Vitamix And Other Fun Things

My dreams of owning a juicer are now on hold for a couple of months. As I have been researching the best juicers on the market I came across a lot of positive reviews about the Vitamix blender. I have always wanted a really awesome blender to make smoothies, but little did I know you could juice and make soups, sauces, dips, and a ton of other concoctions in one of these amazing machines. Sold! I found a local Costco that was having a Vitamix roadshow and ran down to ask questions and see how it worked. The Vitamix representative made us smoothies, italian ice, and hot soup (yes, it makes HOT soup) in less than 10 minutes. I also met a Utah food blogger (My Good Clean Food) while I was there and if I wasn't already sold on buying a $500 blender, she sold me. She said she used hers up to four times a day to make everything from baby food, smoothies, mayonnaise, nut butters, ice cream, and so much more. It was a lot of fun to talk to her and the Vitamix rep about all the things you could make. 

Since buying it just yesterday, I have already made a couple of smoothies, my husband made a milkshake, and I made homemade hot macaroni and cheese sauce for my daughter. I am so in love! So, for now you can find me in kitchen whipping up green smoothies and juices, salsa, hot soup, ice cream, and more. 

I love Spring! The temperature is almost perfect for walking and playing outside. The spring flowers are starting to bloom. I always look forward to going to the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point. Also, this year I registered to do the Race For the Cure 5K in May. So many fun things to look forward to. 

Last, I thought I would share a couple of my favorite things that I am loving right now: 

Suja Juice

They are organic cold-pressed juices that come in many flavors. They are pure heaven full of vitamins and nutrients. You can find them at Whole Foods. 

Tarte BB Cream

BB Creams are so popular right now. BB stands for beauty balm and they got their name for being an all-in-one product. I love Tarte because it is natural, eco-friendly make-up. The Tarte BB Cream has a primer, moisturizer, light foundation, anti-aging treatment, and sunscreen all in one. It is perfect for quick, easy cover-up that you wear everyday. 

Trader Joe's Popcorn with Herbs and Spices

Hands down this is my favorite popcorn in the world. Be careful with this stuff - it is super addicting! I can finish a bag without thinking much about it. It is so savory and delicious (and low-cal if you don't eat the whole bag at once)!

Traded The Gym For A Juicer

A couple of weeks ago I received a letter from my gym stating that I only had a short time to renew because my 2-year membership would be ending. At that time I wondered if I should renew or look for a new gym to join. One afternoon I stopped by LifeTime Fitness to see what a membership would cost. LifeTime is a massively huge and beautiful facility that has everything you could ever want in a gym. During the tour I started to feel very anxious. I don't know if it was the used car salesman I was walking around with or the women working out in full make-up that made my dream gym feel so fake. After the tour, the salesman took me into the little room with no windows to talk about my contract. The panic really started setting in. After he told me it would ONLY cost $71 per month, I respectfully declined the membership and ran out of the gym. 

After that I decided I would just renew my less expensive membership at 24-Hour Fitness and try and go over and work out more than once per month. But after renewing, I just didn't feel like that was the right decision for me either. I didn't use my last membership as much as I should have. Having a two-year-old makes it difficult to go anywhere. I cancelled my membership and decided that I would purchase a Breville Juicer with the money I saved. I also had enough money left over that I could buy Les Mills Body Pump for home. Body Pump was my FAVORITE class at the gym and now I can do the same workout at home. I am so excited! I feel like this was the perfect decision for me at this time. 

Product reviews coming soon.

Hungry For Change

The documentary, Hungry For Change, changed the way I think about food. I watched it last year when it first came out and ever since I read labels and I know, whether it's good or bad, what is going in my body. I know that diets don't work. I know that sugar is an addiction. I bought the Hungry For Change Book just so I could have a reference manual when I need it. 

In just a couple of days you will be able to watch this film for free online. I promise you that is so worth it. This film is life-changing! (Just watch the trailer above to find out more.) To sign up for the free online screening, click here.

I Love To Freeze

No, I am not saying I love the below freezing temperatures we have had in Northern Utah for the past month. I am saying that I love to freeze any foods I can get my hands on. For example, I freeze brownish bananas for smoothies - they make the best smoothies. I also freeze leftover tomato paste in tablespoon portions for future recipes - because most recipes only call for a tablespoon or two which leaves the rest of can to throw out. 

