Dr. Bronner's Dishwasher Soap

****ALERT!!!!***** This recipe was awesome the first time I tried it. I thought I had struck gold! After a few days, it clumped up in the bottle and was diluted. My dishes were dirty. I will continue to experiment and keep you all updated. Comments welcome!

Your dishes will sparkle!!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup liquid Castile soap(Dr. Bronner's)
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3 drops tea tree oil or thieves essential oil
1/2 cup white vinegar

Method:

Stir all ingredients together until blended. Store in a squirt top bottle. Use 2 tablespoons per load of dishes, shake well before use.

Christmas Eve Minestrone

I call this Christmas Eve Minestrone because I made it for our family to eat on Christmas Eve for lunch. It was warm and delicious, perfect for any winter day.

Ingredients

• 12 cups chicken stock, homemade or store bought (free range is best), plus water
• 1 (28-ounce) can organic diced tomatoes with their juices
• 2 (15-ounce) cans white (cannellini or navy) beans, drained, OR two cups raw cannellini beans and 2 cups raw garbanzo beans soaked and boiled
• 4 organic carrots, peeled and chopped
• 4 organic celery stalks, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
• 2 bay leaves
• Sea Salt and ground black pepper
• 1 medium zucchini chopped
• 2 cups coarsely chopped fresh or frozen organic spinach, defrosted

Directions

In a slow cooker, combine broth, tomatoes, beans, carrots, celery, onion, thyme, sage, bay leaves, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.OR combine all in your stock pot and let cook for 30 minutes to several hours.

Even Better Christmas Morning Cinnamon Rolls (Sorry Paula Deen)

Ok- so a friend mentioned she was making a recipe from The Pioneer Woman's website, and I just had to make these as well because they looked TOO good! Her recipe is here:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/cinammon_rolls_/

And if you are interested in making them just a little more healthy, you can use these substitutions:

Ingredients

Pioneer Woman: My suggestions:

• 1 quart Whole Milk- use raw milk
  
• 1 cup Vegetable Oil- use coconut oil
  
• 1 cup Sugar- use xylitol, raw honey or cane sugar (I tested out the raw honey in the dough, but not in the filling)
  
• 2 packages Active Dry Yeast
• 8 cups (Plus 1 Cup Extra, Separated) All-purpose Flour- use whole wheat or experiement with your favorite gluten free flours
  
• 1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
• 1 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt- use sea salt
  
• Plenty Of Melted Butter- use organic butter
  
• 2 cups Sugar- use xylitol or raw honey or cane sugar
  
• Generous Sprinkling Of Cinnamon
• _____
• MAPLE FROSTING:
• 1 bag Powdered Sugar- use powdered xylitol or powdered cane sugar
  
• 2 teaspoons Maple Flavoring (I did not use this, but I am sure you could use real maple syrup)
  
• ½ cups Milk- use raw milk
  
• ¼ cups Melted Butter- use organic butter
  
• ¼ cups Brewed Coffee (I also did not use this)
  
• ⅛ teaspoons Salt- use sea salt
• * I use organic vanilla extract instead, and it tasted fine :)
  

Green Smoothies

Bored with breakfast? Give a green smoothie a try! Either for a healthy breakfast, a quick lunch or just for a mid-day snack, this smoothie will give you fuel for your day!

2 cups organic full fat plain yogurt (or coconut milk for dairy free)
1 cup raw milk (or almond milk for dairy free)
2 cups raw organic spinach
2 cups organic frozen fruit/berries- you choose, we love strawberries and mango
1 banana
1-2 tbsps Standard Process Whey Pro Complete**
1-2 tbsps Standard Process SP Complete Powder (with or without dairy)**

Blend all ingredients in your blender until smooth. You may add some raw honey or stevia for a sweeter smoothie.

**Standard Process Whey Pro Complete and SP Powder (comes in dairy free or with dairy) are available from Doctors only. Restoration Wellness carries these products (www.restorationwellness.com).

Christmas Morning Cinnamon Rolls

• Cook Time:

  30 min

• Level:

  Intermediate

• Yield:

  12 to 15 servings

Ingredients

Dough:

• 6 tsps dry active yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup scalded raw milk
  
• 1/4 cup xylitol or cane sugar
  
• 1/3 cup organic butter, melted
  
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 free range egg
• 3 1/2 to 4 cups whole wheat flour

Filling:

• 1/2 cup melted butter, plus more for pan
• 3/4 cup xylitol or cane sugar, plus more for pan
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  
• 3/4 cup raisins, walnuts, or pecans, optional

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside. In a large bowl mix milk, sugar, melted butter, salt and egg. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast mixture. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. Knead dough on lightly floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes. Place in well-greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, usually 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

When doubled in size, punch down dough. Roll out on a floured surface into a 15 by 9-inch rectangle. Spread melted butter all over dough. Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over buttered dough. Sprinkle with walnuts, pecans, or raisins if desired. Beginning at the 15-inch side, role up dough and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 12 to 15 slices.

