Category Archives: Food

Mushpa y Mensa Super Summer Update

Hello Mushpa y Mensa Super Fans!

Yes, you see right, it’s Mushpa y Mensa’s Super Summer update, after a few months of silence. We are happy to say that in the last three months, Mushpa y Mensa have begun their “Gypsy Market Life”. Already, on this journey, we have met quite a few amazing people, like the folks at Seaglass Salvage Market, Brooklyn Arts Center, Beacon House Inn, and Satellite Lounge to name a few. We have also danced and tasted many sweet wines at the Duplin Winery’s Main Squeeze Music and Wine Festival, as well as met dozens of new, fun people at the annual Azalea and Strawberry Festivals in North Carolina. ;] We even partnered up with Wilmington’s Earth Day Alliance and enjoyed a wonderful Earth Day Celebration at Hugh MaCrae Park.

It’s been surreal so far.

It’s amazing what faith, love, encouragement, and a little help from our friends can do. In terms of our little cottage industry, we are, as you say, busting a hump. We are constantly checking ourselves on how we can make things better from our art, to our business, to our life.

We have actually just updated the “Photos of Our Peeps” page on Mushpa y Mensa’s site. We added a photo uploading tool, so you can upload pictures of you in our organic tees, wearing our amazing jewelry, hugging our lavender filled plush pets, or even just keeping your hands cool with one of our coffee cozies. :]

And in terms of our Art? Well we keep on bringing to life tons of ideas in our head. For example, we recently created 3.5 new shirt designs. A cool Octopus Olivia with an Anchor Tattoo on her forehead,as well as R6: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Replenish, Reflect, Reimagine inspired by Earth Day.

We also have new organic Pima cotton relaxed fit tops that are flying out of the truck. Here is an example of the Pima tops with one of our new designs, Argema Mittrei, a female moth. Lastly, we spruced up Robot Girl and added a cute heart. All these designs we print for the ladies, the gents, and of course the smallest people around.

Mushpa y Mensa have also been focusing on custom shirts that have been selling off Maya so fast we don’t even have time to list them on our Etsy shop!

Spread the art, spread the love.

A few questions answered…

Where can I find the Art Truck?

Follow us on Twitter @mushpamensa. We are constantly posting when and where we will be. There is also an events page on our site, www.mushpaymensa.com/events we keep updated, but Twitter is best for the most up to date information.

We are doing some art shows, markets and fleas, but are hunting to find good spots to park around town. We are partnering up with cool people like the folks at the Beacon House Inn on Carolina Beach and Satellite Bar and Lounge in Wilmington.

And for all the natives and people in the know, since we are new in town, feel free to hit us up at info@mushpamensa.com or our contact page with any ideas where to park, festivals to do or whether you’d like us to rock a party or event with you!

Are you going on the road anytime soon?

We want to explore the grounds of NC and the surrounding area, so we will keep the max to weekend trips. But worry not, we will definitely be making it into the mid-west and west-coast! Maybe even an occasional trip to NYC sooner than you think!

If you have any questions about anything, make sure to ask! We love to hear from you all.

Until the next super exciting Mushpa y Mensa’s and Maya, Magical Mobile Art Machine update we say good day!

With lots of love,

               Cara and Maria Emilia

                                                             a.k.a.

Quote and 411

Mohadesa NajumiTruth.

Come see two women who roll like that @LIC Food and Flea today!!! We’ll be here till 6!

Check out our Kickstarter project!

– La Mushpa y la Mensa

Minty Lavender & Rose Body Scrub

lavender rose mint scrub

February is Mushpa’s Birthday Month!
She has a wonderful tradition of celebrating not only one day, but other days too! It makes you feel extra special, and your birthday lasts not only a day, not only a weekend, but a whole month! I’ve tried to get very creative and have hand-crafted many of her little gifts. Stamps made out of wine corks, soul-mate bracelets, and even a home-made potpourri!

A couple of days ago, I decided to whip up a really easy, but super delicious body scrub using all natural ingredients for her. Good for the body, and good for the soul!

All you need is:

-a clean glass jar, fabric, rubber band and ribbon

– organic sugar of your choice. The coarser, I think the better.

-organic coconut oil

-peppermint oil (or any other minty oil of your choice)

-lavender and dried rose hips

lavender rose mint scrub

Heat some water in a sauce pan and place the coconut oil jar in the water. This will quickly soften up the oil without the need of a microwave! Measure about 1/3 cup of coconut oil and place in a bowl. Slowly add the sugar, until it starts absorbing most of the oil. I say it will be about a 1 cup. If you pour too much sugar and it becomes dry, add more oil!

lavender rose mint scrub

After mixing the sugar and coconut oil, add the peppermint oil essence. I used about 20 drops of oil. Start with a little less, and keep adding until you find the perfect balance.

