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Healing Disordered Eating, Part 1

 I really keep meaning to write about nutrition, supplements, and health. I have so many posts I’ve started about lemon water, meal-planning on a budget and more recipes. However, my heart is leading me elsewhere and so I follow.

I say this is “Healing Disordered Eating, Part 1” because I believe there will be many more posts on this subject because disordered eating is thick and deep and intense, as are we. So, where should we start?

    The first step to healing, the one that I had the hardest time taking, is kindness. Yup, kindness. To start with, kindness for oneself is so challenging and yet, isn’t it said that you can’t love others until you love yourself? I have to disagree. I have loved and continue to love deeply, though at times I have not loved myself. Let it be said, though, that as I have learned to be kind to myself, my love for others flows more freely and without obstacles. So, perhaps it should be said, you can’t love others freely until you are freely loving yourself.

I wish it was as easy as saying, “Be kind to yourself” and then we could move on, but it’s not. It’s a daily, hourly, by-the-minute practice. It takes conscious effort until it becomes your unconscious norm. Kind thoughts, kind feelings, kind words, kind actions…. Where, oh where do we start?

Let’s get one thing straight: Mean people suck. It’s true. They leave such a bad taste in your mouth and perhaps a PTSD feeling whenever you think about encounters you’ve had with them. I’ve been hurt so badly by people I’ve trusted and by complete strangers. These encounters are not easily forgotten. They shape our view of the world. Words can hurt. Period. I’m sure I’ve hurt many people as well and I am sorry that there have been times I was a “mean person”, or acted meanly. I’ve been most hurtful to myself. Perhaps you have too.

I hear stories about bullying and I cringe. How can people be so cruel? Of course this kind of cruelty is not just small town, schoolyard drama; people are fighting on social media, bullying on blogs, and just being violent and hateful in general. And so it spreads to a national and global level that makes me scared for my children, for all children. And then it just makes me angry.

Before my anxiety and frustration can run rampant, I have to bring it home and I invite you to do the same. Start with yourself. Affirmations go a LONG way. (A quick aside: I practiced an affirmation every day for a few months that stated, “I run five miles effortlessly.” At the time I started the affirmation, I was walking and jogging two to three miles every other day. A couple months in, I truly was running five miles and it was effortless. Making a long story short, it worked!) When a negative thought comes into your mind, try adding, “And I love myself.” Or say, “I am loveable.” Because you are. I know it. Some affirmations to try are the following: “I eat when I’m hungry. I stop when I’m full.” “I am beautiful, healthy and strong.” “I am kind to myself.” “I take care of myself.”

Be nice. To yourself, to others, to all. I don’t have all the answers to the cruelty that exists in the world, but I know it starts somewhere deep within, some kind of wound that festers and breeds all kinds of ugliness. So heal it. Heal deep down inside, the places that you don’t want people to see and the places that cause you to lash out at others when they get too close. The insecurities. The failures. The “I’m not good enough’s”. Speak kind words into those places.

  I’m sorry if you thought this was going to be a step-by-step posting on how to cure your roller-coaster dieting or your binge eating struggles. I wish I could give that to you, but it starts deep within. It starts with kindness. That first, giant step is one that will lead you on a path of complete healing. I can almost guarantee it. When you eat something you think is “bad”, try saying, “I ate this and I am still loveable.” Step off the scale and step into your life because it’s moving forward and you deserve to live it. Stop agonizing over it. Stop bullying yourself. This kindness that your spirit so desperately needs is waiting for you. Speak it. Find it. Feel it. If you want off the roller-coaster and you want to feel comfortable in your own skin again, the exit, the starting line, the journey, and the destination are all at the same place: Here. Now.

I do offer intuitive eating coaching sessions and will continue to post Parts 2, 3, 4 and however many I come up with for this subject of disordered eating that is so near and dear to my heart. For now though, practice kindness.

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My Affair with Wheat & Gluten and How it Ended

Today is my 35th birthday. It’s pretty surreal actually… Getting older and all that jazz. Being a mom to two lovely babies. Being a wife to an incredible husband. Turning 35… Anyway, happy birthday to me! Today also marks another turn in my journey with food.

