I don’t consider myself very in tune or knowledgeable about fashion or beauty but when I started my blog I said at some point I would talk about it and the time has come my friends.

Have you ever bought something and thought what the hell was I thinking? On TV or in the magazine it looked better, nicer, more useful, etc.  If I’m being honest, I have done this more often than I’d care to admit. But good news – I’m 50 something (you didn’t really think I would say exactly how ancient I am, did you?) and I’m finding this is happening less and less.  Maybe it’s because I’m no longer working therefore I don’t need so many clothes, or maybe it is because I don’t go to town as often so I’m not wandering aimlessly around the mall on my lunch break or maybe, just maybe, it is because I am maturing…….for whatever reason, it’s a good thing. One thing I know that has shifted for me slowly over the past 3-4 years and definitely since January of this year, and that is that I am doing things more intentionally (see my post titled it’s a New Year! Celebrate with this Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Bowl to see why that is).

If you know me or read my blog, you know that I am reinventing my new normal because my good buddy Multiple Sclerosis demands that I do that regularly.  Don’t feel bad for me, it’s a good thing. I have come to realize that I needed to make some substantial lifestyle changes years ago, so this wake up call has been long overdue (thank you to my family and my doctors for helping me to see what I refused to see and admit!).  I am getting a handle on the food I eat, the exercises I can and can’t do, I have learned when my energy is best so I can take care of household chores or errands, I have learned to modify some of the things I do daily, so I can conserve energy for more important things, I have learned to stress less and not worry about things I have no control over, I have learned that I want to just do better all around.  I want to make better choices where money is concerned, where food is concerned, I want to do better for the environment, I want to be more intentional in most things I do.  I don’t want to be a passive bystander where my health (and my family’s health) is concerned, I want to be aggressively participating in my life and make as many good choices as possible.

One of the choices and changes I am making with regards to my health and the management of our household is my commitment to incorporate Essential Oils into our daily regimen (along with other things which I will tell you about at another time). I think I have mentioned it before, but I have been able to replace so many household items for things I have made myself with pure essential oils or that I purchase that are made with pure essential oils (cause really, who has time to make everything that we use daily, that’s a lot of stuff, although I enjoy it).  To date, I have replaced air fresheners, dryer sheets, face wash, moisturizer, toothpaste, shaving cream, energy drinks, all-purpose cleaner just to name a few.  I won’t get in to the details of recipes in this post, but I chose to go with Young Living essential oils rather than the cheaper oils I could find on Amazon or at health food stores after learning about their process of making the oils which starts with owning all the farms that grow their plants, owning and running the distilleries that distill the oils and the testing they do to ensure that each batch of oils is pure and I love their Seed to Seal promise – I know that sometimes (not always) you get what you pay for, but in this case it is true. It makes sense to me that what you put ON your body, goes IN your body (whatever percentage that is, is still unclear), at any rate, I’m not interested in adding any more chemicals, lead, heavy metals, or pesticides into any of the products in our home if I can help it, especially ones that are being absorbed by our largest organ (that would be our skin) every day!

But what I want to talk about today, is the most recent (and exciting) replacement of my MAKEUP with Savvy Mineral’s Makeup by Young Living.  Let me start by saying this is NOT a sales pitch (however, I can hook you up with more information if you would like). But, why Mineral Makeup you ask?  Mineral makeup is the safest because it adheres to the natural oils in your skin and doesn’t seep into your pores. Mineral makeup is not only long lasting on your shelf but also on your skin and a little goes a long way.  But one of the main reasons is because there are some seriously disgusting ingredients in most cosmetics on the market today.  Did you know that the average woman uses 12 personal care products and/or cosmetics a day, containing 168 different chemicals, according to the Environmental Working Group (ewg.org). While most men use fewer products, they’re still exposed to about 85 such chemicals daily, while teens, who use an average of 17 personal care products a day, are exposed to even more.  Are you kidding me? This is just our personal care products everybody!  They say that the average woman puts an average of 515 synthetic chemicals ON her body every day without knowing it, but when you think about it, it is easy to see why. We use moisturizers, cleansers, body wash, shampoo, shaving cream, perfume, hair products, deodorants, make up, etc.  Think about all the other things we use in a day like our toothpaste, laundry soap, fabric softener,  dishwasher soap, air fresheners, hand sanitizer, energy drinks, the food we eat,  household cleaning products, food containers, drink bottles, cookware, and the list goes on and on. It feels like everything these days is toxic. We hear about it every day. I’m not a fear monger and I usually take things I read with a grain of salt meaning that I don’t jump onto every bandwagon theory or believe everything I hear or read but according to the Global Healing Center, it isn’t abnormal to be exposed to 2,100,000 toxins each and every day. In fairness, all of these aren’t necessarily terribly bad for you, but if I can intentionally make some changes to minimize my or my family’s exposure to toxins, I’m going to do it. You get where I am coming from? We can’t live in a bubble and worry about everything we expose ourselves to, but why not make easy changes where you can?

