Toxin-Free Plan of Action

Thanks to Coach Prime, a friend of mine on Facebook, I've decided to make a "Plan of Action" for my toxin-free life. Up until now (and you can probably tell by this blog) my plan has been a little discombobulated. I've just been switching things out here and there with no real timeline or set plan. I only have part of stage two completed but I've already started stage three. It's a mess. That all changes today. I am very serious about my mission to get rid of all of the toxins in my house and in my life, so it's time I come up with a concrete plan. If you are on a similar mission you might want to think about creating a plan of action as well. Write down what your ultimate goal is, the date you wish to complete your goal by, and your plan of action. This doesn't have to be just reducing the toxins in your life it can be anything. This is an easy way to put it all on the table and say "I'm going to do this and this is how I'm going to get it done." I have reduced the toxins in my house a great deal but in certain areas there are still a few lingering. Now its time to excommunicate them all with my plan.

I think its important to look at this as a process. Some goals are easier to complete than others. Some goals take longer to complete than others. In this instance, ridding your house of toxins is a long process. Unless you are wealthy, which most of us are not, this is going to take a while. A full year is a pretty good amount of time for this process, unless you can afford to do it quicker. If I start at when I began this whole journey, then I'd say I'm giving myself about 7 months. It is okay if it's going to take you longer. It's not a race to the finish line. Everything takes time. Without further ado,  here is my plan of action.

• Goal: Get Rid of All Toxins
• When:
• Food Toxins- By May 1, 2013
• Beauty Care Toxins- May 1, 2013
• Household Cleaning Toxins- August 1, 2013
• Plan of Action
• Food
• Replace coconut milk coffee creamer with homemade almond milk.
• Discontinue use of store bought chocolate and replace with homemade.
• Only store food in glass or stainless steel containers.
• Avoid microwave use when at all possible.
• Eat only organic non-GMO food, and only buy from companies supporting the non-GMO movement.
• Research which bulk supply stores are the best for purchasing organic non-GMO foods (i.e. BJ's, Costco, or Sam's Club) and become a member.
• Beauty Care
• Research toxins and get rid of my products that contain harmful chemicals, hormones, and toxins.
• Make homemade deodorant, toothpaste, make-up remover/facial cleansing wipes, and lip balm.
• Only buy products that are non-toxic and use homemade when possible.
• Reduce make-up use to only special occasions (i.e. date night, get togethers, holidays, celebrations/parties).
• Use only organic coconut oil, jojoba oil, olive oil, and almond oil for moisturizer, cleanser, and hair care.
• Household Cleaning products
• Get rid of all toxic cleansers and replace with homemade non-toxic alternatives.
• Shower Cleaner
• Surface Cleaner
• Toilet Cleaner
• Laundry Detergent
• Fabric Softener
• Carpet/Upholstery Cleaner
• Disinfecting wipes
• Buy toxin-free toilet paper, paper towels, tissues, dish detergent, and dishwasher detergent.

(This list will be longer for you if you are just starting out. I only included the things I still need to get rid of. I did not include the things that I've already changed. If you need help making an initial list please let me know and I can help you create one.)

If you are wondering which products are better than others, here's a great website that rates the products based on their ingredients.
http://www.ewg.org/

I'm sure there might be something I'm missing, and if I think of something I'll update the list. Looking back at this list it makes me sad. It makes me sad that I even have to make this change. It makes me sad that so many people do not realize that they are contaminating their body just by following their normal daily routine. I wish that these toxins did not exist, and I wish our country wasn't so sick because of them. It's my personal mission to try to stop the spread of disease in my house, and in my family. I want us all to live long, healthy, happy lives. That's the reason I started this blog, so that I could spread awareness and help others. I have very few people in my life that are able to help me on this journey so I'm doing most of the leg work myself. If I can help someone else who is on this journey then I've done my job. It's a lot to learn and its time consuming, but the overall benefit is worth it. If you have any questions please comment below and I will answer them to the best of my knowledge. I will update you all periodically on my progress. I WILL be successful on my mission and I hope you will be too. May your toxic-free journey be a prosperous one!

