WonderMill Electric Grain Mill Review & Giveaway

~~~THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED~~~

Eating plenty of whole grains is so important to our health and studies are continuously proving this fact. By eating fruits and veggies soon after harvest you will reap the maximum amount of vitamins and minerals from the produce before it starts to break down. It is also just important to have freshly ground grains for the same reasons. When I started eating and cooking healthier for me and my family I became more educated on these whole food nutrition basics and an electric grain mill quickly found its way on my must have kitchen item list. I would like to share a few of these whole food facts so you will understand the importance of fresh grains for your whole family.

 

Whole Wheat Berry

Click on photo to enlarge

Understanding the importance of fresh grains!
Every time I go to the grocery store or see a new food commercial on TV I cringe because the new marketing tactic is all about slapping "whole grains" on lots of processed foods that, in my opinion, have no truth to them. Businesses know the "whole grain" food market is a huge and they are cashing in on it. Sadly, the majority of our society does not understand whole food nutrition and what these processed products contain or do not contain. Packaged foods contain added vitamins and minerals because the 'whole grain' used in the products were not made with whole wheat berry. These also typically contain preservatives. When purchasing whole wheat flour you are buying a flour that has been stripped of the germ so it has a longer shelf life at the grocery store. Even though the flour does not contain the germ, you may not know that flour has turned rancid before you even purchase it. How can your body benefit from these processed products??

Don't you agree what our children eat is even more important? One of baby's "first foods" that most parents give their baby is rice cereal. Lets take a look at the nutrition label of the popular brand of rice cereal.

click to enlarge

I think the label speaks for itself loaded with preservatives and products that could more than possibly be GMOs (Genetically Modified Organism)! How can your baby's body benefit from these processed products?

Now, here's the nutrition facts for the same serving size of brown rice flour that you can simply grind from brown rice in your own electric grain mill at home. Freshly ground and you know your baby is getting the best nutrition! No preservatives and just ONE ingredient going into that little tummy.

Why a WonderMill?
Over a year I researched grain mills and the pros and cons of several brands. Each time I came back to the WonderMill being at the top of my list of the best electric grain mill available on the market. The WonderMill truly is the top of the line when it comes to grain mills. It has a large 1250 Watt LG Electronics motor that is built to easily grind small grains like millet and up to the size of larger beans such as garbanzos. Check out http://www.willitgrind.com/ for a substantial list of what the WonderMill will grind including video demonstrations. This machine is built to do a lot of grinding. Watch the video below to see the WonderMill continuously grain 1000 lbs of grain in just 9.5 hours! Impressive!

I was so excited when WonderMill said they would send me their electric grain mill to review! I received the mill the month after I had my baby, which was the perfect time. My body was trying to recover from having a baby and I was breastfeeding so I needed the best nutrition possible. Fresh grains to bake and cook with would really help my body receive the nutrition needed. I made a trip to the health food store and bought a few pounds of organic whole wheat white berries to grind.

There are 3 settings to grind flour, Pastry, Bread or Course. I set my WonderMill on the 'bread' setting to run through my wheat berries because I planned on making tortillas with the flour.

I turned out the machine and was surprised it wasn't as loud as I was expecting. I slowly poured in the wheat berries and it did not take it long to grind the 3 cups of berries I poured into the hopper.

After the WonderMill was finished I opened up the canister to find the most beautiful soft fresh flour! I also enjoyed the aroma of warm, freshly ground flour. The fresh flour made delicious tortillas that night!

Since the initial use of the WonderMill, I have used it numerous times in my kitchen. For some reason, I thought that grinding flour whenever I needed it would be time consuming. It has been far from that! It only takes me a couple of minutes to get the WonderMill out of my pantry and for it to grind up a couple cups of wheat berries. I typically grind enough to last me 3 or 4 days and keep the freshly ground flour in an air tight BPA free plastic container in the fridge.

It has been wonderful to have fresh flour when I need it. I am still experimenting with grinding different types of grains and what baked goods to include them in. I have seen a huge difference in the quality and taste of my baked goods from using fresh ground flour. Knowing that I am also getting the best nutrition from grinding my own flour is just a bonus. My baby just turned 5 months old so it won't be much longer until he will start to eat some solid foods. I'm so happy to have the grain mill in order to grind fresh whole grain cereals for him! Be on the lookout in the near future of recipes I will be posting for "Babies First Cereals".

Grinding my own organic whole wheat flour is also saving me a lot of money! I was purchasing my whole wheat berries at a large chained health food store in the bulk food section, but recently purchased a 25 lb bag of berries from a health food co-op at more than 50% savings! Definitely do some checking where the best price for purchasing whole grains in your area. A grain mill can quickly pay for itself.

BUY IT! You can purchase the WonderMill Electric Grain Mill from this list of retailers.


WIN IT! WonderMill is generously giving away a WonderMill Electric Grain Mill to a Take Time to Smell the Rose Reader!
 

You have the chance to enter several entries by the doing the following. Each one counts as 1 entry unless otherwise specified. I am now making it a requirement to follow my blog publicly on Google Friend Connect to enter my giveaways.

• MANDATORY ENTRY(You also must be following my blog publicly on Google Friend Connect)-COUNTS AS 1 TOTAL: AND visit WonderMill. Find the Dealer who sells WonderMill in your state and post this information in your comment. 

• Subscribe to my blog via email with Feedburner (on right side bar).
  

• Blog about my giveaway, linking back to this giveaway and WonderMill. Leave the URL where you blogged. 6 entries! Leave a comment for each entry.

• Grab my  Take Time to Smell the Rose button. Leave URL where it is posted.

• Follow Smell_the_Rose  on Twitter AND tweet about this giveaway. After initial "tweet" you may gain an extra entry each day. Limit 1 tweet a day.  Leave URL where you tweeted in your comment. Please use this copy & paste tweet:

I have entered to #Win a WonderMill #grain mill to grind #healthy #organic grains at home!  @Smell_the_Rose  #giveaway http://tiny.cc/WonderMill

•  'Like' Take Time to Smell the Rose on Facebook. 3 entries! Leave a comment for each entry (even if you are already a fan)

**Leave your email on each comment. You must do this in order to win!**

Giveaway ends Saturday, October 1, 2011 at 9:00 p.m.(CST) Winner will be drawn by the random number generator at Random.org and will be notified by email. Winner will also be announced on this blog. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn.

This giveaway is open to USA residents ONLY . Must be 18 years old or older to win.

The thoughts and opinions expressed on my blog are my own and are not swayed by any monetary or product compensation. WonderMill generously provided me with the items mentioned in the review and no other compensation was received. O

