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!
I came up with the idea for this quilt when my husband decided he had too many shirts from college and was going to get rid of a bag of them. He would never be able to wear all these shirts, but they represented memories for him and I wanted to preserve them. I looked …
I’ve made natural alternatives to most of our household and toiletry products, but homemade shampoo was by far the toughest. I tried the “no-poo” method, which has great results for some, but did not work on me at all (and I have some terrible Christmas pictures to prove it!). If you have coarse hair that …
The answer is likely “Yes” that you are deficient in Magnesium. Magnesium is the eighth most abundant mineral on earth, and the third most abundant in sea water. More importantly, it is the fourth most abundant mineral in the human body and it is necessary in over 300 reactions within the body. Magnesium isn’t just …
Eggnog is a delicious holiday treat, but store bought versions often contain pasteurized ingredients, tremendous amounts of sweeteners, and other additives. This traditional homemade eggnog recipe is a great source of beneficial fats, protein, spices, and optional warmth from the alcohol. Coconut Milk Eggnog Recipe Eggnog can almost be a health food when made traditionally …
After working out the other day, I was really craving protein, but was getting tired of basic scrambled eggs. Probably due to the high intensity exercise, I was also craving something mildly sweet. On a whim, I decided to make a sweet version of scrambled eggs. I added coconut oil, almond butter, vanilla, and raisins …
A while back, I interviewed Dr. William Davis, MD, author of the New York Times bestselling book Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health. He’s a preventive cardiologist whose surprising approach to a heart-healthy diet allows him to not only help people prevent heart disease but potentially …
This carrot cake was a special request recipe, as I needed to bring a dessert to a family event. It is sugar free and mostly fruit sweetened. This carrot cake uses a coconut flour base and a dozen eggs, so it is quite protein dense and fairly nutritious for a dessert. My kids actually enjoy …
Butternut squash soup is a delicious fall favorite at our house. The kids love its bright color and sweet flavor, and it is usually an appetizer at Thanksgiving too! Why Butternut Squash? When in season, butternut squash is extremely inexpensive (often 29 cents or 39 cents a pound at the farmers market) and keeps for …
Liquid stevia extract is a relatively easy tincture to make at home, and it is a less expensive alternative to the store bought versions. If you grow your own stevia, you can preserve the leaves while still fresh to make the most potent extract. This is my basic stevia recipe, and it is suitable for …
One of my favorite ways to prepare chicken is to to slow cook a chicken in the Crock-Pot. If you haven’t roasted a chicken in your Crock-Pot yet… try it! Not only is slow cooker chicken the easiest and least expensive way I’ve found to prepare it, but you get a couple quarts of chicken broth from …
Chili is a wonderful and filling easy meal that can be made ahead and tastes great reheated. It is also a meal that can easily be made grain free, bean free, etc. and served to guests who aren’t used to “health food” without anyone even noticing. 5 Ingredient Crock Pot Chili Recipe This chili recipe …
Ribs are one of those foods that always intimidated me, and while I liked them, I was never brave enough to cook them for the first few years I was married. Then, one day, there was a huge sale on ribs at our local store, and having no better idea for dinner, I bought them. …
Many women shy away from lifting weights, and especially heavy weights, because of fears of getting too bulky or putting on too much muscle. Thanks to a couple of hormones (estrogen and progesterone) and lack of another (testosterone), this is almost impossible without some artificial hormone help, and lifting heavy weights can provide women with …
Ever had spinach artichoke dip in a restaurant? This recipe is similar to that but with more protein and no chips. I had a craving for spinach artichoke dip one night and decided to turn it into a whole dinner: spinach artichoke chicken in a slow cooker. Spinach Artichoke Chicken The chicken is topped with spinach, …
For all men who happen to read or anyone else not interested in hearing all the details of birth, here is the short version: Labor was long, I had a v-bac, mom is fine, baby is fine… the end. For anyone interested… here’s the full story. (You can also read my other birth stories starting here) …
This is my latest healthy Italian dish variation. I never really liked chicken Parmesan until I had it at a friend’s bridesmaids luncheon. It was the most grain free item on the menu, and it was wonderful (I later found out it was breaded in some type of potato starch and not flour!). When I …
Coconut cream concentrate (also sometimes called coconut butter) is an incredibly tasty and filling way to get in your healthy fats from coconut! In essence, coconut cream concentrate or coconut butter is like a coconut version of peanut butter. Coconut flesh is blended at high speeds to create a creamy, buttery consistency. It is dense, …
At least once a week I’m emailed questions from readers and other bloggers about the blogging resources I use for my site, everything from “how do I create my own blog”, “who designed your site”, “how do you send out the weekly newsletter/blog update”, etc. Well, I’ve decided to compile a list of all the …
This is one of those foods that I was very hesitant to try when I was younger, and I absolutely love it now! If you haven’t had gravlax before, the basic idea is that you are curing raw, wild caught salmon in salt, sugar, and spices. It. Is. Delicious. I tried a lot of recipes …
After more than a decade of writing about wellness, I’ve come to the realization that not only is there no “one-size-fits-all” approach to health, but that the idea of trying to find one may actually be harmful. I found the things that worked for me to reverse my Hashimotos and gut issues, but those things …
Fitness is a vital part of any overall wellness regimen, though it should follow a healthy diet and lifestyle, rather than take the place of it. There are hundreds of options for improving your fitness, from gyms and weights, running, swimming, and numerous others. Not all workout options are the best for everyone. Since I …
I’ve written about the many benefits of humic minerals and fulvic acids and how they can dramatically impact health and I’ve gotten a lot of questions about how to practically incorporate these substances. To recap, these substances can improve digestion, cell function, energy levels and even brain function. When combined with soil based probiotics, there is …
If you’re here, that means you are interested in some aspect of healthy living. Maybe you are improving your diet, working on sleeping, or drinking more clean water. You’re working to make sure that you are only ingesting healthy foods, and it’s important to make sure you aren’t using the unhealthy ones on the outside …
Smoothies can be a great and fast meal on the go. If made correctly, they can be a source of nutrients, protein, healthy fats, and probiotics. Without these healthy ingredients, many smoothies contain as much sugar as juice or soda. If protein powder is used, many contain processed whey or artificial sweeteners. As with any …
