The Nourished Life: Recipes

Showing posts with label Recipes. Show all posts

Grain-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars Recipe

Sigh. Nothing can pull a girl's heartstrings like a good recipe for chocolate peanut butter bars. As a lifelong fan of Reese's peanut butter cups, I've always wanted to find a way to indulge my chocolatey peanut buttery cravings at home without having to succumb to mass market candy with all its not-so-lovely additives.

Enter this too-good-to-be-true chocolate peanut butter bar recipe by my fellow blogger Carol at Ditch the Wheat. She obviously understands the magical spell Reese's can hold over you, as well as the age-old struggle between trying to indulge in a decadent dessert and trying to eat better for your health.

I was delighted to discover her latest recipe book Indulge: 70 Grain Free Recipes included a recipe for chocolate peanut butter bars. Not only do these hit the spot perfectly, but the recipe is very friendly to those with allergies or anyone following a grain-free, dairy-free or paleo-style diet.

If you're trying to avoid peanut butter (for allergies or other reasons), or if you just want to give these a creative flair, you can also try making them with almond butter or cashew butter--I imagine homemade macadamia nut butter would be pretty finger-lickin' good, too!

How to Make Grain-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

(Soooo Yummy like Reese's!)

Crust:

1 cup almond flour/meal, (250 mL)

2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil, (30 mL)

2 tbsp raw honey, (30 mL)

1/8 tsp salt, (0.5 mL)

Filling:

1 cup almond butter or cashew butter (or peanut butter, of course!), (240 mL)

3 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil, (45 mL)

3 tbsp raw honey, (15 mL)

1 1/2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, (22.5 mL)

1/2 tbsp raw honey or more, (7.5 mL)

(Check out the marketplace page to find real food ingredients online!)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line the bottom of a 4x8 inch rectangular loaf pan with parchment paper.

In a large bowl combine the ingredients for the crust.

Evenly press the dough into the bottom of the prepared baking pan.

Bake for 10-15 minutes. The crust is done when it is lightly brown and firm to the touch. Let the crust cool before spreading the filling.

In a bowl, combine the nut butter, coconut oil, raw honey. Mix and reserve about ¼ of the mixture for the chocolate topping.

Spread the almond butter filling onto the cooled crust.

Place the bars in the freezer to firm up before spreading the chocolate mixture on top of the almond filling.

To make the chocolate topping add unsweetened cocoa powder to the reserved almond butter filling and sweeten to taste.

Spread on top of the semi-frozen bars. Place in the fridge to firm. Store the bars in the refrigerator.

Makes 8 servings

Easy peasy, aren't they? If you're ready to try more grain-free, primal-friendly dessert recipes, then you'll want to check out Indulge: 70 Grain Free Desserts. You'll get:

Over 70 + recipes that include nut free & egg free recipes
162 pages of content
All recipes are dairy free and adhere to Paleo principles
Hyperlinked table of contents makes navigating easy
Beautiful photographs
Trouble shooting tips
Bonus! A printer friendly copy

Save 20% today! Order Indulge: 70 Grain Free Desserts by Jan. 31, 2013 and pay ~~$24.97~~ $19.98 with coupon code HOLIDAYDTW.

Click here to order now!

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The Ultimate 33 Nourishing eBook Bundle for 92% Off

How many eBooks can you buy for $39? Most of the time, not even one! I'm all for learning more about living a healthy, nourished life, but a girl's gotta have a budget (at least this one does). So in general, I pass up eBook offers (even if I think it's work the money) because, well, it's just not in the budget!

If you're like me, then you only spring for the wallet if it's a really good deal. And I mean a really good deal. So if you've been waiting around for the ultimate health and wellness eBook sale, you'll be happy to hear the wait is finally over.

Seriously. You can now get 33 popular real food and wellness eBooks for only $39.

This is pennies-on-the-dollar good. We're talking 92% off. All of these books normally retail for $479! So if you're looking for a good sale, you just found it.

Do you want to learn...

how cook grain-free meals the whole family will love?
the top paleo diet myths?
how to stoke your metabolic fire?
everything you need to know to cook with coconut oil?
how to cook indulgent, gluten-free treats?
what your baby needs to be healthy and nourished?
how to make all your skincare products at home?
how to stock your pantry with economical, nourishing food?
how to heal your acne from the inside out?

Then you don't need one eBook: you need 33 eBooks for the price of one! And this week, that's actually possible.

