The Nutritionist Reviews: April 2015

April 30, 2015

Daily Greens Juice Review

I am not a fan of cleanses or detoxes but I do love drinking green juices and smoothies. I was sent some juices to try from Daily Greens. Adalyn has been sleeping a lot better (*knock on the wood*) but I have not been feeling less tired. In fact, I have been feeling so exhausted many days. It is hard to be a good employee, wife and mom when I am feeling this way so I have been trying to do something about it. Daily Greens Review When I have drank green juices and smoothies in the past, I have felt so much energy. I decided to try this with the Daily Greens juices and was happy with the results. I have been trying these juices and have been feeling more energy during the day (not 100% better or anything but some improvement). I enjoyed the elevate flavor which contains pear, spinach, watercress, cucumber, lime and vanilla. These juices are organic and are blends of a bunch of different fruits and vegetables. I used to not like green juices because I thought they tasted "

April 29, 2015

March of Dimes + Exclusive Jillian Michaels T-shirt Giveaway

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Kmart and March of Dimes . I received a promotional item to thank me for my participation.#TeamKmart March of Dimes is an organization that helps to raise money for lifesaving research and programs and works to end premature birth, birth defects and infant mortality. They have helped to reduce the U.S. preterm birth rate in the last 7 years and have saved about $12 billion in health care costs. Donations help to provide education to parents on vaccinations, increase access to prenatal care with mobile clinics and transportation to doctors, help with substance abuse, fighting for better newborn screening in each state, provide information on pregnancy and delivery and help get better healthcare coverage. There are a couple of reasons that March of Dimes is particularly important to me. We were very fortunate that Adalyn was not born prematurely. I was definitely worried that she would be born premature

April 29, 2015

Must-Try Kitchen Equipment

1. JOCO Cups - I am a coffee and tea lover and have an awesome product to introduce you to today. These glass reusable cups from JOCO are awesome. Troy and I are obsessed! They do not get too how when filled with hot liquid which is great. At least one time per day, I use a to-go mug but have never had a glass one before. I love the mint and lime colors on these. The lid goes on really easily so I was worried that it may come off but it stays on there really well. I chose the 16 oz size because when it comes to my tea, the bigger the better. The day that we received these, Troy and I made a cup of tea after dinner and we were both pleased with these cups. These are perfect for your cup of hot tea or coffee. 2. Kitchen Frontier Lemon and Lime Press - I love using lemons and limes in my cooking but hate to squeeze them because I always seem to squirt myself in the eye or squeeze a bunch of seeds into my recipe. I was contacted to try this lemon and lime press. It is heavy duty

April 28, 2015

5 Signs You're Sleep Deprived

Disclosure: This is a sponsored guest post. Though it comes at a perfect time since Adalyn is teething right now and has been up during the night most nights and up for the day at 5:00-5:30 AM most days. Let’s face it, bringing up kids and getting plenty of sleep are two things that just don’t go together. When you become a parent, those days of being able to sleep in can seem like a very distant memory and you might feel lucky to snatch a few hours of shuteye here and there. However, it is important to try to get enough sleep. Experts recommend that most adults need an average of around eight hours of slumber a night. There are ways to increase your chances of nodding off too. For example, if you suffer from back pain, poor circulation or another physical problem that can make getting sufficient shuteye difficult, you might benefit from switching to an adjustable orthopaedic bed. It’s even possible to purchase versions with built-in massage functions that help to relieve pa

April 28, 2015

How to Increase Financial Literacy + Reduce Debt

"Financial literacy is the ability to understand how money works in the world: how someone manages to earn or make it, how that person manages it, how he/she invests it (turn it into more) and how that person donates it to help others"- via Wikipedia. Financial literacy is something that is very important to me. From an early age, my parents taught me to be money savvy. I was given an allowance, taught to save, taught to shop deals, etc. This is something that I use in my everyday life and am so happy to know. Due to being financially savvy, we have been able to pay off all of our outstanding student loan debt ($34,000!) which we are so proud of. This money did not come from earning a ton- in fact, not at all. This money came from limiting unnecessary expenses such as expensive dinners out, salon appointments, spending on designer clothes, etc. We were able to pay off our debt quickly by focusing on our overall goal which was to pay off our debt. It took somew

