Building a Healthy Lifestyle

I know the feeling all too well-

You get home from work around 4 or 5, maybe you have to stop and pick up the kids from daycare or school, make dinner, visit with them quickly before bath and bed, then chores and laundry and housework and then maybe some "me" time before bed. Maybe. Even being a SAHP you are busy with errands, housework, playdates and classes and trying to find your "me" time amidst it all. So when do you have time to plan and cook healthy food that isn't riddled with preservatives and added colors and flavors?

Since being a SAHM my life is still busy, but I am so thankful for the time to be home with my kiddos and enjoy them. It's just a different kind of busy. Being a parent whether working or not is hard enough without having the extra worry or feeding your family healthy food that is still delicious and will still be acceptable to a picky toddler. I have been there and am still there!

My goal once I was recovered from my c-section was to try and get my family back on track with a healthy lifestyle, but I didn't know where to begin! Raise your hand if this is a constant battle that you face too!

My whole adult life I was one of those people who could cook exactly three things:

• My Nana's sauce and meatballs
• Noodles to go with that sauce
• Chicken wing dip

I am not exaggerating. That was it.
 
Baking on the other hand is my forte-I make a mean pie. But that wasn't feeding me or my family. When I was single and lived alone I ate a lot of chicken nuggets, pasta, and PBJ sandwiches. And a heck of a lot of take out.

Thankfully, Hubs came into my life and on our very first "date" as an official couple he invited me over to his place for a homemade meal. I was sold. He was and is still a keeper.

We've been married for almost 4 years now, lived together for 3 before that and 5 days out of the week he was cooking for us. One of the days was my sad attempt at trying something-I usually made ravioli or something else I could heat up. I am not exaggerating here. Hubs wouldn't even trust me with a box of easy mac or chicken rice. I was a disgrace. The other day was usually Pizza Friday...a luxury we had when I was working which is on hiatus for now-but that's another post.

When the time was coming for him to head back to work after his paternity leave I started to get panicky. And not because I would be home alone all day with two kids under two. Oh no. I was worried because I knew I had to step it up and actually attempt to cook. I couldn't be a stay at home mom and not cook for my hardworking husband, right? Or could I....?

No-I was determined. But see, I have no timing at all in the kitchen. I try extravagant recipes when we only have an hour. The kitchen is a mess, pots and pans everywhere. The sides are done way too early. Just a HOT MESS. And on top of that I wanted to learn how to actually cook-not just open packages of things and heat them up. I wanted to learn how to do it the right way and the healthy way.

Then I found the fix.

*Don't stop reading: I am NOT a beachbody coach and will NOT try to sell you shakeology or anything like that. I love the 21 Day Fix but I don't have any plans to become a coach. I highly recommend this lifestyle and program for everyone-and if my post intrigues you and you want to know more I will send you in the direction of my coach Alayne-but don't think this is a sales pitch or anything (I get turned off by that stuff too!)*

So anyway, a whole bunch of girls I knew were doing the 21 Day Fix-you may or may not have heard about it and I won't bore you with all the details, but basically it's a workout regimen and a clean eating plan. It is NOT a diet. It's a whole new outlook and lifestyle. You learn portion control and how to fuel your body with the proper foods to keep you healthy and help you lose weight.

I really wanted to do the fix because:

A) I wanted to get back in my pre-baby bathing suits-no more maternity suits or tankinis for me! (Ultimate goal)
B) Since being SO sick while pregnant with Little Man I got lazy with my clean and healthy eating.
C) I generally wanted to improve my overall health so I could have the energy to enjoy my little ones.

And bonus I am on maternity leave for the next 18 or so months, so what better time to start than now?!

So I bought the fix, and talked my Hubs into trying it with me. He was reluctant at first but agreed out of support for me. Plus he was/is training for a 5K so he figured it would help him get back in fighting shape.

I realized that if I wanted to be successful on this program and lose the wieght and also help out my hardworking husband I would have to really sit down and figure out a meal plan for the week and THEN actually MAKE the meals. I couldn't very well ask him to do this with me and then make him plan and make all the meals. So it was up to me, the girl who could probably burn water.

The first night it took me three hours.  I literally sat at the computer scouring through Pinterest for recipes trying to see if they would fit the fix and it was a daunting task. I HATE meal planning. It was awful.

But the next day I searched for "21 day fix dinner ideas" and voila! I had some stuff to choose from. I stuck with chicken the first week because I figured I could handle chicken. Once I had it narrowed down to 5 recipes I shopped for the ingredients and all of our other groceries too (side note: doing the fix helped me get right back on track with my clean non-processed eating. Pretty much everything we eat now has a shelf life of a week. All fresh foods and I love it because I am eating well AND clean!) My point here is these dinner ideas were simple enough for even ME to follow and make. So it made my life a lot easier!

