• Recipe: Peppermint Chocolate Chip Brownies

    It’s brownie time!  I LOVE these brownies!  They are my go-to recipe for a sweet treat for the essential oils classes that I teach, and they’re extra fun because of the peppermint oil.  Hop over to the Grain Mill Wagon for the recipe I share there: Peppermint Chocolate Chip Brownies Pin It

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  • Yay for Baked Chocolate Donuts!! New Recipe!

    I love chocolate donuts.  I read the ingredient label at the ones in the store, when I’m tempted, and just set them back on the shelf.  No such problem here!  Enjoy this recipe for good-ingredient yumminess!  (Is that word?)  Click over to the Grain Mill Wagon for the full recipe!  (I’m participating in their recipe challenge.)

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  • Recipe: Petite Vanilla Scones

    I love picking up a petite vanilla scone at Starbucks as the occasional treat, and decided to play with creating a slightly healthier version, not to mention cheaper! I’m really happy with how it turned out.   Check out the Petite Vanilla Scones recipe, posted as part of the WonderMill Grain Mill Wagon Challenge and made with freshly milled flour! Also shared at Tasty Tuesday!

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  • Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookie Perfection

    There is a special place in my heart for chocolate chip cookies.  Especially ones that don’t contain too much sugar and therefore don’t send my blood sugar levels into outer space. My awesome kid helpers and I used freshly ground wheat berries for our flour for this recipe, ground to perfection by our new WonderMill!  Hop on over to the Grain Mill Wagon blog to get the recipe! Also shared at Tasty Tuesday!

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  • How To Make Your Own Vanilla Extract

    When you do a lot of baking (or making water kefir!), you tend to go through a LOT of vanilla.  That can get expensive very quickly, and it’s easy to make your own.  Procurring the ingredients will take you the most time – setting up your vanilla takes only a minute! What You Need 1 bottle of vodka (750ml) 10 organic vanilla beans I had never purchased vodka before, and felt a little silly wandering around in the liquor section of the grocery store, staring at vodka bottles.  (It didn’t help that I was pregnant and obviously showing!  Maybe this lady needs an intervention… doesn’t she know that alcohol and…

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  • Review: Freshfoods Cook-n-Blend Baby Food Maker

    I should have made more!  After our trial run with the Freshfoods Cook-n-Blend Baby Food Maker by NUK, we love it!  My kids devoured it, almost before I grabbed a picture! I tried to make a lot of S’s baby food from scratch, using organic ingredients, but it was a CHORE using my old blender. It took a lot of steps since I had to cook it all till it was soft enough, fill the blender, empty the blender since I’d filled it too much and it wouldn’t puree, mash all the food down while trying not to spread it all over the kitchen, fill it again, and repeat almost…

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  • The Most Incredible Hot Chocolate Drink Ever Made Recipe

    We’re visiting family for Christmas, and my mom greeted me this morning with the MOST INCREDIBLE Hot Chocolate drink I’ve ever had.  I savored every drop, and couldn’t wait to share it with you!  This is a drop-everything and dash to the grocery store kind of recipe, even on Christmas Eve!  🙂   (Please note that nowhere do I say this is healthy.  But it’s Christmas. 🙂  ) Without further ado, may I present: The Most Incredible Hot Chocolate Drink Ever Made Recipe original recipe made in the crockpot Serves 7-8 Ingredients 2 cups heavy whipping cream 14 oz sweetened condensed milk (link to make-your-own healthy version) pinch salt 2 c…

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  • Non-Candy Stocking Stuffer Ideas

    Do the brightly colored bags of candies call to you when you walk through the store, looking for stocking stuffers?  I have to admit, they call to me!  Even though I know their ingredients, and I don’t want my children eating them, years of buying (and consuming!) them don’t fade easily.  To help us all leave those bags on the shelf, I’ve compiled some suggestions for candy-free stocking stuffers!   Don’t see one of your ideas?  Add it in the comments! Craft Supplies!   My kids LOVE to do crafts.  New crayons, watercolors, markers, glitter, glue sticks are just the start! Slinkies can provide hours of entertainment, particularly if you…

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  • Is Sucralose Hiding in Your Hot Chocolate? + Recipe!

      Hot chocolate is one of my favorite wintry treats.  Not that it’s very wintry here in Texas – we’ve had t-shirt weather days lately!  Nonetheless, I love hot chocolate and Christmas provides the perfect opportunity for indulgence. We’re staying with a family who has a Keurig, and I was excited about the possibilities.  Insert a cup, push a button, and a hot drink appears, ready to go!   My sweet hubby made a Walmart run for hot chocolate K-cups for his pregnant wife, (because the baby needed hot chocolate, you know <G>)  I cooked up a cup, and it tasted good overall, but I kept tasting this strange aftertaste.…

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