Organic & Whole Living: Raspberry Vanilla Cream - Frozen Dessert

 

Ingredients you will need for a double dessert:

4 Cups of Raspberry Sorbet. I used Trader Joe's brand, it has good ingredients and tastes yummy!

2 Boxes of Instant Vanilla Pudding I also used Trader Joe's Brand.

1 Pint of Heavy Whipping Cream

2 Cups of cold milk

2 Pints of Fresh Raspberries

Sprigs of Mint

 

Add the sorbet to your two lined loaf pans and return to the freezer to set up.

Meanwhile make your instant vanilla pudding according to the package directions and set aside.

Pour your heavy whipping cream into a well chilled bowl and begin to whip on medium to medium high speed with a hand blender or a mixer. (I miss my Kitchen-Aid mixer during times like these, maybe I'll get a replacement one some day)

When your cream has turned into soft peaks it is readed to be folded in gently to your vanilla pudding.

Remove your raspberry sorbet loaf pans from the freezer. Divide your pudding and cream mixture between the two pans.

Return to the freezer for 24-48 hours to harden.

To Serve:

Top with fresh raspberries and a sprig of mint.

Warm a sharp knife to make slices.

Enjoy!

xoxo Gabreial

 

Organic & Whole Living: Summer Side Dish Broccoli & Sundried Tomatoes

Summer is my ultimate favorite time of year to cook. I love veggies and the lighter side of summer meals. This is one of my favorite summer side dishes. I even make it for myself for lunch sometimes.

You will need:

2 Small Heads (or one large head) of Organic Broccoli. Broccoli is number 19 one the Environmental Working Groups Best to Worst in Pesticides List. Anything past the 10 mark I try to use organic and local.

3-4 T Chopped Sun-dried tomatoes packed in seasoning and olive oil.

1T of the sun-dried tomatoes oil.

Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Steam Broccoli in a saute pan with a few tablespoons of water and a lid on.

2. Once the broccoli has softened, add 3-4 T of chopped sun-dried tomatoes, more or less if you'd like. I like a lot of them.

4. Once you've added the sun dried tomatoes to the saute pan continue to saute on med low for a few minutes. If you feel like you need to add a T of the sun-dried tomato oil, go ahead. Salt and pepper to taste. 

5. Saute until your desired doneness.

Of course you could sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan cheese over it, but I like to keep this as light as possible.

Serve warm. 

 

 

Frugal Tips for Mamas: Mamapedia $10.00 for $20.00 at Vitacost

Mamapedia is similar to those other coupon sites, offering special deals nationally and locally.

Today's deal is one that is particularly interesting to me as I've purchased from Vitacost before. Vitacost usually has great prices on organics, Hyland's brand homeopathic (which we use around here) and other great supplements and products.

xoxo Gabreial

 

(by the way the link up there is a referral link under my  program, help me, help you)

Organic & Whole Living: Create a Salad Night

It's getting to be that time of year again when we slow down from the fast pace of summer and enjoy warm and hearty dinners like soups and stews.  While I love my crockpot this time of year, I'm a veggie girl at heart and love my salads. Why not try a new addition to your menu this fall with salads and save some money on your food budget while you're at it. 

Why create a salad night into your weekly food budget?

•  You save on the cost of meat for your family for a night.
•  You tend to purchase things for your salad that are in season and local to your area, thus saving money. 
•  By eating healthier hopefully in the long run your body will thank you and you'll be visiting the doctor less.  

I have to be truthful with you though, at first the kids weren't into salad night or hubby for that matter.  I started them off slow with the usual lettuce and grilled chicken and moved into more complex flavors like the roasted butternut squash salad below.

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad

• 1 Large Butternut Squash. Peeled, diced, drizzled with olive oil, salt & pepper and roasted in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes or until tender and somewhat caramelized.
• 1-2 Heads Romain Lettuce
• 1 Head of Green Leaf Lettuce
• Quarter of a small purple cabbage
• Purple Onions 

Toss your salad fixings together with your favorite dressing. (I use a balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, basil, salt & pepper dressing). Top with the sweet caramelized butternut squash for a filling and healthy salad!

 

 

I encourage you to start a salad night. Whether it is "Meatless Monday" or a salad with meat, try incorporating salad into your weekly dinner menu.

xoxo Gabreial

Frugal Tips for Mamas: Swag Bucks & Organics

Hey everyone, I just wanted to remind you that today is Mega Swag Bucks Friday! I just received 36 Swag Bucks which prompted me to share this reminder with you.

