I was so excited to get my frozen container of Dr. Bronner’s cleaner I recently ordered from well.ca

I love Dr. Bronners, I use their cleaner to tackle every job, some require full strength but I mainly dilute it.  A 16oz bottle is priced below $10 and my last bottle last me a full year.  Not a bad investment.  I have since purchased their baby soap and their famous peppermint castille soap of which we use to bath and to fill our soap dispensers with. The best part about Dr. Bronners is the fact they are certified organic, not tested on animals and certified fair trade.  In addition to all of the above his labels are thoroughly amusing.

Well.ca is an on-line store I frequently purchase from.  Not only do they have an excellent selection of products for you and your family’s well being they have the best customer service ever.  Seriously, they practically call you when the Canada Post truck is turning into your subdivision.  Obviously I ignored that e-mail and left the bottle until the following Monday upon which I found it frozen solid.

The best part about Well.ca is free shipping resulting in fewer shopping trips with children…..priceless.

I am not going to lie and say my journey to eating a whole foods diet was easy, it was an uphill journey and still is.

It takes time, patience, organization but most of all an open mind.  An open mind to try new things, ingredients you can barely pronounce let alone pay money for, cook and serve to your family.  Take Quinoa for example, it sounds weird (pronounced Keenwa) but with some creativity and experimenting with new recipes this little nutty grain could easily replace plain rice in your favourite family dishes….except for you mom, I know you hate the stuff.

Start with one small change and work from there.  I started with spelt flour and continue to use this in the majority of my baked goods and breads.  Spelt easily replaces white flour in most recipes without too much change in flavor and texture.  The next time you bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies, try substituting one cup of spelt in place of white and from there go wild and work yourself up to a half.  Contrary to what my Dad thinks you are not going hippy by eating spelt and quinoa….and so what if you were, you will be one healthy hippy.

Baby steps are key to incorporating alternative ingredients into your diet but with small minuscule changes the transition will be seamless without an uprising from your family members

Here is some information on spelt flour…by far an easy first step in a whole foods diet.

I love coffee, seriously, I LOVE coffee.  I need it, I crave it and if someone was to mess with my morning java they better get a heard start running because I will hunt them down.  OK, now I completely sound psycho but you get the point.  Some of us just need it and love it a little more than others.

Since I consume my fair share of coffee in the run of the week (more since the arrival of little people) I decided to do some research into those fair trade stickers I see on the expensive bags next to the discount tins that I usually toss into my cart.  Before shelling out triple the price I needed to know what the scoop was on this statement and how it affected those who directly grow and cultivate this product.  I was astonished to read just how unfairly treated and compensated these poor farmers were, how little they were paid in relation to how much the industry brings in.

To get the complete scoop on fair trade coffee practices and the regulations brought forth to ensure fair practices in producing the product are explained in depth here.  I have since made the switch to fair trade for the majority of my java habit.  There are some exceptions.  Normally I mix half regular coffee to half flavoured, in a particular a specific butterscotch flavour that makes the most miserable morning bearable after my first sip.  Does one really want to mess with that?  As of now there is only basic choices for fair trade beans around here, no butterscotch, chocolate amaretto or vanilla biscotti, nope just regular coffee.  Baby step I say, baby steps.

I now buy all of my coffee flavoured coffee (as my husband calls it) in fair trade.  As soon as a suitable replacement is found I will try that as well.  Does this fit into my budget? not really, but I made a conscious decision to make this a priority with small cuts made elsewhere to allow it to fit in.  For me it was important enough of a sacrifice.

Since I am now aware I specifically chose my Dr. Bronners soaps for this reason as well.  Not only are they organic, natural, not tested on animals, they are also fair trade certified. That sealed the deal for my decision in purchasing them.

Although this is only a small step in the right direction to be conscious as a consumer as to where your products come from, it is a start.

Baby steps, Niki, Baby steps.

For more Green ideas and tips visit Green baby guide

If you were not super paranoid about all the toxins and chemicals you are exposed to each and every day, you may want to skip this next site.

A simple search will get the low down on your everyday beauty products on a health and toxicity scale from 0 all the way to 9.  You can choose various categories from baby products to makeup and skin care.  Simply punch in your tried and true products and weep at the high number that shows up larger than life on the screen.  Lucky for me I wear little to no makeup BUT the little I do own reported a shockingly high rating. I vow to change that going forward.

