Wellness Mama®
Simple Answers for Healthier Families
The Wellness Mama blog provides simple answers for healthier families through research, tutorials, recipes, humor, and living life with lots of kids!
For most of us, our parents ingrained the importance of brushing our teeth and flossing from a young age. Many of us feel guilty as adults for failing to do both every single day. Flossing is one of the most common and accepted general health recommendations. It’s right up there with the importance of eating …
Our metabolism helps control how we use energy, and when it’s slow, we can feel sluggish and weighed down. Nutrients like selenium are important for a healthy metabolism. This metabolism-boosting tea recipe is another healthy (and delicious!) way to support our energy burners. What Is Metabolism? According to Harvard, metabolism is how our body uses …
I love the flavor of rotisserie-style chicken from the store, but it’s hard to find organic or free-range chicken cooked rotisserie-style. It was such a time saver to buy a couple of rotisserie chicken every couple of weeks and use the meat to make chicken salad, casseroles, and the bones to make soup and broth. But I didn’t like …
I’ve shared my favorite health and wellness books over the years, and now I want to share with you the best books recommended by podcast guests. Many of the books they shared became some of my personal favorites. It’s almost like I had my own exclusive book club. In fact, I ended up asking many …
Herbal remedies are something I always have on hand for whatever life brings. They won’t do me much good, though, if I can’t find what I need when I need it! Here’s how to store and organize your natural remedies, herbs, and more. How to Store Your Natural Remedies As my natural remedies started to …
This quick and easy breakfast pizza recipe was born one morning when the kids couldn’t decide between bacon and sausage. They were also tired of our basic scrambled eggs and veggies. I decided to use the same basic breakfast ingredients but serve them in a more fun way. Since then, this has become a Saturday morning …
Our pets really do feel like family members—that’s why we make homemade cat treats. Our Bengal cat Hercules loves them. Still, even when I give him the treats, he highly favors our daughter and is truly her cat. They’re best buds! In addition to feeding our cats healthy food, we’ve tried to be conscious cat …
When I played soccer in high school, I spent a lot of money on fancy body wash products (and fancy personal care products in general). I bought into all the claims that these products would make my skin softer or tighter, smell great, help with acne, etc. I even had several different body washes I …
I don’t have much of a sweet tooth. When I want something sweet, I’ll eat a piece of fruit or add a little honey to my tea. Another option is this berry crisp as it has both fruit and honey, and is delicious without being too sweet. When it comes to holidays or other special days, …
As a mom, I’m always looking for the least invasive ways to optimize our family’s health. It’s even better when I don’t have to leave the house! That’s why I’m excited to tell you about Pulsed ElectroMagnetic Field therapy, or PEMF for short. Everyday electricity from our appliances, computers, WiFi, phones and other electromagnetic fields …
Growing up, I remembered hearing the Christmas story and the gifts the wise men brought. I wondered what the significance of frankincense and myrrh were. Gold seemed obvious, but I was curious about the purpose of the other two gifts. After I started studying herbal remedies and discovered how frankincense and myrrh were traditionally used, …
New chicken recipes are always welcome, right? I feel like every family has their favorites (pad krapow gai is ours), but at the same time, it’s nice to try something new every once in a while. This honey mustard chicken with mushrooms was the result of that try-something-new urge. It turned out great! Honey Mustard …
Is CBD safe for dogs? I’ve already covered the health benefits of CBD oil for humans, and I’m excited that it looks promising for dogs with arthritis, seizures, anxiety, and more. We adore our two dogs, Hemingway and Lollipop. They are so good with our kids. As they get older, I’m glad to know that …
Winter weather means cold air and, for many of us, chapped lips. I like using sugar lip scrubs (like a sugar cookie lip scrub) to help eliminate the excess skin and tacky feeling that can go along with damaged lips. This DIY mint chocolate lip scrub helps gently exfoliate away dead skin cells for softer, …
My name is Katie and I love cabbage. I never really thought I’d say that. I’m not a huge fan of coleslaw. In fact, I usually use broccoli instead of cabbage when making it. However, I’ve learned that if I don’t like something, sometimes I just need to either try making it myself or try a completely …
Weight loss is an issue many mamas struggle with. So, a lot of us turn to low carbohydrate or keto diets in an effort to lose the fat. Because these diets focus on cutting out most sugar and carbs, there’s a big demand for sugar alternatives that are low carb and keto-friendly. The food industry …
This year, we’ve decided to keep things simple, natural, and sustainable with natural and DIY Christmas gift ideas. That includes a few select wooden toys for the kids that will (hopefully) last for generations. We’re also focusing more on experiences than material gifts (for the most part). There are so many great gift options for …
Winter squashes are, to me, the chicken of the vegetable world. They’ve got a nice flavor but are a mostly blank slate that is delicious with different seasonings and preparations. They can be sweet, savory, or spicy. They can be diced and roasted, added to soups and pureed, and baked into desserts. As an added …
I think we’ve all had good intentions where we want to start a new habit or reach a new goal, but we struggle to follow through with it. (I’ve found in the past that sometimes I’m too vague, and that doesn’t set me up for success either.) Anyone else ever made a New Year’s resolution …
In the midst of holiday gift-giving, I can’t help but think about the fact that often well-intentioned gifts eventually lead to more stress, for the giver and the receiver. So much so that over time my husband and I decided to give experiences instead of material gifts as often as we can. After a few …
Ever heard the saying “A bowl of garlic soup a day keeps the doctor away”? Ok, maybe that’s not exactly how the saying goes, but in my book, this garlic soup is one case where good health and good taste unite! Garlic is a wonderful herb and culinary ingredient that I always keep in the kitchen in …
Cyber Monday is a day when many online companies offer their best sales of the year. I’ve found some great deals this year and am stocking up on pantry essentials, supplements, and some other gifts for everyone on my list! In fact, my Christmas shopping is almost done… now I just have to pull the …
I’ve always let my kids help out in the kitchen when I’m cooking. It was important to me that they be confident in their ability to cook their own healthy meals. The extra spills and messes that I dealt with when they were young were a completely worthwhile price to pay for the proficiency they …
We all want to know how to whiten teeth naturally, but getting it done is another matter. Harsh whitening strips and pastes are a no-go for me. This whitening toothpaste recipe with charcoal is an easy, gentler way to get a brighter smile. Avoiding Harsh Whitening Treatments Those slick ads with gorgeous smiles can be …
