Our Bedroom Redesign | Allergen-Friendly

This post is in regards to my ongoing adaptation to life with asthma and an attempt to rid myself of dependency on steroid inhalers. I speak more about my journey with asthma here.

It’s been a few months since my trip to the allergist and pulmonologist. And if you know me, you know that I don’t like being dependent on medicine, at all. But given the pandemic we are in right now, and the fact that it is a respiratory virus, I am not messing around. So while my lungs are still acting up, I am on 4 puffs of my inhaler a day. And since were home, I’ve been granted ample time to research how I can improve my current situation.

Rewinding a bit, there were a few recommendations that my allergist made a few months back that I haven’t implemented yet — like protecting my bedroom from dust mites (sounds gross, I know). Dust mites were one of two things I was pretty allergic to, ragweed being the other. So in attempts to keep allergens as low as possible in my home, I’d invested in an air purifier and found reason to bring even more plants into our home (great indoor air purifiers), but I had yet to address the easily overlooked area that was causing me problems— pillows and blankets.

It had become pretty apparent to me that any time I curled up onto the couch or in bed with blankets, I started coughing. And, as I said before, it was the bedroom that my doctor had put the most emphasis on improving. So rather than continuing to drag my feet about it, I took it as an opportunity to bring in some sustainable and non-toxic items to the bedroom.

Anyways, to make a long story short, I started researching and stumbled across the information that I needed. Who knew that pillows should be replaced every two years? Not me. I also learned that there are certain materials that harbor dust mites better, and for someone who is pretty allergic, it would be the smart choice for me to avoid the materials that they like. Preferred materials are latex, wool, hemp, cotton and kapok.

Parachute Home

I purchased the Cloud Cotton Quilt to replace my ever-so-dreamy down comforter. Given I really only seem to have reactions at night, when I am surrounded by feathery things, coupled with some articles about fungal and dust mites propensity to feathers, I decided to be done all together. Cotton seemed to be a more breathable material for me.

Avocado Green Mattress

I purchased their Avocado Green Pillow — which is made from organic latex, kapok and cotton.

Sustainability was pretty important to me while on this search. The more I bring into my home, the more I consider how it will eventually leave my home. Is it compostable? Is it easy to dispose of? Can I easily clean it? Can I repair it, if needed? The Avocado Green Pillow checked off a lot of these boxes for me, along with being an allergen and earth-friendly pillow.

I’ve been pretty interested and committed to keeping my house as ‘clean’ (low-tox) as possible over the years. I’ve switched out cleaning products, laundry detergent, our food, etc. Never once did I think about what I rested my head on each night and what I could potentially be breathing in — which is especially important for someone dealing with asthma, like me.

I’m currently still looking into some bed and pillow covers but, as an update, I can personally say that the Parachute quilt is very comfortable. The pillows haven’t come in yet, but with COVID-19, I have no idea when they will and I wanted to post my bedding now, because, well, it’s really comfortable and pretty.

I am really hoping that I will see some differences here over the next few weeks as we enter allergy season and I wean myself off of my inhaler, once again.

Stay safe and comfortable friends XO

Why I Went Low-Tox

I could take this story in many different directions because I don’t think one persons journey is ever very straight. I fell into the ‘non-toxic’ and natural world a few years back, when I was attempting to regain consistency with my period after years of absent or irregular cycles. It was during that challenge that I learned a lot. I really had no idea how my hormones could be affected by my environment, but I was open to learning.

There are so many reasons for hormonal imbalance in women, which is part of the reason it can be so challenging to overcome. But I was determined to find answers and began experimenting on myself. The more I learned, the more I realized that what I was putting on my body mattered just as much as what I was putting in my body. I was shocked to learn that many of the products I used daily contained endocrine disruptors, some of the biggest culprits you may be familiar with — triclosan, parabens, BPA, fragrance and phthalates. Endocrine disruptors function in a way that can interfere with the body’s natural hormones, which can often lead to over or underproduction while also interfering with production, release and elimination of the body’s natural hormones. And when you are trying to regulate your own hormones, you really don’t want anything unnecessary messing with them — especially when it is 100% avoidable.

Many of these ingredients are added to products, not for therapeutic or personal benefits, but rather to contribute to some of the ‘consumer traits’ we typically look for. For example, SLS is added to soaps as a foaming agent. Phalates are added to products to improve their consistency. Petroleum is added as a moisturizer. I don’t know about you, but if I were making a moisturizer at home, I definitely wouldn’t feel inclined to head on down to the gas station to stock up on DIY ingredients. The moral of the story being, we need to take ownership of what we bring into our homes because the FDA does not require safety testing nor do they require approvals before products hit the shelves. What’s important to remember here is that our skin is absorptive — meaning, whatever we put on it will most likely get absorbed into our bloodstream, very quickly. And if I wanted to bring my body back to balance, an overwhelming amount of chemicals getting absorbed into my bloodstream would not be helpful.

So I needed to detox. I switched the things that were the easiest to change first. I re-evaluated my laundry detergent, my body wash, shampoo and conditioner, lotions, sunscreen. Pretty much anything that came into direct contact with my skin. I also thought about the things I was breathing in— so household cleaners, candles, air fresheners. This may sound overwhelming, but when you don’t feel good and you have a lot on the table (hormones are no joke), it really doesn’t seem like much of a sacrifice.

I find it nearly impossible to pinpoint my success in regulating my hormones to a specific change or a specific habit. It’s all cumulative. The more you begin to change, the quicker your body will begin to heal. I certainly cannot credit non-toxic living solely to balanced hormones, but it definitely played a role. And I’m still not perfect. But I don’t think that should be the goal. It’s unreasonable and it prevents you from making any changes at all if you believe it’s too much to tackle all at once. It’s baby steps, all the way, until you realize all of your baby steps led you miles and miles down the road.

And speaking from my current state of being, I’ve recently found another reason to re-evaluate my home and the products I use within it. In September, I landed myself in the hospital after having some rather severe asthma attacks. While the experience left me feeling incredibly grateful to be breathing, I couldn’t help but wonder what caused this reaction in the first place.

After getting allergy tested this year, I can be pretty sure that the asthma was triggered by ragweed, which I am allergic to. My second highest allergen was dust mites. And while both of these things are pretty hard to avoid, I at least feel inspired to figure out how to lower my allergic or asthmatic threshold. I have a lot to learn in this area, but I know that breathing in inflammatory chemicals should be the first things to go. So back to investigator status I go— trying to determine anything and everything in my home that could be causing inflammation in my lungs.

