Spring Style: Festival Fashion

People come from all over to attend COACHELLA

The 2017 Coachella lineup is out and it’s all happening in April on a large outdoor field in Indio with lots of sun, palm trees and great music. It’s a good enough excuse for a ROAD TRIP!

I saw this t-shirt at COD (College of the Desert) outdoor weekend market.

Divas from Lady Gaga to Lorde and groups like Little Dragon will perform while everyone else stays Insanely Stylish on the ground wearing itty bitty jeans, crochet, floral dresses and fringe. My sister & her besties are going. Here are some photos from last year for ideas on how to keep cool in the heat. Don’t forget the sunscreen!

A few familiar celebrity cliques always attend

ENJOY!

Food + Drink, Girl Who Would be King

Drink: Matcha

I’m going green in more ways than one.

It’s that Spring cleaning time again. I’m going to start with my body…by drinking more Matcha. As a matter of fact I just made myself a delicious matcha latte while sitting down to write this post.

With over 4,000 years of history that’s steeped in ancient Chinese and Japanese tradition, matcha is also an untapped beauty and health resource. That’s why for all of its many beneficial factors I love to incorporate the powder into different facets of my diet. I like the taste but don’t get me wrong I’m hoping it will make me more beautiful on the inside and help to keep me strong and healthy too (along with a slew of other ingestibles).

Here are A FEW REASONS why it’s so good according to the experts (and me)!

GLOWING SKIN: Matcha powdered green tea has 137 more antioxidants, or EGCGs, than regularly brewed green tea. These antioxidants help protect your skin from ultraviolet radiation. They can even get rid of harmful free radicals that your body’s been holding onto. Additionally, they boost your blood flow, which can help give you that oh-so-coveted rosy, natural glow in your cheeks.

HELPS KEEP YOU RELAXED AND ALERT AT THE SAME TIME: Matcha is rich in L-theanine, a rare amino acid that actually promotes a state of relaxation and well-being within your brain’s functionality. While stress can induce beta waves (which lead to an excited and agitated state), L-theanine creates alpha waves (which lead to a state of relaxed alertness). And while L-theanine is common in all tea, matcha may contain up to five times more of this amino acid than your regular ol’ black and green varieties.

IT HELPS YOU REMEMBER THINGS: The L-theanine in matcha also improves your memory (read: helps you remember where you put your cell phone and car keys). It can help you learn and perform better without all the usual negative side effects of caffeine. In fact, studies show that those drinking green tea filled with L-theanine were also less susceptible to “distracting information” that might hinder their tasks (i.e. less susceptible to scrolling through Instagram during the work day).

IT HELPS BOOST YOUR METABOLISM AND BURN FAT: the chemical components in matcha basically make up an internal gym for your body. Drinking matcha can help you burn more calories, while studies show it can also help you burn up to 25% more fat. Combined with a healthy diet and exercise, matcha can kick your weight loss into high gear.

IT KEEPS YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM HEALTHY: ECGCs help keep sickness-inducing microbodies and oxidative stress in check. Matcha is also great for the type of inflammation that occurs when you have allergies or a sinus infection. Swap out your coffee for matcha during cold and flu season to reap the holistic benefits of catechins and theanine.

IT MAY SLOW DOWN THE AGEING PROCESS: Okinawa, Japan, is what scientists and nutritionists call a Blue Zone, otherwise known as a geographic area of the world where people live longer. Because one of the most common beverages among Okinawans is matcha, Dan Buettner, author of The Blue Zones Solution ($16), attributed such long life spans to the daily consumption of the beverage and its cancer-fighting free radicals.

IT MAY HELP ALLEVIATE SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY: along with keeping you focused, relaxed, improving your immune system, and increasing your blood flow, matcha helps relieve depression and anxiety. The polyphenols found in matcha can heal you from the inside out, and therefore can make you feel happier and less stressed. Polyphenols are powerful plant-based antioxidants and micronutrients found in a lot of foods that typically bring you joy (like wine and chocolate).

