This is an easy and fast stir-fry that I often make on busy nights. It has a lot of contrasting flavors and colors and we’re especially enjoying it now that our Broccoli is in season in the garden.

If your family isn’t used to these types of spices, start with half and work up from there

Ingredients:

• 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breast or thigh (or more for leftovers)
• 1 medium sized head of broccoli or 1 large bag frozen
• 3-4 carrots, very thinly sliced
• 1 onion, very thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder (I buy here)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder (I buy here)
• 1/2-1 teaspoon turmeric (I buy here)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup of chicken broth (or water, or coconut milk)
• Optional toppings: raisins and green olives
• Olive oil, coconut oil or butter for sauteing.

What to Do:

1. Chop chicken breasts/thighs into bite size pieces and saute in oil until cooked. I use coconut oil to saute.
2. Add  carrots and onion and cook about 5 minutes until starting to soften.
3. Cut broccoli into florets and add to pan. Saute for another 3-4 minutes.
4. Add spices to taste and broth.
5. Cook an additional 5 minutes until all vegetables are tender.
6. Top with raisins and green olives if desired.
7. Enjoy!

I get a lot of questions about natural makeup options, and this was definitely one of the tougher things for me to find natural alternatives for. In college, I practically collected makeup, and had endless tubes and compacts of makeup that never even got half used.

While there are some good natural alternatives that you can buy (see list below), the cheapest, easiest and most natural way is to just make your own, and you might have all of the ingredients in your kitchen already!

Natural Skin Care

What you do to your skin before you use makeup is just as important as the makeup you use and there are some great natural options for skin care.

Personally, I’m a microfiber convert, and only use microfiber products with natural silver fibers (antibacterial) for washing my face and for make-up removal. This is truly the most natural option you can use, since you don’t even need soap (and microfiber is great for baby too… no chemicals to irritate skin!).

For deeper cleansing and moisturizing, I’ve also use the oil cleansing method, which leaves skin very soft and smooth. You can also use a natural sugar scrub (equal parts sugar and natural oil) or natural microdermabrasion (baking soda) to make skin look younger.

With proper skin care, the skin will be naturally healthy and you won’t even need to wear makeup most of the time. Most days, I skip the makeup altogether, but  when I do wear it, these are the recipes I use:

Natural Foundation

Homemade Option: At the recommendation of a friend who had used cocoa powder for natural bronzer, I started experimenting with natural foundation options, and came up with a recipe similar to a mineral make-up, though lighter, and smoother…

I start with a base of arrowroot powder (can also use cornstarch, but arrowroot works better) and then slowly add in cocoa powder and finely ground cinnamon powder until you get a shade close to your skin tone. You can then store in a jar or old powder container and use a brush to apply. It took me a few tries of mixing to get the color correct for my skin tone, but most days, a quick brush of this is all I need.

If you want to make it a more solid base so that only a little sticks to the brush, use a few drops of essential oil or vodka to mix with the powder and push down in a compact. This will make it hard like a regular compact.

I’ve thought about adding this combination to some homemade lotion to make a liquid foundation but haven’t tried it yet.

Commercial Options:If making makeup isn’t your thing but you still want some natural options, there are a few good choices. No commercial choice is as natural as the homemade option, but they are a tremendous improvement over any conventional options! Dr. Haushcka Translucent Foundation is the most natural liquid foundation I’ve found and my skin reacted well to it. I also loved Nvey Eco Liquid Foundation. I’ve also used Nvey Creme Foundation which is thicker and is mainly great as a concealer or under-eye cover.

For powdered foundation, my favorite one I’ve tried is Aubrey Organics Silken Earth which doesn’t have titanium dioxide like many of the mineral make-ups and which has almost completely natural ingredients.

Natural Bronzer/Blush

Homemade Option: Similar to above, natural bronzer and blush can be easily made with a base of arrowroot and by adding more cocoa powder and cinnamon to get a darker shade. I’ve also tried powdering dried beet root (in the dehydrator) or dried hibiscus flowers to add a pink tone which works well as long as you can very finely powder them. Store in a shaker make-up container or an old compact.

Commercial Options: For natural blush, I love Aubrey Organic Silken Blush or Nvey Eco Powdered Blush.

Natural Eye Liner and Shadow

Homemade Options:Always be careful when using any products, even natural ones, near the eyes. I mix up several colors of eye shadow using cocoa powder (brown shades) Spirulina (green shades) and arrowroot (light shades). My favorite is just cocoa powder with a tiny bit of arrowroot mixed in for smoothness.

