Nicole Young

In my veggie-filled take on the classic Chinese dish, I swap traditional wheat flour noodles for spiralized zucchini noodles; instead of ground pork I create a seasoned ground pork alternative using minced cremini mushrooms and I leave out the sweetening agents in my sauce. Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a large pan, add mushrooms and saute for 7 minutes (first three minutes on medium heat, last 4 minutes on high heat). Add 2 tsps of Dandan sauce, return cooked mushrooms to the pan, stir gently then add ½ tsp chopped peanuts and give the dish a final stir. Remove from heat, plate in a large bowl, top with another tsp of sauce and garnish with scallions, peanuts and shredded carrots.

, there is another reason Black beauty brands are having such a powerful moment and will most likely never return to the bottom shelves of drug store isles…Black-owned beauty products are really good and not necessarily just for black customers! Typically derived from nature’s finest offerings (resulting in gorgeous outcomes where haircare, skincare and makeup application are concerned) black-owned beauty brands can often be equally as beneficial to non-black customers – many of whom are newly converted loyalists reaping the rewards they’d been missing out on all this time. The low maintenance texture is favored by the brand’s staunchly dedicated customers like TV beauty expert Denise Caldwell, an 8-year devotee of True Indian Hair who considers the texture “a great investment for stylish, healthy hair”. A favorite of celebrities like Gabrielle Union and Viola Davis, the SLAP should be positioned firmly atop every beauty junkie’s haircare hot list alongside these affordable drugstore hair products Tired of spending “countless amounts of money on products that didn’t work” for her naturally curly hair, Monique Rodriguez, a former nurse practitioner, decided to launch her own brand in her garage.

According to Rachel Sussman, a psychotherapist and relationship expert in NYC, compliments help people feel seen and acknowledged…It makes them feel really good about that person who complimented and about themselves” That desire for acknowledgement is the vehicle Microaggressions use to sneak their way into kudos since they appear to offer recognition, even if only momentarily. Pretending there is no color does not negate uncomfortable feelings about racial inequality nor excuse any biased thoughts or behaviors which most people are guilty of at some one point or another. n’t see color” is an expression often used [by white people] to defend against any accusation of prejudice and to exclaim support for racial diversity. Another reason researchers find the idea of colorblindness an ineffective tool for racial awareness is that it can minimize the cultural differences and experiences of racial groups, and even challenge the validity of the struggles people of color face.

The new post-quarantine normal poses many reasons to upgrade our approach to health, beauty, and overall wellness; and with summer fast approaching, now is the perfect time to implement that update. From health care to self-care, so much of our physical existence has been altered by the COVID19 pandemic and the subsequent stay at home order, so getting our wellness affairs in order might require a little extra assistance. To that end,  I’ve gathered a few functional finds, or as I like to call them quarantine EXITsentials, to help with our post-pandemic revival and fill in some of the health & beauty blanks created while we were under quarantine. Recognized by the Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins University, The Harvard Heart Letter, and the American Heart Association, the goal of Zona Plus is to help individuals increase vascular flexibility and find non-pharmacological solutions to common health concerns such as high blood pressure.