Start Living Clean, with Lexi Davidson

Welcome to the five Journeys podcast.

Live like you matter. Lexi Davidson is our guest today and she is the voice and personality behind Lexi's Clean Living. Since her launch in June 2013, Lexi has become an influential voice in the clean eating and clean living space. Her growing audience consistently tunes to her as a leader and trusted source for delicious, nutrient dense foods that friends and family love, along with guidance on how to live a clean and healthy lifestyle. Welcome, Lexi. We're so happy to have you here today.

Thank you for that lovely intro. We love you to be here. I love you guys. This is going to be great.

Yeah. So talk to us. Okay, well, a million questions. So where do we start? You want to start with the beginning or you want to start in the middle?

We start from the middle and then go to the beginning.

Rock and roll. What's clean living?

Clean living. Okay. Well the funny, I'm happy you asked this actually first before even getting to know, asking my story and all of that because what I think the biggest takeaway here when you're thinking about clean eating, clean living, toxins, all of this stuff that you guys are well versed in and we all talk about is having it be realistic in a lifestyle. So it's not clean eating, clean living, it's not a D change per se. It's not removing every single toxin in your life all at once and spending a fortune. It's really just a lifestyle shift and it's really just cleaning up some of the toxins and ingredients and processed foods and all these things that are in our life more than ever and just being more aware and reading ingredients and making choices that we feel good about and starting in a place that we are not feeling overwhelmed about. So in a nutshell, it's a lifestyle shift that is approachable and that will help us, you know, live long, healthy lives, hopefully.

Sounds like sustainable too.

That's. Yeah, for sure. That's the hope. Right?

So how, how do you gauge though? Right, because some people want to start going to eat to get their grains from a bulk, some bulk supermarket and use only glass, etc. And some people want to maybe start with eating some, a few organic vegetables, adding a few organic vegetables. Where do you start? Where do you, how does that, how do you always.

Yeah, well, there's a few factors, right? Money, like I, I hope and my hope and dream and an impact that I hope to have is to make a shift. You know, when I started my journey, grass fed beef was $13.99. Now you can get it for $7. Ish so making it accessible for everyone. But so my point being is we have to meet, we have to start where we are. You know, what's affordable, what's realistic? You know, if you have, you know, a whole family that you're feeding, then maybe swapping every ingredient right away is not realistic. And it's okay, you know, and I feel like that's when other things come into the factor, like sleep and stress and all of this. It's not, you know, there's all these pillars of health and clean living that aren't just food, which I've gotten more and more into. But to answer your question, the thing that I always say is, and I talk about this mostly in self care products, but it relates to everything, is what do you use every single day, Right? So I give toothpaste. Maybe that's something you're like, ooh, I was looking at those ingredients or body wash for a better example, and I'm like, oh, that's what's in the Dove body wash. Like, we use that every day. My whole family uses that every day. Okay, that could be a first swap. You know, that could be a real, you know, that could be a good transition item. That makes sense. And we use it all the time. So then, so you go from. I like to think of it as the pyramid. So we're going from what we're using every single day to, you know, to making smaller changes maybe for stuff that we're not using every day, but that are important and that do matter. So, like, maybe eventually it's like ditching your Teflon nonstick pans and. But you know, that may not be. That might not be reality right away. And it's. That's okay too, you know.

How'd you get into this?

We want to know your story.

Oh, man, am I. And you guys have. You guys. I've known you guys for a long time. I feel like it's kind of fun all coming together, all these different books and podcasts. So in 2013, I had all sorts of stomach issues. I thought I was eating super clean at the time. Air quotes. Because.

Can you give an example of that, Lexi? Because I think most people, when you say to them how to eat, they're like, oh, I'm really clean. What do you eat for breakfast? Cereal. You know what I eat for lunch? A sandwich. What do you have for dinner? Pasta.

So everybody comes in to at least my office saying they're healthy until they list the things going on.

They tell me that they don't feel well. But when you say you thought you were eating super pretty clean at the time, what did that look like? So people have a reference.

Okay. So at the time, I was doing P90X, which is like a workout program. It's like a beachbody fitness program. So me and my husband Mike, we were doing it like five, six days a week. We were feeling really strong. We were doing good. And my example that I always give is I was eating protein pancakes every single day. So it's was protein powder. I don't. I mean, I was a teacher. I don't know what kind of protein powder I was buying then. It was. No, it was probably sfh. But anyway, protein powder, banana, egg. And then, you know, I started. You know, I would start adding some, like, other things into it, but I was eating that every single day. And then what else was I eating?

Was there flour in it?

No, because at that point I was trying to eliminate flour, which I'll get to in a second. But so, like, that's just an example of. I mean, that's not bad, but I don't. I wouldn't eat that every single day. Right now. I may not be the best example, but that's the first one that comes to mind. Or, you know, I was making, like, what was I bringing? I would just make things that I was like, oh, this is super. This is like, I'm eating so healthy. But then. Okay, here's where it gets to my story. I had all these digestive issues. Like, it was. It got to a point where I didn't want to go out. I didn't want to travel. I was so bloated all the time. My stomach was constantly in pain. I mean, I was like. Not to be tmi, but, like, I couldn't go to the bathroom. I was super gassy. Like, I was just. My stomach was not well. But then I was eating my protein pancakes and exercising and thinking, I'm doing everything right. So before I actually saw Ed, I was like, for some reason, I must have found this on the Internet. I was like, I'm going to cut out a few things from my diet that I've heard can be inflammatory grains. Actually, it was just gluten and dairy at the time. So that was in January 2013. I cut out gluten and dairy and pretty, pretty, you know, significantly noticed a difference fairly quickly.