For eye-liner, I either use a tiny bit of cocoa powder mixed with coconut oil, or a tiny dab or activated charcoal on a slightly damp brush. Be careful not to get either one in the eye. I store the eye shadow in an old powdered eye shadow container and apply with my finger or a very slightly damp brush.

To make a smoother eyeliner, I mix equal parts of coconut oil and cocoa butter (about 1/2 ounce of each) and add about 1/2 tsp of activated charcoal to make a black eyeliner that is thicker. You can also do this with cocoa powder for a brown hue.

Commercial Options: Nvey Eco Powdered Eyeliner is the best I’ve used so far and is almost completely natural.

Natural Mascara

Homemade Option: I don’t wear mascara most days, but when I want a natural option, it is an easy one to make. In a small bowl, I just mix a few drops of Aloe Vera Gel from Mountain Rose Herbs, a couple drops of Vitamin E oil, and a pinch of activated charcoal (not very precise… I know). I mix it up as I use it, though you could also make and store in an old mascara container or in a small jar and just clean the mascara wand between uses. I brush it on with a clean mascara brush, or even a used Bass Toothbrush from OraWellness.

Commercial Options: The two natural ones I’ve tried and love are Nvey Eco Mascara and Organic Wear Natural.

Supplements for Skin Care

I’m firmly convinced that what you put into your body is just as important, if not more so, than what you put on it when it comes to skin health. I used to have terrible acne and since changing my diet and supplements, I don’t break out at all and my past scars have healed. The supplements that seemed to have made the biggest difference in skin health for me are:

• Fermented Cod Liver Oil- for the Vitamins A, D and K, Omega-3s and Antioxidants, all which are great for the skin.
• Gelatin – Which is a pre-cursor for collagen and has made my hair, skin and nails noticeably stronger and smoother (great for cellulite too).
• Magnesium- An anti-inflammatory and lacking in many people’s diets. Topical Magnesium Oil seems to be the most effective for skin health.

I’ve also switched to using microfiber for cleaning my skin, which leaves many of the natural oils in my skin and has made skin care a breeze.

Natural lip gloss and lipstick recipes coming soon

Ever made any makeup? What is the toughest thing to find natural versions of for you? Let me know below! 

This is a similar recipe to my Meatloaf Cupcakes, but with more vegetables…

My kids absolutely love sweet potatoes and will eat them any way I fix them, so this is a good way to add in the extra veggies. This recipe also freezes well and re-heats well so it can be prepared ahead for busy nights.

Ingredients:

• 2 (or more) pounds of ground beef, turkey or other meat
• 4-6 medium sized sweet potatoes
• 1 bag of frozen mixed veggies (no corn! It’s not a veggie!)
• 1-2 onions
• large handful of Kale (a small bunch)
• 1 egg
• Seasonings to taste (I used natural beef bouillon, basil, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano and a little cayenne for meat and sea salt for sweet potatoes)
• 3-4 Tablespoons of butter
• cream cheese to top (optional)

How to Make:

1. Brown meat in large skillet and season to taste when cooked. Set aside.
2. Saute diced onion and kale torn into small pieces in skillet until somewhat soft. Set aside with meat.
3. Pour mixed veggies in the skillet to heat on low heat and in the meantime…
4. For sweet potatoes: either bake ahead for about an hour or until soft, or boil about 10 minutes in large pot of water until soft. I usually cook during a previous meal when I’m already baking sweet potatoes and then just re-heat the night I make this.
5. Mash sweet potatoes with butter and sea salt (or Himalayan salt) until smooth. (An immersion blender makes this go quickly!)
6. Mixed veggies should be cooked by now.
7. Mix the meat, onions mixed veggies, raw egg and any additional seasonings and put in bottom of 9×13 baking dish.
8. Spread mashed sweet potato mixture over it until smooth.
9. Bake at 350 for approximately 30 minutes.
10. When done, top with a small dollop of cream cheese (optional)
11. Enjoy

Possible variation: bake in pint sized mason jars for easy packable lunches!

Ever make Shepard’s Pie? Ever tried this variation? Let me know below!

Since we’ve been on the topic of homemade lotion bars the past couple of weeks, I figured I’d share the recipe for deodorant bars (or homemade deodorant sticks!)

This is similar to homemade sunscreen bars but without the zinc oxide for sun protection and with baking soda and arrowroot added in. These are slightly thicker than my original homemade deodorant recipe, which allows them to be used as a bar, or put into an old deodorant container.

Since the homemade lotion bars, sunscreen bars and deodorant bars all use many of the same ingredients, you can order these in bulk from Mountain Rose Herbs or find them locally and save a lot of money on your family’s personal care products.