Here's what you'll get in the bundle:

Whew. That's my kind of bundle! If you want to avoid paying retail, then you can purchase all 33 of these incredible eBooks for $39 between now and January 14th at 11:59pm EST.

Then you'll have all 33 eBooks instantly available for download so you can start reading right away. How cool is that?

Click below to buy now or you can click here to learn more!

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Want to Get Soft Hands? Make Your Own Homemade Hand Scrub!

Want to get soft hands? Yeah, me too. I've often heard that nothing gives away your age more than your hands. But expensive hand creams aren't the answer. They can be loaded with chemical fillers and they always ignore a vital step in getting soft hands: exfoliation. Instead, fight dry, cracked winter hands with a food-based homemade scrub formulated especially for your hands!

How to Make Homemade Hand Scrub

Ingredients:

1 tbsp coconut oil

2 tbsp raw honey

1/4 cup sea salt

1/4 cup organic sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

Need high quality sources for raw honey, sea salt, coconut oil and more? Check out my Resources page!

Instructions:

1. Stir together the honey and coconut oil in a medium bowl.
2. In another small bowl, blend the salt, sugar and lemon juice until it becomes crumbly.
3. Pour the salt mixture over the honey mixture and stir until smooth.
4. Store in a small glass jar or bowl.

Directions for Use:

1. Gently massage a marble-sized amount of homemade hand scrub into your hands for 30-60 seconds. (Don't forget to exfoliate between your fingers!)
2. Rinse with warm water and pat dry. The coconut oil provides enough moisture so you probably won't need to follow up with anything else. If your hands are extra dry, you might want to apply some homemade whipped coconut oil.
3. Repeat 1-2 times per week.

Why These Ingredients?

Coconut oil: provides quality moisture and antibacterial/antiviral/antifungal properties. Helps soften skin so it's ready for exfoliation.
Honey: heals and softens the skin. It's mother nature's best kept beauty secret!
Salt and sugar: both are excellent for exfoliating and can also be healing for the skin.
Lemon juice: brightens, softens, and helps remove odors from your hands (like onion!).

Good-Bye Dry, Cracked Winter Hands!

I always wondered how to get soft hands (especially in the dry winter months), and it turns out I was missing the important step of exfoliation. Since I started using this scrub, my hands look and feel fantastic! They also absorb moisturizer so much better now, I hardly need to use any at all.

Buy high quality coconut oil, sea salt, raw honey and more here.

Photo Credit

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How to Make Homemade Bug Repellent

During the warm months, my mission is simple: avoid bug bites whenever possible. And living in the humid south makes this a challenge. When I was a kid, it meant spraying liberal quantities of OFF bug repellent all over myself. It was greasy and smelled gross, but it was the only way I knew to combat the plague of mosquitoes that seemed view my legs as an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Of course, as I got older it began to dawn on me that drenching myself in chemicals may not be the wisest choice. And when I had my own kids who loved to play outside during the summer evenings, finding a natural way to repel bugs became a top priority.

I was delighted when I realized I could make my own homemade insect repellent. I made some right away, and the whole family noticed a remarkable decrease in mosquito bites when we started using it. My kids always remind me to spray them before they go outside!

How to Make Homemade Bug Repellent

Natural insect repellent is incredibly easy to make at home. It requires just two simple steps:

Step 1: Choose Your Essential Oils

Essential oils are the active ingredients in homemade bug repellent. The right essential oils will have bugs running (or flying) in the opposite direction. You'll need a total of about 40-50 drops of essential oils per 8 ounces of bug repellent. You can use one kind of essential oil, or mix and match. The oils you want to use in homemade bug repellent are any of the following:

Rosemary

Citronella

Clove

Geranium

Lavender

Eucalyptus

Cedar

Mint

Lemongrass

Basil

Thyme

Step 2: Choose Your Base

You can choose to make your homemade insect repellent water or oil-based.

For oil-based bug repellent: Simply mix 40-50 drops of essential oils into 8 oz. of your favorite carrier oil (mine is obviously coconut oil!). Store in a small glass jar or tub. This mixture is quite effective and can be dabbed lightly on wrists, inside the arm, behind the knees and around the ankles to keep those bugs at a distance.

For water-based bug repellent spray: Essential oils don't mix well with water, so you'll need to use witch hazel or rubbing alcohol (vodka can be used as a natural alternative) as an emulsifier. Use about 2-4 ounces of witch hazel or alcohol in an 8-oz. spray bottle, then fill the rest with pure water and 40-50 drops of essential oils.

