HEALTH WITHOUT THE HASSLE | BEAUTY + LIFESTYLE

I was asked a few weeks ago about how what I've been doing differently with my diet so I wanted to share a piece of that with y'all today!

 Of course, there's enough for a blog post on its own but I wanted to talk about the one thing that you could change about your diet and lifestyle instantly - and that's taking vitamins. 

It's no shocker that I'm a mom - if you didn't know that, then welcome to my blog! Lol but if you're a fellow mama out there, then you can totally relate: Waking up, having somewhere important to go, juggling the act of getting yourself together (barely) and also making sure that you have your child ready - grabbing bottles, sippy cups, diapers, a change of clothes, food - the list goes on and on.

I can barely remember to brush my teeth somedays let alone remembering to take vitamins, especially ones in a container that I need to sort out all while dropping the rest all over the place as I'm rushing out of the door.... I loathe it and it's always a circus act trying to get everything to come together.... Then I found VitaFive. These vitamins not only taste absolutely delicious (think Sour Patch kids!) but they don't require me to also remember to grab a bottle of water since they're gummies and they come in their own individual packaging each day.

I am currently taking a weeks supply of their Beauty vitamins but they have soooo many other packs to choose from, you're bound to find at least one pack that fits your needs... But what if you don't? No worries because when you shop with VitaFive, their goal is to make your experience as custom as possible.
You only want to use Melatonin for sleep? Not a problem.
Are you just looking to add some Calcium to your diet? Not even an issue.
See, anything is possible with these vitamins and that's why I love it so much because when lifestyle and needs change, VitaFive is right there to change with you.

So if you aren't really sure just what you need but know you want to add vitamins to your daily routine, well here are the packs that they offer to get you started:

Immune Pack 

• Perfect for the winter months!

Sleep Pack 

• For all my fellow night-owls

Beauty Pack 

• If you're trying to create shine in your hair, length in your nails and improve your skin

Heart Pack

• These vitamins help keep your heart strong

Essential Pack

• To help fill nutrient gaps that can sometimes happen with a busy schedule

Active Pack

• Best for the fitness enthusiasts to help replenish vitamins lost while working out

Brain Pack

• These vitamins help your brain maintain healthy function and help keep you on track

AND it wouldn't be a brand I could stand behind if they didn't offer vitamins for the littles!!

They offer 3 different types of vitamins that target 3 very specific areas:

Kids Immune Pack

• This one is especially good for all the kids that are heading back to school/daycare!

Kids Healthy Bone Pack

• These vitamins target bone and tooth growth

Kids Essential Packs

• We ALL know kids can be picky little thangs and this pack targets the nutrients that our little ones might not be getting through the food they do (or mostly don't) eat.

I love these vitamins so much that I asked for a promo code for anyone that was interested because these vitamins are that good - so VitaFive is offering 30% off to anyone wanting to give them a try by using pilk30 at checkout!

I swear, y'all - these vitamins are a parents dream and I am so, so happy that I'm able to have one less thing to think about during those crazy mornings with my little gal!

xx, tbp

Kick It GREEN JUICE | RECIPES

I thought I had missed the bug. Devon got sick and then Penelope started to get sick and then an entire week went by and I was still feelin' good - until Sunday. That's when it was my turn. I think it's partly because I told Devon I was probably out of the woods and then danced around the kitchen, laughing because he got sick this time and I lucked out........ and then that's when I woke up the next morning with a slight cough and sore throat. Next time, I'll just act like I didn't even notice the people in my house are sick because the bug always knows. 

So if it got ahold of you too, then let's green-it-up toegthaaaa because who won't agree that it's easier to juice than it is to eat all of the fruits and veggies that you can get in one cup instead?! This is my go to method for getting my vitamins and minerals in a time crunch and it's also kid friendly - Penelope LOVES this sweet, green drink!

What you'll need:

A handful of each.....

∙Baby leaf Spinach

∙ Red Grapes

∙ Sliced cucumber

∙ 1/2in ginger root, peeled

∙ One slice of lemon, squeezed

∙ Pineapple or Pineapple Juice (I use juice)

∙ Apples or apple juice - optional for extra sweetness (again, I use the juice)

Add fruits and veggies into juicer or blender and add either 8oz of apple juice OR 8oz of pineapple juice OR 4oz of apple juice + 4oz of pineapple juice - You should have a total 8oz of liquid, no matter how you do it. If it's too thick to blend, then add more juice or water, whichever you prefer.

**I usually don't use a juicer. I just put all ingredients into a blender, blend it together and then strain the pulp into a bowl and then pour it into a cup.

Hope y'all are staying well and sickness free! If you're feeling a little under the weather too, then this should help you get back to better health in no time ;)

xx, tbp

VITAMIN SEA

 It's FALL! I loooove summer but there's something about the fall that I'm reeeeeally in love with. Maybe because the weather is perfect most days? Or maybe it's because you can still do things outside and not end up in a puddle? Orrrrrrrrr probably because I'M BASIC, OKAY.

But with great weather come germs so I figured I would let y'all know some of my favorite vitamins that I take - and not just for the fall or winter, but all year 'round.