It wasn't 100% the bad and the good news, right?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Okay. Like, I don't really know what this means. I wasn't 100%, which is we'll get to my point. Another point in a second. But I was like, wow, okay, like, something. There's a shift that's happening here. So at the time, I was like, my husband Mike. I was like, mike, I'm going to start an Instagram and share these recipes that I'm making because they're really good. And at the time, there wasn't, like, brands like Siete Foods making awesome tortillas with good ingredients. And there wasn't. There weren't these options everywhere back in the days. Back in the day, you know, so. Oh, man. So. Oh. I mean, yeah, even in my cookbook from 2016, I mean, we have homemade tortillas. We just have all these things that, like, weren't accessible. I have a kid now, and I definitely am not making my own tortillas anymore. So, okay, so fast forward. This is January, and Mike's like, you're not gonna be able to give up the bread basket. I'm like, I don't know what Instagram is, but, like, okay, but cool. Have fun. I start sharing on Instagram that these. I'm exercising, but I'm changing my diet, and here's why. And I started sharing recipes. There was no website. It was like. I think it was Alexis K916. Like, this was not intended to be a business at all. I was like, maybe I could help a person or two. I don't know. And it started growing, like, very, very, very quickly. And then throughout the next probably six months or so, till June, people would say to me, they're like, do you have a place where you can find all these recipes? And I was like, no, just scroll back on my Instagram. And then I was like, wait a minute. This could really help people. I'm loving this. Let me make a website. So I made a cheaper website. Had no idea what I was doing. We came up with a name, which was Lexi's Clean Kitchen. And from there, it really just started taking off. But it was around that time that I was like, you know what? I'm doing really well with my, like, makeshift DIY elimination diet that I have, you know, decided I was going to do. I'm feeling a bit better, but I need. I need a little help. I need, like, that extra 10, 15%. I need to get to, like, what I thought would be optimal health. So, like, that's how I came to find new Ed. And we at the time, I had Candida over overgrowth and, oh, a few other things were going on, but that was, like, the main thing. So I did A liver detox. I really cleaned up more. Like, I cut out grains. I was like, super squeaky, squeaky clean. And I'll never forget, you made a recommendation, which I don't often recommend supplements to the masses because it just feels irresponsible. But magnesium changed my life because it started helping me go to the bathroom. I mean, everything just started shifting in a positive direction. You started moving in all the ways. There was so much moving.

This is a health show. There's no tmi. Exactly. Just FYI.

I was like, okay, I'll just talk about going to the bathroom all day. And it was pretty significant in my life. I mean, it changed my life. Food changed my life. You know, figuring out what was actually going on, like, what was actually the causes, was obviously what needed to happen. You know, I was doing my own journey to heal my body. But I want to know what was actually going on, and I actually needed to know to continue my path to where I am now. And now just to bring it full circle, it's like, I do have a little more flexibility now in what I eat, so. And I always like to say that to people because I feel like people really struggle. And I did, too. And it was like, I'll never forget this, actually. And you said to me, okay, so, like, no fruit. No, you have to, like. Because we were doing this candida protocol, you know, at the time, and I was like, wait a minute. I cut out gluten. I cut out dairy. I did all this, and now I'm coming here, and now I can't have an apple or a banana in my protein pancake. You're so mean.

And it was apple season, I'm sure, right? She's like, no McCowns this year.

I was like, no bananas on my protein pancakes. I actually think I asked you if I could have caramel apple martinis, and you were like, are you kidding?

Which you may already out of it, right?

Yeah, I wasn't kidding. But you were like, are you kidding? No, I was definitely not kidding at the time. It was a struggle. And so I always say this is, like, while a lot of these things are inflammatory, and while a lot. And, you know, you guys know this. We talk about this all the time, but, like, a lot of these things can cause issues over and over. And many people, not just people that are struggling with health, like, you know, with gut issues or skin issues or whatever the case may be, but it doesn't always have to be forever. And it might be, like, for us now, we mostly. We're I would say we're like 90, 10, 80, 20 at times. Like, we have the flexibility to be like, you know what? That homemade sourdough looks really, really good. You know, like, I'm gonna. I'm gonna give that a whirl.

But you're identifying that it's a special treat as opposed to a way of life, or it's a. It is something that's really mindfully cherished. Not just this is how we do it.

Well, it's also about the body's resiliency, really, because.

Exactly.

You were. You had to get through something, get take care of your body, and now your body's able to take care of you, even if you're not, quote, unquote, whatever that means. 100% totally.

And I still.

Your body can handle it.

Yeah. And what was extra, like, also very interesting, was going through pregnancy and having my body be able to kind of handle things that it couldn't. And I was like, all right, I'm riding this way. Which is funny because you would think I'd be like, extra squeaky clean while I was pregnant, but I'm like, ooh, my body, My stomach doesn't hate me. If I eat that, I'm gonna eat it. And now I'm 16 months out of my postpartum, and sometimes I'm like, I think my stomach could still handle it now. I'm like, no, not so much. Gotta reel it back a little.

But, yeah, pregnancy is definitely a special time in many ways.

People talk about years of BC and ac, and for me, it's not about what year is it? It's before children and after children is your BC and ac, Especially with the sleep deprivation and making sure you're raising a little human being. You can't tolerate the same stuff you could tolerate. And your immune system's different. It's totally different.

And then you're like, wait, I have to eat. I'm nursing. I'm that. And then you're like, but I have to take care of this human first. So, like, I'll eat later. And then all of a sudden, you're like, oh, yeah, I really need to eat now. You know? So it's just a whole different ball game.

