Fantastic Fridays

May 17, 2013 in Fantastic Fridays with 4 Comments

Half-way through May? Say it ain’t so!

It’s that time of year as tonight we have a graduation party to attend. Looking forward to celebrating new beginnings with friends and perhaps some Farmer’s Market action in the morning?!?!

Ooooohhhhh, how I love this time of year!

As the week rounds out, relax with some of my most fantastic online finds. Click the blue “Fantastic” link to go directly to the source page.

Fantastic Craft: Lately Finn has been all about Spiderman, planes and super powers. I think a homemade plane that he paints with the help of his super powers will be a hit!

Airplne

Fantastic Delicate: How dainty and sweet! Perhaps a bracelet with the initial of each of your children?

Bracelet

Fantastic Fierce: A Mighty Girl has some amazing inspiration and encouragement for young girls. Not every little girl wants (or needs) to be a princess. Some just need to be encouraged to love science, fantasy, creativity, exploration, athletics or super heros. This site does a great job of empowering these… and all… girls. Check out their incredible store based on your girls likes.

Fierce

Fantastic New Product: Enjoy Life has come out with a new decadent soft baked bar in 4 great flavors: Cinnamon Bun, S’Mores, Chocolate Sunbutter, Cherry Cobbler. The company sent us a box of each. All 4 of us have tried each bar and every wrapper went to the trash empty. A great product free of all the 8 major allergens. Receive 10% off your online order with the code DECBLOG10.

EJ_CherryCobbler_Bars_Box_FA02_NEW

Fantastic Motivation: A little inspiration for us all…

Motivation

Fantastic Funny: How sweet is he? Anyone in the mood to watch UP?

Screen Shot 2013-05-12 at 10.15.37 PM

Fantastic Allergy Find: Dairy-free Alfredo? This is happening next week. And it’s a healthy option if you aren’t dairy-free. Tip: go get nutritional yeast STAT if you’re ready to make some great dairy-free bases that taste JUST like cheese! Bomb dot com.

Dairy-Free-Alfredo-Sauce

Fantastic Fashion: This necklace is just the perfect splash of color. And that bag. Oh, that bag!

Outfit

Fantastic DIY: I love classic beauty and Audrey Hepburn is the epitome of classic beauty. These capes are just to die for! Breakfast at Tiffany’s, anyone?

Audrey Cape

 

Here’s to a fantastic weekend to you and yours!

Sprouting: Getting Started

May 15, 2013 in DIY Day, Food Allergies, Recipe with 1 Comment

I am so excited to share a guest post with you all today from one of my online friends, Emily. Emily has been “sprouting” lately – all the rage – and I’ve been loving watching her journey online. She graciously accepted when I asked her to share her journey in sprouting. I’m so fascinated by this! Please ask questions in the comments section if you want to ask Emily more about her experience.

 

Sprouting

My name is Emily. I like people, music, and photography. My other favorite hobby is exploring new, random hobbies (like growing sprouts).

K8

A few months ago I started juicing. I’d watching a bunch of good documentaries about eating a balanced, whole-foods diet, and many of the films mentioned the health benefits of juicing. I also noticed that Kerry juices and a few other blogger pals, too. So I thought, “It’s go time!”

Somewhere along the juicing path, I read that some folks juice sprouts that they grow in their homes.

“What?” I wondered. “How do you grow sprouts, and how do you juice them?”

And so began my new-found hobby of growing sprouts in my kitchen!  Over the last couple months I’ve been juicing sprouts and eating them, too.  They are delicious.  And you don’t need soil OR sunlight!  Just seeds, a tray, and water!  Easy-peasy.  From beginning to end, the whole process for most sprouts only takes about a week.  You’ll be eating fresh veggies from your own kitchen in no time!

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K2

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An additional bonus feature of sprouts is that they are extremely nutritious and quite easy to digest.  Most sprout varieties are high in vitamins and many are a great source of protein. They are also packed with flavor!

K5

Another sprout bonus feature: watching seeds turn into happy, green, sprouts is extremely entertaining!  (As a side note, my definition of “extremely entertaining” also includes things like watching Lawrence Welk re-runs, taking pictures of the pheasant who frequents my backyard, and writing letters on my typewriter.)

K6

There are just a few tools I’ve used to begin my new life as a sproutist.  I ordered my supplies from Amazon.

So far I’ve tried Holly’s Bean Mix (highly recommended), Salad Mix (tasty), Variety pack (I’ve liked the few I’ve experimented with so far), and some alfalfa seeds that came along with the kitchen sprouter.

Sprout collage

There are some helpful instructions that come along with the sprouter.  Basically, all you have to do is place about a tablespoon of sprouts on a tray, and then water the sprouts 2-3 times a day by adding water to the top tray.  I have found they actually grow a little bit better if I rinse the sprouts in each tray once a day.  It also helps to regularly change the order of the trays.

Here are some great resources for sprouting advice:

Next Wednesday I’ll be sharing what I’ve been doing with my sprouts.  Get ready for some super easy recipes with lots of room for individual taste and creativity.

Emily is a Lutheran pastor, weekly columnist for the Rochester Post-Bulletin, and blogger at www.theladypastor.com. She also collects treasures from the 1960s like cookbooks, broaches, and vintage planters.    

Health and Beauty Buys

May 14, 2013 in Wise Life with 16 Comments

A few weeks ago I mentioned that once you’ve cleaned up your food, the most logical next step is to look at your personal beauty regimen for chemicals and additives. I encouraged you to check out the Environmental Working Group page regarding the toxicity of your products and received quite a few questions about the products I use, so I wanted to share them with you here. You might be able to find these products locally at Whole Foods or a vitamin/nutrition store, but in case you can’t, I’m including 2 ways to order online.

