What’s been showing up on your doorstep from Amazon lately? Here’s a little look at what’s been coming to my house. I’ve been trying more and more clothing from Amazon and it continues to be hit or miss. I wanted to try Prime Wardrobe, which is like the styling services in that the clothes come to you for free and you only pay for what you decide to keep, but after about an hour of searching, I couldn’t find anything I wanted that was part of that Prime Wardrobe program. I really don’t understand why all of their clothing doesn’t quality, but it doesn’t and that’s that. However, there is tons available for Prime free shipping and free returns, there are some awesome items at great prices, so there’s lots to be excited about!

One note of warning: Be careful when shopping Amazon (I’m sure you know this already), but you may find something on your search results that says it’s Prime, but when you go to the item and you change the size or color, it loses that Prime status. You definitely want the option of free returns. On to the shopping…first a few non-clothing options…

My favorite coffee – at Whole Foods, this same product, same size and everything, costs $11.99. From Amazon, it ranges from $7.49 – 8.48. You know how Amazon prices fluctuate. I’ve never seen it higher or lower than this range. Either way, it’s at least two dollars cheaper than from Whole Foods. And it comes to my door!

New Caramel flavored Nutpods – This is now my favorite flavor and all I buy. They are available elsewhere, but not for this low of a price. If you’re used to drinking your coffee sweet, I recommend using a liquid stevia and just reducing the amount you use slowly over time. Eventually, you can drop to zero sweetener and a yummy creamer like this will be heavenly! Side note: I don’t see anything wrong with a little real heavy cream in your coffee if that makes you happy and doesn’t cause any ill effects. Personally, I find a little cream now and then is fine, but I love it so much that once I start down the cream path, it’s hard to stop and then I do start to experience some negative effects – breakouts, joint pain, etc.. These Nutpods are more expensive, but it’s still way cheaper than buying coffee at a shop and I really do enjoy it. I try to save the cream for when I’m away from home.

Zippers – Not the least bit exciting, but necessary for the sewing projects in my new office. I couldn’t find bulk zippers in the color I needed here locally, so Amazon to the rescue. I included this one in my list simply because it is really what I’ve been priming lately and also to remind you that you really can get just about anything through Amazon. Just don’t buy supplements from them!

From here to the end, it’s all clothing items. I do have a couple questions for you about products I’ve been hearing a lot about so I hope you make it to the end and can weigh in on these questionable products. This post includes the stock photos from Amazon (because I have not yet perfected the mirror selfie), but I did make a video to show you the clothes in real life and give you my thoughts on fit, sizing and quality. Be sure to watch that for more details. And if you want to purchase any of these items and find that they are currently unavailable, just click the “email me” button where there would usually be an “add to cart” button and you’ll be notified when it’s back in stock.

The best Joggers – I loved these so much, I bought them in the navy and the Gray Spacedye. At my 5’3″, these are true cropped length, which I love for spring, summer and fall. They’re lightweight, workout type material, yet still very soft and comfy. I don’t work out in them, but wear them around the house or even out casually. I’ve actually worn them for some hiking too. I had to size up for the fit I prefer. Some comments said they run large, but both my pair ran small so I was happy with the mediums.

This Kimono – I have been looking for a lightweight cardigan or kimono to wear in the summer months, but haven’t had any luck – until now. I’ve asked my styling services to send me one, but they either haven’t obliged or I’ve been sent items that just didn’t work for me. So I decided to see what I could find on Amazon. There were a couple that caught my eye (there were tons to choose from), but I decided to try this one because I thought the colors were so pretty and would go with a lot of different outfits.

This Maxi Dress – I’ve seen this Maxi Dress on a lot of bloggers and I love the look of it – except for that very deep V. But on other real life people, it seems to not be so low, so I decided to give it a try. This seems like the kind of dress you can wear around the house or out on the town – so flexible! You can search for a striped dress and find what looks like the same dress from lots of different makers. The only advice I can give is that the material and quality seems to vary widely. I wanted a thicker material that wouldn’t wrinkle and show every lump and bump. This one was just what I was looking for so if you like this look, definitely use the link to this specific dress.

This cute t-shirt dress with ruffle sleeve – Can you tell I like stripes? I have a t-shirt just like this and I love it. Basic dresses like this are what I live in during the warm months and with the ruffle, it could even be nice enough for a night out. I would recommend sizing down unless you want a very loose fit. One nice thing about this dress is that there is no itchy tag at the neck – there’s no tag at all!

