Around the House Cleaner Series: Vacuuming

Many people have switched to non-carpet flooring because they don't want stained carpet or they like the way wood looks. However, we still have carpet and it's definitely the least expensive flooring option by far. Getting your carpet cleaned professionally can be costly and not very effective in the long run. If you don't have a good vacuum, you won't be able to get allergens out of it either. Therefore, I recommend a Dyson vacuum and treating your carpet yourself.

My First Experience with Maca

Recently the co-author of this blog, Candace, wrote about maca and how she uses it. It sounded like such an excellent product that I wanted to try some myself!! Last week we were on vacation in Penn Valley, CA visiting some good friends, shopping at an excellent co-op where I ran across the bag shown below for $15. I don't even know if that's a great price, but I got it anyway because I really wanted to try it. Plus there's about 91 servings in a bag, so it will last awhile, thus I figured the $15 would be worth it to try.

Feel Good Friday: AmazonSmile

Hello everyone, and Happy Friday! I know I usually talk about health and beauty things you can do for yourself that make you feel good, but today I want to share with you something you can do for others that can make a huge difference. The bonus? You’ll still feel extra good about doing it! Today’s Feel Good Friday features AmazonSmile, an awesome program that lets you give back to a charity of your choosing virtually every time you make a purchase on Amazon.

Laundry Room Series: Cut the dryer sheets and your dry time!!

Over a year ago I purchased and began using three different types of wool dryer balls.  What are wool dryer balls?  They're large balls of wool used with every load you throw in the dryer.  They replace dryer sheets and help reduce dry time!!  The latter is my favorite part, and they do work.  I can dry two sets of queen size sheets in one cycle if I disperse the balls throughout the sheets when I put them in the dryer.  It's recommended that you use about a dozen wool dryer balls at a time.  Also, if you're allergic to wool, you can still use these because the wool isn't being directly applied to your skin.  First are the Woolzies Dryer Balls.

These are the largest and best priced of the three types I got.  They're handmade from New Zealand wool, helping providing a sustainable living.  They seem to lose their density over time, which also makes them less effective over time.

Laundry Room Series: Natural Detergent Options

photo credit

Soon after discovering the high toxicity levels in the products around my home, laundry detergent was high on my list to replace fast. The clothes that are against my skin all day, all the time have soaked up the toxins in the soap they're washed in and are transferred to my body. And what's absorbed through my skin goes into my blood stream, thereby affecting my entire body. When broken down as such, it sounds a little scary, right? It did to me anyway, so I looked for a solution. Many natural bloggers offer DIY solutions involving things like boiling huge amounts of liquids, grating soap bars, and other labor and time intensive activities. That was an immediate turn off! I have found simple, natural laundry detergent solutions!!

Peanut Butter Cups: Justin's vs. Unreal

I LOVE chocolate and peanut butter together. It's definitely my food weakness and constant craving. However, trying to eat more healthy makes it hard to justify eating a Reese's. Enter my new finds: less junky chocolate peanut butter cups! 

Packing Appeal

Justin's: Classic packaging for this brand. I love the use of different fonts. Advertising 80 calories per cup in the top corner is eye-catching. Slightly boring packaging though.

Unreal: The brand title is rather ironic because the ingredients are more real than that of other candies but the flavor is "unreal." I love their slogan: "Candy Unjunked." It's simple and say's it all; that hooked me. The black with bright, big yellow letters is very eye-catching. These were on the top shelf at Target, and I only saw them because of the letters.

Label/Ingredients Comparison

Justin's Fewer ingredients than Unreal and more recognizable. 80 calories per cup with 50 from fat. All organic ingredients, including dark chocolate.

Unreal: More sweeteners, but also only 80 calories per  up with only 45 from fat. Make with milk chocolate instead of dark and some organic ingredients.

Taste Test

Justin's: Stronger chocolate flavor than the peanut butter. Dark chocolate to-die-for! Mix the quality of the chocolate and the organic peanut butter, and it's heaven in your mouth! I definitely like these more, but would still eat the other if offered to me. If you don't like dark chocolate, then stick with the Unreal cups instead.

Unreal: Strong peanut butter flavor. Smooth chocolate, but I would like to taste the chocolate more. Definitely tastes better than Reese's because those taste like they've been in packaging for years. These taste pretty fresh.

Price Comparison

Justin's: $10 for a box of 28 at Costco or 28 cents each

Unreal: $4 for a bag of 12 at Target or 30 cents each

These are roughly the same price, but I would get Justin's hands-down since they're actually cheaper and my preference.