Have you given up commercial chemical bug sprays? What kind of natural solutions have you tried for bugs and insects? Have you had any success keeping the bugs away? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below!

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Homemade Whipped Coconut Oil Body Butter Recipe

Does your moisturizer make you nervous? Let me guess: it's either filled with questionable ingredients or wildly expensive. Or both. Like you, I've been seeking a natural alternative to those bottles of creamy (but chemical-laden) conventional lotions. It hasn't been easy. Coconut oil has always been a top contender, but it wasn't until I tried a new coconut oil body butter recipe that I finally found my personal holy grail moisturizer.

Whip It: The Secret to Moisturizing with Coconut Oil

I've been having an on again, off again love affair with coconut oil as a moisturizer for a few years now. I love that it's pure, natural and even inexpensive. But we don't always get along, and in the winter things get hard. Literally. I practically need a jackhammer to get enough coconut oil out of the jar to moisturize my dry winter skin. This is a serious problem, because I'm a big fan of convenience, and wrestling with a jar of coconut oil isn't exactly my cup of tea in the wee hours of the morning.

Heating the jar to melt the oil never worked for me, either, because I chronically forgot to do it! So most of the time I'd end up digging it out with my fingernails, or I'd just give up and go back to my old lotion stand-by. But deep down I felt there was a way to work things out. Coconut oil and I were meant to moisturize together. I just needed to figure out the how.

One day I ran across a recipe for whipped shea butter, and this got me thinking: can you whip coconut oil? Well, by golly, I had a brand new KitchenAid mixer sitting on my counter (my husband sure knows how to melt a girl's heart on Christmas!) and five gallons of coconut oil sitting in my pantry. Why not give this coconut oil recipe a go?

The result was a superbly light and fluffy moisturizer that far exceeded my expectations. With a jar of this on hand, I doubt I will ever be tempted to fool around with expensive store bought lotions ever again.

Want to try it out? Here's how you whip coconut oil:

Whipped Coconut Oil Body Butter Recipe

I love that this coconut oil recipe only requires one (yes, one!) ingredient. Anything else is completely optional. It also only takes a few measly minutes, and you'll have enough whipped body butter to last at least a month or two. In fact, if you get carried away, put some in an attractive jar and it makes a great gift! It feels sinfully luxurious as a moisturizer, and yet an entire jar of it costs less than $2 to make.

What you need:

1 cup coconut oil

1 teaspoon vitamin E oil (optional)

a few drops of your favorite essential oils for fragrance (optional)\

What to do:

1. Put 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 on high speed with a wire whisk for 6-7 minutes or until whipped into a light, airy 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 an amazing job and I was able to get other work done while it was mixing away. 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.

Note: Your whipped coconut oil should stay relatively soft, even at colder temperatures. If it's really cold, it will become a little more solid, but not rock hard like it normally does. I noticed mine beaded into a froth of tiny coconut oil pearls that melt right into my skin. Love it!

Looking for high quality coconut oil at an affordable price? Check out the marketplace!

Have you made this whipped coconut oil recipe? Do you have your own coconut oil recipes to share? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below!

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

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Video Recipe: Healthy Collard Greens Wraps with Tasty Mexican Ground Beef Filling

by Margaret Floyd, auther of Eat Naked: Unprocessed, Unpolluted, and Undressed Eating for a Healthier, Sexier You

Looking for a creative alternative to your standard wheat or corn tortilla for your wraps and rolls? Collard greens are an excellent, unusual, and delicious option. It makes a grain-free wrap and is a fun way to sneak more vegetables into your dinner.

Collards have nice, big, sturdy leaves that are ideal for using as wraps and in rolls. You’ll need to de-stem them and steam them very briefly to soften them up, but it’s a quick and easy process.

Here’s a video tutorial demonstrating the technique. All you need are some healthy collard greens, a knife and cutting board, and a steamer. You can use this technique for any type of filling. I’ve included a recipe below for some Mexican ground beef that’s particularly nice.

