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Going Green, Going Healthy, Going Reviews, Promo

Welcoming Naturepedic Into Our Home

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We got a new Naturepedic organic mattress and our excitement can hardly be contained! After having to deal with getting uncomfortably hot in our old mattress for years, the time has finally arrived to improve an all too often overlooked aspect of health; sleep.

Naturepedic EOS Campaign_1

 

Not only was our old mattress uncomfortable, but it, like most mattresses, was plagued by flame retardants and a host of chemicals like phthalates that easily spread throughout the house. Basically, lots of nasty stuff that can pose harm to us and our little ones. Even during pregnancy, studies have shown mothers exposed to phthalates have been linked to their children having an increased risk of asthma.

Having grown up with asthma as a kid (luckily I don’t have it now), I know firsthand that it sucks, literally. It’s true, having asthma usually involves sucking wind when you exert yourself too much and have an attack or close to it. It’s not fun and I don’t wish it on anyone. Lets just say my childhood days of playing soccer had me clinging to an inhaler like Frodo Baggins with the One Ring.

Point is, there are things I never even considered to pose a threat to our health, but now know otherwise. One very big thing is the mattress we sleep on. After doing our research, Going Mom and I knew it was time to upgrade our sleep and health by getting a new mattress.

Our last mattress was a queen, but my wife, always thinking ahead, said we need a king for when someone *cough* Avery *cough cough* starts venturing into Mommy and Daddy’s room to join us. I guess the kitchen floor (note the picture above) doesn’t work so well.

naturepedic
Please let me sleep with you, Mommy and Daddy.

Thankfully, the super generous people at Naturepedic provided us the value of their queen mattress so all we had to do was make up the difference to buy a king! I can picture us now…

Naturepedic EOS Campaign_2

Except we won’t have the ocean as a backdrop and Avery will surely be in between or jumping us. You know, standard toddler. Speaking of, they do have crib and kid mattresses too.

Happy doesn’t even begin to describe how we feel about our new mattress. I think flabbergasted or elated would serve as a better word. Avery was excited the day the mattress arrived in, get this, several boxes.

Naturepedic mattress, organic, flame retardant free

That’s right, a king mattress in several boxes. We haven’t opened them since we’re waiting to set it up this weekend, but there are warnings to be careful when opening. I can just picture a giant snake-in-a-can effect happening from trying to be too quick to open! SURPRISE!!! Actually, they provide detailed assembly instructions and have a YouTube video.. It seems easy peasy to me, what do you think?

I guess that means no snake-in-a-can surprise. But seriously, watching that video gets me even more pumped up to set it up this weekend!

Anyway, I’ll be working hard (aka sleeping on this awesome mattress) to write a review post. Over the coming months, look for update posts and please feel free to ask any questions you have anytime. If I can’t answer them, Naturepedic’s website is packed full of useful info.

A big thanks to Naturepedic for allowing us the opportunity to sleep on their high quality organic mattress. I can’t wait to share with everyone how great it feels and why being free of flame retardants and other chemicals is so important.

To see why we’re so excited to welcome Naturepedic in our home, be sure to keep up to date by following them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, and their blog.

Are you in the market for a new mattress?

Have you heard of Naturepedic?

Going Healthy, Promo

Legion Whey+ Banana Vanilla Protein Pancakes Recipe

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Do you love banana bread? What about a tasty vanilla treat? If so, I have just the thing for you….Pancakes! Not just any pancakes, healthy, protein-packed, and easy-to-make pancakes!

legion whey+ protein pancakes

With delicious Legion Whey+ 100% Isolate Protein Powder and fiber-rich oat flour, you can forget the nutrient lacking white flour found in most recipes for something healthy the whole family will enjoy for breakfast. If you missed my review of Legion’s Whey+ Vanilla Protein Powder, you can read it here. If you’re wondering if your little ones can have/will like them, let me just put this here…..

As a parent to a demanding toddler, labor-intensive recipes requiring time and precise measurements are as common as our little girl accepting when it’s time for bed and willingly hopping in bed to go to sleep.. Which, as most parents know, is anything but common! But that doesn’t mean you can’t feed your family healthy food they’ll love.

Hey, Dad, less pics and more pancakes for Mommy and me!
Hey, Dad, less pics and more pancakes for Mommy and me!

These pancakes are fluffy and golden just calling out to your taste buds to savor each and every bite.

Legion Protein Pancakes-Cooked

Since they are so easy to make, they’re perfect on any day of the week. Make the batter the night before for an even quicker breakfast. Every second counts when you have two very hungry girls in the morning, I don’t even get hugs until they have food in their bellies!

Legion Protein and Banana

Legion Whey+ Vanilla Protein Pancakes

Ingredients (2 – 3 Servings):

  • 1/2 cup oat flour (Just put rolled oats in a blender if you don’t have flour)
  • 1/2 cup Legion Whey+ Vanilla Protein
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 12 drops vanilla or regular liquid stevia (about 2 – 3 stevia packets or 1/8th pure stevia powder)
  • 1 overripe banana, mashed
  • 1/2 cup cottage cheese
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

  1. Heat griddle or shallow pan on medium heat and coat with non-stick spray, butter, or coconut oil.

  2. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix by hand (if you don’t mind a few clumps) or in a blender like the NutriBullet until all ingredients are fully mixed.

