Mindful Momma

A Week Without Sweets and The Value of Breaking Habits

The minute my boys get home from school, they always want a "sweet snack", which usual means a couple of cookies or maybe a piece of candy if they have some from a holiday or special occasion. After dinner it's the same routine - "What's for dessert?", they ask! 

Imagine my surprise when, completely out of the blue my boys decided that they wanted to have a dessert-free week! I'm really not sure where this idea came from other than the fact that their dad and I do a yearly post-holiday detox where we give up sugar, dairy, caffeine and all that other good stuff for a few weeks. Maybe they wanted to impress us with their ability to give stuff up too! 

Why Breaking Habits is a Good Thing

Actually the concept of giving stuff up isn't foreign to them - we have technology-free weeks a few times a year as well. The biggest benefit I see of giving things up is to break habits. When you break a habit, you see that it is possible to do things differently. And you may even appreciate the new reality more than you think! When I do my annual detox, I break my habit of constantly snacking while making my kids lunches or mindlessly grabbing a handful of something every time I get the urge. When my boys don't have screens in front of their faces, they rediscover toys they forgot they had and spend more time using their wild and wonderful imaginations. When they are not eating sweets, they grab some fruit and find that they are perfectly satisfied!

I'm as guilty as the next person at being stuck on sweets. Giving up my afternoon piece of chocolate has been a sacrifice for sure, but we are all in this together! Wish us luck as we finish out our sweet-free week! 

Do you ever give things up to break a habit?

Win a 3 Month Subscription to Conscious Box!

I'm in the mood for a giveaway. How about you?

Conscious Box, one of my favorite monthly product subscription services, has just relauched their website, making it easy for users to rate and purchase the green & health focused products they find in their boxes. To celebrate, they are allowing me to do a giveaway of a 3 month Conscious Box subscription!

Conscious Box is different every month, but you can be sure it is filled with really high quality products. Here is one I received awhile back. I was thrilled to get a new glass straw and another handy PeopleTowel. The Dr. Singha's Mustard Bath packet was perfect when I was sick with the flu. Plus I got to try some new snacks and lotions!

Secret Scents: What is Hiding in Your Scented Products?

Artificial Fragrances Contain Allergens

You've been buying them forever - the lotion, the deodorant, your favorite shampoo. These products may be serving a purpose in your life but they've got a secret that you might not be happy about. Most conventional personal care, cleaning and perfume products contain artificial fragrance. You may have even seen the word "fragrance" on the label of a product you have at home. What you probably don't know is that fragrances can be made up of over 100 different "top secret" chemicals. And many of these chemicals trigger allergic reactions as well as other harmful effects in sensitive people.

Top Green Cleaning Products

I'm not exactly a clean freak. In fact, I wouldn't be sorry to give up cleaning forever. That said, I have found that making an effort to use safe, environmentally friendly cleaning products does make the process a little easier. Gone are the harsh, toxic products that I used to use years ago and instead my home is stocked with naturally fresh smelling products that still are tough on dirt and grime.

My cupboards are full of many different brands (as well as my workhorse baking soda and vinegar), but here are a few newer products that I've been experimenting with lately:

Laundry Detergent

Whole Foods Organic Laundry Detergent - This newish line of cleaning products sold under the Green Mission™ label (pictured above) is USDA certified organic and garners the highest rating on Whole Food's Eco-Scale rating system for cleaning products. My first reaction was that the watery liquid (based on organic soap nuts) wouldn't really clean my clothes but I after putting the detergent to the test, I was pleasantly pleased with the results. $13.99 for 100 oz (100 HE or 66 standard loads).

Thumbs up: Full ingredient list on label. Scores well on the EWG Healthy Cleaning Database. Love the subtle lavender scent. The Organic Dishwasher Gel is a winner too.

Second thoughts: Despite the claims, a grease stain is tough to remove with this detergent even after pre-treating (stain remover is still my best friend in the laundry room). This thin liquid detergent is easy to overpour. I marked the lid with a sharpie pen to keep better track of the dosage.

Going Gluten-Free with Udi's

With so much buzz about going gluten free, I have been very curious to try it out for myself. No one in my family has ever been diagnosed with Celiac Disease or Gluten Sensitivity, but I have heard plenty of people claim to feel great when they avoid gluten completely. Still, it was never enough to convince me to try it. Until.....

Udi's 14 Day Gluten Free Challenge

While cruising the Expo Hall at BlogHer last August, I started chatting with some friendly people at the Udi's booth. They encouraged me to try their 14 Day Gluten Free Challenge just to see how I felt without gluten in my system for 2 weeks. What did I have to lose?

They explained to me that gluten is the protein found in wheat (and rye and barley as well) and it can be difficult for some people to digest. I can't say that I've ever suspected a sensitivity to gluten (my GI tract is working just fine, thank you very much!) but then again, who doesn't feel fatigue, bloating or inability to concentrate (other symptoms of gluten sensitivity) every once in awhile? Could these be related to my body's struggle to digest gluten?

A Partnership with Better Life Cleaning Products

One of my favorite parts of my job as a green lifestyle writer is to introduce my readers - that's YOU! - to products and companies that help you live the green and healthy lives you want to live. As you know, it can be hard to tease out the greenwashing from the truly green. My goal is to dig into the details (so you don't have to) and share the products that are best for you, your family and the environment.