You are my sunshine vintage t-shirt – my mom used to sing that song to me all the time and I sometimes still sing it to my kids so this top just makes me happy! It’s super soft and seems very good quality. I can’t resist keeping this one.

Crochet detail swim coverup – Granted, I don’t expect to look quite like this lady in this coverup, but I like the idea of this one and I also like the idea of a real coverup. All I’ve ever worn as a cover up is old t-shirts and shorts. At 45, I’d like to have something a little nicer. Do you see how this is supposed to be that crinkly fabric? I ordered two because the first one was damaged and neither was the kind of fabric pictured. This is why I’m writing this post for you – so you can get all the real details. Turns out, it’s an uncomfortable polyester with no stretch and not at all breathable. It’s a pretty design, but in the fabric I received, it’s a no-go for me.

Tankini Top – I haven’t bought a new swimsuit in a few years and I needed one that offered appropriate coverage, support and was still cute. I haven’t found any in store that I liked enough to bring home, so I decided to try Amazon. I mostly wear a swim suit to actually swim laps, do water exercise classes, take my kids to water parks, etc. so I don’t need anything fancy for lounging around at resorts (boo hoo). This one seemed promising. I did find quite a few others that I liked, but many were not Prime eligible, so I just ended up with two to try. If you’re in the market for a bikini, there are lots to choose from. Make sure to watch the video to see what the colors really looked like on this top.

Tankini Top #2 – Thinking the top above might be too loose and flowy for swimming and water aerobics, I ordered this one. I thought it would look nice with the navy shorts below and seemed more fitted. The colors are pretty, but I’m not sure about the fit.

Lululemon knock-off shorts for a steal! – I almost always exercise in leggings, but I bought these shorts to see if they would work for swim shorts. Low and behold, they are great. The inseam on these is a little longer than the real Lululemon version and that suits me just fine. I have the navy and that’s why I bought the swim tops in navy to hopefully coordinate. I have worn these shorts for a day at the beach, walking and just around the house and find them very comfortable. The only downside is no pocket big enough for a phone. Otherwise, they’re great and an amazing dupe at an amazing price. I recommend sizing up in these. I have the medium and love the fit.

“Dreamers” Cardigan – I received an almost identical cardigan in my latest Trendsend box and really loved it, really wanted to keep it, but really couldn’t afford the $79 price tag. Then I saw this sweater on another blog and thought it looked so much the same I had to try it. Turns out it is identical except for the color. This one is a solid blush and the Trendsend version was a bit of a marled fabric. For all intents and purposes they are the same though. Check out the video and let me know what you think.

Denim Shorts – Last, but not least are these denim shorts from Levis. I’ve been on the hunt for an age appropriate and great fitting pair of denim shorts for a few years now. I was skeptical of these, but am really, really happy with them. I love the fit, the wash, the inseam length, everything. I’ve finally found the everyday denim shorts I’ve been looking for!

Do you have some great Amazon finds? Please share in the comments. I hate to give so much of my business to one company, but Amazon makes it so easy for us and they really do have some amazing options at amazing prices.

These two items below are on my maybe list. I’ve seen them on lots of other blogs, but am hesitant. Tell me if you’ve used either item and share your thoughts, pretty please.

Tinkle Facial Razors and The Exfoliating Foot Peel

That’s it for today. Memorial day is on the horizon so I hope you cherish time with your family this weekend, recognizing the sacrifice made by so many to keep us safe and free.

❤️, Elizabeth

Way back in 2015 when I started this blog, Paleo was cool. Sure it had probably peaked in terms of Google analytics, but it was still a hot search term.

I’ve always said “Paleo” with a bit of hesitancy because of the connection to Paleolithic Man that so many in this space emphasize. At the beginning, I would get comments/questions from readers or viewers on YouTube questioning my use of certain ingredients like almonds or yeast. “Is that really Paleo,” they’d ask. Meaning, would prehistoric man have eaten that particular food. My answer was always, “I don’t care.” I hope I said it more politely than that.

The truth is, Paleo was trendy. I really have no idea why for sure, but I believe it became popular because it was helping people. There were certain bloggers and authors that helped propel Paleo into the trendy category, but again, that was for good reason. At it’s core, Paleo is an anti-inflammatory diet because it excludes inflammatory foods. If there is some connection to what early man might have eaten, I think that’s just fine but totally irrelevant.