I also love Frugally Sustainable’s idea of adding probiotics to the recipe to help balance good bacteria and prevent odor, and I tried it with this recipe. If you have very sensitive skin or really struggle with odor, this might be a great option for you also!

Try making your own deodorant if you haven’t already… you’ll not only save money and avoid chemicals, but I’ve found the homemade versions work better too!

The Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup shea butter, cocoa butter or mango butter (or a mix of all three equal to 1 part)
• 1/2 cup + 1 tsp  beeswax
• optional: Vitamin E oil to preserve. I added 1 tsp vitamin E oil for  this recipe)
• 3 tablespoons baking soda (Omit this if you have sensitive skin and just use extra arrowroot)
• 1/2 cup organic arrowroot powder
• 2-3 capsules of high quality probiotics that don’t need to be refrigerated (I love Bio Kult brand)
• optional: Essential oils of choice – I used about 20 drops of lavender essential oil

This recipe can be adjusted to make any quantity that you’d like by increasing the amount of ingredients used. This batch made enough deodorant for my husband and I for about 2-3 months. You could also cut the recipe in half if you want to make a smaller amount.

How to Make:

Combine coconut oil, shea (or other) butter, and beeswax in a double boiler, or a glass bowl over a smaller saucepan with 1 inch of water in it.

Turn the burner on and bring water to a boil. Stir ingredients constantly until they are melted and smooth:

Remove from heat and add the vitamin E oil, baking soda, arrowroot powder, probiotics, and essential oils. Make sure the mixture is not hot to the touch (warm is ok) so that the heat doesn’t kill the probiotics.

Gently stir by hand until all ingredients are incorporated.

If you will be making these into bars, pour into muffin tins or other molds while still liquid. If you will be putting into an old deodorant container to use like stick deodorant, let the mixture harden for about 15-20 minutes at room temperature to harden and when it is about the consistency of peanut butter, use a spoon to scoop into the deodorant tube and pack down to fill. Then, leave the cap off overnight to completely harden before using.

Enjoy!

Next week, we’ll move on to natural make-up and hair product recipes! Any specific requests?

Have you ever made your own personal care products? How did it go? Let me know below!

OK, so I was just trying to make these sound fancy by calling them “Appetizers” but these are one of my favorite (and super easy) snacks. They also make great appetizers for parties though!

You could probably figure them out just by looking at the picture, but here’s what you need:

Ingredients:

• 1 cucumber (organic if possible since you are leaving some of the skin on)
• 1/2 cup strained greek yogurt (strain it through a cheesecloth or towel for a few hours and use the part left in the towel. You can also use cream cheese, but this version has probiotics)
• 1 teaspoon dried dill (or fresh)(optional)
• pinch of sea salt and sprinkle of pepper
• 10-12 shrimp (precooked)

How to Make:

1. Peel the cucumber in alternating strips to leave a striped look on the outside.
2. Slice the cucumber into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices and put on a plate.
3. Mix the strained greek yogurt or cream cheese with the dill, salt and pepper.
4. Put a small amount of the yogurt mix on top of each piece of cucumber and top each one with a (precooked) shrimp.
5. Serve immediately or keep in fridge up to six hours.

What is your favorite easy snack idea? Let me know below!

Being from the South, I’m pretty familiar with pork barbecue. I’m also familiar with the fact that most commercially available versions from barbecue places have high fructose corn syrup or other non-foods in their sauce.

Boston Butt is one of the easiest cuts of pork to cut and it is also one of the cheapest to buy. I’ve been able to find boston butt from pastured pork at great prices, and slow cooking this recipe makes it incredibly tender. It’s also an easy recipe to make on days when you are out of the house all day and need dinner to be ready when you get home.

For our family, one Boston Butt will easily spread 3-4 meals of leftovers and the kids love it. We’ve even done barbecue omelets with leftovers. If you’ve never tried Boston Butt before, I’d encourage you to try this recipe.

Ingredients:

• One (4-5 pound) Boston Butt
• One (15-ounce) can or one (whole) pineapple
• 2 large sweet onions
• 1 tablespoon each of: Chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, sea salt, celery salt and basil
• 1 tsp crushed black pepper
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups of barbecue sauce of choice (optional but good – find one without added high fructose corn syrup- I like this one)

How to Make:

1. Thinly slice onions and place in bottom of a 6-quart or larger slow-cooker.
2. Rinse the boston butt and place on top of the onions.
3. Sprinkle with spices and pour the whole can of pineapple juice over it. If using fresh pineapple, peel core and thin chop the pineapple and place over pork.
4. Put lid on crock pot and cook on low for 10-12 hours or until fork tender. Don’t open until at least 8 hours and then check for tenderness.
5. Shred with two forks to make pulled pork and top with barbecue sauce if using…

Enjoy!