Here are a few quick facts related to asthma…

• Companies do not need to list their fragrance ingredients in the label

• 12,500 ingredients fall under the umbrella called “fragrance” on a label

• Fragrance are common triggers of asthma, migraines, allergies and sinus problems

• Fragrance can be found in our every day products such as perfume, cleaners, candles, body wash

These changes can happen as fast or as slow as you want them to. I am personally a slow learner, but I try to always make progress and move in a forward direction.

The good news is that time will be moving anyways, so we might as well make some good use out of it and just start.

I choose to see setbacks as an opportunity to learn. I’d much rather feel empowered to learn and make changes than to feel like I have no control over my situation. Maybe this speaks to my controlling tendencies (lol), but it’s the truth. I’d much rather experiment to see if it makes a difference than never know.

Disclaimer: it made a difference.

My Favorite Things | Conscious Purchases

It’s about that time of year where the sales start and consumer consumption shoots way up. Most of the time, we try to either save/invest our money or spend it on experiences and travel, but we still need/want things throughout the year. I figured I would share with you some of my most treasured investments, as a sort of gift guide, going into the holiday season.

I’m pretty basic and have evolved into quite the minimalist over the past few years. I try to make sure that everything I buy is purposeful, truly wanted and will add value to my life in some way, and also sourced sustainably.

URSA MAJOR RECOVERY BALM

The winter is brutal in New England, but this recovery balm has been a life saver when it comes to dry skin. It is perfect for the winter months. I use it morning and night and find my face to look hydrated and bright. It’s very much like a cream, it doesn’t feel greasy going on and it gets absorbed right away. I usually apply after showering or wetting my face, so my skin absorbs it a bit better.

I originally tried this balm in Follain’s clean essentials kit, which supplies trial sizes of some of their most popular items- including a soap, hydrating balm, toner and cleanser. It’s the perfect intro to clean beauty, especially if you have been wanting to switch some of your products but are weary of spending the money up front. This kit is only $25 and I love the products in it- I have since repurchased the Ursa Major Recovery Balm twice in full sizes. It’s soo good. For 15% off Follain’s products (with a few minor exceptions), use the discount code, ref15_pp2btl.

ROTHYS

This was my favorite purchase (well, I got it as a gift) this year. Rothy’s are made out of recycled plastic bottles and, at the time of this writing, have saved 41,848,965 bottles from going to the landfill. Not only do I believe in the mission and sustainability of the company, they are hands-down the most comfortable shoes I have ever owned. I have the sneaker and I will be getting another color once the weather warms up a bit, for sure. The insoles come out and are machine washable, which was a huge selling point for me. Rothy’s claim that there is no break in period for these shoes, and I can attest. They have been just as comfortable since day 1 with no blisters.

BOMBAS

To bounce off of Rothys, I purchased Bombas in hopes that I could find some low socks that didn’t constantly fall down off of my heels. The ones I purchased are super thin, which is perfect for warmer months and they absolutely stay up all day. I had a pair that got holes in them pretty quickly and received a new pair from them almost immediately. I have not had any of my other pairs develop holes to date. They also donate a pair of socks for each pair purchased, which I love.

VETTA CAPSULE

I recognize that not everyone can spend high amounts on one article of clothing, but I personally have been interested in purchasing more sustainable and diverse clothing that will last a long time and can be worn multiple ways. I hope to fill my wardrobe with a few staples that I love, with quality that will last.

Last winter, I purchased a sweater (pictured above) from Vetta that I absolute adore. Vetta is a capsule wardrobe company based out of Boston, MA. Each piece has the ability to be worn multiple ways. I have a sweater that has an attachable neck, as well as buttons down the front - so it can be a turtleneck, a regular sweater and a cardigan. I love its versatility, comfort and warmth.

On a side note, I have purchased a lot of clothes second hand this year via ThredUp, an online thrift store. I have found so many good buys at a fraction of the price. When I am not shopping for new clothes from sustainable brands, I try to shop through ThredUp.

VITAMIX

I got a Vitamix for my birthday this year, after having a Blendtec for a few years. The main reason I wanted a Vitamix was because of the tamper and its ability to handle more frozen ingredients. I use my blender sometimes upwards of 3-4 times a day, depending on the season and what I am making. It is a must-have (or any other high-speed blender) for anyone trying to get a bit healthier, in my opinion. I use it for smoothies, soups, sauces, ice cream, dips, etc. It’s also great for grinding- I make flours and meals from oats, seeds, etc.

ECO BAGS

I always try my best to bring reusable produce bags to the store whenever I go. They are perfect for loose fruit and veggies and seriously reduce the amount of plastic used when shopping. Plus, the look nice, which is an added plus. They are cloth, so they are washable too. You can find the larger drawstring back here or the smaller produce bags here.

HYDROFLASK

I am pretty well known for always carrying around my blue hydroflask. It’s a 40oz. bottle and it’s beautiful :) It has many dents in it, so I can attest to the fact that these things are highly durable. But in case something did break, Hydroflask offers a lifetime warrantee, meaning these bottles would literally last you forever.

Getting rid of single use plastic bottles is the way to go! We bring our hydroflasks with us everywhere so that we can refill it throughout the day and keep from sending more plastic to the landfill. At home, we use a Berkey water filter. Not only is it environmentally a good choice, but you save so much money not buying multiple packs of water every single week.

We currently have an 18 oz food storage container, 16 - 64 oz (perfect for the beach and road trips) bottles, and an insulated tote. It sounds like overkill, but it really doesn’t feel like it- everything gets used and has its own purpose. These bottles are my absolute favorite.

BOOKS

I’ve recently shared my favorite books here, but these are a few of my most liked this year. I’m a huge advocate of the library, but I have since purchased a few of these, as I really love them and like to be able to refer back or re-read whenever. Books are always on my list of favorite things. Reading is how I prefer to spend my down time and I find it so valuable.

+ The Celestine Prophecy
+ Small Space Style
+ You are a Badass at Making Money
+ Big Magic
+ A Return to Love
+ Give a Sh*t
+ Wild at Home

This time of year is so focused on giving, but let’s remember giving love and gratitude is what it’s really all about.

1 Year Plantiversary | Tips, Tricks & Resources

It’s been a whole year of plants! I never thought I would be saying that.

I went 100% plant-based last year after our trip to Florida. It was a trip I was panicking about, because I was so nervous to tell others I wouldn’t be eating their food. I have since gotten over that, but the transition to a plant-based diet for me spans a few years. Some people transition overnight, but I was not one of those people.