It really is.

That's how I got into it. And then. Okay. So then. So, okay. Started Instagram January 2013 website. 2013. And it was kind of like makeshift. I threw it together. And then eventually I started working with the developer and a design team. But I was a teacher. I was an elementary art teacher, and I loved it. And then it got to a point where I was, I had two full time jobs and I was up at 5am Creating content for one of my first clients, which was American Express for their healthy living series on their Tumblr account. Funny enough, Tumblr throwback now. And it got to a point where it was a calculated decision, you know, I was like, I can, I'm going to give this a try. And yeah, I've been doing it full time ever since 2015. 2015, yeah, that was when I left teaching.

So it sounds like your real passion is to help people really find their place in their healthy living journey. I'll say. Because it's really, I mean, you have a huge audience at this point, right? Not everybody's gonna need the same thing. So it sounds like.

Exactly. And it's not realistic for everyone. Right. Like, I mean, money is a huge factor. I wish that wasn't the case, but it is, you know, and a lot of the advocacy work I do at the self care industry and the beauty and skincare industry is about that. It's getting safer products into the hands of everyone, not just, you know, the people that can afford a $20 body wash. So I mean, man, it matters so much. Even in our drinking water. We're in the town that I live in, we have pieces in our water. We got a letter in January, you know, in March saying that since December and January our levels were way too high. And I know that standards have changed in Massachusetts, but they were like, if you're nursing, breastfeeding or. No, sorry. If you're nursing or have a newborn or pregnant, absolutely do not use the water in your home. We're like, I'm sorry, I'm nursing now, Feeding like now she's just started solids and how long has this actually been going on? So we just actually ended up going to town recently filtering our water because I think water is a big, big issue. I really believe we don't have access to safe drinking water. And I know it's different, you know, compared to other countries and what the issues are, but it's really a problem.

Absolutely. And we live in Newton and theoretically the water in Newton is supposed to be one of the best, but if you. We just put in a whole house filter and. Yeah, and plus we put in three part under counter filter, two part under counter filter. It still gets dirty even with all that.

Oh, you.

But no, in terms of when you change the filter.

Yeah.

There's still. Oh yeah, junk there that. What is it filtering like? And that's supposed to be really good water.

And I knew because like, so when we moved in we had our water tested. Not to get like on a total tangent, but. And I knew we had chlorine in our water. I knew we had some things. Like our water was super hard. I knew we had water issues with our water, but this was like the straw that broke the camel's back. And I was like, no more. And they were like, but you can bathe her. And I'm like, so I could bathe my one year old in water that's in a forever chemical. And we have mthfr, this gene mutation that doesn't help us detox properly. Well, and she has it. So I was just like, no. So but we did reverse osmosis under our sink, but we couldn't do that in our whole house. One, it's wasteful and two, we have septic, so you can't do the septic. So we had to do these like carbon charcoal filters to salt water. Like we, I mean our basin's like filter city down there. So I mean. But here it's just an example of being like, you know, you have to meet people where they are. And what I don't want is people to feel overwhelmed. I don't want people to feel like they have to make an elaborate dinner every night. It's not realistic. We can get dinner on the table in 30 minutes and it tastes good. We can get good quality ingredients, good quality beef and poultry and fish even delivered to our door at a really reasonable price. And we can do this. This doesn't have to be an unachievable, non realistic goal where you have to like move to a farm and make all your own food. And I mean maybe that would be awesome, but that's just not the reality. I know, I. Part of me is here for. Part of me is, you know, I, I go back and forth but you know, I. It has to be realistic for people and I want it to be. I want to help people. Right? That's why you guys do what you do. Also, we just want to help people and make it more accessible and sustainable. So.

So for people who are starting out, how fast should they approach change versus how slow? How do you, I mean, are you, are you making these recommendations to people? How do you view it?

Yeah, yeah. I mean that's another one where it's like, I'll meet you where you are. You know, if you want all my recommendations, here we are, I can give you them all. But that's generally not where People are at. You know what I mean? So what I say to people, and just let me just give an example of skincare and beauty. Just because I'm looking at all my samples that I'm sending out of safer products, I say, like, okay, what are you running out of? We don't have to. You don't have to throw out all your fancy expensive makeup and that is made of talc and XYZ in it, or skincare or face wash or, you know, deodorant would be a big one. I would say that should be a change. But, you know, you can use up what you have, you'll likely be okay. But the problem is, and I have some people in my life and my personal family, I'm just not going to get into it for them, but that are going through cancer at a really young age. Two people actually in my life very close to me. And that's where you really think, like, okay, how can I do this realistically? But. But also when I, I have, you know, one of these people in my life, they're not, they don't think about these things. They're not thinking about their cleaning products, they're not thinking about candles. You know, they're not thinking about all this stuff in a whole hour. As a big picture, they're like, okay, like, maybe I can approach food, you know, so it's really just what, you know, what can you do? Or what. But I always say, what are you running out of? So, like, let's start there. If you're running out of face wash, let's get you a cleaner on. If you're running out of sugar, let's make a good swap for that, you know, like. Or a better swap, let's say, to.

Make a better choice, like, wherever you are, level up for whatever's next on your buy list.

