October Unprocessed {Day Five}

Five.
The number of fingers on one hand.
The number of days in a work week.
The number of days I've been eating {unprocessed} foods.

How am I liking it? I love it. I don't get tired, I get exhausted- mentally drained- but not physically tired. No yawning, hunger pains... or acne. Yes my face is already more clear. Maybe its due to my lack of constant snacking on jelly beans, or chocolate bars at work. Or how about that {David Rio Tiger Spiced Chai Tea} that I love so much. Yes I'm a chai snob. Yes I miss my teas, but I don't miss my random pimples or spending excess money on little things like that.

I am learning to have a greater appreciation for food. I feel like I keep repeating that but it's so true. I take pride in what I take to lunch with me everyday and being able to say "no" to candy bars & tea- both of which I have been offered today. I love the criticism cause deep down I know I'm doing the right thing.

Last night for dinner we had Thai Peanut Pasta off the 100 days of Real Food website. I don't normally cook things that aren't traditional, but this recipe sounded yummy and I had some extra basil/cucumbers I needed to use up :) I told my hubby what we were having for dinner while getting groceries at the store & he responded questionably "what is.. what?! What are we having?!" && If that wasn't enough to crack me up, he examined it a little bit before taking a bite. I promise this isn't foreign food, we just don't normally eat this... healthy.

I loved the pasta. Ate all of my dinner and then some. Baby Bella wasn't too fond of dinner but she hardly ever is & Ryan... he at it like a good husband would & didn't take seconds ;) The soy sauce, peanut butter, basil, sesame oil and few other ingredients were a little much for him. He still liked it but I don't think it was his favorite. Unfortunately our family is used to mexican food with tons of cheese and meat or the occasional frozen pizza for dinner. We do eat Elk burger when it's available & process it ourselves. I {LOVE} elk. -- but that's about as "foreign' as we get with food. It's all new to me too, not just my family- but I liked dinner last night because I've been eating {real} foods for the past almost week now & my palate is slowly starting to change.

Here's what I had for Breakfast/Lunch today: && yes I {am} proud of it :)

• Scrambled eggs & spinach topped with cheese & a side of organic ketchup
• A Plum
• A powerball
• Zucchini Bread Muffin
• Orange Juice in the container
• && last but not least my homemade pita bread with spinach, kale/walnut pesto & cheese.

Believe it or not I don't go hungry at all during the day. Each section is the perfect portion size & although I may not eat enough veggies, I throw spinach into everything I can think of to get a little green in me.

Have you or your family done anything different to your diet?!

<3

October Unprocessed: Day {Three}

It's day three.

My body is still going strong & I'm still alive- can you believe it?! I've become fond of Powerballs & peanut butter. I'm talking {real} peanut butter. Not your average Skippys or Jiff. Peanut butter that is so creamy you have to stir it before you use it & an ingredient list {one} word long. Peanuts.

This is real food. Not sugar, not GMO's. Peanuts.

I eat it on just about everything, Homemade Whole Wheat Pita bread, Rice cakes, Apple sandwhiches {which are also a new favorite} and with a spoon. My palate is starting to adjust to eating real food but I still have a twitch to pick up my hubby's rockstar. Or lick the waffe batter that I made for Baby Bella.

For me the hardest thing to do is refrain from random snacking- on anything and everything- even if it's not mine :) Luckily my hubby & baby girl love to share, so it's been a non-issue...but now I can't share. I'm eating different foods than they are. Unprocessed Foods.

After catching myself a few times it's amazing to me {how much} I actually just sipped on soda or took just a bite of some frozen food. All because I wanted a taste. I was grazing, not eating. It's so enlightening to analyze my eatings habits and realize that what I was doing wasn't healthy. Now I enjoy my meals, take time to taste my food & appreciate real food for what it is, not how much sugar content it has :)

I bring my lunch {in my favorite lunchbox ever} to work everyday.
Here's my lunch today from left to right:

• Frozen whole wheat zucchini muffin- Premade & I keep them frozen so they last longer. They de-frost by lunch time.
• Apple Sandwhich- two slices of apple with peanut butter & raisins in the middle.
• Whole Organic Milk
• Organic Yogurt with added pro-biotics
• Homemade Granola - SO GOOD!
• A locally grown Plum
• A Powerball- I keep these frozen till I eat them too :) Almost like dessert.

What did you pack in your lunch today?!

<3

Bathtime.

