Category: healthy living

Lessons in Motherhood and Gift-Giving

Lessons in Motherhood and Gift-Giving

by No Makeup Mama ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

A few days ago, my oldest, Evangeline, turned 4-years-old. I had been planning to start a new tradition of making a photo book of the year for each of my kids birthdays – but after going through all my photos and photo books and scrapbooks, I’ve realized I need to choose a more “green” option that jives with my new minimalist lifestyle. So, I put together a quick video of highlights from her first year using the Google Photos app.

Voila! Memories stored for a lifetime! [Assuming there is no apocalyptic event that destroys all power on the planet – and in that case, I probably won’t be strolling down memory lane very often anyway.]

You can watch the video at this link:

Today was the party – a unicorn party.

Even though it was a small “family only” gathering and the majority of our local family couldn’t come, it was still a lot of fun – maybe even more fun because the absence of kids forced the adults to participate in the “Pin the Horn on the Unicorn” game. [Yes, there is video evidence below.]

Because of the changes we’ve been making to our perspective on waste and excess and consumerism and …life in general, we made two changes to how we celebrate birthdays in our family.

First, we emphasize experiences over gifts. On her actual birthday, Brett took the day off so we could all enjoy a day at the community pool [which is more like a water park]. We gave her a gift, but rather than making that a focal point of the day, we set it out in the living room the night before so she could discover it in the morning and then we didn’t talk about gifts again. We focused the day around the activities we were doing together.

To be honest, I’m having a hard time figuring out where I stand on the gift-giving thing. On the one hand, I love to give gifts. Brett and I enjoy giving gifts to our family members on holidays and birthdays and we make it a priority to give a gift to all the nieces and nephews each year. But on the other hand, I don’t want my kids thinking that birthdays and holidays are all about getting stuff, so I prefer that people not give gifts to my kids on these occasions. But I realize that is hypocritical of me, so I am trying to find a solution. I think we are going to try to find a way to give more experience gifts and fewer objects – and whenever possible, give the gift of quality time, which is the best gift we can give to our loved ones.

Second, we gave Evangeline a used gift. It was something she really, really wanted – a baby stroller – and of course, she has no idea that it wasn’t new nor does she care in the least. The motive here is not at all financial. It is sustainability. I don’t care what an item costs. I’m more concerned about the environmental impact of constantly making new things while sending old things to a landfill. I’m committed to buying used toys [just like my commitment to buying used or sustainably sourced clothing] because this just makes sense.

I realize that this won’t always work because my kids will undoubtedly grow up some day [😭] and start caring about price tags and all that [though not if I can help it] and they will want the latest and greatest stuff. But at 4-years-old, my daughter just wanted something with wheels to push her stuffed animals around in. If only life would stay this simple forever.

Happy Birthday, my sweet Evangeline. 💕

Karis

Why I decided not to DIY laundry detergent

Why I decided not to DIY laundry detergent

by No Makeup Mama ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Since we began reducing our waste, I’ve been changing the products that we purchase, but I’ve also been changing the way that we make purchases and even the reasons that we make purchases. So, when our laundry detergent ran out, I didn’t just head to Walmart to replace the bottle as I may have done in the past. I also didn’t scour the couponing world to see if I could find some for super cheap.

Instead, I thought about how to find [or make] an effective and no waste alternative. I read recipes. I read reviews. I read tips and tricks. I read pros and cons. [Geez, trying to be a responsible consumer is time-consuming!] But, in the end, I realized there is no purely waste-free option available to me [outside of growing and harvesting my own soap nuts]. Even if I make my own detergent, I will have to buy washing soda and borax and citric acid or whatever else – and it will all come in packaging. So, I would be making my own detergent [yay, me! I’m so crunchy and thrifty] but still creating waste from the packaging of several different ingredients that I need to make the detergent in the first place.

So instead of making my own, I decided to purchase my detergent from an eco-friendly, responsible company who cares about our planet and also about getting my clothes clean.

Turns out, this brought to light an even greater need than just my own waste reduction: the need to support businesses that are reducing waste.

