Whole Wheat Organic Blueberry Muffins

My kiddos asked me for some blueberry muffins and I wanted to go to the wine festival sooo guess what I was doing on a Sunday morning...Making the best blueberry muffins we've ever eaten. They were so good that I had to go buy more blueberries to make another batch that evening. 

Blueberry Muffins

1 1/2 cups Organic Whole Wheat (Sprouts-Bulk)

3/4 cup of organic sugar (I used C&H brand)

2 tsp Aluminum free baking powder

1/2 tsp Himalayan Pink Sea salt

1/3 cup vegetable oil or Coconut oil

1 large farm egg or organic from the store is fine

1/3 -1/2 cup of organic milk (I used whole milk)

1 1/2 tsp 100% Pure vanilla (I used my homemade vanilla) 

a little over 1 cup of organic blueberries (I used Cascadian farms)

Preheat oven 350 degrees

Add all dry ingredients to a small bowl. Combine oil, egg in the measuring cup and fill with milk to the 1 cup line. Add Vanilla and wisk until combined.  Add milk mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients and stir with a fork until mixed well. Then fold in the bluberries. 

The mixture will be slightly thick, if it's too thick then add about a tbs more of milk to batter. Line the cupcake pan with paper liners. Use an ice cream scoop and fill each cup with a scoop of mixture. Sprinkle sugar on top of each muffin. This should be enough for about a dozen muffins. 

Bake for about 15-20 minutes

These are probably the most moist and bluberry filled muffins you'll ever have! Enjoy! 

Body Butter Recipe

Dale's Body Butter Recipe

A few months ago I bought a chunk of 100% Pure Shea butter thinking I'd use it on my face...well that didn't happen. So yesterday I figured I'd try to make body butter since I had all  the other ingredients...With some modifications here and there, this is what I came up with. Enjoy and please message me if you have any questions.

I used all of the ingredients in the picture above in this recipe.

1/2 cup of solid Organic Pure Coconut oil (Amazon)
1 cup solid 100% organic pure shea butter (Amazon)
2 tbs Honey (Las Cruces Farmers Market)
4 oz Sweet Almond Oil (Target) *Any Essential oil will do. Sweet almond oil has a very light scent and Shea butter has a heavy scent so keep that in mind...I plan on making a batch of lavender/citrus body butter to see if that neutralizes the shea butter smell a bit more. 
Using a double broiler I put the solids in a glass measuring cup that could withstand the heat and slowly melt to a liquid. If you don't have a double use a medium size pot and a coffee cup and heat the solids on medium until it melts.
Mix both oils together add honey and stir. Put it in the freezer for about 30 minutes or until slight solid but soft to the touch.  

Then finally add essential oil.   

Using a hand mixer, mix until it is the consistency of whipped icing...see picture above. This may take about 10 minutes. 

Fill your containers and decorate! They make great gifts! I bought my mason jars from the commissary or you can find them at Walmart. The little pocket/purse containers were purchased at Walmart in the travel size section. 

*Notes

This body butter is fairly thick. It may seem oily at first but the oils are great for your skin and it absorbs well. Remember a little goes a long way! Also the ingredients are super healthy for your skin. I actually use Coconut oil as a moisturizer for my face, hair and before I made the body butter an all over body moisturizer. Honey has fantastic healthy qualities. Check out this link: 

http://www.honeyo.com/honeyhealing.shtml

Enjoy!!

Body Butter Recipe

Dale's Body Butter Recipe

A few months ago I bought a chunk of 100% Pure Shea butter thinking I'd use it on my face...well that didn't happen. So yesterday I figured I'd try to make body butter since I had all  the other ingredients...With some modifications here and there, this is what I came up with. Enjoy and please message me if you have any questions.

I used all of the ingredients in the picture above in this recipe.

1/2 cup of solid Organic Pure Coconut oil (Amazon)
1 cup solid 100% organic pure shea butter (Amazon)
2 tbs Honey (Las Cruces Farmers Market)
4 oz Sweet Almond Oil (Target) *Any Essential oil will do. Sweet almond oil has a very light scent and Shea butter has a heavy scent so keep that in mind...I plan on making a batch of lavender/citrus body butter to see if that neutralizes the shea butter smell a bit more. 
Using a double broiler I put the solids in a glass measuring cup that could withstand the heat and slowly melt to a liquid. If you don't have a double use a medium size pot and a coffee cup and heat the solids on medium until it melts.
Mix both oils together add honey and stir. Put it in the freezer for about 30 minutes or until slight solid but soft to the touch.  