Basically, I had to google how to bake chicken breast. No lie. I had no idea what to put on it or how to cook it or anything. But slowly I'm learning how to use seasonings and how to utilize one type of food in many different ways to add variety. When I tell people now that I can cook they say, "Really?" and are really surprised. Why do I tell you all this? Because my point is that if I can do it anyone can. Seriously. And you don't even have to do the 21 day fix to clean up your family's lifestyle. Just make small substitutions here and there and change things a little at a time and you can incorporate more and more clean eating into your family's lifestyle. Better for you, better for the earth, and better for your family! Remember I am not a health coach, but I do know the importance of avoiding GMOs, preservatives, added colors and flavors, sugars, unhealthy oils and syrups, chemicals, pesticides and more from my own research and experience.

It was tough at first to get into a routine, but now after several weeks I have found a few tips that work for me for not only cooking, but general sanity as well!

*I know there are those of you who are cooking/parenting pros (mom!) and are thinking "Girl please we got this"-but for all of you parents (like me!) in the "Learning to cook while parenting small children 101" (who are also dumb in the kitchen and with meal planning) course might find this helpful*

1. Work out in the morning before the kids get up. Yes I KNOW it sucks. But then you are DONE! My Hubs gets up at 6:30 and I get up with him. That way I can get my workout in before my babies get up and usually my shower too. If I don't do it in the morning I am not getting it done at all.

2. Fill your kitchen with spices and seasonings. The only spices and such that I ever used before were oregano, basil, and cinnamon. Seriously. If you have lots of seasonings on hand you can whip up a pretty easy dinner but make it have a nice zip to it.

3. Start dinner during nap time. I started trying to make dinner around 4:00-Little Miss had just awoken from her afternoon nap shortly beforehand and Little Man was up as well, and it was both of their cranky times. She's hanging off me crying for cheese or some other snack...but usually cheese. He's fussy and wants to be held-Hubs walks through the door and it's total chaos. I now start things during nap. I make them during the toddler's nap time because she generally sleeps longer. That way if he is fussy I can just wear him in my wrap while I cook. I do anything I can make ahead of time during this block of time-noodles, salad, etc. That way when Hubs gets home he can play with Little Miss while I situate everything for dinner. It runs much more smoothly that trying to do it all at once when everyone is underfoot. It's especially helpful if I can do more at once on say a Sunday or Monday and then be set for the whole week. So I might make a whole bunch of chicken breasts or noodles or rice at one time and they are ready for the whole week. You don't have to do it everyday, just once or twice and you can cut your future cooking time in half.

4. Shop around the perimeter or the grocery store. Stop going down the middle aisles for mostly everything. If it comes in a box it is probably not healthy or clean! Exceptions are things like pasta (get whole wheat!), natural peanut butter, nuts, oats, etc.

5. Stop using dressings! I know, who wants a salad without dressing? But dressings have a ton of preservatives and unhealthy and genetically modified ingredients in them. Try making your own vinaigrette instead. Or try putting olive oil and balsamic on your salad. Small changes that will really affect your health in a positive way!

6. And while you're at it skip the mayo. Use mustard instead-mustard is a yummy addition to a sandwich, tuna salad, even on pork! Try dijon, my favorite, or spicy brown. Mustard is my new favorite condiment! (Dare I say that? I DO miss blue cheese!)

7. Be prepared. Bring snacks with you. Pack a bag with fruits and veggies, hummus, nuts, or homemade crackers and cheese. Bring a huge bottle of water with lots of ice. That way you won't be tempted when you are out and about to eat processed and pre-packaged foods. Always bring your own!

8. Make healthy "treats." Because Hubs and I are doing the fix, so is Little Miss. We are eating healthily so she is too! I made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies the other day and she loved them! And I felt so much better knowing she was eating cookies that weren't made with hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup. If you give your kids healthy foods they WILL eat them. Just don't keep the other junk in the house!

9. Try new things! From recipes to new ways of cooking something, you might even create your own new favorite! For example, the other night I had some zucchini to cook up. I didn't want to just steam it so I threw some garlic and spices in a pan and sauteed it up. It was SO yummy! Today I invented my very own fix approved pancakes when I couldn't find a recipe. And they were pretty good! Maybe I will blog the recipe later :) My point is that you can step outside what you always do and try a new way of cooking something. You might find something you really love!

10. Utilize different sweeteners. I have a huge sweet tooth. It's pretty bad. I can't usually eat something unless it is sweetened. But I recently traded in my coffee creamer for stevia and cinnamon in my coffee. Instead of sugar I've been adding a little raw wildflower honey. I spent $7.99 (I know, really?!) on a bottle of pure and natural organic maple syrup. Just stepping outside the box and trying something new will greatly improve your health while avoiding the bad stuff. And you might even shed some inches too! Just use these things sparingly.

