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Shopping lists

As you know, we research pretty much everything! And we structure many aspects of our lives, so this includes shopping, which for many things we are finding it extremely convenient to do online. Also, living in the world's most remotely populated archipelago makes online shopping a winning choice. ;) What you'll find recommended are lifestyle and healthcare related products. We look for great deals of course, but also specialty items and specialty requirements, such as organic or at least non-GMO, lab verified or certified, where appropriate, gluten and sugar free, by country of origin, etc., and based on thorough study of reviews. So please see below for our finds of awesome products and deals. Hopefully we have something here that's right for you!

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For transparency: we are signed up for referral earnings/credits for some of the things we link to from our site, however the purpose of any referral links is to share with you products that we have researched, that we purchase ourselves, and recommend to others. Please understand that this is not going to make us rich. For a management consultant and an engineer to be spending time creating content and maintaining a personal website, the opportunity cost is immense. But we love doing it and if we can make a little change back even just on the cost of owning this site, then that would be pretty sweet. So with that said,  if you do decide to purchase anything you see here, it would be too kind if you could use the link from our site. :)

Coronavirus shopping list

You expected toilet paper right at the top of the list, didn't you? :P Funny story: I (Lynn) ordered some online when times started looking desperate. It's coming from China. Didn't really faze me at the time, but Andy does not want it in our house. Lol. So no, no toilet paper recommendations on this list, sorry!

 

The purpose of this is mostly to share with you what we do in fact pre, during, and post any pandemic and apocalyptic times, to help keep our health on track and our immune system strong  to fight off whatever nasties are out there in this crazy old world we live in. So to be prepared for all eventualities (ha!) here it goes:

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Probiotics

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We're assuming that you already believe probiotics to be beneficial and know how important gut health is to overall health. Here are a couple of vegan and no refrigeration needing probiotics that we use:

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Other stuff to keep you healthy

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  • Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) - You can get this pretty much anywhere in supermarkets and we don't actually order this online, but the reason we wanted to list it here is to also share how we like to make sure we get our daily does of 1 tablespoon. You may be familiar with Braggs' ready made ACV drinks...we make our own! With a tablespoon of ACV, about 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of organic ginger powder, and a dropper of this liquid Stevia (highly recommend this specific one made from the whole leaf, so it's green. We don't like others we have tried in this nearly as much), and top up with clean water in a 16 oz (ideally glass) bottle or mason jar. 

  • Manuka honey - great antimicrobial properties. Make sure you get UMF certified Manuka honey and if you need medicinal grade, it needs to be 20+, so we are linking out to a trusted brand and the right product, but you can get slightly better deals if you spend time looking. The problem is that there is a massive counterfeit Manuka honey market out there, so if you want to be sure you have the right product, go with this. It's expensive, yes. :/

  • Colloidal silver - there are so many uses for this, but it is the first thing we reach for during cold/flu season or when traveling. One of our new favorites for on the go are the silver lozenges by My Doctor suggests. We prefer the monkfruit sweetened variety, but that has been sold out for a while (since the pandemic). The silver gel is equally awesome for any sores, cuts, burns etc. Basically anything you would use Neosporin for. 

  • Hand sanitizer - Love the smell of this lemon coconut and it's EWG verified, so no pesky chemicals.

  • Peppermint essential oil - we ingest a couple of drops (always carry around one of these tiny dropper bottles for convenience) for sickness prevention when around sneezing and wheezing people (it kills a lot of germs), when traveling, and also for any stomach upset, or simply as a breath freshener. I would make sure it is organic if you are going to ingest it. We use this for our homemade toothpaste also. More on that another time. :)

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Disaster preparedness

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As an eagle scout, Andy likes to make sure we are prepared for all and any eventualities life may throw at us, however I'll tell you we did not see the toilet paper shortage coming. Ha! There is so much you can do when it comes to prepping, but here are a few tips from us for the bare essentials: clean water and food, in case of an emergency.

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  • Water filter - using gravity for up to 500 gallons or this personal water filter straw for usage also in non-emergenncy situations.