I gave up gluten when I was in grad school. It was a new concept to me, but as I pursued the nutrition specialty for my degree, I thought, “Maybe there’s something here.” So, I played around with giving it up and I felt better and better as time went on. Gone were the bloating, gas, cramps and unpredictable digestive upsets. Increased energy, clearer skin and regularity arrived in their place. Gluten-free became less of a learning curve and more of a way of life. I learned about gluten-free baking, flours, cookies, packaged products and how to avoid the hidden sources of gluten. I encouraged others to do the same and I have literally worked my practice around the removal of allergens, like gluten.

But I cheated. I hate to use that word, but that’s what it was. I believe in moderation. I believe in obeying cravings. Still, if I’m sensitive to a food and I eat it, I’m cheating. When I was pregnant with my first child, I was just turning the corner from vegan to omnivore and I ate no less than three burgers a week from In-N-Out (aaaah, I miss them!). I didn’t think about the gluten, I just knew I wanted a burger! I was a 90% gluten-free person. I didn’t buy it and I didn’t bring it home, but I would have a bite here and there when I was at restaurants or social events. However, pregnancy seemed to be an especially gluten-filled time.

After the birth of my second child, we discovered that she was allergic to wheat (via a blood test at nine months of age). She had low markers, but considering how little I consumed, we removed it completely from her diet and mine. It wasn’t that hard, considering how familiar I was with a gluten-free lifestyle. Still, I missed it. The occasional hamburger (with bun, from Five Guys… it’s not In-N-Out but it does in a pinch), or naan from an Indian restaurant, or just a good ol’ fashioned piece of real bread made me swoon. I continued to eat gluten-free until my daughter weaned herself at 14 months. Her eczema cleared up quickly and we went about our lives.

When she weaned, I couldn’t wait for a taste. I was so excited. I just had a little here and there and I loved every bite. Then, this summer, I started having reactions. We weren’t sure what they were from but they were serious. They involved rashes, and throat swelling, itching inside and out and extreme lethargy. Benadryl kept me out of the hospital, barely. It also exhausted me for a day or so after using it. Then I discovered HistaEze, which I HIGHLY recommend. It has none of the side effects of Benadryl and all of the necessary ingredients to stop allergies in their tracks (whether seasonal or situational). Still, we needed to know the cause. I started to have increasing anxiety about going places just in case I had another attack. With five attacks in two months, I contacted an allergist and set up an appointment.

My appointment was yesterday. I had a back scratch test done and wheat flared up instantly. By the time the 15-minute wait was over, it was taking over the other tests on my back. As the allergist said, “We found our smoking gun.” Somewhere between pregnancy, nursing, giving up gluten and taking it back, wheat and my body had a horrible disagreement. The Gluten Doctors have a great blog that I read and they also agree cheating is not an option – read more here.

The red “H” up top is the histamine control and the big red dot below is wheat… after one minute.

So, I start the next year of my life armed with two epi-pens and a bunch of paperwork that basically tells me to never eat wheat again. No more splurges. No more tastes. Apparently, exposure can lead to increasingly worse reactions and I’m not up for that. No taste can compare to living a long and healthy life with my family. It’s been a torrid affair and it’s over.

Yes, I know how to live wheat and gluten free. Yes, I can help you learn too. But only time can help me say goodbye. Food is a powerful force in our lives. It’s associated with pleasure and celebration, comfort and joy. It’s okay to mourn. But it’s not okay to deny it or lie to myself about it. Like any bad breakup, it might include some wine, chocolate and a chick flick, but I’ll get through this!

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Holistic Remedies for the Common Cold

It’s so much easier to think and read about cold remedies when you’re not sick. At least it is for me! When I’m sick, I can’t even read, let alone make some fancy concoction. This is the predicament I found myself in last week when my baby girls and myself were laid out flat with really bad colds.

Oh a cold is a cold is a cold and it’s stuffy noses and coughs, right? Well, yes, but sometimes it’s debilitating. The headache, alternating runny and stuffy nose, cough and sore throat really put me down! When it hit me (Day 1), I was kind of in shock and I just sat there, guzzling water and wiping all three of our noses. On Day 2, I was feeling worse and had to be a little more proactive, taking 6,000 IU of vitamin D3 in the morning, 2,000 mg of vitamin C every few hours and 1 Tbsp of liquid silver every four hours. I continued to drink hot lemon water with honey whenever I had the energy to make it. It all seemed to take too much effort. When I woke up still feeling horrible on Day 3, I was desperate enough to raid my arsenal. I continued with vitamin C and silver, while adding garlic tea (see below) and raw chopped garlic to my food. Drinking water, juice and tea all the while, I gradually felt myself improving. By Day 4, I was out of the house, moving around and getting things done. Day 5 found me walking in a 5k with my girlfriends, thankful for my health.

