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  • Best Natural Deodorant

    I finally made the move to natural deodorant! People said it was going to be painful for a few weeks and I didn’t believe them. Turns out they were right! Not only was it painful for my pits, but it was hard to stick with it, especially when there were definitely a few moments that didn’t smell great. But now that I am on the other side of “detoxing,” I am never going back!

     

    I tried six different natural deodorant until I found one that I loved. The winner: Kopari Original Coconut Oil deodorant. Not only does it glide on smooth, but there is no residue and I smell great. I was using Secret Clinical strength before Kopari, so trust me when I say this was a major change for me. 

    I’m going to give you a quick review of the others too, so you can make some decisions for yourself if you don’t trust my top choice 😉

      • Kopari: simply the best!
      • Primally Pure: great scent and not as coarse as some of the others, but it didn’t last very long.
      • Schmidt’s Natural Deodorant: every time I put this on it hurt and it felt like I was rubbing sandpaper on my armpits… no fun!
      • Primal Pit Paste: the first one I liked (before I tried Kopari), but did not like to put it on with my finger.
      • Crystal Mineral Deodorant roll-on: not great, just okay.
      • Native Deodorant: I broke out in little red itchy bumps with this one multiple times. No thanks.
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    Why did I decide to go with natural deodorant? I am trying to infuse my life with as many non-toxic products as possible. After I had Kooper, my skin became much more sensitive and I became more aware of what I was putting in and on my body.

     In addition, here are some of the other reasons I decided to make the switch:

      •  Aluminum (which is found in many deodorants) has been linked to health issues.
      •  Natural deodorant doesn’t block your pores from sweating… sweating is a good thing and  using natural deodorant allows your good bacteria to do what it is supposed to do!

    Some natural deodorants that I tried really didn’t work well for me or actually irritated my skin more than regular deodorant. Most of those had baking soda in them, which I guess is a sensitivity for me!

    My top three choices:

      1. Kopari Coconut Oil Deodorant
      2. Primally Pure Lemongrass Deodorant
      3. Primal PitPaste Natural Deodorant

    I am so glad I made the move to a safer deodorant and finally found one I love. Let me know your thoughts and if there are any others that you’d like me to try! 

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  • Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars

    Everyone raved about these dark chocolate peanut butter oatmeal bars! With those ingredients, who wouldn’t? Definitely going to be a staple in our kitchen!

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup butter

    • ½ cup brown sugar (packed)

    • 1 teaspoon vanilla

    • 3 cups rolled oats

    • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

    • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

    • 1 cup dark chocolate chips

    • ¾ cup chunky peanut butter

    Directions:

        1. Line an 8×8 dish with parchment paper. Combine butter, brown sugar and vanilla extract in a saucepan on the stove. Heat on low until sugar as dissolved.
        2. Add in the oats, cinnamon and salt. Stir until combined. Pour half of the mixture into the baking dish and press down. 
        3. Combine chocolate chips and peanut butter. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and heat again for 30 seconds… continue this process until it is melted and fully combined. It may take time, but it is better than having burnt chocolate!
        4. Pour 3/4 of the peanut butter chocolate on top of the oat mixture in the pan. Pour remaining oat mixture in pan and press down again. Use the remaining peanut butter chocolate to drizzle on top!
        5. Refrigerate overnight (or at least for 6 hours).

    Enjoy!

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  • Mediterranean Lemon Salad

    This is a family favorite. We love making it on Sunday and having it for the week. We make two versions… one with onion and one without. Kooper and I eat the one without onion and it is just as delicious! 😉 

    Ingredients

    • 3 cucumbers
    • 2 tomatoes 
    • pint of cherry tomatoes
    • 3 avocados
    • 1 green bell pepper 
    • 1 red onion
    • 1 cup kalamata olives
    • 1 tsp oregano
    • 1 tsp parsley
    • 6 oz feta 
    Dice and chop it all up! Mix the ingredients together in a large bowl and top with crumbled feta, oregano and parsley. 

