Pizza Salad

Enjoyed my dinner al fresco, tonight! 

So two quick facts: 1. Most everyone loves pizza. Right? And 2. Most everyone hates salad? I know I'm right on that one. 

But here's the thing. Any nutritionist or trainer will tell you how important it is to have a big green salad every day. Not to lose weight (although it is a plus to it!) but because the leafy greens have so many good nutrients in there, it's a no brainer. 

So now, the trick is to come up with more tasty combinations than your average, boring house salads. Since going strictly paleo, my mom and I have stumbled upon enough different ways to make a salad, it's not only different every day, but now we crave them and can't wait. 

Tonight's salad was no exception. And it's so super simple, too! Start with whatever greens you want (spinach, kale, etc), now add pepperoni, olives (I love both kinds!!), mushrooms, green peppers, onions, and lastly, grate some fresh Parmesan or asiago cheese. Easy! And you don't even need dressing. But as with most of my salads, I added a sprinkle of salt and drizzled a little avocado oil. 

Enjoy! 

Oil Pulling with Coconut Oil

I find it a little ironic that an old Indian practice dating back over a thousand years ago is making its way back around and becoming trendy again; and yet still there are many people who have never heard of it: oil pulling. 

If you stand with a group of friends and bring it up, maybe only one or two of them have heard about it or tried it. The benefits though, are rewarding enough to make you wonder why you haven't been doing it all along.

So what is oil pulling, exactly? The most common oil is coconut, but sesame and sunflower oil also work well. 

Step 1: On an empty stomach, take 2-3 teaspoons (I just grab a spoon from the drawer and eyeball it) of your oil (most grocery stores are carrying organic now, but if you can't find any, I love Tropical Traditions brand and you can order it online!) and start swishing it in your mouth. 

Step 2: Do not gargle and do not swallow any. When you have finished, there will be bacteria and toxins pulled into the oil and you will not want to swallow any of it! This should take you 15-20 minutes. If this is too hard for you, try doing it for a few minutes and work your way up. 

Step 3: Once you are finished, spit it all into the trash can. Rinse your mouth out and brush your teeth and gums really well. 

My favorite time to oil pull is when I'm showering, while no one is talking to me! 

To get even more out of your oil pulling, you can add essential oils. Here are some I've found to be great additions:

Peppermint: Known for its cool, minty flavor, this is great to combat bad breath. If you're doing it in the morning, it will also give you a little boost of energy to start your day.

Purification Essential Oil: This is a blend of citronella, lemongrass, rosemary, melaleuca, lavadin, and myrtle. This has many cleaning benefits. 

Melaleuca: Better known as the popular Tea Tree Oil. This oil is undoubtedly great for your teeth and mouth, as well as leaves your mouth feeling extra clean and fresh. 

Frankincense: Surprised? I guess the wisemen wanted baby Jesus to have great oral hygeine! haha! (ok, you don't have to laugh at that....sorry....) But seriously, this is great for keeping germs at bay and helps with any mouth discomfort (think dental work!). 

Thieves: This is a powerhouse oil made up of close, lemon, cinnamon bark, rosemary, and eucalyptus radiata. Theives has numerous attributes, among them relieving bad breath and ridding the mouth of germs. 

Lemon: Just like when you drink water with lemon, this is a great cleansing and detoxifying agent. 

Besides being able to cut out the dyes, flouride, SLS, triclosan, and artificial flavors of the common mouth wash, oil pulling has tremendous benefits.

• Helps with skin issues
• Migraines and headaches
• Sinus infections
• Hormone problems
• Arthritis pain
• Allergies
• Increased oral health
• Reduced plaque on teeth
• Reduced bad breath
• Decreased joint pain and suffering
• Chronic pain
• Increased mental awareness
• Acne
• Elevate Mood
• Energy
• Hangover cure (so I hear! Anyone want to test it?!)
• Reduced bacteria in mouth
• Reduced Sensitivity
• May help with gastro-enteritis
• Improved vision
• Reduce insomnia
• Reduced liver and kidney stress
• Reduced chemical load
• Reduced gum disease
• Whitens teeth
• Increased overall phyiscal health
• Immune health

After all this, how could you not want to try this? It's totally relaxing and the time seems to fly by. For those who are skeptical, just give it a shot. Comment below if you try it and let me know what changes you find for yourself! I highly recommend it! 

Positive Advertising Verses Competitive Bashing

Here's my thought for the day; and I see this all the time, which is what inspired me to write about it. I think there's such a significant difference in marketing your business, verses bashing your competition. If your product or service is worth investing in, you shouldn't have to highlight the flaws of your competitors. This goes the same for politicians. I don't care how good your policies are, or your records...I will have so much more respect for you and a willingness to vote for you if you are concentrating more on showing the public what good qualities you can bring to the people, instead of bringing out the opposing team's dirty laundry. 

I am a consultant for Arbonne, and I love the company and the products. I stand behind everything Arbonne believes in because I have seen the high standards Arbonne stands by. Their integrity seems to be unmatched. We have no animal products or by-products, and it is 100% vegan certified. I could go on for hours on why I believe Arbonne is scientifically second to none. That difference is what made me start using the products in the first place- long before I made the decision to join the company. We have no rendered products, and I have personally seen life changing results in myself, my family, and my clients. I am tremendously proud of this company, and love sharing the products and what I have learned with others. 

