Uncategorized – Healthy and Hopeful

Thrive Market: My Autoship Items

Published on May 12, 2021May 8, 2021 by Christine3 Comments

I’ve been a Thrive Market customer for years… when you buy high-quality products & mostly organic, value is essential. It’s been awhile since I shared some of my favorite products to order from Thrive Market (see previous posts- Thrive Market: My Favorite Deals and Thrive Market: Favorite Toddler Snacks)… And as they have come out with more of their own branded items that are super budget-friendly, there is so much more to share.

Plus, now they have an Autoship feature that automatically applies an additional 10% discount (!!) on items, and you can edit dates at any time + set frequency for individual items. Just before my ship date, I add whatever else I need to the order or delay the things I don’t need to restock.

Today I’m sharing what you’ll find in my Thrive Market Autoship Cart. If you want to try it out, get 25% off your first order from Thrive Market using this link!

Pantry

I’m sensitive to garlic, but tolerate this!!

Einkorn flour is such a healthier choice when you do need to use flour

Recipe coming soon that uses this unique ingredient!

Spaghetti and lemon shrimp scampi are go-to meals around here

My favorite with Italian sausage or fresh basil pesto

the BEST salsa ever and
it is garlic-free!

Snacks

Thrive doesn’t carry the dark chocolate chips, but those are also a snack-staple in our house

Household

I use this to make homemade foaming hand soap

Lots of benefits for a raw food
diet for pups!

Vitamins

We are big fans of gummies over here! I’ve always struggled to take vitamins because they make me nauseous, but these are great. The Calm gummies have made a big difference in my daughter’s sleep too!

For post-workout, to have on hand during illness or just those days I need an energy boost. This electrolyte drink mix gives you the essential minerals without the extra sugar.

What’s your favorite Thrive Market find?

Natural Deodorant Review: Kopari & Alaffia

Published on September 4, 2019September 4, 2019 by ChristineLeave a comment

It’s been years since I found out how dangerous and toxic regular antiperspirant deodorant is, and since then I have been on a mission to find a safe, natural alternative that actually works. I’ve tried A LOT of different kinds and brands and most have worked for awhile but seem to lose their effectiveness over time. Maybe that’s the way natural deodorants go?

I’ve been using a new natural deodorant for the past 6 months, through the hot Texas summer, and I’m still loving it, so I hope it’s okay to finally share this recommendation.

Kopari Deo has none of the bad stuff- aluminum, silicon, parabens or phthalates. It does, unfortunately, contain fragrance, but I haven’t had a reaction to that like some do. It also doesn’t have baking soda, which makes it less of a skin irritant.

I do find that this deodorant lasts the full day. I wore it to Sea World this Summer and it passed that test! I love how smooth it is and easy to apply (more like a “normal” deo you would get at the store- I missed those). I love the very light scent. And I feel like this is a hydrating (coconut oil), non-irritating option that I can actually apply right after shaving.

Kopari has an auto-ship program that gives you a discount on the product + free shipping, so I get this delivered to my door for just $12 every 3 months. If you would like to try it for $10 off your first order, use this link. Plus – if you don’t love it, you can return it for free!

I also find that I generally need to switch up the deodorant I use, at least a couple times a week, in order for it to stay effective. I’ve been switching off with Alaffia Lavender & Activated Charcoal Coconut Reishi Deodorant. Alaffia is also free of parabens, phthalates, sulphates and aluminum, with the added bonus that it has no artificial fragrances!

There isn’t enough charcoal in this to irritate the skin (it is still a super smooth stick), but enough to provide a bit of an antiperspirant effect. It feels very hydrating and I love the light, natural scent in this one too. I also like that you can get this at the grocery store for only $6, so makes it cheap and convenient. The only reason I don’t use it every single day is that it doesn’t last for an entire day like Kopari, but it is a really good “relief” option.

If it helps, here’s a list of what I’ve tried previously that worked at least for a bit:

- Primal Pit Paste – my favorite in terms of the ingredient list, but didn’t last through an entire day.
- Tom’s, Silver Shield & Lafes Crystal – all just simply stopped working over time.
- PiperWai – the most effective natural antiperspirant I’ve found BUT I had a reaction to the charcoal during pregnancy and I’ve never been able to wear it again without major skin irritation (hormones??)
- YoungLiving AromaGuard – actually very effective but I don’t like the price + shipping and the scent is a little strong to me.
- Schmidt’s Rose Vanilla Natural Deodorant – I really wanted to love this one as it is easily available at the grocery store, cheap and smells great, but it just didn’t last a full day for me.

I’m always open to suggestions! Native is currently next on my list.

Let me know what you think!

Effective Non-Toxic Oral Care

Published on July 27, 2018July 26, 2018 by Christine1 Comment

Happy Shark Week!!

5 years ago during Shark Week, I shared about my experience using OraWellness to brush my teeth. I get asked constantly what natural products I use for oral care, so I thought I would write a follow up post. single-bottle-original

I originally chose OraWellness because it was free of fluoride, added sweeteners and other chemicals that most commercial toothpastes have. It is a completely natural product that’s simply a blend of essential oils. It took a few times to get used to brushing my teeth with oil instead of paste, but since it leaves you with the same clean feeling and minty freshness, it was an easy switch.

Since I was so sick during pregnancy, I went over a year without a dental cleaning. I was eager to visit the dentist after my daughter was born because I knew that pregnancy can cause more rapid tooth decay with hormones inhibiting the body’s ability to fight plaque. I ended up having one small cavity (I hadn’t had one in years) and asked my dentist if we could delay the filling to see if I could heal it. She laughed at me, but agreed it could wait.

Shine-cinn-with-scoop-scaled I decided to try a new product OraWellness had just released called Shine – a remineralizing powder that also helps whiten your teeth. I started using it each night right after brushing with the oil blend; you simply add a bit of powder to a wet toothbrush and brush again. It’s made of the same minerals our teeth are made of to help restore what’s lost through our diet.

1 year later, my teeth are whiter and my dentist was simply shocked to find my cavity had disappeared! Also, all signs of previous gum-disease are still completely gone.

Seeing my success using the OraWellness HealThy Mouth blend, I convinced my husband to try it (a hard sell!) and he’s now been using the product for 5 years with me. He just visited the dentist this week after not going for over 2 years and after almost always getting bad reports, they said his teeth and gums looked fantastic!

If you are experiencing any issues with your mouth / bad reports from the dentist, I highly recommend you check out the OraWellness website. They have some phenomenal resources and blog posts with practical tips on how to prevent and reverse a variety of oral health problems. I wish this post was sponsored, but it’s not. I just love and believe in this product! I share in hopes you’ll try it and experience the same healing.

Quick Survey!

Published on February 25, 2016 by ChristineLeave a comment

As I’m planning my upcoming blog posts, I wanted to reach out to all my lovely readers, to see what you want to read about most. Can you take 20 seconds and complete this survey for me?