Our First Garden!

This year, Matt and I finally got around to planting our first vegetable garden. We're very excited about being able to grow our own salad fixin's.

We planted zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, green beans, bell peppers, okra, eggplant and a few herbs. So far we really just have a zucchini, cucumber and basil garden. We have so much of them that we're starting to give it away...we just can't eat it all!

The green beans died almost right away. The carrots are doing ok, but a certain blonde bandito keeps pulling them up to check them. The eggplant and okra are starting to FINALLY grow and I have no idea if the bell peppers are going to do anything...ever. The tomato plant is ginormous with tons of green tomatoes, but it only produces 1 tomato every other day.

Not too shabby if I say so myself!

I think for our first go around, we've been pretty successful! (In our wild dreams we would love to have a garden like my aunts in Seattle. Now she's got a green thumb and a produce aisle in her backyard!)

We had no idea that cucumbers would take over!

Zucchini anyone? They're HUGE!

It's Like Christmas!

I can be such a dork, but every time I see a package on my front porch I get so excited. I'm more excited to tear into it than my 3 year old! :)

I received my latest Shaklee order the other day and I'm so excited about it!

I purchased:
Nature Bright Laundry Boost (I can even use this to clean my toilets! Woot!)
Fresh Laundry Concentrate (It's HE compatible!)
Dishwasher Concentrate (LOVE. It doesn't leave a film on my dishes like some of the major brands can)
Scour Off (A must have for kitchens and bathrooms)
VitaLea (My daily multivitamin)
Optiflora Probiotics (To keep our guts healthy!)
CoQHeart (For the hubs; I want to keep him around for awhile!)
Alfalfa Complex (For the hubs and his allergies. Did you know that alfalfa is a natural antihistamine?)

What are your favorite Shaklee products? What would you like to try?

Cinch Energy Tea - Product Review

Note: I do not get this product free for reviewing. I bought it, tried it, and wanted to share my thoughts with you. 

I bought Shaklee's Cinch Energy Tea Mix a few weeks ago because I was looking for something that would give me that late afternoon kick (I'm a mommy of 1 kiddo who doesn't sleep during the day and another kiddo who doesn't sleep at night!) without caffeine. I have nothing against caffeine...I drink coffee every morning, but if I drink it too late in the day then I have trouble getting to sleep. And I rarely drink sodas because of all the chemicals and sugar (go on family, and roll your eyes!) that I just don't want to consume.

I was browsing through Shaklee's healthy weight products and saw the Cinch tea and decided to give it a whirl.

What's the Shaklee claim about this tea?

• It's a natural alternative to coffee, sodas, and sweet snacks
• Includes taurine, which is a widely studied amino acid that enhances alertness, energy, and endurance

Much to my surprise (I really was skeptical about it), it works! It really gives me some extra energy without feeling jittery or agitated, which I can get from caffeine. And as a bonus to me, it's all natural and doesn't have all the preservatives and/or chemicals that other drinks might have. Plus, I haven't experienced a 'crash' from it or felt overly hyper. Yay!

So what's in it? 

• A three-tea blend of Matcha green tea powder, white tea extract, and Rooibos red tea extract
• Stevia for sweetness

Who benefits from it?

• Anyone who wants a low-calorie alternative to sugary snacks, sodas, or coffee for quick energy
• Anyone looking for a way to manage their weight and inches
• Anyone who wants to boost energy naturally
• Anyone who wants the antioxidant protection and benefits associated with green tea

And now for the big question: How does it taste?
It's pretty good!  It's not very sweet but that's because there are no artificial sweeteners. I want a quick pick-me-up so I mix it with about 6oz of cold water and gulp it down. I start feeling the pick up within about 15 minutes.

So if you're looking for an all-natural energy boost, I highly suggest this tea mix. It's available in Unsweetened Tea or Pomegranate Tea.

It's a Shaklee Giveaway!

Good morning all!
My sweet friend Jenny over at Conscientious Confusion is hosting a giveaway of some of my fantastic Shaklee products! Head on over to her blog to find out all of the details and get entered into the drawing! Good luck!