Then finally add essential oil.   

Using a hand mixer, mix until it is the consistency of whipped icing...see picture above. This may take about 10 minutes. 

Fill your containers and decorate! They make great gifts! I bought my jars from the commissary or you can find them at Walmart. The little pocket/purse containers were purchased at Walmart in the travel size section. 

*Notes

This body butter is fairly thick. It may seem oily at first but the oils are great for your skin and it absorbs well. Remember a little goes a long way! Also the ingredients are super healthy for your skin. I actually use Coconut oil as a moisturizer for my face, hair and before I made the body butter an all over body moisturizer. Honey has fantastic healthy qualities. Check out this link: 

http://www.honeyo.com/honeyhealing.shtml

Enjoy!!

Homemade whip cream or Cool Whip? I choose homemade whip cream!

My children have been asking for cool whip for quite some time... Of course my first thought is but I'm trying to keep processed foods out of my house.

Well I made the decision that Cool Whip which not only does not change shape for an entire 12 DAYS (check it out-http://www.jonathanfields.com/blog/horrifying-12-day-cool-whip-experiment/), but is also made of mostly hydrogenated vegatable oil, natural and artificial flavors, polysorbate 60 and other hard to pronounce names.

I figured I'd much rather my kids have an occasional treat of heavy cream, vanilla and yes (processed powdered sugar) than all that yuckiness in Cool Whip listed above. In saying that here is the simple recipe that I promised my instagram and facebook followers. Enjoy!

Half pint of Heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
3-4 tbsp powdered sugar (it's up to you how sweet you want it)

Add all the ingredients to a bowl and whip with a hand mixer or use a electric Mixer (I used the Kitchenaid Mixer):
http://www.target.com/p/kitchenaid-classic-plus-stand-mixer-empire-red-4-5-quart/-/A-14264291?ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001&AFID=Google_PLA_df&LNM=%7C14264291&CPNG=Appliances&kpid=14264291&LID=PA&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=14264291

Easy Homemade Applesauce

This was literally the easiest recipe yet!! We had some organic Fuji apples that were getting a little soft so my daughter suggested we make applesauce. I mean she said it like I hadn't been on my feet for 2 hours cooking dinner. So, I took to the internet to find a recipe I could modify to fit my needs which was for it to be super easy and simple! So this is what I did...

4 organic Fuji apples or any sweet apples such as Red Delicious or Gala
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup organic sugar
1 teaspoon organic cinnamon

Peel, core and slice your apples. Add the rest of the ingredients to a saucepan and stir. Heat on medium for about 20-25 min or until soft. Let the apples cool then you mash with a potato masher or fork. I used a mix n masher, which is the best ever at mashing anything. Unfortunately I cannot find a link for you to buy one. The brand is OXO. 
It looks like this. 





When your done eat it right away or store in the fridge for later. Lets just say my kiddos will be eating applesauce for lunch tomorrow. 

Freeze your onions!

Well look at this!!!




Easy way to store your onions...4 easy steps...Chop/food process, put in cupcake pan, freeze and bag it in ziploc bags. I used wax paper in the cupcake so it was easy to remove once frozen. Drop them in any recipe that requires onions. 1 medium onion divided into 7 portions.

Homemade Vanilla Extract

So I did it and it was so easy! I finally got my Madagascar Vanilla beans and I got my little bottles I ordered on Amazon. Click link to order http://www.amazon.com/Boston-Round-Bottles-Oz-Pack/dp/B003FXH2LY/ref=pd_rhf_ee_s_cp_1_GJCK

All I needed was some vodka or Rum so I got a 1.75 L bottle of Rum. I had 15 vanilla Beans that I ordered on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Premium-Bourbon-Madagascar-Vanilla-Beans-Mushrooms/dp/B000ET4SM8/ref=sr_1_5?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1365821313&sr=1-5

I had to pour out about 4 oz to fit the beans so I made a drink. Makes the task less mundane :) Took 12 beans, cut the ends off and sliced them down the middle. Then I dropped them in the bottle. I had 4 left over so I cut them in half, split them down the middle and dropped them into the2-3 oz jars. I added vodka from our bar to the 3 oz jars. Hey "Why not?".

 So now I have 1.75 liters of Rum Vanilla extract and 2 jars of Vodka vanilla extract sitting in a dark, cool cabinet. I will shake the bottles once per week for 8 full weeks then I will update with the end result. Cookies coming soon!