I’m assuming most of you are familiar with Amazon. In addition to Amazon, I order quite frequently from Vitacost. Vitacost has a referral program, so if you sign up here, you will receive $10 off your first order. Full disclosure, I also will receive a $10 credit for you signing up, but there is no minimum to buy and no need to continuously buy. Just a one-time perk. (If you then refer someone, you save $10.)

Also, please note: prices change often on these sites, so I didn’t indicate which site is cheaper. It truly varies when you are ordering what is most cost effective. Also, if you find something you like, search the sites as there are often deals on 2/4/6 packs verses an individual buy.

While I have changed to the items below (many of them I rotate), I have not changed my make-up yet. I’d love to hear from those of you who have switched up your make-up what you like, don’t like, etc. That task seems so daunting to me for some reason. (And I’m not really sure why since most days we’re at home and I don’t wear make-up!)

If you have questions or other products you recommend, please share them in the comments below.

Skin Care

Face Wash/Soap

Grandpas-Thylox-Acne-Treatment-Bar-Soap-with-Sulfur-010486012121

Grandpa’s Thylox Acne Treatment Soap: I use this in the evening when my skin flares up. It’s fairly dying, so I do not use it on a regular basis.
Amazon // Vitacost

KMF FF Soap

Kiss My Face Fragrance-free: This is one of my favorite “morning rotation” face washes.
Amazon // Vitacost

CoQ10

Avalon Organics CoQ10 Facial Cleansing Milk: This is another favorite on my “morning rotation.”
Amazon // Vitacost

Aloe 80 Facial Wash

Lily of the Desert Aloe 80 Facial Wash: The final wash on my “morning rotation.”
Amazon // Vitacost

Aloe 80 Facial Scrub

Lily of the Desert Aloe 80 Facial Scrub: This is more of an exfoliator, so not something I use everyday, but every few days.
Amazon // Vitacost

Face Moisturizers

AO moisturizer

Avalon Organics Daily Moisturizer is one of those lotions that just feels great going on. They also have Vitamin C version I’d love to try.
Amazon // Vitacost

Aloe 80 Moisturizer

Lily of the Desert Aloe 80 Liquid Moisturizer: This was the first natural moisturizer I ever tried. I have a soft spot in my heart!
Amazon // Vitacost 

Lotions

rby-avalon-organics-lavender-hand-and-body-lotion-mdn

Avalon Organics Hand and Body Lotion: I have used this in both the unscented and the lavender for a day-to-day lotion. I like both!
Lavender: Amazon // Vitacost :: Unscented: Amazon // Vitacost

borage

Borage Therapy: My chiropractor’s wife mentioned this to me a few years ago. Every time I’ve bought it, I’ve loved it.
Amazon // Vitacost
Tea Tree

Tea Tree Therapy Antiseptic Cream: If I have a reaction to something, I use this. Tea Tree oil is my secret weapon. I also use this on Finn’s skin.
Amazon // Vitacost

**I have also used the Whole Food 365 Unscented Lotion and am so-so about that lotion.**

Body Wash/Soap

AvOr Body Wash

Avalon Organics Bath and Shower Gel: A nice light scent with great ingredients. There are other scents, but I prefer Lavender.
Amazon // Vitacost

Aloe 80 Body Wash

Lily of the Desert Aloe 80 Body Wash: Another favorite for the scent and ingredient.
Amazon // Vitacost

Olive Oil Bar

Kiss My Face Olive Oil Bar: Sometimes you just need a bar, right? This is your guy!
Amazon // Vitacost

Toothpaste

desert-essence-natural-tea-tree-oil-toothpasteDesert Essence Natural Toothpaste: Besides one other natural toothpaste brand I’ve tried (and didn’t like), this is my one and only.
Amazon // Vitacost

Sunscreen 

Check out the new EWG Report on Sunscreens to review your current sunscreen. Or, check out their list of the best to buy. Also, this summer I plan to try my hand at making a batch of homemade sunscreen.

7th Gen

Seventh Generation Wee Generation Sunscreen: This is also available at Target. Amazon // Vitacost

Aveeno Baby

Aveeno Baby Natural Protection (Mineral Based): This is great for the hard to reach spots… behind ears, parts, etc. Again, not just for babies! Finn enjoys putting this on my face… sometimes the arm twister necessary for me to apply it to him!  Amazon // Vitacost

Kiss My Face

Kiss My Face Natural Mineral Sunscreen: I would encourage you to stick with this version and avoid the similar “Kids” version. It’s a bit cleaner. This is also available at Target and Whole Foods. Amazon // Vitacost

CA Baby

California Baby Fragrance-free Sunscreen: There is also a larger 6 ounce bottle which might be best for families or if multiple individuals will be using this sunscreen. This is also available at Target. Amazon // Vitacost

NIA24

NIA24 Mineral Sunscreen: This worked well for me but was too strong for Finn last summer.  Amazon // N/A Vitacost

Hand Soap/Foam

Bronner

Dr. Bronner’s Organic Pure Castile Liquid Soap: This is – hands down- the best organic/natural soap for your money. You can search for larger volumes, too. It goes in containers as large as 1 gallon. There are also a variety of scents available.
Amazon // Vitacost

** If you’re looking for hand foam, we’ve used the Whole Foods 365 hand foam. It is very light in texture and scent. **

I hope this was helpful for you if you are just starting to move in the direction of health and beauty items. I’m happy to answer questions and would love to hear about the natural products you’ve tried… the good, the bad and the ugly! Please share your feedback, thoughts and suggestions in the comments below.

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