Partnering with Better Life

Given that, I'm thrilled to announce that I am partnering with a fantastic company called Better Life. In my estimation, they are doing a great job of selling safe, effective and sustainable cleaning products for your home. The company was started by two friends - Tim (the biz guy) and Kevin Tibbs (the chemist) who were driven to create cleaning products that were truly safe for their young kids, their pets and the planet. They worked hard to develop safe formulas that kicked butt; created witty names for their products (Oak-Y-Dokey!); and sha-bam Better Life was born!

Cookbook Review & Giveaway: Sweet & Easy Vegan

I've been a fan of Robin Asbell's recipes for many years. Her Whole Grains Cookbook is filled with unique and delicious recipes using all sorts of healthy grains. She is probably best known for her vegan and vegetarian cookbooks Big Vegan and New Vegetarian. 

So when Robin approached me about participating in her virtual potluck to promote latest cookbook Sweet & Easy Vegan, I happily agreed! Sweet & Easy Vegan is all about decadent dairy free desserts made with whole grains and natural sweeteners. I do not follow a vegan diet but show me a healthy dessert and I'm all over it! As I paged through the book I found so many recipes I want to make. Like the Pumpkin Date Bread Pudding. Or the Pear and Maple Upside Down Cake. Not to mention all the gooey cupcakes and mouthwatering pies and tarts! Bring it on!!

Healthier Snack Foods on my Radar

We're big snackers around here. While there is always a big bowl of fruit on the countertop for a quick and easy snack, when we are craving something salty, crunchy, sweet or creamy, fruit doesn't always cut it. So I'm always on the lookout for satisfying snacks that rate well on the health spectrum. Here are a few that have come into our home lately....

Kind Bars - If I could have only one snack with me on a deserted island this would be it. Kind Bars are made with whole nuts and fruits and just a few other wholesome ingredients to bind them together. My hands down favorite is the Cashew & Ginger Spice although the Dark Chocolate Nuts and Sea Salt is quite a treat.

Rickland Orchards Greek Yogurt Bars - I discovered these all natural bars made with granola, dried fruit and a greek yogurt coating at BlogHer this past summer. They do contain soy protein, which some people prefer avoid but we only eat such things occasionally so I'm not concerned. Fav flavor? A tossup between Toasted Coconut and Cherry Almond.

34 Degrees - If you've ever tried 34 Degrees Crisps, you know they make darn good crackers. Now they have 4 new sweet varieties - Chocolate, Cinnamon, Caramel and Graham. My kids like to eat them right out of the box but you can also use them to create mini ice cream sandwiches, S'mores and more!

Bitsy's Brainfood - If this brand of smart snacks had been around when my boys were toddlers, I would have been a heavy user. These alphabet-shaped snacks are much healthier than conventional animal crackers and come in unique flavor combos like Lemon Broccoli and Orange Chocolate Beet. Most importantly, they contain important brain nutrients like Omega 3' fatty acids!

Stonyfield Greek Yogurt - We've been Stonyfield fans for years but now there's even more reason to love them - an expanded Greek yogurt line! New favors include Chocolate and Caramel in the nonfat line and a brand new line of 1.5% fat Greek yogurt in plain, strawberry, raspberry, and my favorite: pineapple!

Unreal Candy - My boys love their "sweet snacks". We hardly ever buy candy but when we do I prefer it to be free of artificial ingredients, preservatives, corn syrup and GMOs. Unreal Candy fits the bill plus it tastes great. Just in time for Halloween, Unreal Candy now comes in mini sizes too! Find it at CVS, Walgreens, Target (coming in Oct. 2012!)  and many other stores around the country.

What healthier snacks have you discovered lately?

(Disclosure: I received free samples of these items in exchange for my honest opinion. There are affiliate links in this post. Any purchase you make helps me keep this blog in business. Thank you!)

New Sponsor: Green Leaf Living {+ a Giveaway!}

I'm very excited to have a new sponsor to introduce you to today! It's an Etsy shop called Green Leaf Living that specializes in handmade products for the bath, body and home. Everything they make is handcrafted in small batches using high quality, natural ingredients or sewn at home with love.


Fallon, the owner of Green Leaf Living, sent me a bag of her homemade laundry soap to sample. One whiff of the lemongrass scent was all it took for me to fall in love but the simple and safe ingredient list had me hooked as well. I've been using it for about a week now and I can attest that it gets the job done - even on my dirty boy clothes! The laundry soap comes in a lavender version as well as unscented for those who prefer no scent at all. Rounding out the laundry department of the shop are some wool dryer balls and an ingenious little travel soap stick called Soap on the Run.

Body care products include lotion bars, lip balm, shaving soap, a body butter stick and a moisturizing bath fizz that sounds spa worthy! Fallon also sews her own reusable sandwich and snack bags in cute, kid-friendly fabrics.

Giveaway!

Try your luck at winning an assortment of goodies from Green Leaf Living: a 1# bag of laundry soap, a Soap on the Run stick, a lotion bar, a lip balm and a bath fizz. You pick the scents! Just use the Rafflecopter form below to enter.

Good Luck!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Top Ways to Get Your Omega 3's

For awhile now I've been trying to get my head around this business of taking Omega-3's. I know that these essential fatty acids are good for us - for brain health, heart health, joint pain, depression, immune support and even for better looking skin and hair - but I haven't been sure which type to take and why. So I decided to go "fishing" for some answers.

I discovered that there are 3 main ways to get your Omega 3's: through oils (typically taken as a supplement), from seeds (added to or sprinkled on foods) or by eating whole foods that naturally contain Omega 3's. If you dig deep there is a LOT more to know about Omega 3's but if you're looking for a basic primer on where to find them, here you go...