Author: Stef McDonald

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Get Out: Safe Sunscreens


A friend asked me last week about what sunscreen I use–she knows I won’t use any personal care products that contain ingredients that are harmful (to me or the environment) and I never leave the house without sunscreen (and a hat for long periods of time outdoors). Sure, I can honestly say I protect myself from the sun because it’s the healthy thing to do, but I’m equally as concerned about my vanity (why bring on wrinkles earlier than necessary?).

I’ve done my research on the topic of sun protection and will happily reveal my top sources: The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep website. The Skin Deep site turns the spotlight on personal care products by revealing their ingredients and ranking them in terms of safety. A product with harmless ingredients will get a 0 rating and one with a cocktail of toxic chemicals will get a 10; I make it a rule to use only products in the 0-2 range. The EWG’s Sunscreen report has everything you need to know and reveals both the safety and effectiveness of the sunscreen products tested. My go-to products are by California Baby and Badger and they’re top-ranked.

Other sunscreen products you might be more familiar with contain ingredients linked to any or all of the following: cancer; developmental/reproductive toxicity; allergies/immunotoxicity; neurotoxicity; endocrine disruption; persistence and bioaccumulation; organ system toxicity (non-reproductive); irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs); enhanced skin absorption; contamination concerns, biochemical or cellular level changes. If you don’t know what any of this means, you really don’t want to. (Did you really have to read anything after cancer?) Gloomy and doomy, I know. But of course you should be informed about what you’re putting on your body and will want to check this out. And there’s good news for users of Coppertone, Banana Boat, and other popular products I wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot-pole: you can find something safer and better.

Musical aside: The song in my head while writing this is “California Sun,” performed by The Ramones.

Note: post was updated after original publish date with the link to 2010’s Skin Deep report.

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Earth Day Shop Launch: MissStefanie on Etsy

Earth Day was the official launch of my Etsy shop: Miss Stefanie’s House of Crafts and Collectibles (easy-to-remember web address: MissStefanie.etsy.com). Everything in the shop is eco-friendly: vintage clothing and accessories I find during my shopping adventures; thrift shop T-shirts I recover and remake into more flattering styles; and other accessories I make using fabric scraps. My lovely and amazing friend Kristine is pictured, modeling her purchase: a Wonder Woman tee I remade with a pair of scissors, needle, and thread (all my work is done by hand). Reuse, recycle, recreate–rock on. . . I’ll post more photos of happy customers as they come in.

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Almond Joy Cookies


I received a request recently from Mr. MVP to make chocolate chip cookies. I love a good chocolate chip cookie, but I wanted to make something more, well, special.

This is a spin on the chocolate chip cookie, with chocolate chunks, almond, and coconut–like an Almond Joy candybar cookie.

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
½ cup unsweetened coconut
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
4 ounces English toffee candy (recommended: Heath or Skor bar), finely chopped
3 bars of dark chocolate, roughly cut (3.25 oz., each bar)
1 cup silvered almonds, chopped

Mix flour, oats, coconut, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.

Beat sugars and butter until fluffy.

Add eggs and extracts.

Add dry ingredients and stir just until blended. Stir in chocolate and almonds.

Drop teaspoon-sized drops on cookie sheets lined with silicon sheets or parchment paper, with about an inch between drops of dough.

Cook for 10-12 minutes in preheated oven, at 350 degrees.

Enjoy.

Bonus: top with fresh whipped cream and strawberries (pictured).

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Deconstructed California Roll


The photo is sub-par (I was hungry!), but what it represents is a great dinner: the deconstructed California roll. Mr. MVP gets credit for coming up with something ingenious to do with the perfectly ripe avocados we had from our friend’s avocado tree. On the right: Japanese cucumber salad with a light rice vinegar vinaigrette. On the left: avocado with Alaskan king crab meat and some fresh-squeezed lemon juice. To complete the dish, sprinkle salad with sesame seeds and dried seaweed flakes. Yum.

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Style Statement at the Track


When we went to see the horse races at Santa Anita Park, I expected to see some women making style statements (big hats at the very least). I was surprised to see this gentleman, who appears to have dressed to match the linoleum floor. Impressive.