~~~THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED~~~

How to make Post Partum Mama Cloth Pads with PDF Pattern

A while back I showed you how to make mama cloth liners. So easy and can be made with all scrap material! After I experimented with making my own liners I knew I could definitely make my own post partum pads.

If you are already cloth diapering there really is no reason not to use mama cloth too. 

The Pros for using Mama Cloth:

• Will save you a lot of money!
• Much more comfortable than disposables (breathes more too!)
• Never have to forget about picking up pads at the store again
• You can design a pad that fits YOU just the way you want it
• From what I have read from personal stories on message boards there is a huge health benefit as well with lessened bleeding and PMS symptoms. Makes you wonder what those chemicals are doing to our female reproductive systems!

I made my post partum pads before I had Cole but I did not start using them until I came home 36 hours after his birth. I had a vaginal birth and I think that the first 24 to 48 hours is my heaviest flow. I don't think these pads would work for right after birth because the flow is just too heavy. However, my flow for the first couple of weeks is heavier than my typical period and I think they did a terrific job. I never had one leak! I had 16 pads and changing on average every time I went to the restroom which was about every 2 hours. At this rate the pads lasted me a day and a half to 2 days. The materials I constructed these with make them dry very fast in the dryer. I would wait until I had 2 or maybe even 1 pad left before I would wash them. So even if you grab the last one you still have time to wash and dry easily before you need to change again. No worry there! These pads are thin enough to use for regular period flow as well, just not for post partum only.

Materials:

Non-pill fleece: This is the backing of the pad. The fleece acts as a waterproof barrier and helps it stay in place and not shift.

Cotton Print: You can use anything you like. I used all scraps I had on hand.

