Category Archives: Thoughts

Gluten Free, Review, Thoughts, Vegan

Keomi Skincare Organic Handmade Soap Review

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Keomi Skincare

Organic All Natural Handmade Soap

I was given the opportunity to try a sample of Keomi Skincare’s Green Tea Goddess Handmade soap for a review. Keomi Skincare soaps are all natural and have no chemical preservatives, they are vegan and cruelty free. Keomi Skincare uses only the highest quality ingredients available and their products are backed with a 100% guarantee.

keomi skincare
These are the ingredients of the Green Tea Goddess soap that were printed on the wrapper of the bar I received.

Organic Handmade Luxury Soap for Men and Women

I was sent the Green Tea Goddess handmade soap to review.  It has a wonderful fresh green scent that can be enjoyed by either men or women. It did not have a sweet or floral scent that men would not want to use. The Green Tea Goddess soap is scented with oils of clary sage, orange and clove, so it has a fresh green fragrance. Keomi Skincare Organic Natural Handmade soaps are cold-pressed and use pure aromatherapy grade essential oils with a base that is a blend of over 10 USDA certified organic vegetable, fruit and seed oils.

green tea goddess
This is a sample size bar that I received for review. This is not what the full-sized bar looks like.

I first tried the soap by washing my hands in the sink. I wanted to see how the soap lathered and how it felt on the skin. There was a natural, rich, luxurious lather because the soaps are super-fatted leaving my hands feeling supple and moisturized.

Later that day I took a shower and used my Keomi Skincare soap as bath soap and washed my entire body. Again I got a luxurious lather from the soap.  I felt so clean and fresh afterward. My skin did not feel dry and tight, nor was the soap irritating to my sensitive skin. Instead I was left feeling moisturized and with a subtle fragrance on my skin. I do not like strong fragrances as they give me a headache, so I was pleased with the light scent that was left on my skin.

I really enjoyed my Keomi Skincare soap and would love to try the other soaps that they offer.

Click here for my Amazon.com review of Keomi Skincare.

 

 

Keomi Skincare was nice enough to offer me and my readers a coupon for 5% off any of their soaps or sets. The coupon is good until October 31, 2014

 

Use Coupon Code 25P7X5OW 

full size Green Tea Goddess
Here is a full sized bar of the Green Tea Goddess soap.

ORGANIC – ALL NATURAL – HANDMADE SOAP GIFT SET – Pure Aromatherapy Grade – 3 Full Size Bars

 

ORGANIC – ALL NATURAL – HANDMADE SOAP GIFT SET – Pure Aromatherapy Grade – 4 Full Size Bars – Wrapped

in Handmade Decorative Paper – Comes in Elegant Embossed Gift Box

 

Organic All Natural Luxury Handmade Soap – 1 Full Size Bar Wrapped in Homemade Decorative Paper 

 

 

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

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Paleo, Thoughts

The Dreaded Weight Loss Plateau

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I did it! I finally broke through the dreaded weight loss plateau.  Everyone always says don’t weigh yourself, don’t worry about what the scale says.  Well easier said than done.  I had tried for so many years to lose weight and so many diets that I had grown impatient.  I kept seeing or reading about so many people losing weight eating a Paleo diet that I thought the weight would just melt off quickly.

The first few times I weighted myself I would see a loss of a pound or so and I was ecstatic! It was finally happening, I was losing weight.  People were starting to notice and complement me.  My clothes felt a little looser.  I was starting to feel so much better and my energy level was increasing, that all felt so good.  Then it happened…the dreaded weight loss plateau.

I weighed myself  and I weighed the same as last week. So I waited two weeks and I still weighed the same.  I thought to myself well maybe I am just retaining some water, that’s what everyone always says when their weight fluctuates. When you have a lot of weight to lose like I do you can be easily discouraged by thinking how long it will take to lose so much weight.

Another week, no weight loss.  So I thought to myself, I am feeling so good, my energy level is up and my blood sugar levels are going down.  My mood, anxiety and depression are so much better.  My physical aches and pains are almost non-existent.  I have a lot to be thankful for and the weight loss with come again, just keep on keepin’ on.

I decided to start walking around the yard in the evenings to get a little exercise and sweat out some toxins.  I hadn’t really been paying attention to my portion sizes of what I was eating; it was hard enough just cutting out all the junk food, gluten, dairy, soy and legumes.  So I became more aware of what I was eating and how much I was eating, and I quit worrying about weighing myself.