Are you a barbecue fan? What is your secret recipe? Please share below!

This was a fun recipe that was born one morning when the kids couldn’t decide if they’d rather have bacon or sausage, and they were tired of our basic scrambled eggs and veggies. This has become a Saturday morning favorite, and there are endless ways to mix it up.

It’s easy to make and a fun way to serve the usual bacon and eggs. The ones I made are just basic sausage, eggs and bacon, but you could add cheese on the top for a more “pizza” texture, and even put salsa on top of the sausage before the eggs for a “sauce.” Any kinds of veggies would also be great toppings and I’m envisioning one topped with feta, asparagus and green onions…

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of ground sausage (pastured pork if possible)
• 6 eggs
• 4 slices of bacon
• other optional toppings: salsa, cheese, sliced green onions, finely diced onions, mushrooms, etc

How to Make:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Divide the pound of sausage into 8 even parts and use a rolling pin or the side of a flat glass to flatten to about 1/4 inch and place on baking sheet (you can do this on the baking sheet to make things easier. Put the bacon slices on the baking sheet as well and place the baking sheet in the oven.
3. The meat will cook for approximately 10-15 minutes in the oven, so while that is cooking, prepare any additional toppings and scramble the eggs in a pan.
4. When sausage and bacon are browned and cooked through, remove from oven.
5. Place one sausage “crust” on a plate, top with salsa (if using for sauce), scrambled eggs, chopped bacon, and any other toppings.
6. Serve and Enjoy!

What is your favorite creative way to do breakfast? Please share below!

I’ve finally reached a point where I make all of our toiletry products by hand. I’ve saved a lot of money doing this with bulk ingredients, and I love that I’m not putting any chemicals on my family’s skin. (Finally even replaced my make-up with homemade versions and more on that coming soon!)

I’ve made lotion in the past, but was excited to stumble on this great variation, which is solid at room temperature and looks like a bar of soap. It is also even easier to make than lotion because it doesn’t require any emulsifying with water, which is the tough step. These are solid at room temperature like a bar of soap, but when rubbed on the skin, a tiny amount melts and is transferred to the skin, leaving a highly moisturizing and very thin layer.

There are endless variations on this lotion bar recipe too. You could add any mixture of essential oils, or add zinc oxide to make a diaper rash bar. I’ve also modified for a deodorant bar that is more like stick deodorant (that recipe coming soon) and travels well. I’m infusing oil for a neosporin imitation bar and my homemade sunscreen bars are drying now (I’ll post those too!)

These are fun presents, and could be made for baby shower gifts, birthdays, Christmas gifts or for pregnant moms to use to prevent stretch marks. Did I mention it is super easy?

The Ingredients:

• 1 part coconut oil
• 1 part shea butter, cocoa butter or mango butter (or a mix of all three equal to 1 part)
• 1 part beeswax (can add an extra ounce or two if you want a thicker consistency, which leaves less lotion on the skin when used)
• optional: Vitamin E oil to preserve. I added 1 tsp vitamin E oil for  this recipe made with 1 cup of each ingredient)

This recipe can be adjusted to make any quantity that you’d like. I made with 1 part=1cup so I used 1 cup of coconut oil, 1 cup beeswax and 1/3 cup each of shea butter, cocoa butter and mango butter (though I could have used 1 cup of any of the individual ones). I also added about 50 drops of lavender essential oil. I set them in silicon baking cups though any mold or shape would work. The recipe I used made exactly 12 lotion bars.

How to Make:

Combine all ingredients (except essential oils if using) in a double boiler, or a glass bowl over a smaller saucepan with 1 inch of water in it.

Turn the burner on and bring water to a boil. Stir ingredients constantly until they are melted and smooth:

Remove from heat and add the essential oils.

Gently stir by hand until essential oils are incorporated)

Carefully pour into molds or whatever you will be allowing the lotion bars to harden in. I used these silicon baking cups, though any mold would work.

Allow the lotion bars to cool completely before attempting to pop out of molds. These could be made in different shaped molds for different holiday gifts (hearts for valentines, flowers for Mother’s day, etc) or made in a square baking pan and then cut into actual bars.

 Super Easy and only three ingredients! Ever used a lotion bar? Will you make these? Share below!

