Mom 4 Life
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My baby steps toward health

January 19, 2010

Three years ago I stared taking baby steps toward making intentional improvements in our home for my families’ health.

First step: change the skin care products that we use.  It was after reading this Mom 4 Life guest post about skin care that I decided to make some changes in what I purchased and used in our home.  I had no idea how porous our skin was and how many common skin care brands had questionable ingredients.

Second step: use less plastic.  I became aware of the dangers of BPA and Phthalates in plastics and decided to start using them as little as possible and instead opt for glass or stainless steel whenever possible.  Along the way I started looking for and using products that were reusable and eco-friendly.

Third step: Investigate raw milk.  I was interested in learning more about the benefits of raw milk and ways I could use it to make butter, buttermilk, yogurt, and ice cream.

Fourth step: help my kids eat healthier.  I started playing around with sneaking in extra protein in the everyday foods my kids eat.

Fifth step: drink more water and exercise regularly.  I did great during our Get Fit, Have Fun: M4L Challenge but I admit, once I reached my goal weight after giving birth to Quinten, I haven’t been exercising so this is a step I am going back to.

Next step: for 2010 my goal is to incorporate eating a lot more whole grains, nuts and beans into our diet.

To do this:

-I have switched our pasta over to whole wheat pasta.
-We already prefer brown rice.
-I am trying out more whole wheat recipes for my breads.  I already make homemade whole wheat yeast bread but it wasn’t 100% whole wheat so I am experimenting with some new recipes for that as well as breads such as banana bread.
-I am stocking up on several different kinds of beans and am going to experiment with different soup recipes.  I am also cooking and pureeing white beans and freezing them in ice cube chunks.  I have been adding several of these cubes to my sauces (i.e. spaghetti sauce, enchilada sauce) for an easy protein boost.
-Starting with raw almonds I am keeping nuts on hand for snacks and incorporating them in breads, hot cereals, etc.)

Extra credit;):
-I purchased a dry container for my Vita Mix at Costco in order to start grinding my own grains for flour.  This is an extra step that I don’t think is “needed” but is one that I am interested in learning more about and excited to explore.  I have found a local wheat supplier off of craigslist so that I can grind my own whole wheat flour (did you know that if you store wheat grains properly they can last for more than 10 years and that freshly ground flour has more nutrients?!)–it is also super inexpensive to get your flour this way!

I have another goal for 2010 that I will share in a future post.  So what do you think?  Have you had any of these steps yourself?  Anyone want to join me in my new steps?  I want to mention that I think it can be totally overwhelming to make lots of changes at once.  For myself picking smaller, manageable things to focus on helps.

Mom 4 Life. Now that Ashley owns Mom 4 Life, I am focusing my energies in homeschooling and asking God to use me in other areas.

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