So, what did I learn from this? I need to have my remedies ready to go. I need to be more prepared for the onslaught of exhaustion that might very well prevent me from creating some healing concoctions. I need to ask for help. On Day 3, when I was in tears because I had another 11-hour day ahead of me watching my sick babies and taking care of myself, I asked my husband to chop and peel garlic before he left for work. What a help! It made all the difference, having someone give me access to the things I needed to help myself.

Interested in garlic tea? I learned to make this when I was pregnant and was nervous about what I could and couldn’t take for a cold. It’s very simple. Peel and cut 5-6 cloves of garlic. Pour boiling water over them (preferably in a one-quart mason jar) and cover (I use a pot holder). Let steep for about 30 minutes and drink up. Sometimes I add lemon and honey. Sometimes instead of water I use broth. I also reuse the garlic one or two more times, by refilling the jar with hot water.

I whole-heartedly attribute my quick turn-around to silver and garlic. However, there are some more things I could’ve done and want to be prepared to try in the future. I read this amazing article on Holistic Squid’s blog that gave me some great ideas! You can read the whole article here. I am going to invest in fermented cod liver oil and oil of oregano. I may also get some elderberry syrup. I’m inspired by the posts on Holistic Squid’s website and hope you’ll check them out too!

Just an aside, I can get you any of these supplements as a practitioner who works with Designs for Health. I am very particular about which supplements I recommend because the quality of supplements is not regulated; therefore you don’t always get what you’re paying for. Buying from a company that sells only to practitioners (like Designs for Health) or purchasing supplements and vitamins that are labeled GMP (Good Manufacturing Processes) is your best bet for getting the high quality necessary to make a difference.

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Easy, Roast Chicken

When I met my husband, I was a raw foodist (consuming only raw vegetables, fruits and nuts). I admit a big part of that lifestyle was my need to control my food intake, to control what I consumed by limiting what I allowed myself to eat. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with raw food diets, Paleo, veganism, vegetarianism, or any of the food choices that so many people make. For me, though, it was less about health and more about control.

As I learned to listen to my body and trust my cravings, I started craving eggs. So, being the excited extremist that I am, I went out and got myself some baby chickens. My future-husband was in shock! A few weeks later I craved fish and while I didn’t go buy an aquarium, I did start incorporating it into my eating habits. Slowly but surely, I began eating fish, eggs and eventually beef. Once I got pregnant, I was eating several hamburgers a week! What a change…

Poultry and pork were foods that I didn’t crave or desire for a long time and I still don’t eat pork, but poultry I’ve eased into over the last few years. It was hard at first, after years of being a vegan, to allow myself to touch, cook and eventually eat something that I had kept out of my reach for so long. I can’t say it’s always easy. My body feels better with clean proteins in it, but my mind shudders a little at times.

All this said, I have to find really creative and yummy ways to cook poultry in order for me to enjoy it; roast chicken is one of those ways. I wanted to share this really easy and delicious way that I prepare a chicken. It’s really easy to make and everyone loves it. Once I got past touching a raw, whole chicken, this became one of my favorite meals to prepare for my family! I hope you’ll try it and enjoy it as well.

Final note: We do not consume poultry that contains hormones or antibiotics. We don’t want to feed those to our children and I, personally, cannot stomach the conditions the chickens might be raised in. I recommend local farms, free-range, hormone- and antibiotic-free chicken only. 

Easy, Roast Chicken

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken
2 lemons cut in fourths
2 onions cut into chunks
4-7 potatoes chopped
3 celery stalks chopped
5 carrots chopped
Any other vegetables you have on hand
4 TBSP butter melted
½ cup of wine (I prefer white, but will use whatever)
1-2 cups of water
1 TBSP oregano
1 TBSP parsley
1 TBSP sage
½ TBSP thyme
salt & pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425. Wash the chicken thoroughly and remove the insides. Immediately transfer to a roasting pan with the drumsticks pointing up. (I have a really old pan, so I line it with foil. Hope to remedy that one day.) Squeeze one of the lemon fourths all over the chicken and shove the rest of them inside with half of the onion pieces. Pour the melted butter over the chicken and arrange the other vegetables around the chicken. On this particular day, I had a huge zucchini from the garden and I added that to the array as well. Sprinkle the spices all over the chicken. Pour the wine over the vegetables and then add water to the pan – this will create a wonderful juice to pour over everything when served.

