Perfect Fit Protein Smoothie + My Favorite All-Natural Cleaning Products
Well, it’s official. I have disinfected, dusted, scrubbed, swept, and vacuumed every inch of my home. I even washed Coco and Gigi’s dog beds and went through my entire closet and dresser to organize and separate clothes to be donated next week. It only took me oh…11 hours…no biggie.
Anyway, while I was cleaning, I had this crazy thought to myself that you all might actually be interested in seeing the all natural cleaning products that I use.
Over time, I have read more and more articles about all of the harmful chemicals in our home cleaning products and, as a result, have tried to replace them with more natural options.
The natural products I like to use the most are just regular ol’ baking soda and distilled vinegar.
I sprinkle one part baking soda to three parts vinegar and use it to clean the showers, sinks, and toilets. I love watching the bubbly foam that forms when combining them and I could totally see little ones being entertained by it too! “Come help Mommy clean!” 
For premade natural cleaning products, one of my favorite brands is Seventh Generation. I use the disinfecting spray almost every day to clean my kitchen counters and weekly to disinfect toilet seats, door knobs, bathrooms counters and whatever else my inner germaphobe feels like cleaning. I actually really like the smell and the fumes never irritate my eyes or lungs, which is always a plus.
Seventh Generation also makes Natural Dish Liquid and Automatic Dishwasher Gel that I regularly use and they work great too.
Another brand that makes natural cleaning products is Method which you can find at Target. Although I don’t like the scent of their disinfecting kitchen or bathroom cleaners, I think their Wood For Good cleaner works well for cleaning wood furniture and I can also tolerate the smell.
For mopping, I really like Murphy’s Multi Surface Cleaner. I use this on my tile floors and not only do they look nice and shiny afterward, but they also give off a refreshingly clean scent that I love.
Although hand soap isn’t really a household cleaner, I thought I would include that on here because I recently found one at Target that I really like.
I wash my hands probably twenty times a day at work so they tend to get dried out sometimes. This soap is great because it’s all natural (no triclosan) and is also gentle on hands.
While most of my weekend was spent cleaning, I did make time to try the Perfect Fit Protein that I received in the mail last week.
I was really excited to try it because it is vegan, organic and sugar free with only 70 calories per serving.
I decided to give their Slimdown Smoothie recipe a try and used spinach instead of kale.
I also added about 8 ice cubes and an extra half cup of almond milk so that there would be enough for two smoothies.
I thought they tasted really good but I was able to pick up on the flavor of the Stevia which I’m not a fan of. I have always been very sensitive to alternative sweeteners and could never drink things like Diet Coke.
In between cleaning and smoothie making, I watched a bit of the news and my heart is still aching for the victims of the Boston bombing. It is surreal to hear the stories and see the images of what happened at the finish line.
I hope you all had a fun weekend or at least, avoided having your home flooded. I heard there was a lot of that happening in the Midwest. #whatsnext?
Do you use natural products to clean with? What are your favorites?
I love cleaning with natural products! I share your opinion about chemical-laden cleaning products – they aren’t something that I want in my home! One of my favorite uses for vinegar is to make a 1 part vinegar, 6 part water solution and soak my fruit and veggies in it after coming home from the grocery store. It kills mold spores so my berries last longer and I like to think that it safely cleans my other produce items :)
I had never heard of soaking produce in vinegar before. What a great idea! I use a veggie spray that has citric acid but I’m sure vinegar would be cheaper and I am all about making my berries last longer-they go bad so fast. Thanks for sharing! :)
Hi Becky, that sounds interesting. How long would you allow the fruits/veggies soak in the solution? Like Sarah I’m also using store-bought all natural veggie wash but it’d be nice to have homemade version that’s also cheaper! Thanks! :)
Hi Becky, do you rinse the produce with water after the vinegar soak?
I had never thought to use natural cleaners until now. I didn’t realize “normal” cleaners were THAT bad. Why is everything so chemical-laden these days?! :(
I think some people might debate whether the “regular” cleaning products are truly bad for you but they can definitely be harmful to the environment. Food and other items just aren’t what they used to be and are loaded with all kinds of crazy stuff!
I totally agree- I’ve slowly replaced all the cleaners in my house with natural products. I especially love Method. I’m a sucker for pretty packaging, and I love theirs (especially for their hand soap). I haven’t tried their wood cleaner… I’m now actually kind of excited to try it!
They do have pretty packaging! I like their hand soap too!
You’re inspiring me to go clean the entire apartment. :) I thank you for that because it sure does need it! I love making smoothies! I have them nearly everyday for breakfast. Yum!