The reasons listed are good enough for me to keep up this habit. At the very least it’s nice and warming. But remember you will get the most benefits out of drinking pure matcha. But you have to be careful; you don’t want to be downing matcha lattes made with added sugar, so it’s best to either make it yourself so you know what’s in it or always ask. Just because something has “matcha” in it does not guarantee it is healthy.

Matcha la Vista baby!

THINKAboutit

Community: close neighbours

How important are neighbours?

“Love thy neighbour” is a term that’s become almost clichéd over the years. In a time when neighbours, at least in North America, are people we rarely see (thanks to garage door openers and busy lives), or are thought of as nuisances with barking dogs ~~guilty~~ and noisy children, how can we possibly love our neighbours?

Well you know; you don’t have to actually love them, but it’s best if you genuinely like them.

But how close is too close? I’m talking about people you might see on a day to day basis, sometimes only in passing. How do you feel towards them? Them towards you? How important is it to maintain a good relationship with your neighbour? I guess it depends on how much you have in common, how close in proximity you are…but at the very least isn’t it in your best interest to be friendly?

I’ve always had good luck with my neighbours (next door, back door, upstairs + down). In the sense that we seem to genuinely like each other to the point of naturally developing over time a genuine friendship. From the very first time I moved away from home to a place of my own, I’ve been lucky to have had great neighbours. Many have become lifelong friends. One even gave me the best gift of my life, her dog whom I fell in love with from the get-go. She realized we’d be happier together than apart.

Unfortunately last year I lost one of my favourite ones, a woman I rented part of a house from shortly after moving to Vancouver from Montreal. She became like a second mother and we shared a family like relationship over the years. I remember she used to leave homemade food and baked goods outside my door and we used to celebrate holidays together.

Now I have a next door neighbor in Palm Springs who leaves homemade cookies and banana cake on my doorstep. I certainly don’t think that I look like I need to be fed! However, when I think back to past and present neighbors, food is always involved. One used to leave homemade pies, another pyrogies. Just can’t seem to break the mold and that’s okay. Sharing is a nice trait and food is a pleasant ice breaker that brings people together. It means you have to confront the giver to say “thank you.”

I think it’s important to be on friendly terms at the very least. More often than not I’ve stayed in touch over the years with past/present neighbours and we get together from time to time.

Good neighbours can make or break your peaceful enjoyment. It’s just really nice when it turns out you legitimately want to spend time with them or be in their company even temporarily. It makes for better neighbourhoods and people tend to look out for one another (neighbourhood watch or watch out!). I had a neighbour from across the street call to tell me I left my door open one time when traveling and another called the police to report unusual activity. Turns out the unusual activity was me just getting home from a trip. It was nighttime and she didn’t recognize that it was me. So they can be helpful. They also come in handy for watering your plants while away…if they don’t kill them instead by mistake of course n~~ot mentioning any names~~.

And it’s a bonus if they love your music! How do you feel towards yours?

FUN, Girl Who Would be King

Feel-Lucky Friday

The half-Irish in me

Enjoying a local beer & a box of chocolate covered gummy bears (*talk about luck;* they now come in a convenient candy package) in a comfy reclining chair at the Pickford Theatre.

Bad St. Paddys Day Jokes:

“This is the one day of the year where green’s meaning shifts from saving the environment to polluting our major organs.”

“St. Patricks day is like Valentines day for those who love Jameson (whiskey) and bad decisions.”

“It’s also the one holiday where full-blown alcoholism could possibly go undetected.”

My favourite: “An Irish guy walks out of a bar….No; really, it can happen!”

Enjoy the day even if you’re not even part Irish!

Food + Drink, Girl Who Would be King

New and nutritious: “pharmacy in a fruit”

Cupuaçu

Have you heard of it?

