Everyday Minerals

I just got in the mail my 15 samples of everyday minerals makeup. I really liked the makeup.   Definitely worth it since I love trying new products.  I am about to run out of my bare minerals makeup and think I will switch over to everyday minerals since the makeup is so much cheaper and looks just as good if not better than bare minerals.  They have really affordable brushes too!  They have around 40 different colors for your face with a guide to help you find the right shade.  I just love that you only pay 2.50 for 7 samples because I hate more when I get the wrong shade and waist a ton of money on it.  Everyday minerals is an organic all mineral makeup line.

Everyday minerals website: http://www.everydayminerals.com


Here are some of my favorites

Everyday Bronzer $8.45


Eye Shadow Brush $8.99

Flat top brush $8.45

Flourish eye shadow $7.99

Light-Matte foundation $12.99

Light olive matte foundation $12.99



How To Choose Safe and Natural Products

Being pregnant makes me think about what I'm putting into my body more than I usually do.  I'm affecting someone other than myself by the way I choose to eat.  I buy only organic produce right now because the pesticides in food can affect your baby.  Recently I started looking into ways to wear more natural and safe makeup products.  My first purchase was to switch my makeup to bare minerals a couple months ago.  I love it!  The other night I went through everything in my bathroom and typed everything into the EWG's skin cosmetic database.  They rate all cosmetics on a scale of 1-10 and tell you what chemicals are in your product and how safe they are.  I definitely had some stuff in my bathroom to chuck.

EWG skin cosmetic database: http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/
This website is seriously awesome!  You can look up almost any product.

Green beauty guide website: this is an awesome site with a lot of good information on toxins in your beauty products and natural beauty tips: http://thegreenbeautyguide.com


Here is a list I found on the green beauty website of the worst chemicals in skin products:
-paraffin
-propylene glycol and polyethylene glycol
-polypropylene
-bronopol
-isopropyl alcohol
-cationic surfactants (stearalkonium chloride, benzalkonium chloride, certimonium chloride and cetalkonium chloride)
-Triethanolamine(TEA) and diethanolamine(DEA)
-synthetic wax and coal tar
-parabens and diazolidinyl urea
-quaternium-7,15,31
-Triclosan
-Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate
-Fragrance


Here is some of the stuff that I am not using anymore.  On average they had ratings of 4-5, I wanted to stay in the 1-2 on EWG website at least while I have this baby cooking inside me.


Here is my list of safe and natural products!  

For Baby
For Christmas I got a fifty dollar gift card from my parents to babies R Us.  I used it all today to buy the baby some burts bees and organic soaps.  Burt's bees definitely has some of the best products out there. They are all really safe and have a low rating of 1-2 on EWG.
-Baby bee shampoo and wash fragrance and tear free
-Diaper ointment
-Dusting powder
-Calming lotion
-babyganics bubble bath
-babyganics daily lotion


Shampoo/Conditioner
-Trader Joe's refresh citrus body wash
-citrus shampoo/conditioner
-avalon organics shampoo/conditioner: score of 2

Lotions



-Aveeno active naturals daily moisturizing lotion

-J.R Watkins naturals aloe and green tea lotion
-Burt's bees milk and honey body lotion


Skin Care
-Alba botanica natural very emollient sunscreen spf 20
-Alba botanica facial toner
-Burt's bees peach and willow bark deep pore scrub
-Burt's Bees soap bark and chamomile deep cleansing cream
-Burt's Bees citrus facial scrub
-Earth science eye makeup remover



Other Products:
-Avalon organics moisturizing cream shave
-Burt's bees natural toothpaste
-Alba Botanica tea tree deodorant
-Burt's bees cuticle cream
-Alba Botanica pineapple quench lip palm
-Alba Botanica coconut cream lip gloss
-Desert essence therapeutic chapstick with tea tree oil
-Peacekeeper nail polish

For Men
-Burt's Bees natural shave cream
-Burt's Bees natural deodorant
-Giovanni hair gel (men or women)
-Giovanni shave cream
-Desert essence therapeutic tea tree oil chapstick

-All of the products that I listed are very safe and have really good ratings.  There is no such thing as the perfect product but there are some that come pretty close.  So far I am loving my coconut cream alba botanica lip gloss and my trader joe's shampoo/conditioner.  I have been using Burt's bees for a while and definitely think it is the way to go.