Then It happened.. I broke through the weight loss plateau!  I was out in the yard taking pictures of flowers and my mother was looking at me and she said you really need to pull your shorts up, they look like they are falling off of you. Then I realized just how loose they actually were, and I thought to myself, I’m gonna go weigh myself.  Sure enough I had lost almost 6 lbs. since the last time I had weighed.  I was so excited, and proud of myself for sticking to it.  All of my old pants and shorts were too big, it was so satisfying to remove them all from my closet and get new smaller clothes. Yippee!

I haven’t weighed myself since that day, now I know what is really important is my health and how I feel, not what the scale says.  Don’t get me wrong, I will weigh myself again, cause it is exciting watching the numbers get smaller, but the scale will not dictate my success now.

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Thoughts

I Am On Bloglovin’ Now

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Follow my blog with Bloglovin
Hi everyone just wanted to let you know that you can follow me, GottaChop.com, on Bloglovin’ now. Bloglovin.com is an easy way to keep track of all your favorite blogs in one easy feed.  When I post a new blog it will show up in your Bloglovin’ feed, it’s that easy.  To follow me all you have to do is just click on the link below and follow the directions. If you don’t already have an account with Bloglovin’ it only takes a second to create your account with either your email address or you can sign in with your FaceBook account.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

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Alternative Medicine, Thoughts

Oil Pulling

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I have read a lot about oil pulling lately

and all its wonderful benefits, and I am really excited to give it a try. Some of the benefits include:

  • Whiter teeth
  • Helps with bleeding gums
  • Helps with tooth and gum sensitivity
  • Helps you have better breath
  • Helps to prevent cavities and gingivitis
  • Helps with allergies and sinus problems
  • Helps to detoxify the body
  • Helps you to have clearer healthier skin
  • Helps hormone imbalances
  • Helps arthritis and inflammation
  • Helps the immune system
  • Boosts overall health
  • May help with appetite and weight loss
  • Plus many other health benefits

Oil pulling is an ancient remedy used in India and Asia for thousands of years to treat many systemic diseases.  Oil pulling has gained popularity in the West over the last few decades as it is a safe, easy, and inexpensive way to detox our bodies and enjoy all the amazing health benefits. I remember the last time I was at the dentist he had a poster on the wall that explained how our mouths are a gateway to our body.  Poor oral health is associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, lung conditions, and obesity.  It is very important for our overall health that we support our teeth and gums by brushing, flossing and regular cleanings at the dentist, and I would like to add oil pulling to that list.

Step 1

It is best to oil pull first thing in the morning when you wake up before you eat or drink anything.  You want to have an empty stomach when you oil pull.  It is recommended that you use a tablespoon or less of a good quality cold pressed organic oil, such as sesame or coconut oil. (I use a cold pressed unrefined coconut oil, because coconut oil has Lauric Acid) A whole tablespoon of oil was a bit difficult to do the first time, it is a very odd feeling to have a mouth full of oil, so I started with a little less, and adjusted the amount as I became more comfortable with the process. Also the oil with mix with your saliva and practically double in size after swishing for a few minutes, so don’t start with too much oil at first.

Step 2

Gently swish the oil around your mouth in and out between your teeth with a push and pull type method, sorta like you would do with mouthwash, but do not gargle with the oil as it is very important that you do not swallow any of the oil because the oil will be full of toxins from your body. Continue to swish the oil around your mouth for 15-20 minutes, 20 minutes seems like a very long time when you first start oil pulling and your mouth and jaws will be a bit tired, so don’t worry if the first few times you can’t do the full 20 minutes, it gets easier I promise.

Step 3

Now you want to spit the oil out in the trash. Remember the oil will be very toxic after you finish your 20 minutes, so you do not want to swallow any of the oil, but spit all the oil out.  I prefer to spit in the trash as I do not want to clog up my pipes by spitting in the sink, nor do I want to contaminate my sink.  The oil should look white when you spit it out, if the oil is yellow you have not swished long enough.

Step 4

For the final step I like to rinse my mouth out with warm water or warm salted water to remove any leftover oil that may be in my mouth.  I like to swish and then gargle to make sure my mouth and throat are rinsed clean.

I can’t wait for my next visit to the dentist to see what my results are. Even after just 10 days I feel like my teeth are whiter and my mouth feels so good and clean.  I am glad that I started oil pulling and will continue to do so and will update my blog with my progress.

