I am in love....

As I have embarked on this journey of clean/organic eating I have found so many other aspects that I love.  One of the main ones...making my own cleaning products and etc.

**Two things you need to know about me before I continue on in this post.
         1.  I love to bargain shop
         2.  If something takes a lot of time, steps, or work.....I am probably not going to do it.  I love everything  simple.

So with those two things being said...
I never (hardly ever) pay full price for anything (besides food).  If I am going to pay full price for it, IT HAS TO BE WORTH IT.  Something that I know will never go on sale or (most often) something my hubby wants.  Target end-caps are my favorite (if you are a Target shopper you know what I am talking about).  So imagine how excited I was when I realized I could make my own cleaning products for a fraction of the price, without all the harsh chemicals, AND it would be simple!

After TONS of research I came across a recipe online and decided to give it a try.  So today I want to share with you a recipe that I recently have begun to use.....THAT ACTUALLY WORKS!  My hubby and I have both been so impressed!

DISHWASHER SOAP:

 Ingredients:  Oxygen Bleach, Dawn, White Vinegar

1 teaspoon Sun Brand oxygen bleach (you can use any brand you want this is just the brand I used)
1/2 teaspoon Dawn dish soap (make sure it's blue)
1/2 cup of vinegar

Instructions:
The nice thing about this is there is no need to mix up a big batch...so there are no clumping/hardening issues to deal with. All you need is a teaspoon to add the oxygen bleach and Dawn to the dispenser.

Vinegar...find a small container that can sit upright in the top basket and fill it with 1/2 cup vinegar. People have been using vinegar as a rinse aid for a long time...but most just pour it into the bottom of the dishwasher and start it up. By putting the vinegar in a bowl or cup, it will overfill as the cycles goes on, and the diluted vinegar will be evenly dispersed throughout the dishwasher.

A word of caution. Don't use MORE than 1/2 teaspoon of the Dawn dish soap or you could have a sudsy overflow on your hands. That being said, if you peek in the dishwasher during the wash cycle...you WILL see a fair amount of suds. Don't be alarmed. It's just "washing" your dishes! It will be gone when the cycle ends.

 

 *Please note that the recipe on this page is not original....I wish I could take credit but instead I will do the research and share with you.
Check out this blog One Good Thing by Jillee for other great info and homemade recipes. 

As Promised....

Eating clean....


Eating clean is the practice of eating whole, natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and complex carbohydrates. It also means staying away from types of food that include man-made sugar, bad fats (hydrogenated, trans-fat), preservatives, white bread, and any other ingredients that are unnecessary. An easy way to remember if a food is clean is:  

 "if man made it, don't eat it"

The following food are 100% clean and safe, so when shopping buy the "Clean 15":

1.  Onions

2.  Sweet Corn

3.  Pineapple

4.  Avocado

5.  Asparagus

6.  Sweet Peas

7.  Mango

8.  Eggplant

9.  Cantaloupe

10.  Kiwi

11.  Cabbage

12.  Watermelon

13.  Sweet Potatoes

14.  Grapefruit

15.  Mushrooms

Eating clean can be VERY difficult and you need to assume that your shopping trip is going to take double (maybe triple) the amount of time because you have to read EVERY LABEL.  

I follow a blog that has been a huge help to me when "eating clean".  She has great advice and recipes.  You should check it out! (here)  Below is a recipe that I pulled from her website! I can't wait to try it!  

Clean Eating TexMex Dip
(Makes 20 servings – 1/4 cup)

Ingredients
1 (12 ounce) jar of your favorite salsa, no sugar added
1 (15 ounce) can black olives, chopped
1 (15 ounce) can non-fat, refried beans, no sugar added
3 avocados
Juice of 1 lime
2 large roma tomatoes, chopped
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, loosely packed

Directions
Step 1 – Combine the beans and the salsa in a pot and warm while stirring constantly. Once they are warm and well combined, remove from heat and pour the beans into your serving dish.
Step 2 – Make your guacamole using the avocados, lime juice, garlic powder and onion powder. Add salt to taste. Layer the guacamole over the beans.
Step 3 – Top with olives and tomatoes next and finish with the fresh cilantro.
Step 4 – Serve with your favorite, clean corn chips or whole grain crackers.

Eat and Enjoy!

Nutritional Content
1 serving = 1/4 cups
Calories: 98
Total Fat: 7 gm
Saturated Fats: 1 gm
Trans Fats: 0 gm
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 350 mg (this is a generic number based on regular salsa. Purchase low sodium salsa to fix this)
Carbohydrates: 9 gm
Dietary fiber: 4 gm
Sugars: 1 gm
Protein: 2 gm
Estimated Glycemic Load: 3

My Obsession.....My Journey

**DISCLAIMER**
I am not a doctor, nor do I claim to be an expert in the following post in any way.  All I know is that I have spent hours in research over the following topic and I want to share with my family and friends what I have found!  Enjoy!

So I have begun a new journey....
I have always struggled with my with health....not in a "weight loss" kind of way...but it a "feeling good/healthy" kind of way.  Recently I began doing research on clean, natural, organic eating and living....and I AM SOLD!  Richard and I have been talking about it and he is also on board.  We have begun to realize how our diet and the food we put into our bodies truly effects everything we do.  As we researched, we were both scared and sickened by the reality of our food and what it is actually doing to us.  I am sure that there are skeptics out there and people who say "who cares we are all going to die"....but while we are here on this earth we have chose to be good stewards of the bodies that God has blessed us with (and feel great while doing it).