I decided to start with my cleaning supplies, hand and body soap.  With the recent purchase of a new home, I thought what better time to clear my home of toxins once and for all. After lengthy research I decided on products made by Dr. Bronners.  This stuff has been around for over 150 years and relies on pure organic Castile soap for the base of their soaps.  The peppermint stuff is a favourite of many and people report how awesome the tingly sensation of the soap is when lathering up in the shower.  With a rating of 1 on the toxin scale and a price that is hard to beat, I quickly placed some products in my shopping cart over at Well.ca.

Many Americans can easily pick it up at their nearest drug food or health store but here in Atlantic Canada we have to rely on the power of online shopping to get our hands on this stuff.  Luckily, I found a site with free shipping and periodic sales.  I also lucked in and got a 16oz bottler of organic baby wash for the price of an 8oz and with free shipping on all orders I decided to go big or go home and threw all of this in.

I ordered the 16 oz bottler of organic baby wash

DESCRIPTION:
Our unscented baby contains no fragrance so is great for people who have allergies or sensitive skin. Of course it is great for babies as well. All oils and essential oils are certified organic to the National Organic Standards Program. Packaged in 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles.
INGREDIENTS:
Water, Saponfied Organic Coconut Oil*, Saponified Organic Olive Oil*, Organic Glycerin, Organic Cannabis Sativa (Hemp) Seed Oil, Organic Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Citric Acid, Tocopherol (Vit. E), * Certified Fair Trade by IMO

8 oz of peppermint wash

DESCRIPTION:
Our most popular fragrance. The peppermint essential oil tingles the body and clears the mind. Because therapeutically peppermint oil is a mild stimulant it increases vitality and clarity. All oils and essential oils are certified organic to the National Organic Standards Program. Packaged in 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles.
INGREDIENTS:
Water, Saponfied Organic Coconut Oil*, Saponified Organic Olive Oil*, Organic Glycerin, Organic Cannabis Sativa (Hemp) Seed Oil, Organic Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Mentha Arvensis Extract, Organic Mentha Peperita (Peppermint) Oil, Citric Acid, Tocopherol (* Certified Fair Trade by IMO)

8 oz of sal suds for cleaning the entire house

DESCRIPTION:
Sal Suds is a balanced formulation of naturally derived surfactants with pure fir and spruce essential oils: it cleans and rinses with exceptional power yet is mild and gentle on the skin. Sal Suds is not soap-based and is formulated especially for all-purpose hard-surface cleaning. Available in 32 oz. bottle. Perfect for general household cleaning: dishes floors laundry etc. Equally effective in hard or soft water rinsing freely hot or cold. Concentrated and self-preserving: no hidden preservatives or ingredients. No synthetic dyes or fragrances: all ingredients fully disclosed and described. Biodegrades rapidly after doing its job. Pure high-quality fir and spruce essential oils: no cheap harsh pine stump oil. No animal testing: Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics certified.
INGREDIENTS:
Water, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Coco-Betaine, Lauryl Glucoside, Fir Needle Oil, Spruce Oil
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS): This surfactant cuts grease and dirt, generates copious suds, and biodegrades quickly and completely. SLS is made by combining a sulfate group with lauryl alcohol from coconut oil, then attaching sodium. If improperly formulated, SLS can irritate skin, but our superb formula uses coco-betaine and lauryl glucoside to counter this. Coco-Betaine: Mild and easily biodegradable, coco-betaine is formed by combining coconut fatty acids with betaine (a nature-identical synthetic so-named because it was first discovered in sugar beets). This foam-boosting cleansing agent buffers irritation caused by SLS. Lauryl Glucoside: This powerful grease-cutting surfactant is especially mild and quickly biodegradable, and is made by combining glucose from corn with fatty alcohols from coconut and palm kernel oils. Lauryl glucoside not only works with SLS to cut dirt and oily soils with exceptional ease, but also combines with coco-betaine to give Sal Suds smooth mildness. Fir Needle Oil & Spruce Oil: Pure essential oils from fir and spruce give Sal Suds its wonderful aroma. Most other cleansers use synthetic fragrances or cheap harsh pine stump oil.

Because this stuff is concentrate and easily diluted with water it should last me a good year, even with the amount of cleaning I do. I can use this to clean my floors, wash my dishes, added to a little baking powder can scrub toilets and tubs.  It really is an all purpose cleaner.

For those Canadian readers here is the site I ordered from.  It is called Well.ca and they have free shipping on all orders regardless of amount.

For more green ideas visit Green baby guide.