Since going plant-based a year ago, I have learned so much. I have become much more comfortable cooking and eating out. I understand the science. I continuously feel better and better in my skin (although confidence is a journey of self-exploration dependent on many things other than food).

It’s hard to pinpoint that one moment where things just clicked. I vividly remember saying I don’t think I would ever go vegan, but as time went on, I couldn’t really see myself not making the change. For me, it wasn’t working to sometimes eat dairy and to sometimes not. I had pretty much eliminated meat, with the occasional piece of salmon. I would eat cheese and immediately feel awful, which would then make me feel awful about myself. It was a very poor relationship to have with food— so I eventually decided to give up those things completely.

Don’t get me wrong, I still indulge in the vegan treats and vegan cheeses, which undoubtedly aren’t the healthiest things for me to choose— but what it came down to was knowing these things were exactly that, indulgences. They were not to be a part of my every day meal, and when I enjoyed them, I was sure to enjoy them. It also began to matter to me deeply that I was not actively participating in the dairy industry, so to enjoy a plant-based ice cream felt much more acceptable in terms of my values. On most days, my plate typically consists of whole foods like fruits, veggies, rice, beans, oats, brown rice pasta and lentils.

There are typically three reasons individuals will go plant-based— for their health, the planet, or the animals. I went plant-based for my health.

My health has been a bit like a roller coaster. It was around college, a time when I most certainly was not focused on health, that I started developing serious stomach pains. Prior to this, in high school, I was all about health, in an air-quote kind of way. I thought I ate well, but in hindsight it was not that great. I focused a lot on calories— 100 calorie packs, frozen meals, etc. This is probably a story I can dive into more later, but post-college was the beginning of my forceable exploration with food and its effects on my health.

No one ever really wants to change. Pain is usually the catalyst. You become so fed up with your current situation that change no longer seems so scary or so off limits. Pain was my driver.

It was on our honeymoon when I initially began to question my diet. I ate vegetarian in Sri Lanka, and while there was still dairy, I slowly started to notice my stomach bloating fade and my energy begin to rise. And the following week, when I got my period, it showed with very few cramps. Something I had never experienced before. Looking back, the nature of the food was predominately whole food based— lots of veggies (and anti-inflammatory foods like ginger and turmeric) and very little of anything else. I figured learning more was a good place to start. It was about a year later that I made the transition to completely plant-based.

Finding this way of eating has been a beautiful blessing. Healing, an ongoing process that I am still very much in the middle of, takes time and patience. It requires a hard look at the truth and instilled beliefs. It takes questioning and practice and failure and the resilience to start again. Turning to food to heal has opened my eyes to the human potential. Our bodies are incredibly resilient, so long as we give them space to nurture and grow.

Drinking straight out of coconuts on our honeymoon in Sri Lanka. The beginning of the path forward.

Whole Food Plant-Based (WFPB) Beginner Tips

A Whole Foods plant-based diet is different than a vegan diet. A vegan diet can technically consist of anything that omits animal products, but does not necessarily focus on health-promoting ingredients like fruits and veggies. A WFPB diet focuses on cooking with whole ingredients as often as possible, and trying to reduce the use of highly-processed ingredients as much as possible. For me, this means eating a lot of fruit, potatoes, leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower, brown rice pasta, oats, etc. and limiting my consumption of white flour, baked goods, and processed/boxed foods.

Eat fruit.

There’s a lot of talk about fruit containing a lot of sugar— which it does. But eating the whole fruit, aka not a fruit juice, means you are consuming the fruit with its fiber, which will not yield a giant spike in your blood sugar like fruit juice will. Eat the whole fruit. Fruit also provides the glucose our bodies need. To give you an analogy about different sugars that exist (good vs. bad), I will share this example about water. You have puddle water and glacier water, all of which is water— but we do not question that glacier water is exponentially better than puddle water. Consider artificial sweeteners to be the puddles and fruits to be the glaciers. Not all sugars are the same.

Also, in the summer when my fruit consumption is the highest, my cravings for sugary treats completely disappear. Fruit is what our bodies are naturally designed for, and when we provide our body with the glucose it needs, we no longer crave all of the artificial sweeteners on the market.

Calories do matter.

Learning how much to eat has been probably one of the largest adjustments for me. Originally, it is easy to eat too little. Leafy greens and vegetables are significantly lower in calories than meat and dairy, so when you first remove those from your diet, it’s important to increase the intake of others. When people feel deprived and hungry on diets, it’s usually because they are removing without adding in. On a WFPB diet, it’s important to make sure you are eating enough of the good stuff to ensure you will be satisfied and satiated and to keep the cravings at bay.

From personal experience, it’s also really easy for me to still overeat plant-based foods. When I was researching, it was always suggested to increase serving size— which I agree with— but this didn’t address that fact that overeating did not immediately disappear when I switched to a plant-based diet. I used this ‘eat more’ mentality to justify my wanting to overeat. Our bodies will tell us when we’ve had enough. Using calories as a guide to ensure our bodies get sufficient nutrients and vitamins when on a plant-based diet is important, but once that point is reached, our bodies will let us know. Learning to listen to your body is the lesson underneath this all.

Educate Yourself.

See the resource section below.

Learn to cook.

Start by adjusting your most frequented meals. Instead of beef, use beans. Veganize your favorite, most-cooked meals and see how easy it is to change up your routine. I’ve become quite the foodie and it is surprisingly so easy to have delicious plant-based meals. Don’t knock it till you try it. Use blogs like the Minimalist Baker or some of the resources I’ve included below.

Surround yourself with support.

It can be difficult to go at this alone, but social media can definitely be used in a positive manner in regards to support and inspiration. See if family members will go on this journey with you or if not, make new friends and use your feed to follow like-minded individuals. From my experience, I was lucky enough to have my husband totally on board with a vegan household. He himself is not vegan, but in our house, we eat the same. He also enjoys eating this way, so I do feel like I have a built-in support system when we go to restaurants or family members houses who may not be as supportive about this lifestyle change. But truthfully, Instagram is a hub for me to follow like-minded individuals and to constantly be inspired on this journey.

My Favorite Resources

There are so many resources that I used when I was transitioning to a plant-based diet. I started first with learning why it was good for my health in the first place. There is so much contradictory information, that I wanted to get very clear on what was the truth. Intuitively, it always felt wrong to me when diets suggested limiting fruit or healthy starches like potatoes. But to really feel confident in my decisions, I wanted to know what science was the truth. I explored a lot of work by doctors in the plant-based space like Dr. Michael Gregor, Dr. Esselstyn and Dr. T. Colin Campbell. Below are some of my favorite resources, stockpiled with useful information. The best thing you can do for yourself is become educated.