Environmentally-friendly, ethical companies NEED our consumer dollars. We need to support businesses that protect and preserve natural resources, that value quality and sustainability, and that treat their employees right. And we should EXPECT to pay more for these products because it costs more money to produce a product ethically and responsibly. If we do not support these businesses then they will not be able to stay in business. And I won’t be able to buy ethically sourced, environmentally-friendly laundry detergent.

So then the choice becomes what organization do I want to support with my business?

I decided to go with the company that I am already using for my cloth diaper laundering. I’m not sure why I had a separate detergent for diapers, as if the “natural” detergent was not good enough for my regular clothes. But, regardless, I’m consolidating down to one brand, one detergent, purchased in as big a box as I can find and paying whatever they want me to pay, because my priority is the earth, not money. Which feels great, by the way. It is an honor to support companies that share my values – even if they cost more.

I love that Biokleen is family owned and operated, that their products are made in the USA [guaranteeing a fair wage for their employees and supporting the American economy], and that they are producing “natural and effective cleaners…with a passion for innovation, dedication to performance and a guiding commitment to our planet.”

These folks are right up my alley.

I also chose them because I have already been using their products and think they are great.

[No, I’m not making money off this advertising – you’re welcome, Biokleen!]

In fact, the only thing that would make them better would be if they were local to me [rather than in Vancouver, WA] because I really like supporting local businesses.

Of course, there are plenty of other eco-friendly companies out there to support. I also really like Charlie’s Soap and will probably purchase their detergent in the future too.

I’m not ONLY trying to reduce my personal waste. I want to reduce ALL waste. So by supporting the businesses that are being responsible with our natural resources, I am doing a much greater thing than just buying a product without packaging. While I think both are important, the former will change the way products are made and the latter is only going to change how the product is packaged.

Anyway, time to do some laundry!

Karis

Healthy Eating in Real Life

Healthy Eating in Real Life

by No Makeup Mama ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

As promised, I’ve been tracking my food. Honestly, it hasn’t gone as well as I had hoped. On Saturday I fell off the healthy eating bandwagon and I haven’t gotten quite back on yet. But that is real life. It has been an education for myself about my eating habits and I’ve learned a few interesting things about myself in the process:

1. Brett and I have gotten into a bad habit of having pizza delivered when we are hanging out late at night. This is both terrible for my health and our budget. I don’t even know why I get such pizza cravings when I KNOW it will literally make me sick for at least the whole next day and usually several days – not to mention it does not make baby JoElle feel well either.

2. I am an emotional eater. I can’t believe this is a revelation to me, but I was always under the impression that I’m not very emotional at all. For the last seven years, I have been channeling my emotions into physical activity [which is largely what has allowed me to become a long distance runner]. But, since having my third baby, I am not always able to dedicate two hours each morning to exercise – which really messes with my emotional balance – and results in late night snacking on things I wouldn’t ordinarily eat.

I’m making it sound worse than it is – but I am about to be totally honest about the things I consumed over the last few days.

First of all, I ate the same breakfast – [oatmeal with maple syrup and raisins] and the same lunch [cabbage and kale salad with oil and vinegar] each day, so I’m really only going to share what I had for dinner, unless it differed from above.

Wednesday, July 18th:

Zoodles [and Squoodles?] with Pesto

Spiralized zucchini and summer squash with homemade vegan pesto [kohlrabi leaves, garlic scapes, almonds, olive oil, and homemade vegan parmesan]

Thursday, July 19th:

Sautéed summer squash, cabbage, garlic scapes and onion, roasted cauliflower

For a snack I ate homemade cantaloupe bread.

[As someone who doesn’t love cantaloupe – the bread was AMAZING! Made just like banana bread, but with cantaloupe instead of bananas which made for a perfectly sweet and delicious quick bread that the whole family loved.]

Friday, July 20th:

Leftover sautéed cabbage and steamed broccoli

For a snack later that evening I ate roasted cauliflower and eggplant chips.

Saturday, July 21st:

So this is where the healthy eating derailed…

Brett and I were up at 5:15am to get our kids packed up and dropped off before running a half marathon.

My pre-race breakfast is always toast [in this case, homemade whole wheat bread] with [homemade] peanut butter, maple syrup and a banana.

After the run, I ate an apple and grapes and was still starving so we ordered bacon, egg, and cheese croissants at Dunkin’ Donuts and split a donut.

