My Recommendations

I only share products with you that I use myself or have personally verified. If you purchase through one of my affiliate links I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you!

Tip: You can search this page! Just press Command + F (Mac) or Control + F (Windows) to find what you’re looking for.

Foods

Collagen

After 2 years on powdered collagen, I noticed no difference in my health and my hair had recently started falling out in clumps. After much research I bought my first liquid collagen and I haven’t looked back! My hair is thicker than ever and my chiropractor appointments have been cut in half.

Liquid collagen is 3 times more absorbable than powders. Plus, this brand is made only from chicken sternum cartilage which is the most bioidentical to our own body’s collagen. Collagen is the most abundant protein in our bodies but sadly it’s production plummets after the age of 30. Take this daily for stronger ligaments and joints, thicker hair and less wrinkles.

Sea Salt

Quality sea salt is essential in diets of land-locked people. This brand is minimally heated during the extraction process and retains all of its trace minerals. 

Plus! It’s a great canning salt! Because it has no added ingredients to mess with the quality of canned goods, I can use this in place of traditional canning salt.

Elderberries

I keep dried elderberries on hand all the time to make elderberry syrup. All winter I keep a jar of it in the fridge to boost our immune systems and dose heavier if we are feeling sick.

Coconut Oil

Tropical Traditions has delicious, pure coconut oil! I use it to pop popcorn, in my lotion recipe, as a diaper cream, oil pulling, deodorant and more. Usually I can buy what I need for a year when they run sales.

Coffee Substitute

Dandy Blend is a delicious, herbal coffee substitute that actually tastes like coffee! I’m trying to cut back on my coffee so I enjoy a cup of this liver-cleansing tea in the afternoons. Along with dandelion, there is barley, rye, chicory root and sugar beet in this health tonic. 

Kitchen Tools

Food Processor

I use this food processor all the time. The multiple blades and shredding attachments that come with make a versatile kitchen appliance. It is especially a time saver when making sauerkraut and hash browns!

Box Grater

I have a heavy duty, stainless steel box grater similar to this one. I use it every day to shred my hash browns or shred cheese. Once in a while I use the zester for lemons. During the summer I use the flat blade side to make my creamy cucumber salad. I know this grater serves similar function as the food processor, but it is so much easier to set up and clean up that I use it for most of my smaller cooking projects. 

Grain Mill

The grain mill I have is no longer made but when the one I have dies, this is the one I will get next! It is a stone grinding mill that hardly heats the grain causing minimal nutrient damage. Plus, it is versatile in what all it can grind and it’s quieter.

Ice Cream Maker

My husband is spoiled because I always keep a container of homemade ice cream in the freezer. He won’t even eat Bryer’s now! I love making our own ice cream because I can control how much sugar goes in and there are no unnecessary fillers and preservatives. This maker is so simple and the freezable canister eliminates any need for salt or ice. 

Coffee Maker

But coffee. I love my Chemex coffee maker! I use it daily as a plastic-free option for making delicious, non-bitter coffee. Grab some filters to go with it. Even better, get a reusable filter that will last forever!

Supplements

Collagen

I know, I already mentioned this in the Foods section above. But this is how important it is to me and how important liquid collagen is to maintaining a structurally healthy body!

After 2 years on powdered collagen, I noticed no difference in my health and my hair had recently started falling out in clumps. After much research I bought my first liquid collagen and I haven’t looked back! My hair is thicker than ever and my chiropractor appointments have been cut in half. 

Liquid collagen is 3 times more absorbable than powders. Plus, this brand is made only from chicken sternum cartilage which is the most bioidentical to our own body’s collagen. Collagen is the most abundant protein in our bodies but sadly it’s production plummets after the age of 30. Take this daily for stronger ligaments and joints, thicker hair and less wrinkles.

Probiotic

After my son was born caesarean I wanted to provide him with the best probiotics possible. I chose this spore-based probiotic after much research. It is not damaged by stomach acids so it can progress further into the digestive tract where probiotics are most effective and needed and it triggers the gut to produce antioxidants. I sprinkle some from a capsule in his bottle. Sometimes I pop one myself, too. 

Probiotic

Our guts are extremely complex and known as the second brain. Over 80% of our immune systems are located in the gut! They are very important to take care of! That’s why I believe in incorporating different strains of probiotics along with traditionally fermented and cultured foods.

Along with the well-known probiotics, this Trebiotic contains prebiotics (“food” to sustain the probiotics so they can do their job) as well as postbiotics (enzymes created after the probiotic interacts with the probiotic).

This all can be a bit overwhelming, but essentially my goal is to incorporate many different strains of good bacteria into my diet to sustain a healthy gut. I alternate these two probiotic products daily so I’m not taking both at once.

Cod Liver Oil

I personally take this cod liver oil all winter and sporadically during the summer. It is a great source of vitamins A & D. For my son, I give him the unflavored kind in his bottle. My husband takes the capsules because he can’t stand the flavor. I must say that the arctic mint and cinnamon flavors are the only two I’ve tried but they are both strong enough to hide most of the cod liver taste. 

Multivitamin

I never buy supplements off of mainstream grocery stores. Standard Process is a company that makes all their supplements out of real, condensed food. Nothing manufactured in a factory! I’ve used these multivitamins for years and love that I’m feeding my body real food.

Iron Supplement

Liver is nature’s most abundant source of iron! Grab some of these liver capsules if your family doesn’t enjoy liver and onions.

When my son got his 9 month iron check, he was severely low (typical for preemies). I immediately started adding some of this to each bottle and in 2 month’s time his iron levels measured normal.

Miscellaneous

Dishwasher Aid

We have really hard water in our house. So using just dishwasher tabs is not enough to get nice looking dishes. Yes, I have vinegar as the rinse aid, but that doesn’t help with the washing part. So I got some Lemi Shine and it worked great! But it was so expensive at the rate I was going through it. I read the ingredient label and saw citric acid. So I ordered a bag of the straight stuff and it works just like Lemi Shine! And it’s way cheaper! I also use this to make Pioneer Woman’s recipe for homemade mozzarella. Just make sure you’re always getting ‘food grade.’

Toothpaste

Of all the things I make at home, toothpaste is not one of them. I don’t like gagging while brushing my teeth. So I stick with minty, refreshing, fluoride-free, glycerine-free toothpaste. I have tried many different natural toothpastes and this one is by far my favorite! They are working on children’s flavors to come in the future, but in the meantime, this is what I use for my 3 year old.  

Water Bottle

I don’t go anywhere without my water bottle. I like a slender bottle that fits in my cupholder in the van and I don’t want any plastic touching my water. These stainless steel ones are a win!

Books

Nourishing Traditions Cook Book

This book is a great resource for learning how to prepare traditional foods like organ meats and grains. Not only are there amazing recipes in here but every sidebar contains educational excerpts from other books about food and health and traditional living of our ancestors.

Child Health

I enjoyed reading this book while I was pregnant. This book is packed with nutritional advice prior to and through pregnancy and lends a common sense approach to treating many childhood diseases. It is a suitable reference for raising your children into adulthood.

Family Reading

These books are written by a late 1800s American Pioneer girl. Laura Ingalls recounts her experiences as she grows up in the woods and prairies of midwestern and western United States. Great read-aloud books for the whole family.

Raw Milk

I love this book for telling a silenced side of raw milk’s story. It dives into the historical, political and scientific tragedies that vilified raw milk. This book also includes the latest science for the health benefits and safety of raw milk.