Mexican Ground Beef Filling

Ingredients:

2 tsp ghee
1 lb grass fed ground beef
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 green bell pepper (other color is fine), diced
2 cups packed kale, stemmed and chopped thinly
1 tbsp oregano
1 tsp chili powder (use preferred variety; chipotle chili powder adds a nice smoky flavor to the dish)
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne (amount depends on how spicy you want it)
salt and ground pepper to taste
2 big bunches collard greens – the larger the leaves, the better

Directions

1. Heat the ghee in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and mushrooms with a generous pinch of salt and sauté until just soft. Add the bell pepper and sauté 1-2 more minutes. Add the kale and cook for another couple of minutes, until just wilted. Put veggies aside in a large bowl.

2. Using the same pan (no need to clean), add the ground beef, oregano, chili powder, paprika, cumin, stirring occasionally until cooked through. Season with salt, ground pepper and cayenne to taste.

3. Stem and steam the collard green leaves, and create wraps with the filling using the technique demonstrated in the video.

About the Author:

Margaret Floyd is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner based in Los Angeles, CA. She works with clients all over North America to resolve health issues through changes to diet and lifestyle. She recently authored the book Eat Naked: Unprocessed, Unpolluted, and Undressed Eating for a Healthier, Sexier You – an excellent introduction to eating real food that includes transition strategies, shopping and cooking tips, and over 40 gluten-free recipes. She currently blogs at www.eatnakednow.com.

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Find a great source of organic spices, healthy cooking oils and more real foods on my Resources page!

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Yummy Homemade Almond Flour Muffins

Need a nutritious, grain-free snack on the go? Try out this simple almond flour muffin recipe from Charles and Julie Mayfield, authors of the real food cookbook Paleo Comfort Foods:

Yummy Almond Flour Muffins

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups almond flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups carrots, peeled and grated
1 large apple, peeled, cored and grated
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup raisins
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons honey (optional)
1/2 cup coconut or olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a standard-sized muffin pan.
2. Combine almond flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add carrot, apple, coconut and raisins and combine well.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, honey, oil and vanilla extract together.
4. Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients and mix very well. The batter will be very thick.
5. Spoon the batter out into muffin pan and place on upper or middle rack of your oven for 40-50 minutes.
6. When a toothpick inserted into the top of a muffin comes out clean, the muffins are done.
7. Cool muffins in the pan for 8-10 minutes and then remove to a rack to finish cooling.

**If you are looking for variety, sub out currants or chopped dates for the raisins. You can also add a little orange zest to give them a bit more citrus flavor.

About the Authors:

What if you could cook fantastic meals similar to the heartwarming comfort dishes your grandma used to make…and have them be good for you? In Paleo Comfort Foods, Charles and Julie Mayfield provide you with an arsenal of recipes that are healthy crowd-pleasers, sure to appeal to those following a paleo, primal, gluten-free, or "real-food" way of life—as well as those who have not yet started down such a path.

Implementing paleo guidelines and principles in this book (no grains, no gluten, no legumes, no dairy), the Mayfields give you 100+ recipes and full color photos with entertaining stories throughout. The recipes in Paleo Comfort Foods can help individuals and families alike lose weight, eat healthy and achieve optimum fitness, making this way of eating sustainable, tasty and fun.

Paleo Comfort Foods Web Site: www.PaleoComfortFoods.com
On Facebook: http://facebook.com/paleocomfortfoods
On Twitter: http://twitter.com/paleocomfort

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Need a great source for real food ingredients like shredded coconut, olive oil and raw honey? Check out my Resources page!

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Video: How to Make Yogurt Cheese and Fresh Whey

The first step to culturing your own probiotic foods at home is making whey. Whey is what kicks off the lacto-fermentation process and helps beneficial cultures develop in healthy real foods like homemade ketchup, sauerkraut and many others. How do you make your own whey? It's incredibly easy!

Jenny from Nourished Kitchen put together a great video tutorial on making yogurt cheese and whey--she even includes tips for how to use your whey and why it's so beneficial! Check it out:

Want more recipe tutorials from a real food pro? Learn how to cook traditional food with Jenny in her upcoming e-course: How to Cook Real Food.

Enter for a chance to win free enrollment in How to Cook Real Food!

What will you learn? Everything you need to know to cook delicious traditional food! Learn to cook savory soups, creamy salad dressings, homemade pickles, and so much more. Click here to find out more about the lessons.

Have a question about the class? Check out the How to Cook Real Food FAQ page.

Hurry! Save $50 if you register on or before September 15th, 2011. Right now the complete class is available for $149 but the price will increase to $199 after September 15th. Now is the time to save!

