The Clean Sweep for Clean Sleep

Over the last few weeks on the blog, I've been covering the process of Jase and I renovating our house in a series we launched here on LSK called Making A Home. Even though it's taken longer than expected, it's been such a special process to put care and intention into every area that fills our house. The first two weeks of Making A Home, I was able to share about a few of my favorite rooms, and there's more to come with before and after pictures that I can't wait to show you!But another reason this process has been so special is that we've unexpectedly discovered so many small businesses and brands that we've really come to really love. With this in mind, I wanted to share with you a few of my favorites that I'm always getting questions about either here or on my Instagram.Sleep is one of the key pieces of a strong immune system. It helps our body regenerate and renew itself + rest is the key to positive days and productive mindsets! I believe your bed should be one of the safest places. You are on your mattress for one of the most important times of the day and for so many hours of the day. I get so many questions about clean and healthy mattresses, and when Jase and I were looking for new pieces to fill our home – this was a priority at the top of the list.Toxic mattresses are not always talked about, but our sleep and where we sleep is so important. I share more details about the process and a step by step towards switching over to clean living in my program The Clean Sweep, but I wanted to share with you my favorite picks so you have a foundation to choose from!1. Boll and BranchWe absolutely love this mattress and it's the one we have chosen for our own bedroom! It's foam-free and made by hand with ethically-sourced, natural materials which is always win, win!2. ParachuteI have always loved parachute for their bedding pieces. Then I discovered this mattress that is eco-friendly, made from pure wool and 100% organic cotton – and I was also in love! So comfortable and made with extra back support in mind which is always helpful when finding the best fit for your body and your sleep.3. Under the CanopyAnother brand I love that is made with organic, sustainable materials like recycled steel coil and organic cotton and Joma wool. It's so comfortable and provides great support, while also being eco and clean friendly which I love!4. Avocado Green Mattress A bit more affordable – this mattress is also made with organic, natural materials like organic, certified wool and cotton and is free from polyester, polyurethane foams, and toxic fire retardants (things you wouldn't even know you were sleeping on!) They also have a Vegan Mattress option that is made without wool.Lastly, while talking about the Clean Sweep for Clean Sleep – I cannot go without sharing about one of my all-time favorite sleeping aids that has changed the game for my sleep! I cannot stress how important sleep is and this has been an absolute life-saver in helping my body relax and shutting my mind down before I fall asleep. There are many brands for CBD out there, but I have to say that Equilibria CBD has quickly become my favorite! I take one to two drops before bed (though they customize your dosage depending on your own body) and this has become a new staple in my nightly routine. I love recommending this to friends and family who have expressed that they're tired or have trouble sleeping – it's such a help.I hope you've enjoyed following along on our Making A Home process – And I hope this helps those of you who are on the journey to clean living. For more updates on our home, stay tuned right here on the blog, and for updates each week on clean products I'm loving, follow along on Instagram at The Clean Stuff. xo

In The Kitchen: Adding New Purpose To Your Cooking Routine

I have always known that I have an affection for healthy food, a fascination for the origin of where organic produce is grown and harvested, and a love for experimenting with new recipes and flavors, but I have come to notice that time and lack of energy from a full schedule eliminated space to explore and grow in these passions. Cooking became more of a chore, gardening was a no-go since we weren't at home long enough to sustain it, and sometimes just picking up dinner from the Erewhon food bar was way easier than thinking about what to whip up. Not to mention, the task of cutting veggies and doing dishes just seemed daunting and anything but enjoyable.It's like a new world has opened up during this quarantine time. Cooking has become what I look forward to every day, our garden is thriving, the local farm we discovered is my happy place to buy organic and biodynamic produce + support a small business, and dishes seem like a breeze. I have been cooking almost every night with the windows open and the Florida Georgia Line radio playing, and Jase sometimes is creating the most beautiful cocktails next to me with freshly squeezed watermelon and orange. I am more intentional about using the produce we have because not many other options like we had before are available, and I have such a strong desire to feed our bodies with nutrition to keep our immune systems strong!I started a Master Class and Alice Waters is inspiring me to plan meals based on the ingredients I get from the farm, and it has brought about this whole new light and intention to cooking and meals! This time is truly bringing new purpose to what used to be a mundane activity. Now I cook out of necessity for health, conserving the produce we have, and it has allowed so much space for creativity. Who knew that I would develop a new excitement for making homemade salsas from the pretty tomatoes or roasted carrots from the cookbook I never had a chance to look through? There are truly so many silver linings in this time of unknowns, sadness, loss, and confusion. Embracing them makes every day a little brighter!How has this time added to your cooking routine?I'm excited to share with you over the next few weeks a few of the things I'm doing in my kitchen right now as a part of my In The Kitchen series – things like how to maximize your produce, what to grab when shopping, growing your own greens, and more.Follow along with me here, or at my Instagram where I often post a meal I'm cooking or kitchen must-have I'm loving. xShop My Look Here: Top, skirt, sunnies

A Newly Opened Local Treasure: Coffee House Cafe

If you live in the suburbs, you understand the difficulty in finding a cool-atmosphere coffee house that doesn't require driving thirty minutes to the heart of the Big D. All we seem to have is a Starbucks on every corner. Well, suburbanites and city-dwellers (it's worth driving North), I am excited to introduce you to the Coffee House Cafe. It quaintly sits on the corner of Frankford and Preston, and it's starting to gain some notice. This little nook is my new "home" to work from, the perfect place to have a business meeting, and an excellent choice for a brunch date.