ZORB: One layer of ZORB is equal to 8 layers of flannel. It's absorbs very quickly and also dries very quickly. I believe this is the best material for post partum pads. It's great for when you have those unexpected 'gushes' the first week or so (or unexpected 'bladder leaks' from weakened muscles pushing a big baby out LOL). I bought a 'sample swatch' from Wazoodle. Unfortantly it does not appear that they are selling the sample size anymore! This sample size cost me $4 (including shipping!) and I was able to make 16 pads from it. Shipping is kind of pricey so it would be good if there is something else you need to purchase or see if someone can order with you and split shipping costs. I have also seen listings on etsy for small cuts as well. Measure out the pad topper and see how much you need, the seller may sell you more or less depending on how much you need. ZORB is excellent for AIO cloth diapers. So if you happen to have a lot of extra you can make some great fitted diapers with this.

Minky: I bought my minky at JoAnns when it was on sale. The great thing about Minky is that it does NOT stain. I went with white because it would go with any cotton print. I only had a couple of pads that stained just the slightest bit, but came out with sunning. They have been used several times during my post partum period and look very clean.

Snaps: I used KAM Snaps, but you can use sew on metal snaps, they will work just as well.

Suggestion: cut out just 1 pad and try it on and see if you need any adjustments to it in length or width. Once the pad is to your liking use the patterns and a fabric pen to trace out as many pads as you need. Then you can cut all the material out at once and then sew them all. It goes much faster this way.

Pattern: Link to PDF pattern

Directions

Cut out the 4 layers you need for 1 pad


Pin right sides together of both bottom layers and top layers


Sew layers together with a 1/4 inch seam allowance, leaving a small gap open. Turn right side out.


Top stitch the bottom layer, closing up the unsewn gap as you are top stitching.



Pin the top layer on the bottom layer.


Top stitch the top layer. Then sew once again about 1/2 inch inside the topper.


Attach KAM Snaps or sew on metal snaps to desired fit.


Can be folded down into a square after use.




Using Mama Cloth:
Just like cloth diapers, store used cloths in a dry wet bag until ready to wash. I do a cold rinse then a hot wash with detergent. I also use a little bleach. Then one extra cold rinse. Dry in dryer (doesn't take long!)

Guest Post: Fluoride in Our Water….. Should We or Shouldn’t We?

So there I was at the dentist for my bi-annual cleaning, and the hygienist asks me if I want the fluoride foam treatment this time. What? I had never heard of this before. So she explained to me that doing this foam-like treatment for a minute or however long it was helps strengthen the enamel in my teeth. Hmm. Well isn’t that what the fluoride added to our water is supposed to do? But wait, isn’t fluoride poisonous? Like, be sure not to let your children eat any toothpaste because it’s harmful and dangerous??

Well that got me to wondering about this whole issue, and as luck would have it, the next day I was at the library and saw a brand new book, “The Case Against Flouride”, on the shelf. I’m not through with the 355 pages yet, but I am over halfway done, and I will say I have since bought a Berkey travel lite reverse osmosis filter with the extra arsenic and fluoride cartridges . Let me share what I have learned, and of course, the final choice is up to you. I just feel strongly about this issue and feel that parents ought to at least be aware of what is going on so they can make their own decisions about their and their children’s health.

First off, my background is in medicine. This book is pretty heavy on the biochemistry and physiology of fluoride, but I think it is presented in a pretty reasonable fashion for non-medical folks to get a grasp of what’s happening. I guess this post is somewhat of a book review, the Reader’s Digest or Cliff Notes version.

So here’s what I have learned and believe to be true thus far.

1. The fluoride added to public water treatment systems is toxic waste, a by-product of the fertilizer-production industry. The book calls this toxic waste for a good reason – in Florida the phosphate rock also has radioactive uranium that is mined from it at the same time. There are no tests performed to see how much of the radioactive uranium ends up in the fluoride “recovered” from the production process. Even more concerning to me, the “scrubbing” liquid that removes the excess fluoride contains both arsenic and lead, which are not removed or tested for before being sold to water treatment plants. There is a lot more to this process and what comes out of it, but that’s the bare bones of it. An excerpt from the book and the link that you can go to and read the entire article, published on the University of Southern Florida’s own Phosphate Research site.

Fluorine from the phosphate industry is one example. In the late 1960s the state of Florida passed laws restricting air emissions in part because fluorine from the phosphate industry had begun to harm citrus trees and there were cases of fluorosis in cattle. Since that time phosphate companies have improved the techniques they use to remove contaminants before they are released into the air - such as scrubbing the stacks that processing plants use to release steam. Fluoride is scrubbed from the stack and is either recovered to make fluosilicic acid, which can be sold for uses such as water fluoridation, or is sent to the cooling pond where losses to the air are within regulatory limits. (http://www.fipr.state.fl.us/research-area-public-health.htm)
And if that isn’t blatant enough to give you pause, here is an excerpt from a journal in 1924, that details how insect poison uses sodium FLUOCOSILICATE (powder form of fluocosilic acid listed above) to kill cockroaches.