When I lived in Brazil I was introduced to an abundance of new (to me) super foods like Açaí, Guarana, Mangosteen & Acerola. I was blending up these seeds and berries to make delicious smoothies long before they became known and popular in North America. As a matter of fact I never felt healthier than during the year I lived in Brazil. Now there’s a new fruit hitting the market. It’s called Cupuaçu (pronounced koo-poo-ah-soo) and grows in the Amazon Rainforest drainage basin in northern parts of Brazil.

Some of the Benefits

Cupuacu contains vitamins B1, B2, B3 (niacin) fatty and amino acids, and at least nine antioxidants including vitamin A and C and minerals such as calcium, selenium and others.

Cupuacu’s primary health benefit is stimulating the immune system thus supporting the body’s ability to fight disease. Cupuacu has an energetic effect, but does not contain caffeine. It is one of the few cocoa relatives that does not.

Cupuacu’s benefits are synergistic. For example, the energy-boosting effect mentioned is a result of the fruit’s heightening of the immune system, lowering of blood pressure and the overall body-boosting effects of the fast-acting nutrients and vitamins from the fruit. Unlike most energy drinks or caffeine, though, there is no tired feeling afterwards.

Other synergistic effects include healthier skin and hair, lowered cholesterol levels and improved libido. In addition, many of the fruits nutrients are boosters for the gastro-intestinal system and the cardiovascular system.

Cupuaçu is wildly popular in Brazil as well as other parts of South America. For centuries, natives of the rainforest have used the fruit of the cupuaçu tree as a main source of food and it continues to be a delicacy in the more populated towns of South America.

Today, cupuaçu pulp is often used for making juice, ice cream, smoothies, mousse, jellies, chocolates called “cupualte” (the seeds used for producing this product have similar characteristics to chocolate, but contains nutritional value and is healthier.

The pulp of the fruit is frequently used in the cosmetic industry for shampoos, soaps, lotions and creams due to it being highly hydrating with its emollient power giving similar effects to your body as cocoa butter. I noticed it listed as one of the main ingredients in the jar of Suzanne Organics (by Suzanne Somers) body butter which by the way is amazing in itself.

Other common traditional uses for cupuaçu include:

To lower blood pressure
Healthy hair
To lower cholesterol levels
For Increasing libido
To improve brain functions
To boost gastro-intestinal (GI) systems
To stimulate skin rejuvenation
To achieve weight loss
For combating diabetes
To increase energy

The Amazon is so vast with its wealth of flora and fauna that in time I’m sure we’ll be acquainted with many more amazing edibles to come.

Source: amafruits.com

Girl Who Would be King, THINKAboutit

We’re all ANIMALS

In Chinese Astrology I’m an Earth Dog.

Earth Dog Jia Jia on a hike – March 9, 2017. Image: d. king

Not a Pig; as formerly thought. I had an expert look into it for me (because I’m born on the cusp it was confusing and if I put my actual birthdate it always came up “pig”) and since my boy Jia Jia was born in China, it makes perfect sense because the stars are aligned – we’re both extremely loyal and commited. We relate to each other perfectly! I always suspected I was a dog – after all, Jia Jia thinks I’m a perfect bitch!

The Dog comes in five types: metal, wood, food, fire & earth each with a specific personality description. Sharing Earth Dog similarities were Winston Churchill, Voltaire, Lady Godiva, Brigitte Bardot, Cher, Mother Teresa, Jacques Cousteau, Elvis Presley, George Gershwin, Judy Garland & Shirley Maclaine. I must say, not a bad lineup.

But enough about me……

Predicting the future by observing the stars and planets was an ancient art long before Europeans discovered/invented the mathematics necessary to make these same predictions. However, the yearly Animal signs bear the much same relationship to Chinese Astrology as Sun Signs have to Western Astrology – a cursory overview, and over simplification. As with Western Sun Signs, the twelve Animals of the Chinese zodiac do represent archetypes useful to writers.

Find Your (or Your Character’s) Animal Sign

Girl Who Would be King, STYLE

Style: pre-Fall preview

It’s not yet Spring let alone Summer, but since fashion is on its own calendar, the fashion folks are already calling out Pre-Fall 2017 collections. Is there really another reason for another season?

