“Mom, is this a stick in my soup?”I admit that we eat some weird food around here, but I really wasn't serving a soup quite that rustic (on purpose).I just got busted on a little corner cutting, but I'll let you learn from my mistake.This story was originally posted in 2013 but I updated it with some new techniques - enjoy!As the weather turns from frigid to simply frosty, we here in Michigan tend to shed our coats and open our car windows with great fanfare as soon as the … [Read more...]
Do You Feel Ready For An Infestation?
It's ok if your skin is crawling looking at that picture! I can hardly stand it!Typically to fulfill the mission of Kitchen Stewardship, we're sharing science geek info on things like why aerosol sunscreen is dangerous (and safe, frugal sun options for your family) or time-savers like beef barbacoa in the Instant Pot, but today, I have a PSA of a different kind.Plain and simple, y'all need moth traps. And I need to go swap mine for new right now! (brb, k?)They're not very expensive. … [Read more...]
3 Reasons You Should Never Touch Spray Sunscreen
Is spray sunscreen dangerous?The FDA hasn't decided yet, but in the meantime, Consumer Reports recommended that people avoid it until we know better, particularly on kids. After personally testing over 80 natural sunscreens, I'm treating it as NOT SAFE for three huge reasons, the third of which you'll see right away in this video:If you can't view the video above, find it at "spray sunscreen is dangerous" on YouTube. What do you think? Is spray-on sunscreen bad for you? The FDA … [Read more...]
Frugal Options to Protect your Family NATURALLY from the Sun
The average per-ounce price of my top 7 recommended sunscreens from the massive safe, natural sunscreen review is (gulp) over $5.30. That means that for a fairly standard 3-ounce tube, which is really quite small, you're paying over $15 (and could be up toward $25).Technically, an adult should use that tube up in just 3 applications on their full body. Ouch.What's a large family on a budget to do?Spreading the lotion more thinly so that you use less reduces its SPF – in fact, it's … [Read more...]
Meal Planning to Get Started with an Elimination or Gut Healing Diet (GAPS, Grain-free, etc.)
When you have a food and nutrition blog, people talk to you about digestive issues quite a bit.People ask me about stomach pain after eating, diarrhea, constipation, indigestion, and everything in between. When my husband had undiagnosed Crohn's Disease, stomach pain after eating was a major symptom and telling factor. Seven blissfully symptom-free years after surgery to remove part of his small intestine, when he had chronic diarrhea for two months, the medical establishment couldn't do … [Read more...]
Sun, Sunscreen, Skin Cancer and Safety: How Much do You Need?
Does sunscreen cause cancer? Like almost any topic in the field of health and wellness, it seems there is a tangled web of research and opinions when it comes to cancer, sun exposure and sunscreen ingredients. Should we wear SPF 50 sunscreen for our walk from the house to the mailbox, or should we shun all sunscreens in our quest to increase our Vitamin D levels as much as possible? Do we buy sun protective clothing to safeguard every inch of our skin from the damaging UV rays, or should the … [Read more...]
Natural Sunscreen Review: Over 80 Mineral Sunscreens Tested by One Family!
Crazy but true - our family really has tested and reviewed over 80 natural mineral sunscreens, and we know what works! In this comprehensive sunscreen review, we share which ones stay on in the water or when you sweat, which brands make you look white like a ghost and which go on smoothly, what got us burned and what natural ingredients are REALLY the best (and the brands that are tricking you with their marketing). We've learned a lot about sun safety and sunscreen efficacy, and I continue to … [Read more...]
Eat the Orange, Skip the Juice
Ever heard of an orange juice tree?Dug up a potato, only to find it skinless?Seen a picture of people harvesting white rice?In nature, we find unprocessed foods with starch and sugar in them also have a good amount of fiber:Grains in their whole form include the bran, full of fiber. Sweet fruits, packed with fructose, always come in a fibrous skin or have a hefty dose of fiber included in the package. Starchy vegetables, like potatoes and legumes, also bring fiber along … [Read more...]
Totally Normal Foods That Help Digestion, Maintain Gut Health and Reduce Food Cravings
Nobody wants to think about heartburn, stomach pain or bloating after eating but #lifehappens and when it does, we want to get better fast and naturally, just like we help our kids get over a stomach bug or diarrhea with whole foods.We try our best, don't we, moms?We want to eat the perfect diet. We want our kids' guts to be all balanced and happy and perfect.But life doesn't always feel balanced.We certainly aren't perfect for so many reasons.And sometimes our busy days get … [Read more...]
How to Take (Hide) a Powdered Probiotic
It's been almost five years for our family taking one whole foods probiotic supplement, ever since I finally beat back my candida overgrowth after about six months of trying a LOT of things, including a few other commercially available probiotics. Today I get to SHARE with you!We decided we'd try this one when I had the opportunity to listen in on a teleseminar with the formulator of the Miessence probiotics, a pioneer and expert in the field. I was captivated, and I wanted to try the … [Read more...]
