cashew cheeze. But for now, the cashew cheeze I make is more like a crema, and can be turned into an alfredo creamy sauce as well. I love it. 

But so lets get back to the basics. If you'd like to try a plant based diet. Do it! Try it for 7 days. Not a huge commitment. Just a little chance to experience something new! Try new recipes, etc. 
Things to have on hand would be grains, beans, and vegetables. You want to make that the base of your meal. And then you can add fun stuff on top of that. Like a sauce you can make or even avocado or guacamole. I recommend my cashew cheese sauce for a topping, pesto, thai almond sauce, and tahini sauce. All are very simple sauces to make- Just need a food processor. So lets recap. An easy way to make a plant based filling meal is :

• Grain: Quinoa, white or brown rice, whole wheat pastas, gluten free pastas, millet, buckwheat.
• Legumes: Lentils, Black beans, adzuki beans, and pinto beans. (Any bean/lentil you'd like)
• Vegetables: Any and all.
• Topping : Sauces, Avocado, & Guacamole

 
Obviously you can make other things- much more interesting and unique things- but I just want to be clear on this first part- that it can be as simple as this. Literally just make your meal one part legumes, one part grain or potatoes or both, and then with the addition of legumes. You can always have tofu & or tempeh as well. I have post a previous recipe for tempeh taco meat that I really like to add to my burrito bowls. 

So knowing the simplicity of the structure of your meals now, you can have fun! It's so easy to veganize your meals and it not be boring. I will recommend some simple things you can throw together for your next lunch or dinner:

*IF you are looking to have a low carb meal- you can replace any rice for cauliflower rice or pasta noodles with zucchini noodles. Tacos : Lettuce shells. 

Meal inspiration/ideas:

• Burrito Bowls or burrito : Black beans, rice or quinoa, cashew cheeze, chopped red onion & tomato, cilantro, squeeze of lime if you want a zing. & you can add romaine or steamed kale or any vegetable you'd like. Top with shredded carrots, purple cabbage. Get creative! - Or you can wrap it all in a whole wheat tortilla for a burrito. Or make tacos with organic non gmo corn tortillas. Also, NACHOS! I love to get chips + guacamole + have a bowl of beans topped with pico de gallo & cashew cheeze, and nachoosssssss. (Check ingredients of chips- their sneaky with adding dairy for no apparent reason).
• Asian stir fry. Any and all veggies you like! Stir fried with rice & baked tofu (marinated in teriyaki or just soy sauce). Garnish with scallions. So good! You can make the same thing with chow mein also, using buckwheat noodles instead of egg noodles.
• Italian: Pastas, Lasagna. Pasta Bakes. You can make an amazing ricotta out of tofu. I have before, it's sooooo good! Can also replace noodles for zucchini for a low carb dinner! A standard simple meal I make is just whole wheat pasta with pesto, marinara or just cashew cream sauce. Add broccoli, spinach or any other green vegetable in there! Super fast lunch or dinner.
• Other ideas: Green smoothies, tofu summer rolls with peanut sauce for dipping, creamy butternut squash or potato/vegetable soups, acas bowls for breakfast- avocado toast, peanut butter with sliced banana toast, whole wheat wraps filled with veggies, tofu & hummus or any other sauce or spread. 

This is just the beginning! You can do whatever you like! All of our taste buds are different. Go try new things & make new things! There are so many recipes out there, so many vegan restaurants. Remember that there is always back up on the frozen aisle too. If your looking for a quick dinner & don't want to make anything- there is always Gardein/Beyond Meat products. Like their chicken tenders. Or veggie patties for a burger. You're not limited! You have an abundance of options. It's about getting creative & having fun. I hands down have more fun with food now because I love veganizing my favorites. 


I hope you'll take a look around my website & try out some of my recipes! Remember if you happen to share a pic of your recreation tag it #thedailykale. 
Have a great weekend ya'll! ​

Let me start off by saying that- the title of this song.... Is my FAVORITE song by Sara Bareilles. You guys just don't understand how much I love her! Oh my oh my. This song hit me so hard when I first heard it- I couldn't stop listening to it and learning it- so that I could create a cover of it for my youtube. If you haven't already checked out that video- I'd love for you to! <3 >> My Video Cover << But I also urge you to check out the original, cause obviously- it's way better/amazing. 

Anywho. in the video- you'll see that I don't show my face- just my mad piano skillz, son. (yeah right, jk. I am not the best at piano- learning still!) But for real though- This is disappointing to say. I have basically been avoiding the camera for a while now. Outside of auditions- hellooooo I'm an actor. Makes no sense. I have auditions all the time- and have not been feeling confident with my looks. I started getting this weird rash on my face. It's very small. But come on - you know its the little things that bother us most. I also have been getting a ton of grey hair... I've always had it- but it's starting to show itself more and more. And in just one area.... These things have been putting a damper on my day. No I don't die my hair or have any interest in it... And masking a problem doesn't solve anything. Putting make up over my red rash on my eyes- won't help anything. It's just avoiding the problem. Like come on? I hate that I've been dodging the real issues. Let me be honest- for the past few years- I have not been the healthiest. It's been a bit of a hard few years also. But I allowed that to happen.

I have previously been avoiding all the things that matter to me. It's funny- I had this realization yesterday. I actually have been doing the opposite of what I say I usually stand for. I have been acting more afraid of it- than wanting it. It being anything that matters to me. I've been running the opposite way. Running away from the things I want. Instead, being comfortably lazy. I said at the beginning of this year- I want to be fearless. I don't want fear to run my life anymore. Cause I have let it. 

So although I am 2 months late.... I am going to go over what my plans are for this year. My goals. 
And I'd love for you to share your plans/goals/intentions for this year are as well.

-Starting from the most important thing- love my self more. Cause I know if I'm being honest with myself, I have not been. And that has been effecting all areas of my life. I need to take care of myself more. And I know what that means for me. There are no more excuses. There are no more 'goal dates'. It just has to be now. I can't keep focusing on the negative. And digging myself a hole. I am climbing out of it right now. And just focusing on that light.  That positive light. 

-Fuel myself with all the fresh vegetables & fruits. Leaving out the processed foods, and excess oils. -I just recently went vegan starting Feb 1st. I had a slip up- but was a total accident, not intentional. Apparently there is fish in siracha sauce. BLEH! . Oh well. Moving on! I always feel much better when I eat this way. Green smoothies, green juices, salads, roasted veggies for dinner- etc. It's really the best. 

-Workout . Oh my goodness. Just the word it self. I am the worst with this. I first of all, hate it. So that doesn't help. But I do understand I get less stressed when I have worked out. I have really bad anxiety. Everything makes me nervous. Including auditions. Which is very important to not be nervous at- so things need to change. My perspective about working out has been very bad. I thought of it as a chore. And thats not what the outlook needs to be. And it def. does not need to be about looking better for my image either- cause personally, that isn't enough for me. I've always not been the weight I've wanted to be. Maybe for a good 12 years or so. I've always wanted to be a certain size- and I've come to realize that maybe isn't for me. WHO knows though. I've honestly never been the healthiest/ or balanced. SO maybe one day when I get that all together. My body will go to where it needs to be ... I'm hopeful. For now- I need to love the one I have. And that has to be good enough. Cause the best thing is.. I woke up today. I have legs that allow me to walk., I have a voice.... aghhhh so many things. Very grateful. Enjoy your day ya'll! 

More positivty to come <3