Swag Bucks is a free rewards system. The concept is easy, you just use the Swag Bucks tool bar or search engine or their home page like you would any other search engine to earn free Swag Bucks and in turn cash them in for gift cards to places like Amazon. Amazon is great for us because we love shopping for organics and groceries, school supplies, books and the like. We use our Swag Bucks for Amazon all of the time. I order our Amazing Grass for our smoothies, chia seeds and a lot more.  A $5.00 Amazon Gift Card is only 450 Swag Bucks and it doesn't take long to rack them up. 

Mega Swag Bucks details;

Friday's you can earn swag bucks in multiples of 50,100,200 or even 1,000 just for searching.

If you'd like to get started, head over to Swag Bucks to find out more details. It's free to sign up and no strings attached. I'm saving my bucks up for something big I'd like to buy at Amazon. What will you use your Swag Bucks for?

xoxox  ♥ Gabreial

(by the way the link up there is a referral link under my hubby's program, help me, help you)

Organic & Whole Living: How to Make Cultured Butter

Back in the good ole' days, I remember in 4th grade making homemade butter. We were reading Little House in the Big Woods Laura Ingalls Wilder at the time and learning about the process of how the Ingalls family made things at their homestead. (You all remember them playing with the pig's bladder right? I won't forget that either!)  I remember the day we learned about churning butter. The teacher brought in heavy cream, a ball glass pint jar and some salt. She added all of the ingredients into the jar and gave each one of us (I think there was at least 20 of us) a chance to shake the jar for a few seconds. By the time it reached the last student we had butter!

I remember her opening that jar and spreading fresh butter onto crackers for each of us. I can still remember the creamy and slightly salty taste. I've often thought back on that memory and wished to create my own butter at home. This time I'm more savvy about natural milk, and where my heavy cream comes from. I've also read up on cultured butter and the benefits of it.

Just in case you haven't heard of the term cultured butter, cultured butter is delicious butter created naturally by fermenting the butter. From Wikipedia -  "Butter made from a fermented cream is known as cultured butter. During fermentation, the cream naturally sours as bacteria convert milk sugars into lactic acid. The fermentation process produces additional aroma compounds, including diacetyl, which makes for a fuller-flavored and more "buttery" tasting product."

 

  If you've never tried your hand at making it from scratch, you really should give it a go. It's tangy, creamy, and oh so buttery!

Ingredients:

•  Natural Heavy Cream (that hasn't been pasteurized) Make sure you are getting your cream from a farmer that keeps his milking process clean.I've read about other recipes for making cream with buttermilk, sour cream, creme fresh, but this recipe covers the natural cream method.
• Pink Himalayan Sea Salt (or your salt of choice)
• Time

Pour your cream into a glass dish, and allow to sit at room temperature for 24 ours until you have a mildly sour cream.  This can also be done by allowing your natural cream to sour in the refrigerator but it takes longer. I used about two cups of heavy natural cream for this batch.

 

When you start to notice your cream beginning to look thick, and pull away from the edges with a slight sour smell, you'll know it's ready for making butter. 

Put your "soured cream" into the fridge until chilled.

Once your cream has chilled, pour it into the bowl of a food processor.

 

Start pulsing your cream, scraping down the sides if necessary until the cream begins to separate.

Once the separation has occurred, give it a couple more pulses just to make sure you've allowed all of the cream to give off it's whey. Now pour off as much whey as you can and add the butter to a clean bowl.

This next process is known as "washing & kneading" the butter. I like to use a wooden spatula to do the kneading and fresh filtered water. I want to make sure my butter is getting the best possible care.

Continue to use the spatula to knead your butter and wash it, dumping the "milky water & whey" off between each washing. 

Once your butter yields no more milky water and the water is clean after a good kneading, you know you're done washing. Make sure all of the cloudy water is out of your butter, this is an important step to insure healthy longer lasting butter.

At this point you can mix in your pink Himalayan salt to taste or leave unsalted.

You can choose to add your butter to a mold, roll it in parchment paper and make a log or add it to your favorite vintage dish. My hubby added this piece of Blue Sapphire Fire King to my collection last year for my birthday. It makes a perfect butter dish.

This type of butter is great for spreading on freshly baked sourdough bread, crackers or melting over steamed veggies, anything you would add butter to, but not cook.

I hope this post inspires you to make cultured butter. It really is so easy and if the kids are around they will enjoy the process and helping you knead.

 

Organic & Whole Living: Raw Chocolate Avocado Pudding

Chocolate and avocados you say, why yes. It is an unexpected combination for a delicious treat.  The first time I whipped up a batch of this yummy and healthy dessert, I almost fooled my husband 100%. He said the texture was slightly different but other than that he liked it. He couldn't put his finger on the "avocado" addition.  We love this as a special treat around here, and if you couldn't tell I'm a fan of chocolate.

