FLUORIDE FREE TOOTHPASTE 

AND CRUELTY FREE!

I've been taking a look into cruelty free toothpastes and came across Tom's Toothpaste. See the pink bunny logo? It represents no animal testing at all including the product itself and the ingredients used to make the product. Costs just over $4 and you can purchase at most grocery stores. It's really not any more expensive than other paste brands but even if it is, it's worth that little extra expense to know I'm not contributing to animal cruelty. A bonus is that my husband himself is very happy it's fluoride free and loves how it leaves him mouth feeling cleaner for a longer period of time:) 

50% MORE CALCIUM THAN DAIRY MILK

Just the other day I was talking to my friend about how I've been drinking Soy and Almond Milk for years. Of course her initial reaction, "I would love to do the same but I have 4 kids to raise that need high amounts of calcium to help in forming strong bones." Wait a minute, let's get a little further educated here for just a moment. Did you know that products such as some brands of soy milk contain more calcium than that of regular dairy milk? For example in the above picture many of, "Silk" milk products contain 50% more calcium than that of dairy milk! (Please keep in mind that soy milk contains the protein and calcium our bodies need. Almond, rice and hemp milk is not as valuable to our bodies needs as is Soy based milk.) My recommendation to date is "Silk Milk". 

If that isn't reason enough to take interest in non dairy milk products, let me tell you something many people are becoming familiar with. Cows milk contains, blood, puss, mucus, herbicides, pesticides, fat, formaldehyde and need I say more? Are you aware that when a baby calf is born it is IMMEDIATELY taken from it's mother to be raised as veal? Where does babies milk go? To the human consumers of course! Who in their right mind would steal a baby away from it's mother and not allow her to feed her own offspring? 

 I have an 8 year old step son that enjoys Almond milk in his cereal. My husband and I drink it and highly recommend it. The Silk product line has also come out with their own holiday beverages such as, "Pumpkin Spice", "Mint Chocolate" and "Nog". Go for it and try them out! 

I love creating my own organic cleaners and it's super easy to do! Best of all, no animals were tested on in the making of this product:)

What you need: 

Glass jar

White vinegar

Citrus peels (amount needed to fill your size jar). I used orange and grapefruit peels but you can use any citrus you like such as lemon and lime!

Place peels in jar and fill with vinegar. Let sit for approx. 7-10 days so that the scent of the peels penetrates into the vinegar. When ready, strain and dilute 1:1 with water. Now it's ready to use! In truth you don't have to wait that long to make your own home made cleaner. You can use straight up vinegar as an all purpose cleaner. I've done it plenty of times before. The vinegar scent will not last more than 15 min in my experience. Vinegar is great because it eradicates germs and bacteria. Happy Spring cleaning! 

METHOD PLANT BASED DISH SOAP

Time to get rid of those nasty chemical house hold cleaners! 

For all those interested in getting rid of their home cleaning products that contain harsh chemicals, "method" brand uses plant based ingredients. The power foam dish soap smells refreshing and wonderful (I have grapefruit). Works great in the kitchen and on other items that need a little soap cleaning! Pet friendly:) Of course I'm giving it 2 thumbs up for being a leaping bunny approved product (not tested on animals). I purchased this a Meijer grocery on sale $2.99. Looking forward to trying out methods other products! I'm very excited to let go of all the nasty chemical based cleaning products in my home. Better for my family, for me, my pets, and the environment. 

 L'OREAL (animal testing company)  Vs.  e.l.f  (cruelty free company )  

Mascara and Eye Liner 

My # 1 favorite makeup product to use is Mascara! I have tried so many types of mascaras but always came back to this one volumizing mascara by L'oreal time and time again. So when recently I decided that my L'oreal mascara had to go because the company tests on animals, I thought I'd have the most difficult time trying to figure what mascara I could find as good as the one I loved. I can't believe it... "e.l.f Volume Plumping Mascara" is cheaper and equally as good! I've been using it for a few weeks now and I'm completely happy with it. It gives me the big doll lashes that I love! If you like big, long lashes, give this mascara a try.