So here they are -

from left to right ---->

• RAW Iron: If you have rough periods like I do, then this may be what you're looking for. I generally take these due to slight fatigue that I get before and after my period. Personally, I feel that this helps out a ton by keeping my energy up and allowing me to feel somewhat "normal" during that week.
• Womens Once Daily Multi: I take this one for general health. The pill is a little bit on the large side but it's one of the few that doesn't make me sick if I take it on an empty stomach. Although I don't do that often, it's just a good bonus if I do forget. 
• RAW Vitamin D: I need all the vitamin D I can get in the fall/winter since I don't do the tanning thing and I'm covered from head to toe for about 5 to 6 months of the year. #vampirestatus.
• RAW Calcium: Calcium is believed to naturally help with PMS and PMDD symptoms so during my period and for about a week after, I take one pill, 4x's a day. Since I can actually tell a difference when I take these, it makes it easier to remember (for the most part.) 
• RAW B-12: B-12 is good for keeping a healthy metabolism, giving energy, and having good digestion. All good things, y'all!

 So in case you're wondering what does RAW and MyKind mean: The RAW stamp means that they don't use any chemical isolates or synthetic ingredients in their products and are guaranteed not to have binders or fillers in their vitamins. All ingredients are uncooked, untreated and unaltered; Just how vitamins should be. 

As for their MyKind line? They are all USDA certified organic and Non-GMO :)

I hope this helps!! Stay well this season! XO

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Next blog: Sippy cup favorite - I KNOW that I just did one but I promise, this is better - muuuuch better!!! I'll have that posted tomorrow @ 10AM, so stay tuned ;)

SUMMERTIME SALAD

This is my absolute favorite salad recipe of all time!! It's SO easy to throw together and has minimal ingredients - you might even have some of these on hand right now :)

You'll need:

• Salad of your choice - I used chopped romaine (store-bought-in-a-bag kind)
• Fresh Strawberries, sliced
• Feta Cheese, crumbled
• Dried Cranberries
• Balsamic Vinaigrette (Raspberry vinaigrette is amazing too)
• Almonds (or nuts of any kind, really) are optional

Combine in a bowl - Enjoy! XO

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THE LOWDOWN ON PROBIOTICS

Since I started going to the gym pretty heavily and now that I take P with me most of the time, I knew she needed something to help her immune system work at max potential - THE NATURAL WAY  and also since I've been getting my butt kicked with allergies his year and I can't stand taking any medicine, I pretty much suffer through it because, well, I'm a Taurus and super hard-headed. #lifegoeson ... Anyways - I always take my vitamins but I wanted something more, so after some research and with the help of the lady at Whole Foods, I decided to go with these two probiotics for Penelope and me. Since these probis are refrigerated, the little organisms inside are actually alive thus guaranteeing a better outcome! 

The one I take comes in a pill form and it's easily swallowed, 3x's a day. 

For Penelope's, hers comes in a powder-form and all she needs is 1/4 tsp a day in her coconut milk - easy as pie. It's tasteless within the milk (and in general) so she can't even tell it's there.

 The best news of all? Her probiotic is for 0-5 years old! Literally from the moment they pop out, you can give them this! Serious score and I'm bummed I didn't look into this beforehand! But hey, it's never too late - I'm almost 24 soooo....!

Now, searching on Amazon, I've seen prices significantly lower than what I bought these for at Whole Foods so that's probably your best bet - unless you need it today... You'd probably need to get Amazon prime if you could wait 2 days, ya know. 

So here are the links for the two:

RAW Probiotics for WOMEN $35

Infant's Probiotic by Flora $16

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JUICING | suja

Juicing. We've all heard about it. BluePrintJuice, Pressed Juicery, Suja - just to name some of the most popular. But out of them all, I have been obsessed with the Suja ones for over a year and could only get them at Whole Foods - until now....  I about died when I saw [Suja] post to their Instagram that TARGET will be carrying the Suja Essentials, and the better news? They're already in the stores! My favorite one is the Mighty Green one and I drink that first thing in the morning and I'll continue drinking them throughout the day if I'm feeling sluggish and needing a little energy - they're AMAZING for that. All of the flavors are really good and the Berry Nana one tastes like a smoothie in a bottle - my absolute favorite if I'm wanting a sweet drink and probably the best choice if you're a first time juice drinker.

      The Suja Essentials aren't the full-size version but they're still 12oz of DELICIOUS HEALTH in a bottle. Check your local Target for availability and try these phenomenally delicious drinks!

Here's a little info on the benefits of juicing:

• Easy Smoothies on-the-go •

Here are two AMAZING smoothie recipes that I make daily with my NutriBullet & are super easy to throw together. I didn't add specific amounts because it all depends on what you like your smoothies to taste like and these are beyond healthy regardless so there's really no wrong way to make em'! 

The green machine was beyond convenient when we were at the beach - it was a quick meal and took less than 5 minutes to make.

Chocolate&Cherry Smoothie 
-  frozen cherries, diced & pitted 

-  frozen banana (half or whole will do)

- chilled almond milk

- a TINY amount of almond extract.. A few small drops works perfectly

- raw cacao powder from Whole Foods (I use about 1tbs or so)
- a handful of dark chocolate chips can be added to make a more dessert-like smoothie
- splash of water
- blend until smooth 

Green Machine Smoothie
This smoothie is great for fighting sickness and improving overall health

- Handful of frozen spinach

- frozen peaches, diced

- 1/2 frozen banana

-  chilled orange juice (I use a little more than a splash of OJ)

- chilled almond milk
-1 tbs of Maca powder (optional)
- add some water to make a thinner consistency


* = You can skip this step if necessary