homemade gluten-free granola.

Found some gluten-free oats at my moms and decided to take a try at a granola recipe. It actually came out pretty darn good!! Gluten free oats have no wheat in them but taste the same as regular oats. I love granola, this one came out more on the chewy side, next recipe will be a crunchy one.
Granola is great for cereal, top on yogurt, acai bowls and just a great healthy snack, that is if you make it your self.  You know exactly whats in it. Store bought  granola does contain a lot of sugar and sometimes fat per cup so making your own, you can control that.

Heres the recipe:

2 cups certified gluten-free oats

1/4 cup flax seeds

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cup raisins-i left it out

1/4 cup dates-i left it out

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup organic natural crunchy peanut butter

1/2 cup honey-i used organic agave nectar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

5 tablespoons of butter (or use coconut oil for better shelf life)-i used coconut oil

I actually made a double batch so just double everything.

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all the dry ingredients into a large bowl. In a small saucepan, combine the peanut butter, honey, butter (coconut oil), and vanilla. Once the peanut butter mixture is combined, mix it with the dry ingredients until the oat mixture is moistened. Press the granola in a shallow pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 30 minutes at 300 degrees. *The granola will get crispier and crunchier as it cools.

Cool for at least 20 minutes and store in a sealed container.

enjoy and BE WELL.

cacao.chocolatey good.

The bean of the cacao plant is the nutritional flavorful source for all CHOCOLATE and COCOA products.  Cacao contains a naturally rich supply of antioxidants, iron, magnesium and fiber.  It is known to be one of the highest dietary sources of magnesium and possesses many other essential minerals in significant quantities.
You hear that dark chocolate is good for you, well, that is why. Actual chocolate candy is made of cacao and the darker it is and the more percent cacao it contains, the better for you. If you have not tried raw cacao nibs, they are very bitter tasting, eating them alone are not too enjoyable!! Add them to bars, smoothies, or use them as yogurt or icecream toppers.
I made a yummy and healthy smoothie today with cacao nibs in it, here's the recipe:

~chocolate almond milk                        
~frozen banana
~wheat germ
~scoop natural peanut ~butter
~cacao nibs



this is a great snack for anyone esp for kids in the morning or after school!!

Cacao nibs are available at any health food store, they run about $13 a bag but last quite a while. A little goes a long way!

Enjoy and BE WELL

flavor extracts

I found this product while reading a blog and thought I'd share it. They are fruit/flavor extracts and if you are like me, watching how much sugar you consume or how much you give your kids, I think its pretty nifty! 

Consuming fruits are good for you but you have to remember that fruits do have a lot of sugar. Yes, its natural sugar, but if you are insulin resistant or diabetic, too much fruits could be danger. I make smoothies for my boys almost everyday. I use a lot of berries, bananas, spirulina, chia seeds or throw in what ever I have. I seem to run out of bananas really quick and thought of trying one of these flavor extracts in banana flavor. They contain no sugar(bananas have a lot) and it will hopefully give it the same taste.

Please don't go out and substitute all your favorite fruits for extracts, fruits are good especially organically grown ones, but if you bake a lot or do a lot with fruit, try replacing one with one of these extracts. They have ones in chocolate, coffee and every other flavor you can think of!! 

I'm definitely gonna pick me up a few soon:)

Here's the link, check them out!

http://www.medicineflower.com/flavorextracts.html

BE WELL.

natural baby wipes

I just made some chemical free baby wipes today, thought I'd share this recipe:

1/4c castille soap
1/4c olive or almond oil
2cups water
plain paper towels
plastic container

mix all ingredients in the plastic container(baby wipes container)
cut paper towels in half and line in container
pull them out one by one as needed!

these ingredients will not irritate baby's skin and esp if your child has diaper rash often or eczema, this is the way to go!!

**this picture is just a picture of a brand of wipes that are chlorine-free that you can also buy.

happy wkend and BE WELL.

Also check out my shop on etsy:  www.darkchocolatentulips.etsy.com

ecomom

Came across this site while searching for organic baby food. Its a great site for moms to check out, everything in eco-friendly. Here are some cool things they have to shop for!! Have a great weekend all!!

I am definitely getting these organic baby food in a pouch, you can buy a spoon that screw onto the top of the pouch, so when you want to fee just screw on the spoon, squeeze and wallah!!! How clever, wish I knew about it with m first child!!

check out this chlorine-free bleach for stains

such a cool bio-degradable pocket stain cleanser

even organic chlorine-free diapers

as you can see this site has a lot to offer!! check it out
www.ecomom.com

be well

kid week...day 4-homemade talc-free baby powder

Commercial baby powders have talc in them which can be inhaled by a baby/child and cause them to choke. Here is an easy recipe to make your own chemical free baby powder:

1 cup arrowroot powder
1 tbsp. dried chamomile
1tbsp. dried lavendar

You can grind the chamomile and lavendar in a clean coffee grinder or food processor.
If you dont have all these ingredients I just use plain corn starch in place of powder to help with the wetness!!

Have a great week!!

BE WELL...

healthy child. healthy home.

I don't remember how I came across this site, but I am sooo glad i did! It's called healthy child and was started by a couple who lost their daughter due to cancer that was not hereditary, but from a pesticide that her mother was exposed to while pregnant! You can check out the site and read more about it and about how to make your homes and the things you expose your children to on a daily basis, more healthy and chemical free!
I am so excited to say I will host a "Healthy Home Party" in the upcoming months that will educate you on how to make better choices for you and your family. Great sample giveaways, food and also you will be able to make your own natural chemical-free cleaner!! I'll post more later about it as time draws near!
For now, check out their site:
http://healthychild.org/

happy learning and BE WELL