• Simple Ways To Use Vitality Essential Oils

    See the white Vitality label on that bottle in the picture? Young Living has made it super easy for us to know which oils work well internally. Just look for the Vitality label, and you’ll know it’s a great pick for your water, a capsule, or your favorite recipe! Some oils have both regular labels and Vitality labels. Regular solid color bottle labels explain how to use the oil topically and/or aromatically. Vitality labels explain how to use the oil internally. Same oil. Different label. We love to cook with our Vitality oils! Here are a few of my go-to recipes that use Vitality essential oils. Flavored Popcorn Air pop…

  • Homemade Gummy Bears

    My friend Carrie found that she was craving gelatin while her broken wrist was healing.  She made this great gummy recipe and loved it so much she wanted to share it with all of you!   Enjoy!!   Gummy Recipe Before beginning, determine how much liquid you need to fill a tray of gummy molds. I used these molds and each mold needed 1/3 cup liquid, which was perfect! Makes 150 gummy bears (using molds at link above) Ingredients 1 cup 100% fruit juice (white grape or apple take other flavors well) 3 Tbsp gelatin (everyone recommended Great Lakes Unflavored Beef Gelatin – orange can) 1 Tbsp honey or the equivalent of your…

  • tuna vs salmon

    The Showdown: Tuna vs Salmon and Why You Should Care

    Tuna has been a favorite lunch in our household.   One can will feed our entire family, so it’s cost effective, and they like the taste!   We started researching and learning more about tuna…and so we’ve made some changes to make sure we’re eating the healthiest option! I’ll share what we’ve learned, and give you a ranking of our preferences of canned fish, from best to worst. We are taking three things into consideration: the potential amount of heavy metals in the fish, the type of preservatives used in the processing, and the amount of omega-3’s in each fish. Let’s start with the potential amount of heavy metals.  …

  • How to Garden with No Outside Space

    Would you love to have fresh organic salad greens and herbs at your fingertips, ready to toss into latest culinary creation?  But, you live in an apartment or have a tiny backyard? In the past, your options were limited.  That has led rise to some ingenious solutions like growing a vegetable garden in your FRONT yard! YIKES! Give Aquaponics a Try!   1. No land required.  You can do aquaponics on your kitchen, on your back porch, or in a parking lot.   You can even set it up to run “off the grid” with no electricity required. 2. No chemicals required.  Aquaponics is done entirely organically.  This means it’s healthier…

  • Fermented Vegetables 101

    Fermented Vegetables by Susan Count I thought I would have to hold my nose to eat “ugh” – fermented vegetables. Sauerkraut, I thought! Who would eat that? But somewhere I picked up that fermented vegetables could put good bacteria in my gut and help with my acid refux. WRONG! It didn’t just help – it changed EVERYTHING! And I think it helped me lose a little weight too and that never hurts. I substituted a big forkful of fermented vegetables at dinner instead of eating rice or potatoes or pasta. Cutting the Cost A quart of fermented vegetables at the store can run about $10. A cabbage, a couple carrots and…

  • Bone Broth For Busy Mamas

    Bone Broth For Busy Mamas Guest writer Susan Count joins us today to share about her super simple way of making a kitchen staple, bone broth!   Don’t throw that bone to the dogs! In that bone is ‘superfood – super nutrition”. Use your crockpot to make a bone broth that will nourish your cells like nothing else. Why bother? Bother because you know that farming practices have depleted the minerals in our soils so we need to be deliberate about supplying them to our body. This is especially true if we have any degenerative or auto immune diseases. Make your own broth and you won’t get the “natural flavor”- cough-cough of MSG or…

  • Husband Food – Meal Plan #2

    When my husband decided to marry me, he sure didn’t pick me because of my culinary skills. So, it makes me super excited when I can put together a meal that he really enjoys.   This week, that happened not once, but TWICE. Score! Awesome and SUPER EASY Meal #1 Pulled Pork (in the crock pot!)   I LOVED how simple this was!  I made it for Sunday lunch, it’s lasted for several meals, and we still have pork left over!   Chris cut up the onions for me.  (Maybe one day I’ll post a pic of how I cut up onions.  It involves me wearing my 7 yr old…

  • I have a confession to make…

    I have a confession to make. I LOVE to bake, and while my kids wouldn’t mind living off of scones, cookies, and bread, that’s not exactly a well rounded diet. I am a huge advocate for a whole foods diet, which naturally means using as little processed foods as possible. With the busy-ness of life, we’ve gotten away from that and have been utilizing the freezer section at Trader Joe’s far more than we should.  Does anybody feel me there? So, in an effort for some accountability, and because I know I am not the only one who could use a personal chef in my back pocket, I want to…

  • Breakthrough for Truth-in-labeling!

    In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court opened the door for peer-to-peer labeling accountability.  As labeling laws struggle through congressional houses, good ole capitalism is taking the bull by the horns.  Coca Cola has been marketing a drink called Minute Maid Pomegranate-Blueberry juice.  With that name, you’d expect it to contain, well, lots of pomengrantes, right?  Not a chance.  The juice (can I call it juice?) is made of only .3% pomegranate juice.  Yes, you read that correctly.  .3%.  The POM Wonderful folks, who sell actual pomegranante juice, can now take up their truth-in-labeling case with Coca Cola.   To make matters worse, the drink blend has a scant .2%…

  • How To Make Awesome Homemade Mayo!

    Check out my latest recipe, posted over at Surviving the Stores, and learn how to make easy and super yummy mayo!  You’ll never want to buy it at the store again! Homemade Mayonnaise: How to Make Mayo At Home! Pin It