11. Ditch the cooking spray!!! Cooking spray is gross. I can't even begin to name the genetically modified ingredients and chemicals in it! Use olive oil instead-get a Misto, or my personal favorite, coconut oil spray. You'll get your daily healthy oils in, and you won't be ingesting chemicals.

12. Make your own milk. Try it. You will be pleasantly surprised!

I hope this post was informative and helpful. Like I said before I am no expert, but a lot of it is common sense.  And of course it's ok to indulge once in awhile (I celebrated my birthday the first week I started-cake was necessary!) But I feel better about my small indulgences knowing that I make great decisions 95% of the time. It's so important to take charge of your family's health and well-being and there is no better time to start that the present.

Thank you for reading and if you like what you are seeing please let me know, and follow
The Good Life on facebook as well!

Love and Laughs,

Danielle

Homemade Almond Milk

At my house we love almond milk. Ever since my struggle to conceive and my diet change it's been a staple in our house. I won't go into all the reasons why I don't drink cow's milk anymore...you can google it if you really want to know the gross truth behind where it comes from and what's in it.

But I will say this-do any other mammals drink the milk of another mammal? Think about it-do monkeys drink dolphin milk? Elephants drinking lion milk? Cows drinking human milk...? So why do we need cow milk? Food for thought! It's another argument for why breast milk is so important but that's another post for another time! Our pediatrician even reiterated to us that as long as you are getting calcium from other healthy sources such as leafy greens, then no one ever actually needs cow's milk! Rice and coconut milk are other options, as is hemp milk, but since we don't have nut allergies to worry about, almond was the most affordable option. A lot of people think soy milk is a healthy alternative, but if you do your research you'll find that soy is especially dangerous to the body.

My Little Miss drinks almond milk daily and she loves it. We started giving it to her around her first birthday in lieu of cow's milk. I nursed her until she was 15 months old, only stopping because at three months pregnant it was hard on my body to nourish one baby while growing another! So I'm glad we started her on a milk alternative prior to weaning so she'd transition more easily.  She gets a sippy of milk with some kefir each morning  when she wakes up-it's the first thing she asks for. We recently started adding blended fruits and yogurt to make a breakfast smoothie. I sneak in some kale and flaxseed as well sometimes for an added healthy boost!

 

Almond milk from the store costs around the same as a gallon of dairy milk, so it's not too expensive, however there are still some added ingredients that after more research I wasn't crazy about us consuming on a daily basis-not to mention added sugars. Check out this article for some information about additives in commercial coconut and almond milks. 

Once I heard that, I truly wanted to find a better alternative. I had heard how easy it was to make my own almond milk at home, but I didn't think my blender would make it smooth enough. Then I discovered the nut milk bag purely by accident! I was looking for something to rinse and drain my quinoa in (have you ever tried to rinse quinoa in a strainer? It's nearly impossible!) and I found this cool product! At only $9.99 on Amazon I had to give it a try. Well it was totally worth it! Not only can I drain and rinse my quinoa much more easily, but I can make healthy, homemade almond milk at home as well! It also come in handy for straining the pulp out of my daughter's smoothies....she won't drink it if it has pulp. I blame Hubs for his weird aversion to any kind of pulp in his juice!

So I headed over to Pinterest and searched for homemade almond milk recipes and found this one. Seriously what did we do before Pinterest?! It's like, what did we do before Google?! But I digress.

For homemade nut milk you'll need some sort of food processor or blender. Recently we purchased a NutriBullet, a very reasonably priced alternative to a traditional juicer that does not take up a lot of space on your counter at all! And man does this thing BLEND! It makes things super smooth and liquefied in a minute or less! If you are in the "I really want a juicer but can't afford one" club then this little gadget is definitely a reasonable alternative. It worked quite nicely for making our milk. 

The first and most important step is to soak your almonds in a bowl of water overnight. This is very important as it makes the almonds soft enough to blend. Use a large bowl, 1 cup of almonds, and two cups of water. This is what our almonds looked like in the morning.


Drain your almonds and add them to the mixer of your choice. You also need to add the following:

• 6-8 cups water (you'll want to play around with this amount depending on how thin you want your milk to be)
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 3/4 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tbsp. honey
•  Optional: Cinnamon to taste 

The first time we tried it we didn't add cinnamon, but I have seen this in other recipes as something you can add. I added a little more vanilla because we usually buy the sweetended vanilla flavor, and I wanted our batch to taste close to what we're used to. 

