Giveaway for Goddess Garden: Organic Sunscreen? This Pasty White Mom Says YES!

Which one of these kids in not like the other?

Yep I am the baby!

Yep, I grew up in sunny California as practically an albino.  My siblings convinced me I was adopted.  They were "peppers" and I was a "salt." They baked to a nice mahogany and I burned and burned.  One of my clearest memories were the yearly extreme sunburns and my mom applying cloths, vinegar, and fans as I tried to sleep on cool sheets with agonizing blisters on my shoulders...followed by peeking!

As a true native California, I tried to bake in the sun growing up. By my teen years, I would get 2nd degree burns and yes, to my horror, I damaged my skin so bad that it peeled for over a year. I never wore sunscreen.  My goodness, my sisters were the Crisco tan on  the roof types. I only did the aloe after care.

Fast forward to when I hit thirty, and the wrinkles were hitting, I immediately started a skin care regiment that included daily sunscreen.  Especially with skin cancer in my family, I didn't care if I ever had pigment on my skin again.  So not worth it.

Now that I live in gloomy Seattle, I wish for the sun...but don't miss it's damaging rays.  My goodness, my pup died od skin cancer living up here.  Sniffle!!

So I continue the sunscreen--despite my Vitamin D deficiency -because I don't want to be that wrinkled leathery old baseball mitt of a mom and I especially want to be around to see my future grandkids. Back to purely healthy looking skin,  I think my efforts paid off the other day when a Facebook friend was shocked at the picture of my teen son with facial hair.  She apparently thought I was...wait for it...in my mid-twenties!!

YES!!!

Holy crap!  How could I be 40 and take pics with no make up! 

In full disclosure, I turned FORTY last August.  I love it.  Now do I think I look like I am in my mid-twenties.  No!

But hey, this mom will take any compliment she can get!!

So I was excited with the prospects of reviewing an organic sunscreen through Leah Segedie and Mamavation.  It dawned on me that I don't use chemicals on my garden.  I glory in the ladybugs, bumble bees, and dragonflies that abound in my flowers.

A few crows feet?  I earned them, but cancer and liver spots?  No thanks!!

So why was I putting chemicals on my skin?  Daily on my skin??

Duh!

And why on earth was I putting them on my babies?  Yes, you see...I now have two salts and a pepper.

It's hard to believe they were ever this small!!

This is where Goddess Garden comes in.  They have a broad spectrum adult, baby, and children's sunscreen, both at SPF 30, that is 94% organic.  Created by a mom for her daughter, the sunscreens are free of chemical sunscreens, biodegradable, and even with Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide, totally sheer!!

We tried these two out.  Sprayed out white, but faded to sheer!
Currently, it has the highest organic ingredient content available on the market!

Some interesting information that as parents we should know that Mamavation provided me:

• Goddess Garden has a full selection of organic sunscreens without Vitamin A or other toxic ingredients. A couple of things you may want to note: Conventional brands are full of chemicals that are linked to cancer and can be toxic.Check out the worst brands here. 

• Vitamin A in sunscreens have been linked to speeding up cancer development such as melanoma, Ironic, huh?

• Sunscreens without zinc or titanium contain an average of 4 times as many high hazard ingredients known or strongly suspected to cause cancer, birth defects, disrupt human reproduction, damage the growing brain of a child

• Goddess Garden sunscreens are made from 82% organic materials and have no vitamin A or other cancer causing substances

• Goddess Garden is also the only organic toxic free sunscreen that also comes with a spray nozzle for convenience.

40 and at Prom...Mom Prom That is! I want to keep this skin fair!

So are you ready to go chemical free on your skin, and not just in your food and environment?  I have a giveaway for one lucky American or Canadian!  A bottle shipped just for you!

Just tell me your own experience with sunscreen growing up!


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Full Disclosure: Except for product to review, I was not compensated for this post and as always my reviews are 100% my own opinions!

'lisciously scribed by Heather Murphy-Raines @ 10:00 PM 1 Witty Comments For Me  

Giveaway: Win and Get Fit With a Fitbit Zip #ATTSEATTLE

So you all know that crossfit has been a pretty major part of my life for the last six months.  Add in the Paleo and Gluten Free Diet, and I am pretty proud of a 31 lb. loss and many inches lost.

Sometimes I don't see the change, but then someone close points out even my face looks different!!

Top Before/Bottom After 30 lbs Weight Loss

However, I keep hitting these plateaus.   I've read that a pound of fat is the size of the grapefruit while a pound of muscle is the size of a tangerine. I am patient and know when I continue to workout, even if the scale does not budge, my looser clothing tell the real story.  So I keep on keeping on.