Some great websites to shop for products:
Don't forget about Sprouts and Whole Foods

What natural products do you buy? I would love to hear!

GMO corn linked to cancer tumors!

  Eating genetically modified corn (GMO corn) has caused rats to develop horrifying tumors, widespread organ damage, and premature death. That's the conclusion of a shocking new study that looked at the long-term effects of consuming Monsanto's genetically modified corn. The study was published in The Food & Chemical Toxicology Journal and was just presented at a news conference in London.

You would hope that most people agree that genetically modified food is bad for you.  Especially since all of Europe banned them from their country.  Do you know what is really amazing to me?  That the USDA and FDA claims that genetically modified foods are safe for us when they have never actually done studies on them.  Hmm....interesting.  This study was led by Gilles-Eric Seralini of the University of Caein.  It is the first every study to examine the long term effects of eating GMOs.

Findings from the study:
-up to 50% of males and 70% of females suffered premature death
-rats that drank trace amounts of Roundup had a 200 to 300% increase in large tumors
-rats fed GMO corn suffered severe organ damage including liver and kidney damage
-The study fed these rats NK603, the Monsanto variety of GMO corn that's grown across your corn-based breakfast cereal, corn tortillas and corn snack chips.  

Here is an abstract of the studyhttp://www.biolsci.org/v05p0706.htm
Read the original article here:http://www.naturalnews.com/037249_GMO_study_cancer_tumors

And if thats not enough to make you mad, here is some more great news! READY?

California's Prop 37, a ballot initiative that would make it mandatory to label genetically modified foods did NOT pass.  Can you believe that?  People don't want to know if there food has been genetically modified.  Are they stupid?  I want to know where my food is coming from.  53% of California voters voted against it.  Monsanto (aka the worst company in the World) spent an enormous amount of money to try to sway people's votes and convince them that labeling genetically modified foods would cause the price of food to increase.  Thats a bunch of crap.  Monsanto spent 46 million dollars knocking prop 37.  Only 8 million was spent on proponents for the bill.

I seriously can't believe that a company and politics are controlling the kinds of foods we eat and feed our kids.  It makes me so mad whenever I think about it.  My husband is used to my crazy rants by now.  I told him that I am going to travel the US and convince people about genetically modified foods, I should probably wait until after i get my masters in public health.  Or maybe I'll just move to Europe where they don't allow genetically modified foods.

What you can do:
Try and buy organic foods whenever you can.  Trust me it is worth investing in.  Corn and soy are the most modified so maybe stat by buying organic corn and avoiding soy or choosing organic.  Canola oil is another highly genetically modified food.  Dairy should definitely be avoided unless buying organic. Personally I just avoid milk completely and buy almond milk.  Use the dirty dozen list for buying organic produce.  I hope that in the future the entire US bans genetically modified foods and we will no longer have this problem.  







Superfoods!

I have been rewatching all of my favorite health dvds lately.  One of my favorites is Food Matters.  Its on Netflix.  They also have an awesome website you can go to for a lot of health advice.  Ok I sort of splurged on a couple items the past couple of days at sprouts and whole foods.  To me one of the most important thing I can possibly spend my money on is the food I eat and feed my family.  I know it will pay off in the long run.  Here are some awesome superfoods that I decided to get.

Organic raw cacao powder

Health benefits: It is extremely high in magnesium, they are an appetite suppressor.  One small 28 gram serving of raw cacao gives 314% of the recommended daily allowance of iron.  They also have a very high antioxidant score. 
How I use it: I add a teaspoon or two of this to my smoothies or I add some to things I am baking.

Aloe Vera Juice



Health benefits:  Aloe vera has seventy five healing compounds which include a natural steroid, antibiotic agent, amino acids, minerals and enzymes.  It alkalizes the digestive tract and prevents over-acidity.
How I use it:  I bought this to drink to help with my acid reflux from being pregnant.  When I got home from the store I read online that you probably shouldn't drink it while pregnant.  I guess I will have to force Jordan to drink this!

Goji Berries
Health benefits: They have 500 times more vitamin C per ounce than oranges.  They are an excellent source of vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, and E.  They have a full complement of protein with 18 amino acids and 21 trace minerals. 
How I use it: I just eat these plain or with nuts/yogurt, they take a while to get used to.
 