DOCUMENTARIES

+ The Game Changers
+ Forks over Knives
+ Cowspiracy
+ What the Health

BOOKS

+ Whole
+ Life-Changing Foods
+ Skinny Bitch
+ The China Study
+ How Not to Die
+ Eat to Live
+ 80 10 10

RECIPE E-BOOKS

Ellen Fisher’s E-books, Epic Vegan Food and Epic Kid Food and Ash Foster’s E-book Potatoes are by far my most heavily used. They are super affordable and I can easily say I use these three books more than I have ever used a cookbook or a recipe blog. They are focused on whole plant-based foods, which can be a bit different than vegan cookbooks and blogs. They use no oil and lots of whole foods and are insanely delicious.

PLACES

+ Plant City
+ The Red Lentil
+ The Grange
+ Pizza J’s
+ Garden Grille

There are so many more resources, but this is my experience and what I have found valuable along the way. I hope you find this useful and feel free to share your favorite recipes, resources, etc. in the comments below :)

Favorite Life-Changing Books Roundup

There are few books that you can really say have changed your life. Most books are wonderful to read, but for some reason or another, don’t get implemented. Just like most things in life, I believe a book crosses your path when you most need, or are most receptive to, its lessons.

I’ve read a lot of different genres lately and the books below are my favorites across many different categories. Self-help, nutrition and finance have been my most-read over the last few years. Becoming informed is a priority of mine. I may not always know what is going on in the news at all times, but I like to know what and why I am doing certain things in my life— I like to live intentionally and consciously, and books help me do that.

Reading (or listening) is an easy way to introduce new ideas or ways of thinking into your life. Along with that comes unlimited insight and often valuable lessons from just picking up a paperback.

Life-Changing Foods

by Anthony William

My favorite nutrition-related book. I find this book very intuitive and incorporate the lessons taught in this book, and his others, in my daily life. It teaches about the health benefits (physical, emotional and spiritual) of fruits, veggies, herbs and more — the main principle being ‘food as medicine’. It really got me thinking about eating for my health and adding in all of the good stuff, rather than focusing on elimination within my diet. This book opened my eyes to the abundance of fruits and veggies this world has to offer. Of course, theres tons of other beneficial information stored in these pages, but I still refer to this book frequently as a type of manual/food bible.

Ask and It Is Given

By Esther and Jerry Hicks

I heard about this book on the Rich Roll Podcast in an episode with Mike Posner. I immediately knew I needed to read this book.

This book has probably had one of the most profound effects on my life. It really changed my perspective on reality and how much my thinking, my words and my actions dictated what showed up in my life. Like most people, I am guilty of focusing on “lack”, or things that I don’t have. But because of that, according to the Law of Attraction, I am going to continue to “not have them”. This book teaches you how to change the way you view the world and how to harness all that you desire. Admittedly, this is a book I know I should be re-listening to on repeat.

I also highly recommend their book, Money and The Law of Attraction.

The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

By Marie Kondo

I feel like this is a super cliche book to add to the list, but it really did have a huge impact on my life. It was around the time the Minimalism documentary came out and this book came out that I started experimenting with decluttering. I was a low-key hoarder at this point. I have since devoured many books on simplicity and minimalism. I think the take-home message of the minimalism movement, for me anyways, is that ‘simple’ helps to slow down my already racing mind. It also has really allowed me to appreciate all that I have. Decluttering and simplifying has went hand-in-hand with improving my finances because less stuff equals less money, and it has allowed me to instead focus on quality purchases and supporting brands who value sustainability, which is parallel to my beliefs.

Marie Kondo paved the way for me to get started with decluttering— the how-to’s and where to start. This book especially helped me get rid of the things I was holding onto due to guilt, an emotion I didn’t want attached to any of the items I chose to keep in my home. Her Netflix series is also incredible and I would highly recommend watching it.

The Miracle Morning

By Hal Elrod

I’ve been wanting to establish a morning routine for quite some time now. There are always those benchmark goals, like meditating, working out consistently, journaling, reading, etc. that have been on my to-do list for far too long. I will admit they are not all a part of my life consistently right now, but I have made progress largely due to this book.

I write this at a time I am not super proud of my morning routine, because if I’m being honest, sleep has taken priority lately. But, there was a point where I was meditating, journaling and reading consistently— with a wakeup time of 4am. I have since been able to incorporate reading and writing consistently into my routine, regardless of time. What I love so much about this book though is that it focuses on implementing parts of your routine centered around self-care and self-improvement. The reason he suggests implementing routines and habits like exercise, not hitting snooze, meditation, etc. in the morning is because they all assist us in growth in some manner, and usually, by the time the day passes us, we have no more energy or drive to complete them. By getting them done first thing in the morning, we will always be prioritizing our growth.

Whole

By T.Colin Campbell

Whole is a book that can change your views about nutrition, the health care system and our historic beliefs. If you are at all confused about the current state of affairs with healthcare and wonder why or how we got to this place, read this book. It focuses largely on the science — how studies are designed, why there is confusion among our population, supplementation, and industry profit, to name a few. If you want the facts, this book is for you.

The Total Money Makeover

By Dave Ramsey

This book changed our entire financial situation. No joke that it altered our life trajectory. Dave Ramsey teaches you the basics of money, which I wish were a part of high school or college curriculum… because money is kind of important to learn about.

This book focuses primarily on getting out of debt — the how’s and why’s. It also touches upon investments, but I used this book mostly as a resource for paying off debt. While Andy and I were ‘debt snowballing’, as it is termed, we also listened to his podcast pretty heavily for motivation and inspiration. Loans and debt can be daunting, but this book was the first spark of possibility for me. I couldn’t be more grateful to have come across this book at the time I did. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to improve their financial situation, for good. No quick fixes, just hard work that literally pays off.

Big Magic

By Elizabeth Gilbert

I’ve been struggling with ‘creativity’ and ‘inspiration’ lately and this book hit upon all of the subjects I needed. We all live in a world with constant consumption. We also live in a results-driven society with an emphasis on comparison. Elizabeth Gilbert preaches creating just to create, because we need it. The freedom that comes with just getting lost in whatever we’re doing. Things don’t need to be perfect, they don’t even need to be good, but we need to create. I loved this book and it felt liberating to know that we really don’t need to focus so heavily on results all of the time and can remember that creating is just as much about us as it is about sharing the results with the world.

A Return To Love

By Marianne Williamson

I don’t consider myself to be a very religious person— spiritual yes, religious, no. I believe that there are powers much greater than ourselves but to the extend of who that is and the purpose of it all, well I think we all are allowed to question and challenge those thoughts to our own extent.

