Whole 30

So this Whole 30 thing. I did it. This is my last day. I’m feeling awesome. I did it in hopes to improve my asthma and eczema and I have to say that I’ve noticed a difference with my eczema, but my asthma is just a tad bit better (although it’s not that bad to begin with so I don’t have anything to complain about).

Since I don’t want to be all wordy about this whole 30, I just want to point out a few things I’ve learned from it in case my future self falls off the clean eating, non-processed food wagon someday.

+I actually don’t hate cooking as much as I thought I did (as long as the recipes are semi-simple).
+My favorite thing ever to eat is sweet potato fries (I even had them for breakfast twice).
+Which leads me to, it makes you eat weird things for breakfast because you crave them as soon as you get up (today was a huge red pepper with homemade dill dip—definitely weird, but as soon as I opened my fridge at 8:30 in the morning that red pepper was calling to me. Ludicrous.)
+I’m totally fine with breaking a few “rules” even though the whole point of the Whole 30 is to not break any. I guess I have my own version. My bends to the rules were: I drank hard cider about 3 times, I ate pizza 3 times, I ate popcorn like a bagillion times because this is all about a lifestyle for me and there isn’t a world that exists where I don’t eat popcorn whenever I want. I get the loose kernels and pop them in a brown paper bag (rolled up) in the microwave. The things you remember from watching Dr. Oz 5 years ago…
+added sugar is. in. everything. (I already knew this, but it was totally reinforced)
+I like black coffee (and coffe with just a little unsweetened almond milk too)
+I like homemade: mayo, ketchup, dips.
+carrageenan is the devil (I switched from carrageenan-laden almond milk to brands without and I noticed a difference in how I feel in the mornings). This is one thing I just can’t make at home (too lazy, my blender is on its way out). The 365 brand (at Whole Foods) and the Nature’s Promise Stop & Shop brands of unsweetened almond milk are both carrageenan free (just in case you wanted to know).

This was one thing in the past that I knew I should avoid, but just didn’t have the energy to avoid. That sounds ridiculous. But there are so many health-conscious things to be aware of and sometimes I have to just pull a Manya (Seinfield, The Pony Remark) and stand up and say “I’ve had enough!”

Sometimes you just need to wait a little to make certain changes and that’s OK. Wait until you’re ready. You don’t have to overhaul everything all at once. I’ve had a 7 year journey so far of trying to be more natural and healthful with the way I live my life (foods I eat, cleaning products I use, etc) and it just doesn’t happen overnight. I'm still not all the way there. My next thing to tackle is homemade probiotics (water kefir grains here I come!!)

+Lastly, I can’t live without Ezekiel bread.
I’m doing the Whole 30 again, but my next “rule” to break is eating Ezekiel bread! Like I said—lifestyle.

Also, on the plus side I lost 4.8 lbs (and inches--so we're talking not just water weight like you would with some kind of crash diet) and I didn't even feel like I missed out on anything. Now I'm actually 3 (or is it 4) days into my second round and I don't feel deprived at all. That's why I don't even know what day I'm on, I could care less because I just want to keep on going!

However, we'll be going to the Big E (google it) in the near future and I'm totally eating fried pickles and clam cakes from the RI house. Sorry, Whole 30, we'll be taking a couple hour break.

Make Your Own Dryer Sheets!

For the longest of times I have wanted a truly natural dryer sheet. All I want is a little scent on my clothes without getting all hivey and rashy--is that too much to ask? I've even tried the natural brands, and still--torture.

I came across this tutorial recently and thought I'd share the link. The basic idea is that you take muslin cloth + 2 drops of essential oil and BAM, you have yourself a dryer sheet. 

I'm going to be purchasing some fun fragrances here to play around with.

This is may be the simplest DIY ever. That's how I like things.

P.S. Plus you don't get all those nasty chemicals on your clothes (score).
P.P.S. Are you wondering now what's in your conventional brand dryer sheets? Hint: They aren't vegetarian (even if you aren't a vegetarian, that's gross.)

And since this is technically a baby blog. Here's some baby for ya. Doing what he does best...clapping. He's pretty proud of himself basically all the time.

xoxoxo

Scared into Exercise

I've noticed that in order for me to exercise consistently I need to be terrified of something.

+In high school it was field hockey tryouts (they haunted me all year), they were pretty marathon-esque if you ask me.
+In college, I slacked a bit more than usual but stepped it up before the wedding (I guess I was terrified of looking bad in my dress, hating my wedding pictures and wearing my bathing suit for two weeks on our honeymoon).
+Now I have a new fear, maybe you've heard of it...duh duh duh...The Warrior Dash. My sister-in-law and I are running it on June 9th and I'm excited and want to puke all at the same time. It's only a 5k, but there are lots of scary obstacles mixed in (that's what I'm most nervous about!) Here are some pictures from the website:

Are you scared for me? Good. I'm not the only one. I actually think it will be lots of fun, but it's still intimidating!

