HOW TO LIVE A LOWER TOXIN LIFESTYLE WHILE WORKING OUTSIDE OF THE HOME
I celebrated 10 years with my company this year! I can’t believe it has been that long. When I first started I was NOT crunchy at all. I was probably the opposite actually. 😜 After my lifestyle switch I worked on incorporating different routines to lower my toxin burden. I think there are a lot of really amazing crunchy folks who share ideas for being at home full time but that’s not reality for a lot of people so hopefully this will give you some ideas if you work outside of the home. I don't work outside the home all of the time but when I do I incorporate these as much as I can.
Please know that I am NOT perfect at these. Not one bit! I am human and get busy, lazy, etc… so please don’t think I am doing all of this perfectly all the time.
Let me know if you have any questions or need help switching something out!
GYM HABITS
If you have access to a gym during the day then I 100% recommend working out during your lunch break. It is such a game changer! Here are some gym/workout tips:
Bring your own soap to the gym. My gym provides big bottles of spray deodorant (gross lol), mouthwash, body wash, shampoo, etc.. and I don’t use them. I have a small container of body wash & deodorant I leave in my gym bag always.
Bring flip flops for the shower! Maybe I’m odd but seeing women walk around with no shoes haunts me.
Bring your own towel. I used to do this but honestly I’ve been lazy so I do use the gym towels now.
If you can do your workout outside- do it! Add in the extra bonus of getting some vitamin D. If you can’t do that then at least try to go on a walk outside if you can- even if it’s just for 15 minutes. I walk outside on the trails for 30-40ish minutes a few times a week and I am dripping sweat when it’s over! It’s a good way to get outside, get out from behind a computer & detox by sweating.
Bring a pre-workout snack so you won’t be hungry.
Bring workout clothes for the entire week on Monday that way you won’t forget to pack them during the week.
EATING AT WORK/FOOD PREP
Bring your own silverware to avoid using plasticware
I cannot emphasize this one enough- BRING YOUR OWN FOOD. Seriously, stop eating out for lunch every day & bring breakfast!
I make scrambled eggs & some type of muffin/carb for breakfast every single day. I switch it up but I always have eggs with fat & carbs & sometimes fruit. It’s easier to avoid office donuts when you’re properly fueled.
Eat leftovers for lunch. I do this every day as well except for rare occasions when I go to lunch for a celebration. Eating out every day is expensive & you’re also consistently exposed to less than stellar ingredients & oils.
I do not like meal prep that involves cooking meals for a whole week on a Sunday but if you do like that then go for it! I just like variety and fresh food but I have friends who like to “cook once” and eat all week so if that is what fits you then do that!
Make food the night or day before. On Sunday mornings I make eggs for breakfast before church. I always make more and put them in a container for Monday so they’re ready to go. Minimize your cooking time when you can by batch cooking.
Limit microwave usage. This one is hard y’all. I definitely use a microwave at work. To offset that I don’t use it at home. Microwaves are so terrible for us! If you can bring some type of food warmer instead- do that! I am hoping to find an alternative for myself because it kills me to use a microwave.
Bring salads if you can. I am not a huge salad person but it would eliminate microwave usage some if I had a salad instead. Do what you can and know that any little change helps lower your burden! Even if you need to bring a sandwich, use organic ingredients if you can. Small changes make a difference!
Cut veggies & cook meat on the weekends or one weeknight. This is such a game changer. It takes me less than 30 minutes to make dinner because I have the meat already cooked and veggies ready to go. I just have to assemble. Sometimes cooking meat and/or washing and chopping veggies can take 30 minutes alone. Doing a little prep work right after you grocery shop is a huge time saver.
Make things double. I like to have oat bites and sourdough bread, for example. I always double recipes and freeze so I don’t have to do these things weekly. Sometimes it doesn’t take any longer to double and you save yourself from having to start all over all the time and saves dish washing time as well.
