Healthy Living
Over the last 2 years we have done a complete overhaul with our lifestyle. From what we put on our bodies to the food we put in it. If you're here I'm sure you've read a little of our WHY, so pick a Title that interests you and dive in with us!
Natural Home & Body
Our Story
Hey Y'all Katelynn here, wife going on 11 years, mama of 4 with 1 on the way, & a business owner for 9 years! I'm so glad you found this website!
Over the last 2 years we have done a complete overhaul on the way we view our health. We really started taking what we put in our bodies seriously when we realized all of the things we were facing with one of our precious babies had everything to do with junk that was put in her body from birth. When my husband found a possible solution, at first I was SO excited, but very quickly got overwhelmed with the "no's"... There were so many things she couldn't have, that I didn't have a clue where to start with what she COULD have! So that's exactly where we NEEDED to start. Focus on what you CAN have and go from there! This also needs to be a HOUSEHOLD shift or it will never fully work.
I made a list of "YES" foods and kept it on my fridge, in my wallet and as a picture on my phone so we always had it with us. Now I don't even need to reference it, but in the beginning I did all the time! When we started we were on a strict GF/DF/SF diet, but once we figured out her triggers we changed it to make it work for us. We are completely GF but still limit our dairy, dye & sugar intact.
*GF= Gluten Free*
*DF=Dairy Free*
*SF=Sugar Free*
Scroll for GF Tips
GF Tips!
Let other's KNOW & WHY
Plan Ahead
Keep it simple!!!
I am a "simpler the better" kinda lady so this is what I've found works best for us, to keep all meals simple! For the most part we stick to a meat, veggie/fruit, and rice. I also have my kids tell me what sounds good for meals so I’m not wasting time, money, and energy on meals they won’t want the leftovers of.
You also have to watch out for pre-mixed seasonings ALOT of them have wheat in them which in turn IS not GLUTEN FREE! That's the main thing to look out for on ingredient labels WHEAT, if it's on there I put it back on the shelf.
I assure you this will need to be where you start... Getting people to stop offering you or your kids problem foods will be a BIG deal and can completely wreck what you're trying to do. This was a huge problem for us in the beginning. We had to do a major detox after every weekend because people wouldn't stop SNEAKING her things her body couldn’t process and it would cause her body to go into shock. It took a while, but people have since realized the severity of not following her strict diet needs. Learn to be okay with putting your foot down and saying NO when everyone else is saying yes. It's hard but your body can thrive if you do!
This is a HUGE one! Plan ahead for outings, family/friend get togethers, and birthday parties! I keep “YES” snacks in my purse, for just in case moments. Don't be afraid to ask what someone is cooking or having for a meal if you are joining them so you can bring something if necessary! If I have time before a birthday party I'll make GF muffins and bring one specifically for my baby, so she doesn't feel left out! If I don’t have time to bake I just grab a few healthy sweet options for her. That's one of the hardest parts, is making them feel "normal" instead of different since they can't have what everyone else is having.
Herbal Remedies & Nutritional Support Go To's
As a mama of 4 I used to struggle with feeling unprepared when my babies got sick, got a cut, bumped their heads etc. Until I realized that most of the things I freaked out about were actually their bodies kicking in to do what they were suppose to do to support their health. For example, a "higher" fever isn't the enemy it's actually good! It's their body's way of fighting whatever toxin/virus got in and trying to right the immune system again. Suppressing it with medicines (which generally contain junk) only weakens their natural response. It still breaks my heart when they get sick because I can't make it better. All I can do is pray and soothe. But now that I've gone through several trainings I feel pretty well equipped to help my babies without feeling helpless or needing the ER every time sickness comes around. No one wants to have to make that trip in the middle of the night if it's not absolutely necessary!
Here are a few things we keep on hand at all times:
Apple Cider Vinegar (natural way to pull toxins out of the body - add to a room temperature bath when your kids/you have a fever).
Homeopathy Kit: Comes with a booklet to match the symptoms with the remedy needed (this one specifically also comes with free online training)!
Earthley Remedies and Immune Support: We have a whole cabinet full from Vitamin C Powder - Teeth Tamer Tincture - Elderberry Elixir (You can also download FREE Books/Training HERE!)