This is one of my favorite dessert recipes. Ever. Many thanks to reader Wanda who made the gorgeous one above and sent me a picture! (It always gets eaten before I can take a picture around here)

I used a Cinderella Pumpkin for this recipe. It weighed about 25 lbs and barely fit in my oven. I roasted it in the oven on 325 for a few hours until it was soft and peeled the skin off. The flesh was enough to make more than 10 pies/cheesecakes and some Pumpkin Lattes.

I originally got this idea from Jimmy Moore’s Livin La Vida Low Carb Blog, and adapted it to our tastes. Play around with the stevia and spices to suit your taste!

Healthy Pumpkin Cheesecake Ingredients:

Crust

• About 1 cup of almonds, pecans or hazelnuts, finely powdered in blender or food processor
• 2 Tablespoons of coconut oil or butter
• 1 egg
• cinnamon to taste
• honey or stevia to taste

Filling

• 12 ounces pumpkin puree (about 1.5 cups of homemade or about 1 can store bought)
• 2 Tablespoons of coconut oil
• 2 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese at room temperature
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spices (to taste) or 1 tsp cinnamon and a sprinkle each of nutmeg and cloves
• 1 tsp vanilla (optional)
• stevia or honey to taste (I used 2 tsp of powdered stevia leaf from the garden)

[Note: The above recipe can be doubled to fit in a 9x13 baking dish]

How To Make Pumpkin Cheesecake:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Finely powder the almonds or pecans in food processor or blender.
3. Mix with cinnamon, stevia, egg and coconut oil and use hands to press into bottom of pie pan.
4. Put in heating oven for 10-15 minutes until crust is slightly toasted.
5. In the meantime, mix the pumpkin puree, cream cheese, spices, coconut oil, eggs, vanilla, and sweetener (if using) with a mixer or immersion blender (or just throw in a blender).
6. When crust has started to toast, remove from oven and pour filling into pan.
7. Return to oven and cook for 35-45 minutes or until top doesn’t wiggle in center and starts to slightly crack on sides.
8. Remove and let cool.
9. Chill at least 2 hours or overnight before serving.

What is your favorite dessert? Tell me about it below!

Chicken Pot Pie was one of those dishes I didn’t love as a kid (store bought version) and then loved as an adult (homemade version) and had to say goodbye to when we switched to real food. (Flour and vegetable shortening crust…not so much!)

I just recently attempted a healthy version of Chicken Pot Pie and the kids loved it! It sneaks in some veggies that aren’t typically kid-friendly and some healthy fats. It’s also pretty filling and great for active kids.

What You Need:

• 3-4 chicken breasts (cooked and chopped) or 1 whole chicken (cooked and deboned)
• 1 cup celery (finely chopped)
• 1 small turnip (finely chopped)
• 1 small parsnip (finely chopped)
• 1.5 cups carrots (finely chopped )
• 1 cup fresh green beans (finely chopped)
• 1 onion (finely chopped)
• 1 bag frozen peas (about 12 oz)
• 1/2 cup butter or coconut oil
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 2 cups almond flour (this is the only brand I use)
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (optional)
• 1/4 cup  butter (optional)
• spices to taste: garlic powder, sea salt, pepper, basil, oregano, turmeric

How To Make:

1. Pre-cook chicken in oven or skillet until cooked through and set aside.
2. Peel turnip and parsnip and finely chop.
3. Heat a couple tablespoons of butter in large skillet until melted, then add the turnip and parsnip.
4. Finely chop celery, carrots, green beans and onion and add to pan.
5. Saute over medium heat until all have started to soften.
6. Add frozen peas and continue cooking until peas have defrosted.
7. Chop chicken into 1//2 inch cubes and add to pan.
8. Spice to taste with garlic powder, salt, pepper, basil, turmeric  and oregano (I use about 1 tsp each)
9. Add half of the coconut milk to the pan and continue cooking until it has started to evaporate and remove from heat.
10. Preheat the oven to 350.
11. In a separate bowl, mix almond flour, parmesan, egg, butter and remaining coconut milk to form a “crust.” You may have to add slightly more milk or more flour, depending on the dryness of your almond flour (I cook with Honeyville, but some brands don’t absorb as much liquid).
12. Can also add a sprinkle of garlic powder and sea salt to the crust for flavor. It should be somewhat thick but spreadable.
13. Transfer the chicken mixture to an oven safe baking pan. (I cooked in two pie pans or two 8×8 dishes so that one could be frozen for another meal)
14. Carefully spread the “crust” mixture over the chicken mixture.
15. Place in oven and bake 15-20 minutes until crust has started to harden.
16. Serve and Enjoy!

Do you like Chicken Pot Pie? Let me know below!