I just gave you the basics, but there are so many resources on the internet to learn more about oil pulling– here are a few of my favorites

Oil Pulling the Habit That Can Transform Your Health

Oil Pulling a Wonderful Therapy and they offer an E-Book for download

Oil Pulling for Oral Health

Dental Professionals Respond to Oil Pulling 

Oral Health: The Mouth-Body Connection

The Ultimate Guide to Oil Pulling: Rock your Immune System with this Ancient Method

Everything You Need to Know About Oil Pulling

I would like to state that I am not a doctor or trained professional. These statements are information that I have gathered from the internet and are strictly my opinions only.  Please discuss with your doctor or healthcare professional. Thank you.

 

Everything You Need To Know About Oil Pulling

 

 

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Gardening, Gluten Free, Paleo, Thoughts

Gluten-Free and Loving It

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As I am walking around the yard I think to myself how long it’s been since I have had the energy to even go outside, much less walk around.  It is unbelievable how much my life has changed since I started eating organic clean whole foods and cut GLUTEN completely out of my diet, I am gluten-free and loving it!  I am eating a low-carb, high-fat LCHF mostly Paleo diet trying to get my diabetes under control, and so far it’s working.

I tested my blood sugar level and it was 127 mg/dl.  Now that may not sound like a perfect number, but it is truly a miracle for me.  For example, I looked at my calendar where I track my blood sugar readings, and on February 16, 2014 my numbers where as follows– my first reading of the day after fasting all night was 231 mg/dl, then the rest of day it only got worse– 334,476,434,492,431, and finally 343 mg/dl.  I felt terrible ALL the time.  I don’t ever want to go back there again!

I love how I am feeling now, my mood is so much more calm and positive, and I am starting get energy and an actual desire to get out of bed, even get out of the house in the day time.  It has been years since I have even gone out in the sun, and now I know how important getting a little sunlight is so my body can make its own vitamin D.

I love flowers with all their beautiful colors and fragrances, they just make me happy.  I especially love finding wildflowers. I have noticed that now I enjoy walking around the yard taking pictures,  picking blackberries, or even doing some light yard work or gardening.  Oh yeah, and a big bonus, I am actually loosing weight.  I love the new me.  Here is a little slide-show of my recent photos.

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Alternative Medicine, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Paleo, Thoughts

Hippocrates Said It Best

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Hippocrates said it best — “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”

That quote from Hippocrates keeps popping up everywhere I look nowadays. I thought to myself… is the universe trying to tell me something? The answer to that question is yes! The more I embark on this journey of totally changing my lifestyle it becomes more clear to me. Food has become so abundant, so easily accessible, so instant, that I never missed a meal or opportunity to indulge. Food was not being “my medicine” it was being my entertainment, my pleasure, my vice. I was on a downward spiral of obesity, diabetes, depression, anxiety, and just overall poor health. I was miserable!

Well now I am following the wise words of “the father of western medicine,” Hippocrates, and healing my body with the food I eat. I am losing weight, gaining energy, and getting a new zest for life. I was so addicted to processed foods, sugar and gluten that I thought I would never be able to break free. But an amazing thing happened once I rid myself of those toxins… I no longer craved them! It is ridiculous the amount of toxic ingredients that are in the over-processed foods we eat. I honestly don’t know how the FDA allows such things in our foods. Even our healthy fruits and vegetables are a risk to eat now with all the genetic modifications being done to the seeds. Our bodies were not designed to eat these GMO’s. Choose organic when possible to avoid ingesting copious amounts of pesticides and GM foods. Eliminate processed foods with all their chemicals. I have also eliminated gluten, soy, and dairy. I eat an organic whole food Paleo diet now, this is what works for me now, but as I stated earlier, this is a journey and who knows what the future holds… but now I am listening to my body.

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Dinner, Salad, Thoughts

Tomato Salad With Onion and Basil

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This afternoon  was really nice outside, so I hunted for my bathing suit, and thought maybe I will sit outside and get some Vitamin D.  I carried my lawn-chair out to a sunny place and sat down, leaned back, shut my eyes and just enjoyed the peace and solitude.  There was a nice breeze blowing and the birds were singing in the background, what a great moment to just relax and enjoy my thoughts.  After awhile I walked around and looked at my garden.  I picked some green onions and basil and went inside and made a tomato salad.  I snipped the green onions and basil up with my kitchen shears and put them in a bowl.  Then chopped up a tomato and added it to the bowl with some salt and pepper and a little powdered garlic. I added a little Mayo and gently mixed it up.  Then I went back outside and found a nice shady spot to sit and enjoy this fresh tomato salad I just made.