I use the following technique to freeze bananas, onions, bell peppers, fresh fruit, and more. How to quick freeze produce: First wash and drain produce before spreading in a single layer on parchment lined baking sheet. Once it is frozen solid, store in an airtight container for up to 6 months. 

Picture from Martha Stewart

I am a green smoothie addict and buy my organic spinach in bulk at Costco. Some weeks I have leftover spinach and hate the thought of throwing it out before it turns bad. You can put it in a blender with a little water, blend, and pour it into ice cube trays. Once frozen store in a freezer bag. Add a couple of cubes to your green smoothie and you're good to go.

Picture from All That Is Sweet In Life

I love using wine in cooking, especially when making anything Italian. It gives the dish such a great flavor. If you ever have left over wine... okay, that was silly... when you are at the store then pick up an extra bottle of wine just for cooking. Freeze wine in an ice cube tray and then store in an airtight container once frozen. Add it to your favorite sauces or dishes for extra flavor.

Picture from The Art Of Doing Stuff

I always freeze fresh herbs. I grow herbs every year and freeze as many as I can or I buy them in bulk and freeze them. Find out how I freeze fresh herbs, here. On Pinterest I found a great tip on freezing fresh herbs in olive oil. I love this because I use a lot of olive oil and fresh herbs when I cook and these can be dropped into a lot of different dishes.

Picture from theKitchn

These tips and more can be found on my Kitchen Tips and Tutorials board on Pinterest.

Top Five: Favorite Drinks On-The-Go

When I'm heading out for a day on the town or even a trip to the grocery store I usually make sure that I have my reusable cup filled with ice and water. But when my water is gone or I feel like something else then I usually grab one of the following delicious, healthy, and quenching drinks: 

Evolution Fresh Juice

Evolution Fresh juices are delicious fruit and/or veggie blends that can be found at Starbucks. They are made up of only fresh cold-pressed fruits and vegetables with no other added ingredients. I love all of the different flavors.

Roxberry Green Smoothie 

The green smoothies offered at Roxberry were created by the Green Smoothie Girl, Robyn Openshaw. She is a nutrition coach, public speaker, and bestselling author. You can find her website, here. Green Smoothie Girl recommends drinking green smoothies to detoxify the body, lose weight, increase energy, prevent heart disease, lower cholesterol, and boost the immune system. My favorite green smoothie at Roxberry is the 32 oz. Green Smoothie Girl Original which has 200 calories and 15 servings of raw fruits and veggies (15!!) and 12 grams of fiber. It has spinach, kale, mixed berries, peaches, bananas, and agave. 

Smart Water 

My favorite bottled water is Smart Water. It tastes clean and fresh and I drink a lot of it. 

Mamma Chia

Mamma Chia, the original chia seed drink, provides a complete nutritional profile of omega-3, balanced dietary fiber, complete protein, antioxidants, and minerals. They are all-natural and fairly low in calories. I have tried most of the flavors and have loved all of them. Read more about why I love chia seeds, here. Find my homemade smoothie recipe made with chia seeds, here. (I now add chia seeds to every smoothie I make.)

Silk Pure Almond Dark Chocolate

Silk Pure Almond Milk in Dark Chocolate is one of my guilty pleasures. I drink almond milk on a daily basis, but the chocolate almond milk is a treat. It's rich and creamy and perfect for on the go since it doesn't need to be refrigerated. Although I do recommend drinking it chilled. 

Trader Joe's Has Arrived

My very, very favorite grocery store in the whole wide world finally opened their first store in Salt Lake City, Utah. I was more excited for this grand opening than I was for Black Friday - which is a lot. My Mom and I arrived just in time for the ribbon cutting and then as the crowd (a couple hundred people) went wild we were let inside. It took a long time to reach the door where we received a lei and an awesome welcome from the TJ's staff. The aisles were so congested we couldn't move or see anything but it was so worth it.

Today my Mom, Ella, and I went back so we could buy more. It was still crazy busy and there were a lot of products out-of-stock, but I got a ton of fun TJ products to try. I was so excited that for the first time I could by freezer foods since I couldn't buy them and bring them back to Utah when we were out of town. (The freezer section is one of the biggest since our store doesn't carry alcohol.)