 Add muscle, lose fat.

Good news?  I finally have managed to fit in clothes that didn't fit seven years ago!!

Yes this dress has been hanging in my closet--tags on--for 7 yrs!!

So I still have 50-60 lbs to go, but one gadget that is helping is the super cool Fitbit Zip / Wireless Smart Fitness Technology that AT&T Seattle gave me the opportunity to try out recently.

Free shipping & Store Pick Up Right Now

So exciting...and illuminating.

While I work out intensely, I was not even close to getting in the recommended 10,000 steps a day. Talk about overestimating my daily activity. Eek!  I started to fix that...

Want one now?

What's cool is with the Fitbit app,  you can use your AT&T smart phone or tablet to track your activity stats, log calories, and even monitor other health measures like weight and BMI.  It even lets you set goals and tracks  how close you are to reaching them!!

Then I saw that I could hook up with friends with their own Fitbits on the Fitbit App and...

Beginning of a New HEALTHY addiction

Oh my, did my competitive side arise!!

It. WAS. on.

In a rolling seven day period, I could compete and stroll past friends across the county.  Fifty thousand steps...pashaw!  Make it sixty thousand!

So cool!!

So there is a downside? If you can call it a downside...

The Fitbit Zip is so lightweight and streamlined that I'd forget I was wearing.  It would get lost in the laundry.  Lost in the coat closet.  Yep, lost on my nightgown because dang if I wasn't going to get credit for those steps from the bed to the toilet!  Ha!

So I am still looking for it ...EVERYWHERE...cannot let my friends get so far ahead!!  Arrgh!!

In the meantime, why not get your own??

Want to win one??

 The details on the Fitbit Zero at AT&T:

Get Fit. Have Fun. Meet Zip!

Turn your everyday life into a fun path to fitness. Much more than a pedometer, Zip tracks your steps, distance, and calories burned -- then automatically syncs the data to your Fitbit account.

Whether online or through the Fitbit App, you can set goals and stay motivated to keep on your path to fitness with graphs, badges, and friendly competitions. Check to see how you compare with friends and family, even provide a message to egg them on. Your stats wirelessly uploads via computer or select mobile devices (like the iPhone 4S), so you will know in real time when you are close to a goal and when you've reached one.

Features:

• Tracks steps, distance and calories burned
• Syncs automatically to your computer or select Bluetooth 4.0 smartphones or tablets
• Set goals, view progress, and earn badges
• Share and compete with friends throughout the day
• Free iPhone and Android App
• Small and discreet - wear in pocket, on belt or bra
• Log food, weight and more on Fitbit's website or apps
• Sweat, rain, and splash proof
• Replaceable battery with a 4-6-month life

The Fitbit Zip is available at AT&T stores as well as online for $59.

You can also see the entire range of fitness products from AT&T by visiting their Health and Fitness accessories online today or stop into a store near you. There's even a scale to go with the Fitbit Zip!! 

So tell me what feature you think will help you with your fitness goals in comments as well as try the other methods to be entered to win! One lucky reader will win a Fitbit Zip of their very own...and then I can add you to my competition circle!  


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Let's get motivated, courtesy of AT&T, together. 

Join me as we walk to get healthy!

We got this!

* Many thanks to  AT&T for providing the Fitbit Zip for me and for one of my readers.  As always, my reviews are 100% honest and my own opinion. Except for product for review, I was not compensated for this post.

'lisciously scribed by Heather Murphy-Raines @ 11:20 PM 3 Witty Comments For Me  

It's Not Complicated. Moms Are the Best! #ATTSEATTLE

Psst!  It's Mother's Day.  Yep, it's that time again.

Did you send yo' mama a card?

 No worries if you didn't.  AT&T has come up with a quick and easy was to send a cute video with all the sentiment you need:

Dontcha just love these commercials??

Yep, a “Mother’s Day” themed e-card video which users can personalize and send to their moms via Facebook, Twitter or email, and Mother’s Day e-card site that will be available through Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 12....which is like TODAY!!!

Now?  To really get in her good graces?  Check out my post for information on how you can win FOUR LG  Optimus G Pro  $549 phones courtesy of #ATTSEATTLE.

Yo' mama wants a new phone?  Hurry up and enter to win.  Three of the giveaways end today and the odds are in your favor!!

'lisciously scribed by Heather Murphy-Raines @ 9:55 AM 0 Witty Comments For Me  

Giveaway & Recipe: Goodness Knows You Should Trust Yourself: Spicy Curried Carrot Soup (Paleo & Gluten-Free)

Mmmm don't you just love it when dinner is ready at noon??  Yep, no scrambling to figure it out with a hungry family at night?? Done!  