A Return To Love focuses on just that, love. Fear is something I think I could say the majority of us, as humans, struggle with. For me, fear has held me back in countless situations and I can usually see it reoccurring in many current or future situations if I am not careful. But love feels good and this book is all about infusing love into our lives in order to live a truly happy and peaceful life.

Some other goodies

+ Atomic Habits
+ Skinny Bitch (this book is the reason I pretty easily broke my cheese addiction and never wanted meat again in my life)
+ Rushing Woman’s Syndrome
+ Playing with Fire
+ Choose FI
+ How Not to Die
+ Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life
+ Woman Code
+ Taking Charge of Your Fertility
+ The Alchemist
+ You Are The One
+ The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

TIP: Get a library card!

This will save you so much money, especially if you cruise through books. Typically, I will rent every book I am going to read and if I really love the book, then I purchase it. I rarely purchase books nowadays and love using the library as a resource. Occasionally, the library won’t have the book I want to read, so I will purchase it.

The library has become a crazy valuable resource for me. I rent all types of books, even cookbooks. I have a card at my local library, which allows me to rent anything local and to also utilize the online resources like Hoopla, where I can rent e-books and audiobooks. I also have an electronic card for the Boston Public Library, which usually has a larger selection to pick from.

Natural Non-Toxic Cleaners | DIY Recipes

I started making the switch to non-toxic cleaners a few years back, after learning that many household products contain harmful chemicals and hormone-mimicking compounds. As of today, I do the majority of my cleaning with a few main ingredients:

• Dr. Bronner’s Sal’s Suds

• Vinegar

• Baking soda

• Essential Oils

The majority of the recipes listed below, I learned from Ashlee Piper’s book, Give A Sh*t. It’s a book focusing on sustainability and I highly recommend reading it. I have found the cleaners in this book super simple and they work really well. A lot of the times when switching to ‘natural’ products, you think you need to compromise on quality or efficiency, but you don’t. These products work just as well as store-bought brands and they are simple, quick to make, cheap and free of chemicals.

When considering what to swap out first, I find it useful to think about what is in contact with your body the most. For instance, clothing will be in direct contact with your skin for hours each day, so laundry would be of high importance. Same goes for kitchen counters.

Multi-Purpose Spray

+ 2 tbsp vinegar
+ 2 tsp sals suds
+ 2 cups water
+ 15 drops lemon essential oil

Combine all ingredients into a glass jar with a spray top. I use this most often for counter tops, stove, sink, etc.

Laundry

Laundry was an easy swap for me, but it’s something Andy still has some trouble adjusting to. You need to rethink how your clean clothes should smell. That ‘clean clothes smell’ is really just chemicals that have leeched into your clothing and when you wear clothes all day long, they can also seep into your skin.

+ 1 tbsp Sal’s Suds

or

+ 1 cup homemade washing soda
+ 1 cup borax
+ 1 bar tea tree Castile soap
+ 20 plus drops lavender oil
+ 10 plus drops tea tree oil

Directions: For the washing soda, bake baking soda at 400F. Cut the soap into fine pieces and combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender. Pulse until a fine powder is achieved. Add 1-2 tbsp to your wash per load.

For our laundry, we usually wash with about 1 tbsp of Sal’s suds and dry without dryer sheets. I’ve been wanting to try dryer balls with essential oils but just haven’t gotten around to it or really felt the need for it. When wanting a bit more of a scent, we use the powder detergent, which is typically for our towels and our bedding.

For stain removing, I use Puracy and it’s hands down the best stain remover I have ever used.

Dish Soap

+Sal’s Suds

A little bit of Sal’s Suds goes a long way. I think my favorite thing is how versatile it is. It can be used to wash the dishes, do the laundry and make an all-purpose cleaning spray. It can be diluted 1/2 cup to a quart of water, if preferred, but I tend to just add some to my sponge before doing the dishes. It might go a longer way if pre-diluted. For hand soap, I also use Dr. Bronner’s but I prefer the scented bar soap.

Shower Cleaner

+ Baking Soda
+ Lemon Essential Oil

I usually shake some baking soda over the base of the tub and then add some drops of lemon essential oil to the baking soda. It will create a sort of paste-like cleaner. Scrub the area and it works as a good de-grimer. Use as much as necessary.

I’ve also used Branch Basics and I loved it - it made cleaning the bathroom easy. Being totally honest, the only reason I didn’t repurchase was price. I do think it’s worth the money, but using baking soda and essential oil is a pretty close second for much less money.

Windows and Mirrors

+ Vinegar

Pour some vinegar into a spray bottle (I upcycled an old hair product bottle that had a spray top). It looks a little foggy at first, but keep wiping and soon it will look crystal clear.

Essential Oils

My favorite oils are lemon, lavender, tea tree and eucalyptus. I have a few others but these are my most often used. The brand I usually purchase is Aura Cacia, but brands like Mountain Rose Herbs, Saje and Young Living are also high-quality.

I diffuse oils throughout my house instead of candles, it refreshens any space. For the bedroom, I typically diffuse lavender and eucalyptus for relaxation. For the kitchen and living room, I diffuse lemon or a lemon blend for a clean, energizing scent. I am looking into getting a second diffuser, but I currently use this diffuser and move it from room to room based on necessity.

Etc., etc.

Other brands I use or have used are Seventh Generation, Branch Basics and The Honest Company. EWG is a helpful website to determine if a brand is clean or not. Enter the brand into the search bar and a ranking between A - F will appear, A being the cleanest and F being the most harmful. This comes in handy when trying a new product or looking for a new one.

Any questions, leave in the comments below!

Asthma + Life Lately

The third week in September is notoriously considered peak week here in Massachusetts, a term I had never heard before this year. It’s the week that asthma and allergies require the most hospitalization. And to my surprise, I became one of those statistics, landing myself in the hospital right during the middle of peak week.

After about 4 weeks of dealing with a chronic cough, post-nasal drip and fatigue, my cough progressed into recurrent asthma attacks resulting in a hospitalization with a heavy (and continued) dose of steroids. I’m finally on the mend, have most of my energy back and am feeling grateful that I have access to medicine yielding this experience an inconvenience rather than a death sentence. 

I haven’t suffered from allergies in about 12 years, but things change. It is most likely why I didn’t suspect allergies to be the culprit until it was a little too late. I pushed a little too far for a little too long. It scared me, to say the least. I usually take pride in my health and this experience definitely brought me to a point of surrender and vulnerability that I haven’t quite experienced before. My lungs felt like they were failing me and until you can’t breathe, it’s hard to understand how much of a blessing sufficient airflow is. I was left feeling grateful, more than anything.