Class starts on September 1st!

Photo Credit

This post is part of Fight Back Friday.

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Got Tomatoes? Try These 7 Delicious Recipes!

Hopefully your garden has been showering you with tomatoes this season. Although our tomatoes didn't fare so well this year, we've been flooded with tomatoes coming from friends and neighbors who had more than they could handle! I personally love to eat them sliced, sprinkled with sea salt and grated parmesan cheese, and topped with a bit of crushed red pepper. Simple and delicious.

But of course if you have a windfall of tomatoes you may need a few more recipes up your sleeve to make use of all of them! So here's seven recipes you can try:

Tomato Basil Garlic Butter Sauce from Recipes to Nourish
Raw and Naturally Fermented: Salsa Verde from Nourished Kitchen
Tomato, Sweet Pepper & Mint Relish from Hartke is Online
Roast Eggplant and Tomato Soup from The Healthy Home Economist
Poached Egg with Grape Tomato and Basil Salad from The Nourishing Gourmet
Dehydrated Tomatoes from Real Food Forager
Heirloom Tomato and Peach Salad from A Couple Cooks

How do you use your tomatoes? Do you have a good recipe to share? Feel free to share below in the comment section!

There's Still Time for Gardening This Year!

It's not too late to get your garden into gear this summer. For a great source of organic and heirloom seeds, check out the gardening section of my Resources page.

Need some help getting started? Not a problem! Join me and other real food bloggers on the Seeds of Change Facebook Page and follow Seeds of Change on Twitter to stay updated with the latest gardening posts and photos of our gardens.

Please note: I wrote this post while participating in the Sowing Millions Project by Real Food Media on behalf of Seeds of Change. I received product (i.e. seeds!) and exclusive content to facilitate my post. But of course my thoughts and opinions are my own and not those of Real Food Media or Seeds of Change.

Photo Credit

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The Best Homemade Toner for Acne Prone Skin

A homemade toner for acne prone skin should be two things: simple and economical. No long list of required ingredients, and no sourcing ingredients all over town (or all over the internet!). And of course, it needs to be effective for problematic, blemish-prone skin. Luckily, all of these requirements are fulfilled easily by two simple ingredients: green tea and apple cider vinegar. (See below for the recipe.)

Why not use commercial toner?

More often than not, commercial toners contain ingredients that irritate the skin and disrupt its natural balance. These ingredients include things like propylene glycol, harsh exfoliating acids, alcohol, mineral oil, glycerin, fragrance, and dyes. And if you're lucky enough to find a quality toner that doesn't contain unwanted chemicals, you'll usually find a hefty price tag attached.

Personally, I don't feel like you need to sacrifice quality or hard-earned cash for something like facial toner. Instead, get the best of both worlds by making your own homemade toner.

Two Important Ingredients for Homemade Toner

My experiments with homemade toner led me to two primary ingredients: fresh green tea and raw apple cider vinegar.

Why green tea?

Green tea has strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that repair skin damage and reduce redness. I personally notice a decrease in inflammation within minutes of applying green tea to my skin. As a bonus: the antioxidants in green tea may also fight the aging process. So banish blemishes and wrinkles in one fell swoop!

Why raw apple cider vinegar?

Apple cider vinegar helps restore the natural pH balance of your skin. Healthy skin is protected by what is called the acid mantle, a natural barrier that guards against pathogenic bacteria. In her book The Truth About Beauty, Kat James says this about the acid mantle:

"It can easily be obliterated by skin products that contain detergents, soaps, or antiseptics, and in many women--and even teens!--it is never given the change to recover or perform its intended function. Its absence inevitably leads to skin problems that can only be controlled but never resolved until we restore the acid mantle."

Homemade Toner for Acne Recipe

3/4 cup strong green tea
1/4 cup raw apple cider vinegar

That's it! Simply pour the green tea and apple cider vinegar into a glass bottle or jar with a lid. Use a cotton ball to apply toner after cleansing or as often as desired. Store this toner in the refrigerator--it should keep for a week or two this way.

Looking for a quality source of green tea leaves? Check out my Resources page.

While these two ingredients alone are enough to make a spectacular homemade toner, you can also experiment with adding things like:

Orange essential oil (astringent, oil-reducing, stimulates collagen production).

Lavender essential oil (antimicrobial, soothing, anti-inflammatory).

Lemon juice (brightening, toning, helps reduce red marks).

