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Live Simply - Embracing the simplicity of natural living and real food Embracing the simplicity of natural living and real food
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Healthy Food Swaps
Plan, Shop, Simplify

9 Healthy Food Swaps to Help You Ditch Processed Food

by Kristin Marr
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Capsule Wardrobe
Podcast

Live Simply, The Podcast 049: Simplify Your Life With a Capsule Wardrobe

by Kristin Marr
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Instant Pot Beef Stew With Vegetables
Family Meals, Instant Pot, Recipes

Easy Instant Pot Beef Stew

by Kristin Marr
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10 Things Know Instant Pot
Instant Pot, Plan, Recipes

How to Use Your Instant Pot: 16 Must-Know Tips

by Kristin Marr
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Minimalist Podcast
Podcast

Live Simply, The Podcast 048: Rethinking Consumerism and Minimalism with Miranda Anderson

by Kristin Marr
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Healthy Dinner Recipes to Make This Winter
Family Meals, Plan, Recipes

Easy Healthy Dinner Recipes to Make This Winter

by Kristin Marr
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Live Simply, The Podcast 047: Why and How to Detox the Body with Joy from Joyous Health
Podcast

Live Simply, The Podcast 047: Why and How to Detox the Body with Joy from Joyous Health

by Kristin Marr
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Live Simply, The Podcast Episode 46
Podcast

Live Simply, The Podcast Episode 046: Welcome to Season 3

by Kristin Marr
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Best Beauty Products
Body Care, Favorite Things, Natural Product Recommendations

Best Clean Beauty Products From 2019

by Kristin Marr
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How to Make Homemade Hot Chocolate
Drinks, Holidays, Recipes

Easy Homemade Hot Chocolate (Dairy-Free Option)

by Kristin Marr
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Homemade Marshmallows Recipe without Corn Syrup
Holidays, How To, Recipes, Treats

Homemade Marshmallows Recipe without Corn Syrup

by Kristin Marr
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Homemade Candles in the Slow Cooker
Cleaning: General, DIY Home Projects, Holiday, Wellness

How to Make Homemade Candles with Beeswax or Soy

by Kristin Marr
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About The Site

I’m Kristin. I started Live Simply to share my family's journey toward a real food and natural wellness lifestyle. Now, I help families all over the world do the same, one small step at a time. I believe nourishing yourself and your family shouldn't be complicated. Let me help you simplify!

    DIY Disclaimer

    The DIY recipes on this website are based on my personal experiences. I am not a trained chemist, cleaning specialist, or skincare expert. The DIY recipes shared on this website haven’t been tested in a lab. Information about my products or recipes haven’t been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please consult a doctor or specialist for specific concerns about any skincare issues, cleaning products, or dietary needs. Please use your discretion, based on your own research, when making homemade products.

