Sometimes I Pretend I'm Oprah...

Okay, so I didn't really love Oprah. I thought she was full of herself and I really hated her for never having me on one of those Favorite Things shows. I still haven't got over that yet.

But...I do love to share my favorite things with you people! I'm not loaded like Oprah (heck, I'm not loaded at all) so I won't be actually giving away my favorite things to you, but I will let you know what they are so they can be your favorites too!

Below are my favorite things that make me healthy. I don't really make New Year's Resolutions, but I do have some goals I'd like to accomplish this year, and one of them was to be more healthy and to make my family more healthy. This includes eating out less (so hard to do sometimes!), eating organic when I can, and being more active.

Click here to read my previous "Favorite Things" post.

Listerine Total Care Zero

Okay, so I read this article a few weeks ago that stated some simple things you can do to extend your life (on the basis you don't get hit by a car or something). Things like getting the right amount of sleep, eating organic with certain produce, etc. And then it said oral health! Like flossing and mouthwash to kill bacteria. It would add like 12 years to your life span! That's a lot of extra life span!

However, I'm kind of a pansy when it comes to mouthwash. It burns - and I hate the burn. My eyes water and my tongue loses half of its taste buds and my cheeks go numb. I can't handle it so I don't do it. Then Crowdtap sent me a sample of Listerine Total Care Zero (yes, it's also pretty to look at with it's pastel purple color). This stuff has no alcohol, so surprise! It didn't burn, but I love it because I feel healthier after I use it, the taste isn't awful (it's still a mouthwash so I don't expect it to taste like chocolate cake or anything) and it keeps my mouth feeling clean for hours. And I usually have sensitive teeth and after a couple weeks of using this I don't notice sensitivity anymore. Pretty sweet, right? And as a bonus you all get to put up with me for an extra 12 years!

I let Bryan try it too and he didn't think it was that bad. He tends to love the "burn" of regular mouthwash, and I'm fine with that. More for me since I don't have to share! And Rix liked it too, and since he's old enough to use mouthwash and is getting his adult teeth in I figured he should use it too. He actually asks me to use it! I let several family members try it too and they all agreed it sure beats the heck out of burning off your insides!

Get a coupon for Listerine here: www.listerine.com/special-offers

To join Crowdtap (you know, get free stuff from Old Navy and participate in discussions on brands and marketing and stuff!) click HERE

Bountiful Baskets:

If you don't have Bountiful Baskets in your area you have my sympathies. I really love this co-op because it gives me a ton of fruits and veggies for a way reasonable price (between 50% and 75% off what I can buy them for in the supermarket). The way it works is you buy your "basket" online, and then on Saturday you go to your designated pick-up site and pick up your basket full of fruits and veggies. You can upgrade to organic only produce and also add on things like breads, tortillas, olive oil, and boxes of apples, carrots, oranges, etc (these change weekly, so it's always a surprise to see what is available!). Now I'll be honest that some of the produce isn't always great (I've never got good bananas from the basket) but some of it is so good and it makes me branch out and try new things (like fennel and Mexican squash). Really, if I have more produce in the house we eat more of it!

Go to www.bountifulbaskets.org to order yours and find out more.

Little Critters Vitamins

Okay, even though I get lots of produce from Bountiful Baskets, that doesn't mean that my kids always eat healthy! In fact, if you ask my kids what their favorite food is they will say something like chicken nuggets, hot dogs, or pizza. So every day they take a vitamin. And these vitamins they beg to eat! They taste like candy, and I love that I don't have to force a gross vitamin down their throat. I also love that they have some other supplemental vitamins. I get the Calcium ones for Rix because he doesn't like milk or yogurt and by far does not get his daily calcium.

Magic Bullet

When we first got the Magic Bullet for Christmas a few years ago I thought this would be an appliance that was just going to waste space in my kitchen. So not the case! This little gadget makes the best milkshakes (so not healthy!!) and the best and easiest baby food! It's so easy to steam some fruits or veggies for Jake and throw them in the blender. I get simple, organic and fresh baby food and it's way cheaper than buying it at the store. So even my littlest kid is super healthy right now! And don't forget about those unhealthy milkshakes :)

Couch to 5K

I really have to give credit to my friend Destiny for this one. She posted on Facebook every night when she finished a part of the C25K program and she made it sound not only fun, but easy (two things I love to hear when I'm going to work out - fun and easy). So Carissa and I loaded the app on our phones and tried it out. I loved it. It helped me increase my stamina slowly so that I didn't get burned out or frustrated, but it also challenged me and made me realize that not only could I run, but that I liked it. I am currently not running - it was really hard to schedule around Bryan's and Adam's work schedules, nursing schedules, and the fact that it got dark at like 4pm. My neighborhood is pretty safe, but I didn't feel comfortable running in the dark. But as soon as the time change happens and we get more daily light, you know me and my new phone app will be hitting the pavement!

Hershey's Bliss

Okay, so totally not "healthy" but I'm a huge believer (only because I've experience it firsthand) that if you deny yourself the things you love you will a. hate yourself and those around you or b. cave in and eat a mountains worth of said food or c. all of the above. I need to have a small chocolate fix every now and then (like maybe every night after the kids go to bed). I have a secret stash in my room and I have lots of Hershey's Bliss that I got for Christmas that I love and do not share. The best part is they are individually wrapped in small portions, so I only eat one (or two...) as I snuggle in bed and read a book.