Let’s talk about a kitchen playlist for cooking.

It’s about time I shared the playlist I use when I’m cooking in my Manhattan kitchen. I receive so many requests from people who ask for great music to listen to while cooking so I figured, why not share a cozy kitchen playlist with you?

There are so many good songs for cooking but there’s something about these songs that makes me truly happy whether I’m making burgers or whipping up a dessert. No matter what you’re making or what season it is, these songs are sure to leave you feeling a bit lighter and happier, because at the end of the day the thought of coming home and cooking a delicious meal while listening to fabulous music is pretty fantastic, isn’t it?

Click the image above to listen to my selection of songs, turn them up in your kitchen and have fun while cooking.

p.s. I’m always sharing more songs on my Instagram stories each week if you’re in the mood. I have a category for Feel Good Songs and Relaxing Songs in my highlights, as well.

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WHAT WE’RE LOVING THIS MONTH

Sunscreen. Let’s talk about it.

There are so many sunscreens on the market that are full of ‘junk’ as I like to call it (chemicals, parabens, toxins and other gross crap that companies toss into their products).

Now, if you’ve read my best-selling book, Eating Clean, you know that our skin is our biggest organ, which means anything that we put onto our skin gets absorbed into our bodies and then has to be filtered through our liver. I’ve talked a lot about the body burden of toxins we encounter on a daily basis and how it’s contributing to health issues all over the world but what many people don’t realize is that the more toxicity you encounter (sunscreen, shampoo, deodorant, plastics surrounding your food, conventional/non-organic food), the harder your liver has to work and a lot of that ‘junk’ gets stuck in your liver because it’s synthetic.

This is where many of the symptoms you experience start. And the majority of us don’t realize this.

That said, today I want to help you lessen your toxic load by sharing my favorite non-toxic sunscreen brands.

HOW WE USE THEM

I use these brands on my entire body, including my face. The Badger (stick sunscreen) in the middle of the bottom row below is what I keep in my bag all day long even when I’m walking in between meetings in Manhattan because I enjoy walking in the sun and I often need a touch of sunscreen without the white zinc look!

The Supergoop in the middle of the second row is another favorite of mine because it’s compact and easy to travel with. It’s the sunscreen that I use weekly when I’m at the beach or the pool.

If you have a baby, I love the Badger sunscreen on the bottom left in the last row because it goes on really well. It can be thick but it works wonders so you don’t have to worry about baby burns!

All of the below work well and I’ve used them all numerous times so I wanted to share them with you and let you decide which you like best.

WHY WE TRUST THESE BRANDS

I’ve tried so many brands of sunscreen by now. I feel like I receive dozens of brands every year in the mail and half of them are awful or too pasty or too slimy or they don’t work. Period.

These are brands I’ve used myself and that I trust to work their magic on your body!

I also happen to love these brands because they actually care about their consumers, which makes all the difference in the world. Enjoy and happy sun-tanning!

SHOP the STORY

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We’ve been getting a ton of questions lately regarding the best non-toxic home staples so we wanted to share some of our favorites with you! These are products that we not only love but that keep our home and bodies safe from toxins and chemicals that hide in most products. We’re bringing you everything from jar sets and essential oils to bedding and shower curtains. Here are a few of our favorite brands that we trust when it comes to non-toxic home staples.

ORGANIC BATH TOWELS // We love using these organic towels (one option we love is in the first row down below and another option we love in the third row down below) to dry off with after bathing with our favorite non-toxic body wash which you can check out here. Start with one organic towel and see how you like it before going in and purchasing a few. These towels are plush and super cozy!

SMALL GLASS FOOD STORAGE JARS // These are the best for storing your leftover veggies (located in the first row) like from our Crispy Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Glaze recipe in your fridge or for your dry ingredients such as dry quinoa and wild rice in your pantry.

LARGE GLASS BEVERAGE + FOOD JARS // Looking for the perfect glass storage container to store all of your dry foods? This is our favorite one (see below in the third row) that you can store your gluten-free oats in. We keep this in our pantry and it keeps our oats and other gluten-free whole grains super fresh!

GLASS FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS // We love using these storage containers (see below in row two) for leftovers when we make our Baked Chili Pasta Casserole recipe and when we have extra Beautiful Butternut Squash Sauce. You can use these containers for anything from salads to sauces to soups. Our recent recipe, Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup would keep nicely in these containers. Our food always tastes fresh, even after storing leftovers for a few days in our fridge. It makes such a difference to purchase quality storage containers for your food!

PRESERVING + CANNING JARS // These jars (see below in row five) are perfect for preserving or canning your food. Processing the food at high temperatures helps the food to not spoil while removing any contaminants and air. These are our favorite for preserving some of our veggies.