 You'll Need:

2 Ripe Avocados

2-3 T Raw Cacao Powder

1/2 t Vanilla Extract

2-3T Maple Syrup or to taste (not considered raw, but you can substitute your sweetener of choice here)

2 T Chia Seeds

 

 

Process everything in your food processor until it becomes a smooth and creamy consistency (like regular pudding).Serve right away with a sprinkling of chia seeds  on top and an extra drizzle of maple syrup if you'd like.

 

 

Organic & Whole Living: Chocolate Fondue

Wondering how to enjoy an extravagant dessert with your family? Sweets are OK in moderation, and the less processed the better.

I have to tell you, I was the one craving the dark chocolate and debated for a good long time about baking a chocolate cake. My dilemma was all of the sugar called for in my recipe and I only had the yucky processed white stuff left over from holiday baking. White stuff will not be used for this year's holiday baking.

Looking around I found 8oz of semi-sweet organic chocolate (the darker the better for this family) and lots of fresh fruit from the produce co-op, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, apples and bananas. From there, I ran with it.

I melted 8 oz of Semi-Sweet Chocolate with 1/3 cup natural cream (whole raw if you can get it) and a splash of leftover strong coffee from the morning. Mix until combined and warmed through.

A few skewers, a couple of lessons in fondue etiquette from daddy-o, like don't poke your mother's eye with your skewer, don't let your lips touch your skewer, your skewer is not a sword....  and off we went.

Oh my! It was so good, so creamy and I loved all of the fresh fruit my family ate. (sorry I missed the daylight opportunity to take a good photo for you) It's definitely not something you can't eat every day or every week, but when the craving strikes, go for something a little healthier like chocolate fondue! My husband loved it, he requested it again for "date night" at home.

 

Variations: Feel free to play around with this recipe, it is very basic. You can make a Mexican Hot Chocolate Fondue by adding a sprinkling of cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Make a more grown up fondue with amaretto liqueur  or orange liqueur. Don't add too much liquor or the chocolate will seize up on you. 

Bonus Tip: If you have leftover fondue, chill the mixture and scoop into little round truffles, dip in raw cocoa powder for delicious dark chocolate truffles.

 

xoxo Gabreial

Organic & Whole Living: Orange & Kumquat Cream Smoothie

What a great way to start your morning, this Orange & Kumquat Cream Smoothie is so good. My boys loved it.  I think we'll freeze it in the summer for popsicles!

2 oranges

2 Kumquats (skin and all, remove seeds if you'd like)

1 Serving Hemp Protien Powder

1 teaspoon Vanilla

2 Cups Fresh Almond Milk (store bought unsweetened is fine too)

1/2 Cup Coconut Water

1 Frozen Banana

2 T Chia Seeds ( we heart chia seeds here)

2T Golden Flax Seeds

Blend util smooth, frothy and creamy. This is a thinner smoothie more like a refreshing drink.

Enjoy

 

Organic & Whole Living Recipe: Excalibur Dehydrator Zucchini Chips

Zucchini chips are so yummy and so easy to make. One zucchini produces a pretty good yield but you should figure at least a half zucchini, medium size, per person. Needless to say I ate this batch all by myself ( I let the others taste) . I don't feel guilty either it's a ZUCCHINI!

 

   

INGREDIENTS:

- 1-2 Medium organic zucchini

 - Olive Oil 1-2T

 - Pink Himalayan Salt, Pepper, Dried Oregano, Thyme

 

1st Step: Start with a good clean and organic zucchini.

2: Using a mandolin or a very sharp knife, slice your zucchini into very thin rounds. (think chip here)

3: Place slices in a bowl, drizzle with a wee bit of olive oil or oil of your choice and sprinkle with salt, pepper, oregano & thyme. You can use any of your favorite Italian herbs here.Toss to coat.

4: Lay the slices on a single layer of your dehydrator trays.

5: Turn on your dehydrator. 117 degrees

6: Dehydrate for 3.5-5 hours depending on your humidity.

Needless to say clean up was a breeze, I hand washed the Excalibur Dehydrator trays in warm soapy water and that was it. Although I think it would have been a little easier if I had the dehydrator sheets as the oil did drip down the trays.

Visit my original review of the Excalibur Dehydrator here.

 

 

Organic & whole Living: Purple Cow "Green Smoothie"

After yesterday's post on dehydrated banana chewies, I'm in the mood for more healthy yummy treats and  apparently so are my boys. Today they requested a peanut butter smoothie. Now before you get all excited, they know that there is healthy green ingredients in every smoothie I make. This one just happens to come out purple.