Toxin-Free Baby Products

I do not know about you but I know a few women that are pregnant right now and I am super excited about these toxin-free baby products I have found. Please check them out if you are a mom, expecting mother, or preparing to go to a baby shower. I am happy to be able to share these with my friends and family and I hope they find them as great as I do. There is nothing like giving your baby a fresh healthy start.

Baby Green Thumb has some amazing organic and toxin-free baby products. This link leads you to their toxin-free stack-able storage containers. These are so handy, space saving, and safe for your baby. They are BPA-free, phthalates-free, PVC-free and Lead-free.
http://www.babygreenthumb.com/p-76-packin-smart-stack-n-seal-4-tier-food-storage-unit-yellow.aspx

They even give you a guide to some of the safer plastics and the ones you should avoid.
http://www.babygreenthumb.com/p-122-safe-plastic-numbers-guide.aspx

The Glass Baby Bottle has several glass and stainless steel bottles and food storage options. They also sell other toxin-free baby products such as organic clothing, baby wraps, high chairs, silicone food storage containers, bath products, diapers, and more.
http://www.theglassbabybottle.com/

I feel like I just won the lottery! Safe Mama has cheat sheets for toxin-free baby products. You click on what products you are looking for and it gives you a list of brands that do not use harmful chemicals in their products. Plus she even tells you how to make certain products like laundry detergent and skin care products. JACKPOT! Thanks Safe Mama!!
http://safemama.com/cheatsheets/

Organic Baby Warehouse has all organic baby clothing, bedding, toys, and other products. They also make their clothing without any hard dies or chemicals.
http://www.organicbabywearhouse.com/

Phasing out the plastics

Today I began step three of my toxic-free journey.

Step one: Clean up my eating- Eat organic, non-GMO, non-processed foods (check)

Step two:  Clean up my personal care products- Get rid of harsh toxins, parabens, sulfates, and sulfites in personal care products.
Beauty products- deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, make-up, face wash, shower gel, moisturizer, hand sanitizer, lotion, and make-up remover  (Check)
Cleaning products- Still working on them

Step three: Clean up the storage system- Replace all plastic bags and storage containers with glass. (almost check)

All of my nuts, seeds, dried fruits, spreads, and flours have been transferred to glass containers. It is my goal to no longer have to use ANY plastic baggies or plastic containers. EVER! You might ask me why I'm doing this. Why do you feel the need to get rid of the plastics? Well the reason for this is that plastics contain hormones that leach into your food. This includes plastics that say they are BPA-free. Even the BPA-free plastics leach estrogen-like hormones into your food. It doesn't matter whether you leave them at room temperature, in the freezer, heat them in the microwave, about 70-95% of all plastics leach hormones. Scientists are still trying to figure out how harmful these hormones are, but until them I'm not taking my chances. Why would I want to ingest potentially harmful hormones when I can easily avoid them by switching to glass. Glass is the safer option and ultimately more cost effective. A lot of times your plastic containers will warp in the microwave or they'll stain from sauces. You have to replace them every so often because they just become gross and ugly. You do not have to worry about any of that with glass. Glass containers are non-porous and are easier to clean and sanitize than plastics. How much money do you spend on plastic baggies? Especially if you're a parent with children in school, you probably buy them often. If you switch to glass containers you will not have to purchase so many baggies which get thrown out after each use. While you're busy saving yourself from hormones and toxins you're also saving the planet by switching to glass. Who doesn't like to save the planet? 