For dinner we had roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, and grilled corn in a sort of burrito bowl. I topped mine with onions, tomatoes, lettuce and hot sauce.

Which was great, BUT…

…then, we ordered pizza and cheese bread while we tiled the bathtub surround until 2:30am.

Sunday, July 22nd:

My kids we’re up at a shocking 5:30am and I had to take them all to work with me that morning so I ended up eating no breakfast and leftover pizza for lunch. For dinner Brett picked up sushi for me and a rotisserie chicken for the kids.

Monday, July 23rd:

Despite a good workout in the morning, I just couldn’t get back on the healthy bandwagon today. I had my usual oatmeal for breakfast, pretty much no lunch and Brett picked up wok n fire sushi rolls for dinner.

So, this week was supposed to be an “on” week for the veggie diet, but it didn’t really happen. I ate meat and seafood, cheese and breads, chocolate and [gasp] donuts. I don’t even like donuts!

Well, I guess this is healthy eating in real life!

Karis

One Month of [Nearly] Zero Processed Foods

One Month of [Nearly] Zero Processed Foods

by No Makeup Mama ♥ 1 Comment

Besides reducing waste and clutter, I have also been slowly eliminating processed foods from our home and replacing them with homemade alternatives – in an attempt to simplify our eating habits. But I wanted to stop buying pre-made foods altogether – immediately. It took some time, but Brett [miraculously] agreed to give the idea a trial run during the month of June.

100% whole wheat bread that I make every ten days or so. Takes me 2 hours, including rise and bake time – and I knead by hand so a stand mixer would make it even faster!

So, Rather than buying pre-made, packaged, and convenience foods, I am only buying the foods that I cannot make myself. Everything else, I am making from scratch – or doing without. I am still buying milk, cheese, meat, seafood, seasonings, and the basic baking necessities [i.e. flour, sugar, yeast, baking powder, olive oil, etc.] – which are all “processed” to a degree, but that I can’t process myself. Unprocessed foods that we buy are fresh fruits and vegetables, raw nuts, legumes, grains, and seeds, pure honey and maple syrup.

This change will [hopefully] allow us to improve our health, reduce our waste, and save some money in the grocery department.

Homemade rosemary and sea salt crackers. Took me 20 minutes to make one batch which was the perfect number of crackers for my kids’ afternoon snack.

This means more work for me in the kitchen, but it’s not really as bad as it might sound. I started very small about a year ago, with just making my own peanut butter every two weeks. Over time, I’ve added things that I can easily fit into my schedule. And now I am making jam, bread, yogurt, cottage cheese, applesauce, vegetable stock, pasta sauce, salsa, hummus, crackers, tortillas, potato chips [baked, of course], donuts [also baked and on rare occasions], granola bars, muffins, biscuits, pesto, nut milks and even vegan cheese. Some things I make regularly to keep stocked, and other things I make as needed. Pretty much anything we could need, I can make with just the basic ingredients I keep in my home. It may sound time consuming, but most of the things I make don’t require very much hands on involvement from me.

[I know that a lot of people work full-time and aren’t able to dedicate much time to making food from scratch, but you may be surprised at how many things are quick and easy to make – like peanut butter, which only takes three minutes to make in my Ninja or the cashew milk below.]

Cashew milk I made for breakfast smoothies yesterday. Took all of three minutes to make, not counting soaking the cashews overnight.

I’m doing this partly because it is the simplest, healthiest way to eat and partly because it significantly reduces our waste AND partly because I’m curious to see if this will be more expensive. The most common reason I hear for not eating healthy foods is that it’s too expensive. Since healthy, natural, organic foods are typically more expensive than their processed counterparts, I’m curious to see if it costs us more financially. I suspect that healthy eating actually saves money, but costs more time. [Then, of course, “time is money” to some people, and that is exactly why convenience foods were created in the first place.] Regardless, I doubt I’ll regret the change because the healthiest thing is always best – even if it does cost more money and more time.

Besides all that, making things from scratch is rewarding and makes my fridge look clean and organized! [If my 20-year-old self could hear me now, she would probably pass out from shock. I guess I’m proof that people can change. 😁]

Karis