There's always that question when it comes to getting FREE items (after shipping) right?But how much will it REALLY cost?I got your back. ;) My team and I dug into each item and will tell you the cost of shipping, whether the product seems like a good fit for a KSer or not, and if there are any secrets to getting free shipping too!Here's what you get:FREE 2 oz. Immune-Biotic Herbal Tincture from Earthley ($14.99) FREE Bottle of Kombucha Pro and/or Free Kombucha Tea Blend … [Read more...]
Why No One Sticks to New Year’s Resolutions
Did you know that the National Weight Control Registry can hardly find people to be on it? All you have to do is lose 30 pounds and keep it off for one year.You know why?Because people have trouble sticking with big changes of habit (and also a lot of physical and environmental forces are working against weight loss success).Almost no one keeps their New Year's resolution beyond a month or two, and many don't make it to February.One reason is that we try to change just our … [Read more...]
Which Fats Are the Healthiest to Start Your Day With?
If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, what's the most important part of a healthy breakfast?Making sure what you eat is nourishing and sustaining.Healthy fats do both better than any glass of orange juice or frozen waffle, making them the foundation of any healthy breakfast. The Role of Fat in our BodiesFat helps us utilize Vitamins A, D, E and K. Omega 3 and saturated fats regulate hormones, therefore are vital for healthy fertility and energy levels. Fat … [Read more...]
Don’t Hold Back: Feed the Baby Earlier, Current Research Says
Chill, Mama.That karate chop I busted out on poor Uncle Charlie when he made an attempt to give my first baby a bite of dirt cake at 7 months old? May have been overkill, it turns out.When that little-baby-who-is-now-an-alarmingly-old-kid was born over a decade ago, the recommendation from our pediatrician on introducing first foods included warnings to avoid the top common allergens until at least a year: strawberries, tomatoes, shellfish, nuts, cow's milk (although we did yogurt and … [Read more...]
3 Easy Ways to Make Sure Your Kids Aren’t Fooled by Food Labels {GUEST POST}
This post is from guest writer Alison Adair from the Pure Food Kids Foundation.Food marketers spend two billion dollars a year convincing kids to eat foods that are unhealthy – we don’t want our kids to fall for it. But how do we protect them from the cartoons, celebrity endorsement, flashy colors and games that are tempting them to believe otherwise?A little food label education may be needed. What Kids Need to Know About SugarThere are many types of sugar. One of the most … [Read more...]
More Whole30 Recipes & Meal Plans, Veggies Galore and Transitioning Out (or not?)
I was so awful at first at finding Whole30 approved recipes that satisfied!Those first few days of the Whole30 for my husband and low phytic acid anti-cavity diet for me felt like torture.We were hungry, felt deprived, and every meal was a feat of self-discipline and mad knife skills. (Good thing my kids could help which eased it a little!!)I cut a lot of vegetables.And then everything changed.It got better.We got better – at planning more interesting Whole30 meals, at … [Read more...]
Our Rookie Whole30 Meal Plans
The great thing about a Whole30 is that it really makes you meal plan, and you find ideas for so many vegetables in your diet, you might buy out the produce section. You might even start your day with a load of vegetables, like this "tastes like pizza breakfast hash" I discovered.If you ever follow me on Facebook when my husband and I do a Whole30 or other elimination diet or healing diet like Gut Thrive in 5, you'll see our veggie-laden meal planning day by day. :)This menu plan demo is … [Read more...]
News Flash! Sugar and White Flour are Great for Your Heart!
I think we can all agree that fresh vegetables are good for our bodies, right?Whether you're Paleo or vegan, a traditional foodie or even a Standard American Diet aficionado, everyone knows they should eat their vegetables.Warning: Strap on your patient hat and try to keep your temper, because what I'm going to tell you next still has me seething days later.My dad was just in a renowned hospital for heart surgery, and he had a craving after a few days. He just wanted something … [Read more...]
What do you do with Zoodles?
What's the deal with zoodles?If you've tried zucchini recipes before and thought it was a mushy mess, you may be a little worried about making spaghetti out of them. Spiralizing is used on many vegetables, especially when people are attempting a gut-healing or grain-free diet, BUT zucchini noodles, "zoodles," are by far the most popular.We've found that we LOVE zoodles in so many ways! People ask a lot on Facebook about how to use them after spiralizing, so I wanted to share some … [Read more...]
From Bug Bites to Zits Clay Has you Covered{Review}
I just LOVE Redmond Trading and all of their products. They are really great people to work with, too.Their clay has so many uses! Check out what they have to say about it (these words will feed your inner science geek AND history buff brain!): Redmond Clay has been used by generations of people for a variety of ailments. Redmond Clay’s origins are as old as the practice of putting a mud poultice on a bee sting.Geologically, Redmond Clay is volcanic ash that was deposited in sea water … [Read more...]