 

 

After you've blended all of your ingredients (the recipe I followed said 3-5 minutes, but my NutriBullet worked in less than 2 minutes!) you need to drain the pulp out. We used a large Mason jar for our milk container. We placed the nut bag over the jar and poured the contents of the blender in slowly. We learned that it's best to put a bowl under your jar when doing this step in case of leaks or spills. Especially when you are working with a toddler! I really wish we had a FunPod because Little Miss loves helping in the kitchen, but I am always so worried about her falling. Here she is watching the pulp drain into the jar. She was very intrigued by this whole process!

 

Once the milk has been poured into the jar, squeeze the bag to get all the additional milk out. We ended up throwing away the pulp for now, which seemed like a waste to me. I am going to research uses for it...if anything I bet it would make good compost!  Once you have set your pulp aside, cover your container and give it a good shake to make sure all the ingredients are combined. Then keep it in the fridge and you are all set! I have read that it keeps in the fridge for about a week, but I bet ours will be gone before then! Following the recipe about we got a large Mason jar and a regular sized Mason jar's worth of milk. We used the full 8 cups of water.

 

So now I am sure you are wondering how it compares to the store bought stuff? Well for starters it is thinner, which like I said before you will want to play with the amount of water to change up the consistency depending on your liking. I like a thinner consistency so it was perfect for me. It was not as sweet as the store bought stuff, but since we don't tend to drink it straight anyway it didn't matter to me. Since we made it yesterday we have used it in our morning smoothies, and I put it in my morning oatmeal and quinoa this morning for breakfast. I tried it last night in cereal and it was perfect. Not too sweet and just the right consistency. And Little Miss did not notice a difference in taste at all. I think we have a winner here!

 

Go ahead and try it...you will be pleasantly surprised at how easy, affordable, and HEALTHY it is! 

 

Love and Laughs,

Danielle

Friday Favorite & a Celebration!

First Friday Favorites post in quite awhile! I have to share a product that I absolutely LOVE with you today but first I want to share my excitement over a recent milestone:

The Good Life facebook page has reached and surpassed 100 likes! I know that this may seem like small potatoes to some bloggers, but for me it was really exciting. I feel like I don't even know 100 people in real life so to have SO many fans like and follow the page truly means a lot. Thank you all for sharing with your friends and for passing the word along! I will do my very best to keep bringing you tips and tricks for living a greener, better, simpler life!

One more thing before we move on to my Friday Favorite. It has been brought to my attention by my friend Kelly, a fellow blogger over at Healthy Revenge, that sometimes facebook makes it hard for people to see all of my posts on The Good Life page, including blog updates. So if you would, please head on over to The Good Life's facebook page and make sure your screen looks like this:

"Following" should have a check next to it. Also, if you click on the "liked" box it will also give you the option to "get notifications" which you can click if you feel like being notified every time I post in your notifications. Thank you! Keep sharing and engaging in The Good Life here on the blog and on facebook!

Now for my current Friday Favorite!

This one is especially for all the mamas out there, but all women (and maybe some men too...with long hair?) can definitely benefit from this one!

As a busy mom there are always days when Little Miss wakes up before I am ready and I am cursing the fact that I can't just leave the house with my hair wet and not done...I might scare the children in my class. And my mother, who has a peeve about wet hair would kill me. (I know she would probably never know but I would have lingering guilt that she'd find me out!)

Showering, makeup, dressing, and coffee can all be taken care of in a reasonable amount of time, but factor in drying and straightening my longish hair and it adds about 20 minutes. That is a great deal of precious time when you have to get a toddler out the door and want to actually spend a few minutes of quality time with her before you leave. I have to be to work at 7:25. I work 5 minutes from home....thank God. Otherwise I would never make it. And usually am walking in right on time!

I am a big fan of the IDEA of dry shampoo. A product that will help a busy mama on the go get ready and not have greasy looking hair? I'm sold. But I tried tons of other ones that just didn't work. They made my hair heavy, thick, gray looking, and some even more greasy. Not to mention the chemicals! Before I was pregnant with Little Miss I tried the Tresemme dry shampoo. It smelled atrocious. I actually would hold my breath when I used it! Just look at the EWG ratings!