To prepare for this craziness I have been running (of course), which has been great and now I'm forcing myself to do more strength training exercises. I've recently gotten into Pop Pilates on YouTube.

Thanks to pregnancy I have essentially zero (or maybe even negative) ab strength. My abs are so sore from doing this video yesterday and it feels so good!

I love this girl! She's so bubbly and sweet. I could work out with her all day long (except for the fact that I would drop dead first). My sister got me into these videos and I'm so glad she did!

I've also been watching Lean Secrets YouTube videos. This girl is another winner. I love her personality and she knows her stuff! My blog friend at Purple Kale posted this video on Facebook and I instantly fell in love with Brenda and I've been reading her book nonstop. (You can download it for whatever price you want to pay here) Just scroll down to the bottom of the screen. Now all I have to do is actually eat the way she says, rather than just reading about it ; ) It's so darn easy to reach for a box of crackers sometimes though, isn't it?

I have heard similar things to what she says before, and I stopped eating wheat for a few a weeks while breastfeeding because we thought Carter was reacting to it, and I honestly noticed a big difference in the way I felt. I might do it again, but it is definitely a hard one to eliminate!

Just wanted to share!

First Ever 5 Faves

I love reading Elsie's "10 Things I Love" posts at A Beautiful Mess {probably along with every other girl in the blogging world, who wouldn't?} So I decided to do my own little version of my 5 Faves. I think I'm going to start posting a new one every Friday so it can be 5 Faves Friday! Woo, get excited.

Here is my first ever list of Amy's Five Faves. Are you ready?

Republic of Tea has all these wellness teas that are intended for different purposes. Right now I'm loving this get a grip tea for PMS. I need all the help I can get when it comes to moodiness ; ) Some others that they have are "get happy," "get lost," "get gorgeous" and lots more. I want them all.

Best natural tooth whitener ever. I use a little on top of my regular toothpaste. It can be used alone too, but the taste is a tad baking-soda-y so I like to use regular toothpaste too. Every time I use it I notice a difference in only a few days. I can also use it every day for up to two weeks without getting that awful sensitivity. Check it our here. It's super inexpensive too, at just over $5. 

According to a Dr. Oz show I watched recently, I have a lib balm obsession. I've tried tons of natural ones and this is one of my favorites by far. This was my labor chapstick (every mom needs one of those) and it is super minty and refreshing. Read more about it here.

Did you know conventional mascaras are made with mercury? Yes, mercury, that horrible stuff that's no longer used in thermometers and contaminates all the old/big fish in the ocean. Do you really want that in your eye? Go for Physicians Formula organic mascara instead. It's also free of loads of other yucky stuff used in big name non-natural mascara. I use it every day. It's long lasting and doesn't smudge or flake. I'm a huge makeup person and sometimes the natural products don't cut it for me (even though I want them too) but this one is flawless. 

Last, but not least, I love me some Burt's Bees complexion soap. It's way less harsh than the likes of Clean & Clear, Neutrogena, etc. It has a super light scent and I love the lettuce variety because it's for dry skin. They also have tomato (for blemished skin) and carrot (for mature/sun damaged skin). I've used them all for a little variety and you can't go wrong. I usually buy mine at Whole Foods. Best of all, it rates a 2 on the EWG's Skin Deep database (which is super good!)

Hope you enjoyed my first ever Five Faves Friday!! I had tons of fun doing it!

When I Don't Know What to Feed C

I look here for ideas.

Source

In short, Whole Foods is using this rating system (ANDI scores) from Eat Right America to quickly show which foods have the most nutrients per calorie. The scores go from 0-1,000 with cola scoring essentially a 0 and kale scoring a 1,000 since it is the most nutrient dense food (along with a few other greens).

I use these lists when I'm unsure which food to choose for C. Obviously, he eats a variety of foods and a variety is healthy, but for the most part I want him to eat the most nutrient-dense foods possible. If he's not eating much, he might as well get a lot from what he's getting, right?

So for example when I look at the fruits and think about what to make for him, I'm more apt to choose plums (rated at 157) than apricots (rated at 60). This doesn't mean apricots aren't healthy and aren't a good choice, it just means that there are more nutrients in the 2 tablespoons of plums C is eating than in the 2 tablespoons of apricots.

C only started solids about a month and a half ago so he obviously hasn't had a bunch of different things yet, but as he gets older I plan on referring to these lists more and more. I love them!

Whole Foods has these scores displayed in their stores, like this:

Source

And they even have recipes using the high scoring ingredients here! I love the Get Your Greens smoothie, but I usually substitute dino kale for the spinach. Delicious.