GIVEAWAY: One Year of Weekly Real Food Meal Plans! ($72 Value)

If you're busy or on a budget (or both), meal planning is a must. Throwing together meals at the last minute can be fun and I highly recommend doing it on occasion just to bring a flavor of spontaneity into your life. But if you're like most folks, waiting till the last minute often means you're too tired or frazzled from a long day to brainstorm a creative meal--and then spontaneity ends up looking like cold sandwiches or take out... again.

But what if you can't spend time every week planning real food meals and coordinating your shopping list? Get someone else to do it for you!

While I have my own set of unique talents, I confess I'm not a very creative cook or meal planner. It can help to borrow someone else's expertise in this department--someone who has experience cooking real food meals and has already done all the planning for me. Luckily, I found someone who does this!

Emily at Holistic Squid just introduced her weekly real food meal plans, complete with a shopping list and special options if you need gluten-free or dairy-free meals. She includes bonus recipes every week, too, so you always have plenty of real food on hand--so no more unplanned take out meals!

Read on below to find out how you can win a free year of weekly meal plans. And even if you don't win, we'll be offering a special coupon code after the giveaway so you can enjoy these great meal plans at a discounted price!

 

Enter to Win One Year of Real Food Meal Plans ($72 Value)

What comes with your free year of meal plans?

Click here to see what you'll get and to check out a sample menu.


Follow the instructions below if you'd like to win a whole year of real food meal plans!

1. Leave a comment below to say why you'd love to win this giveaway.
2. Use the Rafflecopter widget below to record your entry.
3. You can get a maximum of 3 extra entries by liking my page on Facebook, following my Pinterest page, or Tweeting about the giveaway on Twitter.
4. You can also get ten (10) extra entries for pinning about the giveaway on Pinterest!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The winner will be announced on Friday, March 1, 2013.

Questions? Comment below.

Good luck!

Disclosure: cmp.ly/4 and cmp.ly/5

Tweet

-----------------------------------

Key Lime Whipped Coconut Oil Body Butter Recipe

This whipped coconut oil recipe is the perfect moisturizer for summertime (or when you wish it was summertime!). Key lime pie is one of my favorite desserts, so it comes as no surprise that I rather enjoy smelling like key lime pie in the mornings after applying this whipped moisturizer. The sweet, tangy combination of lime and lemon essential oils brightens my mood, lifts my spirits, and makes me dream of lying in the sun on a tropical beach somewhere--even if it's below freezing outside!

A New and Improved Whipped Coconut Oil Recipe

My key lime coconut oil recipe contains a few extra ingredients that weren't in my original whipped coconut oil body butter recipe. One is a small amount of liquid oil, such as olive oil or castor oil. (I recommend a low-PUFA oil because vegetable oils aren't your friend--either in your body or on your skin). Another is aloe vera gel, which is soothing to the skin, and great for treating acne, wrinkles and scars. Both the liquid oil and the aloe vera gel keep the coconut oil on the softer side (even in frigid temperatures).

The lemon and lime essential oils not only give this whipped moisturizer its tantalizingly indulgent aroma, but they have beneficial properties as well. Both citrus oils have antiseptic, antiviral, antibacterial, disinfectant, and astringent properties. I notice they combine well with the moisturizing properties of coconut oil, and tend to keep it from feeling excessively greasy--a common complaint about using coconut oil as a moisturizer. The skin on my face absolutely glows after using this combination!

I'm quite impressed with the results, and am secretly pleased that this coconut oil recipe easily outperforms an expensive facial cream I tried recently. Just imagine: a facial moisturizer that contains only food-based ingredients and costs pennies on the dollar compared to department store creams. What's not to love?

Key Lime Whipped Coconut Oil Body Butter Recipe

Ingredients
(Makes About 1 Cup of Whipped Coconut Oil)

• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (or try castor or macadamia nut oil)
• 2 tablespoons aloe vera gel
• 20 drops lime essential oil
• 20 drops lemon essential oil

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients into a mixing bowl. Note: Do not melt the coconut oil first. It will only whip up if it's solid.

2. Mix with an electric mixer on high speed with a wire whisk attachment for 3-7 minutes or until whipped into a light, airy consistency. (After 3 minutes, check back every minute or so until it reaches the right consistency.)

3. Spoon the whipped coconut oil body butter into a glass jar and cover tightly. Store at room temperature, or in the refrigerator if your house is so warm it melts the oil.

Tip: An electric hand mixer will work, but my KitchenAid stand mixer did the job quickly and easily with little effort on my part (love it!). A blender or food processor will not work with this coconut oil recipe, because they tend to warm the oil too much and prevent it from whipping up. If your coconut oil is too soft to whip, try putting the bowl in the freezer for a few minutes before mixing.

Need a high quality source for coconut oil, olive oil and other real food ingredients? Check out my Resources page to find these products online from companies we trust. 


Have you made this whipped coconut oil recipe? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below!

 
Do you love coconut oil? You might enjoy these posts:

• Coconut Oil for Clear Skin

• The Coconut Oil Miracle Book Review

• Super Easy Coconut Oil Fudge Recipe

• Coconut Oil Benefits: Lauric Acid

• Coconut Oil, Weight Loss and Metabolism

• 4 New Ways to Use Coconut Oil

Tweet

-----------------------------------