As we were checking out we asked if it was true that our TJ's grand opening broke records, the cashier replied "No, it didn't break it records - it shattered them!"

TJ's will definitely be a weekly trip for us. Our store is amazing.

Lemon, Rosemary, and Vanilla Home Simmer

If you are on Pinterest you have probably seen a pin for some kind of natural home deodorizer that you can simmer on the stove to make your home smell delicious. The recipe I have seen the most is this one; mix water, a couple of sprigs of rosemary, slices of lemon, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and simmer of the stove all day. This is a smell that is familiar in Williams-Sonoma stores. 

I have a mini slow cooker and thought it would be perfect for this. I turned it on high, left the lid off, and it let it simmer all day. It made my house smell really fresh and delicious.

My 7-Day Detox Plan

When you hear the word detox do you think of a juice cleanse or a fruit and veggie fast? Detoxes can be number of different plans, but the main purpose of a detox is to eliminate poisons and toxins from the body. Detox plans can help prevent chronic illnesses, reduce damage to your immune system, help rid the body of excess weight, and more. 

One of the main reasons I am going on a detox plan is to get my healthy eating habits in check, kick my wicked sugar addiction, and rid excess toxins from my body. I have done so well adding healthier, whole foods to my diet but I am still struggling with my sugar addiction. My goal is to finish this week long detox with my bad habits in check.  

Inviting Waters from Martha Stewart

Here is my 7-day detox plan:

Water. 
Drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. Add lemon, lime, or other fresh ingredients to jazz it up.

Eat Clean.
Eat foods that are whole, all-natural, organic, and clean. Focus on eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meat, legumes, and healthy fats (like avocado, olive oil, nuts and seeds, etc.). Avoid dairy and gluten for the next 7 days. Eliminate added sugar, caffeine, alcohol, processed foods, and artificial ingredients.

Drink Green.
Drink 1-2 green smoothies per day. I blend 1-cup of spinach or kale, 3/4-cup fruit, 1/2 banana, and 1 tablespoon of chia or flax seeds.

Get Your Z's. 
Sleep 7-9 hours per night.

Exercise.
Spinning, weight lifting, walking, etc. Sweating eliminates toxins from the body.

Breathe Deeply.
Practice yoga or meditate daily.

Body Brush.

Brushing your skin five minutes a day sloughs off dead skin cells and improves circulation. Read more about why I love to body brush, here. 

If you are interested in a detox plan, you can find a great starting plan here: Whole Living Action Plan. Also, one of my favorite documentary films has a short video about detoxes, click on Hungry For Change Detox to watch.

I Have So Much To Tell You

Wow, it's been a long time since my last post. I hope at least one of you still follow this blog because I have so much to tell you.

Sadly summer is over, but fall is here and it's my very favorite time of the year. I love the weather, the pumpkin flavored everything, the changing leaves, comfort food, and cozy blankets. We have a lot of fun family fall activities planned, like; visiting the pumpkin patch, Thanksgiving Point's Barnyard Boo, Hogle Zoo's Boo at the Zoo, Gardner Village's Witches Night Out, and more. I also love the fall because it's when I celebrate my Birthday. I turned 35 this month and I made a lot of goals to become healthier and stronger by my next Birthday. I have decided that I am done with dieting, calorie counting, and other awful restrictions. I am going to continue to eat whole, all-natural, fresh, and organic foods (nothing artificial and no preservatives) and just eat smaller portions. NO MORE CRAP. I am going to cook more food from scratch like the marinara sauce I made the other night that took two hours but was worth every delicious bite. I am also planning on doing five 5K's before my next Birthday - I already have two races I definitely want to do.

Over the summer I also added two more items to my bucket list; travel to Italy and learn to paddle board. Last month I went to San Diego for 10 days and stayed in a beach house with some of my favorite people on the planet but I never worked up the courage to go rent a paddle board. Next time I am going paddle boarding.

This year we grew a garden and enjoyed all of the delicious squash, fresh tomatoes, eggplant, peas, and more - all organic, I might add. My herb garden was also amazing this year and I used herbs in a ton of recipes. My 2-year old loved helping me pick herbs and fresh veggies from the garden. We also went to every farmer's market in Salt Lake and even made it up to the Park City farmers market. We had a lot of delicious produce this summer.