Yeah, but you guys, you guys would appreciate this. I recently had house guest and they were like, oh, man, you have the baby Ganex hand sanitizer, which, you know, I had my, my daughter in the peak of COVID and I was like, I don't know, I feel like I need to have some sort of hand sanitizer in the house. But I don't want one with alcohol and I don't want one with this. And so I just got this brand I thought I researched enough. Turns out the ingredients are just meh. But better than, you know, Purol, for example. But anyway, so these people come in our home and they're like, wow, I can't believe you would use that I'm like, well, one, it's quite judgmental, but two, we're not using this every day. And also, I'm not going to throw it out. It's a better option. If people come to my house and they want to use it. I feel better about them using this than me putting out a thing of Purell, for example. And, like, that's where I've come a long way. I used to be, and for good reason. And there's times where I go back to super squeaky clean everything. And then there's, like, right now, or maybe I'm 80, 20, or 90, 10, where I'm like, okay, we can just calm down. Because stress matters, Ed. You've always told me that. It's like, are you meditating? It matters. Sleep matters. All of this stuff matters. So if we're going to make ourselves so crazy about everything, it's just not. That's not a sustainable way to live either, you know?

Well, that's worse for your health because you're going to shut down your digestion and your detox if you're all stressed out and not sleeping.

Exactly. Exactly. So it's just kind of being. I guess so. That was just an interesting example of someone being like, I can't believe you, Lexi would use that. I'm like, and that's where. And actually, I was on a podcast recently, and they were like, any training call. Two people said this to me recently. Like, you know, my kids ate pickles for dinner. If only I had my crap together like Lexi does to get dinner on the table. And I was like, whoa, okay. I think I need to be more real with people because, you know, my dinners aren't always lavish things that I, you know, we work through months out on our blog, on our content, on our recipes. We're testing them 6 to 12 to 15 times, depending on the recipe. Like, we're. I'm not cooking every single day, and that's what we're eating. So, yeah, we do try to, like, always have really good options in the house, but there's some nights where I Whip out the Dr. Prager's, like, spinach Littles. And I'm aware that there's canola oil in it, and I'm not happy about it, but once in a while, you do what you got to do. And I think that people talk about the pickles.

What's wrong with pickles?

There's nothing wrong with pickles. I think she was saying, that's all they ate. That was all they ate.

Like, I handed Them a cucumber and said.

And she's like, oh. I'm like, Lexi probably had this crazy dinner. And my point. My point to tell you the story is that. And this goes into, like, talking about social media, which we. We haven't talked about, but I think it's worth talking about. It's like there's an unrealistic picture of what someone. Everything. Everything good and fair. Thank you for jumping in there because of everything. Like, no, my. I don't. We don't do everything perfect. I dye my hair. That's like. That's one of my faces. It's not. You know, I'm like, people like, have you tried to clean our hair? I'm like, haven't found one. It's my thing. I wear a mask. I do the best I can.

I, you know, take your detox supplements.

You do detox?

You know, like, that's what I'm saying. So I certainly don't want people to think I am perfect. And with that. And I struggled with this for a long time, and I was talking about it with my therapist for a long time. Like, I don't want people to think if you eat clean or live a cleaner lifestyle or, you know, you're doing your best and then something horrible happens, like you get cancer or something. Or something, you know, and that can happen. Like, you can't eat a perfect way or. And like, I don't want people to think that if, you know, I eat clean like Lexi does, that nothing will ever happen to me, because that's crazy. You know, I have my own health issues that have come up over the past number of years that are genetic and completely out of my control. And realistically, actually, stress is a factor and why it was triggered, but the reality is nothing was gonna. Most likely nothing was gonna stop that from happening. So I just don't want people to also get that impression.

It's about mitigating. It's about mitigating the impact of what's happening in your body by not making it worse with food. Food will take away a lay problem, but it may not, especially with genetic issues. It's just going to alleviate or mitigate. It may not be the cure all. It'll be the cure all for your belly. But not necessarily for genetics.

Yeah, well. But what you're speaking about, genetics is not necessarily destiny. And sometimes it is.

So you're my destiny.

Oh, God.

So cute. I just want to come in for a group hug. I couldn't resist.

I know. I wish you were asking, actually hear Lexi. I know. Anyway, back to. You were making a point. Sorry I exist.

I actually appreciate your point, Ed, to that, because you can have, like, call it Ms. Or something really, really serious going on, and you can really help yourself by diet choices, by certain types of exercise, movement, by a lot of things, by supplements, by all these choices. And it's important when you do have these things come up in, which is some unavoidable potentially that you just figure out what your move is from there, you know, like, how am I gonna. How am I gonna migrate? How am I gonna manage this? How am I gonna make some changes that can help my cause, you know?

Yep.

Right. And it's human. Like, you were talking about ms, and there's a pretty famous physician that had Ms. Or has ms, couldn't walk, Terry Walls, wheelchair bound, and she literally cured herself. Well, at least she's walking. I'm not. I don't know. She might be in remission, but she talks about having, I think, either six or eight portions of vegetables with. With each meal and really super clean, or she goes back. So even though she has this disease and she mitigates it with food, which is pretty impressive. So even though she has that predisposition, food can change things. Just like you said, meditation, stress reduction, sleep, all that stuff.

We talk about the rain barrel pillars.

We didn't talk about.

You guys talk about. Well, you guys talk about pillars, you know, like that. You know, with five dreams and like, that's. And I talked about that in my first book. It's like the pillars of health are not just food. Right. There's all these other factors, and it's really important to think about that. And someone else that comes to mind when you were just talking about Terry is Alaina from Alina's pantry, who, if you follow her, she's amazing, and she's such a great resource. I don't know how Ms. Specifically came up, but she has Ms. And she manages differently, right through keto and a ton of other stuff over the years. But she's amazing. And it really shows that food can change your life. I mean, food changed my life in a different way, obviously, but it really is. It's amazing.

Yeah. Food is medicine.