Coat the bottom of baking pan with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in the pan and let rise until dough is doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake for about 30 minutes or until nicely browned.

Simple Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup organic balsamic vinegar
• one small pinch stevia (you can always add more later)
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic, or 1 1/3 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup olive oil

Directions

Beat the vinegar in a bowl with the optional sugar, garlic, salt and pepper until sugar and salt dissolves. Then beat in the oil by droplets, whisking constantly. (Or place all the ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake to combine.) Taste and adjust the seasonings.

Christmas Ginger Snaps

Hubby's favorite.... got to make them every year! :) I think these would taste great (and look great) with a drizzle of white or cream cheese frosting... maybe even maple... does that sound weird? Well, enjoy!

Ginger Snaps

3/4 cup soft coconut oil
1 cup organic brown sugar or sucanat
1/4 cup molasses
1 free range egg
2 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsps baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves

Cream coconut oil and sugar/xylitol. Stir in molasses and egg. Add one cup flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves. Add remaining flour. Chill dough in freezer for 15 minutes. Shape dough into 1 inch balls and bake on greased (grapeseed oil spray) cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

My Grandma's Favorite Sesame Seed Cookies

I make these every Christmas because they are my 86 year old Grandma's favorite. In fact, she gave me the recipe. They are a pain in the butt but look gorgeous! :) Grandma is worth it. This recipe makes a ton of cookies, you may want to cut it in half. Thanks to my friend Cynthia for helping with these today!

Sesame Seed Italian Cookies

2 cups organic cane sugar or xylitol
2 cups coconut oil
6 free range eggs
1 cup raw milk
8 tsps organic vanilla extract
8 cups whole wheat flour
12 tsps baking powder
sesame seeds

Cream sugar and coconut oil. Add eggs, milk and vanilla. Add flour and baking powder. Make dough soft in your hands, rolling into your desired shape. Dip in milk and roll in sesame seeds. Bake at 425 degrees for 5-8 minutes or until lightly browned.

Turkey Tetrazzini

Do you have leftover turkey from Thanksgiving? Try this yummy dish :) Can be gluten free! I guess it should be categorized as "easy" if I can make it with an 8 month old on my hip?

1 tsp grapeseed oil
10 ounces sliced organic white mushrooms (optional)
1 onion, chopped
1/2 tsp each sea salt and pepper
3 tbsps whole wheat flour or tapioca starch for gluten free
2 1/2 cups free range chicken broth
1 cup raw milk
2 cups cooked organic turkey
1 package organic frozen peas
1 package wheat or rice pasta

Heat oil over medium heat. Cook onions and mushrooms until tender. Add seat salt and pepper. Add flour or starch and stir. Add broth, mixing for a few minutes and add milk. Mix in peas and turkey and heat until warm. Serve over cooked pasta.

How To Make Your Own Shampoo

Ok... homemade shampoo? I know what you are thinking! I searched and searched for a recipe online for a homemade shampoo that didn't involve washing your hair with one thing, then spraying it with apple cider vinegar... ick. I found this- and after a long search for glycerin (which I stumbled upon without trying at Tops), I gave it a try. My husband loves it. I am not a huge fan :) Seemed too greasy for me, but hey, you might like it. He likes it, and I'll continue to make it for him. It only took 5 minutes.

1/4 cup of castile soap- Dr Bronners
1/4 cup distilled water (or just regular purified water)
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp glycerin

Mix in an empty bottle and shake lightly :)

Almond Squares, Christmas recipe #4!

Almond Square- another one of my Aunt's famous recipes! :)

2 sticks of melted butter (I used organic)
3 eggs (free range is best!)
2 tbsp Almond extract (pure)--- oops I thought it said tsp when I made mine and it turned out great still!
2 cups sugar (I used 1/2 cup raw honey and 3/4 cup cane sugar)
2 cups flour (I used whole wheat)
Sliced or chopped almonds

Mix first four ingredients by hand. Fold in flour. Pour into a 9 by 13 baking dish (greased with grapeseed oil spray). Sprinkle with almonds and powdered cane sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Brown top under broiler (oops I forgot this step too!) for approximately 3 minutes. Keep a close eye on it so you don't burn it!!

I was thinking this base would be fun to experiment with- maybe lemon extract in place of almond topped with walnuts and cranberries? Or fold in some apples and cinnamon... just thinking out loud. :)

Meatball Cookies, Christmas Cookie #3!

When I got married, my Aunt gifted me a pizzelle maker and a homemade recipe book full of all our favorite (and her famous!) Christmas cookies! Every year, we indulge! I would like to share a few with you, starting with these delicious chocolate meatball cookies. Alter them to your liking- I cut down on the sugar a little for mine.

