Coconut Oil

Here is a link so you can read about the benefits of coconut oil. There is also a book called the Coconut Oil miracle I have heard is good. Coconut oil for me is like the lavender of essential oils. It has so many properties and uses.

Here are the things that intrigue me about it and how I use it:

As a cooking oil if I don't want to use olive oil

My 3-year old eats it by the spoonful - Hey I'm not complaining!

Lotion

Face moisturizer

Eczema

Bedroom uses :)

Hot oil treatment

To dilute essential oils

I have noticed when I bake with it, things are not as moist, but maybe I am not using quite enough. Also, when I measure a half cup solid, it is the same as liquid.

One thing to be aware of: it does change the flavors of certain things. You'll just have to try it out. I don't like to cook eggs with it because of the distinct flavor, but most everything else I like. Do not microwave it. You can put it in your hand and it will melt, or put it in a glass cup and heat it in warm water.

That being said, I think I have three gallons left if anyone is interested. $36/gallon. I think it will be here tomorrow.

Millett

I can't remember if I've posted about millet yet, but here are the directions to cook it. We use it plain with liquid aminos and olive oil, or as a breakfast with rice milk/pure maple syrup, and cinnamon. My friend cooks hers with oatmeal because her kids won't eat it plain. Great idea!

To cook millet as a grain instead of rice, just simmer 1/2 cup in 11/2 cups of liquid. If you leave it alone as it cooks, you'll get fluffy grains like rice; if you stir frequently and add a little extra liquid during cooking, you'll get a dish that resembles mashed potatoes. It takes about 25 minutes to cook millet by simmering.

P.S. Millet is alkaline.

Mormon Muffins

2 c. boiling water

5 tsp. baking soda

I have to be honest. I have not been as good as I should about no wheat/no dairy/no sugar since Halloween. And believe me my butt can tell! But I am slowly getting back on the wagon. It's funny to me that this recipe (the original one) used to seem healthy because it had bran flakes and all-bran. There is always room for improvement I guess!

1 cup coconut oil (originally 1 cup shortening)

1 1/3 cup honey (originally 2 cups sugar)

4 eggs *I used free range

5 cups whole wheat flour (originally 5 cups regular flour)

1 tsp. salt

1 qt. buttermilk * I used raw milk with 4 TBSP. lemon juice

4 cups All-bran

2 c. bran flakes

1 c. chopped walnuts

Combine water and baking soda; stir until dissolved. Cool. In a mixing bowl, cream together coconut oil and honey. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Mix well. Beat in the water mixture. Fold in cereal and nuts. Fill muffin tin 3/4 full, and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until muffins test done.

Makes 4 dozen muffins.

NOTE: Muffin batter will keep in refrigerator for 1 week.

This was adapted obviously and these are so good I wanted to make them for my family, but not with shortening/white flour/white sugar. So it was a trial and everyone loved them! I am so happy when I don't spend an hour making something just to throw it away :)

Classes

Would anybody be interested in a monthly class to get out by ourselves, learn about more natural living (cooking, body care, budgeting, exercise, laughter) and get dinner too?

These are some of the things I want to learn more about and share:

Transforming our regular meals into a healthier version

Toxin-free shampoo, soap, lotion, lip care, makeup

Things we can make ourselves (I have a great thing to replace cotton squares)

Changing our thoughts to be more positive

Better skills for mothering

How to be a better wife

Green smoothies.. why are they beneficial?

Setting up a group (co-op) so we can save money on the things we buy.

A better way to budget and keep track of our money

The power of exercising

Basically, I want to improve on all these things, and I want to learn from people that have found things that have worked. If we could get together once a month on a set date, meet, and have a little lesson, share, and eat.. I think it would be LIFE-CHANGING!

So leave me a comment if you are interested, if you have other ideas, and if you would like to help in a particular topic. What are the things you are interested in learning more about??

Candida

I got to teach a class last night about candida. I am no expert, but I have been doing a lot of research the past year and a half trying to kick it out of my family. Candida is a yeast that lives in your body, but when overgrown turns into a nasty fungus. It actually turns into rizhoids that bore holes in your intestinal wall, which allows toxins to flow into your blood stream and raise havoc. One of the best ways to combat candida is to eliminate foods that aggravate it. At the top of the list would be white flour, white SUGAR, white rice, and dairy products. There is so much more on this topic I feel like I could talk about it for hours, but we need to be giving our body all the minerals and vitamins it needs. Dark leafy green vegetables, herbs, garlic, a little non-gluten grains, beans, and lots and lots of water to flush those toxins out. It can turn into very nasty problems. The symptoms I've noticed with it for me are exhaustion.. just so tired! A sweet tooth is an indication of it, acne, eczema, food intolerance. There are many, many more, but here's just a little info!

Almond Milk

Yay! I have finally found a homemade milk alternative that we like. I would say that rice milk from Costco is the cheapest alternative that is somewhat healthy, but I have made it at home and not found success. Anyway, here is the almond milk recipe:

3/4 cup raw almonds soaked overnight

Blend together in blendtec on power 10 for 30 seconds, scrape sides, pulse until it is a paste.

Then add 3 3/4 cup purified water

3 TBSP. molasses

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

pinch of salt

Blend on whole juice the whole cycle.

Strain through a four layer cheesecloth and voila1

I have found that almonds soaked overnight and drained, stay good in the fridge for about two weeks. You can take them out and rinse them every 3 days, but I didn't.

I am saving the almond pulp leftover from the almond milk to try and make some almond cookies..

I have been learning a lot about essential oils and am excited!

Here's a link to learn about them:

Doterra