Inspiration for this Blog

There are a lot of blogs that I follow that have inspired me (us) to start living more consciously. Here are just a few of my favorite reads:

• 100 Days of Real Food
• SouleMama
• Healthy Meals for Healthy Kids
• House of Grace
• Concientious Confusion

We know the writer of Conceientious Confusion personally, and I have to say I really think she's the one who has inspired this journey that I'm taking my family on for a more healthy lifestyle. We met Jenny and Christian several  years ago in Dallas at a church group. They are a great couple, well I should say family now since they have two little ones now! Anyway, we always got along great with them and enjoyed hanging out with them...we think they're the berries! Unfortunately, we live literally on either side of the metroplex from each other so it's been years since we've seen them. But thanks to social media, I've kinda gotten back in touch with Jenny!  I've been following Jenny's blog for several years and I really enjoy her honesty and humor at trying to be more conscious with their living and eating. So, thanks Jenny for your inspiration!

Now, don't get me wrong. We are not super green; we don't eat vegan or even vegetarian (I love my Twisted Root burgers!), we use disposable diapers (yes, we do!), we don't drive hybrids (a Tahoe is my dream SUV), we do immunize our kids (we believe it's wrong NOT to do it), and we do let our kids eat sugar on occasion (they'll be fine).

That said, Matt and I both are conscious of the environment and our health, we want to do our part to protect it, we don't like to waste, we want to teach our kids not to waste, we want to develop great eating habits in our kids, and we very rarely eat processed/packaged foods. I'm certain there are other 'points' I've neglected to list, but I think you get the idea. :)

This blog is in no way an effort to try to get you to do what we do, or even agree with what we do. I've experienced comments from family and friends about our choices ("I need my bleach!", "Aren't you fancy for eating wheat bread?", "I can't believe you immunize your kids.", "Don't you know disposable diapers never degrade?").  I can take them. To each his own, right? However, please don't make fun of us for our choices...be respectful of us...please!

OK, off my soap box. I hope you enjoy our little blog. If you're not interested, then visit our family blog that has tons of cute pictures of our adorable little boys! :)

xoxo,
Jessica

Probiotics for Acid Reflux Relief - Testimonial

This is a testimonial from my sweet husband, Matt. Poor guy, he's suffered from acid reflux forever. Ever since I met him, he's always been an avid Tums eater. It's awful. His digestive system can be so sensitive to his food choices. It wouldn't be such a big deal if he weren't such a foodie. The man loves food, especially GOOD food! But as many of us have experienced, sometimes that good food just doesn't sit well.

One day, I was chatting with my neighbor and we happened on the topic of acid reflux (the things us grown-ups talk about, right?!?) and she mentioned that she used to have it really bad, but she started taking probiotics and the reflux has almost completely diminished!

I was stoked upon hearing that. I mean, if Matt could control his reflux without OTC medications, then I knew we'd both want to try it! So I ordered him Shaklee's Optiflora Prebiotic and Probiotic System. He was more than willing to test it. Guess what? It has helped him tremendously! He no longer eats Tums like candy! Woot!

He's been reflux-free for about two months now!

From Matt:
"I was definitely willing to try something besides Tums for my reflux. I can't stand the taste of it and it really doesn't seem to help. After using the Shaklee probiotic system for just a week, I could already tell a difference in the way I felt, and I especially noticed I wasn't having the reflux as frequently."

Here is some info for you on the fantastic pre and probiotic system by Shaklee:

Optiflora is a unique, two-product system (Optiflora Prebiotic Complex and Optiflora Probiotic Complex) that provides dietary support for the normal, healthy balance of intestinal microflora. Together, this system promotes colon health by supporting the growth of healthy microflora naturally found in the colon.* It also delivers guaranteed live probiotics Bifidobacterium longum and Lactobacillus acidophilus, along with the prebiotics FOS and inulin and provides gammatocopherol, a nutrient associated with colon health.*

Hello and Welcome!

I've created a blog just for our family's quest for a more healthier, happier life! Here I hope you'll find some useful information about living 'greener' along with just our day to day experiences that we have.

Enjoy and please leave comments!