When you remove grains, dairy, industrial seed oils, legumes and refined sugars, you are removing the primary dietary sources of inflammation and inflammation is at the root of most of our chronic health conditions today.

There is a health podcast I listen to and really enjoy, but they apparently began life as a Paleo-focused show and lately have been trying to steer themselves away from that designation. The episode I listened to today actually kind of made me angry because they were (in my opinion) teasing and putting down, bullying you might even say, Paleo and people who follow this diet. I really don’t know why they were saying those things and I don’t want to speculate, but I think they’re doing their listeners a disservice because this way of eating offers a lot of benefits.

Since the beginning, I’ve used Paleo as a template. Sure, I stuck very closely to the core tenets of the diet for a good long time while I got used to it and my body adapted and I was working to get off of the medications that had been controlling my Crohn’s disease. It was an elimination diet of sorts. And I have very casually added certain foods back in from time-to-time that do not fit the Paleo template. Some I add in more freely because testing has shown those foods to be ok for my body (like good quality dairy). But others, I just really want on occasion and so I eat them and pay attention to how I feel afterward. Here are a few examples of how I step out of the Paleo diet:

• Grass-fed butter: I will use this on occasion when the taste of real, old-fashioned butter is preferred. It causes me no harm whatsoever.
• Heavy cream: I almost always make my coffee at home, but when I have coffee out, I usually drink it black. Sometimes though, the coffee is so bitter, I can’t enjoy it without some sort of dressing up, so I opt for a shot of pure cream over any sort of sugar, chemical or otherwise.
• Fresh corn in the summer time: This is one I know will really set me back if I have too much, so I will have one bite. Literally just one bite during corn on the cob season and I savor it.
• Sugar: I do love sugar and it sure does hate me. But I believe firmly that the sugar taste buds will go away if you just leave them alone for a while. This is why an elimination diet like Whole30 is so valuable. By the end of it, most fruits will even taste way too sweet to me. And some vegetables too. I know! It’s crazy. But I’m human and sometimes (often hormonally driven) my sugar cravings get the better of me and I give in. Peanut butter cups, good dark chocolate, ice cream, even stuff that I know is horrible for me like jelly beans sometimes make their way into my shopping cart. I eat and enjoy, but I always pay for it in terms of joint pain so I don’t let it get out of control.
• Oats: Yes, oats are a grain so excluded on the Paleo diet, but I will eat oatmeal on occasion. I make homemade granola for my family and sometimes I’ll have a little bowl with real milk and it’s a huge treat. This small amount on rare occasions doesn’t bother me in the slightest.
• Restaurant meals: This is where all bets are off because you are not in control of your food. Even at the very best restaurants, there is a pretty high chance that you are going to be served something you don’t want. I know that gluten is the number one killer for me so I do all I can to stress to the staff that my meal must be gluten free, but I let everything else go – dairy, sugar, soy, etc. Now I won’t intentionally eat those things, but I don’t go crazy avoiding them. For example, I’ll order a bunless burger, leave off the cheese, but I don’t ask if there is soy in their sauce or seasoning. BUT if you know that soy is the real killer for you, then you have to be vigilant about that and let the other things go. It’s a balance. This is also why we eat at home 99% of the time and only have a handful of restaurants that we will visit. When I travel, I take lots of food along, but also extensively research restaurants before I leave home.

I write this to you because I don’t want you to feel in any way ashamed or embarrassed about the way you eat if it is what is keeping you healthy. I don’t really care what’s trendy or popular or otherwise. I know that the basic tenets of Paleo are keeping me and my family healthy for now and so that’s what we’re following. Sure, I could change the name or just say we follow an anti-inflammatory diet, but Paleo has been well-established and I think people know what it means.

In terms of search engine popularity, Keto ranks WAY higher than Paleo. So does Instant Pot for that matter. Because this is a business, I will produce keto and Instant Pot recipes, but it’s not all I’ll do because I want to stay true to you and to myself. You can rest assured that every recipe I create will be at the very least gluten free and almost all will be 100% Paleo. I know many of you are also following Autoimmune Paleo and so I make an effort to include recipes that fit that diet as well.

I guess this post was part rant, part education, and I hope it was helpful in some way.

Who’s with me on Team Paleo?