Creamy Mashed Potatoes

I love eating mashed potatoes but I don't like using some ingredients. Home made mashed potatoes just has that yum factor.

So here is my recipe for it.

Ingredients:

• 6-8 Medium to Large potatoes
• 12-15 Cups of water 
• 2 sticks of butter
• 1 tablespoon of sea salt 
• 1 tablespoon of black pepper
• 1 garlic clove 
• 1/4 cup of onion finely diced 
• Dash of oregano
• Dash of basil
• 1-2 cups of raw milk 

Directions:

1. Put the water on medium to high to start a boil. 
2. Cut the potatoes up in 1-2 inch square pieces. 
3. Put the potatoes with peeling on, 1 stick of butter, salt, pepper, and garlic in the water to boil with the potatoes. 
4. Once they are soft, drain the water. 
5. Smash them add the other stick of butter, milk and salt, pepper, oregano, and basil to taste. 
6. Serve warm and enjoy. 

These are a house favorite. We love them. 

Homemade Deodorant Recipe

After much research I have come to the conclusion that even my "safe crystal alternative" isn't as safe as I thought it was. It's no surprise that deodorants have chemicals that can cause reactions in our bodies not to mention all the poorly researched evidence that so many companies claim to have come up with. Obviously I don't have to go into details about why you should make your own deodorant because you came here for a reason. Here is how to do it. It took me a whole 10 minutes from gathering the products, to mixing it to putting it in the fridge.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 Cup of Baking Soda
• 1/2 Cup of Tapioca Starch (You can use corn starch too but decrease it to 1/4 cup. My daughter has a slight allergy to corn and corn like products but not to Tapioca) **Note you can also use Arrowroot** 
• 1 1/4 cup of Extra Virgin Coconut Oil 
• 25-30 drops of Essential Oil of Choice (I chose Lavender because of the calming of the nerves, antibacterial, and the smell)

Directions:

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. 
2. Then add them to a container or choice. I used an old deodorant container and cleaned it out. 
3. Then put in the fridge to harden. Keep in fridge during the hotter months but you can take out during the colder months. 

Here are the ingredients and brands that I used. 

Please leave a comment and let me know how it worked for you. I made this for my almost 11 year old daughter and she loves it and thinks it works better than the store bought. 

Candied Pecans

These I will be making at least once a week. These are a great snack to put in kiddos lunch boxes, take on the go or just eat while watching a movie on a Saturday night. I am always trying to get creative. Something that I can do that is still nutritious for the family and tasty.

People always think to eat healthy you have to eat food that doesn't taste good. I used to think the same thing but as you start to make healthier choices your taste buds tend to like other foods and dislike the unhealthy foods. 

My favorite thing about this recipe is that if you don't have pecans that will probably be the only thing you will have to buy. 

Ingredients:

• 1lb Pecans
• 1 Egg White
• 1 TBSP Water
• 2/3 Cup Honey
• 1 TSP Coarse Grain Sea Salt
• 3/4 TBSP Ground Cinnamon 

Directions: 

1. Pre Heat Oven to 250 Degrees. 
2. On a Cookie sheet add Parchment Paper or Wax paper 
3. In a large bowl add the egg, and water. 
4. Mix well until it becomes frothy. 
5. Add in the pecans and stir until all the pecans have the egg white wash on them. 
6. In a separate bowl add in the honey, sea salt and cinnamon. Mix well. 
7. Add the honey mix to the pecans while mixing until all the pecans are coated with honey mixture. 
8. With a rubber spatula spread the pecans out evenly on the cookie sheet making it one layer. 
9. Put in oven for 1 hour 30 minutes stirring it every 15 minutes. (This needs to be done other wise it can and will stick to the paper. 
10. When done remove the pecans from the paper immediately into a glass bowl otherwise they may stick to the paper as they cool. 

They are great. If you made them please leave a comment and let me know. 

This is what they will look like when they come out of the oven. 

Raw Almond Butter

I have to say I was a little nervous anytime I try something new. I always wonder if it will be as good as a brand name, or the one I get from my local farmer, or as good as someone that went to school to specialize in this kind of stuff, but I am doing better and better everyday.

Let's face it I am just one person trying to make a difference and help those wanting to live a healthier, wholesome, natural living life. I guess I should give myself more credit than I do. Today I made almond butter with raw organic almonds. I don't have a food processor so I was worried about how it would come out and if it would even come out. So here it is...It is AMAZING.

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups of Raw Organic Almonds
• 2 tablespoons of Raw Local Honey 
• 1 tablespoon of Sea Salt (I chose the coarse) 
• 1/2 teaspoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Optional, you may or may not need this)

Directions:

1. Put the almonds in the food processor of your choice. I actually used the Ninja. (Note it does take a little longer with the Ninja but will work)
2. Keep mixing until it become butter. The whole process will take around 20-25 minutes. You may have to stop and scrape the sides every couple of minutes. (See pictures below)

After about 5 Minutes

After about 15 Minutes

After about 20 Minutes 

Finished Raw Almond Butter

Please comment if you have a question, comment or made it your own. I would love to hear if you did anything different and what you did.

Guilt Free Brownies

Who ever says that it's hard to go Gluten Free and Sugar Free have never tried these brownies. These were so good that our neighbors loved them. My 14 month old kept coming back for more and even checked my plate to see if they were really gone. I didn't even feel guilty for giving them to him neither since they were loaded with nutrients and you will see why.

Ingredients:

• 16 oz of walnuts
• 1 egg
• 1 cup honey
• 1/2 cup baking cocoa
• 1 tbs pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 oz unsweetened dark chocolate chopped (I used Ghiradellia 60% Cocoa due to availability in our area)

1 – 2 tbs coconut oil

Directions: 

1. "Grease" the pan with the coconut oil.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
3. Pulse the walnuts in a food processor. (**Note I used the Ninja Mixer. It did take probably a little longer than with a food processor. It took about 15 minutes, you will have to stop and stir it around a bit)
4. Keep pulsating until it is creamy. 
5. Beat the egg in a separate bowl. 
6. Add in the egg to the walnut butter. 
7. Add in the honey, cocoa, and vanilla. Stir for about 2 minutes or until blended in. 
8. Next add in the sea salt, baking soda and dark chocolate. 
9. Once thoroughly mixed put in the pan. I used a 11X7 inch glass cake pan. 
10. Baked for 25-30 minutes and ENJOY every bit of it.