Add the Lavender! I suggest about 1 to 2 tablespoons, and mix it all up.

After you have the perfect scrub, line the bottom of your glass jar with rose hips. This is a nice little detail, and it looks beautiful at the bottom of the jar! Once the scrub is in, the roses will also absorb the oil and you can use them as part of the scrub too.

lavender rose mint scrub

After the layer of rose hips, I added a layer of the scrub and filled it half way. Then I added a layer of lavender, placing the dried lavender on the outer edges of the glass so you could see it better. Then add the second layer of your scrub, and once again, one more layer of lavender. I placed three rose buds at the top so when Mushpa opened it, it looked oh-so-very-nice!

lavender rose mint scrub

Close the jar. Cut a round piece of fabric, place it on the lid and hold it down with a rubber band. Then add the ribbon….. perfect!

lavender rose mint scrub

Happy Birthday Month Mi Mushpa!

❤❤❤

-Mensa

Minty Lavender & Rose Body Scrub

lavender rose mint scrub

February is Mushpa’s Birthday Month!
She has a wonderful tradition of celebrating not only one day, but other days too! It makes you feel extra special, and your birthday lasts not only a day, not only a weekend, but a whole month! I’ve tried to get very creative and have hand-crafted many of her little gifts. Stamps made out of wine corks, soul-mate bracelets, and even a home-made potpourri!

A couple of days ago, I decided to whip up a really easy, but super delicious body scrub using all natural ingredients for her. Good for the body, and good for the soul!

All you need is:

-a clean glass jar, fabric, rubber band and ribbon

– organic sugar of your choice. The coarser, I think the better.

-organic coconut oil

-peppermint oil (or any other minty oil of your choice)

-lavender and dried rose hips

lavender rose mint scrub

Heat some water in a sauce pan and place the coconut oil jar in the water. This will quickly soften up the oil without the need of a microwave! Measure about 1/3 cup of coconut oil and place in a bowl. Slowly add the sugar, until it starts absorbing most of the oil. I say it will be about a 1 cup. If you pour too much sugar and it becomes dry, add more oil!

lavender rose mint scrub

After mixing the sugar and coconut oil, add the peppermint oil essence. I used about 20 drops of oil. Start with a little less, and keep adding until you find the perfect balance.

Add the Lavender! I suggest about 1 to 2 tablespoons, and mix it all up.

After you have the perfect scrub, line the bottom of your glass jar with rose hips. This is a nice little detail, and it looks beautiful at the bottom of the jar! Once the scrub is in, the roses will also absorb the oil and you can use them as part of the scrub too.

lavender rose mint scrub

After the layer of rose hips, I added a layer of the scrub and filled it half way. Then I added a layer of lavender, placing the dried lavender on the outer edges of the glass so you could see it better. Then add the second layer of your scrub, and once again, one more layer of lavender. I placed three rose buds at the top so when Mushpa opened it, it looked oh-so-very-nice!

lavender rose mint scrub

Close the jar. Cut a round piece of fabric, place it on the lid and hold it down with a rubber band. Then add the ribbon….. perfect!

lavender rose mint scrub

Happy Birthday Month Mi Mushpa!

❤❤❤

-Mensa

Mushpa y Mensa’s Project Clean House 2014

 

mushpa y mensas clean hosue project 2014

I begin this year starting fresh with my posts, as I know that in December I was not keeping up with my partner in crime Mushpa’s amazing word press posting skills and motivation.

Here I will start by telling you that it was necessary for us to start the new year with an amazingly clean and organized home. For the past few days Mushpa y Mensa have re-energized our apartment, thrown out unnecessary trash, given away unused items, and said good bye to old memories, to make space for the journeys of the new year!

———————————————–

My favorite project so far has been re-organizing the kitchen cabinets. We used old jars of pasta sauces and pickles, and  we cleaned them and re-labeled them in order to super organize everything from baking soda and stevia, to oats and chia seeds.  We also bought spices sold in bulk so we refilled empty spice jars, and re-labeled others for new spices! You don’t need anything fancy to make the labels…only card-stock, pen and tape…and voila!

JAR LABELS DIYJAR LABELS DIY  JAR LABELS DIYJAR LABELS DIY

Here are some good tips on what a good New Year Cleaning might be deserving of.

1. Kitchen: Clean all the cabinets inside and out, above and below…. and give away any unused cooking items. Our street-found iron pan, an old recipe book, a coffee grinder and random containers were among the items we left in a brown bag for people to pick and choose from at the entrance of our building.  Some people’s “trash”, other people’s treasures! Reduce, and someone else will most definitely reuse!