How to Rebuild Your Child’s Gut After Antibiotics
For centuries, we've had relationships with other organisms to keep us healthy - it used to be external beasts like leeches, now we're learning that it's all about the internal relationship with our bugs and bacteria. The big question lately is what to do after we go nuclear on our own healthy bacteria with a round of antibiotics - how to fix the gut after that, especially for our kids? A walk through medical history can be funny, yet alarming: the practice of blood-letting, with or without … [Read more...]
Vitamin D: Why Your Levels Didn’t Go Up After Supplementing
Take your pick: pill, drops, or rays? What's the best way to get adequate Vitamin D?The issue can be a thorny one:Many people, my doctor included, say that people in the Northern U.S. and Canada simply cannot get enough Vitamin D from the sun because of the angle at which it hits the earth most of the year. The rays simply aren't strong enough, and our skin isn't exposed enough in the colder months. Common recommendations for the right amount range from 600-800 IU/day (raised from … [Read more...]
Vegetarian Taco Quinoa Chili Recipe (for Instant Pot too!)
My husband will tell you he's not a picky eater, but don't believe a word of it. Even now that I've convinced him real food is good for us, there are foods he won't touch.He doesn't like cucumbers, Brussels sprouts, beets, sweet potatoes or any other mushy orange vegetable, and quinoa.Until now.Apparently quinoa just needed the right mix of spices to hide its texture and he'd eat it happily.Enter this vegetarian "taco quinoa chili" for dinner - which can even be made in a … [Read more...]
How to Boil a Husband
This is good advice about husbands and real food, I promise.And no, I'm not upset with my husband and taking it out on men everywhere.It was my husband's idea, in fact.Ever since I pulled things like serving beef tongue and not telling him (and then successfully doing the same with beef heart), he has given in to the fact that he's thoroughly boiled. And of course, now that he's actually instigating dietary changes in our family, I think I can safely say the process is … [Read more...]
Will There be Enough Organic Food to Support Demand if Real Food Gets a Real Foothold?
This post contains content sponsored by the Organic Trade Association. The opinions expressed in this post are my own and do not necessarily represent those of the Organic Trade Association. For more information on the Gro-Organic Check-Off Program, please visit the consumer action page at GROorganic or Mamavation's article.We real foodies always say "real food doesn't have bar codes," and I often add to that, "or a marketing budget."That is – amazingly – about to change.If we're … [Read more...]
Your Guide to Using Safe Essential Oils for Kids {VIDEO}
No sooner do I clean up the bathroom and put the box away then it seems to come back out!What box? My essential oils, and particularly the bottles that are safe for my kids, tend to be like the proverbial bad penny on my bathroom counter.It's not that we're always sick, although it can feel that way sometimes in mid-winter. At least we're ready with natural remedies when the sick bugs do come knocking!I just keep thinking of uses for our KidSafe essential oils, like helping my … [Read more...]
Embarking on a Gut Healing Diet (& Hitting the Bumps)
I just want ice cream. (Darn. That's not going to heal my gut.)And chocolate. (That probably won't cure my candida though.)And yogurt.Heck, just a slice of cheese or a wedge of grapefruit would send me out singing in the rain!Being on a gut healing diet and protocol is HARD work, and don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise! How we Got Started on a Gut Healing Diet (when we didn't have any major health problems) I've been sharing bits and pieces of our gut healing diet via … [Read more...]
How do you start a garden without really trying? Plant Your Pantry!
This post is from Guest Writer Nicky Schauder from Permaculture Gardens “This is the year I will finally grow my kitchen garden!” If this is you or if you can’t even say these words because the thought of a garden is too daunting for you right now, then read on. This post was written with you in mind.I know exactly what that garden overwhelm feels like. I used to think that gardening was too much work, especially back in 2006 and 2008 when the first and second of my 6 kids developed … [Read more...]
Get Your Mud Mouth on with Earthpaste
Does a brown, natural toothpaste sound unbelievable to you? Let's talk about the top on my list of natural toothpaste reviews, but first, more shocking things.If you're a parent, you've surely experienced the disbelief that happens when a child totally loses it over something that happens every. single. day.Right? (Please tell me I'm not alone on this!)For the 5-and-under crowd, simple tasks like getting dressed, getting one's hair done, washing hands before a meal, and brushing … [Read more...]
Align with “Aunt Flo” to Make Your Cycle Work FOR You {Women’s Wellness GUEST Series}
This post is from guest writer Lori Valentine Rose of Lori Rose HolisticYou made it ladies!! This is it!!! After doing all of the hard work:The mitochondria are supported Our blood sugar is balanced Your adrenal glands are regulated Maximize your liver health and body detoxWe finally get to align our lives with our monthly cycles! This concept was taught to me by health coach Alisa Vitti’s book Woman Code (found on Amazon), and it pretty much changed my whole outlook on … [Read more...]
