APRIL 2020 ROUNDUP
Fellow Siete tortilla lovers- For a while I was missing out and maybe you have been too!
I have regularly bought the almond flour tortillas for a while now and I love them. I talk about them all the time on here. On New Years Eve I went to my friend’s house and she had a taco bar with these tortillas. I had never had the Cassava flour ones and I am so glad she introduced me that night! These taste so much more like a traditional four tortilla. From now on I will likely buy these instead of the almond ones.
Why do I choose Siete tortillas? Scroll over to the second picture to see ingredients in your typical Mission flour tortillas and then scroll to the third picture to see the Siete ingredients. See the difference? The Siete ingredients are way better with less ingredients in general and no trans fats, folic acid, soy, corn or refined oils.
If you haven’t ever had Siete tortillas you should definitely give these a try. They are paleo, non-GMO, gluten free, dairy free, soy free and vegan. I love their ingredients and they are super yummy. 😋
Without realizing it, I’ve been using a non-toxic cleaner on my floor for years without even trying. Years before I even knew about this lifestyle I bought a steam mop for my first house and I love it! We actually clean our floors two ways, which I’ll explain.
First, I use the steam mop. Some people will put some type of cleaner in their steam mop but I just use water and let the steam disinfect. This is a better alternative to something like a Swiffer because Swiffer mop pads have harsh chemicals in them that are linked to endocrine disruption, reproductive disruption, skin irritation, allergies and respiratory issues. Plus you have to keep buying them which is annoying. I like that I can just wash the pad on my steam mop and re-use it. I also think about having a baby soon and don’t want him crawling on the floor with those ingredients and then having him put his hands in his mouth and what not.
The second way we clean the floors is with the Thieves household cleaner. We don’t do this every weekend by any means but when we (and by we, I mean Corey because he’s actually more concerned with the floors than I am) want to clean each tile individually this is what we use. Corey will literally spray each tile and wipe it down individually! I also use this if I spill something on the floor and need to clean it up right then.
I have the Shark Steam mop pictured here and it has been great for several years! No complaints.
Eggs are such a powerhouse food! I eat scrambled eggs every single morning for breakfast because I love them so much & they are full of nutrients. There are various types of eggs at the store so I wanted to break down the labeling for ya!
Cage Free: This term is regulated by the USDA. This just means that the eggs come from hens that aren’t in cages. They can freely roam in a building or enclosed area but do not have access to the outdoors. These hens have more violence and lower air quality.
Free-Range: This is another USDA term and it means the eggs come from hens that have some sort or access to the outdoors. This doesn’t mean that the hens actually go outdoors though; it simply means there is access. The outdoor space could be a small fenced-in-area that the farmer could open the door to at some point. Basically this could mean your hens are out in the big open air OR it could mean the hens are in barns with less than s single foot of square space and limited access to the outdoors. Basically this means nothing except it’s better than “cage free”. Pasture-Raised: This term is not regulated by the USDA but if the carton says this & also includes stamps that say either “Certified Humane” or “Animal Welfare Approved” it means that each hen was given 108 sq. feet of outdoor space as well as barn space indoors.
Local: This means eggs from a flock less than 400 miles from the processing facility or within the same state.
Organic: This just means the eggs come from hens who are fed an organic diet, free from antibiotics and hormones, live cage free and free range.
Vegetarian Fed: this means they aren’t fed mass produced food that contains animal byproducts.
Hormone free: means the hens weren’t given hormones… which is already banned by the FDA.
No added antibiotics: very few hens are given antibiotics and the ones that are are “diverted from human consumption” anyway.
Sources:
https://wholefully.com/cage-free-or-free-range-egg-labels-explained/
I am so happy I read this book! I kept seeing it everywhere and I now highly recommend it. I would suggest reading BEFORE pregnancy so you have information from the start! This post is just going to be random tidbits. In future posts I’ll break down some more specific components but these are just random facts. Per usual, this is NOT my own research so I take no credit. This is all from the book!
Chronic diseases are on the rise and a # of researchers have linked the development of certain diseases to exposures in utero.
Your diet, exercise, sleep habits, stress management and exposure to toxins are within your control when you’re pregnant.
Numerous health problems were found by Dr. Weston Price when he traveled the world. He found numerous health problems were more prevalent in children who are more foods like sugar and refined grains.
Only 25% of accredited U.S. medical schools require a dedicated nutrition course.
Real food is as close to its source as possible and grown or raise in conditions that maximize nutrient density. It is minimally processed. It doesn’t have a label, but when it does it’s made with simple ingredients with no additives.