Place in the oven for one hour. At the one hour mark, baste the chicken in the liquid. I use a small ladle to do it because we don’t have a baster, but a baster would probably be easier! I’ve tried using a thermometer but it wasn’t reliable and I can tell you that it is beyond frustrating to serve dinner and find out it’s not cooked all the way! So, what I do, is cut into a breast all the way to the bone, making sure juices run clear and the meat is white. If not, return to the oven for 10-minute increments, checking each time to make sure the meat is cooked all the way through.

When it’s finished, set it aside for at least 10 minutes and cover with foil. Then serve! I love that it’s a one-dish meal and it comes together so quickly. Between the chicken, the potatoes and the vegetables, we don’t need anything else. It makes great leftovers and I often use the carcass to make an incredible chicken broth, but that’s a blog for another time!

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Teaching Our Daughters to Love their Bodies 

I’ve been thinking about this for a while. There have been some pictures and quotes floating around Facebook about mothers and daughters and self-love and how women were never told to love their bodies, never heard a woman say, “I love my body” and how they’re pledging to change this with the next generation. Empowering, right? So, I decided to try it. I didn’t know how much it would move me. My story is simple:
Driving to the lake one day in our swimsuits, I looked back at my 2-year old and said, “I love my body. It’s so strong and healthy and it lets me go to the lake and play! Do you love your body?” Her answer was simple and full of confidence, “Yes!”

Later that evening, my husband was giving both girls a bath and I overheard this same 2-year old say very matter-of-factly, “Daddy, I love my body. It’s very strong.” Daddy answered so clearly, “Yes, it is!” I, however, stood in the hallway, hand covering my mouth, tears flooding my eyes, wondering if this will change something in her, break some generational curse on us women, judging and despising ourselves and our bodies. I said to my husband, “Remind me, please, to say these words to them at least once every year of their lives.” He lovingly said to me, “That must have been a very powerful experience for you to say those words to her.” It was.

If I could peer into the future I would look for my daughters to be strong, powerful, beautiful, self-assured, confident women who stand for health and inner-beauty, who know their worth lies in far more than their physical appearances, while also having great love for their physical appearances. And if I could see that, I would know, I have truly made a huge difference in this world. They wouldn’t be wasting time counting calories in and calories out, or carbs, or grams of protein, or points or anything else. They’d be too busy living in their amazing bodies.

You might say, “I can’t tell my daughter I love my body because that would be a lie.” And I would ask, “What would it take for you to love your body?”

And you might answer, “After I lose 10 pounds.” Or, “When I am eating better.” Or, “When I’m a size 4.”

And I would say, lovingly, “If it was physically impossible for you to achieve that goal, and I’m not saying it is, but if it was, could you find things that you love about your body? If you had lived through a trauma or a disease that threatened to take your life, could you just be grateful that your body, the same one that’s not thin enough, not tone enough, your extraordinary body got you through it and was still alive to experience this life you have? Or does size matter more than the air you breathe? Does weight matter more than hugs and kisses and laughter?”

You might say, “I still want to be thinner.”

And I would say, “I know. You may always want that, but if today were your last day, would you want to spend it wanting to look different, or teaching your daughter to not waste her amazing life on the same goals?”

May I challenge you to say the words out loud to your daughter(s) today?

“I love my body.”

Follow it up with whatever is your loving thought about your body and is your truth for today.

“I love my body. It has eyes that let me look at you.”

“I love my body. It carried you and birthed you and provided for you and that is a miracle.”

“I love my body. It is strong and capable of lifting you high in the sky and tickling you.”

“I love my body. It is alive today and that’s one more day I get to spend with you.”

I’m not saying you have to stop wanting your body to look different, although taking the pressure off might literally take the weight off your mind and body. I’m not saying you have to stop exercising or following some diet plan, if that’s what brings you peace.

I’m saying that your body is remarkable. And THAT is beautiful.
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Gluten-Free Mac n (Goat) Cheese

     It’s time to share my favorite recipe! I call this “mac n cheese” but really, it’s so much better than that, more gourmet than that. It’s gluten-free pasta with goat cheese, spinach, onions, garlic, spices and love!