Back to Savvy Mineral Makeup – I have always been a buy it because it’s cheap or on sale kind of makeup consumer, but because I am being more intentional this year, I bit the bullet and bought the Young Living Savvy Mineral makeup, got rid of my other makeup and haven’t looked back! I love how easy it is. I love how natural it looks, and I love how I can easily work or play or sweat it out without being worried about having toxins or chemicals seeping into my skin. Savvy Minerals are vegan, they are not tested on animals, and they are made without cheap fillers, synthetics or parabens or synthetic fragrances and is cruelty free – none of the products have been tested on animals. They have been formulated without any gluten containing ingredients, but it has not been certified gluten free yet.  The makeup is forgiving, it blends well and is buildable (you can build it to make either light or heavier coverage), so whether you are looking for a day look or a fancier evening or more dramatic look, the same makeup can be used just by adding to what you already are wearing. I don’t have a need for dramatic makeup, but if I wanted to, I could.  And did I mention that it lasts ALL DAY LONG?  Seriously, all day!  Are you a hurry up and put on my makeup cause I’m running late kind of girl (or is that just me)? Don’t worry, you can apply mineral makeup quickly! Which means you don’t have to waste time in the bathroom fussing with trying to get ready in the mornings before work. How much better can it get?

Don’t believe me about all the chemicals or how your everyday products rate? Please check out a great app called “Think Dirty”.  If you don’t have that on your phone, download it now (you can find it in the app store)! You just scan the barcode of products you use to see how they rate. One of the problems I found with the Think Dirty app is that many of our Canadian products aren’t in the database yet.  So, if that happens, you input the product, so they can include it in the future but then you need to begin to research the specific ingredients in the EWG Skin Care database on their website http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/#.WofKMKinHIU.  They basically rate each product with a toxicity score between 1 (low) and 10 (high).  Each of Savvy Minerals ingredients rated 1 or 2 rather than 9 or 10 – that’s all I needed to know, to convince me to change.

I don’t know, but I just feel good about making better choices in all areas of my life.  What changes are you ready or not ready to make to simplify or enhance your life? 

Here is a place start – these Morning Glory muffins are so darn good and if I do say so myself, they are pretty good for you too! Hearty and filling but not too heavy!  Another win win!

Morning Glory Muffins

• Servings: 12 muffins
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

These hearty muffins are chock full of healthy ingredients to kick start your day!

 

Ingredients

3 eggs

1 Cup Vegetable Oil

2 Teaspoons Vanilla

1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour

1 Cup White All Purpose Flour

1 Cup Sugar

2 Teaspoons Baking Soda

3 Tablespoons Chia Seed

2 Tablespoons Barlean’s Flax, Chi, Coconut Mixture

2 Teaspoons Cinnamon

¼ Teaspoon Salt

¼ Cup Raisins

¼ Cup Dried Cranberries

½ Cup Chopped Walnuts or Pecans

½ Cup Coconut Flakes

¼ Cup Sunflower or Pumpkin Seeds

1 Apple Peeled and cut into small chunks

2 Cups of Shredded Carrot  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, oil and vanilla.  Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, chia seed, Barleans and salt.
4. Add in raisins, cranberries, walnuts/pecans, sunflower seeds and coconut.  Stir to combine.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.  Mix until combined.
6. Distribute mixture evenly among 12 lined muffin cups.  This should fill each cup to the top.
7. Bake for approximately 25 minutes in a convection oven, 30-35 minutes in a standard oven, or until toothpick comes out clean.
8. Allow to cool in pan 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

As always – Enjoy!

Raegan