Jambalaya

Jambalaya

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ small chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cups organic chicken broth See my recipe below for crock pot chicken and broth

1 cup cooked organic brown rice (I use a rice cooker)

½ teaspoon Himalayan sea salt

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon of onion powder

½ teaspoon chili pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

1 bay leaf

2 cups cooked, shredded organic chicken or Shrimp

Directions

Melt butter or margarine in a large skillet over medium low heat. Add onion and green bell pepper and saute until tender. Stir in tomatoes, broth, rice and all spices

Bring all to a boil; reduce heat, cover skillet and simmer for about 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in shrimp or Chicken and cook until heated through. Discard bay leaf and serve hot.

Crock Pot Chicken and broth

1 whole organic chicken or 6 chicken thighs

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon basil

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon Himalayan sea salt

3 bay leaves

3 chopped celery stalks

a couple of chopped carrots

half onion chopped into big sections

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

I use this for my chicken noodle soup stock or freeze chicken and freeze broth in a mason jar to be used later in soups, cooking rice, gravy etc. 

Hot Pockets/Pizza

Pizza/Hot pocket Dough

Ingredients

•                        1 1/2 c. warm water

•                        2 T. Organic Honey

•                        2 1/4 t. active dry yeast (one 1/4 oz. packet)

•                        3 1/4 c. Organic Whole Wheat flour

•                        1 T. Real Sea salt or Himalayan Pink Sea Salt

•                        2 T. Organic Italian Seasoning

•                        3 T. extra virgin olive oil

•                      

Instructions

In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water. Sprinkle yeast over the top, and let stand for about 10 minutes, until foamy.

Stir the olive oil and salt and Italian seasonings into the yeast mixture, then mix in the whole wheat flour until dough starts to come together. Tip dough out onto a surface floured with the remaining flour, and knead until all of the flour has been absorbed, and the ball of dough becomes smooth, about 10 minutes. Place dough in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover loosely with a towel, and let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

When the dough is doubled, tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide into 2 pieces for 2 thin crust, leave whole to make one thick crust. Form into a tight ball. Let rise for about 45 minutes, until doubled. If making hot pockets divide into about 8 med sized balls after 2^nd rise.

(Pizza)

1/2 Naked Veggie Pizza (Dairy free) & Cheese Pizza 

Pesto Chicken & Parmesean

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Roll a ball of dough with a rolling pin until it will not stretch any further. Then, drape it over both of your fists, and gently pull the edges outward, while rotating the crust. When the circle has reached the desired size, place on a pizza pan. Top pizza with your favorite toppings, such as sauce, cheese, meats, or vegetables.

Bake for 16-20 minutes (depending on thickness) in the preheated oven, until the crust is crisp and golden at the edges, and cheese is melted on the top

(Hot Pockets)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Roll a ball of dough with a rolling pin until it will not stretch any further. (About a 1/8 of an inch thick) Then, add your favorite fillings to the center of the dough. I use organic pizza sauce, uncured Applegate pepperoni or salami, block white mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese, or for a pesto inspired pocket use All natural pesto sauce, shredded chicken or turkey and a light dusting of Parmesan cheese. Fold over and crimp with a fork or roll the edges. For a nice golden crust mix 1 egg and about a ½ t. of water and brush on the tops of the pockets. Bake for about 20 min. Cool and eat or freeze.

Homemade marshmallows

Crock Pot Chili

Crock Pot Chili

This is a great meal to prepare before work and it will be done by the time you get off. Or I start cooking this at night before go to bed. I add the meat in the morning season and keep on warm till dinner. 

1 pound grass fed ground beef

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

32 oz of beef broth(Homemade is ideal)

1 (29 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1/2 bag of dried beans of choice (I usually used mixed beans or Kidney beans

½ tsp paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp thyme

2 tsp basil

2 bay leaves

2 tsp dried red chili peppers

Sea salt

Rinse off beans to remove any dirt and/or pebbles. Add beans, chopped onion, bell peppers, spices, herbs and tomatoes. Pour broth in and add water to fill the rest of the crock pot. About 3 inches from top depending on how big the crock pot is. (I use a round one) Stir and cover. Cook beans on low for 12 hours or until beans are tender.

In a large saucepan over medium high heat, brown the ground beef and drain oil. Shouldn’t be too much if you use grass fed. Add to pot and mix. I cook it on high in the crock pot for about 30 min so the flavors blend the add sea salt to taste. 

Voila! Combine it with some sweet cornbread and you’ve got a hit! 

                                 Dinner is served! 