From what I understand, there is a threshold to asthma. Our lungs can only tolerate and filter so much until our body goes into overdrive. During peak week allergies are at a season high, putting those with asthma at an increased risk. I don’t know fully what triggered my attacks yet, but I suspect the main culprit will be ragweed. As to the whole threshold theory, I am curious what other environmental irritants I could potentially be breathing in on a day to day basis. Dust, air quality concerns, fragrances, etc.? Pollen and air pollution are not things I can control, but it has definitely left me thinking of the things I maybe could.

I originally went down the natural home path to avoid unnecessary exposure to chemicals (don’t we get enough as is?) and to lighten the toxic load of my surroundings— but intuitively I feel like it makes sense that chemicals we breathe would cause our lungs to become irritated and inflamed over time, making it more likely that seasonal allergies would be the tipping point. Since the hospital stay, I have done a bit of minimizing (bye-bye dust) and removed the final remaining store-bought cleaners from my cabinets. It leaves me feeling like I am doing what I can in a highly uncontrollable world. Here’s a few final thoughts…

+ Introduce plants to filter air quality 

Plants filter the air, removing toxins that typically get released from wall paint, plastics, furniture, etc.

+ Use non-toxic cleaners

Consider swapping out store-bought cleaners for homemade ones with non-toxic ingredients.

+ Less things = less dust

Simply put.

I am clearly not a pulmonologist or an allergist, but I think removing as many environmental irritants as possible (aka what we breathe in) just makes sense to me. I obviously have more to discover in relation to my breathing, but feel like I am at least on the right path towards discovery now.

Acai Smoothie Bowl 101

Ohhhh, smoothies <3 How I adore you.

If you take a peek at my Instagram @mich_baptista, you’ll see just how obsessed I am. Mango smoothies, blueberry smoothies, green smoothies! I’ll take them all, please.

But what’s even better is when your smoothie is in a bowl. It’s basically soft-serve ice cream for breakfast. And who would say no to that?

Not I.

Acai is a power fruit. Originally from Brazil, this berry is now able to be enjoyed all over the world.  It’s most often sold in tropical beach locations, like Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Mexico… but acai bowls can be made just as easily at home! If you can’t go to the tropics, bring a part of the tropics home with you… am I right?!

This is my favorite way to start a weekend morning. With a big, cold, refreshing bowl of acai, pilled high with fresh fruit and granola.

ACAI BOWL FOR TWO

INGREDIENTS

• 2 packets of frozen acai puree

• 2 frozen bananas, sliced

• 1 cup frozen wild blueberries

• I cup frozen strawberries

• <1 cup almond milk (just enough to get it blending)

• Optional toppings: banana, granola, coconut, berries, papaya, kiwi, mango

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Run acai packet under hot water for ~10 seconds to lightly defrost.

2. Add all the ingredients into a high-speed blender, with 1/2 cup of almond milk. Any blender will work, but the amount of liquid you need to use will vary based on blender type. For blenders like a Nutribullet, you will need a lot more liquid.

3. Blend, and add more almond milk as needed. Scrape down the sides and mash with a tamper or similar tool. Be careful not to over blend or add too much liquid or you will end up with a smoothie instead of a bowl (not a horrible situation). I have found that I really need to mash the ingredients in order to avoid adding too much liquid.

4. Decorate your bowl by adding fresh fruit, like bananas, papaya, mango or strawberries on top. Sprinkle some of your favorite granola (mine is coconut granola from Trader Joe’s) and finish with some coconut flakes!

5. EAT & ENJOY!

Tip: Invest in a good blender, it’s worth it! Especially if you will be using it a lot. I currently have a Blendtec and use it at least once a day. The only downfall is there is no tamper, compared to Vitamix, so frozen treats with little liquid are much harder to attain.

What I Ate Today | Rainy Day Comfort Food

It’s always the hardest to get out of bed when it’s pouring out… but those days when you don’t, that’s heaven.

It’s finally spring here in New England, but with spring comes a lot of rain. And rainy days =  comfort food cravings, for me at least.

MORNING ROUTINE + SUPPLEMENTS.

I always start my mornings with a big glass of water. I usually fill up a 32 oz. mason jar and try to drink as much of that as possible before I leave for work. If it’s not a work day, like today, then I just continue to drink and fill up throughout the day. Today I had plain water, but sometimes I will squeeze in a lime or lemon for added flavor and benefit.

Next, I usually make myself a tea. I’ve been really into the Green Tea Matcha by Traditional Medicinals lately.

In the same cabinet that I keep my tea and mugs, I keep my daily supplements and powders. This seems to be easier for me, that way I see the supplements each morning as I make my tea and I am less likely to forget. Andy and I take a daily B12 supplement and are trying to get better with Vitamin D supplementation too. It’s recommended to take Vitamin D after a meal, which hinders my morning routine since I don’t eat breakfast right away.

Vitamin D is recommended to all people that are not getting at least 20 minutes of sun exposure a day. And it is believed that the majority of people are actually deficient in Vitamin B12, regardless of their current diet. Vitamin B12 assists in protecting the nervous system, DNA synthesis, promotion of normal growth in infants and children, and more. Supplementation of both are recommended (links to the brands I use above).

In addition to the vitamins, we try to consume barley grass juice powder (BGJP) and spirulina regularly. It’s extremely easy to add these powders to our smoothies daily, but when the weather is cold and we aren’t having smoothies regularly, we definitely don’t consume these greens as often as I’d like.

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BREAKFAST.

For breakfast I had a smoothie and 2 pieces of avocado toast. I tend to sip my smoothies over a long period of time, so the 32 ounces lasted me through lunchtime.

Smoothie (yields ~ 2x 32 oz. servings) 
2-3 bananas
1 cup frozen mango
1 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup wild blueberries
~1 tbsp of both BGJP and 1/2 tbsp Spirulina
Blend with water

Similar smoothie just minus the strawberries and blueberries. I didn’t take picture of the one I drank this morning…

These measurements are all guesstimates, so I may be off here! Just add whatever fruit you want into the blender and you can’t really go wrong  Just add enough water so that the fruit blends, some blenders are more powerful than others and require more liquid to properly blend. The smoothie was made by Andy the night before- we prep ours at night so they are ready to go in the morning.