So I have one completely non sequitur question, which is you just mentioned how you test the food. What happens to the food that you're testing and prepping before it makes it onto the showroom floor? Do you eat it?

Everyone eats a lot of batches of things that I'm just like, by the way, this is Just. Okay. So, like, my brother is in Connecticut, and they have some stuff going on, so I've been bringing them freezer meals. So recently I brought them a big bag of, like, our new grain free pumpkin blondies and our monster cookies for just to have in the freezer if they want a snack. And I'm like, but the bags are really mixed. So I'm like, you have our final batch, which is the best batch. And then you have, like, six other batches that are just meh. So, like, I don't know what cookie you're gonna grab out of the bag, but, like, hopefully it's okay. But no, we eat it. We eat it. We freeze it. We share it with friends and neighbors and people in need in our community. And, you know, sometimes Mike's like, this is not.

That's totally non sequitur.

No, no. But Mike's like, this is not really great. I'm like, I know. Like, the next batch, I bet, will be better, but we're not wasting it, so you have to eat it.

So you referenced how not every night your dinners look picture perfect. What do you suggest to people who are too busy to cook or who really feel challenged by transitioning from a boxed meal to a. A made meal?

I think there's two parts to this part. One is if your family is on board, right? Because we all know that that's a struggle. If you're making, you're like, oh, okay, we're gonna make this. Even if it's in 30 minutes, this instant pot chili. It's good for us. There's tons of veggies. Everyone will feel good. It's delicious. But then everyone's like, well, I'm not eating that. There's vegetables in it. So, like, there is that. That I hear a lot.

Not everybody likes Brussels sprouts.

No, right? Like, shocking. It was actually funny. I was doing this. I'm working with this email guru, and he's helping us with our email marketing strategy. And I was like, okay, I'm gonna make one subject line, like, superfood Spotlight Spinach. And he's like, make it Superfood Spotlight and take out the spinach. I'm like, why? He's like, because that's not sexy. Like, no one is gonna open like that. Open rate's gonna be less. And I'm like, oh, man. I live in a bubble of, like, I would want to know about all, like, the superfood benefits of spinach and how I can sneak it into everything and, like, how I'm going to Cook it in the next, like, you know, for the next month of my CSA having it. So it's just funny to realize that there's so many people, especially nationwide, you know, my business is everywhere that just. They don't need this or they're not aware. So it's just. It's just an interesting perspective that, like, making it sound necessarily not like the healthiest thing in the world is kind of a good thing.

It's all about the spin.

Yeah. I was like, let me just give it to them. I just want to just say it exactly how it is. But yeah. So, okay, dinner. Getting dinner on the table. So there is that issue that I hear all the time for readers is how do I get my family on board if they're not. But backing up before that. There's a few tools in the kitchen that we use all the time to get dinner. I'm like, oh, man, it's 4:30. I have 30 minutes to figure out what's going on the table. Right? So sheet pan dinners. Having an instant pot. An instant pot is an awesome resource to getting really good dinner on the table quick.

You love our instant pot, don't you?

It makes rice. I make rice with.

Does make rice, but honestly, yes. My chicken soup that I used to cook on the stovetop for, like, you know, it was almost 24 hours. It was like a process. I make it in the instant pot and call it with pressure coming up. Call it an hour with all said and done and prep, but it's like, it's as if it's been simmering for 24 hours, and you get.

I haven't made chicken soup in that. I haven't made chicken soup in it yet.

I make a lot of things, and it's the best. So, I mean, tools like that. Tools like that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Tools like that that you could take out and be like, okay. Or a sheet pan. Most people have a sheet pan, right? Line it with parchment paper, not aluminum foil. Just saying. And throw on some veggies, you know, if they're heartier veggies, like potatoes, you know, maybe throw that in first. Then throw on some chicken breast. Put a little, like, you know, mustard or like, make a little something like sauce or something. And sheet pan dinners can come together so quickly. So there are ways to make dinners really easy. Some people do really well with planning, right? So, like, okay, here's my four dinners that I'm making this week. One night's gonna be leftovers. One night we're gonna do takeout. It's Just like, I. I'm. I don't necessarily need that as, like me personally, but, like, it would. But it helps a lot of people save money. You know, they're like, okay, here are the groceries I'm ordering this week. I have a down palate. I'm not thinking about anything other than what's on my meal plan tonight. So I feel like there's all these different resources, but I feel like kitchen tools is a biggie. And then, like, when in doubt, I always have some shrimp frozen in my freezer. And I feel like shrimp defrosts. Really? I know that sounds like a random one, but it defrosts quickly. You can buy good wild shrimp, you know, and sometimes I don't even wait till it's fully defrosted. I throw it in the skillet, put some spices on, throw some sauce in it, make, you know, make some veggies on the side, and we have dinner. And it's really, really quick. So I feel like it just, just. It just takes a little prep. It takes a little thinking more than prep. And what tools do you have? You know, my mom is, like, loving the air fryer because she's not a good.

What are the top tools? You said instant pot. You said sheet pans and wash.

Instant pot.

I would say air fryer. A meal planning template, if that's your thing. That's not necessarily a cooking tool, but it's a really good tool. What else do we use to get thrown on the table super quick? I mean, the slow cooker, even though that's not quick, but it can be quick if you, you know, throw something in the morning and then come back later, planning ahead. So utilizing the tools that we have, you know, utilizing these things because they're great, and it helps me get dinner on the table quick.

That's awesome.