S. Marcovitch gives some details as to how those fluoride insecticides work (Ind. Eng. Chem. 16 (1924) 1249):
"The value of sodium fluosilicate as an insecticide is due to the fact that it is both a contact and stomach poison. Shafer has determined that when a roach walks over powdered sodium fluoride a little of the powder adheres to the lower part of the body, antennae and tarsi of the feet, and dissolves in the exudations of the integument. This seems to cause some irritation and uneasiness; the insect soon begins to clean the moistened powder from the body by licking it. In doing this enough of the poison may be brought into the mouth and swallowed, to kill after a period varying in from five to ten days. Other insects, such as Mexican bean beetles, also have the habit of cleaning themselves and by putting their feet in their mouths become very easy to kill. For this reason the sodium fluosilicate is more effective against the adult beetles than the larvae, which do not have these habits."


2. Ingesting fluoride for whatever reason is truly potentially harmful, even at low doses. Even our own EPA controls for the amount of fluoride in the water due to it’s well-known and established effects on humans at higher levels, causing osteoporosis and hip fractures, thyroid damage, skeletal flurosis (gradual stiffening and arthritis-like joint changes), and kidney damage. These “higher levels” are 4ppm and above, which is 4mg of fluoride per liter of water. Here is where I think the most dangerous part for children (and also pets) comes in. How much fluoride a person ingests directly relates to how much water they are drinking. Drinking 1 liter of water at 4ppm is a dose of 4mg of fluoride, and 1 liter of water at 1 ppm is 1mg dose of fluoride. Our current water “safety” allowance is up to 1.2ppm of fluoride. So if a bottle-fed baby in a lower income family is using tap water for formula, then that baby is getting a very high dose of fluoride relative to its’ size, simply because tap water plus formula is ALL THAT BABY EATS ALL DAY!! Human breast milk has virtually NO FLUORIDE to speak of. Concentrations range from .004mg/L to .04mg/L, no matter how much fluoride the mother has ingested. Fluoride is not an essential nutrient nor is it necessary for the human body to function. Now, a liter of water is a lot of volume for an infant or toddler, but a little poison over a long time is harmful too. There are a multitude of animal and human studies referenced in the book that demonstrate clearly that even lower doses of fluoride over a long time period (ie a year) results in the damage to structures noted above. Here is a link to YouTube where some folks in Colorado document what taking in a lot of fluoride via the drinking water did to their horses. Horses drink up to 12 gallons(nearly 45 L) of water per day, at just a 1ppm concentration(as per EPA allowances), that’s 45 mg of fluoride per day! Well-documented in all studies to be harmful and potentially lethal. This was just posted in Octover, 2010, and has quite a few links to more sites to get more information. If it won’t come up, just do a search for “Poisoned Horses” – the clip is 8 min long.


3. Some people are actually very sensitive to fluoride, and can actually show REVERSIBLE symptoms in the early stages of exposure. Gastrointestinal symptoms, heartburn, dizziness, skin rashes, chronic fatigue, headaches, urinary problems, and bone and joint pain. The studies performed on this reaction in certain people were very well done and referenced in the book. This one is easy to test – simply drink water with NO fluoride for at least a week, stop using fluoride toothpaste and mouthwashes, and see if your symptoms go away. (One thing to note, refrigerator filters do NOT filter fluoride- it states so in large letters on the side of the box, we just replaced ours last month and imagine my surprise to see it written all along an entire side of my Whirlpool filter box.) I myself am going to stop using fluoride toothpaste, I have begun using Toothpowder which is completely non-toxic and safe, utilizing baking soda and peppermint oil. Have you noticed that your regular toothpaste has Sodium Lauryl Sulfate in it??? Really? Soap sudsy stuff that we won’t put on our bodies or hair any more?? But we put it in our mouth several times a day and don’t even realize it. I was shocked. I also have long ago switched to Xylitol mouthwash – it’s a natural sweet-tasting substance, kind of like stevia, which prevents bacteria from adhering to surfaces. You will have to get both of these items at a natural foods store if you want to try them.