On that note- use your dishwasher! I used to hardly use our dishwasher. We would run it maybe once a week. I’ve just always hand washed everything. To save time- utilize it! Bringing your own food to work does mean more dishes/containers so help yourself out and put things in the dishwasher that you would typically wash on your own.
Buy food in bulk online to limit grocery store trips and/or utilize grocery delivery. I like to stock up on certain things from Costco and Thrive. This saves me from having to go to several stores all the time. I also have no shame in using Whole Foods delivery. Not having to go to the store physically saves me so much time & it’s worth the delivery fee in my opinion. When I do go to the store I go on a Friday on my way home. Try to not go to the store on the weekend! It’s more crowded so it takes longer and that takes away from family time. Plus, going while you’re already on your way home means you’re already out and in your car.
Use frozen veggies. It’s okay to not always use fresh veggies. Sometimes it’s so nice to be able to just open the bag & cook. Cook them on the stove top though!- not the microwave.
Don’t use plastic bags/tupperware. Get some nice glass containers & stasher bags. You especially don’t want to have hot food in plastic!
Bring your own cups. I like Yeti and Corkcicle personally. Don’t drink out of plastic cups! Y’all know I’m a bit extra so I did ask at my company and they use carbon filtering for the water. If you aren’t sure, ask! & if you need to filter the water then I like the Clearly Filtered water bottle.
Keep any regular salt/spices at your desk. I literally have a container of Redmond RealSalt that I just keep at work lol This is good to add to your water and any leftovers.
Bring any teas/electrolytes to keep as well. I like to have Pique tea packets on hand and Redmond relyte packs.
Bring your own coffee. I drink Purity decaf coffee while I’m getting ready. Office coffee isn’t going to be organic. It’s going to be the cheapest option for coffee most of the time. Coffee can be heavily sprayed with toxins so skip the work coffee and bring your own.
Always have snacks! I keep chomps, pumpkin seeds, sourdough crackers, simple mills crackers, avocados, etc… at work all the time.
Make meals that provide leftovers on weeknights and make meals that might not have leftovers on the weekends. We love Defined Dish pizza bites on Friday nights because we don’t need to save them for lunch the next day! Also, make meals that require more time on weekends. If I am making mashed potatoes then I most likely am doing that on a weekend because it takes longer.
Cook at home. We eat out on Saturday nights and Sunday after church during a regular week. I cook all of our other meals. This honestly saves you so much from bad ingredients when you’re making things.
Meal plan— I always plan my meals for a week and ideally for a month. You could even do a rotation where you take 6 weeks of meals and make a menu and then just rotate them out. Planning ahead for meals is what saves you because sometimes planning is the hardest part.
RANDOM
Use wired headphones to listen to your phone and not AirPods. Y’all, remember I am not perfect. I DO use these but I am trying to use them less and use wired when I can. They are so incredibly harmful for us.
Use a pill organizer so you can have all of your supplements with you. It’s hard to take supplements if you don’t have them readily available! I have a huge granny style pill box that I refill every Friday night for the following week.
Have a mini first aid kit. I have a bag with oils, homeopathic tablets and other natural remedies so I am ready for headaches, cuts. etc…
Outsource as needed. I do NOT like having someone in my home so for the longest time I didn’t want a housekeeper but I pulled the plug last year and let me tell you- it has been a game changer for sure. Maybe you need a nanny or someone to help take care of pets or do errands. Whatever it is— don’t be afraid to get some help!
If you have the ability to have flexibility and work from home sometimes- do that! I certainly do. I don't go to an office every single day and I am so much more productive working at home anyway.
RECIPES
When I asked for questions for this post on Instagram the # 1 item was easy meals! I’m going to paste some favorites below. The best thing about these is that you can really mix and match them. For example, in the stew recipe you can do carrots and potatoes or peas and zucchini, etc.. so mix and match them to fit your preferences!