Not only that, the e.l.f eye liner is excellent and $5 cheaper than eye liners I was previously purchasing.  This liquid liner costs only $1. The tip of the brush gives me the winged out cat eye look that I love and it does the job superior to other liners in my experience. 

When I first discovered e.l.f's makeup line, the prices struck me as so low that I thought I'd be purchasing makeup that I wouldn't end up liking. Wrong! I highly recommend anyone to check out e.l.f. eye makeup products. Why pay more for something that will do as equally as good a job when you can purchase it at a lower cost? 

A VEGAN SAVES CLOSE TO 200 ANIMAL LIVES EACH YEAR!!!

   Tonights Veggie dinner! Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with Spinach Salad. And my not so long ago meat eating husband is still going strong! He's on week 4 of being a vegetarian!

HERE'S TO BEING VEGETARIAN!

 I love making veggie drinks and smoothies! Here's  one that's great for cleaning your kidney's. 
It's really easy. First take a bunch of parsley or Cilantro ( Coriander Leaves ) and wash clean. I used Cilantro because my husband hates the taste of parsley. 

Boil clean water in a pot. (The less water you boil the thicker the consistency of the drink.  I used less than 1L of water.) Cut parsley into small pieces. Add to boiling water for 10 minutes. I also decided to add wheat grass for extra goodness but that's optional:) You may wish to let it cool at this point but I put the batch directly into a blender and emulsified until smooth. Let cool in fridge. 

Drink one glass daily and you will notice all salt and other accumulated poison coming out of your kidney by urination. 

My husband and I are drinking a couple small glasses each day until it's gone. I find the taste hard to swallow. He on the other hand is enjoying it. Either way, it's good for you! Here's to being vegetarian!

My cruelty free/ vegan find for the day! I went to Meijer to take a look at animal friendly vegan soaps. They had a few to choose from in the grocery store and this is what I went with. African Black Soap (Shea Moisture). Shea is wonderful for the skin! And this kind of soap is friendly on facial skin. Africa Black soap has been used for centuries to treat eczema, acne, oily skin, psoriasis and other skin ailments. And take a look…it even has the PETA approved bunny logo! Retail price $4.99

Cost more than I would usually pay for a bar of soap however it's a good size bar. 

CRUELTY FREE SHAMPOO BRANDS!!! Yes, I have been one of the deceived souls that purchased Tresemme shampoo and conditioner for a long time now because the bottle says the product is cruelty free. What I didn't understand was that the Tresemee finished product is cruelty free but all the ingredients to make that one product are not! So here is a list of TRUE CRUELTY FREE brands that I'm excited to try out and share with you! I will post my reviews in the future regarding some these products. 

Nature's Gate (top left) - Walgreens & Walmart

Avalon Organics-  Walgreens & Target

Giovanii - Target & Walmart

DermOrganics - Ulta

Desert Essence - Walgreens

Alba Botanica - Walgreens & Target

Paul Mitchell - Most hair salons, CVS Pharmacy & Walgreens

Jason - Target & Walgreens

BWC - Walgreens

There is also David Babii (not pictured)- Sally Beauty Supply

We need an extreme movement because what is happening to animals is so extreme. Some misinformed people claim that animal rights activists are terrorists, but these people are simply ignorant of who the real terrorists are - the companies and industries that torture literally billions of animals each year. - River Phoenix 

WHO SAID BEING VEGETARIAN IS HARD?

  Tonight's meal…Thai food!  My favorite food on the planet! We had Green Curry and Massaman Curry with tofu and what a flavorful dish! I wish I could say it's home made but it's not:(  My kitchen is being remodeled and right now I'm working off of a little stove top of all things! But when that kitchen is done, I'm going to play the part of a good house wife and cook away!
Who said being vegetarian is hard!? If so, you didn't make the right meals for yourself or probably didn't give it a real chance. As you change your diet, your tastes for food will change also. And if the diet is done correctly, you will reap great health benefits. When food tastes this good, being a vegetarian or vegan isn't hard to do at all!

** Essential oils for the skin!!! **

DoTerra Essential Oils for skin!