Ingredient Concerns

Ingredient	Concerns	Score
FRAGRANCE	Ecotoxicology, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Miscellaneous, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)	Data: Fair
OCTINOXATE METHOXYCINNAMATE	Enhanced skin absorption, Biochemical or cellular level changes, Developmental/reproductive toxicity, Endocrine disruption, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Persistence and bioaccumulation	Data: Limited
ISOBUTANE	Multiple, additive exposure sources, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Contamination concerns (BUTADIENE), Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)	Data: Limited
BUTANE	Multiple, additive exposure sources, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Contamination concerns (BUTADIENE), Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)	Data: Fair
PROPANE	Multiple, additive exposure sources, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)	Data: Fair
SD ALCOHOL 40B	Enhanced skin absorption, Cancer, Developmental/reproductive toxicity, Multiple, additive exposure sources, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)	Data: None
SULISOBENZONE BENZOPHENONE 4	Enhanced skin absorption, Endocrine disruption, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)	Data: Fair
SILICA, AMORPHOUS	Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Persistence and bioaccumulation	Data: Fair
ALUMINUM STARCH OCTENYLSUCCINATE	Contamination concerns (ALUMINUM POWDER), Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Use restrictions	Data: None
ISOPROPYL MYRISTATE	Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)	Data: Fair

The overall score is an 8 which is considered "High Hazard." No wonder I had to hold my breath!
Not to mention it didn't work! 

I gave up on dry shampoo. Until thankfully due to my short lived Birchbox subscription I discovered this awesome product! It totally comes in handy on days when I just don't have time to wash my hair let alone do all the other primping that comes along with it!

LuLu Organics Hair Powder is seriously a miracle product. It is talc free, organic, and made from completely all natural ingredients. Check it out:

I was not sure this stuff would work. After all the directions say that you only need a dime sized amount. Boy was I mistaken! A little goes a LONG way. And it doesn't leave your hair feeling weighted down or greasy, and doesn't leave a residue or look gray like other dry shampoos. It comes in four scents, the one I received which I LOVE is lavender and clary sage which is a nice fresh smelling scent. It retails for $30 for 4 oz which might seem like a lot but it will last FOREVER. The tiny sample amount that I received lasted me for a long time, and I used it a lot! If you aren't sure you want to commit to the larger size before trying, they have a 1 oz travel size that is only $9.50! I absolutely love this stuff. It's the perfect solution to those "days of unwash" where you still want to look, smell, and feel good! You can purchase it directly from their website or from Amazon as well! The best part about it besides the fact that it WORKS is that it is completely natural. Talc is controversial, being linked to carcinogens, and many powder based cosmetics contain talc. I don't know about you but I would much rather spend a little extra and KNOW I am getting a fabulous all natural product. Especially if I am putting it on my body where all the ingredients will be absorbed!




So if you are looking for a fabulous dry shampoo alternative, then look no further than LuLu Organics!

I thank you all again for reading and following, and hope you will continue to enjoy and share The Good Life!

Love and Laughs,

Danielle

Greening the medicine cabinet: Part 1

This is the first post of what will become a series. I'm excited, my first blog series!

I have been working for quite some time on making my medicine cabinet more "green." Let me tell you that this is NOT an easy task! If you remember from this post, I gave some options for taking small and easy steps to lead a greener life. Trading the cosmetics has proved to be not so easy, BUT I am not giving up! Let's talk about what's been happening.

First of all, I am way too busy (read: LAZY) to make all of my own products. I am a creature of convenience, I 100% admit that. I do know it would be a lot easier in the long run, but I just feel like there HAS to be products out there that are affordable and natural. I am working on finding them. Which is why I think this will be a series of posts. But I digress. So yes, we have established that I am too lazy to make my own products, but I have already found some nice alternatives to products I use that are easier than others to switch to.

Today we will focus on my green alternative for:

Eye Makeup Remover

When I worked for Mary Kay ( I know ::gasp::) I used their eye makeup remover. Check out the ingredients of concern as listed on EWG's cosmetic database:

POLOXAMER 184	Data gaps, Ecotoxicology, Contamination concerns (ACETIC ACID, FORMIC ACID, PROPYLENE OXIDE, ETHYLENE OXIDE, 1,4-DIOXANE, ALDEHYDES), Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Persistence and bioaccumulation	Data: Limited
CYCLOTETRASILOXANE	Developmental/reproductive toxicity, Ecotoxicology, Endocrine disruption, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Persistence and bioaccumulation	Data: Limited
BENZYL ALCOHOL	Allergies/immunotoxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Occupational hazards, Use restrictions	Data: Fair
BENZALKONIUM CHLORIDE	Allergies/immunotoxicity, Use restrictions	Data: Fair
IMIDAZOLIDINYL UREA	Allergies/immunotoxicity, Contamination concerns (FORMALDEHYDE)	Data: Limited
HEXYLENE GLYCOL	Allergies/immunotoxicity, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)	Data: Fair
ISOHEXADECANE	Ecotoxicology, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Use restrictions

Um no thank you?! I used this on my EYES.

FTR (For the record) you don't want the ingrdients in your product to be higher than 0-2, which is considered "low hazard." This had 5s. SCARY stuff!