    COPYRIGHT © 2013 - 2019 Live Simply | PRIVACY POLICY
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    livesimplymom
    Last week @thisorganicgirl messaged me and asked i Last week @thisorganicgirl messaged me and asked if I had a silver lining story to share during this time. I love this request. Do you have a silver lining story—something positive in the midst of the current world situation? I want to hear it, share below. Here’s mine: In the midst of what feels like life being turned upside down, we have found sanctuary in returning to the basics--something we had lost in the busyness of daily life. In the past week, we've revived our sourdough starter and started baking bread each morning, even sharing starters with family and friends who are now baking as well and sharing loaves with loved ones in the medical field. We've weeded out the backyard garden that has been neglected for years and now have a small veggie and herb garden growing--supplied by local farms in the area selling not only their harvest but also seedlings. In the midst of chaos, our home has become a sanctuary for the joy and peace that comes from a simple homemade loaf of bread, the planting of a basil plant, and the slowing down to enjoy a meal around the table. This has been our silver lining!
    One of my favorite ways to entertain during the sp One of my favorite ways to entertain during the spring months, when gatherings and baby showers usually abound, is to make a cheese board. Even though we’re not gathering together right now, we can still enjoy the simplicity and nourishment of a cheese board with the people we live with using pantry ingredients. Cheese boards allow you to pull together random finds (like the half of cucumber left in the produce drawer, the handful of nuts in the pantry, and berries that need to be used) and build an incredible meal the whole family can nibble on and enjoy. In partnership with @cypressgrovers let’s talk about how to build an amazing cheese board the whole family will love. #CypressGrove #HumboldtFog #Sponsored 🧀 Cheese: I love Humboldt Fog goat cheese from Cypress Grove, an award-winning American classic with a distinct ash line that makes it an instant stand-out on a cheese board (and incredibly delicious). Cheese keeps in the fridge for quite a while, making it a pantry staple in our home. Slice it up or serve whole. Spread on crackers, bread, or enjoy a slice as-is. Cheese is always best served at room temperature. 🥒 Veggies: Cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, radish slices, carrot sticks, kohlrabi sliced, anything currently in your fridge. 🍓 Cut or Whole Fruit: Cantaloupe, berries, watermelon, honeydew, grapes, avocado, cherries, citrus or apple slices. 🥣 Hummus: Plain hummus or add variation by blending up a cooked beet, cooked carrot, or roasted bell pepper. You can make hummus with dried or canned chickpeas. 🥖 Toasts: Brush bread slices with olive oil and grill or broil until crisp. Or, crackers or pita. 🍖 Meats: Deli meat, prosciutto or pepperoni or other cured meats, shredded chicken, grilled steak, chicken salad or tuna salad or egg salad, or hard boiled eggs. 🍯 Honey: I love to drizzle honey over a slice of Humboldt Fog and a cracker or toasted bread. 🌰 Nuts or Seeds: Roast nuts and seeds in the oven at 325F until fragrant or serve raw. Hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, almonds, cashews are my favorite. 🍈 Olives or pickles: Various pitted olives, pickles, or fermented veggies. Simply mix & match a few options. Serve w/ napkins or small plates.
    Go-to pantry ingredients. What are the foods you k Go-to pantry ingredients. What are the foods you keep stocked in your pantry to make multiple meals? For me, the list includes: beans and lentils, rice, whole chicken and chicken thighs, frozen and fresh veggies and fruit, leafy greens (including the tops of carrots and beets which are edible and make delicious sautés and pesto), fresh herbs (now is a good time to grow a few of your own) and dried herbs, garlic, onions, canned tomatoes (I like @jovialfoods brand), pasta (again, partial to Jovial—just love their pantry items like tomatoes and pasta), broth (I love @kettleandfire and @bonafideprovisions and homemade), flour (einkorn, spelt, and wheat), tortillas (I like @sietefoods, @rudisorganic, or homemade), tuna, oats, butter, extra virgin olive oil, cheese, milk of some sort or nuts to make milk if I can’t get dairy milk, salt, honey or maple syrup (preferably both), eggs, ground beef. What’s on your list? 🤔 #pantry #pantryorganization #pantryideas #pantrymeals #mealideas #pantrygoals #wholefoods #realfood #realfoodingredients
    NEED YOUR HELP 🍓🍎🥬🥓🧅🥖! SHARE BEL NEED YOUR HELP 🍓🍎🥬🥓🧅🥖! SHARE BELOW >>> A reader friend messaged me yesterday with the best idea: “Any chance you could start a thread for people to post local farmers in their area that are now offering delivery, pick up, etc.?” I love this! So let’s start a thread and support local and help each other out with food connections! SHARE: Location and the name of the farm or could be a farm stand or market or butcher shop (tag them if they have a handle). Feel free to add as many as you want and any notes that will help folks. I’ll start: St Pete, Florida: @littlepondfarm (veggies and fruit, delivery and pick up) @theboozypig (in Tampa: meat, pick up and delivery for meals) @trailbale (meat and eggs, delivery and pick up), @wordenfarm (veggies and fruit, delivery, also in Sarasota), @lifefarmsfl (Clearwater, veggies, pick up), @stpeteferments (pick up, fermented veggies and kombucha. Your turn... #farm #farmersmarket #farmstand #eatlocal #localfood #farmfresh #organic #pasturedmeat #grassfedbeef #farmersmarketfinds #farmfood
    @jimmyfallon started this and I love it! We could @jimmyfallon started this and I love it! We could all use some humor this week. Whether you’re stuck at home, working outside the home, or just feel like this week was a blur, we could all use some laughs. So mine: Rationing toilet paper like a pro 🤣. And: now homeschooling the kids, send wine! 🍷. #myquarantineinsixwords
    GIVEAWAY CLOSED. CONGRATS TO: @cleanbeautycleansou GIVEAWAY CLOSED. CONGRATS TO: @cleanbeautycleansoul, @mechancellor, @aubrey.c.holman —Please send me a direct message and we’ll get your information to send you the body cleanses! We could all use a break from stress at the moment! #ad 🌟🌟I’m so excited to team up with @aleaviaskincare to give 3 winners the opportunity to win 3 of Aleavia’s body cleanses (the body wash I love so much). Here’s how to enter 🌟🌟 1️⃣ Follow @aleaviaskincare + @livesimplymom 2️⃣ Tag a friend (as many as you want) 3️⃣ Repost for 10 extra entry points (use #aleaviagiveaway) One of the hardest skincare swaps for me has been body wash. For years, I’ve been on the hunt for a shower gel or bath product that meets my criteria: ❤️ It must work! (obvi, but it’s shocking how many products don’t) ❤️ It must feel good on my skin: dry skin is not welcome ❤️ The ingredient list must be transparent and clean (no mystery fragrance, etc.) A few months ago, a friend mentioned how much she loves a brand of body wash called @aleaviaskincare. I was skeptical at first (my response to most things in the clean beauty industry). I agreed to try some of the products, and you guys, I’m HOOKED! Not only does Aleavia meet all my criteria, it actually goes above and beyond that. Aleavia’s body wash is made with 8 clean, skin-nourishing ingredients, one of which is Acadian Sea Kelp. This ingredient is a PREBIOTIC for the skin. Prebiotics are the food the microbiome of the skin (and in your gut) need to stay happy, healthy, and balanced. We all focus a lot on gut health, but microbes (GOOD, HEALTHY bacteria, viruses, and fungi that we need to thrive and be healthy) live beyond just our gut. They also live on our skin. Most body washes strip the skin’s microbiome. This means the good and the bad are washed away together on a daily basis. So what’s the big deal? We NEED the “good guys” (the good microbes). The good guys are essential and important to our health. They help fight off imbalances (which can result in eczema, acne, etc.) and also balance the pH of the skin and keep it hydrated. Aleavia works with the microbes of the skin to feed the good guys and diminish the bad guys.
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