  3. Scoop batter onto pre-heated pan with a large spoon to form pancakes to your desired size.

  4. Allow to cook until edges begin to harden and you see bubbles forming, about 2 ½ – 3 minutes.

  5. Flip pancakes and allow to cook about another minute or two. The batter should no longer be runny.

  6. Remove from heat and serve the savages your loving family while trying to save a few for yourself.

I love topping these with a mixture of cottage cheese and NuttZo for an extra delicious and protein-packed treat, but they are perfect as is.

protein pancakes

After you make and unquestionably WOW yourself and your family, try making a Whey+ Chocolate version or swap pumpkin puree in place of the banana. Have fun, be creative, and enjoy!

Earn Income, Going Reviews, Promo

Legion Whey+ 100% Isolate Protein Powder Review

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Do you currently use a protein powder? Is it plant-based, some form of whey, or something like beef protein powder? For the longest time, I was  a mass consumer of whey protein until I realized it was the reason I always felt so bloated and, well, gassy.

That was several years ago and I have cut all whey out of my diet since, until now. After years of sticking to plant protein, I found a whey protein worthy of giving it another try, it was Legion Whey+ Protein. Not too long ago, I shared my thoughts about Legion’s Forge Pre-Workout supplement and how happy I was to find a company with clean, high quality ingredients.

Legion Whey Protein Powder

Eager to try more of their line, the awesome and kind people at Legion sent their vanilla whey+ to me free of charge in return for my honest review. This would be the first time in years to consume any whey protein powder, so I was a little timid at first, but then I tried it…..delicious! After giving it a day (just to be sure), there was no bloating, gas, or ill feelings, just the desire to have more after my next workout. And to use it in recipes of course!

Ingredients

Sure, there are many protein powders that taste good, but it’s what’s inside (i.e. ingredients) that really matters. It’s truly hard to find good quality protein powders without artificial colors,sweeteners or  other possibly harmful chemicals. For example, here’s the ingredient list of a top selling vanilla flavored protein powder:

protein powder ingredients

And that’s rather short compared to other chemical laden brands/flavors. Plus, the source of these ingredients is almost guaranteed to be from the best places. Like where the whey comes from is most likely NOT from hormone- and antibiotic-free cows, and usually IS packed full of artificial flavors and sweeteners, usually it’s not non-gmo, and created with a blend of proteins.

If it wasn’t the bloating that turned me off from other whey powders over the years, looking at the ingredients certainly did it. That’s why I was delighted after seeing this list from Legion’s Whey+ Protein Powder:

protein powder, natural whey protein

Yeah, that’s more like it. Totally free of artificial flavors and sweeteners, it’s non-gmo, and made with 100% whey isolate from grass-fed cows untouched by hormones and antibiotics. Just try and find other whey protein powders with similar stats, they are scarce.

Taste and Mixability

As someone who uses stevia on a daily basis, I found the taste very pleasing, even when just mixed in water. If you’re not used to stevia, I think you’d still find Legion’s Whey+ satisfying with maybe a stronger sweetness than you’re used to at first. This will quickly pass as your taste buds adapt and your body feels better from not having all of the artificial junk found in other powders. As for mixing, it easily mixes in any liquid with a simple shaker bottle. You could stir it with a spoon as well, but there will be a few clumps. Of course, they are still tasty clumps!

Price

This is probably the hardest part to accept. When any product is made with top notch ingredients that are highly scrutinized to live up to the company’s standards, the price will be a little higher than products with cheaper ingredients. Legion Whey+ Protein Powder is a bit more expensive than other brands, but when it comes to what goes in my and my family’s body, I’m willing to spend a little more. That said, the price is not extremely high, and the term “you get what you pay for” definitely applies here. Plus, just sign up for their newsletter and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to keep up to date on the current special offers.

To summarize, what you get with Legion’s Whey+ Protein Powder is

  • A 100% whey isolate meaning each serving is almost entirely protein, with carbohydrates and fat almost non-existent
  • A supplement made from hormone- and antibiotic-free milk from cows raised on small dairy farms in Ireland.
  • A protein powder processed using cold microfiltration and ultrafiltration creating 100% intact, undenatured protein.
  • Great taste that mixes easily and is naturally sweetened and flavored.
  • Free of soy protein, gluten, GMOs, MSG, or hormones.

Legion’s Whey+ 100% Isolate is the first whey I’ve had in a long time, and now it’s the only whey to go when I choose this form of protein powder for our family. Of course, whey is not the best source of protein, and I always suggest getting most of your nutrients from real, whole food, but this is a great supplement and one I feel good about using. Even Avery enjoys it!

protein powder

I’m a fan of using protein powders as an alternative for recipes calling for flour, and after several test batches, I found a tasty, protein packed recipe I’ll share with you soon. Keep a lookout for the recipe soon, and in the meantime, pick up your own bottle of Legion Whey+ Protein Powder!

Do you have issues with most whey proteins?

What is your favorite flavor of protein powder?