What's on the menu today you ask? Spicy Curry Carrot Soup!! 

Yes totally Paleo, gluten-free, pretty economical too, but most importantly...Delicious. Add a salad and maybe some crusty homemade bread for the kids and done! 

Recipe to follow below...

As many of you know -- some with frustration when I post yummy pictures and no recipes-- I don't measure, so it is a challenge to recreate recipes for you all. 

That is just the kind of cook that I am.  I don't follow recipes either.  

I might occasionally glance at one, but rare is the time in the last decade that I have not tweaked it beyond recognition. Heh!

So when I do post recipes? 

They are approximations. They hope to recreate splashes of this and handfuls of that. I've found your best bet is to taste as you go--plus its yummier that way! 

I've always used this method, but it was confirmed at a recent cooking class I went to for Goodness Knows Snack Squares at Hip Cooks in Seattle.

There we made a gorgeous red and yellow pepper soup...

Yep, I put my twitter handle on my soup?  Follow me?

MMMM Sesame Crusted Ahi with mango salsa anyone?

Yes, I made this gorgeousness too!!  

We had wonderful conversations about how we bloggers and social media enthusiasts could nurture each other.  All in all a nurturing afternoon for the belly and soul.  We cooked and chatted.  Tossed and tasted.

My friends, we did not measure one thing!

Say Hi, Honey!!

My goodness was I in my element. My husband who came with me?  Yeah as an engineer and all around geek, he is more of about precision. Our styles often clash in our kitchen.  But here?  Here I was being told that my cooking style was beyond okay.  Freedom is amazing in the kitchen. Just trust yourself!!

Chef Bonny, Jenny Hogan, Kerri (the Maven), Beau (my love), Kat Kim, Kristin, & Goodness Knows Team

I did want to take the time to thank Goodness Knows and media super star Jenni Hogan for hosting such a wonderful event at Hip Cooks. 

I have to admit I accepted before I even realized it was a cooking class because I knew Goodness Knows was a wonderful Northwest brand. I had had the opportunity to eat their chocolate granola yum last summer.  The bars came in the mail and were gobbled up by the kids and I before CG got any!

I love that they come in squares, so when you need just a little treat...you can split it amongst your friends and family.  My kids especially love them because they are one of the few non-paleo snacks for before/after swim practice that I stock.  

Too many bars these days are so stuffed with junk.  

 "These new, wholesome snacks are made from slow-roasted whole almonds, tangy fruits, toasted oats and our extraordinary deep chocolate, with no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives."

So Paleo?  No.  However, it's a perfect little snack with just enough yum to head off a major Paleo cheat when I feel it coming.  Better to eat a square or two of these babies at less than 40 calories a square and full of almonds then give in to a whole bag of "melt in your mouth, not in your hand" artificial, preservative packed yuck, right?  

Want some of your own?  Giveaway at the end for one lucky  reader!!

Back to that soup today?  I was inspired to make another hand-crafted, nurturing soup with a little zing.

Spicy Curry Carrot Soup 
(Paleo &Gluten Free Recipe)

Makes about 7-8 hearty servings

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large sweet onion, chopped
4-5 sliced large mushrooms, sliced
2-3 lbs. carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
2-3 stalks celery and leaves, chopped
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

2-4 tbsp curry powder
2-4 tbsp cumin
2-4 tbsp smoked paprika
1-2 tbsp garlic powder
2-4 tbsp chili powder
1-3 tbsp siracha or tabasco

3-4 tbsp cider vinegar
1-2 tsp sea salt to desired taste
**Fresh Fast chicken stock (see below)or 3-4 cups of chicken stock

Warm olive oil over medium in heavy pot.  Add next six ingredient from onions to ground pepper.  Saute for 3-4 minutes until onions start to soften and oil is evenly distributed.  Cover, put on low and cook for 20 minutes or until carrots are very tender. Meanwhile warm up store purchased chicken broth or make ** Fresh, Fast chicken stock below.

Put all contents into a blender and blend for 4-5 minutes.  You may have to do this in batches.  Vegetables should be very smooth and the consistency of a puree.

Place puree back into pot over low heat. Add 2 cups of broth. Mix thoroughly   Begin to add spices 1 tbsp at a time then taste.  For instance add one tbsp curry powder through siracha. Then add 1/2 tsp salt. Add 1 tbsp vinegar. Stir.  Taste.  Start again from the top.  Go until you've reached the desired spiciness and balance your tongue likes. Seriously trust yourselves. The measurements of spices above were based on my palate.  You might like less or more (go wild) spicy. Remember start slowly.  You can always add more, but it's hard to take away too much salt or chili powder.