Shrimp Fried Rice

My Family loves this recipe! I usually serve it with a cabbage/veggie stirfry and a fruit/veggie smoothie.

Homemade Shrimp Fried Rice

2 cups of brown rice

Evoo

3 chopped green onions

3 eggs

½ cup cooked shrimp

¾ cup of frozen peas and carrots

½ tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbls Oyster sauce

Low sodium Soy sauce

lightly oil skillet and scramble eggs and onions together

Set aside in bowl

Heat skillet on medium and add cooked brown rice. 

Mix in apple cider vinegar and sesame oil and stirfry for about 5 min.

Rinse and toss in shrimp, peas and carrots then add scrambled eggs and mix.

Finally mix in oyster sauce and add soy sauce to taste.                   

Sneaky Fast Food Corporations!

Fast Food companies are slowly destroying our health. Will this change your perspective on eating at these establishments? a
http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/02/11/food-companies-exploit-americans-with-ingredients-banned-in-other-countries/

easy peasy quick dinner

I got home late, had to do my daughters hair and needed a quick and tasty meal for my family. This is what I did...
Chopped broccoli
Chopped mushrooms
Chopped cabbage
Sliced Uncured polish sausage
2 tbs of coconut oil
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp chopped garlic

(Add more or less seasonings to taste)

Sauté sausage. Add coconut oil and chopped veggies. Add seasonings and mix.
Cook till veggies are tender (about 20 min on med/low).

Dinner is done! I paired it with brown rice cooked in a rice cooker in organic chicken broth.

Twist & Twist Out

My 10 year olds Twists & Twist out natural Hair routine…

I started off by adding Extra Virgin olive oil to her hair then co washing her hair with Tresamme' Naturals Conditioner. I washed out 90% of it. Then I divided it into 4 sections and smoothed on Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing smoothie onto each section. I parted it into the style I wanted and started twisting using the rope twist technique (check out YouTube for tutorials) I may do one in the near future. I’ll keep you posted. Ok back to the twists…As I grabbed each small section of hair I took a small fingertip amount of the Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Masque and smoothed it on each section and began 2 strand rope twisting. This is how it turned out. 

I maintained her hair by smoothing a small amount of Extra Virgin olive oil through her hair about 2x per week. I left the twists in for 2 weeks, untwisted the twists and this is how her twist out looks now.

This style should last about 1 week before I have to redo her hair

Kids Wash N Go

My 6 year old daughters natural hair routine...

She has a tight spiral/coiled curl pattern. Very easy to maintain and detangle but more susceptible to frizz. .

Routine/Products I use for wash n go:

Co wash every 2 wks with Tressame Naturals conditioner. Section and detangle with fingers. Wash out about 90% then section and apply Herbal Essence Hello Hydration as a leave in. Add 100% coconut oil or Extra Virgin Olive oil as a moisturizer and to tame the frizz on the sides. I usually pull into 1 or 2 ponytails and let air dry.

Get rid of plastic?

Here's a very informative article that will help you decide what's best for your family. I've removed most plastics from our kitchen and the ones I do use are BPA free. Ultimately, I want to be plastic free, but like all journey's it takes time. What do you think? Is it worth it? Is it possible?

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/parents-talk-chemicals-worry-everywhere-begged-convenience-004842630.html

Organic sweet Cornbread muffins

So I just created the most awesome muffins tonight for my family and I wanted to share. If you love sweet cornbread, you will love love this! 

*Remember organic is my recommendation, but not necessary! You will enjoy this recipe with whatever type of ingredients you choose! 

Organic Sweet Cornbread muffins

1 cup organic Whole Wheat flour                   


3/4 cup organic cornmeal

¼ cup ground Flaxseed                  


2/3 cup organic cane sugar

1 tbs organic honey         


1 teaspoon Sea salt

3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (Aluminum free)

1 cage free egg

1 cup milk

1/3 cup Canola oil

Chia Seeds

Add a small spoonful of any organic nut butter to the middle before baking for an added treat for your kiddos lunch or a snack for you. (We use peanut butter and sunflower butter)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). For muffins use paper cupcake liners (no need to grease or spray oil). If making cornbread…lightly grease a 9-inch round cake pan.  

In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, honey, salt and baking powder. Stir in egg, milk and oil until well combined.

Pour batter into liners or prepared pan. Sprinkle with Chia Seeds for added nutritional value and for a nice little crunch. (By the way my kids loved the chia seeds)

Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. (Personally I bake until they are golden brown around the edges and top)