Some say it's relaxing,
       for others a pain...

but for a little girl
    {who's nearly 2.5}
 it's all about the bubbles,
splashing,
     toys that float & squirt,
  warm water,
&& of course
        washing the dirt.

Your encouraged to draw on walls
    & put soap to your chin
Laugh, play
& sport a big grin.

...but when Mom comes into
this wet, little bathroom
            where you've now had your fun,
 with her {as big as your face}camera
and socks on her toes...

  She is greeted with flying foam
from your little hands
                && a floor so wet
  that her socks are banned.

She can't get mad,
         no that would be wrong,
because we all know inside,
    {living a little} is most important, lifelong.

Sweating the small stuff
               is for the faint of heart,
&& teaching your child to
        {enjoy the little things}
while there're young
      is a very great start.

<3

Today's the Day!

As many of you know from my last blog post I'm participating in a "No Processed Foods October" Aka {Unprocessed October} Challenge. I'm a little nervous - I mean no candy, baked goods, unless their made with real food ingredients, and no more Bud Light Lime-A-Ritas or Whipped vodka {which aquired my heart over this past summer}... Now I'm making myself sound like an alcoholic. Sheesh. I promise I'm not, but on a Saturday night when we're out at a family bonfire, like most- I enjoy a drink or two :)

I am also taking on this challenge individually instead of throwing my family in the ringer before I even test this thing out. That means my hubby can still enjoy gummy bears {his FAVORITE} and frozen taquitos while I have to resist the urge to take "just a bite" && if you ask him, I am VERY good at just that.

So far it's only 11:00 A.M. and I haven't even had a chance to eat anything today. I pack my breakfast and lunch in my Goodbyn Lunchbox I bought from Freckles & Fairytales. I wash it out every night when I do dishes && I'm obsessed with this thing. Its a bright lime green, like those garage sale stickers && is decked out with the childish stickons that come with it. Yes, I'm still a child at heart and in the midst of raising my own, I often find myself giddy about little things like that.

Many of you know I follow a blog called 100 Days of Real Food, so their posts always pop up in my facebook news feed everyday. Today she posted about reusable lunch bags and how the coupon expires today. If your anything like me- ex coupon extroidinare- you're thinking WHAT COUPON!? Of course I had to check this out {especially since we're getting low on zip-locks}. I found the blog post "Eco-Friendly Lunchbox Accessories" exciting and informative. Using only a few of the reusable lunchbags everyday makes me grit my teeth a lot less when I'm constantly tossing out Zip-locks only to realize we have {run out}. There goes another trip to the store {when gas costs almost $4 a gallon & zip locks are another $4, not to mention the inconvienince of making another trip to another town}= Not cost effective for this coupon loving momma.

I'll have to do a blog post on my couponing past one of these days too. I say past only because I haven't had to purchase anything in over a year, so the coupon bug comes in spurts.

Anyways! I checked out the SnackTAXI bags and purchased {two} of them. One for Ryans Sandwhich everyday and the other for his Gummy Bears- Or maybe oneday something healthy like apple slices. I cannot wait to get them in the mail! Ryan probably thinks I'm going bat s--- crazy but honestly, how stressful is it to waste ziplocks for the same dang food everyday?! I'll keep my money in the long run now and he'll have stylish food bags that are machine washable.

I'm giddy mom excited && he's thankful he has something to put his food in.
Did I mention I love my husband?!

Between all the uncertainty and nervousness I'm very excited about eating healthy & knowing exactly what goes into my body. As long as I can keep my cravings under control {& hopefully elimate them completely} I believe I can do this. After this month is over with I hope to maintain this diet and introduce it slowly to my little family- but for now you get to see me struggle and succeed in eating unprocessed foods.

<3

October Unprocessed: A Challenge

Lately I've been following the blog: 100 Days of Real Food. It's a family of {four} who have cut out all processed foods from their diet. Go ahead- react the same way as I did- "WHAT!? There's NO way!" That's what sparked me to {investigate} what they even eat if they don't eat processed foods and opened my eyes to the possibilities of eating clean, and liking it!

She posts recipes, tips, information about controversial products and her take on them. I've tried out a few recipes and have loved them so far! Stocking up "organic" in your home takes time, I wouldn't suggest going on a shopping frenzy to get all the ingredients- wait till you run out of something and instead of buying a generic brand... buy organic. That way it doesn't crunch your budget!

Organic food is more expensive than {processed} foods, but would you rather spend more in health bills and inconvinience yourself with doctor visits OR eat healthy and walk without getting winded at the age of 75?! I'll take the second option please. Re-routing life to no heart disease and obesity!