I created this recipe when I was pregnant with my first child and I had aversions to so many foods. I had a really difficult time feeding my hungry, pregnant belly when I didn’t want anything. I especially didn’t want vegetables, which, as a nutrition-phile, was frightening! So, I experienced a slight craving for pasta and I went with it. While I was making it, I decided I wanted cheese and realized I could “hide” a lot of spinach in it. My husband and I devoured this so quickly and we were so stuffed but we couldn’t wait to make it again. We ate so much of it that I began thinning the cheese mixture so that I could divide the pasta into two casserole dishes and make it last!

Warning: I am not a chef, nor am I a recipe-writer! Even when I follow recipes I’m not that great at measuring. So, I’m estimating here and if you’re uncomfortable with that, I understand! Please, use more onion and garlic if you like or make your cheese mixture thinner or thicker if that’s what you like. I’m simply and humbly passing on the general flow and creation of a meal that my family and friends absolutely love and I hope you will too!

Gluten-Free Mac n (Goat) Cheese

Ingredients:

1 onion chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbsp butter (or coconut oil – if you don’t use butter)
1 11-oz log of Chevre goat cheese
1c So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverage unsweetened (or other dairy / non-dairy beverage)
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp parsley
Salt & pepper to taste
Lots of spinach (at least 2 cups)
16 oz GF Pasta (I use Trader Joe’s organic brown rice pasta)
Water to boil
½ lb Cheddar goat cheese, shredded (or less)

Onions and garlic cooked with butter or oil – the foundation of many great meals!
Sautee the onion and garlic in the butter over medium heat until soft. Add the Chevre and break it up in the pot, lowering the heat slightly so it doesn’t burn. Once the Chevre softens, add the milk. When everything is thickened and liquid, add the spices and stir. Lower the temperature to medium-low, add as much spinach as you want and put the lid on it. You want it just below a simmer. Check it every few minutes and turn it off when the spinach is wilted.

I use both plain and “garlic & herbs” Chevre, depending on what I have in the fridge.

Thickened, melted Chevre and milk with spices on top.

I’m guessing this is 2 cups of spinach, but I cram even more in. Experiment with the amount you like. It practically disappears into the dish!
Now, boil the pasta and shred the cheddar cheese. Just before you dump your pasta into a colander, add a ladle-ful of pasta-boiling-water to your cheese mixture (this adds the starch to help the mixture adhere to the pasta when mixed together).

This is a half pound block of cheddar goat cheese from Trader Joe’s. I also will get cheddar goat cheese from Whole Foods and use 7 oz. The dish won’t suffer with more or less cheese.

Do you have a Kitchen-Aid mixer? Do you have the grinder attachment? I love it. It shreds a block of cheese in about 30 seconds!
This is the pasta I prefer to use. Cook til al dente so it doesn’t become mushy.
The water is milky because of the starch being released from the pasta. This starch, added to the cheese mixture, will make the mixture “stick” to the pasta instead of sinking to the bottom.
If you forget this step, don’t panic! You can’t go wrong with pasta and cheese. Can you?
Don’t forget this step… Rinsing your pasta will stop it from cooking and prevent mushiness when everything is combined and baked.
Assemble. Divide the pasta between two casserole dishes. Mix the cheese and spinach mixture into it. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar goat cheese on top. Cover and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
Divide pasta between 2 casserole dishes.
Stir the cheese mixture into the pasta and sprinkle the shredded cheese on top. Cover and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

The goodness of this meal is unrivaled in our home! Enjoy!

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Holistic Mothering

  What is holistic mothering?

It can’t be defined as clearly as some things, but it definitely has to do with a holistic mindset. Holistic mothering is as much about being a holistic person as it is about being a holistic parent. It’s nurturing your child’s mind, body and soul while feeding your own. This is no easy task! There are days where there aren’t enough hours or patience, but at the end of those days, if you have grace for yourself and your children, you’ll kiss and makeup and try again tomorrow.

Becoming a mother has taught me more about what I believe the heart of God is. My love for my girls overcomes all things; the hurt feelings, the poor behavior, the tantrums, the sleepless nights, the throwing of toys, the hurting other children….all things. I believe God has that kind of love for me. And now I believe it more. My heart for my children is like nothing I knew I possessed before they came into my life. To protect, honor, respect, cherish, raise, guide, educate, and enjoy…these are just some of my heart’s desires now.