Why I love it so much:

1. On a beautiful day, you can sit on the big patio next to the gigantic fire place and sip on some coffee or work on a new business idea.2. You quickly become a regular. The servers learn your name and order. Who doesn't love this?3. They have the best cinnamon tea in the world. The best part: they bring it out to you in the cutest mini teapot.4. The espresso and house blend is 100% certified organic, fair trade, and shade grown, and the coffee flavors are all house made with no preservatives, additives, high fructose corn syrup or other crazy scientific words that are too hard to pronounce. Cool beans!Did I mention their breakfast is sublime? Sitting at the espresso bar, reading the paper, and eating a scrumptious Saturday morning meal has become my family's favorite weekend ritual. What we order: their signature lemon pancakes, eggs and the best gluten free pancakes on the planet. No wonder the hype is high. Check out their extraordinary lunch and dinner menu too. I hope to see you there!

Kevita: A Sparkling and Delicious Probiotic Refreshment

It look a summer in New York City to get me completely hooked on probiotic drinks. They were so new to me, and being a non-energy drink drinker, these were the perfect alternatives to provide a boost of natural energy in addition to healthy flora for digestion.  Not to be confused with Kombucha, KeVita is made using a fresh new approach. Water or tea is combined with the proprietary Organic KeVita Culture; a blend of probiotics and subtle flavors. They combine organic cold extracted plant extracts and organic fruits in a variety of flavors for your drinking pleasure. Oh, and did I mention it's raw, vegan, gluten free, soy free and organic?

KeVita Fun Facts

It has multiple strains of probiotics, including those originating from kefir derived cultures. For thousands of years these cultures have been cherished for supporting beneficial digestive flora.It is available in 8 delicious flavors: Strawberry Acai Coconut, Mango Coconut (my favorite), Coconut, Pomegranate Coconut, Pomegranate, Lemon Ginger, Living Greens, and Green Tea!

• Proven to promote digestive health
• Proven to maintain the immune system
• Proven to deliver 10 times more probiotic cultures than common yogurt through the gut and into the intestine where they are needed
• 4 Billion Probiotic Organisms at time of Bottling. 4 strains.
• Refreshing and thirst-quenching
• 4 flavors certified organic, 4 flavors made with organic ingredients
• Made with LOVE in small batches in California

Why Drink KeVita?

For radiant vitality and health, duh! KeVita is the only sparkling, probiotic refreshment of its kind. It contains 2x the probiotic content as Kombucha, plus it has a much milder flavor and is created from a different culture called Water Kefir. These drinks are very low in sugar as they are lightly sweetened with Stevia. The coolest part: it is handcrafted and cold-processed at KeVita’s own organic plant in Ventura, CA. (Take me here please!)

KeVita Suggestions

• If you have an upset stomach: go with the Lemon and Ginger flavor.
• Drink as much or as little as you want any time of day, with or without meals.
• How much you need to drink to enjoy the benefits varies. Everyone is unique. Listen to your taste buds and your body. Some drink 2 bottles a day others make a bottle last all week.

Kevita is available at Whole Foods, health and gourmet stores nationwide. You can spot a local location here.

Skin Organics: Chemical Free and Result Driven Skincare

This day is historical in my life. Why? After years of questions,  I have finally found a solid answer. Hoorah! The resolution: Skin Organics. I have searched long and hard (my mom can attest to this) for a skin care line that I trust, and did I mention that actually works? And by works, I don’t mean executing the promised sales pitch for a month and then stopping suspiciously at the warranty end date. I mean sustainably producing noticeable results.Fact. Did you know that the focus of most major commercial products are made up of 90% marketing and 10% product development? Conclusion: yikes.After weeks of reading through shocking articles addressing the issue of toxic chemicals in the majority of skin care lines, I decided that my use of them needed to come to a screeching hault. I couldn’t bare another day moisturizing with cancer-causing components after lathering hazardous chemicals onto my skin.Wondering about your own products? The Skin Deep Database will become your new best friend.So during one of my daily stops to Whole Foods (pardon my addiction), I was introduced to this Austin-based company, and the rest was history. Stay tuned for my personal experience blurbs with these antioxidant rich products, and check back for not-to-miss nuggets of knowledge after my visits with the charming and inspiring founder, Ann Webb.For the curious ones: check out the array of products at skinorganicsaw.com or in person at Whole Foods. For a pro-consultation facial, make a visit to Whole Foods, which will result in a dream come true for lovers of serenity. If you take this advice, I guarantee you will be enchanted, and your skin will blissfully thank you. 

Mineral Fusion: Make-up that Feeds Your Skin

It’s official. I am enthralled by organic skin care, and this includes the fun stuff: makeup.It was a few months ago that I became my own guinea pig to try toxin free products, and I have to admit I had high hopes but average expectations. I am the kind of girl that switches from product to product after months of experimentation, only to find that I am dissatisfied with the results. Well, I have good news! As I am now an avid user of Skin Organics (for life!), it seemed that using chemical-infused makeup would defeat the purpose of all this goodness. All or nothing only made sense.That is when I learned of a line called Mineral Fusion. Newsflash: it feeds your skin. It works together with your antioxidant-filled cleanser and your healing moisturizer. Instead of clogging pores, it actually metabolizes your skin, protects against sun damage, strengthens your surface structure, and balances hydration. Go figure. The crazy thing is that I haven’t even cracked the surface. Engage yourself in this groundbreaking beauty bliss here.Where to start? The concealer and foundation are ridiculously amazing. Fun little extras: the highlighting powder creates a stunning glow and the mascara will make batting your eyelashes a whole lot cuter (strategy for more products?).Why use this mineral makeup brand? It has credibility. It is the top selling makeup line in all Whole Foods stores across the country, not to mention it has numerous mentions in America’s most popular magazines and blogs. Plus, they are created with natural preservatives that are affective for every skin type, and unlike most mineral makeup lines, the products are compact rather than loose.