I have more to share but will save them for future blog posts, which will be at least once a week, not every few months (insert smiley face here).

Top 10 Food Additives To Avoid

We all know that most processed foods are bad for us. We know that whole, fresh foods or minimally processed foods are better for us. So why do we eat the bad processed foods? Because they taste good, right? But they are NOT good for us. My goal is to eliminate most processed foods from my diet - especially any foods with ingredients like MSG, Trans Fats, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Nitrates, and Artificial Sweeteners, to name a few. Check out the Top 10 Food Additives To Avoid from Hungry For Change (also download the printable shopping guide). You can see which common foods you will find the 10 ingredients in and what side effects they could possibly cause. 

"Low-fat, fat-free, low-carb, sugar-free, low-cal: Sounds like an 80's chemical fiesta. Get over dieting and simply start EATING CLEANER! Dieting?? So OUT!" 

- Stiletto Chef

Start eating cleaner today with this delicious recipe from Whole Foods: Mango, Avocado, and Black Bean Salad with Lime Dressing. Yummy. 

Via Whole Foods

Quick Fact: I like Eden Organics black beans - they are one of the only companies that have BPA free can linings (read more, here). Did you know that most canned goods are lined with BPA as an ingredient (an ingredient we avoid like the plague when it comes to water bottles and plastic products for our babies)? Now you know. 

Top Five: Natural Beauty Products I Can't Live Without

The five natural beauty products I am about to tell you about have literally changed my life. They are products that I recently added to my daily beauty routine and I really couldn't live without them.

Dry Body Brush

Dry Body Brush

Dry brushing daily is a great way to keep skin clear of debris and loosen dead skin cells. It can also reduce cellulite. Our body rids a lot of toxins through the skin everyday - so if we have dry skin the toxins can't always be released and our body just reabsorbs them. Dry brushing your skin is one of the best ways to get circulation going, helping to oxygenate cells and carry impurities away through the lymph system. It's important to find a natural-bristle brush at a health food store or online (I found mine at Whole Foods for under $10). To use a dry body brush: just make long, smooth strokes in the direction of your heart. After just one use, I noticed a huge difference in the appearance of my skin.

Buffy Body Butter

Lush Handmade Cosmetics

This product goes hand-in-hand with the dry brush. After I use my dry brush then I get in the shower. I first cleanse my skin and then I use Buffy. It is made with ground rice, almonds, and beans to act as exfoliants; the rough textures eliminate lumps and bumps and sloughs away dry skin cells to reveal brighter, fresher looking skin. The cocoa and shea butters leave the skin beautiful, smooth, and moisturized. You can find Buffy Body Butter at Lush Handmade Cosmetics. 

Neti Pot

Waterpik

As strange as it may sound, a neti pot is used to clean out your nose. It washes away environmental chemicals, pollen, mucus, dust, viruses, and bacteria - all the stuff your nose encounters every single day. I usually suffer from mild allergies in the spring and this has almost eliminated all of my symptoms. All you do is fill it with luke warm distilled water and a salt solution, tilt your head to one side and start rinsing (water goes in one nostril and out the other). It's actually quite refreshing. Neti pots can be found at drugstores and health food stores.

Tarte Cosmetics Mascara

Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara

Tarte Cosmetics are a new discovery of mine that I am totally excited about. They are natural cosmetics that don't use parabens, phthalates, or synthetic fragrances to name a few. This company cares about their customers health as well as the environment. Plus, Tarte's products are animal cruelty-free and vegan. I am already in love with their mascara and can't wait to try more of their products. They are available at Sephora. 

The Natural Dentist Mouthwash and Toothpaste 

The Natural Dentist Mouthwash and Toothpaste

I absolutely love The Natural Dentist's toothpaste and mouthwash and have noticed a difference with my gums and teeth. The mouthwash does not have alcohol or artificial flavors or colors in it. It reduces and prevents bleeding gums and protects against gingivitis. I use the whitening toothpaste which is an anti-cavity toothpaste as well. It contains no peroxide or other harsh chemicals (like Sodium Lauryl Sulfate). I found them at Whole Foods. 