So there it is, one of my many soap boxes! I urge you to take some time, research for yourself to make your own decision. Water is something we take for granted, it’s our most precious resource, our bodies depend on it for life and health. If you do start researching, it will be more challenging to understand if you don’t have a strong science background, since an awful lot of the information is based on chemistry (yuck! I hated chemistry). I took years and years of it and still get boggled reading it. I wouldn’t say I’m a conspiracy theorist, but as one gets older you realize so many things that happen each day are about money and profit for someone, usually not the end user. I will leave you all with a nice link that summarizes the book as well, with some other posts but a really nice synopsis if you want to check that out also. http://wholefoodusa.wordpress.com/2010/11/04/detoxifying-health-propaganda-on-water-fluoridation-the-case-against-fluoride/

Check out this link to the CDC website to find out if fluoride is in your water.

Thanks for taking the time to read and good health to everyone!

Cara

Savvy Rest Organic Shredded Latex Pillow Review & Giveaway

~~~THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED~~~

Organic bedding has become increasingly important to our family over the past year as I have learned more about the effects of non organic bedding which I have discussed in previous posts. I have placed priority in switching out all the baby bedding in our household to organics first. In fact, since I'm on a sewing spree I just bought some organic cotton jersey to make bassinet sheets for baby #2s upcoming arrival in a few weeks. Organic bedding can seem a bit more pricier than traditional bedding, but I have discovered that organic bedding is made from superior materials and lasts much longer. However, not all organic bedding is not unreasonably priced. Savvy Rest has created a line of bedding for the whole family (including your pets!) as well as a natural latex mattress that is affordable. You can read about Savvy Rest Reviews and discover for yourself what great things others are saying about their products.

When switching to organic bedding, I believe the first item should be your pillows. The pillow is obviously the first item your head lays on when you are sleeping and you are breathing deeply into the materials it is made of all night long. Savvy Rest has a terrific line of  organic pillows to choose from constructed from various materials such as wool and latex. Each pillow has a different shape and style to form to the type of pillow you most enjoy sleeping on.

Savvy Rest sent me their organic shredded latex pillow to try out which I discovered was the perfect pillow for me.This pillow is filled with a finely shredded all natural latex that is easily customizable to your comfort level by taking out extra stuffing or leaving it all in for a nice fluffy pillow. An aspect I love about this pillow is that it has an inner and outer zipped casing so it's easy to keep clean. Since I'm pregnant and have only 5 weeks until my due date, I find myself using more and more pillows when I sleep to support various parts of my back. The organic shredded pillow provides the perfect amount of firmness that I can keep it between my knees at night so my hips don't get too achy. Forget using any pregnancy body pillow, this one pillow does the trick! I have also experimented sleeping with the pillow under my head, although I do have to take out quite a bit of the latex because I love flat pillows. However, at this point I most enjoy this pillow between my knees :-)


BUY IT! You can purchase directly from Savvy Rest.

WIN IT! Savvy Rest is giving away an Organic Shredded Latex Pillow to a Take Time to Smell the Rose Reader! 

 

You have the chance to enter several entries by the doing the following. Each one counts as 1 entry unless otherwise specified. I am now making it a requirement to follow my blog publicly on Google Friend Connect to enter my giveaways.

• MANDATORY ENTRY(You also must be following my blog publicly on Google Friend Connect)-counts as 1: AND visit Savvy Rest and tell me what other product you would like to try & why.

• Subscribe to my blog via email with Feedburner (on right side bar).
  

• Blog about my giveaway, linking back to this giveaway and Savvy Rest. Leave the URL where you blogged. 6 entries!

• Grab my  Take Time to Smell the Rose button. Leave URL where it is posted.

• Grab my Take Time to Share Your Giveaway Sunday button. Leave URL where it is posted.

• Grab my Bump 2 Baby event button. Leave URL where it is posted.  

• Follow Smell_the_Rose on Twitter AND tweet about this giveaway. After initial "tweet" you may gain an extra entry each day. Limit 1 tweet a day.  Leave URL where you tweeted in your comment. Please use this copy & paste tweet:

Win an #organic Savvy Rest Shredded Latex Pillow from @Smell_the_Rose ARV $89 #giveaway #ecofriendly #green http://tiny.cc/SavvyRest

•  'Like' Savvy Rest on Facebook . They request you please don't write on their wall that I sent you. (even if you are already a fan). 3 entries!

•  'Like' Take Time to Smell the Rose on Facebook. 3 entries!

**Leave your email on each comment. You must do this in order to win!**

Giveaway ends Thursday March 10, 2011 at 9:00 p.m.(CST) Winner will be drawn by the random number generator at Random.org and will be notified by email. Winner will also be announced on this blog. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn.

This giveaway is open to the lower 48 USA residents ONLY . Must be 18 years old or older to win.

The thoughts and opinions expressed on my blog are my own and are not swayed by any monetary or product compensation. I received a complimentary Organic Shredded Latex Pillow and no other compensation was received. 

 

