It is SO easy to get stuck in-a-rut when it comes to planning meals. We have the tendency to make the same meals from week to week. My goal to get out of my own rut is to start trying at least one new recipe every week. This week we (me and Mr. Cheek) tried Parsnip Fries and to my surprise, he liked them! I will definitely make them again in the near future. Below is the recipe.
PARSNIP FRIES
Ingredients
3 medium parsnips
3 tablespoons almond butter
2 tablespoons coconut oil
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup grated coconut
Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F. Peel and slice parsnips into “French Fry” shape. In a large bowl mix together the almond butter, coconut oil and sea salt. Toss parsnip slices in the almond butter mixture. Put grated coconut on a plate and roll each parsnip slice in the coconut. Place coated parsnip slices on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake 40 to 50 minutes, until parsnips cooked and coating is golden brown and crispy.
Resource: Mark's Daily Apple
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Last week, I blogged about my new aromatherapy body lotion that I am loving. This week I want to let you know about my homemade face lotion I have been using since the first of the year. It only has three simple ingredients, coconut oil, cocoa butter olive oil. I really like how smooth it makes my skin feel. I do feel it takes a couple of weeks for your skin to adjust, but it is totally worth it. If you use something natural that you really like, please feel free to leave a comment and share it with me.
Natural Face Cream
Ingredients
Natural Face Cream
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2½ tablespoons cocoa butter
- ½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- Combine all ingredients in a small pan or double boiler and heat until the coconut oil and cocoa butter melt.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool. If you want to add some essential oils, like lavender, you can do so after the mixture cools.
- Place in a small sealed jar and shake vigorously, let it sit for a few minutes and shake again.
- Depending on the temperature, the mixture may solidify similar to how coconut oil/cocoa butter do on their own. In the winter the cream will usually be solid. You just have to use your finger to get a little bit out of the jar, rub it around in your palms or between your fingers to warm it up a bit and then apply.
Monday, January 28, 2013
New Year's Resolution
January is the famous time of year when people make New Year's Resolutions. Typically, it has something to do with health, like starting to exercise or lose weight. This year I joined the bandwagon and made a healthy resolution, but it has nothing to do with exercise or weight loss. My resolution for 2013 is to switch out all my chemically laden cleaning and personal care products for ones that are more natural.
As you all know, I have lots of food allergies (gluten, wheat and dairy) so I avoid ingesting all of these substances. However, until this year I never really considered that these ingredients might also be lingering in my personal care items, such as in my shampoo, makeup etc. I have always read food labels, but recently started reading the labels of all the products I use. It is ridiculous how many chemicals, most of which I cannot even pronounce, are in items such as shampoo, face soap, and household cleaners. I decided there is no way using all these chemicals can be healthy for me, especially my liver since it has to detoxify everything. I would love to say I threw all these items out right away and purchased new items, but the truth is I can afford to do that this month. Instead, I am slowly switching out products throughout the year as I attempt to achieve my resolution. I will be posting new products that I either purchase or make throughout the year that are made with harmless ingredients. Please check back often to see what is new.
My first replacement this year is my body lotion because it goes on the largest organ of my body, my skin. It feels fabulous and has even made one of my cooking burn scars disappear! I hope you love it as much as I do!
Whipped Butter Lotion
1 jar of shea butter
1/2 coconut oil
1/2 cup of jojoba oil
2 tablespoons of cornstarch
1-2 teaspoons of essential oil of your choice
2 teaspoons of vitamin E oil
Directions
1. Melt shea butter in a double broiler.
2. Add coconut oil and melt until a complete liquid.
3. Remove oils from heat.
4. While the oils are cooling, add the cornstarch to a small bowl. Gradually add several tablespoons of jojoba oil to the cornstarch and thoroughly mix. Once mixed, add cornstarch mixture to the shea butter/coconut oil mixture, along with the rest of the jojoba oil.
5. Place mixture in freezer for about 20-30 minutes.
6. Once the mixture has cooled, remove from freezer and add essential oils and vitamin E. Whip on medium/high with beaters until the mixture thickens to the desired consistency.
7. Store in an airtight jar and keep out of direct sunlight.
This is how the mixture looked after it was whipped.
I reused the shea butter jar to store the lotion. It made 2 full jars.
Recipe adapted from www.mommypotamus.com
As you all know, I have lots of food allergies (gluten, wheat and dairy) so I avoid ingesting all of these substances. However, until this year I never really considered that these ingredients might also be lingering in my personal care items, such as in my shampoo, makeup etc. I have always read food labels, but recently started reading the labels of all the products I use. It is ridiculous how many chemicals, most of which I cannot even pronounce, are in items such as shampoo, face soap, and household cleaners. I decided there is no way using all these chemicals can be healthy for me, especially my liver since it has to detoxify everything. I would love to say I threw all these items out right away and purchased new items, but the truth is I can afford to do that this month. Instead, I am slowly switching out products throughout the year as I attempt to achieve my resolution. I will be posting new products that I either purchase or make throughout the year that are made with harmless ingredients. Please check back often to see what is new.
My first replacement this year is my body lotion because it goes on the largest organ of my body, my skin. It feels fabulous and has even made one of my cooking burn scars disappear! I hope you love it as much as I do!
Whipped Butter Lotion
1 jar of shea butter
1/2 coconut oil
1/2 cup of jojoba oil
2 tablespoons of cornstarch
1-2 teaspoons of essential oil of your choice
2 teaspoons of vitamin E oil
Directions
1. Melt shea butter in a double broiler.
2. Add coconut oil and melt until a complete liquid.
3. Remove oils from heat.
4. While the oils are cooling, add the cornstarch to a small bowl. Gradually add several tablespoons of jojoba oil to the cornstarch and thoroughly mix. Once mixed, add cornstarch mixture to the shea butter/coconut oil mixture, along with the rest of the jojoba oil.
5. Place mixture in freezer for about 20-30 minutes.
6. Once the mixture has cooled, remove from freezer and add essential oils and vitamin E. Whip on medium/high with beaters until the mixture thickens to the desired consistency.
7. Store in an airtight jar and keep out of direct sunlight.
This is how the mixture looked after it was whipped.
I reused the shea butter jar to store the lotion. It made 2 full jars.
Recipe adapted from www.mommypotamus.com
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