THE UNREFINED LIFE

Hi! I’m Monica! I love to travel. I love home made food. I love Do-It-Yourself projects. I am always looking for something new to do. Like my sisters, I have been pursuing a healthy, sustainable lifestyle. From a very young age, I had a lot of health problems. A lot of my memories as a…

The Name’s Candice

My goal: Join forces with my amazing sisters to teach us Westerners how to survive on the other side without losing yourself.

Grow a Basil Plant from a Basil Cuttings

There are exactly four supermarkets here in Sucre. Two are called Lider, which are about half the size of a normal grocery store in Los Angeles like Ralph’s, Albertsons, or Vons. Another is called Pompeya, which is more of a specialty market where us foreigners can find things that you wouldn’t normally find in the…

It’s Getting Interesting – Some Helping Hands

This past year has changed my life tremendously. Like a complete makeover and is barely recognizable type of change. So, when I want to write, I don’t know what to write about. My brain is full of things that I want to share, but they don’t seem to fit under The Unrefined Wife’s main theme,…

Home

This trip has taught us a lot. We were ready to go home. We were looking forward to seeing our family, our friends, speaking English, and eating all of the wonderful food that we can’t get in Bolivia. Throughout our year in Bolivia, what we talked about was our vacation. But, as we got closer…

Sweet Potato Chips

I was talking with a friend the other day who was raving about this sweet potato hummus that she made and fell in love with. I have to admit when she told me the ingredients she used, I was sold. This post, however, is not about sweet potato hummus, so don’t get side-tracked. When I…

Ginger Bug and Ginger Beer/ Soda (Part 2)

Since moving here we have seen how unrealistic is it to stay away from foods. We are told not to eat at the street vendors, don’t eat salads or foods you can’t peel, don’t drink water that’s not boiled or bottled. This is relatively easy when vacationing. We are doing the best we can, but…

Fermented Foods: Ginger Bug and Ginger Beer/ Soda (Part 1)

My husband and I had a strong addiction to soda. There was nothing like the burn of the carbonation going down our throats. A little over ten years ago, we gave up the stuff. Now the constant features in our house are water and wine. Nowadays, soda only shows up in our house when guests…

Illness and Fermented Foods

In the past four months, my husband and I have moved three times. If you have been wondering why I been MIA for so long this is where I lay the blame. It has been a tiring and frustrating experience. But, I am determined to hang on long enough to like it. And though it’s…

Transitioning into life in Bolivia

My husband and I moved from California to Bolivia about a little over a month ago. We have been planning this trip for two years, saving and simplifying our lives so that it was a relatively smooth transition. Considering the big jump that we have made, it did go smooth. It’s been a short period of time, but…

Bolognese (Meat Sauce) Recipe

In less than two weeks, my husband and I will be on a flight to Bolivia. As you can imagine, things are hectic. We are working on getting our life affairs in order. There have been pending issues that haven’t been resolved like claims with our car insurance or medical bills where adjustments need to…