Aloe vera juice (anti-inflammatory, soothing, healing).

Have any other suggestions for homemade toner ingredients? Share your insights in the comments below!

Read more!

You may be interesting in trying out more natural skincare for acne:

Coconut Oil for Clear Skin

Raw Honey Mask for Acne

Also, check out this post: Exploring the Root Causes of Acne

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday and Fight Back Friday.

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Video Tutorial: How to Make Real Beef Stock

photo credit

As I said in my GAPS mistakes post earlier this week, you can't overstate how healing real bone broth can be. The gelatin and minerals in authentic broth are essential for rebuilding the body and replenishing nutrient stores. And if you're doing GAPS, bone broth plays a key role in healing the gut and easing inflammation.

Unfortunately, it's difficult to find quality broth and stock on the market today. Your best bet is to make it at home yourself with good quality beef bones. This will ensure that you get the most nutrients and gelatin into your stock. The good thing is that making beef stock at home is a simple process that doesn't take too much hands-on work:

How to Make Real Beef Stock

by Ann Marie Michaels

Looking for more GAPS-friendly recipes? Check out Ann Marie's Reversing Food Allergies Class: get complete lifetime access to more than 200 GAPS-friendly recipes, 50 video tutorials, and exclusive forum support for those embarking on the GAPS diet!

Have a Question About the Reversing Food Allergies class?

Some of the most common questions about the class include:

How can I afford GAPS?

What if I'm allergic to eggs or nuts?

What if I'm on the road a lot?

Ann Marie answers all of these questions and much more here.

Save ~~$50~~ $70 on Enrollment for Reversing Food Allergies!

Enrollment for Reversing Food Allergies ends on April 5th. Right now the entire class is available for $149, but the price will increase to $199 on April 6th.

SPECIAL COUPON OFFER: If you sign up through April 1st you can get the class for $129 with coupon code HEAL. If you are interested in this class, sign up now and take advantage of this deal.

Sign Up For the Reversing Food Allergies Class Today

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Video Tutorial: How to Make Ghee at Home

photo credit

Here's a great video if you want to learn how to make your own ghee at home. The great thing about ghee is that it's tolerated by nearly everyone. Even those with dairy allergies to lactose or casein can often tolerate ghee without negative reactions. But even without the lactose and casein, ghee still contains the same important vitamins and minerals that butter does. That makes ghee one of the most important fats to use if you're on the GAPS diet, especially if you can't tolerate butter yet.

Can't make your own ghee? Check out my resources page for a great source of grass-fed ghee!

How to Make Ghee at Home

by Ann Marie Michaels

Need more GAPS-friendly recipes? Check out Ann Marie's Reversing Food Allergies Class: get complete lifetime access to more than 200 GAPS-friendly recipes, 50 video tutorials, and exclusive forum support for those embarking on the GAPS diet!

Questions about the Reversing Food Allergies class?

Some of the most common questions about the class include:

How can I afford GAPS?

What if I'm allergic to eggs or nuts?

What if I'm on the road a lot?

Find the answers to all of these questions and more here.

Save ~~$50~~ $70 on Enrollment for Reversing Food Allergies!

Enrollment for Reversing Food Allergies ends on April 5th. Right now the entire class is available for $149, but the price will increase to $199 on April 6th.

SPECIAL COUPON OFFER: If you sign up through April 1st you can get the class for $129 with coupon code HEAL. If you are interested in this class, sign up now and take advantage of this deal.

Sign Up For the Reversing Food Allergies Class Today

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Learn to Make Lacto-Fermented French Fries and Ketchup!

Who knew you could make lacto-fermented french fries? I sure didn't! Jenny McGruther from Nourished Kitchen surprises us again with an incredibly nutrititous way to make an old favorite. The next time you're tempted to go out to eat, try making this recipe instead. You'll save a few bucks (and probably a stomachache), and you'll still be wowed by how delicious such a down-to-earth recipe can be:

Lacto-Fermented French Fries Recipe

Lacto-Fermented Ketchup Recipe

Want to learn more? Sign up for the Get Cultured! Online Class and get:

13 complete lessons
52 video tutorials
Over 100 recipes for naturally fermented foods
Plus get the Get Cultured! e-book for free

If you've ever wondered how to naturally cure meat, make dairy-free yogurt, or bake the perfect sourdough bread, this is the class for you! Check out the complete lesson plan here.