Avocado Toast 
2 pieces of toast, my current favorite is When Pigs Fly Sourdough
1 Avocado
A dash of Himalayan pink salt
Sprinkle of Cashew parmesan cheese

Avocado toast was something I was drifting away from a bit, because I didn’t like the way I felt after having bread. I am so so satisfied with When Pigs Fly Sourdough though. My digestion feels much better consuming a freshly baked bread with minimal ingredients, and it really makes this meal so much more delicious and satisfying. There is a bakery near my work, but if I don’t get it there it is sold locally at Hannafords and Market Basket. I grab a few loafs at a time and put it in the freezer.

AFTERNOON

I had another tea around noon time, less because I needed the caffeine but more because I just wanted something warm to drink. I’ve made so much progress reducing caffeine in my routine that I’m not super focused at ridding of it completely. I think where I am at currently is perfect for my body and my health.

I finished my smoothie around 1-2ish I believe, so I really wasn’t very hungry for lunch. As a snack I cut up an entire cucumber over lettuce with hummus as a dip/dressing. I usually always feel better when I have a good amount of raw food and greens in my diet, so I try to prioritize it as best I can. Not all days look like this though, trust me.

DINNER

Both Andy and I have been getting a little tired of our dinner rotation lately, so it was time to mix it up.

For dinner I made a vegan Potato and Corn Chowder (recipe is in the One Part Plant Cookbook or can be found here). I opted for onions instead of leeks and omitted the oil. This soup is the perfect comfort food for those rainy, windy nights. It’s creamy, delicious and healthy.

My intent in sharing ‘What I Eat’ posts is to show the variety that can be experienced in a whole foods, plant-based diet. Most weeks I eat predominantly whole foods, but there will be days or weeks that I eat more processed foods or vegan junk foods than I know I should. I try to listen to my body and remember how much my health has improved during this journey. Aka, a lot.

Coffee: How and Why I Detoxed

I stopped drinking coffee due to a combination of breaking my coffee pot and having an inner hunch that it was impacting my health negatively. Coffee has been my morning staple for the last few years, where I became deeply dependent on it after college when I entered the phase of life coined ‘adulting’. That morning grogginess (crankiness) didn’t go away without it.

It wasn’t always bad, don’t get me wrong. I loved my warm coffee on a cool fall morning, it was soothing to my soul. But the reality was it became a crutch I depended on to clear the morning fog and give me the energy to get the day started... and finished. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for me to have 3-5 cups of coffee a day, because lets be honest… my first “cup” was my entire coffee pot.

Doing away with coffee has been on the to-do list for a while now, but I honestly just haven’t wanted to rip the band-aid off. As of right now, I don’t know if I will give up coffee forever or if I’ll jump back on the Four Sigmatic bandwagon. Maybe I’ll stick to my one chai tea a day. Who knows. Life changes and that’s okay.

So besides from breaking my coffee pot for the second time (a sign from the universe?), it was learning about the biochemical effects of caffeine that finally pushed me to commit. (Can you tell I was a bio major in college, #ScienceNerd?)

In short, coffee (caffeine) triggers the production of stress hormones. And too many stress hormones for an extended period of time can impact the production of sex hormones, like estrogen and progesterone. Aka, the female body can go a bit bananas if hyped up on excess amounts of caffeine.

I write more about my journey with hormonal health in the post, My Experience with Birth Control and Life-Post Pill, but hormonal health is something that has always been a bit of a challenge for me. So learning that caffeine can lower progesterone, an anti-anxiety hormone responsible for period health and fertility, among other things, was eye-opening. Low progesterone can present itself in a number of ways like anxiety, fluid retention, low mood, unexplained weight gain and challenges conceiving.

For me, coffee is just another piece of the puzzle towards better hormonal and overall health. I am, by no means, saying this will be the magic piece that puts it all together, I’ve just realized that trying life without coffee is worth the effort.

A SYSTEM IN OVER-DRIVE.

We live in a society that is always turned on, but I’m sure this is not news to you. Very rarely can we disconnect from our work or our responsibilities, but instead we shoulder the effects of our ever growing to-do lists and diminishing hours of sleep.

As our body cannot differentiate between actual danger or lifestyle stress, our nervous system usually works overtime producing and then filtering stress hormones to “protect” us.

Adrenaline and cortisol, our stress hormones, are necessary and life-saving. They help us survive in both short-term and long-term stress, but when stress never goes away, their effects are no longer beneficial.

Take for example, adrenaline. It allows us to access fight-or-flight and gives us the energy to escape harmful and dangerous situations. But more often than not, too many commitments, financial stress, or caffeine can be the “impending danger” that increases our adrenaline production and forces our bodies into a state of long-term, chronic stress.

Adrenaline and cortisol are part of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), the branch of our nervous system that is under subconscious control and is activated by stress. Coffee, which stimulates the production of adrenaline, can impair the balance between fight-or-flight and rest-and-digest, tipping the scales in favor of always being on ‘high alert’. This means that our body, whether real or not, sees itself in almost constant danger.

A DELICATE DANCE.

Estrogen and progesterone, our two main sex hormones, play a big role in our menstrual cycle, ranging from fertility to the degree in which we suffer from PMS, cramps, headaches, etc. If out of balance, we can experience heavy, clotty or painful periods, anxiety, sore/swollen breasts, to name just a few symptoms.

Progesterone, a hormone responsible for keeping our uterine lining intact, decreases if our bodies believe we are in stress and in a non-optimal state for conceiving. Cortisol, the long-term stress hormone that presents after extended periods of high adrenaline, decreases the production of progesterone.

The take-away message is that stress hormones are a very necessary part of our biology and our survival, but long-term artificial triggers, like caffeine, could contribute to or exacerbate an already existing hormonal imbalance, if not corrected.

DETOX COMMENCE.

During a habit shift, one behavior usually gets replaced with another, more favorable, behavior. In my case, I replaced my morning coffee with tea as a way to avoid caffeine headaches and gradually wean myself off.

To give some perspective, one 8oz. cup of coffee has about 95 mg caffeine. Green tea, as an alternative, has about 30mg of caffeine per cup. I was typically drinking 2-3 cups of coffee a day, so that’s almost 300 mg of caffeine daily. Switching to ~30-60 mg daily consumption from green tea, it is understandable why on day 2, even with 2 cups of green tea, I had a headache. But thankfully, that would be the one and only headache.

The intention of this post is not to tell you to give up coffee. It’s to continue to share my journey with you and see what works and what doesn’t. Stress is hard to avoid and it’s something I personally find challenging to manage. But in terms of perceived stress, or situations that elicit physical stress responses to emotional situations (embracing conflict, having difficult conversations, budgeting finances), saying no to caffeine seems like an easier and less invasive first step to reducing stress.