My wonderful friend just got these oils for me and guess what!? They are great skin care oils! I love essential oils and do know about them as I used to work in the cosmetic field manufacturing them! 

Lavender is great for treating wrinkles, acne & eczema. It tones and boosts circulation as it boosts blood flow to supply adequate oxygen and nutrition to skin cells! If you have chapped lips, rub a few drops of lavender on them. Helps to heal!

Peppermint oil contains menthol which is good for nourishing dull skin & boosts the texture of oily skin. This oil helps with pimples and keeping your face blemish free. It is best when added to grape seed oil or Jojoba oil to get these skin benefits because it is a strong oil!! It's also an antiseptic for the scalp. Add a few drops to grape seed, Jojoba oil (I suggest adding 5 drops or less to a tablespoon), and this combination is excellent for your hair and scalp! You can also add is directly to your shampoo. Promotes healthy and shiny hair! Ladies do this for yourselves and give your husbands a wonderful head massage with this combination! Feels and smells wonderful!

Lemon (One of my favorites!) Has rejuvenating properties that brightens dull skin & blemishes. Lemon oil is powerful and is better added to a carrier oil such as grape seed oil or jojoba oil. 5 drops or less to each teaspoon of oil is good:) I prefer to apply this oil at night as it can make skin sensitive when applied on a sunny day. It's also makes for a powerful natural cleaner. In a spray bottle add equal parts water and vinegar. Add a few drops of oil for smell and voila! Truly makes for an exceptional cleaner for bathroom & kitchen. Also home made cleaners are cruelty free! No testing on animals as are most cleaning products you find in stores. 

I encourage ladies to make their own masks and lotions with oils. Not only is it great for us and our skin, but we save animals from being tested on:)

Have a wonderful day! 

Did you know? If the entire world ate like an American, we would need 3-5 more planet Earths! And if everyone ate vegetarian and didn't waste food, our current system could feed 10 billion!

 I will be posting the yummy foods my husband and I are eating as we try out a vegan diet! This was last nights dinner. Veggie burgers with salad! I have been vegetarian for a number of years and eat delicious dishes! Who says being vegetarian or vegan is to hard when you can eat exceptionally tasty meals! 

Above picture- Organic lettuce, vegan burgers and vegan cheese from Meijer grocery, berries, avocado, pearl onions, zucchini, beans, and jalapeño because I love it spicy!

Home made face masks! Better than store bought!

MY home made masks! 

Home made avocado face mask

1 avocado

1 tsp honey

2 drops lemon essential oil

tiny squeeze fresh lime

I looked like the green goblin from spiderman!

I asked my husband to join in the fun but he decided it would be more fun to eat the rest!

I left the mask on for an hour because I want to reap full benefits. After rinsing, my skin felt really clean. To my surprise the mask seemed to tighten my skin! After patting dry I used pure coconut oil for extra moisture.  I will be making this mask again for sure. Preferably for it's long term benefits. 

Avocado is a great moisturizer for skin and helps protect against environmental damage that leads to fine lines and wrinkles. 

Honey is great for slowing down aging and a natural glow

Lemon is great at attacking toxins and smells wonderful! I used DoTerra lemon essential oil.

 ( DoTerra sells quality oils free of pesticides and chemicals allowing for full benefits unlike many essential oils on the market today).

Lime I added for fun because I had some available! Hey why not!? I added the juice but it's best to use the peel. Lime peels can combat aging skin. 

Home made Oatmeal mask

1/4 cup Organic Oatmeal cooked

1 tbs honey

Orange peel, grated

This mask was messy and hard to apply but once I had it on I could definitely feel that orange rind tingling my skin. Left it on for half an hour. Once again my skin felt very clean and fresh. 

Oatmeal has intense cleansing properties that remove dirt and oil. Combats dryness

Orange peels contain Vitamin C. Helps unclog pores, fight wrinkles, tone skin and much more!

I encourage ladies to try making your own masks over store bought chemical filled products. Not only is it better for us and our skin, but we are not purchasing products that test on animals:)