 

I have to admit, I eyeball every single ingredient that I use to make our smoothies and taste test a couple of times before serving it up.

 

2 Frozen Bananas

1-2 Cups of Almond Milk

6-8oz Filtered Water (give or take, I add more to get the consistency that I want)

1/2 Cup Frozen Mixed Berries

3T Chia Seeds (a superfood packed with fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and antioxidants)

1/4-1/2 Cups of Peanut Butter ( I had organic crunchy on hand so that's what I used)

1/4 Cup Frozen Purple Grapes (makes for a great sweetener)

2 scoops Amazing Grass Green Superfood (you can see my past review of Amazing Gass here.) It is full of ingredients like Organic Wheat Grass, Alfalfa, Spirulina, Spinach, Broccoli, Chlorella, Acai, Maca, Carrogt, Beet, Raspberry,Rose HIps, Pineapple, Green Tea,Acerola Cherry, Fax Seed Powder and more!

Blend everything in your blender adding more milk or water to make it as thin or thick as you'd like. Boys verdict, " This is so, so good mom".  xoxo Gabreial

Organic & Whole Living: Excalibur Dehydrator Review

Dehydrated foods, what's the point? Well, I'll tell you what's the point. We love dried apple rings in this family. To us, they're like candy. A nourishing, yummy, chewy, satisfying candy! Anything to exchange the processed sugar variety makes this momma happy.

I've been on a health mission for over three years now. Not just the loose weight, mission but the healthy gut mission for everyone in my family. We've really been digging down into the nitty-gritty of what we eat and why we eat it. I'm realizing that the majority of the things we used to eat, were only things that satisfied hunger and not provide the nourishment that our bodies needed (1).

I was completely thrilled when Excalibur agreed to send me a dehydrator for review. I've been having so much delicious fun with it and so has my family.

First up, we made the most yummy snacks! Dehydrated Bananas.

I'm not talking about the hard crunchy often "deep fried" banana chips you get at the health food store. I'm talking about banana chips and chewies. Oh my, they are so, so good. My boys call them little slices of banana pudding. Doesn't that sound good. Banana pudding without the heavy cream, pudding and nilla wafers.

Banana Chips and Chewies are so easy to make, especially with the Excalibur Dehydrator. For crunchier banana chips you're going to want to slice them fairy thin, but not so thin you can see through them. For a more chewier texture you're going to want to slice them a bit thicker.

Simply line them on the dehydrator tray, and turn on the temperature to 125 degrees. The Excalibur has an easy dial system with temperatures marked making it easy to set.  I've read a lot of conflicting advice about what temp to dehydrate foods so that they don't loose their enzymes and I'm comfortable with starting out at 125 degrees for two hours and reducing that to 115 degrees for four hours, although times will vary based on humidity and temperature in your area and home. Another great feature of the Excalibur Dehydrator is the timer. You can set for as long as 26 hours.

Really though, it all depends on the texture you are trying to achieve with your bananas. We could hardly keep our fingers out of these and ate some in between, they were still a little moist but really yummy.

The bottom right picture shows our batch (that didn't get eaten) of dried banana chips that were sliced a little thicker. Do you see how the edges curled a bit? That shows the chewier texture. If they were thinner and dried they would be more flat.We aren't worried about color in this family, brown fruit doesn't bother us, it is only natural, so I didn't feel a need to douse them in lemon juice.

Needless to say clean up was a breeze, I hand washed the Excalibur Dehydrator trays in warm soapy water and that was it. I have four bunches of bananas waiting to be dried this weekend so we'll have some yummy snacks for on the go.

I have a lot to say about the Excalibur Dehydrator and all of the yummy healthy treats you can create with it. I'll be back with more recipes and an interview with Excalibur's CEO Shauna Verkade.

 

(1) Seven Tips to Enhance Digestion

 

Truth in Review: Excalibur. did provide me with a dehydrator free of charge including shipping. I was not paid for the review or require any certain context within my review. All reviews posted by me are truthful in content and not bought. Gabreial Wyatt, Editor Visit our Disclaimer/Disclosure  for more info.

Organic & Whole Living: Light at the end of the flu tunnel...

Thanks to my efforts for getting more organized and planning my weeks better, you had no idea my whole family was down with a rough case of the flu last week. I had features all ready to go, which is was totally out of character for me.  It was a blessing in disguise.

© Copyright MommyMakes

There is light at the end of the tunnel and as soon as we all kick these horrible coughs we'll be back to normal. I can hardly wait! This flu lent itself to plenty of home remedies to try. We tried everything from tumeric and honey to boiled onion to open up sinuses.

