Next week on the HBD online TV Show, we will be talking all about our mouths and natural ways to keep it clean.  Kim Barnouin co-hosts. Do you have any questions for the Skinny Bitch she can answer on-air?  Mouthwash? Teeth whiteners? Ask away and we will try to answer them live on the show. Post your questions below.

I have a little Thursday morning ritual.

Right after I crawl out of bed and decide if my breath is offensive enough to make brushing a first priority, I head to my Inbox to check my email. Not to discover the rush of emails from clients or paperless bills, but rather, a cooking tip from Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan, founding editor of Apartment Therapy's The Kitchn. Whether it’s a pointer on beautifying your kitchen, picking the right potato or recipes for Egyptian Tomato Soup or Balsamic Drizzled Ice Cream, it never fails to make me think, “Hey, I wish I thought of that.”
 
While not every email appeals to my dietary choices, I find something homegrown and special in each and every one. Below is one of Sara’s recent recipes for Nectarine Sorbet, a frozen treat she made for an end-of-summer community project for nine Shakespearian actors.
 
My boyfriend still doesn’t believe I made this.  
 
Nectarine Sorbet
Note from Sara Kate: The only tricks to sorbet are that you need to make a simple syrup to sweeten it (straight sugar won't have a good texture) and the mixture needs a dash of alcohol to inhibit the freezing process, otherwise your sorbet will be a brick. I like a little brightness, hence the lemon juice. This is a really easy formula, so experiment. It will work with any fruit — just be sure to taste the mixture for sweetness. Some fruit needs less sugar, and less acid. In some cases (melon, for example) I prefer the acid to come from lime.

Makes: One quart
 
What to Buy:
3/4 cup sugar (evaporated cane juice)
1 cup water
2 pounds (about 4 large) nectarines, skinned, pitted
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons rum
 
How to Make It:
Prepare an ice bath. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Bring to a boil then lower heat to medium and cook until the sugar has completely dissolved, or 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the syrup to a small metal mixing bowl set over an ice bath. Stir occasionally until cooled to room temperature.

Slice the nectarines into chunks and place in a food processor with the syrup, lemon juice and rum. Process until smooth.
 
Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Click here to view more recipes from Sara Kate or visit www.thekitchn.com.

-Carly

Cycling Helps Fight Pollution, Shed Pounds and Improve Your Heart Health

Ever since you ate shit three years ago in the middle of the intersection crosswalk, you’ve been hesitant to jump back on your bike. Instead it sits in the corner of the garage or your back porch repenting its sins. How dare that two-wheeler make you look like an idiot in front of proud, judgmental drivers?! Payback is a bitch.

But, your bike is not the enemy. Your coordination, on the other hand, is.

Actually, riding a bike is proven to help improve your mental state, motor skills, balance and coordination….as long as you stick with it. As far as shedding those lb’s, steady cycling can burn an upwards of 300 calories per hour.

The planet will thank you, too. According to GreenYour.com, 27-percent of total vehicle miles traveled by Americans are to and from work, which amounts to 734 billion miles each year.  In cities like our stomping grounds of Los Angeles, 60-percent of the commutes are less than five miles. If every one of us in this five-mile radius left our cars at home just one day a week and cycled to work, we’d save nearly 5 million tons of carbon emissions each yearthe equivalent of taking 1 million cars off the road. It’s time to feel the wind in your hair, sister.
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Serious about cycling? Here are a few tips to get you moving ...

Find a good commuter bike. If you're in the market for a new bike and are serious about cycling to work you might want to look at the emerging category of commuter bikes. With these, the rider sits in an upright position and the bikes have chain guards, fenders, rear luggage racks and lights for the evening commute.

Be prepared for breakdown. Check your bike often, especially brakes and tires. Carry a small tool kit with a set of Allen wrenches, a tire patch kit and a tire pump just in case you break down.

Get the accessories.  If you are looking to really feel the burn, here are a few items you may need: a helmet, sunglasses or bike glasses, a rearview mirror on your bike or helmet, padded bike shorts, cycling shoes and reflective arm and leg bands.

Check out www.greenyour.com for more information.

Check out This Week In Health & Wellness produced by Healthy Bitch Daily.  Co-hosts and HBD co-founders Carly Harrill and Julie C. May talk about the chemicals lurking in our furniture, paints, cleaning products and more.  Check out the eco-friendly furniture at Film 44 and Environment. 

Got allergies? It might just be coming from your home, sister. Our homes are two to five times more toxic indoors than outdoors. And get this - we spend 80- to 90-percent of our time indoors. Yikes.

We caught up with Camilla Trigano, Director of Marketing at Environment Furniture to chat about healthier furniture alternatives, more sustainable materials and becoming buddy-buddy with your local flea market.

Thanks, Camilla!

Added this documentary, Tapped, in our Netflix cue and got it in the mail yesterday. Watched it straight through at midnight last night and it kept me awake more than a horror film. (It might just be considered a horror film depending on how you look at it!)

Tapped offers a glimpse into the misconceptions of bottled water, why it's no different than tap (actually tap is much safer) and how big wigs like Coca Cola, Nestle and Pepsi are pulling a fast one on us. In the film, scientists tested bottled water right off the shelves and found traces of toxic chemicals like styrene, phthalates and benzene while municipal water (aka tap water) is tested up to 400 times a month for bacteria and contaminants. No joke.

Watch this trailer. We promise it will change the way you look at our water sources.

With summer flashing right before our eyes, the days are going to start feeling shorter. Unfortunately, your schedule never seems to feel the same way. As my father always preached to me, "You will always have a bigger To-Do List than you can humanely handle."

As your body adapts to the seasonal changes, there is no better time than now to address the stresses that plague us everyday. While regular yoga classes and massages do the trick, we here at Healthy Bitch Daily have a new nightly ritual that consumes little time and doesn't put a dent on our wallets.

Breathe, ladies. Breathe in essential oils. Ancient healers used aromatherapy to improve physical and emotional well-being in their heyday.

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