Might I remind you, I wasn't into checking the ingredients at this point in my life. I foolishly trusted the FDA and cosmetics companies and believed they wouldn't possibly put anything into my stuff that was unhealthy. It's amazing how drinking the cloth diaper kool-aid takes you down a rabbit hole of epic proportions. Scary stuff in these products I used to use, yes, but I am so glad that I am educated about this stuff now so I can make educated decisions about products that I am using on my body.

Now the reason I stopped using this stuff was because it was $14 a bottle. Not because of the toxins, (remember I was still clueless at that point) but because of the price. So what did I start using?

Good old Dollar General brand. $1.50. Yea buddy!

Until I read the back:

That's a WHOLE lot of toxic stuff. Parabens, SLS, sulfates, mystery "fragrance." Yikes. So I just tried to use water for awhile but still ended up with raccoon eyes. Something had to be done.

So as I was browsing the interwebs one day I came across this post where I read that you can use coconut oil as an eye makeup remover. Of course I HAD to try it. I had coconut oil in the house because we use it for a natural diaper cream when we're out of CJs and I also use it for oil pulling. Well who knew all the awesome uses for it! More research led me to this post where I learned all the other uses for this amazing stuff! It's so amazing. You want to know what's in it?

coconut oil.

That's it.

Here's the brand I use: Spectrum

So you can either take a little and put it on a cotton ball or cloth with some water and wipe the makeup off, or you can mix it with a little bit of distilled water and Dr. Bronner's and voila! The makeup comes right off and leaves nothing behind! I love love love it!

Other ways I use coconut oil in our home:

• diaper cream
• moisturizer
• hair defrizzer
• hangnails 
• shaving cream
• oil pulling
• taken orally for general health
• scars
• deodorant (more on this coming soon-I am currently participating in my own experiment to find an all natural deodorant solution that actually works!)
• cooking
• toothpaste (for whitening!)

As you can see coconut is a necessity in any green medicine cabinet. Eye makeup remover aside, there are literally hundreds of other uses for it! And the best part is that a jar of it costs between $8 and $14 depending on the brand, but it lasts FOREVER. Well not forever, but a really LONG time.

So if you are currently using a toxic eye makeup remover go ahead and try to swap it out for coconut oil. Remember it's all about the little changes that you make to your life over time that count, not getting overwhelmed by trying to change everything at once!

So go ahead and buy a jar of coconut oil next time you are out grocery shopping and put it right in that medicine cabinet! You won't be sorry!

Love and Laughs,

Danielle

My Thoughts on Monsanto

        http://www.nongmoproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/I-am-not-a-science-experiment1.jpeg

I am furious.

So mad I can barely contain it. I have so many feelings right now that the only place I can let them out is on my blog.

I cannot believe that Monsanto is PROTECTED. What they and other firms that produce GMOs and GEs are doing is CRIMINAL. Basically they can do whatever they want to our food, and not label it and not get in trouble for destroying our bodies.

If you aren't familiar with GMOs here's a brief explanation taken from the Non-GMO project:

GMOs, or “genetically modified organisms,” are plants or animals created through the gene splicing techniques of biotechnology (also called genetic engineering, or GE). This experimental technology merges DNA from different species, creating unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacterial and viral genes that cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding.
Virtually all commercial GMOs are engineered to withstand direct application of herbicide and/or to produce an insecticide. Despite biotech industry promises, none of the GMO traits currently on the market offer increased yield, drought tolerance, enhanced nutrition, or any other consumer benefit.
Meanwhile, a growing body of evidence connects GMOs with health problems, environmental damage and violation of farmers’ and consumers’ rights.

When you eat them this is what is happening inside your body:

GMO tumors in rats article

Literally makes me ill.

GMOs are mostly corn based, but they are also in a TON of other foods we eat. We're talking 80% of foods marketed to people, most of them highly marketed toward children.


CHILDREN. Are you freaking kidding me?!!!

The most common GMOs are soy, cotton, canola, corn, sugar beets, Hawaiian papaya, alfalfa, and squash (zucchini  and yellow). Many of these items appear as added ingredients in a large amount of the foods we eat. For instance, your family may not eat tofu or drink soy milk, but soy is most likely present in a large percentage of the foods in your pantry.
GMOs may be hidden in common processed food ingredients such as: Amino Acids, Aspartame, Ascorbic Acid, Sodium Ascorbate, Vitamin C, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Flavorings (“natural” and “artificial”), High Fructose Corn Syrup, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Lactic Acid, Maltodextrins, Molasses, Monosodium Glutamate, Sucrose, Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP), Xanthan Gum, Vitamins, Yeast Products.

We are really careful about what we eat and I can tell you that there are many foods in my pantry that have these ingredients. I can't even begin to explain how helpless I feel knowing that even fruits and vegetables are not safe anymore. 

