Chocolate Mint Smoothie

Breakfast that tastes just like dessert? Yes please! This smoothie is great way to start your morning, packet full of healthy nutrients to kick start your day.

Ingredients

1 c. Coconut milk
Large handful of spinach
1 banana
1 tbspn Hempseed
1 tbspn Chia seed*
1 tbspn Cocao powder
1 tbspn Cocao nibs
1 drop Young Living peppermint EO**
Water, enough to smooth out consistency

*You can pre-soak your chia seeds in water over night, that prevents them from thickening your milkshake up.

**If you don’t have YL essential oil, please use fresh mint leaves. YL is the only brand I have found to be safe enough to ingest.

Method

I like to use our Bullet to blend my smoothies, it gets all the seeds really ground up. I place all the ingredients into the bullet cup, and blend until smooth. You may need to add more water to get the right consistency, I like mine to be as smooth as a milkshake!

~Rachel

The Super Powers of Cacao

Cacao is a super, yummy, health food that is becoming increasingly popular. It’s a part of my families everyday diet and here is why!

What is cacao anyway? Isn’t it just fancy cocoa?

Well kind of! It comes from the seed of the same tree, the Theobroma cacao, so it starts life as the same substance. Cacao is raw and minimally processed; where as cocoa is roasted, processed and sometimes mixed with additives and preservatives.

What makes cacao a super food?

Magnesium– Cacao is the most concentrated source of magnesium found in nature. It is vitally important to heart, bone, muscle and nerve function. Studies have shown that up to 80% of Americans are magnesium deficient. 

Fiber- Cacao has 9 grams of fiber per one ounce.

Iron– which is necessary for red blood cell production.

Antioxidants- They are so important to your health because they absorb the free radicals that cause damage in the body.

Mood- Cacao stimulates the brains neurotransmitters that trigger emotions, so it can make you happier!!

Anandamide- is a lipid nick named “the bliss molecule” that is found in cacao. Another mood booster!

Phenylethylamine- Is a chemical our bodies also make naturally. It helps improve focus and alertness.

How can you use it? 

Cacao comes in a powder form and as nibs, which replace both cocoa and chocolate chips in my home. We use it in all recipes requiring either. Cookies, smoothies, pancakes, ice cream, you name it! Its very, versatile and has a great taste! I find it to be a bit sweeter than traditional cocoa.

 

So grab yourself a bag and try it out!

~Rachel

Tummy Tincture

I love natural remedies, they are almost always my go to. With it being the season for all sort of illnesses this tummy tincture has been a life saver. We use it for nausea, indigestion, and other stomach pain/upset. My kids request it! It’s simple to make and lasts forever.

Ingredients:

1/4 c. Fennel seeds

2-3 inch piece of Ginger root (finely chopped)

Small bunch of Fresh mint leaves

Vodka

Filtered hot water

1 q. jar

Method:

Place fennel, ginger and mint into the jar. Fill the jar 1/3 of the way with hot water. Then fill the rest of the jar with vodka. Screw lid on tightly and place in dark spot for 6-8 weeks. Shake jar daily. When your tincture is ready, drain off the herbs and store in mason jars or glass droppers.

The adults in my family use 1tspn-1tbsp per dose. The kids use 1/2-1 tspn. They like to mix with a little ginger ale or water,  my husband enjoys it with tea.

~Rachel

 

 

Ginger Ale

Ginger ale was never my favorite until I tried homemade. It is delicious, so fresh and tasty. It has become a daily staple in our home. Not only is yummy, its good for you too. Ginger has some amazing health benefits, such as soothing stomach discomfort and reducing inflammation. You can read more about ginger here.

Ginger ale is relatively quick to make, the most time consuming part is raising your ginger bug. This recipes has never failed to impress.

Ingredients

2/3-1 cup Ginger bug

2 inch piece of fresh organic ginger root, finely chopped

9-10 cups of filtered water

1/2 cup organic sugar

1/2 cup lemon juice

Mason jars

Method

Pour 5 cups of water into a pan, with your chopped ginger root and sugar, bring to a boil. I like to let it simmer on a low setting for 30 mins or so. Then take it off the heat, add 4-5 more cups of cool water. Your liquid should be room temperature, if you need to let it cool a little longer. Then add your ginger bug and stir. Pour your ginger ale into mason jars, leaving a little room at the top of each jar. Set your jars in cupboard or out of direct sunlight, leave them for 24-48 hours. Then enjoy! Refrigerate what you don’t drink, it will last for weeks.

I hope you love this recipe as much as we do!

~Rachel

 

Glorious Granola

I cannot begin to describe how much I love rainy, summer days. All my babies home together, relaxing and laughing while rain pelts on the windows. Our chores done for the day, school done for the day, dancing in the rain done for the day, all that’s left is play and cooking.

We tried out something new this week (borrowed from a friend). Each person picked a meal, and instead of running to the store almost daily, the plan is to go once, or maybe twice a week. I don’t want to over challenge myself! I felt like I spent more money than I usually would, but I also usually run to the store multiple times a week or day. So we will see how it goes. My kids love the idea though, so excited about what’s next to come. Last night’s meal was spectacular, curry roasted squash sandwiches. So yummy! Tonight we are having home made pizza, salad and parfaits. My middle daughter sure knows how to pick a tasty dinner. So to make these classy, little parfaits she has picked out I needed some granola, and honestly I had never tried to make it from scratch until today. I don’t know why, we love the stuff! Anyhow, I made some and it is glorious! I’ll never buy it again, truly. Here’s the recipe I came up with:

Glorious Granola

2 cups of old fashioned oats

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup maple syrup

2/3 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup raisins

2/3 teaspoon of cinnamon

2 tablespoons of coconut oil

pinch of salt

Mix together well, then bake in the oven at 300 degrees for 45min-1hour. Stirring around every 20mins or so. Let it cool and viola, delicious granola.

