Products I Love

DIY Whipped Honey & Coconut Oil Facial Cleanser

Whipped Honey and Coconut Oil Facial Cleanser

You can make a gentle cleansing wash for your face that even removes makeup and is good for the most sensitive of skin with just a few ingredients in your kitchen.

Coconut oil is antibacterial, contains vitamin E and nourishing fatty acids and melts away dirt and makeup.

Manuka Honey is used in hospitals for wound care, is naturally healing for the skin and reduces inflammation, redness and irritation.

Avocado Oil also has beneficial properties for the skin including Vitamin E, Omega 3 fatty acids, and Vitamins . It also has sterolins which can boost collagen production and keep your skin supple and soft.

Optional beneficial additions to this face wash recipe is:

Lavender Essential Oil – Acne, Dry Skin, Wrinkles

Frankincense Essential Oil – Large Pores, Lifts and Tightens

Ylang, Ylang Essential Oil – If your skin is irritated or red

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup of Coconut Oil

2 Tablespoons of Manuka Honey (I used this K-16 Factor)

1 Tablespoon of Avocado Oil

Optional Essential Oils:

1 drop of Lavender

1 drop of Ylang Ylang

1 drop of Frankincense

You can use the oils interchangeably or 3 drops of just one kind.

Directions:

Whip the Coconut Oil with a hand held mixer in a bowl for one minute. Then, add in the Manuka Honey and Avocado Oil. Beat until nice and creamy. Finally add in the essential oils if you choose and blend.

Store the face wash in a glass jar.

To Use: Scoop out about a half tablespoon of the face wash and massage it into your face in circular motions to cleanse. Rinse with warm water. Pat your face dry gently. Follow with Serum and Moisturizer.

How I Save on Healthy Groceries at Thrive Market Online

beautiful-girl-eating-healthy-food

One of the things I hear often as a health coach is how expensive it is to eat healthy and organic good. It is true that the food isles are full of cheap food that is not good for our health but is easier on the pocketbook. I used to eat that way too, but I literally changed my life, health and energy by choosing to change my diet, because the cost down the road was going to be much greater than spending more of my budget on healthy food, plus I get to feel amazing now and hopefully prevent the diseases later that are afflicting so many people eating the SAD Diet (aka standard American diet).

I haven’t written a blog post about how I save money and feed myself, kids and husband delicious healthy food and afford the better household cleaners, skin care products and supplements. I shop at Thrive Market! It is a membership online health food store, and there are no strings to try it out. They let you shop and save 25% to 50% off retail for 30 days, like members, to try them out at no charge! That’s a lot of cold hard cash! If you like them, and they have thousands of products to choose from that I was buying all the time at the store, you can join for $59.95 a year, and believe me, you will save that in your first purchase if you have a couple people in your household, and in the first month if you are single. Thrive cuts out the middle man and they negotiate with the manufacturers so they can offer products to us cheaper than retail. I am on my second year of membership and have saved just under $1,500. each year! Wow!

Another thing I just love about Thrive is for every membership someone signs up for, they give one to a needy family for free. I also never pay shipping, because any purchase over $49. is free shipping.

Thrive has the brands I am always talking about here and so much more. It is an online grocery store, less the perishable items like fresh produce and meat, since they don’t ship cold things, except they will ice your chocolate bars in the hot months! My favorite chocolate bars (Alter Eco 85% Dark Chocolate) are $1.50 less at Thrive than my local store.

The link to check out Thrive is below. I hope you give them a try. They also have many items I can’t get unless I order online. Yesterday I saved $94.40 off retail and purchased items like coconut oil, coffee, laundry detergent, canned salmon, almond flour, coconut flour, coconut milk (the Thrive Brand is awesome!), olive oil, vanilla extract, 85% dark chocolate bars, Primal Kitchen’s Avocado Oil Mayo, back to school kids snacks, etc. I really love this company! The link is right below.

http://thrv.me/RWjucz

Thrive Market

Enjoy your day and Thrive! 🙂

Sandra Shields, Certified Health Coach

Great Resource When You Don’t Have Time To Bake and For Ingredients When You Do

When You Just Want To Put Your Feet Up!

