Monday, August 24, 2015

5 Things to Never, Ever Try

Just kidding! Reverse psychology sometimes works on my son...

I love trying new things!

I recently started writing for a magazine in town, as the resident nutrition advisor! Ha!

Not just nutrition, but fun (and needed to be talked about) topics surrounding our health and well-being. I thought I'd start posting some of them as I continue on this awesome journey!

This one talks about fun and awesome products to try. I'm sure you've got some wonderful ones too - let me know about them!


From September Issue of LEVEL Magazine
Bend, Oregon


I think I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again. I LOVE trying new products! My original plan was to go into advertising after college, but that obviously didn’t quite pan out. It’s probably a good thing I’m not in advertising because it would ruin the magic. I’m a sucker for labels, hype, claims, and am always on the hunt for something better. The good news is that I’m also very picky about ingredients and the usefulness and truth about products. Also, it is such a rarity that I buy the same product twice, that when it happens, you know it must be a good find, although it then usually gets discontinued. Don’t you hate that? You finally find the perfect mascara, hydration (for runners!), or salsa, and they either change the ingredients entirely making it something totally different, or they discontinue it! My favorite is when the store I frequent just conveniently stops carrying it. “We can special order, if you like!”. No thank you. I can now special order myself. ONLINE. And it will probably be less expensive!

Anyway, here’s to my second installment (I'll post the first another time!) of awesome products I’ve tried and love, reasons you should try and love it too, and hopefully by the time this goes to print, I’m still buying and loving it! All of these things I’ve bought at least twice, so that is why I decided to share them with you.

1    ACURE – this little skincare line I found in my best friend’s shower! You know, when you are visiting, and they have some cool things available for your use? No? Well. This line is awesome. Not only do they smell good, and are the ingredients natural and incredible (all of them), but they are vegan, paraben free, gluten free, synthetic fragrance free, and all sorts of other things free. The best part? They work awesomely. My first fave is the Brightening Facial Scrub. Made my skin instantly and amazingly soft. Now I have added the Facial Cleansing Crème and their Day Cream moisturizer to my routine. They are meant for things like “stimulating cell growth”, “minimizing pore size” and “firming hydrating and restoring”. Love. Them. All.

2.     Diva Cup – Move along boys, you won’t care about this life-changing device. I never thought I’d look forward to my period, but this little doohickey has made that a reality. At least for one month it did. No more tampons, which seem to exacerbate the cramping and flow many women experience, no more pads, no more freaking out if you go a few too many hours without changing. No toxic shock syndrome for us. Not to mention the toxins and chemicals they put into those things! Look into it. It’s reusable. Yes! It’s a one-time purchase. Yes! It has created shorter periods, less cramping, and less output of money monthly. Yes! Too good to be true? Nope. Go here for more info: www.divacup.com

3.     Juice Plus Chewables – this was supposed to be a “for kids” thing, but adults can eat these too. I swear, our child is rarely sick. He likes vegetables and fruits but on those days where he doesn’t have the best diet, these little wonder yummies fill that gap (even though he takes them daily). He wards off sickness like no other kid I know and he ASKS for them. Meaning he gets extra fruits and veggies daily by choice. Science backed and something I will never stop getting for him. It’s food, in a chewy, and no other product compares. I promise. Don’t want you or your kids to be more healthy? Don’t seek these out. (I know where you can get them. Just ask me.)

4.     LaCroix sparkling water – Do you LOVE carbonation? I do. Now, there will be critics out there saying carbonation isn’t good for you or your digestion, or your bones, but unless your drinking a liter of this stuff a day, I think you’ll be OK. It’s definitely a better alternative to soda, and sometimes you just get SICK of water. No? This brand comes in a myriad of flavors. Natural Grocers has some AWESOME gourmet flavors, like Cherry Lime. Yum! My kid loves them too. When the other kids are drinking soda in our neighborhood, he is happy grabbing one of these to sit on the curb with. LOVE that.

5.     Real Salt – Now that there is some factual information coming out about salt not being evil, here’s a tip: salt things, especially with good salt. Forget the table salt – bleached, white, devoid of real flavor. Get yourself some good salt! Himalayan, gourmet flavored, or this puppy that is actually called Real Salt. Full of trace minerals and more potent than you are used to. I use about half of what is called for in a recipe for the same result. Get some nutrition with your salt! You need minerals. They are good for your body.

There you go! 5 ways to enjoy life more. Let me know what you think! I’d love to hear.



Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Amazingly Easy Protein Muffins

Amazingly Easy Protein Muffins - video


I've been absent for awhile, but for my debut post, I wanted to share the recipe for these muffins, plus a few tips and tricks for customizing them for you!

Staying on track can be challenging when you are feeling less that ideal! I have a cold and ONLY bad things sound good: french fries, soda pop, or anything chocolatey! Here's my remedy, and I ate 3! But no guilt because I'm still on track. And, I didn't eat immune suppressing sugar and refined flour. EW!

Here is the super easy recipe! If you don't have Shakeology, why don't you? But also, any yummy protein powder should do:

1/2 C Oat Flour
1 Scoop Protein Powder of choice or 1 Scoop Shakeology (I use vegan chocolate, you can use any protein powder you have!)
1 egg
1 egg white
1/4 C unsweetened almond milk
1/2 C smashed banana
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbs chocolate chips
Blend together all in one bowl (Use just use a wisk!). Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, and enjoy! Makes 6 muffins. 1 muffin has approx. 110 calories, 8.5p, 13c, 3.5f.

Let me know what you think if you try them!