Top Five: Super Healthy Foods I Am Loving Now

If you are addicted to processed foods and sweets like I am was (it's a process) then you need to know that these foods may require a little getting used to. Nobody is going to go from cupcakes to kale overnight, but overtime it will get easier. Here are the new super foods I have added to my diet that I am loving now:

Acai

Acai (pronounced Ah Sigh EE) berries are a good source of antioxidants, fiber, and heart-healthy fats. I buy acai smoothie packs (organic unsweetened acai puree) at my local health food store which I add to fruit smoothies.

Kale

I cannot even list all the health benefits of kale - well I could, but it would take a while. There is a reason kale is known as the "queen of the greens." It is one of the healthiest veggies on the planet and is full of disease fighting antioxidants. Add it to your salads, blend it in a green smoothie, or roast it to make it into a healthy crunchy snack (2 cups kale, 1-2 tsp. olive oil, and salt. Toss to coat and then bake at 425 for 6-8 minutes - until crunchy like a potato chip). Or you can try this recipe for Sesame-Kale Crisps.

Chia Seeds

Chia seeds are very rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. They also provide fiber, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, molybdenum, niacin, and zinc. When eaten, the chia seeds form a gel that can make you feel fuller longer and helps clean out your digestive system. You can sprinkle them on salads, put them in yogurt, or blend them in smoothies. I put a tablespoon in my green smoothie every day.

Quinoa

Quinoa (pronounced KEEN Wah) is a grain-like seed that contains all 9 essential amino acids making it a complete protein. Quinoa can also help the body absorb more nutrients with the help from its natural minerals, potassium, and manganese. If you have never tried quinoa check out 10 New Ways To Cook Quinoa.

Naked Green Machine

Obviously this is a drink, not a food, but it's full of super foods. Juicing is an awesome health benefit but I haven't bought my own juicer yet so instead I bought this super healthy, all-natural Naked Green Machine. It has the juice of 2 3/4 apples, 1/2 banana, 1/3 kiwi, 1/3 mango, hint of pineapple, plus spirulina, chlorella, broccoli, spinach, blue green algae, garlic, barley grass, wheat grass, ginger, and parsley. And guess what? It actually tastes good.

Hungry For Change

Are you ready to change the way you eat forever? Are you ready to never "diet" again? If so, you need to watch this 90 minute film called Hungry For Change. It has forever changed the way I think about food. By the way, it's completely free if you watch it online before March 31.

Click here to watch the trailer or watch the entire film. It is so worth it.

The next film on my to-do list is called Food, Inc. I have heard that it's an eye-opening film that will also change the way I think about food. You can view the trailer, here.

Natural Beauty

Last week I visited Utah's brand new shopping mecca in the heart of Downtown Salt Lake City. City Creek Center is a gorgeous new mall with high-end retail shops and restaurants. It is literally one of the most beautiful malls I have ever stepped foot in. There are a lot of stores new to Utah, like; Tiffany and Co., Coach, 77 Kids by American Eagle, Michael Kors, and Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics to name a few. After shopping we had lunch in the food court at Bocata Artisan Sandwiches, which is owned by one of my favorite restaurants, Settebello Pizzeria Napoletana. I had a delicious Caprese Bocata that had fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and sea salt on a hot ciabatta roll that was fresh out of the brick oven (the bread tasted exactly like the pizza dough from Settebello's). It was heaven! 

City Creek Center

Other than seeing this spectacular new mall, I was most looking forward to lunch at Bocata, shopping at Nordstrom, and stepping into Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics for the first time. I had heard a lot about Lush but have never had the pleasure to shop there. Lush makes handmade natural products, they use minimal to no packaging, their bags are made from recycled paper, and they use no to very little chemicals in their products. They have scrubs, bath bombs, soap, shampoo, and much more.

Lush's Ocean Salt

Natural beauty products are more important to me than ever and here's why; 

I recently heard a Doctor on television say "you shouldn't put anything on your skin that isn't safe enough to eat." Your skin is your body's largest organ. What you put on your body, you literally absorb. I never really thought too much about this until lately when I read about chemical ingredients like phthalates and parabens in Crazy Sexy Diet. 

Phthalates: Phthalates are used to make fragrance last longer. It's found in products like shampoo, hair gels, lotions, and deodorants. The scary thing about phthalates is that "a quarter of American woman are already contaminated with high enough levels of phthalates to potentially cause malformations in their male offspring." As of right now, it's not required by law to put phthalates on the label. So until we get better laws it's best to avoid all synthetic fragrance-containing products. Look for natural fragrance or no added fragrance products.