The best part, my husband made a delicious batch of Jordin Rubin's Chicken Soup. We did cook it for the full 24 hours and it was delicious. Our throats were raw, but the warmth of the soup soothed and I started feeling a little better. Next time, we will omit as much of the fat as possible as this seemed to make it somewhat greasy, but other than that a great soup for the flu.

After a week of major coughing, aching and sore throats I was craving anything cold on my throat. That's when I remembered popsicles (I had forgot about them, after all it is winter), but better than that frozen berries! These were wonderful. My youngest love and nursed frozen juicy red raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. They were great for getting some antioxidants back into your systems as well. The flu is tough, and I'm thankful it has passed and I think we've had our lifetime share.

What about you? What do you do to soothe the flu naturally?

Eco Living: sewZinski Travel Mugs

I heart coffee, I love the taste, the smell and the warmth. I truly enjoy my cup of joe. I'm right up there with you ladies who enjoy your tea in a fancy schmancy teacup, but I'm a coffee gal so I'm thinking I seriously need one of these eco-friendly cups that  sewZinski hand paints.

Visit sewZinski on Etsy for these gorgeous mugs and more handmade goodies including lovely embroidered wallets.

 

Organic & Whole Living: Southern Magnolia Minerals Product Review

You may be wondering how organic and whole living pertains to makeup. Well, I'm here to tell you that the  ingredients in your everyday skin care could be the root of many health issues including many allergies. Often times everyday household products including soaps, shampoos and conditioners all contain harmful chemicals. Your skin, the largest organ on your body absorbs all of these chemicals. 

The Environmental Working Group is a non-profit company that has become an authority for safer foods, skincare products and more. They are also the creators of the Cosmetics Safety Data Base, Skin Deep. I usually visit Skin Deep when I'm researching any new cosmetics or skin care products that I'm interested in. My goal is to steer clear of the products that even mention cancer. I'm certainly not perfect when it comes to the products that we use, but we do try our best.

Recently, Southern Magnolia Minerals sent me a few products from their all-natural mineral makeup line. I've been using mineral makeup for a few years now and it is a work in progress. I mostly use all mineral makeup for eye shadow, foundation, blush and bronzer. I haven't been successful with the eye liner, I still use a stick.

Southern Magnolia Minerals offers a fair foundation that rates as a 1 (1 being the lowest in harmful chemicals at Skin Deep). While not everything from Southern Magnolia Minerals is listed at Skin Deep, this was a good start. They also state on their website the following;

Free of preservatives, chemicals, dyes, oils, perfumes & bismuth, our shine-free long-lasting formula provides sheer flawless coverage for every skin type and skin tone.

I like the fact that their line is free of preservatives, chemicals and dyes as these things tend to not agree with my skin.

The foundation and concealer worked well for me. I used the Medium Foundation. It blends nicely, especially if you moisturize beforehand and that is very important when using mineral makeup. If you don't mineral makeup tends to fill in any cracks and they show.

I  tried two kinds of eye shadow Dusk and Stormy. Both of these worked just fine as a dressier shadow for the weekend or evenings out, but for every day use they contained too much sparkling mica for me.  I prefer my minerals to be more matte finish and contain no glitters. The gray contained too much glittery mica for my taste.

One of the products that I really liked was their Warmth All Over Face Color for a Soft Focus. With snowy white surroundings this winter, it tends to give you a washed out look. With this warmth  it truly creates a summery look without the feel and orangeness of the spray on tan. I recommend this product.

 

A special thank you to Southern Magnolia Minerals for sending me their products to review. I truly appreciate their standards for mineral makeup. Visit Southern Magnolia Minerals for their makeup, lip-care, and skincare collections.

Truth in Review: Southern Magnolia Minerals. did provide me with makeup to review including shipping. I was not paid for the review or require any certain context within my review. All reviews posted by me are truthful in content and not bought. Gabreial Wyatt, Editor Visit our Disclaimer/Disclosure  for more info.

 

 

 

Vintage Green & Eco Living: The Steel Fork

Today's Vintage Green feature comes from The Steel Fork.

Top Left: Recycled Magnet & Metal Memo Boards. Top Right: Recycled Metal Fresh Sign.

Bottom Left: Elephant Trophy Head.  Bottom Right: Candle Lantern.

Find all sorts of handmade and recliamed items at The Steel Fork. Creations include reclaimed metal and sculptures using recycled farm machinery. How cool is that!

Visit The Steel Fork to purchase any of the above or to have a look at there other works of art.