Holistically mothering my 2-year old – letting her paint and repaint her cardboard car we made together, no matter the mess!
Holistic parenting isn’t summed up by attachment parenting, co-sleeping, extended breastfeeding, alternative vaccination schedules, cloth diapering, baby led weaning or any combination of these (and other) practices. It’s trying my best every day, no matter what that “best” looks like. We all make choices each day. Holistic mothering is a practice of mindfulness in these choices. I believe my kids are worth me taking the time to be mindful of the choices I make for them and the choices I offer to them. So I try, I try really hard, to take that time, for them.

Holistically mothering my 1-year old – pots and pans, pots and pans!
Speaking of holistic mothering, I am honored to have received a copy of The Mother magazine to review for you all. The Mother magazine is a UK magazine, which offers quirky language differences (that I personally love), education on so many subjects (Montessori, Over-Attachment Parenting, and Vaccination Education, to name a few) and a kinship with parents in general. There are very few advertisements, which I can’t say of many other magazines. Photographs are submitted by readers, so they’re very real, touching and artistic. How often do you feel at peace with yourself as a mother? How often do you read parenting articles and feel better instead of worse about your mothering style? As parenting magazines go, The Mother is inspiring, educational and kind. It would make a wonderful gift to yourself or any mother in your life! We can all use a little more kindness in our lives.
To read more about The Mother, including how to order a subscription or back issues, follow these links:

The Mother magazine www.themothermagazine.co.uk 
Croft House, Glassonby, near Penrith CA10 1DU Cumbria UK  Ph: +44 (0)1768 897 121
North American Publishing office: Contact Kathryn Los  www.themothermagazine.org
NEW! Out of stock issues NOW AVAILABLE as PDFs!: http://www.themothermagazine.co.uk/backissues/index.shtml

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Homemade Mosquito Repellant

Homemade non-toxic mosquito repellant: 3 ingredients!
     Our move to Virginia came with lots of surprises, one of which I wasn’t prepared for: bugs. More importantly, bug bites. I can’t even express how much I despise mosquito bites. I swell and itch and scratch and itch and scratch… you get the point. We came here when I was pregnant during the summer and I dreaded leaving the house out of fear that a bug bite would further enhance my pregnancy-induced insomnia. You shouldn’t have to live in fear of bug bites! This is my third summer here and I’m getting used to it (as much as you can get used to it).

I’m always trying new bug sprays while refusing to use the majority of over-the-counter mosquito repellants because of their ingredients. I now have little babies to think about too. It is becoming common knowledge that the substances we put on our skin enter into our bloodstream. You can read more about that here, if you’re interested. So, I ask myself often, if I wouldn’t eat it, should I put it on my body? Or on my babies’ bodies?

Now I arrive at the reason for this post: my favorite, effective, good-smelling, non-toxic, homemade, 3-ingredient mosquito repellant! There is no sticky or oily residue and you don’t stink afterwards. It does require re-application and it may clog some spray bottles, but these are minor issues to me when my skin and my children’s skin is protected (without the use of chemicals).

Mosquito repellant without the chemicals
Ingredients:
2 tsp vanilla extract (no sugar added, not imitation)
1 tsp orange oil (essential oil)
8 oz water

Directions:
Mix these together thoroughly and pour into a spray bottle (or several). Shake before use. Spray a lot, everywhere, frequently. I base these measurements off of an e-how article I read and I’ve made it twice, both times with good results.

Here are some tips to get you started concocting your own non-toxic homemade bug spray: 

  • Buy organic vanilla extract. I purchased a 4 oz bottle made by Simply Organic. The good news? There’s always a $1 off coupon available on their website!
  • Use a high-quality essential oil. I used Wyndmere because that’s what I could find in the store (here it is listed on Amazon, if you can’t find it). Higher quality essential oils can be purchased through an authorized seller of Young Living Essential Oils (which I am). Check out their website and see the difference! If you’re interested in purchasing this oil or other oils, just contact me!
  • As for the spray bottle, I tried a standard spray bottle that you would get in the cleaning aisle and it lasted about a day before it clogged. I have since purchased trial size spray bottles at Target for $0.97 each. Even with daily use only one has clogged!

Usually, I hate spraying bug spray and use it sparingly, but not with this stuff. Let me know what you think!

EDITED 8/6/14:
I still love this bug spray but I’ve learned a few things. No plastic bottles! Invest in glass when using essential oils. This spray didn’t remain effective in a clear, plastic bottle because light was able to get to it. Buy small, dark glass bottles (I found some at a local health food store for less than $3). I also know now that I will not put any other essential oils on mine or my family’s bodies unless the oils are Young Living Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils. Other oils are not guaranteed or even created for anything other than aromatherapy. They are not safe for skin application and can actually be unhealthy when applied. Lesson learned!