And also one more not realizing that, like, you know, what if I don't make my Bolognese in my sauce from scratch, then, like, forget it. It's like, you can just take some ground turkey, ground beef, throw it in this goat with some onion, garlic, good oil, and then throw in some good marinara sauce. You know, read the ingredients, avoid one with sugar and random oils, but throw that in there. You have like a 20 minute, in a hurry meat sauce. That's delicious. Throw it over some good pasta that you feel good about, and it doesn't have to be this elaborate meal to be delicious.

Yeah, beautiful.

That's great. How do you stick to that when your family wants nothing to do with it? You force it not that that has ever happened in their mouth.

And you force it down. Right?

You know? Yeah, exactly. Well, that's one method. Will it work up in the air? Unclear. Unclear.

Let us know.

So I've been. So me and Mike were not healthy eaters like, before. Call it 2012ish. I mean, in high school, I, like, I ate Taco Bell all the time. Probably hence why I had all these gut health issues. I didn't eat great. I was super picky, and so was Mike. So then when we made the shift, and I was like, okay, like, I'm making this. Like, you're gonna eat it. You know, it took time for him to get adjusted, but he was pretty on board. So let me say that, like, my experience with that, I haven't. You know, Skylar, like, she thinks lentil pasta is pasta. So I'm like, I'm gonna ride this out as long as I can, but. So I don't have that experience where people are fighting me because I didn't start this journey with teenagers in the house. But I work or I talk to many people that do, and I try to help them navigate that. And Mike, actually, my husband, gave me a really good point. He was like, I. This is really funny. This is a really funny story. He's like, I hated broccoli, but I started liking it when I would eat panera broccoli, cheddar soup in college. And then it was like, that exposure, which, like, you know, I mean, who didn't like that? But, like, not good. But that exposure to, like, the little bit of broccoli that's probably in it made him be a little open to trying my, like, burnt, garlicky broccoli that I make. And, like, those little exposures really help. You know, it's like, just. Just give it a try. If you don't like it. We're, you know, we're not gonna, like, make you crazy and make you eat everything but little exposures. You know, give them a little try. Give them a little try. And then eventually they might. And you know what the other thing is? They're gonna feel better. Like, they will. So they're gonna see that too. So it really depends on where you're at. It's like, if you. You know, if you have a spouse or a partner that's not on board, but they're not feeling good, but then they start feeling better. If they give things a try and they're a little open, then great. Teenagers might be a little tougher and that sense maybe, like, here's what's for dinner? You know, give it a try.

One thing you're pointing out that I really love is people really think their tastes are fixed. Like, I like this, I don't like this. And that's how it's gonna be the rest of my life.

But Nana hates bananas, but now she can't smell them.

So it's okay.

It's all good.

So the reality is.

Wait, who I miss?

Our second daughter, Ariana, whom we call Nana hates bananas, decided at 4 that that was it. She was never going to look another banana in the face, much less be around it. But she now can't smell it because she had Covid and she can't smell. And so she can't smell the bananas. They are much less offensive to her. But I don't know if she ate the banana bread that we made.

No, she still won't eat it, but it won't. She's not offended if people eat her around her though.

Yeah, she used to have to leave.

The room, but no way.

Back to my point.

I hope she gets her smile back, by the way.

Yeah, I think it's coming.

Yeah.

No, the reality is taste is not fixed. And we, as we grow, our tastes change and our taste buds change. And the best example I use is when people go on the fast. When I go on the fast, I'll say, I mean, I grew up on pastries and carbs, as a lot of people did, and it's easy for me to come back to that reality, like wanting that back. But as soon as I go on a three or five day fast, I love that steamed cabbage. It has nothing in it.

Yeah, it's really, it's a very interesting phenomenon to watch him do a fast and be like, you need bro, you need cabbage today.

Or like, like the simplest things have the most flavor and then your, your taste buds change significantly. So it's food is tastes.

So your example is like, you know, for anyone listening here who like, you know, I assume not everyone is going on these wonderful fast and having these experiences.

Wonderful.

I know, not wonderful fast.

Well, you know, long game.

Good for you.

It's a long game thought. You know, for the average person, like an example could just be, I hated mushrooms growing up. You couldn't pay me to eat mushrooms. Now I'm like, bring on the mushrooms. It's just like you're, you know, you, maybe you taste it in a dish that's so yummy and you're like, oh, okay. And then you get the confidence. You're like, I can't make that at home. But then you get the confidence, like, oh, but if I like, throw in a ton of garlic, that could be delicious. So it's, it's just a little exposure, you know, and then realizing. But you're right, like taste change. Especially when you, if you cut out sugar and if anyone has done like a full on, like complete cut out of sugar, you're like, wow, like, that lemon is sweet. Like, you know what I mean? Or something so random that you're like, it's not, but it is now.

You know, I want to highlight something you also just said sort of obliquely, but didn't say straight out. Like when you like or don't like a substance, any vegetable has probably, what, 50 different ways you could make it. So you might not like the raw broccoli floret, but when you've sauteed or steamed it and put it into a soup, or you've blended it into a patty, or you've mixed it with something else, maybe it tastes a little bit better. And that you can't blanket say you don't like it. You need to try all these forms of it because it tastes different when it's in different forms.

And then when we talk about the French. Sorry, the French kids eat everything.

Yes, French kids eat everything. You should read this book, Lexi, because it's all about. You have this window until kids are three where they'll eat anything. And then after three, they. No, it's called French Kids Eat Everything about a woman who moved to France and what a culture shock it was because French kids don't complain about food. They eat everything. They're the best eaters. And her American kids had to acclimate and learn what is really great, really well done. So.

I know, I'm so sorry I keep you.

Look, it's just about. No, exactly. So it's about having kids. Keep trying.

And 15 times. You gotta try the same thing. 15 times, not just different.