~Rachel

The Perfect Ginger Bug

Nurturing the perfect ginger bug can make or break your fermented drinks. A ginger bug is the key ingredient in your carbonated kombucha, ginger ale, dandelion and burdock and root beer recipes. I’m going to share our families tried and proven method for the perfect bug!

Ingredients

Filtered water

Fresh organic ginger root, finely grated*

Organic sugar

Glass jar

Light cloth or muslin

Rubber band

*I have tried finely chopping the ginger, and it just works so much better grated.

Method

Start by filling your jar with 1-2 cups of cool filtered water. Then add 1 tablespoon of ginger and 1 tablespoon sugar, stir. Leave jar on the counter, out of direct sun light, covered with light cloth of muslin. Each day for 5 days you will add another tablespoon of sugar and ginger. Then stir. By the 5th day you will see it fizz and bubble, and you’ll know its ready to go!

~Rachel

Lemon Balm Tea

Lemon Balm tea is one of my favorites, its very, relaxing and helps naturally reduce stress. I love to sip on a cup while watching the sun rise in the morning.

It’s extremely easy to make if you have access to a plant. It is a durable herb, an annual that requires little to no care. So you only need to plant it once! We have hard winters here in the Midwest, and my plant has came back every spring.

Each Autumn before the first freeze, I cut my plant right down. I tie the stems together, and hang them to try. Then I use the dry Lemon Balm through out the winter.

To make the tea:

3-4 fresh Lemon Balm leaves or a teaspoon of dry leaves

Hot water

Cup

Simply pour the hot water over your leaves and let it steep for 4-5 mins. Then sip and enjoy!

~Rachel

Deliciously Detoxing Ice Cream

Start your day with a heaping bowl of ice cream and detox your body while you eat it! This ice cream is chock full of antioxidants, super fruits, energizing oils, and tons of fiber. It also has zero fat, is super sweet and low in calories.

3 Ingredient Ice Cream

1 banana, frozen

1 cup blueberries, frozen

1-2 ounces Ningxia Red

Makes one generous bowl.

To make this yummy treat just peel and freeze a banana for at least 6 hours. Take your frozen banana, frozen blueberries, 1-2 ounces of Ningxia Red and blend on high for 30 seconds.

That’s it! Whole, pure, nourishing food, that taste like a dessert!

~Jennifer

Breaking the Melatonin Habit for Good

I have been a night shift nurse for 15 years.  I also have five children who expect their Mama to be up and at ’em during the days I am not working.  This requires me to get some sleep!  I discovered Melatonin about 10 years ago.  I started with 1 mg, then 2, then 3, then 5 and recently I was up to 10 mg a day.  Even on the days I did not work!

Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone that your pineal gland produces.  It has many benefits, including antioxidant properties, anti inflammatory effects and most important regulating your sleep wake cycle.  When your body is not receiving any from outside sources, it produces its own.  When you are supplementing your body with it, it begins to back off – thinking it does not need to produce it anymore.  This is a TERRIBLE side effect.  This can disrupt your hormones on many levels.

Is there a natural source that can just encourage your body to produce it’s own?  Yes.  It is called Cedarwood oil.  It smells light and clean, can be applied topically and diffused at bedtime to induce a natural full nights rest.  Cedarwood works synergistically with Lavender, each one helping the other and making you calm and alerting your brain it is time to produce the Melatonin.  What an awesome combination!

My routine is filling my diffuser with a couple drops of cedarwood and lavender, turning it on about one hour before I lay down.  Then as I am getting in bed I put a drop of lavender on each foot (allows for quick absorption) and a drop of cedarwood on the bridge of my nose (close to that pineal gland).  Within 20 minutes my body feels heavy and tired – allowing me a chemical free natural night’s sleep.

This is safe for children also!

~Jennifer

Two Minute Lip Balm

I am lip balm obsessed.  I have purchased every brand, flavor, size and shape.  I have them everywhere.  They are in my car, purse, work bag, nightstand, bathroom, kitchen, everywhere.

I just could not stop buying them, because I knew I could find the perfect one.  I don’t like them too sticky, fruity, waxy or thin.  They need staying power.  They need just enough scent and flavor.  They need all natural ingredients.  I know, it is a lot of thought over lip balm.  Show me grace, it’s my thing.

I decided to make my own when nothing fit my requirements, and my husband was tiring of finding them everywhere.

Who knew it was easy to create lip perfection!

What you need:

shea butter (super cheap, can find if on amazon)

coconut oil (unrefined)

beeswax (amazon, farmer’s market, health food store)

essential oil of choice (I used a mix of citrus fresh and grapefruit this time)

12 empty lip balm containers (tubes, pots, whatever you prefer, again on amazon)

Now the fun part.

Take 2 tablespoons of the beeswax, Shea butter, and coconut oil and melt in a glass bowl in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes, in 30 second intervals, stirring in between.

Add a few drops of your oils.  Stir.  Pour into containers.  Let it sit until firm.

Done!  Lip perfection!

Smells just just like summer.

~ Jennifer