Have you heard of Wellbee’s, buzzing back to health?

It is a fabulous online bakery and food shopping experience for those on the SCD, GAPS or Paleo Diet. They are also Gluten Free, Grain Free and Refined Sugar Free.

They have a bakery completely dedicated to making food that is SCD Legal using honey for their sweetner. They are an invaluable resource for people who can’t just go anywhere to buy pre-made food. There products are good. I have been ordering from them for two years. What is also so nice about them, is you don’t have to spend hours reading ingredient labels and figuring out what products you can buy that aren’t going to mess with your digestion. They also offer prepacked portable snacks for travel, and when you are on the go, or don’t want to cook.

Some of my favorite items are their homemade croutons (I am a huge salad fan!), nut flours, a seasoning called Paleo Powder (this is a spice blend with all clean ingredients and no fillers), Lemon Infused Avocado Oil, Fermented Pickles, Pizza Crusts (Baked in their Bakery), Pecan Bread (Ditto on the Bakery), Duck Sauce, Ketchup, Hot Dog Buns (baked by them too), Granola and Apple Butter.

Switching your diet can be overwhelming at first. It is a huge learning curve, and they make it easier. I do want to point out, when you are beginning to heal your digestion, you will get the best results by spending time in phase one of a gut healing protocol. That means sticking to meat, vegetables, bone broth, healthy fat and a limited amount of fruit. Once you are seeing improvement and feeling much better, then is the time to add in nuts, seeds, honey, and grain free baked items one at a time and see how you do. This includes adding in dairy and legumes if tolerated. I want to mention that I don’t receive any payment at all from promoting them. They are just fantastic, and you should really know about them if you don’t already. Shout out to Donna! I am sure there are many that would benefit from this resource. I know it makes things so much easier for myself!

Check them out. Here’s the link!

Wellbee’s Prepared Food

Wishing you Happy Digestion!

Sam

Eat Your Nutrients!

A Must Listen If You Are Struggling with SIBO, Candida or Digestive Problems

Chris Kresser, M.S., L.Ac really knows his stuff when dealing with healing digestion. He is a globally recognized leader in the fields of ancestral health, Paleo nutrition, and functional and integrative medicine. In his latest podcast he addresses how diet alone is not enough when trying to treat SIBO and Candida.

As you may know, I used antibiotics in conjunction with diet to rid myself of SIBO under the guidance of a naturopathic physician. I started this blog to empower myself and others to take charge of their digestion and regain vibrant health all while eating delicious food! Chris discusses FodMaps, SCD Diet, GAPS diet, Candida Diet, benefits of resistant starch, and going too low carb in this 30 minute must listen to podcast. You can find it here.

Eat Your Nutrients!

SIBO Low FodMap Specific Carb Diet Food Guide

Good Morning Lovely People!

I am feeling so good following the Low FodMap Sibo Food guide developed by Dr. Allison Siebecker. This is the guide I use when developing my recipes, and I wanted to share it with you. It is very helpful because it lists all the food in categories and breaks them down further into which ones are the lowest FodMap to the highest and also the illegal ones on the SCD Diet. Click the link below to view it and print it. I refer to it all the time and even take it to the grocery store with me!

Dr. Siebeckers Sibo Low FodMap Food Guide

Have a beautiful day!

Sam

Eat Your Nutrients!

Food As Medicine

What’s So Great About Himalayan Pink Salt?

Himalayan Pink Salt

You may have noticed I use Himalayan Pink Salt in my recipes. I think it is the bomb, because it has 84 trace minerals in it, it is unprocessed, we need salt for our thyroid and many other body functions, and it makes things taste so good! It also helps us stay hydrated, which may be why it is one of the reasons it claims to reduce the signs of aging, for that glow! It also helps keep your bones strong and your circulation flowing. There are other great salts out there as well, another favorite of mine if Redmond Real Salt, but I am partial to the Pink!

Kelly Bejelly of A Girl Worth Saving recently posted a very informative article, “The Amazing Benefits of Himalayan Pink Salt” on her blog. Just click on the above link to read it. This salt is amazing!