 

Organic & Whole Living: Raw Almond Butter from Scratch

This year, my plan is to grow the Organic & Whole Living category here at Vintage Indie. Feeding my family with wholesome foods using the freshest ingredients is a passion of mine and I hope to make more from scratch.

This year I plan to dive into homemade sourdough breads, tortillas,cheeses, kefir, sauces and much more. I hope you'll join me as I strive to keep a budget, fill my families bellies with things that are good for their bodies, all-the-while encouraging you at the same time. 

 

Raw Almond Butter:

Hopefully you'll find this tutorial for raw almond butter helpful and a step towards healthier eating for 2011. One of my favorite snacks is a granny smith apple slathered in a little raw almond butter. One with no added sugars or preservatives. Here's how to do it.

 

What You'll Need: Raw Almonds & a Food Processor.

Yep, that's it! No sugars, no oils, no preservatives. The only ingredient you need for raw almond butter is raw almonds.

You may be thinking, why would I want to make my own almond butter. Well, here are a few reasons, that I make raw almond butter at home.

1. You can purchase almonds in bulk for a price break to make almond butter cheaper than you can purchase it in the store. 

2. No added sugars.

3. No added preservatives.

4. No plastic packaging. (I realize there are some glass jar almond butter companies, but the majority of them are plastic containers)

5. The simple joy you'll feel when you have your own jar full of that luscious butter.

 

The processing part is where most people give up. You will need at least half an hour, patience and a spatula for scraping down the sides. Other than that, it's easy I promise!

 

Let's get started!

Start with 2 cups or 16 ounces of raw almonds. Pulse them until the are a sand-like texture. This will be a loud process, so best not to do this when the baby is sleeping.

Once you achieve a sand-like texture. You're going to want to scrape down the sides of the processor bowl and give your processor time to cool if you find it over heating. I used 2 cups for this batch, but smaller batchers are easier, you just end up with less butter. Hower, the processor seems to get hotter when you use the larger amount and it takes a little more time waiting for it to cool down.

The almonds will start to gather into a ball, much like pizza dough. You'll need to remove the lid and break this up every once in awhile.

Remember, raw almond butter takes patience. Keep pulsing and scraping and breaking up the almonds. You're waiting for the almonds to finally give up their oil.

Once they give up their oils, you'll start to notice the mixture getting creamy. Keep processing to get the consistency of your choice. The key here is to not overheat your processor causing the almonds to go from raw to cooked.

I store ours in a glass jar in the fridge. Usually it doesn't last longer than a week around here. Especially if I'm making dessert with it (recipe for that coming soon). We choose not to sweeten ours, the kids have got used to it that way. You could easily add honey or whichever sweetener you prefer.

Enjoy!

PS. Photos will be much better next time hopefully, as I plan to do more in natural lighting and of course figure out my new camera. 

Organic & Whole Living: Not Just Any Salmon

 

Salmon has been a newer thing for our family. Neither my husband or myself enjoyed its benefits before because of the quality in regular supermarket salmon. The taste and smell was off-putting so we chose to just pass it up. A few months ago a friend introduced us to Vital Choice salmon. It was like tasting salmon for the first time, (minus the Alaskan salmon given to us as a gift a few years ago). It was awesome. The flavor was unlike anything I've had before. Clean, pure and delicious. It was equally important that the salmon was wild and sustainably caught. We also like the assurance from Vital Choice that our salmon was pure and free of GMO's.

Unsurpassed Purity
We seek to support our customers’ well being, so Vital Choice will offer only the purest wild seafood possible: fish and shellfish that grow in the wild environment to which they are so superbly adapted, free of the antibiotics, pesticides, synthetic coloring agents, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) used commonly in fish farms.

Our seafood is tested regularly by independent labs, and the results show that it is free of harmful levels of mercury and other industrial contaminants. Longer-lived predator species such as Halibut and Tuna accumulate mercury over time, so we select only the smallest of the catch to ensure optimum purity.

 

Just those two important facts were enough to sell me on their salmon in addition to the amazing flavor and health benefits. I wouldn't stop with the salmon at Vital Choice though. We have since tried their dark chocolate bars, canned tuna and canned salmon and each product has been of top quality. If you're like us and gave up salmon because you couldn't find quality fish, give Vital Choice a try, you won't be disappointed.

 

Truth in Review: Vintage Indie/Gabreial Wyatt editor is an affiliate of Vital Choice. Only after through review and approval of their products through personal purchases.  Vital Choice did not pay me for the review or require any certain context within my review. All reviews posted by me are truthful in content and not bought. Gabreial Visit our Disclaimer  for more info.