April 27, 2015

Adalyn 7 Month Update

This month with baby girl has been a blast. She loves to play so much more and is a joy to be around. Lots of new changes this month! See below. Clothing size : Mostly 6 month clothes, some 3 month still fit (or at least I try to make them fit- denial). Diapers : Size 2 Weight : 16 lbs on home scale Feedings : Adalyn breastfeeds usually 5 times per day (about 6, 9, 12, 3:30 and 7). Sometimes there may be one extra feeding thrown in there. She eats 2 solid meals a day, sometimes 3. She is an excellent eater and must eat anytime we are eating a meal- or else! She has tried many new foods this month. Her favorites seem to be: beans, applesauce, kale and bread. I am still making all of her food homemade which is easy. We do a mix of whole foods (baby led weaning) and purees. She gets baby oatmeal one time per day for the iron. She loves to eat and has an awesome appetite (like me...). Some new foods this month were: whole grain waffles, blue cheese, radish

April 26, 2015

Tasty Dinner Foods Review

1. Alter Eco Grains - Alter Eco surprised me with a package that included some of their quinoa, rice and some other dessert goodies (coming in another post). I love their grains and think that they make awesome additions to meals. These products are organic. I have used the ruby red rice in a soup before and enjoyed it and made a Greek quinoa salad with their quinoa. Eating whole grains is important because they are good sources of fiber, protein and vitamins/minerals. I rarely ever eat white rice or refined grains and prefer whole grain pastas, rice and quinoa. 2. Kayem Artisan Sausage - These products are all for my husband. He loves sausage. Me on the other hand, I do not eat much sausage but am happy to cook some for him on occasion. I chose three flavors of this sausage for him including fire-roasted pepper jack, andouille and sweet pepper provolone. He chose the fire-roasted pepper jack to try first and really enjoyed them. I just pan-fried these and served them with a

April 25, 2015

Delta Children Frog Walker Review

This little one is growing so quick!! She loves to stand and play all throughout the day. For our review, we were sent the Delta Children Lil Frog 2-in-1 walker . This walker can of course be a walker and can then be transformed into a stationary activity center for baby if you prefer that. My husband set this up for Adalyn shortly after we received it and she loves it. When she is in it, can can turn herself around which is great because then she can play with the toys that she wants to. There are a lot of fun toys on this walker and Adalyn has been loving to explore them all with her hands and mouth. This walker has music and Adalyn is learning that she can turn this on herself which she loves. Right now, she cannot move all that much in it which is okay. This walker is for children up to 25 lbs and not over 30" tall. The seat rotates 360 degrees which is a bonus so she can turn herself and play with whichever toys she wants to at the moment. Adalyn has been ha

April 24, 2015

What Dad Really Wants: Father's Day Gift Guide

I am so excited for Father's Day and Mother's Day this year because it will be Troy and I's first year celebrating. Becoming parents has been one of the best things to ever happen to us and I cannot wait to celebrate being parents. As we were walking by a jewelry store recently, I gently reminded Troy that Mother's Day is coming up and since Adalyn cannot buy things herself.... I am not 100% sure what I am doing for Troy for Father's Day yet but I want for it to be special and memorable and something that is totally him. When Troy finds a product that he likes, he will love it forever. These are some of the top things that I know that he would love to receive for Father's Day: 1. A good wristwatch : Many men love to wear a watch and Troy especially does because he is a teacher and does not like to have his phone out during class. My #1 requirement for a watch: it cannot be too loud! Troy recently had a watch that was so irritating that when Troy p

April 23, 2015

method Laundry Detergent- Get Stains Out!

My husband and I are huge fans of method cleaning products. My favorite are their dish soap and glass and surface cleaner. The dish soap is very concentrated and I love the pink grapefruit scent. You use a lot less than you would with other soaps due to the concentrated formula. It cleans my dishes really well which is what matters! The glass and surface cleaner does an excellent job of getting toothpaste and whatever else off my my mirror in the bathroom. We also use it for getting dog nose prints off the windows- my little dachshunds love to be security guards for our home! I love the mint scent which is fresh and does not smell like chemicals. method has a new laundry detergent that is 4x more concentrated than other detergents. I love having to use less detergent and appreciate the concentrated formula. It is tough on dirt and stains. Beets are delicious but messy! Let me tell you, before Adalyn starting eating solids, we never had much of