I’m hoping that reducing caffeine will allow me to respond better in stressful situations, improve my monthly cycle (in terms of PMS symptoms), and impact my energy levels and mood in a positive manner.

WHAT’S CHANGED?

So far, so good. Outside the normal rush of life, I don’t feel any more tired than I did on coffee. I no longer have my mid-afternoon slumps, but those definitely didn’t disappear right away.

It’s been about 6 months since my last cup and I really don’t miss it much. In the beginning, I missed the smell and the comfort of a slow Sunday morning coupled with my morning coffee. But at the moment, I alternate between green tea or chai as substitutes, and those work plenty fine.

I honestly kind of expected this transition to be harder. But the headache only lasted for a day and I experienced no noticeable symptoms otherwise. Mentally it hasn’t been that difficult either. This may be because my morning routine hasn’t changed: my AM beverage still exists, it’s just been replaced with tea.

I’m currently consuming about 10mg of caffeine daily, which is a pretty sizable reduction compared to upwards of ~180 mg that was my norm.

Sleep

This improvement felt almost immediate. I’ve never had any issues falling asleep, but would typically wake at least once or twice throughout the night tossing and turning. Less caffeine yielded restful nights without any waking. Most mornings I wake with my alarm feeling well rested, given I went to bed at a decent hour the night before.

Energy

I get a sense of clarity and energy from drinking tea, but it seems to be longer-lasting and without the inevitable crash that comes with coffee. I am semi-convinced that sipping any beverage would benefit my alertness though, as the act of making and consuming a drink prompts movement.

Throughout the afternoon or evenings I usually just have water. I rarely have mid-afternoon slumps anymore, but if I do, I try to counteract them with a quick walk or step outside.

Hormones

This is the most exciting improvement, in my opinion.

As I mentioned, one of the primary reasons for this detox was coffees potential impact on progesterone levels. By both personal observation and tracking my cycles via temp charting, I had an inkling that my progesterone levels were low. One of the indicators was pre- and post-spotting. A second indicator was swollen and sore breasts during the two weeks leading up to menstruation.

I have had many cycles since going coffee-free, many of which I experienced no spotting or sore or swollen breasts. It’s too early to say whether or not this trend will continue, but this cycle’s improvements were impossible to ignore.

Overall health 

Giving up coffee has forced me to take better care of my body on a basic level. I no longer have the crutch of reaching for heavy doses of caffeine when I stay up too late watching TV or eat too much junk and enter a food coma. By eating my best, sleeping well and reducing stress as much as possible, I find it is easier not to rely on the caffeine.

The plan for now is to just stay in-tune with my body. If I feel driven to give up caffeine completely, I’ll try it. If I am happy with the improvements and feel good with tea, then I’ll stick to it. I find it liberating to try things as I see fit and truthful.

ACTION STEPS: 

• Get the coffee out of the house. If I hadn’t (accidentally) broken my coffee pot, I would always gravitate towards coffee over tea in the morning.

• Switch to a beverage with less caffeine to prevent headaches (which will cause you to reach for the coffee). My choice was green tea.

• Know why you want to reduce your coffee/caffeine consumption in the first place!

What I Ate Today | Vegan + GF

This is a first for me! I’m sharing all the deets about what I ate this particularly snowy Monday.

When I first started transitioning to a whole foods, plant-based diet, I had no idea how many options there were or how delicious plant foods could be (really delicious!). All I saw was restriction. But that couldn’t have been further from the truth. Sure, I had to learn to cook more and I had to spend a bit more time chopping veggies, but my relationship with food started changing. 

I was able to eat all of the foods I loved in abundance… aka carbs <3

But it really wasn’t until my honeymoon in Sri Lanka that I realized a plant-centered diet might actually be sustainable and beneficial.

Sri Lanka was the second time that I ate vegetarian for an extended period of time. By the end of the week my stomach was 100x better than upon arrival and the following week, my period arrived without a peep. At this point in time, my period was barely even showing up, so this was a huge win.

So I decided to give a plant-based diet a much deserved try.

But with most big changes, it was a slow transition. And the more predominantly plant-based I became, the less I wanted to go back to any other way of living.

So here I am  I hope that sharing what I ate today gives you an idea of how simple and effortless eating more plants can be. 

A.M. ROUTINE.

I started my morning with a cup of green tea and lemon. I have recently started weaning myself off of caffeine, and coffee in particular, and wrote a blog post detailing why and how here. 

I also take a B12 supplement daily. These are the two brands that I use: VeganSafe and Vimergy. 

.

BREAKFAST.

For breakfast I had oatmeal made with

gluten free rolled oats
almond milk
wild blueberries
banana
raisins
drizzle of maple syrup
dash of cinnamon

This is a super filling meal for me. In the winter I tend to gravitate towards more warming breakfasts like oatmeal, as opposed to smoothies. I cooked a 1/2 cup of rolled oats, which fills my 18 oz. hydroflask for breakfast on-the-go.

LUNCH.

For lunch I had a big salad. 

Salads are my typical go-to for weekday meals. This particular occasion was a clean-out-the-fridge meal slash “I need to go grocery shopping”, so I must admit that there is usually more substance to my salads. Todays salad included, 

Romaine lettuce
Red pepper
Red onion
Carrot 
Sea veggie dulse
Avocado
Hemp seeds

*Usually there are also tomatoes, cucumbers and pumpkin seeds.

The salad dressing was made with maple syrup, dijon mustard and apple cider vinegar.

Salads don’t have to be boring or skimpy. With an abundance of veggies, salads can be filling and provide a wide variety of nutrients. I aim to eat a large, popcorn bowl salad for lunch each day, as I tend to feel my best when I have some raw foods incorporated into my daily diet. Since raw foods are typically lower in calories than cooked, in order to be calorically satisfied, I eat larger portion sizes. 

.

DINNER.

For dinner we had rice and bean tacos with and a side of baked gold + sweet potatoes. The taco recipe was from Ellen Fishers e-book, my absolute favorite. 

For the oil-free potatoes:

– Chop the gold potatoes like fries and sprinkle with garlic powder and pepper. 
– For the sweet potatoes, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, pepper and smoked paprika.
– Cook at 375F until golden.

NIGHTTIME ROUTINE.

Lately I have been ending the rush of the day with herbal tea and lemon. Raspberry leaf + nettle leaf is my drink of choice. Both of these herbal teas work wonders for the hormonal and endocrine system.

They support reproductive health, provide relief to menstrual cramps and heavy bleeding, and also work in preventing chronic headaches.