Organic & Whole Living: Whole Foods

Photo Copyright Lingeron

One of my main goals for my family is to live off 100% whole foods. Absolutely no processed anything. Do you think it's possible? I think it is. One of our family rules is to only shop the outer isles at the grocery store. I have to admit though, I find myself in the condiments isle every once in awhile but that's about it.

Just the other day I spent 10 minutes in the pickle isle reading that back of every single pickle jar. Do you know that not one of them accept those sweetened with Splenda (yuck) had High Fructose Corn Syrup? Do you know what that tells me? I need to figure out how to make pickles! Do you have any good recipes? I have a canner, but not a pressure canner. I'm also considering refrigerator pickles.

If you don't know the effects of High Fructose Corn syrup on your body, here is a great article. 

Eco-Friendly Find: Reusable Napkins

I love reusable napkins, but I wish that we had more of them. A couple of sets doesn't last very long around here. I often find myself wishing I had a paper towel for quick projects. Maybe I just need to get some more! How about these from TerreMum.

Organic & Whole Living: Household Product Challenge Part 5 - " Life without Plastic"

Can you imagine a life without plastic? I saw this video on The Lazy Organizer's blog other day, (I like this chick, she tells it like it is and I like that). Anyway, it isn't for the faint-hearted, but if we hide our eyes from the truth, what do we learn?

This week's product review is from a company called " Life Without Plastic". Please note that they are not associated with the video above. I found the video before contacting them. However, they did send me these two products to review for you, which makes me feel good after watching that video. You're going to want to get some alternatives.

Up first is this Stainless Steel Airtight Watertight Food Storage Container.

On a recent family weekend I packed this baby full of juicy oranges, clipped the sides and threw it in our backpack. I'm very happy to report that it didn't leak one bit! Everything stayed snug inside the container. These are on my wish list, I'd like to have one for everyone in the family for picnics!

Second from Life Without Plastic is this Stainless Steel Oval Bento Lunch Box. This one isn't advertised to be watertight and I don't think that it is. It does however fit some crunchy homemade granola for the whole family just fine. I think it would also hold a single sandwich as well. I'm glad to have it as apart of our new picnic must haves. 

I truly appreciate Life Without Plastic for sending me these products to review. I have a whole wish list brewing from their website.

I hope this post has given you some insight on just how bad our plastic problem is. I didn't used to be, and I'm not a "mother earth" advocate. I'm an advocate for God's creation. He gets all of the credit for our beautiful Earth and I do think it is time we start to really do something about how we're treating it. I have to think about my children's children and what kind of beaches and oceans will they have to vacation at when they are my age. It's a lot to think about. It isn't something I can just close my eyes and heart to and do nothing about it. Every little bit counts, but most importantly your DOLLAR counts. Vote for products like those from Life Without Plastic. Their plastic businesses can't survive if we aren't buying.

Truth in Review: Life Without Plastic did provide me with all of the products mentioned to review including shipping. Life Without Plastics did not pay me for the review or require any certain context within my review. All reviews posted by me are truthful in content and not bought. Gabreial Visit our Disclaimer  for more info.

Organic & Whole Living: Household Product Challenge Part 4 - Water Bottle Alternatives

How is your household product challenge going? Are you getting rid of all of the nasty stuff in your home? I sure hope so. You will sleep so much better, I promise.

Today, I have a great water bottle alternative for you. Have you heard of the ever-popular Klean Kanteen? They are the original BPA-FREE alternative to plastic bottles. They use high-quality, 18/8, food-grade stainless steel. Not only is this stainless steal healthier for you, but it is also durable! That comes in handy when you have two boys, that's for sure.

I decided to try out our new Klean Kanteen's at the Zoo this past week. The night before, I washed up the Kanteen's and filled them up with filtered water. Into the fridge they went.

The top left bottle is their new Klean Kanteen Wide Insulated. I claimed this one. After all, I am the coffee drinker in the family.  The taller 27oz is my husband's Klean Kanteen Wide. Both of these came with their Wide Loop Cap, but I chose to replace my wide loop cap with a Wide Cafe Cap.

I love the fact that based on what you are doing, you can change out your cap. Of course the Cafe Cap makes it safe and easier for on the go when I'm driving. I like the loop cap for snapping the Kanteen's onto our backpack. Either way they stayed nice and cold all day long, especially the insulated Kanteen.

These two Klean Kanteen Classics were for the fellas. They both chose a color and it was amazing, they both were very happy with their choices. I love it when it's simple like that.  I can't tell you how much I love color to define who's is who's, it makes life easy. The boys did great all day at the zoo with their Kanteen's, the only thing I would change is the cap. They offer a sports cap, so that you don't have to worry about one of them walking off and leaving without their cap. I will be sure to pick up one of those for each of us.