The saying that a pregnant woman needs to “eat for two” is an overstatement. A pregnant woman should only need to eat for 1.1. You do need to increase certain nutrients and vitamins though.
Optimal prenatal nutrition requires you to get enough carbs, protein and fat.
Carbs are the only macronutrient that significantly raise your blood sugar.
49%-52% of adults in the US have either diabetes or prediabetes.
Women who eat more refined carbohydrates have an average pregnancy weight gain 18 pounds higher than women who eat mainly unprocessed carbohydrates.
First ½ of pregnancy you should aim for 80 g of protein per day- second half aim for 100 g per day.
Serious issues can occur if you don’t eat enough fat during pregnancy. Your baby’s brain, which is approximately 60% fat, is being made from scratch during pregnancy.
10 ways to use Cedarwood oil!
Lindsey Elmore wrote a post about 10 ways to use this oil & I typed them out for ya.... and numbered wrong so it really looks like 9 ways but I promise there’s 10. 🙃
This oil smells so good. It’s a good one just to diffuse!
Corey and I got out of town this weekend and it was so nice to be outside and away from home. Corey grew up hunting and fishing. When we first got pregnant we automatically started thinking of all the things we would do with our son/daughter that we did growing up (mine was OU football!) With each lost baby we lost hope of doing those things. This weekend was surreal as we took baby boy to the lease for the first time -albeit in my tummy! In roughly 11 weeks we’ll finally have our little boy and we can’t wait to bring him out here as he grows. 💙
I wanted to point out some ways I travel with my non-toxic stuff when we come up here.
I bring my dew drop diffuser. It’s perfect for travel. I never leave home with my oils, specifically Thieves, Lavender, Peppermint, Deep Relief and Breathe Again.
I of course bring my Ninxgia packets and Thieves hand soap, dish soap and cleaner. I don’t travel without Thieves products ever! I also bring sanitizer bc when we’re outside all day I can’t wash my hands.
We brought our own food this time so we wouldn’t have to eat out. Snacks included chomp sticks, cashews and some homemade oatmeal loaded with flax seed, nuts for protein and topped with some strawberries and dark chocolate. For dinner I made egg roll in a bowl. We packed all of this in the cooler.
I also always bring my own towels. I use a hand towel on my pillow at night bc I don’t want my face coming into direct contact with any other detergents. I bring my own body towel and small towels I use to wash my face.
That’s not everything but those are just a few things I do/bring to make things like they are at home when we travel. Sometimes it takes a little effort- with meal planning especially- but it’s worth it to make sure I feel my best when I’m not in my own environment.
My biggest tip: read labels for every product you’re buying and all the food you’re eating if it comes in a package. Some companies like to use deceptive marketing to make you think you’re getting something that’s good for you by putting things on the front of the package like “clean”, “natural”, “healthy”, “eco-friendly” “chemical free” or other lingo. Do you know what those words mean? NOTHING!
Literally… those don’t mean anything. There are certifications that do mean certain things like USDA organic but using blanket words like the ones above are sometimes used just to make consumers believe they are buying a better product. Don’t fall for these marketing schemes! Companies want you to be a dumb consumer. They want to put fancy words on the front and trick people into buying things sometimes. They don’t want you to know to read ingredient labels and make better options for you and your family.
That’s my tip for today- just read ingredient labels and start researching what to look out for on them! As always- I’m happy to help with this. 😀
This is my first official baby product post! As we get closer to baby boy’s arrival and start getting stuff in I’m going to start sharing what I buy. I thought I would start with these cute things I got from Bella Tunno. I won’t need these for a while but I just couldn’t resist buying them.
These are CPSIA compliant, which means they are third party tested for lead, phthalates and choking hazards. They are also BPA and PVC free and made with food grade silicone. I love that they are silicone because I’ve heard these are easy to clean.
The bowls also have suction on the bottom so they will stick to our counter to help prevent them from being picked up and thrown around with food in them.
Of course you know I had to buy the ones with the cute organic sayings. 🤪 I bought some others as well not pictured here. They have several cute little sayings on all of their products! I will for sure be buying more stuff in the future as I start needing more.
I’ve shared about why you should ditch dryer sheets before on my stories but I wanted to post again so it’s always here to reference. Swipe over to see!
To be honest I have never used a dryer sheet before! I don’t know why but I just never have but I’m glad because I know how bad they are. Luckily there is an alternative though! You can use a wool dryer ball with essential oils. A little tip I’ve seen is to put a safety pin in the dryer ball as well because that helps with static.
Here are some combo ideas.
Lavender + Stress Away
Lavender + Lemon
Thieves + Peppermint
Orange + Lemon + Lavender
Stress Away + Orange