Parabens: "These chemicals, which can act like estrogen in the body are used as preservatives in a wide array of lotions, shaving cream, make-up, and shower products." In 2004 a study was released stating that parabens could lead to breast cancer. 

(To see if your beauty products contain these ingredients, check out safecosmetics.org.)

Even though there are thousands and thousands of products on the shelves with these chemicals and some companies have stated that they are completely safe, I have decided to look into more natural products. I still want effective products - I just want a few less chemicals.

I have discovered that there are so many gorgeous, non-toxic beauty products on the market. Just check the ingredient labels and have an understanding of what's in your products. Look for words that end with paraben, look for added fragrance that isn't natural, and look for added coloring. I have purchased products with more natural ingredients recently from Aveda, Origins, and Lush just to name a few. Most of their products are fairly natural, however, some of their products do have small amounts of parabens to give them longer shelf life. Again, just check the label or their websites for product ingredients. I also switched my baby's shampoo and lotion to Burt's Bees all-natural after reading that most baby products are loaded with formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane - both known carcinogens. 

I love this product - Lush's Buffy Body Butter

This day and age it doesn't make you a hippie to use natural beauty products (unless your going for "hippie" - that's totally cool). Until harmful ingredients are banned from the beauty industry, you just need to do what you feel is right for you and your family. 

Crazy Sexy Diet

A couple of weeks ago Kris Carr, author of Crazy Sexy Diet, was on one of my new favorite shows, The Revolution. She was talking to the "hero of the week" about cancer. The hero, Jennifer Cahalan, was a survivor. Kris talked about how she was diagnosed with a rare, untreatable cancer back in 2003 and what she has done to fight it. She went home from the Doctor's office the day she was diagnosed and started researching longevity diets, she took nutrition classes, and pretty much tried to find any information on completely changing her diet and lifestyle. This young, thin actress from New York went from partying, dieting, and not sleeping to healthy, vibrant, and thriving with cancer.

The reason I picked up this book is not because I am looking to start a new diet. This book suggests a vegetarian/vegan diet that is gluten free. That is a little extreme for me right now. But, I was interested on what things she did to rid the toxins from her body and her life. She talks about everything from eating clean, to spirituality, to sleeping, to supplements, to eating organic and supporting local farms, to getting rid of all the toxic cleaners and chemicals in your home. As I read it, I will share some fun facts along the way.

You can find out more about Kris Carr, here.

Lip Therapy

It's that time of year when lips turn from pouty and pretty to dry and cracked. I don't know about you but winter wrecks havoc on my skin, hair, and lips. This is the first winter I can remember that I have not had to slather on some kind of lip moisturizer hourly to keep my lips from becoming chapped. I have discovered some great products and home remedies that have kept my lips looking their best during these dry, cold winter months. Here are my healthy lip remedies: 

I stopped wearing lipstick in the winter which would always dry out my lips. I use lipgloss instead and it's made a big difference. 

MAC Cosmetics Dazzleglass Like Venus - My new favorite

I finally discovered a perfect lip balm - Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm. It's all natural and it works so much better than the petroleum-based lip balms I used to use.  It also has peppermint oil in it that gives it that cooling and refreshing feeling.

A natural home remedy that I love is a lip scrub which will help exfoliate the dead skin on your lips, leaving them soft and moisturized. One of my favorite blogs, Pink Pistachio, has a delicious lip scrub that uses raw honey, raw sugar, lemon juice, and coconut oil. Click here for the recipe.

Picture from Pink Pistachio 

Speaking of coconut oil, it is another natural home remedy I use for soothing and healing dry lips. You can find it near the other cooking oils at your local grocery store (I use Trader Joe's Organic Virgin Coconut Oil - it smells heavenly). Coconut oil is rich in vitamin E & K, polyphenols, and fatty acids that moisturize your skin without causing breakouts. Just put a small amount on your lips as needed to help heal and protect. 

This is a little off subject, but coconut oil is also great for your skin and hair. It helps heal damaged skin and restore your body's natural oils. It is a solid oil, so place it in a jar of warm water to liquify it and then massage it into your skin.