That's the same thing with sales and marketing and not to talk about business, but like, you have to expose someone generally 12 to 15 times for them to be like, okay, I trust this, I'm gonna give it a try. Or at that point they run out of something. So it's same thing with like cleaner products. It's like the exposure and people really talking about it. And, you know, the more we advocate and the more we shop and vote with our dollars, the more these things will come down in price and be accessible. And there are amazing brands doing, like really good, good things. And making waves in the industry. So with that said, with the same 15 exposure rule of mine, like, talking about it and being open to being like, even if it's just two or friends. I mean, yes, I have a following, but, you know, I go away with people and I'm like, oh, we're using this, you know, cleaning product that I brought from home in this Airbnb. And then they're like, you know, they ignore me. And then, like, six months later, they're like, I heard that Clorox isn't great. Like, what was that thing you use? So it's just, you know, it's exposure. But what's funny, my daughter, I'm totally going to jinx myself, and she's going to become a picky eater, like, tomorrow. But she's a really good eater. The only thing she doesn't love are salmon and avocado, which are just funny and random. But. But I try every week. I. I just want to, like, you know, once or twice a week, there's. She's exposed to them, but she'll eat pretty much anything if it has, like, a little coconut amino's teriyaki sauce on it or co. You know, or like. Like, she wants this girl on flavor. Like, if I give her plain shrimp, she's like, no. If I give her shrimp with, like, curry powder and sauce and all these flavors, she goes to town. So I think I started early in a good way, but now, like, yes, we. We went to a restaurant, and I was like, oh, well. And we're not a fan of kids menus. They're just kind of terrible. Just kind of gross terrible. But I was like, you know what? We're on vacation. Let's order her the side of Mac and cheese. And she was like, she would rather have my, like, lentil pasta with pesto. And I was like, yeah, I think I did it. I think I did good, but I just jinxed it. So tomorrow, everything's gonna change.

No, when she's three.

Tuesday.

That's how I'm gonna.

She'll come back. And then forward and back. Yeah, that's just how life goes.

That's okay. It's part of it. But. And that, you know, that's an interesting topic. And you guys have kids, and I think it's worth. And I think a lot of people would appreciate this conversation. Sorry not to, like, ask you guys or not to spearhead this, but I talk about this a lot. A lot. A lot, A lot. With random friends. Right? So my business is called Lexi's Clean kitchen, Lexus, clean living, whichever you will. And so one, my kids are gonna see me on social media a lot. You know, I do my best. We have screen time. We don't have access to apps from 6pm to 6. Like, we. We really, really try. But my business on social media, I would prefer kids not to be on social media until they're like. Until they can do right. Yeah, until they're like 100. Like, never. You know, the people in Silicon Valley who make these apps, their kids aren't on it says something. But talking about food and healthy eating and clean eating and clean living and what we put in our bodies without two things happening. My kids going to somebody's house and be like, my mommy says that's bad for you. And like, me giving them an eating disorder. I'm terrified of that. You know, I don't want. And it's the same thing with tv. Like, right. I only have one child, so I'm sure if I. If I'm blessed to have more children, TV might just be part of it. And. But right now we don't. We're not big TV watchers, so it's just easy to avoid. Or. But I. This is a. No judgment. I don't judge people who watch TV with their kids. But, like, I also don't want it to be such an. Such a forbidden fruit that when it's on, she's glued to it. Like, you know, part of me is like, huh, should it be on in the background? So she doesn't care about it. It's the same. It makes me think of, like, things like that with, like, social media, with food. Like, she's not gonna. She's poor thing, not gonna have goldfish. She might have, like, the simple mills crackers that are, like, cheesy. But, like, I'm just probably not gonna bring goldfish in the house. I'm sure she'll have it when she goes to a friend's house. And, you know, that will be another thing. But I don't want her to be like, oh, these foods are bad. Like, you know, I want to make it clear that, like, you know, we try to eat, to nourish our bodies and to feel good, but it's hard, you know, and especially with a daughter. Just something I think about it.

I think lives a lot in language that these are. It's not that these are bad foods. It's that these foods don't help us optimize our bodies, and they don't help us become who we know we want to Be and perform at the level we want to perform at. It's not about good or bad. And you're not a bad person for eating it. And they're not bad foods. It's simply that those foods don't fit into the narrative of how can we be as healthy as possible. That's all it's about.

And I think even asking questions, right, like, how did you feel after all that Halloween candy? Or maybe not wording it like that, but kind of being curious how they felt. And they might be like, you know what? I really didn't feel great, depending on their age or whatnot. But it's just an interesting thing that I think about a lot. And I talk about most mom friends or parent friends that I talk to are. That are in a healthier, cleaner space are concerned about that, like as their kids grow up, navigating it. And you don't always have the best languages. I'm going to say this, this and this, and I'm going to say it right. And that's just not always reality, you know?

Right, right, right. So what is from a. I mean, when people talk about a social media detox. You were talking a little bit about that. Just to bring it back a little bit. What does that. Well, why, why? And what does that look like? Like, what's your why, what now?

Why, what, how? And all the imagery. So something I realized. Oh, well, it wasn't when I started working from home within the past two years or a few years, I guess was I was sleeping like crap when I was browsing on my phone on Instagram or whatever. It wasn't even working. I was just like opening up the app to. I don't even know. I don't even know how the app got open.

Magic.