Pre-Fall is one of those fashion terms that doesn’t really make sense to the general public. Isn’t it kind of Spring/Summer…sort of? Pre-Fall collections arrive in stores in late Spring, and many are available through the end of the year. As such, they tend to be full of the wearable, versatile, seasonal clothes you live in, as opposed to runway looks.

Editors called out their favorite looks: the items they’d beg for because they need them right now, like the bold striped outfit from Monse; the dreamy, not-so-practical looks they’d like to borrow, like Altuzarra’s romantic head-to-toe floral; and the looks they’d like to steal because they feel totally new, like Givenchy’s monochromatic ruby pantsuit (with a huge agate pendant). I wonder how many women can wear these outfits as effortlessly as these models?

FYI: I almost bought a pair of Red trousers today but it just didn’t feel… quite like me just yet.

I’m not into begging or stealing but I might consider borrowing. How about you?

Image: Vogue

Food + Drink

Food: the forgotton few

Two things I picked up recently at the supermarket: Sunchokes & Watercress.I haven’t had watercress in ages mostly because I rarely find it other than farmers markets. I almost forgot the nice peppery taste and how great it goes in salads either as the main leafy green or added to a mix of others.

One time in Jamaica I swam across an area of the wild cruciferous plant so I snapped off a bunch of the leaves and took it back and made watercress sandwiches (with thinly sliced onion on the advice of someone who swore how delicious & nutritious it was). It used to be a staple of the working class diet in England. It comes with good recommendation. The ancient green is said to have also been a staple in the diet of Roman soldiers with a long history of benefits like immunity boosting properties, a cancer preventative and support for thyroid. In fact, Hippocrates, the father of medicine, used watercress to treat his patients. What was good enough for the Romans & Hippocrates is good enough for me.

Sunchokes are a different matter.

They are a vegetable formerly known as “Jerusalem Artichokes” and are neither from Jerusalem nor are they related to artichokes. They are originally cultivated by Native Americans. I guess that’s all the history I’m getting or giving for now. They look like large pieces of ginger but taste a bit nutty and sweet at the same time. It’s pretty weird sounding.

I am neither used to seeing them or cooking with them but since I’m always up for trying something new, I bought a package. I asked a supermarket employee in the vegetable department what to do with them. He said “cook em up like you would a potatoe. Peel, leave skin on, mash, bake or boil – they’re delish!” I decided to slice them fairly thin with skin on, drizzle olive oil over top, a little sea salt & fresh dill and bake them in the oven. They baked in very little time and were quite yummy with more of a root vegetable taste.

Orange roughy with asian marinade, steamed broccoli & baked sunchokes. Image: d. king

I will make them again and try different ways of serving them.

Have you tried them?

Art & Culture

Arts/Crafts: La Quinta Arts Festival

It’s the whole package!This has to be the most remarkable outdoor arts festival I’ve ever been to. Certainly the largest.

what can be nicer than art in a stunning landscape with music, food & friendship. — **what can be nicer than viewing art in a stunning landscape with good music, food & friendship?**

art20 No wonder it has been ranked #1 in the Nation for many years.

This is the 35^th year the Annual La Quinta Arts Festival has returned to the visually stunning setting of La Quinta’s Civic Center Campus in the greater Palm Springs area. art13

As one of the Coachella Valley’s premier attractions, the award winning event attracts art patrons and tourists from across the nation. The festival raises funds for the Foundation’s non-profit mission of promoting & cultivating the arts. art15 art10

The world class artists have traveled from all over to present the very finest in contemporary artwork. Only 220 gifted artists and crafters are chosen from over 1,200 applicants who vie for the opportunity to showcase their incomparable works of art in the magnificent outdoor gallery. art16 art21

Live music, entertainment, delicious food (Ruth’s Chris Steak House had a kiosk with filet steak sandwiches & champagne), wine and beer complement the experience. A few examples on this page. art18 art19

art6 images: d. king

Vancouver designer and textile artist Joanna Staniszkis (r) & Joanne wear her beautiful creations. — Vancouver designer and textile artist Joanna Staniszkis (r) & Joanne wear her ethereal creations.

art9

Girl Who Would be King, Health + LifeStyle

Tox-Sick Talk with Suzanne Somers

Because if you live toxic free you will feel better naturally.