If you want to make the switch to Young Living, it’s easy!

Go here and enter the Sponsor ID and Enroller ID 1414775. Enter your personal information, select Wholesale (it will save you 24% off the retail price), and choose the Premium Starter Kit. You can bypass the Essential Rewards Kits (they’re optional) and you’ll be well on your way to experiencing all these benefits and more! (If you do decide to do Essential Rewards, you can sign up at any time, spend $50 a month and save on shipping while gradually building your medicine cabinet arsenal for every ailment imaginable).

Read more about why we use ONLY Young Living in our home here.

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Non-Toxic Floor Cleaner

    A year ago we moved into our first real home and most of it has tile and laminate flooring, which led me to search out convenient, non-toxic ways to clean it. Not the easiest task, actually! I was tempted by the Swiffers, which look to be so easy but there are chemicals in the wet (disposable) cloths and there’s a lot of waste involved, so I didn’t choose that option.

I found a mop at Bed Bath & Beyond that has a microfiber washable cloth and decided this would be my vehicle for cleaning all these floors. The next decision was to find a recipe for a cleaning solution. I started using a hot water, vinegar, baking soda, dish soap and tea tree oil solution. It was effective but it left spots and sometimes a film from the baking soda. My search continued.

This is my new non-toxic floor cleaner: peroxide, hot water and tea tree oil. Less ingredients to remember, super cheap and really cleansing! I loosely followed this recipe and combined:

¼ cup of peroxide

3 drops of tea tree oil (therapeutic grade melaleuca alternifolia)

3 drops of Thieves (therapeutic grade)

8 cups of hot water

I’m very happy with the results! I still have to battle the little people footprints and often employ the daddy-take-the-children-while-I-mop method, but such is life! Let me know if you try it, if you like and it what you think of using peroxide.

 

Non-toxic floor cleaner: 1/4 cup hydrogen peroxide, 3 drops tea tree oil and 8 cups hot water
 
EDIT 7/1/2014: I have learned the importance of buying Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils. I recommend, in order to get the health and cleaning benefits of Tea Tree Oil, to purchase Melaleuca Alternifolia directly from Young Living. You can sign up here and use Sponsor ID / Enroller ID: 1414775. They also sell Thieves oil, which has been included in this edited version of the cleaning recipe.

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How to Cook Quinoa (and Why You Should) 

I can’t say enough good things about quinoa. To me, it is a super food, if you’re into things like that. It’s a great alternative to rice or cous cous. You’ll get good amounts of iron, phosphorous, copper and zinc in quinoa. Quinoa is also high in protein, vitamins B2 and E, magnesium and manganese and it’s technically a vegetable. Yes, a vegetable. I know, right? Its seed is actually related to beets, chard and spinach plants.

I use regular quinoa, the beige kind you see most often in stores. There are also other colors like red, purple, orange, pink or black! Let me know if you try any of these and if they taste different. I buy the regular kind because it’s found in bulk and if you’re on a budget, like we are, bulk is cheaper!

I should probably mention it’s gluten-free, though that’s a given in our home. I cook it for my family about once a week. I store about eight cups in a sealed container in the pantry and the rest I keep in the fridge or freezer. Do you keep your grains refrigerated or frozen? They stay fresher longer this way, just so you know. I tend to keep containers in the pantry for easy access but only about a month’s worth. The rest is kept sealed in bags in the freezer.

Cooking is simple. Quinoa requires a 1:2 ratio, that is one cup of quinoa to two cups of water; or two cups of quinoa to four cups of water. I usually make two cups at a time. Leftovers are easy to use in a casserole (try this one!) or pizza bites (thank you, Pinterest!) or quinoa-kale patties. I often freeze the leftovers for use in quick recipes later on. Mix your quinoa and water in a small pot, bring to boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. The rest is just details… like adding a squeeze of lemon, a pinch of each: salt, pepper, sugar and a pat of butter for extra flavor. Adding minced or powdered garlic is a favorite here too. Once you make the regular quinoa, you’ll find you can do so much with it!

My go-to supplies for making quinoa: lemon, salt, pepper and sugar

 


 

The finished product with a pat of butter and a few sprinkles of garlic powder. It’s hot, light and fluffy!