Nothing like a good Spring cleaning! If I weren’t so lazy, I would have a smoothie for breakfast everyday too! :)
I’ve heard good things about the Perfect Fit protein so it’s always fun to read other people’s reviews. My concern is always when things taste too stevia-esque! I love my whey isolate protein powder that is sweetened with stevia (Kaizen Naturals is the brand) but I was going to try to find a vegan alternative. Despite everyone loving Vega I am not impressed with it. It’s too fake tasting. My next try was going to be Sun Warrior…have you tried that?
Yes, I have tried Sun Warrior and actually went through two bags before trying Perfect Fit. I never noticed any of the alternative sweetener taste in the Sun Warrior. However, the smoothie I tried was not my typical blend so I am going to try a few more variations before deciding. They are sending out a ton of free samples and I’m sure if you email them, they will send you a few! :)
I love the Method cleaning products! That is definitely one of my “go-to” brands when it comes to cleaning.
Hey Hannah! Good to “see” you back in the blogosphere!! :)
I love the Seventh Generation disinfecting spray as well and you know, I think the main disinfectant is actually thyme. How fitting for you!!!
I have tons of tile floors and while I usually clean them with a steam mop(super natural way of cleaning!!) I am going to see if I can find the Murphy’s for a once a month mop cleaning, just to get them all nice and shiny.
Haha, I actually didn’t know it was thyme! I love the idea of a steam mop and should probably invest in one. What kind do you have?
I used the 7th Gen cleaning products too. I try to stay away from the harsher more famous household brands. Though sometimes the husband comes home with them. -sigh-
I liked the Perfect Fit protein too. I am trying to get through the last of my protein powder before getting a new tub of a new brand. I also have a yummy Vega Vanilla powder too.
I totally need to clean the house top to bottom too. Especially my closest and bedroom. Soo many clothes and things that just clutter and make life toxic.
I know, I was dreading cleaning but it helps to clear your head when everything is nice and organized. :)
I’m in the process of switching gradually home cleaning products, albeit I’m a bit slow to get on the eco-friendly train here. So I appreciate this post especially.
Another great all-natural (I think it is..) is Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castille Soap solution cleaning line. It’s concentrated so I mix it with some water and very little bit of baking soda (it really foams up!) and voila, I have countertop and sink cleaner! Smells pretty great in peppermint scent!
I haven’t tried much different types of protein powders. Currently I love Sun Warrior protein powder, and before that I had whey protein powder from Gaspari, which tastes pretty good actually. But I’m not using protein powder much these days as I try to intake my protein from whole foods.
Oh yeah, I have seen the Dr. Bronner’s Soap and it seems like a great multi-tasker! And Peppermint is perfect for you! :)
LOL! Hey I didn’t think about that. Peppermint *is* very me, isn’t it? ;) Thanks Sarah for your replies here!
I forgot to ask you Sarah: what’s the part proportion of vinegar + baking soda you use for cleaning sink/toilet? Thanks!
Honestly, I don’t use an exact measurement and kind of eyeball it. I would say about 1/4 cup baking soda to 2 cups vinegar for my tub and about half of that for the toilets and sinks. For my shower walls, I use Method shower cleaner that I didn’t take a picture of. If you have a small bucket, you could probably mix the baking soda and vinegar to clean the walls with but I’m too lazy to go get a bucket!! :)
I also use natural products to clean my house cause I’m very sensitive to the smell of chemicals. The only bad experience I have is with natural glass cleaners cause they leave streaks on the mirrors and glass.
Vinegar and baking soda is one of my favorite home-made cleaning solutions as well.
Your protein smoothie sounds delicious!
Have you tried the Seventh Generation glass cleaner? It doesn’t streak at all for me.
I try to use ‘earth’ products, not sure if you get them in the US but they are all natural. I should make up my own baking soda/vinegar cleaner like you too as its a great idea and all natural.
It sounds like you had a very productive weekend! I have recently started trying to use natural products but they are just so much more expensive :/ I would love to look into more home cleaning remedies like baking soda and vinegar, that sounds very economical.
That is true, Seventh Generation is very pricey. I’m sure you could make your own cleaner with certain essential oils or things like lemon but that might be more time consuming. You should definitely try the baking soda/vinegar combo though, it’s so easy and cheap!
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Sarah how long have you had that Murphy’s Oil All Purpose Cleaner? I have always used the original one, but can’t find the one in your picture. I tried their website and it’s not listed there either. Wondering if they discontinued it. hmmm…. thanks! :)
Hey Tracey, I actually bought it a long time ago and used the last of it right after that post. And now, I can’t find it either!! They might have discontinued it which is disappointing. :(
Yep, think it’s discontinued. I looked at 3 stores today. Oh well….