I was thinking about starting a series about women who inspire me and who better to start off with than Suzanne Somers. 20170302_144013 Suzanne said people magazine once described her as the dumbest woman in America. Which means she did a great job of playing the blond bombshell bimbo Chrissy Snow in the long running sitcom(edy) “Three’s Company.”

But she had the last laugh because the idiot who wrote that didn’t realize her full potential. A cancer survivor, she is a well respected health and wellness advocate, a *best selling author having written 25 books (her latest is called Tox-Sick – From Toxic to Not Sick), singer, dancer, Vegas nightclub performer (who was once named Female Entertainer of the Year, the same year Frank Sinatra was named Male Entertainer of the Year, ) and savvy business woman with her suzanne organics skincare & cosmetics line. It’s a pretty impressive resume. There’s so much to her, but for now we’ll focus on her pure organic skincare line because I was waiting for something beauty-wise to inspire me for a beauty post – this is it! And it’s never just about looking good (although we love that); it’s about feeling good from the inside out. Which by the way, always makes one look better on the outside.

“It’s as if we are all on a big, chemical drunk, and the hangover is a killer.” – Suzanne Somers, in TOX-SICK

20170302_144328 So I was thrilled to meet her alongside her handsome hubby Alan Hamel (I do remember well his successful TV talk show in Canada) when she launched her Radiance Facial Kit at Clark’s Nutrition – a fantastic family run natural foods market in Rancho Mirage. Wait; it’s not just the facial kit she has – it’s a complete line of body care, skincare, sunless tanning, haircare and now cosmetics. It’s a great line because it’s more than natural and organic…it’s certified ToxicFree. What that means is a lot of NO’s! No Pegs, Parabens, chemical emulsifiers, artificial colors, fragrance and of course NO animal testing. She doesn’t kid around. She walks/eats/looks the talk! She even grows her own food. It’s exhausting to even think about. She really does live toxic-free. She discussed this along with her belief about a new way to age. On close inspection I decided if she uses her own stuff (which she completely does) and looks that good I better buy me some.

As you may know I make my own little line of pure products so I’m very picky about what I choose to put on my face + body but I went for the coco mango body butter (a friend of mine swears by it – “it f….ing works!” Also the ageless serum (because it’s loaded with sea algae extract and African Birch) and a lipstick in caramelized peach (because it sounded yummy & looked pretty). Just so you know. All made in California.

Suzanne says she’s always loved the idea of pure organic skincare but had never experienced any anti-aging benefits so would end up reverting back to chemically-based products. Now she has the best of both worlds. She works closely with the formulators to use the power of nature to find the most effective anti-aging actives for clean, beautiful products to feed, nurture and hydrate precious skin. It is like superfood for your skin.

~~OMG I never realized just how much we have in common!~~ I never even told her that I met her “Three’s Company” co-star John Ritter in Tokyo years ago on a TV series and how nicely he treated me. But maybe she knows that now.

*On one of her many books about health and nutrition “Breakthrough: Eight Steps to Wellness,”: She scored a big coup with “Sex and the City 2.” Her book is heavily featured in the movie. Kim Cattrall‘s Samantha–who announces that she’s “fifty-f-ing-two” and going through menopause–declares that she lives by it. She hands it to everyone in the movie. By the end of the movie, women are exchanging copies of “Breakthrough,” with the cover very prominent. A book publisher’s dream.

And if all that isn’t enough, she’s nice too! An inspiration to all women!

website: http://www.suzannesomers.com/

images: d. king

Author: Debbie King