Once you have the right spice, add more chicken stock to desired soup consistency.  Some people like thick others like thin.  Your choice.

Simmer 30 more minutes to let flavors meld together. Add a splash more cider vinegar and a sprinkle more salt if needed.

Bonus? This recipe works double duty as a vitamin-packed Indian style sauce to put over rice.  Add cooked chicken and some steamed veggies and you've got curry!

**Fresh, FAST Chicken Stock (Carcass, skin, bones everything from a leftover rotisserie chicken in a large pot, cover with water, bring to boil and then turn down to simmer for 20-30 minutes.  Strain.)

So my friends?  I am all about making nurturing, natural foods and trusting myself.  And these bars?  I trust them.

So back to that awesome giveaway Goodness Knows has offered my readers?  Goodness Knows will ship one lucky person a tote bag, water bottle & THREE BOXES of Goodness Knows Snack Squares ($65 Value)!!

Tell me what your cooking style is in comments below to enter to win!  There are additional entry options as well!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Want to hear my husband's side of the story?  You can read his review Hip Cooks at Hip Cooks.



 Psst as for recipes for that awesome seared ahi tuna with mango salsa and red/yellow pepper soup?  Stay tuned on my blog for next week!!

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YUM!!

Disclosure: I was provided a cooking class and product to review but was not otherwise compensated.  As always, my opinions, good or bad, are always my own and never can be bought. :)

'lisciously scribed by Heather Murphy-Raines @ 1:05 PM 2 Witty Comments For Me  

Chili-Rubbed Steak Salad With Creamy Cilantro Citrus Dressing #Paleo #Glutenfree

We made massive zesty steak salads for the family tonight.  Demolished by two adults and three child athletes.  I am sure this would also be perfect for a dinner party of six to eight restrained adults.  Heh!  Yes, Michael Phelps appetite was no myth!!

So let's get cooking...

Ingredients

2.5 lbs Hanger Steaks (approx 2)
4-6 tbsp Chili Powder
3 tbsp Cumin
2 tbsp Smoked Paprika
1 tsp Kosher Salt
3 tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Black Pepper

1 head Red Leaf Lettuce
3-4 cups Mixed Spring Greens
1 bunch Cherry Tomatoes, sliced
1 bunch Radishes, sliced

1 bunch Cilantro
3 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tbsp Chili Powder
1/4 Lemon Juice
1 tbsp Siracha
2 tbsp Olive Oil Mayo (if you are strict paleo, you can make your own)
1/2 tsp salt (kosher or Himalayan Sea Salt)

Heat grill pan to medium high. Brush with 1 tbsp olive oil.

In large bowl, add steaks, 4 tbsp chili powder, 3 tbsp cumin, 2 tbsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp salt, 3 tbsp olive oil, and freshly ground black pepper.

Rub thoroughly onto all surfaces of meat.  Massage those suckers!!  Then?

Smack them around with a mallet if you want or it's been a long day with the kids.

Very satisfying.

Next put steaks on grill.  

Grill 4 minutes each side.  Then rotate sideways to create grill marks. 1 minute each side.  This is about medium rare.  Cook longer if desired.

 Let rest minimum 10 minutes.  Slice thinly.

Taste a few pieces to make sure properly seasoned. Heh! Add some more sea salt and cracked pepper if needed. Test some more.

In food processor add:

1 bunch rinsed cilantro
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp chili powder
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tbsp siracha (or more if you like spicy)
1/2 tp salt
2 tbsp olive oil mayo.

Pulse until blended and slightly thickened as the oil emulsifies.

This will make a fair amount of dressing, but believe me, it was ALL gone by the end of dinner.

 It will taste citrus-y.   Maybe too citrus-y, but trust me, when you add those greens and that rubbed steak??  MAGIC!  Just wait for it to be combined with the chili-rubbed meat.

Mmmm!

Rinse, dry and rip up lettuce.

Slice tomatoes.

Slice radishes.

Toss in individual dinner bowls.

Add lettuce to large dinner bowls.

Add sliced steak.

Drizzle generously with dressing.

Dig in!!

IMPORTANT: Try to prevent your husband from claiming all the leftovers for lunch the next day before we are finished eating.  Nope, no leftovers!!  All gone!!

Like steak ever lasts long in this paleo household.  Mmmm protein!

'lisciously scribed by Heather Murphy-Raines @ 10:11 PM 1 Witty Comments For Me