Here are two websites with more information about the hormones in plastics.
http://www.npr.org/2011/03/02/134196209/study-most-plastics-leach-hormone-like-chemicals
http://science.time.com/2011/03/08/study-even-bpa-free-plastics-leach-endrocrine-disrupting-chemicals/

My new stash of glass jars

Washed and labeled each jar 

Everything placed in its new jar

My cabinet before

My cabinet after

URGENT! STOP THE MONSANTO PROTECTION ACT

F! The US Senate has passed the Monsanto Protection Act. Someone has to stop this and now! You can all be silent and allow Monsanto to take control of the government and slowly poison you to death without any consequences, or you can stand up for your health and the health of your country. Sign the petition, call your congressmen and make it stop. If you ignore it and roll over and pretend its not there than you're f*cked! We're all f*cked! We can continue to let Americans get sick and die of cancer and other diseases or we can stand up and stop the people causing it. Do NOT let Congress pass this bill! Your life might very well depend on it.

http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/sign/stop_the_monsanto_protection_act_seize_congress/

Paleo sauces

Nine Ridiculously Simple Paleo Sauces to Sex Up Your Meals | Nourish Paleo Foods


That's a list of Paleo sauces. My favorites that I make are basil pesto and the buffalo sauce I put on wings. The buffalo sauce is super simple. Just combine a small bottle of your favorite hot sauce (I use Trader Joe's hot sauce) and 4 oz of ghee or coconut oil. I made some the other day and I actually used 2 oz of ghee and 2 oz of coconut oil. It tasted great and did not taste like coconut at all. You can use one or the other, or combine both like I did.

Roasted shrimp and veggies

My husband requested lots of roasted veggies for dinner so I added some shrimp and voila! I tossed the veggies and shrimp in olive oil, garlic, rosemary, onion powder, Mediterranean seasoning, and black pepper. I threw the veggies on a baking sheet and cooked them at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Then, I added the shrimp and cooked for another 10 minutes. It was delicious! I'm so glad my husband is finally realizing that healthy can still be delicious. Of course he ruined it by eating mint chocolate chip ice cream for dessert. You can't win them all. I made chocolate hazelnut banana "ice cream" for my dessert. It's one frozen banana, 1/4 cup almond milk, and two tbsp homemade nutella (I made that yesterday). Blend it all together, freeze for 20 min,  and enjoy. So tasty! Also can be a milk shake. I think I'll make it again tomorrow but add some flaxseeds and drink it as a shake/smoothie. Delicious and nutritious!

Quarry Hill Farm

My husband and I visited Quarry Hill Farm today, and boy is it beautiful! I can't wait to go back, especially in the spring time. We bought eggs, chicken wings, and pork chops. All of their stuff is grown and raised organically. All of their veggies are organic and the animals are all pasture raised. There are never any GMO's, even in the animal feed. I couldn't be happier to find such a magnificent place! When I walked into the farm store a little baby goat greeted me at the door. Too cute! If you live in the Harleysville, PA area and are interested in buying fresh organic produce, meats, and honey please visit this farm. Such a great place!

Check out the site to learn more about the farm, its products, and its practices.

http://www.quarryhillfarm.net/

GMOs

Good day to you all. I found a great link that discusses the myths and facts of GMOs. I feel like Americans are poorly educated on the subject as well as they've been lied to by Big Farma. If you care about your health, the health of your family, and the health of the planet then I suggest you take the time to read through these. Have a great day! :)
http://earthopensource.org/files/pdfs/GMO_Myths_and_Truths/GMO_Myths_and_Truths_1.3b.pdf

Almond Crusted Herb Chicken Breast (Paleo)

I had a delicious late lunch today! I'm a big fan of making almond crusted chicken. I've tried several recipes and I think I found my new favorite. I originally fell madly in love with using mesquite seasoning in my almond crusted chicken recipe BUT my mesquite seasoning is not Paleo or non-GMO. I'm trying to transition away from the mesquite seasoning because I do not want to cheat on my Paleo diet and I certainly do not want to eat any GMO ingredients. I do not use it often, but when I do I have a love-hate relationship with my dish. Love the flavor, hate whats in it that makes it taste so good. I've looked around for a Paleo mesquite seasoning recipe and I'm going to give it a try. I just keep forgetting to pick up the ingredients. ANYWAY- Here is the recipe that I used today for my delicious chicken.