NON-TOXIC DRYER SHEETS // We no longer use dryer sheets because they are filled with chemicals and the scent is way too much for us to handle, instead we use the wool balls shown below (located in the third row).

ORGANIC BEDDING // Sleeping on non-toxic bedding is not only super comfy but also gives you peace of mind knowing you’re not sleeping with any harsh chemicals. If you’re looking for more ways to transform your sleep you can read our article here. We’re sharing our favorite sheets (see below in the second row) that we love that have no chemicals in sight!

GLASS JUICE JARS // We use these juice jars (see below in the forth row) to store our freshly squeezed orange juice and freshly squeezed grapefruit juice. The jars are ideal for locking in freshness! We also like to filter our water and store it in these jars as well with a few slices of lemons and limes. You can read more about how to filter your tap water from chemicals here.

PARCHMENT PAPER // Using parchment paper instead of aluminum to line your baking sheet will keep you from accumulating heavy metals in your body because the aluminum from tin foil does leach into your food. We love this brand of parchment paper (see below in row five) when we’re making some of our favorite dinner recipes. Make sure to purchase non-bleached parchment paper so you’re not allowing bleach to leach into your food!

NON-TOXIC CANDLES // This candle smells amazing (see below in row six) and it’s perfect to keep in your bedroom to relax your nerves before bed. Many candles are filled with chemicals and the wicks are full of lead so you inhale all of that junk when you light a regular candle. Not healthy at all! Read more about how to make your bedroom non-toxic here.

NON-TOXIC TOWELETTES // We love having some cleansing towelettes on-hand at all times especially when they have essential oils in them. Just sprinkle a drop of your favorite essential oil (ours is below) on the towelette with warm water and use. These are great for kids and ideal for any room in your house, especially the kitchen and bathroom as well as the playroom if you have children. If you don’t want to make your own, you can buy our favorite brand listed below (located in row six).

NON-TOXIC SHOWER CURTAIN LINER // It’s easy to forget that even something as simple as a shower curtain liner can contain toxic chemicals and it’s even more toxic when hot water and heat rubs up against it. We love the brand below (located in row six) because it’s inexpensive and matches any bathroom. Don’t forget, while you’re showering to wash your hair with non-toxic shampoo and conditioner.

ESSENTIAL OILS // Essential oils serve many purposes, they can be calm and relaxing or uplifting and refreshing. They even help treat allergies, especially this Eucalyptus one (located below in row six). Pair this along with our favorite air filter, which you can read about here and your home will smell like a spa in no time.

Shop the Best Non-Toxic Home Staples

WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT NON-TOXIC PRODUCTS? Check out our Non-Toxic Cookware and Amie’s Non-Toxic Shop for more remedies.

TheHealthyApple.com participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.

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Holiday Detox.

It’ not something most of us think about leading up to the holidays. Now, post-detox is another story! Many people yearn for a detox when January 1st rolls around but we had a thought…what if we were conscious enough to take care of ourselves throughout the holiday season so that when January 1st appears, we’re not fatigued, brain-fogged and bloated.

Let’s think about this for a minute, shall we? You know we’re all about addressing the energetic, emotional and physical levels of the body when it comes to our health but what we often forget is addressing these levels in our everyday life. We’re often too stressed out to enjoy the little things and too consumed by social media to sit back and relax and check in with ourselves and our energy.

Energy.

It’s something we all feel but we can’t see. I assure you, if you start checking in with your energy throughout the day to see how you feel and what triggers you or what causes you to get jealous or to shut down, you’ll start to notice the energetic shifts in your body. This is all a part of awareness, which I talk about in Part 3 of Why Staying Safe Makes You Feel Stuck. I talk a lot about energy because it’s such a huge part of getting healthy that mainstream medicine sadly doesn’t address. In The Valpone Method that I use with my private clients and on my retreats, the energetic level of the body must be addressed for full healing to take place!

And you’re in luck because the songs in this month’s playlist are all about getting you in the holiday spirit to raise your energy level, increase your awareness and get you feeling good about the choices you make to take care of you and your family on a daily basis- not just for planning a New Year’s resolution!

CLICK on the image ABOVE to listen to this month’s songs and dance in your kitchen while you’re making our NEW holiday parfait and oatmeal cookie recipes. 

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We’ve got you covered.

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE for the HOME COOK.

I want everything on this LIST.

Really, I do. I’m not going to lie. Everything screams BUY ME, AMIE! But, alas, I’m sharing the cream of the crop kitchen-y products with you in hope that they’ll brighten up the foodie in your life.

Click on the products below for more information.

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