Hurry! Save $50 by signing up for the class now. After March 1, the cost of the course is going up to $199!

Don't forget to try these probiotic recipes:

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Homemade Mouthwash Recipe

I love natural health and beauty products. I love them even more when they actually work. And I really love them when they're cheap. So homemade mouthwash is right up my alley. This natural mouthwash is easy to make, costs next to nothing and includes ingredients you can actually eat. My motto is: don't swish it if you can't swallow it.

I had my personal reasons for wanting to find an easy homemade mouthwash recipe. During RRARF, I made a commitment to avoid sweet things for a period of time. The thought of mouthwash being sweet didn't occur to me till a couple days into RRARF. I guess being off sweets for a few days heightened my sense of taste because suddenly mouthwash tasted sweet! And it occurred to me that if I'm trying to avoid sweets in order to test the PCAT theory, then why would I swish with something with such an overwhelmingly sweet flavor right after eating?

So I experimented with a few ideas and came up with this natural mouthwash recipe:

My Homemade Mouthwash Recipe

16 oz pure water (preferably filtered)
3-5 drops of peppermint essential oil
2 tsp baking soda

Mix all ingredients together in a glass bottle. The baking soda will dissolve after a little while. I still suggest shaking it up a bit before using it to make sure the essential oil is mixed in well. Swish for 30-60 seconds and then spit (although this mouthwash is obviously non-toxic, I don't suggest you swallow it!).

The real beauty of homemade mouthwash is that you can really cater to your own preferences. There are a lot of variations you can use with this natural mouthwash:

You can mix and match essential oils to find the right flavor for you. Spearmint, citrus or cinnamon are some other ideas.

You can also add a teaspoon or two of vodka if you prefer mouthwash with a little bite.

If you'd prefer your mouthwash sweet, you can add a little stevia or xylitol.

You can experiment with the amount of essential oil and baking soda to see what works for you.

Please feel free to share your own dental hygiene recipes below. I'd love to hear what you've come up with!

You may also want to read: 12 Natural Toothpaste Alternatives

Need a great source of real food ingredients? Check out my Resources page!

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Sneak Peek at Real Food for Kids and Super Recipe Link Love

Today I'm excited to share a sneak peek into the new Real Food Nutrition and Health e-course. The video below is an amazing primer on the history of fats. This will arm your kids with the best information about why traditional fats are a crucial part of a healthy diet. In fact, this video isn't just for kids--I'm tempted to show this to a lot of the grown-ups I know who could use some solid information on healthy fats. Too bad this kind of history lesson doesn't make it into our schools!

Click here to learn more about Kristen's e-course and remember you can contact me for a discount coupon to make it an even better deal. But remember, enrollment for the class ends on Friday, so don't hesitate to take advantage of this unique opportunity right now!!

RFNH A History of Fats from FoodRenegade on Vimeo.

And it's hard to ignore all the incredible recipes floating around the real food blog-o-sphere lately. In case you've missed them, here are a few great ones:

Flourless Coconut Cupcakes
Basic Quinoa
Zucchini Bread Gluten-Free/Grain-Free
Fermented Salsa
Mushroom Stew
Homemade Apple Butter
Spaghetti Carbonara
SCD Pumpkin Pie Pudding

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Pages

How to Make Grain-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

(Soooo Yummy like Reese's!)

Do you want to learn...

Here's what you'll get in the bundle:

Paleo, real food, grain free and coconut oil cookbooks

Lacto-Fermentation, pantry overhaul and freezer guide

Indulge in treats without feeling guilty

Give birth, nourish your newborn, then educate him/her on real food

Heal PCOS and boost metabolism

Simplify, live exuberantly, camp w/ your family & play music

Paleo time: travel, myths, cleanse, start anew or go wild

Take care of your skin homemade style and heal acne

Whip It: The Secret to Moisturizing with Coconut Oil

Whipped Coconut Oil Body Butter Recipe

Ingredients

Directions

Tomato Basil Garlic Butter Sauce from Recipes to Nourish

Raw and Naturally Fermented: Salsa Verde from Nourished Kitchen

Tomato, Sweet Pepper & Mint Relish from Hartke is Online

Roast Eggplant and Tomato Soup from The Healthy Home Economist

Poached Egg with Grape Tomato and Basil Salad from The Nourishing Gourmet

Dehydrated Tomatoes from Real Food Forager

Heirloom Tomato and Peach Salad from A Couple Cooks