After I started reading all of her blog posts and reading the nutrition labels at our house, it made me sick how much sugar is actually in the American diet. Corn Syrup in just about everything from Ketchup & Mayo to our BREAD! Uhmm okay. GROSS!

I'm no expert on diet and nutrition however, so be sure to do the research for yourself & see what will work for your life. I was skeptical that {Baby Bella} would eat dark green veggies & my whole wheat muffins but unexpectidly she devoured them. Of course I don't give her raw spinach, it goes in an egg white omlet with Mushrooms, Red Peppers, and cheese. But she eats it! All of it!!

A little over a week ago I saw a post that 100 Days of Real Food had shared from another site, this time it was {Eating Rules}. They are hosting a Challenge: Not consuming processed foods for the whole month of October. A whole MONTH!? Hmm...

So of course I researched into his website: www.eatingrules.com and found even more information on healthy eating and cutting out processed foods! I decided to go ahead and {sign up} for the October Unprocessed challenge- and believe it or not I'm actually REALLY excited about it!! {I put a Woohoo! next to my name when I signed up... don't ask}

What actually inspired me to do this?! My family. I'm a mother of {one} hopefully more some day- and a {wife} to my amazing husband. I want to be on this earth for as long as I possibly can and riding snowcats till I'm 80. Eating what I eat now, I know I won't make it that long without problems. I feel good about myself when I know WHAT exactly I'm putting into my body. I have more energy and have developed a love for simplicity- No more than {five} ingredients on the label. My palate has changed in my little recipe test runs and I have found I no longer want soda && I don't even like it anymore. I don't want what everyone else eats because it's starting to cause medical problems.

Later on & with permission of course, I'll do a blog post about my sister Brielle. She was diagnosed with Chron's Disease at the age of 11- out of the blue with no family history attached- and had to take over {twelve} pills a day. My loving mother decided to overcome the medications and changed her diet to organic, no wheat, no dairy- aka S.C.D. The Specific Carb Diet. There's books written about it but it was a challenge. Today she is medication free and pain free {unless she fudges and eats something she's not supposed to}.

I have {two} days till the healthy eating 'officially' starts. Who's gonna join me!?

October Unprocessed Sign up! ;)

<3

I'm Baaaack!

After much personal debate about whether or not I should step back into the blogging world, here I am.

It's been over a year since my last blog post- terrible I know- but I realized how much I missed interacting with you all and sharing my little life with you. Much has changed in the past year, I'm now a married woman, Baby Bella is {2.5 years old}&& I adopted two pets. I am now part of a bigger family, with {four} new brothers and sisters, {five} amazing nieces, and {two}supportive parents.

My idea's & creativity have flourished more than ever in the past year and my small hobbie of {Bella 406} has evolved into a full fleged small business! WOOHOO! I've pinned over six-thousand pins on pinterest, taken countless new photos & have the knowledge to wire, insulate, sheetrock, tape, texture, prime, paint and lay wood flooring in a house. {Whoa} I've been a busy lady while I've been away. Life has turned my sails to a fresh new wind & I'm starting to pick up speed.

As many of you would like to hear from me on a daily basis, I've decided not to set my goal that high. You can, however, expect a couple blog posts a week from me including new pictures, products, and adventures. I hope you look forward to hearing from me more often than not & stay entertained by my crazy life experiences.

<3

Olive Oil Hair Treatment {A Tutorial}

We've all heard
{at some point}
of the benefits that
        Olive oil
has to offer.

Olive oil contains
       at least four antioxidents
which can neutralize
damaging free radicals,
{leading to skin aging
       & cancer}

It can be used as a
         lubricant for shaving,
lip balm, cuticle treatment,
          kitty groomer
& diet enhancement,
&& lastly,
     hair treatment.

With winter coming on
my hair gets terribly dried out.
& highlighting it doesn't help either
            :)

I decided that conditioners
leave my hair greasy,
& only last temporaritly.
I wanted a deeper treatment.

I....
1) coated my hair in
         Olive oil,
2) used a comb to brush it evenly,
3) twirled it into a ballerina bun,
4) completed chores around the house
& 5) 120 minutes later
            washed it all out.

I didn't get pictures of this process
since my hands got all oily,
but it's pretty self explainatory.

The end result?
My hair is super soft,
& the ends aren't so dried out.
         {It's even shinier}

Knowing I
        always have
olive oil in my cupboard
it's safe {for my hair} to say:
        Bring on Winter!
           
Although
I'd still love some
       sunshine