Oh and did you know that GMOs are banned in most other countries?

Most developed nations do not consider GMOs to be safe. In nearly 50 countries around the world, including Australia, Japan, and all of the countries in the European Union, there are significant restrictions or outright bans on the production and sale of GMOs. In the U.S., the government has approved GMOs based on studies conducted by the same corporations that created them and profit from their sale. Increasingly, Americans are taking matters into their own hands and choosing to opt out of the GMO experiment.

I truly am at a loss because over 250,000 Americans signed a petition to stop Congress from bringing this bill to pass. The provision protects GMO seeds from lawsuits over health risks posed by the consumption of the GMO crops. We won't even get started on how disappointed I am in Obama for signing the provision. I am not ready to go there yet. I will let CBS explain here.

But you know what happened? Regardless of the petition, it still passed.


I signed that petition thinking maybe it would make a difference.


So now I guess it's up to me and to you to DO something about it.

The biggest thing we can all do?

STOP BUYING GMO PRODUCTS.

And then do everything it says to do in the picture above.
Here are some ways to make your life as GMO free as possible:

Start here:

1.) Browse the Non-GMO project's searchable database for Non-GMO foods that are safe and revamp your family's grocery list. And don't tell me it's more expensive to buy organic. I do it every week.
Don't believe me? Look at this blog: http://bludandruff.com/blog/entry/organic-food-not-over-the-average-budget And if you want the database on the go just download the FREE iPhone app! Check it out here!And while you're at it, spring clean the GMOs out of your home!

2.) Stop using pesticides on your lawn. Just STOP. You are not only putting toxic chemicals into the soil that are affecting nature (think about all the squirrels, insects, rabbits, mice, etc. that walk on your freshly toxified lawn and then stroll over to MY grass...yea, see how that works?) but you are putting MY family and MY pets at risk. Not to mention supporting GMOs companies that makes the pesticides.

3.) Stop consuming aspartame. Do you know what aspartame is in? Here's a list: Soda, yogurt, gum, pudding, mayonnaise, diet products, sugar substitute, etc. etc. etc. Also, FYI it's made from BACTERIA WASTE.

4.) Clean your house using natural cleaners and NOT chemical laden toxic cleaners. I will be posting on this soon, but in the meantime it means trading Clorox and Mr. Clean for vinegar, baking soda, borax, castile soap, and washing soda. All of which cost less than the traditional toxic cleaners most people use.

5.) Educate yourself and others. Don't stand by and let the powers that be poison our food. Every person that makes small changes can make a difference. Knowledge is POWER!

6.) Grow a garden. This is something we are working on for this summer and I can't WAIT!

7.) Buy local. Support local farmers and buy at the farmer's market.  Here in Western New York we have several that are year round!



There is no reason that we have to sit around and accept what Monsanto and the other biotech companies are doing to our food. We can still make changes to keep our families safe and healthy! Take time few extra minutes to plan how to avoid GMOs and you are not only taking steps to keep your family safe but also helping to boycott the companies and politicians who are trying to force us to eat this garbage!

And if you really want to get involved, find a local "March Against Monsanto" in your area. For more information visit the facebook page here.

Go Green.

Go Organic.

Love your body.

Love our planet.

Love and Laughs,

Danielle

For more information visit the following links, or just google it!!!

http://www.nongmoproject.org/

http://www.naturalnews.com/037289_monsanto_corporations_ethics.html

http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/

https://www.facebook.com/nongmoproject

http://www.organicconsumers.org/monsanto/

http://www.naturalnews.com/non-GMO.html

Unless...

 
Surprisingly, people often ask me...
Why I use cloth diapers on my child instead of disposables.
Why I am still nursing my daughter even though I am back at work.
Why I use reusable bags at the store, and glass containers instead of plastic Tupperware.

Well, I recently stumbled across this video. It's only 4 minutes and worth a watch. But this explains WHY I have made those choices for my family.

The world is not a safe place for our children...or us for that matter. EVERYTHING has toxins in it. Things that our babies put in their mouths, eat, inhale. Unfortunately the government can't keep up or turns a blind eye. That's why we need to advocate for our children. No one can do it but YOU. Your child depends on you to make those choices for her.

We are destroying our planet.We put so much garbage into landfills and so many chemicals into the air that our ozone layer and natural resources are becoming depleted. Global warming is real and it's not going away. People are increasing their carbon footprint and many don't care. Convenience has trumped health and social responsibility.

But  we can all do something about it.