Because of the biased opinion I've developed for Arbonne, it is safe to say you will not catch me buying other popular brands for very specific scientifically researched reasons. I do not, however, feel the need to point out those brands on my facebook posts, or mention the companies in my presentations. Arbonne International stresses greatly to we consultants a high code of ethics, another reason I love Arbonne. They do not want us pointing out flaws of other companies. We have products that speak for themselves, and there's just really no need. 

I tell you this, not to promote my Arbonne business, (but hey, if you want to check it out, who am I to stop you?)  but to show you that when you are truly passionate about whatever product you are selling, or service you provide, that is enough. Your passion shows. I am truly in love with Arbonne, and I believe that when I talk about Arbonne, the positive light will have more of an influence on my sales than if I went around bashing other companies. Sure, it can be tempting, but it is not as effective. Doing what is right always wins in the end.

Cheesy Kale Chips

One of my all time favorite snack recipes! Anytime we have a movie night..or I'm just in a snacking mood, I turn to this simple snack! It's healthy, and has that salty satisfying taste like potato chips give you. You can play with different variations (roasted red pepper flakes, garlic...) but here's my favorite- garlic and parmesan cheese!

• Set the oven to 350 degrees.
• Spread the kale out on a sheet pan (I like to put aluminum foil down so there is less mess!) and use BIG pieces! 
• Spray/drizzle with olive oil evenly over kale
• Use a little bit of salt/pepper
• Cover with fresh parmesan (you can use the other kind too but it doesn't bake quite as well!)
• Sprinkle with a bit of garlic salt
• It depends on your oven, but I usually bake mine about 12 minutes, check often! I also rotate mine half way through.

YUM!

Arbonne

I do my research. My skin has been horrible my entire teenage/adult life. Until now. I tried everything under the sun and nothing ever helped. I didn't think Arbonne would either, but it did. When I learned what made Arbonne so different, I made the decision right then I was switching everything over. So did my mom, my aunt, my other aunt..even my 19 year old brother who is "too manly" to use products uses Arbonne now.

This is why we love it!

ARBONNE PRODUCTS

Arbonne's premium skin care products are formulated in Switzerland at the Arbonne Institute of Research and Development (AIRD) and made in the U.S.A.

Our proprietary formulas are:
*Botanically-based
*PH correct- not just PH balanced
*Hypoallergenic
*Dermatologist tested
*Never tested on animals
*Formulated without animal products or by-products
*Formulated without mineral oil
*Formulated without dyes or chemical fragrances

Arbonnes product line is represented by Independent Consultants who used to be employed in the following fields: Dermatologists, Aestheticians, Plastic Surgeons, Massage Therapists, Chiropractors, and Professional Makeup Artists.

Scientifically Advanced Nutritional Products:

Based on the same principles that propelled the success of our skin care products, Arbonne expanded into total body care with the introduction of Arbonne Essentials. Developed for every stage of life, these nutrition, weight management, fitness products are convenient, safe, backed by the latest scientific research and contain:

*The finest pharmaceutical grade ingredients
*Standarized botanicals and herbs-(Meaning you get the same quality and strength every time)
*Proprietary herbal blends that work synergistically with active components for optimal results.

Arbonne offers a complete line of Skin Care, Aromassentials, Men's Care, Baby Care, Glamour products.
IF YOU ARE GOING TO USE PRODUCTS ON YOUR BODY, WHY WOULD YOU NOT USE THE PRODUCTS THAT ARE PROVEN TO BE PURE, SAFE, AND BENEFICIAL TO YOU!!!

Now to the gross part...which is always my favorite part to tell people!

I love Arbonne because it works so well, obviously. But what if other products work....why would I still use Arbonne?

In Europe, they have banned over 1500 chemicals and ingredients, and considered so bad, you could go to jail or receive a huge fine....America has only banned TEN of these. Thankfully, Arbonne goes by European standards!

And if that isn't enough...who has heard of a rendering plant?

I hadn't ever heard of this either. But its where they send leftover parts from slaughterhouses, roadkill, and restaurant grease....they boil it down, and the fat that rises is called the "good juice." That's what is shipped to all of your cosmetic companies as fillers. It is in your lotions, shampoos, makeup, you name it. They have a whole episode on Dirty Jobs on rendering plants. 100 years ago, this was how the cosmetic industry got started- it was too expensive for companies to not use fillers. They don't even have to tell you there is animal in your product either unless it is an active ingredient. The word you're looking for is "propyl-paraben." Most people don't even know what it is, so when I first heard this, I found it plainly listed on almost all my products- Victoria's Secret, Bath & Body Works, and Jergens were a few that I checked. 

And you know how they say to throw your makeup out after 6 months? That's how long it takes the animal in your bottle to go rancid. You know when your bottle of liquid foundation gets that line in it, and you have to shake it up? That's the animal fat separating. Unless your product says "100% Vegan," there is animal in there. 

Grossed out yet? Gotta love FDA standards.