Hemp hearts, raw shelled hemp seeds



Health Benefits: They help with weight loss and help increase your energy.  They help you recover from disease or injuries, they lower blood pressure and cholesterol.  They have a good balance of proteins, essential fats, vitamins, and enzymes.
How I use it: I add 2 tablespoons to my smoothie each morning.

Coconut Water
Health benefits: coconuts are the highest source of electrolytes in nature.  Drinking this is like giving your body an instant blood transfusion since the molecular structure of coconut water is identical to human blood plasma.
How I use it: I add this to my smoothies or I mix half coconut water with half of any kind of juice.  Its hard for me to drink this plain.

Organic Wheat Grass
Health benefits: It is super alkalizing and is good for promoting healthy blood.  It also normalizes the thyroid gland to stimulate your metabolism and aids in digestion and promoting weight loss because of its high enzyme content.
How I use it: I add this to my morning smoothies

Maca Powder
Health benefits: Maca is used to increase energy and enhance immune system function. 
How I use it:  I add a small amount to my morning smoothie

Bee Pollen
 
Health Benefits: Been pollen is one of the most complete foods found in nature and has 5-7 times more protein than beef.  It is especially a benefit for people who are athletes or people recovering from an illness.  Research has shown that bee pollen counteracts the signs of aging.
How I use it: I add a spoonful to my cereal or yogurt.

All of these items can be pretty pricey if you buy them at once.  I buy almost all of my stuff at sprouts.  Honestly you just have to decide what your priorities are.  Do you want to eat the healthiest foods you can possibly eat and have a really healthy family or do you want to spend money so you can have an iphone, new car, new clothes.  Personally I care so much more about my health and my family's health.  For some people its just not a priority.  I will probably never get to a point in my life where I think that I can't afford to spend money on health foods.  I can't afford NOT TO!  You can have your chances of disease and health problems be extremely low if you invest the money on fresh organic whole foods.  I have been eating a plant based whole foods diet for about a year now.  It is the best change I have ever made.  After watching Food Inc, food matters, and forks over knives I have never wanted to turn back to my old ways. I think its funny how the things I used to think of as healthy I don't even consider  healthy anymore.  chicken with cream of chicken and potatoes with cheese (definitely not very healthy and full of fat).  I say that I eat a plant based whole foods diet because I don't like the word vegetarian or vegan.  I don't like to exclude certain foods completely.  I rarely have dairy and try to eat meat only once a week, I don't think I will ever be a full blown vegan.  It just doesn't seem right.  Anyways, that's my lecture for the day.  Go to the food matters website to read about more superfoods! 

back on track














 Since I have been feeling better and my food cravings are sort of back to normal I have been back to making healthy dinners.  I feel so much better when I eat healthier.  I swear there were some nights that I wouldn't be able to eat anything unless it was taco bell.  It was disgusting.  Tonight I made the best pasta sauce I have ever made!  Its super easy and healthy, all organic/vegan but you would never know it because it tastes so good and is really creamy.  My pictures kind of suck because I used my ipad, too lazy to get my camera out.
 







  Tomato Basil Pasta (adapted from oh she glows).

Ingredients:
2 small tomatoes
1/2 cup cashews
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
whole wheat pasta

1.  Chop tomatoes and add them to blender, Add cashews, water, and tomato paste.  Blend all together until smooth
2. Add olive oil and minced garlic to skillet and heat on low.  Only cook for about two minutes
3.  Pour the sauce from the blender to the skillet on the stove with the olive oil and garlic.  Add salt , pepper, and basil.  You can add more water to thin out sauce but I liked it thicker.  

Put this sauce on top of your whole wheat pasta and enjoy.  You will be so glad you tried this!

I made a light salad to go with this pasta and topped it with my favorite dressing
Ingredients:
sunflower seeds
feta cheese
apple slices
dried cranberries

Balsamic vinaigrette dressing for the salad:
combine 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar1 teaspoon regular mustard1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil1 1/2 tablespoon pure maple syrup

 I had to get remotivated to eat healthy so I watched these great movies on netflix that I have already watched.  



 I just bought this book on my ipad for 5 dollars.  It has a ton of recipes that look really good.  All of the recipes are vegan.