Homemade Baby Wipes

I've been making and using these on my daughter since she was born! As often as newborns are soiling their diapers, that means you're gonna be doing a lot of wiping which also means that the baby will likely end up with a chafed bum and diaper rash!

These are also great because there's no drying alcohol or chemicals in them so you can use them as face wipes for yourself or the baby! 

Here's what you'll need:

-2 cups of water boiled and then left to cool completely 

-2 tbsp melted organic coconut oil 

-3 drops of Melaleuca essential oil (tea tree oil) 

-3 drops of Lavender essential oil 

-1 airtight containers

-1 Bounty DuraTowel paper towel

The liquid mixture will make one container of wipes. So if you want to use both halves of the paper towel roll, double the recipe. 

Mix the water, coconut oil and essential oils in a bowl. Cut the paper towel roll in half and place the cut halves into containers. Pour the mixture over the roll and then remove the cardboard center. Pull wipes from the middle as needed and keep lid on it when not using! 

These wipes also are good on the go! I just pull the wipes out and fold them up and place them in a zipper bag or a travel wipes case and enjoy! 

Asparagus & Brussel Sprouts

I'm on a veggie kick! I bought some seriously large bags of vegetables at Costco and am experimenting with some new mix-ups. 

My latest creation was a spin-off of the Cheesecake Factory's asparagus salad. I'd say it was super successful, try it out for yourself! 

Here's how I made it:

-Washed a handful of asparagus and a handful of brussel sprouts and chopped them in half

-heated skillet on low to medium heat 

-put the veggies in the skillet with organic olive oil drizzled on top, a dash of Flavor God's lemon and garlic seasoning and added about 1/4 c of sliced almonds

-cook until the veggies start to brown (I prefer them a little crispier & raw so I didn't cook them too long, just a couple minutes!) 

And voila! They're ready! You can enjoy them alone or add some meat to it. I cooked up a chicken breast to go with mine. 

Brussel Sprouts

Sad to admit, but this was my first time ever trying this veggie! I loved it! I asked around before I attempted preparing them because as you all know, brussel sprouts don't have the best reputation. I wanted to be sure they were as delicious as possible! 

I bought a large bag of them at Costco for a pretty decent price. (Not recommended if this is your first attempt with them because if you don't like the flavor..then you'll be stuck with a big bag of vegetables you don't enjoy!) 

Here's how I did it:

Washed them in a mixture of Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar and water (~1:5 ratio). Let them soak in it for a couple of minutes then toss in a strainer and rinse with clean water. 

-Preheat your oven to 400 degrees

-Chop the sprouts in half & put in a bowl with a lid

-drizzle a bit of organic olive oil over them and crack some salt and black pepper over them 

-put the lid on the bowl and shake it up for about 30 seconds or until evenly coated

-line baking sheet with parchment paper and place sprouts on the sheet 

-bake at 400 for 16 minutes total. Halfway through the cooking time, be sure to stir them up or flip them so they're all evenly roasted! 

Enjoy as many as you can fit into your stomach. These are high in protein and vitamin C! 

Paleo Bread

This recipe is coming to you from my mother! She embarked on this Paleo journey when I started getting on her about eating healthier to help with her autoimmune diseases. She has been doing a fabulous job at making the many lifestyle changes that it takes to be "Paleo" and therefore has been feeling much better, too! I'm so proud of her! Thanks for sharing this amazing bread with us, Momma!

Ingredients: 

3 cups almond flour

3 tbsp coconut flour 

6 tbsp ground flaxseed

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 1/2 tsp baking soda 

7 eggs

1 1/2 tbsp melted coconut oil, plus extra to coat pan

1 1/2 tbsp honey 

1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With a mixer, combine the flours, flaxseed seed, sea salt and baking soda. Add the eggs and beat until combined. Then add in the coconut oil, honey and ACV until mixed well. 

Coat a bread pan with coconut oil well and pour the batter into the pan and spread it out. Bake for 30-45 min or until a toothpick comes clean when inserted into the middle of the bread. 

Enjoy this warmed with some nut butter & chopped bananas on top or with plain coconut oil! 

Juice for Baby, Too!

Recently my daughter had a play date with a sweet little girlfriend of ours and as they were enjoying a snack together, they switched sippy cups and my daughter got to taste apple juice for the first time (not by my approval...babies are quick and sneaky)! But the look on her face when she drank her friend's juice was priceless! She looked at me and looked back at the bottle...she knew it wasn't hers and she knew it definitely wasn't water! I felt somewhat guilty inside for not letting her try anything different and she's already almost a year old! So, as we were juicing this morning I decided I'd make a little extra for her. 

She loved it! And I loved that I knew exactly what was in it, too. So this is a great recipe for you to make for yourself and baby! 

Here's what I used: (all ingredients I use for juicing are fresh; not frozen)

-2 small organic Gala apples

-2 small organic Fuji apples

-2 navel oranges 

-5 stalks organic celery 

-heaping handful of spinach 

-1/4 cup organic blueberries 

-2 kiwis 

-1/2 small organic lime