~~~THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED~~~

New Film Documentary: Processed People

I just learned of a new food documentary from Jillian Michaels off of Facebook that there is a new food documentary similar to Food Inc. I am soooooooo excited!! First thing I did was check on Netflix, sure enough they are getting it, but it's not available yet. I will be sure to let everyone know when I watch it and my thoughts.

You can visit their website to read a little about Processed People. Here are 2 trailers below that I highly recommend you to watch. This is more than just about food- it's also about the health care system as we know it now.

Make your own healthy ice cream

I've been craving ice cream lately! I don't know if it's because I had a lot of it on our vacation (the unhealthy kind!), writing my review on Coconut Bliss or just because it's summer, but I've got to have some more!

I was on a mission to make a healthier alternative with a natural sweetener and lower in fat, but still taste good! I spent some time online looking up various recipes. I never found one that was what I was looking for, so once again I created my own recipe. I'm amazed the first time I made it, it was good!

Vanilla Almond Milk Ice Cream

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups of vanilla flavored almond milk (heated slightly in the microwave)
• 5 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup maple syrup

As I mentioned before I love Pacific Natural Foods Organic Almond Milk! If you look on the nutrition label of most almond, soy, rice milks you are going to find it is sweetened with evaporated cane juice which is the same thing as sugar (IMO). Pacific Natural Foods makes a really sweet one that does not have an added sweetener. Go to their website for coupons on their almond milk and other products! Also by making this ice cream with the almond milk it is so much cheaper! Have you seen the price of heavy cream lately??

You can see I'm still working on that huge bottle of Mexican Vanilla Extract I bought in the Caribbean in January! The eggs are free range, anti-biotic free from my in laws. It's nice to get fresh eggs :-) A side note, save your egg whites from this recipe! Put them in a bowl and then after you make the ice cream mixture go ahead and scrabble them. You can keep them in the fridge until breakfast.

Directions

1. Using a stand mixer (or use a hand one if it's all you have) beat the egg yolks until light and fluffy.
2. Gradually add your warm almond milk while you are still mixing your egg yolks. Keep mixing for another minute after you add the rest of the almond milk.
3. After mixing pour into a sauce pan and cook over medium high heat, constantly whisking the mixture.
4. Cook mixture until it reaches to a boil. If your mixture looks like it is separating lower the temp slightly and whisk a little faster. 
5. Mixture will look slightly thickened (mine did not, but after it reached to a boil it was good for me!)
6. Whisk in your vanilla extract and maple syrup.
7. Pour into a glass bowl and cover with a piece of wax paper on top. Let it cool to room temp, then place in fridge for a few hours or overnight.
8. Pour mixture into your ice cream machine and process according to the manufacturer's instructions. 

 I have this 1 1/2 qt Cuisinart Frozen Yogurt and Ice Cream Maker and this recipe works great in it! I have to admit I only let my mixture chill in the fridge for 3.5 hours because I wanted some ice cream so bad ;-) It still turned out great! This ice cream is not as creamy as Haagen Daz because obviously it's much lower in fat content, but it's just as good! Freeze the leftovers (if you have any hehe!) in a freezer safe plastic container. This ice cream freezes pretty hard (as I have experienced with all homemade ice creams, even the ones with all heavy cream) so you'll need to let it sit out on the counter for a few minutes to thaw.

Next time I want to try blending in some sweet strawberries or perhaps some chocolate & nuts. Yum!

Organically Grown Review & Enter to Win a $400 Bedding Set!

 A part of living green, is also wearing green!
I believe a huge part of green living is wearing green and surrounding yourself with eco-friendly products. 