 In case you are wondering about that cap, this is what I picked up from Klean Kanteen. "Caps made from safe, BPA-free polypropylene (pp#5)are lightweight and also cost-effective, enabling Klean Kanteen® to create a handcrafted product of exceptional quality at a reasonable price." I think that's fair enough, don't you. 

Overall, Klean Kanteen creates a durable, fashionable and wonderful alternative to Plastic Bottles. We won't ever go back to plastic bottles! Oh, and if you do happen to have a broken bottle, cap or manufacture defect, Kleen Kanteen offer's a one year manufactures warranty! How about that. (see website for details)

I truly appreciate Klean Kanteen for sending us these four bottles to review. I'm thrilled to be able to share all positive things about Klean Kanteen with you from real life experience. 

Truth in Review: Klean Kanteen did provide me with all of the products mentioned to review including shipping. Klean Kanteen did not pay me for the review or require any certain context within my review. All reviews posted by me are truthful in content and not bought. Gabreial Visit our Disclaimer  for more info.

Organic & Whole Living: Household Product Challenge Part 3 Use Less Plastic

This little video is a lot of fun and visually creative. A great way to get an idea of how much plastic we use. Also another great reason to stop your exposure to BPA, commonly found in plastics.

The FDA has recently (Jan. 2010)  updated their stance on Bisphenol A. Read the article here at FDA.GOV

It is certainly interesting to me that the FDA is now changing their tune on this chemical. Frustrating to say the least. Don't dismay, I have some great alternative ideas coming your way as well as some great giveaways!

xoxo Gabreial

Use Less Plastic from TakePart on Vimeo.

Organic & Whole Living: Household Product Challenge Part 2

Hey everyone,

How is it going with your inventory? Have you had a chance to start? Do you need some help?

I received an email this morning from Environmental Working Group, they have updated their Dirty Dozen worst and Best list for vegetables and produce. They've also teamed up with Dr. Andrew Weil.

I've already printed off the new list and plan to make myself a pocket copy. If you'd like to get a list, I encourage you to sign up with EWG.

A little bit more about the Environmental Working Group:

You've probably heard of their work - they're the ones responsible for getting a carcinogen removed from Teflon, spreading the word about how safe sunscreens really are, and creating an extensive cosmetics safety database. You can join their email list at www.ewg.org/signup or check out their website at www.ewg.org. They have a lot of great resources like:

• Skin Deep, their cosmetics safety database
• FoodNews, the insider's guide to which produce has the most pesticides
• EWG's Fish List, which outlines which fish are the safest and how often you should eat them
• 10 Everyday Pollution Solutions, a list of small steps you can take to make a big difference
• Parent's Buying Guide to safe personal care products for kids

Join their email list to receive buying guides for safe children's products; info on cosmetics, sunscreens, and products to avoid; tips for making your food and water safer, and answers to your questions about keeping your family healthy. Sign up today at www.ewg.org/signup. Environmental Working Group is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization dedicated to using the power of information to protect human health and the environment.

Video from Environmental Working Group:
Updated: Kid-Safe Chemicals Act: 10 Americans @ Yahoo! Video

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the Environmental Working group in any way. They don't know me or know about my challenge to you, my readers. I'm doing this for you! I want you to be healthier!

Organic & Whole Living: Household Product Challenge

Good morning lovely readers! I hope you are having a wonderful week so far.

Today I'm writing asking you to participate in a household product challenge. More and more we are exposing ourselves to harmful chemicals and products that our body really shouldn't be trying to handle. A couple of years ago my eyes were opened up to harmful ingredients used in every day products including those in my children's soap. Today I'm encouraging you like someone once did for me, to create a product list of every single product you use in your household. This should include what you clean with to what you put on your body. Make a chart of these products. After you've gathered your chart, then visit the Environmental Working Group's website Skin Deep and look up each product. If you can't find a product, look up its ingredients. 

ROOMBOXES - Photography by Krista Peel

I remember doing this a couple years back and have since slipped into buying products cleverly marketed and packaged. Even though I know a lot of the chemicals listed in the products and some that sound very natural I've been duped once again and have let some of these slip back into our home. The companies who market these products are getting more and more clever with their wording.

You might be wondering, what am I supposed to do without breaking the bank after I dispose of all of these products. Well, here in the next couple of weeks I plan to post some helpful tips, links and alternatives for you. The goal is to make your household as chemical free as possible and remove the toxic load your putting on your body. Think of it as spring cleaning, without the bad stuff.

Are you up for the challenge?

xoxo Gabreial 

Visit Krista Peel on Etsy for more of her charming photography and artwork, using doll house miniatures.