    Lemon Dressing

    • 1/4 cup EVOO
    • 2 lemons (juiced)
    • 4-5 garlic cloves (minced)
    • 2 tsp dried oregano
    • sea salt & pepper
    Whisk the dressing and toss all of the ingredients in the lemon dressing. Chill for an hour or two for optimal results, but is is okay to serve right away. 

    Mediterranean Salad will keep for approximately 3-4 days in the refrigerator. You can also experiment and add other fun ingredients like chickpeas, roasted red peppers, arugula or other lettuce, etc.! 

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  • Mini Cookie Dough Fat Bombs

    These are fantastic! Definitely my favorite fat bomb recipe thus far. They even seem like a little dessert or treat. I modified this recipe just a bit after seeing it on instagram (@shealmorgan). The mini chocolate chips are definitely my favorite part!

    Simple Ingredients (~8 servings)

    • 1/4 cup coconut oil
    • 2 tbsp maple syrup
    • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
    • 1/4 tsp salt
    • 1 cup almond flour
    • 3 tbsp mini chocolate chips

    Combine wet ingredients and combine dry ingredients separately. Roll into balls (will be a bit sticky- you can roll them in almond flour if you want). And, freeze! 

    I prefer to eat them straight from the freezer. They will keep for about 3 months.

    Pro Tip: They stick when frozen, so I recommend putting parchment paper down first. 

    MACRONUTRIENTS

    8.6g Fat
    4.5g Carbs
    0.8g Protein

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  • Kooper’s first birthday

     

    Photos: Leisa Baptiste Rice

    Kooper and I share a birthday month! In fact, our birthdays are a week apart. This year, we had a joint firefighter themed birthday party and it was so much fun to celebrate with our family and friends. We had about 80 people at the party, but we kept it pretty budget friendly by getting the decor on Amazon (linked in Amazon storefront) and the food from Sam’s Club. 

    For decor, I kept it pretty simple. I find that it is usually cheaper (and looks better) to pick a theme and purchase items using the same colors instead of buying themed decor, plates, napkins, etc. I did buy the dalmatian dogs as giveaways because I just couldn’t help myself!  Also, I printed a ton of photos of Kooper and taped them to the walls… cheap, easy and you can use the photos when you are done.

    We like to entertain, so I also bought mini chalkboards to write on and some black tablecloths, which we can use for our next party.

    Food is always tough when you are expecting a lot of people and want it to be nice, but not overspend. We find that bulk stores (Sam’s Club, Costco) are best for these situations.

     We kept it simple since it was a middle of the day event and our menu consisted of burgers, hot dogs, mac & cheese, salad and fruit. We fed 80 people for under $200 and it was pretty good.

    Drinks can be a little trickier. For big groups, I highly recommend getting a keg (we chose our favorite local beer – Beach Blonde at 3 Daughters) and making a “signature” drink so you don’t have to go overboard buying alcohol. We made a ton of sangria – too much actually – but I’d rather have too much than not enough

    A great way to step up your decor is by adding a dessert table (or two). We had a little red candy bar with swedish fish, hot tamales and twizzlers. It looks cute and tastes great. Plus, the cake is usually a centerpiece. I was so nervous about the cake, but Publix knocked it out of the park AND gives you a free cake for your one year old too. 

    I worked with the best designer on etsy. She came up with these awesome coordinated graphics for the party and was very responsive. I truly think these invitations and artwork took the party to the next level. If you are interested in checking out her etsy shop, I’ve linked it in the pictures below. 

    We were so lucky that family and friends joined us from near and far to celebrate. The party lasted until midnight! It was a good time had by all and a day that I will never forget. Plus, Kooper had a keg at his first birthday. I’m not sure how many one year olds can say that.  We love you all. Thanks for celebrating with us. 

    We really wanted to do photos at the party, but our photographer, Leisa Baptiste Rice (side note: if you are in St. Pete, she is amazing), suggested that we do his first cake experience before the party so we didn’t overwhelm Kooper. That was the best decision! Not only was it incredibly special because it was just the three of us, but we had so much fun and so did Kooper. He didn’t get overwhelmed and he knew what to do when his birthday party rolled around. Plus, we got some great pictures!

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© 2024 Copyright 2019 Kristine Kirstein - Designed & Developed by Kristine Kirstein