Cleaning Out Your Kitchen: Clean, Safe Kitchenware

It's been so fun to be able to share these past few weeks about Jase and I's process of renovating and filling our home. While this process has been much longer than expected, it really began, not when we decided to renovate our home, but when I made the switch to Clean Living. When I think of how much we've changed over time, from products we use in our home, to practices and more, we really have been on this journey for a while! If I've learned anything it's that Clean Living isn't just a one time switch, it's really a lifestyle you adopt and constantly adapt to.As we've renovated our home, we've been so fortunate to use materials that are toxic-free and to fill it with clean, modern products and brands that we've come to love. This has inspired the current series we're in on the blog that we're calling Making a Home. For the past few weeks, I've been able to share with you just a few of these products and brands, and in the next couple weeks, I'll continue to share with you more about specific areas of our home, as well as a few before and afters of our renovation!I also love that I've been able to share with you so many things that I'm constantly getting questions about whether here on the blog or over social media – from clean mattresses that I love, to everyday clean products that I use in my own home. One of the other topics that I am always getting questions about is our kitchen! And of course, the kitchen is such an important topic in all our homes. It's where we prepare our meals, share time with family, and partake in practices and routines that bring us so much joy. I'm excited to share with you this week a  few clean products and brands that I love to use every day in my own kitchen, and really have become a staple in our own home.I love these pots and pans from Food52. They are absolutely the best when it comes to using nonstick, cookware that doesn't contain any added chemicals or toxins that cook into the food we eat or the air we breathe. They're actually made from sand with diamond-infused ceramic coating, and they promise to never peel or tear like other traditional nonstick pans – which is such a win-win!No kitchen is truly set without a cast-iron skillet, and I love this one! It's right on Amazon and super affordable when compared to other brands and competitors. I use mine for a variety of different recipes and dishes in my home and it's simply the best.I just love this kitchenware set that is made from natural wood. The spoons and spatulas not only work perfectly when cooking or serving up different dishes, but they're cute enough to leave on your kitchen counter or to use when hosting. They're handmade, along with a variety of other cute items from this brand that you can use in and throughout your kitchen!Rikumo is a brand that I've come to love for their kitchenware especially with a few items from them that I use in my kitchen on a regular basis! Again, I love a good cast iron, and while their cast iron pan is a just little more expensive than the skillet I listed above, it's definitely worth the investment. Other items from them that are on-hand in my kitchen is their copper graiter as well as their stainless steel kitchen tool set – All of which work just as great as they look!This is something I use absolutely every day in my kitchen, my Vitamix blender! It can seem like a bit of an investment for a blender, but when it's something you use every day, it's worth having an item that's durable and gets the job done! Seriously the best and available amazon – Need I say more?Lastly – I love having these towels on hand, especially because it cuts down on our paper waste. They're a great neutral color that works well in my kitchen, but they also have a few other color varieties to choose from!I hope you're enjoying following along with our Making A Home process and learning more about all the clean, safe steps we've taken along the way! If you're interested in learning more or making the switch to Clean Living, take a look The Clean Sweep, my 90-day program where I walk through practices, products, and food that create a clean lifestyle. And for more on specific clean products I'm loving right now, follow along at The Clean Stuff Instagram. x

Thinking Bigger: New Rhythms and Routines

What an interesting time it has been! I know we have touched so much on this on the blog, but it’s so true. This time has been unlike any other. I recently launched a new series on the blog called Thinking Bigger, and this week I wanted to touch on the idea of new routines and rhythms. I think one of the reasons we keep talking about this time is because it has caused us to pause – We’ve paused from our everyday life, from our routines, our appointments, our errands, our offices, classes, and schedules. And that pause has caused us to think. And we’ve been thinking a lot! Although some of that thinking can cause fear, much of it has been an assessment of what we used to do every day in comparison to what we’re doing now. Things I used to view as such a chore have now become cherished routines. Activities I used to never have time for are now new staples in my schedule – like planning evening meals and eating dinner with Jase, planting a garden, reading a book, or taking joy and excitement in grocery shopping at the local farm. With all this new that has come about in this season, and in light of many of us on the brink of communities opening up again, I’ve caught myself almost sad that “a return to normalcy” would mean potentially losing those routines and rhythms I’ve come to love so much in this time. What will life look like when we are able to be busy again? When those appointments, and errands, and classes, and work will fill our schedules once more?I think rather than being sad, it’s okay to ask this question, and I think it can be a positive in return. We’ve been talking about this time so much on the blog because I think we’re excited about the opportunity that all this pause has given us to become better. Better at being more present at home, better at implementing routines that are healthy and creating healthy environments, better at being intentional about our activities, thoughts, and how we fill our time. I don't know about you, but I don’t want to leave my new cherished routines behind when all this is over. I want to use whatever I have left of this pause to continue to practice them, and instill them in the rhythms of my every day so that, when I have the opportunity to fill my schedule a bit more, I will still make time for those things I came to appreciate so greatly when my schedule was less full. What new routines and rhythms have you begun or been practicing in this season that have made you better? What rhythms can you start now that you can carry with you when this time is over? My hope for you all is that you have found practices and activities that you have come to cherish during this time, those that have made you feel whole and healthy. And for those of you who haven’t yet, I hope that you take whatever time we have left in this pause to find what fills you up in that way – So that all of us can leave this time feeling and being better than when we went in. x

Find out the Culprits of this Man-Made Disease

Cancer is a fast spreading epidemic that we all seem to be impacted by in one way or another. I have been fascinated over the last year to find that by altering your diet, daily life activity, and stress levels, it can be nearly impossible for cancer cells to even live in your body. So what are the leading culprits of this disease?

In an interesting article by Dr. Mercola, some reasons are brought to light:*Pesticide and other chemical exposure*Pharmaceutical drugs*Processed and artificial foods (plus the chemicals in the packaging)*Obesity, stress, and poor sleeping habits*Wireless technology, dirty electricity, and medical diagnostic radiation exposure*Lack of sunshine exposure and use of sunscreens

Dr. Mercola's Top Tips for Cancer Prevention:

1. Avoid fructose and sugar.2. Optimize Vitamin D.3. Exercise.4. Get appropriate amounts of high quality animal-based omega-3 fats.5. Eat according to your nutritional type.6. Deal with your emotions and past hurts.7. Maintain an ideal body weight.8. Get appropriate amounts of high quality sleep.9. Reduce your exposure to environmental toxins like pesticides, household chemical cleaners, synthetic air fresheners, and air pollution.10. Reduce your use of cell phones and other technology.11. Boil, poach or steam your foods, rather than frying or charbroiling them. Better yet, eat as many raw veggies as you can!Read the full article here.