Organically Grown has some of the cutest 100% organic outfits for your babies, toddlers and children. I absolutely love the collection of organic girls dresses, rompers, 2 piece suits and more that they carry. I'm especially a sucker for anything pink. Just ask my husband. Anytime we go shopping for Ethan I also end up looking at the baby girl clothes too. You have to admit that this pink The Butterfly and Ladybug Organic Dress with Bloomers is too cute! The "Organically Grown" wording on the front is the perfect touch ;-)


Organically Grown also carries a nice collection of organic t-shirts for men and women. If you are just expecting your new little bundle of joy soon, be sure to check out the organic blankets, organic room accessories and organic bedding. I have my eye on this sweet Organic Safari 4 piece bedding set for when we have baby #2.

About Organically Grown!

Information from website 

Driven by our positive spirit, and heartfelt commitment to a healthy planet, we founded the Organically Grown Group. We were raised to believe that we could make a difference, and affect real change in the world. As a young and innovative company, we believe in your right to affordable, safe, stylish, high-quality organic products from apparel and home décor, to personal care items.

Organically Grown has begun to play an active role in the organic revolution. Our apparel is made from organic cotton, which is grown by safe, pesticide-free methods from plants that are not genetically modified. We support the organic farming community and organizations worldwide that are committed to a green, sustainable environment. There is a direct connection between what we wear and the effect it has on the earth.

According to the Organic Exchange, as estimated 170 million pounds of pesticides, and 25% of the world's insecticides are used in the production of conventional, non-organic cotton. 7 out of 10 of these pesticides are on the EPA's "known" list of "likely" or "probable" carcinogens. These chemicals result in the work-force illnesses, water contamination, and the devastation of farmland. All of the problems are eliminated through organic farming practices. Organically Grown is proud to be a part of the solution.

Organically Grown acts as an educational collective. We sponsor fund-raising events and through the media, we teach consumers about the benefits of living an organic lifestyle. We are about balance and taking baby steps. We do the best we can today, knowing we will grow with innovation tomorrow. Together, we can make a difference by creating products we are proud of and you are proud to purchase.

We hope this will be our green legacy.

Our Organically Grown Experience!
As one of our new healthy habits I am slowly adding pieces of organic clothing to our wardrobes. Ethan's first organic outfit was sent to us by Organically Grown. We were sent the Think Green Toddler Boys Outfit for review. What I love about this outfit is that is it so simple, but yet so adorable. This two piece short sleeve set is 100% organic cotton. This little outfit is perfect for summer since it's 100% cotton and will help keep him cooler in our high humidity heat. The material is really soft and both the shirt and pants are well constructed.

I've already posted numerous photos of him wearing this outfit throughout my Healthy Living posts and many of you have commented how you've liked his outfit. Here's just one more photo of him in his outfit. We took this one on our trip to Branson, MO.

Organically Grown is giving away a bedding set worth over $400! Go here to read details. You can also stay connected about specials and promotions through Twitter and Facebook. 

 



Thank you to the Company or/and PR firm who provided me with the products mentioned in the review. The thoughts and opinions expressed on my blog are my own and are not swayed by any monetary or product compensation. My personal health experiences may not be a typical result for others. The information I share on my blog may not be the views of the sponsors participating in my Healthy Living Event. 
 

Eco-friendly Mattress?

I am super excited because we are finally upgrading to a king size bed! We just put a down payment on a pretty black french country looking bedroom furniture set. I will admit that we actually got the cheapest set in the store because we plan on spending more on the mattress, the part that really counts! We currently have the bedroom set that my husband bought as a bachelor several years ago. The mattress that came with his set is so hard and worthless. Seriously, when we got married I had to buy an egg crate topper to put on it so I could even get comfortable at all to go to sleep lol. We keep saying we need to upgrade to a king size bed so we never purchased a new mattress for the bed we have. Enough is enough, our backs are paying for it more than ever.

As you've been reading on my Healthy Living Event we are slowly changing to organics which includes mattresses! I'm really sad that Naturepedic doesn't make a mattress in a king size otherwise I wouldn't even be talking about other options out there. I am so impressed with the Naturepedic mattress Ethan now sleeps on!

So, we've looked at a couple of brands of eco-friendly mattresses available out there in stores. There is one that we like how it feels to lay on and it does not cost much more than the "regular" type of mattress we would consider purchasing. However, I feel like I need to do a little research to figure out how eco-friendly some of these brands are. Does anyone have experience with any eco-friendly mattresses or heard from someone that has? I would love to hear any advice!