Best All-Day NATURAL Facial Moisturizing Sunscreens with SPF
"Why are you putting that on your face?" the 2-year-old asks as I apply a little cover-up to a blemish one morning."To hide this little ugly thing," I answer with an eye roll.Then as I brush on liquid eyeliner, I hear, "Does that hurt? Is it pokey?""No honey, it's a brush, it's ok.""But why are you doing that?" he persists.I pause."Because ladies do lots of crazy things!"Sometimes you just have to end the conversation.But I want to continue the conversation … [Read more...]
Your UVA Protection Probably Isn’t Working (Especially in the Pool)
It just doesn't stop this summer!First, Consumer Reports says that mineral sunscreens just aren't effective after testing 13 of them. I totally disagree with them and elucidate my points rather, ahem, pointedly, right HERE.Now, a reader sent me this article about the dangers of the sunscreen ingredient avobenzone reacting with chlorine in swimming pools to form toxic compounds! The media has been reporting on research published by Cheng Wang in the journal Chemosphere, and I appreciated … [Read more...]
Packing a Lunch: Healthy Food To Go
I feel like I'm always looking for more easy lunch packing ideas for my kids!I don't want to make special lunch recipes - I just want those boxes packed up and ready for school in the morning, without stress. Amen?My history with both observing and packing school lunches is pretty extensive (as is this list of tips for healthy lunches on the go that I hope will help you stick to your budget, follow all the food allergy rules, and avoid wasting food).You see, when I was a teacher (in … [Read more...]
No More Bedwetting Accidents – Simple Natural Solutions for Almost Every Kid
Bet you'd never think constipation would have anything to do with bedwetting at night - but it might. I couldn't believe how many people struggle with constipation in their toddlers, and it's possible that those solutions will help the nighttime potty accidents as well! I have plenty of personal experience, unfortunately:You don't expect to have three kids in diapers when you have them all three years apart.My first two potty trained very easily, both before two-and-a-half years … [Read more...]
Why I Won’t Listen to Consumer Reports on Sunscreen
I get it. Consumer Reports is widely respected and well-known for really knowing how to do reviews and being very thorough. I'm just a mom who has spent the last nearly-decade testing over 100 natural sunscreens on her family in a mostly organized but sometimes haphazard way.I don't have a testing lab.I don't have a team of researchers.I don't even have perfect documentation on everything I did.But I am still going to shout my disagreement with Consumer Reports' 2017 sunscreen … [Read more...]
Healthy Summertime Popsicles Made by Kids (No Added Sugar!!)
Why bother making healthy popsicles? Because nobody wants to turn on the oven to bake homemade chewy granola bars in the summer!Our neighborhood is packed with kids, and they love hanging out together. When the weather is hot, popsicles tend to come out and get shared with friends.What's a household to do when we try to avoid artificial colors in food, think artificial sweeteners are dangerous for kids, and really don't want to consume a ton of white sugar either?The choices aren't … [Read more...]
Meal Planning Basics for the Boss of the House
Your mission, if you choose to accept, is to be the boss of your meal planning like you're the boss of the house! (a little throwback to my old Monday Missions!)It turns out that planning a menu for the week is a massive help in being a good kitchen steward, perhaps even more than making and choosing natural green cleaners: it saves you time, money, helps your family eat better, reduces food waste AND totally improves sanity. I'm sure of it. That last one is probably scientifically proven … [Read more...]
Natural Wasp Spray: We Got Rid of our Wasps, No Raid Required!
Long pants and a hoodie sweatshirt on a 95-degree day?You bet, if you're trying to get rid of bees (just remember not to nab honeybees!).At least, we thought we were trying to get rid of bees, which is what we call everything that buzzes and threatens to sting, but really it's most likely that we were aiming to get rid of a wasp nest.I hope you didn't think that was our new sun protection solution! ;) No, and in fact we're always adding to our massive natural sunscreen review so that … [Read more...]
Perfect Healthy Camping Meal Plan (& a Heart-Warming Story)
Now that we've gone camping every summer since our second child was 2 months old, we feel like we're old pros. We have the same whole grain "camping pancakes" every time, and I've definitely learned how to avoid have them explode like this gluten-free version did once!We have plenty of healthy, real food meal ideas to menu plan for camping with, and we always print the packing checklist from The Family Camping Handbook (only $6.95) and rely on it heavily for meal planning. There are lots of … [Read more...]
Healthy (and Tasty!) Fruit Pizza Recipe
With a name like "fruit pizza," you'd think you were making a healthy dessert that might actually have some nourishment for your kids.But...Every recipe I've ever seen for fruit pizza uses sugar cookie dough as the base. Usually they call for pre-packaged, trans-fat and white-sugar laden monstrosities, and super sugary frosting too. That bums me out.Since Kitchen Stewardship is all about real, nourishing foods and striking a balance/not going crazy, fruit desserts should be great … [Read more...]