2. Bedroom and Studio: We cleaned and are almost finished reorganizing our studio and bedroom, yet one really important aspect of the process was to get rid of (and RECYCLE of course) all old paperwork that only took up space. Sometimes little mementos are nice to keep, and we do so in a small box in our bedroom where later on in they year they will probably be compiled into a scrapbook. Other papers/old pictures/brochures/receipts and such are in the “out” pile. It might seem crazy, but the house feels lighter without these items cluttering everywhere.

environmentally friendly cleaning product

3. Clean clean clean: And I mean clean….everything. I even vacuumed inside the stove stop where my hand and sponge couldn’t work. The best part of this is that you DO NOT NEED any harsh chemical products to have a clean home. We used our trusted Vinegar + Water + Peppermint Oil concoction for every surface. Works like a charm, and it smells nice too.  For the very touch stains, grease grime and soap scum, we use our trusted Bon Ami cleaner. It only has 5 ingredients including limestone, feldspar and baking soda derived from sustainable resources that won’t harm our earth!

Now our home feels lighter with better energy to start a new year. A few good prayers with incense and candles burning will add the perfect touch to the amazing energy that circles our home….

From our clean home, we wish you all a very Happy New Year!

Happy into the New Year!

 

Much love,

Mushpa y Mensa

 

No Shipping??? Say What?

Gingerbread People Ornaments made from Recycled Plastic Bottle Felt

Yes, these cute, limited time only, eco-felt, naturally holiday scented (peppermint or cloves), so delicious that someone has already taken a bite off of their cute head and leg, Gingerbread Peeps tree ornaments, are coming to you free of any shipping charges from us here at Mushpa y Mensa. Not only are these little guys postage free, but everything in our shop is as well. Sadly, this fabulous sale ends December 31st, so get it while you can! :]

LIC Flea & Food Holiday Market

What you want another way to get free shipping? Come see us @LIC Flea & Food Holiday Market.  Not only do you get free shipping, but you can touch, see, smell, love everything before taking them home. You can feel the magic in person! :]

What? There’s more? Pictures with Santa? Yes. A fafillion artisans and culinary masters? Yes. Live jazz, DJs? Yes. The New York Cosmos soccer club (NASL Soccer Bowl Champions)? Again, yes. Bowling, Christmas trees, beer, wine and cocktails? Yes*5.

Just come!

Mushpa y Mensa

Super Delicious Chocolate Oat Bran Cookies

Dukan Diet Chocolate Oat Bran Cookies

I have been working tirelessly on the greatest oat bran cookie recipe ever! I feel like I finally have one worthy enough to put in our blog. It is sugar free as well (for all you diabetics), we use Truvia Spoonable instead.

Here it is:

Dry Ingredients

12 Tablespoons of organic oat bran

5 Tablespoons organic Dutch processed cocoa powder

2 Tablespoons organic flax seeds

3.5 Tablespoons Truvia Spoonable

2 Teaspoons baking powder

Dry

Wet Ingredients

3 Tablespoons alcohol-free vanilla

2 whipped egg whites (dry or liquid)

3 Tablespoons Trader Joe’s fat-free sour cream (or organic nonfat Greek yogurt)

egg whites

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, then mix the wet ingredients in another bowl, then mix them all together. Mix ingredients for a few minutes till the oat bran and cocoa soak up all the fluids. You don’t want it runny. Then put some aluminum foil down on the baking sheet, grab a big spoon, dig in the batter and scoop out a spoonful onto the cookie sheet 12 times! Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Take out, cool and eat!

Cookie Sheet

Keep the leftovers in the refrigerator since there are not any preservatives. This way they will last about a week. Use the sour cream if you want more of a brownie type of cookie. If you want a denser cookie use the Greek yogurt. They both are delicious just different.

Enjoy!!!

– Mushpa

The Healthiest Dessert: Tofu Chocolate Pudding!

The yummiest, and healthiest dessert you will ever eat….

And you can make it in less than 5 minutes.

chocolate pudding tofu

-1 package of Silken Tofu

-1 tablespoon of sweetener (We like Stevia/Truvia. Adjust if you want more or less. I started sprinkling and kept adding until I reached about 1tbsp.)

-2 tablespoons of powdered cocoa (adjust as well…I started sprinkling and mixing until chocolatey goodness was reached)

-1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

Mix all ingredients in a food processor or blender….and boom! That’s it.
It was so good, that I realized that I should probably take a picture after I had finished it all!

-Mensa