INSTANT POT STEW— I make this at least once a week! https://thesaltymarshmallow.com/best-ever-instant-pot-beef-stew/
SHREDDED CHICKEN WITH TESSEMAES/CHOSEN BRAND MARINADE & VEGGIES
Use your IP or crock pot to cook chicken and then shred and use a Tessemaes or Chosen brand marinade on top and serve with green beans and rice/potatos/bread.
INSTANT POT PASTA WITH MEAT SAUCE—I always add veggies to this one. https://www.theleangreenbean.com/instant-pot-pasta-with-meat-sauce/
SHEET PAN FAJITAS- I am NOT a fan of chicken in the oven usually because it’s gross and dry but I promise this is not like that! This is so good and easy. Serve with tortillas & chips and guac. So good! https://lifemadesimplebakes.com/sheet-pan-chicken-fajitas/#wprm-recipe-container-31577
JANICE’S CHICKEN- This is a family recipe and my favorite meal growing up. I don’t have measurements— just let God lead you 😉
Ingredients:
Cubed or shredded cooked chicken- 1-2 pounds
Chicken broth or bone broth - a few cups
Butter- a few tablespoons
Flour- any kind- a few tablespoons
Shredded cheese
Salt/pepper
Onion powder
Tarragon
Rice
Directions:
Melt butter on stove & once melted mix in flour and stir to combine.
Slowly pour in broth and stir. Turn on low and let simmer for a few minutes. Pour in shredded cheese & spices, minus the tarragon.
Put chicken in a greased pan. Put spices on chicken, minus tarragon again.
Pour the sauce on top of the chicken.
Sprinkle tarragon on top- this is the key ingredient!
Bake at 350 for 20-30ish minutes.
While baking, make rice.
Serve over rice and pair with any other veggies you want! I love the sauce over the rice. So yummy!
Defined Dish Santa Fe Chicken Bowl- My friend just gave me this recipe. So good! https://thedefineddish.com/santa-fe-chicken-bowl/
SLOPPY JOES -I adapted this recipe from Just.Ingredients
Ingredients:
Primal Kitchen BBQ sauce- two bottles
2 pounds ground beef
Salt/pepper/garlic powder/onion powder
Coconut Aminos
Worcestershire Sauce
Hamburger Buns
Red Bell Pepper: Optional
Directions:
Brown the ground beef and add spices.
Optional: add chopped bell pepper while cooking if you want
Pour in 1.5-2 bottles of BBQ sauce.
Add 1/4 cup coconut aminos and 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce.
Adjust as necessary depending on if you want it to be more or less liquid.
Serve on buns with Siete or Late July chips!
You could also serve over sweet potatoes or with sourdough bread.
BATCH ENCHILADAS
I’m a rule follower so I’m not going to post the exact recipe but by Fallon Danae’s BATCH cookbook and make her nourishing chicken enchiladas! They are the best I’ve had!
Note: I do use beef instead of chicken but both work!
SIETE ENCHILADAS
Since I can’t post Fallon’s enchilada recipe I’ll give this one. It’s a green sauce instead of red and super yummy! https://sietefoods.com/blogs/recipes/green-chicken-enchiladas
Hopefully this gives you some meal ideas! Below are my favorite cookbooks/websites. I make tons of recipes from all of these resources!
Batch by Fallon Danae- I bought digitally and then printed.
Defined Dish- She has a very extensive website & cookbooks. We make her pizza bites often!
Kristin Cavallari: If you would’ve told me 15 years ago when I was watching Laguna Beach that I would one day look to Kristin as one of my fav cookbook authors I would’ve laughed in your face! But she has to cookbooks and I am obsessed with them both! I’ve been making her pumpkin muffins lately and they are delicious.
Mix and Match Mama/Shay Shull: I read her blog every single morning! She has TONS of recipes. She is not a “clean” cook by any means but I take her general recipes and adapt them with cleaner ingredients.
I hope this post helped give some practical tips for lowering your toxin exposure outside the home. Please let me know if you have questions!