About Gina Marie

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So far Gina Marie has created 328 blog entries.

Killer Pumpkin Granola {Gluten-Free & Vegan }

Alright, it’s official. I’ve got a fever and the only prescription is more pumpkin.
I’ve caught a case of the pumpkins. It’s not hard to do. Have you been on pinterest lately? It’s like taking a visual pumpkin bath. I dipped my toe in. It was warm. Now I’ve taken off my pants and  am sitting in a full-on metaphorical bath of pumpkin puree and cinnamon sticks. I’m even thinking about turning on the jets and staying for a while (that visual might have gotten out of hand).  Seriously though, try not to crave something with cinnamon in it after trolling pinterest. Dare you. Also, just so we’re clear (and I don’t get a bunch of weird emails later) I’m only METAPHORICALLY bathing in pumpkin puree. I DO NOT in any way literally suggest you fill up your entire tub with a festive fall squash and then bathe in it. Unless that’s your thing. Who am I to rain on anyone’s pumpkin parade?! We all celebrate seasons differently. Press on, dear friends! But seriously, consider the clean up. That’s one heck of a mess. […]

Pain Relieving Turmeric Juice | Juicing For Pain Relief

So, I did a really super grown-up thing a week ago. Wait for it… I bought a mattress.
That’s right. I put on my adult pants, saddled up to the furniture store (let’s call it Schmacy’s) with my husband, complained about the backache being caused by my present concave sleeping slab, and was ordered to test out lots of mattress models. Firm. Soft. Pillow Top. Temperpedic. Tempertop. PillowTempertop. Firmapedic. I might have made some of those things up, but there were a lot of mattresses.  Finally we found the one. The clue was that I literally fell asleep in the store. It’s weird to wake up in a department store, people. Real weird.
I suspect you know this is going down the wrong path, right? How is this going to tie into juicing for pain relief? Bare with me…
We order the mattress and I count down the days to delivery. Finally, it arrives! My sweet firm mattress with a luxurious pillow top!! Oh boy! I climb in. It feels like I am laying on a plank of distressed wood. What?! This is not the same mattress! Dangit, Schmacy’s! Since they have already hauled away my previous concave sleeping slab, I suck it up and sleep on this new torture device. I wonder if it’s just a matter of breaking it in. Nope. The next day I found myself at the doctors office in a full on back, neck and shoulder spasm. Can we just talk about the awkward look on my doctors face when I told her I got beat up by a mattress? Awkward.  […]

Roasted Eggplant & Basil Spread

Every now and then I find myself in a stalemate with a veggie (this week it was an eggplant). We pause, we lock eyes… we just kind of stare at each other. I grumble and look quizzically at it as if it’s going to speak to me. It’s as if I am Michelangelo and this vegetable is my marble. Maybe it will tell me what it wants to be. Nope. It’s not talking. We’ve got ourselves a strong and silent type.  At this point I get all ponderous and morose over why I decided to purchase an eggplant in the first place. I consider letting it live out its final days on the counter top right next to my sad little banana graveyard, but just don’t feel right about it. Plus, let’s be honest…. I’m hungry. Life is hard. […]

Hold up, G. You’re going to put what WHERE? | Washing Your Face With Food (Part 1)

Yes, I took the time to take a picture of me enthusiastically holding food to my face. It’s only going to get weirder… buckle up. We’re gonna talk skincare. I’m gonna be putting that food right on my face.
A few months back, I found myself in a  heated argument with my skin. I had recently come off of oral contraceptives, and my skin was letting me know that it disapproved of my life choices. It fought back with dry patches and a heck of a greasy T-zone. Then there was Carl. Carl was the angry blemish that kept on rearing his rosy head right on my chin. He was big and unsightly and a little bit of a diva. Kind of like that really loud friend you had in college that  you could never seem to lose at a party. That’s Carl. He had to go.
I was using some of the most “gentle” facial cleaners on the market, but my skin still felt itchy, dry and just stressed the heck out.  One morning,  I was reaching for my bottle of cleanser and just happened to flip that thing around to the ingredients. Whoa. I have no idea what any of that stuff is. Chemicals abound.  There were probably forty ingredients in there, and all of them seemed to just be feeding Carl and his host of real bossy friends that seemed to be joining the party with each passing day. I was hosting a rave on my chin. Enough is enough.  […]