This course is AMAZING in helping you feel equipped for your family. It teaches what’s normal, what to do at home, and when you need to consider medical assistance.
Health & Weight Loss Journey
Since I've had multiple babies (4 to be exact) and my body has gone through alot of stretching and tearing I've had issues with my stomach for the last 2 pregnancies... Instead of getting surgery I decided to flush my body and reduce the bloat so it could heal naturally on its own. Alot of people kept telling me "oh you lost the baby weight so fast, you must have good genes". No sweetheart I don't just have "good genes", I made pointed decisions and a lifestyle change. I wasn't losing the weight and I've never lost baby weight without alot of working out. This time I needed something different I didn't have the energy to workout and we had already changed our family diet. So this is where the 8-day jumpstart came into play. It wasn't until day 6 when I saw a noticeable difference in my stomach bloat. After the 8 days was up I was blown away, not because I lost a ton of weight but because of the inches I lost in the areas I was having problems with. In order for this to work you will need to have a real WHY and be willing to make the diet changes necessary and keep them as a lifestyle change in order for results to stick. This specific "plan" with Xyngular gives you your 8 day needs, action plan, menu, encouragement, support, and tracking! I am active as a mama but as of right now I do not "workout" this is strictly from diet change!
Tips for ANY weight loss program or supplements:
- Stick to the plan for the length of the Program (before you decide that it works for you or not)
- Make the "diet" a lifestyle (reference OUR STORY to understand our family diet)
- Stay positive and surround yourself with "yay" sayers not "nay" sayers. Have support, if you can get someone to go through it with you DO IT!
The only product me and my husband still use on a DAILY basis from Xyngular is Xyng (it replaced our coffee and I no longer have headaches daily like I did!)
Natural/Clean
Home and Body Products
We made all the possible swaps we could for this area!
Our skincare, haircare, body care in general, cleaning supplies, room fresheners, laundry supplies, preventative care, etc.
Where we currently shop for these needs:
Amazon
If you are in the era of childbirth/mom life. We have a website just for you! These are our tips on a natural approach to pregnancy/birth/postpartum
Here are most of our swaps, minus our vitamins & supplement cabinet!
Places We Shop
+ Meal Ideas
Main Places we shop:
A Few GF Meal Ideas:
Side Note: When It comes to going GF, before you go shopping STOP and look at your CURRENT favorite meals/recipes. See what you can easily swap out to make them gluten free. You do NOT need to go find all new recipes. Any recipe that used flour you can swap for 1:1 GF flour! Anything with pastas find the GF noodles. It will be very rare that you can't make a few tweaks to make a meal GF. Also if you aren't a recipe follower (like me). Use the list below for ideas and WING IT, the way you like it!
- Aldi - Lots of GF/Dairy Free/Organic options at a good price.
- Azure Standard: All the Organic/Natural/"Free of" options to buy in bulk. (I buy our bulk staples here)
- Walmart - Good GF/DF selection now with decent prices (I buy our almond milk and GF pastas here)
- Amazon - If you're not ready to buy in real bulk with Azure you can start small here with GF Bob Mills Oats 4 pack.
- Costco/Sams - They have Almond Milk, Sourdough Bread (non-gmo, great for the gut), & GF Snacks in bulk!
- Local Farm OK - We get fresh produce and some fresh dairy delivered weekly!
Breakfast:
- Oatmeal (GF)
- Chex Cereal & Cheerios(GF)
- Muffins/Pancakes/Waffles (GF)
Dinner:
- Steak
- Italian Chicken & Rice (Crockpot)
- Sausage Penne (one pot meal, GF pasta)
- Breakfast for Dinner (Bacon, Eggs, and Sliced apples W/peanut butter)
- Bun less Burgers
- Spaghetti (GF Noodles)
- Pizza (use GF tortillas for crust)
- Sausage Potato Bake
Lunch: With fruit side
- Leftovers
- Cracker Sandwich's (GF Crackers)
- PBJ (GF Bread)
Sides/Snacks:
- Roasted sweet potatoes
- Roasted potatoes
- Grilled Zucchini/Squash
- Roasted green beans
- GF bread mixes (if you can't give up bread yet lol)
- Mixed Nuts
- GF Pretzels w/ peanut butter
- Popcorn
- Fruit