Meatball Cookies

3 cups flour (I used whole wheat)
1 cup sugar (I used 1/4 cup cane sugar and 1/2 cup raw honey)
1 cup cocoa
1/2 cup oil (I used coconut)
1 cup milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup semi sweet or dark chocolate chips

Mix oil and sugar. Add cocoa and mix again. Add milk and dry ingredients, mix and add chocolate chips. Roll into meatball shapes. (Make sure you cover all of the chocolate chips with cookie dough) Place onto lightly greased (grapeseed oil spray) cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes. Glaze when cool, if desired.

Glaze: Mix 2 cups confectioners sugar (you can use organic powdered sugar) with 1 tsp vanilla. Add enough milk or water to make glaze of spreading consistency.

*They sure look nicer when frosted, but certainly don't need it as they are so yummy just by themselves!

Homemade Raw Milk Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

We love making homemade, healthy ice creams in our Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker that was gifted to us! This recipe is super yummy, and fun for this time of year too!

2 cups organic heavy cream, well chilled
1 cup raw milk, well chilled
3/4 cup organic cane sugar or xylitol
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons mint extract
1/2-3/4 cup cup chopped dark chocolate chunks

Turn ice cream maker on and pour each ingredient in through the top spout. Let churn for 15-20 minutes, and freeze until solid.

Veggie Dip

CREAMY GREEN VEGGIE DIP

Read more about it at www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,2215,158180-235200,00.html Content Copyright © 2010 Cooks.com - All rights reserved. 1/2 cup organic sour cream 1/2 cup mixed herbs, such as, parsley, chives and dill 1/3 cup grapeseed oil vegenaise 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar 1/2 tsp. sea salt 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper 12 oz organic cream cheese, room temperature Assorted vegetables, such as, baby carrots, sliced bell peppers, cucumbers In blender, process sour cream, herbs, vegenaise, 2 tablespoons water, vinegar, salt, and cayenne pepper until smooth and pale green. Cut cream cheese into chunks. Add to blender, one at a time, processing until smooth. Transfer mix to serving bowl. Serve with fresh vegetables.

Cranberry Walnut Apple Bread- Whole Wheat

Cranberry Walnut Apple Bread

• 16 Servings
• Prep: 10 min. Bake: 1 hour + cooling

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup raw honey
  
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 free range eggs
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 cups chopped peeled tart organic apples
• 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt;. In a small bowl, whisk eggs, honey and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened (batter will be very thick). Fold in apples, cranberries and walnuts.
• Transfer to an 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pan coated with grapeseed oil spray. Bake at 350° for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Yield: 1 loaf (16 slices).

Newest Project :)

This is the latest project I've embarked on.... and I love it. It is so frugal and even fun. We love having a regular roasted chicken for dinner, and of course delicious homemade soup on these cold days! Learn how you can stretch a whole chicken for 4+ meals here:


http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2010/11/stretching-a-whole-chicken-for-4-meals.html

There are also recipes for roasting the chicken, making homemade gravy, homemade stock and more!

Raspberry Shortbread Thumbprints, Christmas Cookie #2!

Raspberry Shortbread Thumbprints (a favorite in our house!)

2/3 cup of organic cane sugar
1 cup softened organic butter
1/2 teaspoon organic vanilla extract (why I use organic vanilla- because non-organic contains a lot of EXTRAS. Check next time you buy, you'll see!)
2 cups unbleached white wheat flour
1/2 cup organic raspberry fruit jam (or other fruit)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, spray cookie sheets with grapeseed oil spray. Beat sugar, butter and vanilla in a large bowl. Add flour and mix well. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Make thumbprints in each ball and fill with 1/4 teaspoon jam. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until edges are slightly browned.

Dark Chocolate Mint Crinkles, Christmas Cookie #1!

• 1 cups whole wheat flour, 1 cup unbleached white wheat flour
  
• 1 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
• 1cup organic cane sugar
• 1/3 cup raw honey
  
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
  
• 4 free range eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon mint extract
• 1/2 cup organic powdered sugar

1. In a medium bowl, mix together cocoa, sugar, honey and oil. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla and mint. Combine the flours, baking powder, and salt; stir into the cocoa mixture. Cover dough, and chill for at least 2 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray cookie sheets with grapeseed oil spray. Roll dough into one inch balls. Coat each ball in powdered sugar before placing onto prepared cookie sheets.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes.

For The Love of Christmas Cookies :)

Don't you just love Christmastime?! This year my baking goals are at least 4 different kinds of Christmas cookies, converted to healthier versions. Christmas is just about the only time of year I use sugar and don't care about it (well, cane sugar).... I haven't yet been able to stock up with bulk xylitol, and spending $9/lb at our local grocery store just isn't going to happen this year. So can sugar it is. And raw honey too, of course. Anyway, it's hard for me to say no to sweets this time of year (I sure wish I had when I get sick in January... ) :) so I'll just make a few "healthier" versions of some of our favorite cookies. Stay tuned for some yummy recipes.