 

 

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Thoughts

Ignorance is Bliss

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We have all heard the saying “Ignorance is bliss” , but I really understand the meaning now.  The ignorance of not really knowing anything about the food I was putting into my body was bliss.  I enjoyed all the convenience of microwaved quick frozen dinners, eating so much processed food.  How fast, cheap and easy it was  to go get drive-thru fast food.  Can’t decide what to fix for dinner… everyone says order PIZZA!

Those days of blindly eating whatever I want are over.  Now that I know what is really in all those foods I am a little scared.  Take pizza for example, look at this investigation Food Babe did on our favorite Pizza Restaurants.  It’s not just pizza restaurants, it’s everywhere.  All the GMO’s in our everyday food,  food that we are feeding our children, our families, ourselves.   Other countries ban what our FDA approves in the US  for us to eat.  My bliss has now been replaced by anger.  We have to hold the FDA accountable for the bad decisions they are making.   The FDA is there to protect us, its time they started doing it!

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Gardening, Thoughts

My Little Garden

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Growing up we always had a garden.  As a kid, all I knew about gardening, was that it was gonna be a lot of hard work.  Of course I loved eating all those fresh veggies!  Back then there were no GMO’s and I didn’t have to worry about if what I was eating was grown at home or bought in the store.  Those were simpler times, things have really changed.  Don’t get me wrong, progress is good, and I enjoy all the modern conveniences and advancements in technology and science.  But there always seems to be a good and bad, yin and yang.

Now I do worry about where my food comes from, is it organic, or is it a GMO. ( Here is an article about 10 reasons to avoid GMO’s) I feel so betrayed by the FDA that they have allowed GMO’s to be used as ingredients in so many foods we eat, without letting us know by labeling foods containing GMO’s.  I am trying to eat healthy, by eating a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables now, and I want to know if they have been genetically modified.

So my sister and I have decided to make a little garden of our own, just like when we were kids.  Except, when we were kids, our father and mother used to do most of the tricky stuff, like when to plant , what to plant,  and where to plant.  So we are just planting a few things to get the hang of it again.

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Gardening, Thoughts

That familiar old feeling.

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For dinner tonight I was having a craving for our local BBQ place’s hamburger and onion rings.  I know the meat and veggies will NOT be organic, but it would be quick, easy and yummy.  Well, I got more than I bargained for… I also got a headache, stomach ache, indigestion, enough mucus to choke on, and a quick trip to the bathroom… that familiar old feeling.  I know now that I am feeling this way because of the gluten and dairy.  I dipped my onion rings in that delicious ranch dressing they give you with the rings, and had mayo on my burger, and of course I ate the bun.  Now that I have cut out gluten and dairy, I can really see how it affects me.  Before, I just always felt sick and just thought that was just the way it would always be for me.  This was definitely a learning experience for me.  I felt guilty that I gave in to my cravings, but now I can see that I have learned from it.  I know we can’t always be perfect, and it’s ok to slip up now and then, but I will remember that maybe it wasn’t worth how bad I feel now.  Onion rings are definitely a weakness, I love them!  So, now I just have to come up with a gluten-free recipe so I can still have them.  Onions are so good for us, click on the link to find out more about the health benefits of onions.  I love the little green onion or scallions, I cut the root part off and saved it and replanted it to see if it would grow some new onions and it looks like it worked… YAY!

Replanted the bottom root portion of my organic store bought green onions.
Replanted the bottom root portion of my organic store-bought green onions.
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Dairy Free, Dessert, Gluten Free, Paleo, Raw-Vegan, Snack, Thoughts

Happy Easter

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Hope everyone had a HAPPY EASTER.  I made my first raw-vegan cupcakes.  I got the recipe from FullyRawKristina on YouTube.  It was really fun trying something new, and totally raw-vegan.  I am not a vegan at this time, but who knows what the future holds.  I am trying different ways of eating to see what actually agrees with my body.  I know for sure that anything I do eat will be organic, non-gmo, soy free,  and gluten-free.  I have also cut out most dairy foods too, but sometimes a little cheese slips into something,  but  not very often.

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