I'm Back!

I'm back!  I have been adjusting to this whole mom thing for a while and finally feel like I might want to start blogging again.  I also really miss making my mineral makeup, so hopefully that will start up soon too!  Being a mom is the greatest thing ever and is so much fun.  Allie has so much energy!  

For the past two weeks I have been eating a completely whole foods plant based diet.  No processed foods, no meat, and no dairy.  It has been so much fun experimenting with new recipes and trying to be creative.   A couple nights ago Rip Esselstyn, author of the Engine 2 Diet spoke at whole foods in Phoenix.  It was so much fun.  Allie was a little crazy for half of it so my husband just walked her around whole foods so I could listen.  

Some of my favorite things from the night....

"Your genes are not your destiny!"-Not many people know that your genes do not control your destiny.  The way you eat is far more important than any genetic predisposition you have.

Mexico is now the fattest country! So glad we are not number 1 anymore.

Protein from animals and dairy creates metabolic acidosis in our bodies and our bodies want to then create a neutral environment.  We use the calcium from our bones in order to buffer the acid.  Dairy is actually doing the opposite of what we think it is, it is actually weakening our bones.  We can get way better sources of calcium from plants!

Plant based proteins are complete proteins!

You can get your daily amount of vitamin b12 from fortified cereals, plant based milk, and nutritional yeast.

You can get enough iron from a plant based diet

"How many people do you know that were hospitalized last year for protein deficiency?"  We actually don't need as much protein as we think.  

I highly recommend getting Rip Esselstyn's new book, My Beef with Meat.  It explains every nutrition myth in a short easy to understand way.  It also has a ton of recipes in the back!  

This is from the other night at Whole Foods.  How did my baby get this big!


Here are some pictures from Allison's first week


I miss my cute little baby, but at the same time I'm so happy I get to sleep 8 hours most nights now.






how to choose safe sunscreens for Summer

Now that it is really getting hotter here, its time to use sunscreen every day!  There are so many different sunscreens out there and its hard to know which ones are the safest and work the best.


What to look for
  • active ingredients: zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, Mexoryl SX or abobenzone (3%)
  • SPF 15 to 50 depending on your skin tone
  • Lotions, not sprays or powders
  • water-resistant

What to avoid
  • vitamin A (reginyl palmitate) causes skin cancer in laboratory tests
  • oxybenzone, a hormone disrupter and skin allergen
  • High SPF, it  misleads people and offers no additional benefit


best beach sunscreens


 aveeno baby natural protection mineral block face stick spf 50


adorable baby, clear baby sunscreen spf 30






alba botanica  very emollient sunblock, kids mineral protection spf 30
alba botanica very emollient sunblock, fragrance free spf 30


babyganics cover up baby sunscreen for face and body, fragrance free spf 50



best sunscren lip balms

alba botanica natural very emollient sunscreen lip care spf 25 

babyganics cover up kisses lip balm, orange cream spf 20


badger unscented lip balm stick spf 15



best moisturizers with SPF

100% pure hydration organic pomegranate antioxidant, SPF 20
I have been wanting to try this out for a while.  Their lotions are so great!



Desert essence gentle nourishing day cream, SPF 15



Juice beauty tinted mineral moisturizer, ivory, SPF 30 



johnson's baby daily face and body lotion spf 40

Here is a complete list of safe sunscreens on EWG's skin base website.



EWG's hall of shame sunscreen list.  These are the worst sunscreens out there

banana boat ids quik blok sunblock spray lotion, spf 35-4% oxybenzone
coppertone water babies sunscreen lotion, spf 70+ -6% oxybenzone



banana boat baby tear free sunscreen lotion, SPF 50+
Arbonne baby care sunscreen lotion SPF 30
Australian gold baby formula lotion sunscreen, SPF 50+



Neutrogena wet skin kids beach and pool sunblock stick, SPF 70

There are 100s of sunscreens that are unsafe.  These are just a few that are bad.  Be sure to research if a sunscreen is safe on EWG's website before buying any.  

new eyeshadows

Benefits of using natural mineral makeup

  • Many dermatologists recommend using mineral makeup
  • It does not have any preservatives, chemical dyes, or fragrance.
  • A lot of makeup helps cover up skin imperfections, but it can clog the pores and make a skin condition worse.  Mineral makeup is much better because it is oil free and is made of natural minerals.  They do not clog the skin and do not support the growth of bacteria, so this is helpful for people with acne prone skin.
  • Mineral makeup contains zinc oxide and titanium oxide, which are sunscreens that protect the skin against UVA and UVB rays.
  • Mineral makeup is better for people with sensitive skin who may have allergies to certain makeup
If you haven't guessed already, I want to go into dermatology after Physician Assistant school.

Here are some of my new colors I just made.  I made a lot of matte colors and a couple of colors that I wanted to use for eyeliner.  You can look at more pictures on my etsy shop.

















I am about to burst any day now!  Can't wait for my baby girl to be here.  Also, I am sick to death of this whole pregnancy thing.