Written by Rachel, Contributing Writer Before you start reading this, I just want to let you know that I do not do all these things with blissful glee. I want to, I’m a work in progress with the intention of being a more godly wife, probably much like you. Sometimes when I read about the …
The surprising things you learn when escaping the mundane (hint: it isn’t as mundane as you think).
It happens every time we slow down. During this whirlwind, around-the-world trip of ours, usually staying in one place for anywhere from one to four weeks is when I feel it most keenly. But every so often, even three days in an apartment with a kitchenette can bring it out in me. Sometimes it finds …
What’s in That “Healthy” Convenience Food?
By Michele of Frugal Granola, Contributing Writer Whether you’re traveling, eating out with a friend, or picking up some convenience food for lunch boxes, do you know if you’ve made a healthy choice? At first glance, many meal options appear healthy, but some added ingredients may be a surprise. Convenience food or restaurant developers have deliberately …
Weekend Links
Links for this week: Injustice Anywhere @ Shaun Groves When You Aren’t Like Her But Wish You Were @ (in)courage Easy Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe @ Modern Alternative Mama On Marriage and Learning as We Grow @ chatting at the sky Just the very best thing you can do for your kids …
How Does Coffee Affect Your Health? {plus 6 Coffee Alternatives!}
I love coffee. It’s not so much the actual cup of coffee that I love as the experience of coffee. I grew up sharing Saturday morning conversations with my grandmother over coffee. Coffee is cozy, comforting, and carries such wonderful memories for me. A couple of years ago I began to experience extreme fatigue. I …
The Unhealthy Truth Behind the Coca-Cola Label
Guest Post by Elsie Callender Why do healthy people eat unhealthy things? Why do I? I drink raw milk, eat pastured meat and write real food cookbooks. And yet…and yet sometimes when I go to a restaurant I order my meal based on how well it will taste with a tall glass of Coke! I know Coke is unhealthy, but …
Child Labor and the Chocolate Industry
By Emily McClements, Contributing Writer I settled in on the couch with my laptop and a few pieces of candy leftover from our Christmas stockings to watch two documentaries exposing the rampant use of forced child labor on cocoa farms on the Ivory Coast of Africa. The candy I was savoring? You guessed it – …
Childhood Obesity: 4 Supersized Facts the Food Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know
By Andrea, Contributing Writer When we were given the task of tackling tough topics, I immediately thought of childhood obesity. The facts on childhood obesity cannot be disputed. One third of American children are currently obese according to the CDC. This is a monumental crisis when you consider that obesity leads to high blood pressure, …
Weekend Links
Links for this week: Three Words for the Critic in Your Head @ Hands Free Mama the prayer of the (tired) mama of the sick little one @ SortaCrunchy No Junk – No Peek Chicken @ Stacy Makes Cents Grow Your Own Transplants @ GNOWFGLINS Remembering that my kid is not the boss of my feelings …
Moving Forward on Your Natural Living Journey This Year!
By Emily, Contributing Writer My green and natural living journey began, probably like many of you, when I became pregnant with my first child, just about seven years ago. I started out slowly, changing things like our cleaning products, ditching paper towels for reusable cloths, and eventually cloth diapering our new daughter. As I was …
The Soy Decoy: Why Soy is Not a Health Food
This post was originally published in June of 2010, but the topic is still pertinent today! Soy is one of the most commonly mistaken modern “health foods”, and unfortunately, can be found in just about everything in the form of soy lecithin. This article covers why this plant is not at all what we should …
Simple and Healthy Protein Smoothie Recipes the Whole Family Will Love
Guest Post by Tiffany Sometimes we real foodies make healthy eating way more complicated than it needs to be. Butter: Is grass-fed really better than organic? Milk: Which is better, organic or raw? Grains: Is whole wheat really better than white? Or only when it’s soaked? And sprouted? Or should we avoid grains all together?! …
Weekend Links
Links for this week: Show 202…Keeper of the Home: Stephanie Langford @ The Sociable Homeschooler (This is a recent Podcast interview with Stephanie where she talks about her interests as well as what it’s like to homeschool while traveling around the world!) What if we went small instead of big? @ A Delightful Home Sugar …
The SMART Way to Make Healthy Resolutions You Can Keep!
Is your natural living journey running into obstacles that you’re not sure how to overcome? Would you like to be able to get immediate answers to your specific healthy living questions from like-minded women? The Coffee Table Conversations Online Conference may be just the thing you’ve been looking for! Read more about it here! By Kelly, Contributing Writer …
Do You Ever Feel Alone in Your Natural Living Journey?
You read blogs, you follows all sorts of healthy websites on Facebook, you see all the new recipes and natural living tips on Pinterest… you’re genuinely working at making changes and following through on living a wholesome, healthy lifestyle. But it’s hard. Especially when you’re new to this, and you have so. many. questions. Do …
Hidden Dangers of Teflon Cookware: What You Need to Know
By Beth Ricci, Contributing Writer I grew up with many of my meals lovingly cooked in a Teflon frying pan, and I’m willing to bet you probably did, too. But are those frying pans the healthiest choices for our families? Is there new information on the scene that might give us reason to doubt the stovetop …
The Fake Food You Don’t Know You’re Eating (Part 1)
By Kresha, Contributing Writer Good morning! Have you eaten your wood pulp today? Now, I know I’m kind of weird in that I do make sure my kids eat dirt (as does Stephanie) and I try to fill them with as much offal as possible, but… wood pulp? While clay and liver may be …
Weekend Links
Links for this week: The Gratitude Jar @ Modern Alternative Mama How to Move Forward into the New Year… when you feel like you failed the last year @ A Holy Experience Crock Pot Chicken Pot Pie Stew @ Stacy Makes Cents The Unchangeable I AM: Resolve for 2014 @ The Marathon Mom Rewriting Resolutions …
What’s Wrong with Hydrogenated Oil (and How to Avoid It)
By Stacy, Contributing Writer While many oils are healthy and nourishing to the body and brain, hydrogenated oil is not one of them. You’ve probably heard that hydrogenated oil isn’t good for you, but perhaps you are not sure why. I always find it easier to stay away from foods that are unhealthy when I …
What is Fair Trade Coffee, and Should You Buy It?
By Jessica, Contributing Writer This month Stephanie challenged us to think deeply about a “tough” food issue. Fair trade coffee stuck out to me, not because I’m an expert – but precisely because I am not. I love coffee, I buy coffee… And I always feel a twinge of guilt when I bypass the “fair trade” section for …