It's just automatic. Your finger goes there. It's wild. So, you know, in thinking about my. I was like, I'm not sleeping great. I'm definitely on my phone too much. And this is pre kids. So me and Mike, what we did, and this is very easy to do if you have an iPhone is we set passwords. So it's called screen time on your iPhone. I actually have a whole post about it. And so you pick which apps you're not going to have access to from whatever time to whatever time works for you. It doesn't mean you can't get phone calls or text messages. There's emergency. Like, I have Uber. I have, I don't know, Grubhub. I have certain apps that I don't. I use. But, like, let's say I'm like, you know what like, or Mike. Mike's face is Twitter. He does on no social media. But he really likes to browse the craziness that is Twitter. And so we have these screen time passwords set on. And if Mike wants to sit on Twitter for an hour a night, he has to. I have to give him a pass, his password and vice versa. And we're like, I'm like, no, I will not give you your password tonight. And it's just kind of funny. Obviously, if we're traveling, we'll give it to another. But it's been the biggest game changer. So I don't have access to any social media apps, email, nothing from 6pm to, what is it, 7am I used to be eight, but I have an employee out, so I have to do. I have to pick up a little slack. And it is the best. There is no reason to be on my phone at night unless obviously there's an emergency and someone needs me, but then they can get in touch with me. And it's been amazing. So that's every day of our lives. Like, we don't. We're never on our phones at night. It's really awesome. And it's an easy thing to do in the app. It's just literally turning on screen time, someone putting in a password, and you not knowing the password. So. And it's amazing what happens is like when I go away, if I travel for work and Mike gives me the password and I come back and he forgets that I have the password. And then like the screen time kicks in and I press ignore or I put in the password. It could be a few weeks before I admit it and I say, hey, I need a new password. Like, enough is enough. Like, I see it on my phone more when I'm with my family. It's just no one needs to be on the Internet at all hours of the day. But social media, so that's sort of a social media detox that's just kind of become a lifestyle choice that we've made. But social media detox in, you know, in definition is kind of like shutting off for a weekend. So again, it doesn't mean you don't. You can't get a text or a phone call. I feel like every time I talk about this, people are like, well, I need an access to my phone. It's like, of course, no one's saying you have to put your phone away for life, but it's just shutting off. And sometimes especially like you know, my world is social media, like, or not true. Much of my business is on social media. So people are like, huh? Why would you one, I need it. It's important. It's important for everyone. We all get stuck in the cycle of scrolling and playing the comparison game. Like, all the people saying to me, your dinners are perfect. I'm like, no, you don't see my dinners because I don't have access to Instagram. I can't show you. But no, like, you know, you see what's in the feed and that's me sharing recipes. Because my website is my business and we share amazing recipes, but it doesn't mean that's what my dinner looks like every night with a perfect photograph and, you know, all that perfectly styled. But so, like taking a weekend, what about a challenge, right? Like taking a Saturday and being like, I am going to put it away, I'm not going to go on. And it's hard to the point where sometimes you have to delete an app because you can't help it. You know, you open your phone and there's Instagram or there's your email. Email's a tough one. So Mike, before we had screen time. He has screen time actually, like, he doesn't have any. Like, his is like 8pm to 7:59. Like, he doesn't let himself have access to literally anything. It's wild. He's really disciplined.

He's very disciplined.

I am not that way. But it works for him. But he would delete the Gmail app. And so if he really needed to check an email or really want to. And sometimes you have to. Like, we're all. We live in this world, you know, we're not monks. We don't live in somewhere where we don't. We have jobs. He would have to go to the Chrome or Safari and open it and then type in the password. I mean, friction type. Can I curse a pain in the ass enough to not want to do it unless it was really necessary, you know, So I always say to people, if you're interested in it, try the screen time. It might be really helpful and lovely. Or just see if you could just take two hours and just put it away. It's hard. It's really hard. We live in a crazy world. They're meant to be addictive.

This has been really amazing. Unfortunately. Feels like we're running out of time.

Yeah, you know me, I could talk all day. So cut me off.

We love chatting with you.

Is there like maybe two or three things that you want to Leave people with that. What's the top three things you recommend to start their clean leaving journey?

Yeah. Quick takeaways. Focus on sleep, your stress. If you're struggling, talk to someone. Like, go to therapy. Clean up a few things in your diet. It doesn't have to be all or nothing. Just be easy on yourself. We're living in really hard times. A lot of people with pandemic fatigue and being in the house, and there's a lot going on. Be easy on yourself. It's hard, but prioritizing those small things that you can, like, sleep. Put your phone away three hours before bed, and I promise you'll sleep better. Like, little things like that. It doesn't have to be all or nothing. You don't have to throw out every single thing in your pantry to make better choices. You know, start with where you meet yourself, where you're at, and don't beat yourself up. That would be my takeaway. That's awesome.

Where can people find you? Lexi?

Well, Lexi's Clean kitchen everywhere. Website, lexisclean kitchen.com Social media, Instagram, Facebook, LexusClean Kitchen, Pinterest, all the places, everything.

You got it all.

Now on TikTok, we're getting on to. We're doing it.

Nice.

I would show my bloopers on TikTok. You know, like when something fell and you're like, oh, there's dinner.

Yeah. We actually did a blooper, and it was like, me just like. Like, trying to repeat myself over and over, like, you know, say something, and it was just like fail after fail. But I know I need to do more bloopers. I'm starting to do more kitchen hacks. Like, you know, spraying a little avocado oil spray in your teaspoon before you do the honey, and then it pours right out all easily. So, you know, just. Just experimenting. But yeah, Lexus Skin Kitchen Everywhere. And I hope to meet many of you. Yes.

So thank you for joining us. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Thank you for having me. And. And keep in touch.

Definitely. Thanks for joining us for another episode of Live like youe Matter on the Five Journeys podcast.