Fried chicken sammies are having a moment. But you don’t have to wait in line at Popeyes or give your hard-earned cash to an establishment with an anti-LGBTQ philanthropy record (ahem, Chick-fil-A). You don’t even have to eat meat! You can make a finger-lickin’ good fried chicken (or meatless “chicken”) sandwich right at home.  Buttermilk Love  Buy a couple pounds of chicken (I like boneless, skinless chicken thighs because dark meat is delicious but if you prefer breast, knock yourself out). Cover in buttermilk seasoned to your...

No, we’re not here to tell you to put down the cake and hop on the treadmill, and we’re tired of the media, and social media, sending the message that fat is evil and we all must stay teeny-tiny during quarantine. Everyone has a different healthy journey, and we’re here to tell you there’s no wrong way to do it—unless you’re body-shaming yourself or others.  Almost everyone has some sort of struggle with food and body positivity, whether it is worrying that we eat too much,...

EVER WONDER WHY mermaids have the best hair? If the effects of this all-natural DIY mask for your locks (from my book, Wild Beauty, $18, captainblankenship.com) are any indication, my guess is it has to do with seaweed. I’m not gonna lie; this smells briny like the ocean. It makes me feel like I am on the beach smelling seaweed drying in the sun. This gently exfoliating and detoxifying blend with bentonite clay and kelp cleanses environmental elements, such as dirt and pollution, and rejuvenates...

The days blurred; I’m not positive, but I think my breaking point occurred while washing a sink full of rancid baby bottles, the stink sending me into a burst of rage and tears. Although, it could have also happened when I disassociated while reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear for the thousandth time, watching my son heave every toy he owned out of his play crate. Either way, it was clear: the time to leave the city had arrived.  I’m fortunate to have had the opportunity to leave. After...

WHILE MANY OF US MILLENNIALS are opting out of having children, we’ve found another way to nurture life: becoming plant parents. This spring, why not take your green thumb to the next level by starting from scratch? Or, more literally, from seed? According to the Environmental Protection Agency, only 15 percent of farms and agriculture-related businesses are women-owned and operated, so when you’ve decided which vegetables, herbs, and flowers you want to grow, get your goods from these woman-owned companies. San Diego Seed Company Brijette Peña...

WHO RUN RWANDA? Women. Ever since the country’s tragic genocide nearly 25 years ago, the women left behind have been rallying together. As entrepreneurs, politicians (nearly 68 percent of the country’s government officials are female), and business owners, women are building Rwanda up, and the heart of all the action is Kigali—the capital city’s become a center for technology, tourism, arts, and more. This small country is known as the land of a thousand hills, and driving through Kigali can feel like breezing across California, but...

“Can’t wait to write a tell-all about my experience during my last two trimesters dealing with incompetent doctors and lack of efficient care toward minority women,” Amber Rose Isaac posted on social media on April 17th. By April 21, just four days later, she had died. She was only 26 years old. Amber, a high school classmate of mine, died in childbirth from complications related to HELLP Syndrome. HELLP Syndrome is a pregnancy complication which affects the blood and liver. It tends to arise in the last trimester of...

Holed up in the drab bedroom of my tiny Chinatown walkup, I scrolled through Instagram, inundated with stories of exes who reunited after years apart because of the global pandemic. The disorienting chaos has forced people to yearn for the comfort of past loves. At 34, I’d spent the last two years working hard on forgetting mine, though I still hoped to hear from him.  Was my old flame flirting with someone new over text? Maybe they were quarantined in his Brooklyn apartment together, her leg...

May is Mental Health Awareness month, and at this point, after almost 90 days of lockdown because of the coronavirus, we can all agree, everyone needs and deserves as much care as possible. At the forefront of the most deserving, are those in the frontlines. Courtesy of the Divine Feminine School of Hypnosis, The Mind Massage Hotline—a free emotional support service for frontline healthcare and essential workers, or anyone who is feeling in need is now available. Founded by Brooklyn based, CHt, Shauna Cummins, The Mind Massage...

I had thought that the world being turned upside down might put a dent in diet culture, that having a real and very serious health issue to contend with would get our collective perspective in order. Turns out that was naive. If anything, it’s worse. The fatphobia has amplified. It’s coming from new and unexpected directions, along with all the regular ones. It’s demoralizing to realize how quickly all those supposed body positive allies are willing to throw the fatties under the bus; people I respected...