  • Long term storage food - we like to think that especially in an emergency situation we would like to get healthy clean food, which is why we recommend this lab tested organic variety.

  • Solar cooker - If you are really left with just the forces of nature, this is your best bet and works well with the type of food you would be cooking from a long term storage food stash.

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Vegan Diet shopping list

We're getting really good at "veganfying" many yummy foods and recipes. Here are some of our go-to ingredients, snacks, etc. for a vegan diet.

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  • Coffe creamer/ heavy cream replacement in cooking, nut pods: try the variety pack for all the flavors, although our favorite is vanilla. And for cooking (in curries, we used it to make ice cream, to make creamy soups etc.) use the original.

  • Chocolate (which is also sugar free, sweetened with natural sweeterners like monfruit): The Choc Zero brand is our all time favorite! The dark chocolate versions are vegan, including the 50% squares which are much creamier in taste than regular dark chocolate. 

  • The best vegan snackbars/ desert out there in our opinion are go marco bars. All flavors are great, but if we had to pick favorites, it would be chocolate oatmeal, peanut butter, and cherries and berries.

  • We use coconut butter in our cooking for curries, as a base to make vegan icing, to make vegan "milk chocolate" , to add to smoothies, ice cream recipes, and more! It is very affordable to buy in a bulk size, as it can be pricey otherwise. This is our go-to that if of course organic.

  • One of our favorite cooking additions has become Bragg's nutritional yeast, which can be stirred into stews, and stirr fries, but we also enjoy sprinkling it on top of saldas, pasta, pop corn etc. for  a great cheesy flavor enhancement as well as a boost of B-vitamins.

Sugar Free/ KEto shopping list

If you decided like us that sugar is highly addictive and certifiably not good for us, and you are looking to eliminate or reduce your processed sugar intake. Here are alternatives and substitutes we love:

  • For natural sweeteners, our top choices are monk  fruit and stevia, although many products mix in erythritol to really optimize flavor. As that is often derived from corn, we do like to make sure that it is organic if at all possible. Lakanto products are our go to for their vanilla sweetener drops (to add to beverages) and their powdered sugar substitute. To sweeten our green smoothis, we love to use organic powdered stevia leaves, especially for the fact that this product is not so highly processed. Similarly, for cer

Better snacks shopping list

Snacks are probably never the best idea when it comes to taking care of our bodies, and having proper meals, and maybe doing some intermittent fasting would be wise...but we are human. And "snaccidents" happen. The least we try to do is go with some healthier options.

  • We're nuts about nuts and while most nutrition is gained from organic raw nuts, we can't forgo some of the roasted variety with that awesome crunch. Like these roasted organic hazelnuts. To die for! When it comes to peanuts, we only get organic Valencia peanuts (grown in hot and dry Arizona where the likelihood of mold being present is much reduced). Same goes for peanut butter. I you are lucky enough to live near a Trader Joe's, they sell organic Valencia peanut butter or you can order it online. These are our go-to for almonds that are raw and organic. We like to get them chopped up in a food processor to use as our own gluten free granola substitute  (mixed with cinnamon, cacao nibs and other fun and healthy crunchy things)

  • It sounds weird, but cauliflower chips are yum. The straws are our favorite. We haven't found them on Amazon, but you can get them at Wholefoods and probably many other health food stores.

  • A staple in our household are organic brown rice crackers. We love the toasted onion variety and get the big box to have in stock at all times. A plain flavor exists also. This is not a low carb option, of course, but very low fat but still flavorful and wonderfully crunchy.

  • We mention this in our sugar free list as well, but you cannot miss Catalina crunch cereal as a sweet snack treat. It's quite similar to crunching on tiny cookies. They are very dense, so don't think of this as an equivalent to regular cereal. Our favorite is cinnamon toast, followed by maple waffle, then chocolate. All are good in their own way.

 

And a great trick is of course chomping on some good ole veggies (cucumbers, celery, baby carrots) dip 'em in some hummus or guacamole and you're good to go!

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