The reason I like this video so much is because of the message. Yes, the world is a scary place full of toxins, and it may seem daunting and nearly impossible to keep all of them away. But that isn't an excuse to do nothing. I am not perfect by any means and I am the first one to admit that my home and lifestyle are not completely toxin free. Because to completely uproot your life to avoid toxins is hard. But slowly and surely I am working on it! And all it takes is one person to change one thing to start the process of living clean. Or a life event that makes you realize that if the world wasn't such a toxic place maybe things would be different (how exactly DID I "get" PCOS?)

That's why I write this blog and that's why I share my beliefs with others. I don't ever try to push my views on others (and I hope people don't ever feel like I am!) but rather I try to educate. Because if I help just ONE person change ONE thing then maybe they will convince someone else to change one thing. And so on. And hopefully someday the world will be a safer place for all of us. But without being educated about the scary truths in today's world nothing will ever change.

After all, as one of my favorite children's book says:

                             

It's not all that hard to make simple changes in your life. Some might work for you and some might not. And that's ok. The important thing is to remain educated. Pay attention to what you are bringing into your home. Even if you change one thing a month or year it's better than nothing!

Here are some small changes we have made that are do-able:

•  Replace household cleaning products with "green" options. 

Don't be fooled by brands like Seventh Generation and Method that claim to be green. While they are safer, they still contain Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. The best bet is simple cheap options like vinegar, baking soda, and peroxide! 

Some good recipes:
Vinegar and peroxide disinfectant
Homemade dishwasher detergent
Homemade bleach alternative

• Using cloth diapers 

Don't believe this is worth your time? Check out this post.

• Use certified organic cosmetics 

Again, don't be fooled by products that claim to be organic. Many companies still sneak in chemicals that are not organic! I am saddened to hear that Burt's Bees (one of our favorites) was recently purchased by Clorox :( I really hope this does not change the integrity of the products, but it doesn't look good. We have recently started using California Baby products in addition to my favorite CJs. I also just started using Dr. Bronner's which i really like for us! It is reasonably priced too!

•  Use reusable bags while shopping

This is a no brainer. Keep a few in your car and you will always have them. Who doesn't have at least 2 or 3 of these lying around? And those plastic bags you get if you forget your reusables? You CAN recycle them! Wegman's, Walgreen's and other stores have places where you can recycle them. Just don't throw them out!

• Switch to glass

We are currently in the process of replacing our plastic tupperware with glass. While not the cheapest switch, if you look for deals or do it  little at a time it isn't bad. And tupperware isn't cheap either so why not just go glass? Even if it is BPA free, every time you heat up plastic  it leaches out harmful chemicals into your food. No thank you! We like Wean Green lunch cubes. These are awesome! On Black Friday I got a whole set for very cheap! I use them for our lunches (no plastic bags!), in the fridge, freezer, and will eventually use them for baby food when I start making it for Charlotte.

• Try soap nuts (or another option for detergent)

Laundry detergents are notorious for harmful chemicals, dyes, brighteners, etc. All of these things get on your skin AND in our water supply. No thank you. There are plenty of options for detergents that work great and last forever that wont break the bank. Planet, Tiny Bubbles, & Soap nuts are my favorites. Planet is available at the Lexington co-op and Feel Rite. We bought a gallon in August and we are STILL using the same container. And we do a lot of laundry between 3 people and diapers. I use Planet on the diapers and Soap nuts on the other clothes.

According to http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/learn/soapnuts.html:

Soap nuts are found in both the eastern and western hemispheres, but are native to India and Nepal. They have recently become a popular environmentally friendly alternative to chemical detergent, and are a gentle option for those with allergies to chemicals in regular detergents. They have traditionally been used as an expectorant, and in Ayurvedic medicine as a treatment for eczema and psoriasis. Soap nuts contain saponin, a natural detergent. The soap nut shell absorbs water and releases the saponins which circulate as a natural surfactant in the wash water, freeing dirt, grime, and oils from clothing. 

Soap nuts last forever! They are cheap, natural, and make your clothes smell fresh and clean without buildup or residue! I highly recommend trying them out!


Again, remember, even products claiming to be natural have cancer causing chemicals. Check out this article about Tide Free and Gentle. There is also a good recipe for homemade laundry soap. I used to make my own but I liked Soap nuts better. Just personal preference!

**************************************************************************
What do you to say to the New Year's Resolution of "Going Green?!" I challenge everyone to try to make just one change to your life and see where it takes you! I hope no one thinks I am being preachy with this post. (Then again it is my blog and I am allowed to write what I want, right?!) :) You can choose to read and see what I have to say or not. I will never try to push my beliefs on anyone, just try to educate because I am passionate about what I believe in. I hope that by sharing my passions that I might help change a mind or two. If I help someone make a small change in their life then I feel successful! Thanks for reading, as always!

Love and Laughs,

Danielle