Almond Crusted Herb Chicken

(Pan fried and then baked)

Ingredients
(Makes 1-2 servings depending on how hungry you are)

1 chicken breast (I cut mine into smaller thinner pieces so that it cooks faster)
1/2 cup almonds (crushed- I crush my own almonds in the food processor) or almond meal
1 large egg
About 10 basil leaves (chopped)
1/2-1 tsp of dried rosemary
1 tsp Mediterranean seasoning (or seasoning of your choice)
1/4 tsp dried basil
4 dashes of black pepper
1/4 tsp of sea salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp of oregano
About 3 tbsp coconut oil 

(All of the seasoning measurements are just estimations. I just "dashed" them in there until it looked like a good amount for my taste)

Directions
Mix the crushed almonds (or almond meal), basil, and seasoning spices together in a flat dish. Rinse your chicken breast, pat dry with paper towel, and cut into thinner pieces (my piece was big so I cut it into three thin pieces). If you do not cut the chicken breast smaller than cooking times will need to be longer. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Crack the egg into a bowl or flat dish and whisk. Dip the chicken into the egg, coating each side. Then dip the chicken into the seasoned crushed almonds and coat each side. Pan fry the chicken on medium heat in about 2 tbsp of coconut oil for roughly 2.5 minutes on each side (depending on size and thickness of chicken breast). When chicken is almost thoroughly cooked, transfer to a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. I put the last tbsp of coconut oil on the baking sheet so that the chicken doesn't stick. If you do not grease the sheet then the almond coating may come off of the chicken and stick to the sheet. When chicken is thoroughly cooked, plate and enjoy!

You do not have to do both the pan frying and the baking if you do not want to. You could bake the chicken on a greased sheet for 20-25 minutes, or only pan fry in coconut oil for 10-15 minutes. I find that if you do both methods then you get a crunchy outside with a moist center. When I only bake the chicken I find that it has more of a floury taste. On the other hand when I only pan fry the chicken it is very moist and sometimes soggy. I prefer to pan fry and then bake, but you can choose whatever method suites your taste. I hope you enjoy!

Blueberry Mug Muffin and Chocolate Mug Cake (Paleo)

I recently created a Paleo version of a mug cake recipe and it took off in the Paleo community that I converse with. Then I decided I really wanted to try and make a blueberry muffin in a mug. It only took me two tries and it turned out great. Same consistency as a muffin and everything. So happy! My Paleo friends are rejoicing! Here are the recipes so that you can make them too.

Chocolate Mug Cake

Ingredients (Makes 1 serving)

1 Medium or large banana
2 tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1  Large egg 
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 tbsp Almond butter (I use homemade)
1 tbsp Raw honey

Directions

Mash banana in cup or food processor

Add egg to mashed banana and mix

Mix the rest of the ingredients in and mix well (you may add other mix ins if you prefer ex: chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit, etc)

Microwave on high for 2.5 min or until the middle is set. (About 377 calories)

Blueberry Mug Muffin

Ingredients (Makes 1 serving)

1/4  cup Blueberries

1/4 tsp Cinnamon, Ground

1 tbsp Ghee Clarified Butter

1 tbsp Raw Honey

3 tbsp Organic Coconut Flour

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1 large Egg

2 tbsp almond milk or coconut milk

Directions

Add dry ingredients and mix.

Melt ghee and honey and then combine with the dry ingredients.

Add the rest of the wet ingredients, mix well, put in a mug, and microwave for about 2-3 minutes. (About 400 calories)

Here's a picture of my blueberry mug muffin. I'm sorry I don't have a picture of the cake but maybe I'll take one next time.

One of my paleo friends said she tried a chocolate version. I'm assuming you leave out the blueberries and add 1-2 tbsp of cocoa powder, but I will try it and get back to you with the official recipe. I hope you enjoy these tasty treats!