The first misconception that people have when they hear clean, natural, organic is.....WAY TO EXPENSIVE.  Can eating and living this way be expensive??  Yes but it doesn't have to be.  If nothing else, look at eating and living this way as a prevention to future medical bills.  This is a lifestyle, not a whim.  You will have to make meals from scratch, be more creative in your grocery shopping, look for friends who want to share the expense of a garden or the purchase of a cow from a local farmer.  There are ways to make this type of living and eating fit ANY budget!
ADVICE:  A friend recently told me that you have to figure out what is important and start there.  Don't try to change everything all at once...baby steps!

So...do I have you convinced yet?


Eating Organic:
 Definition:  Organic foods are made according to certain production standards. No pesticides, insecticides, antibiotics, hormones, or any other type of chemicals are used with growing or raising the product.  

The first step you should make is switching to organic when purchasing any of "The Dirty Dozen".  These are foods that when researched had the highest amount of pesticides and chemical residue on them.  (They are in order from greatest to least):

1.  Apples (including apple juice and apple sauce)
2.  Celery
3.  Strawberries
4.  Peaches
5.  Spinach
6.  Nectarines
7.  Grapes
8.  Sweet Bell Peppers
9.  Potatoes
10.  Blueberries
11.  Lettuce
12.  Collard Greens

*If you cannot find organic Strawberries or Nectarines.....Organic Pineapple is a great substitute.

If your budget allows there are a few other foods that you should consider switching to organic:

Meat  
  ***Say NO to meat that has had pesticides, synthetic growth hormones and antibiotics injected into it!  There is generally no pesticides found in beef muscle, it is injected into the fat. The same holds true for other meats.  Pork fat and chicken thighs have the most pesticide residue. Lean meat comes up clean.  So if you can't purchase meat directly from a farm and your grocery store does not sell organic meat....buy the leanest meat possible.
Eggs
Milk
Coffee (Fair Trade)
  ***If you are a Folgers brand coffee drinker.....BEWARE.....they are NOT fair trade.  Please consider spending a little more money and buy coffee from a fair trade company. 

Here is a guide to helping you while you are shopping: 

When you buy organic foods, look for the “USDA Organic” label. Only foods in the categories “100% organic” and “organic” may display the USDA Organic Seal. Other foods with varying levels of organic ingredients may be labeled as follows:

“100% Organic”

100% organic single ingredient such as a fruit, vegetable, meat, milk and cheese (excludes water and salt).

“Organic”

Multiple ingredient foods which are 95 to 100% organic.

“Made with organic ingredients”

70% of the ingredients are organic. Can appear on the front of package, naming the specific ingredients.

“Contains organic ingredients”

Contains less than 70% organic ingredients.

Check back in over the next several days as I blog about eating clean (yes there is a difference from organic), shopping for organic/clean products, websites, recipes and other great tools!

       

Snow Day...Update!

Today we have our first (and I have a feeling) only snow day of the year!  I never have the chance to just "play" on the computer so I took the opportunity to catch up on some of my favorite blogs and I realized.....I miss blogging!  So once again....here goes!

2012

I cannot believe we are already here!  

This year is already proving to be a year of change, growth, renewal, and hope.  

It started out a bit rough...

but with God's grace...

We are well on our way!

The first fun event of the year was celebrating Chinese New Year with some of our dear friends and "family".

God has truly blessed us with so many wonderful relationship because of adopting through THOGL.  We are also so grateful to live such a short distance from so many of them.  

This is a picture of just a few of the many children who have been adopted from THOGL! 

Not only did we get to celebrate CNY with all of these precious children we also had our dear friends the Habuda's (to read their story click here) stay with us for the weekend!

This is Kyler and Levi Habuda!  So thankful Levi is home with his mommy and daddy!

We were so blessed to meet the Habuda's through one of my best friends Jen Chase (she is adopting from Ethiopia, if you want to read her story click here).  Matt and Sarah Habuda have become dear friends of ours!  We loved going through their adoption journey with them!

Sarah, me, and Jen

We love adoption and are so thankful for the friendships and families that we have meet through this amazing/crazy journey!

As we look at the year ahead of us...we don't know where it will lead, but we are so excited!  

I get knocked down.....but I get up again...

That song is an oldie but a goodie.  I remember cruising around to it while I was in high school but now those words hold such a different meaning. 
On May 22, 2011 at 5:41pm my life forever changed....THE JOPLIN TORNADO! 
Since that day.....we have had to find a new normal.  The other night I was out with a good friend.  We were having our weekly girls night chat.  We began to talk about the tornado (big surprise if you are in this area) and we both were discussing what an impact the tornado has had on our life.....EVERY aspect of it.  No we didn't lose our homes, our families were safe, but it still has had a lasting effect on our lives.  Our jobs, our daily routines, our church, our friends, our housing situation, and the list goes on.  Joplin is the only home I know.  I was born here, raised here, and now after moving away for several years.....live here.  This is where Richard and I plan to spend at least the next 5 years of our life as we prepare for God's next journey (I will have to explain that in another post).  But now this home is in rubble.....and boy it is exhausting. 
I know we will rebuild, we will be stronger but with that comes hard work, lots of patience, and a TON of prayer.
I am so grateful to all of the volunteer workers who have come and will continue to come.  We truly are blessed. 
God will take care of us and we will continue to create our new normal one day at a time.  I am going to try to be better about blogging and documenting this journey! It is going to be one that God is going to use to grow us, shape us and mold us!