When Coconut oil is applied to your hair will make it shiner, stronger, and may even promote growth. It is also a natural dandruff treatment. Apply a quarter size amount throughout damp hair then wrap with a towel or cover hair with a shower cap for about 30-60 minutes and then rinse thoroughly.

Delicious Post-Workout Green Smoothie

Last night after a very intense step class (I burned almost 600 calories in 60 minutes!), I came home and whipped up a very delicious post-workout smoothie known as a "Green Monster." I have found many variations of the Green Monster on Pinterest, but this one is made with fruit, Greek yogurt, ice, and spinach - which is obviously the reason it is green. But I must assure you, it is DELICIOUS! You can't taste the spinach at all. Even my baby loves it and it's such an easy way to sneak more greens in her diet. Plus, the Greek yogurt adds lots of protein. 

Here are some facts on why you should include spinach in your diet;

• Spinach is low in calories, and is a great source of vitamin C, vitamin A, and minerals like iron. 
• The high amount of vitamin A promotes healthy skin by allowing proper moisture retention, which helps fight acne and even wrinkles.
• Leutin is an antioxidant that promotes good eye health, and may help prevent cancer of the liver, ovaries, colon and prostate, and even dementia. 
• Dole lab tests found spinach has twice the chlorophyl, eight times the calcium, six times magnesium, 10 times the potassium, 15 times the vitamin C, and 43 times the vitamin A of wheatgrass juice. 

Some of these fantastic facts are from Iowa Girl Eats. 

Post-Workout Green Smoothie

1/2 Orange, peeled and sectioned
1/4 cup Mango, frozen chunks (or you can use 1/4 cup pineapple)
5-6 large Strawberries, frozen
1 Banana
1 cup Greek Yogurt (I used Chobani, Plain, Non-Fat)
1-2 cups Baby Spinach (I used Organic Girl)

Put all ingredients in your blender and blend until smooth. Serves 1

Update: I started adding 1 tablespoon of Chia seeds to my smoothie. They have no taste and have great health benefits. Read more about Chia, here.

Well, I am off to Spinning so I can come home and have another one of these refreshing gems. I hope you try one soon - they are so yummy!

Cleaning and Organizing Tips

I don't know what it is about taking down Christmas decorations that makes me want to clean and organize everything. January is my time to spring clean. I am a very clean person anyway (you say OCD, I say neat and organized), but during the first week of January I like everything to sparkle. I used to be a huge neat freak, but since my little tornado (aka 18 month old) started walking I have been so much more relaxed about "everything needs to be in it's place" - I just couldn't clean up as fast as she was destroying. So, now I just sit back and enjoy watching her play and make huge messes. 

Anyway, on Pinterest I created a pinboard dedicated to cleaning and organizing and I will share a couple of my favorite pins with you:

Store Sheets In Their Own Pillowcase

This idea comes from Martha Stewart, go figure. She is seriously the queenbee of domestic diva's. To make your sheets look this nice you must learn how to correctly fold a fitted sheet which Martha will teach you, here. 

 Picture from MarthaStewart.com

DIY Non-Toxic Cleaners

DIY Window/Mirror Cleaner - Another tip from Martha Stewart is making your own window/mirror cleaner with equal parts vinegar and water. 

DIY Non-Toxic Tub Scrub - And another tip from Martha on making a tub cleaner from dish soap, essential oil, and baking soda. Click here for the exact amounts. 

DIY Drain Cleaner - I have used baking soda and vinegar for years to unclog drains - but this tidy Mom has it down to a science. You can get the how-to on unclogging your drain, here. 

Other tips on cleaning without chemicals from Martha can be found here.

Picture from MarthaStewart.com  

Spring Cleaning Tips

If you are getting ready for spring cleaning, you can find a spring cleaning checklist, here. You can also find a really fun organizing checklist, here.

Since we are on the topic I just had to share my favorite cleaning products - Method. They are non-toxic, they work great, and smell fabulous. I also love that Method is helping in the effort to retrieve some of the ocean plastic to recycle into Method bottles. They are a green product and healthy for my family and that's why I love them.

To read a little more on ocean plastic and Method's latest clean-up efforts in Hawaii, click here.

You can find and follow my cleaning and organizing pinboard, here. (You can find and follow all of my pinboards, here.)